EPHESIANS 1

INTRODUCTION

Good Morning Life church,

Lat week we began our series on the book of Ephesians.

Last week we did a deep dive into the spiritual and cosmological worldview behind this incredible letter.

Next week: Ephesians 2: The Death and Resurrection of Jesus, a death blow to the powers, sin and death

Week 4: Ephesians 3: The Conquering Church: The unified Church as a billboard to the principalities and powers.

Week 5: How Now Shall We Live: The Spirit Empowered Unity of the Church. (Eph 4:1-16)

Week 6: How Now Shall We Live: A Kingdom Ethic of Equal Submission and Love. (Eph 4:17-6:9)

Week 7: Defense Against the Dark Arts: Our Defense to Maintain a Kingdom Community and Life. (Eph 6:10- )

TODAY: Ephesians 1: Chosen and Rescued from the spiritual powers and to Sons and Daughters of God.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

REVIEW:

THE WORLD IS FULL OF SPIRITUAL BEINGS - Biblical Cosmology.

God gave the Gentile nations over to the Spiritual Principalities and Powers and God Chose to create Israel for Himself.

Deuteronomy 32:5–9 ESV

They have dealt corruptly with him; they are no longer his children because they are blemished; they are a crooked and twisted generation. Do you thus repay the Lord, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you? Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you. When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.

THESE PRINCIPALITIES HAVE FALLEN AND GOD HAS JUDGED THEM.

Psalm 82:1–8 ESV

God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.” Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations!

BUT GOD HAD A PLAN

Psalm 2:4–8 NASB95

He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.

From the Start God’s Plan was to Reunite the Jews and the Gentiles (All Nations) and Make them One People Under His Rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

TODAY WE BEGIN TO UNRAVEL THE MYSTERY THE PROPHETS OF OLD NOR THE PRINCIPAITIES UNDERSTOOD.

Go with me to Ephesians 1)

--------------------------------------------------------------

PAUL STARTS US WITH THE UNITY OF THE FATHER AND SON.

Ephesians 1:1–2 NASB95

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

While the spiritual powers may be at odds The Father and Son are perfectly united.

To the Saints - Holy ones of God.

Deuteronomy 7:6 NASB95

“For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 33:3 NASB95

“Indeed, He loves the people; All Your holy ones are in Your hand, And they followed in Your steps; Everyone receives of Your words.

Now Paul refers to those in Jesus both Jew and Gentile Holy Ones (Saints).

As Israel was Chosen by God / So the Gentiles were Chosen by God. This is the mystery.

WHEN AND HOW HAS GOD CHOSEN OUT OF THE POWER OF THE SPIRITUAL POWERS?

Ephesians 1:3–14 NASB95

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

THE 5 BLESSINGS - BOUNTIFUL GIFTS FROM THE ONE WHO RULES IN HEAVENLY PLACES.

Chose us in Jesus - To be holy and blameless - we are both of these because he chose us to be His.

In love he predestined us - to adoption through Christ.

He adopted us by purchasing us from the powers through the blood of Jesus - by forgiving our sin.

Made known to us the mystery of His will - uniting Jew and gentile and summing up all creation in Jesus.

Predestined for an inheritance in Jesus by God and sealed by the HS / Resurrection / New Earth.

------------------------------------------------------------------

PAUL’S PRAYER FOR THE HOLY ONES OF GOD.

Ephesians 1:15–20 NASB95

For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

Key Points of this Prayer:

We might be given a spirit of wisdom and revelation to know Him. (Unified - Father - Son- Spirit).

1 John 3:2 NASB95

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

Heart enlightened to know what is the hope of His calling / No longer having to live under the rule of the fallen spiritual powers.

John 10:10 NASB95

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Heart enlightened to know what are the riches of His inheritance in the saint.

Death is defeated / Physical Resurrection / New Perfected Heaven and Earth / Curse is gone / Evil will be gone.

WHAT IS THE SURPASSING GREATNESS OF HIS POWER TOWARD US WHO BELIEVE.

WHAT IS THAT POWER YOU ASK?

Ephesians 1:19–23 NASB95

and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

CONCLUSION:

From the beginning God had always planned to strip the nations from the spiritual powers through Jesus.

1 Peter 1:18–20 NASB95

knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you

You Are Chosen by God - His Holy Ones

You were adopted by God through Jesus

Redeemed from the spiritual powers who used sin and death to hold you captive .

You were purchased by God through the blood of Jesus which cleanses you of sin. Making You His Holy Ones.

Through Jesus God is summing up all creation - Bringing together His chosen people Jews and Gentiles.

And He has sealed us as His with a great promise of a Physical resurrection and new heaven and earth by the Holy Spirit.

It is the Holy One Himself - The Father, Son and Holy Spirit who are perfectly unified in this mission to save His creation.

He and the Unity of the Trinity is what He is saving His creation towards.

We no longer need to fear the powers of this world or the spiritual powers.

Jesus is seated at the right sight of God in the heavenly places.

Far above all rule and power and dominion, and every name - in this age and the age to come.

And God has placed all these powers under the feet of King Jesus

He did this for the Church - Jew and Gentiles in Jesus.

Ephesians 2:6 NASB95

and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Stop fearing - You in Christ are already seated with Him above all the powers -

They are under your feet in Christ Jesus.

The powers have been defeated

We have been rescued

We are no longer under the curse

And no weapon formed against us shall prosper -

Go in the might of the Lord -

Take back what the enemy has stolen

Go to nations and free the inheritance of Jesus through the Gospel.