Series:
Ephesians
Title:
Mystery from the Beginning
Text:
Ephesians 1: 1-14
Date:
1-31-2013
Place:
SGBC, New Jersey
Our
text tonight is Ephesians 1: 1-14. We will take an overview of these 14 verses,
taking them verse by verse. Now verses 1-2 are the greeting of this
letter.
Illustration: An epistle is a letter like you receive in the mail.
When you begin reading a letter it is good to see who wrote it and to whom it
is written. When reading scripture, it
is important to do the same.
Ephesians 1: 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.
The
writer of this letter is ‘Paul.’ And Paul tells us some things about his
office. His office is ‘an apostle of
Jesus Christ.’ All apostles were called by Christ Jesus directly. There were only 12 apostles, Paul being one
of them. They were given gifts for that
time in the early church, so folks would listen. There are no apostles today. Preachers today do not have the gifts the
apostles had.
Paul
tells us his call to that office was ‘by the will of God.’ Christ is God. He
called Paul, gifted Paul, sent Paul, and called out his sheep thereby. A false messenger, then and now, is one who
has not been sent of Christ. All true
messengers of God, then and now, are made so by the will of God, sent by
Christ, not by man’s will.
The
people to whom Paul writes this letter are ‘the saints at Ephesus, the faithful
in Christ Jesus.’ Every believer is a saint. A saint has been sanctified and made a saint
by the Lord, not by man—by God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit—God
gets all the glory. Every believer is
“faithful in Christ Jesus.” Christ gets
the glory. Our faithfulness is due to
the faith OF CHRIST—Ga 2:20 I am
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of
God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Be sure
you get this: it is very important to
always see that these letters in scripture—epistles—are written only to
believers—not to unbelievers or to the world—to believers.
Then Paul’s
prayer for them is in v2: ‘grace and
peace from the Father and the Lord Jesus.’
All grace and all peace come from the Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Proposition: Salvation is by God
the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. These first 14 verses declare
it plainly. I will give you our
divisions as we read our text.
Divisions: 1) Salvation is by God the Father—Ephesians 1: 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: 4 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.; 2) Salvation is by God
the Son--7 In whom we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 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. 3) Salvation is by God the Holy Spirit--v13
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were
sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14
Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
I. SALVATION IS BY GOD THE FATHER
Ephesians 1: 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:
God “hath blessed us.”
Paul
and the saints at Ephesus are the “us.”
All believers are included. Those
who have been blessed of God know and glorify God because it is God who hath
blessed us. God is the Author and giver of all
blessings. God alone can bless. If he does not bless then we shall not be
blessed, if God blesses us then none can alter it—we are blessed. God
blesses whom he will. He is not
obligated to bless anyone.
Romans 9: 15…I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,…16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of
him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
With What?
What did God bless his children with?—“all spiritual blessings.” God
hath blessed us, his individual children, with every blessing that God can give. These blessings are spiritual, such as: wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, redemption, peace, divine inheritance, eternal
life. All spiritual blessings that God
could give God hath blessed us with.
Where and When?
Where and
when did God do this? “IN heavenly
places”: God who is spirit, in spiritual places, blessed each individual child
with all spiritual blessings.
“IN
Christ: According as he hath chosen us IN him:” that means then and there
Christ was with God. Christ is God—God
the Son—the second person in the trinity.
So God chose God. God the Father
chose God the Son. God the Son agreed to become the Man and Mediator, Christ
Jesus. (It is in this sense that God is
the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ.)
All
spiritual blessings were given to us in Christ, according as God hath chosen us
in Christ. All spiritual blessings were
ours right then because Christ is all our spiritual blessings: Wisdom,
Righteousness, Sanctification, Redemption, Propitiation, Justification, All. There was no possibility Christ would fail in
what he agreed as our Surety to do for us—in Christ God saw us as Christ.
When was
it? “BEFORE the foundation of the world:” Before there was earth, when there
was no carnal, no temporal, no sin, no realm of flesh and sin and death, when
there was no Mt. Sinai, no old covenant, no old covenant precepts or carnal
ordinances, no touch not, taste not, handle not, entered in.
God
blessed us with all spiritual blessings putting us in Christ “that we should be
holy and without blame before him in love.”
All God’s elect were then, in Christ, what we are now, in Christ, and
what we shall be ourselves perfectly when he makes us perfect in final
glory. From the beginning we were what
we are and what we shall be in the end.
All
this was done by God the Father before the world was made. If God gave us all spiritual blessings in
Christ in spiritual places before the foundation of the world, that must mean
that carnal, earthly, temporal fleshly things have nothing to do with making us
the righteousness of God in spirit and in truth. Things we do in our flesh must have nothing
to do with making us holy and without blame spiritually. That is right—nothing.
Someone
will say, “But we fell into sin preacher!”
Yes, but God, knowing beforehand that we would fall in Adam, “predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself.” The Father predestinated us to be adopted as
his own children through Jesus Christ. He
predestinated the time, the season of his love, when he would cross our path
with this glorious good news and when he did, because we were sons he sent
forth the Spirit of his Son, whereby we cry Abba, Father.
Why did the Father do all this?
First,
it was “according to the good pleasure of his will:” not our will, not your
will, not mom and dad’s will, not the preacher’s will. “According to the good
pleasure of his will.” Secondly, it is “to
the praise of the glory of his grace.”
God saves so that all his children shall praise him and give him all the
glory for showing us this free, unmerited, unsought, sovereign, unchangeable
grace.
The Result of this Blessing
“Wherein he hath made us accepted in the
beloved.” I hear people loving to tell
you when they accepted Jesus as their personal Savior. But the right, the honor, the glory goes to
God the Father—“he hath made us accepted in the beloved, Christ Jesus.” So you see salvation is by God the Father.
II. SALVATION IS BY GOD THE SON
Redemption and Forgiveness
Redemption
and forgiveness is by Christ—“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” We sinned and sold ourselves into bondage; we
were captives to our sin nature and we were captives to the justice of the law. It was by the obedience of Christ giving his
life for those God gave him that we are free.
Notice
it said, “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” As God the Son, he is equal with the
Father. But Christ made himself a
servant. He walked this earth as the Man
and Mediator, Christ Jesus, fulfilled the law by his obedience throughout his
whole life to his God and his Father. He
fulfilled all that was written: went places and did things during his earthly ministry
because it must be fulfilled. When he
was baptized of John he said, “Thus it becometh us to fulfill all
righteousness.’ Thus the law, Satan, men’s courts, all examined the Lamb and
found him spotless.
Christ fulfilled
the law by laying down his life and satisfying justice—obedience, even unto
death, the death of the cross.
Galatians 3: 10 For as many as are of the works of the law are
under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth
not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the
sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that
doeth them shall live in them. 13 Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it
is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the
Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit
through faith.
So now we
have forgiveness, according to the riches of his grace. He did it freely for
us, by his grace—oh, can you put a price on his grace! The law has nothing whatsoever to say to
those who are in Christ Jesus. We have
fully and completely fulfilled the law through faith and in Christ we are
righteous and the law was not made for a righteous man. Through faith in Christ
we establish the law. (Rom. 3:19-26). Redemption means we are free from the law,
oh happy condition!
The Mystery from the Beginning
By
Christ the mystery of his gospel is revealed to us—“Wherein he hath abounded
toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of
his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself.”
Everything
about our salvation and the worship of God is a mystery to the natural man
because all worship is spiritual. It is
hidden to the natural man. Adam fell
into the realm of flesh, of sin and death and separation from God. What caused his nature to become sin? Did God
put something into Adam? No. God removed something. God removed his Spirit. Sin is the transgression of the law. But the nature of sin is the absence of the
Spirit of God. You and I were born the first time in flesh, without the presence
of the Spirit of God. Every man in that
state is only has a mind for fleshly things—even in regard to spiritual things—all
he can see is the dead letter fleshly things.
Romans 8: 5: For they that are after the flesh do mind
the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the
Spirit. 6: For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually
minded is life and peace. 7: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for
it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8: So then they
that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9: But ye are not in the flesh, but in
the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have
not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
1 Corinthians 2: 14: But the natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can
he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The law
is spiritual—that is, this entire word of God is spiritual. It can only be understood spiritually. Without spiritual eyes all a man sees in it are
literal things. And you cannot discern
the spiritual by looking at what is written as literal. I do not spiritualize the word, the law is
spiritual. (2 Corinthians 10: 3-5)
·
Everything about the worship of God is
spiritual.
John 4:23: But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true
worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father
seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a
Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
John 6:63 It is
the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak
unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
·
The new birth is spiritual.
Romans 2:29 But he
is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the
spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
·
The kingdom of God is not of this earth, but
spiritual
John 18: 36: Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this
world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I
should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
The Mystery Revealed
The
mystery revealed is that Christ is gathering all in Him—Christ is the Key—“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: 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: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in
Christ.” Read that text again then read
Galatians 4. The dispensation of the
fullness of times is right now in this gospel age.
Galatians 4: 4 But
when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman,
made under the law, 5 To redeem them
that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth
the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a
son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
The
mystery revealed in us who believe is that Christ has taken all the old
covenant out of the way, and brought us back to what we had with the Father in
him in eternity—oneness.
Paul is
laying a foundation for something he will deal with in chapter 2. Paul feared that carnally-minded religious
men, like they do today, would enter the church at Ephesus, emphasizing the old
covenant law/fleshly religion. They would claim to be preaching grace but would
bring back in rules from the old Mosaic covenant given on Mt. Sinai, beggarly elements/ordinances
from the old covenant given on Mt. Sinai, distinctions between Jew and Gentile
given on Mt. Sinai, circumcision and uncircumcision given on Mt. Sinai, and Sabbath
days and diet restrictions given on Mt. Sinai.
Do you
realize that nothing from the old covenant given on Mt. Sinai ever made a
sinner holy and without blame? It was not given for that purpose and no one was
ever made holy and righteous by anything given to man on Mt. Sinai—never! And
nothing from that old covenant now applies to the believer in Christ.
God the
Father gave us all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ before the
foundation of the world. Then we fell in
Adam and were separated. God gave the
old covenant to teach us our need of Christ.
Then in the fullness of times, God the Son, Christ Jesus, has come and
fulfilled all that was written—completely abolishing the old covenant and
putting away all our sins. Now we are
one with God the Father in Christ the Son and in Christ we have all spiritual
blessings which God the Father gave us from the beginning. There is no more Jew and Gentile,
circumcision or uncircumcision, we are one in Christ. God is not calling out his elect Jews and his
elect Gentiles now, he is calling out his elect from the four corners of the
earth.
Ephesians 2: 11: Wherefore remember, that ye being in
time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is
called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ,
being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants
of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:13: But now in Christ
Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14: For
he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall
of partition between us; 15 Having
abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in
ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in
one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were
afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18
For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
III. SALVATION IS BY GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT—v13:
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation.
The Gospel and Faith
Ye
heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation—heard it preached in
truth; heard it revealed in truth by the power of the Holy Spirit which is the only
way a man can hear in spirit and in truth. We believed because the Spirit gave
us faith. (Eph 2: 8, 9)
Then
the Spirit sealed us--“in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with
that holy Spirit of promise. “ The
seal of the eternal covenant is not circumcision, not baptism, not even our
outward graces, but the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:9, 14-16; 1 John 3:24; 4:13).
The
Holy Spirit himself is the guaranteed of our inheritance—“Which is the earnest
of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the
praise of his glory.” The Holy Spirit is
the guarantee of our inheritance. He is
the foretaste—the first-fruits, the down payment on our inheritance. We shall
have the Spirit until the redemption—this is that last redemption of our bodies
from the grave. It is sure because we
are Christ’s purchased possession. ALL TO
THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY!
Salvation
is by God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Brethren, we have in Christ all spiritual
blessings which God the Father gave us from before the foundation of the
world. Do not look back to the old covenant,
to mt. Sinai, seek Christ above and rest in him.
Amen!