[Sunday School] Ephesians 2

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Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:33

Can we keep us up in prayer? We can. Father, we just uh we're so thankful that you brought us back together this morning to look at your word. Lord, we we rejoice with Paul and uh his excitement about who we are in you and all that you have done for us through Christ. That you have reconciled, we've been reconciled to you through Christ, and we have received all these spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. Lord, help us to understand what those blessings are and how we can live our lives in a way that glorifies you in all that we do and all that we say. And we ask this in Christ's name. Amen. Amen. So last week we started off the Ephesians chapter 1, and we looked at the first 14 verses, and we see here that Paul is writing to the Ephesians, but there's a little there's a little controversy in a sense that not all the manuscripts have Ephesus listed in the greeting. But we we believe that it's a circular letter that went out to all the churches in that region. And uh Paul had been throughout the region and he had been to Ephesus, and it's probably been five years at the time of the writing of this book of Ephesians that Paul was with the Ephesians. But he knew some of the folks, but in five years, more people had been brought into the church, and and and uh so he is he is wanting to encourage them in their faith, and he lays out the sovereignty of God and election in 3 through 12. And um we looked at that and we looked at adoption. We focused on adoption pretty heavily, didn't we, last week and the benefits of adoption, and um so this week we're gonna go, we're gonna look at 15 through 23, and um I'll read that for us right quick for for this reason, because I have heard of your faith and the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that 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 rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him a head, uh gave him his head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

SPEAKER_01 4:02

This uh this passage, when it comes to I think Ephesians, this is something that we can quickly just brief, just kind of skim over. But there is a lot here once you really get into verses 17 through through the end of the passage, you know, you could but you could just go through Ephesians 1, 3 through 14, read that, and then great, and then just skip to Ephesians 2, and by grace you've been saved through faith. You miss a lot. Yeah, doing that. You do miss a lot. Um so we we understand that um as this circular letter, we have Paul writing to faithful Christians in the midst of um this sort of occult-like following of people around the churches uh following after the goddess Diana. Um and we see that with the with the massive uh not portrait, but statue of uh of Diana that's basically in the center of Ephesus, and um and he's giving thanks for their for their faithfulness uh to Jesus Christ and their love towards each other. I think we really get in the heat of it uh once we get into verses uh 16 and 17, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened that you may know what is the hope that He has called you. Um this hope that He has called you. Have you did you have anything on that in terms of because I had some hope?

SPEAKER_04 5:47

Yeah, I mean hope is when when you think of hope, what do you think of like as Christian hope or just generic hope? And hope in general optimism. Optimism. We hope that something is gonna take place. Like a gee, I hope so. Yeah. Sort of so hopes, wishes, and desires hope they come to fruition.

SPEAKER_01 6:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 6:13

But in the bib in the Bible, the word hope is stronger than that. It's it's and one, it's an expectation of what God's promises will be fulfilled. He is gonna, they're gonna come, they're gonna come to fruition.

SPEAKER_01 6:30

Well, and yeah, it is uh, you know, thus saith the Lord, that God has said it, and it will, and it will surely come to pass. Um this hope that I think Paul's speaking about, we can we can kind of look forward into Ephesians 4. Um in Ephesians 4, verse 4, uh we re read, we read this. Uh there is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. And that entire section of Ephesians 4 is really looking at the unity, our unity with each other in Christ. We'll see it later on in Ephesians 2 of this of this real wall of hostility that God had put between the Jew and the Greek. And now, by Christ Himself, who is our peace, uh we now have hope uh within with him. And so we're we're look, I think we'll see a little bit later on in this section too, but um, really there is a hope for the unity of God's people here that uh and God's work in the world through through his church, um, through his body. Uh is there is there anything that when it comes to the uh your this the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of God of Him, that that portion there, the uh the spirit of wisdom, revelation of knowledge of Him. Did you have anything on that? Because uh I had notes that in here.

SPEAKER_04 8:17

What my understanding is just is point back to 3 through 14 for that understanding, and then that is the bridge, the opening the eyes of the heart is the bridge to the three points that he's wanting to make that he's wanting to drive home. But go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

Yeah. The the spirit of wisdom and revelation of the knowledge of him, then I think where the bulk of kind of where I'm I'm thinking we should spend our our time today is is through verses uh 18 through 23. Yeah. Um we see I think we see two key parts of who Jesus is and what you know what his call was um through through his ministry. One being his headship um over his people, uh, and his his his resurrection, his ascension, and what he what he does for us there. Um in verse 19, when it says the immeasurable greatness of his power, um having the eyes, uh having the eyes, sorry, go to verse 18, sorry, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints? Right? That glorious inheritance we we we read about back in verses 13 through 14 that this that the Spirit guarantees for us. Uh verse 19, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe according to the working of his great might, that he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and seated him at the right hand in the heavenly places. So the first part is seeing the the power that God the Son has been given and has uh when he sits at God's right hand interceding for us. And it's not just a to me it shows just not just a he's not passive anymore, right? It doesn't show that he's he's done his job and he's off in the distance. But the Lord is the Son is still working, interceding for us at the right hand of the Father, which I think is beautiful.

SPEAKER_04 10:31

So I think going back to um verse 19, I mean 18, where he talks about having the eyes of your hearts enlightened that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you. That is the uh the bridge to what he's talked about before. So, what does it mean to have the eyes of your heart enlightened? It sounds like maybe the spirit moving in you. All right, the spirit moving in you to give you eyes to see.

SPEAKER_02 11:09

And to be saved.

SPEAKER_04 11:11

All of that. So 2 Corinthians 4, 6, it says, For God who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. So as we've learned in 3 through 14, God has done all this. There's nothing that we have done, but he's given us eyes to see so that we can understand the hope, this hope that we've been called to. And he's pointed out three things. What are what are the um that you may know the hope to which we've been called, and what are the riches of his glorious grace, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe. So those three areas is what he's wanting them to understand so that they can trust God, that they will know what they have been saved from and what God has given them through Christ.

SPEAKER_01 12:21

I have I was thinking of this of when I was studying it this week of the the power, the greatness of his power toward us who believe. Well, I I thought about just this question. I don't really know if I have a full answer to it, but what is this greatness? What is this power that he's speaking of? Is it is it the is it his power to save, is it his power, uh, is it the power in the resurrection, the ascension? Uh kind of all of that, yes. Yes, it's all of that, I believe.

SPEAKER_00 12:53

That he has a final word and everything, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 12:58

The power to create the universe, the power to sustain the universe, the power that to save, but also the power that was there, the Holy Spirit resurrected Christ from the dead. That power. Yeah, all of that is what it's talking about. It's a miraculous power.

SPEAKER_01 13:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 13:21

Welcome.

unknown 13:22

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 13:24

Um the the uh yeah, grab your seat, huh? Perfect. Yeah, the the power to, like you said, the power to create, the power to sustain, the power to redeem, um, and uh the power to uh you mentioned authority as well. And authority here in this in this passage is really speaking a little really much into the into the cultural light of what was going on in in Ephesus and the cities around it, with with this you know cult-like following of Diana, who had this you know domain over their lives, and uh in or at least they thought so.

SPEAKER_00 14:18

And um is Diana the same as Artemis? I think so, yeah. Yeah, that's what it's just for the spaceship?

SPEAKER_04 14:27

That's Artemis too. Oh, yeah, hearkening back, got it.

SPEAKER_02 14:31

I think Artemis is another name for Diana.

SPEAKER_04 14:33

Got it. So Diana too just went to the moon or around the moon.

SPEAKER_01 14:38

The uh, yeah, the this type of we read it later on here in the second portion of Christ's headship over all that God has given him. Not just us as, especially us as Christians, but even all of all of creation. Um the in uh in verse 21 or verse 20, sorry, verse 20, that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at the right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in the age, in this age, but also in the one to come. The and then and he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him, who fills all in all. This authority really speaking into, I think, Paul, Paul's kind of stab here at the some of the pagan worship of the day, and um really striking a chord at who is the head of of all things, which is which is Christ. And um I'm I I thought of I was trying to think of things that in our day would that Paul would be speaking that to. Um part of it for me would be like I would think like entertainment, maybe, like in just you know, kind of our own gratif gratification, uh those sorts of things, of uh, but I can't think of a specific idol that uh God would be speaking to. Any any thoughts on that, and like if there was something specifically that you know, if if Paul were writing this to us, what uh what specifically he would be targeting, similar to like a Diana here in in Ephesus?

SPEAKER_04 16:38

There would be so many to choose from. I mean, so many to choose from. Um I think he's speaking in general of the power that this is the ultimate power. Um creative power, sustaining power, creation, recreating, you know, you're um saving folks who saving people who who are you know dead sinners, re you know, giving them life, resurrection power, all that. And it's just to to point us to the fact that God is one, he's good to his goodness, to his greatness, and to his loveliness. I mean, who else do we have that we can turn to, that we can trust, that can do something about the uh situation we find ourselves in in life?

SPEAKER_00 17:39

So our biggest idol could be self, because we always turn, if we're not in Christ, we're turning to ourselves to figure it out.

SPEAKER_01 17:47

Certainly.

SPEAKER_02 17:47

Always I think you could also say, you know, in those days, people wouldn't, they would have a god, you know, and they would have idols. But I think we're more kind of of a godless society now, so you you look not only to yourself, like you're saying, but to mankind. You have faith in mankind, and mankind is gonna make it right.

SPEAKER_04 18:07

Yeah, that makes me think of Romans chapter one, where they you know they exchanged the worship of the creator for the creature.

SPEAKER_07 18:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 18:17

So we were created, we're created to worship. We talked about that a few weeks ago. We are oh yeah, I like that quote.

SPEAKER_01 18:24

I can't remember what you said, but Luis, it was Luis Burkhoff in in the uh he has a little book, he has a systematic theology, which is like that thick. Um, and then he has like a condensed version called his Manual of Christian Doctrine. And it's really great, mainly because the longest chapter is like seven pages, and he'll be like, here are the four views of baptism. Boom, boom, boom, boom. Here's this view, here's why it's wrong, here's this view, here's why that's wrong, here's why here's this view, here's why it's kind of wrong, here's this view. This is the right one. And so it's it's as straightforward as that. But it's the first sentence of his book, all he says is that man is incurably religious, which I really like that adjective. That man is incurably religious, whether that's the worship of the one true God, or the worship of idols, or the worship of self, or the worship of money, or but we all worship the human heart is an idol factor.

SPEAKER_04 19:20

Yeah, right, certainly. Yeah, so that point being that these believers, he's wanting them to go deeper in their knowledge and understanding of who God is so that they can continue to grow and worship him in all of all areas of their life.

SPEAKER_01 19:42

Yeah. You brought up a good you bring up a good point in terms of differentiating, you know, it seems like here the culture was still an understanding that there in fact is some type of supreme deity. Um whereas now we live in a day and age where there are uh it is uh it's not a it's not a shock to meet an atheist, you know, to meet someone who or certainly an agnostic or someone who does not believe that there is a supreme being in the universe. And so, but then who do you turn to? Well you you turn to yourself. And um, yeah, you kind of like you said, that kind of faith in mankind uh kind of make things right, whether that be you know through a handful of a handful of means. Um for us then, what does so we have Christ's headship that you know all things have been put under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body. Um what does that do for us, knowing that all things have been put under his feet and that Christ is our uh is our head, not just of this church, but uh the visible church, the invisible church. Uh does God specify that? No.

SPEAKER_04 21:07

But I think it's Matthew 28. The Great Commission gives us lays that out for us. I do believe that um here.

SPEAKER_01 21:26

You got like a six-point font. That's it. I know that's what I mean.

SPEAKER_04 21:29

It is, and I have progressive lands, and so I had to get in the right. I'm working on it.

unknown 21:40

I made it.

SPEAKER_07 21:43

You were right, weren't you? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:45

Yeah, but the uh you were gonna read it verbatim, were you? But yeah, this uh this authority that that Christ has been given is something that I uh I would say that he's had since the since he was you know before all things, right? For things.

SPEAKER_04 22:05

Oh, yeah, here we go.

SPEAKER_01 22:06

I'm gonna read it for us.

SPEAKER_04 22:10

You know, verse 18, 28, 18, and Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. All authority. And um then he says, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and The Son and of the Holy Spirit. So the main focus here is make disciples. It's like it could be like a three-legged stool. Make disciples, go, baptize, and teach. And teaching them to observe all that I command you. And that's what Paul is doing here with the church in Ephesians. He is teaching them to observe all that Christ has taught and all that He has He has accomplished for us.

SPEAKER_01 23:06

Any, I want to stay there in Matthew 28 for just a second. Is there what's the reason do we think that Jesus would say all these things before? Are we all good? Sorry, Matt. Just want to make sure you're okay. Just want to make sure you're okay. But it doesn't seem like a natural thing to say before. He could have said many other things before saying, go therefore and baptize, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Why do you think he says? This is a genuine question, but why do we think that he says that says that all authority has been given to me before saying that? Because I think that speaks to before saying what? Before he before giving the great commission. You know? There in a feel and then I think because I think that ties into Ephesians 1.

SPEAKER_02 24:15

Could it be he's telling them not to worry about any authorities that they may encounter? Since they're being sent out, don't worry about it. Yeah. Because Jesus is the authority. Yeah.

unknown 24:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 24:32

I know at the end of John 16. Jesus tells his disciples, you will have trials and tribulations in life, but don't worry, I've overcome the world. So I think that's what it is, just to alleviate anxieties and fears.

SPEAKER_01 24:48

Yeah. Well, and we know what happens to the disciples after this whole process. It's not the cleanest, uh, smoothest process.

SPEAKER_06 24:57

Well, but they they forgot to give money to Joel Austin, and therefore they they didn't get their health and well.

SPEAKER_01 25:03

As my as my preaching professor said, smiley boy down in Texas. Smiley boy. Which uh my my my preaching professor and I did not see eye to eye on most things, but that thing we did see eye to eye. We agreed on that. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 25:18

So back, I think back to your point, if we look in verse 20, Jesus says, Behold, I am with you always. Yeah. Did you say that already?

SPEAKER_01 25:33

No, I was I when you said verse 20, I was like, oh, Ephesians 1, verse 20, but you were talking about Matthew 20.

SPEAKER_04 25:37

Matthew's still back in Matthew 28, but Jesus is, I mean, it that has to be comforting to them to know that he who has all authority in heaven and earth is going to be with them always.

SPEAKER_01 25:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 25:54

Well to the end of the age.

SPEAKER_01 25:56

Yeah, and that's done through us being given the spirit of wisdom, right? This this knowledge of uh of him, Paraclete, the uh spirit come along as the comforter and helping.

SPEAKER_03 26:10

It's also worth probably saying, I mean, this is for the apostles listening to it, and I guess any Jews reading this, like this is the direct fulfillment of what the Messiah was supposed to be, the king who whose kingdom was always going to be established over everything. Yeah. I know, and I guess for me also reading it, and I think this is often I think an opposite of how spirituality is, I think, often portrayed in media. It's like Jesus is the king over everything. Like this is gonna be, he's not God didn't just put him in charge of this one thing, and then Holy Spirit's off doing this thing. It's also not a duality. You have king versus, and then you've got Satan over the evil stuff, and they're just there's a constant, no, no, you've got one sovereign lord, and all dominion has been given to him. Yeah, and uh and the Bible flows, you know, out of that. You know, and then it's the establishment of this, you know, what Jesus came to do, and now you know we have Ephesians after this, you know, this is the working of you know of Jesus' continued working through the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_04 27:30

And you can't separate Jesus and the Holy Spirit. They work in they work in tandem.

SPEAKER_01 27:36

The what comes to mind when we're talking about the that all dominion and authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus, the idea of authority, that authority ultimately is meant for the purpose of service and sacrifice. It's ultimately given for those things. You know, we were given authority, we're given responsibility in our roles to help serve our companies, to help serve the people that we're working for in a better way. Um and I think in a similar manner, I think in this sense, um, there's something to be said for Christ's ultimate authority, being the ultimate also figurehead of service and ultimately, yes, sacrifice. And yet he still serves us by sitting at at God's right hand and uh interceding for us now and uh having all things uh in heaven and on earth under under his feet.

SPEAKER_04 28:32

But um, yeah, that that point I think just stuck out to me when I was when I was studying so all other authority is derivative or comes from Christ, all his authority.

SPEAKER_01 28:49

Yeah. The um what about that last verse? Did you have anything on on verses 22 and 23? 22 and 23 which you know that he put all things under his feet and gave him his head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Did you have anything specifically on that? Because I was having a hard time finding something. Because that that piqued my the that which is his that really that last verse, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Um I was when I was thinking about setting, that was the one thing that was like what is he getting? Yeah, what is what is Paul getting at there? I don't know, Al, if you have any thoughts on that, or for anybody else at that.

SPEAKER_04 29:38

My thoughts were any thoughts on that? My thoughts were stuck on uh hope, power, and the three, what is the riches, and it's talking about the power, yeah, the hope.

SPEAKER_01 29:50

That's where I was got focused on I was almost treating this like a uh almost like an exegetical paper of trying to break down every word and every phrase, but sometimes I get stuck in the in the weeds on that.

SPEAKER_04 30:04

So here we if you look at uh Ephesians 3, 19, he says, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

SPEAKER_07 30:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:18

So Christ is the is the fullness of God, all wisdom and knowledge, all the treasures of God are found in Christ. And that fills us. That's the the fullness when He's over when He's full and overflowing, He's He can pour into us, He pours into us. And when we're when we're full of God's word and obedience to Him, we can give and minister to others.

SPEAKER_01 30:58

Well, I don't have really much else. I think that I mean it's a smaller section, but I think I think we've had key things.

SPEAKER_04 31:05

We're picking key things, but what one of the questions that keeps um in my mind, what what do we do with this? Um how is this supposed to affect uh we're gonna get into that as we go through the book more and more, but just thinking through um we we go back to the first section that we went over last week, and it was according to the purpose of his will, his good will, I mean the good pleasure of his will, that we we are saved, and he saved us so that we would stand before him that we would stand before him in um holy and blameless. So what does it mean? Why is it important for us to know who God is and what he has done for us? And why is it important that we know that he is has all authority and that he has all power?

SPEAKER_01 32:19

I the word that comes to me, comes to mind for me is obedience. Um I think I think the latter half of Ephesians is kind of a playbook on being obedient to Christ, to God and in his word. Um and uh in Ephesians 2, you know, when it's talking about those who are dead in their trespasses, you know, Paul describes them as the sons of disobedience. Uh describes us as the sons of disobedience. And this obedience I think doesn't necessarily just come from the spirit. There are many of times in which, like uh, you know, I haven't heard it said, but you know, it's there's this general idea, I think, of well, I'll wait for the spirit to provoke me before I do this thing. Um I don't think the spirit has to provoke us, uh you know, you know, Alan, you go speak the gospel of this person right now. You know? I think I think in terms of the authority of our obedience, it's what Christ has revealed to us in his word and uh not of the spirit.

SPEAKER_00 33:38

So I think his spirit does energize us absolutely for whatever purpose and plan he has for us and whatever path we take.

SPEAKER_06 33:48

The Holy Spirit enables us to believe. Right.

SPEAKER_00 33:50

Right. He totally energizes his anything we need to do for his plan for us, certainly is provided through his spirit to energize us to do this.

SPEAKER_01 33:59

Yeah, the spirit, the spirit that dwells in us certainly gives us a heart that is, you know, as as uh you're talking about specif like a specific yeah, in terms of where do where does the authority come from in terms of our obedience and um we've been bought with a with a for our for our price. Yeah, and that's we're not our own. And so the the idea that um well I'll wait for the spirit to really convict me to go and share the gospel or to fulfill the great commission. And it's like, well, I think I think the spirit has given us all the authority to do that already. Or or the word has given us the authority to do that. And now the spirit, of course, as it's dwell as it dwells in us, gives us the power and the ability to do so as well. But uh when I think of obedience, I or when I think of what flows from this, it's it's obedience out of gratitude and out of a love for out of a love for uh for God.

SPEAKER_04 34:56

And 1 Thessalonians 4:1 captures this. Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that as you receive from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. So the idea of growing, can you know, being sanctification, I think, is that's folks are on that we are we have to focus on who God is, who Christ is, and what he has accomplished for us. And that's what changes us from one degree of glory to another. That's how we're transformed, is by focusing our eyes and keeping our eyes on Christ. If we don't know that God is good, that God loves us and what he's accomplished for us in Christ. How are we ever going to be transformed if we're not continuously doing that and then being obedient?

SPEAKER_05 35:57

We're called, we're called to be obedient to him, but it's through understanding his goodness and his greatness and his worth that transforms us and compels us to move out, and it sustains us because if we Travis, I was gonna say sanctification is a process, it's a growing continues to grow, and so the more that you follow him, the more he's going to give you, and the more you're gonna understand what's happening, and so it's it's a growing type process, right? Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_03 36:38

I I think you know, I still focus on those last two verses, so yeah, he the idea so Christ is the because he he starts this metaphor, and he's gonna repeat this a lot throughout Futures that Christ is the head of the church, and and so and then he says the church is his body, and well, which I think that means what does it mean then to be the body of the church? And I I think at least in the kind of this open paragraph, he talks about like for this reason, jump back to 15. He says, I've heard of your faith in Jesus and your love towards everyone else, he says, and so I do not cease to give thanks for you.

SPEAKER_04 37:28

That's a great point, and he continues to pray upon.

SPEAKER_03 37:31

Yes, and so that is that you are doing the work of Christ, it's like Christ's headship, he's over everything, but the church is fulfilling a lot of the physical works of Christ. The church is how a lot of how you know Christ is meant to go out and work, to be the hands, the feet, and various other, you know, DC talk songs um of and of what uh is it is to be to be done. And he says, and that's what Paul sees and he's thankful for, and he's praised for, and and why not? It was the local church, you know, that saved Paul after that road to Damascus moment. It's a guy who you know was called to go find him and you know make him not who Paul was trying to kill. Paul was literally trying to kill, you know, in this, well, I guess literal, in this case, the symbolic body of Christ, you know, through murdering them. And now he says it's actually Christ who fills the fullness in all. He feels the emptiness in us, he feels the emptiness in the world. Yeah, you know.

SPEAKER_01 38:42

That's a that's a great point in terms of yeah, Christ working out his mission through through the body. Um there's and and we're all not uh as as Paul says, I believe in 1 Corinthians, of we're not all feet, we're not all hands, we're not all ears or eyes or legs or limbs or whatever. Um we each have our own unique specific fitting in God's body, uh in the body of Christ, of how we and how that plays out and how God uses us in this world, but yet uh we are part of that body nonetheless, and of Christ being the the head, the the our the our um our authority over all such things.

SPEAKER_04 39:28

And I think he lays that out for us in Ephesians 4, 11, when he says he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and the teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ until we attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

SPEAKER_01 39:56

So that's great. Any other thoughts there on the on in terms of Christ's headship and the authority that he's been been given to us and what that how that plays out for us and our in our you know this this pilgrim's progress, I guess to put it in Bunyan's terms. But um any other thoughts on that? Did you have anything?

SPEAKER_04 40:25

Another thought I had on it, and maybe we can talk about it, is that uh is that unless we know the goodness of God, when we face trials and tribulations, or if we if we're diagnosed with cancer or we lose a loved one. If you get a speedy tea, yeah. If God is not sovereign, who who can we go to for comfort? Yeah, who can we go to to find relief? Or who is there? There is no other. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 41:09

The role of the spirit, and again, I don't want to overlook overlook that in that the with verse 17 that the father may give you the spirit of wisdom and the revelation of the knowledge of him, but that the spirit that that indwells us gives us the wisdom and knowledge to understand that not just not just here, but to know it in the inward being transformed by in those things exactly, in those tribulations and the victories, that all things uh work uh according to the counsel of his will. And so the fact that this authority that we have isn't an authority that is, you know, uh what's the word? Utilitarian. No, not utilitarian. Uh what was that the word I'm thinking of? Um not it's not a it's not a you know type of top-down, like uh author authoritarian, that's the word authoritarian, not utilitarian. Authoritarian, uh kind of like dictatorship almost, you know. Um it is a it is an authority meant to serve and love uh its people, which is uh ideally how authority would work, but I think we could say that it doesn't. So um the what hope then does this this hope that we kind of talked about earlier, a hope that's not based in a whimsical you know optimism, as you said, but more so a trusting in the truth and knowledge of of God and of his um and of his goodness for us. What then does this hope of Christ's authority bring to not just our lives but to the world around us, do you think?

SPEAKER_00 43:09

He's a superior authority that just keeps like whatever is coming into my life or fears or doubts or um whatever's going on in the world. I think Christ is superior above this. Yeah, he is the final authority, and it gives me a helps in a doubt and with anxiety that his plan will be fulfilled forever and ever. Yeah. A part of it, his Holy Spirit enables it. Me and it is part of his church and individually, so for me I'd say Zor, the authority.

SPEAKER_01 43:41

Yeah. Yeah, Christ is more than anything, he's more than whatever's going on. Yeah, all in all. Yeah. I think of Hebrews when I think when I think of that, of whoever the author of Hebrews is, uh, is making the arguments of you know that Jesus is the greater Melchizedek, that Jesus is the greater prophet, that he you know, he's greater than Moses, he's greater than these things, and he's greater than all. Um and greater in terms of his glory, his majesty, um, his holiness, um, and because of those things of the authority that's been given to him, the his love for us, and uh through the in uh knowing that all things that come. By our way are by his will, whether they're good and bad, and then Christ is going to see us through it all. So, yeah, that's a great point. Any other ways in which the this hope that of Christ's authority over his church specifically has uh anything that that speaks to you, or what does that do for you, or what is this hope meant to do then for let's say for our local body, let's say for our congregation. How should this hope transform us then?

SPEAKER_00 45:16

We are his church. I mean, we are him. As a body is the church here, we're we're part of that. We're brothers and sisters. Brother, his body on earth. I mean, you know, body on earth.

SPEAKER_01 45:31

Yeah. Speak into speaking to that more. If you if you if you so desire.

SPEAKER_06 45:40

If God the Father is is our father because of Christ, and if because of Christ we have the right to be children of God, that would make us brothers and sisters in Christ.

SPEAKER_01 45:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 45:53

So then and we have this hope that the family will, it's an eternal family, and the power of God sustains us. I mean, you've talked about God sustaining us through the thick and thin.

SPEAKER_07 46:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 46:06

And uh, well, we're we deal with the thick and thin as brothers and sisters, as family.

SPEAKER_01 46:13

Yeah. Not as isolated as people on an island.

SPEAKER_06 46:17

Yeah, we're not lone wolves, we shouldn't be.

SPEAKER_01 46:19

Yeah. Yeah, and it goes back, we're looking forward then to this unity in Christ that we have. Um, that we, brothers and sisters, Jew, Greek, male, female, slave, free. Um, this unity that that has been given to us through Christ. And uming that through the trials and tribulations, we have brothers and sisters to go through them with us. Through the victories and celebrations, we have people who have been praying for us, and we can we can say, praise God for what He has done. Um and this uh there's there's this type of hope, I think, should it leads us from a local body. It's it's you know, well, and Lord willing, we'll see it today in in our service that it's a it's a message, it's a it's a it's it's it's a the gospel is a message of of hope. Um it's no way of lie. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 47:20

I've done a lot of work in in Bangladesh where it is illegal to change a person. In other words, if you and if if I try to convert you, I could be arrested. I mean, you're in the under a very strict thing. And if you're gonna become a Christian, you have to go to the courthouse and physically take out a document that you're changing your family religion.

SPEAKER_01 47:49

Where was that? Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 47:51

And I can guarantee you that we're talking with Westmors than people, they were showing their documents where they came to Christ. And if you've got to do something like that, you're putting your life on the line.

SPEAKER_01 48:07

Yeah. Well, and that speaks to that speaks directly to the hope that these people have, you know, the power of it.

SPEAKER_05 48:13

When you see the strength that God is doing in the people like that, and that the amazing thing is, we just got a new report.

unknown 48:20

The churches are growing over there.

SPEAKER_05 48:22

Right. You know, we got a new church that just got started. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:28

It seems to be where uh people are most, or nations are most violent against persecution against Christians, it's where it's growing the most.

SPEAKER_05 48:40

You know, the whole idea is it needs to become a way of life.

SPEAKER_01 48:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 48:45

That this is what all this is basically saying is that I'm gonna live my wife life in such a way that I get God the glory.

SPEAKER_01 48:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 48:55

And it's all of us have got different ways of doing it. Sure. And it's a spiritual gift, so you know. Yeah, yeah. You know, we each gift, each one of us got a different gift, spiritual gift. But but the gift is not for you, it's for others. The gift is for you to build the church.

SPEAKER_01 49:15

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, to be Christ's hands and feet. Yeah. Yeah. Through through the world and sharing this message of hope and reconciliation.

SPEAKER_05 49:24

You've got to realize that this section that we just read through is Paul's prayer for us. This is a prayer. Yeah. Yeah. This is not a document, this is a prayer.

SPEAKER_01 49:36

Right. It's certainly a prayer that we should be praying for ourselves. I think it's in the prayer for others, pray for our church. Um, there's we'll see it later on. I think it's in Ephesians 4, or is it Ephesians 3? I think it's Ephesians 3. Um, yeah, this this prayer for spiritual strength in in verse 14 of Ephesians 3 as well. Well, there's so many, you know, yeah, this this prayer though for for us and others.

SPEAKER_05 50:06

You know, the first half of the epistle is is the doctrine. The last half is telling us what to do. Yeah. And we're in this part right now, we're we're establishing the fact that this is what God does it.

SPEAKER_04 50:23

Yeah. This is what he has done.

SPEAKER_05 50:26

And therefore, to apply it to our part of the book.

SPEAKER_04 50:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 50:32

Right.

SPEAKER_01 50:40

Yeah, anything to anything more to add in terms of this um this hope in the authority of in how that works in the authority of Christ in the local church? Because I, you know, because part of what I was also thinking of how this impacts, like, you know, Kenny, Lord William today is going to share a message of hope based in the authority of Christ and of his word. Um that impacts our preaching. It impacts how we do church together. Um, it impacts every aspect of our um both local body but but also of our um of our individual walks with Christ.

SPEAKER_03 51:28

Um I think, I mean, it's worth saying, I think, because a lot of us in this room have been in church a long time. Uh, and I and I guess this is fresh in my head, having just sat through a lot of elder training sessions. Um, you know, uh it's that was true, like Christ is the head of the church, and I have definitely I'm at least blessed enough to not have been in churches that were very personality driven by some people, and though I've met lots of people who'd said, Well, I've left this church the pastor, you know, I like a superstar pastor type thing. It's it's it it this is also a check on those who think, you know, this is my church, I'm running this church, or this is how we do things here, or or or even against those critics who say, well, this church did one thing, that means all, you know, it's like it's like the church is run ultimately God's way, and it's living out things Christ's way, yeah, and things that aren't in line with what is laid out here through Ephesians and what that follows it is ultimately not the church. That's you know, that's disobedience.

SPEAKER_01 53:00

Yeah, it's a it's a it's a man-made, it's a man-centered focus on you know building some sort of kingdom, but uh maybe not God's. But but I think that's also for for us sitting here a bit, you know. So you're saying Joel Osteen wouldn't that wouldn't be.

SPEAKER_03 53:22

I think for I don't think Joel Osteen has probably read Ephesians 1 in a long time. He's read a lot of things in a long time. I also think that that means, you know, for for us who what what this tells those of us who can read, and I think the people who who received this letter who were used to, you know, church is some idea of a Roman temple, or it's or it's the high priest from the synagogue telling you what to. It's also, you know, ultimately everything we're supposed to be doing is fulfillment of the body of Christ, not what somebody just tells you to do. And that's the ultimate, you know, Christ is the ultimate authority. Yeah. And, you know, anybody should be able to point to this and say, hey, it's like, how are we really fulfilling what Christ is doing? And you know, um, you know, I think that that's applicable, I think, to anyone who calls themselves a Christian.

SPEAKER_01 54:27

Yeah. Well, to kind of wrap up, it's 957. I want to go back to the first verse. That for this reason, because I've heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you. Um I think that's that's our uh our focal point here is that our our faith, and I think there's something to be said for that the love toward all the saints comes after your faith in the Lord Jesus. Similarly, back in Luke, when when Jesus is asked, what are what are what are the greatest, you know, what are the two greatest commandments? To love your God by your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. I think there's a reason why this it's not just a coincidence that he says to love your Lord first. Um but this uh this we've we've seen the authority of Christ, his headship, his rule over us, his rule over the heavens, his rule over the earth, his rule certainly over the church and this church, our church. Um and uh but I think that should lead us into uh and lead us out to uh have continue to have faith in our Lord Jesus and to show love toward all the saints because of what Christ has done and because of this headship and the authority that He has that He has for us or that He has over us. Um any any final notes that that you have on this section? Yeah All right Um Thanks for coming. Uh I'll I'll pray first and then we'll put chairs up. Yeah, put yeah, put chairs up and uh and do it all again next week. So Lord, we give you thanks. We give you thanks for your word. We give you thanks that it is um your it is the voice of you, it is your is your breath, Lord. It is uh profitable uh for teaching, for rebuking, for correction, for training in righteousness. Um Lord, we give you thanks for your son that you have given us as the head of our church of his church, um, and that uh we get to partake in the riches of his glorious grace. Lord, we give you thanks for the Spirit who gives us wisdom, who gives us knowledge of you, who um at this moment makes our prayer pleasing to your ear. Um Lord, bless our time coming up as we head into corporate worship and pray for Kenny that uh that you that you would use him as a vessel to preach your word. Lord, give us ears to hear and eyes to see what you have for us today. And may you be glorified in all that we do uh in our service. Lord, as we continue to read through Ephesians, as we continue to look at the indicatives of what you have done, and may that lead us to uh a love for you and a desire to obey you, to love you more, and to share uh your gospel uh to the ends of the earth as you have called us to do. Lord, we we we love you, we give you praise for what you have done, for what you're doing, and for what you will do in and through us. We pray all these things in your Son's holy and precious name. Amen.