Divine Moments
Ephesians 1:1-15
Good morning everyone, I am glad for those of you that you have joined us online.
Please turn to Ephesians 1
To open this letter to the church at Ephesus, Apostle Paul identifies as an apostle called by the will of God-
He tells the church by what authority that he is writing them. You would think why would he do that?
Because there was those who fought his authority because he was not one of the original twelve.
Bringing up his past as a person who went after the church and God’s people.
Then his next statement is who he is addressing the letter too- to the saints (those who have professed Jesus as Lord)
He calls those people the faithful!
I want Jesus to call me apart of “the faithful”
I want to hear from the Lord what he desires for his church and His people and also personal what he wants for me.
Do you want that for yourself this morning?
There are two things that this world cannot have without Jesus- Peace that only Jesus can bring and His Grace that only Jesus can give.
The older I get, the more mature I am able to be in Him, I find myself looking for divine moments.
According to Dr. B.W. Hambrick, a friend, and Nazarene pastor in his book Kairos Difining moments…he says “What makes that momentary but long lasting difference? God shows up to participate in our lives and performs a miracle, speaks words of peace, gives new direction, or whatever else the creator of the universe chooses to do. But in those defining moments virtually everything changes- the impossible becomes possible.” End quote.
Where the Lord begins to move in our life. He desires and wants to do that.
And when He is not moving, He is preparing us for His changes.
God may be quiet for a time, but He is never not doing anything.
He is ever working in your life… always and forever if we will let him and we are sensitive to what He wants to do.
In our bible study this past week we looked at purpose and meaning- if we are not careful, we can lose purpose and meaning for many reasons.
World pressures to survive
Age- either too young or too old- do we make a difference?
Lose focus- centered in on what is happening now instead of seeing spiritually what God is doing
Definition of Purpose- “The reason for which something is done or created to exist.”
Definition of Meaning- “The sense of significance
When Paul tells us that we have value, meaning, purpose, it is because of who we are in Christ as believers.
“In Christ” is a big thing!
Paul’s only claim to fame as a believer was that He was called of God and that what he did for God was under the power of God working in his life.
Now go to the text and see the heart of the apostle as he shares what Christ has done for all of us!
Praise be to the ‘God and Father of Jesus that He has given us special blessing that come from heaven- that before we were even thought of that God the Father thought of us and through His Son Jesus would choose a way of redemption for our broken and destroyed lives.
He chose us to be able to be blameless and holy- that we can be adopted into the family of God because we have Jesus as our advocate.
(7-10) “In Him, we have redemption, through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put in effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment- to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.”
Stay with me- Under what Christ has done for us is special blessings that come right from heaven to God’s people. He offers redemption to all but we know all won’t accept his precious gift but for those that do his blood will wash away our sins and put us in a right relationship with God the Father through God’s Son Jesus!
Apostle Paul is not writing the church to say how great Paul is but to remind the church how great Jesus is-
He reminds them how important it is to belong to Jesus-
To live as Christ would have us live
That we as believers are sent out into this world as ambassadors of Christ.
That we have special task to do as adopted children into the family of God.
That we are not sent out in our own strength and wisdom but in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The fact is any power and wisdom and strength that he has been delegated to him from being in Christ.
Paul was not speaking from a heart of pride but out of sheer amazement that Jesus would use him to be a part of kingdom work and that his messy and muddy past did not keep him from doing what God has called him to do.
Professor William Barclay says “Every Christian has a human address and a divine address, and that he says is the secret of Christian life.” End quote.
Novelist Alistair Maclean tells of a lady in the West highlands of Scotland who lived a hard life, yet one of perpetual serenity. When asked the secret of it, she answered; my secret is to sail the seas, and always keep my heart in port. Wherever Christians are, they are still in Christ.”
No matter here or the Lord takes you home.
Good times or troubled times.
Plenty or in want
Keep your heart in Christ and live with His strength.
(2) “To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus…grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Like I said peace and Grace the world is looking for but not able to find without Jesus.
What Christ has done for us is for everyone who would receive it- for those that do, peace and Grace becomes a spiritual blessing that follows believers.
(12) “In order that we, who were the first hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promise Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession- to the praise of his glory.”
In the words of the great theologian J.I. Packer, "Grace is God drawing sinners closer and closer to Him. It is Him refusing to let go.
God's will, as revealed in this passage, is not a set of rules or regulations, but a divine design for our lives that is founded on His love and fueled by His grace. It's a design that was etched in the heart of God before the foundation of the world, a design that calls us to be holy and blameless in His sight
Grace empowers us to worship God for what He has done. In Ephesians 1:7-8, we read, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
True grace, the grace that comes from God, is not just a theological idea; it's a life-changing reality. It's not just something we talk about; it's something we live out. It's not just something we believe in; it's something we bear witness to. True grace changes us, and through us, it changes the world.
G.R.A.C.E- GOD’S RICHES AT CHURST EXPENSE
GRACE- UNMERITED FAVOR OF GOD
EPHESIANS 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.
(10) for we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which Go prepared in advance for us to do.
What Is God's Grace?
In His grace, He offers salvation to all. And in His grace, He grants the desire of those who reject Him. They are separated from His presence.
God's grace is usually defined as undeserved favor. Grace cannot be earned; it is something that is freely given. We count on God's grace and the bridge he built in our relationship with him. Bible verses about grace abound. From the foundation of the Old Testament, we know that grace is a part of God's character.
What is God's grace in my life?
Grace is the free and undeserved assistance God offers us so that we might respond to his call to share in his divine life and attain eternal life.
Why is God's grace so important?
God's grace renews our soul, purifies our conscience, enlightens our mind, strengthens in us the faith, directs our will to goodness, warms our heart with genuine love, elevates our thoughts, and revives our whole nature.
God’s grace not only offers salvation but also secures it.
Saved refers to deliverance from God’s wrath at the final judgment (Rom. 5:9);
“By grace you have been saved” is repeated from Eph. 2:5 for emphasis. The verb form for “have been saved” communicates that the Christian’s salvation is fully secured through faith.
My grace is sufficient. Paul says that God’s grace “is sufficient” (in the present tense), underscoring the ever-present availability and sufficiency of God’s grace, for Paul and for every believer, regardless of how critical one’s circumstances may be.
Hebrews 4:15-16
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet did not sin. let us then approach God’s throne of Grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Titus 2:11–14
“For the Grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in our present age, while we wait for the blessed hope- the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
Closing-
“Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.”
When Paul speaks of us- he is speaking about the Jewish nation and when he says you he is speaking about the gentiles. He is telling all of us that the grace of God is for all who will believe and that we cannot earn our salvation but because of the great gift of salvation that we will be doing labor for the kingdom of God.
There are many documents that have to have a seal of approval and a seal of authenticity. Paul is telling us a mark of the church and believers will be the seal of the Holy Spirit working in our lives
