#4 Can You See?

Can You See?

Ephesians 1:15-19 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us- ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,…

 
Look at Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, he prays that they would be able to see. He wants God to give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation of the knowledge of Him-- of who? Paul wants the Ephesians to know this Jesus that died and bled and rose again for them!
 
The word revelation is apokalupsis, which is where we get our word apocalypse, which also has the meaning-- revelation. As a matter of fact, the word apokalupsis, is the Greek word used for revelation as in the Revelation of Jesus Christ. The whole concept of the book of Revelation is that there is a day on the horizon when that which has been hidden to the naked eye will be revealed, it will be unveiled; He will be unveiled and made manifest for all eyes to see.
 
In the meantime, Paul wants the Ephesians to be able to see today. He wants them to have spiritual eyes and understanding about the concepts he's spoken of before regarding the fact that God has a plan for creating a family that will dwell with Him for all eternity. He's creating a peculiar people that will show forth the praises of Him, a people called out of darkness into the light of God, and Paul wants them to be able to spiritually see that truth.
 
But understanding doesn't have eyes to see. Paul's point once again is that they be able to see spiritually. We've made this point in times past, but let's be reminded that before conversion man can't see the things of God because the things of God are spiritually understood and man's logic and natural thinking are contrary to the Spirit of God; therefore, in the unconverted state, or the Christian who walks in fleshly carnality, outside the leading of the Holy Spirit, he cannot perceive the things of God:
 
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:for they are foolishness unto him:neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
 
The word eyes is ophthalmos and enlightened is photizo, from phos, where phosphorous comes from, which is glowing; essentially the idea is the emitting of light, without which the physical eye cannot see, and Paul is using that idea here, desiring in his prayers that the Ephesians would have their spiritual eyes opened and be given light by God to see spiritual truth. One more interesting thought in reference to the word phos, which, once again is the root of the word we're considering in this verse, photizo, is that it's the same Greek word translated as light in reference to Jesus-- that His life is the light of men (John 1:4).
 
There is great revelation to this thought through one of the miracles Jesus performed in the gospel of John. In all actuality, the whole gospel of John has as, at least one of its sub- themes, the thought of Jesus bringing light into the darkness. Even in the very beginning, we see the truth of light essential to God's plan for man; for without light, life cannot exist.
 
In the Genesis account of creation, God creates the heavens and the earth. The eternal Word speaks, while the Spirit hovers over the deep, and creation out of nothing (ex- nihilo) comes into existence. But there is darkness, so the word says let there be light, and through light, as we know, things can grow.
 
When we taught the gospel of John a few years back, God began to reveal to me that there was spiritual meaning deeper than our physical eyes were seeing. I'm not talking about some mystical Bible code. What I'm saying is that, while the gospel of John is truly a narrative of actual events and miraculous occurrences, there is also a spiritual context within the movement of these stories that tell of the deeper plans of God.
 
For instance, there is certainly a connection between the Genesis account and the gospel of John. And just as Genesis starts with God's creation, providing a place of habitation for humanity, John starts with the plan for a new creation in Christ. Whereas, the first creation provided a habitable place on earth for man, the new creation, through Calvary, provides a habitation for God to dwell on earth in the creation He loves after the catastrophic fall. We become the tabernacle or temple of God on earth until the Millennial Reign of Christ.   
 
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God and nothing that was made was made without Him. He (the Word) was life, and the life was the light of men (paraphrase of John 1:1-4).
 
So we can see here the connection between life and light that was spoken clearly in the Genesis account, but we see in John that Jesus is life given by God to man, giving light to man, which is needed because of the fall. Between the first creation in Genesis and the advent of the new creation given in Jesus, mankind is in darkness, void of the true life of God, and separated from intimacy with God until life and light is given by God.
 
There is no doubt that there is also a transitioning from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant in the gospel of John. I've talked to you before about the first miracle at the Cana wedding when Jesus performed a transformation miracle, changing the internal contents of those vessels, symbolizing the message of the New Covenant where man, in the darkened state of sin has now been exposed to the life giving light of God, and it's about to change everything.
 
Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night. Representing the fact that he's walking in a state where he can’t see, he’s in darkness. He represents external religion, which can’t perceive the things of God. Jesus says, "I speak to you about earthly things and you don't understand. How will I tell you about heavenly things?"
 
Throughout the whole Gospel, I see these miracles and dialogues in the gospel of John repeatedly pointing to the new creation change. For instance, man separated from God can't walk right, and he can't see. In John chapter five, Jesus heals the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, asking him, "Will you be made whole? Rise pick up your bed and walk."
 
What about you believer or non believer whoever you are, will you be made whole? Will you let Jesus touch you and set you free?
 
But let's not lose sight with where we're going because in the gospel of John (chapter 9), we’re told that there is a man who was born blind from his birth. Man born in Adam is blind to the things of God. Yes, Jesus performs a miracle that day, and we need to be reminded and believe God that He will still do miracles today, but look at how Jesus chooses to perform this miracle. He takes the dirt of the earth, the same substance from which man was created, this creation made from dust, now in its fallen state and blind to the ways of God. This fallen man is in a hopeless state, he was formed from the dust, and because of sin, he will return to the dust. (Genesis 3:19). A mixture is made from two things dust (the frailty of man) and what comes out of Jesus’ mouth. I understand that He used His spit to mix this clay, but the mouth of Jesus is the most powerful thing that this earth has ever experienced; for out of His mouth proceeds the living word of God that spoke this world into existence. And Jesus mixes what's in His mouth with the substance from which fallen man was produced, the dust or dirt of the earth, and He brings light to this man's darkened eyes.
 
And He's the light of this world and He brings light to these darkened eyes, so they can see, and He brings life to these lame legs, so they can walk.
 
And in the Romans passage, Paul's prayer is that these Ephesians would be able to really see what God is doing. His prayer is that they would be able to see three specific things:
 
(1). He wants them to be able to see: "...that ye may know what is the hope of his calling,..."
 
(2). "...and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,..."
 
(3). "... And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us- ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,..."
 
(1).... the hope of his calling...
 
The word calling is klesis. I've already introduced this thought to you before, but let's keep it on the forefront of our minds. The word translated as church is ekklessia, which literally means, called out ones, so there is a calling of God reaching out to fallen humanity to receive the life and light that God is offering.
 
We see the call announced throughout scripture, from the Old Testament through the New; for the sake of time, we will just cover two thoughts:
 
A. The Eliezer Call
 
In Genesis chapter 24, we are given a thought known as the Eliezer call. Within this narrative story, we see certain characters that along with the story itself spiritually represent the calling of God. While we have already discussed in the past some thoughts about narrative literature in the Bible and how it tells a story, we should introduce here the thought that many times the characters in these narratives have attributes of deeper, even divine significance. Now, we must be careful not to over spiritualize the scriptures; nevertheless, there are times that God is obviously offering deeper meaning within His word than what lies on the surface in a narrative.
 
The safe way to make sure you're not over spiritualizing or reading something inaccurate into the text is to ask yourself this: "Is the thought that I think I'm seeing here consistent with the overall teaching of God? Furthermore, is there a New Testament truth that I can connect to this thought?"
 
If the answer is yes, while its not absolute certainty that you're not over spiritualizing, there is a good chance that the Holy Spirit is leading you to see a revelation about His word that He wants you to have.
 
In the story of the Eliezer call, Abraham is nearing the end of his life. This story occurs long after the promise has come and Sarah has died. Abraham, the father of the faith, the man who heard the call of the living God and obeyed, left the land of his heritage, and became a pilgrim in a land that he was promised but never possessed. Now, he’s preparing for his departure, and his main concern is to find a bride for the promised son. He goes to his main servant whose name is Eliezer and speaks to him about calling a bride for the son. He tells the servant that the bride must come from his people in the area of Babylon, and under no circumstances can the bride come from the land of Canaan.
 
Now, we don't have time to cover this right now, but Abraham's descendants in Ur of the Chaldees were heathens also; in other words, they didn't necessarily know the God of Abraham. With time, they will learn because Jacob will return and spend fourteen years there; nevertheless, there was always a lingering question in my mind on what the difference between the heathens of Ur versus the heathens of Canaan was.
 
I believe with all my heart now that it had something to do with the Nephilim seed that had filled the land of Canaan. I'm not saying that there were no Nephilim in the area of Babylon, but (Leviticus 18:4-30) is clear that one of the main reasons that God have the people that He created (Israel) the land of Canaan was because the inhabitants of that land had defiled it with their witchcraft.
 
In the story of the Eliezer call, Abraham represents the Father who sends the servant Eliezer, who represents the Holy Spirit to call a bride, representing the church, for the promised son Jesus.
 
B. A calling to the wedding feast (Matthew 22)
 
In this parable, the emphasis connecting the believer to God is related to their being present at the wedding feast. The marriage of the bride to the Son will result in a feast or banquet. Those that are present are the people that have accepted the invitation, those that have accepted the call of God. In the first scenario, the invitation went to Israel, specifically, Jesus is speaking to the religious leaders that are rejecting His ministry; they are rejecting the long awaited promised Messiah. They still haven't accepted Him; therefore, they're in rebellion towards Him right now as we speak.
 
Because of their rebellion and rejection, God has extended the call to others. Every nation, tribe, and tongue is being called during this time frame known as the church age. What will you do with the Son? Will you marry the Son? Will you be part of the bride of Christ?

(2). "...and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,..."
 
It should be noted that the inheritance spoken of here refers to the fact that it's His inheritance not ours that's being discussed; furthermore, God's inheritance, which is the saints, brings Him glory and is seen by God as "riches," literally a treasure. Don't ask me how, but in spite of the fact that we’ve made so many mistakes, God views us as an inheritance. The word saints means: the consecrated ones or holy ones. While we've made this excessively clear for several years, let's make sure we remain understood, the saints are consecrated and made holy in the eyes of God because they have been called through the gospel and responded by faith (Ephesians :13, 14), were baptized into Christ (Romans 6:3-5; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12), where their relationship with sin in Adam was severed (Romans 6:6), they were connected to the vine (John 15), becoming a partaker of the nature of God (2 Peter 1:4), they were clothed with His righteousness (Galatians 3:27), and accepted in the beloved (Ephesians 1:6). The saints are "In Him," and "In Him," is a place separated out from the world (kosmos) this present evil age (2 Corinthians 6:14).
 
A. Riches
 
There are two New Testament parables that beautifully expound this thought:
 
Matthew 13:44-46 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Matthew 13:46
Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
 

In both these parables the throwing alongside (para (side) – ballo (to throw)) that's taking place is the kingdom of heaven being compared in the first to a treasure in a field and the second time to a priceless pearl. Now, on first glance, it would appear that these treasures represent the believer finding the Kingdom of God (Jesus) and then selling all they have in order to attain or own that possession, but whenever these two parables are compared to the ones that come before and after it becomes clearer what's being communicated.
 
In the parable before, the enemy sowed tares in the field and the message is that in the end the tares and the wheat will be separated where the tares will be judged and the wheat harvested (hallelujah)!
 
The parable after speaks of a net being cast into the sea where the good are kept and the bad aren't; furthermore, in both cases, the reader is made aware that the idea is that the wicked will be judged.
 
With that said the interpretation is that the pearl and treasure are the saints, and they are so precious to God that He sold all He had to purchase them. The Father released the most prize possession heaven ever held to earth so that sinful man, who God somehow sees as a pearl of great price and a treasure hidden in a field could be redeemed.
 
Interestingly, in both cases, the object was sought out by "God," which goes along with our calling by God. He's sent the servant, the Holy Spirit, who works through vessels, proclaiming the eternal gospel to a dying world. He's calling you Christian to get on board with what He's doing. He's calling you unbeliever to allow yourself to be that pearl or that treasure. He purchased you. Won't you allow yourself to be owned by Him?
 
B. Glory
 
So the idea, once again, is that the saints are a treasure, God's inheritance, and they bring Him glory. How does this work? How do the saints bring God glory?
 
First, it should be noted that God is deserving of glory and worship simply based upon the fact that He is God.
In the New Testament the word glory describes God's splendor and magnificence. He is worthy to have His glory recognized because He is God. This truth should be enough, but in this crazy world we live in, God is seen by some as an "ego-maniac" who demands to be worshiped or else. The spirit generating this deception to turn man from wanting to give God glory is the spirit of antichrist, which has been usurping God's glory since Lucifer's fall and in this present "cosmos," or evil age upon this earth, this lying spirit has been stealing God's glory since Eve's seduction.
 
We will also see as we move forward that there is an Old Testament thought translated as (God's glory) that describes His character, who He really is in all His majesty and splendor, which is really beyond man's ability to comprehend because man's mind is finite and God's glory is infinite; nevertheless, God wants to reveal to man as much of His character as He can, God wants to show His people what He really looks like while also wanting them to emulate Him; thereby reflecting His glory to those who are lost around them. This has always been His plan, and on this side of eternity that will never change.
 
   (a). New Testament: If believers reflect the glory of Jesus the way Jesus reflects the glory of the Father, God is magnified and the unredeemed are made aware of His presence and work upon this earth!
 
John 17-- Jesus' prayer to the Father uses the words "glory," "glorify," or "glorified" eight times in John 17. The essence of Jesus' prayer is that He has accomplished the work the Father has asked of Him. Jesus has glorified the Father in everything He’s done. Every selfless action, every miracle, every teaching that opened man's mind to a little more understanding of God, and especially, the ultimate price He will pay on the cross soon after this prayer, all brings glory to the Father.
 
There is also the foundational truth explained within this prayer that during this time known as the "church age" the disciples and those who believe because of their testimony (me and you) will bring God glory.
 
How do we bring glory to God? By living a life in front of the world that reflects His character!
 
Let this be said; nay, rather let it be screamed from the rooftops, "IF THE EMPHASIS OF YOUR PREACHER ISN'T TEACHING YOU HOW TO LIVE YOUR LIFE IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT WILL BRING GOD GLORY, AND INSTEAD, HE IS TEACHING YOU HOW TO HAVE “YOUR BEST LIFE NOW," YOU'RE BEING LED ASTRAY, WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY RESULT IN A WASTE OF THIS PRECIOUS TIME OF LIFE THAT GOD GAVE YOU AS A SEED TO BE PLANTED IN THIS TEMPORARY EARTH, RESULTING IN AN ETERNAL HARVEST... WHAT A WASTE OF THIS PRECIOUS LIFE WE'VE BEEN GIVEN IF ALL WE DID WAS TRY TO IMPROVE OUR POSITION AND NEVER USED IT TO GIVE GOD GLORY! HELP US GOD!
 
    (b). Old Testament: In Exodus 33, God is angry with Israel because of their repeated rebelliousness. He tells them not to put on their ornaments (jewelry) obviously signifying happiness, because they are stiff necked and rebellious.
 
God tells Moses to go ahead, get up, and bring these stiff necked people that Moses has brought up out of Egypt into the Promised Land, but Moses' response is that he can't go if God won't go before him. He pleads with God and says if your presence doesn't go before us, we won't be separated from the other nations, and they won't know who you are. We need you God to be with us on this journey, and I can't do what you ask of me if you don't go before us. I won't go God. "If you won't go before us the deal is off because it’s doomed to failure." {Matt’s paraphrase}
 
God says; go you've found favor in my eyes. I will be with you. But Moses wants more. Moses needs more. He has to know more. He's still not ready because He has to better understand God, because if he doesn't understand the God he represents, He will never be able to represent him on this journey.
 
God's response is to bring Moses to a certain place. God describes this place as right beside Him. This is a place where one can get close to the God of the universe. This is a place where one can see all that he will ever be able to see of God on this side of eternity. The place beside Him that He speaks of is a cleft (a crevice) in the rock where God will hide Moses, and in this place, God will allow Moses to see as much of His glory as a man can be shown on this side of the eternal veil, during this time known as the Old Testament covenant.
 
The glory of God spoken of here represents God's character, it represents His person, who He really is and what His heart looks like.
 
God had a plan all along and this rock where Moses was hid is just a foreshadowing of a place called "In Christ."
 
This place called in Christ allows the New Testament believer to be planted in Him. On the cross, His side was opened and riven with the soldier's spear, just as a tree is opened so a new branch can be grafted, just as Eve was taken from Adam's side, a cleft was opened in the side of the rock, where a branch called bride could be planted into the vine, and in that place, God's glory, His character can be revealed. And when that character is revealed, embraced, and infused into the branch, God's glory is manifest to a lost and dying world through the fruit that is produced.
 
The first bride Eve, who was created from the side of Adam, was seduced by the serpent. The second bride Christian is being created in the riven (split) side of the last Adam, Jesus. But beware Christian soldier there is a serpent that still slithers, he slithers, and he injects with poisonous doctrine, and just as he seduced the First Lady Eve, he wants so badly, as a matter of fact, I can see no other purpose that his sick, blackened heart longs for other than to seduce and cause the bride of Christ to play the harlot with him.
 
(3). "... And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us- ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,..."
 
There are three Greek words here that caught my interest:
 
1. Exceeding- huperballo
   Ballo- to throw
   Hupo- under: huper- over
 
To throw over
 
2. Greatness- Megethos- of great magnitude
 
3. Dunamis- explosive, violent power.
 
All this is given "to us ward," who believe.
 
In other words, there is great power given to the believer in Christ. The question that should be asked is how does all this work? Your faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified has allowed you to be a partaker in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
 
We need to understand that at the cross, God dealt a death blow to Satan's plans. When the innocent one died in place of the guilty, there was a pathway opened for sinful humanity to enter relationship with God, because a payment for sin's penalty was paid. Once the believer places faith in Christ, this debt transaction takes place where the sins are paid in full, the old man is dead, a new man resurrected, and the new man has huperballo megethos dunamis coming his way.
 
In other words, RESURRECTION POWER CHILD OF GOD. Jesus conquered death, hell, and the grave, and the same Spirit that dwells in you:
 
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

#3 The Family of God: Adopted and Sealed as a Son! Pt. 2

The Eternal Family of God: Adopted and Sealed as a Son!

 Ephesians Chapter 1: Part 2

Galatians 4:6-7
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his 
Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art 
no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God 
through Christ.

Luke 15: 11-24 

Introduction: The Parable of the Prodigal Son. 

The word parable is a Greek compound word: para- on the side of:
ballo- throw. The idea is that in parabolic teaching, two or 
more things are thrown along the side of one another for the 
purpose of comparison and contrast. In the parable of the prodigal
son, the main teaching is that Jesus is comparing the self 
righteous hearts of the Pharisees (the prodigal’s brother) to the 
broken hearts of repentant sinners, which will be accepted by God
the prodigal); however, as should be obvious,there is also an 
allusion to the journey of the rebellious free will of man. He 
stubbornly refuses God’s way time and again; yet, God has a way of
ringing the heart that is willing to receive Him to place of 
brokenness and repentance. Ultimately,it should be noted that 
when the prodigal comes to himself, he’s willing to be humbled as 
a servant, but accepted again as a son. It’s in his humility that 
he’s sealed in a robe, given a signet ring, which is a proof sign 
of his identity, and Vincent points out that both the shoes and 
the ring symbolize a free man, because servants traveled barefoot.
personally, for me, anytime I see shoes pointed out in the New 
Testament, my mind is drawn to the thought of a journey; 
specifically, the journey of our Christian lives. In this sense,
the Prodigal is equipped for his journey; furthermore, he finally 
really understands both his person and hi purpose—when he was 
willing to become a servant, his father made him a son. 

 7.  "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;"
 
Once again, we are presented a form of this prepositional phrase.
 
"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
 
The word redemption is apolutrosis Once again, this is an example of a Greek compound word with the prepositional prefix attached to the front.
 
Apo means away; whereas, lutrosis means to be loosed through ransom or payment.
 
Before Jesus, you and I were not acceptable to God in the beloved because we were outside of him clothed in our sin and self-righteousness. Furthermore, we we’re not loosed or free. But a payment plan was foreordained before the foundation of the earth (1 Peter 1:18–20).

The thought of loosing here is reminiscent of the Old Testament scapegoat. On the Day of Atonement, Israel’s high priest would take two goats: one was used as a sacrifice for the people’s sins, and the other was released into the wilderness with the people’s sins upon it. In both cases, there would have been a moment where there was a laying on of hands upon both animals signifying transference of guilt from the people to the animals. Once again, one would be sacrificed typifying the future sacrifice of Jesus as He fulfilled the payment of sin; whereas, the other would have been released, signifying the fact that our sins are sent away and to be remembered no more. It’s crucial to the walk of the Christian that we get a revelation that our sins have been dealt with at the cross, and they have been sent away into the wilderness to be remembered no more. As long as we are tied to our sin, we will never be able to believe that we are a son of God.

But many times the people of God aren’t taught the importance of really believing that their sins were dealt with at the cross; therefore, they begin to let that old nasty goat come back and start hanging around the camp again. Some may ask, “Why do I really need to know all this information?” You need to know because Satan is relentless when it comes to trying to keep you under a cloud of condemnation and guilt. We’ve been redeemed loosed away from our sins through His payment for our penalty, and we need to know it, believe it, and live our lives every day that way.
 
8–9. Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
 
The word wherein is speaking of the grace from the previous verse. The gracious act of God in Christ, has provided a place for us to dwell, wrapped in the beloved and acceptable unto God.
 
In this place called "in Christ," God is able to reveal his wisdom and prudence (intellect)." In Christ, we're able to receive a glimpse of the big plan of God. Before Jesus, we operated through our own logic (1 Corinthians 2:14; John 14:17). But now, in Christ, the Spirit of God has made our heart His home and God communicates with us, revealing His mysteries for humanity that are hidden from those outside of Christ. And as deep and rich as all this is, all the mysteries of God since before the foundation of this earth are found complete in this person and place known as "in Christ."

God wants His remnant family to have a revelation about what he’s doing upon this earth in the creation of this eternal family, because he is love, and He wants to love. Sadly, there are many people who’ve been hurt so bad throughout life, or deceived so bad by religion that the love of God is foreign to their understanding. My prayer for people in those circumstances is that they would experience a born again relationship with God, that they would be healed from the hurt of their past, and that God would make His home their heart, so they can experience what true love is.

 10. "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:"
 
The long phrase, "that in the dispensation of the fullness of times…" is built from a word that describes a house servant.
 
The idea is that through the ages, God has been bringing humanity to a point where He would reveal Jesus to a lost and dying world. Through the ages, His Spirit and plan is acting as a steward caring for this lost and blinded human race. While certain portions of the plan have remained a mystery, God has been methodically revealing the mystery that will be completed in Jesus.
 
A young child in the home doesn't understand all the plans and actions that his father's undertaking; rather, the child is carried along and cared for by the steward of the house until he comes of an age when the "mystery" (details of the plan\the hidden things) can be revealed.
 
An excellent scriptural reference point to this would be the purpose the law served until the giving of Jesus: Galatians 3:8–29.
 
And we are still moving towards the fullness of times, because there's going to be a day when gravity will lose its hold:
 
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
 
A treaty will be signed (Daniel 9) between Israel and the antichrist, which will begin the prophetic time clock of Israel's last seven year period, ultimately ushering in the millennial reign of Christ where the will of God will be completely done on earth even as it is in heaven.
 
In this sense, the finished work of Jesus not only saves the souls of chosen humanity in Christ, Satan's rebellion will also be brought to an end. What's amazing to me is that as God has called this eternal family, He has allowed us to be used by Him to proclaim this wonderful kingdom message, allowing us in some way to be part of something so much bigger than what the naked eye can see.
 
11a. "… In whom we have also obtained an inheritance…"
 
Children receive an inheritance from their parents. Just as Israel of old inherited an allotment of land from God, the New Testament believer has received a promised inheritance in Christ. As we will see moving forward, this inheritance is much bigger than a physical plot of ground; rather, this inheritance is of eternal value, and is connected to an eternal life with a loving Father who gave his only begotten Son, so that wayward son's could be redeemed, adopted, and given an inheritance – and you’ve already received the down payment of your inheritance.
 
11b. "…In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:"
 
This plan for redeeming wayward children was predestined beforehand by God. It is His will, according to his counsel (advice, or wisdom) that an eternal family, created for his fellowship be given birth to. It's His will child of God to create a family, and the question on this side of the eternal veil is, "what will a man or woman do with this Jesus, who was offered by God as a ransom and a hope for something bigger than what the natural eye perceives?"
 
12 "… Ephesians 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ."
 
Paul as a Jew is speaking to Gentiles. He explains that "we" Jewish Christians first trusted, but as we will see, he acknowledges that "they" (Gentile Ephesians) afterward trusted.
 
Ultimately, as both Jew and Gentile join the eternal family of God by trusting (exhibiting faith) in the eternal plan of God (Jesus Christ and him crucified), God receives praise and glory on this side of eternity as the people of God live their lives in the open for Him.

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation:in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

And finally we come to the answer the title of tonight’ message asked: how did we get in? The answer is that you heard the gospel, you believed the gospel, through faith you were saved, and when you were saved, you were sealed.

The idea of sealed has the thought of a waxed seal that protects the contents on the inside of the envelope. Once you were saved, the Holy Spirit’s stamp on you is a mark to make you secured and assured. You’re secure because the presence of God protects you from the wiles of Satan, and you can be assured that you’re part of the family of God because you’ve been sealed by the Holy Spirit. The child of God cannot move forward if there is doubt about salvation. When the Holy Spirit seals a person, that person will know that they know that they know that they are saved!!

When my two daughters were younger, my oldest would say something that was really kind of mean. At first, we all laughed because it was so shocking, but then I started to tell her to stop. I just found out Sunday that she learned it from a youth pastor’s son. Anyway, she would to tell her younger sister that we adopted her from China and bought her a new face. At first, my poor, little youngest would look confused and almost sad, like she believed it. Of course after a while, she would just blow her big sister off, but I was thinking about how it must feel for the person who is unsure of their salvation. You need to know that the Word of God says that through faith in Jesus’ sacrifice you were saved. If you would say that you’re unsure, then you need to get alone with God and have a heart to heart. Cry out to Him, repent of your sin, and invite Jesus in. And if you are saved, then disconnect yourself from the world and start fellowshipping with the saints of God, or don’t, let that nasty goat of sin back into the camp, and walk around with uncertainty about whether or not you’re really saved if that’ what you want to do, but you don’t be unsure, you don’t have to feel unworthy; if you’re saved, you’re sealed.

14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

The sealing of the believer is the earnest, the advance or down payment, of the purchased possession. There is coming a day when there will be no more questioning. The rapture of the church will go up in the rapture, and the this corrupted flesh will put on incorruption and this mortal will put on immortality, because we will receive our glorified body. That is the day that all creation is groaning for in anticipation (1 Corinthians 15:52-54).

Romans 8:18-25 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope:but hope that is seen is not hope:for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

#2 The Family of God: Are You In or Out? Pt. 1

The Family of God: Are You In or Out?
 

Ephesians Chapter 1: Part 1

Before the ages of human history or the pages of His word, God planned 
a harvest of humanity from this earth. The communication from the beginning 
in Genesis speaks of seed and harvest. The seeds of the herbs and the trees 
had built within them the directive to replicate after their own kind.

God expects a harvest when seed is planted into the soil; and the concept 
of seed and harvest extend past the thought of vegetation even to the animal 
kingdom, but much more specifically the essence of God’s purpose is found in 
the seed and harvest of humanity. Pervasive throughout the scriptures is the 
promise of the coming seed from Abraham, who would be Messiah, the anointed 
one to save the world, and through Him, the New Testament teaches that He 
would be planted as a seed in the ground, through the cross, resulting 
in a great harvest of souls (John 12:24). But the genesis or beginning of that 
promised seed is introduced to us as the seed of the woman, and within the context 
of this introduction is great turmoil strife and disarray for the seed God 
planted in the garden, a man named Adam has rebelled, and now a predestinated 
plan written before in the mind of God is set into motion; in this plan, 
there would be war between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman, 
which is Jesus; and at just the right time, Jesus, the obedient one would crush 
the serpent's head.

Not only is seedtime and harvest a pervasive theme upon the pages of Scripture, 
but the family of God is repeatedly brought to the attention of the Bible reader's
mind; for the seed was the Son, the Son had a Father, and in the Son children are 
born into the family of God.

But not only are they children; they are also the bride given in marriage to the 
bridegroom, who is the eternal Son, even the eternal lamb of God who consummated 
the contractual portion of this marriage through the shedding of his blood on the 
cross, and once again, children are born from this act of love called Calvary's cross. 

I believe the theme of this first chapter of Ephesians is exactly that: language 
concerning the contractual agreement God has arranged with humanity: God has been 
for thousands of years creating: The Eternal Family of God and the question that 
must be asked is: are you in or are you out?

Eph. 1:1-2 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which 
are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace be to you, and peace, 
from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul, there is a lot of history behind the fact that his name is no longer Saul. We probably shouldn't spend too much time here but name changes in the Bible are always significant:
 
Abram – Abraham
Sarai - Sarah
Jacob – Israel
Saul – Paul
Simon – Peter
 
The name change always represents an identity change. One's identity is changed when they move from being a follower of the world to a follower of God, or it can denote a movement from rebellion towards obedience. The whole theme of what we are speaking of in this first chapter with reference to the eternal family of God surrounds this truth that we have been born again from the death that has plagued the human race in Adam "… into a lively hope…" in Christ. The name change represents a break from the old life to the new; the born again believer, introduced into the family of God, through his association with Jesus’ cross, burial and resurrection, becomes a new creation, and the ways of the “old man” begin to die. Saul was a murderer and a persecutor of Christians. Matt was consumed with the party and the gratification of flesh, but these days are gone, these names are changed. The past is that, it’s the past. Who was your past? Do you still see glimpses of his failing heartbeat flutter in your life? Does he still try to manipulate and control, deceive or lie in order to get his way? Does his anger still dominate your behavior when no one else is around to see? I’m not talking about while you’re at bible study, most Christians put on the hupokritos, the hypocrite’s mask, and like an actor on a stage, they play their part, saying the right words and responding the right way, but when no one’s looking, Saul of Tarsus remains alive. The seed of God’s kingdom, the Spirit of God has been planted in you, you’ve received a name change, a new identity—it’s time to start living it for real.

Also, the word apostle is rich with meaning, literally denoting an ambassador of the gospel. In common language, the word describes a representative of a sovereign state that is temporarily dispatched for the cause of their country or kingdom; they travel to a foreign land and bring their country or kingdom with them. While none of us in this room would entitle ourselves an apostle, we should understand that God has certainly called us to be ambassadors of His kingdom; we are asked by Him to embark upon this journey of life as a representative of the kingdom of God, a herald or public crier of the gospel of Jesus Christ. How did God save you? What did He save you from? What’s your story? People out there are dying and in need of you to represent God’s kingdom, to represent the family of God, so that they too can be born anew.
 
Eph. 1:2. …Grace be to you, and peace… The definition of peace: quietness and rest.
 
How different are the majority of people's lives in the midst of the world today? To be truthful, in many cases, the world and believers alike, find themselves overwhelmed in chaos. There is turmoil everywhere they turn: relationship strife, the kids don't act right, drama at work…
 
We won't be separated from the effects of this fallen Earth until Jesus takes us out of here, whether we go by way of the air (rapture) or through the grave, there is hope on the horizon, but there's also hope right now because where there is grace there is peace.
 
I don't think it's an accident that Paul nearly always starts his epistles with, grace and peace unto you. It must be understood that where there is no grace, there is no peace, and where grace abides, there is peace.
 
So how does one have access to Grace?
 
Romans 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
 
Whether we know it or not, the peace our souls are craving is peace with God. We may think in our minds, I just wish I wouldn't have all these relationship problems in my life, but if your relationship in the earthly realm is contrary to God, it opens a door for chaos and confusion for your relationship with god in the heavenly realm. It opens a door for the enemy to gain a foothold in your life.
 
Why are my kids crazy? Well, hold on a second to some extent… No let's be real, a big part of a child's behavior is learned in their environment.
 
I don't understand why I have all the strife in my life… What are you talking about? You've been living a life of witchcraft! You're engaging in New Testament pharmakeia: pain pills, alcohol, and drugs that manipulate your neurotransmitters…

In this sense, we’re letting Saul stay alive instead of letting the new man Paul be resurrected.
 
Where there is Grace, there is peace. Romans 5:1,2 teaches us that justification – a declaration by God that we are righteous, made possible because of Jesus' payment for the penalty of our sin, puts us in a place where we're at peace with God. Once we’re in a position of peace, we have access to grace; when grace is flowing in our lives, there is peace in our surrounding atmosphere.
 
In this place of right standing (justified), we have access to Grace. Grace is more than just forgiveness. Grace is power from God, and where there is grace, there is peace. So when I'm justified, I'm at peace with God; and when I'm at peace with God, I have access to grace.
 
Access – the act of bringing to.
 
It's like the scenario of a locked door. On the other side is grace and peace. I need grace and peace, but I can't get there because the door is locked, and I have no access. Jesus is the key! Our sinful state, born in Adam, is the lock preventing access, but Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, and our resulting faith, allows the door to the presence of God to be open, allowing access to Grace, allowing peace in our lives to flourish; however, it must also be understood that we have to choose to live in this place on a daily basis.
 
What place? The place where daily faith in the forgiving work of Jesus on the cross gives me continued access to grace where I'm empowered by God to stand, and where there is grace, there is peace.
 
But you can't be double minded (James 1:8, 4:8) and think you will remain in the place of grace. You can't talk like a Christian, live like the world, and expect grace and peace from God.
 
Eph. 1:3–6 A Family has a Home, and Grace has a place.
 
3a. "all spiritual blessings…"
 
While we have a tendency to consider our daily lives as physical and practical, the truth is: we need spiritual blessings from God. The word blessings right here speaks of a spoken word. In other words, the Holy Spirit wants to speak blessings over the life of the new man, who has been born into the family of God. He wants to speak hope, marital healing, obedience to children, and freedom from addiction, manipulation, control, anger, financial woes….
 
Okay, if you want peace in the physical, you need a spiritual blessing. You need the Holy Spirit to minister to your marriage; you need the Holy Spirit to minister to your children, and you need the Holy Spirit to minister to you, so you will be a better parent, helping you to make better decisions on how to raise and discipline your children. You need the Holy Spirit to give you grace at work, so you can do a great job, be productive, and be in a place where God can bless you.
 
"I need help with my finances." I can use myself as an example here: what I needed was a spiritual blessing from God to break the power of sin in my life that was driving me to overspend my money on frivolous stupidity. Once that happened, stress and crying over not having enough started to stop.
 
3b. "… Blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ…"
 
The place of Grace is in Christ! We must constantly be reminded of these basic biblical truths that are needed to renew our minds and transform our thinking:

(1) the Holy Spirit is the person of God on earth dispensing grace and spiritual blessings from God to man.
 
(2). The Holy Spirit is able to dispense grace and spiritual blessings to man based upon the place where "man lives."
 
(3). The man or woman that receives grace and spiritual blessings from the Holy Spirit can receive that blessing because they live in a place called "in Christ."
 
(4). A man or woman in Christ that receives spiritual blessings from the Holy Spirit received their new home "in Christ" when faith was placed in Jesus Christ and him crucified.
 
(5). When faith was placed in Jesus Christ and him crucified, a translation occurred, where the old man was baptized and placed "in Christ," where the old man died, and the new man was resurrected to newness of life.
 
(6). If the new man wants to abide in grace, where spiritual blessings flow, he will have to abide in Christ where the branch receives strength from the vine; simply because, the connection point between sinful man and holy God resides in one place alone, "in Christ," where the righteous one removed our guilt and sin.
 
(4) a. "… As he has chosen us in him…"
 
Before we move forward with this portion of scripture, let's note the fact that some form of the prepositional phrase,… In Christ… is used six times in these first 12 verses of Ephesians chapter 1.
 
(1) v 1… To the faithful in Christ…
 
(2) v3… Spiritual blessings in Christ…
 
(3) v4… Chosen us in him…
 
(4) v6… accepted in the beloved
 
(5) v10… gathered together in one all things in Christ
 
(6) v10... which are on earth, even in him
 
The title I gave to part 1 of Ephesians chapter 1 is: Just as the family has a home, Grace has a place.
 
These prepositional phrases: "in Christ," "in him," "in the beloved," speak of both the home (when I use the word home, I speak metaphorically, as in, "we've been translated from darkness into light, and this is the new place where we are to live"), so these phrases speak of the home where the family of God lives and the place where grace abides. This place is known as "in Christ."
 
We (believers) are the chosen of God. It should be noted that the word chosen here is very similar to the word Elect in first Peter 1:2. Both of these words have the Greek preposition "Ek" as a prefix connected to two different Greek words that are from the root of chosen, so the idea for both "chosen and "elect" is that these verses are speaking about the "chosen out" ones of God. Are you chosen out? Are you in or out of the family of God?
 
How did God choose?
 
1 Peter 1:2-4
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.
 
Ephesians 1:4
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
 
1 Peter 1:18-20
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
 
God has chosen in advance the people through the plan. That group of people who would be willing to believe God according to his plan of righteousness would be chosen in Christ and found without blame in him.
 
The terminology without blame speaks of no blemish. Just as in the idea of the Old Testament sacrifice, which had to be inspected thoroughly inside and out for faults or blemish before it could be offered, the believer in Christ is found without fault because he's been placed in the faultless one.
 
Salvation provides the believer with a white robe of righteousness because he's been robed with the righteousness of Christ (Revelation 3:18; Galatians 3:27). Righteousness is a gift given by God to sinful man (Romans 5:17).
 
All gifts are free to the recipient, but were purchased by someone else; and while the gift of righteousness is free to man, it was purchased by God for man through the act of love known as Calvary's cross.
 
4b. … That we should be holy and without blame before him in love.
 
Two thoughts that should be emphasize from this part of verse 4:
 
(1) holy
 
(2) without blame.
 
The word holy is the same word often used for sanctified, meaning to separate or consecrate; whereas, blameless, once again denotes the thought of without blemish. God has commanded that His people be separated and blameless in His eyes. While at first glance, these words may cause the Christian to slump in his chair, posturing defeat, he should instead sit up straight, nay, rather he should stand on the truth that he has been given holiness and blamelessness through Christ; but it doesn't end there, because the separating out in Christ provides access to the power of God, which enables man to not only be positioned in the righteous one but also emulate His behavior through the power of the Holy Spirit.
 
5a. "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, ..."
 
This scripture specifically describes God producing the eternal family that I spoke of through the title of Ephesians chapter 1:
 
The Eternal Family of God: are you in or out?
 
Here, the terminology adoption is used. In 1 Peter 1:2-4, the word begotten, which describes the process of giving birth is used.
 
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.
 
The essence of both of these ideas is that God has been redeeming (purchasing back) and creating an eternal family for himself throughout the ages of human history. He has given man a free will to make a choice. The choices are:
 
(1) obedience to his word resulting in eternal life and
 

(2) disobedience to God and an embracing of deception resulting in eternal damnation.
 
The two trees in the garden preach the gospel of God. One tree looks good, tastes good, and seems good when first taken into the mouth; however, its finality is disastrous. The other tree is life! The other tree is Christ, which is God's way of eternal life, and for thousands of years millions of souls have made daily decisions regarding which fruit they will eat – will they meet God at Abel's altar – the cross, or will man build his own altar like Cain and obstinately choose another way for himself whatever way that may be?
 
Just as a matter of clarity, according to the first Peter 1:3 passage, God is giving birth to this family through the sprinkling of Jesus' blood  v2 and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead  v3. In this sense, I can envision the old man dying at the cross with Christ, and like a newborn baby released from its mother's womb, the new creation in Christ springs forth from the tomb with Him (in Christ) filled with his resurrection power.
 
I don't want to spend a lot of time on this part of the passage "Having predestinated us…, but I think it should be mentioned. The word predestinated has caused a lot of controversy since the Reformation.
 
The meaning of the word itself describes something prearranged or preordained. From this, came two sides of a contentious debate. John Calvin and Jacob Arminian saw predestination completely different.
 
Calvin focused on the sovereignty of God, and in its extreme, this thought produced a belief that it is the believer who is predestined or chosen beforehand. In other words, it's as though God went through the crowd picking certain ones He wanted on His team beforehand and the others would never make it anyway.
 
Arminian, on the other hand, concluded that a position such as this completely nullifies the free will of man.
 
To be truthful, the Bible contains a healthy flow of God's sovereignty working within the free will of man. God will never transgress the free will of an individual; yet, like only God can do, He still accomplishes His sovereign plan, even when the free will of man rebels. The most important concept we should understand about this word is that it's not the individual that is chosen or predestined; instead, it’s the plan of God that was chosen before hand and predestined.
 
We are predestined and chosen in him. In other words, the chosen one's are those who respond through faith to God's plan, are translated from darkness to light, and find themselves in Christ. Yes, God is omniscient and through His foreknowledge sees those who will and won't choose him; nevertheless, he allows man to make that choice.
 
5b. "… According to the good pleasure of his will."
 
It was the pleasure of God's will that there would be a remnant of people "harvested" from this earth. God's plan, as communicated in the title of this teaching, is to create an eternal family.
 
He has accomplished this through the adoption of the saints in Christ. The idea of adoption is the placing of a son. We are placed in Christ, through salvation, which places upon us His righteousness, allowing us to be the children of God, and all this is "… According to the good pleasure of his will." In other words, all these words, and all these years of salvation history have commenced so you could be in the family of God!
 
6. "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."
 
What a beautiful plan God has created in Christ! When we only stop to think about how far away we had traveled, how contrary to the will of God we had lived, yet, even then, His mercy provided a plan of grace, producing a place, where humanity could be saved.
 
In this place called Christ, we are "accepted in the beloved."
 
The word accepted here is a variant of the word Grace, but it describes honor being bestowed upon someone. I don't know how far away from God's will you have traveled. There is a good possibility that you feel as though, in a spiritual sense, you're wearing clothes that are tattered and torn. You may feel that your disobedience has brought you so far away from God that you could never be accepted by him.
 
This passage says otherwise child of God. This verse says that the plan of God, in Christ, has clothed us as a gracious honor in the beloved one. You're in him, you're clothed in him, and it's your position in Him that makes you acceptable to God. So rest in your acceptance and enjoy the life-changing power of God's grace.
 
"… In the beloved."
 
This word beloved is from the Greek word for God's kind of love agape. Essentially, the verse is telling us that Jesus is the manifestation of God's love, and our acceptance of Jesus and his sacrifice through faith has clothed us in the agape of God, which is Jesus, who is the beloved of God and never failed.
 
I don't know what that thought does for you, but it makes me want to stop and cry from a thankful heart when I think that Jesus persevered for my restoration, and it brought him joy
 
Hebrews 12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
 
There are three specific times that a form of agape is used as a name of Jesus in the New Testament.
 
Colossians 1:13
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
 
Matthew 3:17
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
 
Matthew 17:5
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them:and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
 
The world and self-righteous religion will never tolerate a statement like this, but outside of Jesus the "beloved" God's not pleased with man. Man left to himself, standing outside of Christ, clothed in his own righteous rags is offensive to God, but in Christ, you’ve become a vessel of honor, clothed in the righteousness of the beloved, clothed in a swathe of the love of God known as Jesus.
 

Here's a video of my father-in-law playing an old medley of songs he used to play at Twin City Gospel Temple back in the day for us at  #Agnoeo! "Saints Go Marching In / I'll Fly Away / Jesus on The Mainline Medley"

#1 Intro to Ephesians: A Prison Epistle

Intro to Ephesians: A Prison Epistle

The Apostle Paul wrote 2/3 of the New Testament. His writings include: Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, 1&2 Thessalonians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and the early church attributed the book of Hebrews to him also. Hebrews is one book in the New Testament, which doesn't specifically state who the author is.

Of his 13, more likely 14, epistles, four of them were written while he was a prisoner in Rome. The four prison epistles are: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.

Internal evidence that Ephesians is a prison letter:

Ephesians 3:1: For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles –

Ephesians 4:1: I urge you, therefore, I the prisoner in the Lord, to live in a manner worthy of the calling with which you were called.

Ephesians 6:20: ...for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may speak it boldly as I must.

Date: The date Ephesians was written is likely AD 60-62, during his Roman imprisonment.

Genre: just as music has various types of genre, the Bible does also. Various biblical literary genres include: narrative literature, prophetic, apocalyptic (Daniel & Revelation), and epistles.

Ephesians is an epistle; the word epistle simply means that it was written as a letter to communicate biblical truths to the early church.

In the New Testament, all four gospels and the book of Acts are narrative literature. Whereas, the gospels explain the advent of Jesus, the book of Acts tells the story of the acts of the apostles, and the growth of the early church against all the odds of the mighty Roman Empire. All other books in the New Testament, except the book of Revelation are considered epistles or letters, so that includes James, John, Peter, and Jude's writings also in addition to Paul's.

The reason all this is important is because spiritual truths are communicated slightly different when comparing narrative vs. epistle literature. For instance, in narrative literature, God's story is being told, whether it be Old or New Testament. Furthermore, within the unfolding of the story, God reveals deep spiritual truths.

Just a couple we have learned recently include:

Jonah

(1). When God calls His people to do something and we write a "but" instead of an "and" into the script, in other words, we're contrary to His will, God will also write a "but," and in Jonah's case, the word says,

"Jonah 1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish:so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.Jonah 1:4...

.... But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

Gideon

(2). When we studied the life of Gideon out of the book of Judge's, the story unfolded that Israel had been placed under the bondage of their enemy because of their disobedience towards God: does that sound familiar?

During this time, they were ravaged by the Midianites, and we found Gideon threshing wheat in a wine press. Well, you're not supposed to thresh wheat in a wine press. You're supposed to stomp grapes, but Gideon is cowering in fear; nevertheless, his name Gideon means "great warrior," and the angel of the Lord shows up and calls him a mighty man of valor. There are a lot of spiritual truths that could be brought out of this passage, but let's just mention this one: just as Israel's disobedience brought them under bondage to their enemy, many times, our disobedience, does the same to us. But it's important that we get a revelation about something right here: God sees something in you that you can't see. Many times, we're so busy hiding in the wine press, we never look up to realize that God has a plan to restore us, a plan of deliverance, and a plan where He let's us know that the way we see ourselves isn't the way He sees us. You need to know that you're precious in His eyes. I don't care how bad you may think you've failed Him. God loves you, He's committed to you, and He proved His part by sending His only begotten Son to die in your place (John 3:16). All He's asking from you and me is that we would believe Him at His word and keep our faith in His plan.

Epistles, on the other hand, are very doctrinal (instructive) in nature. The whole purpose they were written was to combat heretical teachings, instruct the believer in truth, and bring encouragement to persecuted Christians. Whereas, truth about God is drawn out from the movement and dialogue of Biblical narrative, when studying New Testament epistles, it must be understood that close attention to the thoughts, and even the individual words, can contain great spiritual truth when unpacked within their proper context.

Some examples of the importance of specific Bible words and how they can directly affect our understanding of the Bible are:

Elect- chosen out

Church- called out

Communion- common union

Purpose of Ephesians:

In many of Paul's letters, the purpose is of the letter is obvious because he often addresses openly the problems that the church is facing. In this letter, the specific concerns are a little more difficult to ascertain within the letter itself because there doesn't appear to be an obvious problem within the letter; however, if we review other portions of scripture, we begin to gain a glimpse of the Holy Spirit's purpose through Paul for this letter. Also, I believe that as we move forward, there will be an overarching theme reminding the reader that there is an eternal God with an eternal plan who is creating an eternal family. Ultimately, Paul's purpose is to make the Ephesians aware of that plan, who those people are, what they should look like, and their purposes for God's kingdom.

Acts 20:17-23

And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I go bound (to be fastened with chains) in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide...

(abide- to dwell or continue [its almost like he's saying, "I'm on my journey to Jerusalem to do God's will, and I don't know exactly what will happen, but I've been told by the Holy Spirit that I will be living in a new place called affliction])

Acts 20:23-27

But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

Acts 20:28-30

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers (he's preaching to preachers), to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

He was concerned about wolves and false doctrine affecting Ephesus.

Revelation 2:1-7

Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars...

(We we're told the stars represented the "angels" of the churches in Revelation 1:20. The word aggelos is the Greek word for angel here. it can be translated as pastor or angel. The word literally means messenger. Personally, I believe that in a spiritual sense, churches have angels assigned to them; however, most people agree that the intent was that these things be written and communicated to the pastors of these churches; therefore, the idea would be that while churches probably do have angels assigned to them, the letters were physical letters John was instructed to write to these specific churches in Asia Minor, which, according to church tradition, he was the overseer or bishop of).

in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks

(other translations would use lamp stand, which is probably more accurate when you consider the way a lamp burns vs. a candle. A lamp can burn perpetually as long as it is cared for, wick trimmed and oil replenished (oil of the Holy Spirit); furthermore, both of these were duties of the high priest to keep the lamp stand (menorah) in the holy place burning brightly. A candlestick, on the other hand, would burn only for a short period of time; furthermore, we were told that the candlesticks or lamp stands represented the seven churches in Asia Minor in Revelation 1:20. The church, made up of individual born again believers are supposed to be the light of the world).

I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil:and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

The commendation and correction to the church of Ephesus in the book of Revelation surrounds two main thoughts: (1) they refused to tolerate false apostles and false doctrine; with this is in mind, it appears that some 30-35 years later, when the book of Revelation was written, which was approximately AD 90-95, remember Ephesians was written by Paul approximately AD 61, the church of Ephesus had stayed true to to the apostle's charge to beware of false apostles. However, the condemnation our Lord gives in Revelation two is that "they have lost their first love."

We must be careful in our endeavor to protect and preserve the truth of God's word in our hearts that we don't become so cynical of everyone else that we lose our love towards them. We must strive to love with God's love for both the world and God's people, whether they've erred in the doctrine or not. I'm not saying that we should condone error; to the contrary, we should contradict error; nevertheless, we must love with our Master's love.

Interestingly, the Bible Knowledge commentary points out that the word love, either in its noun or adverb form is used 16 times in the book of Ephesians, which is 1/6 of the times Paul uses agape love in all his writings; with this in mind, it appears the purpose of the letter is to: instruct in proper doctrine, warn against false doctrine, and remind the people of God to love with the love of Christ. Remember agape love describes God's kind of love, which recognizes the value of the object being loved. God can see past all our failures and love us with His love. Phileo love, on the other hand, is a brotherly love, a fondness, it's the type of love that humans more often exhibit. All is fine until wronged; then that type of love becomes exhausted. God's love, when found in man is there because it's produced as a fruit of God from the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

The environment and occultic religion of Ephesus.

The goddess Diana can be traced all the way back to Semiramis, which, according to extra- biblical findings was Nimrod's wife. The story of Nimrod, according to the Bible's testimony:

Genesis 10:8-10

And Cush begat Nimrod:he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before (against the face) the Lord:wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

Some of the things to take notice of are: (1) Nimrod was a mighty hunter, (2) the Bible says he was before The Lord, but when you study the words and the context, you realize that the word before is describing the fact that he was against and in the face of God i.e. the Tower of Babel.

I wanted you to be aware of the fact that he was a mighty hunter because archaeological finds have the goddess Diana in pictures as a huntress with command over wild animals. And the story of Semiramis connects all the way to Diana this way.

Semiramis was married to Nimrod, and they were bringing the whole world together as one in opposition and defiance against God (this same Luciferian agenda continues today under the New World Order agenda). At some point Nimrod was killed, some say he was killed by Shem, who was one of Noah's righteous sons, but we don't have biblical evidence to support that; nevertheless, Nimrod was killed and the story goes that his body was ravaged by wild animals. She searched to recover his body parts and found everything, but his male member. I'm not trying to be graphic. I'm just trying to tell you the story.

Because she couldn't find that all important part, she began to erect poles all over the land; ultimately, through some "mystical" happening because of these occult symbols, in the land, she became pregnant for her son and the story gets really weird between them afterwards, so we won't go there, but her place as a god was preserved, and she began to be revered with the same attributes Nimrod previously had as a great hunter, hence, the pictures of Diana as a hunter and tamer of wild animals.

The mystery religions, which have been in existence since Babel, will finally be destroyed in the end when Jesus comes back to exact judgment on the nations and leaders that have raged against God (Psalm 2:1-5).

But these same mystery religions, which include every false religion instituted by Satan upon the earth that pull humanity away from the real Jesus, all started at Babel and spread South and West towards Egypt, through Asia Minor, into Rome and throughout Europe, and along this routed pathway can be found a strange occurrence that physically connects and gives validity to both the story of Nimrod and definitely, in my opinion, the God of the Bible.

What I mean is that in the land of Canaan, which is now the land called Israel, the bible tells us that there were Asherah poles all over. These poles are also referred to as the "groves" in the KJV. Furthermore, they were connected to the worship of the goddess Ashtoreth, which was the Canaanite version of Semiramis, who was known as Ishtar in the more modern Babylonian Empire, which existed long after Babel, as we know she is where our word Easter comes from, and she was also known as the Queen of Heaven as we discussed in the class about Personal vs. Biblical Convictions part 1.

In Egypt she was known as Isis, and her poles were called obelisks. Let's just take a moment to realize that these poles straddle the globe as we speak. there are 12 in Rome (one stands in front of the pope when he stands on his balcony, facing the crowd); also, our Washington monument is one. In Ephesus, she was Diana, but she also had other names in other places.

Diana of Ephesus

Acts 19:24-28

For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen; Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands: So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.

The world and false religion hates the truth because it exposes their error!

Acts 19:34-35

But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter?

Have you ever noticed that when you expose false doctrine or the lies of religion to people that many times their first response is to hold tighter to the lie? Don't give up Christian there's a breakthrough on the way for the people that God is ministering to through you.

Paul's Trade as a Tentmaker

Acts 18:1-5

-- After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought:for by their occupation they were tentmakers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.

Acts 20:33-35

I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

1 Corinthians 9:1-19

His Education

Acts 21:35 - 22:30

And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people. For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him. And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek? Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers? But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city:and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people. And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,

Chapter 22 Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you. (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence:and he saith,)

The main point that I wanted to make here was that he spoke at least two languages.

Education and Training as a Pharisee

Acts 22:3,4

I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

Gamaliel was a very well known teacher of the Jewish Law during his time. The idea that Paul learned under the tutelage of a teacher like Gamaliel points to the fact that he had been exposed to the highest level of education that a young Jewish man could have been exposed to-- all this was for the purpose of his preparation as a Pharisee, which was one half of the group known as the Sanhedrin, which were the religious rulers during Jesus' time, so for clarity, the Sanhedrin was comprised of both: Pharisees, which Paul was and Saducees, which didn't believe in the resurrection (Matt 3:7,16:1,16:6,16:11,16:12,22:23-34)

His Conversion

Acts 22:5-19

(actual occurrence took place in Acts 9. Here he's retelling the story) As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders:from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished. And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus. And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem:for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:

Stephen the Martyr

Acts 22:20-25

And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. And he said unto me, Depart:for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth:for it is not fit that he should live. And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air, The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him. And as they bound him with throngs,

I've often wondered how Paul must have felt throughout his life, knowing that he had a big part to play in Stephen being stoned to death as a martyr for Jesus (Acts 7). When I consider what God accomplished through the Apostle Paul and the revelation God gave him about true righteousness, it makes me want to scream to the church, "Preacher! Teach your people that they're righteous through faith in Jesus and His cross. Christian! Learn who the Bible says you are in Christ. Quit walking around under a cloud of guilt because you used to be a drug addict and a fornicator. Paul was a murderer. Paul allowed a man of God to be stoned to death before his very eyes. Get over yourself already." Most scholars agree that he was probably the highest ranking Jewish leader there, and his consent allowed the stoning to commence. If Paul could be healed of that and accomplish the work he did for the kingdom of God, surely we can allow God to forgive us for our sins.

Roman Citizen

Acts 22:25-30

Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest:for this man is a Roman. Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea. And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born. Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him:and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.-- On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.

Paul's Roman citizenship helped him in many ways. In this passage and the one below, it allowed him to be released from prison.

Acts 16:37-38

But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out. And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates:and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans.

Acts 26:32

Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.

"Because Paul had used his Roman right to appeal to Caesar’s tribunal, Agrippa and Festus can only refer him there with a letter specifying their own opinion. This appeal had earlier saved Paul’s life (25:3), and now it provides him free passage to Rome (19:21) and a public forum for the *gospel there." _ Bible Background Commentary.

His Trials for the Kingdom

2 Corinthians 11:22-28

Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

His Pedigree

Philippians 3:2-7

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

His Love for Jesus

Philippians 3:8-10

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord:for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Philippians 3:12-14

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect:but I follow after, if that I may apprehend (to seize or lay hold of) that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark (skopos-- the distant mark) for the prize (victor's award in the games) of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.