07.15.2012 Ephesians 1 - Explanation of Benefits

May we focus on You this morning – our thoughts be zeroed in and focused. As we take communion, help us to be grateful and to remember and to give thanks for what you’ve done for us. May your peace rule in our hearts this morning – may we see You in a new way and serve You faithfully, with all of our hearts. If there is any clearing up or anxiety in our minds – may You take care of that – lift our burdens. Give us peace. In Your name we pray – Amen.
We are beginning Ephesians again this morning – we looked in Acts how Paul went to Ephesus a couple weeks ago.
You know how health plans change every year? You get an Explanation of Benefits – and in some ways, that is what Ephesians 1 is – an explanation of benefits.
There are a lot of common words that describe great theological concepts – and we have turned them into great theological words that are inaccessible to many. We’d like to bring Ephesians back to a common language. The people who read it understood the words.
This is an epistle – which is simply, a letter. Remember when we used to get letters?
Ephe 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and [who are] faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
It is a standard greeting, but it has some significant things in it.
The faithful in Christ Jesus – the saints – those who are living faithful lives following Jesus Christ – and that is who the instructions are to – the church. We also see it is written to a place. It is written to believers in a specific location and community – and it has community and church instruction as its goal. It is written to transform not just the individual, but the entire church
Grace and Peace – These have tremendous theological significance – especially in Ephesians – it is mentioned at least 12 times. It is because of the grace of God.
I want to highlight some of the words –
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ,
The word blessed appears 3 times in one form or another in this single verse. It means to give praise and benefit. Take the word blessed out – God is to be praised – because of the benefits He has given to us. Because of all He has done for us – we are to give thanks.
Dick put out cards – and suggested we make a list of five things to be thankful for.
Sometimes it is good to stop during the day and to think, what can I thank God for? Especially if you are experiencing stress – what is there to be thankful for? Paul is getting them to take a break. It doesn’t mean that all things are nice, but there are things we can be thankful for.
These blessings are spiritual blessings – and that is important – because we tend to look at physical blessings – and some don’t have any physical blessings – but there are spiritual blessings. Yes, many of us have physical blessings, and we should be thankful for those. And these blessings are in the heavenly realms. Not someday. You have them at this very moment – in the here and now.
Paul is showing that there are two realities we live in – and he is getting the members of this church to live within these two realities. He is trying to teach us how to live in the heavenly realm. The spiritual realm is the larger reality. What we have in the spiritual realm is more real, more solid, than what we have in this realm. And Paul, in Ephesians, will help them to learn to enter and live in that realm – to connect the spiritual into this life – so that the spiritual and physical become one in our lives.
Because there are these spiritual blessings – sometimes, in this realm, it feels like we are losing. Things might not look very good in this realm – but at the same time, God is victorious in our lives in the other realm. We need to bring these two things together. To be spiritually transformed, we need to learn to bring them together. We may lack resources – we may lack power – and in Ephesus – the Christians were at a disadvantage – but in the spiritual realm, we have the power and influence. In Ephesus, they had dark power and dark magic, and God is saying that there is no real power in the dark side (No, I am not going into Star Wars here!) – but in the spiritual realm, the victory is in God. You have the blessing in that realm.
Ephesians 1: 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
First – these are real words to real people.
Second – Mark mentioned predestination and Calvinism and Arminianism – and a few weeks ago, Dick and Jeff and I were at a Pastors’ Conference – where this was covered in depth – and I will send you the link to these teachings.
In history – the children were considered to be the Jews – sons of Abraham – and these verses are a great comfort to those who have seen themselves as outsiders – and God is saying – no, you are an insider – you have been adopted.
To those Jews who are engaging in this pagan world – with people bringing sacrifices to strange gods who need to be appeased so the crops will come in or the womb will open, or whatever – and to those, God is saying – You belong – you are an insider. If you were the last one picked on the playground – it is like being picked first. It is like being invited for a job with hundreds of applicants and the pool being narrowed to 10/5/2/and then you. And you are chosen, not because of your great skill, but that the owner liked you! You are chosen because God loved you.
He did this by predestining us to adoption as his sons. There is that word – predestining – and what have we been predestined to? Adoption as sons.
In Psalm 2 – God says to David – today – I make you my son – and it is a picture of God adopting King David as His son – and in the Roman world – if a Caesar or emperor would not have a son, they would adopt – not a baby – but an adult – to be next in line.
Sons in the ancient time were the ones who received the inheritance – for us, it is both sons and daughters – it all belongs to you in Christ.
In adopting a son – he will become like the King – and God is calling us to be like Him. In adopting us as children – we not only get the benefits – but can represent the father and become like the father. If you were a carpenter, your son became a carpenter. A king; they became a king. We become like Him in all the ways we can become like Him. There are ways we can become like Christ – in holiness (Be holy, as I am holy) and we need to direct ourselves to that – and we are to avoid the ways we are to NOT be like Him. We are not to become omnipotent. But the funny thing – we want to become like God in ways we are not supposed to – and don’t want to be like Him in ways we are to be like Him! We want to be omnipotent and don’t want to be holy!
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, 8 which He lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight
Redemption – bought out of slavery. 60% of the population were slaves – they would understand that. We have been bought out of slavery into freedom. Let me give the practical side of this – to bring it all home – I encourage you to read the rest of the blessings there – how do these blessings and benefits help when we can’t pay the bills, or are dealing with depression – or are facing marital problems.
Lisa Jundi mentioned how this helped her in the real world. We live in these two worlds – and the benefits are in the spiritual and need to be brought to the real.
“I know God is good, but what good is God?” – someone going through a struggle said this – and he is saying – what good is God to me in my reality right now – how do the two realms connect?
Exercise – recognize the spiritual component to all things.
Crazy things going on at work have a spiritual component – and what we need to do – take that crazy stuff and bring it into the realm where we have homefield advantage – let the spiritual blessings address the crazy stuff. Then we need to apply spiritual solutions to physical problems – and I am not saying to not go see a doctor if you are sick – but if you are struggling – there is a spiritual solution.
Spiritual disciplines/Soul Training/transformation – Learn to practice some of these.
Here is what I have found. And some of you already do this – Quiet times/journaling – and I want to ask you to cross train – we get used to what we are used to – and it is like cross training – if you do the same thing over and over – your muscles stop responding. And I think that happens spiritually.
If you have quiet times – don’t stop that – but over the next month – try a new spiritual discipline you have never done – a new exercise that works a different muscle. If you don’t have a quiet time – do that – Daily Office – three times a day.
Sabbath – over the next month – take one real Sabbath a week – where you don’t do anything with work.
Silence – take 15 minutes – without reading – just listening to God. The next week increase 15 minutes until you are at an hour.
Prayer walk
Fasting – skip a lunch – next week, breakfast and lunch – then by the end of the month- an entire day – setting aside food to seek God.
Take a media fast – or a spiritual retreat – taking your Bible somewhere to read and pray.
Find something consistent to do.
For me – I have never journaled – and I’ll do it my way – taking a Psalm and praying it in my journal. Find something you have not done and do a practice of it this month.
Lord, help us with that. That we might move in these directions – to engage the spiritual realm in our circumstances that are so real, physical, earthly – help us to bring the spiritual realm into this – there is benefit in this realm from that realm. In your name.
Our small group – a couple months ago – started going through a section of the Bible – and we just went through Ephesians
9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him