2015.09.27
Ephesians 1: 1-14
In Christ
Good morning! I´m glad that you are here today because I
have good news for you…. His name is Jesus….
Here at Calvary Chapel we teach through the Bible verse
by verse…. We want to see the big picture…. We want to know and understand our
great God.....
We just finished the Book of Acts…. We have witnessed the
birth of the church… The last many weeks we have been walking with Paul as he
taught and encouraged and discipled the Believers….. He planted churches and he
appointed Elders in many places…..
Now You will remember…. Paul spent more time in Ephesus
than in any other place… At the time of Paul´s ministry Ephesus was the second
most important city in the Roman Empire… The church was greatly blessed by his
ministry there…
Indeed Down through the centuries the entire church has
benefitted from Paul´s example and teaching… Near the end of the book of Acts…
Paul knew that his time on the earth was very short... He
was determined to finish his race with joy…. That´s exactly what he told the
Ephesian Elders when he called them to him to say goodbye… Let´s remind
ourselves of the last time Paul saw the leaders of Ephesus in person… Acts 20: 22…
Acts
20: 22-24 NKJV
22
And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that
will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every
city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 But none of these things
move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race
with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to
the gospel of the grace of God.
Acts 20: 22-24 slt 2000
22 Und siehe, jetzt reise ich gebunden im Geist nach
Jerusalem, ohne zu wissen, was mir dort begegnen wird,
23 außer daß der Heilige Geist von Stadt zu Stadt Zeugnis
gibt und sagt, daß Fesseln und Bedrängnisse auf mich warten.
24 Aber auf das alles nehme ich keine Rücksicht; mein
Leben ist mir auch selbst nicht teuer, wenn es gilt, meinen Lauf mit Freuden zu
vollenden und den Dienst, den ich von dem Herrn Jesus empfangen habe, nämlich
das Evangelium der Gnade Gottes zu bezeugen.
His hope was solid ...... his eyes were on the promises
of God... It helped him survive each day... He was able to endure because he
trusted God and his unfailing love... His trust sustained him in the dark and difficult
times… Everywhere he went he proclaimed the Good News of the Gospel to those
who were willing to listen… Even in prison Paul
refused to give up… He taught and encouraged the believers at every
opportunity… It has been about 10 years since Paul first ministered in Ephesus…
The church was born and grew…. He spent more time there than in any other
church…. As he sits in prison… His heart is drawn to them and he writes this
wonderful letter to the Church at Ephesus… We are going to have a wonderful
time studying this letter together…
Ephesians is composed of six chapters…. Paul uses the
first three chapters to tell us....... what God has already done for us… The
first three are full of doctrine… Powerful heavy truth… Strong meat to grow on…
And the last three chapters are practical truth…. We
learn what the church is supposed to look like… We learn how the church should
function… let´s read the first section… ch1… v1…
In the scriptures we can see a pattern...... the pattern
is all over the scriptures.....before we are asked to do anything for God ....
we are reminded of all that God has already done for us......
The Christian life.... What´s it about.....???
It´s not about what we should be doing for
God..... It´s about what He has already done for
us...... And so Paul tells us what The Father has already done for us…
Let`s look the first section…
Eph 1: 1- 2
Eph 1: 1-2 NLT
1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the
will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am writing to God’s holy people
in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.
2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ give you grace and peace.
Eph 1: 1-2 Neues Leben
1 Diesen Brief schreibt
Paulus, ein von Gott berufener Apostel von Christus Jesus, an alle in Ephesus1,
die an Christus Jesus glauben und zu Gott gehören.
2 Ich wünsche euch Gnade
und Frieden von Gott, unserem Vater, und von Jesus Christus, unserem Herrn.
v 1-2..... chosen by the will of God...
apostle... God´s holy people.... faithful followers... may God our
father........
2… give you grace and peace...
Paul uses this expression often… The order is important because you cannot know the peace of God... the peace
that passes understanding….
Until you have repented of your sins and been forgiven…. and so receive the Grace of God in His
wonderful forgiveness…
Let`s read Eph 1: 3-6….
Eph 1: 3-6
NLT
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly
realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God
loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God
decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself
through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great
pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who
belong to his dear Son.
Eph 1: 3-6 Neues Leben
3 Wir loben Gott, den
Vater von Jesus Christus, unserem Herrn, der uns durch Christus mit dem
geistlichen Segen in der himmlischen Welt reich beschenkt hat.
4 Schon vor Erschaffung
der Welt hat Gott uns aus Liebe dazu bestimmt, vor ihm heilig zu sein und
befreit von Schuld.
5 Von Anfang an war es
sein unveränderlicher Plan, uns durch Jesus Christus als seine Kinder
aufzunehmen, und an diesem Beschluss hatte er viel Freude.
6 Deshalb loben wir Gott
für die herrliche Gnade, mit der er uns durch Jesus Christus so reich beschenkt
hat.
Paul is reminding this church that they are In Christ….
The Lord Himself has given them this
great Blessing…
These verse clearly Show us the work of God the
Father.... v3… He Blessed us…
v4… He loved us…
v4… He chose us… to be holy and without blame…
v5… He adopted us….
We can rejoice because of all that God has done for
us....
That´s the emphasis of the scriptures...... The great things that the LORD has already done for us.... Blessing… election .... redemption....
forgiveness.... adoption.... It should move us to grateful service…
Many pastors beat their sheep.... reminding them that
their not doing enough for God...week after week... they get beat up out in the
world.... then they get beat up in Church..... That´s wrong...... it´s not the
emphasis of the Word of God....
The Father is not standing over us saying ...... be
more.....do more..... The Bible doesn´t emphasis that..... Ephesians emphasizes what God Has done for us.... Ephesians
has been called the Alps of the Scriptures… Just like the view from the top of
the Alps…. The view of the Heavenlies in Ephesians is breathtaking and
inspiring… Because we see ourselves in
Christ….
God
the Father has placed us In Christ… It is because we are in Him that we receive
all of these blessings…In Him… We see these words over and over in this text…
Because The Father has blessed us and placed us In Christ we have every
spiritual Blessing…
He´s saying .......I chose you from before the creation
of the world.... My son will pay for your sins and He will redeem you... Paul
writes the first three chapters in this letter about all of the things that God
the Father has done for us...........before he tells us what we should do...
let`s look closer at some things in these verses....
3a… Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ... Paul called for a blessing upon the Father..... recognizing His
glory and honor and goodness........ because the Father has already blessed the
believer with every spiritual blessing …
3b… Who has blessed us...This blessing is
ours..... God’s resources are there for us always...... This speaks of an
attitude of certainty and assurance......
The “us” includes both Jews and Gentiles in the church at
Ephesus and beyond....... It was important to point out that these blessings
are for both Jewish and Gentile believers...... First century Jews had a strong
sense of being blessed..... called and predestined......Paul shows that these
things are now given to all Christians.... Jews and Gentiles......The idea that God..... the one
true God..... loves and cares for and blesses the Gentiles was radical... and
wonderful....
3c… With every spiritual blessing in the heavenly
places… because we are in Christ..... These are spiritual
blessings..... which are far better than material blessings....These blessings
are ours in the heavenly places in
Christ... they are higher, better, and eternal…
As believers we should not waste our time seeking the
things that the world offers… We are made in the image of God and He has
something much better for us.... God
wants us know every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.....
This means that every blessing we receive, we receive in
Christ… This means that God wants to bless us with every blessing available to
us…
4a… Just as He chose us in Him.... Our possession
of every spiritual blessing is as certain as our being chosen by Him..... and
chosen before the foundation of the world........the blessings are ours because
The Father has said it .... period...
Believers are
chosen by God..... and they are chosen before they have done anything for
God...
God’s selection gives us assurance to the permanence of His
plan and His love towards us......
The reasons for God’s choosing are not random...... Though they are past our finding
out.... we know that they are altogether wise and good…. but the reasons are
all in Him, not in us.... His choosing is according to the good pleasure of His
will… Ephesians 1:5…
We are chosen in Him.......
John
Calvin wrote… Since we are chosen in Christ... it is
outside ourselves...... It is not because of our deserving to be chosen.......
but because our heavenly Father has engrafted us, through the blessing of
adoption, into the Body of Christ...... In short, the name of Christ excludes
all merit..... we deserve nothing......
4b… That we should be holy and without fault… We
are chosen not only for salvation...... but also for holiness....... We are commanded to be Holy...... The Good
news about that is that God has promised to finish this work of sanctification....
a work that He began when we were saved... PHIL 2...
"holy and without fault" are descriptions
of the perfect and spotless sacrifices
which the law required the people to bring to the altar of God......
4c… without
blame before Him in love... 1 John
4: 17…
1
John 4: 17-19 NKJV slt 2000
17
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day
of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in
love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he
who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first
loved us.
17 Darin ist die Liebe bei uns vollkommen geworden, daß
wir Freimütigkeit haben am Tag des Gerichts, denn gleichwie Er ist, so sind
auch wir in dieser Welt.
18 Furcht ist nicht in der Liebe, sondern die vollkommene
Liebe treibt die Furcht aus, denn die Furcht hat mit Strafe zu tun; wer sich
nun fürchtet, ist nicht vollkommen geworden in der Liebe.
19 Wir lieben ihn,4 weil er uns zuerst geliebt hat.
5… Having predestined us to adoption as sons
by Jesus Christ to Himself... God’s unfolding plan for us not only
includes salvation.... and personal transformation... We are adopted into His
family… we become His sons and daughters…. All because we are in Christ… We are
completely accepted… Just like Jesus…
Jesus was completely accepted by the Father...... All His
character.... all His words.... all His work was acceptable to God the
Father..... And now we are accepted in
the Beloved.....
Paul realized this plan gave glory to the grace of
God....The LAW gave glory and honor to GOD`S
justice and holiness....The GOSPEL makes GOD`S GRACE AND MERCY that much more
Glorious......
God’s plan in the gospel is often rejected by man.....
the scribes and Pharisees rejected it..... because it glorifies God and His
grace..... not the effort or achievement of man......
And all legalistic
Super Christians...... even today....... are much more interested in their
great holiness and mighty works... than in the grace of GOD...
Lets read farther... v7,8…
Eph 1 : 7-8 NKJV
7 In
Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to
the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and
prudence,
Ephesians 1: 7,8 slt 2000
7 In ihm haben wir die
Erlösung durch sein Blut, die Vergebung der Übertretungen nach dem Reichtum
seiner Gnade,
8 die er uns
überströmend widerfahren ließ in aller Weisheit und Einsicht.
7a… In Him we have redemption through His blood.....
The Him is the Beloved of Ephesians 1:6..... It is In Him
that we have redemption and nowhere else..... There is no possible redemption
outside of Jesus and His redeeming blood.......
Redemption always implies a price being paid for the
freedom that is purchased....... It uses the ancient Greek word "lootruo".....which means, “to liberate on the
receipt of a ransom.”...... Here the price is His blood...... showing that the
blessing from the Father and the Son comes not only from a divine decree.....
but it also comes according to His righteousness and holiness......
7b… According to the riches of His grace..... The
redemption and forgiveness given to us comes because of the riches of His
grace........ Our Salvation is no little thing… Our redemption and forgiveness was accomplished by Jesus on the
cross..... It is immense... total… complete..... forever.... v9…
Eph 1: 9-12
NKJV
9 having made known to us the mystery of His
will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in
the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one
all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.
11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to
the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
Eph 1: 9-12 slt 2000
9 Er hat uns das
Geheimnis seines Willens bekanntgemacht, entsprechend dem [Ratschluß], den er nach
seinem Wohlgefallen gefaßt hat in ihm,
10 zur Ausführung in der
Fülle der Zeiten: alles unter einem Haupt zusammenzufassen in dem Christus,
sowohl was im Himmel als auch was auf Erden ist
11 — in ihm, in welchem
wir auch ein Erbteil erlangt haben, die wir vorherbestimmt sind nach dem
Vorsatz dessen, der alles wirkt nach dem Ratschluß seines Willens,
12 damit wir zum Lob
seiner Herrlichkeit dienten, die wir zuvor auf den Christus gehofft haben.
v9,10a… God has now revealed to us His mysterious plan..... Part of what
belongs to us under the riches of His grace..... is the knowledge of the
mystery of His will......God’s great plan and purpose which was once hidden
.......but is now revealed to us in Jesus...
God’s ultimate plan is to bring together…. Jews and
Gentiles into one body….. The Church…. The Body of Christ… God wants to unify
all things in our lives under Him.... everything..... our work....our
families..... everything "in Christ"......
This is the great resolution and deliverance that even the
creation groans for (Romans 8:18-22).....
That great day when every wrong will be righted..... and every matter
resolved..... according to God’s unfailing love..... and justice.....
v11… For believers..... Jesus is
the One in whom we have an inheritance...... Believers are predestined for this
according to the counsel of His will…
He Chose.....He decided to bless us…. Love us… adopt us….
He placed us in Christ… All of the reasons for His choosing are in Him, not in
us......
v 12…
That we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory….
God’s purpose in all this is so that those who have trusted Christ will exist to
the praise of His glory… The goal of
God’s ultimate plan is to glorify Himself..... Note takers Ezekiel 36… Back to Ephesians
1… We will close with these 2 verses… v13,14…
Ephesians
1: 13,14 NKJV
13
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit
of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of
the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 1: 13,14 slt 2000
13 In ihm seid auch ihr, nachdem ihr das Wort der
Wahrheit, das Evangelium eurer Errettung, gehört habt — in ihm seid auch ihr,
als ihr gläubig wurdet, versiegelt worden mit dem Heiligen Geist der
Verheißung,
14 der das Unterpfand unseres Erbes ist bis zur Erlösung
des Eigentums, zum Lob seiner Herrlichkeit.
We as genuine believers have trusted in Christ as our Lord and Savior….. We heard the Word of
truth…. The Good News of the Gospel…
And since we have believed and trusted the Lord Jesus Christ…. He has sealed us and
redeemed us…. It is all to the praise of His Glory!...
Communion
Warning!
Danger! Search your hearts….
1
Corinthians 11: 27-32
NKJV
27
Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy
manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man
examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For
he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to
himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and
sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would
not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we
may not be condemned with the world.
1 Corinthians 11: 27-32
slt 2000
27 Wer also unwürdig dieses Brot ißt oder den Kelch des
Herrn trinkt, der ist schuldig am Leib und Blut des Herrn.
28 Der Mensch prüfe aber sich selbst, und so soll er von
dem Brot essen und aus dem Kelch trinken;
29 denn wer unwürdig ißt und trinkt, der ißt und trinkt
sich selbst ein Gericht, weil er den Leib des Herrn nicht unterscheidet.
30 Deshalb sind unter euch viele Schwache und Kranke, und
eine beträchtliche Zahl sind entschlafen.
31 Denn wenn wir uns selbst richteten, würden wir nicht
gerichtet werden;
32 wenn wir aber gerichtet werden, so werden wir vom
Herrn gezüchtigt, damit wir nicht samt der Welt verurteilt werden.
Every
time that we take communion…. We take in our hands the proof that God loves
us….. We see hIs unfailing love in Jesus sacrifice for our sins….. Jesus
purchased our redemption…
1
Corinthians 11: 23-26
NKJV
23
For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord
Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had
given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken
for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the
cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do,
as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For
as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s
death till He comes.
1 Corinthians 11: 23-26 slt 2000
23 Denn ich habe von dem Herrn empfangen, was ich auch
euch überliefert habe, nämlich daß der Herr Jesus in der Nacht, als er verraten
wurde, Brot nahm,
24 und dankte, es brach und sprach: Nehmt, eßt! Das ist
mein Leib, der für euch gebrochen wird; dies tut zu meinem Gedächtnis!
25 Desgleichen auch den Kelch, nach dem Mahl, indem er
sprach: Dieser Kelch ist der neue Bund in meinem Blut; dies tut, so oft ihr ihn
trinkt, zu meinem Gedächtnis!
26 Denn so oft ihr dieses Brot eßt und diesen Kelch
trinkt, verkündigt ihr den Tod des Herrn, bis er kommt.
The
Lord´s Supper has a past reference to The Passover and of course….. Jesus´ sacrificial death on the cross….
It
has a present reference to the fact that we belong to one another here in the Body of Christ… It also has a
future reference…. Because it points us
to our future Gathering together at the end of time… He will return for us…..
We will be with the Lord forever….. We
will celebrate with Him….
Let´s
pray….
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