Post by Shepherd on Mar 27, 2009 10:04:42 GMT -6
-IX THE HOPE –THE GLORY
Can you see why it is so important that a Christian should appreciated the great things God will do for any person who accepts Christ.
It is always very stimulating and encouraging to remember what Christ Jesus did when He died for me. When I think about the cross of Calvary, I think about His suffering and that the Son of God would die for sinners. This moves me to want to praise Him.
It is even more powerful to keep in mind what He has promised to do for me in the future. The Christian is a person who has a past. He looks into his past and knows that he was a sinner. He also looks back into the past and sees that Christ Jesus died for sinners. The Christian remembers the Gospel, that God sent His Son into the world to seek and to save the lost. All of this is wonderful.
The Christian also looks forward to a golden future. This could be missed if I become too preoccupied with the present. I can get so involved in what I am doing now that I may forget, and neglect to lift up my eyes and look forward to what God will do.
In helping them to avoid neglecting this prospect, the Apostle Paul in writing to the Ephesian Christians, outlined an aspect to the glory which is promised in the Gospel. Paul has already prayed that the believers might be given the spirit of good common sense and true insight into the nature and power of God. When he has concluded this part of his prayer he goes on to say, THAT YE MAY KNOW WHAT IS THE HOPE OF HIS CALLING, AND WHAT THE RICHES OF THE GLORY OF HIS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS, AND WHAT IS THE EXCEEDING GREATNESS OF HIS POWER TO US-WARD WHO BELIEVE.
EPH. 1:18-19.
The apostle has prayed that God should give to the believers the spirit of good common sense and true insight into the promises of God. With this grace, the believers might know what is the hope of His calling. The riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and the exceeding greatness of HIS POWER TO US-WARD WHO BELIEVE. EPH. 1:19.
The Greek word translated in English as know, means much more than simply identification; to recognize it by title or by tag. This word know seems to gather up all that is significant about that which is named. When a person says the he knows anything, he is saying he appreciated and understand what it means. We have heard the inquiry, “Do you know John Smith?” And the answer, “I know who John Smith is, but I don’t know him.” When the Greek uses the word know it means really to know what to expect–to appreciate–to realize the full import. Paul wanted his believing people to know, to realize, to fully appreciate what is the hope of His calling.
When the believer speaks about “the hope of his calling” what does he mean? What is his calling? Would this mean His calling a person to come to Him that he might be saved? Christ Jesus said, COME UNTO ME, ALL YE THAT LABOR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST..MATT. 11:28.
So He calls the person to Himself that the soul might be saved, that the person should be redeemed, pardoned, forgiven. The plan of God is that the believer should have a new birth and be adopted as a child of God. All that is in THE HOPE OF HIS CALLING. These are the things that Paul wanted the Christians to know and to appreciate that they could answer the question for themselves.
“What am I expecting now that I have come to Christ?” This is what the Apostle Paul wanted them to have in mind. In order that they might have this in mind, he prayed that they might be given the spirit of wisdom and of revelation. The believer needs to be wise, and have true insight into the nature of God to really understand what is prepared for him in Christ Jesus.
What is THE RICHES OF THE GLORY OF HIS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS? Let us take it up bit by bit. Start at the last phrase IN THE SAINT. Who are they? The saints are the people who belong to Him, those who are set apart to Him. They are the saved persons. What would be the inheritance of Jesus Christ in those saved persons? It will not be in the kind of people they are, nor in anything that they have done. It will be something that God put in them which He gave to His Son. Thus, HIS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS.
What is it that Christ Jesus has in the believer? When a person becomes a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and gives himself over to God, he accepts His promises. The believer becomes a child of God. The believer obeys by His grace. In His strength the Christian is able to believe. God is working in the believer TO WILL AND TO DO OF HIS GOOD PLEASURE. PHI. 2:13.
This is His inheritance in the believer. Christ Jesus died for this. Thus as Christians our disposition is to serve God, to praise God, to obey . God has produced in us this inward disposition to want to be well-pleasing in His sight. This is HIS INHERITANCE.
The glory of it, the fulfillment of that seen in the life of the believer, is what the Bible calls righteousness. The Christian comes before God as he is. He will confess his sins and will be dependent upon Him at all times for all things. The believer will be right in God’s sight because God is within helping the believer to be righteous. With this working of God in the soul there will be peace in the heart–the peace of God that passeth all understanding.
This is THE GLORY OF HIS INHERITANCE that will be in the heart and in the life of the believer. There will be joy. The believer could not possibly have such joy and peace in his own strength. The joy in the believer is the joy that is experienced when Christ Jesus is actually working to move the believer into the will of God. In fellowship with God. The Christian has joy. This actually is the RICHES OF THE GLORY, of the fulfillment. OF HIS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS. Great things will be done in the believer through the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul wanted the Christians to realize this, for it would strengthen them.
When the believer knows what has been done for him, it being done in him, and what will be done for him through Christ Jesus, he will be encouraged and strengthened in his faith to walk in Him. May God grant to every believer that this may be so by the grace of God.
Can you see why it is so important that a Christian should appreciated the great things God will do for any person who accepts Christ.
It is always very stimulating and encouraging to remember what Christ Jesus did when He died for me. When I think about the cross of Calvary, I think about His suffering and that the Son of God would die for sinners. This moves me to want to praise Him.
It is even more powerful to keep in mind what He has promised to do for me in the future. The Christian is a person who has a past. He looks into his past and knows that he was a sinner. He also looks back into the past and sees that Christ Jesus died for sinners. The Christian remembers the Gospel, that God sent His Son into the world to seek and to save the lost. All of this is wonderful.
The Christian also looks forward to a golden future. This could be missed if I become too preoccupied with the present. I can get so involved in what I am doing now that I may forget, and neglect to lift up my eyes and look forward to what God will do.
In helping them to avoid neglecting this prospect, the Apostle Paul in writing to the Ephesian Christians, outlined an aspect to the glory which is promised in the Gospel. Paul has already prayed that the believers might be given the spirit of good common sense and true insight into the nature and power of God. When he has concluded this part of his prayer he goes on to say, THAT YE MAY KNOW WHAT IS THE HOPE OF HIS CALLING, AND WHAT THE RICHES OF THE GLORY OF HIS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS, AND WHAT IS THE EXCEEDING GREATNESS OF HIS POWER TO US-WARD WHO BELIEVE.
EPH. 1:18-19.
The apostle has prayed that God should give to the believers the spirit of good common sense and true insight into the promises of God. With this grace, the believers might know what is the hope of His calling. The riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and the exceeding greatness of HIS POWER TO US-WARD WHO BELIEVE. EPH. 1:19.
The Greek word translated in English as know, means much more than simply identification; to recognize it by title or by tag. This word know seems to gather up all that is significant about that which is named. When a person says the he knows anything, he is saying he appreciated and understand what it means. We have heard the inquiry, “Do you know John Smith?” And the answer, “I know who John Smith is, but I don’t know him.” When the Greek uses the word know it means really to know what to expect–to appreciate–to realize the full import. Paul wanted his believing people to know, to realize, to fully appreciate what is the hope of His calling.
When the believer speaks about “the hope of his calling” what does he mean? What is his calling? Would this mean His calling a person to come to Him that he might be saved? Christ Jesus said, COME UNTO ME, ALL YE THAT LABOR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST..MATT. 11:28.
So He calls the person to Himself that the soul might be saved, that the person should be redeemed, pardoned, forgiven. The plan of God is that the believer should have a new birth and be adopted as a child of God. All that is in THE HOPE OF HIS CALLING. These are the things that Paul wanted the Christians to know and to appreciate that they could answer the question for themselves.
“What am I expecting now that I have come to Christ?” This is what the Apostle Paul wanted them to have in mind. In order that they might have this in mind, he prayed that they might be given the spirit of wisdom and of revelation. The believer needs to be wise, and have true insight into the nature of God to really understand what is prepared for him in Christ Jesus.
What is THE RICHES OF THE GLORY OF HIS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS? Let us take it up bit by bit. Start at the last phrase IN THE SAINT. Who are they? The saints are the people who belong to Him, those who are set apart to Him. They are the saved persons. What would be the inheritance of Jesus Christ in those saved persons? It will not be in the kind of people they are, nor in anything that they have done. It will be something that God put in them which He gave to His Son. Thus, HIS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS.
What is it that Christ Jesus has in the believer? When a person becomes a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and gives himself over to God, he accepts His promises. The believer becomes a child of God. The believer obeys by His grace. In His strength the Christian is able to believe. God is working in the believer TO WILL AND TO DO OF HIS GOOD PLEASURE. PHI. 2:13.
This is His inheritance in the believer. Christ Jesus died for this. Thus as Christians our disposition is to serve God, to praise God, to obey . God has produced in us this inward disposition to want to be well-pleasing in His sight. This is HIS INHERITANCE.
The glory of it, the fulfillment of that seen in the life of the believer, is what the Bible calls righteousness. The Christian comes before God as he is. He will confess his sins and will be dependent upon Him at all times for all things. The believer will be right in God’s sight because God is within helping the believer to be righteous. With this working of God in the soul there will be peace in the heart–the peace of God that passeth all understanding.
This is THE GLORY OF HIS INHERITANCE that will be in the heart and in the life of the believer. There will be joy. The believer could not possibly have such joy and peace in his own strength. The joy in the believer is the joy that is experienced when Christ Jesus is actually working to move the believer into the will of God. In fellowship with God. The Christian has joy. This actually is the RICHES OF THE GLORY, of the fulfillment. OF HIS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS. Great things will be done in the believer through the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul wanted the Christians to realize this, for it would strengthen them.
When the believer knows what has been done for him, it being done in him, and what will be done for him through Christ Jesus, he will be encouraged and strengthened in his faith to walk in Him. May God grant to every believer that this may be so by the grace of God.
