Class Outline:

Sunday December 6,2020

We have completed a study of Eph 1-3. We began our study of this book on Aug 16, 2018 - just about 500 hours of lessons. You guys do more study of the Scriptures than some seminary students.

Eph 1-3 shows us who are the believers in Christ, what they have become due to Christ’s substitutionary, sacrificial, spiritual and physical death on the cross. Salvation is by faith.

The opening section of Ephesians (1:3-2:10) describes the new life God has given to believers in Christ. It divides itself into two halves, the first (1:3-14) consisting of praise and second of prayer.

The first half of the opening is EPH 1:3-14. Here Paul sums the whole thing up right at the start, and with genius and care, condenses it all in one long sentence.

If you have believed in Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you have been elected by God the Father to His highest and best [Christ] before the foundation of the world.

EPH 1:3-6

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing [perhaps: every blessing of the Holy Spirit] in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

All believers are blessed with heavenly, spiritual blessings that can never be taken away, nor diminished - forgiveness, riches of grace (unmerited favor), wisdom and insight (understanding), the mystery of His will, the purpose of Christ, an inheritance, a personal plan, eternal seal of the Spirit.

Everything good, the real life of Christ, is all here. It’s not all listed specifically, but again, it is a summary. Love, joy, peace are all found here. God gave them to us freely through the incredible sacrificial death of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in Whom we have believed for eternal life. God has also allowed the enemies of the Lord in the world to rage against Him and His children and the truth of divine life, to threaten, to try and frighten, to lie, while God gives to us all of these things, as well as promises of providence, protection, and a destiny forever with Him. He shows us Himself, and as far as we can know of Him, which isn’t much compared to the whole of Him, and we see Him to be the only One worthy of trust, and then He asks us to trust Him, finding peace and courage even in the direst of positions. These are His saints who show the world that righteousness and life are only in the kingdom of God.

Emphasized is the fact that the blessings are spiritual in contrast to the Old Testament blessings which were largely material.

As sons and daughters of God, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies. These blessings are from the heavenlies. It doesn’t mean that we won’t suffer, we will, but that we have blessings from God that can never be taken away, nor diminished. Paul begins to list them, and at the top of the list is forgiveness of all sin.

EPH 1:7-14

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, 8 which He lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him 10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth. In Him 11 also we have obtained an inheritance [we are God’s inheritance or possession], having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ [Jews] should be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him, you also [Gentiles], after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation —  having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.

John 18

18:33 Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"    18:34 Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?"    18:35 Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?"    18:36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."    18:37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."    18:38 Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"