Spiritual Blessings: God's Inheritance
Notes
Transcript
As parents we all understand that there us NO privacy or ownership of anything. There is no sacred space or sacred time with kids!
I thought that I had at least ONE sacred item in my house.... my toithbrush… something that ONLY I would use… But I was WRONG… One of my kids (Who shall be forever unnamed) mistook my toopthbrish as THEIRS.... for some reason they all insisted on brishing their teeth in our bathroom too! UNTIL one day… I was blissfully brishing my teeth when the child walked in and said… ‘HEY, THAT’S MY TOOTHBRUSH’ and i said ‘NO WAY! IT IS MINE’.... at that moment we both realized that we had fractional ownership on the SAME toothbrush..... PRETTY GROSS!
NO FRACTIONAL OWNERSHIP WITH GOD
NO FRACTIONAL OWNERSHIP WITH GOD
There’s a modern day heresy that we can accept Jesus as Saviour in our lives and then postpone our obedience to Him ass LORD. That we can share the same toothbrush with God and the Devil and remain untainted...
GOD’S OWNERSHIP OF OUR LIVES CHANGES EVERYTHING!
EPHESIANS 1 OUTLINE
EPHESIANS 1 OUTLINE
Ephesians 1 is the theological prelude to the rest of the book. The foundation it established provides an important underpinning for Paul’s teaching in chapters 2-6.
BOOK ANALYSIS
1. Introduction (1:1–23)
a. Greeting (1:1–2)
b. Praise for God’s purpose and blessings in Christ (1:3–14)
c. Prayer for divine enlightenment (1:15–23)
2. Life in Christ (2:1–3:21)
a. New life from the dead (2:1–10)
b. The reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles (2:11–22)
c. The privilege of proclamation (3:1–13)
d. Renewed prayer (3:14–21)
3. Unity in the body of Christ (4:1–16)
a. Maintaining the unity (4:1–6)
b. Diversity in unity (4:7–16)
4. Personal standards (4:17–5:21)
a. New life to replace the old (4:17–24)
b. Truth and love to replace falsehood and bitterness (4:25–5:2)
c. Light to replace the darkness (5:3–14)
d. Wisdom to replace folly (5:15–21)
5. Relationships (5:22–6:9)
a. Husbands and wives (5:22–33)
b. Children and parents (6:1–4)
c. Servants and masters (6:5–9)
6. Conclusion (6:10–24)
a. The Christian conflict (6:10–20)
b. Final message and greeting (6:21–24)
COMMENTARY
Foulkes, F. (1989). Ephesians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 10, pp. 49–51). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
CHAPTER ANALYSIS:
Greetings (1:1-1)
Doxology (1:3-14)
It is not Paul’s usual style to open with words of thanksgiving and praise.
The sovereign choice of God (3-6)
God’s wisdom and provision of redemption through blood of Jesus (7-10)
The asurance of the HS and our inheritance (11-14)
Thanksgiving (1:15-23)
Prompting questions
Prompting questions
Before we get into the meat of the verse we will be focussing on I have some questions that may help us at the start of this message:
1. Are we faithful to God alone? (Vs 1:1b- “to the faithful saints...”)
2. Are we content to be “in Christ”? (Vs3a “blessed us IN CHRIST with every spirpitual blessing”)
3. What are the obstacles to our own spiritual growth and blessing? (Vs 7: “we have redemption in HIm.... forgiveness… our trespasses...”
EPHESIANS 1:11-14 — Our Inheritance
EPHESIANS 1:11-14 — Our Inheritance
WHO:
Verse 11& 12 - We - Paul is speaking of the Jews
“We” = Jewish Christians
Verse 13 - You - Gentiles
“You” = Gentile Christians
Verse 14 - Our = Both Jew and Gentile
“Our” = Both Jew and Gentile believers are part of the new covenant community.
In Christ it is no longer us or them - it is “our inheritance”.
Our Inheritance
Our Inheritance
FROM GOD:
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Chapter 1)
literally, “We were made to have an inheritance” [WAHL].
17 I will rescue you from the people and from the Gentiles. I now send you to them 18 to open their eyes so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that by faith in Me they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified.’
God’s gift to us (https://biblechurch.org/the-doctrine-of-election-and-predestination-where-christians-agree-and-disagree/):
Imagine you are a child on Christmas morning, and your father has just placed a gift in your lap to open. In the back of your mind, you are thinking of all the things you wrote on your wish list, and you’re wondering which of them could fit in a box this shape. As you open it, you quickly realize it is not anything you asked for – yet it is the most interesting and delightful toy you have ever seen. In fact, after all the gifts have been opened, it is your favorite present of all.
Did your father force you to like the gift, as if you were a robot? Did he make you enjoy that gift against your will? No. But in his wisdom, as he planned for Christmas day, he predetermined to give you that gift out of his gracious love for you, his child. And it was precisely in the giving of the gift that he also gave you the desire for, love of, and joy over the gift. After all, if he had never surprised you with this present that you didn’t ask for, you still would not have the desire for it.
This is how Calvinists make sense of Ephesians 2:8, which talks about faith being a gift from God, not something that originates inside us. God gives us faith in Jesus, but when God gives us that gift it is genuinely our faith – we are doing the believing, out a will that has been renewed by the transforming power of the Spirit.
OUR POSSESSION
The Gospel leads to our salvation!… it is through Israel and Jesus… OT and NT!
The Gospel is frist for the Jews (God’s possession)
12 for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, since the same Lord of all is rich to all who call on Him.
The Gospel is for Everyone! (Spiritual Israel)
26 for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ like a garment. 28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.
We are adopted into God’s family
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
OUR EXPERIENCE AND OUR HOPE:
An inheritance was of great importance in ancient society. Most people were in the same trade as their parents, and had little or no upward mobility regarding careers. A wealthy inheritance was greatly desired. What inheritance did Paul have in mind? The believer's inheritance is two-fold. First, it means becoming a child of God; this gives us the right to expect an inheritance. Second, we gain eternity with the Lord, dwelling in His righteousness for all time.
Future hope:
23 Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.
3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
17 For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away.
5 Lord, You are my portion and my cup of blessing; You hold my future. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
Present reality:
“living hope”- 1 Peter 1!
Redemption
Forgiveness of sin
New Creation
Purpose
RESULT- PRAISE GOD!
RESULT- PRAISE GOD!
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians C. Spiritual Blessings in the Son (vv. 7–12)
The result of these incomprehensible blessings is that God should be praised!
Why praise God?
We are chosen!
We are redeemed!
We have an inheritance!
Lexham Context Commentary: New Testament Redemption in Christ (1:3–14)
The goal of Christ’s work was that believers would give praise and honor to the Father. This happens only because believers are chosen (1:3–6) and redeemed (1:7–10) through Christ.
BUT- we have to be FULLY HIS- no fractional ownership!
Thru the Bible Vol. 47: The Epistles (Ephesians) God the Son Paid the Price for the Church
God does not exist to satisfy the whim and wish of the believer. The believer exists for the glory of God. When the believer is in the center of the will of God, he is living a life of fullness and of satisfaction and of joy. That will deliver you from the hands of psychologists, friend. But when you are not in the will of God, there is trouble brewing for you. Living in God’s will adds purpose and meaning to life: we are going to be for the praise of His glory. God will be able throughout the endless ages of eternity future to point to you and me and say, “Look there, they weren’t worth saving but I loved them and I saved them.” That is the thing which gives worth and standing and dignity and purpose and joy and glory to life. We exist today to the praise of His glory and that is enough.
BEETLE RESTORATION:
During lockdown I bought a beetle and have been working to restore it fully back to the original intent....
It looks good on the outside… but it was rotten on the inside… it needed an overhaul!
DOES YOUR LIFE LOOK GOOD ON THE OUTSIDE?
ARE YOU MESSED UP IN PLACES PEOPLE DON’T SEE?
GOD can restore you! ONLY GOD knows best...