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.