OUR FATHER WHO INVITES US INTO HIS REST THROUGH THE GOSPEL

The book of Hebrews chapter 4, continuing with the theme of the promise of being invited into the rest of God, tells us to be highly concerned if any in our midst seems to be incapable of reaching a state of rest because it means that they were not able to profit from the hearing of the gospel that, if mixed with faith, produces belief in those who hear it.

1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said:

“So I swore in My wrath,

‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ”

although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; 5 and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.”

The point is made that the saving works of the gospel were completed from the time of the foundation of the world. Even though those to whom this salvation by faith was first preached  excluded themselves by disobedience, there were others who were designated to enter into the rest of God and this provision was to be accessed by an affirmative ( and timely ) response to the voice of God during the time of the new dispensation of salvation and an affirmative response will qualify one to enter in a state of rest that precludes striving and the performing of works to fulfill righteousness. 

6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:

“Today, if you will hear His voice,

Do not harden your hearts.”

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

We are encouraged by the writer of Hebrews to be very attentive to the business of entering the rest of God so that no one falls again into following the  patterns set by the corrupted fallen nature. With that in mind, we are informed that the spiritual anatomy of a Christian includes a junction between the soul and spirit which operated in the same way that a ball and socket joint. The marrow that exists within the bone connected to the joint represents how our spirits are encased in surrounding structures.

At this joint is where the soul and spirit transmit thoughts and intentions between themselves and the word of God which is living, active and precise, can penerate into this junction between the soul and the spirit and be able to read the hidden interactions happening in the innermost thoughts and motivations and intentions of the heart which is where the thoughts and and intentions originate from.

Understanding that the inner  lives we lead are laid bare before God to whom we will have to give an account and there is no insincerity or hypocrisy that will go undetected.

11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

With that in mind, it is important to remember that even though we are completely transparent before God, our eternal High Priest who is Jesus is one who has lived a human life and is able to identify with our weaknesses having Himself been tempted (though without sinning) by things we are tempted by.

14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Our great High Priest made it possible for us to approach the throne of grace from where grace is dispensed ( which is the bank account funded by the riches and glory of Christ that underwrites each believer's life from Ap. Arome) to those seek to obtain mercy and find grace in confidence when we need grace. 

Amen.

2

 OUR FATHER WHO APPOINTED THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

The book of Hebrews chapter 3 explains that we must follow the  pattern that was set by  the Lord Jesus Christ in His faithfulness to His Father who had sent Him to fullfil His purposes because it is that pattern of faithfullness in our belief that retains us as part of the House of God. We are adjured not to harden our hearts when we hear the voice of God and remain is the state of rebellion for it is the state of rebellion that excludes us from the rest of God.

 1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. 3 For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God. 5 And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, 6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:

“Today, if you will hear His voice,

8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,

In the day of trial in the wilderness,

9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,

And saw My works forty years.

10 Therefore I was angry with that generation,

And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,

And they have not known My ways.’

11 So I swore in My wrath,

‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”

The warning to the believers corresponding to what happened to the evil generation that died in the desert for their rebellion is that we be aware of the emergence of an evil heart within ourselves that would depart from faith in the living God. The injuction is that it is ´today´ that the voice of God must be daily which is a daily practice of faith so that sin does not deceive us.

12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said:

“Today, if you will hear His voice,

Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Amen.

2

 OUR FATHER WHO MADE MEN A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS OF GOD

The book of Hebrews, having established the supremacy of Christ in chapter 1, now explains what a special place mankind occupy in the heart of God. 

This chapter starts with the councel to be careful not to lose track of what they had had heard otherwise they could drift away from the truth by simple inattention.

The importance of this is highlighted by the writer of Hebrews using as illustrations the encounters that men had with angles where the messages conveyed were binding and failure to heed the instructions would result in consequences. If the words of angels could carry so much authority, how much more important is it that we heed the words spoken by the Lord God  Himself who provided so great a salvation and further to that, attested to the validity of the message given through signs and wonders and miracles as well as the distribution of supernatural gifts among believers.

1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

The reason the stakes are so high on the salvation provided by God is that mankind has been given a position of glory and honor just a little lower than God Himself and the Lord has placed him over all of creation. The writer of Hebrews observes that the human race does not seem to have attained such status but Jesus is seen as the one among humans who was a little lower than God for a while and then was lifted up to glory and honor for He experienced the pain of death which He undertook in order to  suffer death on behalf of mankind.

5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 But there is a place where someone has testified:

“What is mankind that you are mindful of them,

    a son of man that you care for him?

7 You made them a little lower than the angels;

    you crowned them with glory and honor

8     and put everything under their feet.”

In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them. 9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

In the assembling of His family, God brought sons ( and therefore heirs ) to glory and by His absolute mastery of all of existence, made the saviour of men a perfect man whose extreme suffering was a demontration of His perfection and was indeed able to make men holy and through Christ are integrated in one family and are called brothers in the family of God because of the shared bloodline that the Lord Jesus had with mankind.

10 In bringing many sons and daughters ( in this verse, the NIV added "and daughters"  which negates the meaning of the term "sons" which is a very specific role in the spirit that applies to both men and women who have become eligable for an inheritance in God) to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. ( the NIV here adds "and sisters" which follows through on the inclusion of "daughters" in a preceding verse ( the following verse alo  contains the suffix "and sisters" ) which is a distortion of the deliberate meaning of brothers ) 12 He says,

“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; 

    in the assembly I will sing your praises.”

13 And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again he says,

“Here am I, and the children God has given me.”

The Lord Jesus presents Himself and the children God has given Him who the many sons he is bringing to glory. These children, having been taken hostage in the realm of flesh and blood, the Lord joined them in their realm sharing their  humanity and could thus pay the ransom for them by His shedding of blood and His death so that those held in slavery by their fear of death could be freed.

Because it was Abraham's descendants He was saving and not angels, he was made like us humans in everyway in order that from His shared experience with us, He might be a merciful and faithful high priest to God who could make atonement for our sins.

14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. 

Amen.

2

OUR FATHER WHO SPOKE BY PROPHETS AND THEN SPOKE TO US BY HIS SON

In this examination of the book of Hebrews of the NIV translation, we will consider the context of every thought that is expressed in each chapter and when studying the next chapter, we will make sure  to trace the continuity of context from the previous chapter.

Up till now, we have used the New King James version as our text but in this study, we will be cognisant of translational variances that the NIV translators may have included.

Starting with chapter 1, the writer of Hebrews exalts the Son of God as being the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being. 

This is an important scriptural anchor related to the divinity of Jesus because it clearly declares that the Lord Jesus is the exact represention of God's being and that it is Jesus who sustains all things by His powerful word.

To make clear the distinction between the angels of heaven and the Son of God, the writer of Hebrews makes references to the scriptures that clearly show the divine status of the Son of God who came to earth as a man. 

God the Father, in speaking of the Lord Jesus, calls Him His Son and declares that He is Jesus' Father.

Further to that, God the Father tells all the angels to worship the  Son and He describes an eternal throne occupied by the Son of God from where His scepter of justice would rule a righteous kingdom. The Lord Jesus will occupy this throne seated at the right hand of God the Father who declared that He would ensure that all of Jesus' enemies would be brought into subjugation.

The Lord Jesus is described as the one who laid the foundations of the earth and even when the fabric of existence wears out, Jesus will roll it up and replace it yet He will continue to be forever. 

1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 

3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,

          “You are my Son; today I have become your Father”?

Or again,

“I will be his Father,  and he will be my Son”?

6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,

“Let all God’s angels worship him.”

7 In speaking of the angels he says,

“He makes his angels spirits, and his servants flames of fire.”

8 But about the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; 

a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.

9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;

    therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions

    by anointing you with the oil of joy.”

10 He also says,

“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, 

and the heavens are the work of your hands.

11 They will perish, but you remain;

    they will all wear out like a garment.

12 You will roll them up like a robe;

    like a garment they will be changed.

But you remain the same,

    and your years will never end.”

13 To which of the angels did God ever say,

“Sit at my right hand

    until I make your enemies

    a footstool for your feet”?

14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Here, the writer of Hebrews highlights the fact that the angels of heaven are made to be spirits ( or wind ) and are also made to be  flames of fire 

Amen.

3

 OUR FATHER IN WHOM WE SHOULD BE STRONG AND IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT

The last chapter of the Apostle Paulś letter to the Ephesians  ( Chapter 6 ), he continues giving spiritual counsel pertaining to the relationships that occur in our households because their relationships are metaphors for the relationships within the household of God. 

Starting with children, Paul advises them to obey their parents in the same way that the children of God should assidously obey their Father in heaven.

Similarly, Paul advises parents to have a dispostion of  forebearance towards their children taking the time to train them in the way they should go. In the same way, God is longsuffering with us His children and he patiently teaches us the way we should go.

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Addressing those who were servants in a household, Paul instructs them to be obedient towards their masters with the understanding that their service should be done as unto Christ with sincerity towards God knowing that goodness will be repaid by God whether slave or free.

Towards the masters, Paul instructs them to give up using fear tactics to control their servants with the knowledge that they are under a master in heaven who does not berate us but is impartial and therefore, mistreatment of servants would be met with judgement. 

5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

The Apostle Paul then moves onto the subject of spiritual contention where  the enemy of our souls  continously schemes to gain spiritual advantage over believers. Paul advises believers to derive their spiritual strength from the Lord and from the power of His might. 

He also gives guidance that believers are not in a battle against the physical world of beings but rather pertaining to spiritual heirachy arrayed against them and he advises the use of protective clothing that we should wear and that is the full body armour of God that protects against the enemy's attempts to derail us. To give us an idea as who would be trying to derail us from our Christian calling, Paul lists the spiritual  hierarchy of ranking as:

• Principalities
• Powers
• Rulers of darkness of this age
• Spiritul hosts of wickedness in heavenly places

In this battle, Paul tells us that wearing the armour of God is what can enable believers to stand in the evil day and that we should expend every possible effort to stand firmly against the spiritual attempts to ruin us.

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 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.

The apostle tells us to be strong and ensconced in God's mighty power and he gives us specific spiritual virtues and the articles of body armour they represent that would sheild us from the onslaught of the enemy:

• Truth and transparency - Waist and groin protection belt
• Assurance of righteousness - Breast plate over the heart
• Practice in spreading the gospel of peace - Boots
• Faith -  Shield that protects against fiery darts sent by those involved in wickedness
• Knowledge of salvation - Helmet that protects the mind from disinformation
• Knowledge of the word of God - Sword of the Spirit
• Continual watchful prayer in the Spirit with perserverence to protect the saints including Paul who requested prayer for boldness to reveal to men the mysteries of the Gospel. 

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

The apostle Paul then concludes his monumental letter to the Ephesians with a promise to send one of his beloved and faithful brothers named Tychicus would bring the Ephesians up to date on what Paul was involved with and as well as to comfort them.

Paul then prays for peace, love and faith over the Ephesians from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul finalizes his letter with a prayer of grace towards those who sincerly love the Lord Jesus Christ.

21 But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you; 22 whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts.

23 Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

Amen.

2

OUR FATHER WHOSE EXAMPLE WE SHOULD FOLLOW

Continuing in his letter to the believers in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul begins chapter 5 with the guidance that believers shoudl imitate God in the same way that well beloved children imitate their earthly fathers.

Having admonished the Ephesians to eschew their former lives as Gentiles, now Paul gives them a model on which to base their Christian lives and that is to imitate God. The example Paul gives is that the Ephesians should follow God's leading because He loved us and gave His son as a sacrifice for us and the self-sacrificial act of Christ, being a sweet-smelling aroma before God should guide us to live lives of love and self-sacrifice as we imitate what God has done we too will have a sweet fragrance before God. 

1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

In this model of a life of shadowing God, Paul instructs the Ephesians that there is no room for:

• Fornication
• Uncleanliness of all kinds
• Covetousness
• filthiness
• Foolish talk
• Coarse joking
• Idolatry

Paul warns that practicing these things can short-circuit a believer's inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 

Paul goes onto to say that the believers should not pay heed to anyone who down-plays the seriousness of trangressing in these ways because it is for those practices that the non-believers are subject to the wrath of God and as such, are entirely inappropriate for believers to be entangled in.

3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.

Paul contrasts the darkness from which believers originated with the light into which they were called and tells us that as children of light, we should be  yielding fruit of the Spirit (which can be summarized as goodness, righteousness and truth) where we seek out what activities are acceptable to the Lord for each of us individually. 

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.

Paul advises us to be disassociated from  activities that are hallmarks of darkness and in fact we should be transparent about such activities if they intrude into our lives. Whereas leaving such practices secret make such things unpeakably shameful, revealing them so as to be exposed to the light and so doing, these activities are worked out by the light and their power to keep a hold on us is destroyed. It is this phenomenon of light on the works of darkness that is referenced by the saying ( probably a song derived from the Prophet Isaiah's call for the sleeping or the dead to awaken and arise so that the light of God would shine on them.

When works of darkness are exposed to this light, they no longer have the power of shame over believers but their redemtion is made to be an example of the power of God unto salvation. 

11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says:

“Awake, you who sleep,

Arise from the dead,

And Christ will give you light.”

In light of the option to live in light rather than continue in darkness, the Apostle Paul counsels the believers at Ephesus to be circumspect or wise so that they could use the time alloted to this earth to navigate the pathways of righteousness especially the days in which they lived were evil and every opportunity to entrap them in darkness would be deployed against them.

To avoid falling into traps that would derail us from the life that God has for us, Paul advises us understand what the will is for each of us and to avoid getting drunk with wine which is a tecchnique of darkness applied to believers to misspend their energy and annointing. Instead, we should continuously be filled with the Spirit of God and continually speaking psalms and hymns and spiritual songs and remaining immersed in the music of the heart unto the Lord and always being grateful to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and being submissive to one another in the fear of God.

15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.

Paul, having the practices of individual life in Christ, turns to the marriage relationship and likens it to the relationship between Christ and the church. In the metaphor, Christ is the husband and the wife is the church and the mystery of the Christ and His bride are revealed in the headship of the husband and in the submission of wifes to their husbands.  Husbands must demonstrate sacrificial love for their wives in the same way that Christ died for His bride the church and the wife should model respect and  obedience to Christ in the way she obeys her own husband.

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 

28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Amen.

1

OUR FATHER WHO IS OVERALL AND THROUGH ALL AND IN ALL

In Ephesians chapter 4, the Apostle Paul starts by identifying himself as a prisoner for the Lord and beseeches his readers to conduct themselves worthy of the high calling to which they have been called. 

Toward this end, Paul prescribes;

• Absolute humility
• Gentleness
• Patience
• Longsuffering in love
• Unity in the Spirit
• Peacefulness

In sustaining these modes of conduct, Paul tells the Ephesians that they can then be participants in the one body, one Spirit and the one hope to which they were called. 

1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Paul then reveals that the one body of believers to which believers belong is provided with grace that is apportioned to all the members of the body and gifts of men are given to the body as apostles, prophets, evangenlists, pastors and teachers.

This means that individuals within the body are graced with spiritual capabilities that serve the whole body to equip the body of believers for works of service so that they can be built up qualitatively and quantitatively. This means that ultimately, all believers should:

•  Become united in faith 
•  Grow in our knowledge of the son of God
•  Become mature believers
• Maximize our measure of the fullness of Christ

This aspect of our dispensation is pointed to be Psalm 68 verse 18 and we learn that when Christ ascended after He ressurected, He ascended into heaven with the captive whom He had rescured and from among this number, He game men as gifts to the body of believers.

7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says:

       “When he ascended on high,

          he took many captives

          and gave gifts to his people.”

9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions  10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Because of the dispersion of the gifts of men, the body of Christ is guided away from infancy and into maturity where she is no longer tossed around by every variant doctrine that blows in. Further to that, the body of Christ would be supplied with those who are high in disernment so that cunning and crafty deceitful schemers can be flushed out and not able to destabilize the church with impunity.

Paul tells us that the healthy body of Christ would be where all the members of the body were observant and gracious but able to speak directly regarding any contrary issues facing the church and where each member was fully participating in the loving life of the body with their gifts so that each body part was supplying what they were intended to supply.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

The Apostle Paul, having explained the expectation that the body of believers would grow towards maturity and unity in love, he now emphatically instructs them to drop all the behaviour patterns of the Gentiles from among whom they were called out.

The conduct that Paul refers to is generated by the futile thinking that stems from having a darkened understanding and being separated from God.

Without the life of God and being in ignorance, their hearts are hardened and have lost sensitivity to the requirements of righteousness and as a result, they are immersed in unconstrained sensuality and selfishness. 

This corrupt mode of living, Paul explains, is incompatible with the life of Christ and so we must renew our minds to reflect the new life of God and as well, put away our former nature with its deceitful desires.

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Paul the lists the specific things that could potentially follow believers from their lives into their new lives in Christ and for each, he prescribes the counter behaviour;

• Speaking falsehoods - Speak truthfully as we are one body
• Uncontrolled anger - Resolve anger within fixed time frames.
• Theft - Work to be self supportive and be generous to others.
• Unwholesome talk -  Only speak things that encourage others and build them up. 

25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

The Apostle Paul then warns the believers not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God who marked them as claimed when they believed and then ensconced them till the day they would be redeemed by God.

Paul lists the things that would grieve the Holy Spirit of God:

• Bitterness
• Raging anger
• Brawling
• Slander
• Malice in all its forms

Such states would create a repellent atmosphere but conversely, kindness, compassion and forgiveness create an atmosphere that welcomed the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO PROVIDES A DISPENSATION OF GRACE TO DRAW ALL THOSE INTENDED FOR GOD'S FAMILY

In the book of Ephesians chapter 3, the Apostle Paul explains that it was for the purposes of the building of the unified body of Christ that he was indentured into the work of the dispensation of the grace that was allocated for the Gentiles. Paul explained that it was through revelation that he learned the mystery of the inclusion of the Gentiles in the one body of Christ which (being a mystery) was not previously known to human beings but was now being revealed by the Spirit to the holy apostles and prophets.

In order for Paul to fulfill the ministry he was assigned, he was given the gift of God's grace by which God's power was underwriting the work he was doing to reach the Gentiles.

1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— 2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.

Paul marvels at how he, who was the most junior of all saints, was granted the mission of taking the message of the incredible value and standing of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles and to share the offer of fellowship in the family of God which had been completely hidden within God who created all things through Jesus Christ from the beginning of the ages. It is this mechanism that was put in place to engulf the whole world in the kingdom of God that displayed the multi-faceted, multi-gated and multi-layered wisdom of God as a demonstration to the principalities and powers that occupy territories in heavenly places.

It is for the purposes of God that were made explicit which God accomplished in Christ Jesus, (through whom we have boldness and access to the family of God through faith in Him). Paul adds that the hardships he was enduring for the sakes of those to whom he was writting should not discourage them for it is for their glory because they would be joined to the family of God, the same family of God that Paul was part of.

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 riches of Christ, 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; 10 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, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

Paul then goes onto say that the incredible sequence of events that we find ourselves involved in causes him to kneel in prayer before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ( from who all the families in heaven and earth derive (NIV) their names), asking him to grant the Ephesians strength in their inner man with might through the Holy Spirit so that Christ can occupy and operate in their hearts through faith.

In this condition, Paul told the Ephesians, if they remain rooted and and grounded in love for one another, they would be able to gain an understanding of how great and multi-dimensional  God's love for them actually is and they would also come to know the love of Christ which resists knowledge and they would then they would be filled with all the fulness of God.

14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 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, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.  

The apostle Paul concludes the first part of the book of Ephsians ( ending in chapter 3 ) by declaring that the church must be the locus of the glorification of God to all generations forever and ever because His power and ability far exceed our capacity to ask or even think and He executes this capability through the power already placed in us and as such, the glory of God should eternally be shown forth from the Church.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO MADE US ALIVE EVEN WHEN WE WERE DEAD IN SIN

In the book of Ephesians chapter 2, Paul the apostle contrasts the state of death we were in during our former lives of sin where we were under the domination of prince of the power of the air and the life that God allocated for us when we were saved through faith.

On one side, we lived to fulfill the desires of the flesh and mind being in league with the spirit of darkness that drove our disobedience to the things of God.  On the other side, God, out of His great mercy and love for us, provided a way that anyone who believed in Christ could be made alive and saved and then raised us up in Christ and made us sit in heavenly places.

This vast contrast between the fate of those who continue in rebellion and those who give up the rebellion by surrendering to Christ will show in the ages to come how unfathomably great Godś kindness was towards us.

This kindness is especially highlighted by the fact that we who needed the grace of redemption were completely provided for such that we were not saved by any righteousness of our own but rather saved entirely by the work that God did on our behalf which not only saved us from destruction but also elevated us into heavenly places where we could be together with the Lord Jesus.

1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Paul continues with a discussion of the special circumstances that Gentiles were in vis-a-vis the salvation that came through the children of Isreal by the promise to their patriarch Abraham.

Whereas we were outside the family of God and called Gentiles, yet God provided a mechanism by which Gentiles from the whole world would be able to access the salvation provided by promise to the children of Abraham. This access was in the form of faith that was the same access point used by Abraham. Any Gentile who in faith trusts in the provision of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, is secured into the family of God and is taken into the one body with all other Gentiles who believe and with the children of Israel who believe. The Prince of Peace that the Lord Jesus was, reconciled the disperate Gentiles, Israel and God and the divisions that were in place were broken down in His body through the cross.

11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

In the family of faith, we are all citizens and we are integrated with everyone else when we are made part of the holy temple of God where He lives in the Spirit. The Lord Jesus is himself the chief cornerstone of this construction.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO PROVIDES US WITH PEACE

Ephesians chapter 1 

To start his letter to the believers in the church of Ephesus, Paul introduces himself by name and then by his God-given title of apostle. He then speaks grace and peace over them.

Paul then calls God the Father blessed, who, through the Lord Jesus Christ, blessed believers with every spiritual blessing in the spiritual realm. To wit, the Father chose the believers from before the foundation of the world to be blamelessly separated to Him in love.

We were selected ahead of time to be added as sons to God's family by adoption through the Lord Jesus Christ. This was God's will and good pleasure and the resulting grace abounding to us is altogether praise-worthy for the glory it revealed about God and it is this grace that gave us access and joined us to the members of the family of God.

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus.

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

The apostle Paul then describes the process of reclaiming men from the kingdom of darkness to His kingdom of light in sequence.

• Redemption through Jesus' blood
• Forgiveness through grace
• Revelation of God's purpose
• Gathering of them into Christ
• Inclusion into God's family
• Placement into God's eternal destiny
• Showcased as the praise of God's glory

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

In order for God to shepherd all those who believed and trusted in Christ through the process of the acquisition of His people, we are sealed by the promised Holy Spirit who is the deposit made as a guarantee that we will be collected upon the advent of the dispensation of fullness of time.

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Paul now moves onto the prescription of what we, who are being redeemed, need to do during this process.

• Sustain faith in the Lord Jesus
• Sustain love for all the saints
• Receive the spirit of wisdom
• Receive revelation of knowledge
• Gain knowledge of our calling
• Gain knowledge of our inheritance
• Gain knowledge of God's power invested in our redemption

15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Paul then tells the believers in Ephesus to be sure of the supremacy of the exceptionally great power that God is using to underwrite the plan of their translation from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light and the absolute and unchallengable position that Christ has been lifted to.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO BROUGHT HIS SON UP FROM THE DEAD 

The writer of the book of Hebrews chapter 13 verses 18 - 25 concludes the book of Hebrews this way. Starting by requesting prayer from the readers, the writer tells them that he may be restored to them from where he is being held.

18 Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably. 19 But I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.

20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

22 And I appeal to you, brethren, bear with the word of exhortation, for I have written to you in few words. 23 Know that our brother Timothy has been set free, with whom I shall see you if he comes shortly.

24 Greet all those who rule over you, and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you.

25 Grace be with you all. Amen.

Amen.

2

OUR FATHER WHO GIVES US

The writer of the book of Hebrews chapter 13 verses 7 - 17 tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ, being the same eternally, has uniform principles that, when adopted by successive generations of believers, yield the same sanctified conduct and thus those who speak the word of God to us, their faith can be followed. This is to avoid being led into false doctrines and to avoid practicing dietary observances instead of being established in grace. 

7 Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.

10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 13 Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. 14 For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. 15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

As believers, we have a most excellent altar that not even those who served in the tabernacle can eat from and therefore, we must follow the pattern set by the Lord Jesus Christ by leaving the city the same way He left the city to suffer. 

As we bear the reproach the Jesus bore, we can abandon the ways of our former habitation and continually offer sacrifices of praise and giving thanks while at the same time, doing good in the world sharing what we have with other for such thing please God.

Observing how faithful forebearers walk, we can follow them as they lead us. Because they are are accountable for those who are placed under their purview, it is good counsel to be understudies who are a joy to oversee and the writer alerts us that bringing grief to the overseeing person is unprofitable.

Amen.

1

OUR FATHER WHO IS THE JUDGE

The book of Hebrews chapter 13 verses 1 - 6 finalizes with counsel for believers to continue in love for one another and to show hospitality to strangers because there is a chance that the strangers could actually be angels. 

The writer of Hebrews also reminds christians to be sexually pure and to restrict sexual activity to the marriage bed.

As well, christians are to eschew covetousness  (or envy) and be content in all things because God is our helper and thus it is not appropriate to fear because there is an explicit promise by God that He would never leave us nor forsake us.

1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. 3 Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.

4 Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

6 So we may boldly say:

“The Lord is my helper;

I will not fear.

What can man do to me?”

Amen.

1

 OUR FATHER WHO IS A CONSUMING FIRE

The book of Hebrews chapter 13 verses 25 - 29 continues with the concept of the greater connection with heavenly realities and how these realities, compared to the old earthly covenant made it even more urgent that we treat the things of God with reverence and Godly fear for in the greater privilege given to us, the requirement is that we not be ones who vassilates in our faith but rather be steadfast for the all things in heaven and earth will be shaken and that which remains will abide forever and it is good to keep in mind that God is a consuming fire.

25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.

Amen.

2

OUR FATHER WHOSE CITY IS MOUNT ZION 

The book of Hebrews chapter 12 verses 18 - 24 says this;

18 For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. 20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” 21 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

After alerting the believers to the dangers of falling short of the grace of God, the writer of Hebrews explained that being at Mount Sinai (to which Moses brought the children of Isreal) was a terrifying experience for all the people and the strictures surrounding that mountain were severe and even Moses himself was afraid and trembling.

If the earthly Mount Sinai was so fearful, how much more would Mount Zion in Heaven be? The writer tells us that Mount Zion is the city of the Living God and it contains: 

• An innumerable company of angels
• The general assembly
• The church of the firstborn registered in heaven 
•  God the Judge of all
• Spirits of just men made perfect
• Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant 
• The blood that speaks better things than the blood of Abel.

As such, in light of what the pinacle of the kingdom of God under the new covenant, contains, great fear should govern our conduct.

Amen.

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