The Hope of His Calling: A sermon on Ephesians 1:18 - MLJTrust.org From a primary elpo; expectation or confidence. As you pray and study Gods Word, He transforms and renews your mind (Rom. Perhaps you can remember three words to capture this message: resurrection power now. I'm taking this message from this phrase in Ephesians 1:19: "the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe." . 8:3839). As saints, were Gods inheritance, His treasure, His prize. That call became his motivating force. Look at our Lords body in the tomb. The Word of God is scarcely preached while rock music and religious performers entertain worldly pagans. And I see my past has been redeemed (Lehman Strauss Commentary Devotional Studies on Paul's Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians- online). In the Mississippi River, right? 1 Chronicles No matter where she was, Victoria was governed by the fact that she sat on the throne of England. Even so, we will reign with Christ! When He is seated at the right hand of God, so are we, in Christ. The power mentioned inEphesians 1:1920is continually attributed to God, not us. All rights reserved. The Message (MSG). It is used in doxologies to extol the power or dominion of God (1 Pet 5:11; Jude 25; Rev 5:13) and of Christ (1 Tim 6:16; 1 Pet 4:11; Rev 1:6; 5:13), which has victory over all contrary powers. Thats too tedious, and besides, we think that were smart enough to figure this out without reading the directions. Kardia in Ephesians - Eph. Then we begin to possess the power that God has already given us in Christ. They are the real eyes for discerning the nature of issues important to God. (Eph 4:1+). Your Holy Spirit lives in me 9:23; 10:12; 15:10, 13; 16:19; 20:5; 23:10; 27:5; 32:17; 49:16; 51:15, 53; Lam. This indicates how precious his people are to God. Romans 8:28-30 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. The answer, according to one of the apostle Pauls prayers, is found in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The present glories of the ascended Christ are glories possessed by a Man, and, that being so, they are available as evidences and measures of the power which works in believing souls. Eido/oida is distinguished from ginosko(epiginosko, epignosis - the other major NT word group for knowing) because ginosko generally refers to knowledge obtained by experience or "experiential knowledge". The saints knew to a degree what the concept of being "in Christ" meant but not in a deep intuitive way. Or. 1:9), God has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity. Knowing that you are saved because in eternity God purposed to save you and that His purpose is certain, will give you assurance you when youre struggling with doubt or failure. 34:8; 1Pe 2:3), smell (Phil. 2 Corinthians 4:7 (But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power (dunamis) will be of God and not from ourselves; 2 Corinthians 12:9+ And He has said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for power (dunamai) is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power (dunamai) of Christ may dwell in me. (The Wealth, Walk and Warfare of the Christian). 6:2; 8:3; 10:7; 17:17; Jdg. This was even Paul's desire expressed so powerfully in Philippians writing that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death (Php 3:10+). Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 13-14) writes, When she was young, Victoria was shielded from the fact that she would be the next ruling monarch of England lest this knowledge spoil her. Samuel Chadwick writes: "The Church that is man-managed instead of God-governed is doomed to failure. Strengthened with might in the inner man (Eph3:16): with all might (Col. 1:11). Job How might Pauls response influence you when you face difficulties? Our faith in Christ did not originate with our feeble will, but with the sovereign, eternal will of God. THOUGHT - Beloved, there is a powerful principle taught in this section. Ephesians 1:18 I. A blessing found at Qumran reads, May He illuminate your heart with the discernment of life and grace you with eternal knowledge (1QS 2:3; cf. 4:16; Phil. F B Meyer commenting on inheritance in 1Peter 1:4-notesees it asview #2, but in the following note below he takes view #1! Obadiah Perhaps it is because many of us assume in advance how the meeting will go. . 11:22]). How you perceive your spiritual resources dictates how you live. Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. "Because he lives we live also." In the Old Testament, thats what Israel was called; she was called The Lords Portion, the Lords inheritance. Don't you think it's time all Heaven broke loose? (Lehman Strauss Commentary Devotional Studies on Paul's Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians- online), Mal Couch - While this is Pauls great desire, that believers truly have a deep spiritual understanding about their relationship with the Lord, this is rarely achieved by the average Christian. We so selfishly begin in our thinking with ourselves. Paul's prayer that they come to intuitively, absolutely know the hope of their calling is in marked contrast to their former state as idol worshipping pagans who were without "hope and without God in the world." Galatians Help me tounderstand the confident hope I have in Christ Jesus my Lord. All Christians have the same hope. We need not pray for power to endure suffering. Saving faith is sufficient for trusting Christ and being saved, but such must grow into Sanctifying faith, Serving faith, Standing faith, and Suffering faith. But, as weve seen (1:13), believers have been sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise. Since Gods promises are as certain as He is faithful, the hope of our calling is not some vague, wishful thinking that everything will work out for our good. It does not correspond to experience, and so you instinctively feel like this sermon is going to be like a piece of fiction. Sometimes the passing enticements of this world seek to blind our eyes to the riches of the glorious inheritance that we have in Christ Jesus our Lord. But not content with this, in the following year he pushes his fences back further into the depth of prairie or forest, and again renews his efforts to compel the land to yield him her secret stores. This he did altogether apart from any goodness in them at the time, or any goodness which he foresaw in them. ", It is power. We need to go back and read the manual carefully, asking God to give us His wisdom and understanding. 1:4). He does not tell us, but other words in this letter, in the other great prayer which it contains, may help us to supply the missing words. It is kept for us, and we are kept for it. Finally. That's a good description of the way God gives His riches to us. Now they needed to understand the hope of that calling so that they would then walk worthy of that calling. In sum, for believerseido/oida suggests Spirit given fullness of knowledge, absolute knowledge (that which is without a doubt), rather than a progress in knowledge (cp ginosko) a distinction illustrated in the following passages. Of course, all these blessings are only for those who meet the conditions set forth in Eph 1:1-2 (ED: THOSE WHO BELIEVE). Used by permission of NavPress. (Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary)(Bolding added), Lehman Strauss-The riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. Here Paul prays that we might have a full appreciation of our worth to God. Sometimes both terms are used interchangeably for nahlh (e.g. 6:10; Col. 1:11; 1 Tim. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. THE POWER OF GOD IN THE ASCENSION LIFE. Adrian Rogers on Heaven Will Break Loose! It can be used of the power of growth, of the powers of nature, of the power of a drug, of the power of a mans genius. Note that all three clauses (hope, inheritance, power) are linked to the verb "will know". It shows that the believers are valuable to God because he purchased them in order to inherit them. When we realize this, He will make us broken bread and poured-out wine to feed and nourish others. This power is one of three aspects of the mighty salvation God won for believers in Christ: 1. the hope to which God has called them, 1:19). Hannibal invaded Italy in the second of three Punic Wars that determined the fate of Rome and Carthage. Psalms 119:130 The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple. 10:32; Rev. Ive been talking to You. In 2Co 3:10 = "surpassing glory" and 2Co 9:14 = "surpassing grace." How Daniels Prophecy of 70 Weeks Connects to the End Times. We belong to Somebody. Play Chris Tomlin's Resurrection Power. Click for additional discussion on some of the aspects of the hope of this calling. NLT: I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future He has promised to those He called. As you face this new day, do so with the confidence that you are one of Gods elect. Col 1:28) also I labor, striving according to His power (dunamis), which mightily works (energeo- present tense - continually works) within me. The Greek text may be interpreted in either of two ways. 1:19; Eph. When he prayed that believers would know Gods incomparably great power, his idea of knowing came right from the Old Testament. Paul explained (Col. 1:29), For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me. Laboring in His power is the antidote to burnout. Setup Type: Offline Installer / Full Standalone Setup. 6:10-13). The Message (MSG). Esther Here it is the other way around. With all these avenues confirming her decision, she feels confident moving forward into the call of God for her life. Knowing God has given you His very best in Christ (Rom. How blessed is God! But Ephesians emphasizes God's inheritance in the saints. It is according to the working (energeian, energetic power, from which comes the Eng. When an emigrant first receives the title-deeds of the broad lands made over to him in the far West, he has no conception, as he descends the steps of the Government office and passes into the crowd, of all that has been conveyed to him in the schedule of parchment. Nothing can separate you from His love (Rom. The unaccustomed soil is brought beneath the yoke of the plough. Only here in the NT (hapax legomenon)BDAG -1. quality of exceeding a standard involving physical magnitude (size),2. quality of exceeding a standard of excellence, greatness.". MacArthur makes an interesting assessment commenting that "One cause of immaturity in the church at Corinth was reliance on feelings above knowledge. 2 Thessalonians 1:11 To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power. The, the definite article. Josephus, Antiquities 11.3.4). Memorize them which will facilitate "meditation on the fly" (when you don't have your Bible open, but you do have the text written on the "tablet" of your heart). One day our Lord will come again, and we shall all be changed to see Him as He is and to be like Him. We are mean enough to wish to make all we can of God, and to give Him as little as possible of ourselves. Because He wants to hang out on the Columbia River? In the New Testament it's a special invitation from God to man to accept the priceless benefits of His salvation. Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. In other words, Paul had prayed (Eph 1:17) that they might have true spiritual insight into God, and then he included the phrase, having the eyes of your heart enlightened (RSV). I am in total agreement with you. Click for multiple Scriptures dealing with the other view (#2) that the inheritance refers to what believers will inherit one day by virtue of their position in Christ. Encourages my soul. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. But, also. Paul usessaints nine times - Ep 1:1+, Eph 1:15+, Eph 1:18+; Eph 2:19+;; Eph 3:8+, Eph 3:18+; Eph 4:12+; Eph 5:3+; Eph 6:18+. We can read the promises of God and be certain of Gods ability to fulfill those promises, even those of redemption, resurrection, andglorification. In his prayer for the Ephesians, Paul asked God to enlighten their eyes so they could better understand the message encoded in His Word. Eph 3:16+is another "powerful" (power full - also using dunamis) passage indicating that the Holly Spirit is the Source of this incredible supernatural power (cf Lk 4:14+ = Jesus' pattern for our lives today [1Co 11:1+]!, Acts 1:8+, Ro 15:19+, 1Co 2:4+, 1Th 1:5, Micah 3:8)! Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. The inability to see and understand spiritual things is not the fault of the intelligence but of the heart. it is the satisfaction of God's people to believe in this exalting truth that he chooses their inheritance for them. This is misapplication of this English derivative in an attempt to try to picture the life saving power of the gospel. Why is it important to know what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints? 1:19). But there are many good reasons to interpret the text this way. The world can't understand it, but we can. The heart was the seat of understanding. Either way you interpret this phrase, whether we are heirs to a vast fortune in heaven or whether we are Gods special inheritance (both are true), the application is the same. The eyes of your heart will be enlightened! Do we not remember that glorious hour when He carried our hearts by storm? I cant handle hearing all of the heartbreaking prayer requests for sick children, terminally ill relatives, and church members in financial turmoil.. WHAT ARE THE RICHES OF THE GLORY OF HIS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS: tis o ploutos tes doxes tes kleronomias autou en tois hagiois: There are two ways to interpret "the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" (1) The saints are His inheritance He considers a treasure of incomparable worth!
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