Hymns 474
Scripture Reading:
Eph. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ.
Eph. 4:1 I beseech you therefore, I, the prisoner in the Lord, to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called.
Eph. 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
SIT
Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ.” This verse points out the central thought of the first three chapters of this book; it contains a most important point. According to Paul, this book is not about earthly things, but about heavenly things. God has given men very spiritual blessing in the heavenlies.
Ephesians 1:4-14 then speaks of how God selected and predestinated us unto sonship, how he redeemed and forgave us, and how we have received the Holy Spirit. All these are the heavenly blessings mentioned in verse 3. Since we have already received these things, why are we still so poor? My answer is that we are all millionaires, but that we are poor millionaires. Suppose a prodigal son does not realize that his father has left him a will. He will continue to live in poverty. When he takes out his father’s will from the safe and reads it, and when he begins to claim his inheritance, he will become a rich millionaire. Spiritually speaking, we often are poor millionaires. If our eyes are veiled day after day, we will surely live a life of poverty. We live a life that is beset by sin and frustrated by temptations. We will not see that God has given us everything in Christ. Our eyes must be opened to see the inheritance that God prepared for us in Christ.
This is why Paul continued to pray for the saints in verses 15 through 23, after he mentioned God’s heavenly blessings in verses 4 through 14. He prayed that our eyes would be opened, and that we would have a spirit of wisdom and revelation to know of our inheritance. Everything depends on God’s revelation. We need God’s revelation before we can see the riches in Christ. A preacher may preach the doctrine of salvation, but he may not be able to save others. A preacher may preach the doctrine of victory, but he may not be able to help others overcome. The Lord said, “He who has an ear, let him hear.” Many people have the first part of this sentence, but do not have the second part. They have ears, but they do not hear and they do not receive anything. We need to pray and ask God for revelation to see the riches of our inheritance in Christ.
Mr. Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission did a good work in China, but at one time there were a few sins that he could not overcome. He could not sustain an uninterrupted fellowship with the Lord. One day he read in John 15 that the Lord is the vine and that we are the branches, and that those who abide in Him will bear much fruit. He thought that he had not been abiding in the Lord continually, and he prayed day and night to be a branch in the vine. He wrote to his sister, saying, “For a few months I have been praying to be a branch, but have not experienced it yet. I am in much turmoil. Please pray for me. “Later, in another letter he wrote to his sister, saying, “The scales have fallen off from my eyes. I saw that the Lord’s Word clearly says that I am a branch. Yet I was still praying to be a branch. How foolish I was.” He saw that he was a branch, and that there was no more need to beg earnestly to be one. Once his eyes were opened, he realized that the Lord is the vine as well as the branches, the water, the sap, the soil, the root, the sunshine, and the fruit. The Lord is everything to the vine. As long as he remained in the vine, everything would be all right. From the day he saw this, his spiritual life took a great turn.
In 3:1-13 Paul goes on to say that he was appointed by God to be an apostle to the Gentiles, and that the Gentiles are now able to receive the same grace. According to doctrinal sequence, verses 14 through 21 should immediately follow the last verse of chapter one. Ephesians 2:1-3:13 is actually a parenthesis; it describes our condition as sinners, our position as Gentiles, and Paul’s apostleship for the deliverance of man.
Ephesians 1:23 is joined to verse 3:14. These two passages are Paul’s prayers. What is the goal of these prayers? The prayer in chapter one is for us to “know” something through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. The prayer in chapter three is for us to be “granted” something through the power of the Holy Spirit. Chapter one is on revelation; it enables us to know what we have. Chapter three is on the strengthening of the inner man; it enables us to be rooted and grounded. Chapter three does not tell us what we are in Christ, but what Christ is in us. If there is no air, we cannot survive. However, even if there is air, we cannot live if we cover up our nose. In order for a man to live, he must be in the air, and air must also be in him. Chapter three’s emphasis is not on us being in Christ, but on the Holy Spirit being in us. Thank the Lord that the air that I am in is also the same air that is in me. In the first prayer, Paul mentioned revelation. Revelation shows man that everything is accomplished in Christ. In the second prayer, Paul mentioned faith. Faith is believing that what God has done is real. Revelation is always linked to faith. There are three main points in chapters one through three: (1) God’s provisions, (2) God’s revelation, and (3) man’s faith.
WALK
Now let us come to second section. Ephesians 4:1 says that since we are called, we should “walk” worthily of this calling. If a man has never sat, he can never walk. To sit is to rest. It indicates that everything is done, or that someone else has done all the work. This is like riding in the car or on a boat; someone else is moving the vehicle. We can sit in the same way because the Lord has done everything. He has done everything for us; He has identified himself with us, and He has given us His life. When did God create Adam and Eve? He created them on the sixth day. Hence, the seventh day for God is the first day for man. Man’s first day is God’s Sabbath day. As soon as man was created, he entered into God’s rest. If we cannot sit, it must mean that we have not yet received salvation. There was only one person who entered the Holy of Holies to make atonement for sins—the high priest. Even ordinary priests were not allowed to enter (Heb. 9:7). The curtains of the tabernacle kept outsiders away from the sanctuary. God wants us to make no mistake about this—He does not want man to have any share in the matter of redemption. As far as man’s forgiveness is concerned, he “sits” on the Lord’s redemption. It is not a matter of serving God or seeking for salvation. God has freely given us the grace of forgiveness. Both the problem of sin and the problem of the old man are dealt with by “sitting.” If we have never sat down, we can never do any work. Wherever faith is, there is no work. Everything has been accomplished by God already; all we have to do is receive.
Please remember that not only are we in the Lord, but the Lord is also in us. Once we are connected to Christ, His life will flow into us and we will be able to walk. This is like the electric light bulb; when the bulb is connected to the current from the power plant, electricity will be in the bulb and bulb will light up. First God operates, and then we walk. Without God’s operation in Ephesians 3:20, it would be impossible to have the walk of chapter four. First we overcome, and then we go into battle. Christ’s salvation first brings in rest and then brings in a walk, unlike other religions, which work first and then achieve something later.
STAND
The third section of Ephesians begins with chapter six, verse 10 and goes to the end of the book. It is the “final” word. The final word concerns the way to deal with Satan. We must first understand that we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies and then understand our proper walk on earth. Finally, we need to know how to deal with God’s enemy, Satan. Paul told us to put on the whole armor of God so that we can stand. It says to stand because we do not overcome Satan by our fighting. The Lord has overcome and placed us in the position of victory. All we have to do is to stand and withstand. None of God’s armor is for attacking; it is all defensive. Chapter two says that we are seated in the heavenlies. Sitting means that we have overcome the powers and principalities. Now we only need to maintain this stand. Chapter six does not mention any actual warfare; it only mentions withstanding. If a person realized that he only needs to withstand and that everything is done, he will encounter no problems.
Thank the Lord that we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies. Now we can walk on earth before men, and we can stand to withstand Satan. Thank God that we can “sit,” “walk,” and “stand.” (CWWN, vol. 42, ch. 57)
Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 42, ch. 57
