Ephesians 1:1-3 - Saints and Faithful in Christ Jesus

Iremember when I was a child growing up in a family that was very poor. I tell you what, my friend. The moment I found Jesus Christ as a 19-year-oldteenager, I became the richest person in the universe in Christ. And that'swhat Ephesians is about: knowing and understanding the riches of the glory theHis inheritance that I have in Jesus Christ. And that's why these three versesare so powerful to help us begin to understand what we need to learn and knowfrom this book.  Verse1 tells us that Paul is an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and thathe is writing this epistle “to the saints who are in Ephesus andfaithful in Christ Jesus.” The word saints there is a very importantword. It's a word that's used at least nine times in the book of Ephesians. Theword saint actually means “one who has been set apart”. Somebody that's beensanctified. Somebody that's been made holy. The moment you received JesusChrist, you were set apart for by the Holy Spirit for Christ and for His glory(Romans 6:3).  Imean all the riches in Christ were set apart for you in Christ at that moment.And so when we trust Christ in a sense we're taken out of this world and we'replaced in Christ in a heavenly world, we can enjoy heaven on earth. We do nothave to wait for the sweet by and by. And you were set apart to go to heavenone day. It's so sad that many of us do not understand or recognize the richeswe have in Christ.  Itkind of reminds me of the story I read recently of Hetty Green who lived from1834 to 1916. When she died she was worth over $100 million. In our moneytoday, that would be $2.5 billion. She was called the witch of Wall Street. Inthe Guinness Book of World Records, she's called America's greatest miser. It'sreported that she ate cold oatmeal because it cost to heat it. She ate mostlypies that cost 15 cents. She was said never to turn on the heat or use hotwater. She wore one old black dress and undergarments that she changed onlyafter they had been worn out. She did not wash her hands and she rode in an oldcarriage. One tale claims that Green spent half a night searching her carriagefor a lost stamp worth two cents. Another asserts that she instructed herlaundress to wash only the dirtiest part of her dresses, the hems, to savemoney on soap. The sad thing is she had a son that had to suffer a legamputation because she delayed in taking so long looking for a free clinic thathis case became incurable.  Howsad. But a sadder fact is the fact that there are so many Christians that areliving miserable lives because they do not know about and understand the richesthey have in Christ. I've often said the most miserable people in the world arenot lost people. They're enjoying the pleasures of sin for the few moments theymight have with it. It's the Christian who can't enjoy those pleasures of sinany longer because of the convicting power of the Holy Spirit in their lives,but they have never begun to comprehend the great riches they have in Christ.  That'swhat we're going to be talking about these next few days in Christ. In Christ.Matter of fact, the phrase “in Christ” is used, some 15 times in the book ofEphesians. We are “in Christ”. Oh, if we could only begin to understand that. Peterput it this way in 1 Peter 1:3-5: “Blessed be the God and Father of our LordJesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to aliving hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to aninheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reservedin heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvationready to be revealed in the last time.” Itrust today you will begin to recognize and know the riches of His glory of theinheritance that you have in Christ.  Godbless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!