Don’t you love getting good news? "Congratulations, you may have won $1,000,000 in the Publishers Clearinghouse Giveaway." That’s false good news - but real good news: "Congratulations, it’s a boy" or "Yes, I will marry you" or "The cancer has completely gone away - and I don’t understand why." Or: "I love you!"
Ephesians is a book full of good news. It’s a book about love and unity. It is God’s love letter to you! It’s not about problems and false doctrine and sin and factions - this is a good news letter - one designed to encourage, not chastise. It’s a book that shows the value of friendship in the body of Christ - and how going through hard times together makes us closer to each other and to God.
And it shows the wonderful master plan that God has for each and every one of us. In this crazy mixed up world where we never know what’s going to face us tomorrow - it brings hope that there is a plan and it’s a good one! Let the words of the book wash over you - bathing you in love and hope.
1 I, Paul, am under God’s plan as an apostle, a special agent of Christ Jesus, writing to you faithful Christians in Ephesus. 2 I greet you with the grace and peace poured into our lives by God our Father and our Master, Jesus Christ.
The 3 most ancient manuscripts that we have of this book don’t include the words "in Ephesus." That’s led some to believe that this letter was a general one, not written to any church in particular. Either way - it is God’s Word for the body of Christ.
I like how The Message calls Paul a "special agent." We all have a special position in God’s kingdom - as priests, co-heirs with Christ, ambassadors, and even guerilla warriors sent in to hostile territory to rescue the wounded and dieing.
3 How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. 4 Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. 5 Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) 6 He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.
Chose, predestined, and adopted are three ways that describe what God did for us - words that pack a punch when it comes to the theological arguments around pre-destination versus free will.
But as The Message renders this paragraph - instead of some rigged game - where God holds all the cards and lets us see them only when the outcome is known - words like "takes us" "He had us in mind" "had settled on us as the focus" and "decided to adopt us."
Its much more like a master event planner - who lays out the agenda and the menu with great love and care - wanting only the best for those he cares about deeply.
Believe it or not - God loves us humans and wants us to reach Him and experience His great love and blessing.
Twice in this paragraph and the following God’s pleasure is noted - isn’t that neat? "It’s my pleasure to bring you into My family" he says. What an invitation!
7 Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people - free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! 8 He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, 9 letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, 10 a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.
I just picture the Father all excited about what He has done - how perfect it is, how beautiful - then laying it out to us. The depth of love God has for us is really unbelievable - because all of His plans center around the giving up of His only begotten Son Jesus.
Did you know that God has a long range plan for your life? We often just live day to day - and Jesus told us to do that in Matthew 6:34 "Don’t worry about tomorrow, tomorrow will worry about itself."
Then in Hebrews 12:2 it says "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." These are construction terms - the architect and the finish carpenter.
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’
Philippians 1:6 "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
Bottom line: concentrate on your day to day walk, let God worry about how to get you to tomorrow.
11 It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, 12 part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
I want to turn verses 11 & 12 backwards - (that’s how the UBS NT Translator’s Guide suggests to get the full picture of the complicated Greek sentence)
1. God wanted us to live glorious lives - reflecting His character and to be a part of His family.
2. To make that happen He created a plan (that’s the predestined part)
3. Then He worked the plan for our benefit so that our lives in Christ would glorify God’s greatness.
4. The emphasis here is on God being the one who planned and carried it out.
As The Message indicates - you really don’t find out who you really are until you come to Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 tell us that we groan to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling - our true nature so that "mortal may be swallowed up in life." - to be free!
13 It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free - signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. 14 This signet from God is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.
While we wait for the revealing of our true nature - our heavenly covering - God gave us a "down payment" in the Holy Spirit.
It’s like putting something on layaway. You put down a deposit, then when you pay it off you get to pick up the item. So God put us on layaway - He gave us His Spirit in our hearts and lives so that we know He is coming back to "redeem" us and bring us to heaven where we’ll be rid of this earthly tent.
So now Paul switches to talk about how God’s glory is being worked out in them now.
15 That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the Christians,
This really is the Christian life summed up: Love God, love others. We make it so complicated, but Paul here is commending them for getting it right.
16 I couldn’t stop thanking God for you - every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. 17 But I do more than thank. I ask - ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory - to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally,
Paul’s prayer is that what they already have - a love and faith in God - would be enhanced.
The NIV says "wisdom" and "revelation" You might say that is to understand more about God, and receive enlightenment about His purposes.
You know Him now - but there is so much more! Don’t ever think you’ve arrived - always be seeking to know God more.
So the first prayer is to enhance their relationship with God - the second is to enhance their knowledge of God’s purposes for our lives.
18 your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians, 19 oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him - endless energy, boundless strength!
3 things here
The hope (of His calling)
The riches (of His inheritance for you)
God’s great power (directed on our behalf)
Not only does God want us to know Him more, He wants to show us the power He is exerting on our behalf.
If you are feeling hopeless, then realize that God will bring a good end to your life with the same power He used to raise Jesus from the dead.
If you feel poor, like your life hasn’t amounted to much and you haven’t accomplished much compared with those around you - especially in a worldly sense - that you have an inheritance. God is willed for you to receive immense riches - you inherit God and He inherits you - He loves you that much!
20 All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, 21 in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. 22 He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. 23 The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.
If you put your lot in with Jesus you picked the right guy - the big cheese, the numero uno. He’s in charge - and in the center of it all He rules us, His body.
Did you ever think that Jesus would speak and act through you? That Jesus uses you as a way to fill "everything with His presence"?
He wants us to see what we are and where we’re going before telling us where we’ve been - that begins chapter 2.
The church today is being marginalized. I read in a recent poll that those in America calling themselves Protestant dropped dramatically in the 90’s. Everywhere we look being a Christian is looked down upon, laughed at as narrow minded - kooky - old fashioned, or worse - evil and hateful.
Don’t buy into that. Belonging to Jesus and sharing His love and gospel is THE most important thing ever - and it is the best thing - EVER. Don’t be ashamed, be joyful.
Conclusion
The next time you feel like you are drifting with no particular direction, no plan, no real accomplishments to look back on or goals to look forward to - I want you to read this chapter and I want you to think about the ultimate goals that God has for you.
And what are some of the things He is doing in you - giving to you?
- A new creation
- Clean
- A new heart
- Access to God
- Answers to your prayers
- Love flowing out of you
- A family
- A purpose
- A life that will never end
- A hope for the future
- You will never be alone
For more Bible studies and an audio copy of this message, please visit:
www.CalvaryChapelNewberg.org.
