Ephesians 1:15-23 His Calling, His Inheritance, His Power
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Paul has just written about the blessings associated with being in Messiah. He has spoken in general terms, referring to the entire Body of Messiah, and the richness of God’s grace that He has lavished upon us. Now he is talking directly to the believers in and around the city of Ephesus.
Let’s read Eph. 1:15-23
Therefore, ever since I heard of your trust in the Lord Yeshua and of your love for all the kedoshim, I never stop giving thanks for you as I mention you in my prayers— that the God of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, our glorious Father, may give you spiritual wisdom and revelation in knowing Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what is the richness of His glorious inheritance in the kedoshim, and what is His exceedingly great power toward us who keep trusting Him—in keeping with the working of His mighty strength. This power He exercised in Messiah when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in heaven. He is far above any ruler, authority, power, leader, and every name that is named—not only in the olam ha-zeh but also in the olam ha-ba. God placed all things under Messiah’s feet and appointed Him as head over all things for His community— which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Knowing Him
Knowing Him
Paul, having heard of the faithfulness of the believers, shares with them some specific prayers that he is requesting for them, from God.
Paul wants the people to Know Adonai, through both spiritual wisdom, and through revelation. This spiritual wisdom is discussed by King Solomon, and is even personified in the first several chapters of the book of Proverbs. Solomon starts out by stating Prov 1:7-9
The fear of Adonai is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Hear, my son, your father’s instruction and forsake not your mother’s teaching. For they are a garland of grace for your head and a chain to adorn your neck.
Solomon then continues a little later in Prov. 1:20-23
Wisdom calls aloud in the streets, she raises her voice in public squares. She cries out above the commotion. At the entrances of the city gates, she utters her speech: “How long will you naïve ones love simplicity, you scoffers delight in scoffing, and you fools hate knowledge? You are repulsed at my rebuke. Behold, I pour out my heart to you. I will make my words known to you.
And again in Prov. 2:6-9
For Adonai gives wisdom. Out of His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity. He guards the paths of justice, and protects the way of His kedoshim. Then you will discern what is right and just and fair—every good path.
Wisdom is so personified by King Solomon, that may people see a relationship between Wisdom and Yeshua (the word made flesh).
Paul continues and speaks of the revelation of know Adonai. The only way that we get to truly know someone, not just know about them, is if they reveal themselves to us. Others can share what they feel, what they like, their hopes and dreams. But unless someone shares these things, we can never truly say that we know them.
Moses was known as a friend of God, and part of the reason is that Moses truly asked God to reveal Himself to him. We read about this in Ex. 33:11-23
So Adonai spoke with Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, did not leave the Tent. So Moses said to Adonai “You say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My eyes.’ Now then, I pray, if I have found grace in Your eyes, show me Your ways, so that I may know You, so that I might find favor in Your sight. Consider also that this nation is Your people.” “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest,” He answered. But then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with me, don’t let us go up from here! For how would it be known that I or your people have found favor in Your sight? Isn’t it because You go with us, that distinguishes us from all the people on the face of the earth?” Adonai answered Moses, “I will also do what you have said, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.” Then he said, “Please, show me Your glory!” So He said, “I will cause all My goodness to pass before you, and call out the Name of Adonai before you. I will be gracious toward whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will be merciful.” But He also said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live.” Then Adonai said, “See, a place near Me—you will stand on the rock. While My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and cover you with My hand, until I have passed by. Then I will take away My hand, and you will see My back, but My face will not be seen.”
Show me your glory! What a cry. Moses longed to know the ways of Adonai, to know Him intimately, as closely as any man could.
And yet when the talmid Philip asked in John 14:8 “Philip said to Him, “Master, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”” Yeshua responded to Philip John 14:9-11
Yeshua said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time, and you haven’t come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you, I do not speak on My own; but the Father dwelling in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me—or at least believe because of the works themselves.
Hope of His Calling
Hope of His Calling
The next prayer that Paul prays for the people is that they would “know the hope of His calling.”
William Klein provides an excellent definition to the Biblical usage of the word “Hope.”
“Hope” (elpis) always conveys the sense of confident expectation of God’s presence and saving actions, even despite the adverse realities of the current situation. In our text Paul wants the readers to know that God called them to live in hope - the confident, not tentative, expectation of God’s presence, power, and victory. Their lives should reflect this hope.
And what is this hope based upon? It is founded on His calling. Now Yeshua made a distinction between being “called” and being “chosen” in Matt. 22:14
For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Yeshua was showing that there is a difference between being called, and responding to that call. In the case of Paul’s letter, Paul is specifically writing to those who have already responded to the call. Paul is reminding the people that their assurance, or hope, is grounded in what Yeshua has already done, He has called us. Therefore Yeshua is trustworthy to fulfill what He has promised.
Richness of His Glorious Inheritance
Richness of His Glorious Inheritance
We as believers in Messiah, have a promised inheritance. As with most inheritances, it is not yet realized. However by being in Messiah, as we talked about a couple of weeks ago, our inheritance, is based upon Yeshua’s inheritance. Another way of looking at this is that because we are in covenant relationship with Yeshua, we have been written into His will. This goes along with the concept of being “fellow heirs with Messiah.”
This wonderful and glorious inheritance, is held in Trust, until the day that we can fully inherit all that Yeshua has promised.
At the same time, we ourselves are the inheritance of Yeshua. It was for us that He laid down His life. We are His possession, and He has redeemed us.
Exceedingly Great Power
Exceedingly Great Power
We do not possess any great power in ourselves. In us, that is in our flesh, nothing good dwells. This is a topic that Paul will focus on later in this letter. But we need to know just how much power Adonai has focused “toward us” for our benefit. Paul explains what he means by power in Ephesians 1:20 “This power He exercised in Messiah when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in heaven.”
All authority and power is in Yeshua the Messiah, as Yeshua said in Matthew 28:18 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”
What we need to remember is that Adonai has directed this power toward us for our benefit. John the Beloved put it this way, 1 John 4:4
You are from God, children, and you have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
Paul in the letter to the Romans said Rom. 8:31
What then shall we say in view of these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
All authority comes from delegation, and we need to recognize that just as Yeshua has been given all authority and power, he also calls us and commissions us to accomplish certain tasks. We will be discussing some of these things latter on in Ephesians.
For today we need to focus on the reality that Adonai has placed all things under Messiah Yeshua’s feet, and Yeshua is the head of the body of Messiah. He is the head of this congregation.
John would later watch thousands of thousands of people declaring in Rev. 5:12-13
They were chanting with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea and everything in them, responding, “To the One seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and power forever and ever!”
Summary
Summary
So what is the take home from this passage? Just as the believers living in and around Ephesus we commended,
Let us also be known for:
our trust in the Lord Yeshua,
the love we have for one another.
Let us also remember the:
hope of His calling,
richness of His glorious inheritance,
His exceedingly great power.
All these things Adonai has provided for us by being in Messiah, in covenant relationship with Yeshua. We need to remember that our life finds meaning and purpose in Him. In Him we recognize that we are loved, valued and empowered to live holy and rightly.
Let’s close in prayer and remember the words of John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made through Him, and apart from Him nothing was made that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.