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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 back to another Sabbath School lesson. We're on lesson number 3, the power of the exalted Christ. This is an exciting, insightful, inspiring lesson. Our memory text talks about the exceeding greatness of Christ's power. It's found in Ephesians 1 verse 19 and 20.

It says that Christ's power is given to us who believe according to the riches 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. Now, Ephesians 1 verse 19 and 20, if you have your Bible, if you have your Sabbath school quarterly, if you're taking notes, I want you to notice 2 specific things about this text. First, the exceeding greatness of his power. Christ not only has power, but his power is exceedingly great. Second thing I want you to notice is also the mention of the word power.

It says His mighty power. So Christ not only has power, but He has mighty power. How do we receive the exceeding greatness of His power? How do we receive His mighty power? When was that mighty power poured out?

It says that God worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places. So there are certain aspects of the reception of Christ's power, certain reasons why we get it. First, Jesus was raised from the dead. Second, he was exalted at the throne of God. Third, all things were placed in subservience to Christ.

And fourth, at that point he was made head of the church. So the resurrection of Christ is everything to us. If Christ died and was not resurrected from the dead, he would be more than, no more than, merely a martyr, dying for a good cause. But when Jesus died and was resurrected, it demonstrates he's the divine son of God, that he has power over the principalities and powers of hell, that he was victor over all the forces of evil. So in our lesson this week, we focus on the power of Christ that is ours because Christ conquered the grave and was raised from the dead.

Now, The lesson this week focuses really on a prayer, and it's the prayer of Paul for the church at Ephesus. We find dimensions of that prayer in Ephesians 1, verse 15 to 23. So let's look at Ephesians 1. If you have your Bible, take it out, get out a pen, you can do some underlining. We'll unpack this, Ephesians 1, 15 to 23.

Therefore, Paul says, "'I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, the believers, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers." Paul prayed specifically for the church at Ephesus. Paul believed in intercessory prayer. He was far distant from them, but yet he was praying for them. They were in his heart. They were on his lips.

Intercessory prayer for Paul wasn't something simply to talk about, discuss. It was rather something to do. It was an action that he took. He believed in the power of intercession. Well, Paul, what are you praying for?

What are you praying about for these Ephesians? He says, I don't cease to give thanks for you, always making mention of you in my prayers, verse 16, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, now here's what he's praying for, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. So Paul is praying that they would have wisdom, the wisdom to discern right from wrong, that they would have understanding of divine truth. Then he goes on, verse 18, that the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his calling, that what are the riches of his glory, of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe." So Paul longs for them to know the greatness of Christ's power. In the first lesson on titled, Praying and Thanksgiving, the first detailed lesson after Sabbath, the Sunday's lesson, we read this.

Paul talks in 1 Thessalonians about praying without ceasing. And he was constantly praying for the church at Ephesus, making mention of them constantly in his prayers. What does it mean to pray without ceasing? I love the way the Sabbath school quarterly puts it. And this is the third paragraph down under the question on page 23 under Sunday's lesson.

It cannot mean that we're always kneeling before God in prayer. It does mean that blessed by God's spirit, we move through life with hearts open to the presence and power of God, seeking cues for thanksgiving to him. It means a readiness to possess the issues of life in the presence of God to seek divine counsel as we experience the twists and turns of life. Now listen to this next sentence. It's really a powerful sentence.

It means living not in estrangement from God, but in engagement with him ever open to divine leading. So to pray without ceasing means we're in an atmosphere of prayer at all times, that we live in the presence of God, that we have this sense daily that whatever we're doing, that God is present with us through his Holy Spirit, that angels are present with us, that there's no place that for us as a Christian that's inappropriate to pray, to send and to dart up a prayer to God. Now Paul prayed that the Ephesians would have insight from the Holy Spirit. Remember Ephesians 1, 16 and 17, he says, I don't cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ will give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation. What does he mean by that?

Paul is praying that they will have wise discernment. He prays that the Holy Spirit will give them 3 things. First, the spirit of wisdom and knowledge. Second, that he will give them the exceeding power of God that will be poured out to them. And third, that they'll have the hope of their calling or the inheritance that there is in Jesus.

Can you think of any 3 things that are more valuable than these? To receive wisdom from God day by day, to be guided by God. Secondly, to have the power of God from the sanctuary above flowing into your life. And thirdly, to have the hope of Christ's calling, the inheritance. When Paul prays for spiritual insight, reading from the Sabbath school lesson, about the exceeding greatness of his power toward us to believe, who believe, he imagines the Holy Spirit bringing fresh understanding of the immensity of God's power and actually experiencing that in our lives.

So Paul is talking about the fact that as we come to God and praise him for who he is, thank him for his goodness, thank him for redeeming us by his grace, as we open our hearts to him. He pours out his spirit to transform our lives. We can actually, as Tuesday's lesson says, participate in resurrection power. God's power is expressed through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Ephesians 1 verse 20, it says, far above all principality and power, that's verse 21, but verse 20, which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at the right hand.

See the resurrection of Christ is everything to us. It's because Christ is risen that faithful believers await the grand future resurrection of eternal life at the time of Christ's return. It's because Christ is risen that we can look to him today for all the blessings of the gospel, including the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. So when you think about the resurrection of Christ, I want you to think of it in 2 different aspects, providing for us 2 significant benefits. First, the resurrection of Christ provides for us the benefits of the atonement.

If Christ had died and not been resurrected, he could not apply to our case forgiveness, grace, and mercy. If Christ had not died and then subsequently was resurrected, living in the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary and now moving into the most holy place in the judgment hour, if Christ had not died and entered into heaven's sanctuary, he could not pour power out to us. You remember in Acts chapter 2, when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples in the day of Pentecost, 3, 000 were baptized in a day. It was the most powerful manifestation of the Holy spirit ever known up until that time. But the scripture is very clear.

Peter says that what you've seen and heard today is acknowledgment because Christ has been exalted at the right hand of God. Let's look at this text very specifically in the book of Acts, because it really does give us some significant insight into the power of the resurrection. It says here, Acts chapter 2, verse 35, therefore being exalted to the right hand of God. So Christ was resurrected. He was exalted to the right hand of God.

This was his enthronement after the ascension and having received from the father, the promise of the Spirit, he poured out this which you now see in here." So the Holy Spirit that was poured out on the day of Pentecost was poured out as a direct result of the enthronement of Christ subsequent to his resurrection in the sanctuary above. So there are 2 aspects of the resurrection of Christ. First, the resurrection of Christ enables us to recognize the fact that Christ is triumphant with the principalities and powers of hell, and he will grant to us divine power to overcome through the ministry of the Holy Spirit that flows from the sanctuary. Second aspect of the ascension and the resurrection ascension of Christ is this, because Christ was resurrected from the dead, he conquered the tomb. And because he conquered the tomb, death no longer has its hold upon us.

And when Christ comes again, the righteous dead who've been in the tombs will be resurrected and the righteous living will never experience death they'll ascend to heaven with Christ. So because Christ was resurrected we have incredible hope in the gospel. Christ is above all powers. Now Wednesday's lesson points out something quite unique. The church at Ephesus was in the midst of satanic powers.

You'll remember that at Ephesus you have the great temple of Artemis or Diana. Gold and silver images were made by the silversmith Demetrius and many other of the shopkeepers and the craftsmen and they were sold. They believed that these charms could charm away evil spirits. There were books of magic when the Apostle Paul preached in Ephesus. The Spirit of God touched the hearts of people.

And as the result of that, they came and burned their books. I looked that up recently. It was about 4000000 dollars worth of books that were burned there. But these were all books on the occult, books on magic, books on satanic arts. But here in the book of Ephesians chapter, let's look at 3 passages.

Chapter 1, verse 21, that Christ is far above all principalities and power and might and dominion. What Paul is doing is setting Christ and his power over and against the power of evil, over and against the power of magic, over and against the power of darkness. And it says, these above every name that is named, far above Artemis or Diana. Look at Ephesians 2, verse 2. It says, in which we once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.

In other words, Christ is above all that. Christ is stronger than all that. Christ is triumphed over the principalities and powers of hell. Then you look at the book of Ephesians, look there at chapter 6 and verse 12. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.

In other words, since our battle is in the spiritual realm, and since we are battling against principalities and powers in heavenly places, and since Satan is doing everything he can to attack us, what Paul is saying is tap into the resurrected Christ, tap into the resurrection power of God, because the resurrected Christ is stronger and more powerful than any of the demonic forces. And then we come down here to the second, to the first paragraph under the question on the page, page 27, Thursday's lesson, July 13. God has made Christ victorious over all evil powers. Aren't you thankful about that? Can't you say, praise the Lord?

Can't you say hallelujah, amen? Christ is victorious over all evil powers. The church closely identified with Christ and supplied by him with all its needs is itself guaranteed victory over those foes. The power of God on displaying the resurrection and his exaltation over every cosmic power has been activated for the church. God has given the victorious Christ to the church, which is so united with him as to be called his body.

The church is the body of Christ, united with Christ. It has received power and glory from Christ. There is a wonderful quote from Ellen White in our Lesson on Friday, July 14. She's talking about when Christ ascends to heaven and the songs that are sung of triumph and victory. And she says, and this comes from the book Desire of Ages 834, 835, songs of triumph mingle with the music from angel harps, till heaven seems to overflow with joy and praise.

Love has conquered, the lost is found. Heaven rings with voices in lofty strains, proclaiming blessing and honor and glory and power be unto him that sits upon the throne and unto the Lamb forever and ever. Notice those 4 things. Blessing. Through the resurrection of Christ we can receive all of heaven's blessing, the blessing of forgiveness, the blessing of freedom from condemnation, the blessing of deliverance from guilt, the blessing of power in Christ.

It says receive blessing, honor Those of us who have sinned, fallen short of the glory of God, defiled these pure garments that come from Christ. Those of us who've been dishonorable can now receive honor, the honor that comes from knowing Christ. And it says, we receive blessing and honor and glory. When Adam and Eve sinned, they lost their glorious robes, but through the robe of Christ's righteousness, we can once again have that glory that was lost at creation after the fall. And then it says power, blessing and honor and glory and power be to him.

We could receive the divine, unlimited, infinite power of Christ to have our lives transformed. Here's the central theme of this week's lesson. Through the resurrected power of Christ, As we open our hearts to receive that power, our lives can be changed. Jesus has never lost a battle with Satan yet. And the principalities and powers of hell were defeated on the cross.

And as Christ ascended to heaven, his power can be ours. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you with all of our hearts that Jesus is resurrected. We thank you with all of our hearts that the resurrection power of Christ can be ours. Teach us, O Lord, to open our hearts to receive that power.

Teach us, O Lord, to have confidence that you are a victor over the principalities and powers of hell, and that you will grant us your power, your strength, and your grace, day by day, moment by moment. In Jesus' name, Amen. This media was brought to you by Audioverse, a website dedicated to spreading God's Word through free sermon audio and much more. If you would like to know more about Audioverse, or if you would like to listen to more sermons, please visit www.audioverse.org.

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Series

3rd Quarter Sabbath School 2023: Ephesians

03 The Power of the Exalted Jesus

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