Lesson One "My Identity in Christ"

One of the four epistles written by Paul during his Roman imprisonment, the book of Ephesians addresses the Body of Christ, the church. The book is divided into two sections, the first addressing positional truth and the second half, temporal truth. Positional truth has to do with who we are in Christ and temporal truth the application of that positional truth in our individual lives. The first three chapters of Ephesians deal with righteousness, election, eternal life, redemption and our hope in Christ while chapters four through six examine the application of these spiritual truths in our relationships. It is in Christ we find out who we are and what we are made for on this earth. Let's look at how the triune Godhead has provided all the spiritual blessings we will need in Christ.

If you have felt incomplete, unsatisfied or unfulfilled in your life, you can find yourself complete in Jesus Christ.

I. THE PLAN

THE ORIGINATOR

God has a long range plan. He originated the plan before the foundations of the world. Just stop and try to take that in a moment. Before the creation of the earth, the universe and the angels, the eternal Godhead existed and God our Father formulated the plan of Redemption. God’s plan was to be executed by His son Jesus, the mediator and perfect God-man. The bridge between fallen man and a Righteous God is possible through God’s perfect plan executed by Jesus Christ, the Son. In chapter one, verses three through fourteen we find all the rewards and gifts provided by this plan. These verses are all one sentence in the Greek language. Every blessing is listed in past tense indicating the plan was settled and complete before the foundations of the earth. Every physical and spiritual blessing we would ever need was provided for in the execution of this plan of Redemption.

THE EXECUTOR

God had a plan for us to be His children. When God looked out over time and saw that man would need a Redeemer, He provided the new birth as part of His plan for sinful man.

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be

conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the

firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29)

When we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we enter into the plan executed by Jesus on the cross at Calvary. God the Father has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Ephesians 1:7 says “In whom (the Beloved, Jesus Christ) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” Jesus, the only one who has lived a sinless life, was the only man qualified to redeem mankind from his sin and pay the ransom price to free us from our fallen position as slaves to sin.

THE REVEALER

The part of the plan reserved for the day in which we live, the church age, is revealed by the Holy Spirit of God. The Bible is divided into seven dispensations. There are five dispensations in the Old Testament. The names of these five dispensations in chronological order are innocence, conscience, human government, promise and law. After the crucifixion, there came the” dispensation of the grace of God.” and the New Covenant. This dispensation which began with the day of Pentecost is called” the church age”. The ministry of the Holy Spirit began in this dispensation of time and became the Revealer of God’s plan for mankind. Paul was given the commandment by God to preach and reveal the mystery of that which had been hidden by God from those of the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit was the person chosen to reveal these mysteries to those of us who are a part of the church age.

As you think back on these thoughts, you will see God's plan is perfect and involves God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is in a relationship with Christ we are blessed with ALL spiritual blessings. If you have not accepted Christ into your heart and want to know more about this, today is the perfect day to inquire. Please email me at robin.lys@hotmail.com . We will continue with more thoughts on verse 4 on Monday.

My Identity in Christ (Study of Ephesians 1-3)INTRODUCTION

A few weeks ago, I spotted a very interesting chair,sitting alongside my neighbor's large trash receptacle. They had recently moved and every day it seemed someone was pulling up and taking their pick of the various and sundry items left behind. First to go wa a gently used entertainment center. Other smaller items were overlooked and made their way into the large trash truck on trash day. Each day as the pile grew smaller but the chair remained,standing like a sentinel guarding the goods for several days.



On Monday morning, I hurriedly dashed across the street, grabbing the chair before it joined the other rejected items at the dump. Obviously it had not been very attractive to the others who had pilfered through the now small heap of personal belongings left behind.

It was clearwhey it wasn't drawing much attention. The seat made of slats was uneven as the larger slats had succumbed to the heat and were warped and swollen. The bottom was covered in cobwebs and the paint was a very unappealing color the shade of old cheese. I felt quite sure this was not the only color this chair had worn in its lifetime.I made a mental note a cushion would be needed in order to sit comfortably on this chair if I were able to make it presentable in appearance. I was not completely confident this trash could be turned into treasure but the unique shape and construction seemed to smack of the promise of transformation.

Now,before one gets the idea I've experience in restoring antique furniture, let me set the record straight. The only project of this nature I can claim as successful is the restoration of a very small rocking chair found at an auction just before my granddaughter was born.With some sanding,paint and stencils, I transformed a broken and weary looking piece into an adorable toddler sized seat, fit for a princess. It became a gift from my hand and my heart to one I love very deeply.

The first fall-like day, armed with a package of sandpaper, a stool and bottle of water, I headed to the garage. Seating myself on the stool, I tackled the back rest of recently confiscated chair. I soon grew weary for I only managed to get to the next layer of paint. My eye caught sight of the bubbled paint on the seat so I switched gears and began diligently rubbing back and forth over the warped and wobbly slats. I was not going to give up my efforts but needed some encouragement to stay with the task.


I'd only been working about fifteen minutes when I was able to see the original wood peeking out from under the two colors of paint. Something inside my heart did a little somersault! As a powdery peach colored dust film began to cover my clothes and crept up my elbows, my thoughts turned to the origin of this unique piece of furniture.


Having noticed the legs of this chair resembled those of some chairs I'd only seen at my great grandparents' home, I began to daydream of a man such as my great grandfather constructing a chair like this one for his family many years ago. I thought about the love with which he might have crafted it and his attention to detail as he purposed in his heart to make it a thing of beauty. After all, it was a crafted by his own hands and would serve a purpose in his family when his creation was complete.


I pictured his family gathering around to see the unveiling of his beautiful pristine creation and thought of the joyful exclamations and admiration of those looking on. Surely, his handiwork would find a place of honor at the family table alongside others he would create. I saw him run his hand across the surface and could almost feel the pride and satisfaction he had in his finished work.


As I finished up for the day, I positioned the chair back in the corner of the garage. Glancing back across my shoulder, I caught a glimpse of the soft pink glow of the original wood, inviting me to finish the project at a later date. It was a glimmer of hope that this once rejected chair might one day find its place in my home. I realized my desire would be to uncover the beauty of its original state and never cover it again with paint hiding its true beauty.


In the same way, God wants to uncover the original design of each of His creations.We are His handiwork, created by His own hands. He has given us a position of blessing and honor and authority. Many of us live far below that which He has designed for our lives and have felt we were sitting in the corner of a dark place waiting on someone to discover our beauty and bring us into the house of God. We long to find a place of usefulness and service but we have allowed the lies of our enemy Satan and the condemnation of man to define who we are.


In the book of Ephesians, we discover that God has a long range plan. He originated the plan before the foundations of the earth. Before the creation of the earth, the eternal Godhead formulated a plan of Redemption. This plan was executed by the Son, Jesus Christ. He bridged the gap between fallen man and God. The Holy Spirit is the Revealer. He wants to reveal to you His original plan and purpose for your life.


I hope you will journey with me through the first three chapters of Ephesians and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to you, the areas of your heart that have not been restored to their original design. As He gently sands away the guilt and the shame, and dusts off the deception and lies, you will catch a glimpse of the beauty in His original design. You will hear that His heart's desire was always to welcome you into His presence, into His home, His heart where you have always belonged.


If you have struggled with insecurity, loneliness, fear, anxiety, shame, guilt, unforgiveness or just want to find the "real you" hidden under all the brokenness and scars, join me as I share short devotional thoughts about Heart Peace found in knowing Jesus Christ.

You have just read the introduction to the study. A new session of the Bible study will appear each Monday, Wednesday and Friday at my web site. For today's lesson (08-25-10) concerning the spiritual blessings of accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior, go to http://www.aredeemedheart.com/ .