- Pastor Jacob Marchitell
Ephesians 1 - Overview
Pastor Marchitell looks back at Chapter 1 of Ephesians to see the main theme. From April 4th 2021
Greeting
Sunday April 11th 2021
Our Chicken BBQ fundraiser will be coming up soon.
At the end of the Sermon today I’ll be inviting you all to stand with me and sing the words of the Doxology
And after watching through the Sermons from the past few Sunday, I realized that when I sing the doxology, im still going pretty fast, so today, im going to slow it down even more
And the kids are dismissed
BODY
Last week, we finished Chapter 1 of Ephesians!
Today, were going to have just a quick little overview of what Ephesians 1 was all about.
And then a little bit of an explanation of why were going verse by verse through the whole Book.
So...im going to read the whole Chapter.
Take this time to think back about the past messages
Which verses stuck out to you?
Which verses left you with questions?
Which verses brought you answers?
Were there things written here in Ephesians 1 that you had never given any thought to?
If there is, ask why?
Is there any uncomfortable truth written here?
Maybe its not uncomfortable, but you just never really took the time to think about it?
When you read through Scriptures, are you looking for what you can use to make your life easier or better?
Is the Word of God just a means to an end?
Do we read the Bible to study and critique it? ---- take what we like and ignore the rest?
Or do we read the Bible---- because we realize that we are the ones who need to be critiqued by it?
When we read Scripture, do we allow the words to change us?
Do we believe things about God that cant be confirmed by whats written within it’s pages?
If we do…..will we submit those thoughts?
If we have a sincerely held belief, that has guided us our whole life, but when we read the Bible------ it’s not there----
Will we argue and fight over it----
Or will we let ourselves by molded by these words-----and not the other way around.
Have we used tradition and feelings as our spiritual Compass, instead of the written word that collects dust on our end tables?
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Ephesians 1
[1] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
[2] Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, [4] even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love [5] he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, [6] to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. [7] In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, [8] which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight [9] making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ [10] as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
[11] In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, [12] so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. [13] In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, [14] who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
[15] For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, [16] I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, [17] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, [18] having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, [19] and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might [20] that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, [21] far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. [22] And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, [23] which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (ESV)
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Jesus Christ is King of everything
Everything is under His feet
Our entire life is in His hands
There is no variable he hasnt accounted for
No sin he hasnt foreseen
No sin he didn't incorporate in His plan for you --- that His Son didn't die for
The wrath of God that our sins have earned us ------ has been poured out on the back of His Son
If you repent of your sin and believe in Him, then you will be saved, forgiven and made new.
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When we read the entire Chapter of Ephesians 1, there is one main theme that sticks out, and in fact, it’s repeated 9 different times within 23 Verses.
Verses: 5,6,7,9,11,11,12,14,19
Everything in all of reality, especially noticeable in the life of one of His children ----
Is according to His will, His power, His grace, and the Purpose of Christ.
Which results in us praising and glorifying Him
9 different times this reality is repeated
9 times God hammers home that He is sovereign over everything
9 times He repeats Himself
And when God repeats Himself, pay attention
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And I don't know about you guys, but I need to repeat this fact over and over and over againin my head and in my heart.
God has me
He is in control
Whatever may come to pass, will come to pass, and He is sovereign over it
Are you having issues with your job?
With your Church?
With your life?
God is in control of everything, and everything He does is according to His will - and will result in you praising and glorifying Him
Are you having issues with your family?
Is there tension and stress between you and your spouse?
Have your children run off and ruined their lives?
God is in control of everything, and everything He does is according to His will - and will result in you praising and glorifying Him
Does the world at large scare you?
Does the culture’s downward spiral into degeneracy drive you insane?
Does the coronavirus control your life?
Are you afraid of dying?
Are you and you alone in control of everything that happens in your life and whenever something happens that is beyond and outside of you----- you react in anger or fear?
God is in control of everything, and everything He does is according to His will - and will result in you praising and glorifying Him
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Ephesians 1 is a powerful and deep chapter of Scripture. We could start back over again at verse 1 and pull even more from the verses.
But we won’t. // Next week we’ll be getting into Ephesians 2.
Theres some deep stuff right in the beginning that may make us uncomfortable.
Its going to challenge what we think and believe
So this week, read the first few verses of Ephesians 2
Read what the Bible says about the natural state of humanity
And then mold your thinking to it’s words, instead of the other way around.
And when we do get into them, were going to be able to see all the more clearly the reality of what God beat into our heart in Chapter 1
And that is that God is in control of everything:
Every war
Every disease
Every government
Every angel
Every demon
Every human
And every ounce of our free will
And everything He does is according to His will:
Everyone He saves
Everyone He doesn't save
Everyone who lives
Everyone who passes away
Everything that comes to pass is either directly caused by Him
Or allowed to happen
And the bottom line end result of everything that does or doesn't happen will result in you praising and glorifying Him
( From this point forward, Pastor Jacob left his notes but continued to Preach. To hear the full Sermon, please visit our Facebook page, or Soundcloud, both of which are linked in the "Contact" section of this site.)
Thank You