Living 3:16 - Alive With Power - Ephesians 1 - March 23, 2008

Sunday School Lesson – Living 3:16 – Alive With Power – March 23, 2008

This is lesson four (4) in our series of study.

Our scripture is Ephesians 1:18-21; 2:4-9; 3:16-21.

The Apostle Paul was writing to the Christians in Ephesus.

Paul’s letter to the Christians in Ephesus is rich with spiritual revelation.

GOD reveals through the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:4 the fact that GOD knew each person before HE created the world. That means HE knew you and me. Every human who ever has been or ever will be, GOD knew before HE created the world. Each one of us is no accident and GOD has a plan for every person. People must keep in mind that it is their decision whether or not they will be obedient and accept CHRIST as our SAVIOR when GOD calls them to salvation. Then each believer decides whether or not to yield their lives to GOD and grow and mature in HIM.

In Ephesians 1:3-6:

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,[2] Eph 1:20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12 in Christ; 4 for He chose[3] Rm 11:5–7; 1 Co 1:26–31; 1 Th 1:4; 2 Th 2:13; 1 Pt 1:1–2 us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight.[4] Vv. 3–14 are 1 sentence in Gk. In love[5] Or In His sight in love 5 He predestined[6] Ac 4:28; Rm 8:29–30; 1 Co 2:7; Eph 1:11 us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, 6 to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved.

What an awesome thought. GOD truly loves us.

Let’s read Ephesians 1:18-21:

18 [I pray]* The bracketed text has been added for clarity. that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength.
God’s Power in Christ
20 He demonstrated [this power]* The bracketed text has been added for clarity. in the Messiah by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavens[15] Eph 1:3; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12 — 21 far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given,[16] Lit every name named not only in this age but also in the one to come.

To me it is awesome to think that the special meeting place between each person and GOD is in the eyes of his or her heart. It is in the eyes of our hearts that GOD reveals Himself, truth, understanding, confirms our salvation and much more.

Look at verses nineteen (19) and twenty (20). Do you realize that when we ask CHRIST to forgive us of our sins and to come into our hearts, in that instant we are born-again in our spirit and many things take place. All believers receive the power within them through the indwelling Holy Spirit. This is the same power that GOD used to raise JESUS from the dead and to raise HIM up to sit at the right–hand of GOD, HIS FATHER.

As I prepared this lesson the LORD revealed this to me:

All believers have this same awesome power within them that raised JESUS from the dead. GOD gave Moses the power to use the rod to bring about the many plagues that led Pharaoh to let the Israelites go from Egypt. GOD had used HIS power through Moses and the rod to perform mighty miracles as the Israelites were on their journey from Egypt to the land GOD had promised them.

I believe Moses had great confidence in the use of the rod to bring about what ever GOD said.
Exodus 7:20 - 20 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded; in the sight of Pharaoh and his officials, he raised the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile was turned to blood. 21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad the Egyptians could not drink water from it. There was blood throughout the land of Egypt.

In Exodus 17:5-7 GOD instructed Moses to use the rod to strike the rock for water. 5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take the rod you struck the Nile with in your hand and go. 6 I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb; when you hit the rock, water will come out of it and the people will drink.” Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He named the place Massah[1] = testing and Meribah[2] = arguing because the Israelites complained, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Then GOD wanted to increase Moses faith by showing Moses that all he had to do was speak and things would happen. Numbers 20 gives us this event in the life of Moses.

Numbers 20:1-13:
Water from the Rock
1 The entire Israelite community entered the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and they[1] Lit the people settled in Kadesh. Miriam[2] Nm 12:1; 26:59; Ex 15:20–21; Dt 24:9 died and was buried there. 2 There was no water for the community, so they assembled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The people quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord.[3] Nm 16:31–35,41–50 4 Why have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? 5 Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It’s not a place of grain, figs, vines, and pomegranates,[4] Nm 13:23–27; Ex 13:5; Dt 8:8 and there is no water to drink!” 6 Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting. They fell down with their faces [to the ground]* The bracketed text has been added for clarity. , and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 The Lord spoke to Moses, 8 “Take the staff[5] Nm 17:8; Ex 4:2–5; 17:4–9 and assemble the community. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will yield its water. You will bring out water for them from the rock and provide drink for the community and their livestock.” 9 So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence[6] Nm 17:10 just as He had commanded him. 10 Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?” 11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.[7] Ex 17:6; Ps 78:15; 1 Co 10:4 12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them.”[8] Nm 27:12–14 13 These are the waters of Meribah,[9] = quarreling [10] Nm 27:14; Ex 17:7; Dt 32:51; Ps 95:8; 106:32 where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord, and He showed His holiness to them.

Moses disobeyed GOD and it cost him the opportunity of experiencing a more mature relationship with GOD and going into the Promised Land. Why?

GOD wanted Moses to grow and mature to experience a more in-depth relationship. GOD wanted Moses to see that HIS power was not in the rod but in GOD and this power was available to Moses because of the relationship. GOD wanted Moses to see that through an obedient relationship, all Moses had to do was speak as GOD instructed him and miracles would take place.

Keep in mind that this same awesome power is in each believer. So why do we not see this power manifested in and through our lives? I think it is a matter of lack of growth and maturity. GOD will never give HIS children something that will harm them. Yes, every believer has the power within but many of us have not grown or matured spiritually to see this power manifested in our lives. What does it take? Do you remember the lessons last year beginning with the Beatitudes? The Beatitudes are GOD’S characteristics of an ideal disciple. Then each lesson after that series helped us to examine ourselves and how we look at others. It boils down to our relationship with our LORD and the things we, as believers, harbor in our hearts.

We have the same power in us as GOD used to raise JESUS from the dead and seated HIM at HIS right-hand.

GOD often allows us to experience baby steps and as we grow and mature HE allows us to experience more of HIS power. But often we become comfortable at the stage of growth and maturity we have experienced and we think we have experienced all there is. As we yield our lives to GOD all believers need to keep in mind that HIS power is limitless.

Spiritual growth and maturity is a process called sanctification. Our flesh wants to rule our bodies and fights our spiritual growth and maturity. Allowing the Holy Spirit to search our hearts to reveal the things that prevent us from having the most intimate relationship with our LORD is part of the sanctification process. Spending time with HIM through HIS Word and talking to HIM in prayer is the beginning. As we build the relationship the Holy Spirit helps us to bring the flesh under HIS control and HIS authority.

Let’s read Ephesians 2:4-9:

4 But God, who is abundant in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us,[3] Lit love with which He loved us 5 made us alive with the • Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. By grace you are saved! 6 He also raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavens,[4] Eph 1:3,20; 3:10; 6:12 in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace in [His]* The bracketed text has been added for clarity. kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace[5] Rm 3:24; 6:14; 11:6; Gl 2:21; 2 Tm 1:9 you are saved through faith,[6] Rm 3:28; 5:1 and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are His creation—created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.

Now look at what happens when we receive CHRIST as our SAVIOR!

We were dead to the voice of GOD. We could not respond because we were dead. A dead person cannot respond to anything. Only GOD has the power to call a dead sinner to salvation. HE calls to every person in the most secret place the eyes of his or her heart. All people have a choice to make – (1) Accept CHRIST as their SAVIOR (2) Reject CHRIST as their SAVIOR. There is no third choice.

When a person accepts CHRIST as his or her SAVIOR, look what happens!!!! At that moment, the new believer is raised from the dead by GOD’S power, born into GOD’S family and is transported to heaven. This is all the gift of GOD and nothing any human can do to earn it or work for it. It is “GRACE.” Grace is unmerited favor. Grace is something that is impossible to earn. It is GOD’S free gift to every believer and is secured by making every believer HIS child and placing him or her in HIS care in heaven. In essence every believer is already in heaven but GOD leaves believers on earth to carry out HIS plan. That is why HE wants all believers to be obedient to HIM and serve HIM. This is why every believer must seek an intimate relationship with HIM. Through our relationship with GOD, HE equips all believers and instructs all believers to do HIS work. Through the relationship, we as believers do not waste time and effort by pursuing our own work in an effort to please GOD.

Let’s read Ephesians 3:16-21:

16 [I pray]* The bracketed text has been added for clarity. that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. [I pray that]* The bracketed text has been added for clarity. you, being rooted and firmly established in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth [of God’s love]* The bracketed text has been added for clarity. , 19 and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think—according to the power that works in you— 21 to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. • Amen.

As in our previous lesson, it comes back to knowing and understanding the love of GOD and CHRIST for the people of earth. While we were sinners CHRIST died for us.

John 3:16-18 says it all:

16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His • One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.[10] 1 Jn 4:9–10 17 For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the • One and Only Son of God.

GOD so loved you, me and all people of the earth that HE gave HIS SON. When we as believers can comprehend the love GOD had for us and others, then we can begin to serve HIM and seek the fullness of CHRIST in us through an intimate relationship with HIM.

So you citizens of heaven, HAPPY EASTER!!! HE HAS RISEN and because HE lives so will all who believe in HIM!!!