THE VALUE OF THANK YOU! How often have you done something special for someone, and they did not extend the courtesy of simply saying thank you? How did you feel? What value is there in showing gratitude or appreciation?
In this series, we are studying the Book of Ephesians.
Paul wrote Ephesians as a letter to the churches in Ephesus. At the time he wrote the letter, he was in prison in Rome. He wrote the letter to encourage the Christians not to lose hope despite the opposition.
Our focus in this series is on the central theme of the letter and its value to us when we are facing difficulties or oppositions in life.
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Let Us Invite God’s Presence:
Heavenly Father, we just want to take the time to say thank you and praise you for your goodness and mercy toward us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
ON JULY 21, 1969, ASTRONAUT NEIL ARMSTRONG was the first person to walk on the moon. 25 years later, Armstrong wrote a thank-you note to the team who made the spacesuit he wore when he walked on the moon. Armstrong thanked the team at the Johnson Space Center for the suit that kept him alive during his moonwalk.
Saying “thank you” is a simple act of kindness or display of courtesy that shows appreciation for what someone has done for us. Saying “thank you” is important because it shows that you appreciate the person and their actions. Saying thank you can improve your relationships with others. When you say thank you, it makes the other person feel good and encourages them to keep doing nice things. It also benefits us because it helps us feel happier and more satisfied. So, saying thank you is a simple but powerful way of being kind.
Paul starts his letter to the Ephesians with a big thank-you note. In Ephesians 1:3, praising God for all His many blessings, Paul says:
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, (Ephesians 1:3)
Paul recognized just how valuable God’s blessings are in the lives of Christians. As a matter of fact, God’s blessings are even more valuable than the suits designed to preserve the life of the astronauts.
Paul points out in Ephesians 1:4 that God made preparation to provide these precious blessings for us before He created the world.
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, (Ephesians 1:4).
Paul’s opening statement in his letter to the Ephesians echoes how we should worship, praise, and thank God for the many blessings He gives us.
Listen to what it says in the Book: Sons and Daughters of God about why we should be thankful.
The mercies of God surround you every moment, and it would be profitable for you to consider how and where your blessings come from every day. Let the precious blessings of God awaken gratitude in you. You cannot number the blessings of God and the constant loving-kindness expressed to you. They are as numerous as the refreshing drops of rain. Clouds of mercy are hanging over you and ready to drop on you. If you will appreciate the valuable gift of salvation, you will be aware of Jesus’ daily outpour of protection and love. —Sons and Daughters of God, p. 340. (adapted)
If you have ever received a thank you note, you will notice that it generally includes a description of the gift or gifts. Paul in Ephesians 1:3-14 provides a long list of gifts. Read Ephesians 1:3-14, make a list of them, and then return and watch
Part 2 of this video: Chosen and Accepted in Christ Ephesians
(Lesson 2) Paul and the Ephesians Part 2: Chosen and Accepted in Christ
What does Paul praise and thank God for?
Paul in Ephesians 1:3 praises God and thanks God because He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, (Ephesians 1:3).
Paul uses the word “spiritual,” which comes from the Greek, suggesting that our blessings come through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In using the word spiritual, he points us to the end of his list of gifts found in Ephesians 1:13, 14. At the end of his list, Paul celebrates the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the Believers. (Ephesians 1:13, 14).
It says:
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 is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
Did you notice in Ephesians 1:3–6 that Paul talks about how God views us because of what Jesus has done for us?
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. (Ephesians 1:3-6)
How wonderful is that before God made the world, He chose us in Christ and pre-determined that we should stand “holy and blameless” in His presence (Eph. 1:4, ESV).
Isn’t it great to know that we are God’s sons and daughters? We are his sons and daughters because He made us and because through Jesus, He saves us.
This is what Paul is saying in Ephesians 1:5 when he says:
5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, (Ephesians 1:5).
In Ephesians 1:6, he offers more praise. He praises God for his grace prepared for us before the world was formed through the acceptance of his dear son Jesus Christ.
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:6)
Before this world existed, God planned that we would be “accepted in this Beloved.” In other words, God preordained that we be saved. The fact is if we are not saved, it is because of our choice. We lose out on God’s intentions to save us when we choose to continue in a life of sin.
We took note in Ephesians 3:1 that Paul also praises God for “spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3). What do the words “in heavenly places” mean?
We look to the following scriptures for understanding:
Ephesians 1:3
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, (Ephesians 1:3)
Ephesians 1:20
20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, (Ephesians 1:20)
Ephesians 2:6
6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, (Ephesians 2:6)
Ephesians 3:10
10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, (Ephesians 3:10)
Ephesians 6:12
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)
Notice that they all speak of heavenly places.
Also, notice, “in heaven” in the following scriptures:
Ephesians 3:15
15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, (Ephesians 3:15)
Ephesians 4:10
10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things. (Ephesians 4:10)
Ephesians 6:9
9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him. (Ephesians 6:9)
In Ephesians, the phrases “in the heavenly places” and “in the heavens” or in heaven mean the place where God lives or resides. “In heaven” also mean the location of spiritual powers and the place where Jesus is exalted and sits next to God on His right side.
What is so wonderful is that God offers us access to these heavenly places. Because of Jesus, we obtain spiritual blessings from heaven, the place where God resides.
At the same time, we must be aware that evil powers exist. They fight against Jesus, our Lord and Savior, and the work He does for us in heaven. This is what Paul is talking about in Ephesians 6:12
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)
In the past, sin controlled our lives. Do you know that at that time, we were considered dead, but now we are alive? How?
Continue. Watch part 3 of this video: Costly Redemption; Lavish Forgiveness: The Cost of Forgiveness
Ephesians (Lesson 2) Paul and the Ephesians Part 3: Costly Redemption; Lavish Forgiveness
In the past, sin controlled the lives of Paul’s readers. That’s why Paul, in Ephesians 2:1, refers to their past as the walking dead. They were dead in trespasses and sins. In other words, when we live a life apart from God, we are the walking dead.
Why were they considered dead? Ephesians 2:1-3 tells us it is because they were doing the things that Satan commanded them to do.
Ephesians 2:1-3
1 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. (Ephesians 2:1–3).
They were as we were slaves to sin and Satan and had no ability to free themselves. Like us, they needed someone to save them. They needed to be rescued. Therefore, God sent his son, Jesus, to save them. Here Paul celebrates two new blessings that God, in His mercy, gives us: They are forgiveness and redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ. This is the point Paul makes in Ephesians 1:7 and 8.
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, (Ephesians 1:7).
What does redemption mean? It means we are “bought and made free” by the blood of Jesus. Paul talks about this in the following scriptures:
Colossians 1:13-14
13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14)
Titus 2:13-14
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. (Titus 2:13-14)
Hebrews 9:15
15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 9:15)
How are these verses related to Ephesians 1:7, 8?
The words written as “redemption” (Ephesians 1:7) come from the Greek word, which meant to buy a slave’s freedom.
Slaves at that time cost a lot of money. So, when Paul talks about how God frees us from sin, he wants us to understand that God paid a high price to make us free. How much did our freedom from sin cost God? As we just read,
“Because of the blood of Christ, we are bought and made free from the punishment of sin” (Ephesians 1:7, NLV).
For sure, God paid a high price to free us from sin. Because of Jesus, we are no longer slaves of sin! “When God saves us from sin, He shows us what He thinks of us. God gives us our freedom and dignity. We are no longer enslaved! When God bought our freedom, He made us citizens of heaven. We are no longer slaves on earth.
What does it mean to be redeemed, set free?
“To be redeemed is to be treated as a person, not an object. It is to become a citizen of heaven, rather than a slave of the earth.”—Alister E. McGrath, What Was God Doing on the Cross? (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992), p. 78.
Jesus’ death on the cross gave us many blessings. Jesus gave us the gift of forgiveness (Ephesians 1:7).
Not only does Jesus’ death sets us free. It also includes the “the forgiveness of our trespasses” (Eph. 1:7, ESV).
Colossians 2:14 tells us that Jesus paid the price of our sin, both past and future.
14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (Colossians 2:14).
Because of Jesus, God became our Father, and acting as our generous Father, He gives us His loving favor and mercy. He lavishes the “riches of his grace” upon us (Ephesians 1:7, 8).
Through Christ’s atoning sacrifice, his death on the cross, you are forgiven and redeemed, set free. If you feel that you are unworthy, you are right. That is the whole point of the Cross. We are all unworthy.
God has forgiven us and set us free. But that is not all. He has a bigger, grander plan for us. What is it? Find out by watching Part 4: God’s Grand, Christ-Centered Plan
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Hebron Seventh-day Adventist Church
7902 Wheatly Street
Houston, TX 77088
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