INTRODUCTION:

One of the classic American fairy tales and one of the most watched movies ever is The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland. I remember when Mary and I were first married, we bought our first color TV so we could watch the Wizard of Oz in color.

Do you remember the end of the movie. Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion have returned from their seemingly impossible task of capturing the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West. They've completed the task and now they want to redeem the promise the Wizard made.

Only we find out that the Wizard can't really grant their wishes. And we also find out that he doesn't really need to anyway, because all three of Dorothy's companions already have the quality they were searching for. They just didn't have the confirmation of those qualifications.

So the great and might Oz bestows upon the Scarecrow: "a diploma. Therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Universitatus Committeatum E Pluribus Unum, I hereby confer upon you the honorary degree of Th. D...that's Doctor of Thinkology."

The Cowardly Lion receives a medal: And the Wizard say: "Therefore, for meritorious conduct, extraordinary valor, conspicuous bravery against Wicked Witches, I award you the Triple Cross. You are now a member of the Legion of Courage."

The Tin Man a large red, heart-shaped watch made of metal that hangs from the end of a golden chain. A loudly-ticking clock is in the center of the heart. The Wizard says: "good-deed doers have one thing you haven't got - a testimonial. Therefore, in consideration of your kindness, I take pleasure at this time in presenting you with a small token of our esteem and affection."

In all three cases, they thought they lacked something; intellect, courageous strength, and a sensitive heart, but they were wrong. Each of them proved that they had the qualities they were searching for, inside from the very beginning. They just hadn't looked deep enough.

Sometimes we do that with our faith and the spiritual qualities we need for a faithful life. We don't think we have what it takes to do what God has called us to do or be who God has called us to be. But listen to what Paul says in our reading for this morning from his letter to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 1:3-14 (NRSV)

[3] 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,

[4] just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.

[5] He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will,

[6] to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

[7] In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

[8] that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight

[9] he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ,

[10] as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

[11] In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will,

[12] so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.

[13] In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit;

[14] this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.

How can we say that we don't have what it takes to do or be what God has called us to be when it's clear that God "has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places."

Notice it's not just a few of the spiritual blessings, not just one or two, but "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places." That's what we're called to Remember.

As we look as these spiritual blessings today, I want us to "Remember: We Are Blessed, Adopted and Sealed."

I. BLESSED:

You and I are very BLESSED. We are blessed in Christ; blessed in every spiritual blessing (v. 1). God chose us to be holy, blameless, and loved (v. 4). God saved us through Christ's blood (v. 7). We are part of the inheritance and one of the heirs of the Kingdom (v. 11).

We are truly blessed. Sometimes all we have to do is look a little deeper like the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion. Sometimes we just have to look deeper and Remember.

Billy Graham's daughter Anne Graham Lotz is both an author and an evangelist. Her house was broken into a few years ago. The robbers took almost everything of value. The night after the break-in, Ms. Lotz lay awake while fear filled her heart and mind. Not only had all of her valuable possessions been stolen away and so had her sense of security. ,

She began worrying about all the other precious things in her life that she could lose. Through illness or accident, she could lose her children or her husband. She could lose her health. She could lose her job, or her finances, or even her reputation. Just as anxiety was about to take over completely, she recalled the words from I Peter 1:4, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade - kept in heaven for you . . ."

Did you catch that? We have an inheritance that cannot be taken away from us.

Anne Graham Lotz sat down and made an alphabetical list of the eternal blessings that cannot be taken away from us. Listen to the items on her list and notice her clever use of the letters of the alphabet. She wrote:

I am: Accepted by God / Beloved by God / Chosen by God / Delivered by God / Enlightened by God / Forgiven by God

I have: Grace of God / Hope for the future / Inheritance in heaven / Justification / Knowledge of God / Love / Mercy of God / Nearness to God / Oneness with God / Peace / Quickening of the Spirit

I am: Redeemed / Sealed with the Holy Spirit / Treasured by God / United with other believers / Validated as an authentic child of God

I have: His Wisdom And one day I will be: / Exalted with Him! (1)

What a beautiful way of saying that we are BLESSED with an ongoing inheritance from God. REMEMBER; WE ARE BLESSED.

II. ADOPTED:

A. REMEMBER; WE ARE BLESSED AND ADOPTED. You and I are the children of God. Over and over again the Scripture tells us that we belong to God. Over and over again Scripture talks about our inheritance. Through Christ Jesus we have been made heirs of the Kingdom. We've been adopted by God and are children of God.

The last time I used this particular graphic, I noticed that some of you got distracted by it. I didn't realize the both feet had six toes. All I saw was the birth certificate and the seal from Mercy Hospital, which I thought was pretty cool and fit the point I was making. But today I'm using it because each foot does have six toes. You see, it doesn't make any difference how different we might be, when we accept Christ, when he becomes Lord and Savior of our lives, we become heirs of the Kingdom. We are ADOPTED and become the Children of God. And we need to REMEMBER that.

I don't remember if we've done this before or not. But this morning I want us to REMEMBER WE ARE ADOPTED with a litany I adapted and have used at camp over the years. It's titled: "I Am God's Child". All you have to do is repeat after me:

I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child.

I may be young; I may be old,
I may be hot; I may be cold,
But I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child.

I may be educated; I may be unlettered,
I may be free; or I may be fettered,
But I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child.

I may be black; I may be brown,
I may be white; I may be a clown,
But I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child.

I may be rich; I may be poor,
I may wear a brace; I may even snore,
But I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child.

I may be short; I may be tall,
I might have hair; I may be bald,
But I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child.

I may be fat; I may be skinny
I may have muscles; or not have any,
But I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child.

I may have a family; I may be a alone,
I may be married; I may be divorced,
But I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child.

I may live in a house; I may live in a trailer,
I may be successful; I may be a failure,
But I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child.

I may be a sinner; I may be a saint,
But a nobody, I certainly ain't
Because my friend Jesus, is my Savior.
And I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child! Amen! (2)

You are God's child, rooted and grounded in love through faith in Christ Jesus. REMEMBER: WE ARE BLESSED AND ADOPTED.

III. SEALED:

A. WE ARE BLESSED AND ADOPTED. But we also need to REMEMBER: WE ARE SEALED. We are SEALED with the water of our Baptism and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

You might say that our Baptism and the presence of God's Holy Spirit are sort of like a "God's Housekeeping Seal of Approval."

You see the world offers lots of seals of approval. Seals that tells us we just have to be good enough. Not great, just good enough.

But God's measuring stick is different than the world's. Because God's purpose is different than the world's. God calls us and sets us aside to be a part of that purpose. And when we say "Yes!" to God through our baptism and a living a life of faith, then we are sealed and marked as God's Own. A child of the Kingdom.

B. REMEMBER: WE ARE BLESSED, ADOPTED AND SEALED. But you might ask WHY? Paul tells us why in verse 12. He says: "so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory."

In other words, bringing glory to God through our lives and lifestyles is part of our ongoing praise.

That means that everything we do, when we do it to glorify God is an act of praise. And a life of praise is the life of a good steward.

A steward is simply one who cares for the possessions of another. And Stewardship is simply the How of that caring.

As Christians we affirm that everything we have and everything are belongs to God. Because of that belief, we see ourselves as the Stewards of God's stuff. As a consequence, how we use the gifts of life, faith, talents, money, emotions, family, friends, the church, the environment, all of those things which God has placed under our care, reflects how well we are doing our job as Stewards.

How we live and what we do with what God has given us is our Stewardship. When we are good Stewards then we, "who were the first to set our hope on Christ, ...live for the praise of his glory."

REMEMBER: WE ARE BLESSED, ADOPTED AND SEALED so that we can "live for the praise of his glory."

CONCLUSION:

Rev. Robin Wood says: He'll never forget "Ole John." He was just beginning ministry as an associate pastor, he was nineteen. John was over sixty and a new convert. Since he hadn't been in church all of his life, he knew very little about the routine events in worship. The Pastor and his wife befriended John, so every Sunday he would sit by Judy, the Pastor's wife. When he didn't understand something, he would lean over and ask Judy for help - usually in a loud voice.

One of the favorite memories of John was his Sunday morning routine during the offering. The Pastor would say, "Now it's time to honor the Lord with our tithes and offerings," and start to pray. The church would be quiet, and right on schedule, John would shout out his weekly question to Judy, "How much should I give?"

Most Sundays Judy would pat John on the shoulder and say quietly, "Just give what you can." Judy had a great sense of humor, however, and one Sunday when John shouted, "How much should I give?" Judy shouted back, "Give it all!"

The entire congregation erupted in laughter, but Ole John didn't hear a thing, because he was serious about his question. Later, Judy told us that John had emptied his wallet that morning, with a big smile on his face. He did indeed give it all! (3)

The thing that strikes me is that "Ole John" was asking one of the most important questions any Christian can ask: "How much should I give?"

What does the Bible say about giving and Stewardship? It tells us to REMEMBER.

It tells us to REMEMBER: That God loves a cheerful giver.

It tells us to REMEMBER: To look deep enough.

It tells us to REMEMBER: Who we are and Whose we are.

It tells us to REMEMBER: Our inheritance and our family relationship.

It tells us to REMEMBER: that we are "blessed to be a blessing."

It tells us to REMEMBER: WE ARE BLESSED, ADOPTED AND SEALED.

It tells us to REMEMBER: to "live for the praise of his glory."

1. Anne Graham Lotz. Just Give Me Jesus (Nashville: Word Publishing, 2000), pp. 37-38

2.. Anonymous, adapted.

3. Abingdon Guide to Funding Ministry, Volume 1,

4.

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