BLESSED IN CHRIST ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE

“ACCEPTD IN THE BELOVED”

Ephesians 1:1-6; 7-14

My dear brothers and sisters, friends and everybody out there who are watching and listening
joining with us on our “on air live worship” , allow me to asks you with some questions. Had you ever
been experienced rejection in your life? What do you think? What comes into your mind? How do you
find yourselves on this situation or circumstances? How do you value yourself or others?

Rejection affects our self-worth and feed or fills our mind of our inadequacies, telling us that we
are hopeless, full of anger and bitterness. The feeling of fear and depression will always tend us to think
of “me against the world” and that no one stand by me. I am nothing but a shame. These are the
powerful weapon of the enemy to attack people and many were victims and ruined their lives doing evil
things and worst to some, they ended their lives by committing a suicide.

The seeds of rejection produce the harvest of failure and frustration putting one’s self
oppressed and in bondage which can cause great damage in how we see ourselves and our value tp
others.

Another question maybe asks, What am I supposed to do? If others don’t like me, then why
would God? He who sees all my sins, my mistakes and all aware of my sinful being, much more of my
weaknesses than anyone else, could I expect anything good or blessings from Him?

Listen to what God said, (Read Ephesians 1:3-6)

Paul declares that God has blessed us v3. He has chosen us to be without blame before Him in
love v4. He has predestined that we are sons and daughters in his family – not slaves or orphans v5. By
grace, He made us accepted in the Beloved v6. These will be my topic this morning as we keep following
our study or preaching on Ephesians 1:1-14. And we are now on the third series of our main theme
“Blessed In Christ According To The Riches Of His Grace”.

ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED

The Greek meaning of the word “Accepted” means more than our understanding of the English
word.

The word “Accepted” is a verb “charitoo” in Greek “charis” noun, “grace” in English. It means to
endow with “charis” or “grace” or “to cause to find favor” – or “to cause one to be the recipient of the
benefit”. It means to bestow grace or favor upon or to show kindness to someone. “Charitoo” can also
convey the sense of “to make agreeable or possessed grace.” It also means “to make graceful,
charming, lovely, agreeable, to surround with favor and to honor with blessings.”

Paul’s us of the verb demonstrates that man can take no credit for this bestowal of grace – It
was unearned and unmerited and that is why it was freely bestowed.

Taking into consideration this word meaning, may we have a clearest understanding of grace
that the Father has bestowed upon us to be accepted in the Beloved. The Apostle John has something
to say about grace, (John 1:14-17), “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his
glory, the glory as of the on begotten Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of
Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me,
for He was before me.” And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was
given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

THE FATHER MADE US FAVORABLE

God has be-graced us with grace in the “Beloved”. We, as Christians are the living trophies of
His divine grace! God the father made us favorable or bestowed favor in the Son of His love making us
His favorites. Through the blood of Christ, we are lovely and beautiful in God’s eyes.

Oh, what a great favor or privilege we had have now from our loving Father, once a rejected
sinners but now accepted in the Beloved. Once without hope, a wanderer, life without direction, but
now, by the grace of God, He gave us hope, direct our lives. The Father re-created us fashioned in Christ
to be conformed to the likeness of Him to do good works that He prepared beforehand to the praise of
His glorious grace.

The Father has great pleasure toward us. He takes a delight in us. We are acceptable in His
sight. We are surrounded by His favor and bestowed every spiritual blessing upon us. “ He has made us
made us acceptable in the Beloved”. We never made ourselves acceptable, nor could we have done so,
but He that has made us first in creation, has now made us new by His grace, and so has made us
accepted in the Beloved. That it was an act of pure grace there can be no doubt, for this is what the
word of God says, “by which He made us acceptable in the Beloved (v 6), that is, in His grace. There was
no reaon in ourselves why we should have been put into Christ, and so accepted; the reason lay in the
heart of the Eternal Father Himself.

IN THE BELOVED

It is very obvious that Paul is referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. H is our sole source of
acceptance with God the Father. Are you not amazed of the incredible truth, that we are now children
of God, as He predestined for adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ? Again, listen to 1
John 3:1, “Behold what manner of love (indescribable), the Father has bestowed upon us, that we
should be called children of God. . .” in verse 2a, “Beloved, now we are children of God. . .”. Ah, what a
comforting, encouraging, securing, loving declaration of God that we are now in His family. “Beloved in
the Beloved Son of the Father, as the voice in the clouds thunder, “This is my beloved, the chosen One”.

In the beloved we are now children of God forever. In identification with Him, In covenant
Oneness with Him, in an eternal bond with Him, in an indissoluble union with Him! In Christ, forever we
are accepted by the Father for He is forever pleased with His Beloved Son in whom we live and breathe
and have our being eternally!

Amazing grace indeed that in the Beloved, that the Father of glory now called us “Beloved”.
God’s every spiritual blessing, by grace, has been poured out on believers only because of what Christ
has done for them. For this reason, He bestows His grace on us because we are in His dearly loved Son.

Let me invite you, on this very but wonderfully important preposition “In”

Do we really ever understand fully the meaning of this little word, just two letters, to us? “In”
Him whom the Father loves supremely we are. “In” the Beloved whose righteousness and holiness
satisfy every demand of the Father’s justice and holiness we stand. The Beloved Son is our divine
rainbow, God’s pledge to us who are made accepted “in Him” that we will never again be cast out from
His presence. “In” the Son of His love the Father receives as He receives Him and loves us as He loves
Him.

It would be impossible to believe such an apparently incredible statement. Did not Christ
Himself declare it? Then we must believe it and rejoice in it.

PRAYER OF THE BELOVED

Beloved in Christ, in our old nature, we all strive for “acceptance” with our fellow man, and
many of us have been soundly rejected by those closest to us, and we have great difficulty “accepting”
the truth that we truly are “accepted in the beloved”. So, take a moment to meditate on the prayer
Jesus prayed for us which contains His request which are far beyond an incomprehensible that it will
surely in the present life bring solace and comfort to our souls and satisfy our hunger for “acceptance”. .

John 17;23-26, “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the
world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire
that they also whom You gave Me maybe with Me where I am, that they may behold my glory which You
have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has
not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to
them Your Name, and will declare, that the love with which You loved Me maybe in them, and I in
them.”

This is the most precious prayer of the Beloved Son to the Father for us, beloved children of God
in Christ, and for you out there who are watching and listening right now, take heed to the prayer of the
Beloved. The Father sent Him to the world to make known His holy Name – the Name Jesus. “And she
will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His Name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21.

Do not think that you are only accepted according to the measure of your prayers, your merits,
your good works and your faith, instead you are accepted according to the measure of the Father’s
everlasting love for His Son. It by the grace of the Father that he made us accepted in the Beloved.

Hearken to His voice, His lovingly and tenderly calling you by your name, come to Him and
follow Him as you hear His voice with a repentant heart and fully trusting Him alone. “My sheep hear
my voice, and I know them and they follow me” John 10:27

Are you tired and weary of the heavy load of doing something good yet you still felt guilty and
rejected? Jesus is inviting you to come to Him and He will give you rest. Matthew 11:28. In the Beloved
only you will find rest for your souls and only in Him you will be accepted and surrounded by the
Father’s favor and honor you with every spiritual blessings to the praise of His glorious grace!