Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

Welcometo Pastor's Chat today. Well, this morning I have a special prayer request foryou. Today I am leaving along with my son Jonathan and a nephew Jason Rigginsfor Egypt, Jordan, and Slovakia. I'll be driving this morning to Raleigh tocatch my first flight up to Dulles. And there we'll meet with Jonathan andJason. And then from there, this evening, we'll be flying to Egypt where we'llland on Sunday evening. We will have a couple days in Egypt to tour with someEgyptian ministry friends. We will also be preparing for our tour that we're doingOctober the 14th with a wonderful group of people, who are very excited aboutthe upcoming trip. I'msaying all that to tell you that I might not be able to do a pastor's chat eachday as we'll be spending many hours in flight and also in foreign countries andmight not always have good internet connections. I'll do what I can to keep youupdated on our trip and if possible, post some Pastor Chats. On Tuesdayafternoon, we'll be leaving Egypt to go to Jordan where we'll spend at least a coupledays and there visit with some of our ministry partners. We hope to spend sometime encouraging some of the leaders there that we work with in the refugeeministry in Amman, Jordan.  FromAmman we'll be flying to Slovakia to spend a few days with my sister Janet and herhusband Charles Baldis. They have been faithful missionaries for over 30 years.The occasion that really prompted this whole trip is a wedding I have been askedto speak at by my niece Tina Baldis. She has also served faithfully with herparents over all these years. We are very excited that on Saturday, Tina isgetting married to a wonderful young man named Jozef Ličko. Iam looking forward to this trip with my nephew and my son. And we're excitedabout the divine appointments that we're going to have along the way. We askfor your special prayers for traveling mercies and for these divineappointments. Pray that God gives us open doors of opportunities to share withthe people that we will providentially meet along the way. We always have thatgreat privilege and see miraculous things that the Lord does and we're lookingforward to that. We need your prayers. Your prayers will help us have thoseopen doors. They will give us boldness to speak and give us wisdom to know whatto say, how to say it and when to say it.  Itis a volatile world in the Middle East. And we are there to help bring thepeace of God into those different locations and places in people's lives byshowing them the way through Jesus Christ. Just the fact that we're there,there will be more light in the spiritual darkness there because Christ livesin us.  Andthat's what we're talking about today in Ephesians 2:5. We talked yesterday inverse 4 about how “God because of His great love with which He loved us”,has provided mercy and grace that saves us through the blood of the cross ofJesus Christ. Now we find here in verse 5, even when we were dead in our trespassesand sins, God made us alive together with Christ. Not only did the Lord JesusChrist love us, He has made us alive. The King James version says that “Hequickened us”, which means the same thing. He made us alive.  Theway He makes us alive is through the gospel, through the Word of God. In the Gospels,it's recorded that Jesus raised at least three people from the dead. Rememberthe widow's son in Luke 7:11-17, Jairus's daughter in Luke 8:49-56, and Lazarusin John 11. In each case, Jesus spoke the Word and His Word brought forth life.The Bible tells us in Hebrews 4:12 that “the Word of God is quick” which meansit is alive. It's living and it's powerful.  Whata glorious truth!!!! “God made us alive together with Christ”!!!  We are so grateful and excited about all that God is doing here inAmerica and around the world. Keep on praying!!!!

Todaywe're looking at Ephesians 2:4-9. In the first three verses, we saw the realityof sin. The reality of sin and how sin works against us. We learned how we areborn dead in trespasses and sin. Because of that, we are sons of disobedience.We are disobedient people. We are depraved people going our own way, fulfillingthe lust of our flesh. And then we also saw that we're children of wrath. We'redoomed. We have no hope at all except the grace of God and the mercy of God inChrist Jesus.  Inverses 4-9, we see at least activities that are performed on behalf of sinnersto save them from the consequences of their sins. And that's why verse fourstarts out with a “But God”.  Despitesin's work against us, despite our state of condemnation, we are told, “But Godloves us with a great love”. And that's what Paul tells us about first. Thework of God in His love. “But God, who is rich in mercy because of His greatlove with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, He made usalive with Christ (by grace you have been saved).”  Theseawesome and wonderful verses bring us hope and salvation through Jesus Christ.Now, one of the things we really need to understand, by nature, God is love (1John 4:8). But God would love us even if there was no sin and there were nosinners. God would still love because He is love. Because love is a part of Hisvery being.  Theologianscall love one of God's attributes. But God has two kinds of attributes: thosethat He possesses of Himself. These are intrinsic attributes such as life andlove and holiness. And then those attributes by which He relates to Hiscreation, especially to man. These are called relative attributes. For example,by nature, God is truth; but when He relates to man, God's truth becomesfaithfulness. God is by nature holy; and when He relates that holiness to man,it becomes justice.  Myfriend, love is one of God's intrinsic attributes. When this love relates tosinners though, it becomes grace and mercy. And that's what we see in theseverses. God is rich in mercy (v.4). But also, in verse 7 we find God is rich inHis grace toward us. Oh, how wonderful is that? Here we also discover we arenot saved because God loves us. We all know John 3:16; “For God so loved theworld that He gave His only begotten Son…”. But this doesn’t mean that weare saved because God loves us.  Weare not redeemed and forgiven of our sins because God loves us. Now, thatshocks a lot of people today. We're saved by God's mercy and His grace. In Hismercy, He does not give us what we do deserve. And in His mercy, He gives uswhat we do not deserve. And all of this is made possible because of redemption,because of the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross of Calvary2,000 years ago. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, theforgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). Itwas at Calvary that God displayed His hatred for sin and His love for thesinners (Romans 5:8; John 3:16). It was at Calvary that: “Mercy and truthhave met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed” (Psalm 85:10). Thiswas the God’s ministry of reconciliation that took place that day on the crosswhen His Son, Jesus Christ, suffered, bled, and died in our place for our sins.God’s holiness demanded justice and punishment for our sin and at the same timeGod’s love for us would not let us go. His answer was reconciliation throughthe “blood of the cross”.  Remember2 Corinthians 5:18-21: “Nowthen, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: weimplore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knewno sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Yes,God is a God that is rich in mercy and rich in grace. And His grace and His mercyis what brings us the salvation of Jesus Christ. Thank the Lord for that today.

Todaywe move on to Ephesians 2:4-9. When we looked at verse 1-3, we see ourselves assinners. Paul points out what our sin nature is, what our sin condition is.What is the tragic consequence of sin in our hearts and lives. We are dead intrespasses and sin. Paul teaches us we're disobedient because of that and weare the sons and children of disobedience. We're depraved. We fulfill the lustof the flesh. We do what comes naturally. And then we also are doomed. We'rechildren of wrath. The wrath of God already abides upon us outside of JesusChrist. That's the condition that we're in. That's the work of sin in our life. Thenthere is God's judgment on sin. God's decree on sin is death “Then when lusthath conceived, it bringeth forth sin. And sin when it is finished, it alwaysbrings forth death” (James 1:15). “The wages of sin is death…”(Romans 6:23). God told Adam, “The day you eat of the fruit of the tree, youshall surely die”. That's the result of sin. It's death. That's what'shappening in the world today. When sin runs rampant and when people aren'tcoming to Christ and being saved. Only the life that we can have in Christ andthe life that gives us a new nature, the nature of God Himself, the Holy Spiritliving within us, can change that. We don’t need reformation, we needtransformation! (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Ilove the very two words of verse 4! “But God”. First, we see our sincondition (vv. 1-3), but thank God we immediately have a “But God”. Readverses 4-9 again: “But God who is rich in mercy..."“ButGod”. Didyou know that over 46 times you read in the Scriptures that phrase, “But God”.Things are bad, sin abounds, evil is everywhere, “But God”. Joseph wassold into Egypt as a slave by his brothers. But he told them, “It was notyou who sent me here, but God…” (Genesis 45:8).  In Genesis 50:20 he went on to tell them, "Youmeant it for evil, but God meant it for good." My friend, when youbring in God, everything changes. You see, sin seems to rule, “But God”. Ilove the many “But God” verses you find in the Bible. After describingthe future judgment of the wicked, the Psalmist declares: “But God willredeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me” (Psalm49:15). Psalm 73:26, "My flesh and my heart fail, but God is thestrength of my life."  In 2Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat was facing an army that you couldn't evennumber. He was fearful, but he called a fast, fell on his knees, and prayed.And in 2 Chronicles 20:15, the prophet told him, "The battle is notyours, but God's."  Ilove the “But God” in these verses: “For scarcely for a righteous man will onedie; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But Goddemonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-8). Yes, “The wages of sin is death butthe gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans6:23).  Aren'tyou thankful for the “Buts” in the Bible? They make all the difference,especially when you focus on God. Paul first focuses on us as sinners in thefirst verses, but now he focuses on God. And with God, I tell you, we havehope. Tomorrow we're going to talk about how God is rich in His mercy. He'srich in His grace. He's full of love because He is love. But today, I trustthat you will look to Jesus and know that He is your only hope of salvation ifyou're without Christ.  Today,I’m convinced that we are seeing God doing some great things across thiscountry. The message of the Gospel is being preached from places we would neverhave imagined a few years ago. And the Gospel tells us, “But God”! God lovesus. He cares for us. He's provided a way of salvation. And I tell you today, Hewill save you and anyone who comes to Him by faith and humility. 

Todaywe're looking at Ephesians 1:1-3. When I read these verses, one of the thingsthat comes to my mind is a series of messages that Dr. Ron Hawkins from LibertyUniversity preached for us years ago on Sunday nights at Rainbow Forest BaptistChurch. We had asked him if he would preach through the book of Ecclesiastes.Every evening he made this statement: " We are profoundly fallen creatureswho live in a profoundly fallen world."  My friend, this still no doubt is still the currentcondition of the world today.  Peoplewonder why all the violence, why all the discord, why all the division? Why allthe hatred? My friend, it's because they don't have Jesus Christ in their heartsand lives. Everyone by birth is born with a fallen nature, and as we pointedout yesterday, are controlled by the flesh, the world system, and the devil andhis forces. And the answer to these issues is not getting a better education orto quit listening to the public and social media and all those things. Thatmight help a little, but the real answer is getting a new heart and a new mindby coming alive in Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says: “Therefore, ifanyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold,all things have become new.”  Paulbegins Ephesians 1 with this truth: “And you He made alive, who were dead intrespasses and sins”. God has made us alive through the blood and power andresurrection of Jesus Christ. And then Paul goes on to describe the conditionof the sinner: “In which you once walked according to the course of thisworld, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that nowworks in the sons of disobedience.” This is the way the Ephesians live.This is the way we lived as sinners before salvation. Verse 3 continues: “Amongwhom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, fulfillingthe desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath,just as others.”  Aswe read these verses, we have found that the sinner is dead. He's dead in histrespasses and sin. He is by nature disobedient to God and His Word. He is “ason of disobedience”. Now we find he's also depraved. And what we mean bydepraved is that he's living to please the desires of the flesh and the wishesof the mind. His actions are sinful because his appetites are sinful. When youapply the word depraved to the unsaved person, you're not saying that he onlydoes evil or that he is incapable of doing good. You're simply saying he'sincapable of doing anything to merit salvation or meet the high standards ofGod's holiness. Jesus said that sinners, lost sinners, can be good to eachother (Luke 6:33). They can be good to their children (Luke 11:13). But theycannot do anything good to spiritually please God. My friend, that's theproblem.  Beforesalvation we are living according to the desires of the flesh. Romans chapter 1goes through the steps of this depraved heart and mind and what it leads to. InRomans 8:5-8, Paul describes it clearly. Youcan't say it any more plainly than that. But the sinner is not only depraved,the lost sinner is doomed. In verse 3c, Paul adds: “And were by naturechildren of wrath, just as the others”. Children of disobedience, childrenof wrath. We're condemned already. We read this in John 3:16-21. For everyone practicing evilhates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should beexposed. This is what is happening in America today.They are haters of the light. Not so much haters of people as much as they arehaters of God. Haters of the light only because they have never come to thelight through Jesus Christ.  Let'spray for the God of mercy to open their hearts to this great truth! Man cannotsave himself, but God in His grace steps in to make salvation possible. Verse 4begins with “But God!” —what a difference those two words make! Godbless!

In Ephesians 2, Paul goes on totalk about why we are sinners, why we're dead in our trespasses and sins. Andhe describes the characteristics, the terrible condition of a person withoutJesus Christ.  Whatis our condition and problem before salvation? One, we're dead. We “weredead in trespasses and sins” (v. 1). Secondly, in verse two, Paul pointsout: “In which you once walked according to the course of this world,according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works inthe sons of disobedience” This was the beginning of man's spiritual death—hisdisobedience to the will of God. God said, "Do not eat of the tree ofthe knowledge of good and evil. In the day that you eat of it you shall surelydie" (Genesis 2:17). Satan said, "Ye shall not surely die"(Gen. 3:4), and because they believed this lie, the first man and woman sinnedand experienced immediate spiritual death and ultimate physical death. Sincethat time, mankind has lived in disobedience to God. We are born into thisworld as “sons of Adam” (Romans 5:12-19). Today we need to realize that thereare three forces that encourage man in his disobedience: the world, the devil,and the flesh. Theworld, or world-system, puts pressure on each person to try to get him toconform (Romans 12:2). The fashions of Madison Avenue, money, education, fame,all drive us to conform. Jesus Christ proclaimed that He was not "of thisworld" and neither are His people (John 8:23; 17:14). But the unsavedperson, either consciously or unconsciously, is controlled by the values andattitudes of this world. Thedevil is "the spirit that now worketh in the children ofdisobedience." This does not mean that Satan is personally at work inthe life of each unbeliever, since Satan as a created being is limited inspace. Unlike God, who is omnipresent, Satan cannot be in all places at onetime. But because of his demonic associates (Eph. 6:11-12), and his power overthe world system (John 12:31), Satan influences the lives of all unbelievers,and also seeks to influence believers. He wants to make people "childrenof disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2; 5:6). He himself was disobedient toGod, so he wants others to disobey Him too. Oneof Satan's chief tools for getting people to disobey God is lies. He is a liar(John 8:44), and it was his lie at the beginning of human history, "Youshall not surely die," that plunged the human race into sin. Theunsaved multitudes in today's world system disobey God because they believe thelies of Satan. When a person believes and practices a lie, he becomes a child, “ason of disobedience”. Theflesh is the third force that encourages the unbeliever to disobey God. By theflesh Paul does not mean the body, because of itself, the body is not sinful.The flesh refers to that fallen nature that we were born with, that wants tocontrol the body and the mind and make us disobey God. Why does a dog bark? Whydoes he behave like a dog? It’s because he has a dog's nature." If somehowyou could transplant into the dog the nature of the cat, his behavior wouldchange radically. Why does a sinner behave like a sinner? Because he is bornwith and has the nature of a sinner (Psalms 51:5; 58:3). This sinful nature theBible calls "the flesh." We are not sinners because we sin. We sin becausewe are sinners. Sometimes we get this backward. Isit any wonder that the unsaved person is disobedient to God? He is controlledby the world, the flesh, and the devil, the three great enemies of God! And hecannot change his own nature and of himself overcome the world and the devil.He needs outside help, and that help can come only from God through His grace,through the ministry and work of the Holy Spirit, and through the death and resurrectionof His Son Jesus Christ. Today,thank the Lord for His wonderful grace and power that can set us free and deliverus from this terrible condition of disobedience!

The verses in this chapter talkabout living Jesus Christ. Remember we said in chapter one we talk about knowingJesus Christ. Before we can live for Christ, we need to have our eyes of ourunderstanding open to the knowledge of God. After we begin to know and understand our position in Christ then we can beginto live Jesus Christ. Inchapter one, Paul has described our spiritual possessions in Christ. Now hespeaks in chapter two about our spiritual position in Christ. First, heexplains what God has done for all sinners in general; then he explains whatGod did for the Gentiles in particular. The sinner who trusts Christ has beenraised and seated on the throne (Ephesian 2:1-10), and believing Jews andGentiles have been reconciled and set into the temple (Ephesians 2:11-22). Whata miracle of God's grace! We are taken out of the great graveyard of sin andplaced into the throne room of glory. Todaywe will begin to look at these first three verse of Ephesians 2: “And you Hemade alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walkedaccording to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power ofthe air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom alsowe all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling thedesires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath justas the others.” Here Paul gives us a full-length picture of the terriblespiritual condition of the unsaved person. Note his characteristics: Firstthing Paul wants us to understand is sin’s work against us! Paul gives thespiritual condition of the unsaved person. First, he notes that we are dead intrespasses and sin. Of course this means we're spiritually dead. We're unableto understand and appreciate spiritual things. We have no spiritual lifewhatsoever. We can talk about God. We can talk about the Bible. We can evenhave it memorized. But the truth is there is no spiritual life in us aside fromthe fact that when we get saved the Holy Spirit, the life of God Himself comesto live within us. But before then, we are dead in trespasses and sins. We cando nothing to please God. We'relike a dead man. Just as a person physically dead does not respond to physicalstimuli, so a person spiritually dead is unable to respond to spiritual things.A corpse does not hear the conversation going on in the funeral parlor. He hasno appetite for food or drink; he feels no pain; he is dead. Just so with theinner man of the unsaved person. His spiritual faculties are not functioning,and they cannot function until God gives him life. The cause of this spiritualdeath is "trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1). "Thewages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). In the Bible, death basicallymeans "separation," not only physically, as the spirit separated fromthe body (James 2:26), but also spiritually, as the spirit separated from God(Isaiah 59:2). Myfriend, the unbeliever is not sick. He is dead. He doesn't need resuscitation.He needs a resurrection. All lost sinners are dead, and the only differencebetween one sinner and another is the state of decay. The lost derelict on skidrow may be more decayed outwardly than the unsaved society leader, but both aredead in sin—and one corpse cannot be more dead than another! This means thatour world is one vast graveyard, filled with people who are dead while theylive (1 Tim. 5:6). We need to understand that's our position before oursalvation. And sin works against us and we're dead in these trespasses andsins.  Oh,how we ought to rejoice in the fact that one day we met Jesus Christ if you'rea believer. And if you do not understand spiritual things, there's a reason forit. We never really appreciate our health until we have experienced a terriblesickness. And we will never appreciate and be grateful for our life in Jesus Christuntil we realize how dead we were in our trespasses and sins! 

Today,we need to remember as believers, we are at war. We're not at war with people.We're not at war with ideas and philosophies. My friend, we are at war withspiritual forces in the heavenly places. And Paul reminds us of that inEphesians 6:10-18. “We do not wrestle with flesh and blood, but withprincipalities and powers, and spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places”.This spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places, the devil and his forces, areout to rob you. Jesus said, the thief, who is the devil, has come to steal, tokill, and to destroy you.  Thedevil wants you to be robbed of your wealth in Jesus Christ. Now, he can't takethat wealth from you, but he can make you think you do not have access to thatwealth, and for you to feel like you're weak. Even like the people of Israelwhen they were in Egypt, they were stronger and mightier than the Egyptians.But the Pharaoh dealt shrewdly with them, deceived them, and thinking that theywere weaker than the Egyptians, and put them in slavery. And that's what'shappening to believers today. We have lost the sense and the knowledge of ourwealth, our power and strength that we have in Jesus Christ. Inthe Old Testament the people measured God's power by His acts of creation. Pleaseread Isaiah 40. Almost the entire chapter is devoted to God’s creative powerand strength. “Who made these things”? God would answer His ownquestion.  "I made these things.I'm the God who created the heavens and the earth, and you need to know who Iam." And the nation of Israel measured His power by His acts ofcreation. They also measured God's power by His acts of power and His miraclesat the Exodus when He delivered the people of Israel out of Egypt. The 10plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and even the defeat of the enemies in thepromised land. And the people would look back and say, "What a mighty andpowerful God we have."  Buttoday, we can also measure God's power by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thepower of His resurrection was not only the fact that Jesus died on the cross,was buried, and that He rose again the third day. And also in the truth thatGod has highly exalted Him when He raised Him from the dead and set Him at Hisheavenly places (vv. 21-22). Jesus is not only our Savior, He is also our Sovereign(Acts 2:25-36). He is the sovereign God. There is no authority, power, human orin the spirit world that's greater than that of Jesus Christ, the exalted Sonof God. He is “far above all” and no future enemy can overcome Himbecause He's been exalted “far above all” powers. Oh, how important itis for us to know this.  Buthow does this apply to you and me today? In Ephesians 1:22-23, Paul explainsthe practical application. Because we are believers, we are in the church,which is Christ's body—and He is the Head. This means that there is a livingconnection between you and Christ. Physically speaking, the head controls thebody and keeps the body functioning properly. Injure certain parts of the brainand you handicap or paralyze corresponding parts of the body. Christ is ourspiritual Head. Through the Spirit, we are united to Him as the members of Hisbody. This means that we share His resurrection, ascension, and exaltation.Apart from this power, we cannot draw on our great wealth inChrist. Yes, today our war is not with people all these crazy things going onin America today. Our war is a spiritual war. It can only be fought through thepower of the Holy Spirit and the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christclaiming and knowing that we stand strong in Jesus Christ. We don't reallyfight the battle. He fights the battle. He is our Joshua. We believe thisbecause of His resurrection and the fact we're connected to Him and we are Hisbody. He is the one who does the warfare, and He binds the strong man. He setsthe captive free. He gives us liberty in Himself.  Maythe Lord help us believe and apply this to our lives.  

I'mso amazed how God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. I heard thatquote yesterday and how true it is when we look at the situation going on inAmerica today. God can use ordinary people like a Charlie Kirk to doextraordinary things that can impact a generation of young people for the gloryof God. And my friend, God can use you. I remember one of the clips of CharlieKirk when someone asked him who could take his place, he responded, "Youare the answer. Todayas believers, we have access to the great wealth of God that's in Christ Jesus.If we only knew how to tap into it and live in that power of His resurrectionevery day as weak vessels, ordinary people depending on a mighty awesome,extraordinary God to do great and awesome things for His glory. That's whatthese verses in Ephesians chapter 1 are about.  Ordinarypeople like you and me can face an evil generation. We can face it with hope.We can face it with faith. We can face it with grace to do the will of God inthe power of God. Paul begins this letter to the believers by telling them,"I'm praying for you. I'm praying for you to know God." My friend,when you have an intimate relationship, not just a religion, but relationshipwith Jesus Christ, it makes all the difference in the world. This relationshipand knowledge of God lead to knowing the hope in our inheritance in Christ. Wehave been chosen for His glory both for today and for eternity.  Bymaking us His inheritance, God has shown His love. By promising us a wonderfulfuture, He has encouraged our hope. Paul now offers us something to challengeour faith: "the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward whobelieve" (Eph. 1:19). Themoment you trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you wereplaced into the body of Christ, you are His body. You are the church. We arethe called-out ones, as we mentioned yesterday, that we might know the hope ofour calling. We have a calling as a church to stand up for Jesus to tell theworld the gospel of Jesus Christ. Wesee this great example in Charlie Kirk in both his life and death. And Aso in hiswife Erika, how even now in a time of tragedy she has proclaimed the gospel ofJesus Christ to anyone that would listen. The grace and strength to do this isavailable only through the “exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.”This is available to every believer and can make a powerful difference ineveryone's life because it's not our reasoning and our logic that changespeople. It's the power of the gospel through the ministry of the Holy Spiritthat opens people's eyes to the truth. Today,let us go on to know the Lord. Let us pursue Him and let us pursue the wealththat He's given us in Christ and the power to live a life that's different. Thespirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. But it is when we realize how weak wereally are, that's when we depend on the power of God. Paul tells us that thisis his experience in  2 Corinthians12:9-10: “And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for Mystrength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will ratherboast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore Itake pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, indistresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Weare at a major crossroads in America. We are at the tipping point. You are theanswer! Because God delights in using ordinary people to do extraordinary thingsthrough His strength and resurrection power! This is available to those whowill “believe”. “What is the exceeding greatness of His power towardus who believe, according to the working of His mighty power”. Will youbelieve and trust Him today? Godbless!

Paulnot only prayed that they would know God, he prayed that they “may know whatis the hope of His calling”. What is the hope of His calling? It isthe hope that we have because of the calling that we have in Christ Jesus.We're called to salvation. We're called to sanctification. We're called toservice for the Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to live holy lives for Hisglory. With that calling comes hope. When you live for that which is eternalrather than that which is temporal, you are reminding yourself every day, that youhave a hope that's steadfast and sure. You have something to look forward to.  Thishope that belongs to our calling is a dynamic force in our lives. It encouragesus to be pure. 1 John 2:28–3:3; "Because when we see Him, we shall belike Him. And every man that has this hope in Him purifies himself even as Heis pure." It calls us to live pure, holy lives. “Be ye holy for Iam holy”, God says to us (1 Peter 1:16). It calls us to be obedient.Obedient to the Lord, obedient to our leaders, obedient to the truths andleadings of the Holy Spirit in our lives every day. It causes us to befaithful. “Moreover, it's required in a steward that he be found faithful”. InLuke 12, the faithful steward was rewarded. God wants us to be faithful.  Thishope, this living for that which is eternal rather than that which is temporal,gives us something to live for and to be glorified in Christ for. Which leadsus to the third thing that Paul is praying for: “What are the riches ofthe glory of His inheritance in the saints.” Now this is interesting. InEphesians 1:7 we are told that we  havean inheritance in Christ. But now this phrase here in verse 18, does not referto the inheritance that we have in Christ, but to the inheritance that Christhas in us. What an amazing truth that God should look upon us as part of Hisgreat wealth.  Justas a man's wealth brings glory to his name, so God will get glory from thechurch because of what He has invested in us. And when Christ returns for us,we shall be to the praise of the glory of His grace. God deals with us on thebasis of our future, not our past. He said to cowardly Gideon, hiding from theMidianites as he was threshing his wheat, "The Lord is with thee, thoumighty man of valor" (Judges 6:12). I can imagine that Gideon lookedaround and said, "Who are you talking to? I'm scared to death." Jesusalso said to Simon, Andrew's brother, "Thou art Simon, you'll be calledCephas”, which means a stone (John 1:42). And as you know, Gideon didbecome a mighty man of valor. And Simon did become Peter, a rock.  Myfriend, we live in the future tense even now. And our lives should becontrolled by what we are already in Christ Jesus. Jesus, who for the joy thatwas set before Him, He endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). He looked forward tothat day, that wonderful day when He would receive His church, His Bride toHimself. “…just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, thatHe might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, thatHe might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkleor any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians5:25-27). Onthat great and grand day Jesus Christ will be greatly glorified as He receivesHis inheritance. What a encouragement and blessing to know today that you and Iare a part of His inheritance. But even today, as we live for the future, weshould glorify His name!  Todaywe should desire to be more like Jesus, and can be by looking unto Jesus, theauthor and the finisher of our faith. Jesus lived for the glory of God and soshould we.  Godbless!

Today we're continuing to look at the Apostle Paul's prayerfor the church, the believers in the church in Ephesus. In this prayer, we findseveral things that Paul prayed for. The first thing we see is that He prayedthat the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you thespirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. He prayed that theywould know God.  Thenwe find in verse 18, Paul also prayed, “the eyes of your understanding beingenlightened”. The eyes of your heart, your emotions, your thoughts, yoursoul, your will, in a sense everything about you, would be enlightened, wouldbe open, would have an understanding and know what is the hope of His calling. So,the second thing that Paul is praying for is that we might know God's callingon our lives. This word “called” is an important word in the Christianvocabulary. The Scripture teaches us that the church, the body of Christ, thebelievers, in the Greek is the “ecclesia”. That word is two words which togethermeans the “called-out assembly”.  Thebelievers who are the church, the body of Christ are called out. Now,interesting. We're not just called out of the world, we are called intosomething that is glorious. And that's what Paul's speaking of here. Not onlyare you called out of the world, but you are called out to be a peculiar, aroyal priesthood, a different person from the rest of the world around you. Petersays it this way in 1 Peter 2:9. “But you are a chosen generation, a royalpriesthood, a holy nation, a special people that you may proclaim the praisesof Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Paultold Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:9 that He had a holy calling. Yes, we've beencalled out of darkness into marvelous light and we've also been called toglory. I love this verse in 1 Peter 5:10. “But may the God of all grace whocalled us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus after you suffered a whileperfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be glory and thedominion forever and ever. Amen.” We have been called to glory!  And because of this calling, we can now have ahope that's steadfast and sure, an anchor of our souls (Hebrews 6:19). Theword hope doesn't mean wishful thinking about something. But the word hope inthe scripture means we have a delightful future in Jesus Christ. We have theassurance of that future because of what Jesus Christ did for us on the crossand His resurrection. The believer's hope is tied into the return of JesusChrist as we read in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 John 3:1-3. Our hope isbased on the fact that Jesus promised that one day He will come again for Hisbride the Church.  Beforewe were saved, we were without hope in this world. But now in Christ, accordingto 1 Peter 1:3, we have a living hope. “Blessed be the God and Father of ourLord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again toa living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”. Howglorious is that? So, we have a hope that's steadfast and sure. It's a livinghope which means it gives us purpose and direction, and encouragement forwhatever we face every day. We have a better tomorrow coming. Oh, that is thehope that we have.  Paulprayed that you would know your calling from God. And this calling from Godgives you hope. I trust you'll take these words into your heart and you'llremember you have something to live for and something to look forward to. Agood verse to close with today is Romans 15:13: “Now may the God of hopefill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope bythe power of the Holy Spirit.”  KnowingGod, you have hope. No God, there is no hope.  Godbless!

Today we're talking about one of the most importantsubjects in the entire Bible, and that is that we might know God. Paul'svery first prayer for the church in Ephesus, and the first of his four prisonprayers, is found here in verses 15-23. He begins by saying, "I do notcease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers." Now,it's amazing how to most of churches that he wrote to, or that he was part offounding, and that he was encouraging, that he talks about praying for them “withoutceasing”. Paul must have had an awesome continuous prayer life as he prayedfor the different saints in the different churches in the different places ofthe world. He was a man of prayer.  Whatdid Paul pray? His prayers were not for their material needs, that they wouldhave money, not that they could pay their bills, not that they could buildbetter and bigger buildings or churches. Those things could have been importantand maybe were important at times, but his prayer was that “the God of ourLord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to them the spirit of wisdomand revelation in the knowledge of Him”.  Icouldn't help but think of Hosea chapters 4 and 6. God said, "My peopleare destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). That is what happens whenwe fail to know who God is. Then Hosea gives this invitation from God in chapter6: "Come, let us return to the Lord" (v. 1). In verse 3, "Letus know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord." And then God speaksin verse 6, “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice and the knowledge of Godmore than burnt offerings”. God wants us to “know Him”.  Thoughthe knowledge of God is the highest knowledge possible, the atheist claimsthere is no God for us to know. The agnostic states that if there is a God, youcannot know Him. But Paul met God in the person of Jesus Christ. And he knowsthat a man really can't understand much of anything else without a knowledge ofGod. The knowledge of God is the beginning of wisdom. The “fear of the Lordis the beginning of wisdom”. Romans1 tells us that this willful ignorance of God led mankind into corruption andcondemnation. Paul describes the beginning of this progression with thesewords: “Who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (v. 18). “Because,although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, butbecame futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened”(v. 21).  And then Paul goes on to showthe development of how willful ignorance leads to idolatry, substituting a liefor the truth, exchanging God the creator for a worship of the man who wascreated. It then develops into immorality and indecency. And it all begins withan unwillingness to know God as Creator, as Sustainer, as Governor, as Savior,and as the Judge of our lives. There is tremendous danger and consequences whenthe believer does not grow in the knowledge of God.  InPhilippians 3:10, Paul said, "That I might know Him and the power ofHis resurrection," meaning to be intimately acquainted with God. Toknow God personally is salvation. Jesus prayed in John 17:3; “And this iseternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whomYou have sent”. To know God is to increase in sanctification (Philippians3:10). And to know God leads to ultimate glorification (1 Corinthians 13:9-12). Myfriend, we are made in the image of God. And the better we know God, the moresatisfied we are in Him, and the more satisfied we are even in ourselves. And thatis how we bring the greatest glory to Him. That's what God desires. That iswhat Paul prayed for the believers at Ephesus. We should pray this for ourselves.We can pray this for others.  “ThatI might know Him”—God,the true, the only God. May the Lord help us today to love and live for Himwith all of our hearts.  Godbless!

Todaywe're continuing in Ephesians 1:15-18. Paul desired the Ephesian Christians tounderstand what great wealth they had in Christ. Paul knew of their faith andlove, and in this he rejoiced. The Christian life has two dimensions: faithtoward God and love toward men, and you cannot separate the two. Now theChristian life always begins with faith. Salvation is experienced by faith inthe Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 10:8-13; Ephesians 2:8-9). But then the realproof of our faith is our love toward other believers and toward the people inthe world around us. We are to love them as Christ loved them. He loved them somuch that while they were yet sinners, He died for them on a cross. We are tolove others even as we want others to love us. TheScripture teaches us that when we walk with God, live in His Word, when we arefill with His Word, that we will be like a tree planted by the rivers ofwaters, bringing forth fruit in its season. Our leaves will not wither, andwhatsoever we do will prosper (Psalms 1:2-3). Now, when you have the Word ofGod, abiding in your heart, living by the river of waters, the water of God's Word,and filling your life with it, your root of your faith will go down deep intothe heart of God. Then my friend, you will be like a tree that is glorious, alife that reflects and shines forth the fruit of the love of God.  Yes,faith is the root and love is the fruit. Don't ever forget that faith is theroot of our Christian life and love is the fruit of our Christian life, andalso the outward evidence that we truly have been born again. But Paul knewthat faith and love were just the beginning. The Ephesians needed to know muchmore. This is why he prayed for them, and for us. Inthe four prison prayers of Paul found in Ephesians 1:15-23; 3:14-21; Philippians1:9-11; and Colossians 1:9-12, we discover the blessings he wanted his convertsto enjoy. In none of these prayers does Paul request material things. Hisemphasis is on spiritual perception and real Christian character. He does notask God to give them what they do not have, but rather prays that God willreveal to them what they already have. Beforewe study Paul's four requests in this "prayer for enlightenment"in Ephesians 1, we must notice two facts. First, enlightenment comes from theHoly Spirit. He is the "Spirit of wisdom and revelation" (Isaiah11:2; John 14:25-26; 16:12-14). With his natural mind, man cannot understandthe things of God. He needs the Spirit to enlighten him (1 Corinthians 2:9-16).The Holy Spirit reveals truth to us from the Word, and then gives us the wisdomto understand and apply it. He also gives us the power—the enablement—topractice the truth (Ephesians 3:14-21). Second,this enlightenment comes to the heart of the believer (Ephesians 1:18).Literally this verse reads, "The eyes of your heart beingenlightened." We think of the heart as the emotional part of man, butin the Bible, the heart means the inner man, and includes the emotions, themind, and the will. The inner man, the heart, has spiritual faculties thatparallel the physical senses. Theinner man can see (Ps. 119:18; John 3:3).Theinner man can hear (Matt. 13:9; Heb. 5:11).Theinner man can taste (Ps. 34:8; 1 Peter 2:3).Theinner man can smell (Phil. 4:18; 2 Cor. 2:14)Andthe inner man can touch (Acts 17:27). Thisis what Jesus meant when He said of the people: "They seeing see not, andhearing they hear not" (Matt. 13:13). The inability to see and understandspiritual things is not the fault of the intelligence but of the heart. Theeyes of the heart must be opened by the Spirit of God. Thisis why Paul prayed this prayer for the believers at Ephesus. This is a wonderfulprayer that we can also pray for family and friends on regular basis! May God’sHoly Spirit open the eyes of our heart today! Godbless!

Let'sjust review these verses before we move on.  First,we need to understand that true riches come from God. What a source ofencouragement to know that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are allworking together on our behalf to make us rich in Christ Jesus. God not onlygives us "richly all things to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:17), but Hegives us eternal riches without which all other wealth is valueless. In Jesus’first recorded message on the Mount of Beatitudes He taught us, “Blessed arethe poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God…. Blessed are the meek,for they shall inherit the earth”. When we yield our lives in poverty toJesus Christ, He gives us have an inheritance in heaven. Then when we literallyyield our daily lives to Him, (that's what it means to be meek, yielded to thecontrol of God and His Holy Spirit), then we enjoy everything on earth. In a veryreal sense we have all things richly to enjoy. Butnot only does God give us richly things to enjoy on earth, He gives us eternalriches in Christ Jesus that last for eternity. Not just forever and ever.That's timewise, but for eternity and you can’t measure that. Wow, we are sorich. Over the years so many couples have come to us for counseling that are havingfinancial issues. They've spent their lives buying things. They have a nicehouse, they have expensive cars, they have all these expensive things, but thenthey lost what they really wanted and had in the early days of their marriage.They lost their love. What good is it to have an expensive house if there is nohome? Or an expensive ring if there is no love?  Myfriend, in Christ, you and I have what money can't buy. All these spiritualriches open up to us. All the wealth of God's vast creation. We enjoy the giftsbecause we know and love the Giver. Don't give up what you have in Christ forthat which you will lose. Remember the famous quote by Jim Elliot: "Heis no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannotlose".  Secondly,we learn that all these riches come from God's grace and for God's glory. Didyou notice that after each of the main sections in Ephesians 1:4-14, Paul hasadded the purpose behind these gifts? Why has God the Father chosen us, adoptedus, and accepted us? "To the praise of the glory of His grace" (Eph.1:6). Why has the Son redeemed us, forgiven us, revealed God's will to us, andmade us part of God's inheritance? "That we should be to the praise of Hisglory" (Eph. 1:12). Why has God the Spirit sealed us and become theguarantee of our future blessing? "Unto the praise of His glory"(Eph. 1:14). Weoften have the idea that God saves sinners mainly because He pities them, orwants to rescue them from eternal judgment, but God's main purpose is that Hemight be glorified. His creation reveals His wisdom and power, but His churchreveals His love and grace. You cannot deserve or earn these spiritual riches;you can only receive them by grace, through faith. Thirdly,these riches are only the beginning! There is always more spiritual wealth toclaim from the Lord as we walk with Him. The Bible is our guidebook; the HolySpirit is our Teacher. As we search the Word of God, we discover more and moreof the riches we have in Christ. These riches were planned by the Father,purchased by the Son, and presented by the Spirit. There is really no need forus to live in poverty when all of God's wealth is at our disposal! Ilove the little devotional book by Charles Haddon Spurgeon called “Faith CheckBook”. A promise from the Bible is given for each day of the year, along with ashort devotional message. The author described each promise as being as good asmoney in the bank to anyone who would claim it by faith, as a person wouldwrite a check against his bank account. By faith we can claim God's promisesand draw on His limitless wealth to meet every need we may face.  

Herein verses 13 and 14, Paul tells us that we were sealed by the Holy Spirit.Already we've talked about what God the Father has given us. We talked aboutJesus Christ and what He has given us. Now we're talking about the Holy Spiritand what He gives us even today. He says we also, who have believed and trustedin Christ, were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. He seals us. That wasour lesson yesterday. Today,in verse 14, we learn about the guarantee we have by the Holy Spirit. Anotherword used for guarantee in the old King James is the word “earnest”. It reads, “Whichis the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchasedpossession, unto the praise of his glory”.  This word earnest is a very fascinatingword. In Paul's day, it meant the down payment to guarantee the final purchaseof some commodity or a piece of property. Even today, when you buy a piece ofproperty or you might hear the real estate agent mention the word earnest, thedown payment, the guarantee that you're going to pay the final price on thisproperty when you go to settlement in the lawyer’s office. TheHoly Spirit is God's first installment to guarantee to you and me, Hischildren, that He will finish the work He begun in us and that He will eventuallybring us to glory. This “earnest” is for “the redemption of the purchasedpossession”. This refers to the redemption of the body at the return ofChrist for His Church. Romans 8:18-23 and 1 John 3:1-3 both speak of thisexperience! Redemption,as we know it in Scripture, is experienced in three different stages: Wehave been redeemed through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:7).Weare being redeemed as the Spirit works in our lives to make us more like Christ(Romans 8:1-4). Weshall be redeemed one day when Christ returns, and we become His for eternity.  Butthe word “earnest” can also means “engagement ring”. Matter offact, in Greece today, you might find this word still being used that way.Isn't that what an engagement ring is? It's an assurance. It's a guarantee thatthe promise that you make to each other to be wed one day will be kept. Myfriend, our relationship to Jesus Christ and to God is not a commercial one. It'sa personal one. It's a personal experience of love. He is the bridegroom. Thechurch is His bride. Jesus is making the guarantee with the presence of theHoly Spirit in your life that one day He will come for His bride. He is goingto keep His promise. Maybe that is why He is called the Holy Spirit of promise. Whatgreater assurance do we need to have? I'm often asked, “Can I lose mysalvation? They say, “I don’t feel saved. I don't have the assurance that Ikeep my salvation because I still sin. I still do things I shouldn't do”. ReadRomans 6 and 8. These two chapters should give you great assurance of your positionin Christ, and reminds you that you will never be separated from the love ofGod that's in Christ Jesus. Absolutely nothing can separate you. Why? The “Earnest”,the Guarantee has been given. You have the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit isthere right now in your life, never to be taken away. Yes,can grieve the Holy Spirit, and you can quench Him, but you will never loseHim. Why? Because Jesus said, "He that comes to Me, I will by no meanscast out” (John 6:37). And Jesus promised in John 14:16, “And I will praythe Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with youforever”. My friend, “forever” means “forever”! Mayyou be especially blessed today as you relish the guarantee that you are His,and He is yours, and you're forever experiencing and enjoying His love.  Godbless!

Welcometo Pastor's Chat. Today we're continuing to look at the ministry and work ofthe Holy Spirit as we are reading about Him in Ephesians 1:13-14. Jesuspromised in John 14 that He would give and send the Holy Spirit. John 14 beginswith Jesus assuring His disciples with these words and making several promisesto them: “Let not your heart be troubled…”. We live in a world full oftroubled and fearful hearts. Even believers today face tremendous fearconcerning so many different things in their lives, in their families, theirpersonal lives, and in a world today that is so confused, mixed up, and filledwith violence. But Jesus says, "Let not your heart be troubled. Youbelieve in God, believe also in Me."  Thenin verses 16-20, Jesus promises them: “And I will pray the Father, and Hewill give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--theSpirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Himnor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will bein you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. "Alittle while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I amin My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.”   Howwill He come to them? He will come in the person and ministry and work of theHoly Spirit. Paul would later write, “Christ in you, the hope of glory”.“At that day…”, is speaking of what happened on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2,when the Holy Spirit came down on them as promised. Today the baptism andindwelling for the Holy Spirit begins the moment we trust Christ as ourpersonal Savior. At that very moment, the Holy Spirit, according to Romans 6:3,“baptizes us into the body of Christ”. Also in 1 Corinthians 12:13 weread: “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews orGreeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into oneSpirit.” Ephesians1:13 also tell us that we are also sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Whatis the significance of this sealing of the Holy Spirit? For one thing, it speaksof a finished transaction. Even today, when important legaldocuments are processed, they are stamped with the official seal to signify thecompletion of the transaction.  Thissealing also implies ownership: God has put his seal on us because Hehas purchased us to be His own. Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “Or do you notknow that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom youhave from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price;therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.” Thissealing also means security and protection. The Roman seal on the tombof Jesus carried this meaning (Matt. 27:62-66). So, the believer belongs toGod, and is safe and protected because he is a part of a finished transaction. Andaccording to John 14:16-17, the Holy Spirit abides with the believer forever.It is possible for us to grieve the Spirit and thereby lose the blessings ofHis ministry (Eph. 4:30). But He doesn't leave us. Anotheruse for the seal is as a mark of authenticity. Just as a signature on aletter attests to the genuineness of the document, so the presence of theSpirit proves the believer is genuine. "If any man have not the Spiritof Christ, he is none of His" (Romans. 8:9). It is not simply our lipprofession, our religious activity, or our good works, but the witness of theSpirit that makes our profession authentic.  ThankGod for the ministry and work of the Holy Spirit in our lives today. Indeed,what a rich blessing from God the Holy Spirit. Godbless!

Itis always a great feeling to be back home and in my office for our pastor’schat. We want to give you an update on Brandy Manning that we asked you to prayfor who had brain surgery on a cancerous tumor Wednesday morning at DukeUniversity. Your prayers have been answered in a wonderful way. The surgerywent very well. Yesterday afternoon she was sent to a local hotel there inDurham where she will be a couple days as she recovers. It looks like they gotmost of the tumor and they will deal with what is there still there later. Wow,what a miracle. Thank you for your prayers. AlsoI received a good report from my cardiologist. He told me to come back in ayear and have another echo stress test and see him again. So as far as I'mconcerned, I'm doing fine and was told be careful and continue to take my medications.Thank you for your prayers.  Weare continuing to look at Ephesians 1:13-14. Today we are talking about theHoly Spirit of promise. First notice what Paul says back in verse 12, that “wewho first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory”. In otherwords, those who have already been born again, who have been saved, who've beenwashed in the blood, who've been redeemed, who've been forgiven, Paul says, “weshould be to the praise of His glory”. Now in verse 13, he points out that thisis who the Ephesian believers also trusted. And after you heard the word oftruth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also having believed, you weresealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.  “TheHoly Spirit of promise”. Oh, my friend, Jesus promised that the HolySpirit would come. He would come into the believers. He would abide in us. Jesusgave this promise in John 14 and also John 16, in His last message to Hisdisciples in the upper room. John 16:13 says: "However, when He theSpirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speakon His own authority, but whatever He hears, He will speak and He will tell youthings to come." Then verse 14 He goes on to say: “He will glorifyMe for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you”. In Acts 1:4 justbefore Jesus ascended into heaven we read: “And being assembled togetherwith them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for thePromise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me”.The Holy Spirit is the “promise” of both Jesus and the Father! NowEphesians 1:14 goes on to say, not only are we sealed with the Holy Spirit ofpromise, it says He is the Holy Spirit “who is the guarantee of ourinheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession”. Then youread this phrase again, “to the praise of His glory”. I love puttingthis together with what Jesus said. He says the Holy Spirit of promise is goingto come. He's going to abide with you forever. Now He says you'll be sealedwith this Holy Spirit of promise. And all of this is “to the praise of Hisglory”.  Paul'ssaying it's to the praise of the glory of Jesus Christ. Remember back in John 16:14,Jesus said, “He (the Holy Spirit) will glorify me”. My friend, when theHoly Spirit is at work in your life, when the Holy Spirit has taken control ofyou, you will be filled with Him. As a result, He will control your mouth.He'll control your actions, He will control your attitudes as you yield to Hisauthority. He will reveal Jesus to you and preform His work in your life. Theministry of the Holy Spirit cannot be underestimated.  Tomorrowwe are going to talk about what it means to be sealed with the Holy Spirit andhow that is so awesomely powerful in our lives. But today, let's remember He is“the Holy Spirit of promise” of Jesus and the Father. God always keepsHis promises. If you've been born again, you have the Holy Spirit, and this is allfor, “to the praise of His glory”.  Today,is your life glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ in everything you say and do? Itrust that it is. Godbless!

Thursday September04Todaywe will continue to look at Ephesians 1:13-14. We are talking about the God theHoly Spirit and the blessings that He gives us. We've talked about God theFather and His blessings from eternity past in the first verses (vs. 2-6). Inverses 7-12, we see the past history of Jesus Christ, His death, burial,resurrection, and the blessings that we have in Christ. Now, in verse 13-14, wenot only find out about the blessings of the Holy Spirit we have in “thepresent”, but we find out exactly how we can be saved. We hear “the word oftruth”, which is “the gospel of our salvation”, then we “believe”and put our “trust” totally in Jesus Christ, and we then experience thesealing of the Holy Spirit. Romans10:13-15 makes this really clear: “For "whoever calls on the name ofthe LORD shall be saved." How then shall they call on Him in whom theyhave not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have notheard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preachunless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet ofthose who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of goodthings!". These are powerful verses.  Paulpoints out here in Ephesians 1:13, “in whom you also trusted”. Ofcourse, the “whom” is Jesus Christ that you trusted. You not only needto hear about Christ and have an intellectual understanding that He is the Sonof God, and believe that He is who He said He is, and that He is not just ahistorical figure, but you believe that He came to save us and set us free fromour sins. And you believe not just with your head, but with your heart. Thisdoesn't mean you just actually intellectually ascent to the fact He died andwas buried and rose again the third day. But that you trusted in Him for youreternal salvation. You realized there was no other way of salvation. There wasno hope for you, no future for you, no eternity for you. And you believed and trustedin Him, just like Paul on the road to Damascus trusted in Him and his lifetotally and completely changed.  Myfriend, when you sincerely, honestly, and genuinely trust in Christ, you know itbecause something takes place in your life, a miracle takes place. You become anew creation. “Old things pass away, and all things become new” (2Corinthians 5:17). Only the gospel makes this possible as Paul points out herein this verse. “After you heard the word of truth, the gospel of salvation,in whom also having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise”. Now,that's powerful because the very moment, and I mean, the very moment that youtrusted in Christ and you called on His name, as Romans 10:13 says here, thatvery moment you experienced eternal salvation, not only did Christ came to livein you, but you were baptized into the body of Christ (Romans 6:3), and yourbody also became the temple of the Holy Spirit. Read this in 1 Corinthians6:19-20: “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spiritwho is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you werebought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, whichare God's.” Whenthe Holy Spirit came in you, Ephesians 1:13 tells us something else takes place:"Having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit ofpromise." Tomorrow, we are going to be talking about what that means, “beingsealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” The Holy Spirit guarantees our eternalsalvation. He's the guarantee. And we'll look at what that means tomorrow.  Myfriend, our salvation is such a fantastic, powerful, miraculous, mysteriousexperience. And it's for anyone and everyone who calls on His name. God wantsyou to be saved because He is “not willing that any should perish, but thatall should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).  Today,have you ever really believed and put your trust in Jesus alone? Godbless!

Today,as we go through Ephesians chapter 1, we're looking especially at verses 13 and14. But remember back in verse 12, the Apostle Paul as he's writing to thechurch at Ephesus, he spoke to the fact that we who first trusted in Christshould be to the praise of His glory and then he continues in verse 13 to speakhow the Ephesians also trusted in Him. Notice how Paul first trusted in Christ,found salvation, his life was transformed and then he became that greatmissionary out of the church at Antioch that we know about in the book of Acts. Paulis clearly making the point that only by trusting in Christ is the only way ofsalvation. And when did they trust? When did you trust in Christ for your salvation?  It was, “after you heard the word of truth,the gospel of your salvation in whom also having believed you were sealed withthe Holy Spirit of promise who is the guarantee of our inheritance until theredemption of the purchased possession to the praise of His glory”.  Rememberin the first verses of this chapter we read about the blessings from God theFather (vs. 4-6). He blessed us in eternity past before the foundation of theworld, He chose us. He adopted us. He accepted us. And in Him we havesalvation. And He chose us to be what? “To be holy and without blame beforeHim in love”. And that's eternity past.  Inverses 7-12, we have the blessings from God the Son, Jesus Christ. And that'sin history past. Jesus came, as incarnate God to planet earth, died on thecross in our place for our sins, and gave us the salvation that we have. Andthat was the experience of the Ephesian believers there in Ephesus. Now we'relooking at present tense because it is now that the Holy Spirit is the Oneworking in our lives. If you read Acts 19, you definitely will see thatwonderful story there.  Again,looking at the first part of this verse, we find the way of salvation is bytrusting in Christ. Now I don't understand all about predestination, electionand all those things. But I know this, that God also created us with a freewill. And because of that, whosoever will may be saved. And the Lord is notwilling that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And howdo you get saved? After you hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, the death, burial,and resurrection. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Then, it is the work and ministryof the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds and change our lives as the Wordof God comes into our heart that we trust in Christ. That's how we experienceHis great salvation.  Continueto pray today for us as we travel and for our dear friends and their families. Again,thank you for your prayers! Godbless!

Today, we are looking at Ephesians 1, and we're talking about the riches, the richesthat we have in Christ Jesus. I made the statement the other day that Isaac wasborn to wealth. Remember his father Abraham was called by God to leave Ur ofthe Chaldees and go to a land that God would show him. And God promised that Hewould bless him. He would make him a great nation. And in him all the nationsof the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3). And then God promised him a sonthrough whom this seed, this great nation would come. But it took a long time.And finally, Isaac was born. But by the time Isaac was born, Abraham, becauseof the blessings of God, was a wealthy, wealthy man. Isaac didn't do anything.If you read about him in the Old Testament, he was born to wealth.  Andmy friend, we've been born again to great riches in Christ Jesus. That's whatthe book of Ephesians is about. We see that especially in verses 2-6, becauseGod the Father, God the Father has chosen us. He has adopted us. He hasaccepted us in Christ. All these rich blessings are made possible with theFather in heaven. Before we were alienated from Him, but now we're reconciledto Him through Christ.  InEphesians 1:7-12, we see our riches we have from God the Son. In Him we havethe redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. And again, it'saccording to the “riches of His grace”. He has revealed to us His will.The mystery that's been hidden in the past ages but now revealed to us throughJesus Christ. And that is that He will bring everything together. That “inthe dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in oneall things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him”(v. 10). Wehave something to look forward to. The world has nothing to look forward toexcept another day possibly. And they don't even know that they are guaranteedthat. They have no future. They're without hope. We'll read in Ephesians 2:12.But we have hope. Hope in Christ. A future that's bright. A future that's sure,secure, anchored to Jesus Christ. What a rich blessing.  Todaywe see in verse 11, "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance,being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all thingsaccording to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christshould be to the praise of His glory." What is the will of God? Whathas God predestined us for? That we should be to the praise of His glory. Everyborn-again believer, every saint of God has been called to glorify God, toglorify the Lord Jesus Christ, be to the praise of His glory. And this willtake place one day. But even now, we are to live for His glory.  Notonly have we “obtained an inheritance”, but as some translations read, "inwhom also we were made an inheritance", we are His, Christ, inheritance!Both are true and the one includes the other. In Christ we have a wonderfulinheritance (read 1 Peter 1:1-4), and in Christ we are an inheritance. We arevaluable to Him. Think of the price God paid to purchase us and make us part ofHis inheritance! God the Son is the Father's love gift to us; and we are theFather's love gift to His Son. Read John 17 and note how many times Christcalls us "those whom Thou hast given Me." The church is Christ's body(Eph. 1:22-23), building (Eph. 2:19-22), and bride (Eph. 5:22-23); Christ'sfuture inheritance is wrapped up in His church.  Weare "joint-heirs with Christ", which means that He cannotclaim His inheritance apart from us! Romans 8:17 says: "And ifchildren, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if indeed wesuffer with Him that we may also be glorified together with Him."  What a rich blessing that we have aninheritance and at the same time we are His inheritance.  Today,are you enjoying the inheritance you have in Christ? Godbless!

Today,we want to continue in Ephesians 1. Now remember the chapter starts with twolong sentences. The first long sentence begins in verse 2 through verse 6, andtells us how God our Father has given us a great spiritual blessing in the factthat He has chosen us, He has adopted us, and He has accepted us in Christ. Allbecause of what His Son Jesus Christ has done for us. We are a blessed people.We're rich in Christ. That's the theme of the book.  Thenin verses 7-10, we have another long sentence. And this is what Jesus Christthe Son is continuing to do for us even today. We have redemption through Hisblood. We have forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. Yesterdaywe talked about how through His grace He made to abound toward us in all wisdomand prudence. We have the wisdom of God and the discernment of God to do what'sright to please Him.  Todaywe are looking specifically at verses 9-10: ”Having made known to us themystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed inHimself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gathertogether in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are inearth in Him”. And that's the last part of this big sentence. What we findout here is that not only has He redeemed and forgiven us, He has also madeknown to us “the mystery of His will”.  Thisletter has much to say about God's plan for His people. A plan that was noteven fully known even in Paul's day. The word mystery that we read here, and isused several times in the book, has nothing to do with something eerie. Itactually means in the Scripture a “sacred secret” once hidden but now revealedto God's people. We believers are part of God's inner circle. We are able toshare in the secret that God one day will unite everything in Christ. Eversince sin came into the world, things have been falling apart, as you well know.First man was separated from God (Genesis 3). Then man was separated from manas Cain killed Abel (Genesis 4). People tried to maintain some kind of unity bybuilding the tower of Babel in Genesis 11. But God judged them and scatteredthem across the world.  Godcalled Abraham and put a difference between the Jew and the Gentile. Adifference that was maintained until Christ's death on the cross. Sin istearing everything apart. But in Christ, God will gather everything together inthe accumulation of the ages. We are a part as His church, even as Gentiles ofHis eternal program. He unites all things in Christ. What a blessing that themystery of God's will, bringing everything back together in Christ will befulfilled one day when Jesus Christ comes back again and sets up His kingdom.  That'sGod's plan for the ages. Oneness in Jesus Christ. No matter who we are, rich orpoor, educated, uneducated, no matter our language, our culture, we are allrich in Christ. And one day we will experience that final unity. But even now,we can have that unity because we're in Christ. It doesn't matter whether we'refrom India or China or America or Africa or South America. It doesn't matter. AsI go to different places in the world, there is this oneness despite ourlanguage barriers in Christ.  Thisis the will of God that we can have this unity in Christ. This is the will ofGod that we can be saved from the sin that separates us. God is not willingthat any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).  Myfriend, what a great blessing we have in Christ today. And we ought to enjoythis blessing of unity, knowing the will and plan of God for the ages. Amystery that was hidden but now is made known to us in Christ.  Godbless!