Ephesians 3 Part 2
Bible Study Time 8-14-05
Bible Study Time 8-14-05
In Ephesians, Chapter 3, Paul states that God has given him a stewardship or a deposit of truth which he calls the stewardship of the grace of God. Last week we discovered that this stewardship of truth was a multifaceted deposit of truth which covered the mystery concerning the one body in which Gentiles have been made fellow heirs with the Jews, and it also covered the mystery concerning the fullness of times when God is to gather all things in heaven and earth together in Jesus Christ.
Paul said that this body of truth which was given to him was a mystery which had been hidden in God through the ages. It was never revealed to the men of previous generations, but God has chosen to reveal it at this time so that the manifold wisdom of God might be made known through the Church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.
Which church is this that has been given this glorious opportunity? Was it the church in the wilderness which Stephen referred to in Acts, Chapter 7; that Jewish church which God sentenced to wander in the wilderness for 40 years because they refused to go into the promised land?
Was it the church of Acts, Chapter 2; the Jewish church whose members sold their possessions and lived together as they waited for the Lord Jesus and His kingdom?
No, this was the church of the mystery which had been revealed to the Apostle Paul. The church of the one body to which Jews and Gentiles are added. The members of the Church which is the Body of Christ have been chosen by God to reveal the wisdom of God to the powers in the heavens.
As Paul writes to the Ephesians, the covenants of Israel have already been set aside and the rituals of the Law have been abolished. Therefore, Paul is free to reveal the Church which is the Body of Christ.
In verse 11 of Ephesians 3 we read that God planned all of these things according to the eternal purpose which God accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul taught in Chapter 1 that God has now made known to us the mystery if His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.
God had this great purpose in mind when He created the universe. In Genesis, we see that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, but in the Gospel of John, we see that Jesus Christ was there with the Father in the beginning and that all things were made by Jesus Christ. Now we see that even before the beginning, the members of the Godhead purposed in their hearts that someday they would gather together in one all things in heaven and earth in Jesus Christ, the Son.
Then in verse 12 of Ephesians 3, we find that those of us who have been accepted in Christ have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Christ. In Hebrews, Chapter 4, Paul told the Hebrew believers that they had a High Priest who had passed through the heavens, even Jesus the Son of God. He encouraged them that their High Priest could sympathize with their weaknesses because He had been tempted in all points but was still without sin. Because of these things, they could go boldly before God’s throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace in their time of need.
Here in Ephesians, however, we find a different picture for the members of the Church which is the Body of Christ. The members of this Church are seated in the heavenly places in Jesus Christ. We are accepted in Jesus Christ because we were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world. In Jesus Christ, we have redemption through His blood, forgiveness for sins, and we are blessed with all spiritual blessings. We, as members of the Church, the Body of Christ, are not pictured as coming boldly before the throne of God, but we are pictured as having continuous access to the Father with confidence because of our position in Christ.
In the Old Testament, Queen Esther had access to the king, but she did not have access with confidence. King Xerxes had signed a decree that all of the Jews of his kingdom should be killed. When Mordecai asked Esther to go before the king and plead the case of the Jewish people, she said:
Esther 4:11 (NKJ)
11 "All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days."
Mordecai reminded Esther that she and her family would be in danger also a members of the Jewish community and that they might be in even more danger than some of the others who lived in the more remote regions of the kingdom. Ultimately, Esther agreed to go before the king, but she wanted all of the Jews in that region to fast for three days and three nights. She said:
Esther 4:16 (NKJ)
16 " . . . And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!"
The commentary by Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown says that Xerxes name comes from two Persian words which together mean lion-king. Their commentary also says that this lion-king was “capricious, fickle, reckless of human lives, and immersed in sensual pleasures.” It is no wonder that Esther was more than just a little fearful when it came to going before the king without an invitation.
However, when we consider the fact that Xerxes was just a man, how much more frightening it would be for sinful men to stand before a just and a holy God. Before God descended upon Mt. Sinai, He told Moses to consecrate the people for three days to prepare them for their encounter with the Lord. Then God said:
Exodus 19:12-13 (NKJ)
12 "You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, 'Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.
13 'Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.' When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain."
Moses had the special privilege of going into the presence of the Lord while the average person was not even allowed to touch the base of the mountain, or he would surely be put to death.
What a privilege is ours today! We have constant and complete access to the Father with confidence because we are accepted in Jesus Christ, the beloved One. We are told to:
Philippians 4:6 (NKJ)
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
1 Peter 5:7 (NKJ)
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
1 John 5:14-15 (NKJ)
14 (For) this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
Romans 8:32 (NKJ)
32 (For if God) did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
During Old Testament times, the High Priest had direct access to the dwelling place of God only once each year. It was such a fearful thing that the priest wore bells on the hem of his garment so that as he performed his duties in the Holy of Holies, the people waiting outside would know that the priest was still alive by the sound of the bells.
At the time of Christ’s death upon the cross, the veil in the temple, which partitioned off the holy of holies, was torn in two from top to bottom. This signified that the blood of Jesus Christ had given the average person access to God through faith in Jesus Christ.
According to the covenants of Israel, no Gentile had direct access to God. Even the circumcised Gentiles were permitted only as far as the gate of the court of Israel. But as a result of the work of Christ on the cross, the rituals of the Law were abolished, and God created the Church which is the Body of Christ. According to the riches of God’s grace, Gentiles now have equal access to the Father with the believing Jews.
Though this great privilege of access to the Father has been made available to us, we all too often fail to avail ourselves of this opportunity. Often we may feel that we are just too busy to pray.
I recently read about some African converts to Christianity. These converts believed in the power of prayer, and each believer was given a special place to pray outside the village. As a result, each one developed his own pathway to his assigned place. When grass began to grow on one of these trails, it was evident who was neglecting their time in prayer, and then it would not be long before someone would encourage them to pray by gently saying, “There’s grass in your path.”
I’m afraid that too often there is grass in our path that leads to our prayer sanctuary. We can not expect to be effective in our service for the Lord if we neglect our time in prayer. Without prayer we become anxious and fearful about the things of this life. We are to be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, we are to let our requests be made known to God.
Psalm 37 presents a simple plan for avoiding anxiety. It says that we should not fret, but we should trust in the Lord. We should delight ourselves in the Lord. We should commit our way unto the Lord. And we should rest in the Lord. A very important part of living a life of joy and peace is to commit our way unto the Lord.
Daniel was living in a foreign country where the people were hostile to the true and the living God, but Daniel made it a point to pray. The Bible says that:
Daniel 6:10 (NKJ)
10 . . . (Daniel) knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.
Daniel was accustomed to committing his way unto the Lord, and it is interesting to note he prayed and gave thanks before his God. Even in difficult times, we have so much to be thankful for. We are to let our requests be made known to God by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.
We should never presume that God will give us everything we want. He promises to supply our needs, not our greeds. But we should never hesitate to present our true desires to the Lord.
In the days of Alexander the Great there was a renowned philosopher who came to Alexander with a request for money. Alexander told the philosopher to withdraw from the treasury whatever he needed. When he went to withdraw a very large sum of money, the treasurer hesitated and said that he needed to verify that this large withdrawal was authorized. When the treasurer my his inquiry, Alexander said, “Pay the money at once. This philosopher has done me a singular honor. By the largeness of his request he shows that he understands both my wealth and my generosity.”
The wealth and generosity of our heavenly Father go far beyond that of Alexander for God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.
In the Old Testament, the Jews had the opportunity to enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise, but today we have been given an even greater honor. We have been given a position in the Body of Jesus Christ, God’s Son. We are accepted in Jesus Christ, and we have boldness and access to the Father with confidence through faith in Jesus Christ.
In the Old Testament there were those who entered the gates of the temple, but their hearts were not right with God. Today, access to the Father is reserved only for those whose hearts are right with God. To become a member of the Church which is the Body of Christ, one has to understand his own sinfulness and accept the righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ.
I sometimes ask people if everyone in the Church is saved, and some will say, “No, not everyone.” But when I tell them that I’m talking about the Church of the Bible which God is building in heaven, they smile and say, “Oh yes, everyone in that Church is saved.”
No one can have boldness and access to the Father unless his heart is right with God. If you don’t know the Lord today, and you have never been added to the Church which is the Body of Christ, you can take that step today. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and the moment you believe, God will add you to the Body of Christ. Then you too can experience that bold and confident access to the Father.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you 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/
Paul said that this body of truth which was given to him was a mystery which had been hidden in God through the ages. It was never revealed to the men of previous generations, but God has chosen to reveal it at this time so that the manifold wisdom of God might be made known through the Church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.
Which church is this that has been given this glorious opportunity? Was it the church in the wilderness which Stephen referred to in Acts, Chapter 7; that Jewish church which God sentenced to wander in the wilderness for 40 years because they refused to go into the promised land?
Was it the church of Acts, Chapter 2; the Jewish church whose members sold their possessions and lived together as they waited for the Lord Jesus and His kingdom?
No, this was the church of the mystery which had been revealed to the Apostle Paul. The church of the one body to which Jews and Gentiles are added. The members of the Church which is the Body of Christ have been chosen by God to reveal the wisdom of God to the powers in the heavens.
As Paul writes to the Ephesians, the covenants of Israel have already been set aside and the rituals of the Law have been abolished. Therefore, Paul is free to reveal the Church which is the Body of Christ.
In verse 11 of Ephesians 3 we read that God planned all of these things according to the eternal purpose which God accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul taught in Chapter 1 that God has now made known to us the mystery if His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.
God had this great purpose in mind when He created the universe. In Genesis, we see that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, but in the Gospel of John, we see that Jesus Christ was there with the Father in the beginning and that all things were made by Jesus Christ. Now we see that even before the beginning, the members of the Godhead purposed in their hearts that someday they would gather together in one all things in heaven and earth in Jesus Christ, the Son.
Then in verse 12 of Ephesians 3, we find that those of us who have been accepted in Christ have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Christ. In Hebrews, Chapter 4, Paul told the Hebrew believers that they had a High Priest who had passed through the heavens, even Jesus the Son of God. He encouraged them that their High Priest could sympathize with their weaknesses because He had been tempted in all points but was still without sin. Because of these things, they could go boldly before God’s throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace in their time of need.
Here in Ephesians, however, we find a different picture for the members of the Church which is the Body of Christ. The members of this Church are seated in the heavenly places in Jesus Christ. We are accepted in Jesus Christ because we were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world. In Jesus Christ, we have redemption through His blood, forgiveness for sins, and we are blessed with all spiritual blessings. We, as members of the Church, the Body of Christ, are not pictured as coming boldly before the throne of God, but we are pictured as having continuous access to the Father with confidence because of our position in Christ.
In the Old Testament, Queen Esther had access to the king, but she did not have access with confidence. King Xerxes had signed a decree that all of the Jews of his kingdom should be killed. When Mordecai asked Esther to go before the king and plead the case of the Jewish people, she said:
Esther 4:11 (NKJ)
11 "All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days."
Mordecai reminded Esther that she and her family would be in danger also a members of the Jewish community and that they might be in even more danger than some of the others who lived in the more remote regions of the kingdom. Ultimately, Esther agreed to go before the king, but she wanted all of the Jews in that region to fast for three days and three nights. She said:
Esther 4:16 (NKJ)
16 " . . . And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!"
The commentary by Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown says that Xerxes name comes from two Persian words which together mean lion-king. Their commentary also says that this lion-king was “capricious, fickle, reckless of human lives, and immersed in sensual pleasures.” It is no wonder that Esther was more than just a little fearful when it came to going before the king without an invitation.
However, when we consider the fact that Xerxes was just a man, how much more frightening it would be for sinful men to stand before a just and a holy God. Before God descended upon Mt. Sinai, He told Moses to consecrate the people for three days to prepare them for their encounter with the Lord. Then God said:
Exodus 19:12-13 (NKJ)
12 "You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, 'Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.
13 'Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.' When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain."
Moses had the special privilege of going into the presence of the Lord while the average person was not even allowed to touch the base of the mountain, or he would surely be put to death.
What a privilege is ours today! We have constant and complete access to the Father with confidence because we are accepted in Jesus Christ, the beloved One. We are told to:
Philippians 4:6 (NKJ)
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
1 Peter 5:7 (NKJ)
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
1 John 5:14-15 (NKJ)
14 (For) this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
Romans 8:32 (NKJ)
32 (For if God) did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
During Old Testament times, the High Priest had direct access to the dwelling place of God only once each year. It was such a fearful thing that the priest wore bells on the hem of his garment so that as he performed his duties in the Holy of Holies, the people waiting outside would know that the priest was still alive by the sound of the bells.
At the time of Christ’s death upon the cross, the veil in the temple, which partitioned off the holy of holies, was torn in two from top to bottom. This signified that the blood of Jesus Christ had given the average person access to God through faith in Jesus Christ.
According to the covenants of Israel, no Gentile had direct access to God. Even the circumcised Gentiles were permitted only as far as the gate of the court of Israel. But as a result of the work of Christ on the cross, the rituals of the Law were abolished, and God created the Church which is the Body of Christ. According to the riches of God’s grace, Gentiles now have equal access to the Father with the believing Jews.
Though this great privilege of access to the Father has been made available to us, we all too often fail to avail ourselves of this opportunity. Often we may feel that we are just too busy to pray.
I recently read about some African converts to Christianity. These converts believed in the power of prayer, and each believer was given a special place to pray outside the village. As a result, each one developed his own pathway to his assigned place. When grass began to grow on one of these trails, it was evident who was neglecting their time in prayer, and then it would not be long before someone would encourage them to pray by gently saying, “There’s grass in your path.”
I’m afraid that too often there is grass in our path that leads to our prayer sanctuary. We can not expect to be effective in our service for the Lord if we neglect our time in prayer. Without prayer we become anxious and fearful about the things of this life. We are to be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, we are to let our requests be made known to God.
Psalm 37 presents a simple plan for avoiding anxiety. It says that we should not fret, but we should trust in the Lord. We should delight ourselves in the Lord. We should commit our way unto the Lord. And we should rest in the Lord. A very important part of living a life of joy and peace is to commit our way unto the Lord.
Daniel was living in a foreign country where the people were hostile to the true and the living God, but Daniel made it a point to pray. The Bible says that:
Daniel 6:10 (NKJ)
10 . . . (Daniel) knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.
Daniel was accustomed to committing his way unto the Lord, and it is interesting to note he prayed and gave thanks before his God. Even in difficult times, we have so much to be thankful for. We are to let our requests be made known to God by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.
We should never presume that God will give us everything we want. He promises to supply our needs, not our greeds. But we should never hesitate to present our true desires to the Lord.
In the days of Alexander the Great there was a renowned philosopher who came to Alexander with a request for money. Alexander told the philosopher to withdraw from the treasury whatever he needed. When he went to withdraw a very large sum of money, the treasurer hesitated and said that he needed to verify that this large withdrawal was authorized. When the treasurer my his inquiry, Alexander said, “Pay the money at once. This philosopher has done me a singular honor. By the largeness of his request he shows that he understands both my wealth and my generosity.”
The wealth and generosity of our heavenly Father go far beyond that of Alexander for God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.
In the Old Testament, the Jews had the opportunity to enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise, but today we have been given an even greater honor. We have been given a position in the Body of Jesus Christ, God’s Son. We are accepted in Jesus Christ, and we have boldness and access to the Father with confidence through faith in Jesus Christ.
In the Old Testament there were those who entered the gates of the temple, but their hearts were not right with God. Today, access to the Father is reserved only for those whose hearts are right with God. To become a member of the Church which is the Body of Christ, one has to understand his own sinfulness and accept the righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ.
I sometimes ask people if everyone in the Church is saved, and some will say, “No, not everyone.” But when I tell them that I’m talking about the Church of the Bible which God is building in heaven, they smile and say, “Oh yes, everyone in that Church is saved.”
No one can have boldness and access to the Father unless his heart is right with God. If you don’t know the Lord today, and you have never been added to the Church which is the Body of Christ, you can take that step today. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and the moment you believe, God will add you to the Body of Christ. Then you too can experience that bold and confident access to the Father.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you 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/
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