Ephesians Are You Thankful Yet? Ephesians 1:13-23

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Bridget Welch
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1 Ephesians Are You Thankful Yet? Ephesians 1:13-23 God blesses us greatly in the heavenlies. As His children, I don t know if we will ever be able to fully comprehend the vastness of His love and mercy. And living in a world that defines success by material possessions, the one who dies with the most toys wins, makes it a struggle sometimes to remember where real blessings come from. Stedman reminds us: Do you remember the story of the Old Testament about Elisha and his servant? One day they found themselves surrounded by the armies of Syria. The servant looked out upon this vast enemy army and he saw the cavalry and the armed chariots. Fearfully he turned to Elisha and said, :Everything s hopeless! Look! We re surrounded! What shall we do? Elisha said, Fear not, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. And he prayed, Lord, open his eyes. And the Lord opened the young man s eyes so that he could see, ringing the horizon, all the fiery chariots of God, manned by hundreds of thousands of angels, and he realized the true situation. Those were the heavenlies. Most of the important things of our lives are not visible. They can t be touched or seen or tasted or weighed or otherwise measured. They are not subject to the scrutiny of science, nor are they the subject of the philosophies of men, but they are there. We must recognize that fact. And it is in this realm that these great spiritual blessings are to be found. It is here that our life can be changed and we can become different people, by God s grace. 1 I Introduction II The Seal of the Spirit Verses III Paul s Prayer Verses A. of Thanks Verses B. Petition Verses 17-19a IV God s Power Verses 19b-23 V Conclusion Introduction: It certainly seems apropos that on the Thanksgiving weekend we are considering the blessings of God and how much we have to be thankful for. As believers, our lives would be much richer if they were typified by thankfulness. In this section, we will also discover one of Paul s source of thankfulness. When we started this section three weeks ago, we listed the gifts of God in verses 3 through 10. And since we are encouraging thankfulness in today s session, it would probably be a good ideal to list them again as a starting-off place. A. He has Chosen us. (vs. 4) B. He has Adopted us. (vs. 5) C. He has Accepted us. (vs. 6) 1 Stedman, Ray C., Riches in Christ, Word Books, Waco, TX, 1976, p

2 D. He has Redeemed us. (vs. 7a) E. He has Forgiven us. (vs. 7b) F. He has Revealed His will to us. (vs. 8-10) And the response to this as we noted a few weeks back is We are greatly blessed and so our lives are to be typified by praise, praise in our words, praise in our walk, praise that brings God honor and glory. And we praise Him because one day all creation will be redeemed. Verses 13-14: This brings us to verses It is hear we are reassured of the eternal nature of our salvation. It cannot be lost. And just as salvation is a gift from God, He is also the one who seals it so it cannot be lost. Who seals it? God, the Holy Spirit does. To understand the context, we need to consider how a seal was used during this period. What does it mean to be sealed with the Spirit? Undoubtedly this is a reference to the ancient practice of sealing letters or other objects with sealing wax and impressing the wax with a seal worn on a ring and bearing an identifying image. The use of the seal involved two specific ideas. The first was ownership. The letter belonged to the individual who owned the seal. The second idea involved in the use of the seal was that of preservation. You remember that the tomb of Jesus was sealed with the seal of the Roman emperor. That seal was intended to keep the tomb inviolate. No one dared break the seal of the emperor upon pain of death. Thus it served to keep the tomb intact, without intrusion or destruction. 2 So how does this work? The gospel, God s words, is heard. It are accepted by faith. And then the new believer is sealed by the Holy Spirit. The receiving of the Holy Spirit is the guarantor of our salvation. It isn t dependent on our actions, but on the working of the tri-unity of God. There are two aspects to this sealing. First, the Holy Spirit seals the believing sinner. 3 (God) set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Corinthians 1:22). And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). Second, (t)he presence of the Holy Spirit Himself seems to be the seal here, who is given by the Father to assure the believer of his eternal salvation. This seal is also referred to as an earnest. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Corinthians 5:5, see 1:22). To understand this seal is proof of eternal security, we must understand it in its context. Wiersbie explains it this way: What is the significance of this sealing of the Holy Spirit? For one thing, it speaks of a finished transaction. Even today, when important legal documents are processed, they are stamped with the official seal to signify the completion of the transaction. This sealing also implies ownership: God has put his 2 Ibid., p Willmington, Dr. H.L., The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, published through Liberty Home Bible Institute, p. 45. ) 60 (

3 seal on us because He has purchased us to be His own (1 Cor. 6:19-20). It also means security and protection. The Roman seal on the tomb of Jesus carried this meaning (Matt. 27:62-66). So, the believer belongs to God, and is safe and protected because he is a part of a finished transaction. According to John 14:16-17, the Holy Spirit abides with the believer forever. It is possible for us to grieve the Spirit and thereby lose the blessings of His ministry (Eph. 4:30). But He doesn t leave us. Another use for the seal is a mark of authenticity. Just as a signature on a letter attests to the genuineness of the document, so the presence of the Spirit proves the believer is genuine. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His (Rom. 8:9). It is not simply our lip profession, our religious activity, or our good works, but the witness of the Spirit that makes our profession authentic. 4 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. Sir, they said, we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, After three days I will rise again. So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first. (Matthew 27:62-64). Take a guard, Pilate answered. Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how. So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard (Matthew 27:65-66). And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you (John 14:16-17). And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ (Romans 8:9). Verses 15-16: Isn t amazing how much we have to be grateful for? We have all God s blessings, demonstrations of His love. But Paul finds one more thing to be grateful for: other believers. He had heard about two aspects of the lives of these believers which caused him to be thankful. These characteristics were first, their faith in Christ and second, their walk demonstrated by their loves of others. And so Paul s thankfulness becomes a regular part of his prayer life. Wood states: Remembering is making mention and implies that those for whom Paul interceded were actually named before God. 5 4 Wiersbe, Warren W., The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament ~ Volume 2, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1971, p Wood, A. Skevington, The Expositor s Bible Commentary, Ephesians, Zondervan Interactive Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, ) 61 (

4 Clearly, it isn t enough to be saved, although this is the first and greatest blessing and portends an eternity in God s presence. But the call to salvation is also a call to sanctification. And as with God s love being the foundation of our election and salvation, love, as Paul notes here, is at the foundation of the Christian walk: love for God and love for others. We can never be reminded too often The most important (command) is this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:29-31). Verse 17: From thanksgiving, Paul s focus shifts to petition. He prays for the wisdom and revelation of these believers. What was the purpose of these gifts? to get to know God better. This is really the primary purpose of the Christian life, to get to know God better and therefore to grow closer to Him. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law (Psalm 119:18). Keep in mind the flow of this passage means the gifts Paul is asking for come through the Holy Spirit. At the same time this being the case the word revelation should not be taken to mean understanding beyond the teachings of scripture. Revelation (apocalypsis ) seems to refer here to the insight and discernment the Spirit brings into the mysteries of divine truth (1Cor 2:14, 16). 6 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14). Verses 18-19a: Paul next requests the enlightenment of the believers. What is the purpose of this enlightenment? So we may realize our hope, our riches in Christ, and His power. We are called to hope. This is not a wishy washy hope. Wiersbe notes: Some callings offer no hope, but the calling we have in Christ assures us of a delightful future. Keep in mind that the word hope in the Bible does not mean hope so, like a child hoping for a doll or a bike at Christmas. The word carries with it assurance for the future. 7 Our hope is grounded in Christ and consequently we can live in total confidence in Him and His leading in service of the kingdom. has saved us and called us to a holy life not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, (2 Timothy 1:9). Our calling is to hope and to our inheritance. We ve already seen the blessings that come with being part of the Church, the called out body. And the culmination of our hope is Christ coming for His church. 6 Ibid. 7 Wiersbe, p. 15. ) 62 (

5 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure (1 John 3:1-3). Verses 19b-23: And what is this power by which God works in the life of His children. It is resurrection power. It is this power that returned Christ from the dead and glorified Him in the heavenlies. The LORD says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. (Psalm 110:1). It is this power which the Father places in the hands of the Son. It is the power/authority by which Christ rules and will rule over all creation. The phrasing here relates to Christ having authority over this fallen world, the present age. He will also exercise His authority over the future age, eternity. For he has put everything under his feet. Now when it says that everything has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ (1 Corinthians 15:27). You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet (Psalm 8:5-6). It was this same power which is represented by Christ s headship over the church. This will be expanded on later in the epistle. And as Christ is the head, so the church is His body. We are called to carry out His work here. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior (Ephesians 5:23). Conclusion: Wiersbie notes the importance of power in the life of the believer when he says: ) 63 (

6 The greatest power shortage today is not in our generators or our gas tanks. It is in our personal lives. Will Paul s prayer be answered in your life? Will you, start today, begn to know by experience God God s calling God s riches and God s power? 8 One way to grow closer to God, to experience His power, is by reminding ourselves of all He has done for us and making our life a constant work of prayer of thankfulness. From the first bright light of morning To the last warm glow of dusk; Every breath we take is sacred, For it is God s gift to us. In the season of our plenty, In the season of our need; We will find His grace sufficient, We will find His love complete Safe within His hand that guides us, Hidden in His healing wings; Day by day His love provides us Every good and perfect thing. In thanksgiving, let us praise Him; In thanksgiving, let us sing Songs of praise and adoration To our gracious Lord and King. 9 8 Ibid., p Cloninger, Claire, The Celebration Hymnal, In Thanksgiving, Let Us Praise Him, Word/Integrity, Waco, TX, 1997, #796. ) 64 (

7 Ephesians Are You Thankful Yet? Ephesians 1:13-23 I Introduction II The Seal of the Spirit Verses III Paul s Prayer Verses A. of Thanks Verses B. of Petition Verses 17-19a IV God s Power Verses 19b-23 V Conclusion Introduction: II The Seal of the Spirit: (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 4:30; 2 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Matthew 27:62-66; John 14:16-17; Ephesians 4:30; Romans 8:9)

8 III Paul s Prayer: A. of Thanks: (Mark 12:29-31) B. of Petition: (Psalm 119:18; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 2 Timothy 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 John 3:1-3; Psalm 110:1; 1 Corinthians 15:27; Psalm 8:5-6; Ephesians 5:23) IV Conclusion: Personal Application: A few weeks ago I gave the following application which seems to be worth repeating. Review Chapter 1. Then make a list of all the things you have to thank God for and each day as part of your prayers, thank Him for one blessing from your list. Prayer for the Week: Lord, we praise You and thank You for Your many blessings and for the opportunity to share them with others. In Christ s name, amen.

1/2/11 Ephesians 1:3 14 Spiritual Blessings

1/2/11 Ephesians 1:3 14 Spiritual Blessings As we begin a New Year of worship and service to God many of us may have made New Year s resolutions about what we will do and how we will behave. Today we will look at our spiritual blessings in God,