the right to restore

Posted on September 1, 2019 by Jefferson Vann

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Ephesians 1:20-21 (JDV)

Ephesians 1:20 He achieved this in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the sky realms –

Ephesians 1:21 far above every priority1 and authority, power and dominion, and every name named, not only in this age2 but also in the one to come.

the right to restore

The key to our future is Christ’s resurrection. His glorious inheritance (vs. 18) is ours. Because he has been raised to permanent life, that is our destiny as well. In fact, his invitation for us to be saved is also achieved by his resurrection and seating above any other ruler.

So, when we pray for someone’s salvation, claim the authority of Christ over her life. He is the ultimate authority. He’s her boss’s boss’s boss’s boss. He has the right to claim her as his. There is no authority named who has more right to redeem and reclaim.

Lord, we present to you the unsaved of our streets, the lost in our families. You have a right to restore them to the Father’s care.

1ἀρχή

2αἰών

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from invitation to inheritance

Posted on August 31, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Ephesians 1:17-19 (JDV)

Ephesians 1:17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Breath of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.

Ephesians 1:18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what the hope of his invitation1 is, what the wealth of his glorious inheritance is – among the devotees,

Ephesians 1:19 and what the immeasurable greatness of his power is toward us who believe, according to the mighty achieving energy2 of his strength.

from invitation to inheritance

The knowledge of God that Paul specifically prayed for the Ephesian Christians to have spanned the distance from point A to point Z. He wanted them to know how God’s power could change their lives, from his initial invitation for them to put their faith in him, to its conclusion – the glorious inheritance they will know at the return of Christ.

For Paul and his team, God is not merely the focal point of a religion. He is the unmoved mover, who fills the lives of those he moved with miracle after miracle. Unfortunately, the miracles that take place in our lives are cloaked, and we often fail to recognize them. That is why we need the Breath of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.

Lord, open our eyes to what you are doing among us.

1κλῆσις

2ἐνέργεια

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prayer before the requests

Posted on August 30, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Ephesians 1:15-16 (JDV)

Ephesians 1:15 This is why, since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the devotees,

Ephesians 1:16 I never stop giving thanks in behalf of1 you as I remember you in my prayers.

prayer before the requests

Paul is going to tell the Ephesian Christians the specific requests that he is making in his prayers for them. But first, he tells them that he is remembering them in his prayers, and that he is giving thanks for them. They are not just requests on his list. They are people that he appreciates and gives thanks for.

There are two particular traits that the Ephesian Christians stand out for – reasons Paul can give thanks to God for. First, they have faith in the Lord Jesus. Secondly, they love their fellow Christians.

Lord, today as we bring our lists of prayer request to you, help us to pause and remember some good things that are going on in the lives of those we pray for, and give thanks.

1ὑπέρ

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down payment

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Ephesians 1:13-14 (JDV)

Ephesians 1:13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Sacred Breath1 when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your rescue,2 and when you believed

Ephesians 1:14 who3 is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the acquisition,4 to the praise of his glory.

down payment

Paul explains how the third person of the divine trinity has been given to believers as a down payment. He seals us by his creative, animating power until our full inheitance – the acquisition arrives on resurrection day. The empowerment we receive when He comes into our lives is not immortality, but it is the same power which raised Christ from the dead. It is not the full rescue, but it does show us that the full rescue is in our future.

Thank you Lord, for your empowerment today, and your promise for a future which will glorify you.

1 πνεῦμα

2σωτηρία

3the promised Sacred Breath (v.13)

4περιποίησις

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convergence of divine wills

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Ephesians 1:11-12 (JDV)

Ephesians 1:11 In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan1 of the one who achieves2 everything in agreement with the purpose3 of his preference,

Ephesians 1:12 so that we who were first to put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.

convergence of divine wills

When we talk about the will of God, it can get a bit confusing. One of the reasons for this is that we are not very specific when we use the term. Sometimes we mean what God prefers – his preference (θέλημα). Sometimes we mean what he has planned to occur – his plan (πρόθεσις). Other times we mean the ultimate purpose (βουλή) for which he has predestined us and planned our destiny.

Paul uses all three words for will in verse 11. His point is that God’s ultimate plan (πρόθεσις) has brought him and his missionary team to that point of time and that place so that they could reach the Ephesians for Christ. What God wants to happen (θέλημα) is for the Ephesians to believe the gospel, so that his ultimate glory that he purposed (βουλή) will occur.

Lord, you have reached us with your gospel, so we know we are part of your plan. Help us to do what you want now, so that our lives bring you glory forever.

1πρόθεσις

2ἐνεργέω

3βουλή

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universe reboot

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Ephesians 1:7-10 (JDV)

Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our violations,1 according to the riches of his favor

Ephesians 1:8 that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding.

Ephesians 1:9 He made known to us the mystery of his preference, according to his good intention that he determined2 to do in Christ

Ephesians 1:10 as a commission3 for the right season4 – to bring everything together in Christ, both things in the sky5 and things on the land6 in him.

universe reboot

It seems that Paul is using sacrifice terminology here, but there are a few new twists. Most obviously, the blood being poured out is Christ’s blood, because only his death atones for our sins and redeems us. But notice also that the blood and forgiveness and favor is being poured out on us, not the altar. God is performing the sacrifice on our behalf. This is the gospel in Old Testament terms. Everyone in Christ benefits from this sacrifice.

God brought everything together by this one act of favor. He rebooted the universe at Calvary, and we are the beneficiaries of that caring act.

1παράπτωμα

2προτίθημι

3οἰκονομία

4καιρός

5οὐρανός

6γῆ

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the One Cared About

Posted on August 26, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Ephesians 1:3-6 (JDV)

Ephesians 1:3 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is to be applauded,1 who has endorsed2 us with every spiritual endorsement3 in the sky realms4 in Christ

Ephesians 1:4 when5 he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be devoted and blameless in care6 before him.

Ephesians 1:5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good intention7 of his preference,

Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of his glorious favor that he lavished on us in the One Cared About.8

the One Cared About

There is a tendency to see the message of Ephesians as being all about us – a treatise on the Christian church. We – the church – are endorsed, chosen, predestined to be adopted. It is true that there is a lot of ecclesiology in this letter, but Paul makes it very clear in this early section that everything we are or have ambition to be is all because of Jesus Christ. We are endorsed in Christ. We are chosen in him to be blameless before him. We are predestined to be adopted through Jesus Christ. He is the One Cared About. Everything God did or does for us is because of his love for Christ.

Father, thank you for your divine love for your Son, which results in our present blessing and future hope.

1εὐλογητός

2εὐλογέω

3εὐλογία

4ἐπουράνιος

5καθώς

6 ἀγάπη

7εὐδοκία

8ἀγαπάω

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preference and favor

Posted on August 25, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Ephesians 1:1-2 (JDV)

Ephesians 1:1 Paul, a missionary1 of Christ Jesus by God’s preference:2 To the faithful devotees3 in Christ Jesus at Ephesus.

Ephesians 1:2 Favor4 to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

preference and favor

Paul emphasizes God’s sovereignty in this salutation. What mattered the most is not what Paul wanted, nor what the Ephesian Christians wanted, but what God preferred – who he chooses to favor.

We live in a generation that encourages us to go for what we want – to not be satisfied with someone else’s plans and purposes for us. We could choose to live our lives like that – living them to suit ourselves. Or, we could choose God’s favor and peace. That kind of life comes from yielding to God’s preference.

Lord, teach us to know and yield to your preference.

1ἀπόστολος

2θέλημα

3ἅγιος

4χάρις

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then you will know

Posted on August 24, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Joel 3:17-21 (JDV)

Joel 3:17 Then you will know that I am Yahveh your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. Jerusalem will be holy, and illegals1 will never overrun it again.

Joel 3:18 In that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. All the streams of Judah will flow with water, and a spring will issue from Yahveh’s house, watering the Valley of Acacias.

Joel 3:19 Egypt will become desolate, and Edom an open desert, because of the violence done to the people of Judah in whose land they shed innocent blood.

Joel 3:20 But Judah will be lived in forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

Joel 3:21 I will have avenged those who have been murdered, which I have not yet avenged, because Yahveh dwells in Zion.

then you will know

Joel had prophesied that his nation would be overrun by illegals committing violent acts upon its people. But his last words give hope that the Lord will end that reign of oppression and murder. The bloodshed will be avenged, and then the nation will know that he is Yahveh.

Thankfully we do not all experience that kind of violent oppression. But we can all experience the kind of deliverance Joel prophesied. We have to be willing to trust God to deliver us in his timing.

How can we know that God is going to rescue us? We will know when it happens. Until then, we have to believe that God is who he says he is in the Bible, and trust him to rescue us eventually. That is biblical faith.

1זָר

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wrong team

Posted on August 23, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Joel 3:12-16 (JDV)

Joel 3:12 Let the nations be roused and come to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, because there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.

Joel 3:13 Swing the sickle because the harvest is ripe. Come and trample the grapes because the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because the wickedness of the nations is substantial.

Joel 3:14 Uproars,1 uproars in the valley of decision! You see, the day of Yahveh is near in the valley of decision.

Joel 3:15 The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will cease their shining.

Joel 3:16 Yahveh will roar from Zion and make his voice heard from Jerusalem; sky and land will shake. But Yahveh will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the Israelites.

wrong team

I don’t watch a lot of sports, but if I do watch a game, it is usually because someone I know is on the team. If I know no one on either team, I find it hard to root for anyone, because if I did back a team, I would want it to be the winning team.

When the leaders of the nations surrounding Joel’s nation looked for strength and encouragement, they prayed to the sun and moon and stars – they sought out idols representing the sky above them and the land beneath them. Now, Yahveh speaks out through his prophet to these idolatrous nations. He tells them that those light bearers are all going to grow dark, and the sky and land will reverberate when Yahveh roars in anger. They will have no stronghold left. Yahveh himself will be a refuge and stronghold for his people, but the nations who relied on lesser gods will discover that they backed the wrong team.

Lord, our trust is in you.

1המוֹן

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