Ephesians 1

If you don’t eat right, you won’t be able to function well. The hard part on someone is very ill They don’t really want to eat, and that works against them. But as they eat along with everything else, it does help them to function better and improve.

If you don’t feast on the word you won’t be able to spiritually function. We have a lot of malnourished and starving Christians who are struggling to function in this world. You can tell who does, and you can tell who doesn’t. Reading your daily Bible verse on your phone isn’t going to get it done. Rehearsing the same points of scripture you know will last a while, but there is plenty left to feast on and you’re not getting a well rounded diet of the word.

V.1

“by the will of God” - God interrupted his plans in Acts 9.

But Gods will is the same for you - for your earthly plans to be interrupted, for you to repent, for you to change your life decisions in a Godward direction!

Paul addresses those in Ephesus, but it’s truth for all Christians.

“Saints” = hagios = Holy, set apart

I guess you could say you’re “somebody”. When God says He has a job that somebody needs to do, that’s you.

You’re no longer a representation of the world, you’re made to be Holy like God and must represent God and do your best to live up to the title of “Holy”

Colossians 1:22-23 ties in with Ephesians 5:26-27, to be with God means you must be Holy which means you must be washed and cleansed by God.

You don’t become a saint or holy when you die. You become Holy when you die to self and get in Jesus.

You’re Holy in the world. You’re set apart from the world. And you won’t stay that way if you don’t continually listen to and learn from the one who supplies your holiness.

V.3

What we have in Jesus is unique and exclusive to His Faithful.

Every spiritual blessing: God blesses us with everything there is to offer, they are yours in Christ. If you’re in Him then God has blessed you personally!

“in the heavenly places” - they are transcendent of this world, better than and not limited by any circumstance. They are divinely given and eternal in nature - God’s blessings to us won’t ever exhaust or run out.

In the world is the seen in the heavenly is the unseen.

In the seen places you may not feel or seem blessed - bad car, tattered clothes, barely making ends meet, poor health...

YET we are blessed with blessings we can’t lay eyes on yet, but one day we will! It doesn’t always feel, look, or seem that way. But praise God that feelings don’t determine reality. We have blessings that await us, but they are our current possession and so long as I’m faithful I wont lose them.

However, there are some things for the current life on this earth we do know about

Blessings:

Redemption and Reconciliation

Gift/Blessing of the Spirit, Acts 2:38 & Ephesians 1:13-14

I got the blessing of being part of God’s family, Galatians 4:6–7 “And because you are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”

We are full legal heirs, we get everything God offers!

Of all the families to envy that’s the one! Not the family down the street with the new swimming pool or the basketball hoop. God’s is the one and only that we and people looking at us should say “I want that. I what that family has.”

Being Transformed into His Likeness

1 Peter 1:6–7 “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 1:15–16 “but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your conduct; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Romans 5:3–5 “And not only this, but we also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not put to shame, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

God gave us who have been baptized into Christ the gift of the Holy Spirit to seal us and to grow us - 2 things I couldn’t do on my own.

V.4-6

Predestination...scary word?! No!

God didn’t take away or never give you the ability to choose

He predetermined the characteristics of His people—their purpose, conduct, and even the way they would worship. However, this divine setting does not imply that God forces an individual into His family. Rather, every person stands before God with the freedom to decide whether to step into that circle. The choice to follow Jesus, to be washed and cleansed, is made by us.

The Bible makes it clear that God wants everyone to be saved. 2 Peter 3:9 says He’s patient and doesn’t want anyone to perish. That shows how God's plan works hand-in-hand with our free will. God's plan was set from the beginning, but it’s open for anyone to step into.

He offers us the choice to accept salvation through Jesus, not like we’re locked into some pre-made path. We’ve got real decisions to make in this process, and our free will is a key part of a life of faith. This isn’t some robotic walk through God's will—it’s our choice to step into His story, and His plan.

God predetermined ALOT of things

How he would create; How he would save his creation; Who his people would be BUT didn’t predetermine who individually would be part of his people

He predetermined what His people will look like, what they will do, how they will worship, how they will live - what this verse says is God predestined that there would be a group in the world that is his people and the rest wouldn’t be. That there would be this sphere and collection of people who are His, and you can join if you want, but you don’t get to determine how you’re going to be His people because God already predetermined that.

In simple terms: God drew a circle and said this is where my people will be, and you make the decision to be part of that circle.

Romans 8:28-30 – Helps us best understand this concept. Watch the word order here:

“Purpose” – Before Time

“Foreknew” – Before Time

“Predestined” – Before Time

“Called” – During Time (yes, you were called 2 Thess.2:14)

“Justified” – During Time

“Glorified” – During Time

God saw beforehand the choices man would make – so he provided an escape for you to be able to CHOOSE or not

God’s decision didn’t cause your decision – we know that from other passages such as 2 Peter 3:9 that God’s will isn’t for men to perish, but that all be saved.

There is a purpose and planning behind all of this before the beginning of time – God wanted to build a people who would be a divine tribute and praise to himself; He wanted people to look at that and realize that there is no one else like that and have the desire to also be HOLY.

V.5 he says adoption as sons - meaning you didn’t start off as His people, if God predestined exactly who would be saved that means they would be born to him not adopted by Him.

You may have had an unexpected pregnancy, but no one ever had an unexpected adoption – you do that with purpose and on purpose.

God’s circle that He drew saying “these will be my people” have the purpose of bringing praise and glory to God.

This should be reassuring to us as Christians. It means that between me and God and God and me, that relationship is real and genuine - not manufactured.

It means that you are actively responsible for every decision and every act of faith.

V.7-8

If i want redemption that comes with forgiveness, I need to contact the blood of Jesus. Romans 6:5-6 says its at baptism.

And Paul says here to the Ephesians ONLY in Jesus do you have redemption.

V.9-11

V.9 - “purposed” = verb

V.11 - “purpose” - noun

He planned a plan, God schemed a scheme to save man through Jesus. When did He plan it? He says v.11 he predestined it in eternity.

God planned the plan in eternity to save man. God then worked that plan all throughout the course of Human History. Beginning in Genesis 3:15 he put the plan of bringing Jesus into action saying to Satan “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” God worked through the patriarchs, through the judges, kings, and prophets, and he worked with His people and controlled all of human history to accomplish his plan.

God’s grand plan to save man is summed up, made known, finalized in Christ! That’s v.10.

And the Church was part of the plan God planned in eternity, Paul says so in Ephesians 3:10–11 “so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,” .

That means the Church can’t be whatever you want it to be. It can’t do whatever you want it to do. It was planned and predetermined specifically by God. NOT an afterthought.

1 Corinthians 2:7 “But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom which has been hidden, which God predestined before the ages to our glory”

Glory is the end. Predestined was the beginning. God planned for our ending to be with Him by redemption in Jesus and God worked that plan and our job is to preach that wisdom of God.

God is the judge, jury, and executioner. But God is also the architect, the builder, and the financier. He made all the plans and He took all the risk. Now He offers us a guarantee of salvation in Him as a result of successfully working the grand plan to save man.

Yea...I guess God is worth all my time money and energy to bring Him glory and be part of His work. It’s one of all the many blessings that surpass anything in this world.