Ephesians 1 Part 7 (5-1-05)

Ephesians 1:12-13
(Bible Study Time 5-1-05)

In Ephesians, Chapter 1, we have seen that we have an inheritance in Jesus Christ which was predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will. This means that we have this inheritance because God determined that we should have it. Our inheritance does not relate so much to what we are going to get, but it relates to what we are going to be. We are going to be to the praise of God’s glory in every aspect of our being. As the Sons of God, we will be immortal with perfect bodies, perfect minds and perfect hearts.

Even today we are the sons of God for we have been made new creations in Christ, but we still have to deal with our fleshly bodies. So many times the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. In Romans 7, Paul said:

Rom 7:22-25 (NKJ)
22 . . . I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
25 I thank God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

Praise the Lord, he goes on to say that the Spirit of God within us is stronger than the lusts of the flesh for:

Rom 8:1,5,14 (NKJ)
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are (the) sons of God.

Therefore, we do have the power to overcome the flesh through the Holy Spirit of God, but we still have the flesh to contend with. When we receive our inheritance, which God predestined for us, we will have to deal with the flesh no longer. We will have been made perfect in body, mind, and soul.

Even now God is moving us in that direction for he has given us ministers

Eph 4:12-13 (NKJ)
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

When will that be? When will we actually reach the stature of the fullness of Christ? When we receive our inheritance. When we are completely and totally to the praise of God’s glory.

Paul says that this inheritance belongs to those of us who first trusted in Christ. Now it is kind of interesting that up to this point in Ephesians 1, Paul had used the pronoun "we" to describe those who are the beneficiaries of these heavenly blessings. In verse 12, he says, "We who first trusted in Christ have obtained this inheritance." But in the very next verse Paul says, "In Him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth."

Was Paul implying that the Ephesian believers were not among those who first trusted in Christ? Were the believers of Ephesus not among those who had obtained this inheritance? That would be inconsistent with the intent of Paul’s letter. Paul was not writing to tell these people about the blessings that someone else had. He was writing to encourage them in the blessings God had bestowed upon them.

So why did Paul switch pronouns? It may be that one reason for the switch is that Paul wanted to emphasize that they too were partakers in all of these blessings because they too were among those who first trusted in Christ. Keep this in mind as we read it again.

Eph 1:11-13 (NKJ)
11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, . . .
12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

He says that they should not let anyone tell them that they were not recipients of these blessings that God has given." Some of the Judaizers would have required these believers to follow all of the traditions of the Law of Moses, but in effect Paul said, "No. God accepts you just like you are, simply because you trusted in Christ when you heard the gospel of salvation."

He was saying, "You too have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. You also have been predestined as Sons of God. You also have this inheritance that you should be to the praise of His glory." Then Paul goes on to say that when they trusted in Christ, they were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise:

Eph 1:14 (NKV)
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Therefore, Paul used the pronoun "we" all the way through the first 12 verses saying that we have all of these blessings in Christ, and then in verse 14 he reminds his readers that they also are partakers in these blessings.

As Paul writes this book of Ephesians, the Jewish hope of the kingdom had already been set aside. The Jewish believers no longer had a special calling within the overall body of believers as they did during the Acts period. We know that in Romans 1:16 Paul said that the gospel went to the Jew first and also to the Greek. He said this because the Jews at that time had a special place in God’s dealings with man. In Romans 9, Paul said:

Rom 9:3-4 (NKJ)
3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,
4 who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises;

Again, we see Israel’s special place among the believers? In Romans 10, Paul said:

Rom 10:19-20 (NKJ)
19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: "I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will move you to anger by a foolish nation."
20 But Isaiah is very bold and says: "I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me."

God’s plan even in the Acts period centered around Israel and her hope of the promised kingdom. One of the reasons that God was saving the Gentiles was to provoke her to jealousy. But here in Ephesians, Israel’s hope had been set aside. Paul says in effect, "We have this inheritance in Christ that we should be to the praise of God’s glory, and this includes all of you who also trusted in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation."

It is altogether possible that when Paul made reference to those who first trusted in Christ, he was referring to those of us who have trusted Christ now, in our present age, as opposed to those who will trust Christ in the ages to come. Our present age will end before the tribulation period begins, and the tribulation period will end before the kingdom begins. Paul clearly makes this distinction in Colossians, Chapter 1, where he says:

Col 1:18-21 (NKJ)
18 (Christ) is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, . . . whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled

God is going to reconcile all things, but we have been reconciled now. The others will be reconciled later. Each group in its own order. This is parallel to what we see in Ephesians where Paul says that in the dispensation of the fulness of times, God will reconcile all things in Christ in heaven and in earth, but we who first trusted in Christ have this inheritance, that we should be to the praise of His glory.

In I Corinthians 15, Paul spoke of the resurrection and said:

1 Cor 15:22-24 (NKJ)
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming.
24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.

Here Paul says that Christ came back from the dead first, and those who belong to Christ will be resurrected at His coming. Then there will be a resurrection at the time of the Great White Throne Judgment when Christ delivers up the kingdom to God the Father.

But notice that in these verses Paul sees only two resurrections after the resurrection of Christ. These are the two resurrections that the Apostle John spoke of in Revelation 20 where John said that he saw those who were beheaded during the tribulation period and that they had been raised in the first resurrection. He goes on to say that the second resurrection will be at the end of the thousand year reign of Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment.

Well, praise the Lord, in Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians, Paul tells us that the Church which is the Body of Christ has a separate calling, a separate inheritance, a separate hope. Those of us who first trusted in Christ, or we could say, those of us who are reconciled to God now, we have this inheritance that we should be to the praise of God’s glory and that the Holy spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.

The purchased possession is the Church which is the Body of Christ, and it will be redeemed when it is caught up to be with Christ in the glory of heaven. We will be given a glorious, immortal body like that of the Lord Jesus. That is our inheritance and the Holy Spirit is our guarantee that this inheritance is certain.

In I Corinthians, Paul did not see the special calling of the Church which is the Body of Christ. He did not see our special inheritance. He did not see our special rapture or our special resurrection. He saw a resurrection at the coming of Christ and at the Great While Throne Judgment.

The word used for the of the coming of Christ is parousia, and the parousia will occur when Christ returns to the earth to destroy the antichrist and set up His kingdom. But in Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians, Paul tells us that the Church which is the Body of Christ will be caught up, not at the coming of Christ, but at the appearing of Christ.

The word for Christ’s appearing is epiphaneia, and it is associated with the rapture and resurrection which will take place before the tribulation period. Col 3:4 says:

Col 3:4 (NKJ)
4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

This is the rapture of the Church, the Body of Christ, and we have good evidence that it will take place before the tribulation period because when Paul described the perilous last days of our present age in II Timothy 3, he said that things will get worse and worse, but he never said anything about the antichrist, the abomination of desolation, or any of the things that relate to the tribulation period. We who first trusted in Christ will be first to be caught up to be with Christ.

Well, when we look back at Ephesians 1, we see Paul changing pronouns in verse 13 and another reason that Paul may have done this is that he wanted to share with them the specific things that he was praying for them. Paul said in verse 18, "I am praying that:

Eph 1:18 (NKJ)
18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, (and) what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

He was praying that these believers in Ephesus would have enlightenment from the Holy Spirit so that they could understand the hope of God’s calling for them and the glory of God’s inheritance in them. It was not the same calling or the same inheritance that had been promised to Israel.

As members of the Church which is the Body of Christ, we have a glorious hope. Someday, we will be caught up to be with the Lord in the glory of heaven. We will be given a glorious body like that of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we will be to the praise of His glory. This is our inheritance, and the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance. May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation as we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our position and our blessings in Christ.

I see our time is gone for this morning. Thank you for listening and be sure to tune in again next week at this same time for Bible Study Time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:
http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Ephesians 1 Part 6 (4-24-05)

Ephesians 1:10-11
(Bible Study Time 4-24-05)

The Apostle Paul teaches in Ephesians, Chapter 1, that God takes great pleasure in those who believe in Jesus Christ. It was according to the good pleasure of His will that He predestined us to adoption as sons. It was according to His good pleasure that He revealed to us the mystery of His will, that in the dispensation of the fulness of times, He will gather together all things in one. Whether things in heaven or things in earth, all things will be gathered together in Jesus Christ.

God has already started this reconciliation process. In Colossians Paul wrote:

Col 1:19-21 (NKJ)
19 For it pleased the Father that in (Christ) all the fullness should dwell,
20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, . . . whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled

We who believe in Jesus Christ have the distinct privilege of being among the first of all creation to be reconciled to God, and as such, we have obtained an inheritance which was predestined according to the counsel of God’s own will. We have already seen that we were predestined to adoption as sons before the foundation of the world, and now we find that our inheritance was predestined as well. What is that inheritance? Verse 12 of Ephesians 1 says,

Eph 1:12 (NKJ)
12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

Back in verse 3, Paul said, "Blessed be God," and this literally means to speak well of God or praise and exalt Him. The heavens declare the glory of God, and His invisible attributes are clearly seen in the creation itself, but we have to turn to the word of God to find out about His marvelous grace.

John 1:14 (NKJ)
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

When Jesus Christ, the living Word, was taken up into heaven, God completed His written word. The Bible is God’s written declaration of Himself. In it, God declares not only His righteousness, but His love, His mercy and His grace. It was by His grace that God gave us an inheritance: that we should be to the praise of His glory.

The glory of God is magnificent and overwhelming. When Isaiah stood before the throne of God, he said:

Isa 6:1-3
1 . . . I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.
2 Above it stood seraphim; . . .
3 And one cried to another saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!"

King David saw the glorious works of the Lord and said,

Ps 34:1-4 (NKJ)
1 I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; the humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

When David gave the ark a permanent home in Jerusalem, he appointed a group of Levites to continually sing praise to God before the tabernacle. It was their job to praise the Lord in song. We today have this inheritance, that we should be to the praise of His glory.

When Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees, he knew not where he was going, but by faith, he went out to the place where he was to receive an inheritance from God. When Abraham got to Canaan, God said:

Gen 12:7
7 . . . "To your descendants I will give this land." And there (Abraham) built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

Later on, God spoke to Abraham again and said:

Gen 17:2,6 (NKJ)
2 "And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly."
6 "I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.

I can imagine that Abraham was starting to get pretty excited about this time. God had promised him all of this land as an inheritance, and now God was saying that nations and kings would come from him.

In Genesis 22, God told Abraham:

Gen 22:18 (NKJ)
18 "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."

The fact is that Abraham was very excited about this inheritance which God had promised to him, but Abraham did not take these promises to mean that he should go out and conquer the world. He did not even try to conquer the promised land. Abraham was smart enough to realize that he could not build the kind of kingdom God was talking about, the kind of kingdom in which all of the nations of the earth would be blessed. That kind of a kingdom could only come by the power of God.

As a matter of fact, God actually told Abraham that he would die and be buried at a good old age, and his descendants would serve the people of another land for 400 years before the promised kingdom would come. Did Abraham shrink back in unbelief? Not at all. Abraham knew that the promise of God was worth waiting for. Hebrews 11 says:

Heb 11:9-10
9 By faith (Abraham) dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;
10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

It was never revealed in the Old Testament scriptures, but Abraham had been told that God was going to send a city from heaven down to the earth, and Abraham was willing to wait patiently for that city realizing that what God had promised, He would provide. Hebrews goes on to say that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

Heb 11:13-16 (NKJ)
13 . . . all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.
15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.
16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

Abraham was not called to build a city. He was called to wait for a city, that city from heaven.

When the Lord Jesus began His earthly ministry, He went preaching, as did John the Baptist, that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. Their call to the people was to repent. That heavenly kingdom for which Abraham had patiently waited was near at hand, but the hearts of the people were not ready to receive it. The Messiah had come. The kingdom was at hand. But the nation of Israel rejected the blessings of God.

As a result, God told the Apostle Paul that it was time to reveal the mystery of God’s will. The fact that Israel rejected the Messiah did not take God by surprise at all. He knew all along that the Jews of Jesus’ day would reject Christ, and He knew that the promises which were made to Abraham could wait for a time when the nation of Israel would be ready to receive her inheritance.

Accordingly, God set Israel’s inheritance aside and began calling out the Church which is the Body of Christ. This Church is specifically revealed in Ephesians, Chapter 1, where Paul says:

Eph 1:22-23
22 God has put all things under Christ’s feet, and has given Him to be head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

As we look at this Church in Ephesians 1, we see that we, as members of this church, are not waiting for the heavenly city to come down from heaven to the earth. We are not waiting for the kingdom of heaven to come to earth. That inheritance which was given to Abraham has been set aside, and the hope and calling of the Church which is the Body of Christ has come to the forefront.

Paul says that the inheritance of this Church is simply this, that we should be to the praise of God’s glory. How beautiful! How marvelous! Our inheritance is that we are what God has made us, and we will be what God is making us. Our inheritance in Christ does not relate to any earthly possession, but it is all about what we are and what we are becoming in Jesus Christ.

I would like to ask you today how you define your self. How do you define who you are? Is your concept of who you are wrapped up in your family? Are all of your hopes and dreams wrapped up in your family? As much as we honor and revere the family, our family is not to define who were are.

Is your definition of self determined by your job? Would people look at you and say, "He lives for his job" or "She lives for her job?"

Is your definition of self determined by your possessions? When people think of you do they think of the car your drive or the house you live in?

If you define yourself in these ways, please consider that these things are temporary. These things will pass away. Those of you who know the scriptures know that Job was one who found out just how temporary these things are.

God knows that who we are and what we are is so much more important than the earthly things to which we so often cling. If we get a clear mental picture of our inheritance in Jesus Christ, that our inheritance in Christ is that we should be to the praise of His glory, our rejoicing will be continuously in Him, and our rejoicing will never fade throughout all of eternity.

Eph 2:4-7 (NKJ)
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
6 . . . raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Our citizenship is in heaven. We are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. Our inheritance in Christ is that we should be; that our very being should be to the praise of God’s glory now and forever more. It is what we are, not what we have or expect to have that is important.

What’s so special about what we are? Well, there is nothing special about our old nature. But in Christ, we are holy, we are without blame, we are accepted in the Beloved One, we are predestined to adoption as sons of God. What a rich blessing it is to meditate upon and rejoice in all that God has made us in Christ. We have an eternal inheritance in Jesus Christ, and it’s all about who we are in Jesus Christ.

Next week we are going to examine the significance of the fact that this inheritance belongs to those of us who first trusted in Christ. We will see that we first heard the word of truth, then we believed, and then we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

I see out time is gone for this morning. Thank you for listening and be sure to tune in again next week at this same time for Bible Study Time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:
http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Ephesians 1 Part 5 (4-17-05)

Ephesians 1 Part 5
(Bible Study Time 4-17-05)

Ephesians, Chapter 1, is a chapter which enumerates one blessing after another, and these are blessings which the faithful in Christ Jesus were all predestined to enjoy in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have already seen that we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blame in the sight of God. We were predestined to become sons of God because of the complete and total redemption that is ours through the blood of Jesus Christ.

All of this has been provided for us according to the riches of God’s grace, which Paul says has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence. God’s plan for man’s redemption was not a plan which God just put together on the spur of the moment.

God put this plan of redemption together before the foundation of the world with much forethought and after diligently considering all of the various ramifications of the plan. God would not simply forgive sin without the penalty for sin being paid. This would lower His own standard of righteousness. Romans 3 says that we are:

Rom 3:24-26 (NKJ)
24 . . . justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, (Why?) to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

God would not simply forgive sin and neither would He just stand by and watch as all human beings suffer the devastating consequences of sin. To do that would be inconsistent with the character of His great love. God’s plan took this into account, as we read in Ephesians 2:

Eph 2:4-5 (NKJ)
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

If God had allowed all humans to be destroyed in hell because of sin, Satan and his fallen angels would have gained a great victory. God would never allow that to happen. According to Ephesians 3, God’s plan for redemption was meticulously analyzed and formulated with:

Eph 3:10 (NKJ)
10 . . . the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,

This plan had to be thorough and exact in order to accomplish all of the various purposes which God had in mind, but at the same time it had to be simple for man to understand it. Man’s intellectual and emotional capabilities are so limited that God had to keep it simple. By nature, man is limited by the futility of his mind, the darkness of his understanding, and the ignorance that is in him. Furthermore, man is in no condition to respond to God emotionally because his lewd and greedy behavior has rendered him past feeling. John 3:16 says:

John 3:16 (KJV)
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

What could be more simple? God, in His wisdom and prudence, made the plan of salvation so simple that even a small child could receive it, and yet at the same time, it met every single requirement of God’s overall plan and purpose.

Some people see the simplicity of God’s plan of salvation, and they reject it because it seems too simple. They say, "How could simple faith counterbalance all of my sin or all of the sin of others? How could the Son of God be born of a virgin? Why would God require the shedding of blood?" Paul addressed this very issue in I Corinthians, Chapter 1, where it says:

1 Cor 1:18-21 (NKJ)
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."
20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

Another reason that people reject the gospel is that Satan has put a veil over their eyes. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:

2 Cor 4:3-4 (NKJ)
3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

In the previous chapter, Paul had been comparing the glory of the Old Covenant to the greater glory of the New Covenant. He said that the Old Covenant was so glorious that Moses had to put a veil over his face because his face was shining so brightly. This symbolized that the Old Covenant Jews were separated from the glory of the Old Covenant by their sin. Paul went on the say that the veil is taken away in the New Covenant by the shed blood of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit living within the believer.

Then he said that if the gospel is hidden or veiled today, it is hidden only to those who are perishing, because Satan, as the god of this world, has blinded their eyes. Oh how much Satan hates God’s plan of salvation. God has devised a wonderfully simple plan to remedy a very complex problem, and Satan works effectively in those who are perishing to obscure the simple truth of the gospel.

But in Ephesians 1, Paul says that God’s plan for the redemption of mankind was a plan that revealed the riches of God’s grace and that the revelation of this plan only now shows God’s wisdom and prudence. Verse 9 says:

Eph 1:9 (NKJ)
9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,

We are the ones who have been predestined to be the "Sons of God," and it gives God pleasure to reveal the details of His plan to us. God has chosen to fully reveal His will to His Sons, and it gives Him great pleasure to be able to do so in an open forum such as the Bible. In the past God could not openly reveal the details of His will. Paul says in 1 Corinthians, Chapter 2:

1 Cor 2:7-8 (NKJ)
7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,
8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Obviously, for God to accomplish His plan, God could not fully reveal the details of His plan in an open forum such as the Old Testament scriptures. Accordingly, the rulers of this world did not know about God’s plan concerning the cross because this mystery was hidden in the scriptures.

David spoke of one whose hands and feet were pierced and for whose clothing they cast lots. He also spoke of the Holy One whose body would never see corruption. Isaiah spoke of one who would be wounded for our transgressions. Daniel spoke of the time when the Messiah would be cut off.

Even so, the Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day had no explanation for these verses, and they had no idea that the death of the Lord Jesus was part of the perfect plan of God to provide redemption for mankind. If they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Mysteries such as this were hidden in the Old Testament scriptures, and one could only understand them by direct revelation from the Holy Spirit. Paul continues in I Corinthians 2:

1 Cor 2:9-10 (NKJ)
9 . . . "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

1 Cor 2:12 (NKJ)
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

1 Cor 2:14 (NKJ)
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

However, in Ephesians 1, Paul says that according to God’s wisdom and prudence, He has chosen to make known to His sons the mystery of His will. Now this is not a mystery which is hidden in the Old Testament scriptures such as the death of the Messiah. This is a mystery which was never even hinted at in the Old Testament scriptures. Let’s read verse 10:

Eph 1:10 (NKJ)
10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth - in Him.

The mystery revealed in Ephesians is a mystery concerning the dispensation of the fullness of the times. In Galatians 4, Paul said that God sent forth His Son when the fulness of the time was come, and that meant that God sent His Son at just the right time. But here in Ephesians, we are dealing with the dispensation of the fullness of the times.

A dispensation is literally an economy or an administration. It is a program which has been set forth. According to Jamison, Fawcett and Brown, the fullness of the times is an expression which literally means, "the moment which fills up or completes the appointed seasons." Therefore, the mystery here in Ephesians 1 is the mystery concerning the program which brings to completion the many different programs in God’s plan and purpose. It is a dispensation which brings to completion all of the appointed seasons of God, so to speak.

God has had many different programs since the time of the creation. We can see the dispensation of innocence in the Garden, before sin. There was the dispensation of human government which was given after the flood. The dispensation of promise began with God’s promise to Abraham, and the dispensation of Old Covenant Law was given through Moses at Mt. Sinai. The Lord Jesus shed His blood to bring in the dispensation of the New Covenant which was to be the foundation of the dispensation of the kingdom.

However, when the nation of Israel rejected Jesus Christ as her Messiah, God revealed to us this great mystery concerning the dispensation which is the culmination of all dispensations. It is the dispensation of the fulness of times in which all things in heaven and earth are brought together in Christ.

Today, we are in the very beginning stages of this dispensation. Paul put it this way in Colossians, Chapter 1:

Col 1:18-22 (NKJ)
18 (Jesus Christ) is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. (Notice that Christ already has the preeminence over all things.)
19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. (God is already in the process of gathering all things together in Christ through the blood of His cross.)
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight–

We who believe today are just the beginning of the process which will ultimately bring all things together in Christ, whether in heaven or on earth, and God has chosen according to His good pleasure to openly reveal to His Sons this mystery of His will.

Well, I see our time is gone this morning. Thank you again for listening, and be sure to tune in again next week at this same time for Bible Study Time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:
http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Ephesians 1 Part 4 (4-10-05)

Ephesians 1 Part 4

(Bible Study Time 4-10-05)

Last week we looked at Ephesians, Chapter 1 and verse 5 where the Apostle Paul said that believers today were predestined to be sons of God. We saw that Hosea first gave the prophesy that the nation of Israel would someday be called "Sons of God." He said that in spite of the fact that Israel was facing destruction by the Assyrians. The prophecy of Hosea relates to the future kingdom in which the unbelieving nations of the world will call Israel the "Sons of God."

In the book of Galatians, the Apostle Paul spoke to the Jews and said:

Galatians 3:24-25 (NKJ)

24 . . . the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

Then he spoke to Jews and Gentiles alike and said:

Galatians 3:26-29 (NKJ)

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Obviously, Paul was writing to a group of believers who were anticipating the earthly kingdom which was promised to Abraham and his descendants. But in Ephesians, Chapter 1, Paul says that the members of the Church which is the Body of Christ were also predestined to adoption as sons of God. However, he never said that we are Abraham's seed or that we share in the promise that was given to Abraham.

In Ephesians 1, Paul says that this calling of the Body of Christ to be sons of God is according to the good pleasure of God's will. The word for good pleasure is the same word that is used in Luke, Chapter 2, where the angel announced the Savior's birth and the hosts of heaven shouted, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

The word for goodwill is the same as that for good pleasure, and this indicates that the will of God is truly favorable toward man. The goodwill that God has in his heart toward man was expressed in the person of Jesus Christ. In like manner, God predestined us to be adopted as sons because of His favorable purpose and will for mankind. He wants only the best for man. God is not sitting in heaven waiting for man to fail so that He can pour out His judgment. No. God wants all men to be saved and to come into the knowledge of the truth, but sin has separated man from God's good pleasure.

When Adam sinned in the garden, he ran to hide because he could no longer sense the good pleasure of God. Sin had broken the beautiful fellowship they had enjoyed, and sadly enough, today, there are people who think that God does not love them, that God is angry with them and that there is no hope for them to be reconciled to God.

Jesus Christ came to earth bringing God's peace and God's goodwill toward men, and it is through simple faith in Christ that people can begin to experience a sweet and beautiful fellowship with God that confirms His genuine love. Those who get to know Jesus Christ, get to know the good pleasure of God and that it was according to His good pleasure that He predestined us to adoption as sons.

In the Garden of Eden, God promised that the Savior would come through the seed of the woman. Therefore, even then, God was revealing the good pleasure of His will. God said that the serpent would bruise the heel of the seed of the woman, but the seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent. Satan bruised the heel of Jesus Christ, so to speak, when the Jews crucified Christ upon the cross. But Jesus Christ bruised the head of Satan when Christ rose from the dead, triumphing over the principalities and powers of darkness.

This whole plan is a glorious plan which brings glory to God. When the angels in heaven see sinful, fallen men accepting Jesus Christ by faith and becoming the sons of God, the hosts of heaven sing anew, "Glory to God in the highest."

When Jesus Christ left the glory of heaven to be born in a stable and into a relatively poor family, he did not come just to provide a partial salvation for those of us who believe. No, He came to provide total salvation for everyone who believes. When we are saved, we become new creations in Christ. God gives us a new heart. But we can praise the Lord that there is more to our salvation than that.

Someday God is going to redeem our bodies. We will be caught up to be with the Lord, and we will receive a glorious body which will never die. Which will never see disease. Which will never feel pain or shed a tear. There will be no more sorrow. It seems apparent when we look at the context of Hosea, that this term, "Sons of God", refers particularly to believers of the future who have already experienced total redemption, meaning the redemption of the body as well as that of the soul and spirit.

The total redemption that Jesus Christ provided for us is not just limited to human beings either. The total salvation that Jesus Christ provided will flow from the hearts of men and out into the created universe. In fact, Paul said:

Rom 8:19-23 (NKJ)

19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.

20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope;

21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.

22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.

23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

Ephesians 1 says that this total redemption comes through the blood of Christ according to the riches of God's grace. The word for riches is ploutos in the Greek, and it is repeatedly used by the Apostle Paul to describe the character and blessings of God. Here he speaks of the riches of God's grace. Later in Ephesians 1, Paul will speak of the riches of the glory of God's inheritance in the saints. In Romans 2, Paul spoke of the riches of God's goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering. In Romans 9, Paul referred to the riches of God's glory. In Romans 11, again he referred to the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.

Paul spoke of the riches that are found in Christ 4 times in Romans, 5 times in Ephesians, once in Philippians, and twice in Colossians. This Apostle was obviously impressed with the spiritual riches that are to be found in Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus said that the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches will often choke out the effect of the word of God in a person's life, but this was not the case with the Apostle Paul, for he had a crystal clear vision of the riches that are ours in Christ.

For those who are interested in hidden treasures, Paul says in Colossians 2 that all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. It is sad that people will spend their lives seeking to find the hidden treasures of this world, when all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in the One who says:

Rev 3:20 (NKJ)

20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

If you do not know Christ today and your life is meaningless and empty. If you want to experience the riches of God's grace and delve into the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are found in Christ. Simply open the door. Christ is standing at the door, knocking. Open the door by praying a prayer of faith. Say, "God, I want to experience all of the riches and all of the treasures of Christ in my life."

If you open the door, Christ will come into your life, and He will dine with you, and you will dine with Him. In other words, you will experience a fellowship with God that flows in both directions. You will experience the riches of God's grace, and God will find great pleasure in filling your life with the riches of His grace. You will dine with Him, and He will dine with you.

One of the many treasures that we discover as we fellowship with the Lord Jesus in His word is the rich glory of the mystery of the Church to which believers belong today. In Colossians 1:27, Paul was speaking about the believers of our present age and said:

Col 1:27 (NKJ)

27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

What mystery was he talking about. Let's look back a couple of verses to Colossians 1:24, where Paul said:

Col 1:24-26 (NKJ)

24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,

25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.

Paul was saying that he was called by God to reveal this great mystery of the Church which is the Body of Christ and that the revelation of this mystery was a stewardship which was given only to Him. The mystery of the Church which is the Body of Christ was hidden from ages and from generations but now has been revealed to the saints through the Apostle Paul.

Paul certainly had first hand knowledge of the hidden treasures that can be found in Christ. He knew first hand about all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are in Christ, but he also knew that these treasures are often hidden in Christ.

When Paul met the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus, Jesus came knocking at the door of Paul's heart, and Paul said, "Lord, what would you have me to do?" That is a great example of a prayer of faith. No one can tell you what to say to God. The words have to come straight from your heart. Paul's prayer was "Lord, what would you have me to do?"

When Paul prayed this prayer, the Lord Jesus came into his life and began to teach him and direct him, and little did Paul know that God was going to reveal to him treasures of knowledge which had been hidden in Christ throughout all of the centuries, namely the mystery concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ.

Paul said that today, God is revealing the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, and he goes on to say that the end result of this mystery, on a practical level, is Christ in you, the hope of glory. As members of the Body of Christ, we are spiritually united with the One who holds the key to the future glories of heaven and earth. The hope of glory is in you in the person of Jesus Christ.

That's why Paul emphatically states in the next verse, "Him we preach!" In other words, Paul says, "We preach Christ." You have to get to know Christ and accept Him by faith before you can explore all of the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are found in Christ. But then in Colossians 2, Paul says that his desire was for these believers to acquire all of the riches of the full assurance of understanding in the knowledge of the mystery of God. God wants us to enjoy all of the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are ours in Christ.

Well, I see our time is gone. Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning, and be sure to tune in again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:
http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/