Ephesians 1 verse 1-5 The blessings of God

Ephesians 1:1-5 The blessings of God

1 Paul is who he is by the will of God. One day Jesus met and confronted him, took away his eyesight, then changed his heart, gave him back his sight with a new vision and a new life to live. His old life was gone, now he has a new heart and a new way of thinking, in this new life which is hidden in Christ. He is called to be an apostle, for he met with Jesus in an experience he was never to forget. This letter is written to the saints who were at Ephesus. It is also written to the saints who are here at Barksdale. Saints must be found faithful, that is one of the requirements of being a saint. We are a saint made so by God, for we are set apart to live unto Him. Faithfulness is our mainstay. Without faith it is impossible to please God. We are called to be faithful in everything for in Him we obtain spiritual strength. We have the nature of Christ imputed unto us, which gives us the ability to rise above sin, to resist against it and overcome against it. It can no longer be in control over us for we are in control over sin.

2 He is our Father and without His grace we would never find peace. We would be in continual turmoil without a relationship with Him. This all comes from the Father and from the one who saved us from our sins, the Lord Jesus Christ. We have already received grace, but we need more grace to continue in our relationship with God.

3 Paul is praising God for the many blessings He has given to His saints. All spiritual blessings come from the Father, the one who put salvation in motion. That’s not just some blessings, but all Spiritual blessings coming from the kingdom of Heaven. These are all found in Christ. 1st Peter 1:3 We’ve been born again and birthed into a living hope, one that does not fade away. The fact that Jesus rose again from the dead and received up into Heaven, where He sits with God, in authority over us, whereby He has made us alive from the dead. 4 We have an inheritance which can’t be defiled and it fades not away, and is reserved in Heaven for us. 5 We are kept by the power of God, no one can take away what God has given us.

4 This was all put in motion before the world was created. God already knew us and had a place for us, and a plan for us before He made the world. We were and are of utmost importance to God. His design for us is that we be holy and blameless and that we should live our lives before Him in a love relationship. A relationship that grows stronger and deeper as we learn more about Him. This is a relationship we can build upon, that is stronger and deeper than the earth we walk upon. One day it will be destroyed, but we won’t.

5 Predestinated means God determined in advance. He determined in advance, before we were born that we would be adopted as His children, through the sacrifice of His son on the cross for us. This was set in motion by the good pleasure of His will. It gave Him pleasure to make us His children. We are His inheritance as He also is ours. God also goes before us in advance, we are led by the spirit of God.