Feet…Head…Body

Eph 1:23,24 "And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head of all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." NKJV

 

Sometimes I wonder why the translators of the Bible include certain words. You can tell added words because they are in italics. This verse is one of those wondering situations. This verse should actually read: "And He put all under His feet, and gave Him head of all to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." It isn't just things that God put under Jesus feet, it wasn't just stuff that He is the ruler over, it is all…period. Jesus is the head of all. He is the controller of all. He is the ruler of all…things and people. There is nothing that escapes His sovereignty. This is true in the world and this is true in the church. Jesus is the master and Lord of all. It really does not matter whether the world acknowledges this truth. It really does not matter whether anyone bows to His lordship. It really does not matter whether people follow Him or not, He is still Lord. He is still in control. He is still the head.

 

I love a couple things about this verse. First the word "all". It is used four times. I am thinking that Paul wanted to get a point across. All are under His feet. He is head of all to the church. He fills all in all. There is nothing that escapes who He is and He is the picture of total completeness. Sounds like another phrase that God used with Moses. When Moses asked what God's name was God replied: "I AM". In other words, I am everything. I am all. I am complete. I am all you need. That is Jesus.

 

And then I love the fact that Jesus is the head of the body. Now in a physical sense, every living creature needs a head. The head (the brain) controls all the functions of the human body and all of its movements. That is Jesus. He is the head of His body, the church. He should not only control all of our conscious decisions, He should also be in control of all of the things that we do unconsciously. When we make a decision, He is in charge. When we go a direction, He is in charge. When we talk to people, He is in charge. When we spend money, He is in charge. When we minister to others, He is in charge. When we get an idea, He is in charge. When we worship, He is in charge. When we teach, He is in charge. When we have fun together, He is in charge. When we extend grace, or forgiveness, or mercy, or help…He is in charge. In every way, in all things Jesus is in charge because He is the head…but everything and everyone is also under His feet. See how complete He is? All encompassing. All consuming. All in all.

 

Thank you God for teaching me.

Exceeding, Great, Mighty Power

Eph 1:19,20 "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,"

 

This is the last thing on this list that Paul wants these people to know, to understand, to be enlightened about…"the exceeding greatness of God's power toward us who believe". This was written to the church in Ephesis, but it was not written just for the church in Ephesis. Some believe that this was what was called a circular letter that was to be distributed to a bunch of churches. So this was probably being addressed to all believers in that area. But not only that, this is addressing all of "us who believe".

 

Now I have to remember who Paul is writing about. I have to remember the resource that Paul is addressing. He is talking about God. He is talking about the almighty, awesome, ruling, powerful Creator and Sustainer of everything. He is talking about the great I AM. He is talking about Jehovah, the eternally existing One. All the resources of God, all the magnitude of God, all the power of God is given to us. The word "toward" actually is better translated "to us".

 

And what is that power like? What did that power do? How did God ultimately display this amazing power? By the resurrection of Christ from the dead and His ascension to heaven. Sure, God's power was demonstrated at creation. And yes, it has been demonstrated through the nation of Israel and in the many miracles that Jesus did. But the ultimate demonstration of God's power is the living Christ. This is exceedingly great power. This is hyper power. And Paul wanted these people and he wants us to know it. God wants us to know it. God wants us to experience it.

 

How? Changed lives. That is really resurrection power. To see total transformation. How? Victorious lives. Overcoming sin. Overcoming temptation. Overcoming trials.

How? Miraculous lives. Seeing God do things that can only be explained by God. Things happening that go far beyond anything we could ever manufacture.

 

May I know, understand and be enlightened about all of this…my hope…my inheritance…my power in Christ.

 

What We Need to Know

Eph 1:18 ", 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," NKJV

 

I have to keep going with these verses. Paul prayed that these people would get their brains around their faith. And this is what he wanted them to know: God, their hope, their inheritance, God's power.

 

First God. He prayed that they would be given wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. This is primary. If we miss this we miss everything. God wants us to know Him. He wants us to grow in our knowledge of Him. In short, He wants relationship. Paul said it in another letter: "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings." (Philippians) He said that he counted everything loss for the surpassing value of knowing Christ. This is it. If we have to concentrate on anything in our Christian life, this is it. Know Jesus. Grow in our relationship with Christ. Paul knew this and this was a big deal prayer request for him on behalf of this church.

 

Then look at what else he wanted these people to know: Their hope, their inheritance and their power.

 

Their Hope. In my profession I have found this truth: People need hope. It is tough to live without hope. Now as a lawyer, people think that hope is found in money, or a job, or health. There are times that I have an opportunity to share with them that real hope is found in a person: Jesus. Money and jobs and health will all eventually fade…Christ never will. Real hope, real purpose, a real future is found there and nowhere else. Paul said that he wanted them to know the hope of their calling. Their hope was not in what they did. Their hope was not in what they decided. Their hope was found in the calling of God in their lives. Their hope was found in the divine invitation of God to embrace salvation. If we have this, we have eternal hope.

 

Their Inheritance. Paul said that this was glorious. This is the magnificence of what we will eventually receive. I know that I have no clue, but Paul wanted these people, and God wants us to get a clue. I think that if we concentrated on this, if we spent time talking about and investigating what our inheritance is then we would not be so enamored with the junk that this world has to offer. There is no way that this world's property, or power, or money, or thrills can compare with God has for us. "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of man all that God has prepared for us." It is so astounding. Just wait.

 

Their Power…tomorrow.

 

A Thinking Person’s Faith

Eph 1:17-20 "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," NKJV

 

Whew! There is a ton here. This may take a few days to digest. Paul just got done telling the Ephesian church that after he heard of their faith and love, he thanked God for them and prayed for them. What did he pray? Here it is:

 

That God the Father, the Source of all things, the Maker of all things, the Ruler over all things would give them something. Here is Paul going to God and he is making a specific request…that God would give these people wisdom, revelation, knowledge, understanding, enlightenment in the most important thing to know…God, our hope, our inheritance, and His power.

 

Wisdom. This is full intelligence. This is the ability to use knowledge in every situation. This is, in fact, supreme intelligence that can only come from God. Just think if this happened in the church. Paul wanted this for the Ephesians, and I am sure that it is something that is available today as well. Is this outside of our reach? Is this just pie in the sky stuff? I don't think so. Paul talks about it. Solomon talks about it. James talks about it. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…" "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God…" "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy". This is attainable stuff. Since that is the case, we should, I should be going to God all the time and begging for it…and He will give it.

 

Revelation. I think that this word scares some people. They think it is something spooky and impossible to get in this time period. Not so. This is just a disclosure of the truth. This is just an understanding in knowing what is right. If this is not attainable today, then we might as well hang it up. God wants us to know the truth. "You shall know the truth (revelation) and the truth will set you free." It is simply God revealing His truth to us. And how does He do that most often? His word. I can't expect to grasp the truth unless I am in it. That is where God reveals His truth. "Sanctify them in Thy truth, Thy word is truth."

 

Knowledge. This is precise and correct knowledge about everything ethical and divine. This isn't just smart. This is knowing how God thinks. That is powerful. That is amazing. That is something that Paul prayed that these people would have. That is something we all should pray we have.

 

Understanding. This deals primarily with the mind. That God would invade these people's minds, that God would invade our minds and allow us to grasp, to understand what He is like and what He is up to. Man, if there is ever a time to crave this in history, now is the time. God gives us your mind so we can know how to live our lives in this crazy culture.

 

Enlighten. This is to illuminate. To bring to light. To say: "Eureka…I get it!" This has to do with instruction, with teaching, with informing. Paul was saying to these people: "I am praying that you get it. That you will learn…and then maybe take it one step further and in your instruction you instruct. In your teaching you will be able to teach, in your informing you will be able to inform.

 

I kind of get the idea that Paul wanted these people to really grasp what they had. He wanted them to get not just their emotions, but their brains around the magnitude of what they had in Christ.

 

The point: Christianity makes sense intellectually because of an intelligent God.

 

There is a ton here…and more to come.

 

Faith and Love

Eph 1: 15,16 "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:"

 

I grab two things here: The church at Ephesis and Paul. What that church was like and what Paul did.

 

What was the church at Ephesis like? They were people of faith and love. They had faith. Now this was not just the faith that saved them, this was something more. It was a conviction of truth in who Christ was. I am thinking that it was the ability to speak intelligently and forcefully into the lives of people. I am thinking that it was the strong conviction that Jesus came, lived, died, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and was interceding for them. Now I don't know this for sure, but I think it was more than just: "Yes, I put my faith in Christ". It was the ability to defend the truth of the Gospel. And they were faithful. This word for faith also means faithful…steadfast…consistent. They were not up here and down there. They were not dependent on emotional experiences to sustain them. They were steady. They endured. They were reliable.

 

They were also people of love. This was not a superficial love. This was not just a warm fuzzy. It was agape love. It was an in spite of love. It was a sacrificial love. It was an unconditional love. No matter what, no matter the situation, these people loved all who were saints. This church loved everyone who had put their faith in Christ. It didn't matter whether they were Jew or Gentile. It didn't matter whether they were slave or free. It didn't matter whether they were male or female. They loved them all.

 

No wonder Paul said that he did not cease to give thanks for them. No wonder he prayed for them. This was a special group of people who consistently lived what they believed. It would seem that any leader would be thankful for people like this, those who practiced and shared their faith with confidence and loved others with the love of Christ. Yet he continued to pray for them. And what he prayed is dynamite. (That is in the coming verses.)

 

Now I wonder about us. I wonder about the church in the 21^st Century. I wonder about the church in the United States. I wonder about the churches in Lake County. I wonder about Lake Ridge. Can someone say about us that we have a strong, unyielding, consistent, open faith in Christ? Can others see our sacrificial, unconditional, persistent love for believers? "By this all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another." Can they? I think that if they did, we would not see our society going down the sewer.

 

And then I wonder about me? What about me…do these two qualities characterize my life? A strong, defensible, faithful faith in Jesus, and an evident love for others?

 

I know this: I have a long way to go. We all do.

 

Sealed

Eph 1:16,17 "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. "

 

Here is the order: Hearing, trusting and believing, salvation, sealing, receipt of our inheritance, God's glory. When God established things before the creation of the world, He made sure that all of these things would occur in His children's life. First we would hear. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." In order for God to give us the gift of faith, we need to hear His word. "How shall they believe in whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a preacher, and how shall they preach unless they are sent." This hearing thing is huge. People have to hear. We heave to hear the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation. It is how God does things.

 

Once we hear the good news of salvation, something happens. Trust develops. Faith develops. Belief develops...and salvation comes. Thank God that at some point in time in my life someone opened their mouth and spoke the good news of truth to me. God used this to work in my life and save me.

 

The cool thing is what comes next: Sealing. Guaranteeing. The Holy Spirit is insurance. This is totally a mystery that we will never figure out until we get to heaven, but when we believe God places a part of who He is in us...the Holy Spirit. Now the Holy Spirit is there to teach, and remind, and convict, and direct, but He is also there as a promise of what is to come. Once the Holy Spirit is in the believer, He will always be there. He will never leave. And He is the guarantee of our future inheritance that we have in Christ. Since this is a guarantee, since this is a sealing, it cannot be broken. It cannot be taken away. Frankly, once saved always saved. This salvation cannot be lost. It cannot be taken away. It is guaranteed. Our inheritance is guaranteed. God is not fickle. He does not lose what is His. And all who know Him will receive their inheritance...forever.

 

And he is glorified.

 

God’s Purpose…In All Things

Eph 1:11,12 "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory."

 

Here is that predestination thing again.
That is not what is hitting me this time, though. Rather it is God's purpose that is making an impact. The word for counsel also means purpose. So, "according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the purpose of His will." The thing that is ringing in my ears is that God has a definite purpose and plan. Everything that is done throughout all of history is being done, is being worked out according to that plan. Nothing will stop it. Nothing will derail it. No stupid decision that I make, or that my wife makes, or that the President of the United States makes, or any other leader throughout all of time has made or will make will impact the purpose of God. He "...works all things according..." to his purpose.

I love this "all things" concept. This is an all encompassing God. I just read in verse three that He has blessed us with "...every spiritual blessing...". Every is a big deal word. "All things" is also a big deal word. Everything is being worked out based upon what God wants. This reminds me of Rom 8:28 "For we know that all things work together for
good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Amazing, there is that "all things" and "purpose" concept again. But that is God. He has "all things" under His control so that His ultimate purpose will prevail. And He invites us to be a part of it. Wild. "We have obtained an inheritance" "That we who first trusted in Christ". His purpose, His will, His desire is to be worked out through and for His people. No matter what we see going on around us, no matter what ugliness happens in the world, we can rely on the fact that all things are coming together according to God's plan, and we have part of it. The part? "To the praise of His glory." It seems like we have seen this before. Try verse 6 "To the praise of the glory of His grace."

God's ultimate purpose: His glory. Man's chief end: To glorify God. And when it is all said and done, God alone will be receiving the glory from all things because He is the One who planned it all.