The Reason for the Church
August 10, 2025
Pastor Jim Danielson
Opening Illustration
Hetty Green and her miserly ways.
Introduction
We can be in danger of spiritual malnutrition when we don’t take advantage of the treasury of spiritual resources that are available to us. Ephesians, written in AD 60-62 from prison is an encouraging outline of what is Jesus’ reason for His church.
Three Key Features of God’s Blessings
1. The basis of God’s blessings. He chose us.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.” Ephesians 1:3-4
Paul begins his letter offering praise to God who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing. The reason Paul begins with praise is because we as believers have much to be grateful for with God’s blessings.
The word blessed comes from the word “Eulogeo” from which we get our word eulogy. A eulogy is a message of praise and commendation. Scripture declares that no one is truly good, but God alone. Jesus once encountered a rich young man who asked Him a question about goodness.
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” Matthew 19:17
Paul reminded the church that the Father’s blessings for us are in the heavenly realms. Even in the most trying times, God is good. Paul will say it again in his letter to the Roman church.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
God’s blessings reveal that All that the Lord has, we have. He gives us our position, our possessions and our privileges.
Then Paul adds, “He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.” God chose each one of His children before He created the world. It was His decision and none of us can earn it or deserve it. But He also chose us for a purpose; to be holy and blameless.
Illustration
The power of an electromagnet.
2. The benefit of God’s blessings. He adopted us.
“In love 5 He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves.” Ephesians 1:5-6
God also adopted us. That word, predestined, simply means that God purposed for us to be adopted into His family as His children through Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the One who brings us into His forever family. God did this for His own pleasure and will. He wanted us to be included as His sons and daughters. No one comes to the Father on their own. They are lovingly drawn in by God Himself.
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:44
God wants people to come to Him. We see this in the parable of the wedding supper that Jesus used to describe heaven.
“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.” Luke 14:23
We are chosen and we are adopted. Adoption is the act of giving God’s new believers adult standing in the family. He does this so that we can immediately begin to claim our inheritance and enjoy our spiritual resources that are ours. A baby cannot legally use its inheritance. Paul said as much to the Galatians.
“…as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2 The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.” Gal. 4:1-2
The Father adopts us into His family and gives us full access into our inheritance.
Illustration
3. The beacon of God’s blessings. He redeemed us.
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” Ephesians 1:7-8
The third great blessing God gives to us is redemption. The word for redemption comes from the word lutroo. It means to release from captivity. It referred to paying a ransom to release a person from bondage. In the Roman empire there were six million slaves who had no rights. If a person wanted to be free, someone had to buy them and set them free.
When Jesus died on the cross, he paid the redemption price to buy for Himself sinful mankind and to set us free from our sins. Paul speaks of redemption as having been freed from sin… and becoming slaves of righteousness. In Colossians He described what Jesus did for us on the cross.
“With all wisdom and understanding He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13-14
In redemption we have forgiveness of our sins by God’s grace that He lavished on us. To lavish is far beyond all expectation. God forgives and forgives and keeps on forgiving. Jesus said it best when He to the woman at the well.
“Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14
God’s forgiveness overflows with His grace.
“He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” Ephesians 1:9-10
The mystery of His will is that both Jews and Gentiles have equal access to God, and the church is His means of showing the world that He will bring His will to completion.
“This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 3:6
The reason for the church is to praise and honour God in all aspects of life and make Christ known to those around us. As we do this is every area of our lives, the exciting and the ordinary, God is pleased and will build His kingdom through the church.
Closing Illustration
The artesian well in Ashland never stops flowing.
Thoughts to consider this week: God’s Gracious Gifts
1. As a child, what is one special gift you remember receiving? What made it special to you?
2. Read Ephesians 1:1-4a. What do Paul’s expressions of praise reveal about his relationship with God? Knowing that he was in prison when he wrote these words, how do they reflect what is in his heart? When life takes a downward turn for you, what can you learn from his response that you can apply to your struggles?
3. Read Ephesians 1:4b-6. What is God’s motivation for adopting us into His family? What is it about the process of adoption that helps us see God’s deliberate actions in our adoption? Who is the person or agent of our adoption? What lies behind God’s action in adopting us? What do we gain by being adopted into God’s family? By being in God’s family what are some things we can be sure of? (give it some thought)
4. Read Ephesians 1:7-10. Have you ever redeemed something? (air miles, points, Canadian Tire money, etc? What is significant about our redemption by Christ? What did it cost God to redeem us? Would Jesus say it was worth the suffering? Knowing that you have been redeemed from an empty way of life into a full and abundant life, how are you living to honour the price Jesus paid to give you your new life in Him? Is there someone who needs the redemption that Jesus offers? Will you share with them the redemption that Jesus has provided for them?
5. Pray for one you know who is living under the weight of sin. Ask God to give you the time to talk with them about what He has done for them to give them a new life in Christ.
© 2025, Jim Danielson