"Surpassing Riches…"
“Surpassing Riches…”
Blessings Folk!
Have you been transformed?
Seriously.
Have you been made a new person?
So many who profess faith in the Lord do not have a faith unto salvation.
Oh, they believe that Jesus is Lord…
James 2:19
You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
They might even do good deeds in and by the name of the Lord…
Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
Yet, many are not truly saved.
They have not moved from the death of sin into the Life of the Lord.
Here is how we are/were…
Ephesians 2:1-3
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
We …
- were dead in trespasses
- were dead in sin
- walked according to the course of this world
- walked according to the prince of the power of the air - satan
- walked in the same spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience
- lived in the lusts of our flesh
- indulged the desires of the flesh and of the mind
- were by nature children of wrath
If you are not different from this, then you are not transformed.
You are not saved.
Oh, you may have some religious practices, but, never confuse religious activity for true salvation.
Here is who we are now...watch the first two words...some of the most exciting in the Word…
Ephesians 2:4-7
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
But God!
God…
- being rich in mercy
- because of His great love with which He loved us
- made us alive together with Christ.
Take a moment and think on that.
God made us alive together with Christ.
God initiated.
God executed.
God completed.
When we were dead in our transgressions.
(Pay close attention to the phrases “with Christ” and “in Christ” through Ephesians.)
It is simply by God’s grace that we are saved through faith.
But wait!
There is more…
God…
- raised us up with Him
- seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus
We were raised from death to life in Him.
We are seated with Him...now!...in the heavenlies.
We are here now.
We are there now.
Yes.
Why?
So that in the ages to come...a time yet to come…
He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
In Christ we experience the surpassing riches of the grace of God...now and in the age to come.
This is much more than “being religious.”
This is much more than “going to church.”
This is life.
Life abundant.
If you do not have this life, the Spirit is speaking to you now.
Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.
Repent and confess the Lord.
Allow Him to transform you…
Blessings!