Ephesians 1:3-6
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
This is a message to the church…not lost people…but the people of God. That is an important point to remember as we move through these next few verses…this was a lesson on who we are in Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ — How do we “bless” God? Have you ever thought about the prospects of such a thing? How could we ever be a blessing to the King of Kings, infinite God, who has everything, knows everything and is all powerful?
Bless — We bless the Lord when we ascribe to Him the honour due to His holy Name, when we bow in adoration of His essential perfections and in thanksgiving for their manifestations in His mighty acts. Simpson, E. K., & Bruce, F. F. (1957). The Epistles to the Ephesians and the Colossians (p. 24). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
In “blessing” God we do not, of course, add anything to Him or bestow any benefit on Him. We simply acknowledge His mercy and offer praise and thanks to Him for His goodness to us. The Greek word means “to be praised,” “worthy of praise.” Vaughan, C. (2002). Ephesians (p. 18). Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press.
So we can bless God when we acknowledge who He is, ascribe the honor due His name, bow in adoration of His perfect character and thank Him for His mighty acts.
Paul outlines seven of God’s mighty acts on our behalf in verses 3-14. Seven blessings which God has granted to His children. These blessings give us reason to bless Him.
In Jesus because we are chosen, predestined or adopted, given grace, redeemed, told the secret of His will, are made a heritage and sealed with the Holy Spirit of God.
We are going to take some time to consider these blessings both today and next Sunday. These verses, if read, prayed over and understood in the Spirit will forever change us. That may seem a big statement but take seriously this study and do so in the Spirit and see if that statement is not true for you.
Living in Heavenly Blessings
Living in Heavenly Blessings
Blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places —Paul begins by telling us that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. We have been blessed fully in the heavenlies.
We are here physically at 3420 Brown Trail this morning. We live on planet earth in a solar system which exists within the Milky Way; a galaxy which exists with billions and billions of other galaxies within what we call the known universe. This describes our physical address.
But we simultaneously exist in the spiritual realm as well. We exist in the heavenly realm; a realm which exists all around us as much as what we see with our eyes. Unseen to the eye there is a whole other world in which angels, demons and others exist. We exist in that world as well. There is an entire reality we do not see.
Not everyone is awakened to the reality of that world as we are. Some are completely oblivious to its existence and others have chosen to toy with it within the occult and witchcraft. But we exist in it much differently than either of those groups. We live in the heavenly realm as the blessed of God.
God has blessed us with every spiritual gift — Not all blessings can be seen with the eye…and these are the greatest, most powerful blessings of all. We will see something of what this means in the succeeding verses but we must understand that, just as there are physical blessings there are also spiritual ones.
Christians live in the heavenly sphere as we live in the earthly one. Our life on earth is lived in light of and with the benefit of these unseen spiritual blessings.
Manley Beasley once said that he thought one of the greatest surprises of heaven will be how much we were already there when we were here.
Everything we see going on around us is the physical manifestation of a spiritual reality. If you want the world around you to change, you have to stop fighting and working only in the physical and start working and fighting your battles in the heavenlies.
If you are depressed about whats happening in the world around you, remember there is a greater reality than the one you see…and your life is not the sum of all its physical parts.
We have been given the blessings…the new identity in Christ, new nature and capacity to live pleasing to Him. We have been given a place in His Kingdom and the privilege of being a part of what He is doing in the world. We have been given spiritual armor and weapons for the warfare as well. But we must change our perspective and live from our new heavenly identity...
The heavenly realm is... Where our blessings are (1:3)....Where Christ sits at God’s right hand (1:20)....Where we now sit with Christ (2:6)....Where rulers and authorities observe God’s wisdom (3:10)....Where spiritual forces of evil oppose us (6:12). Boles, K. L. (1993). Galatians & Ephesians (Eph 1:3). Joplin, MO: College Press.
Too many of us have been living with an earthly perspective; limiting ourselves to physical realm with little thought of the heavenly one.
Someone once told me not to be so heavenly minded that I am of no earthly good. There really are few statements more unbiblical. The truth is that we must begin to be so heavenly minded that we might be of some earthly good.
Someone once said we must work like it all depends on us and pray knowing it all depends upon God…but the reality is a deeper one…our greatest work is in the heavenly realm...our prayer is where the action really is...our privilege and power in prayer are infinitely diminished when we equate its worth with what we can do in the physical realm with our hands.
As we engage our Father in the heavenly realm we begin to see things happening in the physical one. Our work in the earthly realm is no more than icing on the cake…the decorative finish to what has already been decided and done in the heavenly realm.
We are not meant to live in the limitations of the natural world. God doesn’t limit His children in such a way as this.
We enter the heavenlies by faith. Our faith is substance…it brings into real world existence those things God has spoken over our life. We begin to realize the reality of God’s plans for us when we believe and trust what He has said is true.
As we study these seven spiritual blessings we will see how faith brings the heavenly blessing to bear upon our life in the natural world.
As we understand our blessings it will encourage us but more than that it will move our hearts to gratitude and worship. John Calvin said the realization of these blessings will set our hearts on flame and “fill them to overflowing with this disposition.”
All of these blessings are a result of being “in Christ.” Unless you have a relationship with Christ none of these blessings are available to you. Such a person is left to live only in the physical realm. Christians will pray and, by faith, pull heaven down to earth…the lost person, pray as he may, can never reach heaven or the blessings found only in Christ.
“Christ is the great reservoir of blessing, but only those who have living connection with Him share in His benefits. To those, however, who do enjoy this vital union God gives the key to His treasures and says in effect, “Go in and take what you will.” Vaughan, C. (2002). Ephesians (p. 19). Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press.
Chosen and Predestined
Chosen and Predestined
Chosen — The word “Chosen” means to “pick out” or “select.” There is a connotation of kindness and love in this choice....it was done in love. God lovingly chose us for His purposes.
Predestined — Means to “mark off in advance.” The idea is that of determining in advance. In the New Testament this term is always used of God determining something from eternity.
We were not forced upon God nor was it a last minute decision on His part to do so. In eternity past, before the world was created, God lovingly, intentionally, chose us to be His people.
People will stop here and ask the question, “What about free will?”
There is a man serving a sentence for a crime. This man had a good mother who not only prayed for him, but did everything she could to get him to accept Christ as his Saviour. Many of his friends had gone to see him, including ministers of the Gospel, pleading with him to turn from his evil way, but his heart was hardened against all the pleadings of his friends. At last, his mother went to the Governor of the State, asking him if he could not pardon her son. So the Governor, dressed in a ministerial garb, went to this man's cell and spent a long time with him, pleading with him to turn from his evil way, accept Christ as his Saviour and start a life of freedom from sin, even though not free from the law. Not knowing that he was talking to the Governor of the State, he did as he had done before. He turned a deaf ear to all the pleadings of the Governor. Being asked by the warden if he knew who he had been talking to, he said, "No." When he was told that he had been talking to the Governor, he simply said, "He wanted to help me, but I would not let him."
“The Lord of all abides Monarch in the kingdom of the human will without the least violation of its innate properties. The lock is not forced but opened; we are made willing to do our Maker’s will.” Simpson, E. K., & Bruce, F. F. (1957). The Epistles to the Ephesians and the Colossians (p. 26). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
God’s choice to save us opens the door which enabling us to be willing to do the Father’s will. Apart from the work of the Father through Christ and the Holy Spirit we would have no opportunity to have faith in God at all. John 6:44
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.
Unless God calls a man he cannot come to faith in Christ Jesus…and for those to whom He calls, the way is open for Him to do so.
But...What did God choose us for? What did He predestine us to be and do?
Holy — Carries with it the idea of consecration, different and separation. God has chosen us to be holy, set apart unto Himself, for His purposes.
Blameless — We are to stand out in this evil, sinful age as the people of God, without blemish, stainless. We should be seen as a repentant people who hate sin and love God…and if we do sin, we are quick to repent and not continue in sin.
God’s heart is that we would be a peculiar people. That the world would see the glory of God in us.
Adopted — (Placing as sons) We were predestined to be adopted. The idea of adoption is significant here…We are born again into the family of God as His child. He adopted us in Himself…God is the one that brought us into relationship with Himself…He did the work…the phrase translated here is the equivalent of a possessive pronoun…We belong to God.
The legal process of adoption was apparently unknown in the Hebrew society, but common in Graeco-Roman law. “A well-to-do but childless adult who wanted an heir would adopt a male, usually at an age other than in infancy and frequently a slave, to be his son.” Boles, K. L. (1993). Galatians & Ephesians (Eph 1:5). Joplin, MO: College Press.
God took us from the slavery of sin and death, adopted us, making us Sons and Daughters of the Kingdom. Making us a joint heir with Jesus. Romans 8:17
We have the rights and privileges of Sons and Daughters of the King…of God. The full realization of what this means will not be known until the future in heaven Romans 8:23 when we will receive new bodies and enjoy eternity free of the corrupted created order.
Why Did God Choose Us?
“According to the pleasure of His will.” The reason God chose us is not found in us. It is not because we are pretty, nice, kind, better than our neighbor or anything else. God found it in His own goodness to save us. He resolved to save us from within His perfect character and did so…it was a product of His loving, gracious, good character.
“God’s election is an act of His own pure goodness, of His own benevolent sovereignty.”
“To the Praise of His Glory” — We are chosen in order to live our life to the praise of His grace. God’s grace has been gloriously manifested in us and is now to be eternally praised by us and every created thing which witnesses its affect in us.
Conclusions
Conclusions
We should not live a limited existence of the physical world. We live in the physical from the the place of the infinite blessings and resources of the spiritual. A life such as this begins with the right understanding of who we are in Christ.
In the heavenly realm is...
Where our blessings are (1:3)...Where Christ sits at God’s right hand (1:20)...Where we now sit with Christ (2:6)...Where rulers and authorities observe God’s wisdom (3:10)...Where spiritual forces of evil oppose us (6:12) Boles, K. L. (1993). Galatians & Ephesians (Eph 1:3). Joplin, MO: College Press.
A lot is happening in the heavenlies and the existence of that world is as much a part of our experience as the physical one…if we have faith to see the reality of it
The first step in living a life in the Spirit, from the heavenly realm is to have faith for our position and privilege as Children of God...
We must believe that we are chosen, predestined and adopted as children of God because He is perfect in love and grace to do so.
We must believe that we have been chosen and predestined to be holy, blameless and adopted so we might live a life bringing glory to the grace of God which saved us.
We are saved to be a child of God in order to participate in His glory and glorify Him.
Who are we? We are children of God, chosen, predestined to be holy and blameless in order to be a testimony or witness of God’s grace.