Wednesday, March 26, 2014

EPHESIANS: God's Free Gift to Us Goes Beyond Salvation; "The Father gives to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him!"

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: (Ephesians 1:15-16)

Paul continued his letter to the church in Ephesus commending them for their faith and love. ...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. (Ephesians 1:17-21)

What is the benefit in salvation other than receiving eternal life?  All the blessings that God gives us while we're still alive and having to deal with the issues of this world.  He give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.  Now we don't just have knowledge, but we have wisdom and revelation, the ability to make the right choices based on what we know and God revealing to us what's right through His Holy Spirit and His Word. However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. ... But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. (I Corinthians 2:6-10)

Not only that, but then God reveals to us the hope of His calling, the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.  The hope of His calling is the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:7)  That's the main benefit in salvation.  We have hope that this world doesn't have, that after this life is over, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:15)  Therefore we don't fear death, even though we may have some nervousness about how we will die, we know that “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” (I Corinthians 15:54-55)

Our eternal life is secure through faith in Christ Jesus. Now He reveals to us the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.  He's not talking about making us rich by the world's standards; although He can do that if He so choose, as He told the children of Israel, “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth,..." (Deuteronomy 8:18) Remember Jesus said anyone who has given up anything for His name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. (Matthew 19:29) God takes care of the saints if we commit ourselves completely to doing His will.  Our inheritance is not just here, but it's in eternity, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

And He will also demonstrate through us the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.  Not only will He raise us from our current condition and make us into a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (II Corinthians 5:17) But when this life is over, our hope will be fulfilled and we will receive our reward, because if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11)

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:22-23) And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [the devil], the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. (Ephesians 2:1-3)

All of us are sinners.  All of us have done wrong.  All of us were weak to the temptations of the devil, but thanks be to God for Christ Jesus, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:14-15) The devil only has one purpose, to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. (John 10:10) ...the devil... was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. (John 8:44) He wants to keep us from believing God, but if we do, he wants to keep us from living like it.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:4-10)

As we studied previously, God predestined the Way we would be saved, through faith in Christ Jesus.  We were living, but Christ Jesus brought us to life, no fear, no guilt, no regrets! As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.(Psalm 103:12)  We didn't do anything to earn it.  He freely offered it to us, by grace you have been saved through faith, it is the gift of God! AMEN!

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