In Heavenly Places – Ephesians 1:3

A Note from our Pastor:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:” ~ Ephesians 1:3

Good Morning Dearly Beloved,

There is a great focus in the present time on the conveniences of our lives. We may not often recognize it (I am certainly guilty of not) but as modern Americans we are quite spoiled to an extremely comfortable existence. This is not to downplay the discomforts, heartaches, and difficulties we experience. Whether it be physical or emotional pain the suffering is real. But that suffering is 99% of the time buffered by a great level of conveniences compared to much of the world today and especially in history.

I say this not to be negative, but to make the point that when Paul begins in earnest this first chapter of Ephesians his mind is not on the blessings of his current life. In reality, most of us would find the life that Paul lived to be nearly unbearable. He was imprisoned and not in our modern prisons, he was whipped within a lash of his life, and he was stoned and left for dead. He was run out of cities, had his life threatened, and was hated of his own kindred. He lived the life of a nomad preaching the gospel and would not have highlighted his daily conveniences.

So as Paul writes this third verse, it is no surprise that his focus is on “blessings in heavenly places”. What Paul is going to tell us about in the following verses is not all of the blessings we receive during this lifetime (and there are many) but rather all of the blessings that are secured for us in heaven and immortal glory.

This was Paul’s sustaining hope — that in and through Christ Jesus, God the Father hath given us tremendous blessings. Dearly beloved, that should be our hope as well. We are thankful daily for the blessings we receive in this lifetime. The food on our tables, the roof over our heads, the relative health of our lives, but what sustains us is a hope that is secured in glory. That hope is described in the following verses of this chapter.

Let us remember today, that whatever we face, our hope is not in the things of this world but in Jesus Christ and his completed work.

Our Prayers are with you daily,

Brother Jeremiah