Sermon –Ephesians 1:3-14 – Gifts from God

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon –Ephesians 1:3-14 – Gifts from God

January 5, 2014

Tomorrow is the day the church remembers that God appeared on Earth. This is called an Epiphany. God came as Jesus, a flesh and blood human. For the last 12 days we have been celebrating his birth. But now it is time to take down the tree, put away the decorations, and write all those thank you cards. This is important work and we will get to it shortly. But first, let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Ephesians 1:3-14 ³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴ For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace ⁸ that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. ⁹ And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰ to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment-- to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. ¹¹ In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, ¹² in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. ¹³ And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-- to the praise of his glory.

When you opened your Christmas gifts this year did you do it by yourself, or did you do it with friends and family? I think, for most of us, we open gifts with others. Christmas is a time to gather together in groups to share what we have been given. So too with gifts from God. We gather in groups, called churches, to open the presents God gives us at Christmas. Sadly so many Christians today see no need for church. They see only the need for a personal, individualistic relationship with Christ. They can worship God by reading the Bible on their own and watching sermons on the internet. Church seems unnecessary. But we know that receiving gifts from God is always better when done together. That way we can share our blessings and praise God together as church. Church is vitally important because the gifts we receive are meant not for the individual but for all of us. We have receive many blessings from God. And it is time to write our thank you notes.

As we gather up the Christmas gifts to write our thank you notes, let's take a look at some of the presents we have received. The first thing we see is a big box labeled, “spiritual blessings”. This one came from God, the Father of Jesus Christ. Inside we find what we have wanted, for a long long time. God has granted our request that we be a part of his holy family. Even though we are not descended directly from Abraham and Sarah, God has decided to adopt us into his family as a gift. What a wonderful gift to receive at Christmas. And there is something extra in this box, a bonus gift from God. God has chosen us to live holy lives. We have been given the great honor of being the ones who will obey his commands. God chose us for this glorious task before he created the world. And this Christmas we have received it as a glorious gift. Let's remember to write a thank you note to God, the Father, for these wonderful gifts of adoption into his family as obedient children.

And this is another box under the tree. Let's open it up and see what's inside. It is a gift from Jesus, and the box is filled with wisdom and understanding. And here is another box from Jesus with a second gift. It's not under the tree. It is on the table where we eat and drink the bread and juice of communion. Let's look in this box. It is the gift of redemption. We no longer have to worry about the devil and his temptation leading us to sin. We are free from slavery to sin and the clutches of Satan. We are free to live lives pleasing to God. What a great gift! And look here, there is a third box from Jesus. And inside is still another gift. It is the gift of forgiveness. All that we have done is forgiven. The shame and guilt we have carried for years is washed away. Remember to write thank you cards for these gifts from Jesus of redemption and forgiveness of sin.

So, how did all these wonderful gifts get under the tree? Did Saint Nicholas bring them or someone else? Maybe a group of wise men from the east put them there. These are all possibilities. But I think that the person who came down the chimney with these gifts was none other than the Holy Spirit who brings these gifts to us whenever we assemble to hear the Word of God read and proclaimed.

Oh, I almost missed it. There is one more gift, but it's not under the tree. It is sitting on the pulpit wide open. And it is for us, right here in Pocomoke. The wrapping paper around the box says “Hope”. Let's open it up. And inside, look at what we have found. It's a book with the title, “Bible”, and it has God's plan for us. God is going to use us to bring the whole world under the lordship of Jesus. Every thing, every nation, every leader, every person in heaven and on earth will be subject to our Lord Jesus Christ. And God is working through us, the church, to make this a reality.

So now it is time to write those thank you notes. We need to thank God for choosing us as his people. We need to thank Jesus Christ for redeeming us from slavery to sin. We need to thank the Holy Spirit for working though God's word sealing these gifts upon us. So how do we thank our triune God? Well, the best way to do this is to gather as church and offer up our praise and worship. This is why we come to church each Sunday, to receive God's gifts and offer our prayers of thanksgiving to our wonderful God.

We have been chosen by God, before time began, for the very special purpose of leading obedient lives. We have been redeemed by Christ, freed from slavery to sin and forgiven. All these gifts have been sealed upon us by the Holy Spirit working through the proclamation of the Word of God. God's purpose in doing all this is to bring of all creation into unity in Christ. So let's thank God for all of this. Let's offer our praise and thanksgiving to God in worship. Let this be our New Year's resolution to be God's people. Let's pray.

Father in Heaven, we thank you for choosing us as your people and we pledge to lead obedient lives. Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for your gifts of redemption and forgiveness allowing us to lead lives pleasing to God and in service to others. Holy Spirit, we thank you for being with us today sealing these gifts upon us through the proclamation of God's Holy Word. We thank you God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for inviting this church to be part our your holy family. Amen.