Ephesians 1:7-9 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him.

Thought Without right doctrine there can be no right practice

Ephesians 1:3-6 I. The blessings of salvation from the Father: Divine Election (1:3-4) Divine Predestination (1:5) Divine Grace (1:6) II. The blessings of salvation from the Son: Divine Redemption (1:7) Divine Forgiveness (1:7) Divine Illumination (1:8-9) [“wisdom”; “insight”; “made known”]

“A turning on of the light” (metaphorical) Divine Illumination “A turning on of the light” (metaphorical) …the working of the Spirit of God upon the mind to bring the believer into a practical understanding of God’s revealed truth.

Divine Illumination 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight…(NASB) 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself… (NKJV).

Thought “wisdom” - (“sophia” in the Greek) speaks of God’s complete, full and infinite knowledge of all things; most especially the knowledge of God, man, righteousness, sin, life, death, heaven, hell and salvation. “insight” (or “prudence”) speaks of the practical application of spiritual truths to everyday life.

John MacArthur “God not only forgives us – taking away the sin that corrupts and distorts our lives – but also gives us all the necessary equipment to understand Him and to walk through the world day by day in a way that reflects His will and is pleasing to Him.”

“Mystery” “Mystery” does it speak of something incomprehensible or impossible to understand; rather it refers to a truth that God kept hidden for a time, but now has revealed to His people.

Ephesians 2:1-3 1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…

Divine Illumination The Illumination of Wisdom Christ our Redeemer 8b …In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will… Christ our Redeemer “In Him we have redemption…” (7) 

John 10:14-18 14 "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18 No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father."

Our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, must be… A Perfectly Divine Person A Perfectly Holy Person A Perfectly Able Person A Perfectly Loved Person

1 Corinthians 1:30 “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption…”

Divine Illumination The Illumination of Wisdom Christ our Redeemer 8b …In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will… Christ our Redeemer “In Him we have redemption…” (7)  Christ our Representative “In Him we have redemption…” (7) 

2 Corinthians 5:21 He [God the Father] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf [our substitute; our representative], so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Divine Illumination The Illumination of Wisdom Christ our Redeemer 8b …In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will… Christ our Redeemer “In Him we have redemption…” (7)  Christ our Representative “In Him we have redemption…” (7)  Christ our Ransom “In Him we have redemption through His blood…” (7) 

Psalm 49:7-8 7 No man can by any means redeem his brother or give to God a ransom for him - - - 8 For the redemption of his soul is costly, and he should cease trying forever - - -

The Meaning of Christ’s Death Jesus, gave His life voluntarily (John 10:17-18) to be the Substitute for His people (Galatians 3:13; John 10:11, 15) to suffer the full penalty of sin for the full satisfaction of divine justice (Isaiah 53:9-10).

Divine Illumination The Illumination of Insight 8b …In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will… God has shown us how to live for Him 1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1-3).

Micah 6:8 (710 BC) He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Divine Illumination The Illumination of Insight 8b …In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will… God has shown us how to live for Him God has sanctioned us to live for Him All biblical imperatives (commands) rest upon divine indicatives (statements of fact concerning what God has done).

Romans 6:1-4, 4 1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

Romans 6:5-6a, 6b 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with… 6b…so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;

Romans 6:8-10; 11-13 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…

Psalm 145:1-7 1 I will extol You, my God, O King, And I will bless Your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, And His greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of Your majesty And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate. 6 Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, And I will tell of Your greatness. 7 They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.

A Prayer “God, make me an ever greater monument of your saving grace for people to gaze upon and be in awe of what You have done in my life.”

Keith Green Make my life a prayer to You I want to do what You want me to No empty words and no white lies No token prayers; no compromise

Keith Green I want to shine the light You gave Through Your Son You sent to save us From ourselves and our despair It comforts me to know You're really there

Keith Green I want to die and let You give Your life to me, so I might live And share the hope You gave to me, the love that set me free

Keith Green I want to tell the world out there, You're not some fable or fairy tale That I've made up inside my head, You're God the Son – You've risen from the dead