Reflections Of His Grace”

“That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”

Paul’s Introduction To His Letter: Ephesians 1:1-2

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:  Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Please note:  As we study the Book of Ephesians, 2 terms will be used over and over again, God’s grace and God’s mercy.  What do these two terms mean?

A very basic definition of both of these terms would be:

1. Grace is God’s love being shown to us by GIVING TO us BENEFITS we DO NOT DESERVE.
One example of His grace is forgiving us of our sins.

2. Mercy is God’s love being shown to us by KEEPING FROM us HARM we DO DESERVE.
One example of His mercy is withholding from us eternal punishment for our sins.

Keeping these definitions in mind, let’s continue our look at the “Reflections of His Grace”.

EXPOSITION:

(Ephesians 1:2)  Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

In preparation of their receipt of his teachings, Paul desires for the church at Ephesus to receive two very particular graces from the Father and Christ…

1.  Grace – Paul desired for them to receive undeserved gifts that would be beneficial to them.

This would include giving to them:
1.  a will to receive these truths  (Eph 2:13)
2.  an understanding of their meaning  (1 John 5:20)
3.  the application of them to their hearts and lives.  (Hebrews 10:16)

This would be a gracious enabling that would result in their spiritual growth and strengthening which would result from the receipt of the writings of Paul.

2.  Peace – Paul wanted them to be given undeserved rest and serenity within the assembly and their own hearts.

This would include a peace knowing that:
1.  Paul’s message was the truth
2.  the Lord was pleased with the receipt and application of it.

It would be possessing a conscience filled with peace knowing they were doing what was right in the sight of their God.

 It would be these same works of grace and peace that would enable the church to hold fast to these teachings of Paul.  In the midst of persecution and Satanic opposition that would give them the strength to continue on faithful to Christ and His Word. (2 Cor 4:7-10)

APPLICATION:

In this we can see the great concern of Paul for the welfare of the Christians at Ephesus.  He was asking the Lord to intervene in their lives before he began to present God’s message to the church.  He recognized their great need of the Lord’s grace to embrace the Word and then live according to it.

So too, with us all.  May we all seek the Lord’s gracious intervention in our lives every time we open the Word of the Lord.  May we recognize our need of grace to not only come to an understanding of the Word, but also to apply it to our lives and live consistently in the midst of a sinful, fallen world.  It is this same fallen world that so desperately needs to see our Savior on exhibit in everything we do.

May we all get a clearer picture of our Lord and Savior, and the great grace He has shown to us. Let us be always watchful to keep His great acts of grace on our behalf in the center of our attention… In doing so, may we be motivated to LOVE Him more, APPRECIATE Him more, and SERVE Him more!  

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