Learning from a young church.

Ephesians 1 - Lavished with gifts

Those of us who are old enough will remember the children’s tv programme ‘Crackerjack’ that appeared on Friday evenings at 5.o’clock, part of it was a game called ‘Double or Drop’ where contestants were piled high with prizes as they answered questions, If the answered wrongly or dropped one of their prizes they were given a cabbage, three cabbages and you were out. The winner who held onto most or all of his prizes had the further honour of shouting crackerjack and choosing a big prize from the display.

The word lavished describes the way the contestants were given loads of prizes, it is a word for excess, opulence, gold and jewels, bling and finery. Lavished is the word that Paul uses in this chapter to describe the generosity of God’s gifts to us through Jesus.

Firstly we are given Grace.

Verses 1-2 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Grace is underserved love getting things that we do not expect or earn. I remember as a young boy loosing my shoe in the river Taf and hopping home expecting all sorts of punishments. When I arrived at home my mum said never mind put these on get changed and took me to the pictures!!!

I do not know to this day why or what she had in mind but it certainly is an example to me of grace.

This Grace and forgiveness is freely given, lavished upon us, and is powerful and life giving if we receive it. Amazing, unconditional and unlimited.

Secondly we receive Blessings

Eph 1:3 Spiritual Blessings in Christ - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

Blessings are things that make us happy, God has our interests at heart to give us things unconditionally because he loves us and knows what will make us truly happy.

Our job is to receive these and not drop them. These include our gifts and talents which we are often in danger of dropping, by not using them and just like the

contestants in Double or Drop they can become cabbages. It is up to us to make use of the gifts God gives us to build up the body of Christ and for us all to give space to allow those gifts to be used

Eph 1:8-9 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure that he set forth in Christ.

Both Grace and blessings are lavished upon us, we are covered with them soaked in them, for God’s delight and good pleasure. God loves to see us happy and using the gifts and blessings given to us, just as a parent delights in seeing a child playing with a new toy they have been given.

These gifts include wisdom and insight into God’s plan which talks to us of the relationship we have with God in Christ which is as friends and children not servants. So we can know God’s plans.

Pauls Prayer

In Verses 15-19 Paul prays for the Ephesians to take hold of these gifts into their lives. That they may receive wisdom and hope through our relationship and the extent of these lavished gifts.

As you read through this passage pray it out - apply it to your life and the life of your church.

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love* towards all the saints, and for this reason 16I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know Him, 18so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

Paul mentions power in this passage this is the power to change and the power that changes.

Power and Authority. Verses 15-23 God put this power to work in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22And He has put all things under his feet and has made Him the head over all things for the church, 23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

This power and authority comes from the victory won by Jesus in his death and resurrection resulting in his taking his seat at the right hand of God above all other authorities. That includes the local council, Parliament, United Nations or that person who is bullying you or that habit that has taken over your life. This authority is given to us as His church as we are seated with Jesus.

A practical way forward.

If we are to hold on to the gifts and grace that God has lavished on us we need to work together to encourage, help, allow those gifts and blessings to develop.

Often we can feel like we are losing space cramped or discouraged by others or even locked outside and not given space to be who God meant to be.

Yet there is a solution and we have it.

YASA is a Hebrew word that means

To come into a broad space in which you can grow

It is often translated in the bible as Salvation

Do we give each other Space to be the people God made us to be?

We can be a part of God’s salvation

By Giving each other space to be the person God made us to be