A talk given at HOPE training on the 15 May 2019.
Thanks?
Inheritance
Head and Body
Thanks!
Read the Ephesians 1:15-23.
Imagine you’re standing with a friend, Thabiso, and another guy, Mark, walks past. Thabiso suddenly springs forward and slaps Mark in the face. There is an awkward moment in which Thabiso shows Mark his hand. Instead of the torrent of cursing you expect to follow, Mark thanks Thabiso. That’s odd. Mark leaves and Thabiso comes back to continue your conversation. I’d ask “What just happened?” Thabiso opens his hand and shows you the dead remains of a spider. Of course Mark was thankful, who wants a spider on their face? The point here is that there are things that result in thanks. But sometimes that thanks is inexplicable, like thanking someone for slapping you, until it is explained, he was killing a spider.
This passage is like that for me. Paul thanks God for the Ephesians faith and love. If I’m honest I don’t really get that. Why is Paul so thankful?
Well I take it that this is what Paul prays for them, that God will show them what Paul has understands and what makes him so thankful to God for them. This passage, which explains Paul’s thanks, also explains the rest of the letter. Understanding why Paul is thankful will also help us understand why Paul wrote the rest of the letter. I’m excited, this is amazing stuff.
There are three things that Paul asks God to help the Ephesians understand. This is seen in verses 18 and 19: first what is the hope, what is the inheritance and what is the power.
Lets first look at the hope and inheritance in verse 18. On your outline this is inheritance.
In this passage Paul is very brief on our hope. He just mentions it. But as mentioned in the previous section our hope is our inheritance, secured and promised by the Holy Spirit in 1:13-14.
The big thing about inheritance here is that we would “know”, read with me in verse 18, “the riches of God’s glorious inheritance”. Stop with me. This really surprised me. It is God’s inheritance here, not ours. Paul wants us to know how great is God’s inheritance. He says “riches of a glorious inheritance”. OK Paul, what is God’s inheritance? …Us! That is the saints. We are God’s glorious inheritance. Now, this is not a new idea to Paul, it comes up in the Old Testament talking about Israel. But it is still huge. We are the rich and glorious inheritance. We are highly prized. We are highly valued.
As a small detour let us remember that we, and Israel before us, were included not by our work but by His. Nevertheless we are highly valued.
So why does Paul give thanks for the Ephesians inclusion? They add to God’s inheritance making it richer and more glorious. How does that effect Paul’s actions? He thanks God and works hard for them and to bring others in.
So we are God’s glorious inheritance. Highly valued by God and a cause for thanks for Paul.
Next, in verse 19, Paul goes on to talk about power. See it there on your outline. Paul calls it an immeasurably great power. That is big, really big, immeasurably big. Paul gives us an example: God put the starts in the sky… NO! Well, yes, but surprisingly that is not the example Paul uses, it is too small. Rather the example Paul uses is the power The Father exerted to exalt Jesus. The Father took Jesus from the lowest possible position: dead. Ultimately lowly, ultimately humiliated, dead. And raised Him to life…But The Father did not stop there, He continued raising Him, above everything. Paul makes much of the everything. Above fish? Yes. Above the president? Yes. Above the UN? Yes. Above the celestial forces of light and gravity? Yes. Above all rule and authority. The Father placed all things under Jesus’ feet. This is the Father’s power towards us. The power to highly exalt.
So when Paul looks at the Ephesians he sees glorious people. People who will be exalted with Jesus. Is it any wonder Paul thanks God for their inclusion?
So we are God’s glorious inheritance, highly valued, and we will also be exalted.
Finally in verse 22 Paul has this earth shaking throw away line. On your outline I’ve called it Head and Body. The Father gave Jesus as head over all things to us, the Church. Christ is given as the head. Why? Because this is our security and our unity.
He is our security because we do not need to worry about any other authorities we have Christ, exalted above everything, as our head. Our security.
He is our unity because we do not have to worry about which of us is better because we have Christ as our head. It takes away the fighting and striving. Christ is the head.
So I suppose an important question to ask here is are you included in Christ? Have you submitted to Him as head? He is the head over all things. Are you submitting to that. For the Christian are you working in unity in the Church? For the non-Christian will you submit to Him or continue to reject Him?
This giving Christ as the head also indicates purpose. In some sense Christ is made head to be given. Do you feel it? …How much the Church is? Paul dives it home clearly. Read with me in verse 23. The Church is Christ’s body. The Church is the fullness of Christ who fills everything in every way. The Church!
What place does God give the Church? The Church is highly valued and purposed, it is the fullness of Christ.
This is similar to what Paul said earlier about us being the rich and glorious inheritance of God. So again it is no wonder that Paul gives thanks for the Ephesians. They are a part of this glorious Church. They express Christ. They are part of God’s ultimate purpose.
Finally, on your outline it is Thanks, lets review. We are God’s glorious inheritance, highly valued. We will be exalted even as Christ is exalted, highly valuable. We have Christ as our head, securing and unifying us. And again we are the fullness of Christ, we are highly valued together.
So friends see the thanks. The Ephesian’s, indeed our, faith and love is much more than being rescued from a spider on your face. Lets review again, we are highly valued. How, Why? We are God’s glorious inheritance, highly valued. We will be exalted even as Christ was. We have Christ the highly exalted, as our head, securing and unifying, and we are His fullness, highly valued. So lets, with Paul, understand God’s valuing of us and give thanks for each other. With that same motivation lets work hard to build each other up, and lets work hard to bring others in. One of the ways we can do this work, apart from working hard at the specific ministries we have is to make much of the opportunities we receive from God.
Lets pray.
Oh Father of Glory, thank You for us here. Thank you that we trust You and are a part of Your rich and Glorious inheritance. Thank you for our churches back home, congregations filled with soon to be exalted people. Help us to value them as You do. Finally we ask for our friends and family who do not know You, please Father, for the sake of Your inheritance and For the sake of Christ’s glory, bring them in. Amen.