Ephesians 1
Eternal Plan of God

Remember to hold every desire with an open hand, God can't give you what's best when You're clutching onto second or third best. In fact a good God won't give you what's bad for you. Only you can ruin your life.

Holy God, I trust in Your infinite wisdom and goodness; thanks that You have in Your hand anything I could desire, and You will give it to me if it's best, and when it's best; otherwise I don't want it, and am totally satisfied with You, and You alone. Thanks for being so good. Amen.

6:23 This verse is the second stop on the “Roman Road” to salvation (after 3:23, along with 5:8 and 10:9-10, and some toss in 5:1 or 8:1 at no extra charge). The principles are valid (depending on how they're presented) but not necessarily in context. Most of the verses (except for 3:23) are not talking about justification/forgiveness of sin. See observations in posts on the corresponding chapters in Romans for the full context. Our verse (6:23) above is in the sanctification section of Romans, but does make a good point that sin (independence from God) leads to loss (death). Death is sometimes called separation from God, which isn't a bad concept evangelistically, but exegetically, it is a loss of the glory and dominion Christ wants to share with them in His kingdom. So it is something to cure and avoid.

All independence from God (sin) results in loss, either temporal or eternal, so why would anyone chose to be a loser?

God, thanks for Your grace, and that You set me free from sin so I can profitably serve You; may I do so completely. Amen.

The epistle to the Ephesians, the best taught church in the NT, is a blueprint for believers to develop the unity that glorifies God. The first chapter provides a sweeping overview of God's plan in creation, and our role in it, consisting of a hymn of praise and a prayer. Like a psalm, he exhorts his audience to bless God because He has blessed us. Then Paul elaborates, showing how the Trinity worked together in a unified manner in securing our salvation: the Father selected us, the Son saved us, and the Spirit seals us. The purpose is for the praise of the glory of His grace, the repeated refrain. The prayer draws out the implications of God's plan, and the rest of the book elaborates on the three main requests of Paul's prayer (in chiastic order), and the book ends how the Body stands in unity against the schemes of Satan who seeks to disrupt that unity and derail the display of God's glory in the NT temple, the church. Throughout the book the Holy Spirit builds the unity which Satan attempts to destroy. As believers respond to God's Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, and live in love, God's purposes will be furthered. This chapter is so important to understand that it's the only one on this page. There is a topical survey of our inheritance under Digging Deeper that you really should grasp if you hope to receive all the blessings God has in store for you.

Believers need to live in light of the future God has planned for them so His glory can be seen and praised.

Gracious God, I praise You for all You've done in selecting, saving, and sealing me; may I know You and how You want me to live to fulfill Your purposes for my life. Amen.

God in a nutshell: God has a plan to glorify Himself through the blessing of believers under the Headship of Christ in the Millennial Kingdom of the Messiah. To that end, He planned that there would be a group of faithful sons/daughters to share in Christ's glory, sent Jesus to die so people could have a relationship with Him, and then sent His Spirit in their hearts as the first installment of that future glory.

Build-a-Jesus: Jesus died for our sins, so we could be redeemed/saved, and is the future ruler of the world to come. In the meantime, He exercises His rule over faithful believers who are rightly related to Him and each other as members of His Body.

Us in a nutshell: We have the requirement to be holy and blameless in love in order to share in the glory of the Lord of love, Jesus. To that end we need to know the power available to us to live as God desires, and reap the reward He has planned.

I. Our Inheritance is equated with:

A. OT Rest in the promised land, won through faithfully driving out the giants Heb 4:1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.

B. 1.It is the purpose of being born again 1Pt 1:4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation to be revealed in the last time

2. An aspect of salvation Heb 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

3. Distinguished from forgiveness Ac 26:18 receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them who are sanctified by faith...

C. Reward for service Col 3:24...you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward (the reward of the inheritance)

D. Kingdom Matt 25:34...'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. Jas 2:5 ...heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to them that love him?

E. Our uncertain destiny 2Cor 5:4 but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as an downpayment.

F. Hope Rm 8:18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19...we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies 24 For in this hope we were saved. Col 1:5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel

G. Secret wisdom I Cor 2:7 we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began...9 "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"

H. OT Promises Heb 6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

II. Our Inheritance consists of:

A. Our share in Christ's regaining what Adam Lost (Ps 8); reinstatement of pre-fall glory; the coin of the realm of heaven; glory, additional bestowments of the Spirit/grace; eternal power, pleasure, possessions; honor;ruling with Christ in the kingdom (over the less faithful); seeing His face; serving in the presence of God; return on our investment/multiplied reimbursement of anything lost or given for the sake of Christ; perfect justice; OT promises (HS, preeminence, etc.); dominion in the Messianic Age Mt 19:29 and shall inherit everlasting life.(Lu 10:25);

B. Being with Christ as a consequence of following and serving Him Jn 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will [my] Father honor.

The pleasure of seeing the face of God Mt 5:8 Blessed...pure in heart: for they shall see God. Re 22:4 And they shall see his face;

C. Receiving a glorified body like Christ's Php 3:21 Who shall change our lowly body, that it may be fashioned like his glorious body... 1Jo 3:2 sons of God...not yet appear what we shall be...when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as..

D. Judging and ruling with Christ 1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?  Re 5:10 And have made us to our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them...they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

E. Part of our inheritance consists of those whom we've made Christlike Phil 4:1 Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! 1Th 2:19 For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?

III. Our Inheritance requires or is the result of:

A. FAITH

1. Pre-qualification by new birth Col 1:12...who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

2. Pleasing Christ 2Cor 5:9-10...goal to please him...10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

3. Believing God is who He said He is and will do what He said He'll do Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

4. Faith 1Pe 1:4 to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you...

5. Faith and patience Heb 6:12 not...lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

6. Continuing in faith Col 1:22 But now he has reconciled you...to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation_23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.

7. Faithfully, patiently, sacrificially, joyfully doing the will of God Heb 10:34-39 v35...

B. WORKS 

Isa 40:10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. Isa 62:11 The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.'"

1. Serving God with a pure conscience Heb 9:14...cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new...that...they who are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

2. Works Mt 16:27 Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father...then he shall reward every man according to his works. Re 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be.

3. Laboring in the Lord's work 1Co 15:58...give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because...labor in the Lord is not in vain.

4. Serving unselfishly Lu 14:14...for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

5. Being built by the word Ac 20:32..word of his grace...build you up, and give you an inheritance among them who are sanctified

6. Wise building I Cor 3:8...each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 14 If any man's work...built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.

7. Christlike behavior 1Pt 3:9 Do not repay evil with evil...but with blessing, because...called so that you may inherit a blessing.

confidence, has great recompense of reward.

8. Investing Mt 19:21...sell what you have, & give to the poor, & you shall have treasure in heaven: and come follow me  Mt 6:20...lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust does corrupt, and where thieves do not break..

C. EFFORT

1. Seeking it Lu 12:31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added to you. 32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell what ye have, & give alms; provide yourselves bags which become not old, a treasure in the heavens that fails not

2. Disciplined running to win 1Co 9:24...all run, but one gets the prize? So run, that ye may win. 25 And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they [do it] to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

3. Persistent seeking and doing good Rm 2:5... when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God "will give to each person according to what he has done." 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life...10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

4. Being an overcomer Rev 21:7 He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.

5. Fearing God Rev 11:18 The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding...those who reverence your name...

6. Loving jerks Lu 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind to the unthankful and [to] the evil.

7. Successfully enduring temptation to give up in trials Jas 1:12 Blessed [is] the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.

8. Faithfulness to the point of death Re 2:10...be thou faithful to death, and I will give you a crown of life.

9. An eternal eyeset 2Cor 4:17 our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

10. Pressing on without regression Phil 3:14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

11. Fighting, finishing, keeping and loving I Tim 4:7 not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 6:12

12. Endurance, separation, and work II Tim 2:3-13 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

D. PAIN

1. Suffering 2Ti 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign: if we deny, he also will deny us: Rom 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs_heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

2. Maturity reaped from suffering 2:10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.

3. Losing your life Mat 16:24 Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 whoever wants to save his life  will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

4. Being persecuted Lk 6:23...leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how...treated the prophets.

II Sam 22:21; Ps 19:11; 58:11; Pv 11:18; 13:13; 22:4 The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor and life.

IV. Our Inheritance is not automatic and can be lost or forfeited through:

A. Failing to watch 2 Jn  8 Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully

B. Failing to maintain righteousness 1Cor 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

C. Being gullible Col 2:18 Let no man defraud/beguile you of your reward

D. Living for this world Eph 5:5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person_such a man is an idolater_has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

E. Feeding the flesh/desire for the temporal Ga 5:19 works of the flesh: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 10 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousy, wrath, contention, seditions, heresies, 21 envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:...as I have also told [you] in time past, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

F. Looking for man's approval Mt 6:1 Take heed...before men, to be seen by them: otherwise ye have no reward from the Father

F. Failure to value it Heb 12:17 when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance...

G. Lack of encouragement/holding Heb 3:12-14...share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. (3:6)

Questions for Reflection/Discussion/Response:

1. Is your inheritance something for which you bless God? Why? Why not?

2. Does the modern church have the same emphasis on gaining inheritance as did the early church?

3. Would a review of your past week find more "laying up" (#III) or "losing it" (#IV) activities?

4. What helps you do/not do the more difficult things listed above?

5. What could we at BAC do to help you gain a full inheritance (ten cities)?