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April 6th, 2006 | Published in Blog Thoughts | 6 Comments
Thanks to all the thoughts from yesterday’s non-exam, reflective look at the text. I enjoyed reading your insights - hearing the ways this text is currently speaking to you. Now we, those of us who preach on a regular basis, have one more message tucked away for just the right time. Combine everyone’s comments, refer to them by their blog name and it will sound like an early 2nd or 3rd century source.
Personally, I can’t wait to quote a blog comment in a message by that person’s blog name. So, please, someone say something worth quoting!
Here’s what this text has been saying to me recently. It’s something that is quite easy to miss. (I will italics and bold the respective words).
Ephesians 1:18-20 (NASB) I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.
We get excited thinking about our heavenly reward, our inheritance through Jesus Christ that we overlook or forget that we ourselves are the inheritance that God will receive. Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is for them to realize that they, “as saints,” are the inheritance God will receive.
That’s why there is such a struggle in the heavenly places over the souls of human beings. Satan is condemned, he knows it, we all know it. He’s just trying to take as many people as possible with them. Not because he loves or cares about people - exactly the opposite - because he knows how much God loves and cares about people.
That is why God gives the Holy Spirit to those who believe.
Ephesians 1:13-14 (NASB) In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation– having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
The holy spirit is the engagement ring God gives to every believer as a pledge of redemption. As the “soon to be bride of Christ” we have received his holy spirit as our promise ring - we belong to God. We are spoken for, we are off the market to other suitors.
We were made a heritage – not our inheritance - but we are God’s inheritance - he get’s us. We are just as important to God as heaven is to us.
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April 6th, 2006 at 9:22 am (#)
Great post and great thoughts.
By the way, you have my permission to quote me.
April 6th, 2006 at 10:20 am (#)
Never thought of it that way. I guess some of us (me, foremost) tend to internalize, being those humans that we are, and think about the blessings and rewards we receive from God. To be His inheritance, now that’s a humbling thought……
April 6th, 2006 at 10:57 am (#)
I was hoping to get up early enough this morning to mention that very insight. You beat me to it! Rats!
Actually, when I preached through Ephesians a couple of years ago, I used that idea of the Holy Spirit being an engagement ring.
Yes, the saints can be such a rich treasure, when acting saintly. The trick is realizing the treasure we have in one another when we’re not getting along very well. A treasure nonetheless, though. In the same way as our children or siblings are a treasure even in the times we’re fussing and fighting. We don’t stop loving them. Or we shouldn’t stop loving them.
April 6th, 2006 at 11:32 am (#)
Hi: Thanks for the thoughts. I like the last point that we are just as important to God (even more so in an existential sort of way) as heaven is to us.
I am having a texual lapse here, that is having trouble seeing the text say that we are God’s inheritance. The glorious inheritance, HIS glorious inheritance, means rather that the inheritance comes to the Saints from the Father. It talks of origin rather than we becoming his inheritance.
For what it’s worth‚Ķ
April 7th, 2006 at 12:54 pm (#)
The textual lapse is probably from the translation you are using. You know what they say about the NIV (Nearly Inspired Version). It’s true the text speaks of origin but the text also speaks of possession (the good kind not that spin your head around kind). The key idea I see is His inheritance IN the Saints.
April 10th, 2006 at 3:51 pm (#)
I think it helps to remember the Jew/Gentile peacemaking issues that are going on in Ephesians. When you remember the Hebrew origins of part of the audience, you can take into account all the backstory that exists in the Old Testament. Even the NIV gets these right (my version of preference). Deut 4:20, 2 Sam 21:3, 1 Kings 8:51, 2 Kings 21:14, Ps 28:9, Isa 19:25, Jer 10:16.