Paul almost missed Ephesus out completely. On his first missionary journey, he simply went into the heart of Turkey. On his second journey, the way didn't open up for him to go to south-western turkey, and he headed straight up to Troas where he crossed over into Greece. He only made the shortest of visits on his way home. It was only on his third journey that he stopped for over two years at Ephesus. Apollos had been there before him and there was a little group of believers. Paul encouraged them to receive the Holy Spirit, preached and demonstrated the Kingdom and saw a dramatic revival that resulted in rioting in the streets. That was the background to this church at Ephesus.... Although there was no particular issue to be sorted out in Ephesus, Paul still wanted to remind them of some of the important truths of their faith. He begins with one huge, long sentence from verses3-14. But this is more than dry, academic truth. This is something they could have kept and used in their worship, like a song or a prayer. It was in the style of a traditional Jewish blessing.
Eph 1:3-6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places...
Did you ever wonder what the word "Blessing" means? It means "To speak well" of someone or to someone. Paul begins by "Blessing" God, that is to say, speaking well of God. When we bless God, when we speak well of God and praise him, we don't impart anything to God. But for God to speak good things in to our lives is to impart that good into our lives, because God's word is always powerful and active. What good things does God speak in to our lives?
1. The very first thing God said in Scripture was "Let there be light!" God blesses us with his Creative word. He speaks and his voice touches the physical world, in healing, in protection, in provision.
2. The next blessing God speaks is in Gen 1. 22, where God blessed the living creatures he had made, "Be fruitful and multiply" and again to mankind (v 28) "be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it". God blesses with his enabling word. He speaks a commission into our lives.
3. Then, God says, "I love you"... (Isa 43. 4; cf Jer 31. 10) Right at the beginning he saw that what he had made was "good." He is pleased. God blessed us with his affirming word.
The blessings that God has spoken into our lives are "Spiritual" blessings. That doesn't mean they are only for our inner, spiritual life. It means they are connected with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is in some way or other involved in the way they are given to us. Paul uses the word "in" three times. God has blessed us, in every spiritual blessing, in the heavenly places, in Christ. Paul connects the work of the Spirit, the work of Jesus, and the coming of the Kingdom of God. God has blessed us in Holy Spirit blessings, in Christ and in heaven (where here and now God's perfect rule is already in place). Blessing is big, it is huge, it is wild and wonderful, like this prayer-song that Paul bursts into in verse 3-14! There are particular blessings God's creative, enabling, affirming word has spoken into our lives:
1.We are chosen. God picked us out. He predestined us. We get very uptight about that word. It conjures up the image of a God who "Sends ane to heaven and ten to Hell a' for thy glory"... Do you imagine God working his way down your street, and stopping at your door and saying, "yes, I'll choose him". "The he goes to your next-door neighbour and says "Nah, not him.) If that is what you believe, that somehow everything is determined in advance, then no wonder it is difficult to share your faith; no wonder it is difficult to pray. But God "Commands" people everywhere to repent (Acts 17. 30). And God wants all people to repent (2 Peter 3. 9)
What we need to note is that God chose us "In Christ". God has a plan and a purpose to save the world, to set up his Kingdom. The way he chose to do that was through Christ. We are not "Chosen" and then allowed to be part of Christ. We are "Chosen in Christ". I like the Good News translation which says, "God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children---this was his pleasure and purpose." The choice, the picking out, the predetermined decree, the architects plan that includes us, is the big picture. How that big picture connects with the choices we make and the freedom we have, is all a mystery. It's just a blessing and a gift that he has chosen us.
2. We are forgiven. Paul uses two words: "Redemption" which means being set free because someone has paid or ransom; and "Forgiveness" which means letting go of a debt. The death of Jesus pays our ransom, cancels our debt, and sets us free.
3. We are adopted. We have been adopted into God's family. Isn't that absolutely amazing. That means we have an inheritance (verse 11): we are rich beyond our wildest dreams!
And all of this is for a purpose which is bigger than just us. The big plan god has is to unite all things - nations, races, physical world, spiritual world, science, philosophy, earth and heaven, everything God has made, all united and fitted together like one organism with Christ as head over all. That's is God's plan. That's why we are blessed in Holy Spirit blessings. That's why we are chosen; that's why we are saved. That's why we are adopted. Because God has an eternal plan and purpose for the whole of everything. Amen?
Trouble is, some of us can't say that "Amen", or if we do, it's kind of wishful thinking. It's fine for someone else but not for me. It would be nice if... We just don't connect with it. It's too big for us. We're too small for it.
Paul finishes off his song by bringing this all home to God's people in Ephesus. "In Christ, you, hearing the word and believing in him, were sealed with the Holy Spirit." Some people think Paul is thinking of a contrast: "them and us"; there's "us" the Jewish Christians; or the first generation of Christians, and then there's "you" the Ephesians... But that's not what Paul is saying. The "we" he talks about through the passage is every Christian, Jewish and non-Jewish, old and young. He simply finishes of by stressing "You", in other words, don't miss out. Don't let this pass you by. Don't be robbed. There are no second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God. The blessings, the freedom, the forgiveness, the purpose, they are or you. You have the Holy Spirit, like an engagement ring, guaranteeing the promise of the Kingdom until it is finally fulfilled.
On Friday night I had a dream: in fact the same dream twice. I dreamed that our Church hall was completely empty. No tables, no chairs, nothing. Everything had been stolen. I believe it is always possible for the Body of Christ to have the things that are really important stolen from us. Jesus says "The thief come to steal and kill and destroy: I have come that [my sheep] may have life in its fullness." Eugene Peterson in the Message suggests that Paul's writes Ephesians like a surgeon setting broken, dislocated bones. If there is a fracture, a dislocation between what God has done for us in Christ, and what we expect, experience and act upon, we are being robbed. Don't be robbed. The blessings are for you, too.
© Gilmour Lilly March 2011
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