Ephesians
1:3-14
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he
chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless
before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus
Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his
glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to
the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he
has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure
that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all
things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Christ we have also
obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him
who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who
were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his
glory. In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the
promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption
as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.
With
all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will…
·
What is the
will of God? I realize that this is a loaded question. We are often concerned
about the will of God – for our own lives, for our families, for our
congregation, for our nation. Sometimes we get very specific and ask what God’s
will is for any number of miniscule things in our lives. If fact, the will of
God is far larger and far more encompassing.
·
This
massive concept can actually be reduced to a simple phrase: God wishes us to
live in Christ. If we
look at the reading from Paul’s Ephesian letter, we see that phrase or some
variant of it all over the place.
·
God has blessed us in Christ
·
God chose us in Christ
·
We are
adopted through Christ
·
We are redeemed in Christ and in
his blood
·
All creation
is gathered in Christ
·
We have an inheritance in Christ
·
There is
more and I recommend you read the passage again and underline the parts telling
us what we’ve received in Christ.
·
We might
ask if we are in Christ,
how did we get that way? We’d like to say we deserve it, or we’ve earned it, or
we receive it because we’re just wonderful. However this isn’t the case.
·
Paul takes
pains to be sure that the Ephesian Christians understand that his salvation and
life in Christ that
they’ve received doesn’t flow from what they (and we) deserve, but from God and
his glorious grace that he freely
bestowed on us in the Beloved… (note again the reference to Jesus,
here as the Beloved.)
·
Remember
that the Ephesian Christians were Gentiles and were originally not party to the
covenant made with the people of Israel. Paul is telling them that salvation
for all – no matter what their birth or background - is a grace and gift
available to all.
·
So we all
have received this grace of salvation, no matter what our background. This is
the will of God. This will is fulfilled in
Christ as all of creation is gathered to Christ.
·
Paul wrote
that this grace of God is not limited or rationed or doled out in little
bitties. It is lavished! He said In
him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.
·
This is indeed good news for all of us. (In case you
were wondering or keeping score, “good news” is what Gospel means, even in the
original language.) This is something to rejoice in, something to hold on to in
our dry times and in our over-whelmed times. This is not something God will
take away from us. In fact, this grace of salvation is the basis of who we are
as Christians. Paul continued in his letter: In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the
promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption
as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.
·
Here Paul
speaks of both what is and of what will be. We have heard the Word and we have
been sealed with the Spirit. We await the full redemption of God’s people and
the experience of the glory of God. We have tasted these and that has only made
our hunger for a deeper relationship with God that much stronger.
·
Our
adoption, redemption, and inheritance in
Christ is so intensely personal that nothing of this world can
intrude on it. Yet it is so vast and broad that it joins us to the entire
creation – here and everywhere throughout all that exists. What we await is
nothing less than the revelation of our connection to each other, to all that
God created, and ultimately, to God, where it all comes down to the simple,
powerful phrase – in Christ.
Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…
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