Sept.12th Ephesians continued....

Paul writes this epistle to make Christians more aware of their heavenly wealth in Christ and to motivate them to draw upon those resources in their earthly walk. The first three chapters might be called "Our Wealth IN Christ". They outline the believer's possessions: adoption, redemption, inheritance, power, life, citizenship... The last 3 chapters might be called "Our Walk IN Christ". They urge the child of God to conduct himself according to his calling!

Paul described himself as "an apostle of Jesus Christ"...called by the will of God". Paul was confident, convinced, astonished and authoritative in his sense of calling.

After you study this section of Ephesians, you should be able to express God's spiritual benefits for you...they will transfor your life by believing and acting upon them!!! Our riches may not seem so in our experience. REMEMBER? Faith is counting so what (does not seem) is not so that it may be so because God said so!!!!!

Don't confuse spiritual blessings with material or temporal blessings. "Who has blessed us IN Christ......" ALL of the blessings you receive come because of your union with Christ. It is IN Christ that you receive them.

Fact: Paul is writing to SAINTS! Saint = (not a dirty old sinner saved by grace, but) a born again blood-washed "born again" believer who WAS saveD by God's grace and may still sin but is surprised when he/she does and confesses (in agreement with the convicting Holy Spirit) and repents.

God chose us IN Christ! The basis of our election is Jesus Christ. (We distributed a paper titled "Foreknowledge, Predestination and Election by Dr. Mark G. Cambron). [including a few notes from that paper:] The basis of our election is Christ. God in His sovereignty chose to choose everyone who chooses Christ, everyone who believes in Christ, everyone who yields his life to Christ. God elected those individuals IN HIM! If you received Christ...you are IN HIM - He is IN You!...then you are chosen because Christ is the basis of election!

Predestination and election (choosing) have nothing to do with the lost, but are for the saved. God knows ahead of time (foreknowledge - attribute of God) those who will believe on His Son. He does not predetermine who will believe. God knows the whosover wills...salvation is based on that!

Chose = aorist tense, "once and for all". Predestination and elections are ACTS of God. The fact that God knows the future (foreknowledge) does NOT determine who is saved. Predestination is never for the lost man to be saved or to be lost, but rather predestination is for the SAVE...IN Christ. Every person is given a "measure of faith (Rom. 12:3) Each one determine the object of that measure of faith. The ONLY realiable Object is Jesus. Where have you placed your "measure of faith"???

v. 4 Chosen for what? Not salvation but chosen those IN CHRIST (He knows ahead of time)..."that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." Holy is a result not the basis of His choice.

We are to be different in a positive way = our level of forgiveness, spirit, attitudes, depth of love, and strength of commitment. God has made us different than what we were. II Cor. 5:17.

Salvation repentance = change of mind about Who Jesus is.
Behavioral repentance = the Holy Spirit working in my heart and my choosing to be obedient to change my actions.

The SAVED are predestined for certain blessings. In other words, God drew a circle, figuratively speaking, and said that whosoever will by his measure of faith (IN Christ) steps into the circle. Those in that circle shall receive these blessings:
1. "to be conformed to the image of His Son." Rom. 8:29a
2. "unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ". Adoption simply means "to declare as a son." (present and future)...you get in by regeneration...the new birth. The public attestation of adult sonship and conferment of the privileges belonging to sons who have come to be of age. Adoption is the ACT of God ... adult standing in the family.
3. "HE has accepted us"...an eternal position which will never change.

"No remission of sin, but by the shedding of blood." (Hebrews) Redemption..."to purchase and set free by paying a price." We are not poor, but we are sons...we are rich! The only ground on which God can forgive sin and reinstate us in His favor is through the Cross of Christ - NO other way!

Forgiveness -= enormous cost to God made ours...divine miracle of grace...Atonement...."accepted in the Beloved...the ONLY way we can be forgiven.

Sanctification is simply the marvelous expression of the forgiveness of sins ina human life...Paul never got away from the magnitude of His forgiveness...he was constrained by the love of God.

Forgive means to carry away - the Scapegoat - Day of Atonement. Forgiveness means our sins have been dismissed. God does not want us to live in bondage...He liberates us...does not want us to live in guilt...we can experience the release of the bondage of sin. FREEDOM AND RICHES IN CHRIST!!!!