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| JAMES LESSON #36 We�re in the process of looking at �lies� and �truth� as they pertain to �me� and �God.� The lie we�re looking at is: You get your identity from what people say about you. The truth we�re looking at is: You get your identity from what God has said about you �in HIM.� Turn to Ephesians 1 and get ready to start marking your Bible text. If you have the time, I�d �list� in your Bible margin if there�s room, all the things that have been accomplished and define you IN HIM as we start to mark them. Ephesians 1: As we work through this, I want you to note all the way through the text the words, �IN HIM� � Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints (who�s that? That�s me- that�s you, that�s believers then) who are at Ephesus, (Ephesus was in Asia � it held an enormous statue of the goddess Diana � that was considered one of the �wonders of the world�-Ephesus was deeply rooted in the occult)and who are faithful (how?) in Christ Jesus: (not in their own strength) Grace (in the Greek: charis � matic: unmerited, unearned favor) to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed (spoken well of) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has 1) blessed us with every spiritual blessing (where?) in the heavenly places (how?) IN CHRIST. Just as 2) HE chose us (how?) IN HIM (Christ), (insert John 15:16) (He chose us when?) before the foundation of the world, (why?) that we should be holy and blameless (where?) before Him. In wrath? �no: In love 3) He predestined � (Greek: prohorizo: to mark out before hand)us to adoption as sons (how?)through Jesus Christ to Himself (the Father), according to the kind intention of His will To the praise and glory- (Greek: doxa: to give a correct opinion of � proper estimate of) of His grace, which 4) He freely betowed on us in the Beloved. (In what? Who�s the �Beloved?� Matthew 3:17 � Jesus) IN HIM we have 5)Redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, (everything is paid for in full: no penalty is due from us) 6) according to the riches of His �grace,� which He lavished upon us. 7) In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, (the mystery of His will is the church � us, IN HIM) according to His kind intention which He purposed (unveiled and directed) (where?) IN HIM with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, (the ordering of events leading to the coming of Christ) that is,the summing up of all things (where?) IN CHRIST, (all things meaning what?) all things in the heavens and things upon the earth 8) We have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory (the giving of a proper estimate of all that He is through us) IN HIM you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation (that Jesus was crucified, was dead, was buried and was resurrected) �having believed, 9) you were sealed IN HIM (how?) with the Holy Spirit of promise who is given as a pledge (a deposit, a guarantee for later pick up)of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption (looking towards going to heaven) of God�s own possession, (the church- you/me-insert I Corinthians 6:19-20: side note: the word �temple� in I Corinthians 19 is �naos� and it means the �Holy of Holies�) to the praise of His glory. For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you, and your LOVE for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may a) give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation (where?) in the knowledge of Him. I pray that b) b) the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, (why?)so that you may KNOW (remember: the key in warfare is KNOWING the truth) what is the �hope of His calling,� (the promise of heaven) c) what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints (what are the riches of giving Him a proper evaluation to all who see � through our own lives- WE are HIS inheritance � that we might know what it is for Him to show us off and declare all that He is in and through us for all who see) d) and what is the surpassing greatness of His power (this is resurrection power) toward us who believe. (How did all this stuff happen?) These are in accordance with the working of the strength of HIS MIGHT which HE (God the Father) brought about (how?) IN CHRIST, when He (God the Father)raised Him (Jesus) from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand (where?) in the heavenly places, far above: all rule and authority (that�s spiritual and physical) and power and dominion, and every name that is named (they used magical names in Ephesus) not only in this age, but also in the one to come. (the thousand year reign of Christ on earth) And He (God the Father) put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him (Jesus) as head over all things to the church, which is His body (that�s me and you � attached to Him, sitting in the heavenlies with all things in subjection beneath us) the fulness of Him who fills all in all. And you were (born)dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to 1) the course of this world (following the desires of your flesh, your eyes and the arrogance of your own heart) according to the 2) prince of the power of the air, (Satan) of the spirit that is now working (where?) in the sons of disobedience. (Unbelief and disobedience are the same thing) Among them we too ALL formerly lived (how?) in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the FLESH and of the MIND and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. (we are all born dead in sin and are held under the power of Satan) BUT GOD�.being rich in wrath? Beat us into the ground so that we would submit? Gave us a list of �do or die� items? No.. No.. No.. But GOD � being rich in MERCY, because of HIS GREAT LOVE WITH WHICH HE LOVED US, EVEN WHEN WE WERE DEAD in our transgressions, HE made us alive together WITH CHRIST (by GRACE you have been saved), and raised us up WITH HIM, in the heavenly places, (the supernatural realm of God �God�s domain) (how?) IN CHRIST JESUS. Ok you tell me: in terms of the �joint effort opportunity� how much of this was IN HIM and how much of this was IN YOU? GET THIS: Who you are HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT PEOPLE DO OR DON�T SAY ABOUT YOU: WHO YOU ARE is who GOD says you are IN HIM. �You� defined in any other place is �nothing.� LIE: You can�t have peace with God. You aren�t saved. You�re not forgiven. Even if you are forgiven, you�ll never get out from under the guilt - Look at your record. You�ll amount to nothing. TRUTH: God says: The blood of Jesus applies to my record, I�m safe. I want to show you this: Read through Exodus 12 carefully and note the following things in your Bible: Exodus 12:5: They watched the �lamb� for 3 days to make sure it was unblemished Exodus 12:11 �mark the words �in haste� � it indicates the urgency of salvation � Now is the time: do it NOW- Next to verse 11 write John 6: Jesus said, �I am the bread of life � eat of Me� - Also circle the phrase �it is the LORD�S Passover� � and write, �no man can bring the deliverance � It�s God�s battle. Man can only believe and obey. Next to Exodus 12:13 write: on the 14th Day of Nissan- the day the Jews celebrate this Passover feast, Jesus, was crucified at the exact hour that the unblemished �lamb� was being slain in the temple- Mark in Exodus 12:22 that �hyssop� speaks of �purification� but in this situation it HAD to be dipped in BLOOD. Mark next to verse 46 �John 19:31-37 �written 1400 years later: -John 19:31-37 is also the fulfillment of the prophecy given in Psalm 34:20- Also write Psalm 22:18 next to Exodus 12:46 � John 19:24 is the fulfillment of this prophecy written 1000 years earlier- The blood of Jesus covers me in full: Ok- we�ve talked about the peanut butter story: We�ve looked at the steps: confess my sin: ask forgiveness: forgiveness happens: then we�re cleansed � new question: WHAT is cleansed? Well according to I John 1:9 it says He cleanses us from �all unrighteousness� � but what�s that mean? Does that mean He washes away the sin � the act � the �whatever it was that I did that I shouldn�t have done?� Ok..got that..but what about the guilt. Have you ever gone to the altar and gone to the altar and prayed and prayed..and asked for forgiveness..only to know in your head you�re forgiven..but walk away with a guilty conscience? So much so, that certain things �trigger the guilt� even years later and stop you dead in your tracks? Let�s look at that a minute. (I know this is a little longer than usual � but I typed a lot of scripture text into this one so give me a break! Smile) Turn to Hebrews 9:11-14 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come (the new covenant � grace- forgiveness of sins) He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, (a human body-His own) not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; (came through a virgin birth) but through His own blood, He entered the holy place ONCE � for everyone � for ALL � having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify (set apart and make holy) for the cleansing of the flesh, ho much more will the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse what? --your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 10:19-22: Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is , His flesh: (The Jews were never allowed to enter the Holy of Holies � it was a place set apart for the High Priest only. If they wanted to be connected to God, they had to go through a mediator: a priest. The Holy of Holies was concealed by an enormous veil � one so large that it would take several teams of horses, hooked onto it, running in opposite directions to tear it. When Jesus died, the veil in the temple tore in two � leaving a wide open path directly into the Holy of Holies. No longer was there separation because Jesus, with His body, had become the veil. His body was �torn� � crucified � so that we could have �direct access� to God � no longer needing a mediator or priest. ) -and since we have a great priest (Jesus) over the house of God, (our job) let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, (taking God at His Word) having our hearts sprinkled clean from what? AN EVIL CONSCIENCE �and our bodies washed with pure water. (our job) let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promise is what? Faithful� The lie? You might be forgiven � but the guilt is something you�ll carry forever The truth? No you�re not � fly free and don�t ever look back. The guilt�s only there if you allow it to be- let go of it and return it to it�s sender- More tomorrow: Loving you, Robin �Copyright 2001 Jim and Robin Hibschman |
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