“Spiritual Blessings” – Ephesians Chapter 1
On the lighter side of life:
A Christian Puppy
A Baptist couple decide that they want to get a dog. As they are walking down the street in town, they notice that a sign in the pet shop is advertising "Christian Puppies." Their interest piqued, they go inside.
"How do you know they’re Christian puppies?"
"Watch," says the owner, as he takes one of the dogs and says, "Fetch the Bible." The dog runs over to the desk, and grabs the Bible in its mouth and returns. Putting the Bible on the floor, the owner says, "Find Psalm 23." The dog flips pages with its paw until he reaches the right page, and then stops. Amazed and delighted, the couple purchase the dog and head home.
That evening, they invite some friends over and show them the dog, having him run through his Psalm 23 routine. Impressed, one of the visitors asks "Does he also know ’regular’ commands?"
"Gee, we don’t know. We didn’t ask," replies the husband.
Turning to the dog, he says, "Sit." The dog sits. He says, "Lie down." The dog lies down. He says "Roll over." The dog rolls over.
He says "Heel." The dog runs over to him, jumps up on the sofa, puts both paws on the owner’s forehead and bows his head.
"Oh look!" the wife exclaims. "He’s PENTECOSTAL!"
From Beliefnet.com
Scripture Text: Ephesians 1:1-23
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
11In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
15For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Thesis: Paul reminds us that we are blessed spiritually if we are part of the faithful.
Introduction:
Ephesus: The city was a center for the occult and a lot of the Ephesians Christians had come out of the occult. There was the Temple of prostitution at the Temple of Diana. This city was filled with perversion, sexual immorality, and vice of all kinds.
Holman states this about Ephesians:
“Ephesians begins with love (1:4-6) and ends with love (6:23-24)… In sum we can say that the overall emphasis of Ephesians is on the unity of the church in Christ through the power of the Spirit.”
Ephesians opens up speaking about being chosen or elected by God in accordance with His plan of love. Election had significant meaning for those who are considered the faithful.
Holman adds, “In the OT “election” related directly to Israel’s understanding of its own origins. Election signifies the meaning and expression of Israel’s destiny: God’s giving of Himself to be their God and His selection of them to be His people. With this election they will know the blessing of His abiding presence. Theologically, election signifies God’s selecting His people from the nations to be holy and wholly for Himself. They have been chosen to be His inheritance (see Deut 7:6; 10:5). Election is entirely a work of God. He claims persons for Himself and His own purpose: this is His glory. Indeed, our knowledge of election always comes as an already accomplished fact. “He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world” (Eph 1:4) and “the elect whom he chose” (Matt 13:20) indicate that election is an action of God prior to and independent of any human action or condition. Through the means of God’s gracious election, He actually bestows all spiritual blessings that accompany salvation (see Eph 1:4-14).
This passage of Scripture is an overview of the blessing of “elected ones” or “chosen ones” of God. It reveals to us that God has personally chosen people in this world for a specific task and a divine purpose. Each person who is considered part of the “faithful” has been chosen by God to do something supernatural for His kingdom. What this task or purpose is must be unveiled by the Holy Spirit to the chosen one. The truth is none of the “faithful” deserve the honor of being chosen because all have fallen short in their personal life but yet God still chooses individuals based on His standards and reasoning. He does this through the process of love and grace. It’s what makes Him stand out as God! His character and essence is described as “God is Love!”
Holman goes on to add the following thoughts:
Characteristically, however, the NT teaching of election is always descriptive and never discloses God’s reasoning behind this action. One fact is unmistakable: the mystery of God surrounds this gracious expression of His almighty will. Where the NT indicates a basis for election, grace and love are mentioned to the exclusion of any righteous works or superior value of an individual. Faith is the means by which God’s work of election is made known. A most serious and holy consequence is connected with the knowledge of election: the renunciation of all pride and the pursuit of a righteous and holy life before the Lord. This designation of Christ seems to relate to the fact that believers are elected through Him; and remaining “in Christ,” they enjoy every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3).
There is a condition in this election process and it’s found in the words of the apostle Paul “To the Saints in Ephesus, the faithful”. The blessings he describes in chapter one are for the elected ones who are “faithful.” Let’s look at our key word:
Key word: “The Faithful”
Holman Bible Dictionary:
FAITHFUL Steadfast, dedicated, dependable, and worthy of trust. It is derived from the Hebrew root having the basic meaning “to trust (a person),” or “to believe (a statement).” This is the same root that gives us the word “amen.” The derived meaning is that the one so described is trustworthy, dependable, trusting, or loyal. Moses was faithful in all God’s household (Num. 12:7). “Faithful” is used to describe the relation of God and Israel (Deut. 7:9). The faithful God keeps His covenant, and the faithful people keep His commandments. In the New Testament the adjective “faithful” is a derivative of the Greek noun meaning “faith.” Here we get the translation “faithful” as a natural derivative of faith. Once again the fundamental meaning is that the one so described is trustworthy and loyal. The root idea is that one has fidelity toward another person or toward God. For example, in 1 Corinthians 7:25 Paul commended himself to the Corinthians as one who is “faithful” (KJV) or “trustworthy” (NASB). In Revelation 2:10 the church in Smyrna and subsequent readers are commanded “be thou faithful unto death.” and, in Ephesians 1:1 Paul addressed the letter “to the faithful in Christ Jesus.”
Paul is challenging the Ephesian Christian’s to remain faithful to the Lord in their perverse city. They needed to stay rooted in their love relationship with the Lord in spite of all the sexual immorality that was going on around them. They were to stay committed to their Lord because of all the spiritual blessings they had received from Him. They needed to be reminded that life in Christ brought more rewards and more pleasure for eternity than the life of sin. They were commanded to stand firm against the seduction of the world. They were not to fall prey to deception of Temple prostitution. They were exhorted to stay faithful?
Today my challenge to this church and to each one of you is to stay “faithful!”
Illustration: WHO WILL BE FAITHFUL?
A study once disclosed that if both Mom and Dad attend church regularly, 72 percent of their children remain faithful in attendance.
If only Dad attends regularly, 55 percent remain faithful.
If only Mom attends regularly, 15 percent remain faithful.
If neither attend regularly, only 6 percent remain faithful. --
SOURCE: Warren Mueller, Leadership, Vol. 2, no. 3.
Contributed to sermon central by: Mary Lewis
Today we as parents need to make the commitment to the Lord to stay faithful to Him and for the sake of our family!
Illustration: We are called to be faithful
In his book Eating the Elephant, Thom Rainer tells of an interview Billy Graham had with an interviewer. The interviewer was fascinated by Rev Graham’s success and asked if he anticipated being given great rewards in heaven for the millions of lives he had impacted through his worldwide ministry.
Billy Graham said that he was not sure of the extent of his own rewards, God is the final Judge, but he was certain that others would have greater rewards than he. He went on to say that there is a faithful elderly woman whom he knows, who is right now on her knees praying for her little country church, her family, and her nation. For nearly 80 years, the sweet lady has been faithful to her Lord. She has been constantly praying, and reading the Bible daily. To Billy Graham, that lady and many others like her, will receive the greatest rewards in heaven.
At the close of the interview, Billy Graham said these last words: "You see, we are not called to be successful. We are called to be faithful."
Contributed to sermon central by: Christian Cheong
Everyone who claims to be a believer in Jesus Christ must decide to be faithful in spite of the seduction of the world toward them. They must resist and hold on to their first love.
Illustration: CALLED TO BE FAITHFUL
Mark Hatfield tells of touring Calcutta with Mother Teresa and visiting the so-called "House of Dying," where sick children are cared for in their last days, and the dispensary, where the poor line up by the hundreds to receive medical attention.
Watching Mother Teresa minister to these people, feeding and nursing those left by others to die, Hatfield was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the suffering she and her co-workers face daily.
"How can you bear the load without being crushed by it?" he asked. Mother Teresa replied, "My dear Senator, I am not called to be successful, I am called to be faithful."
SOURCE: Beyond Hunger, Beals
Contributed to sermon central by: Paul Fritz
We the faithful have been blessed in the heavenly realms because we are God’s elected or chosen people. We did not deserve this position but because of our faith in Him we have become the blessed ones. You may be thinking how are we blessed? I’m Glad you asked this question let’s explore the spiritual blessings that come from Jesus as Paul describes them in Ephesians 1:
I. He blessed us spiritually by choosing us to be the recipients of His love and His grace as long as we are “faithful!”
a. He chose us, He chose me, and He chose you!
i. The personal truth for me is that the God of the universe has chosen me to be His child.
1. He has chosen me to preach His word and to guard his sheep. I have been given the task of being a shepherd of God’s children.
2. I realize that I have not earned this position by any human effort or goodness but He chose to give it to me out of the goodness of His grace and love.
a. I could not have ever earned this position on my own – it’s a gift from God and it’s given to me and I am required by the Lord to be faithful in it until death.
i. I received it as a gift and as long as I remain faithful I will continue to be blessed and I will continue to please God.
1. I was called to this position and God asked me to commit to doing it and I have and I will continue to do so.
ii. But the question is for me and for you – “Will I remain faithful or not?” and “Will you remain faithful or not!”
1. The truth is each of us here today has been called by God to do a specific task for Him.
2. The question is – “Are you doing what He called you to do? Are you being faithful to your calling? Or are you forgetting about your first love and forfeiting your heavenly blessings because of unfaithfulness to the Lord?”
a. Only you can answer these questions for yourself – if you are not sure where you are pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you –your spiritual condition.
ii. The Lord also chose me to receive the gift of holiness even though I did not deserve it either.
1. He gave it to me as a gift to preserve - to hold onto – to protect with my life - this gift is to be looked at as extremely precious and costly gift.
a. It’s a priceless gift!
i. This gift cost Jesus His life! And I am not to take that lightly.
ii. I am to guard it with my life!
b. It was bestowed upon me because of the sacrifice of Jesus.
i. He paid the price for my holiness and then handed it to me and said, “Mike here it is be faithful with it! Don’t lose it or give it away! Guard it with your life! Be alert the enemy will try to steal it away from you!”
iii. The Lord also chose me as a recipient of “blamelessness.” It means I am not held responsible for my past sins – When I repented of my sin and accepted the way of Jesus Christ I became “sinless due to His grace and mercy.”
1. In essence He chose me and then provided me a way out of sin and its costly price.
a. I am off the hook of sin. Jesus set me free from the hook of sin and now holds me blameless from once biting on to the bait of sin. My only command from Jesus is don’t bite the hook again – stay free and be free.
i. But even if I blow it – there it is again “Grace and forgiveness to set me free!”
2. Jesus gave me an out for sin, for judgment and for eternal punishment.
a. I did not deserve it because it is His gift to me! He did it because He is driven and motivated by love and love always sacrifices for the ones they love even when they do not deserve it.
b. I thank the Lord for His love it has changed my life!
b. He loved us, He loved me, and He loves you!
i. God has loved us so much that he has adopted those who are considered part of the faithful as sons and daughters.
1. Please understand this church this something that is not to be taken lightly or haphazardly.
a. Many today take God’s love for granted and they make it cheap.
2. God defines love different than we do. We define love by emotion but He defines it by commitment.
a. Note: Love never fails – it never quits!
i. It stays committed – or we could say it stays “faithful!”
ii. Jesus stay committed to us even to the point of torture and death.
iii. How about you? How committed are you to the Love of God?
b. Real genuine love stays committed to the lover!
i. A 90 year old faithful Christian was asked how he did so much for Christ and he said, “I never lost the wonder of it all.”
Contributed to Sermon Central by: Ken Kersten
ii. Have you lost the wonder of Jesus’ love and grace in your life?
1. Do you take Jesus for granted?
2. Do you treat Him with apathy?
3. Do you look at His Word as boring and meaningless?
c. We are recognized and set apart by the way we love each other and by the way we love God.
i. What kind of love are you practicing?
1. Is it selfless love? Or is it selfish pride.
ii. We are to be “The faithful” – “The chosen ones.”
1. This means we are committed to the way of love and the way of grace!
iii. We are to represent the name of the Father – Christian – which is having the qualities of self-sacrifice and love. It is to be our distinguishing mark of belonging to the Lord and His family.
1. Mike McCartney the Christian is to look and act like Jesus and look like The Father. He is to be driven by the way of love and grace!
ii. It is in His will for us to be adopted and brought into His family.
1. Love wants all of us to be delivered and set free.
2. Love wants us to remain faithful for the cause. Why so that others will be drawn into the Kingdom of Love?
iii. It gives God great pleasure to adopt us into His Heavenly family.
1. His heart of love is open and calling all to come to Him.
a. We have been adopted into the family of God and it is a great honor to be apart of such a royal family!
2. This is not a special elitism group of a select few. It is to be dispensed among the multitude in the world and we the faithful are to be leading the way in giving the keys to the kingdom of love away.
a. We are to be searching for orphans and when we find them we are to invite them to be part of the royal family with all of its spiritual-heavenly honors.
c. God has chosen us and loved us because of His glorious grace.
i. Grace is defined by Homan as:
1. For Paul, grace is practically synonymous with the gospel. Grace brings salvation (Eph. 2:5, 8). Grace brings eternal life (Rom. 5:21; Titus 3:7). To share in the gospel is to be a partaker of grace (Phil. 1:7; Col. 1:6). In Christ Jesus, God’s grace is open to all people (Titus 2:11; compare 2 Cor. 4:15); but the experience of God’s grace is conditional upon human response. It can be rejected or accepted (2 Cor. 6:1; Gal. 1:6; 5:4)…From the human perspective, the divine grace is a power which undergirds the present life. God’s grace abides in us (2 Cor. 9:14); we stand in it (Rom. 5:2).
ii. The reason grace is so glorious is because it is free.
1. There is nothing we can do outside of faith that will earn us God’s love or God’s grace for our lives.
iii. This is how the band U2 sings about grace
Grace – U2
Grace, she takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name
…
Grace, she’s got the walk
Not on a ramp or on chalk
She’s got the time to talk
She travels outside of karma
She travels outside of karma
When she goes to work
You can hear her strings
Grace finds beauty in everything
…
What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings
Because Grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things
Grace makes beauty out of ugly things
Contributed to Sermon Central by: Mike Wilkins
T.S. – God has blessed us spiritually with the gifts of love and grace and these paved the way for us to be adopted. We are also spiritually blessed with being the recipients of the act of redemption.
II. He has blessed us spiritually by redeeming us as long as we stay “faithful.”
a. Holman states:
i. “REDEEM, REDEMPTION, REDEEMER - To pay the required price to secure the release of a convicted criminal, the process therein involved, and the person making the payment. In early use the idea and the words related to legal and commercial activities. They provided biblical writers with one of the most basic and dynamic images for describing God’s saving activity toward mankind.”
1. To be redeemed is to receive “The get out of jail free card” that you get in Monopoly.
a. You did not deserve it – but it was given to you because someone loved you enough to pay the price for your crime and therefore you got set free.
b. No one deserves the “Get out of Jail free card!” It’s a gift driven by love-mercy-grace and forgiveness.
ii. Illustration: BEYOND REDEMPTION?
There are about 600 inmates who await execution in the state of California. A dozen of these are women. All of them have committed heinous crimes. But that doesn’t stop Ann Baker, a grandmother from San Diego, from treating the inmates like she believes Jesus would treat them. Baker heads a letter writing campaign designed to love the men and women on Death Row. The people who write do not write to condemn or condone. They write out of conviction and compassion. They write because they believe even the worst criminal is a child of God. The letters are sometimes mundane. Baker writes to her prison pen pal about the dog, going to church and seeing the hot-air balloon festival in Albuquerque. Her male pen pal tells Baker about exercising in the prison yard and of the screaming and cursing that goes on around him at night. "On a bad night, it’s hard to hold onto his sanity," she says. They trade trivia questions. "We’re constantly trying to stump each other," says Baker. One LA County attorney who prosecuted a woman convicted of killing her five children is not a fan of the outreach program. She says "as a society we’ve decided these people are beyond redemption.”
Beyond Redemption? This group believes otherwise.
SOURCE: SermonCentral staff. Citation: "Crime & ministry" by Sandi Dolbee, San Diego Union Tribune, March 15, 2002.
Contributed to sermon central by: SermonCentral PRO
1. Is anyone beyond redemption? The answer is no they are not!
b. How has Jesus paid the price for us? By choosing to go to the cross and to pay with His body and His blood for our personal sins.
i. His sacrifice has set us free and His selfless act has restored our standing with God Almighty – Abba – Father.
1. He has brought back to us our prior position with God as His sons and daughters.
a. But because of the sin factor we were separated from God. But Jesus has built a new bridge for us between us and God. We are called to walk over that bridge and to then once again come into the presence of God Almighty.
i. He is waiting on the other side of the bridge to embrace us and to love us.
ii. Redemption has come to us “The Faithful” by Jesus’ Sacrifice.
1. Please note: It did not come to us by our sacrifices or our good works. It has come because of what Jesus did.
a. We cannot ever be good enough to earn redemption. It can only be received by repenting, and then believing on Jesus to forgive us and to save us from ourselves.
2. We were delivered from the bondage of sin by Jesus blood being spilled and by Jesus body being cut up and sacrificed on our behalf.
3. Redemption did not come from our blood and sweat instead it came from Jesus blood and sweat. We should never forget this truth – salvation – redemption is a free gift provided to the “faithful” by the Lord’s grace and love.
a. It is not to be neglected or forgotten because it is a priceless gift and a spiritual blessing.
iii. His redemption for us means we get to experience forgiveness of sins.
1. This aligns with one of the great riches of the Kingdom.
a. Forgiveness is a priceless gift because it brings with it the blessings of Heaven.
i. It brings eternal life and the abundant life.
b. Forgiveness is a priceless commodity given to the faithful.
i. We receive it then we are to guard it with our lives!
2. Grace is also a priceless commodity given to the faithful.
a. It comes to those who believe and to those who commit to their redeemer – Jesus for eternity.
i. We have to commit to cause of grace to hang on to grace.
b. So how committed are you to the cause of Christ?
iv. Jesus lavished us with gifts which we do not deserve nor could we ever earn on our own.
1. Redemption means Christ has purchased us out of the prison of sin and set us free – this act involves forgiveness and grace. It belongs to the faithful!
a. Because of our Redeemer we have received “The Get out of jail free card.” Our responsibility is to never lose this card but to hang on to it and guard it with our lives.
T.S. – We have been blessed with the heavenly gift of redemption and this redemption also has bestowed on us wisdom, understanding and even revelation into the things of God.
III. He has blessed us spiritually with wisdom, understanding and even divine revelation as long as we are “faithful.”
a. When we discover and receive the gifts of redemption and adoption then we also receive the gifts of wisdom and understanding.
i. Many upon their experience with Christ receive insight into the will of God for their lives.
1. This is wisdom and understanding which comes from a revelation of the Lord.
a. When I accepted Jesus I knew the Lord was calling me into ministry. He revealed it to me personally and many others confirmed the call on my life.
b. My responsibility was to be obedient to the call and be faithful in caring it out. That was my choice and because I chose to do this God continues to bless me and my family for doing it.
2. The gifts of wisdom, understanding and even revelation help us to understand some of the mystery of God.
a. We do not get he full picture of God but some of the mystery is unveiled through the blessings that come from these spiritual gifts.
b. The faithful of Jesus see things that people outside the Body of Christ do not see.
i. The truth is they cannot see them unless the scales of sin are removed from their lives. They are deceived by the darkness of sin. But when the light shows up in their lives it illuminates things in the eternal realm that they never saw before.
ii. This my fellow saints is a great heavenly blessing. To see things that others in the world could never see because of their dark lives.
3. We understand that wisdom tells us that everything about our lives is to come under submission to Jesus Christ.
a. WISDOM tells me that my life is to be submitted to Jesus because this is healthy for me.
i. It is the wisest thing I could ever do!
b. Jesus is the head and we are to be directed by Him and for Him only!
i. Our lives – our deeds – our mouths – and much more are to be under his headship and leadership in life.
ii. Many do not understand that this mystery and this understanding is what will bring blessings into their lives.
b. Paul in Ephesians 1:17 prayed that the faithful would receive the gifts of wisdom and revelation.
i. Why should they get both? He stated the reason “so that they may know Jesus better.”
1. We need the balance of both in our lives if we ever want to know Jesus better.
2. Let’s look at the definition of Wisdom as defined – by Holman: Real Wisdom Is the Fear of God - Three basic definitions of wisdom summarize the status of the field of study very well. Note that the first two of these definitions are quite secular in nature while the third is religious.
a. First, wisdom is considered by many to be simply the art of learning how to succeed in life. Apparently, ancient persons learned very early that there was an orderliness to the world in which they lived. They also learned that success and happiness came from living in accordance with that orderliness (Prov. 22:17-24:22).
b. Second, wisdom is considered by some to be a philosophical study of the essence of life. Certainly, much of the Books of Job and Ecclesiastes seem to deal with just such existential issues of life (see particularly Job 30:29-31).
c. Third, though the other definitions might include this, it seems that the real essence of wisdom is spiritual, for life is more than just living by a set of rules and being rewarded in some physical manner. Undoubtedly, in this sense wisdom comes from God (Prov. 2:6). Thus, though it will involve observation and instruction, it really begins with God and one’s faith in Him as Lord and Savior (Prov. 1:7; Job 28:28).
3. James 3: 13-18 speaks to us about wisdom:
a. Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
b. Scripture here tells us that the seven objects of a wise person is one who has a heavenly value system. This system consists of;
i. Purity - means freedom from any hint of evil or to be morally blameless.
ii. Peaceable - In James there is an earthly wisdom that seeks to hurt others. But we are able to seek wisdom that brings people closer together and closer to God. This wisdom seeks to help others not hurt others.
iii. Gentle - It is a person who knows how to forgive, when strict justice would allow condemnation. It is the person who tempers justice with mercy. It’s a person who knows what grace is and then dispenses it to others (132).
1. Sometimes decisions need to be made that recognize that people are always more important than things. (132).
iv. Reasonable - It means willing to listen, willing to be persuaded, skilled in knowing when to wisely yield (133).
1. Romans 12: 1, 2: Dear Friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to Him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That’s the most sensible way to serve God. Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to Him.
v. Full of mercy and good fruits - This has to do with a kind of mercy that results even when the other person has brought the problem upon himself or herself. It’s the willingness to help others when they do not deserve it.
vi. Unwavering quality - It’s the ability of being calm in the storms, being stable in turmoil, etc. The ability to be steady, operating according to settled spiritual absolutes of the kingdom of God.
1. This person is settled upon those Biblical values and beliefs by which he or she intends to chart his or her life. (135)
a. The things of God are the priority in their life not the earthly mindset of this world.
2. Romans 12: 9-21: Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
vii. A lack of hypocrisy - This is the quality of being real, not plastic, not a phony person. This type of person says one thing then does the other.
1. A non-hypocritical person takes the blame when it is their fault for something. These people are genuine.
2. Share about friend who lives a double life.
ii. Paul did not just pray for the spirit of wisdom but also for the spirit of revelation.
1. Revelation is defined as such - means uncovering, a removal of the veil, a disclosure of what was previously unknown.
a. Revelation is the content and process of God’s making himself known to His people.
i. We have not seen all that there is to God in this life and the total unveiling will not happen until we cross over to the other side.
ii. But as Christians the Lord has unveiled certain things to us about Him.
b. All knowledge of God comes by way of revelation - “By God alone can God be known.”
i. Remember Peter see Mt.16:15-17 (revealed knowledge) also Romans 1:16, 17.
ii. Illustration quote: “God’s revelation does not need the light of human genius, the polish and strength of human culture, the brilliancy of human thought, the force of human brains to adorn or enforce it. But it does demand the simplicity, docility, humility, and faith of a child’s heart.” E.M. Bounds
iii. Illustration story: “The word of God came unto me, sitting alone among the multitudes; And my blind eyes were touched with light. And there was laid upon my lips a flame of fire.” Helen Keller
2. The revelation of Jesus Christ to John and us in the book of Revelation is a partial unveiling of Jesus Christ.
a. How did John receive this revelation?
i. He suffered for the kingdom and was banished to an island prison in Rev. 1:9.
ii. He was patient on the island and he stayed faithful to Jesus even under hardship.
iii. He endured the ridicule and the physical torture for the kingdom. He was faithful!
iv. He was banished to the island of Patmos for testifying about Christ. He was faithful in preaching the word even in a hostile environment.
v. He was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day Rev. 1:10. He was faithful in honoring the Lord on the Sabbath even under arrest on a barren island.
1. He was faithful in going to church even under difficult circumstances.
vi. He received a revelation of Jesus Christ because he was faithful!
1. The blessings of Heaven came to him even on a desert island!
2. Why? Because he was faithful.
iii. So why do we need wisdom and revelation? We need these two because they will enlighten the eyes of our hearts and we will know Jesus better.
1. Let me ask you a question – Did John know Jesus better because he was faithful? Because he had wisdom and revelation in the midst of difficult situations?
a. John knew Jesus better and we also can know Jesus better if we stay faithful.
b. Listen to me what you know about Jesus right now is so small that there is more for you to discover and understand and the more you pursue Him and commit to Him the more you will grow in Him.
i. The truth is if we remain “faithful” we all will know Jesus better!
2. Paul also tells us in our chapter that we need to be enlightened so that we know who our hope is!
a. What is our hope?
i. Our glorious inheritance in Christ is our hope.
1. Listen this world and its so-called riches is not our hope!
2. Heaven and its blessings are our hope and this place is just a temporal place for a short time in our history.
a. Here this – This life is not our hope!
ii. Our hope Heaven and it is also found in His power (verse 19-23)
1. Description of is power it’s what tells us that we will win and that we will be blessed.
2. The power we serve is the greatest and the strongest in the universe.
3. This power defeated death as we too will defeat death as long as we are faithful!
4. We reminded that Christ is the head and we are to remain faithful to our hope and our power in this world and one day we will see Him face to face.
Conclusion:
Chapter one introduces us to the blessings we receive through Christ and then challenges us to operate in the spirit of wisdom and revelation so we may know Jesus better. Paul also reminds us who our hope is and where our power comes from to remain faithful in this world. It comes from being submitted to headship of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote this letter and opened it greeting the “faithful” in Ephesus but by the time John’s revelation letter reached the church about 30-40 years later there was a major problem in this church. Listen to what John writes from His revelation from Jesus:
Revelation 2:1-7:
1“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
What happened to the faithful in Ephesus? It says they forgot about their first love. They forgot that they were the elected. They were once the chosen by God for specific divine purposes. They forgot about the sacrifice of Jesus and his love and grace. They had fallen prey to loving other things above Jesus himself. They lost the spirit of wisdom and revelation and did not know him better. They knew him less! They were no longer enlightened but deceived and failed to see who the power and the hope was. This church was in spiritual trouble and only repentance could deliver them from being cut off from the kingdom.
Story Illustration:
Muynak was once a thriving port on the Aral Sea, but today it sits on the edge of a bitter, salty desert. Sand dunes are strewn with the rusted, hollow hulls of a fishing fleet that once sailed high above on the surface of Central Asia’s fountain of life.
Things began changing 30 years ago when Stalinist planners began diverting the Aral water source to irrigate the world’s largest cotton belt. No one, however, envisioned the environmental disaster that would result. Weather has become more extreme, the growing season has been shortened by two month, and 80% of the region’s farmland has been ruined by salt storms that sweep in off the day seabed. What happened at Muynak parallels the history of the church at Ephesus. Once a thriving spiritual community, the Ephesian believers diverted their attention from Christ to works done in His name. They lost sight of what was most important in their relationship with Christ--their love for Him.
Contributed to Sermon Central by: Jim Dillinger
Somehow this church had lost their first love – who off course was Jesus – they had not kept a spirit of wisdom and revelation which would have helped them know Jesus better. Instead they had abandoned their spiritual blessings and their first love for some other deceptive focus. Many believe they abandoned their personal relationship with Jesus for a works religion similar to what the Pharisees and Sadducees adhered too. This did not please God nor did it help them to know Jesus better. Instead it drove them further away from Christ even to this point were Jesus says, “If you do not repent and change you lives I will remove my lamp stand from your church!” In other words I will leave you to yourselves and you will no longer have the light of life in your midst. What a sad scenario of a once “faithful” church.
Application: We should never think that our good works replace our personal relationship with Jesus! We are to continue to be faithful to Jesus personally and continue developing it on a daily basis. We are to stay committed to Jesus and be called “His faithful ones!” even if everyone else walks away from Him in the end we must remain faithful. If we hold onto our faithfulness and commit to it then we are promised all the spiritual blessings which we just explored. So let’s commit today to be faithful to God and to his church and then be the recipients of his divine spiritual blessings. Let’s pray!
