We Are Wealthy

We Are WealthyEphesians 1:1-3

By David Turnerwww. BibleStudies-Online.com

The Story of Ali Hafed

Darya-e-Nur The Hope Diamond

Golcanda

Significance or Worth

• Where do we mine for significance, self-worth, security (diamonds)?– Friends, popularity, relationships, who you know– Possessions: money, car, property, etc.– Accomplishment– Health, looks– Power, Authority, control, a title– Heritage– Kids

God has already Given us our field of

diamonds.

Structure of Ephesians

• Chapters 1-3: What God has given to us.• Chapters 4-6: What we ought to do because of

what God has given to us.• 1:3-14 is one sentence.• Ephesians contains eight lengthy sentences

(1:3–14, 15–23; 2:1–7; 3:2–13, 14–19; 4:1–6, 11–16; 6:14–20).

• Three of these are praises (1:3–14, 15–23; 3:14–19).

Ephesians 1:1–14 (ESV) 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 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, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory

Ephesians 1:1–3 (ESV)

Greeting 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 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,

The Author

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

• Apostle – sent one.Acts 9:15–16 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

We are His servants by His Will


• “by the will of God” is a theme that runs through the first 14 verses.

• Eph. 1:5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

• Eph. 1:9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ

• Eph. 1:11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

We are His servants by His Will


• After telling us what the will of God is, in the application portion of the letter Paul will inform us to:

• Understand the will of God:– Eph. 5:17 Therefore do not

be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

• Do the will of God:– Eph. 6:6 not by the way of

eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

Salvation is of God, not Man

John also taught that Salvation (Inheritance) is from the will God, not the will of Man.John 1:12–13 (ESV) 12 But to all who did receive him, who

believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

“Not of blood” – human inheritance“Nor of the will of the flesh” – act of works“Nor of the will of man” – Abraham could not choose Lot or

Ishmael, because it was God that chose Isaac.We become children of God through the will “of God.”

The Recipients

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:

• Saints – set apart• Faithful -believers• Formula: “In Christ ”, “in

him”, “in whom”, “in the beloved”– Used over 40 times in

Ephesians

“In Christ”

• To be “In Christ” is contrasted to being “In Adam”

1 Cor. 15:21–22 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

• To be “In Christ” is to be a New Creation: 2 Cor. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The

old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

“In Christ”

• To be “In Christ” is to be in Spiritual union with Christ:

Rom. 8:9–11 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me

you can do nothing.

“In Christ”

“To be in Christ, which is the portion of all who are saved, is to partake of all that Christ has done, all that He is, and all that He will ever be. It is to have died in His death, to have been buried in His burial, to have been raised in His resurrection, to have ascended in His ascension, and to be seated now with Him (because he is in Him) in glory. Such is the believers present position in Christ Jesus.”

L. S. Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 4, p. 97

“In Christ”

“To be in Christ is to be in the sphere of His own infinite Person, power, and glory. He surrounds, He protects, He separates from all else, and He indwells the one in Him. He also supplies in Himself all that a soul will ever need in time or eternity. The union which is formed in Christ is deeper than any relationship the human mind has ever conceived.”

L. S. Chafer, Systematic Theo. Vol. 4, p. 99

“In Christ”

“ The believer is in Christ, and Christ is in the believer. The believer is in Christ with regard to positions, possessions, safekeeping and association; and Christ is in the believer giving life, character, and dynamic for conduct.”

L. S. Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 4, p. 100

Greeting

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.The letter is about grace (used 12 times):• (Eph 1:6) to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in

the Beloved.• (Eph 1:7) In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of

our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,• (Eph 2:5) even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together

with Christ--by grace you have been saved—• (Eph 2:7) so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches

of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.• (Eph 2:8) For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not

your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Greeting

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.The letter is about grace:• (Eph 3:2) assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace

that was given to me for you,• (Eph 3:7) Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's

grace, which was given me by the working of his power.• (Eph 3:8) To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was

given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,• (Eph 4:7) But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure

of Christ's gift.Grace: Divine Favor. Receiving something favorable from God that we do not deserve.

Greeting

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.The letter is about peace (used seven times):

• (Eph 2:14) For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility

• (Eph 2:15) by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,

• (Eph 2:17) And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

• (Eph 4:3) eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.• (Eph 6:15) and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the

gospel of peace.

Praise to God For what he has done for Us


When directed to God blessing is a statement of gratitude and thanksgiving. In this case for what he has done for us through his son Jesus Christ.



• The blessing is already complete. Not something to gain, but something already possessed.

• The blessing is “In Christ”. They are possessed only by those who are in the sphere of Christ.



• We have received every spiritual blessing – Nature of these blessing,

though not conclusive are outlined in the following verses.

– They are present possessions, procured by Christ and safeguarded for us in the eternal sphere.

What are these blessings from the Father?

• Come with anticipation over the next few weeks.• Come as a child excited to unwrap the gifts on Christmas

morning.• Come find out what you already have “in Christ”.• Come learn that what you already have is better than

what you could ever hope to obtain.• Come learn how much God loves you and has given for

you.• Come learn how much Christ loves you.• Come learn what the Spirit has sealed for you.

Come and learn that your significance is not in the things you have in this world, but in what you’ve

already obtained from God “in Christ”.

“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot loose.”

Jim ElliottYou have something more precious than

diamonds when you have Christ!

We Are Wealthy

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