Wednesday Huddle – January 1, 2025 – Ephesians 1:3-14

Wednesday Huddle / By

 

 

OPENING COMMENTS

  • The theme for this week is praise for God’s blessings.
  • A new year has dawned!  This means new beginnings, new journeys, and new resolutions.  The New Year is often an opportunity to improve ourselves or expand what we have.  But while this can be a healthy practice, it is also beneficial to reflect on the blessings that we already have.  This New Year, let us open our hearts and ears and receive what God has already given us.  Let us experience his grace and love through the light of his son, Jesus Christ.
  • In Ephesians, the apostle declares that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. Considering this, we are to offer praise to God.

 

BIBLE READING

Ephesians 1:3-14

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 just as He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him in love.

5 He destined us for adoption as His children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of His glorious grace that He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

7 In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 that He lavished on us.

With all wisdom and insight, 9 He has made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure that He set forth in Christ, 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth.

11 In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of Him who accomplishes all things according to His counsel and will, 12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of His glory.

13 In Him, you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in Him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; 14 this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of His glory.

 

DISCUSSION SESSION

Ephesians 1:3-14 (NIV)

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.   

 

  • From the GCI Equipper …
    • Paul employs the use of imagery to explain just how great the privilege of being the Father’s adopted children really is.  He does this in a way the Ephesian church could understand by appealing to the practice of adoption.  While adoption of children in Jewish society was rarer, the Ephesians were well accustomed to how adoption worked in the Roman Gentile world they inhabited.
    • In Roman law, when the adoption was complete, the adoptee was free from their old family.  Any debts or responsibilities that were incurred by that former family were nullified.  The old has passed and the new has come.  The adoptee now enjoyed the same rights as a biologically-born child.  Some have even suggested that they might have even carried more rights than those who were the biological children of their parents.2
    • In verse 3, Paul shares the wonderful news that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing possible.  Through the ministry of Christ on our behalf, not one thing is missing; nothing is being held back.  And we now stand blameless in His sight.  No wonder Paul has such a difficult time containing his enthusiasm as he writes this letter!

 

4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  In  love, 5 He[a] predestined us for adoption to sonship[b] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will — 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.  

 

  • From the Enduring Word Commentary …
    • Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself: This is the Father’s destiny for His chosen – that they would enjoy adoption as sons. God’s unfolding plan for us not only includes salvation and personal transformation, but also a warm, confident relationship with the Father.
      • i. In Roman law, “When the adoption was complete it was complete indeed. The person who had been adopted had all the rights of a legitimate son in his new family and completely lost all rights in his old family. In the eyes of the law he was a new person. So new was he that even all debts and obligations connected with his previous family were abolished as if they had never existed.” (Barclay)

         

      • ii. Gaebelein takes the thought even further: “Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are not adopted into the family of God; they are born into the family. The Greek has only one word ‘Sonplace.’ We are placed into the position of Sons.” 
      • iii. This high position in the family of God gives us something in Jesus that Adam never had. “When people ask us the speculative question why God went ahead with the creation when he knew that it would be followed by the fall, one answer we can tentatively give is that he destined us for a higher dignity than even creation would bestow on us.” (Stott)
  • From the GCI Equipper …
    • In Verse 4, Paul informs the Ephesians that all of this was decided before the foundation of the world.  All would be included in His plan of election.  Jew and Gentile alike.  In fact, before the foundation of the world there was neither Jew nor Gentile.
    • Verse 5 indicates that this adoption of ours is based on love.  It was out of the Father’s great love that He chose humanity for himself.  It was His will to adopt us through the life of His Son, Jesus.  This is what truly pleased the Father — to have us for himself.
    • Verse 6 speaks about God’s glorious grace that we have received through Christ Jesus.  In essence, these verses direct us toward Christ.  He is the focal point of our faith.  It is through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension that our adoption has been secured with all its blessings and benefits.  This is what the Father has chosen.

      

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us.   

 

 

 

With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he[c] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment — to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.  

 

  • From the GCI Equipper …
    • Paul starts this next section by talking about our redemption.  This is one of those religious-sounding words that needs a bit of clarification.  The Greek word for redemption is apolutrosis.  It signifies a release effected by payment of ransom.  It carries the idea that something was lost or forfeited but then bought back.3  Again, this word held a lot of significance for the Ephesian believers.
    • In Ephesus, there were approximately 60,000 slaves, equivalent to a quarter of the population.  Most of these slaves were typically conquered or kidnapped individuals, or prisoners of war.  Even people’s own families might sell one of their members into slavery.4  This was “business as usual” to the Ephesians, and business was booming.
    • You can imagine how a person might react to being redeemed, to having their freedom procured.  What a relief this must have been.  What gratitude they must have displayed!  And this is likely why Paul chose to use the word redemption here.  We all have been held in bondage to sin and death.  Again, it is the Father’s will for His creation to be free.
    • Through the blood of Christ, we are redeemed.  Our deliverance from the bondages to sin and death is a done deal.  Sin is no longer our master.  The wages of sin and death are paid in full.  The chains are released.  We are a people made free through the love of God expressed in Christ’s death in our place.

11 In him we were also chosen,[d] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.   

 

  • From the GCI Equipper …
    • In verse 11, Paul goes back to mentioning how we are chosen.  He goes even further by stating that this was all predestined by God.  Paul is not addressing here whether certain individuals have or have not been predestined to salvation.  What Paul is addressing is that the mystery of God’s will is the inclusion of the Gentiles.  The Father is unifying all things together through Christ.  Nothing is outside of God’s redemptive plan.

 

 

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit  guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession — to the praise of his glory.  

  • From the Enduring Word Commentary …
    • You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise: Also essential in God’s work is the sealing work of the Holy Spirit. His presence in our lives acts as a seal which indicates ownership, and which is a guarantee of our inheritance.
        1. “The seal is therefore the Holy Spirit Himself, and His presence in the believer denotes ownership and security. The sealing with the Spirit is not an emotional feeling or some mysterious inward experience.” (Gaebelein)
        2. The word guarantee (“down payment”) is used only in the New Testament of the Holy Spirit. He is our only down payment of coming glory; nothing else is provided – or needed.
    • Having believed, you were sealed:  The sealing does not come before we believe, and those who demand some assurance from God before they will believe treat God as if His word could not be trusted.
        1. “For sealing there are needed the softened wax; the imprint of the beloved face; the steady pressure. Would that the Spirit might impress the face of our dear Lord on our softened hearts, that they may keep it for evermore!” (Meyer)
    • Until the redemption of the purchased possession: We have this guarantee until we are “completely purchased” by God through resurrection and glorification – again, all to the praise of His glory.
  • From the GCI Equipper …
    • Notice in verse 13, Paul begins to use the pronoun “you”.  The church in Ephesus had a significant number of Gentile believers.  Therefore, Paul is communicating here about their great inclusion into being a people chosen and adopted by the Father.  What was once only bragged about by the Jews, had now become their privilege as well through Christ.
    • Verse 13 talks about us being marked with a “seal.”  What Paul is referring to was an official mark of identification that was placed on a letter, contract, or other important document.  Typically, the seal was made from hot wax, which was placed on the document and then impressed with a signet ring.  Once this was completed, the document was then officially identified with and placed under the authority of the person to whom the signet belonged.5  This was usually a king, a nobleman, or a high ranking official.  The seal authenticated the document.  If someone were to have this item in their possession, they were assured of security, authenticity, ownership, and authority.
    • The “seal” for us is the Holy Spirit.  With this seal we are secure in our relationship with God.  We know what we have been given is authenticated by the witness of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Under the authority of King Jesus, we have been given the Spirit as a gift.  The Spirit is a deposit, who guarantees that we will take — and are taking — ownership of all the blessings of Christ in this age and even more in the age to come.  Through the Holy Spirit, we come to know more and more how God the Father, and Christ the Son, have chosen us and received us into the family of God.

 

 

 

WHAT CAN WE TAKE AWAY?

  • From the Lectionary Notes …

Christian songwriter, Tim Hughes said:   Worship is about something we do.  It involves sacrifice.  But at the heart of the gospel is this truth, we are called and chosen by God to join in with the dance of the trinity — Father, Son and Holy Spirit.6    

Brothers and sisters,

      • let us praise our wonderful heavenly Father, who has included and chosen us as His very own beloved children.
      • Let us take hold of the blessings that have been lavished upon us through the ministry of Christ on our behalf.
      • And let us live out our lives through the direction of the Holy Spirit, who continually leads us in the dance into which we have been so graciously included.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lectionary Notes

 

The Chosen     

Ephesians 1:3-14 NIV

 

There was a family that had two boys, an eight-year-old and a six-year-old. The older brother was a biological child while the six-year-old was adopted. One day the older brother was bragging to his younger brother that he was the only biological child of their parents. The younger brother responded by saying, “Well, at least I can say that I was chosen, but they were stuck with you.”

Imagine yourself as a small child.  You have no parents and no real home to go to.  Now, imagine being told that someone has chosen you to be their child.  Not only have you been chosen, but the person who chose you has an unconditional amount of love that no other parent could come close to.  They have also agreed to share their entire estate with you.  You just hit the adoption jackpot!

In our sermon today, we’re going to unpack what it means to be adopted by God.  We will be looking at the significance of being specifically chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and sealed by the Spirit.  In other words, we have hit the adoption jackpot.  Our text is found in Ephesians 1:3-14.  We will start by looking at verses 3-6.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  In love, he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will — to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. Ephesians 1:3-6 NIV

In the original Greek, this passage (verses 3-14) is one massively long run-on phrase with clause after clause describing the ways in which the Father has blessed us and what the implications of those blessings are for our lives.1  Reading this in its entirety may seem like we are trying to drink from a firehose or a powerful waterfall.  While the apostle Paul may not have needed to take a breath as he was writing this, we must pause occasionally if we want to truly digest what he is trying to get across.

Paul employs the use of imagery to explain just how great the privilege of being the Father’s adopted children really is.  He does this in a way the Ephesian church could understand by appealing to the practice of adoption.  While adoption of children in Jewish society was rarer, the Ephesians were well accustomed to how adoption worked in the Roman Gentile world they inhabited.

In Roman law, when the adoption was complete, the adoptee was free from their old family.  Any debts or responsibilities that were incurred by that former family were nullified.  The old has passed and the new has come.  The adoptee now enjoyed the same rights as a biologically-born child.  Some have even suggested that they might have even carried more rights than those who were the biological children of their parents.2

Verse 5 indicates that this adoption of ours is based on love.  It was out of the Father’s great love that He chose humanity for himself.  It was His will to adopt us through the life of His Son, Jesus.  This is what truly pleased the Father — to have us for himself.

In Verse 4, Paul informs the Ephesians that all of this was decided before the foundation of the world.  All would be included in His plan of election.  Jew and Gentile alike.  In fact, before the foundation of the world there was neither Jew nor Gentile.

In verse 3, Paul shares the wonderful news that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing possible.  Through the ministry of Christ on our behalf, not one thing is missing; nothing is being held back.  And we now stand blameless in His sight.  No wonder Paul has such a difficult time containing his enthusiasm as he writes this letter!

Verse 6 speaks about God’s glorious grace that we have received through Christ Jesus.  In essence, these four verses direct us toward Christ.  He is the focal point of our faith.  It is through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension that our adoption has been secured with all its blessings and benefits.  This is what the Father has chosen.

In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.  With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reached their fulfillment — to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.  

In him, we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:7-12 NIV

Paul starts this next section by talking about our redemption.  This is one of those religious-sounding words that needs a bit of clarification.  The Greek word for redemption is apolutrosis.  It signifies a release effected by payment of ransom.  It carries the idea that something was lost or forfeited but then bought back.3  Again, this word held a lot of significance for the Ephesian believers.

In Ephesus, there were approximately 60,000 slaves, equivalent to a quarter of the population.  Most of these slaves were typically conquered or kidnapped individuals, or prisoners of war.  Even people’s own families might sell one of their members into slavery.4  This was “business as usual” to the Ephesians, and business was booming.

You can imagine how a person might react to being redeemed, to having their freedom procured.  What a relief this must have been.  What gratitude they must have displayed!  And this is likely why Paul chose to use the word redemption here.  We all have been held in bondage to sin and death.  Again, it is the Father’s will for His creation to be free.

Through the blood of Christ, we are redeemed.  Our deliverance from the bondages to sin and death is a done deal.  Sin is no longer our master.  The wages of sin and death are paid in full.  The chains are released.  We are a people made free through the love of God expressed in Christ’s death in our place.

In verse 11, Paul goes back to mentioning how we are chosen.  He goes even further by stating that this was all predestined by God.  Paul is not addressing here whether certain individuals have or have not been predestined to salvation.  What Paul is addressing is that the mystery of God’s will is the inclusion of the Gentiles.  The Father is unifying all things together through Christ.  Nothing is outside of God’s redemptive plan.

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession — to the praise of his glory.   Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV 

Notice in verse 13, Paul begins to use the pronoun “you”.  The church in Ephesus had a significant number of Gentile believers.  Therefore, Paul is communicating here about their great inclusion into being a people chosen and adopted by the Father.  What was once only bragged about by the Jews, had now become their privilege as well through Christ.

Verse 13 talks about us being marked with a “seal.”  What Paul is referring to was an official mark of identification that was placed on a letter, contract, or other important document.  Typically, the seal was made from hot wax, which was placed on the document and then impressed with a signet ring.  Once this was completed, the document was then officially identified with and placed under the authority of the person to whom the signet belonged.5  This was usually a king, a nobleman, or a high ranking official.  The seal authenticated the document.  If someone were to have this item in their possession, they were assured of security, authenticity, ownership, and authority.

The “seal” for us is the Holy Spirit.  With this seal we are secure in our relationship with God.  We know what we have been given is authenticated by the witness of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Under the authority of King Jesus, we have been given the Spirit as a gift.  The Spirit is a deposit, who guarantees that we will take — and are taking — ownership of all the blessings of Christ in this age and even more in the age to come.  Through the Holy Spirit, we come to know more and more how God the Father, and Christ the Son, have chosen us and received us into the family of God.

Christian songwriter, Tim Hughes said:

Worship is about something we do.  It involves sacrifice.  But at the heart of the gospel is this truth, we are called and chosen by God to join in with the dance of the trinity — Father, Son and Holy Spirit.6    

Brothers and sisters,

  • let us praise our wonderful heavenly Father, who has included and chosen us as His very own beloved children.
  • Let us take hold of the blessings that have been lavished upon us through the ministry of Christ on our behalf.
  • And let us live out our lives through the direction of the Holy Spirit, who continually leads us in the dance into which we have been so graciously included.

 

 

 

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