The Wise believer
07-07-2019
Series: Scripture: Ephesians 1
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Paul says to the Ephesian church:
- They are blessed spiritually in Christ Jesus
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
- They are chosen in Christ Jesus
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
- They are forgiven in Christ Jesus
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.
Then Paul explains all the above in verse 10:
- The goal and aim of the believer’s blessedness.
- Their chosen-ness of adoption.
- And the aim of their forgiveness
That at the end, all of creation will come together, under Christ. Including God’s people.
to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
On the final day all things will be made complete, consummated, accomplished and concluded in and under Christ. Nothing will be left standing independently, separate, divided, and untouched. There will be a new heaven and a new earth under Christ.
The believer’s blessedness, chosen-ness for adoption and forgiveness will finally, totally and completely be seen on that day in Christ.
Hebrews 1:12, makes clear:
“You will roll them up like a robe;
like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end”.
In Christ there will be a new age, with a changed humanity, the church. The old will be gone, and the new world has come.
Paul says in the last part of Ephesian 1:10
“Things in heaven and things on earth”.
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HOWEVER:
Until then:
Christians must live out their blessed, chosen, adopted and forgiven lives. In other words, they must be the church of Jesus Christ.
This is the most fundamental question to the Christian today. Between their salvation now, and their perfection someday, how must they live?
Notice that we skipped verse 8-9, and deliberately so, because it will be our focus text this morning.
Paul says in verses 8-9.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding…
Now that you are forgiven, adopted, chosen and blessed. But not yet, totally redeemed you are called to live in Wisdom and understanding.
Paul continues this point about wisdom all through the letter.
In verse 17, he says that,
“There is a Spirit of wisdom for believers”
In 3:10
“God made known his manifold wisdom in Christ”.
In 5:15
“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise…understanding what the will of the Lord is”.
Then Paul explains how wisdom looks like in practice:
5:21
Submit to one another.
5:22
Wives submit to your own husbands.
5:25
Husbands love your wives.
6:1
Children obey your parents
6:4
Fathers. Do not exasperate your children.
6:5
Slaves, obey your earthly masters.
6:9
Masters, treat your slaves the same way.
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In other words:
Wisdom is an imperative within a Christian’s life. Not as an accumulation of random data – collected in books, people or online. But because wisdom is the overflow and outflow of a redeemed life. Basically, wisdom is the character trait of those in Christ.
Look at verse 8 again:
That he lavished on us.
Christians are covered from head to toe with God’s wisdom.
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This was the problem with the Ephesian church. They were saved but lacked wisdom. So Paul had to pray that they grow in wisdom and revelation.
Read verses 15-16
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
They were people who had faith in the Lord Jesus. And also, a church where believers loved one another. And these are clear marks of true faith.
Then Paul mentions the detail of what his prayer entails.
Read verse 17
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
You can be saved, and yet, fail to walk in wisdom. And failing to walk in wisdom means, failing to know God better.
Paul says at the end of verse 17:
“So that you may know him better”.
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THE PROBLEM IS:
We have people walking around with Christian labels, but whose ways are foolish. The way we know they are foolish is that, they lack wisdom; not knowing God any better today, than they knew him yesterday.
Meaning, they don’t know what it means to be forgiven by God, adopted by God the Father, chosen and blessed by them.
There are many people whose Christianity is so foolish, they always questioning why God forgives some and not others. As if God owes anyone his pardon. The fact that people are forgiven is a mercy, not a right.
Others walk in constant worry, whether God loves them, as a good Father should. Not knowing that, the love God has for them, cost him his only Son.
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Read verses 8-9 again.
That he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ.
The ESV puts it this way:
Which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ.
God set forth his purpose in Christ. And that purpose he made known to us in wisdom, understanding and insight.
God has given you wisdom into his purpose in Christ. You don’t have to wonder how you are forgiven. Your adoption into the Father’s family is not a riddle. You don’t have to empty yourself to achieve a higher knowledge, to know whether you are chosen by God.
The way to know that you are redeemed is that God has given you divine wisdom, so that you can understand his purposes in Christ.
This is the reason why, you must be very careful who you call wise. The wise of the world are those who know what God has done in and through Jesus Christ.
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Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:20
Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
Then in 1 Corinthians 1:22-24
Or Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Paul in the same chapter says:
1 Corinthians 1:30
And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.
This is Paul’s point that, what makes a person wise is knowing that God rescued them in Jesus Christ. And God did so, not by any human wisdom, insight or understanding. And not by the religious systems of the world, but by Christ Jesus alone.
Look at verse 20, how specific Paul is:
When he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.
Importantly, knowing God better, what God has done in Jesus Christ, is the kind of wisdom that entails the specificities of Jesus Christ.
For example, Jesus was not only conceived by a woman, he was born of a virgin woman. Jesus Christ didn’t only obey the Father passively on the cross, but his obedience was active; while on earth, living in perfection to the law, so that he could die as God’s the perfect sacrifice. And Jesus’ preaching ministry didn’t end after his ascension, he is still preaching his word by his Spirit, through his earthly ministers – hence, the priesthood of all believers.
This means that, you should not only have a general wisdom of your salvation in Christ. You should know Jesus intimately, precisely, carefully, and thoughtfully, as your Lord and Saviour.
Some people have no idea how Jesus saved them, that it was not by raising their hand, saying a prayer or crying non-stop. Your salvation is in Jesus Christ, because you trust in what God has done in him. So walking in wisdom means that you know Jesus, and you know him well.
Church, know Jesus well and you will walk in the wisdom of God. Paul says to the Philippian Church 3:10
That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.
God’s idea of wisdom and wise people is not without His work in Jesus Christ, wisdom belongs to those who know his Son well.
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Paul says that wisdom is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Father gives wisdom, the Son is the Wisdom, and the Spirit activates the wisdom found in the Son.
Look at verse 13. Paul says that.
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.
For Paul, You were marked with the Holy Spirit.
No person can come to know Jesus Christ without the work of the Holy Spirit. If you are saved, it’s because you have the Holy Spirit. And this is not depended on a “second experience”, accommodated by “tongues”. The moment you accept Christ is the moment God fills you with the Spirit.
The way the Spirit manifest in your life is in concrete evidences. Galatians 5:22 calls it the Fruit of the Spirit. That is, love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Here, Paul says, the fact that you also become wise is because the Spirit adds divine wisdom to the believer.
Does this mean that, there is a contradiction, because it was just said that the way you know that you are saved, is that God gives you wisdom? Now it is said that, the mark of salvation is the Holy Spirit. Which one is it, wisdom or the Holy Spirit?
Paul says both, the Holy Spirit activates divine wisdom within the believer. Because wisdom comes from the Holy Spirit.
Read Ephesians 1:17
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
Not merely the Spirit, but the Spirit of wisdom and revelation
The way you know God better is by knowing Jesus Christ. The way you know Jesus Christ specifically is through the Holy Spirit’s work of activating wisdom in you. This is the reason, wisdom is a supernatural work. The Sophia of the Greeks won’t suffice. You need the wisdom of the book of Proverbs, that says, Wisdom has been with God from the beginning, part of forming creation.
Christians do not think of wisdom in these terms. That it is really the Holy Spirit at work in them, bringing them to understanding of Christ, concerning their position in Christ, now and for the future. They don’t understand that choosing to follow Christ daily means to operate in the Spirit of wisdom.
Unfortunately, you find people who struggle to accept that they are truly saved. Even though they love Christ, serve him, love his church and hate their sin. They just can’t stop doubting their salvation.
What they fail to realize is that, wisdom that leads to understanding and accepting Christ is always Spirit-wisdom.
This ungodly thinking is especially present and strong in their hearts when they going through trials, or when they struggling with a particular sin. During this time they feel useless, filthy, foolish and far from God. They therefore conclude that, because they do not know how to address or overcome the issue, they are not saved, and in Christ.
But this should not be the case, because those who are in Christ are filled with the Spirit of wisdom. And they should therefore operate in that wisdom, accepting their blessedness, chosen-ness, adoption, and forgiveness in Christ.
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Church, it is in Jesus we see wisdom embodied, he is wisdom who became flesh.
We see this in his earthly ministry. Mark 1:27, tell us,
The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.”
Mark 2:12
He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
Mark 3:21
When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
Matthew 9:33
And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”
Some tested him to see how he would answer. John says in 16:30, that they eventually conceded saying,
Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”
Luke (4:46-47) says that, Jesus was God’s wisdom even while he was a little boy.
After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.
Church, Jesus is the wisdom you need. It is only through him, you can come to the Father. And if you believe in him, know him better, specifically, he will fill you with the Spirit of wisdom.
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Study Questions:
- How shall Christians live their lives now as believers waiting for their full redemption?
- Who is the source of wisdom?
- How does Jesus fit in with the wisdom you need?
- People who do not walk in wisdom, what is it that they are lacking, wisdom or salvation, why do you say that?
- How does the Holy Spirit fit in with the Christian’s wisdom?
- Do you know of a fellow Christian who you consider to be wise, and what can you learn from them?
- Where in your life are you currently finding yourself that needs wisdom?
- What promise can you declare over your life knowing now, what God’s word says?
- What new lesson did you learn about God’s character?