Sermon Notes on a Sunday Morning - Ephesians 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places

The principle we learned last time was how to bless God — bless those who don't bless you to be more like God (Matt 5).

We have all spiritual blessings in high places.  Charles Spurgeon, referred to as the "prince of preachers" once said:  "When you're in the Bible, you're in your Father's house."  Every promise/blessing in the Bible is not ours.  Spurgeon did not take into consideration progressive revelation.  We are in our Father's house but we are also in another person's house — be careful!

"Be spiritual" are the buzz words of today.  For example, Oprah says look on your spiritual side, whatever that means to you.  She is not referring to the Holy Spirit.

Our spiritual blessings versus Israel's earthly blessings:

Israel's blessings were in earthly places and were conditional — "If you're good, I will bless you." (Deut 28:1-14):

• If you're good, I'll will bless your commerce, etc...  (This promise is for Israel, not us.  Prosperity preachers say if you send me money, God will bless you.  They are preying on the poor.)
• If you're good, I'll bless your crops, give you children, keep you safe.

In Exodus 15:26 God promised to keep Israel from diseases if they were good.

There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, saying, "If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer. I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer" (Ex 15:26).

All these promises were for Israel.  God blessed them with physical blessings in earthly places.

God also promised to curse them if they didn't obey (exactly the opposite of blessings) (Deut 28:15-45.  All the blessings and cursings were show them they couldn't be good! (Gal 4:1-7)

Our blessings are in heavenly places and are unconditional. We are in no condition to dictate the terms, we can only believe.  A few of these blessings are:  We are new creations (2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15), complete in Him (Col 2:9-10), heirs of heaven (1 Pet 1:4), adopted as full grown sons (Rom 8:15; Gal 4:1-7), saved by grace, through faith, entirely apart from works (Rom 4:4-5; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5), made acceptable in the Beloved One (Eph 1:6-7), justified — clothed in His righteousness and standing before God as if we'd never sinned — by the finished work of Christ (Acts 13:38-39; 2 Cor 5:21; Rom 3:24; 5:8-9; 8:33-34; 1 Pet 2:24), given the Holy Spirit as a guarantee unto the day of redemption (2 Cor 1:20-22; Eph 1:6, 13; 4:30), and we can never be separated from the love of Christ (Rom 8:31-39), etc...)  God gives these to us up front and then beseeches us to walk worthy of them (Eph 4:1).

Not all Israel's blessings have been realized. All of them will be realized in the earthly Kingdom to come.  If His disciples (Jewish) have enough faith, they will be given anything they ask for (Matt 21:20-22).  God will cause them to obey in the earthly Kingdom (Eze 36:26-27).  This promise is not for us.  In Romans 8:26 we told that we do not know how to pray as we ought.  If we were given everything we asked for, it would be a curse, not a blessing.

Our physical blessings are such things as rain, sun, food, etc...  Everybody, whether saved or not, receives these blessings.

We have already been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.  Be thankful for our physical blessings — sun and rain, etc. — (the unsaved do this, too) but be especially thankful for our spiritual blessings and walk worthy of them! 

Sermon Notes on a Sunday Morning - Ephesians 1:2-3

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

Grace to you

Paul always begins the same way — "grace and peace."

Grace is a panacea — a cure for everything.

Problem of sin (Corinthians)?  Solution - grace, not the law (1 Cor 15:10; 2 Cor 9:8; 12:9).
Problem of legalism (Galatians)?  Solution - grace (Gal 1:6-7; 2:21).
Problem of fighting (Philippines)?  Solution - grace and peace, not the law (Phil 1:7; 4:23).
Problem of worshiping and following the law of angels (Colossians)?  Solution - Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts (Col 3:15).

Grace gives us what we don't deserve.
Mercy doesn't give us what we do deserve (hell or annihilation).

and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Those who are justified always have peace with God.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 5:1).

The only way we can be sure we have peace with God is through the eyes of faith — it's all because of Calvary.  If it depended upon what we did, we could never be sure (Rom 4).

Peace with honor; He didn't sweep our sins under the rug.

Grace comes before peace.

We should give the message of grace and peace to each other.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Bless God?  He's already blessed beyond measure. The blesser has to be in a higher position than the blessee (Heb 7:7; cf. Ps 50:12).  How can we bless God?

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me’ (Matt 25:40).

We can bless God by blessing His people (Prov 14:31; 19:17).  Be a giver (Rom 15:25-27).

We can bless God by speaking of His work and will before people (Neh 9; Acts 2:4; 20:18-24).

who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

God showed on the cross what He thought of sin.  God spent His wrath on the Son.  He isn't mad anymore. Now we have to answer to the Son, and He isn't mad either — if we have placed our faith in Him.

God was Jesus' judge — “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46; Mk 15:34)

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (Jn 20:17)

Jesus hadn't yet ascended into heaven to sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat, but He could say "my Father" and "my God" because the sacrifice was accepted.  And we are accepted in the beloved.

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 (Eph 1:5-6).

Paul wrote this epistle from prison.  He ignored his circumstances and concentrated on his blessings — "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ ... who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing."

He was caught up to the third heaven (2 Cor 12:1-3).  Is this why he could ignore his circumstances?  No. He was caught up to the third heaven 20 years before he wrote Ephesians.  The glory and drive begins to fade after awhile.  He (and we) had to constantly re-motivate himself through the Word.

Sermon Notes on a Sunday Morning - Ephesians 1:1

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:


Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus -

How do we know we can trust Paul?

• God Himself and other prophets vouched for him.

Why another apostle; there were already 12?

• The 12 were sent to Israel (Matt 10:6; cf. Matt 15:24).
• Twelve is a number associated with Israel (Matt 19:28).
• Someday God is going to rule the earth through the nation Israel.
• Paul was not "one of the gang" (Acts 20:24; Gal 1:11-12, 17-19; 2:2, 7-9; Rom 11:13; 15:15-16; 16:25; Eph 3:1-3).  (There is a school of thought that Paul should have been chosen to replace Judas, that the eleven were wrong to choose Matthias.  This school of thought is wrong - http://tis-justme.blogspot.com/2009/08/matthias-right-man-for-job.html )
• We are not the 13th tribe of Israel.  We are not spiritual Israel.  You can't serve efficiently if you don't know who your apostle is.

Paul was perfect for the job because he:

• started out in the other party.
• was Jew and Gentile
• was a Roman citizen
• spoke Greek

I urge you, then, be imitators of me (1 Cor 4:16) — KJV uses the word "followers"

 

In Ephesians and Romans (books of doctrine), Paul stands alone.  His other epistles were written with others.

by the will of God - Paul could have said no.

This is the will of God for us in the Church age, not just for Paul.

...who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4).

God's will is that all would be saved and come to the knowledge of truth.  He is not going to make you believe.  The power of salvation begins where your heart stops.  His will begins with salvation but doesn't stop there.  (Example:  In America, we have "the right to swing your fist, but your right ends where my nose starts.")

God's will can be found in Scripture alone.  All other sources are subjective - http://tis-justme.blogspot.com/2009/10/divine-communication-feelings-and.html

It is the will of God that we are sanctified.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality (1 Thes 4:3).
 
It is the will of God that we give thanks for everything.

...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you 1 Thes 5:18).

It is the will of God that servants are obedient.

Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ (Eph 6:5).

Faith comes from hearing the word of Christ.

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Rom 10:17).
 
To the saints who are in Ephesus -

 

Saints = set apart unto God.  Act like it!

 

You're walking in Adam or in Christ.

 
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Gal 5:16; cf. Rom 8:4; Eph 2:2).
 
and are faithful in Christ Jesus -

 

You can be sanctified and not faithful.

 
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption (Eph 4:30).
 
Ephesians is for those who are grounded in the Word.

 

...and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here (Col 4:9; cf. Philemon 1).