WEBVTT 00:00:00.960 --> 00:00:01.960 Good morning. 00:00:02.879 --> 00:00:04.160 My name is Tommy. 00:00:04.639 --> 00:00:07.219 I'm the rector here, and on behalf of our church, 00:00:07.799 --> 00:00:08.740 I'd like to welcome you. 00:00:09.480 --> 00:00:10.720 I'm delighted that you're here. 00:00:11.480 --> 00:00:14.620 And I'm so glad that we get to open God's Word together today. 00:00:15.560 --> 00:00:17.379 I love the lectionary readings. 00:00:17.719 --> 00:00:21.219 They've been speaking to me very personally lately, 00:00:21.440 --> 00:00:22.580 and I'm just thankful for that. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:35.880 You know, the word blessing is an interesting word 00:00:35.880 --> 00:00:37.520 because we hear it all the time. 00:00:38.460 --> 00:00:41.500 And in many ways, I would say it's an overused word. 00:00:42.299 --> 00:00:44.320 I mean, it's a word that we use to describe 00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:46.379 all kinds of good things that happen in our lives, 00:00:46.399 --> 00:00:47.379 and that's not always bad. 00:00:48.299 --> 00:00:50.879 But we might, for instance, take a picture of ourselves 00:00:50.879 --> 00:00:53.159 on vacation this summer and post it online, 00:00:54.240 --> 00:00:55.820 put hashtag blessed under it. 00:00:55.820 --> 00:00:57.019 What a blessing to be here. 00:00:57.020 --> 00:00:59.160 You know, some people use the word blessing 00:00:59.160 --> 00:01:02.900 as a way to kind of humble brag about their own successes. 00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:07.520 I've been so blessed with all of these promotions 00:01:07.520 --> 00:01:11.000 in my job, right, and all the hard work that I've done. 00:01:11.460 --> 00:01:13.120 We say it after people sneeze. 00:01:14.120 --> 00:01:15.700 We hear this word quite a bit. 00:01:16.320 --> 00:01:18.300 And there's nothing really wrong with that, 00:01:18.340 --> 00:01:20.520 but the problem is that we use this word so much 00:01:20.520 --> 00:01:22.379 that I think we've lost a lot of the sense 00:01:22.379 --> 00:01:25.980 of what it actually means to say that we are blessed. 00:01:27.019 --> 00:01:31.179 Whatever difficulties you might be facing in your life, 00:01:31.239 --> 00:01:34.119 whether they are internal struggles like anxiety, 00:01:34.319 --> 00:01:38.099 depression, hopelessness, or external struggles, 00:01:38.759 --> 00:01:42.920 conflict or job stress or parenting stress, 00:01:43.759 --> 00:01:46.199 whatever difficulties are pulling at the edges 00:01:46.199 --> 00:01:48.039 of your attention right now, 00:01:48.120 --> 00:01:50.219 whatever difficulties keep you up at night 00:01:50.219 --> 00:01:53.899 wringing your hands, whatever we're dealing with, 00:01:53.900 --> 00:01:57.440 the thing that we most need to get through those challenges 00:01:57.440 --> 00:02:00.719 is God's blessing in our life. 00:02:01.640 --> 00:02:03.820 That's the thing that we most need. 00:02:04.380 --> 00:02:06.780 We're going to look at these opening verses 00:02:06.780 --> 00:02:09.240 of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, 00:02:09.379 --> 00:02:12.379 probably the most extraordinary description 00:02:12.379 --> 00:02:16.040 of the meaning of God's blessing for us 00:02:16.040 --> 00:02:17.700 that you'll find anywhere in the Bible. 00:02:17.699 --> 00:02:19.939 And we're going to ask a couple of questions. 00:02:20.259 --> 00:02:21.639 What is a blessing really? 00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:25.719 And then what is God's blessing for you 00:02:25.719 --> 00:02:28.219 and for me this morning? 00:02:28.859 --> 00:02:31.299 Let's pray and then we will open God's word together. 00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:35.599 Our heavenly Father, we know that you are present. 00:02:37.939 --> 00:02:39.339 We know that you're with us. 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:43.000 We may have some awareness of that. 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:45.020 We may not. 00:02:45.099 --> 00:02:46.379 We may not feel it at all. 00:02:47.139 --> 00:02:48.979 But Lord, we know that does not matter. 00:02:49.139 --> 00:02:51.199 What matters is that you are present. 00:02:52.219 --> 00:02:54.139 We ask now that you would speak. 00:02:55.879 --> 00:02:59.360 These are not mere words written on a page. 00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:01.840 These are living words. 00:03:02.319 --> 00:03:05.099 We pray that you would speak through your word 00:03:05.099 --> 00:03:07.740 and bring us face to face 00:03:07.740 --> 00:03:10.740 with the word become flesh, Jesus Christ. 00:03:10.740 --> 00:03:15.000 We pray that somehow in the mystery of your Holy Spirit, 00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:17.900 your word would become flesh in us, 00:03:18.460 --> 00:03:20.780 that we might be changed by what we hear 00:03:20.780 --> 00:03:22.200 and receive from you this morning. 00:03:22.340 --> 00:03:24.820 We pray this in the name of Jesus, 00:03:24.960 --> 00:03:26.240 by the power of your Holy Spirit. 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:26.980 Amen. 00:03:29.080 --> 00:03:30.240 So what is a blessing? 00:03:31.260 --> 00:03:34.980 A lot of times when we hear the word bless or blessing, 00:03:34.979 --> 00:03:39.719 we think of it as a kind of way of encouraging someone, 00:03:40.119 --> 00:03:42.299 well-wishing them, blessing them. 00:03:42.859 --> 00:03:44.539 And in one sense, that's true, 00:03:44.679 --> 00:03:47.259 but in the Bible, it means far more than that. 00:03:47.819 --> 00:03:50.879 If you consider examples of blessing in the Old Testament, 00:03:51.060 --> 00:03:53.839 for instance, when Isaac blesses Jacob, 00:03:54.319 --> 00:03:58.679 or when then Jacob goes on to bless his 12 sons, 00:03:58.680 --> 00:04:04.040 or when Samuel anoints and blesses David, 00:04:04.379 --> 00:04:08.659 what we see in every case is we have someone in authority 00:04:08.659 --> 00:04:13.219 declaring a person's true purpose 00:04:13.219 --> 00:04:15.360 and their true identity. 00:04:16.360 --> 00:04:17.939 This is who you are, 00:04:18.860 --> 00:04:20.840 and this is why you're here. 00:04:20.960 --> 00:04:22.699 This is the purpose of your life. 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:25.800 This is the course that your life is meant to take. 00:04:25.800 --> 00:04:27.800 And because of that, 00:04:27.860 --> 00:04:31.340 because a blessing speaks to your identity and your purpose, 00:04:32.180 --> 00:04:34.800 blessings can have tremendous power. 00:04:35.520 --> 00:04:37.100 They're able to shape and direct 00:04:37.100 --> 00:04:39.180 the course of someone's entire life. 00:04:39.780 --> 00:04:42.580 And that is exactly what a blessing is meant to do. 00:04:42.680 --> 00:04:45.720 It's meant to shape and direct the course of your life. 00:04:46.699 --> 00:04:48.740 Now, that is why the Apostle Paul 00:04:48.740 --> 00:04:52.900 begins his letter to the Ephesians the way he does. 00:04:53.220 --> 00:04:54.879 Imagine you're the Apostle Paul, 00:04:54.879 --> 00:04:56.560 and you're sitting in prison in Rome, 00:04:56.719 --> 00:04:58.779 and you've heard about all of these issues 00:04:58.779 --> 00:05:00.100 happening in the church 00:05:00.100 --> 00:05:01.899 that you helped to start in Ephesus. 00:05:02.319 --> 00:05:03.259 There is strife. 00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:04.860 There is personal sin. 00:05:05.219 --> 00:05:07.659 There is racial tension and division. 00:05:07.939 --> 00:05:09.639 There's a rise of paganism. 00:05:09.839 --> 00:05:12.540 There's demonic oppression and spiritual warfare. 00:05:13.079 --> 00:05:15.279 And you have one shot to write a letter 00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:18.159 as their pastor to address all of these issues. 00:05:18.360 --> 00:05:19.279 How would you begin? 00:05:21.579 --> 00:05:23.279 This is how Paul begins. 00:05:23.279 --> 00:05:26.819 He believes that all of the issues 00:05:26.819 --> 00:05:29.059 in the Ephesian church are symptoms 00:05:29.059 --> 00:05:32.059 of the fact that they have forgotten 00:05:32.059 --> 00:05:33.959 who they truly are 00:05:33.959 --> 00:05:36.659 and why they are here. 00:05:37.179 --> 00:05:38.919 So the first half of his letter, 00:05:39.039 --> 00:05:41.459 he essentially says again and again and again, 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:44.739 remember who you are. 00:05:45.739 --> 00:05:48.619 Remember who you are. 00:05:48.620 --> 00:05:49.840 And as we'll see, 00:05:49.980 --> 00:05:53.100 remember whose you are. 00:05:54.079 --> 00:05:57.319 And see, every human being has this deep longing 00:05:57.319 --> 00:06:01.399 for identity and meaning and purpose. 00:06:01.660 --> 00:06:02.620 We want to desperately… 00:06:03.439 --> 00:06:05.560 We're desperate to know why we're here, 00:06:05.879 --> 00:06:06.780 who we are, 00:06:06.899 --> 00:06:08.319 what we're meant to become. 00:06:08.579 --> 00:06:10.939 And the worst possible thing 00:06:10.939 --> 00:06:13.199 is to have no sense of identity 00:06:13.199 --> 00:06:15.120 and no sense of purpose. 00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:18.379 So we're all searching for it. 00:06:18.899 --> 00:06:21.160 Some people look for it in their career. 00:06:21.340 --> 00:06:22.840 A lot of people come to D.C. 00:06:23.240 --> 00:06:26.360 with an identity that is centered on their career. 00:06:27.199 --> 00:06:28.980 But what happens if your job 00:06:28.980 --> 00:06:30.819 doesn't turn out the way you hoped? 00:06:30.920 --> 00:06:32.680 What if you get fired? 00:06:32.819 --> 00:06:34.579 What if you get laid off? 00:06:34.899 --> 00:06:36.819 Even if it has nothing to do with you, 00:06:36.899 --> 00:06:38.259 it's not your fault at all. 00:06:38.399 --> 00:06:39.620 Something like that happens. 00:06:39.959 --> 00:06:42.420 If your identity is centered in your career, 00:06:42.420 --> 00:06:45.040 that will threaten your entire sense of self-worth. 00:06:45.920 --> 00:06:47.960 It's not uncommon to talk to people 00:06:47.960 --> 00:06:49.120 who have lost their job 00:06:49.120 --> 00:06:49.560 and they say, 00:06:49.900 --> 00:06:51.300 I don't know who I am anymore. 00:06:52.900 --> 00:06:55.840 I don't know what the purpose of my life is. 00:06:55.920 --> 00:06:57.840 Why to get out of bed anymore? 00:06:58.620 --> 00:07:01.080 If you begin to root your identity 00:07:01.080 --> 00:07:02.139 in your appearance, 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:03.540 that works for a while, 00:07:03.700 --> 00:07:05.860 particularly if you happen to be somewhat attractive. 00:07:07.639 --> 00:07:09.139 But you know, that does fade. 00:07:09.860 --> 00:07:10.759 It will fade. 00:07:10.759 --> 00:07:13.480 You know, it kind of creeps up on you. 00:07:16.779 --> 00:07:18.680 If you've centered your identity 00:07:18.680 --> 00:07:19.439 in your appearance, 00:07:19.500 --> 00:07:20.959 as that fades, 00:07:22.180 --> 00:07:24.860 your sense of self and self-worth 00:07:24.860 --> 00:07:26.000 will begin to fade with it. 00:07:27.240 --> 00:07:27.480 Right? 00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:29.180 If you root your identity, 00:07:29.319 --> 00:07:31.399 the sense that this is who I truly am 00:07:31.399 --> 00:07:32.539 in your inner world, 00:07:32.659 --> 00:07:33.599 how you feel, 00:07:34.019 --> 00:07:34.939 what you desire, 00:07:36.019 --> 00:07:37.480 what you'll find is that 00:07:37.480 --> 00:07:40.339 that inner world is tumultuous. 00:07:40.759 --> 00:07:44.279 Your feelings have a tendency to change, 00:07:44.860 --> 00:07:46.740 not just over years, 00:07:46.860 --> 00:07:48.639 but maybe over the course of an afternoon. 00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:51.420 And so what you'll find 00:07:51.420 --> 00:07:52.980 is that if you're trying to root your identity 00:07:52.980 --> 00:07:54.740 in your inner feelings and desires, 00:07:54.959 --> 00:07:56.639 it's like chasing the wind. 00:07:57.599 --> 00:07:59.879 You're going to have a perpetually insecure 00:07:59.879 --> 00:08:02.000 and fragile sense of self. 00:08:02.839 --> 00:08:05.399 That's why people who define themselves this way 00:08:05.399 --> 00:08:09.219 are constantly looking for external sources of validation 00:08:09.219 --> 00:08:12.060 to gain that sense of stability. 00:08:12.600 --> 00:08:15.719 If you root your sense of identity in your children, 00:08:16.600 --> 00:08:19.199 what happens when your kids get older? 00:08:19.699 --> 00:08:22.779 What happens when your children begin to make choices 00:08:22.779 --> 00:08:24.659 that you don't agree with? 00:08:25.379 --> 00:08:27.539 What happens when they make mistakes 00:08:27.539 --> 00:08:29.439 or do things that you're not proud of? 00:08:30.479 --> 00:08:31.739 And you begin to wonder, 00:08:31.979 --> 00:08:33.819 is this reflecting on my parenting? 00:08:34.019 --> 00:08:36.339 Do people around me think that I'm a bad parent, 00:08:36.759 --> 00:08:38.899 that I have failed because of the thing 00:08:38.899 --> 00:08:39.879 that my child did? 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:44.019 If you've rooted your sense of identity in your children, 00:08:44.100 --> 00:08:44.939 as they get older, 00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:45.819 as they leave, 00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:49.159 as you successfully parent them out of your house, 00:08:49.159 --> 00:08:51.919 I've heard people say, 00:08:52.019 --> 00:08:52.919 well, now that my kids are gone, 00:08:52.980 --> 00:08:54.000 I don't know who I am anymore. 00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:54.959 I don't know why I'm here. 00:08:55.059 --> 00:08:56.139 I don't know why I get out of bed. 00:08:56.159 --> 00:08:56.919 I have no purpose. 00:08:58.559 --> 00:09:00.860 So in all of these sources of identity, 00:09:00.860 --> 00:09:02.159 we find they don't work. 00:09:02.240 --> 00:09:03.100 They don't last. 00:09:03.500 --> 00:09:06.100 They don't give us that thing that we hope they will. 00:09:06.100 --> 00:09:08.399 And that's because there's only one place 00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:10.719 that we can go to figure out the truth 00:09:10.719 --> 00:09:14.240 about who we really are and why we are really here. 00:09:14.740 --> 00:09:16.579 There's only one being out there 00:09:16.579 --> 00:09:19.000 who has the authority to answer those questions 00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:20.240 in our lives. 00:09:20.820 --> 00:09:23.220 And that is the one who authored us. 00:09:24.179 --> 00:09:24.320 Right? 00:09:24.360 --> 00:09:26.340 If you want the truly authoritative answer, 00:09:26.480 --> 00:09:27.220 go to the author, 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:29.779 which is God himself. 00:09:31.019 --> 00:09:33.419 God's blessing means God speaking 00:09:33.419 --> 00:09:36.419 with ultimate authority into our lives, 00:09:36.840 --> 00:09:39.519 declaring this is who you truly are, 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:41.159 this is why you're here. 00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:45.179 And then giving us everything we need 00:09:45.179 --> 00:09:46.159 to live that out. 00:09:46.820 --> 00:09:47.600 This is who you are, 00:09:47.679 --> 00:09:48.379 this is why you're here, 00:09:48.379 --> 00:09:51.159 and here's everything you need to pursue that. 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:53.960 You know, we can spend our lives 00:09:53.960 --> 00:09:55.179 searching for identity and purpose. 00:09:55.279 --> 00:09:58.399 We can only truly find it in the blessings of God. 00:09:59.879 --> 00:10:02.639 So that's what a blessing is in the Bible. 00:10:02.700 --> 00:10:04.399 Now, how does God answer this question 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:06.120 of identity and purpose in our lives? 00:10:07.500 --> 00:10:08.740 Well, this entire passage 00:10:08.740 --> 00:10:10.840 that we're looking at this morning, 00:10:11.320 --> 00:10:12.279 beginning in verse 3, 00:10:12.279 --> 00:10:15.759 is one long run-on sentence in the Greek. 00:10:15.860 --> 00:10:19.720 Paul is so filled with things that he wants to say 00:10:19.720 --> 00:10:22.159 to try to answer this question for us 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:24.139 that he just goes on and on and on and on and on. 00:10:24.179 --> 00:10:26.419 The entire thing is just one long run-on sentence. 00:10:27.860 --> 00:10:31.000 But what it lacks in grammatical quality, 00:10:31.100 --> 00:10:33.159 it makes up for in theological depth. 00:10:33.159 --> 00:10:36.059 It is a staggering statement. 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:38.199 What is God's blessing for us? 00:10:38.419 --> 00:10:40.860 For everyone who puts their faith in Jesus, 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:42.419 there are three things here 00:10:42.419 --> 00:10:44.980 that are most true about your identity 00:10:44.980 --> 00:10:46.219 and your purpose. 00:10:46.379 --> 00:10:48.199 They're more true than whatever 00:10:48.199 --> 00:10:49.740 you have come to believe 00:10:49.740 --> 00:10:51.819 about those things in your life. 00:10:52.679 --> 00:10:55.299 Number one, verses 4 to 6, 00:10:55.299 --> 00:11:14.799 Now, if we don't understand 00:11:14.799 --> 00:11:16.179 what Paul is saying here, 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:17.259 it's easy to get caught up 00:11:17.259 --> 00:11:19.799 with the wrong idea about predestination. 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:21.879 Paul is not talking about this 00:11:21.879 --> 00:11:24.259 in the context of unbelievers, 00:11:24.259 --> 00:11:25.939 as though people might come to Jesus 00:11:25.939 --> 00:11:27.539 and say, I want a relationship. 00:11:27.759 --> 00:11:29.480 And he says, well, you're not on the list. 00:11:30.179 --> 00:11:31.399 That's not how it works. 00:11:32.019 --> 00:11:33.740 The gospel is open to everyone 00:11:33.740 --> 00:11:36.700 and anyone who comes to Jesus in faith 00:11:36.700 --> 00:11:37.939 will be saved. 00:11:38.100 --> 00:11:40.460 Paul is writing this as a pastor 00:11:40.460 --> 00:11:41.960 trying to encourage his flock. 00:11:43.059 --> 00:11:44.059 There's a time and a place 00:11:44.059 --> 00:11:45.919 to get into the theological mysteries 00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:46.919 of predestination 00:11:46.919 --> 00:11:49.200 and all of what that means 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:50.720 and how it relates to free will. 00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:53.759 But here, Paul is writing as a pastor 00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:56.100 and he's trying to encourage his people. 00:11:56.759 --> 00:11:57.879 And friends, he's writing 00:11:57.879 --> 00:11:59.580 in a culture of abandonment. 00:12:00.659 --> 00:12:02.399 This is an abandonment culture. 00:12:02.779 --> 00:12:04.039 This is a culture where people 00:12:04.039 --> 00:12:08.759 would routinely sell wives 00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:10.299 they didn't want anymore into slavery, 00:12:10.700 --> 00:12:13.240 where they would routinely get rid of children 00:12:13.240 --> 00:12:14.139 they didn't want anymore. 00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:15.519 There was a trash dump 00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:17.519 outside the eastern gate of Ephesus, 00:12:17.759 --> 00:12:19.000 and that's the place where people 00:12:19.000 --> 00:12:20.980 would take and discard babies 00:12:20.980 --> 00:12:21.800 that they didn't want. 00:12:23.779 --> 00:12:25.320 And slavers knew this, 00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:27.340 and so slavers would frequent that area 00:12:27.340 --> 00:12:28.580 and they would look for babies 00:12:28.580 --> 00:12:29.279 healthy enough 00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:32.320 that they might turn them into slaves, 00:12:32.800 --> 00:12:34.000 sell them and turn a profit. 00:12:35.980 --> 00:12:37.700 It was a culture of abandonment. 00:12:37.800 --> 00:12:38.560 Some of the Christians 00:12:38.560 --> 00:12:39.639 that Paul is writing to 00:12:39.639 --> 00:12:41.220 had probably been abandoned 00:12:41.220 --> 00:12:42.320 by their birth parents. 00:12:43.879 --> 00:12:45.580 And the point he's trying to make 00:12:45.580 --> 00:12:46.680 is that if you're someone 00:12:46.680 --> 00:12:48.100 who has come to faith in Jesus, 00:12:48.100 --> 00:12:49.540 that's not by accident. 00:12:50.820 --> 00:12:52.940 That's not because of anything you did. 00:12:54.000 --> 00:12:55.279 Jesus doesn't look at you and say, 00:12:55.379 --> 00:12:57.000 oh, well, I'm really surprised you made it. 00:12:57.060 --> 00:12:57.500 Good job. 00:12:57.580 --> 00:12:58.320 You figured it out. 00:13:00.700 --> 00:13:02.300 God wanted you. 00:13:04.700 --> 00:13:06.379 God wanted you. 00:13:06.700 --> 00:13:09.879 Before he laid the foundations of the earth, 00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:14.100 he wanted you to belong to him 00:13:14.100 --> 00:13:15.800 and be part of his family. 00:13:15.799 --> 00:13:17.639 He had you in mind. 00:13:20.019 --> 00:13:22.299 That's the ultimate truth about you. 00:13:22.599 --> 00:13:24.159 That is more true about you 00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:26.419 than anything anybody has ever told you. 00:13:27.139 --> 00:13:28.179 That first and foremost, 00:13:28.559 --> 00:13:31.339 you are wanted by name. 00:13:31.879 --> 00:13:32.899 You're chosen. 00:13:33.199 --> 00:13:34.120 You belong to him 00:13:34.120 --> 00:13:35.620 because he wants you. 00:13:36.699 --> 00:13:39.019 And a lot of problems arise in our lives 00:13:39.019 --> 00:13:39.539 and in the world 00:13:39.539 --> 00:13:41.039 because we don't know this. 00:13:41.139 --> 00:13:43.179 Because instead of living like men and women 00:13:43.179 --> 00:13:44.319 who have been adopted, 00:13:45.179 --> 00:13:46.739 we live like orphans. 00:13:48.120 --> 00:13:50.159 You know, some of us try to cobble together 00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:51.699 a sense of identity and worth 00:13:51.699 --> 00:13:53.279 by relying on our careers 00:13:53.279 --> 00:13:54.259 or our appearance 00:13:54.259 --> 00:13:55.939 or our children like we said before. 00:13:56.559 --> 00:13:58.519 You know, and as long as we have those things, 00:13:58.599 --> 00:13:58.979 we're okay, 00:13:59.099 --> 00:14:00.000 but when we lose them, 00:14:00.039 --> 00:14:01.059 it destroys us. 00:14:02.519 --> 00:14:03.979 Maybe we feel threatened 00:14:03.979 --> 00:14:06.139 when we see other people 00:14:06.139 --> 00:14:07.759 with jobs or looks 00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:09.779 or families that we don't have 00:14:09.779 --> 00:14:12.839 and we feel like their success diminishes us. 00:14:14.159 --> 00:14:15.600 We're living like orphans 00:14:15.600 --> 00:14:16.620 when we think that way. 00:14:17.339 --> 00:14:19.120 Some of us care way too much 00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:21.379 about the approval of other people. 00:14:21.500 --> 00:14:23.919 We can't handle critical feedback 00:14:23.919 --> 00:14:25.959 even from people who care about us. 00:14:26.399 --> 00:14:28.799 We can't receive hard words in love 00:14:28.799 --> 00:14:30.139 because we feel so threatened, 00:14:30.459 --> 00:14:31.259 so diminished. 00:14:31.559 --> 00:14:33.779 Some of us go around demanding respect. 00:14:35.379 --> 00:14:37.620 We're living like orphans when we do that, 00:14:37.659 --> 00:14:38.740 like it's all up to us. 00:14:40.419 --> 00:14:41.259 The gospel says 00:14:41.259 --> 00:14:42.339 you don't have to live 00:14:42.339 --> 00:14:43.699 like an orphan anymore. 00:14:44.059 --> 00:14:47.079 You have a father who chose you 00:14:47.079 --> 00:14:48.720 and you belong to him. 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:50.819 God had you personally in mind 00:14:50.819 --> 00:14:52.600 before he laid the foundations of the earth. 00:14:52.860 --> 00:14:54.419 He set things in motion 00:14:54.419 --> 00:14:55.519 so that one day 00:14:55.519 --> 00:14:57.279 you would come to know him 00:14:57.279 --> 00:14:58.519 and become part of his family. 00:14:58.799 --> 00:15:00.319 You have the ultimate security 00:15:00.319 --> 00:15:02.439 of knowing that you belong to God 00:15:02.439 --> 00:15:03.799 because he wanted you. 00:15:04.939 --> 00:15:06.419 There is no greater security 00:15:06.419 --> 00:15:07.259 to be found anywhere. 00:15:07.259 --> 00:15:09.419 And the language of adoption 00:15:09.419 --> 00:15:10.659 means that you belong to him 00:15:10.659 --> 00:15:11.580 once and for all. 00:15:12.240 --> 00:15:13.700 You can fire an employee. 00:15:14.319 --> 00:15:15.620 You can fire a servant. 00:15:16.659 --> 00:15:18.000 But once you're adopted, 00:15:18.179 --> 00:15:19.639 especially under Roman law, 00:15:20.100 --> 00:15:21.299 an adopted child became 00:15:21.299 --> 00:15:22.720 in every way indistinguishable 00:15:22.720 --> 00:15:24.019 from a birth child. 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:25.799 So once you're adopted, 00:15:25.899 --> 00:15:26.379 that's it. 00:15:26.759 --> 00:15:27.720 You're his forever. 00:15:29.319 --> 00:15:30.100 So number one, 00:15:30.179 --> 00:15:31.059 you've been adopted. 00:15:31.620 --> 00:15:32.639 That's who you truly are. 00:15:32.740 --> 00:15:33.480 You're wanted. 00:15:33.480 --> 00:15:34.940 Number two, 00:15:35.080 --> 00:15:37.039 you have been redeemed. 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:39.180 Verses seven through 10. 00:15:40.740 --> 00:15:42.759 Now this is one of the most important words 00:15:42.759 --> 00:15:43.259 in the Bible 00:15:43.259 --> 00:15:45.000 if you understand the context. 00:15:45.879 --> 00:15:47.620 You may already be getting a hint of this. 00:15:47.720 --> 00:15:48.800 This city of Ephesus 00:15:48.800 --> 00:15:50.600 was a center of slave trade 00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:53.200 in this part of the world. 00:15:53.620 --> 00:15:55.519 A quarter of the population, roughly, 00:15:56.440 --> 00:15:58.080 somewhere between 20 and 30% 00:15:58.080 --> 00:16:01.019 of the population were slaves. 00:16:01.019 --> 00:16:03.939 So it was a huge, huge business. 00:16:04.600 --> 00:16:05.480 And the way it would work 00:16:05.480 --> 00:16:06.480 is that people would go down 00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:07.879 to the slave market in Ephesus 00:16:07.879 --> 00:16:08.799 and you would peruse, 00:16:08.939 --> 00:16:09.840 you would look through 00:16:09.840 --> 00:16:12.299 and inspect all of the available slaves 00:16:12.299 --> 00:16:13.220 and you would figure out 00:16:13.220 --> 00:16:14.759 the ones that you were interested in 00:16:14.759 --> 00:16:15.460 and then they would go up 00:16:15.460 --> 00:16:16.220 on the auction block. 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:18.259 And depending on how much interest there was, 00:16:18.319 --> 00:16:19.840 the price could be driven up 00:16:19.840 --> 00:16:21.019 higher and higher and higher. 00:16:21.159 --> 00:16:22.659 And so slaves could be very, very costly. 00:16:24.100 --> 00:16:25.059 And occasionally, 00:16:25.220 --> 00:16:27.100 a person might want to free 00:16:27.100 --> 00:16:29.340 a loved one who was a slave. 00:16:29.340 --> 00:16:30.500 They might want to free 00:16:30.500 --> 00:16:32.280 a friend who was enslaved. 00:16:32.700 --> 00:16:33.820 And in order to do that, 00:16:33.879 --> 00:16:34.899 you had to pay a price. 00:16:36.280 --> 00:16:39.540 So you would have to purchase that slave. 00:16:39.620 --> 00:16:41.300 You'd have to purchase their freedom. 00:16:42.240 --> 00:16:43.360 You would purchase them 00:16:43.360 --> 00:16:44.560 and then you would release them. 00:16:45.080 --> 00:16:45.660 And that, again, 00:16:45.720 --> 00:16:46.759 could be very, very expensive. 00:16:47.680 --> 00:16:50.480 But this act of purchasing a slave 00:16:50.480 --> 00:16:52.139 in order to set them free, 00:16:52.660 --> 00:16:53.639 that is the word 00:16:53.639 --> 00:16:54.960 that the Apostle Paul uses 00:16:54.960 --> 00:16:56.920 to describe what Jesus Christ 00:16:56.919 --> 00:16:58.979 has accomplished for us. 00:16:59.479 --> 00:17:01.740 And that word is the word redemption. 00:17:02.959 --> 00:17:04.779 We have been redeemed. 00:17:05.759 --> 00:17:06.779 Now here's the picture 00:17:06.779 --> 00:17:08.279 that Paul is painting for us. 00:17:08.659 --> 00:17:10.059 He's saying the world 00:17:10.059 --> 00:17:12.019 is like a great slave market. 00:17:13.079 --> 00:17:14.339 The entire world 00:17:14.339 --> 00:17:16.379 is like a great spiritual slave market. 00:17:16.819 --> 00:17:18.180 We are all slaves 00:17:18.180 --> 00:17:21.859 to Satan and to sin and to death. 00:17:21.859 --> 00:17:24.500 And Jesus came into the world 00:17:24.500 --> 00:17:26.139 because he was looking for you. 00:17:27.019 --> 00:17:28.819 He came into the slave market 00:17:28.819 --> 00:17:30.099 looking for you. 00:17:31.619 --> 00:17:33.000 And he would not stop 00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:34.159 until he set you free. 00:17:34.859 --> 00:17:37.000 And he was willing to pay any price. 00:17:38.079 --> 00:17:39.399 And the price got higher 00:17:39.399 --> 00:17:40.219 and higher 00:17:40.219 --> 00:17:41.119 and higher 00:17:41.119 --> 00:17:41.919 and higher. 00:17:42.279 --> 00:17:43.699 And Jesus was willing to pay 00:17:43.699 --> 00:17:44.919 the ultimate price. 00:17:45.240 --> 00:17:46.919 And verse 7 tells us the price. 00:17:46.920 --> 00:17:48.039 We have redemption 00:17:48.039 --> 00:17:50.440 through his blood. 00:17:51.900 --> 00:17:52.960 On the cross, 00:17:53.100 --> 00:17:55.380 Jesus purchased our freedom 00:17:55.380 --> 00:17:56.779 once and for all. 00:17:57.360 --> 00:17:59.340 The highest price ever paid 00:17:59.340 --> 00:18:00.019 in history 00:18:00.019 --> 00:18:01.500 to redeem a slave. 00:18:02.660 --> 00:18:03.880 An infinite price. 00:18:05.620 --> 00:18:06.060 And you know, 00:18:06.160 --> 00:18:07.360 if we value things 00:18:07.360 --> 00:18:08.820 based on the price paid for them, 00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:10.240 what does that mean about you? 00:18:10.860 --> 00:18:12.440 It means you are a being 00:18:12.440 --> 00:18:13.800 of infinite worth. 00:18:13.799 --> 00:18:16.899 It means that everyone you meet, 00:18:17.319 --> 00:18:18.339 it means that everyone 00:18:18.339 --> 00:18:19.379 sitting around you 00:18:19.379 --> 00:18:20.180 in this room 00:18:20.180 --> 00:18:23.200 is infinitely valuable 00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:25.519 because the God of the universe 00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:26.960 paid an infinite price 00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:27.960 for that person. 00:18:30.200 --> 00:18:31.659 Again, a lot of problems 00:18:31.659 --> 00:18:32.480 in our lives arise 00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:33.559 because we don't know this 00:18:33.559 --> 00:18:34.299 in our hearts. 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:36.139 We forget it. 00:18:37.539 --> 00:18:38.259 There was an article 00:18:38.259 --> 00:18:38.980 in the New Yorker 00:18:38.980 --> 00:18:39.819 about slavery 00:18:39.819 --> 00:18:41.159 in the country of Mauritania. 00:18:41.160 --> 00:18:44.400 And it's one of the worst places 00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:45.620 in the world for slavery. 00:18:46.080 --> 00:18:47.019 Even though it's technically 00:18:47.019 --> 00:18:47.640 been outlawed, 00:18:47.680 --> 00:18:48.259 there are still 00:18:48.259 --> 00:18:49.540 entire communities 00:18:49.540 --> 00:18:51.160 made up exclusively 00:18:51.160 --> 00:18:52.740 of slaves. 00:18:53.160 --> 00:18:54.680 And that's the only life 00:18:54.680 --> 00:18:55.320 they've ever known. 00:18:55.420 --> 00:18:56.120 It's the only life 00:18:56.120 --> 00:18:57.100 their parents have ever known 00:18:57.100 --> 00:18:57.759 and their grandparents. 00:18:58.040 --> 00:18:58.980 It's the only reality 00:18:58.980 --> 00:18:59.700 they've ever known. 00:19:01.620 --> 00:19:04.320 And there's a quote 00:19:04.320 --> 00:19:06.900 from one of the people 00:19:06.900 --> 00:19:07.560 in the article. 00:19:07.559 --> 00:19:10.039 Mauritanian slaves 00:19:10.039 --> 00:19:11.159 are not restrained 00:19:11.159 --> 00:19:12.000 by chains. 00:19:13.720 --> 00:19:14.539 Slavery is a 00:19:14.539 --> 00:19:15.980 psychological institution. 00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:19.039 They interview 00:19:19.039 --> 00:19:21.759 people who try to escape. 00:19:22.139 --> 00:19:23.119 This one boy 00:19:23.119 --> 00:19:23.879 tries to escape. 00:19:24.399 --> 00:19:24.839 His mother says, 00:19:24.899 --> 00:19:25.379 what are you doing? 00:19:27.059 --> 00:19:28.419 I want to escape slavery. 00:19:28.539 --> 00:19:28.799 Why? 00:19:29.759 --> 00:19:30.759 Who do you think you are? 00:19:31.700 --> 00:19:32.539 You're a slave. 00:19:32.740 --> 00:19:33.379 Why would you leave? 00:19:34.980 --> 00:19:36.419 Another former child slave 00:19:36.420 --> 00:19:37.539 said to the interviewer, 00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:39.100 to the slave, 00:19:39.740 --> 00:19:40.460 his identity 00:19:40.460 --> 00:19:42.240 is his master. 00:19:44.700 --> 00:19:45.600 His identity 00:19:45.600 --> 00:19:46.920 is his master. 00:19:47.019 --> 00:19:47.680 He believes, 00:19:47.980 --> 00:19:48.740 she believes 00:19:48.740 --> 00:19:50.860 that they are slaves. 00:19:51.580 --> 00:19:51.980 Therefore, 00:19:52.140 --> 00:19:52.560 they are. 00:19:54.340 --> 00:19:55.220 Setting a person 00:19:55.220 --> 00:19:56.080 like that free 00:19:56.080 --> 00:19:57.060 requires much more 00:19:57.060 --> 00:19:57.920 than simply throwing 00:19:57.920 --> 00:19:58.460 open the door 00:19:58.460 --> 00:19:58.940 and saying, 00:19:59.360 --> 00:19:59.940 go build a life 00:19:59.940 --> 00:20:00.420 for yourself. 00:20:01.460 --> 00:20:02.980 They need their identity 00:20:02.980 --> 00:20:03.920 to be rebuilt 00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:05.000 from the ground up. 00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:06.660 with every brick 00:20:06.660 --> 00:20:07.920 being a new brick. 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:09.500 You are no longer 00:20:09.500 --> 00:20:10.140 a slave. 00:20:10.420 --> 00:20:11.660 You are free. 00:20:12.019 --> 00:20:13.619 You have been redeemed. 00:20:14.339 --> 00:20:15.680 And only when they begin 00:20:15.680 --> 00:20:16.819 to see themselves 00:20:16.819 --> 00:20:17.500 as free 00:20:17.500 --> 00:20:18.140 will they begin 00:20:18.140 --> 00:20:18.859 to live 00:20:18.859 --> 00:20:19.859 as free people. 00:20:20.440 --> 00:20:21.779 And that's not unlike 00:20:21.779 --> 00:20:22.740 how the apostle Paul 00:20:22.740 --> 00:20:23.559 sees sin 00:20:23.559 --> 00:20:24.200 in the lives 00:20:24.200 --> 00:20:25.119 of Christians. 00:20:25.220 --> 00:20:26.460 When we disobey God, 00:20:28.220 --> 00:20:28.900 Paul doesn't say, 00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:29.619 oh, you're breaking 00:20:29.619 --> 00:20:30.099 the rules. 00:20:30.220 --> 00:20:31.440 Stop breaking the rules. 00:20:31.819 --> 00:20:32.359 Shape up 00:20:32.359 --> 00:20:33.199 or ship out. 00:20:35.059 --> 00:20:36.240 He recognizes 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:37.339 what's actually happening. 00:20:37.979 --> 00:20:38.399 He says, 00:20:38.479 --> 00:20:39.039 you're going back 00:20:39.039 --> 00:20:39.979 to your old master. 00:20:41.879 --> 00:20:42.579 You're allowing 00:20:42.579 --> 00:20:43.419 that old identity 00:20:43.419 --> 00:20:44.519 to be your master. 00:20:45.559 --> 00:20:46.519 And he continually 00:20:46.519 --> 00:20:47.479 appeals to us 00:20:47.479 --> 00:20:47.899 as he does 00:20:47.899 --> 00:20:48.379 in this letter 00:20:48.379 --> 00:20:49.359 to put off 00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:50.240 that old self. 00:20:51.240 --> 00:20:52.039 Be renewed 00:20:52.039 --> 00:20:52.939 by the spirit 00:20:52.939 --> 00:20:53.619 of your mind 00:20:53.619 --> 00:20:54.059 and put on 00:20:54.059 --> 00:20:54.819 the new self 00:20:54.819 --> 00:20:55.779 that you've gained 00:20:55.779 --> 00:20:56.259 in Christ, 00:20:56.359 --> 00:20:57.079 the one that has been 00:20:57.079 --> 00:20:58.139 redeemed and set free. 00:20:59.139 --> 00:21:00.319 Remember who you are. 00:21:00.479 --> 00:21:01.579 Remember who you are. 00:21:01.579 --> 00:21:02.759 Remember who you are. 00:21:02.919 --> 00:21:03.759 It's like a drumbeat 00:21:03.759 --> 00:21:05.019 throughout this letter. 00:21:05.980 --> 00:21:06.579 So he says, 00:21:06.740 --> 00:21:07.519 remember who you are. 00:21:07.579 --> 00:21:08.339 You've been adopted. 00:21:09.259 --> 00:21:10.399 You've been redeemed. 00:21:10.519 --> 00:21:11.159 And then number three, 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:11.699 the third thing 00:21:11.699 --> 00:21:12.419 that we see here. 00:21:13.259 --> 00:21:15.059 You have been sealed. 00:21:16.519 --> 00:21:17.439 Now what does that mean? 00:21:17.480 --> 00:21:18.220 In the Roman world, 00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:19.299 if you were a soldier, 00:21:19.460 --> 00:21:20.079 you had a tattoo. 00:21:20.579 --> 00:21:21.659 If you were a slave, 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:22.539 you had a brand. 00:21:22.919 --> 00:21:23.799 These were marks 00:21:23.799 --> 00:21:24.359 of ownership 00:21:24.359 --> 00:21:25.139 that told everyone 00:21:25.139 --> 00:21:25.879 around you 00:21:25.879 --> 00:21:28.379 who you belong to. 00:21:29.759 --> 00:21:30.679 And virtually everyone 00:21:30.679 --> 00:21:31.399 belonged to someone. 00:21:32.579 --> 00:21:33.639 And Paul says, 00:21:34.139 --> 00:21:35.579 God has put his mark 00:21:35.579 --> 00:21:36.220 on you. 00:21:36.919 --> 00:21:38.059 He adopted you, 00:21:38.139 --> 00:21:38.980 he redeemed you, 00:21:39.039 --> 00:21:40.439 and now he's put his mark 00:21:40.439 --> 00:21:41.619 of ownership on you. 00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:42.839 It's not a visible mark. 00:21:43.460 --> 00:21:44.419 It's the gift 00:21:44.419 --> 00:21:45.559 of the Holy Spirit. 00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:46.859 You have been given 00:21:46.859 --> 00:21:47.639 the Holy Spirit 00:21:47.639 --> 00:21:48.519 which is a sign 00:21:48.519 --> 00:21:49.220 and a seal 00:21:49.220 --> 00:21:51.699 of who you truly are 00:21:51.699 --> 00:21:53.759 and whose you truly are. 00:21:54.399 --> 00:21:55.379 And the Holy Spirit 00:21:55.379 --> 00:21:56.539 guarantees not only 00:21:56.539 --> 00:21:57.859 that we belong to God, 00:21:57.859 --> 00:21:59.759 but it guarantees 00:21:59.759 --> 00:22:01.359 and it reminds everyone 00:22:01.359 --> 00:22:01.759 in the world, 00:22:01.879 --> 00:22:02.679 including us, 00:22:03.199 --> 00:22:04.240 that we have 00:22:04.240 --> 00:22:05.619 an inheritance to come. 00:22:06.659 --> 00:22:07.819 He says in verse 3, 00:22:08.139 --> 00:22:08.939 God has given us 00:22:08.939 --> 00:22:10.319 every spiritual blessing. 00:22:10.599 --> 00:22:11.659 He doesn't just give us 00:22:11.659 --> 00:22:13.240 just enough to get by. 00:22:13.919 --> 00:22:14.679 He's given us 00:22:14.679 --> 00:22:15.799 every spiritual blessing. 00:22:15.899 --> 00:22:16.379 There's nothing 00:22:16.379 --> 00:22:17.179 he has to give us 00:22:17.179 --> 00:22:18.339 that he has not entrusted 00:22:18.339 --> 00:22:18.919 to us. 00:22:19.419 --> 00:22:20.639 He holds nothing back. 00:22:21.240 --> 00:22:22.759 And verse 14 says, 00:22:22.759 --> 00:22:23.359 the Holy Spirit 00:22:23.359 --> 00:22:24.379 is like a down payment 00:22:24.379 --> 00:22:24.920 of that. 00:22:25.660 --> 00:22:26.640 It's a guarantee 00:22:26.640 --> 00:22:27.960 of the full payment 00:22:27.960 --> 00:22:29.339 to come at the end 00:22:29.339 --> 00:22:30.019 of all time. 00:22:30.099 --> 00:22:30.680 It's a guarantee 00:22:30.680 --> 00:22:31.660 that one day 00:22:31.660 --> 00:22:32.799 at the end of all time 00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:33.920 we will receive 00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:35.319 the full inheritance 00:22:35.319 --> 00:22:36.400 that has been set aside 00:22:36.400 --> 00:22:37.019 for us. 00:22:37.700 --> 00:22:38.579 And that inheritance 00:22:38.579 --> 00:22:39.259 is the promise 00:22:39.259 --> 00:22:39.859 that one day 00:22:39.859 --> 00:22:41.039 God will restore 00:22:41.039 --> 00:22:42.379 all things. 00:22:42.680 --> 00:22:43.640 The heavens and the earth 00:22:43.640 --> 00:22:44.960 will be joined together 00:22:44.960 --> 00:22:46.079 and we will live 00:22:46.079 --> 00:22:46.599 with him 00:22:46.599 --> 00:22:49.079 as one community, 00:22:49.259 --> 00:22:49.640 one community.