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How Rich You Are!

Ephesians 1:4-14 One of the funniest cartoons I ever saw showed a pompous lawyer reading a

client’s last will and testament to a group of greedy relatives. The caption read: “I, John Jones,

 being of sound mind and body, spent  it  all!

Jackie Chan ! "ill not give his millions of dollars to his son but to the charity.

"hen Jesus #hrist wrote $is last will and testament for $is church, $e made it possible for us to

share $is spiritual riches. Instead of spending it all, Jesus #hrist paid it all. $is death on the cross

and $is resurrection ma%e possible our salvation. $e wrote us into $is will, then $e died so the

will would be in force. Then $e arose again that $e might become the heavenly &dvocate

'lawyer( to ma%e sure the terms of the will were correctly followed) In this long sentence, *aul

names +ust a few of the blessings that ma%e up our spiritual wealth.

Blessings from God the Father (Eph. 1:4-6 

v-a%bay ti panna%aparsua ti lubong,

 pinilinatayon ti Dios nga agbalin a %u%uana

 babaen %en ni #risto, tapno nasantoan %en

awan pa%ababalawantay iti imatangna. apu

iti ayatna,

v 5 inkeddengen ti Dios a babaen %en Jesu/

#risto, pagbalinennatayo nga annakna. 

0aytoy ti pagayatan %en panggepna.

v1Idaydayawtayo ti 0ios gapu iti

na%as%asdaaw a panangipa%itana iti

%inaimbagna %adatayo, gapu iti intedna a

sagut kadatayo babaen iti inaramid ti

dungdungngoenna nga &na%.

v 4 Cas iti panangpilina cadatayo %encuana

' #risto ( idi saanpay a nabangon ti lubong,

tapno agsantotayo %et awan ti pacapilawantayiti sangoananna:

v2Idinto a iti ayat tinudingannatayo idi damo

a maibilang nga annacna gapu %en Jesu/

#risto, a maipaay met la %encuana, cas ti

 pagayatan ti na%emna,

v1Tapno pacaidayawan ti dayag ti paraburna,

nga imparaburna cadatayo iti &y/ayatenna

nga &nac :

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3lessed be the od and 4ather of our 5ord Jesus #hrist, who has blessed us in #hrist with every

spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

 +ust as he chose us in #hrist before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before

him in love.$e destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus #hrist, according to the good pleasure

of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the 3eloved.

!e has chosen "s (#. 4. This is the marvelous doctrine of election, a doctrine that has confused

some and confounded others.

& seminary professor once said to me, “Try to e6plain election and you may lose your mind. 3ut

try to e6plain it away and you may lose your soul)

That salvation begins with od, and not with man, all #hristians will agree. “7e have not chosen

8e, but I have chosen you (John 1$:16. The lost sinner, left to his own ways, does not see%

od (%om. &:1'-11 od in $is love see%s the sinner ()"ke 1*:1'. 9ote that od chose us

even before $e created the universe, so that our salvation is wholly of $is grace and not on the

 basis of anything we ourselves have done. $e chose us in Christ, not in ourselves. &nd $e chose

us for a purpose: to be holy and without blame. In the 3ible, election is always unto something.

It is a privilege that carries a great responsibility. 0oes the sinner respond to od’s grace against

his own will 9o, he responds because od’s grace ma%es him willing to respond. The mystery

of divine sovereignty and human responsibility will never be solved in this life. 3oth are taught

in the 3ible 'John 1:;

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'>ph. =:2(, and our conformity to #hrist 'Aom. @:?B/;C(, as well as our future inheritance '>ph.

=:==(.

 Adoption has a dual meaning, both present and future. 7ou do not get into od’s family by

adoption. 7ou get into $is family by regeneration, the new birth 'John ;:=/=@D = *eter =:??/?2(.

&doption is the act of od by which $e gives $is “born ones an adult standing in the family."hy does $e do this -o that we might immediately begin to claim our inheritance and en+oy

our spiritual wealth) & baby cannot legally use this inheritance 'al. :=/