How to Study the Bible III - Ephesians chapters 1 & 2: Literary Structure

We've looked at Ephesians. First time was March 27th. We looked at the whole book of Ephesians, looking at a lot of Greek Old Testament references in the book of Ephesians. We looked again on July 31st, before the camp out. We looked at the first two chapters of Ephesians, and we're going to be looking at the first two chapters again.

What we looked at mostly in the first two chapters of Ephesians was the Jewish cultural things, part of which would come from the Greek Old Testament, but part of which would also come from an understanding of the culture. Now we're going to look at Ephesians chapters 1 and 2 and look at the structure of it and what that tells us about what's the message that Paul's getting across. And so one of the things we'll be doing is certainly looking at both Jewish things and Gentile things. Because, let's ask this question, were the things that Paul wrote to the Gentiles that had become believers, were the things that were written to them rather surprising in view of their culture?

Yes, in many respects, and we'll be taking a look at that. So you have this graphic on the front that shows, here's Ephesians chapter 1, and so on the left there, the Ephesians chapter 1 pattern, After the introduction, which is verses 1 and 2, I am Paul, grace and peace, and those certainly are significant verses, I don't mean to dismiss them, but the pattern here begins in verse 3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing, and then what does he do from verse 3 to verse 8? He talks about our blessings in Christ. So we have verses 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 talks about our blessings in Christ. Then we have in verses 9 and 10, and a lot of folks will miss this, so we'll go over it in more detail, the Church and the Kingdom.

So the Church and the Kingdom combination. Then he switches in verse 11 back to blessings in Christ. And you'll be sure to want to have a handout. You got that? OK, cool. Blessings in Christ, and he continues on with blessings in Christ, blessings in Christ, blessings in Christ, until the first part of verse 21.

And the other insight here is verse 3 to verse 14 in the Greek is all one sentence. Verse 15 to the end of the chapter is all one sentence. Those are the first and second longest sentences in all of Greek literature. Why the long sentences? Why such big sections on blessings in Christ?

Yeah, Dan? I think he wanted to list as many as he could think of. want separation because they're ongoing and continual. And I think he was so excited when he was writing these things that they just flowed out. Yeah. It's almost like you just couldn't get them down fast enough. Yeah.

That, and could it be because of the Jewish population, which they had a mindset of earthly blessings? And so Paul, maybe it's an attempt to pull them into, okay, you actually are blessed in the heavenlies. Okay, now you bring up a good point, and that is this, that both the Jews and the Gentiles, largely of Greek cultural background, both of them have some things that need to get kind of pulled along and corrected. He also wants to communicate with them in ways that they'll understand. If it's like, OK, you need to be corrected, but I just can't possibly comprehend it on the reader's end, then that's not going to work, is it? So it's a matter of correcting both the Jews and the Gentiles' understandings while keeping them in the loop and keeping them connected.

So you have blessings in Christ, and it just pours it on. Then he talks about church and the kingdom, and then from verse 11 to 21, He pours on more blessings. Blessings, and blessings, and blessings, and blessings. And then, he finishes off chapter 1 with more, the Church and the Kingdom. Isn't that something? The Church and the Kingdom, the Church and the Kingdom. So you have a pattern of twos. There's blessings in Christ, the Church and the Kingdom. Blessings in Christ, the Church and the Kingdom.

So that's the big picture pattern for chapter 1. Chapter 2 also has a two-part pattern. So let's switch over to that one, which is on the right-hand side. He talks about Jews and Gentiles before salvation, and he lumps them in that one more under a common umbrella. They both are in the same boat, so to speak.

Then, starting with verse 4, he says what God did and is doing. All the way to verse 10, what God did and is doing, and then in verse 11, 12, and 13, he goes back to Jews and Gentiles before salvation. But, with that one, the distinction is more Gentiles and Jews, and what the Gentiles don't have, and what the Jews do have. Then, he switches back to what God did and is doing. from verse 14 to the end of the chapter.

Okay, so let me talk about that. In verses 1-3 of chapter 2, he uses the word formerly twice, regarding the believers before they believed. In verses 11, 12, and 13, again. So each time he talks about these people, and he includes himself, we also, each time he talks about them, including himself, he uses formerly twice. So you have again the same two-part pattern in chapters one and chapter two. It's not identical, but the pattern is consistent within the chapter.

Yes. So you're saying that formerly refers to before they were believers. Yes. And one of the points we made earlier is this word for formerly is pate in the Greek. This word for formerly consistently is used by Paul and his associates for believers before they believed. Consistently. No exceptions.

So, it's fascinating, he has this two-part pattern in chapter 1 and chapter 2, it's very consistent. It's very consistent, and even to the point where in chapter 2, formally twice, not just once or twice or three times, but just formally twice in each section talking about before they were believers. So you have this pattern, it's consistent between chapters 1 and 2. I wanted to go over this kind of graphic first because as we go into the details, I don't want us to get lost in that, that everything fits within this two-part pattern for chapters 1 and chapter 2.

So now, one more thing to cover, next page. Next page, page 2, is Ephesians 1, 9, and 10. Many people who read over this don't catch that it is about the Millennial Kingdom. Many people who read over this don't catch that it's about the Millennial Kingdom. So let me read it in English, which is at the top, and then the expanded and explained. I won't go over all the footnote details. I'll leave that for you if you'd like to cover that. So here we go, Ephesians 1, 9 and 10.

He made known to us the mystery, and tell me about a mystery. What's a mystery? something that is revealed now that wasn't previously revealed. It's not mystery in our common English sense of something that's mysterious, or something to be figured out. It's something that's revealed that hadn't previously been revealed. He made known to us the mystery.

He revealed now to us the mystery of His will according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him 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. So let me read it expanded and explained.

God the Father made known by deliberate revelation to us in the Church the mystery, a truth previously unrevealed but now revealed by the Father's will, consistent with the Father's kind intention which he planned for those who are in Christ, namely the Church. That planning for the Church has this direction, the Father's management of everything in the created universe, to include those in the Church, the mystery now revealed, for that final one of all the accumulated times in the present heavens and present earth, that is the heading up of all things in THE Christ, the Messiah. during the millennium, with the all things being all those created things in the heavens and those things on the earth, both visible and invisible. So the millennial reign of Christ is the time on the present heavens and earth when all things will be summed up in Him. It is the beginning of the complete restoration of all things. So this is expanded and explained. Because reading the English without that, you wouldn't necessarily arrive at the same conclusion. Yeah?

Does that include the new heavens and the new earth? This is particularly looking towards the millennial kingdom with the new heavens and new earth to follow. So this is focused on summing everything here up in Christ. And then there's a new heaven and new earth to follow. In this present heavens and earth.

So that's an important insight to understand as we look at the big picture. We've talked about the church and the kingdom, and so that gives us an understanding of where he's aiming and what he's talking about, especially in verses 9 and 10. Okay, so with that, let's go to page 3. And what we see is Paul has an initial two-verse greeting.

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, who are faithful in Christ Jesus, grace to you and peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ. So he said, I am Paul, I'm writing to you, grace and peace, great greeting.

Jewish greeting, right? Taris and Shalom, right? So he's greeted them with a Greek greeting and then a Jewish greeting from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. So then, Blessed be the God, and one of the things that we said of that is that's a phrase straight out of the Greek Old Testament, several different places, starting in Genesis. Blessed be the God. And of the Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Now, so let's talk about that.

The Jews would see who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing, and how is that going to hit them? Think about it, because how is a Jew blessed? By law-keeping, then they get blessed, Deuteronomy 28, verses 1-14, right? By law-keeping, they get blessed, they get blessed where? They get blessed here on planet earth, and is it conditional or unconditional?

It's conditional. You obey the law, you do these 613 things, and do it all right, and then you'll be blessed here in the land. By the way, Deuteronomy 28 has in the land twice in the first 14 verses, and then verse 15 to the end of the chapter, two more times in the land. So, in the land is there twice. So, it's in the land, here on earth, conditionally.

So, this is, blessed be the God who, what's the tense? has blessed us, and he's talking to Jews and Gentiles, and here's the Jews, and they're thinking, I'm only blessed if, and I'm only blessed here if, and it's all about the law, and so the Jews have to get pulled over, look, no, you're blessed with every spiritual blessing, where?

In the heavenly places in Christ. What happens if we stop with in Christ and cut that off? In the heavenly places and just leave it? Is that good enough? No. It's in Christ who is in the heavenly places, and we're blessed in Him who is in the heavenly places, and that's the only way we're blessed.

But it's not conditional, and it's not earthly, and it doesn't depend upon me. All I did was believe. God did all the rest. So for the Jews, they've got to get pulled around. Now let's ask for the Gentiles. As the Gentiles look at this, do their gods ever bless them? Their gods never blessed them. It doesn't happen. So, wow, here's a God that blesses me. And I didn't even do anything but believe.

To them, this is, whoa! This is great news. This is one of the reasons why, even though there was opposition, the people who heard this, this is fantastic. I've got a God that actually cares about me, instead of me trying to get His attention. Imagine going from, here's a God, and I have to do things to get his attention, it's about works. So even for the Gentiles, it's about works. I've got to do things to get God's attention, and Paul's telling me about a God, and he's telling me, this God, you've got his undivided attention. So this is radical news.

So then, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing and heavenly places in Christ, 26 times in the book of Ephesians. You're in Christ, in Him, in the Beloved, 26 times. As a matter of fact, let's ask this question. Are there any blessings that are not in Christ? No, and that's why I keep coming back to in Him, in the Beloved, and 26 times with in Christ or some equivalent, because that's where all the blessings are. Every blessing is in Christ, and where is He? In the heavenlies.

So location, location, location. This is a real estate issue. So then, just as He chose us in Him. This is going to be key. The chose us in Him, this is relating particularly to the Jewish wedding practices, things leading up into the wedding. The father of the groom would choose the bride.

So did we get chosen because we're so good? No. We got chosen at where? Where were we? Okay, now that's going to be very relevant, but where? In Christ, okay? We got chosen in Christ, right? So now, when were you in Christ? Ultimately, in Christ started before God said, let there be light.

But that brings up Crystal's point. Think about this. Paul is meeting with the Greek philosophers in Athens. There's two schools there, the Epicureans and the Stoics. Now they have differences in their philosophical perspective, but both of them and the Greek culture in general looked upon matter as eternal in the past on into the future and the gods came and went.

So what is he doing, just like he did there in Acts 17, what does he do here, before the foundation of the world? What? You mean this world has a start? So God did the choosing before the foundation of the world, you mean the physical world has a start and God exists before that? and my choosing in him was before this world started, that is a radical worldview shift that he's telling them about. This physical universe is not eternal in the past and it's not eternal in the present and on into the future. It has a defined start, and it has a defined end, and rather than the gods being subject to this physical universe, God is the one who made it, and before he did that, he decided, I'm going to choose you in Christ.

So this worldview issue is just going to radically impact them. You get that? He said that before the foundation of the world, this is a radical worldview shift, that there were two things philosophically that the Greeks had locked in that he's going to address before the end of the chapter. One is this, the Greeks had it locked into all their thinking and all these different philosophical schools of thought, same page. That school of thought being the physical universe goes back into eternity past and on into eternity future.

And he goes and changes that. Yes? And in addition to that it's monotheism, whereas prior to this it was polytheism. Yes, polytheism was the standard view. Plato came in with a different idea, but his concept of God was not the biblical concept. So you have that radical change. The other thing is the Greeks just across the board didn't believe in resurrection. So he's going to address that between the beginning of the chapter and the end of the chapter. They didn't believe in resurrection, so he's going to adjust their worldview and put God in the perspective on this.

OK, so that we would be holy and blameless before him. And what's that about? It was a wedding terminology. This is wedding terminology that shows up in the middle of chapter 5. And it comes particularly from a Greek, excuse me, a Jewish viewpoint. The Greek viewpoint was that the wife was to be faithful, but it wasn't required of the husband. And that was also the same with the Romans. Okay, so now that we would be holy and blameless before him in love, he predestined us. The Greek mindset was that there are, here's the world which is eternal, eternity past and eternity future, there were gods, and who determined what the gods did?

The fates. They had fates. They were characterized as usually three women who were weaving a fabric. And all the gods and all the human beings were subject to that fabric that they wove. And so the fates predestined everything except for Zeus. Zeus was the only one who had latitude to go against what the fates predetermined. But here is a god. who predetermines certain things. You mean this God is above the fates?

Were the fates eternal? Huh? I mean, so in their mindset, were the fates eternal or were the fates... I mean, where are they going to go to? There was a wispy, you know, past, but they're here, and they control the pantheon, and they don't have like, here's how the faiths got started kind of mythology. So it just comes about, right?

So you've got the faith, and guess what? Predestined is mentioned in this first section on blessings in Christ. And it shows up again at the start of the next section on blessings in Christ. So you have that predestined, God predestined in each of those sections of blessings in Christ. So the predestined, if I understand this correctly, the predestined was an answer to their mindset of, okay, you have this wispy unknown, but we don't care about that, that sort of religious mindset.

And so he's saying, no, it wasn't wispy. So here is God who is eternal. So God is eternal. Who chose us in him before he said, let there be light and started the physical universe, right? And that God predestined us and he does, so you don't need the fates. You don't need the faiths, you don't need the other gods that don't care about you and don't bless you.

You start seeing the perspective that he's putting in place. He's correcting their worldview left and right and giving them a whole different concept because the character of this god who does these things is nothing like the gods that they know. So the point is that he is a very intentional, organized, determined God as opposed to sort of esoteric and maybe, maybe not. Now, one of the reasons for pointing out the pattern here is just to let you know Paul didn't just start randomly writing. He thought about how am I going to organize this thing and what message do I want to get across to these people. And so he puts this predestined in the first block on blessings and then again in the second one.

Yes. And also you said that the choseness in him has something to do with Jewish wedding practices. But maybe also in contrast to he chose Israel as his nation for some kind of purpose. Yes. Because then he says there is another purpose for Church that we would be holy and blameless. Yeah, and so that's a good point. We made that in our earlier studies that God used that same word for chose in the Greek Old Testament for choosing Israel.

And now he says, OK, I've got another choosing going on. And that choosing doesn't push Israel out of the picture or replace Israel, but it's an additional choosing. Okay, so not contrast, but like additional, parallel. It's additional. And it's important to recognize that. This isn't a replacement. I'm choosing you instead of them. But it's simply, this is an additional beneficiary, if you will. All right, so now here's the next one, adoption of sons.

That particular phrase would have referenced both of the Jews and the Gentiles, but especially those of Roman background, because it was a process used to put five emperors in a row up to this letter. Starting with Augustus Caesar, five emperors in a row were made emperors by the process of adoption of sons.

And those emperors were forgiven all prior debts and trespasses completely. They had an entirely new relationship and a new family. Yes? I'm sorry, how many emperors were made? Five emperors in a row, starting with Caesar Augustus, were made emperors by the process of adoption of sons. Thank you.

And Paul only used that adoption of sons phrase in three places. One, he used it with writing to Rome, and that was the place, of course, where it originated. Secondly, he used it in Galatians. Two of the five cities in Galatia were Roman colonies. So significant Roman influence. Here in Ephesus, there was a Roman governor and 3,000 Roman soldiers. So significant Roman influence. was kind of a criteria for him including this word. Otherwise, they wouldn't understand the full depth of what it meant. So now, let's move on.

According to the kind intention of his will. How is that going to hit the Gentiles, the people of Greek background? The kind intention of his will. Yeah? Well, the gods that they believed in were not interactive with mankind. Yeah. Did they have any kind of intention of their will? No, they did not. Right?

They did things selfishly. They were even immoral. It almost sounds like the gods were petulant children who were impulsive. So with two words. And they could be angry without any reason. So with two very short words. A kind intention of his will is like, whoa. And he doesn't stop there. This isn't the only place he uses that kind intention.

So, to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the beloved. So here's grace, and the secular definition is a favor you do for a friend or a relative without expectation of return. Now I've got, here's grace that's massive, that begins before God even said let there be light. Massive grace, and this grace is so massive, in the second chapter he's going to say, yeah, that grace is so big God's going to have to take it on into eternity to show you what that means. Massive, huge, overwhelming grace. It's not a favor for friend or relative where you're not expecting return.

This is something that he lavishes, that's his word there. on us. In Him we have. So here's another key point, and that is we talk here at Holly Hills about our position. In Him we have, so in our position, which is in Christ, we also have possessions. When you see we have, it is not always the case, but look for, is it a statement of possession? What do we have? the redemption through his blood. So how did the redemption come about?

Who paid for it? Christ. He paid for it. If it is a pagan deity, who's going to pay for it? You. You're going to pay for it, right? But here we have the redemption through his blood at his expense. I'll take the whole bill. the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace which he lavished on us.

Is he done saying riches of his grace? No, that's going to come later some more. And so one word to put in there is wealths of his grace. Wealths of his grace. Which he stingily metered out to us. which he reluctantly gave us a little bit of. Is that what it says? Which he lavished on us. All right, so now the next part.

In all wisdom and insight, he made known to us the mystery of his will, so it doesn't remain a mystery. And by the way, what was the Greek idea of a mystery? Did everybody know it? Only a select few, right? Like the Delphic oraculum? Right, and so you would have in the Greek pagan concept, mystery was something that only a very small percentage, you know, special people, usually had to pay a fee, right?

You've got this revelation where he says, he made known to us and we're telling everybody. So it's radically different. Again, the cultural concept is getting pulled into something way, way different here. So he made known to us the mystery of will according to, and here we have it again, according to his kind intention, which he purposed in him with a view to an administration by the Father, suitable to the fullness of the times, that is the summing up of all things in the Christ, the Messiah. Summing up of all things in the Messiah.

By not putting the definite article there, that's one of the reasons why people miss that this is the Millennial Kingdom. I said 26 times for in Christ, in Him. 23 times for the Messiah. in Ephesians, and this is the first place it shows up. 23 times. The Messiah. And we're not done with this chapter, and we're not done in the second chapter. And it's a key point. So the Messiah is right here in 110 for the first time.

And then in the Christ, and just so you know it's Jewish speak, how do the Greeks talk about the world? The Greeks, they talk about world, and they use one word, and it's kosmos. The kosmos. The Jewish way of speaking about the world is what? Low, low. It's heaven and earth. Heaven and earth. And so things in the heavens and things in the earth. So the two halves make the whole. That's kind of the Jewish figure of speech principle. And so they wouldn't talk about the world. They would talk about heaven and earth, if they wanted to say everything. So now then we've switched back after a couple of verses on the Church and the Kingdom. He switches back to blessings in Christ. In him also we have obtained an inheritance.

In the Jewish concept, was there an idea of an inheritance? Yeah, first of all, there was a physical inheritance here, and then also an inheritance in the Kingdom. So he's saying, well wait a minute, there's an additional inheritance for the Church? Yep. So one of the things is when the church gets an inheritance that doesn't displace or dip into Israel's inheritance, where's their inheritance?

Physically on the earth, where's their inheritance? In the land, okay? And we've shown a picture of the stripes across and it's this Israel that goes all the way to the Euphrates River and there's a stripe for each of the tribes. This big giant picture currently encompassing eight countries in whole or in part in that picture. But here's an inheritance. And who has the inheritance?

We have this inheritance. Having been predestined. We just bypassed the fates. We just bypassed the fates. So here's the Greeks again. God just does it and the fates aren't even part of it. According to his purpose who works all things after the counsel of his will.

It isn't a matter of the fates determine a lot of things and then you've got the gods. By the way, why do we celebrate New Year's? New Year's was a meeting among pagan groups. to get the gods in our favor and do things to get the gods attention so that as they're making their annual plans, they make decisions favorable to us. Yes, they would have their meeting around New Year's and so human beings would get together and they'd try to, you know, let's do things to get their attention and make them think favorably of us and, you know, make all these resolutions and all these things so that the gods might in some way favor us as they make their plans for the year, right?

Instead, he doesn't have anything to do with that, right? who works all things after the counsel of his will. It works most things? All things. I don't need the fates, I don't need the gods, and I don't need to rely upon an eternal physical universe.

No. He's got things figured out when he said, I chose you and him. Yeah. Again, I think that just so emphasizes the monotheism that's in such a contrast to what everybody else believed at that time. Yeah. Because there was gods for everything. Yes, oh yeah, they had gods. And by the way, I'm talking about the Greek gods. The Greeks also, you know, they thought, well, gee, you know, we'd better hedge our bets. And so you go there in Philippi, they've got not only temples for the Greek gods, but for the Egyptian gods, just in case we need to make sure those are included. There are 700 of them.

Good luck with that. So then, to the counsel of His will, to the end, that we who were the first to hope in THE Christ, THE Messiah, verse 12 it's THE Messiah, would be to the praise of His glory, In him also, here's this in him again, you also after listening to the message of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, and what did you do? You believed. You believed. You were sealed in him who did the sealing. This is God's accomplishment, right? with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance. So it's not like if you do certain things, but it's a pledge. Who's making the pledge? God's making the pledge.

So then we have at the top of page four, the redemption of God's own possession to the praise of His glory. For this reason, I too, having heard of the faith of the Lord Jesus, which exists among you, and your love for of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation and knowledge of Him. And I pray that the eyes of your heart, and the eyes of your heart is a Jewish phrase, it's in the Old Testament and on into the New, and it's very frequently brought up in the book of Hebrews. So it's a very Jewish concept. having been enlightened, it's actually a perfect tense there, having been enlightened so that you will know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance and the saints. Now, do you have an inheritance? Yes. Does he have an inheritance? Yes. You. How about that? You.

What is the surpassing greatness of the power toward us who believe These are in accordance with the working and the strength of His might which He brought about in the Christ, the Messiah, when He raised Him from the dead. Now, did the Greeks believe in raising Him from the dead? No, they did not. So this is a worldview adjustment. This is like, whoa, okay. And so guess what? What is the content of the gospel for these Greek-minded Gentiles? What's the content of the gospel to be believed?

That Christ died for their sins, was buried and rose again, which the culture said nobody rises. He doesn't, we don't. So they would have believed that part, so did they just believe that he was resurrected, but nobody else is resurrected? The whole concept of somebody getting resurrected And you would ask the question, well, was Christ fully man? Yes. So the whole concept was completely against their cultural assumption. Just totally. So you don't get resurrected, and Christ doesn't get resurrected, and nobody gets resurrected.

Can I restate, is Paul writing to believers or unbelievers? Believers. So they already believed in resurrection and the death. So they already have believed in this. But what I'm saying is that it's contrary to the standard cultural concept. So not perhaps to the believers. perhaps not the great believers. But now they believe.

What you find when you read through 1 Corinthians 15 is some of the Corinthian believers are slipping in that belief. Right? Why? Because of the Greek influence. So the cultural influence is creeping in and they're starting to doubt the resurrection. Do they lose their salvation because of it?

No. Yes? We see that same thing today where Christians New Christians would have to unlearn some of the worldly thinking that they've had, or the world view that they previously had. But then you see Christians who have been Christians for quite a while, who begin to slip from the biblical perspective back into what we said to be the world view. We see the same thing today. Yep, we do. Yes?

OK, where it says, he raised him from the dead. Does that mean that that's actually the Trinity that did that? Because it says scripture or Holy Spirit was involved in that. And some places it even says that Christ was involved in that. Yes, essentially you can find where all three persons of the Trinity are involved in Christ's resurrection, including Christ himself. Right, so when it says Well, okay, when we're looking at it here, he's particularly referring to the Father's involvement. But as we look at that, we can also find other places where essentially all three persons of the Trinity are involved in Christ's bodily resurrection. I just wanted to ask, I know, I'm not sure about Greek culture, but I know that in some Pagan cultures there was concept of resurrection, but it was like a circle of life, like something gets resurrected and then it dies. And in spring he or she or it gets resurrected and then it dies.

Yeah, there was more of a mythological concept, but it was not specific. It was not specific, it was more of a vague general concept rather than a specific personal resurrection. So with this resurrection it would be interesting that it doesn't end on the earth, but he actually goes to heaven.

That's right. In other words, where there is a concept of a resurrection that's not personal and it stays here. As opposed to, this is a resurrection and you're out of here. Right? So this is all written after the Holy Spirit has arrived on us? Oh, most certainly, yes.

And here we have, in the middle of verse 19, these are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in the Messiah, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him in His right hand in the heavenly places. So that seated Him in His right hand in the heavenly places would come from Old Testament Scripture. And by the way, the right hand, you know, why is the right not equal to the left? His right hand particularly represents power, right?

Now, then it says in verse 21, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion in every name that is named, and that's why I have this little oval thing off to the left there, that is an amulet, and it has a bunch of angel names. Some, a couple of them are from the Bible, and the others are made up. And so the idea was you could buy amulets, you could buy special magical pieces of paper, and especially in the marketplace at Ephesus, and you could buy these things that had listings with special names you could name. So when you wanted to have power in some circumstance, you'd go and name the names that were on this amulet, that were on this magical document, and you'd name all the names, right? And so people would go spend lots of money for these amulets and magical documents because then they could have power and influence by the more names you named of these powerful beings, the more power and influence you had in your circumstances, right? So this is this name that's, you know, above every name. And she's saying, look, Jesus is above all those names. So just forget those other names. Just name Jesus, right? Isn't there a Jewish person? I found that word in Polish today.

Yeah. There's actually in present times in Boulder there is a shop that has different amulets and things. Yeah, it's very similar. That sort of thing has been carried on in paganism now. It was basically the adoption of that was carried over into the Catholic Church and their history.

Because then you could name various names, right? And matter of fact, you could pick this name for this problem, and this name for the other problem, and get the patron saint of lost causes and lost things, and all that. Yeah? But also, I think you see that this God is a very personal God, because every name, everything's named. I mean, not only the demons and all the rest of that, but all of us.

It's down to the individual person. Yeah, and this is a distinction in Christianity, that individual lives matter. And for example, only a part of Buddhism believes in a god. Some of the other parts are essentially atheistic. But the part that does believe in a god does not believe in a personal god. Ultimately, in Hinduism, the lower derivations have names and are personal, but that's lower derivation. Ultimately, God is impersonal.

I used to sit down and have conversations years ago with Dr. Bhanu Gave, a professor of religion from India. And he said, God is having a dream, and one day his dream will be over. So specificity of personality is an illusion. in some of the Eastern view, whereas in Christianity, no, that's not an illusion.

That's reality forever. That's reality forever. So then we see that name, every name that is named, not only in this age, and the term this age, this age, this present evil age, starts from when Adam was born and goes all the way to the Messiah's time.

And then it says also in the one to come. The age to come is the Messiah's age. And that would be that age and the age to come. And then sometimes the one to come. So he put all things in subjection under his feet, come out of the Old Testament, and give him his head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. So for this, what you see is that we have the final mention, the church and the kingdom. The age to come is the kingdom. He ties the church into it. So the Church and the Kingdom now is mentioned a second time, and that starts chapter 2, which we're not going to be able to complete, but let's get a start on it.

And you are dead in your trespasses and sins, on the top of page 5, in which you formerly, remember there is formerly twice in this section, and again in verses 11-13, formerly again, formerly being used consistently by Paul and his associates, as the believers before they believed.

Walked, and we said that was a Jewish term. Noah walked with God. Enoch walked with God. And it's ordering one's individual life step by step according to a spiritual principle. In this case, it's an evil spiritual principle. But the term is Jewish whether you're walking with the Lord or whether you're walking according to the course of this world.

So we have the course of this world, and this by the way would be a Gentile term, for one thing the use of the word world. And the Gentile mindset was that we got this world, cosmos, and then the prince of the power of the air, they saw the evil spirits as floating in the air above them. And that's one reason, because you have these evil spirits that might just come and attack you at random moments. You want to have a name of every name, right? You want to be able to name names. Yes?

So the prince of the power of the air is according to the Jinn or the Greek understanding? That's the Greek understanding. So, okay, this has nothing to do with Satan. Oh, it does. It very much has to do with Satan. But I'm just saying the Greek concept is that there are these spirits floating around and you want to have influence over those spirits. And you don't want to be powerless with those floating spirits that are going around.

Yes? So since Satan is going to be bound during the millennial age, you could say that this evil age is the age of the power, the prince of the power of the air, right? Yeah, has there ever been any time when this description doesn't fit from the time Adam fell until the time when Christ comes again? No. This has been the description of things for the whole time. So this Greek concept of evil spirits floating in the air was actually sort of correct?

Think about what Paul's doing is he's drawing upon the Jews and the Greeks understanding of things where it is consistent with what he lays out. He also sharply contrasts with what they have. So he does both. So he wants to keep them connected while at the same time correcting their misunderstandings about things.

So now, let's take a look at this, on verse 4, but God. Being rich in mercy, so God's wealthy in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us. How many of the Greek gods had great love for you? Not us. Not happening. Didn't happen. And by the way, he didn't say just his love with which he loved us. His mercy, does he have just kind of a certain amount of that, limited amount? No, being rich in mercy. His great love with which he loved us is not just, he kind of likes us, he favors us a little bit, but no, it's great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, dead meaning separated from him, he made us alive together with the Christ, this is the Messiah, The Christ, by grace you have been saved, perfect tense, done deal, permanent, and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches, here's riches of his grace again, we saw it the first time in chapter 1, here it is again, in kindness toward us, in Christ Jesus. Can you imagine the Gentile mindset as they're saying, this is a God like we never ever heard of. How come nobody told us about this? Right? How come nobody told us about this?

I think it's relevant today too though. Yes, it certainly is. Right? It certainly is. Now, for by grace you have been saved through faith that is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Did you ever get a gift from the pagan deities? Nope. Not a result of works, and of course the Jews would say, what? Right? Not a result of works so that no one may boast. Remember Jesus saying, you know, Are you telling about this one Pharisee? Is this thank you that I'm not like that tax collector over there? And I do this and this and this and this? Nope, no one can boast.

It's what God does, not what we do. And then, not a result of works no one may boast, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we would walk in them." Now, God prepared beforehand that we would walk in them, so now let's think about this. Alright, I've been chosen in him before the foundation of the world, God said let there be light, he predestined us, twice in chapter 1, right? twice in chapter one, and he predestines us, and then the things that he wants us to do, he says, I've already got that covered.

I prepared it beforehand. All you've got to do is just walk in it. He says, don't worry, I've thought of everything. I didn't slip on anything. Everything, it's all ready. All you've got to do is walk in it. That's it. Yeah. And isn't mostly like the things to do Like, are those things like predestined, for example, I don't know, don't be, stop being anxious, but in everything, lay your request by prayer and supplication before him. Like, that's to-do thing, but it's not, as a matter of fact, like, go there or do this or... Actually, it says it's employment, labor, business, something to be done. It is something to be done, but let's put it this way.

There is nothing that God ever asks us to do that is not already founded in our position, in our possessions. So he's already put things in place already, and in our empowerment, in enabling and energizing. There's nothing he asks us to do that isn't already covered by that. He doesn't say, now look, I realize that you've got to do this on your own, but I've got some other assignments here I want you to pull off. There isn't any such thing like that, right? All right, there's people looking in, are you guys done? So we've got to quit.

So anyway, you can take a look at the rest of this, but you get the idea that these two chapters have a definite pattern. These two chapters are written to both pull both Jews and Gentiles in, as well as to correct their misunderstandings along the way. And in the end, in the part we didn't cover, he talks about, you know, because this is going to blow the Jew circuits, the Messiah took the law out of the way. The Messiah took the law out of the way. You want to blame somebody? He's the one that did it.

And he did it by God's intent, and now the Jews and the Gentiles are one body, one citizenship, and he took the law out of the way on purpose. Why? So he could build you up together with Christ as the cornerstone and the foundation of the apostles and prophets to build you up together into a holy temple in the Lord, Jews and Gentiles together. but the Messiah pulled it off. He did it by taking the law completely out of the way, and he did it by dying on the cross. So that's why he's pulling them both along, he is correcting both of their misunderstandings, and then finally he keeps dropping this word, the Messiah, the Messiah, the Messiah. Why? So when he tells them, he took the law out of the way, he did it in.

The Messiah did it. Your Messiah. You know, the one descended from David? Yeah, it's the one. That guy. The one you killed? Yeah. So anyway, this is a phenomenal book. We've just started. Next week we're going to jump into chapter 5 and we're going to see again where structure ends up making a huge difference in how we understand chapters 5 and 6. Really big difference. I mean major. It's huge. Let's pray.

Lord, we do thank you for your word. We thank you for the things you've revealed. We see that certainly Paul was a brilliant fellow, but beyond that you inspired this magnificent book with messages and It's almost mind-boggling. We thank you for it. We thank you that you revealed it because you love us, you care for us, and we pray these things in Jesus' name.