Spiritual Blessings. A Study of Ephesians

Transcription

1 Adult Quarterly Spiritual Blessings A Study of Ephesians QUARTERLY AIM: The student will conclude that God s goal for humanity is to bless His children spiritually so that they can in return praise Him. December 3 God s Plan for Blessing His Children Understanding God s Plan The Blessing of Salvation The Blessing of Reconciliation The Blessing of Serving Others January 7 The Blessing of Spiritual Stability The Blessing of Spiritual Maturity The Blessing of a Renewed Mind The Blessing of Changed Behavior February 4 The Blessing of Understanding God s Will The Blessing of a Christian Home The Blessing of Christian Relationships The Blessing of Standing for the Truth Vol. 105, No. 1, Winter Quarter, Editor in Chief: Kyle W. Elkins, kyle.elkins@bogardstore.org Business Manager: Wayne Sewell, wayne.sewell@bogardstore.org 2017, Bogard Press, 4605 N. State Line Ave., Texarkana, TX

2 About the Writer Dr. David Robinson was born in Greenville, Mississippi and grew up in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He was saved in 1956 and was baptized by Cones Road Missionary Baptist Church. He graduated from Hot Springs High School, attended the University of Mississippi and graduated from the Missionary Baptist Seminary in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1966 earning the Master in Bible Languages and Doctor in Bible Languages Degrees. He surrendered to preach in 1960 and was ordained to the gospel ministry in December of He has pastored churches in central and southern Arkansas. From 1967 to 1999 he served as an instructor in the Missionary Baptist Seminary. He served as Registrar at the school from 1978 to 1988 and as Chancellor and Editor of the Missionary Baptist Searchlight from 1988 to He served as Chaplain for the Pulaski County Sheriff s Office from 1992 until He served on the Sunday School Committee of the ABA from 1987 to 1998 and as President of the ABA in 1999 and He has served as Parliamentarian for the ABA since Presently, he is pastor of Landmark Missionary Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he has served since He has written Young People s Sunday School literature, the BTC Adult Quarterly, and he currently writes the Sunday School Adult Quarterly used in the churches of the American Baptist Association. He may be contacted at dcrobinson@aristotle.net.

3 American Baptist Association Through-the-Bible Series Sunday School Lessons Winter Spring Summer Fall Corinthians Isaiah Chronicles Kings Nahum Isaiah Kings Chronicles Zephaniah Philemon Philippians Colossians 2018 Ephesians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Jeremiah Lamentations 2 Kings 24; 25 2 Chronicles 36 John John Ezra; Nehemiah Habakkuk; Haggai Malachi; Esther 1 Peter 2 Peter 1, 2, 3 John Jude 2020 Daniel Ezekiel Zechariah Revelation 1 11 Revelation Genesis 1 11 Job 2021 Genesis Matthew 1 13 Matthew Exodus 2022 Romans Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Hebrews Joshua Judges Ruth 2023 Acts 1 14 Acts Samuel 2 Samuel Chronicles 1 10 Mark Mark 9 16 Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon 2 Samuel Chronicles Kings 1; 2 Galatians James 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Kings Chronicles Kings 1 13 Joel; Obadiah Luke 1 13:21 Luke 13:22 24 Psalms Corinthians Hosea; Amos; Micah; Jonah; 2 Kings Chronicles 25 28

4 1 God s Plan for Blessing His Children December 3, 2017 Text: Ephesians 1:1-12 Focus: Ephesians 1:1-12 Key Verse: 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. Ephesians 1:4 Sunday Devotional: Sent To Bear Fruit, John 15: Application: The student will learn that God has an eternal plan for him, and he fulfills that plan as he trusts and follows Christ. A FIRST LOOK The book of Ephesians is a revelation of how the grace of God reveals the plan of God. We will study it on that basis. The grace of God is the process that allows us to have things we do not deserve. A related thought is that God s mercy is the process through which we do not get the things that we deserve. Mercy sets us free and grace makes us rich. Both of these are a part of God s divine plan for everyone who believes in Jesus Christ. When Ephesians was written, Paul was in prison, and his future was uncertain. He could have been set free; he could have been kept in prison, or he could have been killed at any time. He wrote this letter Daily Devotionals M. God Chose Israel, Deuteronomy 14:1, 2. T. God Chose the Levites as Ministers, Deuteronomy 21:5. W. God Chose Men To Carry the Ark, 1 Chronicles 15:1, 2. T. God Chose Isaiah To Be a Prophet, Isaiah 6:1-7. F. God Chose the Ministry of Jesus, Matthew 12: S. God Has Chosen Us as His Heirs, Romans 8:

5 Text: Ephesians 1: to help settle and establish the Christians of Ephesus in their faith in Christ. Although Paul was an important leader, he would pass from the scene. It was vital for these saints to understand God s plan for their individual lives, and this book teaches them and us how to do that. The work at Ephesus was in many ways the premier work of the apostle Paul. He came to Ephesus on his first missionary journey. He stopped there briefly and returned later on his third missionary journey. On that later journey, Paul ministered for two years in Ephesus and established a strong church in a pagan city mostly given to the worship of the idol god, Diana. About ten years later, while He was in prison in Rome, God inspired Paul to write this letter to the church in Ephesus. For background information about the church in Ephesus, read Acts This letter was written to encourage the people in Ephesus by teaching them about the wonderful, privileged position they held as believers in Christ and as members of a New Testament church. A CLOSER LOOK I. God s Desire To Bless His Children Ephesians 1: 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: 2. Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Most of the world today and most of the world of the Ephesians was harsh and cruel. The false gods of this great city offered punishment for sins and cruel treatment of those who criticized or dissented in the least. In sharp contrast, God offered grace for sinners and a richness of life that was beyond the comprehension of the idol worshipers of that day. This grace brought true peace to the souls of those who believe in Jesus. Throughout the ages, God has sought to improve the status of all those who come before Him.

6 6 God s Plan for Blessing His Children Paul began by referring to three distinct personages. First, there is Paul; then, there are the saints at Ephesus, and, then, there is God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Paul was an apostle and the human author of this letter; however, God inspired Paul to write these words. These are not Paul s own ideas or the imaginations of his heart. This letter was not the result of Paul s reasoning about the conditions and needs in Ephesus. Instead, Paul spoke as he was moved by the Holy Spirit. God used Paul s talent and ability to convey a timeless message to the Ephesians and to all those who read this book. Although the Bible is complete and inspiration has ended, God still uses messengers to carry His message. God calls men to preach his word. Today, men preach what is already written, but the messenger is an important link in the process that brings the truth to our hearts (Romans 10:13-15). Paul expected the saints in Ephesus to receive his message and to act on it. We should be willing to hear and act on the messages God s men bring to us. Listen to your pastor. He should be teaching you from the Bible and when he does, take the teaching seriously and change your life to conform to God s holy Word. There was a group called the saints at Ephesus. This term saint does not refer to someone who has achieved a higher level of spiritual development and become a super Christian. The term simply means all those who have believed in Jesus. This term is defined in 2 Thessalonians 1:10. The believers in Ephesus had been taught and organized into a New Testament church by the apostle Paul himself. They had been functioning as a church for about ten years when Paul wrote this letter. Even after all that time, there were still things they could learn and changes that they needed to make. We never outgrow our need for more growth in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. The message of the Lord is specific, and it is addressed to specific needs. Although we can find the gospel on every page of the Bible, this book is primarily addressed to the needs of those who were already saved and were members of a New Testament church. One of the keys to proper biblical interpretation is to understand to whom the Bible is speaking. This book is speaking to those who were saints. We also learn that this message concerns God and Jesus. The great gifts of grace and peace are introduced early in this book. Ephesians is a revelation of the grace of God and the peace that

7 Text: Ephesians 1: comes from accepting and living according to that grace. We will learn about many facets of the grace of God as we study, but it is important that we begin by understanding the source of grace and peace. Both come from God through Jesus Christ. There is no other source that offers these gifts. II. God s Plan for His Children Ephesians 1: 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: 5. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. God s grace resulted in God s choice. He has chosen every human being for salvation and spiritual blessing (2 Peter 3:9). There is great power in these words. Before the foundation of the world was put in place, God chose the plan of redemption and looked down through the ages to the people who would be redeemed. God s choice is that every human being should be holy and without blame. This is possible because God loved the world and gave his only begotten Son to die so that we could live. In addition to spiritual life, God has chosen us for spiritual adoption. This is the process whereby we become the heirs of God and the joint heirs of Jesus Christ. This wonderful truth means that whatever blessings God intends to give to Jesus, He intends to give to those who believe in Jesus. This is spiritual wealth we truly cannot comprehend. God s choice is not brought about by those who are chosen. This is the will of God, not the will of mankind. Vain men imagine many plans of salvation, and the idea that people must work their way into a position of privilege with our Creator is common to all of them. God s choice is that we should be saved by grace and then live by grace.

8 8 God s Plan for Blessing His Children We must carefully note that although this is God s choice, we have a choice in our spiritual condition. We are made in God s image and likeness. This means that like God, we have the right of determinate will. We can make decisions, and we must live with the decisions we make. God will honor our choices even when our choices are contrary to His will. God is not willing that any should perish, but some will perish, not because God wants it that way, but because these individuals have made choices contrary to God s will for their lives. God s purpose is not that we should save ourselves or each other, but that we should be accepted in His beloved Son. The sacrifice of Jesus was intercessory. Jesus took our place on the cross and suffered so that we could live. This is God s plan and it is through that plan that we have redemption. Redemption suggests buying back something that was lost. This is exactly what Jesus did when He died for us. He paid the price so that we can be free. We are redeemed through His blood and our sins are forgiven by the richness of His grace toward us. III. God s Plan To Give His Children an Inheritance Ephesians 1: Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9. Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 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: 11. 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: 12. That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. Most of our choices are arbitrary. We choose one thing over the other with little concern for the consequences of our decisions. God never acts in this way. God s choices are the product of reason; there is a reason behind everything that God does. Eventually, we will learn that much of what we thought was random, was just a part of His plan that we could not understand at the time.

9 Text: Ephesians 1: God wants us to walk in the light of truth. When we are saved, we are no longer the children of darkness, and He wants us to live in truth and understanding. Understanding and knowing the will of the Lord is one of the most liberating experiences in a Christian s life. God has made known to us the mystery of His will. Through Paul God was telling the Ephesians and us about the things that will change our lives and our outlook on life. These things are a mystery to those who will not accept Jesus, but they are clearly revealed in the New Testament. Understand and accept the truth that God has a plan and a purpose for your life. Knowing that will change how you live each day. The life of a believer is not a series of random, unconnected events. God has a plan, and He will reveal that plan to us as we study His Word and walk daily before Him in truth and love. When we accept God s plan for our lives, we live according to an eternal purpose. God always takes the long look at history. We live day by day; God lives in eternity. God is looking at the ages and dispensations to come and in them He will gather all things to Him in Christ. Eventually, everything will relate to Jesus, whether things on earth or in Heaven. Life is all about Jesus, not about the people or things of earth. God has chosen us to receive an inheritance. Once again this is a part of the grace of God. What can we do to earn an inheritance? We can do nothing. We have to be born into the right family to get an inheritance, and through Jesus Christ we have been born again into the family of God. Appropriate this truth every day and in every part of your life. God has a plan and a purpose for every believer, and He is actively working to bring that purpose to pass. Our part is to believe, understand and act on the things we know to be true. A FINAL WORD Many people lead lives of hopeless desperation. They live from day to day with little hope of improving their lot in life. This is as true in our modern age as it was long ago, but this does not have to be. The book of Ephesians offers great hope, and it all begins with the realization that we are not an accident and the things that are happening to us right now are not accidents.

10 10 God s Plan for Blessing His Children We may not be able to understand the plan of God as it unfolds before us. We may question each step we take, and we may live in fear and doubt. Nevertheless, God has a plan for all of His children. To follow God s plan, every soul must trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Then, all of God s children must walk in obedience to the teachings of Jesus as revealed in the Bible. To the extent that we accept the Lord, we are accepted of Him, and to the extent that we choose to live outside the will of God, we cut ourselves off from the divine providence that will eventually bless us or curse us. As a prisoner in Rome, Paul realized that he was under the control of forces beyond himself. He also knew that there was a power superior to the might of Rome. God was in control of the nations of the world, and God was in charge of every believer who would humbly submit his soul in faith. Blessings are waiting for those who will put their trust in the Lord. FOR CLASS DISCUSSION 1. To whom was this book addressed? 2. How would you define a spiritual blessing? 3. What is the mystery of his will mentioned in verse 9? 4. When will God gather together in one all things in Christ?