Tag Archives: Grace

Great Power, Great Consolation

12 Sunday Feb 2012

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Ephesians 1:19

Paul’s prayer for illumination for the Ephesians contains a very surprising and thrilling request as he prayed that the Ephesians would come to know God’s great power at work in them. Five different words are used to unpack the dimensions of God’s power operative in believers, while in verse 20 a case from history, Christ’s resurrection and heavenly exaltation, are cited as tangible examples of just what kind of enormous things this power can accomplish. Believers, armed with a sense of awareness about this power, will have consolation to know that not only will they arrive at the promised and hoped for heavenly inheritance but also that their earthly struggles against spiritual forces of darkness will not end in failure.

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We Have Received An Inheritance

22 Sunday Jan 2012

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Ephesians 1:11-12

Paul hardly mentions the grace of eternal inheritance, before he passes on quickly to underscore its sovereign administration to us. Five different terms are used to highlight the sovereignty of God in his plans, purposes, operations, and distributions. Where one term by itself could have adequately conveyed divine sovereignty, Paul uses many terms to amplify God’s power and plans. The opening phrase of v12 accounts for this heaping up of terms as Paul discloses the purpose of God’s administration of the grace of inheritance when he declares that it was for the purpose of God’s glory. Paul’s basic message is that divine sovereignty is overwhelmingly exercised in administering grace in order order to secure the broader of aim of magnifying the glory of God.

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Redemption Through His Blood

08 Sunday Jan 2012

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Ephesians 1:7-8

At verse 7, Paul pivots from praising the Father for redemptive grace to praising the incarnate Son of God for securing redemptive grace for the elect. In turning to the praise of Christ, Paul begins with the grace of redemptive forgiveness. As one who experienced the joy of receiving a cleansed conscience through washing with Christ’s blood, Paul makes it a first item for praise to magnify the riches of grace in the administration of redemptive forgiveness and the removal of sin’s guilt.

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To the Ephesians: Grace and Peace

13 Sunday Nov 2011

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

This sermon offers an introduction to the book as a whole, dealing with questions such as authorship, date, recipients, and overall message. The main message of this book is grace and peace which is ours only through union with Christ. Grand themes emerge throughout the sweep of this letter and the final part of the message marks out these themes in order to prepare for future study.

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