Hello_From_Heaven_(1_of_36)
Hello From Heaven
10-15-06
Ephesians 1:1-2
Several years ago the Los Angeles Times reported the story of an elderly man and wife who were found dead in their apartment. Autopsies revealed that both had died of severe malnutrition, although investigators found a total of $40,000 stored in paper bags in a closet.
For many years Hetty Green was called America's greatest miser. When she died in 1916, she left an estate valued at $100 million, an especially vast fortune for that day. When her son had a severe leg injury, she took so long trying to find a free clinic to treat him that his leg had to be amputated because of advanced infection. Hetty lived in meager circumstances. The little apartment where she lived was extremely tiny. She had just the bare necessities in it. In fact, Hetty ate her oatmeal cold because it would cost money to heat it. Hetty Green died of malnutrition. She was incredibly rich, yet she lived like a pauper.
Did you know there are a lot of Christians that way? They are incredibly rich in spiritual matters. Yet they live like they are paupers. That's really what this book of Ephesians is all about. The purpose of the book of Ephesians is written to show believers who might be prone to treat their spiritual resources much like that miserly couple and Hetty Green treated their financial resources. Such believers are in danger of suffering from spiritual malnutrition, because they do not take advantage of the great storehouse of spiritual nourishment and resources that is at their disposal.
The tragedy today is: a lot of Christians don't know how wealthy they are. They don't understand their spiritual wealth. So in our study of Ephesians we're going to study how blessed we, as believers, really are. Tonight, I want us to learn from these verses, three very important realities.
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I. We learn about our heavenly purpose (v. 1)
When we open the pages of this letter, you have the introduction in verse 1. In the introduction he tells you who the writer is and who the readers are. The writer here is Paul. Those who have been Christians for a while know who the Apostle Paul was. However, a new believer may not know who Paul is. The Apostle Paul is the writer of this particular book. In fact, he wrote about half of the New Testament. But he tells us here, of our heavenly purpose in these verses because he says, "Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God."
A. He tells us about his conversion.
He says "Paul." You see his name wasn't always Paul. When we pick up the account of the life of this man Paul in our New Testament he is not Paul, he starts off a Saul of Tarsus. He was a Jewish man, but he was trained evidently at the University of Tarsus. He was a brilliant, well-educated man. But he was a man who had a hatred for the Christian faith. He was Saul of Tarsus, until one day, while one the Damascus road, the Lord Jesus Christ intercepted him. He said to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Do you know what happened on that Damascus Road? The miracle of salvation happen in his life.
Salvation is a miracle, isn't it? Really if you are a saved person you can put your name right here. Greg. Sue. Tom. Bill. When you and I are willing to acknowledge that we are sinners and that we need Jesus Christ in our hearts and in our lives, we are candidates for the miracle of the work of Jesus Christ in and through our lives.
B. He tells us about his call.
The scripture says, "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ." That's his call. He was called to be an apostle. Paul was an apostle in a sense which you and I will never be. There was an original group of apostles who met certain specific requirements.
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Among those requirements was that you had to be an eyewitness of the resurrection of Jesus. When Paul met the resurrected Lord Jesus on the Damascus Road, that qualified him to be one of these New Testament apostles. The apostles of the New Testament day were a specific office of individuals whose responsibility it was to do the foundational work of the church of the Lord.
The office of the apostle passed away when the New Testament canon was completed. So, Paul was an apostle in the sense in which you and I are not. But the word "apostle" literally means "To send forth." In that sense, God has called all of us to be apostles. After Jesus was resurrected He said, "As the Father hath sent me, so send I you." Every saved person is a "sent one." God has a mission, a purpose for you.
C. He tells us about his confidence.
Verse 1c. says, "By the will of God." Some render it "under God's plan." Paul recognizes that God had a plan for his life and God has a plan for you. God has a purpose for your life. It is a heavenly purpose. God Himself, your Heavenly Father is interested in your life. He has a will, He has a desire, He has a plan, and He has a purpose for your life. Wouldn't you like to know God's will for your life? What does God want you to do? All of us want to know God's will for our lives.
The will of God, as I have come to understand it, is not so much where you are… as who you are. The will of God touches not so much on one's career as it does on one's character. Wherever you are and whatever career you are in, it is an opportunity for you to ultimately fulfill His will because the ultimate will of God for your life is that you be like the Lord Jesus Christ. "Well, Preacher, how do I go about finding God's plan and God's purpose for my life?" The first thing I want to say is to start with the things you already know are God's will. There are some things you don't have to pray about. You just know they are God's will.
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I Thessalonians 4:3
I Thessalonians 5:18
Do you see what I'm saying? Start with the things you know are God's will. The next thing to do is surrender yourself to the Lord and say to the Lord, "Lord, here I am. I am willing to do your will whatever it is."
In John 7:17, Jesus said, "If anyone wills to do his will, he shall know..." Notice the order. Which comes first--being willing to do or knowing? Before we know the will of God we have to be willing to do the will of God. A lot of people have the idea that the will of God is like going through a cafeteria line where you pick and choose. No, that's not how it works. You have to be willing to say, "Lord, I am surrendering to you. You order the circumstances of my life. You lead me as I study your Word. You guide me in the impressions that you give to me. And best I know how I'll do your will." When you do that, you will find your heavenly purpose.
II. We learn about our heavenly position. (v. 1d)
Here you sit in Pine Grove Baptist Church of Trenton, FL, in November on a Sunday night. You have your Bible in hand and you read that and you say to yourself, "Who are the saints? Isn't that a football team out in New Orleans?" Nope! This letter is addressed to every Christian in this building because you are a saint. You see, the word "saint" really means "to be set apart." A Saint is someone who has been set apart and consecrated unto the Lord. That means you now have a new position in the Lord. .
A. It's a special position (Eph. 5:3)
He is saying, because of your special position, let your life, the way you live, the way you conduct your life, measure up to who you are! Let your practice equal your position.
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B. It's a spiritual position (v. 1e)
You have a spiritual position: "in Christ." Spiritually all the people in the world are located in only two positions. They are either in Adam or they are in Christ. First Corinthians 15:22 says, "In Adam all die. In Christ all are made alive." If you have never received Christ as your Savior, you are "in Adam." But if you have received Christ as your Savior, you are "in Christ." How do you know if you are "in Christ?" Do you see the word "faithful?" That word "faithful" means "to those who believe in Christ." The moment you trust in Christ you become a saint and you are located by position in Christ Jesus.
III. He tells us about our heavenly provision (v. 2)
In this verse, He uses two of the great words in your Bible: grace and peace. The word "grace" occurs 12 times in the book of Ephesians and the word "peace" occurs 8 times. What you have here the twin sisters of the Gospel: Grace and Peace. Paul takes these two words, baptizes them into the Christian faith, elevates them and fills them with new meaning because that is exactly what Jesus does with you and me. When we come to Christ He elevates us and fills us with brand new meaning and purpose.
Those two words describe God's approach to the human soul. When God approaches the human soul He always approaches it in this two-fold way. It is grace first and then peace. You know, there are a lot of people in this world who are looking for personal peace of mind and heart, but they can't find it. You see, you can't have peace until you have experienced grace. In other words, you have to be saved by grace before you can have peace. So, here are God's provisions for our lives.
A. It's how the Christian life commences (Eph. 2:8)
"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I'm found. Was blind but now I see." We are saved by grace.
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Not because we deserve it. Not because we worked for it. Not because we merit it. We are saved solely on the basis of what Jesus Christ did for us at Calvary. That's grace.
B. It's how the Christian life continues (Rom. 5:1)
When Jesus died on the cross He was our peace. He signed the Peace Treaty at Calvary. Now, because we are saved by grace we have peace with God. That's how the Christian life commences.
C. It's how the Christian life concludes
When it's all over you can claim God's grace and God's peace. God said to Paul in II Corinthians 12:9, "my grace is sufficient for thee." That means His grace IS sufficient whatever the situation may be. I take that to mean that when the time comes God will give us dying grace. In the hour of death, if you are a born again child of God He has promised He will give you sufficient grace for that hour. I'm thankful that I can look forward to God's dying grace.
In the hour of death, you can also have peace. Psalm 4:8 says, "I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." The same God who keeps us in His hands on a daily basis, when we come to the time of death, can and will give us sweet peace.
I'm going to tell you how to get it. Verse 2 says, "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ." There are a lot of things that verse can mean, but one thing, for surety that it means is, God has a monopoly on grace and peace. That's the only place you can get it. You can't buy it in any store. It's only available from one source: God. He is the God of all grace. He is the God of peace. And if you want to have His grace and His peace, then you have to come to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Hello From Heaven
10-15-06
Ephesians 1:1-2
The purpose of the book of Ephesians is written to show believers how wealthy they are. They don't understand their spiritual wealth. So in our study of Ephesians we're going to study how blessed we, as believers, really are. Tonight, I want us to learn from these verses, three very important realities.
I. We learn about our heavenly purpose (v. 1)
When we open the pages of this letter, you have the introduction in verse 1. In the introduction he tells you who the writer is and who the readers are. The writer here is Paul. He tells us here, of our heavenly purpose in these verses because he says, "Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God."
A. He tells us about his conversion.
B. He tells us about his call.
C. He tells us about his confidence.
II. We learn about our heavenly position. (v. 1d)
This letter is addressed to every Christian in this building because you are a saint. The word "saint" really means "to be set apart." A Saint is someone who has been set apart and consecrated unto the Lord. That means you now have a new position in the Lord. .
A. It's a special position (Eph. 5:3)
He is saying, because of your special position, let your life, the way you live, the way you conduct your life, measure up to who you are! Let your practice equal your position.
B. It's a spiritual position (v. 1e)
You have a spiritual position: "in Christ." Spiritually all the people in the world are located in only two positions. They are either in Adam or they are in Christ. First Corinthians 15:22 says, "In Adam all die. In Christ all are made alive." If you have never received Christ as your Savior, you are "in Adam." But if you have received Christ as your Savior, you are "in Christ." How do you know if you are "in Christ?" Do you see the word "faithful?" That word "faithful" means "to those who believe in Christ." The moment you trust in Christ you become a saint and you are located by position in Christ Jesus.
III. He tells us about our heavenly provision (v. 2)
In this verse, He uses two of the great words in your Bible: grace and peace. Paul takes these two words, baptizes them into the Christian faith, elevates them and fills them with new meaning because that is exactly what Jesus does with you and me. When we come to Christ He elevates us and fills us with brand new meaning and purpose.
Those two words describe God's approach to the human soul. When God approaches the human soul He always approaches it in this two-fold way. It is grace first and then peace.
A. It's how the Christian life commences (Eph. 2:8)
B. It's how the Christian life continues (Rom. 5:1)
C. It's how the Christian life concludes
Verse 2 says, "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ." There are a lot of things that verse can mean, but one thing for surety that it means is, God has a monopoly on grace and peace. That's the only place you can get it. You can't buy it in any store. It's only available from one source: God. He is the God of all grace. He is the God of peace. And if you want to have His grace and His peace, then you have to come to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Hello From Heaven
10-15-06
Ephesians 1:1-2
The purpose of the book of Ephesians is written to show believers how wealthy they are. They don't understand their spiritual wealth. So in our study of Ephesians we're going to study how blessed we, as believers, really are. Tonight, I want us to learn from these verses, three very important realities.
I. We learn about our heavenly _____________ (v. 1)
When we open the pages of this letter, you have the introduction in verse 1. In the introduction he tells you who the writer is and who the readers are. The writer here is Paul. He tells us here, of our heavenly purpose in these verses because he says, "Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God."
A. He tells us about his ________________.
B. He tells us about his _________.
C. He tells us about his ________________.
II. We learn about our heavenly ________________. (v. 1d)
This letter is addressed to every Christian in this building because you are a saint. The word "saint" really means "to be set apart." A Saint is someone who has been set apart and consecrated unto the Lord. That means you now have a new position in the Lord. .
A. It's a _____________ position (Eph. 5:3)
He is saying, because of your special position, let your life, the way you live, the way you conduct your life, measure up to who you are! Let your practice equal your position.
B. It's a _______________ position (v. 1e)
You have a spiritual position: "in Christ." Spiritually all the people in the world are located in only two positions. They are either in Adam or they are in Christ. First Corinthians 15:22 says, "In Adam all die. In Christ all are made alive." If you have never received Christ as your Savior, you are "in Adam." But if you have received Christ as your Savior, you are "in Christ." How do you know if you are "in Christ?" Do you see the word "faithful?" That word "faithful" means "to those who believe in Christ." The moment you trust in Christ you become a saint and you are located by position in Christ Jesus.
III. He tells us about our heavenly _______________ (v. 2)
In this verse, He uses two of the great words in your Bible: grace and peace. Paul takes these two words, baptizes them into the Christian faith, elevates them and fills them with new meaning because that is exactly what Jesus does with you and me. When we come to Christ He elevates us and fills us with brand new meaning and purpose.
Those two words describe God's approach to the human soul. When God approaches the human soul He always approaches it in this two-fold way. It is grace first and then peace.
A. It's how the Christian life _______________ (Eph. 2:8)
B. It's how the Christian life _______________ (Rom. 5:1)
C. It's how the Christian life _______________
Verse 2 says, "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ." There are a lot of things that verse can mean, but one thing for surety that it means is, God has a monopoly on grace and peace. That's the only place you can get it. You can't buy it in any store. It's only available from one source: God. He is the God of all grace. He is the God of peace. And if you want to have His grace and His peace, then you have to come to the Lord Jesus Christ.