Spiritually Rich in Christ (JFC)

Introduction

**The Apostle Paul is author

**Written around A.D 61

**It’s believed this letter was written to the Ephesians (The saints), but the letter was meant to circulate other churches as well

**The purpose was not so much to correct any specific problem, but to explain themes and doctrine of the Christian faith

This letter focuses on what God has done through the historical work of Jesus Christ and what He has done through the Spirit today in order to build his new society in the midst of the old

5. Ephesus was a Greek Colony and the capital of the Roman Province of Asia and It was a commercial port

6.Ephesus is the Headquarters of the cult of the goddess Diana. It’s believed they would worship her through temple prostitution

***Ephesus reminds me of San Francisco in the sense that it’s a fast paced wealthy city, both on the coast, both tourist attractions, and both are full of every evil that exist

(V3-14) God’s Abundant Blessings

(V3) Paul praising God because He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms

A) V4-8) Spiritual Blessings:

Chosen

**If I was picking a team for football and I knew in the game you would drop 5 passes, I would skip you and move on to the next person

*Yet God, knowing our past mistakes still chose us

To be Holy and without fault

*Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

Isaiah 43:25 “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.”

** Once we are forgiven, God choses not to remember

**With that being said, we must live a life of holiness, which literally means set apart

Adopted, you have all the rights of a legitimate son

Grace

*God’s unmerited favor never runs out

He purchased or redeemed our Freedom

Gr. lootruo which means to liberate on the receipt of a ransom

We are no longer a slave to sin. You are free, don’t go back into bondage

Wisdom & Understanding

Application: Paul is building us up in the faith

“Before you can do anything for God, you must know what He has done for you”.

*We have many reasons to rejoice and not walk around defeated. God has given every Spiritual Blessing in the heavenly realms

1.1 (V9)God reveals His mysterious will

A) Fulfill His plan

Bring everything together under the authority of Christ

Jew and Gentile

2. Our response to God’s blessings

A) (V12)Trust in Christ for salvation

Thinking back, I had a small mustered seed of faith and put my trust in Christ

B) Trusting in Christ does not stop upon salvation

The NKJV says it this way, Eph 1:13 “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation”

Application: The Lord has given me an opportunity to practice what I preach

About a year ago I woke up half way blind in my left eye

The doctors said its progressive and its in both my eyes.

The battle is not to recover the loss of vision, but to prevent me from going blind

**I don’t understand the why, but I know that I must continue to trust God through the good and the bad

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

When we lean on our own understanding, it leads to fear and anxiety

But when we focus on His goodness we naturally begin to trust in the Lord with all our heart because He has proved Himself worthy

We all go through things in life that we may not understand, but I want to encourage you to not give up. Continue to trust in his goodness

2. (V15-23) Paul’s Prayer

(V15) Faith & Love

In his commentary, David Guzik said this, Paul gave thanks not for their love for God, but for their love for all the saints. The real evidence of God’s work in us is not the love we claim to have for Him, but our love for His people that others can see

Love for all God’s people, even the difficult ones

2.1 (17-18) Spiritual wisdom and insight to grow in knowledge of God

A) As we spend time with the Lord and grow in knowledge, naturally we will be flooded with light and gain a confident hope

B) Our prayer should be that the church walks in the fulness of God and spiritually mature

2.2 (V19) Understand the greatness of God’s power for us who believe upon Him

A) His power works through the Holy Spirit in us

B) God knows were weak

2 Cor 12:9 “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”