Day 4 - Ephesians 1:15-22
By now your soul, mind and spirit should be longing for the beautiful Words of Blessing and Life found in Ephesians. What a glorious letter to Christ's Bride.
Pray, read through the entire book, sing a song of Praise to Our Heavenly Father
and Jesus The Christ and Our Teacher the Holy Spirit.
Study for Today
Thanksgiving and Prayer
15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,
16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might
20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,
23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Study Questions:
1. What does God want to give the believer?
2. How do we, as believers, get power?
3. Who has all power and who gave it to him?
4. Do you understand the significance of the Name of Jesus? Where does it reside? You can look up the significance on google, which explains what a name meant--it was your banner, your identity, how you were seen by others. What does that mean to you?
5. Christ paid our penalty of death to redeem us to the Father. How did the Father bless Him?
6. What significance does the Church play in Jesus' life?
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Commentary and notes for further revelation from the ESV:
Eph. 1:15–23 Paul's Prayer of Thanksgiving. This section, like vv. 3–14, is a single sentence in the original Greek. Paul prays that the church will gain deep insight into the Lord's powerful working and rich gifts in Christ.
Eph. 1:15 because I have heard.
Eph. 1:16 do not cease . . . in my prayers. See note on 6:18.
Eph. 1:17 To name the Father of glory as the God of our Lord Jesus Christ is not to deny Christ's deity but to affirm his true incarnate humanity. Further, it expresses that Christians know God through the Lord Jesus as their mediator. Spirit of wisdom refers to the Holy Spirit's secret working in Christians to give them insights into God's Word and the saving knowledge of him (1 Cor. 2:6–12).
Eph. 1:18–19 Paul prays that believers will comprehend the blessings that are theirs in Christ: (1) their future hope; (2) God's inheritance in the saints; and (3) their power in Christ. The “inheritance” here is not the Christian's inheritance but his (God's).
This indicates how precious his people are to God. They are, so to speak, what he looks forward to enjoying forever. Paul piles up “power words” to express the immeasurable greatness of God's power, working, and great might toward believers. Power over supernatural forces through magic and the occult was a great concern in ancient Ephesus (Acts 19:19), but the power of the living God in Christ trumps all competing authorities (Acts 19:20).
Eph. 1:22 put all things. Paul quotes Ps. 8:6 as being fulfilled by Christ's exaltation over all creation and as head over the church. head. Like a present-day “head of government,” this term points to Christ's preeminence as Lord (see note on 1 Cor. 11:3).
Eph. 1:23 body. Christ has so identified himself with his church that it is said to be his very body, much as Adam described Eve as “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Gen. 2:23) and as God declared man and wife to be “one flesh” (see note on Eph. 5:28–30). fullness. The church, filled by Christ, fills all creation as representatives of Christ.
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He will do a new thing in your Beloved. Nurture the longing of faith that He placed in every man's heart. Read, meditate, pray, study, dream, live the mighty and powerful Word Of God just for today. You are an heir to eternal life--what riches of the world could exceed that gift? Hallelujah until tomorrow. Sister, Lisa
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