Ephesians 2 Part 6 (7-31-05)

Ephesians 2 Part 6
Bible Study Time July 31, 2005

In the first chapter of the book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul enumerates all of the spiritual blessings that believers possess before he announces that the Lord Jesus Christ is now serving as the Head over all things to the Church which is His Body. In the second chapter, Paul reminds us that we were at one time dead in trespasses and sins. That we walked according to the course of this world which is under the dominion of the devil, himself.

But then Paul declares that God saved us simply because of His love, His mercy and His grace. Not by works of righteousness which we had done, but by His mercy He saved us and raised us up to sit with Christ in the heavenlies.

Of coarse, that sounds rather odd to us at first glance. How can we stand on earth while being seated in the heavenlies? In this statement Paul teaches a very important doctrine. There is a difference between the way God’s sees us and the way we see ourselves. If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that we are far from perfect as we live in this natural world, but God does not see our imperfections.

He could never fellowship with that which is imperfect. He requires absolute perfection. Part of the good news for us is that when we put our faith in Christ, we are baptized into Christ and His righteousness. From that moment on, God sees us in the righteousness of Christ. Paul put it this way in Colossians 1:

Colossians 1:21-22 (NKJ)
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight--

We are seated in the heavenlies because we are in Christ, and in God’s sight, we are holy, blameless and above reproach. As a result, we are challenged to reveal the glory of heaven to those around us. We may be the only tangible connection with heaven that unbelievers have. We need to make that connection real so as to attract the lost to Jesus Christ.

Being seated with Christ in the heavenlies and blessed with all spiritual blessings is not the end. God made this possible for a reason. God did these things so that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us. God has a great future planned for us, the glory of which our minds can not comprehend.

Then in verse 11 of Ephesians, Chapter 2, Paul reminds us Gentiles that we were once looked down on by the Jews because we were uncircumcised. The Law of Moses which required circumcision had kept us at a distance from the covenants of God. Paul said we were without hope and without God in the world, but verse 13 says that we have now been brought near to God by the blood of Christ.

God put an end to the law when Christ died on the cross. Circumcision and the other ordinances of the Law were abolished. God is now creating in Christ one new man from the Jews and from the Gentiles.

During the Acts period, God was offering the New Covenant Kingdom to Israel. In Romans 11, Paul said that the Gentiles were being grafted into Israel’s program. Since a grafted branch maintains its own identity and bears its own particular fruit, it stands to reason that in the kingdom program of that time the Jews had their calling, while the Gentiles had a separate calling.

In Paul’s prison epistles, that is not the case. Ephesians 2 declares that today God is calling out one new man from among the Jews and the Gentiles. There is neither Jew nor Gentile in the Church which is the Body of Christ.

Verse 17 of Ephesians 2 says:

Ephesians 2:17 (NKJ)
17 And (Jesus) came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He was a preacher. In His hometown of Nazareth, He quoted Isaiah 61 and said it spoke of Him. Isaiah 61 says that the Spirit of the Lord would be upon Christ to preach good tidings to the poor and proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

The Bible says that after His temptation in the wilderness:

Matthew 4:17 (NKJ)
17 . . . Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

After Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law and many others in Capernaum, the people begged Jesus to stay with them, but He said:

Mark 1:37-38 (NKJ)
38 . . . "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."
39 And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.

When Jesus sent out His twelve apostles in Matthew, Chapter 10, He said:

Matthew 10:7 (NKJ)
7 "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'

But notice what Jesus told these disciples during their commissioning. In Matthew 10 and verse 5 we read:

Matthew 10:5-6 (NKJ)
5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.
6 "But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Jesus told these disciples to preach only to Jews. Only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. In the gospels, Jesus was preaching the New Covenant Kingdom, and that message had to go first to the Jews. It was not until after the cross that the message of the New Covenant went out to the Gentiles who upon believing were grafted into Israel’s kingdom program.

Today, however, Jesus Christ is preaching to the Gentiles and the Jews through the Apostle Paul. Paul repeatedly emphasized that God had called him to reveal the gospel of the grace of God as well as the great mystery concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ. Those who receive Paul’s message of God’s grace through faith in Christ are added to the Church which is the Body of Christ.

In Matthew 10, when the Lord sent the disciples out to preach to the Jews, He specifically told them to:

Matthew 10:8-10 (NKJ)
8 "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons . . .
9 "Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts,
10 " . . . for a worker is worthy of his food.

These signs were evident wherever the New Covenant message was taught, whether in the gospels or during the Acts period. However, we find no hint of such things in the prison epistles of Ephesians, Philippians or Colossians.

Ephesians 2:14 says that Christ, Himself is our peace because He abolished the Law which had separated the Jew from the Gentile. In verse 17 we learn that Christ has come preaching peace to the Jew and to the Gentile because, according to verse 18, Jews and Gentiles have access to the Father by one Spirit, even the Holy Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit of God is our lifeline to God. The Lord Jesus told his disciples:

John 14:2-3
2 . . . I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself.

John 14:16-17
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but you know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you.

Romans 8 confirms the gift of the Holy Spirit after the fact. In verse 13 we read:

Romans 8:13-16 (NKJ)
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Indeed, all believers have access to the Father by one Spirit. Now let’s continue in verse 19 of Ephesians 2:

Ephesians 2:19-22 (NKJ)
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone,
21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

What a blessing it is to know that all believers are members of the same household. When we look around and see so many different church organizations, it’s certainly confusing and somewhat discouraging. But the spiritual reality is that all believers regardless of their religious affiliations are members of the same household which Paul called the household of God.

Paul tells us that the household of God is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, yet Paul declares in Ephesians 3 and Colossians 1 that the mystery concerning the Church was never revealed to the apostles or prophets of other ages.

Both are true. The mystery concerning the Church was never revealed to or by the apostles and prophets, but the apostles and prophets did lay the foundation for the truth of the mystery for all scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped unto every good work.

The Old Testament Law was a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. In it we learn about Adam’s sin and the curse. We learn about God’s righteousness as well as His longsuffering. We learn about the blood which is required for redemption. All that was written by the apostles and prophets laid the foundation for the truth of the mystery concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ.

In the household of God, the apostles and prophets are the foundation. Christ is the cornerstone which holds the house together and gives it stability, while believers are the framework with each shaped and molded for a precision fit. We are the workmanship of Christ.

But this house is not just any house. It is the temple of God. It is the dwelling place of God in the Spirit. The Spirit of God dwells in us individually, and therefore, our bodies are the temple of God. But in addition to that, believers are the temple of God in a corporate sense.

In the first chapter of this book of Ephesians, Paul emphasized that we, as believers are in Christ. Our spiritual blessings are in Christ. We were chosen in Christ. We are accepted in Christ. But now Paul says that the opposite is true as well. Just as surely as we are in Christ, Christ is also in us. In Colossians 1, Paul says that the glory of the mystery concerning the Church is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. It’s 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 2 Part 5 (7-24-05)

Ephesians 2 Part 5
Bible Study Time 7-24-05

In Ephesians, Chapter 2, we have been looking at the fact that God was able to abolish the Law which had resulted in a spiritual separation between the Jews and Gentiles. Christ abolished the Law when He was crucified upon the cross. In Ephesians 2:14, we read:

Ephesians 2:14-16
14 For (Christ) Himself is our peace, who has made both (the Jew and the Gentile) one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,
16 and that He might reconcile (both the Jew and the Gentile) to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

Last week we saw in Romans 11 that during the Acts period, Paul said that Gentiles were being grafted into the root or stock of Israel which is a far cry from the concept expressed by Paul in Ephesians 2. A branch that is grafted to a tree is dependent upon the tree for its survival. All of its sustenance must come from the tree which bears the grafted limb. In Ephesians 2, the Gentiles are not grafted into the Jewish stock, but Jews and Gentiles are reconciled to God in one body with neither being dependent upon the other, while both are completely dependent upon Christ.

In the New Covenant economy of the Acts period, believing Gentiles were waiting for the Jews to be saved because the kingdom could not come until the Jews accepted Christ as their Messiah. God’s blessings for the Gentiles had to flow through the Jewish stock. Paul told the Gentiles in Romans 11:

Romans 11:18 (NKJ)
18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

Another aspect of the New Covenant economy that is seen in the grafted branch is the fact that a grafted branch never really becomes one with the tree. It always maintains its own identity, and it bears its own particular fruit. In like manner, the Jews and Gentiles never could become one under the New Covenant. They each maintained their own separate identities.

Well, this New Covenant economy had become a thing of the past by the time Paul wrote the book of Ephesians. The offer of the New Covenant Kingdom had been set aside, and Paul had been called to reveal the Church which is the Body of Christ. By this time God was reconciling both Jews and Gentiles in one body by the cross.

The analogy of the grafted branch illustrated beautifully the position of the Gentile to the Jew under the New Covenant economy, and the analogy of the body illustrates beautifully the relationship of the Gentile to the Jew in the economy of the Church, the Body of Christ. The various members of a body have different functions, but the identity of each member is lost to the identity of the whole person, while the identity of the whole person is determined by the head.

According to Ephesians 1, God gave Christ to be Head over all things to the Church which is His Body, and according to Ephesians 5, we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bone. We lose our identity as we become identified with Christ.

In Ephesians 3, Paul says that the unique feature of the Church the Body of Christ is that in this Church the Gentiles are fellow heirs and of the same body with the Jews, and they are partakers of God’s promise in Christ through the gospel.

Notice that Paul does not say that Gentiles are now partakers in the covenants of promise with Israel. Paul did not say that in Chapter 2, and neither does he say it in Chapter 3. Paul simply says that we, as Gentiles, are partakers in God’s promise in Christ through the gospel.

Isaiah spoke of the one who would be wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. One who would take upon Himself the chastisement of our peace and would bring healing by His stripes. This is the promise in Christ which comes to us through the gospel.

Praise the Lord, we are partakers in this promise, and the ordinances of the Law no longer hold us back from the spiritual healing that comes through the blood of Christ. The Law was nailed to the cross so that now we can be partakers in God’s promise in Christ through the gospel.

In the Old Testament, Israel was physically near to God because God put His tabernacle in their camp. God talked to them through the prophets, and the required rituals were easily accessible. The Jews were able to observe first hand the Shekinah glory of God in the tabernacle and then in the temple. His glory remained with them until the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, and at that time, Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord depart from the temple.

Later, the temple was rebuilt, but the glory of the Lord never returned. By the time Jesus appeared in Jewish history, Herod had built a tremendously beautiful temple for the Jews, but he had hired his own High Priest. The Shekinah glory never appeared in that temple.

Jesus Christ came unto His own but His own received Him not because their hearts were far from God. The Jews of Jesus day were just as lost as the pagan Gentiles.

As John the Baptist and Jesus came preaching the message of the New Covenant Kingdom, their focus was upon the Jews. John and Jesus went only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel telling them to repent and be baptized for the kingdom of heaven was at hand. After the cross the Apostles went preaching the message of the New Covenant Kingdom and again went only to the Jews until Acts, Chapter 10, when God convinced Peter to talk to Cornelius. God called Paul to go the Gentiles, but as he went preaching the message of the New Covenant, he said that he also went to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

At Mt. Sinai, God had called Israel to be a kingdom of priests, and Peter confirmed this hope when, as the Apostle to the Jews, he said:

1 Peter 2:5 (NKJ)
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:9 (NKJ)
9 . . . you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

The Jews were given every opportunity to believe, but they never responded to the call of God. God was calling them to Himself. He was offering them the kingdom for which they had been waiting for thousands of years. But when their Messiah stood before them at the Passover, they said, “Crucify Him, we have no king but Caesar.” When the Spirit of God was poured out upon the Apostles at Pentecost, they said, “These men are drunk.”

When God set their program aside and began calling out members of the Church the Body of Christ, God did not focus on any one group of people. In the economy of this church, all people have an equal opportunity to come to God. All people come to God on the same basis, by recognizing their sinful state and clinging to Jesus Christ for the salvation which He freely offers to all who call upon His name. God is now reconciling both Jews and Gentiles to Himself in one body through the cross.

Last week we talked a little bit about when this economy of the Church the Body of Christ began, and this could be an important question. If we see two different programs with different expectations and different manifestations, we might need to know when one stopped and the other started. We might need to know which program we are a part of.

In the New Covenant economy the focus in on the Jews, the rituals of water baptism and circumcision were practiced, and the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit were evident. In the economy of the Church the Body of Christ, we see a focus on all people everywhere while the rituals and sign gifts are absent.

When did the Church which is the Body of Christ begin? Paul stated that it was made possible when Christ abolished the Law at the cross. This tells us that it did not start before the cross.

Paul specifically taught the details of the Church which is the Body of Christ in his prison epistles. Therefore, this church had to have begun before the these epistles were written.

In Acts, Chapter 2, we read that 3000 people were added to the church, but this was a church which clearly was waiting for the New Covenant Kingdom. This is evident by the presence of water baptism and the sign gifts as well as by the fact that they sold all of their possessions and lived together.

Some people believe that the Church the Body of Christ began at Acts Chapter 9 with the salvation of Paul, while others believe that it began in Acts 13 when Paul said to the Jews:

Acts 13:46 (KJV)
46 . . . It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

Others believe that it began in Acts 28 when Paul quoted Isaiah 6 to the Jews and then said:

Acts 28:28
28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and they will hear it.

Well, none of these passages really gives us a definite answer, nor does any other passage. We know that this church started sometime after the cross and before the writing of the prison epistles.

We also know that if God did start the Church which is the Body of Christ during the Acts period, He never allowed Paul to reveal in his writings the unique features of this church until the writing of the prison epistles.

Several times in Paul’s Acts period epistles, he got very close to the doctrines of the prison epistles. In Romans and in I Corinthians, he referred to the body of Christ, but he never specifically referred to this body as the Church whose institutional Head is Jesus Christ.

In Romans and Galatians, Paul said that there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, but it is obvious that Paul was speaking about their spiritual state because in both books he continued to emphasize Israel’s unique position in regard to the New Covenant hope.

Since God did not tell us when the Church the Body of Christ began, it is evident that we do not need to know when it began. It is really more significant to know when the New Covenant ministry was set aside because that is the ministry with which the rituals and sign gifts were associated.

When we look at the internal evidence of the prison epistles, suddenly there is no mention of the New Covenant while the rituals and sign gifts are conspicuously absent. From this we judge that the New Covenant ministry was set aside somewhere between the events of Acts 28 and the writing of the prison epistles.

Next week we will finish Ephesians 2 and maybe even get into Ephesians 3 in more detail than we did today. Thank you for joining me for Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

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

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Ephesians 2 Part 4 (7-17-05)

Ephesians 2 Part 4
Bible Study Time 7-17-05

In Ephesians, Chapter 2, the Apostle Paul first reminds us that we were at one time dead in trespasses and sins but that God has now saved us by His grace and brought us to life in Jesus Christ. Then he reminds those of us who are Gentiles that we were at one time aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from Israel’s covenants of promise.

Now when Paul says this about our past relationship to Israel’s covenants, we just kind of naturally expect him to conclude that we have now been brought into the commonwealth of Israel and that we have now become partakers in Israel’s covenants of promise. However, that is not Paul’s conclusion. Paul simply says that now we have been brought near to God by the blood of Christ.

Under the economy of the Mosaic Law. Gentiles had to come to God through the ceremonies and rituals of the Law. For instance, when God gave the rules for observing the Passover, He said:

Exodus 12:48 (NKJ)
48 " . . . when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it.

A Gentile had to be circumcised to draw near to God under the Law. This kept the Gentiles at a distance.

Therefore, in Ephesians 2, Paul was announcing a dramatic change. He said that now Gentiles can draw near to God not through Israel’s covenants of promise but through the blood of Christ. In fact, Paul is going to conclude in the next few verses that the commandments relating to ordinances were abolished by the work of Christ upon the cross.

Rather than being brought into Israel’s covenants as a result of Christ’s work on the cross, we have been brought near to God apart from the covenants of Israel. This understanding is tantamount to understanding the position and hope of the Church which is the Body of Christ.

In Ephesians 1, Paul said that today God has given Christ to be Head over all things to the Church which is His Body. In Ephesians 5, he said that believers today are members of Christ’s Body, of His flesh and of His bone. Here in Ephesians 2, he says that we come to Christ through simple faith in the power of the blood which was shed for us. The commandments regarding rituals and ceremonies were nailed to the cross.

In Colossians 2:13 we read:

Colossians 2:13-14 (KJV)
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

This clear teaching of the Apostle Paul refutes any idea that the Church today has replaced the nation of Israel in God’s overall plan and purpose. Some have theorized that the Old Covenant Law was for the nation of Israel, but when Israel rejected the New Covenant, God gave it to us as members of the Church.

If that were the case, then certainly, those things which were associated with the New Covenant, such as water baptism and sign gifts, would belong to us. But the Bible plainly declares that the New Covenant belongs to Israel just like the Old Covenant Law belonged to Israel.

God spoke through Jeremiah and said:

Jeremiah 31:31-33 (NKJ)
31 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah--
32 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.
33 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Jeremiah 31:35-37 (NKJ)
35 Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for a light by day, the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night:
36 "If those ordinances depart from before Me, then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever."
37 "If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, says the LORD.

In other words, God’s commitment to Israel is as sure as the sun and the moon and the stars in the heavens. According to the scriptures, when Israel rejected the New Covenant, God set Israel’s covenants aside on a temporary basis to call out the Church which is the Body of Christ. Our relationship with God is not based on Israel’s covenants of promise. Our relationship with Christ is based on the blood of Christ.

After the cross the New Covenant Kingdom was offered to Israel and was confirmed by many signs such as speaking in tongues, healings, and the casting out of demons. These signs were given to demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit. The New Covenant Kingdom was offered to Israel throughout the Acts period, but Israel steadfastly refused to accept it.

Then God revealed the Church which is the Body of Christ through the Apostle Paul in Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians, and quite suddenly we see no water baptism and no sign gifts.

When we talk about the prophecies concerning the kingdom, we have to account for the prophecies regarding the antichrist and the tribulation period. Some who claim that God has given us Israel’s kingdom, also claim that the prophecies concerning the antichrist were fulfilled when the Roman General Titus destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Apparently, Titus did go into the temple and declare himself to be God. It follows that if Titus was the antichrist of prophecy, then the tribulation period has already come and gone, and we are now in the New Covenant Kingdom.

There are several problems with this theology. First, Paul said that we, as members of the Church, have been brought near to God by the blood of Christ. He did not say that we have been brought near to God by Israel’s covenants of promise. If God has given us the kingdom, then we have been brought near to God through the covenants of promise. Paul never said that.

Second, the Apostle John gave new prophesies concerning the coming antichrist in the book of the Revelation which was written around 90 A.D., some 20 years after Titus destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. John did not say that the antichrist has come. He said that the antichrist will come.

Third, this theology has no explanation for the revelation of the mystery which was given to Paul in the prison epistles. Paul said that the revelation given to him concerning the mystery of the Church had been hidden in God since before the creation of the world and was never made known to men of other ages. If God has simply given to us the blessings which were promised to Israel, then all of our blessings are a matter of prophecy which were many times foretold.

Fourth, if believers today are simply the beneficiaries of Israel’s New Covenant Kingdom then why did the miracles cease after the Acts period? Why did the rituals which were part of Israel’s program pass away.

Well, this is just a partial list of why we can not be in the New Covenant Kingdom now. We do not have time to look at all of the prophecies regarding the kingdom, but even a quick look at the prophecies will reveal that the kingdom awaits its fulfillment at some point in the future.

We today come to God through the blood of Christ. No longer are we held at bay by Israel’s covenants of promise:

Ephesians 2:14-16 (NKJ)
14 For (Christ) Himself is our peace, who has made both (Jew and Gentile) one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,

Today, there is no distinction between the Jew and the Gentile in the sight of God because God’s covenants with Israel have been set aside. Jesus Christ broke down that middle wall of separation:

Ephesians 2:15-16
15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,
16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

Now this is one of those areas which really stands out as being different from Paul’s Acts period epistles. In Romans 11 we read in verse 26:

Romans 11:26-29 (NKJ)
26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins."
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.
29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Here it is evident that God was still dealing with the Jews and the Gentiles as two separate groups of people. In Romans 3, Paul said that there was no difference between the Jew and the Gentile in the sense that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and in the sense that all who come to God in faith are justified freely by His grace.

However, in Romans 11 there was still a big difference between the Jew and Gentile in regard to the election. He said that concerning the election the Jews were beloved of God for the sake of the fathers. In other words, God was not going to turn His back on the promises He had made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Earlier in Romans 11, Paul had said that the Gentiles were being grafted into the stock of Israel, and as we all know, a grafted limb maintains its own identity and bears its own distinct fruit.

In Ephesians 2, Paul says that today, Jesus Christ has broken down the middle wall of separation between the Jew and Gentile. Obviously, Israel’s program has been set aside, and the concept of Israel’s election is no longer operative. Today, God is reconciling both the Jew and the Gentile to God in one body by the cross.

As I close this morning, I would just like to say that these things may seem irrelevant to some who say, “I believe in Jesus and that’s all I need to know.” Well, it is a wonderful thing to know that all we have to do to be saved is to believe in Jesus, but we can not have that assurance unless we have a clear understanding of Paul’s teachings concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ.

When theologians go back to Israel’s program, inevitably you find other things thrown in to the process of salvation. It may be church membership, a ritual, or a spiritual gift. When we see Paul’s message for us, we can rest assured that faith alone in Christ alone is God’s requirement for salvation.

If you don’t know the Lord today, I would invite you to accept Him even now. If you have faith alone in Christ alone, you can be saved today. Call unto Him and He will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

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

Ephesians 2 Part 3 (7-10-05)

Ephesians 2 (Part 3)
Bible Study Time 7-10-05

In Ephesians 2, the Apostle Paul reminds us of two things regarding our past. First, we were at one time dead in trespasses and sins, but now by God’s grace we have been made alive in Jesus Christ. Before we were transferred into the kingdom of light, we desperately pursued our own personal happiness. This allusive dream resulted in frustration and disappointment. We were spiritually dead.

Ephesians 2:4-6 (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),
6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Then the next verse says that God did this so that:

Ephesians 2:7 (NKJ)
7 . . . in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

If you recall, back in Chapter 1, Paul prayed that we would know the riches of the glory of God’s inheritance in us. And this is it. Every blessing that God bestows upon us throughout all of eternity will bear a constant testimony to His grace. The more He blesses us, the more His name is glorified. I believe we would have to call that a win/win situation.

The second thing that Paul reminds us of in Ephesians 2 concerning our past is that, as Gentiles, we were at one time far from Israel’s covenants and promises. In verse 11 we read:

Ephesians 2:11-16
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh -- who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands --
12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

This passage shows the contempt that the Jews had for the Gentiles. This contempt was based on a misinterpretation of some Old Testament passages. For instance in Genesis 17, God told Abraham:

Genesis 17:13-14 (NKJ)
13 "He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 "And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."

At first glance, it appears from these verses that God really hates the uncircumcised, but a closer look reveals only that God was very serious about this ritual of circumcision and that He intended for it to be strictly enforced.

However, the Jews of the succeeding generations took this commandment to mean that God literally despised the uncircumcised nations. This false notion was reinforced by God’s commandment that Israel refrain from making alliances with pagan nations. As the nation of Israel entered into the promised land, God said:

Deuteronomy 7:1-4 (NKJ)
1 "When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, . . .
2 "and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.
3 "Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son.
4 "For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly.

If these were the only words of the Old Testament, we would almost have to conclude that God really despised the uncircumcised nations. However, if we consider all of the Old Testament scriptures, we quickly see the heart of God.

When God brought Israel to the foot of Mt. Sinai, the first words He spoke to Israel were:

Exodus 19:5-6 (NKJ)
5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

Israel was called as a special treasure to God above all people, but she was called to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. A priest is one who acts as a mediator between God and man.

Therefore, Israel’s special calling was to serve the Gentile nations and lead them to God. They would do this by means of their example of holiness and devotion to God. Then, as God blessed the nation of Israel above all other nations on the face of the earth, this would also draw the nations to Christ.

God did not hate the Gentile nations at all. On the contrary, He wanted to show His great love for them by bringing them to Himself through the nation of Israel. At Mt. Sinai, God gave Moses the rules for the eating of the Passover and said:

Exodus 12:43-45 (NKJ)
43 "This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it.
44 "But every man's servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it.
45 "A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it.

Exodus 12:48-49 (NKJ)
48 "And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat it.
49 "One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you."

From this it is clearly seen that God’s intention was to maintain the integrity of the symbolism contained within the ritual of circumcision. Circumcision symbolized the cutting off of the flesh. Today we know that no person can come to God except he be spiritually circumcised through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

God was not using circumcision as a means of discriminating against all Gentiles. In reality, God was opening His arms to the Gentiles. All they had to do was show their love and devotion to God by being circumcised. After their circumcision, they could live with full privileges in the Jewish community. God made it clear that there was to be one law for everyone, whether Jew or Gentile.

But Israel hardened her heart to the plan of God and rejected her calling as a kingdom of priests. Rather than leading the nations to God, Israel chose to follow after the nations. They came to Samuel and said, “We want a king like all the other nations.” Samuel was furious, but God said, “Samuel , they have not rejected you. They have rejected me.”

Israel made alliances with the Gentiles nations and followed after their gods. In this condition, they were no longer God’s special treasure. However, they did not realize their fallen state. They continued to think that they were God’s chosen people simply because they had the sign of circumcision, but they were dead in trespasses and sins.

They despised the uncircumcision They could not teach the true meaning of circumcision because they could not teach what they did not know. Circumcision symbolized the cutting off of the works of the flesh, but the Jews were immersed in the lusts of the flesh.

In Ephesians 2, Paul reminds the Gentile believers that they were once aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants and the promises. The circumcision looked down on the uncircumcision, but the Jews themselves were largely responsible for the lost condition of the Gentiles.

After the death of Christ, God offered Israel the opportunity to become a true kingdom of priests under the power and authority of the New Covenant. The Lord Jesus had shed the blood of the New Covenant and with that blood came the power for the Jews to become the Sons of God, as Hosea had prophesied. But Israel once again refused.

When Paul got to Rome at the end of the book of Acts, Paul said, “Let it be known, that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it.” From his Roman prison, Paul wrote Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians, and in these letters, Paul revealed the Church which is the Body of Christ. In these letters, he never mentioned Israel’s hope of the New Covenant Kingdom.

In Ephesians 2, Paul says:

Ephesians 2:12-13 (NKJ)
12 . . . you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Israel failed God, and she failed the Gentile nations. But this did not surprise God at all. When Moses struck the rock in the wilderness for the second time, he was told that he would not be allowed to go into the promised land. This pictured the fact that the Old Covenant Law could never take Israel into the promised kingdom.

Israel could only enter into the promised kingdom through the power of the blood of the New Covenant. But here in Ephesians, Israel had already rejected the resurrected Christ and the blood of the New Covenant, and Paul tells the Gentiles, “Now, you who were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” The blood which Israel rejected is the same blood that has brought us into a relationship with God.

Well, if our relationship with Christ is not based on Israel’s covenants and promises, what is the basis for our relationship with Christ. In this letter to the Ephesians, Paul spells out the details of our relationship with Christ. In Chapter 1, and verse 22, Paul says that God gave Christ to be Head over all things to the Church which is His Body. Then in Chapter 5, he says that we are members of His Body, of His flesh and of His bones.

This is new. This is different. This doctrine is found only in Paul’s prison epistles. From the time of Abraham, the only plan that God revealed for human beings was the plan that He revealed through Israel. In Israel’s plan, God’s arms were open to Gentiles, but Gentiles had to come to God through Israel.

Now, in the Church which is the Body of Christ, believing Gentiles come to God on an equal basis with believing Jews. When Israel rejected the resurrected Christ, it opened the door for God to reveal this program of the Church which He had kept secret since the foundation of the world. This was a great mystery.

Someday God is going to catch up the Church to be with Him in heaven. At that point our mystery age will be over, and God will resume His dealings with Israel according to the covenants and promises.

It may be that as you have listened to God’s word this morning, you have become aware of your need for Jesus Christ. If that is the case, I have good news for you. You can accept Christ as your personal Savior right now, right where you are. You do not have to go through any ritual, and you don’t have to join any earthly organization. Simply call upon the name of the Lord and thou shalt be saved. No one can pray that prayer for you because that is something between you and God. But if you believe that Christ died on the cross for your sins, and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures, if you call upon Him today, He will save you.

When you accept Christ, you may have questions or just need someone to talk to. Feel free to call me or write to me, we will try to help you any way that we can.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

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

http://gracebiblechurch_fw.com/

Ephesians 2 Part 2 (7-3-05)

Ephesians 2 Part 2
Bible Study Time 7-3-05

In Ephesians, Chapter 2, Paul says:

Ephesians 2:1-2
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

Paul addressed the Ephesians knowing their background in idolatry, sexual immorality and sorcery. He knew that they knew first hand the powerful forces of Satan. I remember when the Harry Potter movies came out, I heard a Pastor on a TV talk show saying that these movies promoted witchcraft. He reminded the audience that witchcraft is not necessarily Satanism.

However, we see here in Ephesians 2 that Satan is the force behind all of the evils of this world. He is the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience. Satan is the force behind all sin.

Then Paul says in verse 3:

Ephesians 2:3 (NKJ)
3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

We all acted in times past according to the lusts of the flesh. Paul obviously was including himself in this. As he looked back on his labors in the religion of the Pharisees, Paul could see that his actions were motivated by the devil.

He had actively opposed the Lord Jesus Christ, but on the road to Damascus, the Lord said to Paul, "Is it hard for you to kick against the goads?" God had given Paul a thorn which drove a little deeper with every step, and that thorn was Paul’s conscience.

Every time Paul lied about a believer to put them in prison, that thorn would go a little deeper. Every time Paul paid someone to lie about believers, that thorn would go a little deeper. But Paul kept on doing what he was doing because he was driven, he was energized by Satan.

So Paul said, "We all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath."

Galatians 5:19-21 (NKJ) says:
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

Paul knew that he was just as guilty of these things as the people in Ephesus, but he gives us the good news in verse 4 which says:

Ephesians 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),

He says that God stepped in and did for us what we could not do for ourselves. But God,... saved us by His grace and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

As we have seen, there are many distinctions between the prison epistles of Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians and the rest of Paul’s epistles, but when Paul says in verse six that God has raised us up to sit with Christ in heavenly places, that is one of those features that really sets the prison epistles apart. Only in the prison epistles did Paul say that believers are seated in the heavenly places, that our position is in the heavenly places, that our realm of blessing is in the heavenly places.

In the pre-prison epistles, the offer of the kingdom was still being offered and that resulted in an earthly focus. However, after Israel’s kingdom offer was set aside at the end of the book of Acts, Paul began to reveal the blessings which are ours in the heavenly realms.

It is sad but true that some believers today are still content to focus upon the earth. Especially when things are going pretty well down here, we may just want to hang on to these things. In fact, that is one of the stumbling blocks associated with prosperity. It will take our eyes off of the heavenly places where we find the true blessings of God. Paul said to Timothy:

1 Timothy 6:8-9 (KJV)
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

The things of this world are but temporary, and they fade like the grass that withers under the sun. The Lord Jesus said,

Matthew 16:26-27 (NKJ)
26 " . . . what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
27 "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

The lasting rewards are those which are given by the Lord Jesus Christ to those who are faithful to Him. If we have our eyes focused on Him and on our position in the heavenlies, we will be able to keep right on enjoying our spiritual blessings even when we go through hard times here on the earth.

We are members of the Church which is the Body of Christ, and Jesus Christ, as the Head of the Body, is our source of joy and peace. We live with the full assurance of the truth of Ephesians 2: 8 and 9.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

These two verses essentially recapture the message of the book of Romans for us. We were living under the death penalty, but God saved us by His grace. Salvation is the gift of God to those who believe. Of coarse, the book of Romans goes into greater detail and reveals that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. It says that all those who try to live by the law, fall short of God’s standard of righteousness.

Romans proves that nobody was ever been saved by the Law for even Abraham was saved by faith before he was circumcised and before the law was given. The righteousness of God came upon Abraham because Abraham believed the promise of God. Man has nothing in which he can boast when it comes to salvation.

But according to verse 10, we are not only saved from the realm of darkness, but we are brought into the light of Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:10 (NKJ)
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

In Vacation Bible School this week we emphasized that we are empowered by the Son of God to live for Jesus Christ. It is God’s power working in us that allows us to walk as children of light.

Obviously, we can not boast in the workmanship of God. If God through His own creative genius turns our lives into a work of art which is admired by all, how are we to boast in that? This is God’s doing, and He deserves all the glory.

When we are burdened down with sin, God’s power can set us free. I was in my front yard the other day when I got into a conversation with a gentleman who was working in my neighborhood. In the coarse of our conversation, he told me that God had set him free from alcohol. He said that alcohol had just about ruined his life when God touched his heart and set him free. He said that from that moment, he never had another craving for alcohol.

We also experience freedom from bitterness as we yield to God’s workmanship. I know a lady who wants a child so much, but it just hasn’t happened. She and her have prayed for a child for years, but God has said no. They have had every medical test imaginable, and every test has shown nothing wrong. The doctors said, "If there’s nothing wrong, we have nothing to fix."

The lady grew angry with God. She thought to herself, "I’m a good person. I deserve a child. I deserve a child more than that person or that person. It’s just not fair."

In the process of working through all of her thoughts and feelings, she got even more angry with God, but she never gave up on God. People would tell her that she just needed to trust the Lord because the Lord knows what’s best. She would respond by saying, "Everyone tells me that, but I’m just not there yet."

Just the other day, it blessed my heart to hear her say that she had learned to trust the Lord. She said that she had to come to grips with the fact that she really did not deserve a child and that everything we have is a gift from God which is given by His grace. She said that she had learned that she needs to give every aspect of her life to God. And trust Him.

Now I’m here to tell you that that is the workmanship of God.

Ephesians 2:11
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

When we get saved, God starts that work of art. He starts making us into something beautiful. He starts shaping us and molding us into the image of His dear Son.

In some ways this lady was fortunate because she did not have anyone to blame but God. Clearly, God was making this call. As a result she was forced to deal directly with God.

I think it is true that when we face a disappointment, the first thing we do is look around for someone to blame. And if we can find someone to blame, we may just live the rest of our lives with bitterness toward that person or those people. But what we really need to do is take the matter to God.

Is God really in charge of all things? Is God really in control of all things? If He is not in control then He’s just waiting like we are to see what’s going to happen next. But the Holy Spirit of God has given countless millions assurance that God is in control and that He knows what He’s doing. We can trust Him. He has a plan for us, and His plan is good.

When God works in our hearts to deliver us from sin, He is putting the mark of His workmanship on our lives. When God works in our hearts to deliver us from bitterness, He is putting His initials on that work of art He is creating in us.

A third aspect of God’s workmanship is seen when He gives us the necessary abilities and talents to do what He has called us to do. Of coarse, when we think of this we have to think of Moses. God told Moses to go down into Egypt and deliver the children of Israel. Moses said, "I can’t do that. I’m not important enough to stand before Pharoah." But God said, "I’ll be with you."

Moses said, "I’m not impressive enough to convince the children of Israel to follow me." God said, "I’ll do miracles to prove that I have sent you."

Moses said, "I still don’t think I can do this because I’m not very eloquent, and I have a speech problem."

Then according to Exodus 4:11 God said:

Exodus 4:11-12 (NKJ)
11 . . . "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD?
12 "Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say."

When Moses insisted on an assistant who could speak for him, God in His anger agreed to give Moses his brother, Aaron. But when Moses got to Egypt, wouldn’t you know it, Moses did all the talking.

We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

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

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/