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EPHESIANS Session 3

‘BLESSINGS ABOUND WHERE’ER HE REIGNS’

The story is told of a young lad who was teased at school by his peers because he was adopted, that is until one day, as they gathered round him to taunt him yet again, he retaliated and shouted at them, ‘Listen!’ There was silence and the boy said: Yes, I am adopted. My parents chose me; but your parents got lumped with you.” There is a lot of truth in those words.

In our previous session we closed with the following song, written by Ian Smale:

“Father God, I wonder how I managed to exist

Without the knowledge of your parenthood and Your loving care.

But now I am Your son, I am adopted in your family,

And I can never be alone ‘cause, Father God You’re there beside me.

I will sing Your praises, I will sing Your praises, I will sing Your praises for evermore.

I will sing Your praises, I will sing Your praises, I will sing Your praises for evermore.”

Paul would have approved of this song because it was precisely what he was saying in his letter:

Once you were lost, without God, now God has found you, chosen and adopted you into His family. You are now heirs to all the blessing of heaven. You are God’s possession and you are precious in His sight. The adoption papers have been signed and sealed in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Both Jew and Gentile alike called and chosen, brought together by their union with Christ, drawn together as one body in Christ Jesus and sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

READ ACTS 1:4-8.

This promise of Jesus Christ was already unfolding. The Church, in Ephesus, that Paul felt responsible for, was proof of this. They had received God’s deposit guaranteeing their inheritance and were now God’s possession.

READ EPHESIANS 1:15-17.

EXERCISE: In what ways might you want to know God better?

Paul is passionate for the members of the Church at Ephesus his desire is that they will grow up into true disciples, hard working and faithful to the gospel they have embraced. Already he is rejoicing that their faith in Christ and their love for one another is sincere and he expresses his thanks to God for their new-found faith and their sincerity in the gospel. Having spent the initial years preaching, teaching and forming the Church of Christ among them, He has an intense love for them. They are, in effect, ‘his baby’. Although he has been away from them for some time, their numbers have increased dramatically in his absence. The Body of Christ is thriving, for which he rejoices with all his heart. Giving thanks to God continually for their growth in Christ Jesus, he constantly remembers them in his prayers.

The apostle wants them to know God better, to have a better understanding of Him and what their allegiance to Him means. He is not content with things staying as they are, they must grow and develop in their discipleship. READ 1 Peter 2:2.

Peter is saying that just like newborn babies crave spiritual milk, as they grow and develop they must, of necessity, go on to more substantial food if they are to fulfil their potential and reach maturity. Paul also sees the essentiality of this. He doesn’t want any to lack spiritual growth. His desire is that they go on from strength to strength. Charles Wesley put it like this (719 part 1 Hymns & Psalms: “From strength to strength go on,

Wrestle, and fight, and pray,

Tread all the powers of darkness down,

And win the well-fought day;”

EPHESIANS Session 3 cont.

Paul knew that they would have to wrestle and fight and pray. He knew that they would have to tread the power of darkness down. With this knowledge Paul prayed that his beloved Ephesians would be led into a deeper wisdom and revelation of things eternal. He didn’t just pray once but kept on asking! His whole purpose was that they might have a better understanding of the One who chose them for His own good purpose. Paul’s desire is that they put their roots down deep into the soil of God’s abundant love and give up all things for the sake of the gospel of Christ. 385 Hymns and Psalms reads like so:

Spirit of wisdom, turn our eyes from earth and earthly vanities

To heavenly truth and love;

Spirit of understanding true, our souls with heavenly light endue

To seek the things above.

The Spirit of knowledge, wisdom and understanding comes only from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Not by human standards, it is the gift of God, Himself. Every Christian must reach out and receive all that God offers to those who love Him. The wisdom that the all powerful God offers brings revelation of the things of God, deep spiritual truths that we are to embrace if we are to be His true disciples.

Exercise: How do you rate your standards?

READ JOHN 15:1-8.

Jesus Christ is speaking to His disciples just before He lays down His life, not just for them but for the whole world, you and I included. He has chosen them to continue His work after the Holy Spirit comes upon them. They are to take the good news of salvation, through His death and resurrection, to those around them and into the whole world. If they are to bear fruit, lead others to Christ and extend the kingdom of God, they must remain in Him in a bond of love. Bound together in love they will then produce fruit that will bring glory to His name. “If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (V. 5)

READ JOHN 15:9-17.

Jesus repeats, again and again, the importance of remaining in Him. His desire for His beloved disciples is that that His joy will be in them, when this happens their joy will be complete. Although, in a way they are His servants, they are truly His friends. Therefore, because they are His friends, everything that He has learned from His Father He has made known to them. He reminds them that they did not choose Him; He chose them with one purpose in mind, “to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.” All this they will be able to do when the Holy Spirit is poured out upon them.

READ JOHN 15:26-27.

This is precisely what Paul is trying to impress on the Christians of Ephesus, indeed on all Christians everywhere! “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” (Ephesians 1:17). He wants them to know the fullness of the Holy Spirit! That way they will have life in all its fullness.

READ EPHESIANS 1:18-23.

God’s calling is His summons to salvation. Only when we make a positive response to His call, will He appoint us the tasks for which He has Chosen us in Christ Jesus. Our inheritance is from God, which all Christians share with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. His desire is that we claim that inheritance, which we can only do as we grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the power of His Spirit.

Exercise: In what ways have you experienced His power working in you?

EPHESIANS Session 3 cont.

The apostle prays: “that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you,”(v18) Paul is in effect saying: It’s alright knowing it in your head but you need to feel it in your heart! One needs that ‘Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!’ Hope alone will not save you. The hope Paul is speaking of and what we long for, the glorious inheritance awaiting us when Christ shall call us into His presence, comes only by faith in what God has achieved for us through Christ Jesus. As we put our faith and trust in what Christ has achieved, so hope rises in our hearts and we soar on eagle’s wings as it were. Just knowing about it won’t help us reach our goal, it is only when we believe with our hearts and the eyes of our hearts are enlightened and we see clearly that because of what Christ has done our inheritance is assured!

Edward More (1797-1874) had it the right way round when he wrote (473 CMP):

“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness”.

Exercise: How do you see God’s power manifested in Ephesians 1:18-23?

READ EPHESIANS 1:19b-23.

“That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,”) Jesus, Himself, during His ministry, raised some from the dead when He walked this earth in the flesh. Who was going to raise Him? According to the prophet Isaiah (9:7b) “The zeal of the LORD almighty will accomplish this.” God, who was in Christ Jesus, reconciles the world unto Himself, not just through Christ’s death but by rising from the dead. The sacrifice God made, to pay the price for our sins on the cross, becomes a living sacrifice and will taste death no more. Not only did He appear to His disciples, in the flesh, after His resurrection, He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Almighty, “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion,” Nothing can touch Him now. (Pause) How can that be?

READ DANIEL 7:13-14.

The Ancient of Days is none other than He who was in the beginning and He welcomes home His only begotten Son, His partner in creation. (Illustrate - Ben). Just before Thomas was born, Sarah thought it a good idea for Ben to spend a little time away, in preparation for when she went into hospital to have Thomas, so he came to spend the night and the next day with us. He was fine. When we took him back home, he walked up to the door and knocked. Sarah opened the door; Ben looked up at her and said, ”Do you remember me?” Sarah’s reply was, “Of course I remember you, you’re my Ben!” There must have been great rejoicing in heaven when He who was in the beginning with God and was God was restored to the highest rank. “He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

One could say that Paul confirms and agrees with Daniel’s prophecy: “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Eph. 1:22-23).

All because of God’s abundant grace you and I can know that we are ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven and that an amazing inheritance awaits us, which our gracious Saviour is preparing in heaven. So, let us strive to obtain the prize that is set before us by kingdom living, keeping in step with the Master. Thanks be to God for His amazing grace!

Use Charles Wesley’s hymn, 753 Hymns & Psalms, as a prayer to close:

All praise to our redeeming Lord, who joins us by his grace,

And bids us, each to each restored, together seek his face.