Ephesians 4:17-19

Ephesians 4:17-19 Podcast
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Paul beings our text with "I affirm together with the Lord." The Apostle could say this because this was a result of divine revelation. So, this is not mere human advice. This is the word of God placed squarely upon the root of the human problem.

Paul continues, "do not live like those who do not know the Lord." The word Gentiles here is "ethne" in the Greek. This has no reference to the distinction between Jews and Gentiles, it refers to anyone who is outside of Christ. 

"You," he says, "must no longer live as those who are outside Jesus." Notice the next words" ... "In the futility of their minds." Paul does not start with actions or emotions. He is not one of these pious religious people who moves in and tries to change the outward scene only. He starts with the mind, and he declares that the world's thinking is futile and empty. 

The word for futility, means "void of purpose or pointless." The people of the world live as they do because their thinking is lacking purpose and is pointless. Paul describes it this way in Romans 1, "21 For although they knew (about) God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:21-32). 

In Ephesians 4:18 we discover the world thinks futilely because their understanding is darkened. Their ignorance is pointless because it emanates from ignorance. Mankind's spirit is darkened and dead to God.

In Ephesians 4:19 we see that mankind's darkened mind leads him to make greedy, selfish  decisions which invites destruction into his existence. This is a person who is ignorant of the true meaning of things, and the true values of life. His mantra is "anything but God, and everything without God." 

But the good news of the gospel is that God reaches even these kind of people. He draws and softens and melts the hardened heart. The amazing love of Christ penetrates even the hardest hearts. 

One of my favorite hymns is "Amazing Grace" written around 1750 by John Newton who commanded an English slave ship. His ship would make its voyage from England to the African coast. There, tribal chiefs would deliver men and women, captured in raids against tribes to the ship. The captives would be loaded aboard, packed for sailing. They were chained below decks to prevent suicides, laid side by side to save space, row after row, one after another, until the vessel was filled with as many as 600 at a time.

Once they arrived in the New World, slaves were traded for sugar and molasses to manufacture rum, which the ships would carry to England for the final leg of their "triangle trade." John Newton transported more than a few shiploads of the 6 million African slaves brought to the Americas in the 18th century.

After reading Thomas à Kempis' book, Imitation of Christ, he trusted Christ as his savior. Later he was promoted to captain of a slave ship. Commanding a slave vessel seems like a strange place to find a new Christian. But the inhuman aspects of the business began to take affect on him, and he left the sea for good.

While working as a tide surveyor he studied for the ministry, and for the last 43 years of his life preached the gospel in Olney and London, England. At 82, Newton said, "My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things, that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Saviour." No wonder he understood so well grace, the completely undeserved favor of God.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound 
That saved a wretch like me,
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come.
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

Ephesians 4:14-16

Ephesians 4:14-16 Podcast
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We continue in Ephesians 4 where the Apostle Paul is teaching us about how God has called the church to do His work on the earth. Before we can minister to others, we must first be ministered to, ourselves. The key phrase in our text today is found in v.15: "Speaking the truth in love." This is HOW we build the body up.

In v.14 we learn we are not to be babies who are blown around by every wind of doctrine. The issue is stability in knowing the Lord for ourselves, so that we will not be deceived by false teaching.

The apostle uses a word here in v.16 which is used twice in the New Testament. It is this word that is translated "fitted and held together." He is saying that one of the factors that makes us grow is the fact that everyone is gifted and every gift is useful to our holding togetherness. It is the word of God that glues us. You will remember that in Genesis, God spoke the word and everything came into perfect being. Such is the nature of the word of God as we choose to be defined by Him.

"Fitted and held together" comes from three different Greek words that are brought together here by Paul. The apostle actually coins a word here. He takes a word which means "a joint," then he uses the word "with"; and then he uses the word "to choose." "to choose with a joint."

In other words, it's God's choice that has put us in the body of Christ, among the Christians He wants us to be with, exercising our gifts and benefitting one from another.


As we walk with the Lord, He speaks truth to us. It might be painful (I've had Him tell me MANY times that He does not need me), but it is His truth that fits us and holds us together. It is out of this posture that we deal with one another. The result is spiritual maturity in Christ. A friend who I attended college with always went about misquoting that verse in John 8, "and you shall know the truth", he would say, and then he would say, "and the truth shall make you mad."


Finally, notice the key to it all: LOVE. Paul mentions love throughout Ephesians 4 (v.2, v.15, v.16). This “love” is agape love, a self-sacrificial love that works for the benefit of the loved one. This is the type of love that will love another with no expectations of being loved in return. And, as we speak the truth in love, we will build one another up. When we are being defined by God and His word, we lose sight of self and we find great joy in ministering to others. Let me encourage you to find creative ways to love others in the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-13

Ephesians 4:11-13 Podcast      
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In our text today, we discover a list of spiritual gifts. This is one of several passages in the New Testament where God explains spiritual gifts. These spiritual gifts are ministry gifts which describe how God works through a believer to serve and minister to others. 

In v.11 we have "apostles" who were those who laid the foundation for the beginning of the church. Apostles were also used of God to write the 27 books of the New Testament.  

Again, in v.11, we have the prophets who were those who spoke for God. In the early church before the New Testament was written, prophets spoke by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, speaking the truths that are now recorded in our New Testament. 

Next, in v.11, we have the evangelists, who are those with a special gift for communicating the gospel in relevant, compelling terms and ways to people who are not Christians. Billy Graham was an outstanding evangelist. 

Then there are pastors-teachers, who are those who take care of the church community. They feed and guide and meet the needs of people within the church. They are aware of and attempt to meet the spiritual needs, emotional needs, and physical needs of all in the church.

Through the years, the church has become identified with buildings, great massive cathedrals and imposing structures, and these were referred to as the church. 

In our text here, the Apostle makes clear that our giftedness has specific purposes, to prepare God's people for the work of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up, until we all reach the unity of the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

In Ephesians 4:3, we are told to maintain the unity. Here, in Ephesians 4:13, we are told to reach or attain unity. In v.3 unity is a reality to be maintained. In v.13 it is a goal to be attained. The reason for this is that Christian unity has already been accomplished but we have to appropriate it. 

As seen in v.13, the unity is appropriated in steps that lead from one to another. The first step is "to prepare God's people" or "to equip God's people." The equipment is the culture of God given through His word. It is training believer's to think like God.

This leads to a lifestyle of "service. We are most like God when we are serving. In Luke 12:35-37, we read, "35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them." In heaven, the Lord Jesus will serve us.

This leads to, "so that the body of Christ may be built up...in the faith and the knowledge of the Son." Christianity is relational. The idea that Paul is giving here is that we apprehend the unity and comprehend the teachings of the Son and we apprehend and comprehend the Son personally. That He becomes real and more real to us in a practical way.

This leads to "maturity." This "maturity" includes a deepening relationship with Christ wherein He is seen to be teaching each believer. This describes a fellowship with God that is tangible and as real as knowing our best human friends.

Finally, I like what Andy Stanley recently said about spiritual maturity, he said, "Spiritual maturity is measured in terms of persevering faith, not perfect behavior."

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Ephesians 4:7-10

Ephesians 4:7-10 Podcast
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7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” 9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) (Ephesians 4:7-10)

In v.7 Paul writes about how each Christian is gifted by Christ with various gifts of His grace. When we were born again, the Holy Spirit came bearing gifts. Christ gave to us each a gift in a measure suited to His good purposes for each of us. This means that we are not an accident in the body of Christ. This is how the church demonstrates the power and presence of God in the sight of those around us.

This power, which is in each believer, is released when we exercise the spiritual gifts that we've been given. This is largely a forsaken practice today. If we are to influence those around us, it will be by a return to the exercise of each person's spiritual gift.

There are two kinds of gifts mentioned here in v.7. One Paul calls the measure of the other. "But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it." Note Paul's emphasis here: "grace has been given." This is the gift of the Spirit. Paul employs the Greek word "charis", which means "grace." Literally Paul is saying, "grace has been graced to us." This is a great reminder, it is all of grace. Even the faith and the gifts we exercise, it is all of grace.

In v.8, the Apostle quotes the 68th Psalm. "When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people." Paul places emphasis on Christ's triumphal march, because v.8-10 is an explanation of the previous phrase in v.7, "as Christ apportioned it." He is bringing these two, the gift and the power, together. Gifts are the ability to do certain specific ministries, but the power that is needed is different.

Our gifts are not the same as our talents. Our gifts are divinely-given abilities requiring the power of God to exercise them. Resurrection power operates in the midst of weakness and death, when everything around us is lifeless. It needs no human support, and is not thwarted by obstacles. 

This power is that which changes the human heart. This power causes us to turn from self to turn to the Savior. The only thing that can limit this power is the limiting nature of faithlessness. Note I didn't say the size of our faith. It is the unwillingness to exercise our faith. As faith is exercised, we will discover that our ministry effectiveness will grow. 

The goal of the exercising of our faith and gifts is that the whole universe being filled with Christ. When we willingly step through the doors God opens for us and we depend upon the Holy Spirit's power, there will be no limit to the spread of the truth throughout our universe.

Finally, did you notice the phrase in v.8: "he took many captives?" Who were the captives? We were. Anyone enslaved to sin and separated from God. This is what it looks like for the glory of God to fill the whole universe. One day, this will be the reality. Everyone in that place will long to worship the Lord Jesus, rendering to Him our hearts and souls because of what He has done to free us from our captor. 

Ephesians 4:4-6

Ephesians 4:4-6 Podcast
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4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:4-6)

The first thing I notice about our text today is the Trinity, the Spirit, the Son, and the Father is mentioned. We see the Holy Spirit mentioned in v.4, the Son (Lord) is mentioned in v.5, and the Father is mentioned in v.6. In this context, the Apostle Paul mentions seven ones that provide unity to believers.

The Apostle writes, "There is one body." The essence of a body is that it consists of thousands of cells with one mutually shared life. It is the sharing of life that makes the church a body. It is the Lord Jesus, Himself, who provides for believers our unity.

Then Paul writes, "and one Spirit." The Holy Spirit is the invisible Person who is the power behind the Christian church. The strength of the church never comes from its numbers.

Paul links with this the "one hope." This hope is the product of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. It is this hope that enables the believer to persevere in his faith. As a result of His resurrection, the Lord Jesus is, through the Holy Spirit, living in us. In Colossians 1, the Apostle Paul writes, "Christ in you, the hope of glory."

In v.5, the Apostle mentions "one Lord." Of course, this is a reference to the Lord Jesus. In every place in the Scriptures, it is only when we acknowledge Jesus as Lord that He becomes our Savior. Lord means "one with ultimate authority."

Next, Paul writes, "one faith." Here, he is using a noun and is referencing the truth that has been revealed through the Lord Jesus and the Bible. This is not to be mistaken with the verb form of faith which is our positive response to the truth.

What Paul is getting at is, there is full agreement everywhere among true Christians that there is a body of truth revealed about Jesus Christ; there is only one set of facts; there is only one faith.

At the end of v.5, we have "one baptism."This is the baptism of the Spirit, the baptism of which water baptism is always a symbol. We read in 1 Corinthians 12:13, "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body."

In v.6, we come to the last of these seven ones, "one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." It would appear this verse is teaching pantheism by stating the God is in all. However, the "all" the Apostle is using here is speaking of those who have believed in the Lord Jesus.

Finally, our actions are determined by our beliefs. Praise the Lord that He has given us His word so that we know what His thoughts are on a given subject. This is truth, what God has said on a given subject. And, these truths set the direction of our lives. These are the defining truths that God uses to provide us His culture. 

Ephesians 4:2-3

Ephesians 4:2-3 Podcast

2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  (Ephesians 4:2-3)

The obvious theme in today's text is unity. Why would God direct Paul to, at this point in this letter, address the need for maintaining the unity of the Spirit? The Holy Spirit has provided believers with unity, but it is up to us to maintain it. Our unity is of utmost importance if we are to accomplish the call of God on our lives.

In Ephesians 4:3 the way to lead a life worthy of our calling is to "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:2 tells us how to maintain spiritual unity. This will be our content for today.

In v.3, the Apostle commands us to "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit." The Holy Spirit has provided for us the unity by unshackling us from the slavery of the irrational, self-defensive prejudices of our flesh and of this world. The Holy Spirit was the One who enabled us to have faith in Christ and to discover confidence in the God of the Bible. And it is the Holy Spirit who bears the fruit of love in our lives. It is from this posture that we "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit." 

In v.2 the Apostle Paul commands us to "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." There are two stages in v.2 which are produced by the Holy Spirit in our lives to realize love among us. 

The first stage that leads us to unity is to be humble and gentle. The knowledge of our high calling should make humble. Humility is a disposition of thinking lowly of ourselves and highly of Christ. Christian meekness is the demeanor of a person with this disposition. 

Christian humility makes us to be accurate in our appraisal of ourselves in light of God's unmerited mercy and grace. We are growing in being defined by God. This causes us to be gentle with others, especially those who are in the family of God. This is the first stage of love, and it is the work of the Holy Spirit opening our eyes to see the awesomeness of God.

The second stage of love results from the first. It involves "being patient and bearing with one another." Humility is the prerequisite of patience. Arrogant people are not patient. Once we have seen God for who He is, we know how underserving we are. The patience and the forbearance with others flow naturally from this disposition.

Paul is saying be humble in spirit so that you can patiently endure the differences and the sins we encounter in the church. The humble are minutely aware of the immensity of our debt toward God and how far He has gone to redeem us from the slavery of the flesh and of the world.

It is said that when the British and French were fighting in Canada in the 1750s, Admiral Phipps, commander of the British fleet, was told to anchor outside Quebec. He was given orders to wait for the British land forces to arrive, then support them when they attacked the city. Phipps' navy arrived early. As the admiral waited, he became annoyed by the statues of the saints that adorned the towers of a nearby cathedral, so he commanded his men to shoot at them with the ships' cannons. No one knows how many rounds were fired or how many statues were knocked out, but when the land forces arrived and the signal was given to attack, the admiral was of no help. He had used up all his ammunition shooting at the "saints."

Ephesians 4:1

Ephesians 4:1

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1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. (Ephesians 4:1)

In our text today, the Apostle Paul calls himself "a prisoner for the Lord." The Greek word the Apostle uses for prisoner is "desmios" which was also used of Barabbas in Matthew 27:16. Paul likened himself to someone like Barabbas, like the Lord Jesus did, who took the place of Barabbas. 

You will remember that Ephesians was written from Rome where Paul was a prisoner of Rome. Yet, he saw beyond the Roman chains to the One to whom he truly was a prisoner, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The Apostle Paul became the Lord’s prisoner on the road to Damascus and never sought to be free of that divine imprisonment. This imprisonment is what defined him most after coming into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus.

The Apostle Paul saw behind the visible things to the invisible things. He knew that the Lord either allowed his imprisonment or caused it. He knew that he was in the middle of the Father's will for his life and he rested in that. As Paul teaches in Galatians 5, we either feed the flesh amid our trials or we feed the Spirit of God who has made us alive to God.

In God's kingdom there are different rules by which He governs. God doesn't treat us all the very same way. We are all different, with different callings. Yet, God has certain rules by which He deals with us. He TAYLORS His kingdom to each of us. 

We are all His prisoners by choice. Some of us may end up in literal prison, like Paul. But, most of us will not. Yet, we are all, as believers in Jesus Christ, prisoners of the Lord. What this means is He defines us. And, if He doesn't define us, something else will.

We are prisoners because of our position in Christ. This position is perfect. In fact, in Christ, we are viewed as perfect in the eyes of God. From the security of this position, we live our lives. You see, our values aren't God's values. His may be ours, but He will never value our values if they are different than Him.

We think God is not fair, and we are right. He is just. He operates out of His justice. And, we want our expectations filled. At this point, we compare our taylor-made calling with that of other believers. This explains why we struggle at being prisoners of the Lord. 

When the Apostle wrote, "live a life worthy of the calling you have received," he is not compelling us to earn or maintain our worthiness before God. He couldn't say this because we never earned God's favor in the first place. What he meant was: "live your life out of your worthiness in Christ." 

When we find our security in the person and worth of the Lord Jesus, our motivation for walking in God's way is changed from selfishness to selflessness. We obey for the sake of God and others.

The calling of which Paul writes in v.1 is spelled out in the first three chapters of this letter. The first three chapters describe what we have in Christ, as compared with our former condition as enemies of God. 

Our calling is to declare the work of Jesus Christ. We are to talk about the reality of a life-changing encounter with the living Christ, and to demonstrate that change by an unselfish love-filled life. This is what this life is all about. This is why Paul writes it the way he does ... "As a prisoner for the Lord."

Ephesians 3:20-21

Ephesians 3:20-21 Podcast 
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20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

When we come to an end of ourselves, we conclude with the Apostle as he does in v.20 ... "Now to Him..." We are much like the earth in our universe, we are not at its center. The process of being convinced of this truth is both arduous and satisfying. 

In order to manifest His power in and through us, God had to indwell us. Think of that, God has chosen to live in us! God in us "is able to do more immeasurably all we can ask or imagine." 

The Greek word Paul uses here for "able" in v.20 is "dynamite." It has an explosive nature to it, and thus, we sense the danger involved. The danger is a must, and such is the nature of faith. Faith will always have a measure of uncertainty to it. This is why the mystery is so intriguing and yet so scary.

The Greek word used for "immeasurably" is a contraction of three Greek words. The first of these is "huper" which means "above or beyond." The second is "ek" which means "from or out of." And, the third is "perissou" which means "abundantly." 

When we walk with the God of the Bible, we will discover, He will take us through some stuff that we do not understand. And, out of this stuff, God will bring us to the place where we know Him deeply and we will be amazed at what He is doing in our lives.

As a result, when we come to understand there is a great plan that God is bringing about in history to rescue mankind, and that He is inviting us to be a part of it so that our personal stories get caught up in His great story, and we step forward in faith, there is absolutely nothing that we can imagine that God can’t do. 

What would happen if we so trusted God’s love for us and His involvement in our lives that we said, “God, I’ll do anything you want”? Imagine for a moment what God might do! Paul says he can do even more than that.

What will happen as all of this unfolds, Paul writes, is it will lead to the glory of God filling the whole earth, and mankind will be amazed at the goodness of God! When the power of the Holy Spirit is unleashed in our lives, He gives us understanding and transforms us into the kind of people who trust God because of His great love for us.

As we deepen in our understanding of all this, our ability to trust God and act in faith will grow. And this is the assurance that we have entered into the great story of God Himself. May God through His Holy Spirit help us to grasp this great truth!

Ephesians 3:14-19

Ephesians 3:14-19 Podcast
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14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19)

The Apostle Paul closes Ephesians 3 as he did in Ephesians 1, with a prayer. This prayer focuses on the power that the believer in Christ needs in order to persevere in the faith till his last day on earth. 

In v.14, the Apostle Paul begins His prayer with the  "Father." Our view of God as our Father is crucial to the health of our lives on this earth. In the Bible, the word “father” is found more than 1,100 times. 

We view God through our earthly fathers, and our view of God touches everything in our lives. It is unfortunate for those of us who have earthly fathers who do not represent God well in our lives. However, as my life notes, this deficiency can be overcome by God's grace. In John 17:3, Jesus prayed, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

In v.16, we read "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being." Paul is praying that the Spirit might infuse His strength into our yielded lives.

Notice the first two words in v.17: "so that." We are strengthened by His Spirit so that Christ may, literally, "make his home" in our hearts. "So that" we will know the personal presence of the Lord Jesus, as our faith learns to trust Him more and more. 

The key to this for us is seen in the words "through faith" in v.17. Faith is the heart's ability to see God. The goal here is that we personally know Him, and it is our faith that gives us the ability to see Him at work in our lives.

This leads us to the reassurance that we know His love, personally. This leads to us being "rooted and established in love." Plants are rooted; buildings are established. But Paul ties them together as figures of security. A plant that is rooted is solid. And a building needs to be firmly fixed upon a foundation; otherwise it will shake in the wind and storm.

Paul is simply saying here that we need foundations for our experiences. We can't handle life unless we have a solid foundation, unless we are rooted and established. And, when we know His love, we will know our true identity. 

This sense of identity gives us power to relate to Him and others in an authentic way. We are able to do this because we are freed of our insecurities. This results in us not living in isolation but to live "with all the Lord’s holy people." 

As we begin to understand this we begin to see the love that Christ has for us in everything, in our circumstances, and in relationships. This is not a condition we attain. It is a condition we return to again and again. This is what Paul refers to as being filled with the Spirit. It is the condition in which God is in possession and in control of our lives, equipping us. 

Ephesians 3:10-13

Ephesians 3:10-13 Podcast
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10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory. (Ephesians 3:10-13)

In v.10 God means for His manifold wisdom to be made known through the church. And, the church are those who have trusted in the finished work of Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin. Most refer to the building as the church. Not so, according to the scriptures. 

Through the broken, through the downtrodden, through the weak. A long time ago, Ernest Hemingway once said, "We are all broken. That’s how the light gets in." I might add, it is how the light gets out, as well.

The mystery is essentially the revelation of the wisdom of God. As Paul highlights in v.10, this wisdom is a transcendent understanding of all things. This revelation makes the "the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms," pause and take notice. In fact, we learn in 1 Peter, the angels longed to look into these things. 

"The rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms" are angelic beings, and Paul may be thinking more specifically of those angelic beings gone bad, Satan and his demons. By loving one another, Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles show the Enemy that his power to lead us to sin and to separate us through self-righteousness, has been rendered defeated. 

The word translated manifold in v.10 means "many-colored." Paul is describing the wisdom of God. When we go through troubled or blessed times, the wisdom of God is poised to bring a certain measure of clarity to the believer. This clarity reveals that even in difficulties are the purposes and plans of God are good and realized in our lives.

According to v.11, the Lord Jesus delivered the goods. The Lord Jesus, not only through His perfect life and His poignant teaching, but also through His resurrection made it possible for you and me to transcend and discover the long standing purposes of God in and through our lives.

According to v.12, the follower of the Lord Jesus has the confidence and freedom to come to God as a loving father who has our best interest at heart. We should never shy away from the God who has demonstrated His love for us by the giving of His only begotten Son.

Finally, in v.13, the Apostle reminds his readers that we should not be set back by the suffering that he is enduring because even the suffering is useful for the advancement of the truth in the lives of those who know God as Father. When we go through suffering and see there is purpose in it, we are positioned to see that God fills us with Himself when we are emptied of ourselves.

Ephesians 3:7-9

Ephesians 3:7-9 Podcast   
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7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. (Ephesians 3:7-9)

In today's text, we come to Paul's further explanation of "the mystery." This mystery is the answer to all of mankind's questions, enabling enemies to be friends. People with major differences (Jews and Gentiles in this case) made joint heirs of the promise of the Spirit of God. The power of God is given to us to do what we otherwise could never do. 

In v.7 Paul reminds us that suffering is part of God's pathway to victory. The Apostle had been taught this appreciation for his pain by the Lord Jesus. And, as a result, he never lost his sense of amazement that God included him in His family. Paul knew the value of the gift that God had given him. This gift, which opened him up to the realities of life. Paul knew that we lead best through our weaknesses.

When we were born, we received certain talents. When we were "born again" we received certain gifts of the Spirit.  Here, the Apostle begins to highlight the leadership gifts of the Spirit. The word translated to preach really means "to evangelize." So Paul had the gift of evangelism among his many gifts, and this is what drove him to do what he did. 

As mentioned before, the Apostle had a great appreciation for his weaknesses. Paul writes in v.8, "I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people." As Paul grew in his understanding of the mystery, his understanding of who he was became clearer. The answer is this: out of weakness comes strength. And, as a result, our giftedness will always be used of God to give us direction for ministry.

In v.9, we discover the point of our talents, gifts and callings: "to make plain to everyone the administration (plan) of this mystery." The phrase "to make plain" means to enlighten, to bring light to all men about the knowledge of this mystery. God reveals truth to us so that we will be poised to help others know Him.

It wasn't until I cried out to the Lord that He made Himself known to me. I was desperate. My mom had died when I was five years old and my dad when I was a month short of eighteen years old. In Psalm 50:15, we read, “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” That is my story and the story of countless others. And, when we have tasted of the goodness of the Lord, we will want all to know Him, because He is the mystery that makes sense out of our lives.

Ephesians 3:1-6

Ephesians 3:1-6 Podcast        To invest in BYM, click here

1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— 2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 3:1-6)

Today's text is the key to the letter of Paul to the Ephesian Christians. The main theme of Ephesians 3 is the "mystery". It is mystery which makes life exciting and interesting, and, at the same time, frustrating. 

In v.1, Paul writes, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles.
The Apostle Paul was imprisoned to Christ and that led him to being imprisoned in Rome. As a result, he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. The Apostle was put in prison for the advancement of the mystery.

The "mystery" is that which only God knows about. Mankind desperately needs to know about it. And, believers in Christ, have the responsibility of knowing the mystery and making it known to others. The mystery was made known to us by revelation from God, so that we like Paul, would be engaged in giving this  "mystery" out to others. The mystery, the key to all of our issues in life is Christ.

In v.4-6 the Apostle elaborates on the mystery. He says, it has been hidden in the past. The men in the Old Testament did not understand this mystery. It wasn't really understood until the Lord Jesus himself came to earth and began to explain the mystery. 

Included in the mystery are the Gentiles who are identified as heirs, with Israel. In fact, Paul   invented a new term here. When we came to Christ, Jews and Gentiles are now joint heirs of the promise. 

The resurrection of the Messiah was not explicitly taught in the Old Testament. There are a few references in the Old Testament but they did not understand the resurrection and what it would produce. They did not understand that the answer to fallen man's problem is the indwelling Holy Spirit. And, they didn't understand the connection between the death of the Messiah, His resurrection and the freedom of the Holy Spirit to indwell the believer's life.

When we ignorantly feed the flesh, those evil desires that are yet in us, there is no way we can keep from living in disharmony with those around us. But, when we learn to live by the Spirit, then we can love and forgive one another. When we feed the Spirit of God who lives in us, eternal life is realized here and now.

Finally, the promise that was given Abraham way back in Genesis is realized now by anyone who trusts in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross. The mystery is that God's Spirit would live in the believer in Christ, and empower us to experience the life that has the stamp of eternity upon it, right now. A.W. Tozer once said, "The Spirit-filled life is not a special, deluxe edition of Christianity. It is part and parcel of the total plan of God for His people."

Ephesians 2:17-22

Ephesians 2:17-22 Podcast

17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:17-22)

Peace is the prominent theme in our text today. Peace is not the absence of conflict. And, it is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Jesus Christ, the prince of peace, delivered the message of peace to mankind that brings us into a personal relationship with the Father that can not be undone. He was/is the message of peace. His work on the cross secured the age old desire of God as seen throughout the whole Old Testament scriptures: to make it possible for man to be in harmony with his Maker and with others.

The Greek word used here for "peace" is "eirene,"  meaning to join or bind together that which had been separated. "Eirene" gives us our English word "serenity." There are two types of peace in the Bible. The first is peace with God, and the second is the peace of God. Of course, we can't have the second without having experienced the first. 

The genius of God is that He used the culture of the Greeks to communicate to mankind. Eirene was the goddess of peace. She was one of the three Horai deities of the seasons and keepers of the gates of heaven. In ancient Greece late spring was the traditional campaign season, the time when peace was most at risk.

We "who were far away" were brought near." We were done, separated from life, positioned for damnation. And, God sent His Son to bring us back into the fold. We had wandered from the perfect family, to be introduced to the greatest contrast to have ever been known by mankind: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan.

Perhaps the greatest statement in the book of Ephesians is found in v.18. It reads, "For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit." The Triune God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all working together to bring us into the closest possible relationship with God. And, as a result, we are in the position to understand that all of the circumstances of our lives, the good and the bad, comes to us through the hands of our heavenly Father.

This is what God intended our lives to be before sin entered into the world. And, as a result, Paul reminds us in v.19, we "are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household." The contrast is obvious. Foreigners and strangers are the unwelcomed, unwanted, and unloved. This is the cause of most suicides in our world. Yet, through believing in the life and work of the Lord Jesus, we are "fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household." 

In v.20, the Apostle reminds us that we are "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone." This means that the word of God has not only defined God's culture but His culture must define us if we are to be known as the household of God.

In v.21, we are reminded that the whole of the scripture has one theme: the Lord Jesus Christ sustains all things. He is the glue to all things, holding all things together. He lives in us and we live and move by His presence within us.