What Would You Do with $500 Million?

Ephesians 1:3-14

 

 

Have you ever thought about; dreamed about; or fantasized about; what you would do if you won the lottery? What would you do with $500 million? When I first started working at the office I’m at now, there was an employee who had recently inherited $10 million. He retired and went into full time mission work.

 

Ephesus was one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire. It was a commercial, political and religious center for all of Asia Minor. For these reasons, it was a strategic city, and quite possibly that may account for why Paul spent almost three years there during his third missionary trip.

 

He may have reasoned that by reaching the people of Ephesus, he could reach the world. Being such a strategic city, Paul must have believed it was important for the Ephesian believers to understand what was included in their spiritual blessings, or inheritance, in Christ.

 

With that as a backdrop, most of today’s passage was devoted to the spiritual blessings in Christ available to all believers. Paul started by writing that believers have been blessed with “every spiritual blessing in Christ”. He specifically mentions the following blessings of our inheritance:

 

• We are holy and blameless in his sight v.4
• We are adopted as a son or daughter through Jesus v.5
• Grace is freely given to us v.6; and lavished on us v.8
• We have redemption through his blood v.7
• We are forgiven of our sins v.7
• We are a part of God’s plan who works out everything v.11
• We have been marked with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit v.13
• This guarantees our inheritance v.14

 

These verses give us our identity in Christ. They define who we are! Not our career; not our family; not our church; not our wealth; not our good deeds; not our sins; but our faith in Jesus Christ! We are sons and daughters of the King, and He has given us a seal with the Holy Spirit.

 

“The Holy Spirit was given to us as a promise that we will receive everything God has for us. God’s Spirit will be with us until God finishes His work of making us complete. God does this to show His shining-greatness.”                   New Life Version

 

The question is, what will you do with your inheritance? The pastor emeritus of my church recently shared a story about his granddaughter. For her fifth birthday she received some monetary gifts. Instead of buying new toys for herself, she decided to give those gifts to help others in need in Africa and Nicaragua.

 

What would you do with $500 million? What would you do with a $10 million inheritance? What would you do with the birthday gifts of a five year old? What will you do with the inheritance that God has already given you?

 

 

 

 

"Hello. My Name is Joe."

Psalm 139:13-24

 

After introductions, what do you say next? How do you answer the question, “Who are you”? Is it in terms of your job, your school or maybe your church? Do your children, your spouse or your parents define who you are?

 

 

For some it is something they have done, possibly an addiction. When introducing yourself at a meeting you give your name and say, “I am an addict”. What is it that defines you; that goes to the core of your being; that is the bottom line of how you truly feel about yourself?

 

In his prayer, David wrote the following about how he defined himself:

 

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.”

 

He understands that although he had biological parents, God was his true creator. In polite conversation, we tend to not disclose our inner being. But God created our inner being, and not only did He create it, it is “fearfully and wonderfully made”. That means that there is nothing to be ashamed about who we are.

 

The definitions of guilt and shame are very similar, but significantly different. Guilt means that we feel bad about what we did. Shame means that we feel bad about who we are. God is saying through David that we need not feel ashamed of who we are, because God created us.

 

Finally, Paul wrote this about who we are:

 

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”         Ephesians 2:10

 

God has created you for a unique purpose to use the gifts and abilities that He has given you through His grace. God is the potter, and you are His clay. He defines who you are. He has prepared good works for you to do.

 

“Hello. My name is Joe. I’m a creation of God and a follower of Christ Jesus”. Who do you believe you are?