The morning Manna
will be provided at 6am. Thanks. Studying Ephesians in
the SSnet.org series Lesson 7, may the Holy Spirit be the speaker to your
heart. The Topic today
is: “Beyond maturity unto perfection as reaching the target for Ephesians 4 for
Morning Manna of the Sabbath School Lesson Ephesians”. The Opening Hymn
will be 229 "Spirit of the Living God." The Sabbath School
Quarterly, downloadable from SSnet.org in the Teacher's Edition is on page 85ff. The SSnet.org site
allows anyone, anywhere to read the lesson in their own language. Choose your
own language to see God speaking also to your heart. Why do you not
click on this now? https://www.adultbiblestudyguide.org/pdf.php?file=2023:3Q:SE:PDFs:EAQ323_07.pdf ---Or
try in alternative this one: https://ssnet.org/lessons/23c/less06.html ---Notice how
Paul in Ephesians 4 uses the agape of God
of 1 Corinthians 13 and the listing necessary there mixed with Galatians 5 Fruits of the Spirit which
is a mirror of Agape love of 1 Corinthians 13 mixed with the Matthew 5 statements of blessedness that
Jesus gave. ---Walk [peripatesei=walk
around] worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called ---With all
lowliness [tapeinophrosune=lowly thinking of self but uplifting of God] ---[with all] Meekness
[prautes=meek or gentle] ---with
longsuffering [also in Galatians 5:22 with makrothumia=longsuffering] ---forbearing
one another [keep uplifting each other or only one the other] ---in love
[agape love=Godly love] ---Endeavouring [spoudazontes=to
be very eager] to keep the unity of the Spirit ---in the bond
[sundesmoi=together boundness] of peace ---So when we
come to Ephesians 4, we notice Paul introduce a requirement to us, agape,
fruits of the Spirit and following Jesus’ Matthew 5. ---God, if I
have a habit of measuring other people’s grace, forgive me, because Christ
gives grace according to the measure (metric) of Christ’s gift. It is like
fitting shoes for everyone. To each one [ekastos=each eni=one] Ephesians 4:7. ---I cannot
decide to use my salvation grace package as standard or metric for others, can
I? ---Now we
understand why Christ does not want us to judge others or each other. Why He
said: I will judge. ---If someone
hit you one the cheek. Be willing to get it on the other one too. Why? Because
He is the one Who may measure out his forgiveness grace for his wrongs
completely. No longer Christ’s enemy but His friend. So do not walk with hatred
when the sun goes down. Correct? ---When Christ
went to heaven, says Paul in Ephesians 4:8 he led eichmalotosen
aichmaloteuo=led captive the captives. ---Who was
captive? Satan lost de iure his status in the universe. Immediately when Jesus
died, universe shuttered that he killed God, a member of the Trinity! ---The darkness
that fell and ripping of the Temple veil and earthquake means, Satan lost. Not
the Lamb of God. ---There was no
doubt in the Father and Spirit that Christ will arise early Sunday morning. I
think they were smiling with great joy for that moment of Resurrection. ---The Lord said
to My Lord, sit you at My right hand until I have placed all enemies at Your
feet. From Psalm 110. Captives de iure until they will be de facto. ---In Ephesians
4:9 Paul talks about before going up He first went down. Down what? Sign of
Jonah. Down, down, down, down in the belly of the fish for three inclusive
days. ---Christ
descended and ascended why? That He might fill=plerosei all things (Ephesians
4:10) Fill below and fill above. Fill what? Fulfill. The cup given to Him by
the Father. The Trinity expected bitter cup that He alone had to drink. For
others than Himself. For us. ---The cup had
to be filled up fully in death below. But also filled up fully in His
activities in the Holies and since 1844 the Most Holy of the Heavenly
Sanctuary. ---Remember
Jesus asking His Father if it is possible the bitter cup may pass from Him? But
it could not. He agreed to it (Isaiah 53). Human fear. Divine resolution. ---In Ephesians
4:11-12 Paul says And he gave
some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors
and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ ---Why is
pastors and teachers connected in one group? The teacher is the pastor for the
younger as the Pastor is the pastor for the teacher and adults. ---Karl Barth in
the 1920’s read about Paul grouping the pastors and teachers together. ---What can it
possibly mean? He sucked on his pipe, sat back and thought for a long while. ---Then he said
to himself: “It means teaching the pastors or shepherds.” Since he was teaching
theology, it means he is included. He felt happier to be included and continued
smoking. ---Arriving in
heaven, in happiness He wanted to give the gifts and organization of His remnant
church for the worldwide gospel. ---As He
promised before He left, He gave allocated gifts of talents for apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Then listen to this: “for the proper
setting [bone to bone, medical term=katartismos] of the saints”. ---Many bones in
church are skew but Christ gave talents to help Him getting all of them bone
for bone properly set. ---The next
verse in Ephesians 4:13 you should not miss. Till we all come
in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a
perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. ---Why pastors,
teachers, prophets, evangelists, apostles? To adjust and keep adjusting
ourselves by their help to fit in unity of faith. ---To come to
the knowledge of the Son of God. ---To come unto
a perfect=teleios man. Oops. I thought perfection is not possible. Well the
Bertrand Russellites argue, it is not possible to be perfect so for them the
meaning is “mature” not “perfect”. ---“That which
has reached the set goal”. Same dictionary that mentioned “mature”. ---I do not
think the Old and New Testament make much about maturity but a lot about reaching
the set goal. The one set by God Himself. ---Think of certain
Hebrew words for sin that means “missing the target” in the Old Testament. Ever
heard of that? ---Until when
does this perfectionization takes place? Paul: Unto the measure=metric of the
stature [social class=elikias] of the fullness=pleromatos (completeness) of
Christ. ---Now you know.
Paul does not make any excuses for overcoming all sins. For growing fully and
completely into the social class of Christ, His stature. ---Is your
church preaching truth that Paul is preaching? Do they shy off from Bible
preaching and just hang on experience stories? Contact a Seventh-day Adventist
church and navigate there coming Sabbath. When? Now.