Understanding God's
Plan
Book of Ephesians
1:13-23
We could ask
ourselves what is God's plan for humanity? God's plan first starts
with salvation.
1Ti 2:3 For this is
good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 Who will
have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the
truth.
We must first know
who God is.
Isa 45:21 Tell ye,
and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath
declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time?
have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God
and a Saviour; there is none beside me.
Isa 45:22 Look unto
me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and
there is none else.
Isa 45:23 I have
sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness,
and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue
shall swear.
We can understand
from this passage that our God is Jehovah and He is also Elohim, the
One True God!
The Jews considered
God's name so Holy they would pronounce His name Adonai meaning the
unchanging, eternal, self-existing God.
The "I Am",
the covenant keeping God.
It is a shame we do
not have that kind of reverence for our Savior today! "Praise
His Holy Name"
Let's begin:
We finished last
week with verse 12 but let's include it again today.
*****Eph 1:12 That
we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Eph 1:13 In whom
"ye" (you) also trusted, after that "ye" (you)
heard the word of truth, the gospel of "your" salvation: in
whom also after that "ye" (you) believed, "ye"
(you) were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Remember God wants
this entire world to know His truth!
The Word of Truth,
it is the "Gospel" of our salvation!
Once we believe the
"Gospel", then and only then can we be sealed with the Holy
Spirit of promise!
What is the
"Gospel"?
Let's look at the
short version by the Apostle Paul:
1Co 15:1 Moreover,
brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you,
which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1Co 15:2 By which
also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you,
unless ye have believed in vain.
1Co 15:3 For I
delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, "how
that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures";
1Co 15:4 And that
he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the
scriptures:
It is very important
that we hear the truth of our existence!
Without hearing the
truth of our existence, we will never understand the salvation plan
of God.
Rom 10:14 How then
shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall
they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they
hear without a preacher?
God's plan revolves
around someone (The Preacher, The Missionary) presenting the "Gospel"
to someone who has not heard it (the Lost).
It is not just the
job of the preacher but "the job of every believer" to tell
others about the truth of the "Gospel" and the truth of
God's plan!
There is a great
importance in hearing the Word of God.
The reading of the
Scriptures was a great part of worship in the Jewish synagogues and
still is.
Many so-called
churches today make very little reference to the Scriptures but teach
man-made lessons.
But the hearing must
be constant, it must be attentive, it must be with reverence, it must
be in faith, and we must try our best to retain what we hear and
apply it to our daily lifestyle.
What we do not
understand can be learned through much prayer, also in faith.
One advantage of
hearing the Word of God is that it brings Holy Ghost conviction.
The Holy Ghost will
work in each and every individual who hears the Word of God until
they make a choice, so He can also choose to stay or leave.
The Holy Ghost will
also work on individuals before they have heard the Word of God as
God prepares a place to send His missionaries!
Therefore, the world
is trying to silence the Word of God today.
Holy Spirit
conviction that can also bring conversion!
Conversion brings
commitment and commitment brings the sealing of the Holy Spirit of
promise. (sealed in Jesus Christ)
2Co 1:21 Now he
which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is
God;
2Co 1:22 Who hath
also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
The Holy Spirit
sealed within us, is just a down payment for our redemption!
*****Eph 1:14 Which
is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Earnest means a
pledge between us and our God. A down payment with a promise, (a
guarantee) of full payment.
In the day of Jesus
Christ, it was used as the bridegroom's betrothal gift to the bride.
Some would say it
was the money used to strike a bargain which is false.
In this Scripture it
means the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to the saints of God as a
part payment of our future glory!
By accepting the
gifts of God, we are rescued from condemnation and adopted in the
family of God and knowing what our future holds.
Rom 8:23 And not
only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the
Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the
adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Rom 8:24 For we are
saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man
seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25 But if we
hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
As Christians we
have been purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ and we belong to
God.
1Pe 2:9 But ye are
a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar
people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called
you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1Pe 2:10 Which in
time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had
not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
That word "peculiar"
means that we are God's "personal property", being set
aside for God's purpose!
Without hearing the
truth of the Gospel and believing, (having "faith in its
truth"), we can be gloriously saved and adopted into the
household of God, by His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
*****Eph 1:15
Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and
love unto all the saints,
Eph 1:16 Cease not
to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
As Christians we
must grow in the Lord and God gives us this opportunity by getting up
close and personal with all His adopted children.
Faith and love are
the first signs of the "Babe in Christ" and it should be
obvious to others.
No one will know
about our faith until we have persevered by the "Grace" of
God and actually increased our faith!
No one will know
about our love until they have seen it in action. "Love is an
action word, not a passive word and certainly not lust".
That word
"wherefore" is another word that teaches us how to study
the Bible.
Wherefore means,
because of what we have learned from the previous Scriptures (verses
3-14), because as believers, we abide in Christ and we are sealed by
His Holy Spirit.
This Church had a
strong testimony and the evidence of this truth had reached the
apostle Paul.
Being in Christ
means we accept all the Doctrine of the "Gospel" of the
Lord Jesus Christ and that salvation, being restored in harmony with
God, can come only Him.
Our faith must be
based upon the Word of God and the truth of His promises, "taking
God at His literal Word"!
When we understand
what faith is, then we can understand what God says about love.
Luk_10:27 And he
answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy
mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
God's love toward us
must produce a corresponding love toward Him and all others!
We are members of
the same family, redeemed by the same blood and filled with the same
Holy Spirit!
As Christians we
have the same friends but also the same enemies!
We have the same
hope and the same fears.
We also have the
same promises of the precious things to come! Amen
We will all go to
the same New Heaven!
The one thing we all
must do is to grow. Standing still is the same as going backwards.
Paul had just
explained the blessings of God and these Ephesians were encouraged to
grow in the Lord.
2Pe 3:17 Ye
therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest
ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your
own stedfastness.
2Pe 3:18 But grow
in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Sometimes we fail as
Christians when we see the bad things of each other before we see the
good things we all have as Christians.
Our faith in Christ
Jesus is not only to know Him and worship Him, and we can certainly
rely on Him!
Faith in Jesus
Christ justifies and saves but it is also by His hand we receive
God's pardon and God's "Amazing Grace".
It is these things
that should bring us to our knees in prayer and it should be obvious
that we should first offer thanksgivings to the God of our salvation
by the Lord Jesus Christ!
If we never ask of
God, then how will we ever receive!
Mat_21:22 And all
things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall
receive.
We get foolish most
times when we pray for we ask of material things when we should first
ask for wisdom.
We should remember
the prayer of Solomon.
1Ki 3:9 Give
therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people,
that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge
this thy so great a people?
1Ki 3:10 And the
speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
Solomon prayed for
wisdom and it pleased the Lord.
So, what did Paul
teach these Ephesians?
*****Eph 1:17 That
the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto
you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
We must understand
as young believers, these things are much more important than any
other thing.
We need a clearer
and deeper knowledge of the things that brought us to salvation. We
need to grow in the knowledge of God, so we will not be misled by
those who would cause us to fall from God's favor.
Faith grows by using
faith to reach out to the things of God!
The God we know is
the same God that the Lord Jesus Christ worshiped when He walked upon
this earth.
Mat 27:46 And about
the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama
sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me?
We have this access
to Divine knowledge, why would we not take advantage of it. The
unbeliever will never get this opportunity!
God wants us to know
Him in a very personal way if not He would never fill us with His
Holy Spirit!
As unperfect as we
are, we have something perfect living within us!
We serve a God so
loving and so wonderful that He wants to hold our hand as we go
through this life, so we can be free!
We can never know
too much about Jehovah God and He will teach us all that we can
handle for there are many things far beyond our comprehension as long
as we live in these bodies of flesh.
We can be nothing
without God's wisdom in us!
*****Eph 1:18 The
eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what
is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his
inheritance in the saints,
The eye might be the
most elegant organ in our human bodies.
If we will undertake
to know the wisdom of God, we will begin to see His image in our own
eyes!
In reality the eye
has direct contact with the soul and it is the soul that needs to be
enlightened to the wisdom and understanding of God.
God our Creator is
calling out to that eternal soul to take control of that body of
flesh.
The eyes of our
understanding must first be opened and then God will enlighten them.
Enlighten is to
illuminate. God wants us to have a clear picture, to be able to
understand the truth of salvation.
That light is the
glorious love of Jesus Christ.
1Jn 4:9 In this was
manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only
begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
1Jn 4:10 Herein is
love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son
to be the propitiation for our sins.
1Jn 4:11 Beloved,
if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
God has called each
believer to stand before Him in righteousness, but that righteousness
can only be in Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the
perfect Son of God and God expects that same perfection which we will
never reach without knowing His Son.
The day is coming
when we will be perfect. This is the hope of His returning that then
we will be made perfect and acceptable to our Holy God.
Php 3:20 For our
conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour,
the Lord Jesus Christ:
Php 3:21 Who shall
change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious
body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all
things unto himself.
As Christians we are
God's inheritance provided to Him by His Son. We are God's very own
possession!
And as Christians we
will share in the inheritance of His Dear Son!
We have a very big
God who is also a most powerful God!
*****Eph 1:19 And
what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe,
according to the working of his mighty power,
Eph 1:20 Which he
wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at
his own right hand in the heavenly places,
If we think that
there is anything out of the reach of Jehovah God, then we are simply
fools.
God cannot sin
because He would be less than perfect, and our God is not only
powerful, but He is Perfect!
Powerful and Perfect
are two of His many names!
It is a fool who
rejects the power of God in their lives every day!
To be a Christian is
to know and understand the power of God, at least as much as we can
understand.
God's power is far
exceeding any power of humanity.
God's power is far
greater than any power of humanity.
That enormous,
exceeding, great power is extended to each believer, through the Lord
Jesus Christ. This thing we will realize when we join our Lord in
Heaven, but we also have part of that power while we yet live on this
earth.
Because of what
Jehovah God did for Jesus Christ, by raising Him from death, He will
through Jesus Christ do the same for each believer!
Yes, by faith we are
saved, and our soul will never see death but in the coming of the
Lord, He will then raise that old body of flesh to a new body such as
He did to the Lord Jesus Christ.
1Th 4:13 But I
would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which
are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep
in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15 For this
we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and
remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are
asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the
Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with
the Lord.
1Th 4:18 Wherefore
comfort one another with these words.
This is the power of
God that comes only through and by the Lord Jesus Christ!
We can see that God
will extend His power to each and every believer.
1Pe 3:18 For Christ
also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he
might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened
by the Spirit:
God intends for us
to know life, not death!
What do we give up?
Nothing but our death!
**When Jehovah God
raised Jesus from the dead, He demonstrated that it is He who holds
the power of life!
As God held the
power of our old life, God holds the power of our New Life!
Rom 6:4 Therefore
we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was
raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk in newness of life.
**When God raised
the Lord Jesus into Heaven, He demonstrates that He holds the power
to raise us up into Heaven.
Mar 16:19 So then
after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven,
and sat on the right hand of God.
**God has
transferred that same power to His Dear Son who will raise all
believers into Heaven!
Joh 14:2 In my
Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I
go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you
unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Where the Lord is
at, this is the same place we will be one day soon!
*****Eph 1:21 Far
above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every
name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is
to come:
Eph 1:22 And hath
put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all
things to the church,
Eph 1:23 Which is
his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
It is only by the
power of God that these things can happen.
Php_3:21 Who shall
change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious
body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all
things unto himself.
Heb_7:25 Wherefore
he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by
him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
God has given The
Lord Jesus Christ the power to rule over all the things in creation
old and new.
The truth is, God
will give the believer the power to rule with Him!
The truth is, all
the kingdom of God has He given to the Lord Jesus Christ!
Joh 17:2 As thou
hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life
to as many as thou hast given him.
Joh 17:3 And this
is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and
Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
As believers we
first experience the power of God at salvation.
We then become
members of the "Body of Christ", the Church.
The Lord Jesus
Christ paid the supreme price in order for the Church to have life.
Therefore, the Church cannot die!
The Head cannot
function without the body and the body cannot survive without the
Head!
The Church needs
Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ needs the Church to deliver them to His
Father.
If God has the power
to create the church and it is through creation that God makes a new
life, then God certainly has the power to work in our lives!
It is God that has
opened our eyes to the gross sin of this world and has given us the
tools to combat evil, and witness for the good of Christ, the Good
News, the Gospel!
The Church is the
Body on this earth that God uses to combat evil!
We fail when we do
not use the power God has given us to take His Word to the world,
every way we can possibly do this.
Jesus Christ as the
Head of the Church gives guidance, life, influence on every member.
To make things right
He adopts us into His own family, so we can draw our strength from
Him.
It is the family
where the strength comes for each single individual to go out in
faith with the Sword of the Lord (the Word of God).
We must remember we
are at war with evil and God provides the things we need!
Eph 6:10 Finally,
my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Eph 6:11 Put on the
whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13 Wherefore
take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14 Stand
therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the
breastplate of righteousness;
Eph 6:15 And your
feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16 Above all,
taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all
the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17 And take
the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the
word of God:
Eph 6:18 Praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
We are no good to
Christ until we get into this war with evil.
God has a plan and
every Christian is a major part of that plan!
Amen
