When we get excited about something, we tend to repeat ourselves. We keep mentioning what we talked about earlier because we have more to contribute. We’re not done yet.
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul refers to “heavenly places” five times. This phrase describes the setting within which he situates certain gospel insights.
We’ll look at one verse or passage (in the ESV) each week for the next five weeks to learn what the Lord wants to teach us.
Blessings
“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.” – Ephesians 1:3
God is generous; He doesn’t hold back! This is a great way to start learning about the significance of heavenly places in the lives of Christians. We begin by celebrating God’s goodness. In His Son Jesus, the Father has made everything He has accessible to us.
The bounty of the Lord abounds! If we tried to list all God’s blessings, we’d never finish. We’d have to keep writing forever! A great point to keep in mind–the blessings of the Lord are too many to count. The psalmist declares this:
“You have multiplied, O LORD my God, Your wondrous deeds and Your thoughts toward us; none can compare with You! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.” – Psalm 40:5
Remember, Paul said that God has given us every blessing; we don’t have to miss out on anything He’s said or done on our behalf. They’re all available for our benefit!
But let’s not skip over a qualifier. The blessings God lavishes on us are spiritual.
What does this mean? The Lord gives us good feelings? He cheers us up but He won’t heal our sick bodies?
What are these spiritual blessings? We know their location–the heavenly places. Heaven isn’t earth, and neither is it hell. In the Bible, the heavens refer to the domain of spiritual beings. It’s the region of the divine council.
So these blessings have to do with spiritual authority. As many preachers have said, God blesses us so we can be a blessing. The more we know about spiritual authority, the more we can share God’s resources with others.
As we explore the depths of the heavenly realms, we do so from a privileged position. God has blessed us in unlimited fashion through Jesus Christ.
Believers are blessed!
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