1. The Chosen – Ephesians 1:3-4

2. The Chosen – Ephesians 1:3-4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4  even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

3. Story of Hetty Green, called America’s greatest miser

4. Christians might be prone to treat their spiritual resources like Hetty Green treated her financial resources. Such believers are in danger of suffering from spiritual malnutrition

5. No Christian has reason to be spiritually deprived, undernourished, or impoverished.
…has no reason not to be completely healthy and immeasurably rich in the things of God.

6. In this book the word riches is used five times; grace 12 times; glory eight times; fulness, filled up, or fills six times; and the key phrase in Christ (or in Him) 15 times.

7. Christ is the source, the sphere, and the guarantee of every spiritual blessing and of all spiritual riches, and those who are in Him have access to all that He is and has.

8. Our riches are based on Christ's grace (1:2, 6-7; 2:7), His peace (1:2), His will (1:5), His kind intention (1:9), His purpose (1:9, 11), His glory (1:12, 14), His calling (1:18), His inheritance (1:18), His power (1:19), His love (2:4), His workmanship (2:10), His Spirit (3:16), His gifts (4:11), His sacrifice (5:2), His strength (6:10), and His armor (6:11, 13).

9. The Elements of the Eternal Forming of the Body
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.
The Method—Election: “just as He chose us”

10. The Object--The Elect
God decided before the world was created that he would call people through His only begotten son…those who choose Christ become part of that calling.

11. The Time--Eternity Past
God elected us before the foundation of the world. He designed the church, the Body of His Son, before the world began.
The Purpose--Holiness
God chose us in order that we might be holy and blameless. Amōmos (blameless) literally means without blemish, or spotless.

12. “Something must be wrong with me
“Something must be wrong with me. I see Christianity working for others, but I can’t seem to develop any consistency in my walk with the Lord.”

13. 1. I must reaffirm my identity: I am God’s child
1. I must reaffirm my identity: I am God’s child. God has made me His child through Jesus. That is what He wants me to be.

14. 2. I must reaffirm for myself that I am “in Christ.”

15. Galatians 3:26, 27 says, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

16. The basics include:
(1) the Word of God—studying it, memorizing it, meditating on it
(2) prayer—having regular communion with God
(3) service—personally participating in kingdom work
(4) fellowship—sharing life with fellow Christians.