Today we will begin our journey through Ephesians. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the disciples of Jesus in Ephesus is rich in revelation. Through it Father God reveals the mystery of His will and His eternal plan since before He laid the foundations of the world. As you listen be blessed, empowered and transformed in Jesus' name.
For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Also connect with us in discipleship, watch our videos, follow us on facebook or send us an email
Today we will begin our journey through Ephesians. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the disciples of Jesus in Ephesus is rich in revelation. Through it Father God reveals the mystery of His will and His eternal plan since before He laid the foundations of the world. As you listen be blessed, empowered and transformed in Jesus' name.
For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Also connect with us in discipleship, watch our videos, follow us on facebook or send us an email
00:00 Intro music and voice over.
Welcome to jesus loves the world podcast. For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Be blessed empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name!
00:20 Speaker
Today we will begin our journey through Ephesians. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the disciples of Jesus in Ephesus is rich in revelation. Through it Father God reveals the mystery of His will and His eternal plan since before He laid the foundations of the world.
From Apostle Paul’s personal journey we discover much about the situation that was in Ephesus. In the book of Acts, Paul’s missionary journeys to Ephesus are well documented. He reasoned in the synagogue concerning the things of the Kingdom of God. Some believed the truth in Jesus and urged him to stay. So before Paul departed from Ephesus the first time, he left Aquila (a man) and Priscilla (a woman) there to continue to teach and preach the gospel of Jesus.
As the gospel continued to be preached throughout the land, not everyone was filled with joy. There were those who hardened their hearts and chose to remain in unbelief. As a result they actively opposed the gospel and in doing so effectively declared war on God.
There were those who continued to give their allegiance to the idols of humanity’s making. The goddess Artemis (or as some translations say Diana) was given power by humanity to rule over Ephesus. She was even given credit for helping with fertility, child birth and protection and control over the spiritual powers of darkness and death. Those who gave their allegiance to Artemis opposed God and all who chose to aligned themselves with Him.
Yet in amongst it all, to both the Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus, the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. People were set free, hearts were transformed and allegiances declared. Set free from spiritual darkness and decadence, demonic cults and sorcery, superstitions and materialism.
Many who believed confessed their deeds and burned their magic books. Publicly declared their allegiance to the one true God. The word of the Lord grew and at this time prevailed.
Upon Paul’s final departure from Ephesus, he urged the leaders of the church to care for the people as a shepherd cares for their sheep. To watch carefully and protect them from false teaching. For Paul warns them that savage wolves will rise up from within them, to lure the people away from God. And ultimately towards themselves.
So it was, into this extremely spiritually charged environment of opposing powers and wills, that Paul wrote his letter. He wrote it from another place and time, enduring hardship and tribulations. Yet with the heart and mind of Jesus, his thoughts turned to them.
In the letter Paul encourages them not to focus on the circumstances as any trials he or they may endure does not take away the truth. Paul reminds them that their identity is in God and what that means living in this world damaged by evil. Ultimately he writes to reveal God’s plan and prays for them to know God’s love for them. So that they will be able to stand in His truth, be rooted deep in His love and transformed in His power.
Keeping all this in mind let us begin our journey through Ephesians and understand the mystery of His will.
Ephesians 1:9-10 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.
Everything is summed up in Jesus, the Christ. God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ lavished His great love and amazing grace upon all humanity. His saving purpose planned from eternity has a final consummation. For it is the Father’s heart that in the fullness of time all things in heaven and on earth be united in Jesus.
In the fullness of time, the fullness of God’s kingdom of peace and harmony, light and life, and equality and respect will be a reality in both spheres. Where the two realms of heaven and earth become united in perfect harmony in Christ Jesus. In a relationship with the divine that is intimate and eternal. Where those who chose to receive Jesus and His right to rule and reign, having been adopted into God’s family inherit God’s kingdom together with Jesus.
Living in eternity with Him, where every tribe and gender is equal and no evil exists. This eternal kingdom of God is all inclusive. Everyone is welcome. Yet ever individual has free choice.
Everything is summed in Christ Jesus. The entire cosmos was not only created in and through Him, but restored and renewed in Him. Jesus is the centre of it all in whom everything becomes whole.
God - Father, Son and Spirit created the heavens and the earth to signify the beginning of time itself. In the fullness of time all things will be summed up in Christ Jesus the Son.
The two spheres of the heavens and the earth are not only two very real places, but also represent two different realms that will come together in perfect harmony in Christ Jesus.
Back in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and filled all with His goodness and life. But humanity chose to be one with both good and evil and as a result activated evil into God’s once perfect world of earth.
Prior to this there was a war in heaven between the spirit beings. One spirit chose to attempt to usurp God’s right to rule and reign. There were other spirits that joined in the rebellion. Those spirits who chose to align themselves with God defeated the spirits who chose to declare war on God and be one with evil. The spirits that declared war on God, which included satan, were thrown out of heaven.
Ephesians has much to say about the two realms or spheres. The first mention of the heavenlies is in Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
From the Father in the heavenlies, high above every principality and power, every spiritual blessing flows down to earth to us in Christ Jesus. In receiving Christ Jesus as saviour and Lord, we are united with God the Father. He is our Father in heaven, who sits on the throne in the spiritual and physical heavenly realm.
Direct from the Father in heaven, we receive every spiritual blessing. The first mention in the New Testament of this heavenlies is by Jesus in reference to His Heavenly Father. Jesus identifies with God the Father in heaven as My heavenly Father.
So heaven is the dwelling place of God, who sits on the throne. Where God dwells and His will is done, is the place of ultimate power and authority.
The Apostle Paul brings great revelation to all readers of Ephesians. He prayed a powerful prayer that we may receive from our glorious Father the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.
Ephesians 1:18-21 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
The resurrected Jesus, the Son of God is at the right hand of God the Father in the heavenlies. Far above all principality. That is any leader in any spiritual and physical realm, Jesus is far above anyone or anything that has authority over another. That is the right to rule and reign.
Remember the evil powers deceived humanity and seized the authority to rule and reign.
At the time of writing the Roman Empire had seized by military might the authority to rule and reign over others. They were one of the most brutal and oppressive empires of humanity.
However the good news is eternal. God’s working power is the ultimate authority bringing life into death. God - Father, Son, Spirit have the ultimate power. That is the ability to create something out of nothing. Only God has that miraculous ability.
The evil spirits and false prophets attempt to deceive people with apparent signs and wonders. Yet the truth remains. God has the ultimate power and only God can create out of nothing. Only He can bring life into death, light into darkness, healing into brokenness, freedom into bondage and revelation into blindness.
God is greater than any might both the spiritual and physical realm. Whether in the heavenlies or on earth.
The creator of the heavens and the earth has the right to rule and reign. For He alone created and is worthy of worship.
God in His great love, paid the cost for humanity’s offences and saved us from the destructive forces of pride, death, evil and our selfish desires.
Ephesians 2:4-9 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
He has raised us up to rule and reign with Christ Jesus in the heavenlies. Far above all principality, power, might and dominion for all eternity. Protecting us from pride by being the gift of eternal salvation for us in Jesus.
It is from that place of relationship with the divine that we can be free to receive His great love. By our very existence, having been raised up and sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus we testify of God to the principalities and powers. Having said yes to Jesus, yes to God we are living proof to the manifold wisdom of God.
Paul puts it this way.
Ephesians 3:9-12 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.
To go deeper in this please listen to our podcast the manifold wisdom of God. Christ Jesus our Lord is a gift of God Himself. He became human, lived, died, raised from dead and in human resurrected body ascended far above all the heavens. Far above it all.
Ephesians 4:7-10 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
When Jesus walked the earth as a man He brought His dominion, power and authority down to us. He came down to where we were at and raised us up to be in His position of power and authority with Him.
For in Jesus, in the fullness of time, both the heavens and the earth will become one. Jesus is in the position of the highest power and authority of both realms. The heavens and the earth, the spiritual and the physical.
In a relationship of love and intimacy with the divine, we spiritually live from that position of Jesus’ power and authority over the spiritual beings of evil.
Even tho for a time they rule the realm of darkness and evil, we have been transferred out of that realm and reign over them in Christ Jesus’ kingdom of light.
Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
19:40 Outro music and voice over.
For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Be blessed empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name!