Today, let’s discover Christ, through the words of Paul, in Ephesians chapter 1 verses one through 14.
Ephesians 1:1-14
King James Version
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:s
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Prayer:
Lord thank you for your word! As I began to preach your word and we began to study and meditate your words. As we unpack these scriptures we ask that you give us spiritual ears to understand and spiritual eyes to see.
This letter, was written by Paul. It’s all about: who we are in Christ Jesus. It’s important to us, because we are pretty forgetful. For example, let’s think back to last weeks lesson, what was it about? What were the main points?
We forget, what we were created to be. Sometimes, when this happens, we revert back to who we were before we met, this man, named Jesus Christ. We act like the world instead of God’s chosen! We have all done it! We all reverted back to thinking and even acting the way we used to be.
Instead of acting like children of Christ.
Did you dig right in there and hold your own weight?
Or did you try to be a peace maker?
Did you try to be a problem solver?
Did you bring it to the Lord in prayer?
Were you who you wanted to be in Christ or did you reflect the image of the world?
You know? You are no longer the child of this fallen world! By adoption, we are residents of Heaven and sons and daughters of God. This makes us joint heirs with Jesus Christ! Hallelujah! We are no longer lost, but we are found. Paul reminds us of all of these things in this short letter to the Ephesians.
We find ourselves powerless in this world, because the enemy works on our mind, that Paul reminds us that Jesus overcome the world. All reminds us that we have the Holy Spirit working inside of us; therefore, we have the power. This message is important today, because it reminds us of how good God is and just who we are in Christ.
We are Overcomers.
We are victorious.
We are winners.
Satan, wants us to Forget who we are in Christ. So, he can kick us while we’re down and he can keep us down. Then, he can use his demons and his people to come against us.
When we forget who we are, when we get our eyes off of Christ, it’s a miserable life.
Paul reminds us that God is doing something amazing; if we will just sit still and wait upon him.
Now, let’s begin with verses number one and two. ‘1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:’
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is a typical introduction, because it begins with the authors name and his credentials. Then it is follows with the recipients and begins with a simple greeting.
Paul says that he is an apostle, because of Jesus Christ. We get used to reading this in scripture, but we often do not stop and ponder what that actually means. It’s important to note that Paul was not an apostle, because of a church vote or because of a certain education, but he is an apostle of Jesus Christ, because God called him. Paul is also not self appointed. He is called.
No matter what ministry God has placed you in, it is of upmost important, because He placed you in it!
If were not sure of our calling and we’re not sure who has called us; then when hard times come, we naturally question: why am I doing this? We would say to ourselves: if this was my idea; then, I need to get a better idea! But if this is God’s calling; then I can trust that he’s going to give me grace for what he has called me to do. He is going to give me strength in my calling. Plus, he is going to work out any issues that come along. It all comes down to: who is in charge?
For Paul, the ministry , was not a career or a job. Never in the word does it say Paul was a hired. He was called by God to go into the ministry and this was vitally important, because it was directed by God. We can see this and understand this through the words and life of Paul.
Notice, that the recipients of the letter is to the Saints. The word Saint means that we are separated for the work of the Lord. According to the Bible the word saint means a believer in Jesus Christ. So, Paul means everybody that was in the Lord.
Through this letter, I believe God wants us to understands we are all saints. So, first God wants us to know that we are saved in Jesus Christ. I know the world has tried to re-define the word saint. Because if you look up the word saint in the dictionary, you will find, that a saint is described as a good moral person. Then, of course the Roman Catholics, describes the Saint as being dead for more than five years dead and you have to be this heroic person, who during prayers, A miracle happens. Finally, a group catholic Holy men get together and decide if you are a saint. According to the Roman Catholics, being a saint has nothing to do with the Bible. So, according to scripture, a saint is a believer that is set apart for the will of God. (It is important to note, that this scripture, is redefining our identity. See, how God uses scripture, to inform us of just we are? Through the words of Paul, we have just obtained a biblical view of who we are; instead, accepting the world‘s view of who we are.)
Paul writes one long “run-on” sentence from verses three through 14. Paul reminds me of one of those people who just keeps talking without taking a break. Our Bible translators put in correct grammar marks.
Verse three, is the main focal point of this scripture. It reads as follows:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Everyone, knows that I write in my Bible! I highlight key phrases, I write comments in the margins of my Bible, because if someone would pick up my Bible I want them to know that I was a child of God who studied the word, but I also want to provide them with insight that might help them in their journey. Therefore, I would highlight this verse of scripture! Paul in the book of Ephesians is going to define for you and I our spiritual blessings we have in Christ. Then, he is going to discuss how we walk those out in our lives. (Giving us practical points and examples) Finally, in the last book of Ephesians, he’s going to discuss how we protect our spiritual gifts; which, is by putting on the whole armor of God. This, verse three is the springboard or the jumping point. Everything in Ephesians flows from this verse.
According to verse three, God has given us every spiritual blessing. Not just some of them, but all of them. Notice, that the scripture tells us where our blessings are located. The last three words say: “in heavenly places.” Our blessings are kept in heavenly places. Next, what do you consider how what Peter thinks about these blessings.
1 Peter 1:3-4
King James Version
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
Your physical inheritance is kept in heaven. The Beauty of this inheritance cannot be described or understood while we walk this life. If we have an Earthly inheritance -sometimes it depends on the might of the person giving the inheritance , but our heavenly inheritance is safe and secure in the power of the Almighty God.
Next, let’s verse five! It says the following: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Paul wants us to understand who we are in Christ Jesus. We are a forgiven bunch of people! Therefore, it is our duty to forgive others and to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are chosen before the foundation of the world. God created the world for us! Yes is the second lesson that Paul was telling us and reminding us that we have in Christ Jesus. The first being our inheritance entact for us in heaven. Now this, not only were we forgiven, but we were chosen by God. This is something God wants us to internalize! He wants us to know that we are not here by chance or my circumstance. He wants us to know that we are not a bother. There is also no such thing as luck in creation, but our steps have been ordained.
This is why I verse six we are called the beloved. (5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,)
The term predestination has caused a rift in God’s people. In fact, some have misinterpreted the word to mean fixed. Predestination has to do with after the fact and not before the fact that we were saved. God new us, before the foundation of the world. John 3:16 tells us who so ever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. This has to do with the wheel of a person. The difference between humans and say our livestock; such as, our cows or chickens, is the fact that we have free will. Cows, chickens, and other animals operate under instinct, but God gave us the ability to choose. Therefore, we do not go around asking people are you predestined to be saved? No! We inform them that they have a choice. We tell them that scripture, tells us that we walk in darkness until we come to know Jesus Christ. Once, we know Jesus Christ we have what verse seven states. That is as follows: “7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
God himself has lavished freedom from our sins on us. I love the word lavished! It is just a fun word to say and write! However, God has lavished his blessings upon us. This leaves no room for doubt! To know; that you know; that you are forgiven from sin is a blessing. The enemy loves for us to doubt, but God wants us to know our position. God wants us feel the love he has lavished upon us. And this scripture also tells us how he has done this. He has done this through the blood of Jesus Christ. And anytime we talk about the blood of Jesus Christ we are talking about Life. Jesus Christ has added lavishness into our life.
Remember, in the Old Testament, God told Israelites to drain the blood before they consumed it. Therefore, this means, you may not eat your meat rear. Why is this? Because it was pointing to the blood Jesus Christ on the cross. If you drain the blood from something;, there is no life! When the Bible says that we have been lavished with freedom for our sins; this means, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The blood always points to the life given.
Verse number nine contains another spiritual blessing that we share. Let’s read the scripture again together!
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Again, if mark in your Bible, underline “mystery of his will!” When someone places you in their inner circle. This means that they have confidence in you. Well, Jesus has done this for each one of us we have direct contact with our high priest through Holy Ghost prayer. John chapter 15 verse 15 explains our position in Christ really well. I have included it below so that, we can read it together.
John 15:15
King James Version
“15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”
See, we are friends of Jesus Christ. In fact, scripture tells us we are brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. Have you ever read through the book of Exodus and noticed the relationship Moses had with God? Well, several times God spoke directly to Moses. I always thought that this was a privilege, but today we have that closeness too. We can talk to our savior 24 hours a day and he’s always ready and willing to listen.
Not only that, but we are joint heirs with Jesus Christ! Joint heirs with our high priest (Hebrews 14:4-6). Scripture also informs us that Jesus went away, to prepare for us a home! (John 14:3). Then, the Holy Spirit was lavashed upon us (Acts2). We understand God‘s will for us because the Holy Spirit leads, guides and direct us (John 14:26). God has given us the spiritual gift of understanding the mystery of his will.
Now, let’s read the next bus together!
“10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:”
Paul explains in this scripture that God has given us the spiritual gift of knowing His is return. Say, we have one up on the world, because the world does not know these things; nor does the world understand these things. We know the rapture is coming, we know tribulation is coming, and we know the minimum millennial rule was coming. Because of our special relationship to God, through Jesus Christ, we know these things. This is part of the spiritual blessings we have in scripture.
Let’s continue to read Paul’s letter to the Ephesians and unpack our spiritual blessings.
So far Paul has made us aware of the following:
1. God has chosen us.
2. God has adopted us.
3. God has redeemed us.
4. God has made us aware of the mystery of His will and plan for humanity.
Now let’s read verse 11. “11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:”
Some people, get stuck on the fact that scripture says we were a chosen before time. They believe that everything and everyone is prefixed. They take one text and misconstrue its meaning. We have also been elected and chosen by grace. Because of the free will gift of his life and blood we choose him.
5. Therefore our next spiritual blessing is our inheritance. You as a adopted child of God to the same inheritance that has been given to Jesus Christ. The word inheritance is not a new word in the Bible. The word inheritance was introduced in Genesis and continues through the book of Revelation. Remember, God said in the Old Testament he was going to give them a land that flowed with milk and honey? This means a blessed land. It was a physical inheritance. Today, God gives us every spiritual blessing. We are now in line to seek receive this physical inheritance. The inheritance of the kingdom of God.
What else is our inheritance? Check out the following scripture:
1 Corinthians 3:21-23New International Version
“21 So then, no more boasting about human leaders!(A) All things are yours,(B) 22 whether Paul or Apollos(C) or Cephas[a](D) or the world or life or death or the present or the future(E)—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ,(F) and Christ is of God.”
Paul is saying that these men were boasting about who they were following and what they were obtaining, but they forgot the little nuggets of their inheritance. Our inheritance is everything. Paul said life and death his our inheritance and is ours. Paul says the present and the future is yours and it’s all because of Jesus Christ.
Romans chapter 8 tells us that we are joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Now, we know that God is a fair and just God. We know that God is not a respecter of persons. Therefore, we know that each of us will receive an equal part of the inheritance.
Now before we move on let’s return to the scripture and highlight the following part: “ according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:”
We can take comfort in the thought that God is in control and he does not need the council of anyone. For example, when we need to make a decision, we often go to others for help. we even the seek of comfort and counselor of our own heart. God never asked for counsel. The council that he follows is from his own heart and his own will. And God said that he works all things according to this counsel. This is why I find that this statement so incredibly comforting.
We know that we have this inheritance coming our way because Paul writes in verse 13 and 14 the following: “13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
In this case, is the promise of our inheritance, until we meet Jesus Christ.
6 The next blessing is the thought that we are sealed with the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit.
The Ephesians should have been aware of the Holy Ghost, because the town of Ephesus was a metropolitan area. Meaning people from all walks of life came through there to trade and obtain different goods for their household.it was a hub of commerce. A common act, after purchasing an item, was to put their seal on it. It’s like us putting our name on it, but they used wax and some type of ring. So that people passing by would know that those goods were purchased and not for sale. The seal validated ownership. Everyone knew that that stuff belong to so-and-so. And you and I have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. R
Remember, scripture tells us that Satan is going to do a counterfeit of this. -Called the mark of the beast. Some people believe that we are in danger of receiving the mark of the beast, because they do not believe in the rapture. While, others understand that Jesus said he would come back to receive his people.
Remember, God said we were the salt of the earth. Remember, salt is a preservative. Once the salt of the earth, us, have been called to Jesus, then the antichrist can move in. see, the mark of the beast well act like a seal. Satan will mark his people with his seal. It will be a terrible, terrible thing. During this time it will be a mark that will allow them to buy and sale. It will just be a mark!
But, I want you to see and understand the beauty of how and why we are sealed by God. Do you understand that we are sealed in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is not a thing he is a person. You’ve been sealed with a person. It is a living seal. It is a powerful seal. He (God) has marked you. As a validating Mark. See, you and I can’t get another seal? We have already been marked for ownership. This ownership means authority.
But there is another level to this “being sealed” that God wants to bring to light. Remember, we just studied about how we mark our belongings; So, that others will know that it belongs to us. -we are sealed in the image of God. Their seal was an emblem something related to their family. The king seal was of his image. Therefore, we are sealed with the Holy Ghost. We are sealed in the image of God. We have been sealed with a living image. What is that the image of? Christ! Check out these couple of verse below:
Romans 8:29 NKJV
“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
That image has been pressed upon you. That image has been sealed upon your life. so that we can conform to his image. To his likeness. And then this next scripture:
1 Corinthians 15:49. New International Version
49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man,(A) so shall we[a] bear the image of the heavenly man.(B)
So, this beauty of the idea of image we reflect this image of our Savior. The spirit serves as validation, but it also serves as mark of authority. But it is a guarantee of our inheritance. Your Bible may also say it’s earnest or a down payment. It marked us as belonging to God. This is the guarantee that he will bring the inheritance into our life. -Like he has promised to do.
So it is very important to get to know and get acquainted to the Holy Ghost. Absent of the Holy Ghost: you’re not sealed. Heaven will not be your home if you do not accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and this life. You will inherit a hell with the devil and his demons. This seal he is life and death. Choose life today!
We want the Holy Spirit in our Life, so much, that he becomes almost tangible. This is when your light is truly shining to others. This is when you’re living in sanctified life. This is when your life is lived by the spirit and not lived by the flesh. This is when others can see Jesus through you.
With the Holy Spirit I see a guarantee of blessings to come.

