Epistle To The Ephesians 1:4 Holiness 6/29/2011 10:16:52 a6/p6 1 about scripture is taking Him seriously, Epistle To The

Ephesians 1:4 is seeking to let Him renew our minds. Holiness The question leading into Eph 1:4 is These last two weeks, the Lord had me triggered by Eph 1:3: meditate on Ephesians 1:4 and Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and following verses, up to Ephesians 1:9. Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, One day, I felt the strong desire to who hath blessed us with all understand these verses more deeply, spiritual blessings in heavenly and I brought my desire to the Father places in Christ: in prayer. Eph 1:4 According as he hath The Holy Spirit responded immediately, chosen us in him before the and began to show me things about foundation of the world, that we our place in the Father's heart. This is should be holy and without blame a record of these things, as a before him in love: meditation, a personal commentary on Ephesians. How can we be in heavenly places, being sinful humans? The ground for this deeper understanding of the heart of God had According as he (God the Father) been prepared through Nita Johnson's hath chosen us book "Melchizedek - The New God has made a sovereign choice, to Millennium Priesthood." I am deeply redeem fallen man, in the face of his grateful to the Lord for revealing rebellion against and hatred of God. Himself to me through the visitations This is the choice of God, it is not ours. with Nita that she recorded. It is His Grace alone that gives us even I first realized that everything the Holy the desire to know Him, to seek Him. Spirit says through Paul in these He is pouring out His love, Himself into verses is about God's plan for us to be us continually. His sons. The second thing I saw was Act 17:28 For in him we live, and that Paul's writing is a series of move, and have our being; as answers to unspoken questions. certain also of your own poets have These are questions that the Holy said, For we are also his offspring. Spirit brought to the mind of Paul, as Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness Paul was walking through the of his glory, and the express image experience of becoming a mature son of his person, and upholding all of God. I will record these questions as things by the word of his power, I understand them, and as they appear when he had by himself purged our in my mind. sins, sat down on the right hand of I think it is vitally important that we the Majesty on high; actively engage the Holy Spirit with our How can You make that choice, inquiry and wonder. Asking questions seeing our rebellion? How can You

Epistle To The Ephesians 1:4 Holiness 6/29/2011 10:16:52 a6/p6 2 choose me, Paul, when I have He will stop short of nothing to redeem persecuted the Church? man, of nothing that He can do. In Him (Christ) God carried out His choice and secured our chosen destiny in and through His Son, whom He sent to become Jesus Christ. He created us by His Son, and H redeemed us by Jesus Christ. In the beginning, God created us in the holiness and purity of His son. In our fallen state, Jesus Christ is protecting us from the wrath of God. Christ became the scape goat and is the Eternal Intercessor. So, You knew that we would fall, and that Christ would have to die, all along? Before the foundation of the world From before the beginning, God was aware of the tremendous pain that He would suffer by creating man with free will, to be the object of the fullness of His love and affection. He determined that would not withhold any thing from him. None of the angels hold this place in His heart, are as dear to Him as we are. Lucifer was cast from heaven without any hope of redemption, and so were the rebellious angels. Heb 1:5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? God loves man, loves me with the full power and complete range of His love. God cannot die, and He cannot forsake His holiness, so He sent His Son. God gave Him a physical body and a human soul, so that He could die physically and spiritually, so that He could become sin for us. What then was Your intention for man? That we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. That we should be able to stand before Him, that we should be able to have full and intimate fellowship with Him. That He would find no offence in us. That we should be worthy objects of His affection, in the likeness of His own holiness, undefiled and not lacking in any facet of His own love. His own holiness would be and must be the measure of our state before Him. Measured by this measure, we would be found to be without blame. We would be holy as He is holy. 1Pe 1:15-16 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; (16) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. No shadow of our old sinful nature can remain in His presence. 1Ti 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.