Epistles of Paul 94

Well, good evening, brethren. The third chapter of Ephesians continues with the section about the various items which Paul is discussing, which are related to doctrine, specifically in this epistle. So he concludes that section in this third chapter. Paul has been focusing on some of God's great spiritual blessings, and he explains that God had revealed to him and through him, Paul, and through the apostles the mystery that God has predestined all mankind, not just Jews, but Jews and Gentiles, to be his spiritually begotten children through Jesus Christ.

Just quickly reviewing in chapter 2, in verse 1, he said, we all made alive. In other words, he knew he made alive, and we all are made spiritual alive when we baptized and received God's Holy Spirit. Before that, we were, in a sense, spiritually dead, or in other words, spiritually blind. And then, a bit later, in verse 8, he says, by grace you have been saved through this faith. It was this plan of salvation. It is for all mankind, Jews and Gentiles, and it's a free gift from God by faith, and that not of ourselves. It is a gift from God. The plan is a gift from God, and the faith of God that he gives us is also a gift from God. And then, he goes on, in verse 11 and 12, saying, therefore, remember that you once Gentiles in the flesh. So, we can see he's clearly talking to the Ephesians, which were mostly Gentiles, and he says they were with Christ. And therefore, there was an animosity between Jews and Gentiles in that society.

And then, in verse 14 and 15, he says that through Christ, that animosity, that wall of the vision, has been broken down. We covered what was that middle wall of the vision. It was a wall in the court, dividing part of the court to the Jews and part of the court to the Gentiles. And no Gentile was allowed to pass beyond that five-foot-high stone wall into the Jewish section of that court, of the temple. And so, that was a wall of separation.

So, there was a middle wall there in that court area. And Christ, we see in verse 15, has abolished that division, that enmity. Now, that division was not created by God's law, but was created by a law of commandments containing ordinances made by man, more specifically by the laws in the Jewish culture that they had at the moment. So, they had a separate court for a separate division, I beg your pardon, for Jews and a separate division for Gentiles. The Gentiles were not allowed to go into the Jewish area. And likewise, they also had a separate court for women. And this is clearly not scriptural. So, Paul is basically explaining that God's plan of salvation, a plan of reconciliation, involves breaking down these barriers that separated people based on nationality or gender. And these barriers were broken down at Christ's death, and ultimately they were physically broken down when the temple was destroyed in 70 AD. So, the main point here in Ephesians 2 verse 15 is that God, through Christ, has invalidated these man-made rules. These human regulations are too restrictive and too narrow-minded in scope, and therefore man built built walls of separating people, resulting therefore in different divisions and strife and discord amongst people.

But now, in verse 16, he basically says both Jews and Gentiles are reconciled into one body, into Christ's spiritual body, which is the church, as he refers in verse 22 and 23 of chapter 1.

And you and I, in verse 21 of chapter 2, says that you and I, we, are a part of that spiritual temple of God. We are a holy temple which is growing. So, we are part of that temple. So, that is basically a summary of what Paul has covered so far in Ephesians, and now in chapter 3, he emphasizes that he was in prison because of his preaching to the Gentiles.

Let's look here in verse 1. For this reason, it was to preach this gospel that through Christ, Jews and Gentiles are together, or one. For this reason, I, Paul, the prison of Christ for you, Gentiles. So, that's the reason that he was in jail, in prison, in house arrest, because of his preaching of this good news to the Gentiles.

We can read in Acts 21 verses 21 through 29, when Paul, we just got there a description, when Paul had gone to Jerusalem to take the offering to the saints to Jerusalem, and he was then arrested and falsely accused of taking a Gentile, trophimus, to the Jewish area of the temple. So, that's why he ended up in prison, and now he was in Rome in prison because he had appealed to Caesar. Continue now in verse 2. If indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which was given to me for you. So, basically like saying, he's assuming you heard that the dispensation of grace, in other words, the dispensation of the grace of God, in other words, the word there, dispensation, means stewardship.

He was a steward, in other words, he was the one that, a steward is one that manages a household affairs. So, he was the steward of God's grace that he says, a steward of the grace of God, which has given to me for you. In other words, the ministry of this good news was given to him, to Paul, to minister. So, that was the responsibility that was given to him.

In other words, Paul was called by God and given by God the opportunity to manage, to oversee, that the administration of this good news to the gentiles, the gentiles that were in the Church of God, which is this God's grace to the gentiles, that the gentiles are now not aliens, but fellow citizens, as we read in verse 19 of the previous chapter, in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 19. He says, now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

So, Paul had been given this responsibility to be a steward of this grace of God towards the gentiles. In other words, he was, he had this dispensation of the grace of God, he had the responsibility of this to give this to the gentiles. And that's why, for this reason, he became a prisoner because of preaching this good news. So, continuing now in verse 3 and 4, how that by revelation he may know to me the mystery, as I have briefly written to you already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the ministry of Christ. So, by this revelation, in it was God revealed to Paul this mystery of Christ so that the plan of God for all mankind, Jew and Gentile, was revealed to Paul and being administered by Paul to the gentiles.

Verse 5, which in other ages was not made known to the sons of man, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to his early apostles and prophets. So previously, this plan of God that all mankind would be able to receive salvation, both Jews and gentiles, was not previously understood, but now was revealed by God's early Spirit. Now, how do we mean by God's early Spirit? If you look at John, verse 14, verse 26, John 14, verse 26, we read, that the Helper, in other words, God's early Spirit, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name by Christ's authority, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that are said to you.

So God's early Spirit would, as Christ mentioned and in a sense prophesied, that God's early Spirit would help us understand the truth about God's plan for all mankind. And this was not clearly understood before. And that's what we read here in verse 5, which in other ages was not made known to the sons of man, as it has now been revealed by God's Spirit, by the Spirit, to his holy apostles and prophets, and obviously to him as well.

And that's what he's saying. Continue now in verse 6, that the gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ through the Gospel. In a word, so God is extending salvation to the gentiles besides, obviously, to the Jews. And therefore, as I read a little earlier on in verse 19 of the previous chapter, they were aliens. But now they're not aliens, but they are fellow heirs of the same body, which is Christ's spiritual body, the Church, and partakers of his promise, of God's promise, in Christ through this good news, this Gospel that is being preached now.

Verse 7, of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effect of working of his power. In a words, I became a minister I became a minister by God's calling and setting aside a minister of this message. This message, which is the great help by God's power, in a words, by God's Holy Spirit, it was by the effect of working of his power by God's Holy Spirit. So this, he became a minister by this revelation by God's Holy Spirit of what God will finally do. And so we see, this is a great help, and anything you and I do in helping this ministry is through the power of God. As we serve in God's Church in various ways, whichever way we serve, to help the body, to help the Church, whether it is serving at services, in whatever capacity, in engaging and encouraging brethren, in talking to brethren, in being a positive example, and encouraging words, whatever it is that we do to help the body, the Church, we have to acknowledge that it is through God's power. It's God's Holy Spirit.

It's God's inspiration. It's God's help. It's the helper, God's Holy Spirit, that helps us in our serving, in our ministry. And when we start thinking that it is of ourselves, then we basically are in deep trouble. So it's not us, it's God helping us through His power for His glory. So it is God's given to me, Paul, and to us to serve in whatever way by the effect of working of God's power. That's what it is. That's the glory of God through His power.

And now verse 8, to me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable reaches of Christ. So Paul was not walking around with a high opinion of himself, saying, oh, I have great gifts, I have great talents. No. He gave the glory to God. God gave him understanding. God gave him visions. God gave him the responsibility of being his servant to preach that message in order to be an apostle. And God even performed many miracles through Him to bring this awareness, this full understanding to the people that this was from God, this understanding that the Gentiles would also be part of those that would be saved. And then He says, you know, not thinking that his high opinion of himself, He says, He was the least of all saints. And so He puts Himself in a very humble attitude. And He considers that because, look, He persecuted brethren, He killed brethren. And He says, who am I? I was persecuting brethren. And so I'm the least of all the saints. And so that He says that I should preach amongst the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of God. And this is the grace that was given Him, this grace, this goodness of God, this understanding of God's plan was given to Paul for him to tell all about this wonderful riches that you and I can have, and what riches are those, to be actually members of the family of God in God's kingdom. This is an unbelievable richness that God is giving us through Christ. And this is all part of God's plan. Verse 9, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ. So this mystery, this mystery has been hidden in God, who could, and it says, from the beginning of the ages.

This was not known, all the way from the early prophets and the early mankind, even the prophets.

They did not have a full understanding of this mystery. It was hidden in God. And then he says, who created all things through Jesus Christ. I want to emphasize this point before I talk a little bit more about the mystery from the beginning of ages, which has been hidden in God. I want to emphasize this point about in God who created all things through Jesus Christ. A lot of Bibles do not have this phrase through Jesus Christ. Typically, modern translations do not have.

Why? Because modern translations use what is called the Alexandrian text, which omits through Jesus Christ. I gave a sermon about a year or two ago about the differences between the Alexandrian text and the majority text. The majority text, which is very similar to the text receptors, which is the received text, which is what the King James Version uses, the received text. But the majority text, as I say, does have these words and they are thousands of manuscripts. That's why they call the majority text. And therefore, the bulk majority, like in the 90 percentiles and above, of the texts have this section or this phrase through Jesus Christ, you know, with God who created all things through Jesus Christ. Now, this is consistent with other scriptures, because in John 1 verse 3, let's just look at there very briefly, John 1 verse 3. John 1 verse 3.

We're talking John 1 that in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. Then in verse 3 he says, all things were made through him. You know, it was the word.

And without him the word, nothing was made than was made. And we know the word is Christ, because when you look in verse 14, he says the word became flesh. So, all things were made through Christ. This is also consistent with Colossians chapter 1. Colossians chapter 1 verses 15 through 17. Colossians chapter 1 verses 15 through 17. He says, he, that's Christ, is the image of the invisible God, he was the father. And Christ is the firstborn over all creation. He's the first one that was, came from human beings and actually became a spirit being. It was resurrected as a spirit being, being the firstborn of all human beings, of all creation. For by him, that's by Christ, all things were created that are in heaven and on earth. It was human beings on earth and spirit beings in heaven. It was visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. So, all angelic powers or thrones or dominions, all were created by Christ. All things were created through him, Christ, and for him. So, and he is before all things, and in him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he, Christ, may have the preeminence. So, everything was created by Christ.

So, that is pretty consistent. It's also consistent in Hebrews chapter 1 verse 2. Let's look at Hebrews chapter 1 verse 2. Hebrews chapter 1 verse 2, where it's talking about God who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, God has in this last day spoken to us by his son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the walls.

The father made everything through Christ. So, the father gave the command, and Christ executed that command, that instruction, how? Using God's Holy Spirit. That's why it says the Spirit hovered over the waters, because it was God's power, which was directed by Christ under the command of the Father. So, Christ is the one that spoke before he used the word, or as we are often in the church use, he was the spokesman. And so, Christ was there from the beginning. And the point as we get back here to Ephesians chapter 2 verse 9, yeah, in chapter 2 verse 9, it says, from the beginning of ages, these things were hidden in God who created all things through Christ. So, these things were hidden. And so, it basically means that even the angels did not understand these things. How do I, why do I say that? Let's look at 1 Peter chapter 1, 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 12. 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 12, we see, and to them it was revealed that not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things which angels desire to look into.

So, to them, the prophets did not have a full understanding, so they prophesied, but not with a full understanding. But it's now revealed to us so that even the angels now are able to see what God is doing. So, even the angels initially did not understand. That's why it says things which the angels desire to look into. And the angels are being amazed, now understanding how God is recreating Himself. And let's continue now in verse 10 of Ephesians chapter 3. To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. And so, this intent and the manifold wisdom, what this plan of God is, this intent and the great wisdom of God in what He's doing, might be made known by the church. The angels learn from the church, or by the church, it says, made known by the church to the principalities and powers in heavenly places. In other words, to the angelic realm. So, the angels learn by the church. In other words, the church is the teacher of all, even in heavenly places.

So, God is revealed to the church through His Spirit, and as the church preaches through the apostles, then the angels start understanding this purpose of God. Let's read now in verse 11.

So, that this intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church, verse 11, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus, our Lord. You see, God has a purpose that He is working out here below on earth, and that purpose is called the eternal purpose. God has planned it and is being accomplished.

This eternal purpose is being accomplished through Jesus Christ, our Lord. And that's why it says a little earlier in verse 8, the unsearchable reaches of Christ. Even we are just beginning to understand, but we still don't fully understand. So, the very, very physical fact that creation came into being was that God was carrying out this purpose through mankind, through the physical creation, through mankind, which is being accomplished through what Jesus Christ is doing.

The Father Command gave the command, the instruction, the task to create everything with the ultimate purpose, everything that's physical and spirit, with the ultimate purpose to have sons and daughters of God in His family. And that is the purpose. And this was planned before mankind and the earth was created. That's what we read in Revelation 13 verse 8.

Revelation 13 verse 8, right at the end, says that the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world. Now, sometimes people get a little bit confused. I've come across a few people said, oh, what do you mean? But really what it means is that the Lamb was condemned to die from the very foundation of the world. Right from the beginning, it was planned to be so. Also, in 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 9, 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 9, it says, talking about what God has done through this Gospel according to the power of God, who has saved and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. Before time began. In other words, how do we measure time? By the physical creation, the rotation of the earth around its axis that makes a day, the rotation of the earth around the sun that makes it a year, and the movement of the moon around the earth, which helps in the working out of the months. And so time, as we measure it, which is basically based on the movement of these heavenly bodies, the sun, the moon, and the earth, basically when they were created, that's when it was, as it says here, when time began, the beginning of time. But before, therefore, the creation of this, God had already decided the Father and the Son had already planned to have children of God in the kingdom of God, and said that it was the whole purpose. So Christ was crucified before the foundation of the world. In other words, he had to die. Why? Because God wanted to have sons and daughters of his with three moral agencies. In other words, they would have a, of their own free volition and desire, and desire to do what's right. But to do that, human beings have to have free moral agency, and free moral agency means that sometimes you do wrong. When you do wrong, that's sin. That's breaking God's law, and the wages of sin is death. So mankind had to have the opportunity to make, to do things wrong, to learn from those wrong deeds. And, but if he did wrong, as he did, and God knew that he would do it sooner or later, then mankind would be condemned to death.

And so there's only one way, is that the very creator, which was Christ, his life, his blood, life for life, would pay for our lives, would redeem us, buy us back. That's why Christ had to be the creator, so that his life is far more valuable than all our lives. And that's why the Father delegated to Christ to create us, and delegated to Christ to die for us. And Christ did it voluntarily, as we read in Philippians chapter 2 verse 6. He was of the form of God, he was not an insult for him to be equal to God, and he humbled himself, and he died for us. And that is the great humility and the mind of Christ that we need to have and comprehend. And so that was an amazing act, act of love and act of faith. So because of that, continue now in verse 12 of Ephesians chapter 3. He says, In whom, therefore, because of what God is accomplishing through Christ our Lord, this great eternal purpose, in whom we have boldness and excess with confidence through faith in him.

We have boldness and excess with confidence through faith in him. Look at how this verse parallels what we read in Hebrews chapter 10. So let's just quickly glance through Hebrews chapter 10. There's a lot of meaning in this chapter, so I'm just gonna very briefly gonna summarize this chapter, Hebrews chapter 10. And yeah, we see at the beginning in verse 1, for the law, having a shadow of good things to come. The law, obviously the ceremonial law, the law of sacrifices is only a shadow of things to come. In other words, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. These sacrifices were only a shadow, only pointed to Christ's sacrifice. And those sacrifices, as we see in verse 1, can never, with those same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, which they did at the time that this was written, that it was being offered year by year. And that stopped, as we know, when the temple was destroyed in AD 70. So we say offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. In other words, they can never, these physical sacrifices, can never make people that are making, we're making these sacrifices perfect. And it says, verse 4, for it's not possible that the blood of ghouls and goats could take away sins. No, they were just a shadow of what Christ would do for us. They just pointed to Christ's sacrifice.

And then we can see in verse 5, it says, sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but a body of prepared for me. So the Father prepared a body for the world, and then the world emptied Himself and came and was, became flesh, as we read in John 1 verse 14. So that body was prepared by, through God's power, that the world was begotten or born into the womb of Mary, a virgin. That is a miracle. How did God did that? That's beyond our understanding, but that's a miracle. And then, and then we read then in verse 9. In verse 9, He says, and then He said, Behold, that's Christ said, Behold, I have come to do your will. Oh God, you know, it was Father, I Christ have come down to the earth as a human being, come to do your will, God. And He takes away the first, and He established the second. So the first, that ceremonial law, those sacrifices which are only a shadow, He takes those away so that the second, the sacrifice of Christ, is the one that really has the meaning. And that's what He says here in verse 10. By that will, that will of the Father, we have been sanctified. We are made right or separated or set apart through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

So those sacrifices, that law, that ceremonial law, as we read in verse 1 of chapter 10 of Hebrews, was only a shadow pointing to Christ. Now Christ, as we see in verse 10, by God's will, you and I, by God's will, have been set apart through the offering of the body of Christ once for all. So that is a very encouraging statement there. And then we read also in verse 14, for by one offering, that's Christ's sacrifice of offering, He has perfected forever. So that offering is all. It perfects us, which the physical offerings of bulls and goats could not perfect us.

That's what it said in verse 1. They can never make those who offer those physical sacrifices, can never make them perfect, because it said in verse 4, for it's not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. But in verse 14 says, for by one offering, that's Christ's offering, God has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

Those that are in the process of sanctification, because we receive God's Holy Spirit that sanctifies us towards or for obedience. So by that one offering, we are perfected forever.

So that one offering does the whole job. Let's put it that way. And then it goes on in verse 19, therefore, and this is what it ties with Ephesians 3 verse 12 that I was talking about in a moment, therefore in verse 19 it says, Yahweh, we stand, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, having boldness to enter by a new and living way, which He consecrated for us through the veil that is His flesh. So we have boldness to enter the Holy of Holies. You know, it was God's temple in heaven, which was symbolized by the Holy of Holies on earth in the sanctuary. And there was a big veil, a big curtain to separate. And we, therefore, now by a new and living way, which is through Christ, that is through His body, through His flesh.

And then it goes on and in verse 22, let us draw near with a true heart of full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

So let us have that true faith to walk in, to enter, and our conscious, our hearts are sprinkled, obviously, through the power of God's Holy Spirit, and our bodies are washed with pure water, symbolized God's Holy Spirit, the pure water that washes us. So we are sprinkled with Christ's blood and our bodies are washed with pure water, symbolizing God's Holy Spirit. And that's why it says here in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 12, it says, in whom we have boldness and excess to the Holy of Holies, as we read in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 19, we have boldness to excess with confidence through faith in Him. So we have a full assurance of faith, like we read in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 22. So we see a beautiful parallel in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 12 with Hebrews chapter 10, a beautiful parallel. Verse 13 of Ephesians chapter 3, therefore, I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. That's why I say it's a boldness, a assurance of faith. I ask you that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. And so we all go through tribulations as well. We must not lose faith. We must not lose heart at whatever tribulations we go through. So as you compare that with Hebrews 10 verse 23, that is beautiful. So God's eternal purpose is to create a family, and that is for the whole of human race, for the whole of mankind, Jews and Gentiles. And Christ is the way. He is the firstborn amongst many brethren. He's the only one now that he's in heaven, which has immortality. But you and I will also be converted or changed, transformed from mortal to immortal at the resurrection to the very family of God, in other words, at the resurrection. And so now it is like he's concluding this section of this doctrinal understanding that we all Jews and Gentiles have access, have eternal salvation. And this is a great mystery that even angels didn't understand. He now concludes this section of Ephesians chapter 3 through, let's call it a prayer, starting in verse 14. And it says, for this reason, I bow my knee, I bow down my knees, I bow my knees, it was I pray, to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. So God is a family. The whole family in heaven and earth will be named after the Father. The whole family is named after the Father. What's his name? He's God. We are not named after the Holy Spirit. We're not named after Christ. We are named after God. We are the Church of God. And we in a family will be in a family of God in the kingdom of God. So that's why he says, I bow down my knee to the Father.

We have a Father. We have a family. There's a Father and a Son now in heaven. We will be this, the Fathers, Sons and Daughters. And so now there are two members in that family right now in heaven, the Father and the Son. But you and I, which we also are the Church of God, Church meaning the called out ones, the ecclesia, the called out ones, the Church of God, we eventually will also be born into the family of God as born again from above. We will now be fathered from above and will be born again in the kingdom of God as children of God. Verse 16, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man. So he's praying that God would give us strength, spiritual strength in the inner man. He's not talking about physical muscles. He's talking about spiritual strength, in other words, heavy weights, spiritually speaking, with might through the power of God.

That's what he says here in verse 16, with might through his Spirit. In other words, through the power of God, his Spirit. In other words, it's a dynamic Spirit. It's a Spirit of power, and that Spirit made a whole universe. God created all through Christ with using God's power, God's strength, and that power, that strength, is what God gives us in the inner man to overcome. That's why he says that in verse 16, that you'll be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man. We need that power of God inside us to help us overcome and help us change to become members of the God family. That's why a little later, in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 10, he says, finally, brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. In other words, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the walls of the devil. So we need to be strong in God. We need to put on that armor of God, that in the inner man we need the power of God, his Spirit, in the inner man to help us overcome the problems of our carnal mind and the attacks from Satan. Also in Romans chapter 7 verse 22, Romans chapter 7 verse 22.

Let's remember Romans chapter 7 verse 22. It says, for I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. In the inner man with God's Holy Spirit writing God's law in our minds and our hearts, making us a new man, changing us from the old man to a new man to become a new creation, I delight in that. In other words, according to the inward man, I delight in that. So continue now in Ephesians chapter 3, now in verse 17, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

You see that Christ may be in you and us through faith. Now, how is Christ in us? Well, for one, we are sacrificed or we crucified with Jesus Christ. Look at Galatians chapter 2 verse 20.

Galatians chapter 2 verse 20. Galatians chapter 2 verse 20 says, I have been crucified with Christ.

It is no longer I will live but Christ lives in me. So you and I have been crucified with Christ. How?

Through the baptism, we baptized into Christ. Look at Galatians chapter 3 verse 27. It says, for as many of you as we baptized into Christ, we're not baptized into any sect or human organization, but we baptized into Christ by Christ's authority. And that's also what we read in Romans chapter 6 verse 3. Romans chapter 6 verse 3. Let's just have a look. Romans chapter 6 verse 3. It says, do you not know that as many of us as we're baptized into Christ Jesus, we're baptized into his death? And that's why it says we crucified with Christ.

And then it says, therefore that Christ may dwell in your heart. So Christ is with us. Christ dwells in us through God's Holy Spirit. We receive God's Holy Spirit after baptism. We have to lay on our hands. We receive God's Holy Spirit. And that is the symbolism, for instance, during the days of 11 bread, of eating 11 bread for seven days. In other words, Christ is in us, the bread of life.

And so we live with Christ. And that's why it says, yeah, in verse 17, that Christ made well in your hearts through faith. In other words, you and I live by faith in the Son of God.

Faith is key. Faith is absolutely key. Hebrews chapter 11 verse 6, which is Hebrews chapter 11, which is the faith chapter. But in verse 6 it says, without faith it is impossible to please God, to please Him. It is impossible to please God. We have to have absolute trust and faith in God. Number one, he says, yeah, so that he who comes to God must believe, must absolutely trust, must have absolute faith, that God is. In other words, that God exists.

And two, that he, God, is rewarded of those who diligently seek Him. God is rewarded. In other words, God is the one that will reward accordingly. Does it seek Him? Reward with blessings. Those that don't seek Him, you'll punish them equally. God is rewarded. In other words, He's the judge.

So faith is the catalyst for obedience. Obedience is taking faith and putting it into action.

Faith without works is dead. James 2 verse 26. And we have to have Christ in us through faith.

And now continue in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 17. He says, yeah, through faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love. And so God's love for us, it was the faith being rooted and grounding in love. God's love for us led Him to do all His promises for us. Promises for us to be His children and led God to be faithful. And God is faithful. God does not lie. It led to His faithful acts.

But it's all based in love. So the faith is being rooted and founded in love. That is also what we need to do. We need to base our actions on love. Love leads to faith. In other words, to absolute trust.

Faith is rooted and founded in love. And as we read in Romans 1 17 from faith to faith.

And so God is faithful towards us. We're going to be faithful towards Him. Genuine love for God and fellow man is what we need to have. And regrettably many of us fail in that. We've got to grow in that.

We've got to grow in that. Then continuing now in verse 18 and 19. He says, may be able that, you know, was he praise, remember, is he's prayer that we may be able to comprehend with all the signs what is the width and length and depth and height. In other words, the degree of that love to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. You see, we don't really fully grasp or understand the real depth and comprehension of the love of God. You know, the Father and the Son, they created us and Jesus Christ was willing to come down and live in the flesh for 33 and a half years and to die for us. He was willing to work with us and with all, and He's willing to work with us with all our weaknesses and all our difficulties and problems. He's working with us that we may be filled with all fullness of God. That's what he says here, that you may be filled with all fullness of God. It says there in verse 19. Reading Ephesians 1 verse 23, he says, which is his body Christ, the fullness of him who fills all in all. The word fullness is a Greek word 4138, playroma, which means that what falls or has been filled. So, in Ephesians 4 verse 13, Ephesians 4 verse 13, when he's talking about what we need to reach, he says, yeah, in Ephesians 4 verse 13, to we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. We all come to that fullness of Christ. And when you compare to Colossians chapter 1 verse 19 and Colossians 2 verse 9, we can see that is used, that term is used for the divinity. In other words, as we grow as Christians, we are to become more and more like God. We are to become the bride.

Filled with all the attributes of God as a bride, we have to have those attributes of God.

Therefore, a bride, we need to be compatible to him. You know, God set up to create a bride for his son, compatible to him. At the creation, we see Adam did not have somebody was like him, compatible to him. And then we see in Genesis 2 verse 20 that God created Eve, compatible to him. Likewise, God is creating in us, as the church, a bride, compatible to Christ.

That's why he created the church. Not that every one of us has all the perfect characteristics of Christ, because God distributes amongst the brethren different gifts and talents as he desires.

But the bride as a whole will have the complete compatibility to Christ. You see, obviously, this is a spiritual analogy to the physical. God uses marriage, bride, many principles that help us to understand God's plan. That's why God has given us a marriage, and each one of us brings certain gifts or talents to the marriage, and we all are to augment each other. Jesus Christ will eventually marry the bride, spiritual bride, which will be, which is compatible to him. We will be spirit beings like he is compatible to him in attitude, in gifts, and that is the plan of God, which passes all knowledge. That's what it says here in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 19, to know the love of Christ, which passes all knowledge. We just don't fully grasp it, but we know that God gives us understanding if we keep his commandments.

Psalm 111 verse 10, and also in 1 John 5 verse 3, the love of God needs to be in us. And so, Paul completes this prayer in verse 20 and 21. Now to him, that's to God, the Father, who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask according to the power, in other words, according to God's Holy Spirit that works in us. God is able to achieve a lot above, a lot more above, what we ask or even think. We cannot even begin to comprehend what God is going to give us in the world tomorrow as sons and daughters of God. And that's him, and that's why it says, to him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. This great plan of salvation is for all mankind, in the words of Jews and Gentiles, and that is to God's glory.