Ephesians 3.1-7 (5)
Pray Psalm 133.1, 3.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity…
For there the LORD commanded the blessing—
Life forevermore.
Sing Psalm 133.1, 3.
(Tryggare Kan Ingen Vara: Children of the Heavenly Father)
O behold, how sweet, how pleasant, when the brethren dwell together;
all in unity abiding find God’s blessing there presiding.
Read Ephesians 3.1-7; meditate on verse 6.
Meditate on the words “heirs” and “partakers”?
Preparation
1. Of what are believers “heirs”?
2. Of what are we “partakers”?
Meditation
Isaiah 53 describes the mystery of the Suffering One Who bears the sins of God’s people. He was “led…to the slaughter” and “cut off from the land of the living”. He was “stricken” because “it pleased the LORD to bruise Him”. He bore the iniquities of His people and “poured out His soul unto death”. “He bore the sin of many.”
Then, following immediately on this, an even more perplexing mystery, as Israel is called to stretch out her tent pegs to make room for the Gentiles to move in with them (Is. 54-56). These two great mysteries became revelation when Jesus came and died for our sins, and as the Gospel broke out into all the nations of the ancient world.
And now all who believe the Gospel—Jews and Gentiles alike—are heirs of God. He is our common inheritance, to know Him through Jesus Christ, by His Word and Spirit, and to be transformed increasingly into His image and likeness until that day we see Him face to face and enter the joy of His eternal Presence, as it has ever been according to His will.
And we are partakers of the promises, all of which are “Yes!” and “Amen!” in Jesus (2 Cor. 1.20). The ancient promises to Abraham—that God will bless His people, make them a people of great influence, and use them to bless all the families of the earth—these promises are now ours, sealed by Christ and the Holy Spirit, awaiting our laying hold on them and testing their reliability every day.
In Jesus Christ we live together toward the promises of God, stepping out in obedient faith each day in the full expectation of knowing God’s blessing and sharing that blessing with others. And we delve into the treasure trove of our inheritance by looking to Jesus and being seated with Him in glory. One household. One City. One temple and body. Oh, the power of the Gospel to bring heaven to earth and to restore earth to heaven!
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
As parents, we are sometimes called to have sit-down meetings with the entire family about important upcoming events or imminent changes. Perhaps it might even entail some action needed, or a time of rejoicing together over some accomplishment or joyous decision.
Regardless of the reason, parents are often at the helm of family gatherings of one sort or another.
The conversation that Paul had with the Ephesian church was a little bit like that. As God’s emissary, he was relaying this very important information to them.
Paul began by telling them he had a mystery to reveal; one that God Himself had unveiled for him. He wanted them to understand his knowledge of the mystery of Christ. He told them that many people in the past had not been privy to this knowledge; but now, a new enlightenment had come through the Holy Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets.
Paul said, This is the knowledge given to me, of the dispensation of the gift of grace that God has bestowed; so, get your minds and hearts set for this new revelation. Along with God’s original chosen people, He has deemed others ready to be grafted in. Ready?
It is the Gentiles. Yup. God has decided that they should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel (Eph. 2.6).
Now, we too, have heard with our own ears, and we have seen with our own eyes the fulfillment of God’s original Promise of Jesus. And now, we are experiencing the next phase of His majestic plan for humanity. No partiality. None. We are all now standing before God, filled with the same Holy Spirit, and commanded to follow the same Law. Covered over by the same Blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and the same desire and power to turn away from sin. We hear the same Words that God spoke to His first people—now valid for all people. Now we are called to be obedient heirs and partakers of all God’s Words.
“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil,
in that I command you today to love the LORD your God,
to walk in His ways,
and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments,
that you may live and multiply,
and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess…
therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
that you may love the LORD your God,
that you may obey His voice,
and that you may cling to Him,
for He is your life and the length of your days…” (Deut. 30.15, 16, 19, 20).
Heirs and partakers of it all.
Reflection
1. Anybody you meet is a candidate for becoming an heir of God and partaker of His promises. Explain.
2. Peter said we should “be ready” to explain our faith to others (1 Pet. 3.15). What does “being ready” entail? Are you “ready”?
3. Of what are we “heirs” and “partakers”? What makes that so exciting?
The Gentiles are fellow heirs with Israel. Put more precisely, they are fellow heirs with Christ. … It is not that some possession is divided among us but that God himself in his fullness is our inheritance and possession. Jerome (347-420), Epistle to the Ephesians 2.3.5 Seq.
Pray Psalm 133.2, 3.
Pray for oneness in your church, and between your church and other churches. Pray that the Body of Christ in your community will be under one big tent of unity.
Sing Psalm 133.2, 3.
(Tryggare Kan Ingen Vara: Children of the Heavenly Father)
Like the precious oil of blessing flowing down on Aaron’s vestment,
God’s anointing rests forever where His people dwell together.
Like the dew of Hermon’s fountain falling down on Zion’s mountain,
so the blessing of the Savior dwells where unity finds favor.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we continue looking at ways the Law of God applies to our lives. This week our Read Moore podcast wraps up our consideration of the question, What in Heaven Is Jesus Doing on Earth?; and our Crosfigell teaching letter continues our study of the life of Brigit, a contemporary of Brendan. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
