Every Spiritual Blessing: Part 2-3

Welcome to light increase the teaching ministry of Rich Powell Pastor Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem that right understanding, we are led to right action and what is that understanding that we need.

We need to understand the release, the forgiveness that we have in Christ. And when we come to grips with that when we understand then we can love God with all our mind and all our strength against the dark backdrop of humanity's brokenness, God's great love shines vividly bright in this message. Titled every spiritual blessing part two. Pastor Rich talks about the history of Christ's redemptive work and all that we have gained through his lavish grace, we tend to be lavish wasting all the good stuff on worthless things, but God is a lavish God, where he pours out all his goodness on us today. We will continue the third part of our study on Ephesians 1739.

How is this possible.

What is this, this grace that God has lavished on us, and now in the next couple of verses the apostle Paul is once again going to focus on the profusion of God's grace, he says, according to the riches of his grace in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace is the wealth of the abundance of his kindness and favor. Titus 34 when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, according to his mercy he saved us the kindness and love of God appeared. He's acting according to his character and this means he paid a debt. It was my dad.

It was your debt he did not owe this debt, but it was a debt that you and I could never pay any did so. According to the riches of his grace.

What he says next year is very interesting. Verse eight which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence. What is this mean Rich, pal translation, he lavished grace on us. This word to abound means to provide in abundance. God has poured out on us oversized grace, knowing that we had a debt that we could never pay that we are unrighteous to the core.

Everyone of us and we in that unrighteousness experience an unquenchable thirst and we so desperately need the grace of God, and we would think that God in his kindness as it talks about his kindness and the word of God and this is something that the apostle Paul wants to clear up once and for all. We would think that in that in that debt in that unrighteousness in that unquenchable thirst that in God's kindness, he would give us a small trickle of water to bring relief and this is the grace of God. You would think of Luke chapter 16 verse speaks of of the man who fared sumptuously every day and then he died.

And then Lazarus the beggar died and he went to the bosom of Abraham and the man who fared sumptuously every day was living for himself and then he died. And then he was in torment in this unquenchable thirst and he says that Abraham please dip your finger in water and just put a dab of water on my tongue so that I can get some relief and we think maybe that's how the grace of God is for us. But no, God doesn't give us a trickle. He lavishes grace on us.

Listen we have been over whelmed by his favor and his goodness. You see the profusion here Paul is gushing forth in pleasing doxology because God has gushed forth upon us in extravagance.

What he says in Romans 520, where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.

Your sin can't outdo the grace of God injures a hymnal in our seats him number 201.

Grace greater than our sin marvelous grace of our loving Lord grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured.

There were the blood of the lamb was built sin and despair, like the sea waves cold threatened the soul with infinite loss grace that is greater yes grace untold points to the refuge mighty cross, marvelous, infinite, matchless grace freely bestowed on all who believe you that are longing to see his face, will you this moment his grace we see God has lavished grace on us loved ones in his leg and reminds us of the story of the prodigal son. Now some of us probably misunderstand that word prodigal is when we think of the prodigal son we think of this guy who gets his share of the inheritance and goes and lives and wastes it all, but he does but that's word prodigal, prodigal, doesn't mean way word or sinful. Prodigal means lavish.

He goes and he lives a lavish life and then when it's all gone. When he's wasted it all when he has spent it on worthless things.

What happens, he realized there's no there's no better place than with dad everyone of you in this room hear me there is no better place than with your creator who made you and left. There's no better place and what in the prodigal do. He got up and we went home and expected dad to just be okay will put up with you and so dad season coming from afar and what is he do he sees anyways remedy approaches. He says was about time came that way, those what is he do you see him, and he embraces him and he throws a lavish party for him. This is your God folks, this is what God thinks of you.

He lavishes his grace on you. So the story really is not only the prodigal son but also of the prodigal father who is a picture of God.

He is a prodigal God. He is a lavish God.

We tend to be lavish, wasting all the good stuff on worthless things, but God is a lavish God, where he pours out all of his goodness on us and in that picture than the apostle Paul wants to clear something up. He says yeah I got just like just like the dad who just throws a big party when his wayward son comes home doesn't really care what's gone on right and he says he's done this, he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence in all wisdom and prudence. Paul makes it clear this is not a random and impulsive thing that God has done, like a grandpa who spoils grandkids and I know what that's like now understand God is not like us.

A grandpa who spoils grandkids this thing that he is done in all wisdom and prudence is his wisdom and prudence, his insight, his special knowledge, what special knowledge does God have well it is supreme knowledge is infinite knowledge is transcendent knowledge because God sees everything from beyond space and time and so in that perspective. Prudence speaks of a thoughtful plan from his infinite all of this is the outflow of his infinite perspective and purpose. God is thoughtfully put together and crafted this plan of our redemption and our forgiveness but it is also wisdom and prudence for us because from his wisdom and prudence then in our redemption.

We also get wisdom and prudence and what is that it's understanding that leads to right action understanding that our hearts and our minds in Christ by his spirit. Our hearts and our minds are illuminated. Our minds are transformed.

He changes us at the level of thought and desire, and so with that right understanding, we are led to right action and what is that understanding that we need. We need to understand the release, the forgiveness that we have in Christ. And when we come to grips with that when we understand that then we can love God with all our mind and all our strength. That's the whole being, he is made this abound toward to us in all wisdom and prudence and he made known to us the mystery of his will, he has explained something here. He has revealed something to us that we could otherwise not know number it's it's the master painter the master artist. It all begins in his mind and then he transfers that to the canvas and he's crafting the picture in the painting the picture of his purpose on the canvas of history and the perfect person of Jesus Christ. So we then with this understanding we get the picture of God's strategy from eternity. This is what God is up to. This is what he is doing. This is where I fit into it. It's revealed to us in his word, and he's made it known to us. John Stott says that this answers the question that many people ask and that question is why God went ahead with creation when he knew that it would be followed by the fall. Why did he go ahead and create man when he knew that sin would enter the picture and here's his answer he says one answer is that he destined us for a higher dignity than even creation would bestow on us in Christ, having his release, his forgiveness, his goodness and his righteousness God has taken us to even a higher dignity than Adam and Eve had in the garden before the fall. That's amazing that we should be adopted into his family with his righteousness know this is why the apostle Paul is constantly gushing forth in profusion because he takes us through rich deep doctrine, and then he just gushes out in doxology Romans 1133 is one of them over the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out verse 36 for of him through him and to him are all things, to whom be glory forever.

Amen. That is true. Truth all of this is done according to his good pleasure. This is done to God's satisfaction is done out of his satisfaction in himself and his character and his purpose in what he intended from the very beginning from before time from before the beginning of verses three, six all this occurred in the mind of God and all of it is the outflow of his goodness on us is the highest and most satisfying good for him and for us all. That is, which he purposed in himself. It comes from the mind of God to our reality, he is our remedy. We are not our own remedy. We can't do that is not possible even listening to the lighting grace the teaching ministry of Rich Powell lead Pastor Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem visit our church website to see upcoming events or to listen to my messages at GBC. Winston.com to discover how to live by grace to you in with us on weekdays at 10 AM