Ephesians 2 Part 1 (6-26-05)

Ephesians 2 Part 1
Bible Study Time 6-29-05

In Ephesians, Chapter 1, the Apostle Paul details the spiritual blessings that God has bestowed upon us. We were chosen before the foundation of the world, and we were predestined to be adopted as the Sons of God. Because we have redemption through His blood and forgiveness for sins, we stand before God as holy and without blame. Therefore, we are accepted in Jesus Christ, the beloved One.

What a contrast as we move into Chapter 2 and see Paul’s description of what we were before we met the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 1 says:

Eph 2:1 (NKJ)
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

We used to be dead in our trespasses and sins, but now we have been made alive in Jesus Christ. In Chapter 1, Paul prayed that the saints of Ephesus would be able to understand the power that God exercised when He raised Christ up from the dead. Now he says that God has exercised that same power to bring us from death into life.

Paul had already laid the groundwork for this discussion in his letter to the Romans. In Romans 5, Paul explained that sin came into the world through one man. Of coarse, that one man was Adam, who is the father of us all in a natural sense. As a result of Adam’s sin, all of us inherited the sin nature. Each person, from Adam to the present time, has been born with a propensity to sin because of that inherited sin nature.

As cute and as innocent as little babies are, you can’t help but adore them and be thankful to God for them. But there has never been a baby born yet who entered into this world saying, "Pardon me. I didn’t mean to put you to so much trouble."

No, babies let you know pretty quickly that they expect you to drop everything to take care of them. When they’re hungry, they don’t say, "Go ahead and take care of whatever your doing, but if you get a chance, I sure would appreciate a bottle of milk." Babies are born with a natural instinct that says, "I am the center of the universe and all activities should revolve around me."

Well, that’s OK for babies, but it speaks volumes about our nature. When those tendencies, when those attitudes, continue in our hearts as we get older, we see the devastating effects in our homes, in our schools, and in our communities. Adults who don’t deal effectively with the sin nature will find themselves locked in the grips of the works of the flesh. In Galatians 5, Paul declares:

Gal 5:19-21 (NKJ)
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like;

In these works of the flesh the basic selfishness with which we are born is clearly seen under intense magnification. The Lord Jesus said that we could fulfill all of the law of God if we could just learn to love one another. Paul reiterated this same thought when he said:

Gal 5:14 (NKJ)
14 . . . all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

However, the sad news is that we do not possess within ourselves the capacity to love our neighbors. Our sin nature takes us in the opposite direction. It takes us where we do not even want to go. Paul said in Romans 7, "For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice."

One of the saddest and most interesting aspects of the sin nature is that it will lead us in directions that defy sound logic. In years past, we have seen national politicians essentially assured of victory who were willing to risk it all to break into the opposing headquarters to increase their odds of victory. This defies sound logic. We have seen individuals worth millions of dollars who risk it all to trade a stock based on insider information. The old nature has the capacity to tear down the fabric of good sound logic.

When the Lord Jesus came to the earth from the glory of heaven, he was born not as a child of Adam but as the Son of God. He was not afflicted with the sin nature. When He was driven by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness and tempted by the devil, He did not succumb to the illogical demands of the devil.

The devil demanded that the Lord turn a stone into bread, but Jesus knew instinctively that His relationship with God was more important than food for his human body. He had been with the Father. He knew the glory of heaven. Even if He starved to death, He would never sacrifice the glory of heaven for a taste of bread.

The devil offered the Lord Jesus the kingdoms of this world if Jesus would bow down and worship him, but the Lord Jesus knew the power of God, and that any authority which the devil had over the kingdoms of this world would be short lived. He also knew that the glory of the Father would last forever. Without the help of the sin nature, the devil could not destroy the sound logic of the Spirit of God.

When the devil demanded that the Lord Jesus should cast Himself off of the highest point of temple to see if the angels would come to His rescue, the Lord Jesus knew better than to test the Father. God is not One who allows Himself to be tested by man. God is the God of all creation, and He accepts those who come to Him by faith. The Lord Jesus Christ is our supreme example of One whose faith never failed or even faltered. He had no sin nature to confuse His mind or alter the devotion of His heart.

We as humans, on the other hand, must find a way to escape the clutches of the sin nature if we are to find peace with God and victory over sin. As long as we live under the domination of the sin nature, Paul says we are walking dead men with no spiritual life.

This was our condition before we met the Lord Jesus Christ. We were dead in trespasses and sins. We walked according to the course of this world and according to the prince of the power of the air. We were driven to fulfill the desires of the flesh, and we were motivated by our hatred for others, just like everyone else.

Paul alludes to the power and authority of the devil when he speaks of the prince of the power of the air. Indeed, the one who dared to tempt the Lord Jesus is still very active today. The devil has less authority now than He did in Jesus’ day in that according to Colossians 2, when Christ died upon the cross, He disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public spectacle of them as He triumphed over them.

However, the devil still works in the children of disobedience, and Paul says that we were once under His sway as we went about fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. But in Ephesians 2 and verse 4 we read:

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),

Only in Jesus Christ do we find the wherewithal to really escape the grip of the sin nature. Good parents train their children to keep the selfishness of the sin nature under control, and fortunately most people are able to avoid the most extreme works of the flesh. But that sort of "self control" is often motivated by strong social restraints which promise dire consequences to those who yield to the outward manifestations of the sin nature.

Once I was talking to a man about spiritual things, and he made the statement to me that the only purpose for churches is to help keep people under control. This seems to be a view that is shared by many people. This gentleman seemed to think that he really did not need church as long as he was able to exercise good self control.

When Martin Luther began to preach the beautiful truths of the book of Romans, that people are saved by grace through faith and not by good works, the organized church persecuted Luther saying that his theology would be the ruin of decent society.

Well, it certainly is true the people who are trying to manage and reform the sin nature will need every bit of help they can get. They will need tremendous social pressure to put a guard around the sin nature. But even those who are able to control the outward deeds of the flesh still have the selfish motivations of the sin nature. Every good deed will still be characterized by their own selfish desires.

The other day, I was talking to a minister friend of mine who told me about a time when he was called to do a funeral service. Shortly after that, he got a call from the pastor of the deceased, and that pastor was very upset because he had not been called first when the arrangements for the funeral were being made.

Situations like that can be very disappointing because they illustrate how often people dedicate their lives to do good things, but they have never really been set free from the destructive forces of the sin nature.

God’s solution for the sin nature was not to reform it or control it. His solution was to nail it to the cross of Calvary. We were dead in trespasses and sins, but God made us alive. He brought us out of the realm of death and into the realm of life in Jesus Christ.

Just like God brought the children of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt and into the promised land, He has brought us out of the realm of darkness and into the realm of His glorious light. Colossians 1 says:

Col 1:13-14 (NKJ)
13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 2 says:

Col 2:13-14 (NKJ)
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Colossians 2 also makes it very clear that our deliverance was accomplished by the work which God accomplished for us in the spiritual realm. Verse 11 says that in Christ, we were circumcised with the circumcision made without hands by the circumcision of Christ.

Of coarse, the circumcision of Christ refers to His physical death. The prophet Daniel used a similar expression when he predicted that the Messiah would be cut off after 69 weeks. Christ came to earth in a body of flesh and that body of flesh was cut off from the land of the living. But notice that Christ’s circumcision was accomplished by the hand of God. Jesus said in John 10:

John 10:15, 18 (NKJ)
15 "As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
18 "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."

We were separated from the sin nature by the circumcision of Christ, and no human hand was allowed to touch this sacred ceremony. This was a circumcision made without hands.

Verse 12 goes on to say that we were buried with Christ in baptism, and we were raised with Christ through faith in the working of God who raised Christ from the dead. Again, this is a sacred spiritual baptism which is accomplished by the working of God.

Human religion should be careful about trying to put a human hand upon the ceremony which God has determined that He will perform. In Exodus 20:25, God told the children of Israel:

Exod 20:25 (NKJ)
25 '. . . if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it.

In this same way, our baptism into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ is something that God has determined that He will do. Let us not profane this sacred ceremony with human hands.

It was the indescribable power of God which raised Christ from the dead, and it is that same power which baptizes us into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ to transfer us from the realm of death into the realm of eternal life.

Well, I trust God will bless you today as you worship Him. I have enjoyed studying with you this morning, and 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/

Father's Day (6-19-05)

Father’s Day 2005
Bible Study Time 6-19-05

Psalm 127 says:

Psalm 127:1-5 (NKJ)
1 Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it;
3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth.
5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;

As I read this verse, my first thought was that a house can not be build without God’s help. However, that’s not what the verse says. It says that if we try to build a house without God, that house will count for nothing. Our labor will be in vain.

Of coarse, that is true of anything that we do. People accomplish all kinds of things in this life, and many great things are accomplished by those who do not know the Lord at all. But what will their labor be worth in the long run? What will it be worth in eternity? The Bible is clear that only those things which are done with Christ and through the power of Christ will have lasting value.

At Mt. Sinai, the Lord was angry with the children of Israel because they had built and worshiped the golden calf. The Lord said to Moses:

Exodus 33:1-3 (NKJ)
1 "Depart and go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob . . .
2 "And I will send My Angel before you, . . .
3 ". . . for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way for you are a stiff_necked people."

Then the Bible says:

Exodus 33:7 (NKJ)
7 Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the LORD went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp.

Apparently before this time, Moses’ tent was in the middle of the encampment, and when the people brought their concerns to Moses, he would go into the tent and the pillar of cloud would descend upon the tent so that everyone would know that Moses was meeting with God. But now, Moses had moved his tent outside the camp, and the people knew that God was no longer willing to meet with Moses within the confines of the camp. The camp had been defiled by sin so Moses moved his tent outside the camp; far from the camp, the Bible says.

Apparently, it was some time after that Moses said to the Lord:

Exodus 33:12-17
12 . . . You say to me, 'Bring up this people.' But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.'
13 "Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people."
14 And the Lord said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
15 Then Moses said, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.
16 "For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth."
17 So the LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name."

How wise Moses was to realize that his only hope for accomplishing anything worthwhile with his life was dependent upon the Lord being with him. He said, "If you don’t go with us, I don’t want to go."

Well, that is the same concept that is expressed in Psalm 127:

Psalm 127:1 (NKJ)
1 Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it;

Most seem to agree that this Psalm was written by King Solomon, and if that’s true then he would have been very much aware of the fact that God is more than capable of building a glorious house, for he, himself, was the heir of such a house.

When his father, King David, expressed his desire to build a house for the Lord, the Lord replied that David would not be allowed to build the temple. But then God said, "David, I’m going to build you a house." And God was not talking about a royal mansion, He was talking about a glorious family.

Let’s read the account in 2 Samuel, Chapter 7, beginning in verse 1:

2 Samuel 7:1-6
1 Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies all around,
2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains."
3 Then Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you."
4 But it happened that night that the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying,
5 "Go and tell My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: "Would you build a house for Me to dwell in?
6 "For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle.

Then the Lord reminded David of the fact that God had taken David as a sheepherder and had made him the King of Israel. God had cut off David’s enemies and had made David’s name great. Then in verse 11, Nathan says:

2 Samuel 7:11-14
11 " . . . the LORD tells you that He will make you a house.
12 "When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14 "I will be his Father, and he shall be My son . . . "

Well, this is the kind of house that the Lord is able to build. I guess that tells us something about how God feels about families, doesn’t it? God promised David a family that would last forever. And not only that, but God promised David that one of his sons would be the Son of God, and that that particular Son would establish the throne of David in an everlasting kingdom.

When the Lord Jesus came to earth 2000 years ago, He was born in the city of David. He was born of the house and linage of David. Everywhere He went He was called the Son of David. The children of Israel had been waiting for the fulfillment of David’s promise. They were looking for the Son of David who would come to establish the throne of David in an everlasting kingdom.

Solomon was a son of David, but he was not the Son of David that the nation of Israel was looking for. Solomon was a picture of the Son of David in that God allowed Solomon to build a glorious temple, and God established Solomon’s throne in a glorious kingdom, but the glories of Solomon’s kingdom, which was indescribably glorious, will not even hold a candle to the glories of the future kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Men, you may have guessed already where I’m going with this, since this is Father’s Day. God has given men a tremendous responsibility when it comes to building a house. When it comes to establishing a family. A wife is a gift from God. Children are a gift from God. As we read in Psalm 127, children are an heritage from the Lord. They’re like arrows in the hand of a warrior, and happy is the man who has quiver full of them.

It’s important to realize, however, that God wants to reveal His glory through our families. It’s not his goal for us to have mediocre families. Wayne Schoonover, my brother-in-law, often reminds people of the old proverb which says, "Beware, my son, of good enough."

Truly glorious families don’t just happen. Glorious families are the result of God’s blessing. Men, we need to be like Moses when Moses said, "Lord, if you don’t go with us, I don’t want to go." We need to pray that God will give us a good plan of action for creating a family which reveals the glory of God.

For Father’s Day I was given a movie which I have to admit I have already watched. In this movie there was a man who gave advise to men who really wanted to get off to a great start with that special girl. The movie impressed me with the fact that we, as men, often don’t have a clue when it comes to the various needs of the people that we live with every day. We need God’s help. If we ask, we will receive because God wants our homes to reveal His glory.

Sometimes families have needs which are just overwhelming. Sometimes problems seem to be beyond any solution. But if God can take a shepherd boy out of the field and establish his family as the greatest family of all time, He can do miracles for us too.

We need sensitivity to the needs of each member of our family. Some people think, "All my family needs is more money. If we just had more money everything would be just fine." That is obviously false because some of the richest families are also some of the most miserable.

God gave some great advise for fathers in Ephesians, Chapter 6, where Paul said:

Ephesians 6:4 (NKJ)
4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

When Paul says "bring them up", that tells us that this is something to which we need to pay special attention. We need to be constantly observing and monitoring to see to it that the needs of our wife and children are being met, both physically and spiritually. As we do this we are to pay particular attention to their training and admonition.

The greatest education, the greatest training, our children will ever get is the training they get at home. From the time they’re born, they’re watching and learning, and most of what they learn in this life will occur before they ever start to school. But the word for training in Ephesians, Chapter 6, really refers to specific instruction. It’s the kind of training that supplies the nourishment needed for growth and maturity. Fathers need to be teaching their children about everything, but especially about the word of God. In Deuteronomy 6, God said to Israel:

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NKJ)
4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
7 "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
9 "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Our children need to know that the word of God is our book of instruction for how to live this life. I was at Six Flags Over Texas this week, and I saw some young people from a certain church. They all had on T-shirts which said something like, "Life is much easier if we learn to read the manual." And then it had a picture of an open Bible.

The Bible is our instruction manual for this life. We need to read it, and we need to teach it. Especially as fathers, we need to teach it to our children because it can make the difference between eternal life and eternal death for our children.

God promised David that one of his children would be the Son of God. What a tremendous promise! One of his descendants was going to be the Son of God. Well, we can lay hold of that promise too because the Bible says that when our children accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, they become the children of God. When they believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for their sins, and that He was raised from the dead so that they could have eternal life, they become the Sons of God.

This is specifically stated in Ephesians, Chapter 1, where we read that we who trust in Christ have been predestined to adoption as Sons by Jesus Christ. Men, we as fathers have a tremendous opportunity to teach the word of God to our children so that they can become the children of God.

Our communities here in southwest Oklahoma are blessed to have many godly fathers who take the responsibilities of fatherhood very seriously. Even this morning, I can think of so many men who have and are bringing up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. I just want to say thank you to those of you who are listening this morning, and I hope you have a very happy Father’s Day.

It’s been a pleasure being with you this morning for Bible Study Time. 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/

Ephesians 1 Part 12 (6-12-05)

Ephesians 1 Part 12
Bible Study Time 6-12-05

We have been studying Ephesians, Chapter 1, for several weeks where Paul gives us the details of the spiritual blessings which are ours in the Christ as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ. Paul says that one of the blessings we have is seen in the fact that God made known to us the mystery of His will in all wisdom and prudence. Paul is content to leave the subject of the mystery at that in chapter 1, but when he gets over into Chapter 3, he lays out the details of the revelation of the mystery.

When students of the Bible look at the revelation of the mystery which is given in Ephesians, the question invariably comes up as to whether or not this is the same mystery which Paul speaks of in the book of Romans and the book of I Corinthians. Accordingly, I decided to do a short review of Paul’s history and Paul’s mysteries.

In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he proclaimed with thanksgiving that he belonged to Jesus Christ and that God had called him to be an apostle. The word apostle literally means "one who is sent out as an official ambassador." Paul met Christ on the road to Damascus, and shortly thereafter God said, "Paul is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel." It is noteworthy that the Gentiles were mentioned first in this list.

When Paul went to help Barnabas in Antioch of Syria, Paul witnessed the salvation of Gentile believers, and we read in Acts, Chapter 15, that he went before the elders in Jerusalem to declare that God was saving Gentiles who had never submitted to circumcision. As a result, the elders in Jerusalem determined that Paul should continue his ministry among the uncircumcised Gentiles, while the elders in Jerusalem continued their ministry among the circumcised Jews.

In the book of Romans, Paul used his office as the apostle to the Gentiles to speak with authority. He said in Romans 11:13:

Romans 11:13 (KJV)
13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify my office:

In Romans 15, Paul quoted 4 different Old Testament passages to justify his ministry to the Gentiles. This gave ample evidence that God had always planned to bring salvation to the Gentiles, and during the Acts period, we see the Apostle Paul preaching the gospel as the Apostle to the Gentiles.

In Romans 1, Paul said that he was separated to the gospel of God. But to which gospel was he separated? Paul answered that question in the last chapter of Romans, where Paul said in verse 25:

Romans 16:25 (NKJ)
25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ

When Paul said "my gospel", he was talking about the gospel which he was authorized to preach as the apostle to the Gentiles, that salvation was being offered to the Gentiles through simple faith apart from the works of the Law.

In Romans 16, Paul said that his gospel had been kept secret since the world began, but obviously, it was a secret only in the sense that it was hidden in the Old Testament scriptures. This is made clear by the fact that Paul had just quoted verse after verse from the Old Testament to justify his ministry and by the fact that Paul goes on to say that his gospel was now being made known to all nations by the prophetic scriptures.

Paul’s gospel at this point had to do first of all with the fact that the Messiah was going to come to the earth and be killed by His own people, but that through His blood, He would provide redemption for those who believe. Paul had the privilege of revealing this mystery which up to this point had been hidden in the scriptures. In I Corinthians 15, Paul said:

I Corinthains 15:3 (NKJ)
3 . . . I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

In all probability Paul used verses such as those in Isaiah 53 to prove the validity of his gospel. Isaiah spoke of Jesus and said:

Isaiah 53:4-5 (NKJ)
4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

Certainly, the gospel that Christ died for our sins was according to the scriptures, but it was well hidden in the scriptures because the people in general did not understand these verses. But Paul was able to tell us why these facts were not fully explained in the Old Testament.

In I Corinthians, Chapter 2, he said:

I Corinthians 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.

The mystery of the Acts period related to the death of Christ and the redemption that is secured through His shed blood.

Another aspect of Paul’s gospel in the Acts period and therefore in the book of Romans was the gospel of the New Covenant Kingdom. As Paul went preaching the good news that Christ died for our sins, he was also preaching the good news of the New Covenant Kingdom which had been promised to Israel. According to that promise the Messiah would come and rule the earth through the nation of Israel.

Paul stated in II Corinthians 3 that he was a minister of that New Covenant, but the New Covenant was also hidden in the Old Testament scriptures. In fact, Jeremiah is the only Old Testament prophet who specifically referred to the New Covenant.

Because Paul was a minister of the New Covenant, he was ministering with the expectation that New Covenant Kingdom was eminent. In keeping with this hope, Paul said in Romans 1 that the gospel of Christ is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

All of the physical blessings of the New Covenant Kingdom would flow through the Jews to the Gentiles, but the Jews had to accept Christ as their Savior and as their Messiah before the kingdom could come. Throughout the Acts period, Paul went to the Jew first and also to the Greek, preaching the gospel of salvation through faith, and he did so in accordance with the promises of the New Covenant.

In the last chapter of the book of Acts, Paul was in a Roman prison when he called for the Jewish leaders. He solemnly testified of the kingdom of God from early in the morning until late at night, pointing out the Old Testament passages which spoke specifically about Jesus.

The Bible says that some of these Jews were persuaded by Paul’s arguments, but others refused to believe. At other points in the book of Acts, Paul had been faced with the same indecisiveness on the part of the Jews. On those occasions, he would simply agree to come back and talk to them another day. But not this time. This time he quoted Isaiah immediately, and said, "You have ears, but you can not hear. You have eyes, but you can not see. Therefore, we turn to the Gentiles."

At this point, Paul knew there would be no tomorrow for the Jews of his generation. God was drawing the line for Israel, saying in effect, "This is it!" Those Jews listening to Paul in Rome needed to get on their knees, repent and accept Christ, but they did not. As a result, God’s offer of the New Covenant Kingdom was temporarily set aside. Their chance to accept the promised kingdom had come and gone.

The Old Testament scriptures predicted that the Messiah would be killed, and they predicted that the Messiah would be raised from the dead, but they never even hinted at the fact that Israel would reject the resurrected Christ. With Israel rejecting the resurrected Christ, mankind was faced with a situation which was never anticipated by the prophets. Therefore, nobody knew what God was going to do next.

Paul wrote several letters from his Roman prison after the events of Acts 28. These letters include Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and the pastoral epistles, and these letters hold the key to what God did next.

In these letters, and only in these letters, Paul referred to the Church which is the Body of Christ. In Colossians 1, Paul said that he was a minister of the Church which is the Body of Christ, and He went on to say that his ministry to the Church was according to a mystery which had been hidden from ages and from generations.

Was this the same mystery which Paul mentioned in Romans 16? Let’s look at Ephesians 3 for more detail. Verse 1 says:

Ephesians 3:1-3,5
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles__
2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you,
3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery

Notice that Paul is claiming these revelations as those which were given to him.

3 how that by revelation God made known to me the mystery

5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:

According to Romans 16, the mystery in the book of Romans was being made manifest by the prophetic scriptures. Paul could not claim those revelations as his own. Those revelations were given to the prophets. However, the mystery in the prison epistles is a mystery which Paul said was being revealed by the Holy Spirit, to the apostles and prophets, through him. That is quite a difference. Let’s continue in Ephesians 3:

Ephesians 3:3, 6-9
3 how that by revelation God made known to me the mystery

6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,
7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.
8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
9 and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;

Here in Ephesians, Paul acknowledges that his ministry is still primarily among the Gentiles, but he no longer magnifies his office as the Apostle to the Gentiles. Paul said that in the Church which is the Body of Christ, the Gentiles are fellowheirs and of the same body as the Jewish believers.

In the Acts period, the Jews continued to observe the Law of Moses while the Gentiles did not. That distinction is no longer apparent in the program which is revealed here in Ephesians. Rather than magnifying his office as the Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul says that he has been called to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ. According to this mystery, God has one message for all people.

Paul said that according to the mystery of Ephesians, Gentiles are partakers of God’s promise in Christ, but clearly that promise is not the promise of Israel’s New Covenant Kingdom. Paul never even mentions Israel’s New Covenant Kingdom in his prison epistles. However, the promise of redemption through the blood of Christ is still at the forefront of Paul’s message. We, as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ are very much partakers in God’s promise concerning the suffering savior Who was wounded for our transgressions, and by Whose stripes we are healed, but we do not hope for Israel’s New Covenant Kingdom.

The mystery of Ephesians is not that Christ died for our sins but that God had a plan for the aftermath of Israel’s rejection of the resurrected Christ. It appears that all three members of the Godhead took council together before the foundation of the world, as they planned for Israel’s rejection of the New Covenant and the calling out of the Church which is the Body of Christ. The Church which is the Body of Christ was the best kept secret of all time, and God called the Apostle Paul to reveal this mystery to the world in the prison epistles.

Well, I want to thank you for joining me for a time of Bible Study this morning. I have enjoyed being with you and will be looking forward to studying 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/

Ephesians 1 Part 11 (6-5-05)

Ephesians 1 Part 11
Bible Study Time 6-5-05

We have been studying Ephesians 1 for several weeks now, and we have seen a beautiful portrait of the spiritual blessings which have been bestowed upon those of us who believe in Jesus Christ. We were chosen before the foundation of the world, and we were predestined to be adopted as the Sons of God. Because we have redemption through His blood and forgiveness for sins, we stand before God as holy and without blame, and we are completely and totally accepted in Jesus Christ.

In wisdom and prudence God made known to us the mystery of His will, and Paul gives three reasons why God decided to reveal this mystery which had been kept secret since the foundation of the world.

First, God revealed the mystery of His will so that we might gain an understanding of the hope of our calling. We have seen that the hope of our calling as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ, is that someday we will be caught up to be with Christ in the glory of heaven.

Because the program for the Church which is the Body of Christ is separate and apart from God's program for the nation of Israel, we can be sure that the hope of our calling is different from the hope of Israel's calling.

The Church which is the Body of Christ, which includes Jews and Gentiles alike, will be caught up to be with the Lord Jesus in the glory of heaven before the tribulation period begins. Unsaved Israel, on the other hand, will remain on the earth to go through the tribulation period, during which time they will be tested and purified. By the end of the tribulation period, Israel will look upon Him whom they pierced, and they will morn. Israel will accept Jesus Christ as her Messiah and will enter into the New Covenant Kingdom. With this in mind, it is understandable that God wants us to understand the hope of our calling.

Secondly, God revealed the mystery of His will because He wants us to be fully aware of the riches of the glory of His inheritance in us. God has a great plan to glorify His name through the Church which is the Body of Christ. Ephesians 2 says:

Eph 2:6-7 (NKJ)
6 (God) 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.

God plans to declare and magnify the richness of His superabounding grace throughout all of eternity by means of the indescribable kindness which He bestows upon us. That grace, which was always greater than the greatest sin, will be revealed as the grace which flows like a river with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Furthermore, God's inheritance in us is seen in the fact that the Church reveals the wisdom of God to the principalities and powers which occupy the heavens. Ephesians 3 says that the Church reveals the manifold wisdom of God to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.

What an inheritance God has in us! The more God blesses us, the more His grace will be magnified and the more His manifold wisdom will be exalted and glorified. Throughout eternity we will sing:

Ps 34:1-3
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.

Every kindness of grace which God bestows upon us throughout eternity will bring glory to God. It will all be done to the praise of His glory.

But there is one more reason for God's revelation of the mystery of His will. Verse 19 says that He revealed the mystery of His will so that we might know the exceeding greatness of His power.

We know that God is good all the time. The Psalmist said:

Ps 31:19 (NKJ)
19 Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!

But God is not only good. He is also powerful. We know that all of the goodness which God has prepared for us He is able to perform. The goodness of the Lord goes hand in hand with His strength and power. Psalm 65 says:

Ps 65:6 (NKJ)
6 Who established the mountains by His strength, being clothed with power;

Then the Psalmist goes on to say:

Ps 65:11 (NKJ)
11 You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance.

Psalm 106 says:
Ps 106:7-9
7 Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; they did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, but rebelled by the Red Sea.
8 Nevertheless He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make His mighty power known.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up; so He led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.

In the New Testament, God reveals His goodness and His power through the salvation of the lost.

I Corinthians 1 says:
1 Cor 1: 18 (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.

Again in Romans, Paul says:
Rom 1:16
16 I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.

God is good, and His goodness is revealed through His power.

In Ephesians 1, Paul mentions two ways that the power of God is revealed. First, Paul prays that we might be able to understand the exceeding greatness of God's power which He worked in Christ when He raised Christ from the dead.

Those of us who were brought up hearing about the resurrection of Christ and hearing about our own hope of resurrection may have a tendency to minimize in our own minds the extraordinary power that is required to bring about a resurrection from the dead.

It is certainly a task which no human being could accomplish. The Great Houdini thought that he might be able to escape the clutches of death. He even gave his wife a codeword so that if a spirit appeared to her after his death and claimed to be Houdini, she would know if it was he. Needless to say, no spirit ever came to her with the proper codeword.

Satan is the great imposter, and he often tries to imitate the workings of God, but raising someone from the dead is not something he can even come close to. Satan is very capable of setting up situations which result in death and destruction, but giving life is not something he has any power to do.

God and God alone had the power to give life to Adam and Eve in the garden, and He alone is the One who has the power to give eternal life to those who believe in His Son. Though we may die as Sons of Adam, we know that God has the power to raise us up again as Sons of the Second Adam, even Jesus Christ.

The power of the resurrection is a common theme for the Apostle Paul. Here in Ephesians 1, Paul prays that we might understand the power that is took to raise Christ from the dead. In Romans 1, Paul said:

Rom 1:3-4
3 Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,
4 and He was declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead.

In Philippians, he said:
Indeed, I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection.

Paul clearly says that to him it would be a far greater blessing to have a more perfect understanding of the real power that it took to raise Christ from the dead than it would be to have all of the things that this world has to offer.

I have to admit, as I speak to you this morning , that as I was studying these passages, I began to realize that I probably don’t have a clue as to what this great power really is. I have so much to learn, but I know that God wants me to know about this resurrection power, and He wants me to realize that power in my life now and throughout all of eternity.

Now, in closing, we see that God's great power is seen not only in the resurrection of Christ from the grave, but it is seen in His ascension into the heavenly places where He is seated at the right hand of the Father. The fact that Christ is seated in the heavenly places far above all principality and power, certainly demonstrates the superior power of the Father and of the Son.

As Paul describes Christ’s position, he goes on to say that Christ has been given the position of Head over all things to the Church which is His Body. Now it is interesting to me that even though Christ has supreme authority over all things, He was not given the position of king over the Body of Christ. No. I’m thankful that today Christ does not reign as king over His Church, but He serves as Head of the Church.

I know that many people these days are interested in dominion theology in which it is taught that God has given believers all authority and all power over the political processes of the earth. However, this attitude is not in keeping with the leadership Christ has shown as the Head of the Church. We have the privilege today of relating to Christ on a very personal basis, as a fellow laborer. This is a much closer relationship than that of a subject to his king. We are called to fellowship with Christ as we serve Him, as we serve one another, and as we serve our fellow human beings.

Actually, a careful look at the future earthly kingdom reveals that an attitude of domination will be inappropriate for the kingdom as well. Jesus told his disciples:

Matt 20:25-28 (NKJ)
25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.
26 "Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.
27 "And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave__
28 "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

One of the reasons God decided to reveal the mystery of His will to us is so that we would be able to understand the exceeding greatness of His power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and when He raised Him up to sit in the heavenly places to serve as the Head over all things to the Church which is His Body.

I have enjoyed studying with you this morning. Thank you for listening, and 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/

Ephesians 1 Part 10 (5-29-05)

Ephesians 1 Part 10
Bible Study Time 5-29-05

In verse 15 of Ephesians, Chapter 1, the Apostle Paul says, “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.” This says so much about the Apostle Paul and the believers at Ephesus.

God wants us to look for opportunities to bear witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ, but when we have the chance to lead someone to the Lord, it is so important for us to followup with that person. We need to pray for them, and we need to communicate with them so that we can encourage them in the things of the Lord.

We know that God is going to be working in their lives and doing miraculous things, but the devil is also going to be working. The devil tries to blind the eyes of unbelievers so that they can not see the gospel, but when the Holy Spirit breaks through the darkness to reveal the light of Jesus Christ, the devil steps up his attacks to keep the new believer from growing in the truth of Jesus Christ.

Paul had labored for about three years in Ephesus. He had seen God do miraculous things, both physically and spiritually, but it had been a long time since he had seen them face to face. However, he never stopped thinking about them. He never stopped praying for them. He never stopped trusting God for their spiritual welfare. But he was also acutely aware of the devil’s spiritual warfare.

He had seen the division and strife in Corinth, as well as overt immorality. In II Corinthians, Paul said in effect, “We have to be on guard lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

He had seen the judaizers come into the Galatian churches where the people were turning back to the Law of Moses. Paul told the Galatian believers:

Gal 3:1 (NKJ)
1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth?

Traveling was difficult in those days, so it probably had been a long while since Paul had heard from the Church in Ephesus, but when he got word that their faith in the Lord Jesus was strong and their love for all the saints was well known, his heart rejoiced.

I’m sure he was excited to write this letter to the Ephesians so that he could once again encourage them in their walk with the Lord. He said, “Since I heard this good report concerning your faith and your love, I have continued to thank God for you and pray for you without ceasing.”

What prayers did he offer on their behalf? First, he prayed that God would give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God.

Which God? The God of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Which God? The God of glory.

These believers had come out of the corrupt pagan religions which taught the existence of many gods. Paul wanted to encourage the Ephesians in the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the God of glory.

The nation of Israel, as a whole, thought they worshiped the true and the living God, but they did not, for they did not worship the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. They had rejected Jesus Christ as God’s Son and as their messiah.

When Jesus told the Pharisees, “You do the deeds of your father.” They said, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.”

Then Jesus said, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God.”

Paul not only emphasized that the one true God is the God of our Lord Jesus Christ but that God is the God of glory. Paul wanted to reemphasize that we have every reason. We have every motivation to believe in Jesus Christ. He is our hope for future glory. Paul said:

Rom 8:18 (NKJ)
18 . . . I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

The nation of Israel had the presence of God’s Shekinah glory dwelling with them in the wilderness. Today we have the glory of God dwelling within us, for our bodies serve as the temple of the Holy Spirit. However, someday we are going to leave behind our bodies of flesh, and we will be given a new and glorious body as we enter into the glory of heaven. This is our inheritance in Jesus Christ.

In I Corinthians, Chapter 2, Paul paraphrased the words of Isaiah and said:

1 Cor 2:9-10
9 "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has 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.

From time to time in the scriptures we get a glimpse of the glory of God. As the angels announced the savior’s birth, the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and the shepherds were sore afraid.

When Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James and John were awakened from their sleep to see Jesus Christ in all of His glory.

Just before the crucifixion, Jesus prayed:

John 17:5 (NKJ)
5 "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

Later, in that same prayer, the Lord said:

John 17:20-24 (NKJ)
24 "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

Jesus Christ left the glory of heaven because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. He took a body of humiliation and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore, God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.

And now in Ephesians 1, Paul reminds us that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ is the God of glory, and he prays that we who believe might know the riches of the glory of God’s inheritance in the saints.

As Paul writes the Ephesian believers from a Roman prison, he is well aware of the fact that the nation of Israel has rejected Christ as her messiah. From the time of his conversion to Christ, Paul had expected Jesus Christ to return to earth very soon to gather and glorify His saints and establish His kingdom of glory upon the earth.

He had told the Corinthian believers that they should not take any matter to a secular court because they would be judging the world in the kingdom. He also told the men of that congregation that if they were single, they should not seek a wife because, as Paul put it, “The form of this world is passing away.”

But now all of that had been set aside, and one would think that Paul would have been in the depths of despair. But quite the opposite was true.

Well, why is that?

As we saw in Ephesians 1:8 and 9, God had revealed to Paul the mystery of His will. Paul could see that God knew all along that Israel would reject Christ. God knew they would reject the Father in the Old Testament. God knew they would reject the Son during Christ’s earthly ministry, and God knew they would reject the ministry of the Holy Spirit during the Acts period. None of this took God by surprise.

God’s plan from the beginning was that Israel would reject Christ and be set aside on a temporary basis, while God created a new body of believers composed of Jews and Gentiles alike. A new body of believers saved by simple faith in Jesus Christ. This was and is the mystery of God’s will which was revealed to the Apostle Paul.

When Paul heard of the faith of the Ephesians and of their love for the saints, he prayed without ceasing that the Holy Spirit would give to them wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God. He prayed that the eyes of their understanding would be enlightened.

Paul certainly knew the blessing of joy and assurance that comes with understanding. Paul had always been very sincere, even when he was sincerely wrong. At one time, he sincerely thought that Jesus Christ was an imposter, but he was wrong. God had to shut his eyes in order to open them. When Paul met the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, Paul was blinded by the light, but the eyes of his understanding were opened, and he called Jesus Lord. He said, “Lord, what would you have me to do?”

At one time, Paul sincerely thought that the Jews would acknowledge Christ as their promised messiah within a very short time, but he was wrong. He had said, “There is coming a time when all Israel will be saved.” But he did not know that it would be thousands of years in the future before Israel’s salvation would occur.

Paul had a lot of growing to do in terms of his understanding, but the beautiful thing about Paul is that he truly wanted to know everything that he could possibly learn about God’s plan and purpose. Paul was not just trying to fine tune his theology so that he could attract a large following of converts. He was truly seeking to know God’s will.

Jesus said, “If you seek you will find.” And Paul found what he was seeking. God revealed more truth and deeper truth to and through Paul than through any other apostle. God revealed to Paul the mystery of God’s will.

Paul was praying that the Ephesians would be able to experience for themselves the joy that comes with having the eyes of their understanding opened so that they could know the hope of God’s calling and the riches of the glory of God’s inheritance in the saints.

Paul had been raised with an understanding of the promised Messiah. He had been raised with an understanding of the promised kingdom. His whole life had been dedicated to these two theological points. But when Paul saw that Israel’s kingdom had been set aside, and when he saw that Jesus was more than just Israel’s Messiah, he was overwhelmed. He was overjoyed. He knew that he could never express in words how marvelous, how wonderful, how glorious was the plan of God.

He just said to the Ephesians, “I pray that God will open your eyes to see the wonder of it all.”

Even still we today have to read between the lines. We have to read between the words. We have to read between the letters to get a glimpse of the glory of it all. It is truly too marvelous for words to fully express.

Paul essentially said, “I could never have guessed that the Messiah could be all that Jesus Christ is, but I am praying that your eyes will be opened to see what I have seen. It is through Christ that we see the exceeding greatness of God’s power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He accomplished in Christ when He raised Him from the dead.”

Is it possible for us today to grasp the full impact of these words? Well, we can, but only by the wisdom and revelation which is given by the Holy Spirit, for today Christ has not only been raised from the dead, but He has been seated at God’s 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.

Never, throughout all of eternity, will there ever be a name which carries more weight of authority than that of Jesus Christ. Which implies more might or more power than that of Jesus Christ. Never, throughout all of eternity, will there ever be a name which reveals more love or more grace than that of Jesus Christ. Even now God has put all things under Christ’s feet and has given Him to be Head over all things to the Church which is His Body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

When Paul accepted Christ as his Savior, he had no idea the depth of wisdom and revelation that God was going to give to him, but whatever God had for him, Paul knew that he wanted it. Many times if you talk to people about the things of the Lord, they will say, “Well, you really need to talk to my preacher about that.” Or, “My church believes this or that.”

God has so much to reveal to us, but the truths of God’s word have to be applied individually. Our churches can only grow if we grow as individuals. God wants to deal with each one of us on a personal level. I don’t know about you, but I love the one on one attention I get from God.

All believers today are members of this church which is revealed in the book of Ephesians. We are members of the Church which is the Body of Christ, and Christ is the Head of our Church. Therefore, we can take every word written to the Ephesians and take as if it were written directly to us. God wants the eyes of our understanding to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit so that we may know the hope of God’s calling for us, so that we may know the riches of the glory of God’s inheritance in the saints.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. It has been a pleasure being with you, and 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/

Ephesians 1 Part 9 (5-22-05)

Ephesians 1 Part 9
(Bible Study Time 5-22-05)

According to Ephesians, Chapter 1, the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance in Jesus Christ. When we witness the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, we have assurance that our inheritance is secure. However, we must realize that the changes we see here and now are but a glimpse of the total glory which we will someday experience.

When Christ who is our life appears, then we also will appear with Him in glory. But even now, our citizenship is in heaven from whence we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that is may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able to subdue all things unto Himself.

Because this inheritance is guaranteed, we can say with full assurance that we have eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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.

The Holy Spirit is God’s seal of acceptance upon our lives. Manufacturers in our country often work hard to earn the seal of approval which independent researchers offer. The American Dental Association has a seal of acceptance which is placed upon certain products which have been tested and approved. Only those products which have passed the test are given their seal of approval.

Well, God has placed His seal of approval upon us. We are accepted in the beloved. He was tested in every way. According to the book of Hebrews, Jesus Christ can sympathize with our weaknesses because He was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Christ was tested in the wilderness by the devil. He had had no food for forty days and forty nights when the devil came to him and said, "If thou be the son of God, command that these stones be made bread." Jesus quoted the scriptures and said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."

The devil took Jesus up to the top of the temple and said, "Cast yourself down, and angels will lift you up." Jesus passed the test and said, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

When the devil offered Jesus all of the kingdoms of this world if He would but bow down and worship the devil, the Lord Jesus remained faithful to the word of God and said, "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve."

Later, the Lord Jesus was repeatedly tested by the scribes and the Pharisees. The Bible says that the Pharisees plotted to entangle Jesus in His words. They asked, "Is it lawful to pay taxes?" Jesus said, "Render unto Caesar those things which are Caesar’s."

They asked, "If a woman is married to seven brothers, whose wife will she be in the resurrection?" Jesus said, "In the resurrection there is neither marrying nor giving in marriage."

They asked, "Which is the greatest commandment of the law?" Jesus answered plainly, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all your heart, soul and mind, and the second greatest commandment is, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself’."

Jesus Christ was the spotless Lamb of God, who came to take away the sin of the world. He was tested and tried in all points such as we are, yet without sin.

God placed His seal of approval upon the Lord Jesus. At the time of Jesus’ baptism and on the Mount of Transfiguration, God spoke from heaven and said, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."

While Jesus was dying upon the cross, He cried out, "My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me?" But this time the heavens were silent. There was no voice from heaven to comfort and console, for God had turned His back on His only begotten Son. The Bible says that Jesus cried out again, with a loud voice, but again the heavens were silent, and Jesus yielded up His spirit.

They took his body and laid it in a grave, but the grave could not hold Him. On the third day Jesus came back from the dead and was taken up into heaven where He was glorified and exalted. He was given a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. And we who believe are accepted in Him and sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

There is no indication that God would ever, under any circumstance, take away the Holy Spirit from those who believe. There is no indication that God would take away the salvation which He has given to us. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.

God knows the end from the beginning, and there is nothing that takes Him by surprise. He planned our salvation in consultation with all the members of the Godhead before the foundation of the world. Therefore, it is inconceivable that God would grant salvation one day only to take it away the next.

In Galatians, Chapter 3, Paul answers those who theorize that salvation must be maintained by good works even after we are saved by faith. In verse 2 we read:

Galatians 3:2-3 (NKJ)
2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

Paul was reminding the Jewish believers that they had kept the law for years and years, but they did not receive salvation until they put their faith in Jesus Christ. They kept the law faithfully, but they were lost in their sins until they experienced the power of faith in Christ.

Then Paul reminded them that when they got saved, the Holy Spirit gave evidence of that salvation by means of miracles, wonders and signs. People spoke in tongues. People were healed of their diseases. Demons were cast out. Paul asked, "Did these things ever happen to you as a result of keeping the law? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?" Paul said in Galatians 2:

Galatians 2:18-20 (NKJ)
18 "For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
19 "For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.

Galatians 2:21 (NKJ)
21 "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."

If God were to take away our salvation as a result of sin, then our salvation would be dependent upon our own good works, and we would find ourselves under the same curse as those who were under the law, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

If keeping my salvation depends upon my own goods works, then I will either live in doubt and fear of losing my salvation, or I will learn to disregard my sin as a spirit of self righteousness grows within my heart.

Since living in constant doubt and fear is too painful to endure, many learn that self righteousness is more tolerable. They may convince themselves that they are good enough as they compare themselves to others by the standards of society. But God does not think the way society thinks. He said:

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJ)
8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," . . .
9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

The essence of self righteousness is pride. Therefore, as self righteousness grows, pride also grows. What a paradox! The better we think we are the worse we really are. Proverbs 6 lists even a proud look as one of the seven things that God hates.

The Pharisees stand as the supreme example of those who were self righteous. They wrongfully accused an innocent man. They paid for perjured testimony in the trial, and on the basis of that testimony they executed the man. But, somehow, they thought they were innocent before God. Jesus knew their hearts and said, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy."

Our only hope of living a life that is pleasing to God is to humble ourselves before the Lord and ask for His help. If we seek we will find. Psalm 34 says:

Psalm 34:18 (NKJ)
18 The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.

Psalm 51 says:

Psalm 51:15-17 (NKJ)
15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; you do not delight in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart__ these, O God, You will not despise.

Isaiah said:

Isaiah 66:1-2 (NKJ)
1 Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool . . .
2 "But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.

The Lord Jesus had harsh words for the Pharisees. He said:

Matthew 23:13-15 (NKJ)
13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
14 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector who both went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee said, "God, I thank You that I am not like other men-- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.

The tax collector, on the other hand, would not even lift his eyes to heaven, but he said, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!"

Then Jesus said of the tax collector, "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

We are saved by God’s grace and accepted in the Beloved. We have been sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, and by God’s grace He will keep us safe and secure in Jesus Christ until the day when God catches us up to be with Him in the glory of heaven.

If you are listening today, and you find yourself plagued with fears and doubts about where you will spend eternity, you can trust what God has said in His word. Jesus Christ died for your sins, and those who put their faith in Him are given eternal life.

You do not have to worry that God will take your salvation away. Jesus said:

John 10:27-29 (NKJ)
27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
28 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.

If you are listening today, and you find yourself thinking that God will accept you because you live a pretty good life, I would ask you to seriously consider your relationship with God. If you have never accepted Christ, humble yourself before the Lord and accept Christ as your Savior. Jesus Christ will enter into your life and fill your life with blessings.

If you have already trusted Christ but have continued to live with a determination to do good deeds so that you will be guaranteed a place in heaven, that is the sin of pride. Humble yourself before the Lord, confess your sin and God will give you the assurance that you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit until the redemption of the purchased possession at the rapture of the Church.

Psalm 34:18 (NKJ)
18 The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

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

Ephesians 1 Part 8 (5-15-05)

Ephesians 1:14
(Bible Study Time 5-15-05)

The book of Ephesians, Chapter 1, reveals some of the spiritual blessings that believers of our present age experience in Jesus Christ. In fact, Paul says that we are blessed with all spiritual blessings, and he says that we who first trusted in Christ have obtained this inheritance, that we should be to the praise of God’s glory.

As members of the Church which is the Body of Christ, we are among those who first trusted in Christ. This description sets us apart from those who will put their trust in Christ during the tribulation period. The entire nation of Israel and many others as well will be saved during the tribulation period.

But during that time of tribulation, God will send strong delusion upon the majority of mankind so that they will believe the lie of Satan. The antichrist will proclaim himself to be God as he sits in the temple of God.

However, in spite of all this evil that will take place during the tribulation period, God is already working out His glorious plan to reconcile all things to Christ, whether things in heaven or things on earth. But we are among those who first trusted in Christ. We today have been set apart from those who will be reconciled to God in the ages to come.

Paul says that believers today have redemption though the blood of Christ, even the forgiveness of sins. However, he is very clear that our redemption will not be complete until we receive our new immortal bodies from God. Colossians 3 says:

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

Philippians 3 says:

Philippians 3:20-21 (NKJ)
20 . . . our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

We have assurance that this will take place before the tribulation period because when Paul told Timothy about the perilous last days of our present age, he said nothing about the antichrist, the abomination of desolation, or anything else that relates to the tribulation period. He said only that:

2 Timothy 3:13 (NKJ)
13 . . . evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

And this gives us a clear signal that the evils of the tribulation period will not take place until after the members of the Church, the Body of Christ, are taken up to be with Christ in the glory of heaven.

In Ephesians 1, Paul uses a beautiful expression as he speaks of the rapture if the Church. In verse 14, he refers to the rapture as the redemption of the purchased possession. Paul told the Corinthians in I Corinthians 6:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJ)
19 . . . do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

We were slaves to sin and slaves of Satan, himself, but Jesus Christ paid the price for our freedom. He bought us for Himself, and then He set us free. He gave us the Holy Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.

In Ephesians 1, Paul says that the Holy Spirit within us is the guarantee that someday God will complete the redemption that was purchased at the cross. When you purchase a house, you usually put some earnest money down as the guarantee that you will at a later time complete the transaction.

Well, God already has our reward, our inheritance, waiting for us, and He has given us the Holy Spirit as the guarantee that the transaction will be completed someday. When Jesus Christ catches us up to be with Him in glory, then He will have redeemed His purchased possession.

When you buy a house and you put down your earnest money, the seller is going to want something substantial, something real, to show the validity of your intentions, and when God gave us the Holy Spirit to live within us, He gave us verifiable, internal proof that He will someday complete the redemption that He has already begun in our lives.

When Jesus Christ comes into our hearts, the old man is crucified with Christ, and the new man is generated by the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul draws a sharp contrast between the old man and the new man in Ephesians 4. Beginning at verse 17 we read:

Ephesians 4:17-32 (NKJ)
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart;
19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But you have not so learned Christ,
21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.
26 "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
27 nor give place to the devil.
28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

The new man is a beautiful creation of Jesus Christ, and we are going to look at each of these aspects of the new man in detail in a few weeks, but for now I think we can see the tremendous transformation that takes place in the heart of the believer when the Holy Spirit has the freedom to work.

God has given each person freedom of choice, and as a result, the Holy Spirit will not enter into a person’s life until He is invited to enter. He can draw people to Christ. He can convict people of their sin. But he will not dwell within the heart of a person unless He is invited in.

If you are listening today and have never invited Christ into your life to teach you, direct you and to protect you, won’t you invited Him in today? Salvation is just that simple. Ask and ye shall receive.

However, even after we receive the Holy Spirit, we still have the temptations of the flesh to deal with because we still have a body of flesh. We must guard against anything that would hinder our fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

Ananias tried to lie to the Holy Spirit in Acts, Chapter 5, and he was struck dead. Stephen told the members of the Sanhedrin in Acts, Chapter 7, that they were resisting the Holy Spirit even as their fathers had done. As we read a few moments ago, Paul tells us in Ephesians 4 not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God.

God has given us the Bible as the very word of God to strengthen us in the Holy Spirit. Paul said:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJ)
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Holy Spirit wrote the Bible, and the Holy Spirit uses the Bible to provide all that we need to live a victorious life in Jesus Christ. When we see the Holy Spirit at work in our hearts, this is the guarantee that our inheritance in Jesus Christ is certain. Paul calls the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit of promise, and the promise of our inheritance is that someday we will no longer have to deal with a body of flesh. We are going to be given a glorious body like that of the Lord Jesus when He redeems His purchased possession.

Notice that the Holy Spirit is not only the guarantee of the promise, but the Holy Spirit sets His seal upon our lives. When the President of the United States puts his seal upon a document, that seal gives the words of that document authority. The seal is the proof that the words are the words of the president.

The Church which is the Body of Christ is the purchased possession of God, and God sets His seal upon us to show that we belong to Him and to bestow upon us the power and the authority that we need to carry out the work that God has given us to do. In Luke 24, just before the Lord Jesus ascended up into heaven, He told His disciples:

Luke 24:49 (NKJ)
49 "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."

The Holy Spirit gave the disciples the ability to speak with authority on God’s behalf. When the disciples spoke in tongues on the Day of Pentecost, Peter spoke boldly and said, "This is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel." Then Peter went on to quote verse after verse from Joel, Chapter 2 as well as from the Psalms.

When God sets His seal upon us, He gives us the power and the authority to speak for Him. The power and authority of the disciples was made evident by miracles, wonders and signs. Today, however, grace is the mark of the Holy Spirit. As we saw in Ephesians 4, Paul said:

Ephesians 4:29 (NKJ)
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

Colossians 4 says:

Colossians 4:6 (NKJ)
6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

When we speak with the authority of the Holy Spirit, we should not speak so much with a dogmatic tone, but our speech should reveal the grace of God. We speak the truth, but we speak it in love. Our speech shows the tenderness and true concern of Christ. II Corinthians 2 puts it this way:

2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (NKJ)
14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?
17 For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.

What a privilege it is to represent Christ and bear the fragrance of Christ as we speak the truth in love.

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/

Ephesians 1 Mother's Day (5-8-05)

Mother’s Day
(Bible Study Time 5-8-05)

We have been studying the book of Ephesians where we find the Apostle Paul describing the blessings that belong to the believers of our present age. When we are saved by faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, we are added to the Church which is the Body of Christ, and we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places.

Our blessings stand in contrast to the blessings of those who lived under the Law of Moses. Those who lived under the Law were promised all physical blessings on the earth, if they would but live by the law. They were promised a public health system, a national security system and a nation economic system that would have been the envy of the world.

The Apostle John said that the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ, and this statement shows clearly the superiority of Christ over Moses. However, this does not mean that somehow Moses was not a great man. His greatness did not compare to that Jesus Christ, but the book of Hebrews says that:

Hebrews 3:5 (NKJ)
5 . . . Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward,

But since today is Mother’s Day, I wanted to spend some time talking not only about Moses, but about Moses’ mother. In the little we know about Moses’ mother, many great lessons are there for our learning. In Exodus, Chapter 2, we read:

Exodus 2:1-10 (NKJ)
1 And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi.
2 So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months.
3 But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river's bank.
4 And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.
5 Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it.
6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?"
8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." So the maiden went and called the child's mother.
9 Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him.
10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, "Because I drew him out of the water."

What a blessing it is to have a godly mother! As we look to Moses’ mother for characteristics of a godly mother, we find, first of all, that Moses’ mother was a godly wife. Verse 1 says that a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi.

Many young ladies have a great desire to be a mother because they love the idea of tending for and caring for a baby. But they would do well to prepare themselves first to be a godly wife. According to Exodus, Chapter 6, Moses’ mother was named Jochebed, which is derived from the word Jehovah, and I think we can safely assume that Jochebed was well taught in the things of the Lord and was well prepared to be a godly wife. A godly wife needs to know God, know about God, and have a desire to please God.

The role of the wife is so important in a home that is pleasing to God. Sometimes even when the marriage is not a particularly happy marriage, a godly wife can be the glue that holds everything together. God has great rewards for those who remain faithful to Him in difficult situations. God said through Peter:

1 Peter 3:1-4 (NKJ)
1 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives,
2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.
3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward -- arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel --
4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

From this we are reminded of the fact that a young lady who wants to be a godly mother, needs not only to prepare herself to be a godly wife, but she needs to seek a godly husband. As a daughter in a priestly family, Jochebed married a son from a priestly family. She was not meant to married just any old boy that came along. She was meant to be a special blessing to a godly man, and she was willing to wait for just the right man.

It is a blessing to see families that are established in the love of Jesus Christ. In such families the blessings flow from God to the parents, to the children, to the extended family, and to society. But as Psalm 127 says:

Psalm 127:1 (NKJ)
1 Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it . . .

In verse 2 of Exodus 2, we find that God blessed Jochebed with a son whom we know today as Moses. The Bible says that Jochebed saw, as soon as Moses was born, that he was a beautiful child.

Isn’t that beautiful? Mothers have a way of seeing the beauty in their own children, maybe even when others can’t. Mothers, you should never be ashamed to think that your children are the most beautiful children in the world for every child is a beautiful gift from God.

Then we read that when Jochebed saw how beautiful Moses was, she hid him for three months. She knew that Pharaoh had given the orders for all male children born to the Jews to be killed. A godly mother will be keenly aware of the dangers that lie ahead for her children.

This world is not always a kind and loving place. Satan, himself, is the god of this world, and according Peter, the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Children need to be protected and sheltered. They don’t even need to know about all of the dangers that surround them. Moses did not need to know that the king of Egypt was trying to kill him because he had a godly mother who was willing to hide him and protect him from all the dangers.

In verse 3, when Moses grew too big to hide, Jochebed made an ark of bulrushes and daubed it with pitch. She put Moses in the ark and placed the ark in the river where Pharoah’s daughter could find him. Jochebed was desperate to save her son, and as we know, desperate times call for desperate measures. Jochebed was anticipating future problems and was planning ahead.

Good parents look to the future, anticipate problems and begin solving them early. It is much harder to solve problems after you’re in a crisis mode. We need to start solving problems before they become a crisis.

In verse 4, Moses’ sister, Miriam, stood off to the side while Moses was floating in the river in his little basket. When Pharoah’s daughter discovered Moses, Miriam did not hesitate. She stepped right up and offered assistance. From this we see that a godly mother is able and willing to accept help from others when help is needed.

Many mothers need to realize that mommies can not do everything. Mommies are so good at what they do, they might try to do it all, but they can’t. And dads, you know what I’m going to say, you also need to realize that mom can’t do it all. Look for ways to help and try to learn from mom’s expertise. You can learn a lot if you watch, listen and learn.

When Pharoah’s daughter discovered Moses in the river, Miriam stepped out from her hiding place and said in effect, "If you would like for me to find a Hebrew nurse for the child, I think I know of someone who would be just perfect."

That took a lot of courage on Miriam’s part. We all need that extra measure of courage to do the things that God has called us to do. Miriam was not the type to shrink back. She stepped out and spoke right up. She must have loved Moses, almost as much as Jochebed did.

Mothers, if it’s true that you need help from time to time, be sure that those who help you love your child almost as much as you do. It is probably true that no one can love your child as much as you do, but there are probably people around who love them almost as much. Chose people like that to help you, and make sure that they have the courage to step up to the plate and do the right thing when tough decisions have to be made. Jochebed was wise to trust Miriam as her helper.

Next we see that when mothers are faithful to God, God is faithful to them. Pharoah’s daughter decided to allow Jochebed to be Moses’ nurse, and she even paid Jochebed to do it. We have to marvel at the goodness of the Lord. Who would have ever thought that God would provide for Moses in such a marvelous way? God is trustworthy. God is faithful. And godly mothers know Him and trust Him.

As I mentioned earlier, Jochebed’s name is derived from the word Jehovah which, among other things, means provider or savior. Jochebed knew of the dangers that faced her son, and she used her courage, her creativity, her family. She used every resource available to her to save her son’s life. And God, who is Jehovah, blessed her efforts. Moses’ life was spared.

Jochebed was paid to nurse Moses as a young child, and again I think we can safely assume that she took every opportunity to teach her son from the word of God the things that he would need to know to do what God had called Him to do.

Moses needed to know God. He needed to know the promises of God. He needed to know the faithfulness of God. She probably knew that she would not have much time so she took advantage of every opportunity to teach her son.

Godly mothers will realize that time is precious and fleeting. They won’t say, "I’ll teach my children tomorrow. There will be plenty of time tomorrow." No. They will teach today, and they will teach tomorrow. From the time that they first hold them in their arms, they will be singing, "Jesus Loves Me" and "Jesus Loves the Little Children." They will read them books that tell the Bible stories. They will tell them that Jesus died for their sins.

How precious it is to lead your own children to the Lord. I really appreciated Heather’s testimony a few minutes ago. Her mother was able to sit down and pray with her, and she accepted Christ when she was only 5 years old. Your children may not learn about Jesus unless you tell them about Jesus. Godly mothers teach their children about Jesus.

Then there is just one final point we need to see here in Exodus 2 and that is that Jochebed brought Moses to Pharaoh daughter, and Moses became Pharoah’s son. This must have been the hardest thing that Jochebed ever had to do, but in order to save his life, she had to realize that she had done all she could do. The time had come for her to let go of her son and trust God.

Like I said, some mothers want to wait until another day to teach their children about the things of the Lord, but the time for teaching has its limits. The day will come when your effectiveness as a teacher will be limited. If you do a good job of teaching when the children are young, you will be able to let go and trust God when they are older.

We don’t know how much contact Moses had with his mother after he moved into the palace. Probably not much. If she ever saw him at all, she probably had to chose her words carefully. I can just hear her whispering, "Moses, remember the God of Israel." And then she would pray. I think we can paraphrase James 5:16 and say that the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous woman availeth much.

Jochebed must have known that God had something very special planned for Moses, but she could never have imagined the extent to which God would use him. God later said:

Numbers 12:8 (NKJ)
8 I speak with Moses face to face, and he sees the form of the LORD . . . "

God spoke to Moses, and God spoke through Moses. God used Moses to part the Red Sea. God used Moses to bring water out of a rock. God gave through Moses His perfect law. John said:

John 1:17 (NKJ)
17 . . . the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Moses indeed was faithful in all of his house, and all that he did, all that he accomplished came about because God saw to it that Moses had a godly mother.

To all of you godly mothers who are listening this morning. I want to say thank you, and I hope you have a Mother’s Day that is full of blessings from the Lord.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time. The Lord willing, we will be 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/