 Attaining Your Potential ●Not just redeemed unto salvation ●Redeemed unto your purpose ●Colossians 1:28 – Complete in Christ ●Ephesians 2:22 – built into a dwelling where God lives by His Spirit ●Pruned before fruitful – Tearing Down to Build Up  Attaining Your Potential ●Not just redeemed unto salvation ●Redeemed unto your purpose ●Colossians 1:28 – Complete in Christ ●Ephesians 2:22 – built into a dwelling where God lives by His Spirit ●Pruned before fruitful – Tearing Down to Build Up

Spiritual Blessings In Christ Attaining Your Potential

 Intro to Ephesians ●Paul – founding pastor for 3 years ●Acts – I never shrank back from telling you all you needed to hear – all that God wants you to know  Intro to Ephesians ●Paul – founding pastor for 3 years ●Acts – I never shrank back from telling you all you needed to hear – all that God wants you to know

 Ephesians 1:1-14 ●Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms ●Who I am – what I can expect  Ephesians 1:1-14 ●Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms ●Who I am – what I can expect

I. Adoption  Adopted into his own family through Jesus ●To adopt means to take as your own and acquire by free choice ●Decided in advance – even before he made the world ▪Predestined – God exercising sovereignty while preserving the freedom of the human will  Adopted into his own family through Jesus ●To adopt means to take as your own and acquire by free choice ●Decided in advance – even before he made the world ▪Predestined – God exercising sovereignty while preserving the freedom of the human will

●Chosen us to be holy and without fault in his eyes ●He wanted to do this – it brought him great pleasure ●So we praise him for his grace ●Chosen us to be holy and without fault in his eyes ●He wanted to do this – it brought him great pleasure ●So we praise him for his grace

II. Freedom  Purchased our freedom with the blood of Jesus and forgave our sin ●Free from the dominion of darkness – Colossians 1:13-14 ▪Rescued from the kingdom of darkness ▪Transferred to the kingdom of his son ▪Purchased our freedom, forgave our sin  Purchased our freedom with the blood of Jesus and forgave our sin ●Free from the dominion of darkness – Colossians 1:13-14 ▪Rescued from the kingdom of darkness ▪Transferred to the kingdom of his son ▪Purchased our freedom, forgave our sin

●Free from the power of sin – Romans 6:6 “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.” ●Free from intellectual bondages ●Free from physical bondages ●Free to serve God and one another ●Free from the power of sin – Romans 6:6 “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.” ●Free from intellectual bondages ●Free from physical bondages ●Free to serve God and one another

III. Inheritance  Because we are united with Christ we have received an inheritance from God ●Become God’s inheritance ●Qualified - Colossians 1:12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.  Because we are united with Christ we have received an inheritance from God ●Become God’s inheritance ●Qualified - Colossians 1:12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.

 Hebrews 9: Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. 15That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.

 Romans 8: For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

IV. Purpose  He makes everything work according to his plan ●His plan revealed ●Plan to bring everything together under the authority of Christ ●Purpose for the Jews first ●Purpose for the Gentiles (Nations)  He makes everything work according to his plan ●His plan revealed ●Plan to bring everything together under the authority of Christ ●Purpose for the Jews first ●Purpose for the Gentiles (Nations)

●Bring praise and glory to God ●Our purpose is that something of God’s life be ministered through us in this world ●Bring praise and glory to God ●Our purpose is that something of God’s life be ministered through us in this world

V. Guarantee  The Holy Spirit ●Guarantee of our inheritance ●Guarantee of our salvation – purchased to be his own people by the blood of Jesus ●Guarantee of our adoption – that we are his by choice  The Holy Spirit ●Guarantee of our inheritance ●Guarantee of our salvation – purchased to be his own people by the blood of Jesus ●Guarantee of our adoption – that we are his by choice

●Identified as his own – the Spirit of God is his seal on you authenticating his own work

●Guarantee of glorified bodies - 2 Corinthians 5: While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.

 Our advantage – John 16:7 ●Guide you into all truth – John 16:13 ●Tell you about the future ●Power to be witnesses – Acts 1:8 ▪Fruit – Galatians 5:22-23 ▪Gifts – 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 ●Enabling prayer when we don’t know how we ought to pray – Romans 8:26  Our advantage – John 16:7 ●Guide you into all truth – John 16:13 ●Tell you about the future ●Power to be witnesses – Acts 1:8 ▪Fruit – Galatians 5:22-23 ▪Gifts – 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 ●Enabling prayer when we don’t know how we ought to pray – Romans 8:26

 Blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms ●For our well being ●Because God loves us ●That we might bring praise and glory to God  Blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms ●For our well being ●Because God loves us ●That we might bring praise and glory to God

Interaction Time  How does understanding of this passage of scripture help us to worship?  What do you think it means that God decided in advance or predestined us to adoption?  What does adoption mean to you?  How would you explain God purchasing our freedom by the blood of Jesus to someone who is unfamiliar with the Bible?  How does understanding of this passage of scripture help us to worship?  What do you think it means that God decided in advance or predestined us to adoption?  What does adoption mean to you?  How would you explain God purchasing our freedom by the blood of Jesus to someone who is unfamiliar with the Bible?