Ephesians; 1:3 – every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies, part 17.

Spiritual over material: Obedience to God in all things is non-negotiable.

Man must pursue nothing else. Seek first His kingdom. All the other stuff will be added to you.

The believer who seeks first the understanding and use of these spiritual blessings will fully submit to the will of God for his life.

We studied the meaning of the very important passage in 2Co 5.

2Co 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;

2Co 5:15 and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

2Co 5:16 Therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.

The context, shown to us in verse 12 is:

Recognizing no man according to the flesh means that we do not judge others on outward appearance.

We also noted that there was nothing in Christ’s appearance that would reveal Him as the Son of God, the Messiah, which was prophesied in Isa 53. It was through what He said and what He did that revealed Him as the Messiah.

James faced this same issue concerning pride of appearance amongst the Jewish Christian communities, where favoritism was shown to the rich and disregard for the poor.

When we are very young we all form an opinion of what would be the best and happiest life for us. Every one of us is asked and we wonder about what we are going to be when we grow up. This opinion of what will make us feel fulfilled and happy evolves over time and as we reach young adulthood, it is usually solidified. We reach for its realization and some can make that life for themselves and some cannot. That life usually consists of certain circumstances and certain materials. The vitriol and escalating violence in our nation is coming from a small group who are attempting to achieve their desired circumstance and material. They have influenced many to change their own dreams into conformity of the dreams of this small group. Neither the puppeteers or the puppets understand what they will get if they ever achieve what they want.

What that who achieve their dream, and those who fail to, find out eventually, if they are humble enough to realize it, is that the life they dreamed of did not in fact fulfill them. Something major was still missing.

When we become Christians, some of us think that God is now going to give us that life we dreamed of, meaning the circumstance and the material. After all, He is all powerful, He loves us, and He is for us and not against us. We think that the problem was our lack of resources to get that life, and God’s resources are unlimited. What we failed to see was the actual problem was not in resources, but in the life itself.

And then similarly, if we receive the things we want or don’t, we find out, if we are humble enough to see, that God was not at all interested in those particular things.

Isa 55:8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Neither are your ways My ways," declares the Lord.

Isa 55:9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts than your thoughts.

And yet, the Lord has offered us His ways and His thoughts, and that without cost.

Isa 55:1 "Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;

And you who have no money come, buy and eat.

Come, buy wine and milk

Without money and without cost.

Isa 55:2 "Why do you spend money for what is not bread,

And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

And delight yourself in abundance.

Isa 55:3 "Incline your ear and come to Me.

Listen, that you may live;

And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,

According to the faithful mercies shown to David.

We find that even if we could achieve our personal dream, which when we are old enough we are usually secure enough to get some parts of it, that they are not the source of happiness that we seek.

We might erroneously think that when God achieves our dream for us then we’ll really start living. We must know that as soon as we received the life of Christ at salvation, we were ready to start living it, but we were ignorant about many things and lacked faith in many aspects of God’s plan. With knowledge and faith the life functions in and through us.

Col 3:1 If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Col 3:2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

Col 3:3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

“Revealed” means to appear from the root word for shining. Jesus will shine forth at the Second Coming, and the same word is used for “you”. You will shine forth with Him.

If a man’s heart believes this as true, that he will one day be revealed with Christ in Christ’s glory, would he be overly concerned with his person dream, his outward appearance, his material wealth, or anything worldly for that matter?

We do know from His word that God desires our happiness. He states that it is the fruit that He is going to produce in us. Yet, we will not experience it if we don’t see its means or source. The fruit of the Spirit is joy, but the scripture says that we are to walk by means of the Spirit. This means that we are to conduct ourselves always in faith in Him and walking or living according to His will.

It’s not a matter of doing certain things. It is a matter of becoming of a certain character, a divine character, which God has enabled us to be through the divine seed He put in us when we believed in Christ.

It turns out that happiness is not a circumstance or a material thing. God must put it in us, and in that way, we think of it as an actual substance, like pouring water into a glass. Yet it is not material.

Happiness is a thought based upon the love of God which God has put within every believer. It is the divine seed, which is empowered by God the Holy Spirit.

Rom 5:1 Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Rom 5:2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

Rom 5:3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;

Rom 5:4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;

Rom 5:5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Love poured out within our hearts makes it sound like love can be given like water into a glass, and it can. God gives His love and it changes lives in the most miraculous manner. Human beings can give love to another just as can give hate, but love demands a complete change within.

God loved us by giving us His only-begotten Son. God loved us as His children by blessing us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.

The verb “pour out” is perfect, passive, indicative. The love of God has been given to us through the Holy Spirit and it will never leave us just like the Spirit will never leave us.

“Pour out” – perfect, passive, indicative. God has, and always will, love us as His children. The HS bears witness of this to us. This is why hope does not disappoint.

This is also expounded upon in Titus.

Tit 3:1 Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed,

Tit 3:2 to malign no one, to be uncontentious, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.

Tit 3:3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

What a fine description of the human race without God.

Tit 3:4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,

Tit 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

Tit 3:6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

Tit 3:6 uses the same verb as Rom 5:5.

Rom 5:5

and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Tit 3:7 that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Those who reject Christ never see the cross of Christ as kindness and love given to them. Love must be accepted for it to be possessed.

Judas Iscariot did not accept the love of Christ, so it was reasonable to him to betray Christ.

And, anyone who wants to earn or work for salvation will not accept the love of God. The love of God cannot be earned. It can only be accepted. Agape love from another believer cannot be earned. It is not a do for me and I’ll do for you kind of exchange. Agape love from another believer can only be accepted.

Joh 1:12-13

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

When the love of God is accepted then it functions in the heart. We perceive it for what it is as we perceive the Cross. Its perception and understanding consumes and absorbs us. It absorbs anyone who sees it. And when it does, it is our only desire to live and walk in that love. Can you see how it is all by grace?

And, when unconditional love is accepted, there will be deep gratitude.

Tit 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

Tit 3:6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

Tit 3:7 that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Tit 3:8 This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God may be careful [think carefully] to engage [attend to] in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men.

Tit 3:9 But shun foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law; for they are unprofitable and worthless.

Tit 3:10 Reject a factious man after a first and second warning,

Tit 3:11 knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.

The factious or argumentative are agitated within because they are not happy or at peace. We should rejoice in what we know and not argue about what we don’t. There are many unknowns in the spiritual life and they require faith. There are unknowns today that will be knowns tomorrow. Nothing demands contention.