THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS CHAPTER 4 PRACTICALLY APPLYING PAUL'S WORDS

Mike Balloun teaches today. 06/05/21

THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS CHAPTER 4:10-32
PRACTICALLY APPLYING PAUL'S WORDS

VERSES: John 14:1-3; Hosea 6:1-3; Philippians 3:8-14; 2nd Peter 3:8

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In brief review of our last lesson and to set the tone for this one, there are three increasing stages of living in the presence of Christ held forth in Scripture for a Christian. 1) that presence while we are here yet on the Earth, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them…” 2) that of the “far better” place for the faithful in Hades, where they, after their body’s death, are taken; it being a far greater experience of the presence of Christ in this underworld ‘Paradise’/Garden… “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better…” and then at the First Resurrection, a faithful Christian will experience the fullest Presence of God when he is… 3) brought out of the Garden, and into the Palace… “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also…” [John 14:1-3]

This difference in the degrees of His presence may be typed by the understanding that outside of Buckingham Palace is the Queen’s Garden, that which some of us have seen and appreciated from the upper part of a double-decker tourist bus, that which we may equate to experiencing His presence by faith with us while we are here alive on the Earth. Now it is the Queen’s private Garden into which one may only come by personal invitation into. It is a far greater presence with her that you may not come into otherwise, for it is heavily guarded and off limits to anyone but the Queen and her guests. When Christ was on the Cross, the criminal beside Him asked of Him to be included in His Kingdom when He came in to it. This would be, in this type, like asking of Him to come into His Royal Palace, unto a room prepared for him. But Christ responded with a promise, although wonderful, yet lesser in intimacy than his request, with these gracious words; “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” It is the much greater presence with the Queen than from the tourist bus top, yet it is not the most intimate place, which of course would be found within Buckingham Palace.

Now the Garden within Hades, into which we hope we are welcomed upon our departure from this Earth, has there the far greater presence of Christ, He having “filled it” up with His presence. Yet, it speaks of no ‘Palace/Mansion’, for Hades is but an intermediate place for Christians when we die. From there, we look in hope to the future day, now fast approaching, when the Lord is prophesied to come back to this Earth’s heavenly realm and receive those He judges worthy. These will have formed in their lives His character, and will be brought into that most intimate place; the heavenly abode with Him. (Luke 20:34-36) It is the Resurrection of the worthies out from among the dead that is the 3rd and greatest of presences with the Lord. Permanently dwelling with Him in glory in His ‘Palace’ is what those faithful in Hades await.

(And while there are no Mansions of glory in Hades, there are the King’s prisons; which are the lot of those who refuse the Redeemer’s Work… “Ye shall die in your sins.” And what of the Lord’s unfaithful servants who die in their un-repented sins? Is Scripture not clear enough that all will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ? It is the negative side of Paul’s beseeching, and the severe warnings of Scripture are not few. It is worthy of note that Christians are not called ‘sons’ but children in this Epistle.)

In the first three chapters of Ephesians, Paul is revealing the Christian’s high calling to a future glorious Life, a very exciting affair. But in these last 3 chapters, Paul is dealing with the unexciting very practical news in the matter of living your life according to the knowledge given by Jesus the Lord, a life to be judged after its living, for the inclusion or exclusion from the Kingdom of Christ and Bride-ship. The members of Christ’s Body are to be gathered out of the World; then are to be perfected, individually and as a Church body. (The Head is trying to get the Body to come into alignment with it.) Out of the Body, Christ will develop, finally, a Bride......

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