Category: Ephesians

Why Your Good Works Won't Save You

11/28/2016

Read Ephesians 2:1-10

As we continue with our study of Ephesians we come across a passage most Christians know by heart. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). But first, a little background on the Ephesians, and why Paul was spending so much time instilling in them the knowledge that they are loved by God and saved.

Ephesus was the centre of idol worship and the occult in the ancient world. Much of its commerce stemmed from the worship of Artemis, also known as Diana. Yet Artemis was not the only idol worshipped in Ephesus. There were over fifty other idols as well. This was why Ephesus was so wealthy. It was the centre of travel and commerce in the Roman world. In fact, at one point, those merchants who profited off the sale of idols were enraged at Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s travelling companions from Macedonia. A mob formed and dragged them into the theatre to exact vengeance because too many people were believing in Jesus and their businesses were suffering because of it (Acts 19:23-41).

There were two kinds of people residing in Ephesus, pagans and Christians. There were Jews living there too, but they were almost completely Hellenized, embracing the gods of the city. So those who became Christians came out of this pagan lifestyle. They had worshipped idols and they would have dabbled in the occult. They would have been sexually immoral and drunkards. Yet these men and women repented of their sins and served the Lord with a holy zeal. However, they based a lot of their beliefs on good works, believing that they had to make amends or try to "work" their way into heaven to make up for their former decadent lifestyles. They struggled to grasp the idea that they were saved because of their faith in Christ alone. This is why Paul spends so much time reminding them of who they now are in Christ.

Sometimes, new believers also need reminders of who they are in Christ and how much God loves them. So today, I want to show you through Paul's letter, what has happened to you now that you are saved.

What You Were Before Jesus

You were dead in trespasses and sins - In other words you were without life, unaware that your sins separated you forever from fellowship with God.
You walked according to the course of this world - You followed the crowd, the ways of this world. In today's age you would be considered as one who is politically correct. Approving what is sinful in the eyes of God in order to make those around you think better of you.
You walked according to the prince of the power of the air - who is this "prince" Paul speaks of? In Hebrew, the word for "prince" is sar and it has many meanings, “prince, ruler, chief, captain, leader,” and quite a few other forms of leadership. It can be in reference to an earthly leader or an unearthly one, as we see in Daniel 10:13, where the archangel Michael is referred to as the “chief of princes.” But the word sar is also used in reference to the prince of darkness, or Satan. By referring to the "prince of the power of the air" Paul was using the Ephesians knowledge of the occult to drive home a point about who they were really listening to, because the term "air" was used in the ancient world to refer to spiritual realms where demons operated in the lives of people who refused God’s authority. Of course, Jesus disarmed Satan and his demonic army, stripping them of their power, when he rose from the dead. But Satan still has limited power, over "the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2), also known as fallen angels or demons, whom he uses to spread his lies. He also has limited power in the unseen world, over unbelievers and over the world system in general. As evidenced in Job 1:6-12, when Satan comes before the Lord to give an account of what he has been doing. In Job we learn he has to seek God's permission first, before he can do anything at all. But, we must never forget that he is a fallen angel, someone whom God has allowed a limited amount of freedom on earth and so we see evidence of Satan’s influence all around us: hate, war, murder, injustice, exploitation, abuse of power, racism and moral disintegration.
You once conducted yourself according to the lusts of your flesh - Before Christ we all acted upon our lusts, fulfilling as Paul states, "the desires of the flesh and mind."
You were a child of wrath - In other words you were not living for God and in danger of receiving eternal punishment (separation) from Him.

Who You Are Now in Jesus

You are alive in Christ - You are no longer dead, because God loved you so much that He extended His rich mercy towards you WHILE you were still living in sin (dead in your trespasses).
You have been saved by grace - Don't you see? You did absolutely nothing to merit your salvation! God DID IT ALL before you even acknowledged Him. Before you repented of your sins, He extended mercy and grace to you and saved you from the darkness of eternal separation (or death) from Him.
He raised you up - The Lord reached down to you, saw your sin, extended His hand and lovingly said, "Come to Me!" And once you reached out and grasped His hand and said, "Here I am!" He brought you up to sit with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. In other words, for now, God sees you as spiritually exalted with Jesus Christ. But one day, that position will become a physical reality as well. Why? So "that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:7).
You have been saved through faith - and even that was a gift from God! "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
You are God's workmanship - One of the most precious parts of Ephesians 2:10 is not found in the NIV. This is how the NIV reads, "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." This is how it reads in the NKJV, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." In other words, now that we are in Christ we should make the most of our opportunities to do good to others in His name. We are not saved by our good works, we do good works because we are saved.

So this is why we have no reason to boast about good works. Clearly, we have done nothing to merit our salvation and any good works we do, come about because we love the Lord. And one of the best "works" each Christian has had prepared beforehand by God to do, is to tell others about Him. So you can see that trying to "work" your way into heaven is pointless. You can do absolutely nothing by yourself that would make you redeemable in God's eyes. Only Jesus' sacrifice for you can do that. And that was a gift of grace.

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The Real Meaning of Spiritual Wisdom

11/21/2016

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Read Ephesians 1:15-23

I don't know about you, but I have had many times in my life when I have asked God for wisdom. To be able to know the "right" decision to make in a situation, or how to approach someone with the right words that won't leave them angry or offended. But have you ever noticed what Paul prayed for in regards to the people of Ephesus? After assuring them of the many blessings they had in Christ, he followed that up with how he prayed for them and it is an example we can all take to heart.

So what did Paul ask God for in regards to the Ephesians?

For the spirit of wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17). But notice that Paul didn't ask they be given wisdom in dealing with all things, like financial wisdom or parenting tips, for example. Instead, he asked that God give them wisdom and revelation about God in particular.

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (Ephesians 1:17)

The word for "knowledge" in Greek is epignōsis and means "precise and correct knowledge", so Paul is asking the Lord to help the Ephesians know Him better. Notice also that he asks for revelation. The Greek word for "revelation" is apokalypsis and means "an unveiling, or uncovering, making naked or laying bare the truth". So by asking for the spirit of wisdom and revelation, Paul shows us the importance of knowing God intimately. And how do we know God? By abiding in His Word. From it we come to know God's character and His will for us.

For enlightenment. After asking for spiritual wisdom and revelation, Paul asks God that the Ephesian's minds would understand and be open to what they were learning. He asks that, "the eyes of your understanding being enlightened". He uses a metaphor to describe how spiritual wisdom and revelation work together to that moment when we realize a deep truth. We've all had these. Those moments when we have read a section of Scripture a hundred times and then we have an "aha" moment. Our eyes are opened, as it were, and we see a deep truth we've never seen before. Paul asks for this gift of understanding so that we may know three things:

The hope of God's calling (Ephesians 1:18).
The riches of the glory of the inheritance within us (Ephesians 1:18).
The exceeding greatness of His power to those who believe in Him (Ephesians 1:19).

Paul then affirms that God's powerful spirit of wisdom and revelation will work in us because it is the same power that "worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come" (Ephesians 1:19-21). It is the same power that put "all things under Christ's feet and which gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:22-23).

And so it comes full circle. Paul asks that God grant the Ephesians spiritual wisdom and revelation, along with understanding, for one reason, because the church complete who Jesus is, in that we are His body and His Holy Spirit fills us. Thus, as His representatives here on earth, by asking God for spiritual wisdom and understanding, we will be spiritually equipped to spread the Gospel, fulfilling His work in us as He fills us up.

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The Eight Blessings We Have in Christ Jesus

11/14/2016

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Read Ephesians 1:7-14

Last week I began a new study in Ephesians and we started with the Four Spiritual Blessings God Gives Us. This week I would like to look at four more blessings we receive from God because of Jesus. But, as a reminder, here are the four spiritual blessings we talked about last week from Ephesians 1:3-6:

We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing.
We were chosen before the foundation of the world.
We were adopted by Jesus as sons (and daughters).
We are accepted because Jesus made us beloved.

Now let's take a look at four more blessings God will pour out on those who believe in Him.

We have redemption through Jesus' blood.
We have the forgiveness of sins.
We have an inheritance.
We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit.

What a mighty God we serve! He has blessed us with so much, so let's look more closely at the four blessings above.

We have redemption through Jesus' blood (Ephesians 1:7). What does that mean in layman's terms? It means we have been redeemed back to God because of Jesus' blood. We have been bought, as it were, at a great price (Jesus' life), meaning we have been saved from the penalty of our sins, which is eternal separation from the Lord (death). Yes, our bodies will die, but we are spiritual beings who will still live on. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross redeems us from eternal separation from God. His blood cleanses us from all sin, enabling us to enter into God's presence. In the book of Ruth we learn about the concept of a Kinsmen Redeemer. I encourage you to read the entire book of Ruth (it's only 4 chapters) as it is a lovely tale of devotion, love and redemption. In it, we not only find out what it means to be a Kinsmen-Redeemer, but we also learn that it was through Ruth and Boaz's line that the final Redeemer would come.

We have forgiveness for our sins. Why? Because of God's grace. Ephesians 1:7-10 explains in no uncertain terms that God's love is so great for us that He forgave us before we even acknowledged what He had done. For those of you who have stumbled upon this, listen carefully - God has forgiven you of ALL your sins. That is why Jesus died for you. IT IS FINISHED. You are forgiven. Now believe it, accept it, turn from your sins and live a life that is honouring to God.

God's ultimate plan is this: to gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. He wants unity for the world and its people and that unity comes to all who accept His Son as their Kinsmen-Redeemer.

We have an inheritance. Many people have mistakenly believed that the word "predestination" which is used in Ephesians 1:11 means that God knows ahead of time who will believe in Him and it is those people He has selected to be saved. While God does know who will accept Him and who will not, this verse does not mean that He has chosen certain individuals to be saved, ignoring the rest. It means that God's plan is for the ENTIRE world and it was for everyone to be saved. (John 3:16-17) and He chose us ALL in Him before the foundation of the world (John 17:24, Ephesians 1:4). We have all been predestined to be the "praise" of God's glory, but not everyone is willing to accept this wonderful inheritance God so freely gives. In other words, everyone is given the gift, but you have to accept it.

We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. When we accept our inheritance and believe in Jesus Christ our Kinsmen-Redeemer, we are sealed with God's promise to us - His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance! Not only does God redeem us before we acknowledge Him as Lord, but He forgives us then places His seal upon us (His Holy Spirit), marking us as His own! And it is through His Holy Spirit that we learn to become Christlike. It is through God's Holy Spirit that we find strength, faith and grace to continue in these perilous times. As we abide in Him, He abides in us, until finally, when Jesus comes or He calls us home, we will be perfect and complete in Him (Philippians 1:6).

Now meditate on this one precious fact - everything God has done since the beginning of time has been to draw us to Himself. His gifts are immeasurable. His love unfathomable! Praise be to God!

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Four Spiritual Blessings God Gives Us

11/7/2016

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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy
and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us
to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to
the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His
grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:3-6, NKJV

Have you ever noticed how much about us is packed into the opening verses of Ephesians? Just look at what we are and have in Christ:

We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing.
We were chosen before the foundation of the world.
We were adopted by Jesus as sons (and daughters).
We are accepted because Jesus made us beloved.

Can you even begin to fathom such a great love or such great mercy? We don’t deserve it but it is offered to all freely. So let’s break these verses down. Paul exalts in praising God at the beginning of Ephesians because God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. First, how are we “in” Christ Jesus? When we accept Christ’s atoning sacrifice for us, we are blessed to receive His precious Holy Spirit who lives within us. 1 John 4:13 says, “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.” How do we abide in Him? We abide in God by reading His Word and applying it to our lives. How do we know this is how we abide in Him? Because Jesus is the Word (John 1:1-14)!

How are we blessed in heavenly places? What does that mean? We know that our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20) and also our hope (Colossians 1:5) and inheritance (1 Peter 1:4). We are to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20, 21) and our affections (Colossians 3:1, 2) are to be “in heaven.” So what does this mean for us on a practical level? If our citizenship is in heaven, and our hope and inheritance are there as well, we could say that the Christian’s spiritual blessings are retained for us in heaven (reserved there since the foundation of the world) and they are progressively dispersed to us in the form of spiritual gifts in accord with our need and Christian growth as we abide in Christ. Those blessings are waiting in heaven for everyone, on hold until we make that decision to follow Jesus and when we do, live our lives by abiding in Him. Everyone has these blessings waiting to be bestowed on them.

What does it mean to be "chosen" before the foundation of the world? Many have mistakenly believed that God chose certain people before the world began to be saved. Signifying that they were indeed "chosen". Unfortunately, this belief contradicts John 3:16 which says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." Jesus didn't die for a select few. He died for the whole world. Which means He was thinking about everyone, everywhere, before the foundation of the world, to be united with Him and saved. Why? So that we would be holy and without blame before Him. Jesus paved the way for everyone to be saved. We were all "predestined" to receive His grace. But there would be one stumbling block - you simply had to repent of your sins and believe in Him (John 3:18; Luke 5:31-32).

What happens when we repent and believe? We are adopted by Jesus as His sons and daughters and we are accepted into His presence and loved. Why? Because of the good pleasure of His will and for the praise of the glory of His grace. So, in simple terms, we receive all these wonderful blessings because it makes God happy. Imagine that! And all you have do to is repent of your sins and believe.

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Forward>>

Digging Deeper

Why Your Good Works Won't Save You

Read Ephesians 2:1-10

What You Were Before Jesus

Who You Are Now in Jesus

The Real Meaning of Spiritual Wisdom

Read Ephesians 1:15-23

The Eight Blessings We Have in Christ Jesus

Read Ephesians 1:7-14

Four Spiritual Blessings God Gives Us

Archives

Categories

Digging Deeper

Why Your Good Works Won't Save You

Read Ephesians 2:1-10

What You Were Before Jesus ​

Who You Are Now in Jesus ​

The Real Meaning of Spiritual Wisdom

Read Ephesians 1:15-23

The Eight Blessings We Have in Christ Jesus

Read Ephesians 1:7-14

Four Spiritual Blessings God Gives Us

Archives

Categories

What You Were Before Jesus

Who You Are Now in Jesus