Saturday, October 31, 2015

Our Redemption “in Christ” Detailed to the Ephesians Volume 11


Paul reminds the Ephesians of their previous spiritual Condition
Ephesians 2:2-3 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. KJV

Perhaps it is the Holy Spirit’s desire to give these Ephesians a verbal reminder of the awful and dreadful state or condition they were in prior to hearing and believing the Gospel of Christ that leads the Apostle Paul in his detailed description of human nature apart from Him. It is in this letter (none of Paul’s other letters) that we find him writing these words, “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30). What would grieve Him more than when these Ephesians or we today allow our flesh or old nature, the world, and the devil to control our thoughts, attitudes, and ultimately our behavior? With this in mind we find the Apostle Paul describing the deadness of their spiritual condition by first saying “ye walked according to the course of this world” (Ephesians 2:2). The English phrase “ye walked” is translated by the Greek word peripateo meaning to live or behave in a certain manner. The English word course is translated by the Greek word aion meaning an age; by extension perpetuity (also the past); but is often used to denote the present world, with its cares, temptations, and desires; and here denotes particularly the people of this world. In other words, before their conversion to Christ sin and living in sin was their normal behavior following after and as a companion the other lost people of the world system or kosmos (the moral arrangement or order) set in place by the devil.

Paul is reminding them that only the Grace of God has now made a distinction between them and those still caught up under the control of the world system designed by the devil. Speaking of the devil Paul refers to him here as the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). The English word prince Paul uses here is translated by the Greek word archon meaning to be first in rank or rule. The Jews at that time believed that the air or atmosphere was inhabited by evil spirits or demons and they referred to their master or ruler as Beelzebub another name for the devil (Luke 11:15). Even our Lord, Master, and Savoir Jesus Christ referred to the devil using this same word when He said, “About judgment, because the ruler (evil genius, prince) of this world [Satan] is judged {and} condemned {and} sentence already is passed upon him.” (John 16:11). The writers of the Expositor’s Bible Commentary wrote this to describe the unwholesome atmosphere of sin powered by the devil, “The air is impregnated with the infection of sin; its germs float about us constantly, and wherever they find lodgment they set up their deadly fever. Sin is the malarial poison native to our soil; it is an epidemic that runs its course through the entire ‘age of this world.’”

Paul declares the devil to be “the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2). The English phrase “now worketh” is translated by two Greek words, the first is nun meaning present and immediate and the second is energeo meaning to be active, effectual, and mighty in working power. In other words, the devil is right now actively working mightily to blind the unbeliever in lies and keep them from receiving forgiveness of sins and new life in Christ Jesus our Lord as Paul declared in this manner to the Thessalonian believers, Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10) and also as Paul declared in this manner to the Corinthian believers, “But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

Paul includes himself with these Ephesian believers in being blinded by the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2) just as they were, and Paul goes on to declare that this spiritual blindness was our conversation. This English phrase “had our conversation” is translated by the Greek word anastrepho meaning an intense repetition with the implication to busy oneself with living in a certain manner. In other words, before the Gospel took root into our hearts or inner person, these Ephesians, Paul, and we today all lived under the control of the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2) and Paul testified to this course of his with these words written to the Galatian believers, “You have heard of my earlier career {and} former manner of life in the Jewish religion (Judaism), how I persecuted {and} abused the Church of God furiously {and} extensively, and [with fanatical zeal did my best] to make havoc of it {and} destroy it.” (Galatians 1:13).

Paul declares that they and he and we today lived in “the lusts of our flesh” (Ephesians 2:3). The English word lust is translated by the Greek word epithumia which means a longing or desire for that which is forbidden. This is what I wrote in my Book entitled, “Silent Assassins of the Soul: Finding Freedom from Sexual Impurity through the Lord Jesus Christ, A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs”, “That is what happened to our nature as a result of Adam’s disobedience. We are now born with a longing and craving for all the things that God hates. Before we know Christ personally we are helpless against such strong cravings and lusts. The first part of a story Luke recorded in Acts Chapter 3 is a primary example of our helpless condition because of Adam’s sin: Acts 3:2 (AMP): “When a certain man crippled from his birth was being carried along, who was laid each day at that gate of the temple [which is] called Beautiful, so that he might beg for charitable gifts from those who entered the temple.” This man represents every man and woman on earth, past and present. Our souls are crippled from our conception and birth in the earthly realm.”

“‘The sons of disobedience’ must needs be ‘children of wrath.’ All sin, whether in nature or practice, is the object of God’s fixed displeasure. It cannot be matter of indifference to our Father in Heaven that His human children are disobedient toward Himself. Children of His favor or anger we are each one of us, and at every moment. We ‘keep His commandments, and abide in His love’; or we do not keep them, and are excluded. It is His smile or frown that makes the sunshine or the gloom of our inner life. How strange that men should argue that God’s love forbids His Wrath! It is, in truth, the cause of it. I could neither love nor fear a God who did not care enough about me to be angry with me when I sin. If my child does willful wrong, if by some act of greed or passion he imperils his moral future and destroys the peace and well-being of the house, shall I not be grieved with him, with an anger proportioned to the love I bear him? How much more shall your Heavenly Father how much more justly and wisely and mercifully! St. Paul feels no contradiction between the words of verse 3 and those that follow. The same God whose wrath burns against the sons of disobedience while they so continue, is ‘rich in mercy’ and ‘loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses!’ He pities evil men, and to save them spared not His Son from death; but Almighty God, the Father of glory, hates and loathes the evil that is in them, and has determined that if they will not let it go they shall perish with it.” Expositor’s Bible Commentary

“He intentionally breaks off the construction, substituting “and we were” for “and being,” to mark emphatically his and their past state by nature, as contrasted with their present state by grace. Not merely is it, we had our way of life fulfilling our fleshly desires, and so being children of wrath; but we were by nature originally “children of wrath,” and so consequently had our way of life fulfilling our fleshly desires. “Nature,” in Greek, implies that which has grown in us as the peculiarity of our being, growing with our growth, and strengthening with our strength, as distinguished from that which has been wrought on us by mere external influences: what is inherent, not acquired (Job 14:4; Psalm 51:5). An incidental proof of the doctrine of original sin.” JFB Commentary

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…


 

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Our Redemption “in Christ” Detailed to the Ephesians Volume 10


Paul declares what the Power of God did for these Ephesians
Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. KJV

Paul declares to these Ephesian believers that just as the Crucified Body of our Lord Jesus Christ that laid cold and dead in that new tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea was Resurrected from physical death, so were they resurrected from “spiritual death” by the very same Power of God as Paul prayed for them to know experimentally. Paul flows from his first great prayer for these believers to this theological explanation of what God’s Power has truly done for them and to them. Paul declares them to have been dead men and women even as they lived and breathed in their physical bodies before they heard the Gospel of Grace. Paul uses the English word trespasses in speaking of their death and this word is translated by the Greek word paraptoma meaning unintentional error or willful transgression. The English word sins is translated by the Greek word hamartia meaning to miss the mark or to err and morally offend. In other words, these Ephesians were dead spiritually to God the Father and could never please Him, but could only satisfy the sinful cravings and appetites of the corrupt nature they were born with from their Mother’s womb.

Paul explained it in this manner in writing to the Colossians, “In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, but in a [spiritual] circumcision [performed by] Christ by stripping off the body of the flesh (the whole corrupt, carnal nature with its passions and lusts). [Thus you were circumcised when] you were buried with Him in [your] baptism, in which you were also raised with Him [to a new life] through [your] faith in the working of God [as displayed] when He raised Him up from the dead. And you who were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (your sensuality, your sinful carnal nature), [God] brought to life together with [Christ], having [freely] forgiven us all our transgressions” (Colossians 2:11-13). It is by God’s Power through Christ Sacrifice that turned these Ephesians from their pagan, satanic, and immoral worship at the temple of Diana as the Prophet Isaiah declared with these words, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.” (Isaiah 9:2) and also as Paul declared with these words to the Corinthian believers, “For God Who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts so as [to beam forth] the Light for the illumination of the knowledge of the majesty {and} glory of God [as it is manifest in the Person and is revealed] in the face of {Jesus} Christ (the Messiah).” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

The death of the soul of man is the wall of sin that separates him from the “life of God” (Ephesians 4:18) and this wall cannot be penetrated at all as the Prophet Isaiah declares with these words, “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2). God the Father cannot hear the sinner that is still not “in Christ” because He cannot look upon that which is impure and unclean Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil” (Habakkuk 1:13). The cause of these Ephesians spiritual death was their wall of sin in their “inner man” and “inner woman” for this is the seat or the throne of man’s sin against God as our Lord Jesus Himself declared when He said, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” (Mark 7:21-23). The Gospel of Grace is the antidote or the remedy that controls the effects of the poison of sin that flows from the old nature by making the sinner alive spiritually to God the Father and giving a “new nature” to the sinner that is enabled, energized, and empowered by the Holy Spirit dwelling in the heart.

The true make up of man is that he is a spirit that has a unique soul and his spirit and soul live inside his body. The unseen part of man the spirit and soul are imprisoned inside a bubble that is completely sound proof to the voice of God because the bubble encasing it is sin, but it is the Gospel that burst this bubble and makes the sinner then alive spiritually to God as Paul declares with these words to the Roman believers, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the Power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16). Paul declares this resurrection from spiritual death to these Ephesian believers so that they can understand the great desire of his heart in his previous prayer for them to know and understand God’s Power working in them by virtue of them hearing and believing the Gospel. Paul wants them to understand the magnitude or the great importance of what happened to them when they believed the Gospel.

It was not them merely switching their object of worship from the goddess Diana to another god or gods, but it was them being resurrected from spiritual death in like manner and by the identical Divine Power that propelled Christ’s Body from that cold dark tomb, He also propelled their spirits from the cold dark tomb of trespasses and sins a hollow domain and dominion of darkness (Colossians 1:13) as the Apostle Matthew documented these words spoken to Joseph by the Angel Gabriel, “But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the Prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us.’” (Matthew 1:20-23).

My own Personal Note: God designed the first man Adam to be a completely spiritual being (who lives in a physical body) connected to Him for all eternity. When Adam sinned against God by disobeying God’s instruction, God removed Himself from Adam, and thus Adam’s nature instantly became corrupted. His corrupt nature was passed down to all of us who have come after him. When Adam disobeyed God’s command by choosing in his free will to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam died—not physically (for the Bible tells us that he lived to be 930 years old) but rather spiritually—as we stated above. Excerpt from my Book entitled, “Silent Assassins of the Soul: Finding Freedom from Sexual Impurity through the Lord Jesus Christ, A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs

“The unbeliever is not sick; he is dead! He does not need resuscitation; he needs resurrection. All lost sinners are dead, and the only difference between one sinner and another is the state of decay. The lost derelict on skid row may be more decayed outwardly than the unsaved society leader, but both are dead in sin, and one corpse cannot be more dead than another! This means that our world is one vast graveyard, filled with people who are dead while they live (1 Timothy 5:6).” Warren Wiersbe

“Those united with Christ are through Grace delivered from their state of death, not only in the sense that the resurrection and exaltation of Christ redound to their benefit as Divinely imputed to them; but by the life-giving energy of God they are brought out of their condition of death into a new and actual state of life. The act of Grace is an act of the Divine power and might, not a mere judicial declaration” (Beck).

“The entire history of the Son of Man is reproduced in the man who believes in Him, not by a simple moral analogy; but by a spiritual communication which is the true secret of our justification as well as of our sanctification, and indeed of our whole salvation.” Adolphe Monod

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…


 

 

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Our Redemption “in Christ” Detailed to the Ephesians Volume 9


Paul’s First Prayer for the Ephesian Saints Part 4
Ephesians 1:20-23 Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all. KJV

Paul in the last study we found him trying to express, explain, and expound to the Ephesian believers the awe inspiring treasure they and we have to draw from and that being the Power of God to us and in us. Now Paul’s prayer concludes with him declaring to the Ephesians and to us that this Power of God effectually working in us is the very same power that was the origin of the Resurrection of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ. This is why Paul referred to the Power of God with these words “according to the working of His mighty power” (Ephesians 1:19), because how mighty with and having such great strength and force behind it was the Resurrection of the dead crucified Body of Jesus Christ. Paul uses the English word “wrought” to describe our Lord Jesus’ Resurrection and this word is translated by the Greek word energeo which is a verb similar in quality and character to energeia and it means to be active, efficient, and effectual in working mightily. Not only did the Power of God raise Christ from death, but it also lifted Him (in His New Eternal Human Body) from earth into the third Heaven where the Throne of God resides. Paul with the words spoken in his prayer in Ephesians 1:19-20 wants to see the Ephesians and our “spiritual understanding” actuated, activated, and awakened to the tremendous power that is ever available for us to draw from to defend ourselves against the enemy and to defeat the enemy and destroy the enemies schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11) to steal our peace and joy in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul reminds them and us of the Everlasting Honor that the Father has given to the Son being made to sit at His Right Hand for Christ obedience as Paul declared in this manner to the Philippian believers, “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:8-11). Paul’s prayer is that these Ephesians and we today understand that since we are joined to Christ Jesus our Lord by virtue of our “new birth”, then we must see ourselves seated with Him and like Him “far above” every other created being in God’s Creation. The English phrase “far above” is translated by the Greek word huperano which means over, beyond, above, that is, superior to or more than, greatly higher in rank and place. In other words, Christ Jesus our Lord is Higher in rank and authority and far superior than every created being in all the Universes, therefore, since we are “in Christ”, so are we above “all principality, and power, and might, and dominion” (Ephesians 1:21), “because as He is, so also are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). As we submit our wills to the will of God, then we will experience the same exalted state as our Lord Jesus Christ has in “heavenly places” as Paul wrote it in this manner to the Colossian believers, “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4).

Paul declares at the end of his prayer that God the Father “hath put all things under His feet” (Ephesians 1:22). The English phrase “hath put” Paul uses here is translated by the Greek word hupotasso meaning to subordinate or to assign or dispose one to a certain position or to make one subject to another. In other words, Jesus Christ is The King and Ruler over every created being in all the created Universes of God (Revelation 19:16) as Matthew Henry said it in this manner, “All creatures whatsoever are in subjection to Him; they must either yield Him sincere obedience or fall under the weight of His scepter, and receive their doom from Him.” Christ is the Head of the Church (His Mystical Body here on the earth) just as our own individual physical heads (containing the brain) are above or on top of or controlling our physical bodies. Christ is the energeo or energeia that makes the true Church function as it aught in accordance to His Word as He declared the personal, intimate, and eternal union the Father, He, and the Spirit would have with each of us individually making all those collectively one “spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5) when He said, “Judas, not Iscariot, asked Him, Lord, how is it that You will reveal Yourself [make Yourself real] to us and not to the world? Jesus answered, ‘If a person [really] loves Me, he will keep My word [obey My teaching]; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with him. Anyone who does not [really] love Me does not observe {and} obey My teaching. And the teaching which you hear {and} heed is not Mine, but [comes] from the Father Who sent Me.’ (John 14:22-24). The words spoken here by our Lord Jesus Christ is surely what Paul had in his mind when he wrote this conclusion to his prayer, “the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.” (Ephesians 1:23).

My own Personal Note: Jeremiah 32:27 (AMP): “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for Me?” A mind bathed, saturated, and soaked in the Word of God is the only kind of mind worth having. That type of mind will always produce obedience to the commands and statutes of God. When I engraft these scriptures in my spirit, believing and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ who cannot lie, I am then armed with mighty weapons to fight the good fight of faith! When the Lord Jesus Christ walked on the water to meet the disciples in the storm-tossed boat, He was demonstrating to them that the storm they were in and troubled by was under His feet. When He spoke to the winds and the waves and said “Peace be still” He demonstrated for them—and for you and me—His sovereign authority and power over the entire universe. If the winds and sea obeyed Him, how much more will the desire for pornography and masturbation obey Him when you and I put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh and say in the name of Jesus: “Mountain of pornography and masturbation be removed and cast away into the sea.” Excerpt from my Book entitled, “Silent Assassins of the Soul: Finding Freedom from Sexual Impurity through the Lord Jesus Christ, A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs”

“The demonstration of the power of Christianity Paul had found in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The power which raised Him from the dead is the working energy of our faith. Let us see what this mysterious power wrought in the Redeemer Himself; and then we will consider how it bears upon us. There are two steps indicated in Christ’s exaltation: He was raised from the death of the cross to new life amongst men; and again from the world of men He was raised to the throne of God in heaven. In the enthronement of Jesus Christ at the Father’s right hand, Ephesians 1:22-23 further distinguish two separate acts: there was conferred on Him a universal Lordship; and He was made specifically Head of the Church, being given to her for her Lord and Life, and He who contains the fullness of the Godhead. Such is the line of thought marked out for us.” Expositor’s Bible Commentary

“Individual men may and do continue to believe in Christ, with no faith in the supernatural, men who are sceptics in regard to His resurrection and miracles. They believe in Himself, they say, not in His legendary wonders; in His character and teaching, in His beneficent influence-in the spiritual Christ, whom no physical marvel can exalt above His intrinsic greatness. And such trust in Him, where it is sincere, He accepts for all that it is worth, from the believer’s heart. But this is not the faith that saved Paul, and built the Church. It is not the faith which will save the world. It is the faith of compromise and transition, the faith of those whose conscience and heart cling to Christ while their reason gives its verdict against Him. Such belief may hold good for the individuals who profess it; but it must die with them. No skill of reasoning or grace of sentiment will for long conceal its inconsistency. The plain blunt sense of mankind will decide again, as it has done already, that Jesus Christ was either a blasphemer, or He was the Son of the Eternal God; either He rose from the dead in very truth, or His religion is a fable. Christianity is not bound up with the infallibility of the Church, whether in Pope or Councils, nor with the inerrancy of the letter of Scripture: it stands or falls with the reality of the facts of the Gospel, with the risen life of Christ and His presence in the Spirit amongst men.” Expositor’s Bible Commentary

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Our Redemption “in Christ” Detailed to the Ephesians Volume 8


Paul’s First Prayer for the Ephesian Saints Part 3
Ephesians 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, KJV

God’s Power cannot be measured by any human scientific experiments or any human logic or reasoning. God’s Power is what produced the very existence of human beings as well as this vast and great planet earth that we humans live on. The Power of God is not explained in the Bible, but instead it is just revealed or made manifest from the very beginning of the Bible Genesis 1:1-31. Paul now prays for these Ephesian believers to know God’s Power. Paul knows the Power of God in his own life and he wants every true believer in our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ to know His Power and we see it in every letter he wrote to the different Churches. In the first half of this verse Ephesians 1:19, the English word power Paul uses is translated by the Greek word dunamis which means miraculous power, force, and strength; by implication it means a miracle itself. Note: This Greek word dunamis is where we have gotten or derived our English word dynamite. In other words, Paul wants them to know the Power or Dunamis or Dynamite of God “to us-ward”. Paul uses this English word “to” which is translated by the Greek word eis and this word is a primary preposition meaning into (indicating the point reached or entered of place). Paul wants them to know that this power of God working in us is the resurrection of our human nature from the pit of sin to the Throne of Grace (Ephesians 2:1 & Colossians 3:1) as Paul declares with these words to the Philippians, “For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13).

This power of God (as we yield to God the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:17)) lifts us up into a life “in Christ” that was before so far out of our reach as far as the earth is from the Sun, but now is “in us” and at all times available for us to draw from as we need to wage war and win against the world, our flesh, and the devil. There are not enough human words of any language that can truly describe God’s Power, so Paul uses the closest words there are to give them and us a picture of the hugeness and the immenseness of the Power of God by referring to God’s Power as being of “exceeding greatness” to all of us who truly trust only Christ for our salvation. Paul uses such language to these Ephesians to express the great power required to pull them out of their pagan beliefs into the marvelous light of Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul wants them to know not intellectually, but experimentally this Power of God that drew them to Christ (John 6:44) and this Power of God that strengthens them day by day and keeps them eternally as the Apostle Peter declared with these words, “Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)! By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [Born anew] into an inheritance which is beyond the reach of change {and} decay [imperishable], unsullied and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, Who are being guarded (garrisoned) by God’s power through [your] faith [till you fully inherit that final] salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5).

Paul wants these Ephesians to realize being fully aware or cognizant of and perceiving God’s Power changing their desires, inclinations, and wants internally in their inner man and inner woman and to know experimentally that they are truly new creatures as Paul wrote with these words to the Corinthian believers, “Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh {and} new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Paul declares to them that they are now these “new creatures” “according to the working of His mighty power” (Ephesians 1:19). The English word working Paul uses in the last half of this verse is translated by the Greek word energeia which means active, operative, powerful, and strong efficient energy effectually working producing an intended result and having a striking effect. In other words, Paul wants these Ephesian believers and us today to know “by experience” God’s Power at work in the inner man and inner woman producing desires, attitudes, affections, and actions that will bring Glory to God as Paul wrote in this manner to the believers in Thessalonica, “To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12). Paul wants them to understand that the same Power of God that produced their conversion to Christ is the same Power of God that will abide, continue, remain and stay with them and be in them every day of their sojourn as pilgrims down here on the earth (Romans 8:11).

Paul digs even deeper into our limited human language trying to paint a clear picture for these Ephesian believers God’s tremendous Power at work in them by using the words “mighty power” and these two English words are translated by the Greek words kratos and ischus meaning great vigor forceful exertion i.e. active strength of body and mind, ability and might. In other words, Paul puts an exclamation mark on the absolute awesomeness of God’s Power “to us-ward” as he declared to the Romans with these words, “For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the Law could not do, [its power] being weakened by the flesh [the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit]. Sending His own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, [God] condemned sin in the flesh [subdued, overcame, deprived it of its power over all who accept that sacrifice].” (Romans 8:2-3) and likewise what he wrote to the Colossian believers speaking of God’s Power at work in him with these words, “Of this Church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the Word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” (Colossians 1:25-29).

My own Personal Note: Galatians 3:10 (AMP): “And all who depend on the Law [who are seeking to be justified by obedience to the Law of rituals] are under a curse and doomed to disappointment and destruction, for it is written in the Scriptures, Cursed (accursed, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment) be everyone who does not continue to abide (live and remain) by all the precepts and commands written in the Book of the Law and to practice them.” Let me give you an example to illustrate this point. When a man falls into quicksand, his self-effort of struggling to free himself only sinks him deeper and deeper into the quicksand. Such was the case with me and with every person still under the curse of the Law. My self-effort to try to free myself or stop the sins of pornography and masturbation (sexual addiction) served only to thrust me deeper and deeper into my addiction and dependence. When the Gospel took effect in my heart, however, under the influence of the Spirit of God I was liberated or freed (with strength Christ gave me) to not sin. Being still under the Law is contrary to the Gospel and to the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit now dwells or lives in me by grace through faith. The principle of grace being worked out in my soul gives me liberty or freedom from the bondage and enslavement of sin. It gives me a liberty or freedom from the law’s rigorous exaction, curse, and condemnation and from the veil of former blindness and ignorance. When I was converted to Christ by truly believing and trusting Him then the veil of ignorance was taken away. The blindness of my mind and the hardness of my heart were cured and are being sanctified daily by Christ’s grace. My condition is now one of joy and freedom in the Holy Spirit. Excerpt from my Book entitled, “Silent Assassins of the Soul: Finding Freedom from Sexual Impurity through the Lord Jesus Christ, A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs”

We have already come across the same apparent paradox, covering a deep truth, in the former sections of this series of petitions. I need only remind you, in reference to this matter, that the knowledge which is here in question is not the intellectual perception of a fact as revealed in Scripture, but is that knowledge to which alone the New Testament gives the noble name, being knowledge verified by inward experience, and the result of one’s own personal acquaintance with its object. How do we know a power? By thrilling beneath its force. How are we to know the greatness of the power but because it comes surging and rejoicing into our aching emptiness, and lifts us buoyant above our temptations and weakness? Paul was not asking for these people theological conceptions. He was asking that their spirits might be so saturated with and immersed in that great ocean of force that pours from God as that they should never, henceforth, be able to doubt the greatness of that power which wrought in them. The knowledge that comes from experience is the knowledge that we all ought to seek. It is not merely to be desired that we should have right and just conceptions, but that we should have the vital knowledge which is, and which comes from, life eternal.” Alexander MacLaren

The same knowledge is our refuge from our own consciousness of weakness. We look up, as a climber may do in some Alpine ravine, upon the smooth gleaming walls of the cliff that rises above us. It is marble, it is fair, there are lovely lands on the summit, but nothing that has not wings can get there. We try, but slip backwards almost as much as we rise. What is to be done? Are we to sit down at the foot of the cliff, and say, ‘We cannot climb, let us be content with the luscious herbage and sheltered ease below?’ Yes! That is what we are tempted to say. But look! A mighty hand reaches over, an arm is stretched down, the hand grasps us, and lifts us, and sets us there. ‘No man hath ascended up into heaven save He that came down from heaven,’ and having returned thither stoops thence, and will lift us to Himself. I am a poor, weak creature. Yes! I am all full of sin and corruption. Yes! I am ashamed of myself every day. Yes! I am too heavy to climb, and have no wings to fly, and am bound here by chains manifold. Yes! But we know the exceeding greatness of the power, and we triumph in Him. That knowledge should shame us into contrition, when we think of such force at our disposal, and such poor results. That knowledge should widen our conceptions, enlarge our desires, breathe a brave confidence into our hopes, should teach us to expect great things of God, and to be intolerant of present attainments whilst anything remains unattained. And it should stimulate our vigorous effort, for no man will long seek to be better, if he is convinced that the effort is hopeless. Learn to realize the exceeding greatness of the power that will clothe your weakness. ‘Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, for that He is strong in might, not one faileth.’ That is wonderful, but here is a far nobler operation of the Divine Power. It is great to ‘preserve the ancient heavens’ fresh and strong by His might, but it is greater to come down to my weakness, to ‘give power to the faint,’ and ‘increase strength to them that have no might.’ And that is what He will do with us.” Alexander MacLaren

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…


 

 

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Our Redemption “in Christ” Detailed to the Ephesians Volume 7


Paul’s First Prayer for the Ephesian Saints Part 2
Ephesians 1:18 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, KJV

Paul continues his first prayer to these Ephesian believers by praying that their reception of the spirit of wisdom would lead to their understanding the greatness or the enormity of God the Father’s calling them out of the darkness of their pagan practices into His marvelous light in our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul wants them and us today to see with spiritual eyes that are opened by the Spirit of God the “one of a kind” calling all saints have in Jesus Christ and with this same idea in mind the Apostle Peter in writing to the persecuted believers “scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Peter 1:1) said this, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellences of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:9-12).

Paul uses the English phrase “being enlightened” which is translated by the Greek word photizo meaning to shine or make manifest i.e. provide evidence for or show proof of something; to illuminate or make to see clearly. In other words, Paul is praying that the Spirit of God make them see so clearly the “newness of life” (Romans 6:4) that is theirs “in Christ” that they yield to Him, so that their lives can reflect the dramatic change He has wrought or shaped in them by the power of Almighty God. Paul prays that they would be certain of or sure of the “hope” of their “calling” in Christ. The first English word of significance “hope” Paul uses here is translated by the Greek word elpis which means confident expectation. Unlike what we today think of hope as being to wish for something, this Greek word elpis Paul uses means the complete opposite of that. The second English word of significance Paul uses here is “calling” and it is translated by the Greek word klesis means to call aloud or bid or invite or command and order someone to come to you. God the Father invites, calls, commands, orders, and bids sinners to come to Him by His Grace through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ and this calling forth “in Him” is eternally fruitful for sinners yielding positive results in lives for God’s Glory here and now and forever with Him in Heaven.

It was our Lord Jesus who said this in response to the Jewish leaders, “And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, Why does your Master eat with tax collectors and those [preeminently] sinful? But when Jesus heard it, He replied, ‘Those who are strong {and} well (healthy) have no need of a physician, but those who are weak {and} sick. Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy [that is, readiness to help those in trouble] and not sacrifice {and} sacrificial victims. For I came not to call {and} invite [to repentance] the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God), but sinners (the erring ones and all those not free from sin).’ (Matthew 9:11-13).

Paul is praying for these Ephesians to know “the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18). The English word riches Paul uses here is translated by the Greek word which means here in a figurative sense abundance or valuable bestowment (the act of conferring an honor or presenting a gift). The conferred honor or gift these Ephesians and every true believer of all time have received is God’s Own Spirit who dispenses God’s Grace in the heart or inner man of the believer. Grace from God the Father to these Ephesians and to us today is “glory” begun in us as the Apostle Peter endeavored to comfort the suffering saints during his day with these words, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” (1 Peter 4:12-14). The Grace received from God the Father that is glory begun in the believer leads the true believer to desire that our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ be glorified as our Lord Jesus Himself declared He had done for us when He said, “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.” (John 17:22-23).

My own Personal Note: 2 Corinthians 3:17 (AMP): “Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” What does this word “liberty” actually mean? Well this English word liberty comes from the Greek word eleutheria, which means “freedom; moral or ceremonial freedom.” What does this moral freedom produce? Christ is the Spirit who takes away that covering by working in hearts. The Law itself also works in hearts, though in vain because the Law speaks to the spiritually dead (those who are dead in trespasses and sin). The Holy Spirit makes alive or brings life (as I stated in chapter 9). The Lord Jesus Christ is represented as the Spirit. Christ is the end of the law for justification and righteousness to all who believe. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, and He is the dispenser of all gifts, graces, and influences. Excerpt from my Book entitled, “Silent Assassins of the Soul: Finding Freedom from Sexual Impurity through the Lord Jesus Christ, A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs”

“Faith is set forth as the condition of heaven, because faith is the means of union with Christ, by and from whom alone we draw the motives for self-surrender and the power for sanctity. You cannot have heaven unless you have God. That is step number one. You cannot have God unless you have ‘holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.’ That is step number two. You cannot have holiness without faith. That is step number three. ‘An inheritance among them that are sanctified’; and then there is added, ‘by faith which is in Me.’ It is clear, too, what a fatal delusion some of us are under who think that we shall, and fancy that we should like to, as we say, ‘go to heaven when we die.’ Why, heaven is here, round about you, a present heaven in the imitation of God, in the practice of righteousness, in the cultivation of dependence upon Him, in the yielding of yourselves up to Him. Heaven is here, and by your own choice you stop outside of it. There must be a correspondence between environment and nature for blessedness. ‘The mind is its own place,’ as the great Puritan poet taught us, ‘and makes a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.’ Fishes die on the shore, and the man that drew them out dies in the water. Gills cannot breathe where lungs are useful, and lungs cannot, where gills come into play. If you have not here and now the holiness which knits you to God, and gives you possession of Him, you would not like ‘heaven,’ if it were possible to carry you to that place, in so far as it is a place. It is rather strange, if you hope to go to heaven when you die, that you should be very unwilling to spend a little time in it whilst you are alive, and that you should expect blessedness then from that presence of God which brings you no blessedness now.” Alexander MacLaren

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Our Redemption “in Christ” Detailed to the Ephesians Volume 6


Paul’s First Prayer for the Ephesian Saints Part 1
Ephesians 1:15-17 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. KJV

Paul having completed his detailed explanation to these Ephesian believers of the great and rich blessings that are theirs from the heart and purpose of God the Father, through the selfless sacrifice of God the Son, and by the enabling power of God the Holy Spirit, Paul now lifts up his eyes and heart to heaven and begins to pray for these brothers and sisters of his who are “in Christ”. Wherefore or since or because you are “in Christ” and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise Ephesians 1:13-14, Paul begins by first giving thanks and praise to God the Father for them and for their faith in Him and love for all the saints everywhere. Paul is expressing here that it has been proven to him that their trust in our Lord Jesus Christ is true, real, and genuine because of their expression of true love or agape love (which is God’s love) has been shown to all saints no matter whether they were in Ephesus, Jerusalem, Asia Minor, Galatia, or anywhere else in the known world at that time.

God’s agape love is not sentimental (sappy, gooey, cutesy, cheesy) or emotional love, but instead it is sincere “love in the truth” as the Apostle John wrote in this manner in his opening greeting to the elect lady, “The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth, for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.” (2 John 1:1-3). The Ephesians had the truth of Christ in them (2 Corinthians 11:10) and therefore they upheld and unleashed the truth of Christ “in love” to all saints. “Love and truth must be maintained in perfect balance. Truth is never to be abandoned in the name of love. But love is not to be deposed in the name of truth...Truth without love has no decency; it’s just brutality. On the other hand, love without truth has no character; it’s just hypocrisy.” (Dr. John MacArthur)

Paul’s first order of his prayer for them was “to give thanks” for them and this English phrase is translated by the Greek word eucharisteo which means to be grateful, that is, actually to express gratitude for someone. Paul was so grateful to God the Father for the salvation of these Ephesians knowing what great mercy they had been shown being trapped in pagan/satanic worship and darkness all their lives. The Grace of God had found them and Paul wanted to lift up his adoration and worship to God the Father on their behalf at every occasion he prayed to Him. Paul was sure of the legitimacy and authenticity of their conversion to Christ that he wanted to be an instrument in the strengthening of their faith in Christ so he never stopped praying for their spiritual growth to God the Father. Paul knew the importance of prayer for others because he needed and solicited such prayer from the saints on his behalf (1 Thessalonians 5:25). Paul did not know if he would ever see them again in the flesh, but he knew he could stay connected or united to them by his prayers for them and their prayers for him.

Paul prays for them to get a deeper revelation, knowledge, and understanding of our great Father in Heaven and of the great treasure chest of rich grace the Ephesians and we have “in Christ” and for the Holy Spirit to illuminate or to make clear to them and to us everything that is ours “in Christ” and that they would lay hold of all of their inheritance as he wrote it in this manner to the Colossians, “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.” (Colossians 3:1-5). Paul knew the temptation would come to these Ephesians and to us today from the enemy trying to get them and us to regress (which leads to sin and rebellion) in contrast to the Holy Spirit seeking our progression in the faith which leads to righteousness, peace, and joy in Him (Romans 14:17).

Paul (in the beginning of his prayer) refers to God the Father as the “God of our Lord Jesus Christ” and in so doing he was only declaring what our Lord Jesus Himself declared when He spoke these words to Mary, “Jesus saith unto her, ‘Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father: but go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God.’ (John 20:17). When Paul refers to Him as the “Father of glory”, he is declaring that from Him alone does this glorious, brilliant, radiant beauty alone come from as the source. We really don’t have any human understanding of what glory truly is as yet, nor can we clearly define it with our weak, washy, and wanting human language. I believe that when we are “praying in the Spirit” to God the Father we are being united with Him and all that He is included His glory, although we cannot even comprehend it or fully understand this glory as Paul wrote with these words to the Corinthian believers, “For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit [by the Holy Spirit within me] prays, but my mind is unproductive [it bears no fruit and helps nobody]. Then what am I to do? I will pray with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will also pray [intelligently] with my mind {and} understanding; I will sing with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will sing [intelligently] with my mind {and} understanding also.” (1 Corinthians 14:14-15).

Paul wants these Ephesians and us today to allow God the Holy Spirit within us to give us the mental and spiritual disposition of “wisdom”, “revelation”, and “knowledge” of Him. The English word wisdom is translated by the Greek word sophia which means higher spiritual understanding; to be insightful, thoughtful, intelligent, and wise having a cautious character; having practical skill and given over to shrewd and keen insight. In other words, Paul prays for the Holy Spirit to enlighten them with the deep truth in the Word of God so that they would live wise, sober, self-controlled lives doing the will of God for the glory of God as they and we are still in a corrupt world (Colossians 4:5). The English word revelation is translated by the Greek word apokalupsis which means to disclose or to take the cover off of that which is hidden. In other words, Paul prays that God the Holy Spirit would let them and us see all the beautiful and wonderful spiritual blessings/graces that are freely available to us “in Christ” through enlightening or illuminating His Holy word in our inner man as the Psalmist wrote in this manner when he said, “Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.” (Psalms 119:18).

Finally the English word knowledge is translated by the Greek word epignosis where epi is a primary preposition meaning superimposition and gnosis is a prolonged form of a primary verb which means to know absolutely, therefore, put together the word means recognition, that is, full discernment or to become fully acquainted with someone or something. In other words, Paul prays for the Holy Spirit to make these Ephesians and us today fully acquainted with and completely introduced to the person of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ as He is truthfully unveiled in Holy Scripture. That is to have super-knowledge and understanding of Him and all of His ways (His Perfect Love, His Unflinching Truth, His Pure Holiness, His Righteous Character) as our Lord Jesus declared would be the case when He said this, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his Master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his Master. If they have called the Head of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they malign the members of His household! Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:24-28).

My own Personal Note: I will become more and more attached to truth as I exercise myself to speak only truth. The principle of abstaining from or “fleeing” fornication is strengthened through practice. So it is with honesty. The more I exhibit honesty, the more it becomes the settled rule of my life. The tendency of godliness in my heart will grow stronger and stronger only through exercise. The Word of God is unlike any other book ever written. This book is Divinely inspired, meaning that the words contained therein are God’s own words. They are born of His Divine influence and supernatural power. The Bible is a living book. There are many scriptures that, when I engraft them into my individual spirit, release the supernatural power of God through Christ that breaks the yoke and bondage of pornography and masturbation (all sexual addiction) in my life. This means that I must learn scripture—God’s own Word—and apply what I learn to my personal situation daily. Excerpt from my Book entitled “Silent Assassins of the Soul: Finding Freedom from Sexual Impurity through the Lord Jesus Christ, A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs”

“God is infinitely glorious in Himself all glory is due to Him from His creatures, and He is the author of all that glory with which His saints are or shall be invested. Now He gives knowledge by giving the Spirit of knowledge; for the Spirit of God is the teacher of the saints, the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. We have the revelation of the Spirit in the word: but will that avail us, if we have not the wisdom of the Spirit in the heart? If the same Spirit who indited the sacred scriptures do not take the veil from off our hearts, and enable us to understand and improve them, we shall be never the better. - In the knowledge of Him, or for the acknowledgment of Him; not only a speculative knowledge of Christ, and of what relates to Him, but an acknowledgment of Christ’s authority by an obedient conformity to Him, which must be by the help of the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. Matthew Henry

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…


 

 

 

 

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Our Redemption “in Christ” Detailed to the Ephesians Volume 5


Paul Explains God the Father’s purpose for giving us the Holy Spirit
Ephesians 1:13-14 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory. KJV

Paul began his letter by declaring a blessing on our Heavenly Father for all the spiritual blessings He has bestowed on these Ephesian believers and us today (Ephesians 1:3). Now the Apostle declares God the Father’s ultimate spiritual blessing to these Ephesians and to us. As we declared in Volume 1 with these words, “Paul was writing to some people who before his arrival were worshiping a false god or in truth a demon in the temple of Diana (the goddess Diana), but since they heard the Gospel of Christ Paul preached among them, repented of their sins and trusted our Lord Jesus Christ, Paul now declares them saints of God through faith in Jesus Christ.” This fact is significant for us to repeat here in (Volume 5) because Paul now says to them these words “ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13). The English phrase “ye were sealed” is translated by the Greek word sphragizo which means to stamp (with a signet or private mark, as fencing in or protecting from misappropriation); to stamp or seal to attest to its authenticity or genuineness.

In other words, Paul declares these Ephesian believers and us today (including His son Clifford DeWayne Tate, Sr.) to be unquestionably true, real, and sincere sons and daughters of God the Father by virtue of Him privately marking us out distinguishing us from the rest of humanity as Paul put it in this way in writing to Brother Timothy, “But the firm foundation of (laid by) God stands, sure {and} unshaken, bearing this seal (inscription): The Lord knows those who are His, and, Let everyone who names [himself by] the name of the Lord give up all iniquity {and} stand aloof from it.” (2 Timothy 2:19). The seal or private mark that sets these Ephesians and us today apart is the Holy Spirit of promise that the Prophet Joel spoke of would come with these words, “It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” (Joel 2:28-29). According to the words spoken through the Prophet Joel God the Father was going to make the indwelling of His Spirit for anyone who came to Him through our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ as affirmed by these words from the writer of Hebrews, “Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He is always living to make petition to God {and} intercede with Him {and} intervene for them.” (Hebrews 7:25).

God the Holy Spirit dwelling in these Ephesian believers and us today is our protecting seal keeping us from Satan’s deceptions through principalities and powers and through the false teachers and their false teachings that are spread all about in the world as Paul wrote in this manner to Brother Timothy, “But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:13-17). It is God the Holy Spirit who illuminates His written word to our hearts enabling us, empowering us, and ensuring us that we are walking in the truth (1 John 2:26-27). God the Holy Spirit dwelling in these Ephesian believers and us today is our ratifying seal approving or disapproving of our choices, words, attitudes, and motives every moment of every single day as Paul expressed in this same letter later on with these words, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:30-32).

Paul writes earlier in this letter these words, “that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Ephesians 1:4) and it is the entrance of God the Holy Spirit into the inner man or inner woman solely, exclusively, and only without any goodness whatsoever from us that makes us holy or hagios. The indwelling of God the Holy Spirit is the Divine want to fixer for sinful humanity, that is, no amount of counseling or therapy or improved living environments or any other man made designs can fix man’s internal desires to do that which is evil except the Holy Spirit of promise as pictured with these words written to Israel by Moses, “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 7:6-8).

God the Holy Spirit dwelling in the heart of the born again believer Paul declares to be these Ephesians and our “earnest” and this English word is translated by the Greek word arrhabon which means a pledge or part of the purchase money or property given as security for the rest; for example when someone buys a home today they give to the seller a down payment to secure the house as theirs. Likewise, God the Father has given to these Ephesians and to us the down payment securing us eternally to Himself binding the Covenant with our Lord Jesus Christ forever as our Lord Jesus declared with these words, “The sheep that are My own hear {and} are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it {or} perish throughout the ages. [To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand. My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater {and} mightier than all [else]; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are One.” (John 10:27-30).

The Holy Spirit is the seal of our adoption as sons and daughters, but what is to come for these Ephesians and for us today is so much greater that we cannot even imagine it as Paul described in this manner in writing to the Corinthian believers, “But just as it is written, ‘Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.’” (1 Corinthians 2:9). The stamp of God is on the consciousness of His children. Giving us this, God gives everything, gives us Himself! In substance or anticipation, this one bestowment contains all good things of God, even the first-fruits of God the Holy Spirit we have received right now cannot compare to what awaits us when we enter into the very presence of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ. The result of God the Father sealing us with His Spirit is “unto the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:14), that is that we would glorify Him by our transformed lives as He declared in this manner through the Prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament, “The people whom I formed for Myself Will declare My praise.” (Isaiah 43:21) and by the writer of Hebrews with these words, “Through Him, therefore, let us constantly {and} at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of our lips that thankfully acknowledge {and} confess {and} glorify His name.” (Hebrews 13:15).

My own Personal Note: As the Apostle Paul teaches in Ephesians, as the body is dead without its spirit, so is the soul of man dead without the quickening power of the Spirit of Christ. Throughout the Bible Christ is called “life.” John 5:26 says, “For even as the Father has life in Himself, so He has given to the Son to have life in Himself.” John 6:33 reiterates this concept of life by comparing Christ to our main source of sustenance: “For the Bread of God is He Who comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.” Christ is bread to our souls as edible bread is to the body. Christ nourishes and supports the new spiritual life, which He gives, just as bread maintains the life of the physical body. No one is excluded from the benefits of this bread and new life except those who exclude themselves. Christ came to put life into the minds of men, principles and purposes that produce godly life and behavior. Excerpt from my Book entitled “Silent Assassins of the Soul: Finding Freedom from Sexual Impurity through the Lord Jesus Christ, A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs”

“The earnest is part of payment, and it secures the full sum: so is the gift of the Holy Ghost; all His influences and operations, both as a sanctifier and a comforter, are heaven begun, glory in the seed and bud. The Spirit’s illumination is an earnest of everlasting light; sanctification is an earnest of perfect holiness; and His comforts are earnests of everlasting joys.” Matthew Henry

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…