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The Church of Jesus Christ is a Family! (Click on this title for further installments of this study)
Ephesians 1:1-12
The Foundational Context–the ministry of Jesus: John 17:4ff “I have glorified You on the earth: I have finished the work which You Gave to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me (along) with Your Own Self with the Glory which I had with You before the world was. I have manifested Your Name unto the men which You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me; and they have kept Your Word.”
What name did Jesus Manifest on the earth? FATHER!!! Christ Jesus refers to the Father, His Father, appx. 120 times in the Gospel of John. He and His Father are One. (John 10:30) When He teaches how to pray in Matthew 6, He reminds us that we do all things before our Father Who is in Heaven Who sees in secret. He teaches that our Father knows what we need before we ask Him. And when we pray it is to OUR FATHER Who is in Heaven. Jesus came to bring us to His Father. (John 14:6), and to know Him is to know His Father. Vs7
It is this Glorious Truth that sets the stage for Paul’s laying before us the Eternal Will and Pleasure of our Heavenly Father to adopt children, a redeemed family, to Himself.
I. The Father’s Eternal Will and Pleasure is to adopt (sinful vs 7) children to Himself by His Beloved Son. Note the inheritance in vs 11. This is an eternal inheritance, assured by the death of our Elder Brother. Heb. 9:15 It’s a Family thing! The Father has done all that is necessary through the obedient work of His Son, by the enabling Power of the Spirit of His Glory, to assure that His Adopted Children abide with Him in Christ Jesus for all Eternity!!!
Romans 8:11-17 The Spirit’s continual work is to cry out to our Loving Father–“Abba, Father”, in our innermost being. This is the Spirit of God’s work in His children–to assure them of their adoption and their inheritance, and that they live within the first commandment to LOVE THE LORD THEIR GOD WITH ALL THEIR HEARTS–ABBA, FATHER. Note the inheritance in vs 17–“and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, an joint-heirs with Christ!!!
Galatians 3:26-4:7 Here the adopted children are shown to be the faith children of Abraham who was declared righteous in that he “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:3) This is a “faith family”! Note the “inheritance language-3:29-4:1, 4:7. In Rom.4, esp 16, the “faith genetics” of this family is established in that the Holy Spirit by the pen of Paul, calls Abraham the father of the faithful, those justified by faith alone.
II. John 3:1-8 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I say unto you, YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN.” “BORN”–That is “family language”–or used to be! Vs 8–born of the Spirit-into a Spiritual family–the Adoption of the Father.
III. These “new born children” bear the mark of this Spiritual family!
In the Old Testament, God gave Abraham (Gen. 17:9-13) the mark of circumcision as a mark of distinction of Abraham’s seed to identify them as distinct from the “sons of Adam”. Paul refers to this in Eph. 2:11, “by that which is called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands.” It became nearly synonymous with the nation of Israel. Note that it was in the flesh, that is physical, and made by hands.
The mark of these “new born chldren” is Spiritual, not physical. Note the following:
Colossians 2:8-12 (Vs 11) In Christ Jesus, the “new borns” “are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.” In the verses that follow, Paul seems to imply that our burial with Christ in His baptism and our being risen with him through the faith of the operation of God–that is our mark of distinction. We are dead (cut off) from our sins and risen to new life! (See Romans 6, and note that it is by faith, a thing to be reckoned, counted upon.)
Philippians 3:1-3 Beware of physical circumcision, that is any external “standard” or mark deemed necessary to “really” be the people of God. That is a mutilation (NKJV) of the Body of Christ!!! Verse 3 goes on to explain that there is a “mark” of the Spiritually circumcised:
1. The Spiritually circumcised “worship God in the Spirit”.
John 4:19-24 Jesus pierces the Samaratan woman’s smokescreen, her attempt to move the focus of the conversation away from her sin, by ushering in true Worship of the Most High God–The Father seeks children to worship Him in spirit and in truth! (Vs 23) He tears down any “worship structure” of buildings or mountains or anything physical, and makes it a matter of the heart and soul by the Spirit!!!
Acts 17:22-24 Paul to the Athenians. God doesn’t dwell in buildings or mountains, nor is He worshiped by the works of our hands, in their case, in contrast to their building monuments to their gods..
Isaiah 57:15 He dwells with and is worshiped by a humble and contrite heart!!!
2. The circumcised “rejoice in Christ Jesus”!
Job 9:2 & 32-33 The circumcised have found the answer to Job’s question–They have found the Mediator, the One Who can “lay His hand on us both”–the Perfect Man Who is Perfect God!!! The Hebrews 2 Man, made like unto the children!!!
Hebrews 10:19-22 The circumcised rejoice in the new and living way of access to the Father they now have through the Perfect Body the Father had prepared for His Incarnate Son. Heb 10:5-14 The circumcised revel in the freedom and boldness before the throne of grace where they obtain continual mercy and grace to help for every need. Heb 4:15-16
3. The circumcised “have NO confidence in the flesh”.
John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh.
Romans 7:18 “For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) nothing good dwells.”
Galatian 5:17 “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would.”
John 3:7 “Marvel not that I say unto you, YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN!!!” The old flesh is of no use, it is a cadaver that we drag around with us! Remember Colossians 2:11 and its exhortation to “put off the body of the sins of the flesh? We must come to depend by faith upon the “new man”, feasting on the Flesh and Blood of the Son of Man, God’s only means of salvation. John 6:53-57
And that brings us back to family–the “born again ones”. And this family looks like SOMEONE!!! It bears an unmistakable family resemblance. And that will be our theme in future studies from Ephesians.
(The entire study of Ephesians from this "family of the Heavenly Father" context is available at www.nogreaterlovethanhis.com.)
Ephesians 1:1-12
The Foundational Context–the ministry of Jesus: John 17:4ff “I have glorified You on the earth: I have finished the work which You Gave to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me (along) with Your Own Self with the Glory which I had with You before the world was. I have manifested Your Name unto the men which You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me; and they have kept Your Word.”
What name did Jesus Manifest on the earth? FATHER!!! Christ Jesus refers to the Father, His Father, appx. 120 times in the Gospel of John. He and His Father are One. (John 10:30) When He teaches how to pray in Matthew 6, He reminds us that we do all things before our Father Who is in Heaven Who sees in secret. He teaches that our Father knows what we need before we ask Him. And when we pray it is to OUR FATHER Who is in Heaven. Jesus came to bring us to His Father. (John 14:6), and to know Him is to know His Father. Vs7
It is this Glorious Truth that sets the stage for Paul’s laying before us the Eternal Will and Pleasure of our Heavenly Father to adopt children, a redeemed family, to Himself.
I. The Father’s Eternal Will and Pleasure is to adopt (sinful vs 7) children to Himself by His Beloved Son. Note the inheritance in vs 11. This is an eternal inheritance, assured by the death of our Elder Brother. Heb. 9:15 It’s a Family thing! The Father has done all that is necessary through the obedient work of His Son, by the enabling Power of the Spirit of His Glory, to assure that His Adopted Children abide with Him in Christ Jesus for all Eternity!!!
Romans 8:11-17 The Spirit’s continual work is to cry out to our Loving Father–“Abba, Father”, in our innermost being. This is the Spirit of God’s work in His children–to assure them of their adoption and their inheritance, and that they live within the first commandment to LOVE THE LORD THEIR GOD WITH ALL THEIR HEARTS–ABBA, FATHER. Note the inheritance in vs 17–“and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, an joint-heirs with Christ!!!
Galatians 3:26-4:7 Here the adopted children are shown to be the faith children of Abraham who was declared righteous in that he “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:3) This is a “faith family”! Note the “inheritance language-3:29-4:1, 4:7. In Rom.4, esp 16, the “faith genetics” of this family is established in that the Holy Spirit by the pen of Paul, calls Abraham the father of the faithful, those justified by faith alone.
II. John 3:1-8 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I say unto you, YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN.” “BORN”–That is “family language”–or used to be! Vs 8–born of the Spirit-into a Spiritual family–the Adoption of the Father.
III. These “new born children” bear the mark of this Spiritual family!
In the Old Testament, God gave Abraham (Gen. 17:9-13) the mark of circumcision as a mark of distinction of Abraham’s seed to identify them as distinct from the “sons of Adam”. Paul refers to this in Eph. 2:11, “by that which is called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands.” It became nearly synonymous with the nation of Israel. Note that it was in the flesh, that is physical, and made by hands.
The mark of these “new born chldren” is Spiritual, not physical. Note the following:
Colossians 2:8-12 (Vs 11) In Christ Jesus, the “new borns” “are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.” In the verses that follow, Paul seems to imply that our burial with Christ in His baptism and our being risen with him through the faith of the operation of God–that is our mark of distinction. We are dead (cut off) from our sins and risen to new life! (See Romans 6, and note that it is by faith, a thing to be reckoned, counted upon.)
Philippians 3:1-3 Beware of physical circumcision, that is any external “standard” or mark deemed necessary to “really” be the people of God. That is a mutilation (NKJV) of the Body of Christ!!! Verse 3 goes on to explain that there is a “mark” of the Spiritually circumcised:
1. The Spiritually circumcised “worship God in the Spirit”.
John 4:19-24 Jesus pierces the Samaratan woman’s smokescreen, her attempt to move the focus of the conversation away from her sin, by ushering in true Worship of the Most High God–The Father seeks children to worship Him in spirit and in truth! (Vs 23) He tears down any “worship structure” of buildings or mountains or anything physical, and makes it a matter of the heart and soul by the Spirit!!!
Acts 17:22-24 Paul to the Athenians. God doesn’t dwell in buildings or mountains, nor is He worshiped by the works of our hands, in their case, in contrast to their building monuments to their gods..
Isaiah 57:15 He dwells with and is worshiped by a humble and contrite heart!!!
2. The circumcised “rejoice in Christ Jesus”!
Job 9:2 & 32-33 The circumcised have found the answer to Job’s question–They have found the Mediator, the One Who can “lay His hand on us both”–the Perfect Man Who is Perfect God!!! The Hebrews 2 Man, made like unto the children!!!
Hebrews 10:19-22 The circumcised rejoice in the new and living way of access to the Father they now have through the Perfect Body the Father had prepared for His Incarnate Son. Heb 10:5-14 The circumcised revel in the freedom and boldness before the throne of grace where they obtain continual mercy and grace to help for every need. Heb 4:15-16
3. The circumcised “have NO confidence in the flesh”.
John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh.
Romans 7:18 “For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) nothing good dwells.”
Galatian 5:17 “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would.”
John 3:7 “Marvel not that I say unto you, YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN!!!” The old flesh is of no use, it is a cadaver that we drag around with us! Remember Colossians 2:11 and its exhortation to “put off the body of the sins of the flesh? We must come to depend by faith upon the “new man”, feasting on the Flesh and Blood of the Son of Man, God’s only means of salvation. John 6:53-57
And that brings us back to family–the “born again ones”. And this family looks like SOMEONE!!! It bears an unmistakable family resemblance. And that will be our theme in future studies from Ephesians.
(The entire study of Ephesians from this "family of the Heavenly Father" context is available at www.nogreaterlovethanhis.com.)
The Lord Jesus Christ
The Name Above Every Name!
The
Lord Jesus Christ
the
name
above
every
name
Je (I Am) + sus (salvation) = Jesus is the Saviour
Matthew 1:21 I am your salvation.
Jesus (Messiah in Hebrew)
Christ (christos = Anointed One in Greek)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Bible:
Jesus - 1,042 times Christ - 584 times Total - 1,626 times
Jesus Christ combined 266 times (included in numbers above)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Philippians 2:9 God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every name.
- Psalm 20:1 May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble;
May the name of the God of Jacob defend you (set you on high).
All the knowledge that we have of God arises from the knowledge of His name.
When, by unbelief, we hardly conceive of God and of His goodness, or for want of knowledge are ignorant of His good name, even of all His mercy, and of His truth, pity, and compassion that is Him, and so to not know His great and glorious name, we can have little or no heart at all to come to Him in trouble, and seek Him for help by prayer.
Nicholas Bownd, (1604)
Know:
- Ephesians 1:17-21 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,
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,
19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power towards us who believe according to the working of His mighty power
20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all principality (rule) and power (authority) and might (power) and dominion
and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
- Colossians 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (in bodily form) .
By knowing His name is also meant on experiential acquaintance with the attributes of God which are everyone of them anchors to hold the soul from drifting in seasons of peril. Charles Spurgeon
- Exodus 23:21c "My name is in Him!"
- Psalm 9:10 and those who know Your name will put their trust in You.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Name of Christ
Jesus’ Name is supreme over all: Ac. 4:12; Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 1:4
The Holy Spirit was sent in Jesus’ name: Jn. 14:26
Believers Experiences in Jesus’ name.
- Believers are anointed in His name: Jam. 5:14
- Believers are baptized into His name: Ac. 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5
- Believers are forgiven in His name: Lu. 24:46, 47; Ac. 10:43; 22:16; 1 Jn. 2:12
- Believers are justified in His name: 1 Cor. 6:11
- Believers are protected by His name: Jn. 17:11, 12
- Believers assemble in His name: Matt. 18:20; 1 Cor. 5:4
- Believers bear His name: Ac. 9:15; 1 Pet. 4:16
- Believers believe in His name: Jn. 1:12; 3:18; Ac. 3:16; 1 Jn. 3:23; 5:13
- Believers call on His name: Ac. 9:14; 9:21; 22:16; Rom. 10:13; 1 Cor. 1:2
- Believers call on His name for salvation: Ac. 2:21; 4:12
- Believers command and make appeals in His name: 1 Cor. 1:10; 2 Th. 3:6
- Believers do everything in His name: Col. 3:17
- Believers do miracles and heal in His name: Mk. 9:39; Ac. 3:6, 16; 4:10, 30
- Believers drive out demons in His name: Mk. 9:38; Lu. 10:17; Ac. 16:18
- Believers give thanks in His name: Eph. 5:20
- Believers glorify His name: 2 Th. 1:12
- Believers have life in His name: Jn. 20:31
- Believers make requests in His name: Jn. 14:13; 16:23, 24, 26
- Believers speak, preach, and teach in His name: Ac. 4:18; 5:28; 5:40; 8:12; 9:27, 28
- Believers suffer for His name: Lu. 21:12; Jn. 15:20, 21; Ac. 5:41; Ac. 9:15; 15:26; 21:13; 1 Pet. 4:14; Rev. 2:3
The Name Above Every Name!
The
Lord Jesus Christ
the
name
above
every
name
Je (I Am) + sus (salvation) = Jesus is the Saviour
Matthew 1:21 I am your salvation.
Jesus (Messiah in Hebrew)
Christ (christos = Anointed One in Greek)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Bible:
Jesus - 1,042 times Christ - 584 times Total - 1,626 times
Jesus Christ combined 266 times (included in numbers above)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Philippians 2:9 God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every name.
- Psalm 20:1 May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble;
May the name of the God of Jacob defend you (set you on high).
All the knowledge that we have of God arises from the knowledge of His name.
When, by unbelief, we hardly conceive of God and of His goodness, or for want of knowledge are ignorant of His good name, even of all His mercy, and of His truth, pity, and compassion that is Him, and so to not know His great and glorious name, we can have little or no heart at all to come to Him in trouble, and seek Him for help by prayer.
Nicholas Bownd, (1604)
Know:
- Ephesians 1:17-21 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,
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,
19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power towards us who believe according to the working of His mighty power
20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all principality (rule) and power (authority) and might (power) and dominion
and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
- Colossians 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (in bodily form) .
By knowing His name is also meant on experiential acquaintance with the attributes of God which are everyone of them anchors to hold the soul from drifting in seasons of peril. Charles Spurgeon
- Exodus 23:21c "My name is in Him!"
- Psalm 9:10 and those who know Your name will put their trust in You.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Name of Christ
Jesus’ Name is supreme over all: Ac. 4:12; Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 1:4
The Holy Spirit was sent in Jesus’ name: Jn. 14:26
Believers Experiences in Jesus’ name.
- Believers are anointed in His name: Jam. 5:14
- Believers are baptized into His name: Ac. 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5
- Believers are forgiven in His name: Lu. 24:46, 47; Ac. 10:43; 22:16; 1 Jn. 2:12
- Believers are justified in His name: 1 Cor. 6:11
- Believers are protected by His name: Jn. 17:11, 12
- Believers assemble in His name: Matt. 18:20; 1 Cor. 5:4
- Believers bear His name: Ac. 9:15; 1 Pet. 4:16
- Believers believe in His name: Jn. 1:12; 3:18; Ac. 3:16; 1 Jn. 3:23; 5:13
- Believers call on His name: Ac. 9:14; 9:21; 22:16; Rom. 10:13; 1 Cor. 1:2
- Believers call on His name for salvation: Ac. 2:21; 4:12
- Believers command and make appeals in His name: 1 Cor. 1:10; 2 Th. 3:6
- Believers do everything in His name: Col. 3:17
- Believers do miracles and heal in His name: Mk. 9:39; Ac. 3:6, 16; 4:10, 30
- Believers drive out demons in His name: Mk. 9:38; Lu. 10:17; Ac. 16:18
- Believers give thanks in His name: Eph. 5:20
- Believers glorify His name: 2 Th. 1:12
- Believers have life in His name: Jn. 20:31
- Believers make requests in His name: Jn. 14:13; 16:23, 24, 26
- Believers speak, preach, and teach in His name: Ac. 4:18; 5:28; 5:40; 8:12; 9:27, 28
- Believers suffer for His name: Lu. 21:12; Jn. 15:20, 21; Ac. 5:41; Ac. 9:15; 15:26; 21:13; 1 Pet. 4:14; Rev. 2:3