August 11, 2023 | Be On Mission
The Riches of God's Grace
Scripture: Ephesians 1(NIV)
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Devotional
The book of Ephesians is another letter that Paul wrote from his time on house arrest in Rome. This letter was written a few years after his final visit to Ephesus. We previously looked at the letters of 1 & 2 Timothy, written even later, to Timothy when he was a pastor among the believers in Ephesus. We have also looked at the epistles of 1, 2 & 3 John, written by the apostle from Ephesus. All together, we have a treasure trove of Biblical activity and writings coming into and out of Ephesus.
By the time Paul wrote the letter of Ephesians, some of the people had been believers for six or seven years, others for much less time. Every Christian was a first generation believer, with no grandma or grandpa who guided their spiritual journey. And they still lived in the city of Ephesus, famed for its Roman architecture and Greek culture, complete with a 25,000 seat amphitheater for performances and athletic games, and the Temple of Artemis, which peddled silver multi-breasted statues of a goddess to secure fertility for the masses. To say the least, the Ephesian believers would have read Paul’s letter to them with keen interest.
Surrounded by ostentatious displays of wealth and power, Paul wrote, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe” (v. 18-19). True wealth and true power reside only in the true God through His Son Jesus Christ. In the future, all the displays of Ephesian wealth and power would be swept away by the tides of time. Today the famed library, amphitheater, and temple are simply known as ruins.
But the word of God endures forever. The riches of God’s grace will never run out. Our lives, which are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, will never fall into ruin. Jesus put it like this: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35).
How is the Lord calling you to immerse yourself into “the riches of his glorious inheritance” and “his incomparably great power” today?
Poem
Hymn Of Grace
(sung to “I Stand in Awe of You” by Mark Altrogge)
We are blessed with all the Spirit’s blessings
We’ve been chosen from the dawning of time
We stand blameless, holy, due to Jesus
We’re adopted, as God planned in His mind
We are blessed because the one Beloved
We’ve redemption, covered by His spilt blood
Christ bestows upon us great forgiveness
Jesus lavished us with bountiful love
Chorus:
So we lift our hands in praise of You!
Ev’ry breath we breathe belongs to You!
Blessed be our God, the Father true!
We lift our praise to You!
There is wisdom, insight, myst’ries in God’s word
Feast set for us--- His will to make known
There’s a plan for reconciliation
The Way to bring God’s children home
There awaits the treasure of heaven
There await the palm and the crown
So we strive with hope, determination
‘Til we lay our burdens down
Our eyes open to the revelation
The gospel of salvation so true
Let’s receive it, with faith fully believe it
Toward the promise: Christ will make all things new
We've been sealed by Christ in baptism
An inheritance prepared for God’s own
As we live this life for one another
As we live to make the name of Christ known
And now let our hearts illuminated
Know the blessed hope to which we’ve been called
The power of God beyond all knowing
The names of those upon the scroll scrawled
Praise to God, our Father in glory!
Praise to Christ Jesus at God’s right hand!
Praise the Holy Spirit, Intercessor!
Three in One! Amen and amen!
