God's riches are unsearchable; we will never know them completely. The Psalmist called us to kneel (Psalm 95:6). When the church understands and walks in God's eternal purpose, God will be glorified and the church will fulfill its important duty of simply glorifying God. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. (1 Corinthians 11:10), - The things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven; things which angels desire to look into. Faith surrounded by enemies and yet triumphant. You can't go lower than the death of the cross, and that is how deep the love of Jesus is for us. Spurgeon on the phrase exceedingly abundantly: "He has constructed here in the Greek an expression which is altogether his own. God does this for the glory of His creatures, because the glory of the creature is directly connected to the glory of the Creator. The ensuing riot put Paul in a legal dilemma, from which he used his right as a Roman citizen and appealed to Caesar. We'll send you an email with steps on how to reset your password. He wants everybody to see and share in the fellowship of this mystery - which is a mystery precisely because it was unknown and unknowable until God revealed it. (2) The blessings of the church, make a list, 1:3-14. That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith: Paul asked that Jesus would live in these believers, even as Jesus promised in John 14:23: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. Unsearchable riches also tells us this is something good. ii. iii. Peter prayed on his knees (Acts 9:40). This Roman imprisonment produced the letters of Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians and Philemon. The angels desire to look into these things. View Ephesians . -------------------- Copyright © 2021, Bible Study Tools. i. The Bible has enough prayer not on the knees to show us that it isn't required, but it also has enough prayer on the knees to show us that it is good. Spurgeon on the phrase exceedingly abundantly: "He has constructed here in the Greek an expression which is altogether his own. The meaning seems to be that they should be rooted and grounded in their love for one another, more than being rooted and grounded in their love for God and the knowledge of that love. But Paul specifically wrote that these principalities and powers are in the heavenly places, not in earthly places. The love of Jesus has width. Knowing this and working towards it is a great guard against losing heart in the midst of tribulation. Of course, God also wants to reveal this wisdom to the church. Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-92) was England's best-known preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century. SermonAudio.com - Ephesians 3 Sermons. "May not the holy Angels be bound up in spiritual families, though they marry not nor are given in marriage?" Historical Books This wisdom is manifold. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select an Ending Point Major Prophets Verse 5. The Gospels It is indeed amazing that God would take a Hebrew of the Hebrews, a Pharisee, and a persecutor of the church to be the main minister of the mystery, the mystery of the work of the gospel in bringing Jew and Gentile together into one new body. On a strategic visit to Jerusalem he had the opportunity to preach to a vast crowd on or near the temple mount (Acts 21:39-22:22), but the opportunity ended in disaster because the Jewish crowd could not stand the idea of the good news of the Messiah being extended to the Gentiles (Acts 22:21-22). Blue Letter Bible offers several daily devotional readings in order to help you refocus on Christ and the Gospel of His peace and righteousness. … of which I became a minister This points us back to verse 6 where Paul presented the Plan of the mystery. 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.. 19 to know the love of Christ . God himself has written the play, and he directs and produces it. Forgiveness Made Easy “Forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”—Ephesians iv. That now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known: God is a Being of infinite wisdom and glory, and He wants His creatures to know His great and manifold wisdom. - If … History is the theatre, the world is the stage, and the church members in every land are the actors. Johannine Writings g. He made known to me the mystery: Paul did not hesitate to claim that the mystery he will reveal was given to him by revelation. c. Through the gospel: This could only happen through the gospel, where all men have an equal standing in Jesus. Jesus wants to settle down in your heart, not just visit as a stranger. Ephesians 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries; Ephesians 3:1-7 Grateful for the Gospel - Steven Cole; Ephesians 3:1-4 The Unity of the Body, Part 4 - John MacArthur; PAUL'S IMPRISONMENT HAD PURPOSE. Blue Letter Bible is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Yet most people today have never heard of John Gill. Surely we should not despise them." The Old Testament There will be more in heaven than we expect to see there by a long way; and there will be some there with whom we had very little comfortable fellowship on earth who had fellowship with Christ, and who are therefore taken to dwell with him for ever." iii. "In his immortality, never touched by one drop of our cold river, it is instructive to him beyond all our thought to see his God triumphing over pain and death in some sufferer in the fire of martyrdom, or in the torture of cancer, or in the shipwreck, or just in the silent awe of any form of our departure from the body … They see these fallen and mortal beings, this Community of the lost and saved, not only bearing and doing for God here on earth, but spiritually present with Him in the Holy of Holies above." (Alford). i. (1) The Christian's standing before God, Chs. The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, f. To know the love of Christ: Paul wrote of something we can know. v. The love of Jesus has depth. THE heathen moralists, when they wished to teach virtue, could not point to the example of their gods, for, according to their mythologists, the gods were a compound of every imaginable, and, I had almost said, unimaginable vice. (Eph 3:13) Paul's current personal participation in the mystery. i. But he saw himself as the prisoner of Jesus Christ. Paul wanted Christians to experience life in Jesus Christ, the fullness of God (Colossians 2:9), and to be filled to their capacity with Jesus, even as God is filled to His own capacity with His own character and attributes. -------------------- Prayer is usually directed to the Father, through the Son, by the empowering and direction of the Holy Spirit. of The mystery of the unified Body of Christ is according to that purpose. This is clean in opposition to all the teaching of Scripture." iii. But he soon discovered that it wasn't a lake at all, but an ocean, an immeasurable sea. "This statement settles the question once for all concerning the existence of the church, the body of Christ, in and during the Old Testament dispensations. i. However, before we delve into the details, it may help to see the bare bones of Paul's prayer. 3. Most importantly, Jesus prayed on His knees (Luke 22:41). -------------------- 32. “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly … ii. (Spurgeon), iii. (Spurgeon). Its fulfillment is a certainty (as shown by the initial work of bringing Jew and Gentile together in Jesus), so he can speak of it as already finished. f. Which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God: This great truth - the fellowship of the mystery - was hidden before it was revealed after the finished work of Jesus on the cross. The angels see right through this. Dwell uses the ancient Greek word for a permanent home. Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). Divisions in the church have not always been between Jew and Gentile. Historical Books a. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation. (Spurgeon), iv. d. According to the eternal purpose which He accomplished: The mystery reveals and furthers God's eternal purpose in Jesus, previously described in Ephesians 1:10 - that in the fullness of the times, God will gather together (essentially, to sum up or resolve) all things in Jesus. It is because there is something in us that resists the influence of the indwelling Jesus. This is the same gospel Paul is a servant of, because of the gift of grace given to him by the working of God's power. 2. A. He has faised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6). A plenitude of grace is a cure for pride." According to the power that works in us: God is able to do this in our life now, not beginning with heaven. To be FILLED with God is a great thing; to be filled with the FULLNESS of God is still greater; but to be filled with ALL the fullness of God utterly bewilders the sense and confounds the understanding." to preach that truth. e. Fellowship of the mystery: We should carefully consider what this phrase means. Poetical Books (Stott), vii. (Spurgeon). Presented here is a verse by verse exposition of the New Testament. That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. Other sermons are not yet available online. But they see a nature which, wrecked by itself, was yet made in the image of their God and ours. ephesians 2 commentary spurgeon, Ephesians 2:11-22. God gave me the revelation and I am only His messenger of this truth." Prophets ii. Adam Clarke saw a connection between Solomon's kneeling prayer at the dedication of the temple and Paul's kneeling prayer here. "The doctrines of the gospel are a golden throne upon which Jesus sits, as king-not a hard, cold stone rolled at the door of the sepulcher in which Christ is hidden." "Many parts of this prayer bear a strict resemblance to that offered by Solomon when dedicating the temple … The apostle was now dedicating the Christian Church.". Prophets For who but angels will be the reapers at the last, and who but they shall be the convoy to our spirits across the last dark stream? It is a choice mercy to be permitted to preach the gospel. i. Does not our love fervently flame towards heaven?” (Spurgeon) v. There is a significant contrast between the citizens of earth as described in Philippians 3:18-19 and the citizens of heaven as described in Philippians 3:20-21. b. Commentary on Ephesians 3:20,21. Jan 01. It also must be made known. 3. To come to any understanding of the dimensions of God's love, we must come to the cross. (2 Kings 6:17) These angelic beings see us perfectly and know us far better than we know them. [A new version of this page can be found here]. d. To make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery: Having been entrusted with such riches, Paul's passion was to make this gospel known to all people. It is the blessed privilege of prayer." The Old Testament Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think: As Paul came to this great height (what can there be higher than the fullness of God? They are the cosmic intelligences, the principalities and powers in the heavenly places." (Eph 3:16-19) Paul prays again for the Ephesians. h. Was not made known to the sons of men, as it now has been revealed: The nature of the union of Jews and Gentiles into this new body is the aspect that was not made known. i. Note: MLA no longer requires the URL as part of their citation standard. iii. Major Prophets Act by act, scene by scene, the story continues to unfold. d. From whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named: In remembering that all God's family is called after His name, Paul showed that his mind was rather taken with this idea of the essential unity of the Body of Christ. c. Being rooted and grounded in love: Paul asked that all this would take place as they were rooted and grounded in love. Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. For this reason: The basis of Paul's prayer was his knowledge of God's purpose. Paul trusted that his readers would understand what God revealed to him. i. It is possible that the word has it’s origin in a similar Greek word, diakonis, which means “running through dust.”In the Roman world, servants would run errands for their masters through the dusty streets, and often times, … He calls upon all the people of God to praise the divine name." "What then have they to learn from us? The New Testament The New Testament In fact, the event that triggered Paul's arrest and shipment … This is unfortunate, since his works contain priceless gems of information that are found nowhere except in the ancient writings of the Jews. Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed Describe sweet sleeping. One has the idea of living in a place as a stranger, and the other has the idea of settling down in a place to make it your permanent home. In 1854, just four years after his conversion, Spurgeon, then only 20, became pastor of London's famed New Park Street Church (formerly pastored by … iv. The Old Testament Poetical Books Conclusion, 6:21 end. Wisdom Literature vi. a. d. You have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you: The word dispensation speaks of the "implemented strategy" of God's plan in the church. Please see Blue Letter Bible's Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. c. If indeed you have heard: This suggests Paul knew his particular calling to the Gentile world was well known among Gentile Christians. Pauline Epistles But it was really just a small part of a much larger wall called the Iron Curtain. Several passages refer to this: - For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. He explains the reason for his imprisonment - for the sake of you Gentiles. His love is as wide as the world: For God so loved the world (John 3:16), iii. The Reformers spoke out against the division between "clergy" and "laity" and the teaching of the priesthood of all believers insisted that all had the same access to God. He prays for the Ephesians. (Spurgeon). Ephesians 3:16 The measure of God's power J. H. Rogers, M. A. (Gaebelein). I wish some of you would be ambitious of it, for earnest preachers are wanted." 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