01 The Incomparable Christ - My Standing in Christ

The Incomparable Christ

Pt. 1: Our Standing In Christ

By Louie Marsh, 1-11-2026

1) Who & what I AM.

“¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are IN EPHESUS, and are faithful IN CHRIST JESUS: ²Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1 1-2, ESV)

 

Intro.  Verses 3 - 14 have been called a Hymn of Grace.  They are a statement of our spiritual blessings in Christ.  These verses are one long, complex sentence in the Greek. According to Purdue University: Run-ons, comma splices, and fused sentences are all names given to compound sentences that are not punctuated correctly.

 

You can divide these verses into three parts.  1) The Father, 2) the Son, 3) the Spirit.  They are also mainly concerned with 1)the past, 2) the present, 3) the future.  These three sections are marked off by the repeated phrase "Praise of His Glory," or "glorious grace."  See verses 3, 12, 14.

 

This Passage is About

 

The Father -  The Past	The Son – the Present	The Spirit – The Future
Created	Loved	Sealed
Predestined	Redeemed	Guaranteed
Blessed	Blessed	Blessed

 

Paul begins his letter by looking at what each member of the Trinity has done for those who have become followers of Christ.

 

2) I am BLESSED beyond measure.

 

 ³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us IN CHRIST with every spiritual blessing IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES, ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.  (Ephesians 1 3-6, ESV)

 

Bless = eulogy.  The word literally means "to speak well of"

 

It’s in the aorist tense, which refers to something done at a particular point in time, with effects still being felt now.  Example - rock in pond, ripples.

 

We bless God because He first blessed us

 

“¹⁹We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19, ESV)

 

God's word equals action. He created the universe by speaking so if God says you're blessed - you're blessed!

 

In the Heavenlies

this phrase used 5 times in Ephesians and nowhere else by Paul.

Paul is saying that these blessing of the Father reside in the unseen world of spiritual reality.  They are real - even though they can't always be seen.

 

Every Spiritual Blessing!

Aorist Tense again.

This is important, you have ALREADY BEEN GIVEN THIS!

Freely Given. You don't have to do anything to earn this - works, praying through, study, etc.

All These blessings are gifts of the Father's GRACE!!

 

3) God the Father CHOSE me before He created the universe.

 

⁴even as he chose us IN HIM before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. IN LOVE ⁵he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, Ephesians 1:4-5 (ESV)

 

A Misunderstood Bible Truth. Entire Denominations have split over this issue of Predestination.  Obviously we don't have time today to go into it fully. This is my understanding of it in a nutshell.

 

God chose us. This word used in LXX of God's choice of Israel, implies taking a smaller number out of a larger group.  Written in aorist tense.

 

This choice is called Predestination.

It’s actually 2 words and literally means -  "Before the Horizon" & It was used of making a blueprint.

 

Add to this the word "before" in verse 4 which means "to see down into"

 

Then read I Peter 1: 1-2 and you arrive at what I believe is the Biblical doctrine of Predestination.

 

“¹Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ²according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.” (1 Peter 1:1–2, ESV)

 

"God knowing everything – even what we call the future (also called foreknowledge) based on that knowledge he chooses (predestines) those who respond to His Grace in Jesus Christ."

 

Our problem with this is we are time bound people used to dealing with things in a certain order, God isn’t and doesn’t.

 

4) To prove that GOD’S WAY is superior to Satan’s or the world’s way.

 

⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.  (Ephesians 1:6, ESV)

 

Introduce Lindy Beige and show video – the world and the devil always rely on force. God doesn’t.

 

5) Forgiveness is found ONLY in Christ.

 

 ⁷IN HIM we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸which he lavished upon us, IN ALL WISDOM AND INSIGHT ⁹making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth IN CHRIST ¹⁰as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things IN HIM, things in heaven and things on earth.  (Ephesians 1:7–10, ESV)

 

· The grace of God in Christ is rich

· It is LAVISHED upon us.

· God does this wisely with insight

· To show that only IN CHRIST will everyone & everything come together.

 

6) I am SEALED in Christ by the Holy Spirit.

 

 ¹¹In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, ¹²so that we who were the first to hope IN CHRIST might be to the praise of his glory. ¹³IN HIM you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed IN HIM, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:11–14, ESV)

 

· God CHOSE me – that’s amazing.

· I’m part of God working all things according to His will.

· The Spirit seals me

· He (Spirit) guarantee’s our inheritance (all those spiritual blessings referred to above) until the time we can receive & live in them.

· All of this results in the praise of God’s glory.