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Message from Ephesians 1:18c - The Treasure of Christ

Message from Ephesians 1:18c - The Treasure of Christ

by John Allen · 82 things on Twos

"And the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints"
Introduction:
Your Worth as God's Creation
Have you ever considered the worth of a human life?
Roe v Wade overturned because of the value of human life
Human life over animal life
Independence in America because the worth of human life to worship or not their Creator
Have you ever considered the worth of your life?
You are valued by God as His Creation.
"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully made: marvellous [are] thy works; and [that] my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, [and] curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all [my members] were written, [which] in continuance were fashioned, when [as yet there was] none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! [If] I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee." (Psalm 139:14-18)
"What I tell you in darkness, [that] speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, [that] preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:27-31)
Your Worth as a Child of God
Do you know that as a child of God you are of even greater worth to Him?
Specifically, do you know that you are of great worth to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, if you are His child?
Every child of God is *treasured* by God.
The Treasure of Christ
Main:
Christ's Inheritance in the Saints
The Hebrew Example
"When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the LORD'S portion [is] his people; Jacob [is] the lot of his inheritance." (Deuteronomy 32:8-9)
"Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever." (Psalm 28:9)
"Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: [but] the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, [even] God." (John 8:34-41)
"Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw [it], and was glad." (John 8:54-56)
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of [them], and embraced [them], and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that [country] from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better [country], that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city." (Hebrews 11:13-16)
"And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God." (James 2:23)
The Church Embodiment
"[Cometh] this blessedness then upon the circumcision [only], or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which [he had yet] being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which [he had] being [yet] uncircumcised. For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, [was] not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law [be] heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, [there is] no transgression. Therefore [it is] of faith, that [it might be] by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, [even] God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." (Romans 4:9-25)
"Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, [saying], In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." (Galatians 3:6-9)
"That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. ... And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:14, 29)
"Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise." (Galatians 4:28)
What does it mean to be His Inheritance?
By definition inheritance is what is given to one as a possession.
Therefore, the child of God is the possession of Jesus Christ, His inheritance.
How is an inheritance gained? - Death and deliverance
Death in the sense that upon their death one leaves something to another.
Deliverance in that a possession is given to another as the result of a victory.
** Many examples but I'll provide only two. **
David, after he killed Goliath, inherited as his wife the daughter of King Saul.
Christ inherited the church, His espoused bride, upon His victory on the cross of Calvary.
This is the picture painted of the inheritance in the saints.
Christ died for us and so we are His inheritance.
Christ rose again in victory and so we are His inheritance.
He gained us as His possession and gain Him as ours.
Christ's Treasure of the Saints
As His inheritance we are treasured by Him.
The example of the treasure in the field
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." (Matthew 13:44)
Christ found us in our sin but realized our worth to Him.
He hid (concealed) His plan of the Gospel, His plan to go to the cross.
He did this for the joy that was set before Him .
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)
He sold all that He had - Himself - so He could symbolically buy the field so He would have us, the church, as His possession, His inheritance.
The treasures of Christ
We often think about the treasures we have in Christ - grace, mercy, love, forgiveness, etc. - but do we ever think about the treasure we are to Christ?
Do we ever consider our the value we are to Him?
Oh, we are so unworthy in our sinfulness but to Him in His righteousness we have been made worthy by His blood.
Because He has purchased us we are HIs inheritance, His most treasured possession.
Not a possession as an object to be considered only when needed but a possession as His child to be nurtured and protected.
Not a possession as a robot without any interests or feelings but a possession as a friend who watches for your soul and desires deep, abiding fellowship.
Every child of God is a treasure to Christ...including you.
His Treatment of the Saints
How, though, does He treat His inheritance, His treasure, His possession? - *The riches of glory*
Adoption of the saints - vs 5
Satan, the father of sin and sinners, has left every sinner abandoned to their sin, but Christ has made through His Gospel to adopt us into the eternal family of God.
We are adopted into the family of God as His children by our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Redemption of soul and body for the saints - vs 7, 14
Redemption of the soul is the purchasing of the soul from the slave owner Sin.
Redemption of the body is the purchasing of the flesh from the slave owner Sin.
Sealing about the saints - vs 13
We are sealed by the Holy Ghost.
Sealed until the day of redemption.
No one can break the seal.
Inheritance by the saints - vs 10,16
As His treasure, His possession, He has given us Himself as our inheritance, our possession. As the song writer wrote "I am His and He is mine".
Conclusion:
What now do you believe about your worth?
Do you still think yourself worthless?
Do you still think yourself meaningless?
You have worth!
You are valued by God as His creation.
If you are saved then you are valued by Christ as His inheritance.
Is Christ treasured by you?