Ephesians | Session 4 | 2:1-7

Dwayne Spearman welcomes viewers to Directional Bible Ministries and discusses their ongoing study of the book of Ephesians. He mentions that previous teachings and messages are available on his website and encourages viewers to subscribe to their YouTube channel and Telegram channel. He then focuses on Ephesians chapter 2, specifically verses 1-7, where he explains the concept of being made alive in Christ and contrasts the behavior of believers with the behavior of those who are still dead in their sins. He also discusses the pronouns used in the text and proposes his interpretation of who they refer to, suggesting that "saints" refers to Jewish believers and "the faithful in Christ Jesus" refers to Gentile believers. He highlights the importance of living by faith and not following the ways of the world. He refers to other biblical passages that support his points and discusses the consequences of rejecting God. Good morning, my name is Dwayne Spearman. Welcome to Directional Bible Ministries. This is a teaching ministry that's called to rightly divide the Word of God for the people of God. Today is April the 3rd, and we are still or we find ourselves still working our way through the book of Ephesians together. The last couple of times we've been together, we've went down a few different roads. I am placing everything on my website. You can get here just going to Dwaynespearman.org. It's a it's actually a blog, a blog spot, but you can see the last couple times we've been together. I've been doing some daily devotions, just some 10-15 minutes when I can as I'm traveling. Also just finished two messages on God's timeline. So you can check those out. Of course talking about what was going to happen and what did happen. Again, there's two parts there. I encourage you to take a look at that. And then the last time we were together for a session like this on a Sunday was session number three, and we finished up chapter number one. So I would encourage you, if you would, to subscribe to the YouTube channel. Also, I've started another channel on Telegram. So you can subscribe to that as well. It's just Directional Bible Ministries. So go ahead and check us out there for that. Okay? So let's go ahead and get our Bibles open this morning. I don't have a lot of time. I need to be scooting out the door, but I have been able to cover the past few days verses 1 through 7 of chapter number 2. So we're just going to take another look at those verses. Okay? Ephesians chapter number 2, verse number 1. And you Hathi quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. The word quickened there means to be made alive. And if you'll notice, if you're reading in a King James, you can see Hathi quickened is not really in the text. The translators added it to to add more meaning, to bring more clarity to the verse. It actually says, and you who were dead in trespasses and sins. You who were dead in trespasses and sins. And again, I am still paying close attention to the pronouns here. I believe as he's referring to you there, he's referring to the Gentile believers. And the premise that I started out this study with is that here in verse number 3, when Paul says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. Is that right? No. Verse number 1. I'm sorry. Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God to the saints, which are Ephesus comma and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. And there's a lot of debate over is Paul addressing the same people group here. If he is, you know, it just seems like a strange way to do it in my opinion. I believe that he is addressing the saints, which are the Jewish believers, the Jews that what we would call grace Jews that heeded the preaching of Paul when he was in Ephesians in Ephesus. And when he refers and to the faithful, some will say that's referring to the ones that were added after he left. Some would say that's referring to others outside of Ephesus that might be reading this letter. Or it's referring to the Gentile believers that were in Ephesus. So I am going with the premise that to the saints is referring to the Jewish believers in Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus are referring to the Gentile faith grace believers that were in Ephesus. And once you do that, you need to realize as you start working your way down verses 3 through 12 he is he is always speaking of we and us. But then when he gets down into verse number 13 in chapter 1, he turns to ye. And again, I mean, I'm not an English major, but I've written enough papers to know that if you're switching back and forth with pronouns there, I don't think he's doing it by accident. And again, not everyone's going to agree with that. I understand I'm probably in the minority opinion and that's fine. Lord knows where I am now with my min-ax position. I'm already in the minority opinion. So I can live with that until I prove otherwise. So in verse number in chapter number 2 verse number 1 when he says and you he's talking about these Gentile believers who were dead in their trespasses and sins wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. The emphasis is that you guys in the past you Gentile grace believers you were walking according to the course of this world. You were walking according to the prince of the power of the air. You were following the spirit that now works in those who don't believe. So the emphasis is that dead people walk according to the course of this world and according to the prince of the power of the air. And isn't that true? Unbelievers, those who have not been reconciled to God, they walk according to the course of this world. I mean just look at their social media. It's what they walk. They follow the course of this world and of course the God of this world is the devil. So his point is that people who have been made alive no longer do this. In Colossians 2 13 and you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision in your flesh hath he quickened or made alive together with him having forgiven you all trespasses. And then over in 1st Corinthians 15 moreover brethren I declare unto you the gospel which I preach unto you that ye have received and wherein ye stand by which also ye are saved if you keep in memory what I preached unto you unless you believed in vain for I delivered unto you first that which I also received how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures that he was buried he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. So Paul is saying people who have embraced this message and that is the gospel for the grace believer. That is the message that we are to teach to a lost in the dying world. He said if you believe that you're no longer walking like the children of disobedience. You're not walking like the lost because you have faith and therefore you're not going to walk according to the course of the world and according to the Prince of the power of the air anymore. And he says in verse 3 among whom also we and again, he's making a pronoun change there and again among whom also I mean he's obviously speaking of another group here we had our conversation and time passed in the lust of the flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature children of wrath even as the others were. So I believe he's referring back to the Jews. He said just like you were children of disobedience because you you didn't walk by faith you walked according to the course of this world and according to the Prince of the power of the air. Also we had our conversation and that old King James Word refers to our lives in time past we also walked according to the lust of the flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature children of wrath even as everybody else was. So he literally saying that the nation in time past is exactly what the Gentiles did by living in the lust of the flesh. In you know 1st John 2 16 he says for all that's in the world the lust of the flesh the lust the eyes the pride of life is not of the father but is of the world. The Jews, John in the epistles of John, John was one of the twelve. He's writing to the nation of Israel and he's confirming we did that's how we walked. Before Christ fulfilling the desires and we're just as much children of wrath as the Gentiles were. So that's what that's the message that that Paul is bringing home here in Ephesians and of course we see that you know scripturally in Isaiah 53 6 all we like she could go on astray and have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord has laid upon him the iniquity of us all. Why? Because we all turn to our own way. In Romans chapter 1 verse number 21 because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were they thankful but they became vain in their imaginations and their foolish hearts were darkened professing themselves to be be wise they ended up becoming fools. Why? Because they were children of disobedience. They walked according to the course of this world. They you know, they were children of wrath even as all the others and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like corruptible men and to birds and forfeited beasts. In other words, they fell into idolatry because they they were not living by faith. They rejected God. Wherefore God gave them up to uncleanliness through the lust of their own hearts to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. I mean, that's what happens when a person when a people when a nation reject God. They fall into idolatry. They start worshiping other things. They also fall into uncleanliness. Why? Because of the lust of their own hearts and they dishonored themselves their own bodies between themselves. That is a reference to sexual sin and they changed the truth of God into a lie and they worship and serve the creature more than the Creator who is blessed forever. That's what happens when man rejects God and then in turn God gives them over to their vile affections. For even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature. In other words, God created women to have children. That's how God created them. He created them male and female, Adam and Eve. Okay, and likewise the men they left the natural use of the woman. So what was the natural use of the woman for the man? Childbearing to rear offspring. But what happened? The men burned in their lust toward one another. Men with men working that which is unseemly and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error, which was meat. He's talking about homosexuality there. When you reject God, when you profess yourself to be wise, you become a fool. You become vain in your imagination. Your hearts become darkened. You change the glory of God, of the uncorruptible God, into images that are made by corruptible man, which means you fall into idolatry, because if you're not worshiping God, you're worshiping something else. And as a result, God gives up and lets you fall into your own vile affections and your lusts of the flesh. But why? Because you've changed the truth of God for a lie. And as a result, you're going to give in to your vile affections. You're going to start waving your little rainbow flags. And you're going to go down a road that is against nature. Don't tell me the Bible doesn't address this issue. The Bible does address this issue and it is the result of walking away from revealed truth. Now notice in verse number four, but God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in our sins, has quickened us together with Christ by grace ye are saved. So Paul seems to be pointing out that just as God has quickened the Gentile believers, according to verse one, he has done the same with the Jewish believers. Then then notice he says this parenthetical statement here, by grace you're saved. I believe that that parenthetical statement there is a reference to the Gentiles and he'll begin to address that down in verses eight and nine. In verses eight and nine, he'll start to address that. Let's see Ephesians. Let me get back there. Right here in verse four and five he says chapter two But God, so he's talking about how that the Gentiles walked according to the course of the swirl. The Jews also in time past walked according to the lust of the flesh. But God who's rich for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in our sins, hath he quickened us together with Christ. I believe he's saying there that but God knowing all of this, us having done all of this, but God who's rich in mercy and great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were both dead in our sins, he's made us alive together with Christ. And he says but by grace are you saved and he I believe he's going to start explaining that in verses eight and nine. He's going to start explaining that parenthetical statement in verses eight and nine. And notice that he talks about in these verses. He talks about both mercy and he talks about grace. You see mercy and grace are not the same thing. Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting more than we deserve. So even though we did this, he's saying God is going to be merciful. More than that, God is going to be gracious. He's going to give us even more than we deserve. And he says there in verse number six, and hath raised us up together and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So he goes on to say that he has raised up the nation so that both Jew and Gentile have now been quickened together, raised up together, made to sit together. Again, Paul is showing how God in the age of grace has made one body of both Jew and Gentile. Now what does made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus mean? To me this is further proof that he is writing to both Jew and Gentile grace believers who make up the body of Christ and whose promises are heavenly. Understand the body of Christ today is made up of both Jew and Gentile and our promises are heavenly. Remember the promises that are made to the nation are earthly, physical, fraternal. They are the ones that are going to inherit the nations of the world. They are the ones where King Jesus is going to rule and reign from Jerusalem. Their promises are earthly while the promises to the church are heavenly. The church does not get Israel's earthly promises. However, we do become joint heirs with those Jews who are now part of the body of Christ in heavenly places. That is what he's saying here. Another point that I found in this verse, Les Feldick pointed out, and that's the phrase in Christ. In Christ, he says, and hath raised us up together, made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ. Both the body of Christ, Jew and Gentile, are now in Christ. And then verse 7, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace. Again, mercy is not getting what you deserve. Grace is getting even more than you deserve. So he's saying he did this. He raised us up, set us together. Why? So that in the ages of to come, he's going to show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Now again, I believe that he is speaking to the nation regarding the exceeding grace that was offered to the nation through Christ Jesus. And of course, this grace was not accepted by all and it is why the Jewish nation remains in blindness to this day, but there is a promise that one day their eyes will be opened and they will see the exceeding riches. They will experience his mercy and his grace and his kindness that he's going to give to them through Christ Jesus. And understand the Jewish nation when they rejected, you know, we've talked about this this graph here, and I'm going to go ahead and wrap up. I need to step out, but what should have happened, this grace period should never have happened. This but now period was not prophesied. It was not seen back here in time past. It was not revealed to Adam or Abraham or Moses or David or John or the Twelve. They didn't see this. So you can't read that into Genesis through through the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They were not looking for this. They were told go only to the nation of Israel, to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Do not go into the way of the Gentiles. Why? Because had the nation repented and been baptized at the preaching of Peter, this would not have happened. The nation would have rolled straight into the ages to come. They would have rolled straight into Daniel's 70th week. And if you've ever studied Daniel chapter number 9, 70 weeks are determined for thy people, Daniel. You know, and during these 70 weeks, this is what I'm going to do. 70 weeks is 490 years. Christ came at 483 years, if I'm doing my math right, and had they accepted the preaching, they would have rolled straight into Daniel's 70th week. And this grace period would not have happened. But it did happen because God showed grace. He did not pour out on Israel the judgment that they should have received for rejecting the Messiah and the offer of the kingdom. So this verse, that in the ages to come, you see that? Ages to come. You're on this graph here. Right here, that he might show the exceeding of it toward us, that in the ages to come, he's going to show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. So next time we're together, we'll get down in verse number 8 and 9, for by grace are ye saved. Now, he's adding to that parenthetical, that he's, that parenthetical statement that he added at the end of verse 5. For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. The body of Christ is saved through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, both Jew and Gentile, anyone in the body of Christ. His point is that grace, the grace that is offered today, is based solely upon faith and saving faith is in view here. Okay, and we'll talk about that next time we get together. God bless you guys. Have a great day. Memory loves you, wants the best for you, and he's working all things out for your good.