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HopeLives365

Mark Finley

3rd Quarter Sabbath School 2023: Ephesians

01 Paul and the Ephesians

02 God’s Grand, Christ-Centered Plan

03 The Power of the Exalted Jesus

04 How God Rescues Us

05 Horizontal Atonement: The Cross and the Church

06 The Mystery of the Gospel

07 The Unified Body of Christ

08 Christ-Shaped Lives and Spirit-Inspired Speech

09 Living Wisely

10 Husbands and Wives: Together at the Cross

11 Practicing Supreme Loyalty to Christ

12 “The Call to Stand”

13 Waging Peace

14 Ephesians in the Heart


Welcome to our second lesson, second week of the study of the book of Ephesians in our Sabbath school quarter. This quarter's lessons were written by Dr. John McVeigh, the president of Walla Walla College. The title of our lesson this week is God's Grand Christ-Centered Plan. Dr.

McVeigh begins the lesson with an interesting concept. He talks about Ephesians chapter 1 as a thank-you note, where the Apostle Paul is thanking God for God's predetermined plan to save us, for choosing us, for accepting us, for redeeming us, for forgiving us, for the riches of God's grace. In The memory text for this week, Ephesians 1 verse 3, we read, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. Now the lesson this week unpacks what it means to be blessed with the spiritual blessings in heavenly places. On Sunday's lesson, the title is Chosen and Accepted in Christ.

We find that concept in Ephesians chapter 1, verse 3 through 6. So if you have your Bible, and I hope you do, maybe a little notepad to take a few notes to prepare for Sabbath school this coming week. Verse 3, Ephesians 1, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who's blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ. Everything we need for redemption, for salvation is found in Jesus Christ. He's blessed us with all spiritual blessings.

There is no sin too great for him to forgive. There is no habit in our life too great for Him not to be able to overcome it. There is no temptation we face that grace is insufficient to cope with. It says, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace by which he's made us accepted in the beloved. Now there are 2 key words there, chosen and accepted.

Notice we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. What does that mean? When the genes and chromosomes came together to form the unique biological structure of your personality, when you were still in your mother's womb, you were chosen by God, chosen for a purpose, to live, to reflect His glory, to live, to reveal His love and grace in the world. You were chosen by God. We are not genetic accidents.

We're not merely skin covering bones. We are not merely some evolutionary anomaly that happened to take place. We're chosen by God. And it says we are accepted in the beloved. Have you ever felt at times not being accepted?

That's a terrible feeling. You may feel in your own family that you haven't been accepted, that you have been kind of pushed out. A wife may feel not accepted by her husband. He may have gone off with somebody else. A husband may feel not accepted by his wife.

We may go into a church and it may feel cold to us, it may not feel really accepted there. Have you ever walked into a room at a social gathering and felt not accepted? Well, here's the incredible good news. We cannot determine whether people accept us or not, but in spite of their acceptance, we are accepted in the Beloved. Christ accepts you for who you are.

Christ accepts you as you are. We come to Him. He forgives us. He changes us. As children of God, we're accepted.

Not because of the way we look, not because of our status in society, not because of our material blessings. We're accepted because we are children of God. Notice what the way it's put here in Sunday's lesson, the last few sentences just before the middle of the page. Since before the sun began to shine, it has been his strategy, that's God's strategy, that we would be accepted in the Beloved. In short, it's God's intention for us to be saved.

We lose salvation only by our own sinful choices. His grace provides salvation for us all. His spiritual blessings are for us all. Now notice what it says in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3. It says we have every spiritual blessing, this is our memory text, in heavenly places.

What does it, what does the expression in heavenly places mean? This expression is only used in the book of Ephesians. It's not used any other place in the Bible. In heavenly places. What does that mean?

It has to do with the realm of the eternal. It has to do with the spiritual realm. Ephesians uses it to indicate Christ's ascension into heavenly places. It uses it in the sense of Christ being in the presence of God in the heavenly sanctuary. It also uses it in the idea of the battle between good and evil, between Christ and Satan in heavenly places.

So when The Bible says that we have spiritual blessings in heavenly places. What does that mean? It means all the riches of heaven are ours to battle Satan in this cosmic conflict between good and evil. What does it mean that we have spiritual blessings in heavenly places? It means all the blessings of Jesus Christ, all the blessings of his death on the cross for us, all the blessings of his victorious life, all the blessings of knowing that we're children of God and accepted by the Beloved, All those blessings from heavenly sanctuary fall from that sanctuary, flow from that sanctuary for us.

So open your heart today. There's no reason to be discouraged, disappointed. Open your heart to the heavenly blessings that there are in Jesus Christ. Our lesson goes on in Monday's lesson titled Costly Redemption and Lavish Forgiveness. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 7 puts it this way, in him we have redemption through his blood for the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace.

The word redemption is an interesting word there. In the ancient Greek culture of the New Testament, the word redemption has to do with the redeeming of a slave by paying a ransom for that slave. Slaves would be on an auction block and you can almost see the sweat dripping off those slaves as Paul writes. You can almost hear the manacle and the chains of the horror of slavery. And then you see somebody coming forward and the slave is being auctioned off.

The price is paid for the slave to be given to the master. What this text is saying, when it says in his blood we have redemption, What it's actually saying is that Christ has purchased us on Calvary's cross, that we have a new master. We're not masters, that Satan is not our master. Sin is not our master, but Jesus Christ is our master. Why?

Because he paid the ransom price for us. Now, there is a little confusion in this that some people have. Who did Christ pay the ransom price to? Did he pay the ransom price to God? Not at all, because God loves us, too.

There are those that move away from the idea of the blood atonement, this idea of redemption, the purchase of our souls through Christ or our lives through Christ. Why? Because they say, well the pagan gods demanded a worship and the sacrifice had to be brought. A couple things to keep in mind. Number 1, we're not bringing the sacrifice.

God himself in Christ made the sacrifice. That's a key point. The second thing is that Christ's blood was not shed to pay a ransom to God. Why was it shed? Because the moral law of the universe is broken and the wages of sin are death.

Romans 6 verse 23, because the wages of sin are death, the blood of Christ, representing the life of Christ is poured out. It's not the blood that redeems us as a physical element, it is that Christ's Life is poured out on Calvary's cross to satisfy the demands of the moral law before the whole universe. Also there is an interesting comment here in the lesson itself that says, second paragraph down after the section in bold that says read, it says, our freedom consists at an extreme cost. In Him, Jesus, we have redemption through his blood. The idea of redemption also celebrates God's gracious generosity in paying the high price of our liberty.

God gives us our freedom and dignity. We are no longer enslaved, no longer enslaved. In Jesus, we have a new master. On Tuesday's lesson, God's grand centered, Christ-centered plan. What is God's plan in redeeming us?

What is God's plan in saving us? What is the purpose of it all? We find it in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 9 and 10, having made known to us the mystery of his will. What's the mystery of his will? According to his good pleasure.

What's his good pleasure? That he purposed in himself, here it is, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times he might gather together in 1 all things in Christ both which are in heaven and which are on earth in him. The purpose of the plan of redemption is to gather all things together in Christ, in heaven and on earth. Well, how does the cross gather all things together in heaven? Aren't they already gathered in heaven?

The cross reveals the immense love of God and reveals in the great controversy between good and evil the fact that Satan is a liar. He claimed God was a vindictive judge, a wrathful tyrant. But the cross of Calvary reveals that God is loving. It reveals to the whole heavenly universe that God has done everything he could to save every human being. But there's another aspect of this.

Through the cross, sinners are gathered together through the redemption of Christ, through his forgiveness, his grace, and His mercy. Sinners are gathered together with the heavenly beings in a redemptive process so that 1 day we can live with Christ eternally. Notice the text is so clear. It says in here in verse 11, in whom we've obtained an inheritance. So we have an inheritance in Christ.

That leads us to Wednesday's lesson, Ephesians 1, 11 and 12. In him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, that we first trusted in Christ should be the praise of his glory. In him we have an Inheritance. Have you ever inherited anything? Let's suppose you have a very, very, very wealthy aunt.

And you know her, but she's kind of a distant aunt. You haven't seen her for 30 years, But she dies at a ripe old age, and she has nobody, no heirs. And finally, the probate court reads the will, and you learn that you've inherited $500, 000 from your rich aunt. How would you feel? I mean, you'd be elated, wouldn't you?

You'd be excited, but I have good news for you. The inheritance that we have in Christ is far more than $500, 000. The inheritance we have in Christ is eternity. Jesus had a predetermined plan for us before the foundation of the world. He chose us before the foundation of the world.

At the cross we were redeemed, at the cross we are forgiven. Through his high priestly ministry, power from the Holy Spirit flows into our lives to live a new life. His purpose is to gather all things together in Christ and we have an inheritance. That is something to rejoice over. But somebody says, what about this idea of the predetermined plan?

Well, what does that mean that we have a predetermined, that God has a predetermined plan, that we are predestined? Some people are confused about verse 11. It says, "'In whom also we have obtained an inheritance "'being predestined according to the purpose of him "'who works all things according to the counsel of his will.'" What does it mean to be predestined? Well, when we were born and before that, God had a pre-designed plan to save us. Now throughout Ephesians 1, it talks about trusting in God, it talks about belief in God.

So this pre-designed plan is not a fixed plan that is undetermined by our choices. Our choice to receive the grace of God, to open our hearts, to receive all these spiritual blessings, our choice to confess our sins, to repent of our sins, to receive his forgiveness, his grace, his salvation, his power. That choice determines whether we receive our inheritance. But God has a pre-designed plan. His pre-designed plan is that we be saved in his kingdom.

We can choose personally whether we follow that pre-designed plan. That pre-designed plan is not something that is pre-destination that we have no choice over. We choose whether we will accept God's pre-designed plan for our life. To accept it means salvation, to reject it means eternal loss. In Thursday's lesson on Ephesians 1, verse 13 and 14, Paul gives a brief outline of what it means to be converted.

So let's spend a little time on that, Ephesians 1, verse 13 and 14. It says, in him, that's in Christ, you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom you also having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Now notice 4 things there. First, we trust. Second, that trust is based on hearing God's Word.

Third, we believe. And fourth, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. So what are the steps in salvation? We come to trust based on hearing the word of God. The word of God reveals the grace of Christ.

The word of God reveals the mercy of Christ. The Word of God reveals the mercy of Christ. The Word of God reveals the plan of salvation. Remember John 3, 16, "'For God so loved the world "'that he gave his only begotten Son, "'that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, "'but have everlasting life.'" Verse 17, "'For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world through him might have life. So we come hearing the Word of God, believing the Word of God that in Christ we're forgiven, In Christ and His power we are accepted.

In Christ we have the gift of eternal life. In Christ we have new power. We come believing that based on the Word of God. When we believe because we've trusted the Word, when we believe which is a act of faith, belief is not something passive. Belief has to do with a positive choice to accept what God has said in spite of our feelings.

Belief is trust. Trusting in God as a friend, well-known, knowing that He'll never let us down, knowing He'll never disappoint us. But notice it says we're sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Somebody said, I thought the sealing came at end time. I thought the sealing was the issue over the Sabbath at end time.

Let me explain the difference here. There's a difference between receiving the seal and the seal being affixed. When we come to Christ and open our hearts through trust to believe in him as our Savior, the Holy Spirit enters our life. And the word seal here means a guarantee. So the Holy Spirit enters our heart as a guarantee of the salvation that Christ has provided.

We receive the seal as we receive the Holy Spirit. The Bible is clear. It says, you were sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise. Day by day, as we respond to God's grace, the Holy Spirit conforms us through sanctification into the image of Christ. In the final days of verse history, if we're alive when Jesus comes, there will be a final test over the law of God.

We studied that last quarter in our Sabbath school lessons. The Bible says in Revelation 14 verse 12, here are the patience of the saints. Here are they that keep the commandments of God and of the faith of Jesus. That is in contrast to those who worship the beast. So you have worshipping the Creator and worshipping the beast.

You have the Sabbath-Sunday conflict. As the Mark of the Beast is enforced by law and we accept God's true Sabbath and stand firm, as Ellen White says, the seal of God is a settling into the truth. And I'm quoting from Seventh Bible Commentary, the seal of God is a settling into the truth both spiritually and intellectually so we cannot be moved. The Sabbath is the external manifestation that we've settled into the truth, both spiritually and intellectually, that we cannot be moved. The seal is affixed at the time when the Sunday law is passed, and people either receive the seal of God or the mark of the beast.

When we receive the seal of God we are sealed for eternity to face the time of trouble. So to make it plain, when we come to Christ and are converted, the Holy Spirit enters our heart as a seal or guarantee. What is a seal? It validates or authenticates a document. So when we come to Christ, the Holy Spirit enters our hearts as a seal or guarantee that we are Christ's and it validates our commitment to Christ.

As we continue in the Christian life, the Holy Spirit brings out the positive Christian virtues, enables us to renounce sin in the process of sanctification. At the final test, the seal that we've received, we received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit affixes that seal so we can face the time of trouble. We come to the end of our lesson today with the appeal to make a commitment, to trust Jesus, to listen to Jesus' words, to believe in Christ, to receive His Spirit, and to know within us the ministry of the Spirit, which is the guarantee that As we walk with Jesus day by day, 1 day we can live with Him and have our eternal inheritance in Heaven. Let's pray together.

Father in Heaven, we thank You for the grace of Christ, the mercy of Christ. We thank You that we're accepted in the Beloved. We thank you that 1 day soon Jesus will come and gather all things together in Christ to take us home. Keep us faithful, we pray in Christ's name. Amen.

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Series

3rd Quarter Sabbath School 2023: Ephesians

02 God’s Grand, Christ-Centered Plan

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

Other Teachings in Series

01 Paul and the Ephesians

18m

02 God’s Grand, Christ-Centered Plan

21m

03 The Power of the Exalted Jesus

18m

04 How God Rescues Us

17m

05 Horizontal Atonement: The Cross and the Church

20m

06 The Mystery of the Gospel

19m

07 The Unified Body of Christ

21m

08 Christ-Shaped Lives and Spirit-Inspired Speech

20m

09 Living Wisely

20m

10 Husbands and Wives: Together at the Cross

18m

11 Practicing Supreme Loyalty to Christ

21m

12 “The Call to Stand”

19m

13 Waging Peace

17m

14 Ephesians in the Heart

22m

Sound Doctrine