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[0:00] Take your Bibles and turn to the book of Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephes books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books books sacrifice to God. But among you, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality or of any kind of impurity or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, false talk, or foolish talk, or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For this, you can be sure, no immoral, impure, greedy person, such a man as an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore, do not be partners with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. And find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. That is why it is said, wake up, O sleeper. Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Be very careful, then, how you live, not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

[2:07] Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[2:34] Last week, on what was St. Patrick's Day, as the Roman Catholic Church has dubbed it, we looked at the believer's identity as saints. And we saw that the Bible's view of saints is vastly different from that of the Roman Catholic Church or the Orthodox Church, which teach that saints are just an elite group of believers, kind of the Navy SEALs of all believers that have separated themselves from the run-of-the-mill Christian. And they do that by an exceptional life. They do it by miracles.

[3:19] And so sainthood in those churches is a medal of honor that the church confers upon those who have showed outstanding service of some way. But we saw that according to the Bible, every believer is a saint. Indeed, Paul, when writing his epistles of the New Testament, writes to them, he writes them to the saints, doesn't he? To the saints at Philippi, to the saints in Ephesus, in Corinth, in Colossae.

[3:47] Over 70 times in the Bible, the believers, the people of God are referred to as saints. So sainthood is not an achievement. And by the way, those are just ordinary Christians, weren't they?

[4:03] Husbands, wives, children, parents, masters, slaves, who are in Christ by faith. Some of them baby believers, some of them maybe walked with the Lord for 50 years. But together, in Christ, they are all saints. Now, sainthood then is not an achievement of man, something that we achieve after a lifetime of extraordinary service. But rather, it's the gracious work of God that makes you a saint the moment that you trust in Jesus Christ. Once you're placed in Christ, you are then a saint, as the Bible calls you. And so we begin the Christian life as a saint.

[4:45] Now, in the Bible, the word saint means holy one. That's the word, and it's used both ways. It can be translated both ways. To the saints, to the holy ones, the sanctified ones, because to be holy is to be set apart to God. It's to be sanctified, consecrated, dedicated to the Lord's service.

[5:10] And we saw that in the Old Testament, that the temple furnishings were set apart from common use to be used to serve the Lord. Well, a saint then is a person that God has set apart from the world, from sin, set apart now for him, to live unto him, to please him, to serve and love and trust him, to obey him. And we do that then, not in some monastery, separated from normal, ordinary life on planet Earth, but we're supposed to be holy, be saintly in all that we do. So we're to act like saints in whatever we do, in whatever calling that God has given you. There, as a husband, as a husband in the family, there you are to be holy, to be saintly, as a wife, as a son, a daughter, a parent, and in your job, and at your school, and in your community, to be saintly, to be holy in all that you do. Now, it's interesting to see how things were made holy in the Old Testament.

[6:20] How were they set apart? And Hebrews 9 tells us that in the Old Testament, Moses would take the blood of calves and sprinkle the people with it, and in the same way, he sprinkled with the blood, both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.

[6:47] So the pots and pans, the forks and knives, the platters that were used in service to God were made holy. They were set apart in this ceremony of sprinkling with the blood of calves. Hebrews 10 goes on to say that we, we the people of God, have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. So we've been cleansed and set apart to God, not by the blood of calves and goats and sheep, but by the blood of Jesus, because the blood of animals cannot cleanse human sin.

[7:26] And so we were set apart to the Lord by the cleansing blood of Jesus. So our identity is that through the blood of Jesus, we are saints. We have been, past tense, set apart to God. We have been dedicated to God in the same way that we had a dedication for this building. What would we be doing with it? We were setting it apart for the Lord's glory.

[7:51] So you, child of God, have been, past tense, sanctified to the Lord's glory, set apart to please and serve him. And so the Bible teaches there is this initial sanctification in the Christian life that happens the moment we're joined to Jesus Christ. And that's why in the Bible, all believers are called saints from the outset of the Christian life. It is our new identity in Christ. But then that initial setting us apart to the Lord, that initial sanctification is followed by a whole lifetime process of growing in holiness, growing in saintly behavior.

[8:36] Until seeing the Lord Jesus, we will be perfectly like him without any sin at all. So all this by way of review from last week. Now today, I want to return to the book of Ephesians, the passage that was read, and see once again how Paul says that our identity as saints is to shape the way that we live.

[8:57] So how does Paul open this letter to the Ephesians? To the saints. So what we read after verse 1, we're to understand is being directed to the saints, the faithful in Christ Jesus.

[9:11] So the first three chapters are loaded with the privileges of saints. And so you read Ephesians 1 to 3, you're reading about all of your privileges as a saint. And then chapters 4 to 6, you read about all your responsibilities and duties that grow out of the fact that you are a saint. And here we are in chapter 5, we're in that second part where our duties, our responsibilities that grow out of our being saints is set before us. And so we're in chapter 5 and verse 3. And we see, but among you, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, any kind of impurity or of greed. Why not?

[9:54] Because these things are improper for saints. Improper for saints, the holy ones. Verse 4, nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking. Why not? Because these are out of place.

[10:14] They don't jive with saints, with who a saint is. See how Paul appeals to their identity as saints. Why should these behaviors and attitudes never once be named among you? It's because of who you are.

[10:31] You're a saint. You're a holy one. And these things are improper for saints. I mean, they're unbecoming. They're unfitting. They're out of place. They're inappropriate. Saints are holy ones. And these are unholy actions, unholy attitudes, unholy words, and therefore totally unfitting, unholy actions. Let me try to illustrate what it means that something is improper for someone.

[11:03] Something's out of place. We're on the island of Mauritius. They're east of Africa. There was a poor, as far as I know, a true story, a poor black slave woman. And she'd worked hard for many years and saved up her money to purchase the freedom of her daughter, who was also a slave to the same man.

[11:29] And this mother was happy to remain a slave herself for the joy of seeing her daughter set free, walking around free with shoes on her feet because that was the badge of freedom.

[11:44] A slave was not allowed to wear shoes on the island of Mauritius. And so sometime later, this mother came into the room where her daughter was sitting and she sat down beside her as she had always done before.

[11:57] But now the daughter turned on her in rage and said, How dare you sit down in my presence? Do you not know that I am a free woman and you are a slave?

[12:14] Rise instantly and leave this room. And we say, What is this? And the answer is, This is unfitting behavior.

[12:26] This is out of place. This is inappropriate. This doesn't jive with a woman who has just been shown so much kindness by her mother to such a great cost.

[12:43] That's not right. Everything in us instinctively says that, doesn't it? That's not right. That's not becoming of her. That's not fitting for her. In fact, it's downright ugly. Because of who she is and what has been done for her by her dear mother.

[12:59] Well, even so, the Lord Jesus Christ has sacrificed himself. He's died to make us holy. He's died to make us saints. To free us from sin's bondage and set us apart from sin as those consecrated to serve the Lord.

[13:17] And these sins that he lists, sexual immorality, greed, covetousness, impure mouth, these things are totally unfitting for a saint.

[13:28] Now, Paul says some may deceive themselves and think that they can continue to live in such disobedience to God's commands and still be saints, still be God's people.

[13:39] But it's a lie. He said, for this, if you can be sure of this, verse 5, that no immoral, impure, or greedy person, such a man is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

[13:51] So let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things, God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore, do not be partners with them.

[14:04] Saints. So he's talking to saints. God has saved us. He set us free from such sin and disobedience and wrath. And he's made us saints. Now, we're set apart from such living to be obedient to our God.

[14:20] You once were darkness, and that fits with darkness. But now you are light in the Lord. So be what you are. Live as children of the light.

[14:32] And that means bear the fruit of the light that consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. Live according to what God says is good, right, and truth.

[14:46] Don't live according to the world's standards. You used to live that way. Now live according to what God says is good, right, and true. So what does the world say? What's their standard? Well, if a man and a woman want to live together before marriage, that's good.

[15:01] No, God says that's evil. That's sexual immorality. It shouldn't have anything, a place at all in the life of a saint. What's the world say?

[15:12] Well, if hiding your income means you don't have to pay as much tax, then that's right. And what's the Lord say? No, that's wrong. That's greed and covetousness, taking and keeping something that doesn't belong to you.

[15:29] If you're pregnant and don't want the baby, abortion is a good option for you. That's what the world says. And no, that's a lie. It's murder. You see, that's what marks the children of darkness.

[15:41] This is what marks the holy saints, the children of light. So we're being told to live what we are. We are light. Live like it. We are saints.

[15:52] Live saint-like. So any sinful behavior is unfitting for saints than those who have been set apart to God. But now the burden of my message this morning is this.

[16:05] If that is unfitting for a saint, I want to know what is fitting. You see, we've looked at the negative. That behavior, it doesn't belong just like what that girl did to her mother.

[16:18] That doesn't belong anywhere in a saint's life. Well, what does? What does? And the passage is full of different things. Doing what's right and good and true and pleasing the Lord.

[16:32] Finding out what pleases him and then doing it. And avoiding like the plague all that displeases him. But what is emphasized more than any other behavior in this passage is thanksgiving.

[16:47] What is befitting for a saint? Thanksgiving. To give thanks. Notice how it bookends this whole passage. Verse 3.

[17:02] Not these. Not sexual immorality. Not these. Not sexual immorality. Impurity. Covetousness. Greed. Which are improper for saints. Nor these.

[17:13] The obscenities. And filthy mouth. Which are out of place. But rather. What? Thanksgiving. But rather. Thanksgiving. Not this.

[17:26] But that. That. And. And then again. At the end of this passage. In verse 20. Always giving thanks to God the Father. For everything. In the name of our Lord.

[17:37] Jesus Christ. Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving. stands as bookends. And. On both ends of this passage. Of how saints. Are to act. This is saintly behavior.

[17:49] Thanksgiving to God. That's a saintly life. And that's what's proper. That's what's suitable. That's what's appropriate. To anyone. Who is. A saint. Now why?

[18:01] Why? Why is thanksgiving. Befitting for saints? Well. Why should we. Of all people. On earth. Be a. People who are always. Giving thanks to God the Father. For everything.

[18:12] Well it's because of everything. That God the Father is. And. And is for us. And does for us. And is said. That he will do for us. It was befitting.

[18:22] For that young lady. Down on the island of Mauritius. To give thanks to her mother. For her new found freedom. Mom. Let me tell you. What I've been doing. With my freedom. Oh.

[18:33] I've been enjoying it so much. And. And here's what I've done. Now that I. I'm free. I can do this. And this. And to think mom. That. That I owe it all to you. That you would be willing.

[18:45] To remain a slave. That I be free. Thank you mom. And a big hug. And a kiss. That. That's what. Is befitting. Thankfulness. Gratitude. And even so.

[18:56] Saints. The only befitting. Response for us. Is. To give thanks to God. To be a people of thanksgiving. And it's interesting. That the Bible. Is always reminding us.

[19:07] Of why saints. Should give thanks. The Bible. Is a. A list of. Reasons. To give thanks. You ever thought of the Bible. That way. It's reflected in the Heidelberg.

[19:19] Catechism. That catechism. That comes. Down to us. Out of. The reformation. Era. It's divided. The whole catechism. Is divided into three sections. The.

[19:30] First section. Sin. Second section. Grace. Third section. Gratitude. So the first section. Man's problem. Sin. And you read about that.

[19:41] In the first section. The second section. God's provision. For man's sin. Grace. So that whole section. Is about what God. And grace. Has done for us. Sinners.

[19:51] And then. Third section. All about the Christian life. Now. Now that we've been saved. By the grace of God. Gratitude. That the. The whole. Of the Christian life.

[20:02] Is to be one. Of gratitude. It's to be a living. Thank you. To the God. Who in grace. Has had mercy. On this sinner. And when we lose. An attitude of gratitude. Something is seriously.

[20:13] Wrong with us. We've lost sight. Of. Of our identity. Of who we are. And what's been done. For us. That we should be called.

[20:24] Saints. And God knows. That this can happen. To us. And can happen. To us. Especially when we're. Going through trials. And so.

[20:34] He's filled his book. With reminders. Why saints. Should. Should be. Giving thanks. Continually. So turn back. To Ephesians chapter 1. Just.

[20:46] To see. Why saints. Should give thanks. To God. Saints. That's who he's talking to. You saints. Praise be. Verse 3. Praise be. To the God. And father. And father. Of our Lord.

[20:56] Jesus Christ. Who has blessed us. In the heavenly realms. With every spiritual blessing. In Christ. You say. John. You don't understand. All the things. I'm going through. All the trials.

[21:07] I'm going through. And I may not understand. All of that. But I do understand. That if you're a saint. You have had. Spiritual blessings. Loaded upon you. In Jesus Christ.

[21:17] And that's what. Paul's wanting you to know. Saints. Praise the Lord. For all these spiritual blessings. That are yours. In Christ. Whatever. Trials.

[21:28] Are dogging your steps. Here. Are spiritual blessings. That make you rich. Beyond telling. And that should. Pull. A song of thanksgiving. Out.

[21:39] Of your heart. And mouth. And he starts to number them. First of all. He chose us to be saints. Saints. Why? Why give thanks? Because he chose us. To be saints.

[21:50] For he chose us. Verse 4 says. In him. In Christ. Before the creation of the world. To be saints. To be holy ones. And to be blameless.

[22:03] In his sight. Why are you a saint? This morning. As you sit there. Loaded with spiritual blessings. Why are you not still a sinner. Under God's wrath. We're just awaiting the judgment.

[22:15] Well. You can. You can trace that back. To its first cause. And what do you find? You're way back. Before the world was created. As God looked down. And saw this mass of sinners.

[22:26] Living in rebellion against him. He chose to save you. Purely by his grace. And love. And that's where. This list of blessings begins.

[22:40] So I have to ask you. Saint. When's the last time. You thank God. For choosing you. To be a saint. And then. Secondly. He predestined us.

[22:51] To be adopted. As his sons. Through Jesus Christ. In accordance with his pleasure. And will. Verse five. By his own gracious decision. He. He. He predetermined.

[23:01] That you would be adopted. Into his family. Now. When adoptions happen. And. The adopting couple. Gets. Usually. To pick. And have some say.

[23:12] And who they want. And when. When God was adopting. He didn't look around. To find the. The little good girl. The little good boy. There were none. They were all rebels. They were all children. Of disobedience. And he says.

[23:24] I'll take them. I'll take this one. That. I'll take these. These rebels. And. And I. Will predetermine. To. To adopt them. Into my family. So when's the last time.

[23:36] You thank God. For adopting you. Into his family. So that you are now. A child of God. With all the perks. And privileges. And provisions. That are promised. To the children of God. Saints.

[23:48] Not this. But rather. Thanksgiving. And then. Thirdly. He redeemed us. By Jesus blood. Verse 7. Says in Christ. In him. We have redemption.

[23:58] Through his blood. The forgiveness of sins. We have redemption. To redeem. To redeem. Means to set free. By the payment of a price. That's what that mother. In Mauritius. Did for her daughter.

[24:08] She. She set her free. By paying the price. That's what Jesus did. And he gave far more. Than life savings. To redeem us.

[24:19] From our slavery. To sin. And our slavery. To the curse of the law. For you know. That it was not. With silver and gold. That we were redeemed. From this empty way of life.

[24:30] But with the precious blood. Of Christ. As of a lamb. Without. Blemish. Or spot. What sin.

[24:41] Would you be enslaved. To today. If he had not redeemed you. And set you free. What shackles of sin. Would be ruining your life.

[24:52] And the lives of those around you. If Jesus had not redeemed you. And given his own blood. To set you free. Have you said thank you. Lately. For your freedom.

[25:04] For what you would have been. What you would be today. If he hadn't done so. Our chain breaking redeemer. Gave more than his life savings. Of money. You know.

[25:15] He had saved up something for us. He had a whole lifetime. Of obedience. Saved up. In a treasury of merit. Of righteousness. And he donated that to us.

[25:26] He gave it to us. When we came and trusted. He gave us all of that. But that wasn't enough. To redeem us. Something more needed to be paid.

[25:38] To set us free from God's curse. There was hell to pay for our sin. And there was condemnation. And wrath. The punishment for our sins. And this too. Jesus in love. Was willing to pay. So he.

[25:51] You had no sin. Took this sin upon him. And he bore our sins. In his body to the tree. The place of punishment. And there. Christ died for sin.

[26:02] Once for all. The righteous. For the unrighteous. To bring us to God. He paid the redemption price. To set us free. From God's curse. How does he do that?

[26:12] He redeemed us from the curse. By becoming a curse himself. For cursed is everyone. Who's hung on a tree. It was condemnation.

[26:25] And he took it willingly. For his saints. For his people. In my place. Condemned. He stood. Sealed my pardon. With his blood. So. In him.

[26:36] We have redemption. Through his blood. The forgiveness. Of sins. Isn't that worth a thank you. Every now and then.

[26:49] Would it not be. A fitting thing. For a saint. To. To thank the Lord Jesus. Every day. For dying. For our sins. Not this.

[27:02] But rather. Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving. All. Your sins. Forgiving. David thought it was worth.

[27:14] A Thanksgiving song. And so he wrote. Psalm 103. He's stirring himself up. To praise and thank the Lord. And. And to do so. Not just with his lips. But with all of his heart.

[27:24] And so what does he remind himself of. First off. Who forgives all your sins. That's where it's. That's where it starts. That's where the song of thanks. And praise begins. Who forgives all your sins.

[27:38] David. Do you mean that? Do you mean the sin of adultery. With Bathsheba. Do you mean the sin of lying. To cover it up.

[27:49] Sin of murder. To kill her husband. The sin of stealing. To take another man's wife. As your own. Do you mean. The sin of. Blaspheming. Profaning. The holy name of God.

[28:00] By which you are called. And the whole. Enemies of God. Laughed. When they heard. Of your behavior. Yes. That's what I mean.

[28:12] And that's why this Jesus. Deserves a song of thanks. And praise for me. Because he forgives all my sins. Do you know. If you just had one. You just show up. In the day of judgment. With just one sin. That's unforgiving.

[28:23] It's damnation forever. None of this scales business. I've done these good things. And I've done a few bad things. No. Just one sin.

[28:34] Against such a holy God. Who's infinitely holy. Deserves infinite punishment. What is the blessedness.

[28:44] Then to know. That he forgives all our sins. That our sin. Not in part. But the whole. Was nailed to his cross. And I bear it no more. That's worth a song of thanks.

[28:55] A song of praise. Oh the blessedness of the man. Whose transgressions are forgiven. Whose sins are covered. Whose sin the Lord will not impute. And count against him.

[29:08] Well. That's the baseline. You wake up to that reality every day. He's forgiven all your sins. And so let that.

[29:20] Pull from your heart. At the beginning of a day of thanks. Thank you Lord. For setting me free from. Sin's bondage and penalty. And forgiving all. Of my sins.

[29:32] It's the thankful song of heaven. Worthy is the lamb that was slain. And by his blood has redeemed us to God. And then. Fourthly. As you're just reading through this first chapter.

[29:43] He has given us the indwelling Holy Spirit. Verse 13. Having believed. You were marked in him with a seal. What's the seal? The promised Holy Spirit. Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.

[29:57] The promised Holy Spirit. Oh my. When have you last thanked the Holy Spirit. For coming and taking up his house in you. What do you owe to that?

[30:09] The Spirit's ministry. To first open our eyes. To even see our Savior. To see our sin. And our need of him. But then when we believed.

[30:20] He was given to us. As this other comforter. This divine cheerleader. To encourage us. To come alongside of us. And to help us live this Christian life. Because we have no strength of our own.

[30:30] And so. The Holy Spirit is given to us. I'll put my spirit in you. And move you to follow my decrees. And to be careful to keep my laws.

[30:42] This is the life of God. In the soul of man. God's on-site agent. To empower this Christian life. And so he. He produces in us.

[30:52] The fruit of the Spirit. Christ-like love for God. For his people. For his word. His day. His gospel. His commandments.

[31:03] For the lost. For our enemies. The Spirit. Producing such fruit of love. And joy in the midst of our sorrow. And our grief.

[31:14] Peace in the midst of our turmoil. And trouble. And all that's swirling around us. And patience. In the midst of provocation. In the midst of waiting. Waiting. On the Lord.

[31:27] Kindness in the face of meanness. And mistreatment. And goodness. That's just overflowing. Like a fountain. To people in need. Faithfulness. In little things.

[31:39] Faithfulness. In difficult duties. Gentleness. To answer harshness. To not crush the bruised reed. To not embitter. The spirit of a child.

[31:50] And self-control. In the face of temptations. To lose our anger. Our temper. To overindulge in something. Or to sin. What are all of these? It's all. The work of the spirit.

[32:01] Who's been given to us. Who's working in us. To will and to do. What pleases God. He makes us want to please him. And then he enables us to do so.

[32:14] And he's there to war against the flesh. Remember Romans 7. What does every Christian have inside? Indwelling. Indwelling sin. The flesh.

[32:24] Is still there. That principle. Living principle of sin. Is still active. And it struggles to get. The ascendancy. It once ruled the house. And now it's been dethroned.

[32:35] Because Jesus. Has set you free. From it. As your master. But it wants to master you again. And it's tempting you. And isn't it wonderful. That there's more than indwelling sin.

[32:46] Living in here. There's also the Holy Spirit. Living in here. To carry on the battle. Against the flesh. So the flesh lusts against the spirit. And wars against the spirit.

[32:56] But the spirit wars against the flesh. And by the spirit. You can put to death. The misdeeds of the body. So that you will live. What a blessing it is. To have the Holy Spirit.

[33:08] Within us. And he's the seal. He's the seal. So when a king wants to.

[33:19] Say this document is for real. Now it's for my. From my hand rights. It's for my court. This document comes to you from the king. He puts his seal on it. And the Holy Spirit's presence in your life.

[33:29] Is the great king saying. She's mine. He's mine. He's the real deal. He's. He's. My property. The seal.

[33:40] The Holy Spirit. So have you thanked. The Holy Spirit. For all that he is to you. And for you. And then. Notice. He is.

[33:51] The down payment. Or the deposit. Guaranteeing. Our inheritance in heaven. Verse 14 says. Who is a deposit. Guaranteeing. Our inheritance. Until the redemption.

[34:01] Of those who are God's possession. To the praise of his glory. When you put down a deposit. On something. It's. It's a down payment. Is it. Is it not something of a.

[34:12] Of a guarantee. That you'll. You'll. You'll be showing up. With the rest of the payments. It's. It's a promise. That the other payments. Will follow. And. And when God gives.

[34:22] The Holy Spirit. To his saints. He gives him. As a deposit. Guaranteeing. What is yet to come. That one day. The full inheritance. Will also be given to you. You're having the first installment.

[34:34] Of this eternal life. Here and now. In the giving of the deposit. Of the Holy Spirit. But he guarantees. The whole inheritance. Will be yours one day. That the streams on earth.

[34:46] That we're tasting now. More deep. Will drink above. So we're enjoying the down payment. But oh. It guarantees. The full inheritance. Is coming. The inheritance.

[34:59] So all the families. Gathered. In the. Office of the lawyer. For the reading of the will. After the last. Living. Parent. Has died. And everyone's there.

[35:10] To see what. If anything. They. Might have inherited. Do you know that. God has already published. His will. For the encouragement.

[35:22] Of his children. Let me read. From the will. In Romans 8. 17. Now if we are children. Then we are heirs. Heirs. Heirs of God.

[35:36] And co-heirs. With Christ. If indeed. We share in his sufferings. In order that we may also share. In his glory. There's the will. Published. If you're a child of God.

[35:47] You're an heir. You've got something coming to you. Something more than what you're experiencing. Here and now. And if you can believe it.

[35:58] You are a co-heir. With Jesus Christ. That you share. In everything. That Jesus Christ. Will be given. Remember how we saw.

[36:11] That when we're united to Christ. What's his becomes ours. So his righteousness. Becomes ours. Remember. And. And his death to sin. Becomes our death to sin.

[36:22] And his resurrection. To a new life. Becomes our resurrection. To newness of life. And now. Paul is saying. And his inheritance. Becomes our inheritance.

[36:36] We share. In. His. Inheritance. Co-heirs. With Jesus Christ. He will be glorified. In that day. And we will be glorified. In him.

[36:46] Sharing his glory. The Holy Spirit. Guarantees. That inheritance is coming. Isn't it good to know. That this isn't.

[36:58] All there is. You know the song. If that's all there is. Then let's just keep dancing. The apostle Paul was saying. Let's just keep eating and drinking. Because tomorrow we die.

[37:09] If this is all there is. Aren't you glad there's more coming? Maybe you're still young. And you haven't figured it out yet. But. This world is a. Place.

[37:21] Of misery. And sin. It's a. A veil of tears. And you will taste that. And when you do. It's a wonderful thing to know. That for.

[37:31] The believer in Christ. Not only is there. Something more coming. But the best is yet to come. The full inheritance. Is awaiting us. A whole new world.

[37:43] A world like this one. And yet. Unlike it. Because there will be no more sin. There will be no more sorrow. No more separation. No more death. No more pain.

[37:54] No more injustice. Where all things are made new. And better by far. Where there's none of the bad stuff.

[38:06] Not a trace of the curse is left. Only joys unspeakable. Only pleasures at Jesus right hand. In his presence. And in the presence of saints. Saints who have now been perfected.

[38:18] Who now are just. Like. The moral likeness of their savior Jesus. Who love like Jesus. Who have joy like Jesus. Peace like Jesus. Patience like Jesus. Gentleness like Jesus.

[38:29] Self control like Jesus. All of them. Living together in this new. Heaven. And a new. World. And the best of all. Is that it's never to end.

[38:41] Never to end. To be with the Lord forever. As pastor read for us. To be with the Lord. And with each other. As saints. Forever. And ever. An inheritance.

[38:52] That can never perish. Spoil or fade. Reserved in heaven for you. You. You. Saints. When have you last. Thank the Lord. For that coming. Guaranteed.

[39:05] Inheritance. Of heaven. And. What have we done. We've just gone through. A half a page. Of Ephesians 1. Haven't we. Just a half a page. Of the first. This letter. That he wrote. And the whole book.

[39:16] Is full of reasons. Why saints. Should. Should give thanks. Ransomed. Healed. Restored. Forgiven. Who like me. Is praise.

[39:27] Should sing. What have we looked at. This morning. Just very briefly. We. This is my story. This is my song. This is my story. This is my story. As a saint.

[39:37] I was chosen. To be saved. I was predestined. To be adopted. As a son. I was redeemed. By the blood of Jesus. Set free. From sin. And the curse. And forgiven. All my sins.

[39:47] I was given. The Holy Spirit. And I was given. This guaranteed. Inheritance. To be a co-heir. With Christ. This is my story. Then should it not. Be my song. That I praise.

[39:58] My dear Savior. All the day long. That I thank him. Not this. Kind of behavior. For that's unfitting. Of saints. But rather. Thanksgiving.

[40:10] Thanksgiving. Well. You say. It's not Thanksgiving. John. You got the wrong month. Well. For the saint. It's always Thanksgiving.

[40:22] It's always Thanksgiving. And that's how. This section ends. In verse 20. Of Ephesians 5. Back where we started. Always.

[40:32] Giving thanks. To God the Father. Always. You see. It's always Thanksgiving. For the saint. And why so? Because the saints. Are always receiving. Always receiving.

[40:45] So. So we should always. Be giving thanks. I live and breathe. Fresh mercies. Every day. All day. And each one of those. Mercies. Calls forth.

[40:55] Thanksgiving. In return. Never to come. Into his presence. Without Thanksgiving. Should be on our lips.

[41:06] Always giving thanks. To God the Father. Why? Because of the value. Of the gifts. Some gifts. You say thank you once. And that's it. But there are other gifts. You can't say thank you enough for.

[41:19] And that's these gifts. Unending grace. Deserves unending thanks. So how much Thanksgiving. Is fitting for a saint? Always.

[41:32] For everything. Do you see that? Verse 2. Always giving thanks. For everything. Those are two big arms.

[41:43] In this verse. Aren't they? Always. For everything. Thanksgiving. Oh we have. We have so much. To thank the Lord for. Don't we?

[41:55] And that means. There's never a time. For not giving thanks. Not for a saint. And it means. That we never run out of material. For Thanksgiving. Because we're.

[42:05] We're thanking him. For everything. And that includes. Our trials. Includes. Our. Our hard times. Our disappointments. Our losses.

[42:16] Philip Henry. You remember. The father. Of the commentator. Matthew Henry. Minister. Of the Lord Jesus. Was. Out one day. And was robbed. For everything.

[42:28] That he had. And. You know. Mr. Henry. Took seriously. That.

[42:38] But what's fitting. For a saint. Is to be always. Giving thanks. And so he said. I thank. God. That though I was robbed. I didn't have much with me. When they robbed me. And.

[42:50] Come to think of it. I thank God. That though I was robbed. They didn't beat me up. And. Thirdly. I thank God. That. It was I.

[43:01] Who was robbed. And not I. Who robbed. Always. Giving thanks. For. Everything. Antonus.

[43:12] Mavropoulos. Had booked a flight. To Nairobi. But one thing or another. Made him arrive late. At the airport. And. At the terminal. He found that the boarding time. Had expired. And try as he would. He was not allowed.

[43:22] To get on the aircraft. And in anger. He screamed. At the airport. Personnel. To let him on the plane. But they stubbornly. Refused. And the new Boeing jet.

[43:33] Crashed soon after takeoff. Killing all 157. On board. With only one. Seat empty. Antonus.

[43:45] He was still at the airport. When he learned of it. And. These were the words. Of the security staff. That told him. Say thank you. To God.

[43:57] They had it right. Didn't they? Say thank you. To God. The very thing. That had him. Screaming mad.

[44:08] Just moments later. Had him. Gratefully glad. Even thankful. That he was not allowed. To do what he wanted. So badly. To do. And saints.

[44:20] We want something. And we can't have it. Or we have something. And it's taken from us. And things happen. That disappoint us. That upset us.

[44:31] And make us grumble. And complain. But just as it only took a moment. For him to see. That that was cause for thanksgiving. When we pass.

[44:42] Into the perspective of heaven. We will look back on those things. As some of the greatest things. To thank God for. For what he was doing. By denying us.

[44:54] What he was doing. By taking from us. Oh he was giving. Far more. For he was giving us himself. More of his nearness. More of his comfort.

[45:05] More of his love. And so the question is this. Should the saints. Wait until heaven. To give God thanks. For trials. Should we wait.

[45:17] Until we safely. Have made it through the Red Sea. Before we thank him. For being our God. And for caring for us. Or should we not. Thank him by faith. On the near side. Of the Red Sea.

[45:29] Before it opens. In front of us. And swallows up. All of our troubles. Should Paul and Silas. Those imprisoned saints. Of God. Wait until the earthquake.

[45:39] Quake sets them free. Before they sing. The praises of God. Or is he not worthy. Of thanksgiving. And songs of praise. While they're still. Locked up in the stocks.

[45:50] In the inner cell. With bloody backs. That's when they sang. That's when they gave thanks. Which will cause. The other prisoners.

[46:01] Looking on. To. Sit up. And take notice. Before the earthquake. Or after. Which will most glorify God.

[46:12] That he has a people. On earth. Who. Don't have to wait. Until they see everything. Figured out. Before they thank him. But who are able to sing. By faith.

[46:22] A song in the night. Able to give thanks. In the darkness. Before the dawn. Of deliverance. Is your God.

[46:33] Not worthy of such. Of thanks. And praise. In the darkness. In the trial. In the weight. Is he worthy. Is he worthy.

[46:45] He is. He is. He whose ways are perfect. Whose word is flawless. Whose banner over us is love. Whose good purpose for us. Cannot fail. So saints. Here's what's fitting for us.

[46:56] To be always giving thanks to the father. For everything. Always. Even in the trials. Especially in the trials. That our God might be glorified.

[47:10] It's hard to know which is more unfitting to the apostle Paul for a saint. A sexually immoral saint. A greedy covetous saint.

[47:22] A filthy mouthed saint. Or an unthankful saint. They're all so unfitting. So rather. Give thanks.

[47:35] Always giving thanks. To God the father for everything. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who gives us every reason. To give thanks.

[47:46] Sometime back in the Sunday school. Pastor Jason challenged us to start. A thank you notebook. Notebook. And I took that challenge. Every night.

[47:57] Before I go to bed. To think of three things. To thank God for. That day. And. You figure that if.

[48:09] Philip Henry could find three. On a day he was robbed. We should be able to find three. On most of our days. However bad they are. They're there.

[48:21] You know what I found. I found that they're always there. If I will just stop. And count. My blessings. Always.

[48:33] Giving thanks. For everything. Let's glorify God. Even now. As we thank him. For the Lord Jesus. It's number 175. In our Savior himself.

[48:44] There's. Thousand. Reasons. To say thank you. 175. 175. When we think of our Lord.

[48:55] Becoming a man of sorrows. To lift us up. To the joys of heaven. Hallelujah. What a Savior. Stand and sing. 175. 175. If you don't know that Savior.

[49:14] You might have come as a sinner. Under God's wrath. Under your sin. And it's guilt. You can leave as a saint. Washed in the blood of Jesus. For the blood of Jesus.

[49:26] Cleanses from all sin. And you can. Take up the song. With us. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Thank you Lord. For being such a Savior.

[49:36] Let's pray. Father. We thank you for speaking words of truth to us. And if these things are true. Then every day. Deserves. A song of thanks.

[49:48] And praise from our hearts. And so we. We begin with our. Sin. And we. Confess that we've been ungrateful. And we've complained more than we've given thanks.

[49:58] And we've. Murmured. And we've. Perhaps even grown angry. And bitter. When. If we. Only knew. Just the half of it.

[50:10] Just. Just. A portion of it. We would. We would take up another song of thanksgiving. So. Forgive us. And teach us.

[50:21] Come Holy Spirit. And work this fruit of. The saints in us. That we would be a people noted for thanksgiving. And glory would come to our God.

[50:32]  And our wonderful Savior. In whose name we pray. Amen.