Immeasurably More

Elder Ho Kien Keong

10-12-2017

Ephesians 2New King James Version (NKJV)

By Grace Through Faith

2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Christ gives us a new identity.

Ephesians 1:3-14New King James Version (NKJV)

Redemption in Christ

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both[a] which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who[b] is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

There is immeasurably more. God's story does not stop at salvation.

1) Chosen

He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless on His sight.

In choosing us, He sacrificed His Son, Jesus. And we are adopted as His children--sons and daughters into His family.

We have to bold and confident to experience the Fatherhood of God.

The Father loves you. Build upon this foundation. Because you and I are chosen, I am courageous. Do not take this for granted.

Therefore, we have an inheritance.

2) Redeemed

Not just from our sins but into a plan that God has for us.

We are redeemed for a purpose. Discover who we are and what we are living for.

Surrender the areas of our lives so that we are able to live our lives according to His purpose and His call.

3) Sealed

We are marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. Father chose us, Jesus redeemed us, the Holy Spirit seals us--signed, sealed and delivered by the Holy Spirit.

It is about being a Christian that will begin to understand how God can give us immeasurably more as we allow Him to work in our lives.

That's His story. What's our story?

Ephesians 1:15-23New King James Version (NKJV)

Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom

15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding[a] being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

1) Spiritual Wisdom + Revelation (Ephesians 1:17)

God will give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we know Him better--at a personal level.

2) The Eyes of Your Heart (Ephesians 1:18)

The heart is the decision maker of our lives to understand the truth of God's word that will bring hope to which He has called us.

3) Incomparably Great Power (Ephesians 1:19)

The incomparably great power for us who believe is the same power that raised Christ.

Ephesians 3:20New King James Version (NKJV)

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

Ephesians 3:20-21The Message (MSG)

20 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

God is able to do immeasurably more.

Eg. Jacob in Genesis has a lot of issues in relationship. His father loved his brother more. He and his mother formed a pact to take away his brother's birthright. He ran to his uncle Laban and was tricked to marry Leah, then Rachel.

God said to him, "Go back to your country." One night, he wrestled with God. He came to the end of his humam ability. "God, unless you bless me, I will not let you go." His name was changed to Israel and his children became the twelve tribes of Israel. God showed him immeasurably more.

Know God as a person where we can dialogue with Him. Help me to deal with our sins. Sins prevent us from the power of God to work in our lives. Don't allow sins to accummulate. Surrender and release to God to allow Him to cleanse and transform us. The presence of God changes our lives.

Deal with the busyness of life that takes us away from God working with us. The Holy Spirit is in the Word and ask God how does it apply to our lives. Meditate on His Word to sink into our lives and our spirit. We can't remain as a baby. We are a new creation based on our confidence and identity as His sons and daughters. Holy Spirit, come and take us forward.

Like Jacob. There is immeasurably more that we can experience of God. Every spiritual blessing in Christ is given to us.