Ephesians THE LETTER From Paul to the Ephesians

Ephesians THE LETTER

From Paul to the Ephesians

THE LETTER’s STRUCTURE • What GOD the Father Did in the Heavenly Realms: 1: 3 • What the SON has done in the Heavenly Realms: 1: 20 -22 • What the CHURCH is doing in the Heavenly Realms: 3: 10 • How the CHURCH and Satan are at War in the Heavenly Realms: 6: 12

What the FATHER did

What the Father Did- 1: 3 What God the Father did in the Heavenly realms: GOD HID MYSTERIES IN THE HEAVENLIES WAITING TO BE RELEASED IN THE RIGHT TIME

What the Father Did- 1: 3 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

What the Father Did • This sowing included all the conditions, strategies, and the weapons for the establishment of the church and God’s Kingdom (2 Cor. 10: 3 -5) • These weapons and strategies were planted or sowed by the Father in the heavenly realms to be activated and used in the right time • They were watered with the blood of Jesus, and activated with His death and resurrection

What the Father Did- 1: 3 • What God the Father did in the Heavenly realms: • God prepared every spiritual blessing before the world was made • These blessings were hidden (incubated) until the time to be released came • God sowed all sorts of seeds of blessings in the heavenly realms, as a preparation for the work of Christ • Those blessings would also support the birth and the edification of the church and the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth

What the Father Did • 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

What the Father Did • Each one of us is a seed sowed by God in the heavenlies before the world was formed • When we believed in Christ and accepted His work for us, we were activated to be a blessing to the earth

What the Father Did • 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. (Eph. 1: 3 -6)

WEAPONS OF FORTRESS DESTRUCTION • 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, (2 Cor. 10: 3 -5)

THE MYSTERY OF GOD’S WILL

THE HIDDEN SECRET • 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him 10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him 11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. (Eph. 1: 9 -12)

The Mystery Revealed to Paul • 2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace which was given to me for you; • 3 that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. • 4 By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, • 5 which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; (Eph. 3: 2 -5)

What the Father Did • With the consummation of Christ’s work at the cross, those blessings already sowed in the heavenly realms as seeds started being poured down to earth.

What the Father Did • 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. (1: 7 -8) • Redemption: the grace poured down abundantly upon us (Eph. 1: 7, 8)

The Letter to S. O. N.

What the Father Did • Ultimately the FATHER provided all the conditions for the GRACE to be poured down on us BEFORE the world was formed. • He did that out of His great love for us. • 16"For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

What the Father Did • All our blessings are included in Christ and in His GRACE. • They do not depend on our own merit. They are based on the GRACE of God. • We were still sinners and they were already there waiting for us to be part of the GRACE OF CHRIST. • We have to reach out to receive each blessing by faith the same way we have received our salvation.