Ephesians Lesson 15 of 39 part 1

Picking up where we cut it off yesterday.
Whenever a kid jumps the traces, and goes against what we hope his good parents have taught him, what does he do? Here it is in this chapter. This is the life style of a person who has thrown restraint to the wind. Let's start with verse 19, and it's not a pretty picture. Every now and then a pastor will begin his sermon on Sunday morning by saying, "Now folks I'm going to warn you before I ever start, I've got a negative sermon this morning, and you're not going to like it, but hopefully I can turn it around and something positive will come of it." But there is a lot of negatives in Scripture, and here's a bunch of them, it's not pretty, but it's true.

Galatians 5:19-21
"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; (looks like our every day newspaper, TV or radio news program doesn't it?) Adultery, fornication, (gross immorality) uncleanness, (moral uncleanness) lasciviousness, (making light of these things) Idolatry, (something to worship other than the Creator God) witchcraft, hatred, variance, (constant arguing) emulations, wrath, (have you ever wondered why the world just constantly erupts in demonstrations of one sort or another? And they get so angry, well here it is) strife, seditions, heresies. Envyings, murder, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
Why? Because these are the results of living for the flesh. Now we can't make it any plainer than that. That's what the Book says! We didn't make it up, that's what God's Word says. This is the life style of the natural man, bestial man and unless he's inhibited, these things are going to run rampant, and of course we see it everyday. Our newscasts, our news programs are full of it, because restraint is being taken away, and consequently we're seeing the results. Jesus said that in the last days the world would have the nature as in the days of Noe or Noah (Matthew 24:37-38; Luke 3:36, 17:26-27) and such are we now seeing.

My wife tries to get me from time to time to watch a program on Hording which shows self-centered on restrained people filling their world with stuff, to the point that even their family members will have nothing to do with them. In many cases they've had pets and especially cats who were allowed to just run wild within the home and thusly created a death trap of diseases of all kinds. Your heart just breaks for them all and especially when the family members and social workers try to first give them help cleaning the mess up. And then get them guidance and in many cases sociological help as well.

Then there's the crowds in Europe that run wild and many of them are led by Islamic or Communist agitators who provoke them to a wild frenzy where some are killed, stores are looted, cars and trucks burned and all other kinds of mayhem erupts. Such is a society out of control because man have allowed his flesh and ignorance to rule him.

With this all said allow me to intercede with this thought. For all that was said is purely of the nature or physical sense realm and God does not require us to stay within its teachings. For this was the same action which got the Pharisee' scribes and Sadducee's in hot water as idolators. In fact the book of Ecclesiastes in chapter 12 and verses 12-13 states this: "And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." And when we look closely at what is later said about studying we will learn an amazing thing, it is not as we suppose it to be as this passages points out.

As we've pointed out or toward what can be called the darkness of night in faiths receptivity of His divine activity all that has gone before also has a spiritual reality of greater value than the purely carnal and nature understanding. Which mans intellect produces for it knows not the things or teachings of God in God's design or fashion. As we've pointed out or toward, what can be called the darkness of night, in faiths receptivity of His divine activity, all that has gone before also has a spiritual reality of greater value than the purely carnal and natural understanding.

Now let's come back to Ephesians chapter 2, and we're going to turn from the negative to the positive. And again it's going to hinge on our favorite little three letter word, and what is it? "But." Now let's finish the last part of verse 3 so that but really comes out.

Ephesians 2:3b-4
"...and were by nature the children of wrath, (headed for eternal doom, and the second death, and separation from God forever) even as others. But (not I, not you, not some denomination, not some church, but who?) God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us."
When did He show His love? At the cross. Love put Him on the cross, not the Romans and not the Hebrews. So let's see what the last part of that verse says.

Ephesians 2:4b
"...rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us."
Oh goodness, in the next verse, here comes the repetition we warned you about in the first section. He's going to say the same thing he said in verse 1. Well what happened? Well the Holy Spirit didn't loose His mind. The Holy Spirit is emphasizing, this! Do you see that?

God knows that simple, natural man doesn't understand, His ways, because of the vile veil which covers mans soul causing spiritual deadness and blindness of Him. Most of our churches remain in the natural darkness of mans ignorance to the things of God because its heart has never received spirit awakening or newness of life. For if the head or leadership is dead (spiritually separated from God) so goes those who follow. They remain under the deception of the evil one and his working in and among them as a spirit of light or a messenger of darkness by way of miss direction. He falsifies the very Holy Spirit of God by this means along with those signs, miracles and wonders which were a proof of Jesus' divinity, as the second Adam. In the same fashion as the Pharaoh's priest's and magicians did.

Ephesians Lesson 14 of 39 part 5

In our discourse of the Last Supper or the Marriage Feast of the Lamb we said nothing of what Paul by revelation reveals in 1 Corinthians 11 because we've covered much of it elsewhere. And because there's a whole other lesson in the wings dealing with the revelation of it, in more depth. Which we hope to share in the Lord's timing. We still have Philippians and Colossians to post as they are complete at this moment, as they are. But like all others the Lord has finial say on what is posted just as with this study. Now let's go back to Ephesians chapter 2 again, and it looks like we'll be a long time in this chapter, because it's so loaded. We compare it, to Romans chapter 8. We would like to start with verse 3. This is the lifestyle of a person who has never entered into salvation. They are under control of the old Adamic sin nature. Satan is the god of this world to them still whether they know it or not, and so this is what happens:

Ephesians 2:3
"Among whom also we all had our conservation (manner or way of living) in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others."
Let's go back to Romans, and again to let Paul give us a graphic description of the lost person's frame of mind. Remember at one time that's where we were. Naturally when we believed we were saved, ransomed, redeemed out of it. But for the person who has never been saved, he's still in it and whether they practice it or not is beside the point. God sees they have the potential for it, the old sin nature has the potential for it. Have you ever wondered, how can people do the things they do? We read of the horrible murders, or we hear of the horrible carnage that soldiers will bring upon countries that they're over running, and we wonder, how can they do that. Well because that's just exactly what the old sin nature revels in. The only reason there's not more of it is because society has inhibited it, and kept it under control to a certain degree or we wouldn't have a society. But when society is turned loose without government restraints or enforced morality all that remains is what we call anarchy, and this is what you'll have. Now we hope you've found Romans chapter 3, and let's just start with verse 12. Now this is the manner of living that Paul is referring to in Ephesians chapter 2, out of which everyone of us have come.

Romans 3:12-16
"They are all gone out of the way, they are together (Jew and Gentile religions as institutions) become unprofitable: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit, the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways:"
This sounds like John the Baptist speaking to the Priests (Matthew 3:7, Luke 3:7) as they came for baptism by him while he was at the river Jordan in what was called the wilderness and then Jesus in His many woe's says much the samething (Matthew 12:34-35, 23:27-28, 33). Even Job says the same in chapter 20 verses 14-16 and then the Prophets such as David in Psalm 5:9, 12:3-4, 36:3; Isaiah 59:3 and others so we have the witness from the mouth of two or three witnesses to what Paul is here saying.

Now stop a minute, go all the way to World War II, what is usually the result of war? Destruction, and misery. Someplace we're reading yet the other day of how Germany, as a result of the allied bombing, was totally demolished. Those beautiful cities just reduced to rubble. But that was only the half of it. When the Russians came in from the east they literally raped the German women by the thousands. Now that's war and destruction, and misery. It's the very makeup of this very individual we read about in the preceding verses. If you give that person the license to do, he'll do it. Now reading on with verse 17.

Here we're beginning listen 15 with Romans 3:17.

Romans 3:17
"And the way of peace have they not known:"
A lot of time young people will say, "Why does God sanction war?" God doesn't bring it on, it's the work of the curse. It's the work of mankind in his satanicly inspired sin nature. Its the physical manifestation of a spiritual reality which is taking place in the heavenlies as revealed in Revelation. More of the point is this which the Lord said in this from John 6:63 "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." For when we by His ontological essence hear what the Spirit is saying then we can understand and things through and again John 14:17 "Even the Spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." and then in 15:26 "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:" and one more time in 16:13-14 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you."
Guess that we should reveal this just here because of all that the Lord Jesus is revealing of Himself and the Spirit of Truth and that is this, the first true knowledge of this revelation is by way of the Spirit of Truth which Paul in Romans 8 verse 9 says this: “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” So we're to receive by way of revelation the “EXPLICA'TION” which Webster's 1828 Dictionary reveals as: “n. The act of opening or unfolding. The act of explaining; explanation; exposition; interpretation; as the explication of the parables of our Savior. The sense given by an expositor or interpreter.” Both being the Spirit of Truth as the expositor and interpreter or our Mediator before the Father, who is Christ in His new character. For all that He reveals of Himself from Genesis 1 on is but a physical revelation of His many characters or titles of His ministry toward man.
We could go back to the metaphor of the word being the seed of faith and revelation of Christ from the foundation of the world but wont at this time so that we can now read verse 18.

Romans 3:18
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
Jesus in the scriptures quoted above reveals who He is and to get the true meaning of them lets look at Psalm 148: 5-6 which says this: "Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created. He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass." And as recorded in yesterdays post this is what He said about Himself at the Last Supper through the figurative language of the bread and the blood as wine. Which brought about the fulness of days or the completion of the Age of the Jewish religion as a man made religion which God NO longer had any part in. He Jesus being God in the flesh as the Son of man (Matthew 1:23). Because they the Hebrews had NO fear of God nor did the gentiles at that time because they practiced all kinds of evil and those who literally take the words spoken as literal are still in darkness.

It's a wonder the world has lasted as long as it has isn't it? Now let's go on over to the Book of Galatians chapter 5, and this again describes the life style of the lost person under this sin nature personality given no inhabitation. Now granted, in a society like we've enjoyed up until the last few years we have inhibited this kind of behavior just by simply influencing kids, and teaching them how to behave and so forth. Tomorrow we'll look at Galatians for more information.

Ephesians Lesson 14 of 39 part 4

Before we get into our study in Ephesians allow me to add some information which has been hidden from view by saying the following. My wife just opened one of those books written back in the 1600's, this one by William Law, titled “A Demonstration of the Gross and Fundamental Errors.” In which he reveals much of what we've been saying about the Lord's Last Supper on through His ascension as being a continuous action. And this one startling fact that the Lord Himself by the very words used as recorded by Luke and Mark reveal Him as the God of creation, the Light of Genesis 1:1-3 and a host of other scriptures of both the Old and the New Covenants. Which are necessary for all things to be established just as we in our limited understanding have said. William Law's approach to a thesis written by another is by way of a argument against a doctrine on the Lord's Last Supper from a purely external and literal point of view. Which in effect is how the Hebrews remained a pagan people in a false religion of their own making and design. For they both refused God and then to hear Him and then to do as He had told them through His Prophets. They took all things literally not knowing or understanding their spiritual meaning because of their hardness of heart, unbelief. This was and still is the err of the institutional churches which keep all things in the literal essence (the pagan idolatry of Judaism) which is the hidden Harlot of Babylon of Revelation and the worth-ship of Baalim, or Baalam or Belial (2 Corthians 6:15).

In the beginning of his argument he states the following in Dem 16: “And that, if it were anyone's desire to do exactly what our blessed Lord charges upon the Pharisees and lawyer, "that they shut up the kingdom of heaven, took away the key of knowledge, entered not in themselves, and those that were entering in, they hindered": were this the deepest desire of anyone's heart, the one only effectual way of doing it, must be the way that this author has taken in this treatise. For, it shall also be made appear, that these principles of his are that very veil which the apostle says was upon the hearts of the Jews; and that the scriptures have never been useless to, misunderstood, or rejected by any people of any age, but for this reason, because their hearts were blinded and hardened by this very method of knowing scripture truths, which he proposes to us. All the characters of "stiff -necked, hardened, blind, carnal, and uncircumcised in heart and spirit," which are in the scriptures given to unbelieving Jews, are only so many various ways of describing that state of heart, which these very principles had produced in them.”

Then in Dem 18 we find this: “But to begin in my proposed method. The holy sacrament was instituted in these words: "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it: for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many, for the remission of sins." Matt. 26:28. In St. Luke the words of institution are: "And he took the bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave it unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you." Luke 22:19.

Then in Dem 20 and 21 we have this: “The scripture saith, "He spake the word, and they were made; he commanded, and they were created." {Psalm 148:5.} Has this way of speaking any parallel in the language of men? Do human things and transactions furnish us with anything like this?[Dem-21] Now the Word which thus speaking created all things, is not more extraordinary, more above the common rules of speaking, or more without human example, than that Word which, in the institution of the sacrament, spake, and it was done; commanded, and it was created. For it is the same omnipotent Word that here speaks, that spoke the creation into being; and the effects of his speaking in the institution of the sacrament, are as extraordinary, and as much above the effects of human speaking, as when the same Word "spake, and they were made; commanded, and they were created." And it is impossible for anyone to show, that there is less of divine power and greatness, less of mystery and miracle implied in these words spoken by the eternal Word in the institution of the sacrament, than when the same eternal Word said, "Let there be light, and there was light.” It soon becomes obviously there is much more of interest to us within this book hidden because we're just in the beginning of it. And so I would suggest that all who may have an interest download this book as it is on the public domain in CCEL. Now back on course or track of our study.

We trust that you will just get your Bible and study along with us. We guess one of our favorite expressions is, "now that's what the Book says." After all His Word is all we can go by. But we must of necessity hear God speak to us through His Son and not take of the words in a purely literal sense. It doesn't matter what we think, or what somebody else thinks, or what some denomination thinks, but what does God's Word say about it. Because as the portion of Mr. Law's book has revealed we need to seek God about what He is actually saying for us or to us through His Son first. We know a lot of people try to twist some of these things and make an argument out of it, but usually the Word is so plain, and we can just take it for what it says. As we've seen, what God is looking for more than anything else is "Faith!" That is to say, We're to Just Believe what He has said with all your heart.

Guess we had better take a minute and explain "believing." We've had 2 or 3 questions come up where people will ask, "Bill what do you mean when you say believe?" We suppose everyone thinks about that sometime. We said, "For most it's just a mental accent to an historical fact. But for us its a taking of the word as the Word and as revealed throughout scripture this Word is Christ." That's believing. Then when somebody says, "Oh yeah I believe that Christ was crucified, yeah, I believe that He probably arose from the dead." Hey that's not what the Bible calls believing. Believing is when with our whole being, this whole mind, will, and emotion, recognizes that it's hell bound, it's hopelessly lost, it's without God. And then it can say, "Yes I believe with all my being. That Christ didn't just die a historical death, but rather He died for me, and He arose from the dead for me," and that's why we call salvation personal. Jesus when on the night before His betrayal said, "This is my body which is given for you, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."(Luke 22:19-20) Jesus as the Son of God in who the fulness of the Godhead was in bodily form and as the Living Word given flesh as the creator of all said this He was saying more than meets the eye or in a literal sense because of what Psalm 148:5 and elsewhere says about Him. This when coupled with the Lord's Last Supper, His suffering in the garden. The illegal court in front of which He was called and stood in all righteousness before evil and wicked men as His judges, both Jew and Gentile. And when He was nailed to that tree which He caused to grow from dead lifeless earth. And while still nailed to it said, “IT IS FINISHED.” He had ended completed finished the Old and inaugurated the New because all power had been given Him (Psalm 2:6-9; Matthew 28:18, 11:27). While He laid in the earth three days and three nights. Then arose in the power of the Endless Life, which He in parted to that same earth from which all animal and plant life came and expounded the old testament scriptures concerning Him for forty days, until He was taken home. When we receive the revelation of our being counted as being IN HIM through this all from the Supper even through His ascension and now seated with Him in the Holiest place, we can say that we're God-child again.

We have to come to this place and understand and believe with all our heart that He died for me. In order for me to gain entry into Him and through Him we gain all the promises of the New Covenant which far out reach those of the Old because they cover both In Christ. Not in a wholesale number, but for me, and for you. This may be hard for some people to believe that He knows everybody individually, but we compare everything again to the stars in space. Out there God has trillions of them, and God has never lost track of a single star. Not only that but God also knows everyone of them by name, so if He can keep track of all those stars. Then He can keep track of a few million believers. So we maintain that it's by believing, and believing alone, it's not just a mental accent to something, it is literally saying, "God I am casting my whole eternity on what you have done for me." That's what we mean by believing, and that's faith, because God has said in His Word what He has done.

Ephesians Lesson 14 of 39 part 3

We are to be something in this great symphony that He has constructed and created, but not in disharmony with others, rather in total harmony with all others. Let's start with verse 14 of II Corinthians chapter 5. Keep this in mind that the word denomination starts with the word "demon" though hidden by camouflage, which brings discord or disharmony with God our designer and creator.

II Corinthians 5:14-15
"For the love Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, (we conclude) that if one died for all, then were all dead: (we've already come to that conclusion) And that he died for all, that they which live (have been raised out of their deadness in sins and trespasses) should not henceforth live unto themselves, (in other words, the attitude shouldn't be, well I'm safe from going to Hell, and that's all I have to worry about. Oh no, that's not it. Once we become a believer we don't live unto ourselves in disharmony with others of like precious faith, 2Peter 1:1) but unto him which died for them, and rose again."
See, that's our Gospel. Every time we turn around in Paul's letters we get this Gospel, how that Christ died for our sins, how that He was buried, and how that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. We must receive and believe this for eternal life, and there it is again at the end of verse 15, it just keeps popping up. Now verse 16.

II Corinthians 5:16a
"Wherefore (since Christ died for our sins, and rose from the dead) henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have know Christ after the flesh,..."
We're sure that Paul is making reference here to Christ's earthly ministry. That's not our salvation today. As the Son of man Jesus' ministry to Israel is not where we find our Gospel message because ours is only in the Spiritual Life restored within us through His vicarious death, resurrection and ascension. Coupled, or conjoined with our being Spiritual seated with In Him at the Father of spirits right hand in the Holiest of Holy places, constantly in His presences. The Old Testament, which ends as our witness to His coming as promised that's not our salvation today, though it was to have been Israels. Had they received Him. Although it's good in application, it's certainly good to know of all the miracles He performed, and all that He taught, but that's not the Gospel to get us to heaven or that works for our salvation. It helps in our choosing to enter redemption through forgiveness of our sin nature, wherein we're given the ability or power to become a son of God again (John 1:12). But we have to have passed through it and correctly excepted the cup of the garden (Matthew 20:22, Luke 22:42) in order to be made a son of God, again. Remember Paul and Christ were about the same age, so if Jesus was 30 years old when He began His ministry, then the Apostle Paul was about the same age, and had already begun his activity in the Sanhedrin, as a Pharisee. So they were contemporaries with one another. So Paul could say, "Sure I knew Christ in the flesh." Paul knew Him by reputation as we all know football players or what ever. Now we don't think they ever had a face to face confrontation, but old Saul of Tarsus knew all about Him. Just as we're to know all about Him with whom we have to do (Matthew 11:28-30, verse 29 should standout). Now continuing on with verse 16.

II Corinthians 16b
"... yet now henceforth know we him no more."
Now that's just plain English. What's Paul saying? I'm not lifting up Jesus' earthly ministry to Israel alone, and remember this is all Holy Spirit inspired, but what does Paul lift up? His death, His shed blood, His burial, and resurrection, and our being counted by God as being in Him through it all, as one person as in the very beginning. His spiritual heavenly ministry. In other words he's Lifting up Christ for the word Messiah is more than an earthly expression of who He is and how He is now working. See that's what Paul knows, that's what's been revealed to Paul from heaven. By the Messiah Himself after He had opened the small book (Revelation 5). Now verse 17 is the verse we wanted.

II Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, (if we're in the Body of Christ, this is where our trusting comes into play) he is a new creature: (or new creation) old things are passed away (the old man, nature of sin is dead): behold, all things are become new (the promised New Covenant Life or divine Life reinstated)."
Who alone can create something like this? Only God! That's why as we look at this, can we see now that works can never have a thing to do with our salvation? Because all the areas that we're working on are the invisible. Now they're real, but invisible, they remain in darkness or so it seems. The old Adam has been crucified, cut away from our hard hearts and we're given a new heart and who but God could do it? It's impossible to do that, but God can. Who but God can give us a new nature? Nobody. And that's why it has to be all of God. We can join 15 churches, but they're not going to give us a new nature. We could join as many churches as you want and do all the things they require for their form of salvation, and it's not going to take care of old Adam. All they are is mans idolatry in action, they exult self in some form. They are full of dead works.

But when we let God do it, by us simply believing the finished work of the cross, then He moves in and does it all. He regenerates our spirit, He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ, He gives us a new divine nature that controls the body, and we're in fellowship with Him, in harmony with Him and it's all because of what He accomplished on our behalf at the cross. Oh, the world thinks we're crazy, but we don't. We wouldn't trade places with the world for anything.

Ephesians Lesson 14 of 39 part 2

Remember God gets glory from only one person His Son so if we have not the Spirit of His Son in us we're none of His! Let's look at Romans chapter 3 verse 23.

Romans 3:23
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"
To the unsaved person only? NO, but to the pretender as well does it state, "all are ungodly" whether they're well behaved or not. God sees everyone potentially as fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and we're children of wrath like everybody else regardless of how we have been inhibited in our training. Just as with our illustration of the quarter [show] horse who for years only showed it's good side, but on one occasion something unusual happened and it's hidden nature was exposed and it went wild on its trainer, remember that? So let's look at Romans 4:5 again.

Romans 4:5
"But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
As soon as someone says, "I've got to do this or that", then that cancels the work of the cross. But if you just believe then God will justify the ungodly. God doesn't justify Godly people. You remember in His earthly ministry, what did Jesus say? "Who needs the physician?"

Romans 4:5
"But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
And we could just go on and on, come back a page to Romans chapter 3 for another one, and let's just drop down to verse 24. The language throughout all of Paul's writings is the same. It's not by works, but rather by way of revelation and it's by faith in that finished work of the cross, Christ's resurrection and ascension. Which He spoke into being through His promises, Covenants and Prophets long before He came as the Son of man.

Romans 3:24
"Being justified (made just as if we've never sinned. That's what God does when we become a believer) freely (without any works) by his grace (remember that Grace is Christ as John stated in chapter 1 verses 14 and 17 so Grace is actually a person, as is Truth and how does He justify us?) through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:”
Then come on down to verse 26.

Romans 3:26
"To declare, I say, at this time his (Christ) righteousness: that he (God) might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."
Do you see how simple all of this is? And oh my goodness, the world of religion is just putting people under all kinds of pressure and superstition. They look for this and they look for that, and all they'd have to do is just say, "But God did it all." It's finished, and we are expected to believe it. And then say, "God does it All, through Christ". Now go back to Ephesians chapter 2.

So like Abraham he couldn't be saved by works or he would have boasted, and you've heard us use this before. "Can you imagine what a horrible place heaven would be if everybody could boast of how they got there. Why we'd cross one side of that golden strand to the other rather than listen to someone tell it again, and again how they got there." But it's not going to be that way. Not a single person in glory is going to be able to boast or glory in anything of what they did to get there. No not a one. For just like the men who the Lord hired to work His fields the first and then the last all received the same wages as agreed upon with the first hired at the end of the day (Matthew 20). And we're all going to sing the same song, "Nothing but the blood Christ!" That's the only way. People think that we're kind of a know-it-all when we say, "I know I'm going to go to heaven when I die," and they say, "Who do you think you are anyway?" "Well I'm a nobody, but the One I'm trusting is Somebody! He's the Creator of the universe, He did it all." Now verse 10.

Ephesians 2:10a
"For we (who have been made alive out of deadness in trespasses and sin) are his workmanship,..."
Now that doesn't sound like much in the English, but do you know what that is in the Greek? It's the same word from which we get the word poem, and you know what a beautiful work of art a poem can be. Do you know how our English has come down through centuries from various Greek, Latin, Spanish, French, Hebrew and a host of other languages to make our words and do you know what word we use commonly that comes from this same Greek word translated "workmanship?" Symphony.

Maybe some of you don't like symphony music, but that's beside the point. What makes a symphonic rendition of music? A putting together of all the various instruments. The bigger the orchestra the better it sounds. But what did it take to get the trumpets to play that note, and the French horn this one, and the violin that one, and the drums this one? Just what did it take? It took the fantastic mind of these composers, and do you know what blows our mind? A lot of those composers back in the 1800's wrote those scores of music for every individual instrument in that symphony without ever touching one themselves. Now think about that. Think of a man with the wherewithal of music that he could write the score of every instrument in that huge orchestra without playing one of them himself. Now that's what this word says that we have become in God's hand as believers. We are like a grand symphony, and God has put everyone of us in exactly the right place, and we are to strike exactly the right sound if we may use that expression. Why? Because of His Sovereign way of putting us all together. Now let us show another verse we like to use here.

I Corinthians 3:9a
"For we are labourers together with God:..."
Do you see what a royal vineyard we are working in? We're all working for the same cause. We've told everyone that's been part of our ministry. When we come up before the Bema Judgment Seat for rewards, it's not going to stop with us. It's going to be funneled out to everybody who's been a part of this ministry, because we're all laborers together with God. So again:

I Corinthians 3:9
"For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building."
Then he goes on as we've studied before, how God will reward us for all of our laboring. Remember not for salvation, but as a result of salvation. Now back to Ephesians chapter 2.

Ephesians 2:10a
"For we are his workmanship, (God has intrinsically in His Sovereign Grace brought every believer into his place in the Body of Christ. Whether we're rich or poor, black or white, or regardless what country we live in. We're all working together to bring about the fruition of the completion of the Body of Christ. So we're His workmanship, we're like a poem, we're like a symphony. Now what's the next word?) created in Christ Jesus unto good works,..."
We were first created in Christ in the vary beginning, just as we've attempted to reveal in our feebleness and limited vocabulary. Now another verse just comes to mind in II Corinthians chapter 5. You know too many people think salvation is just a fire escape to keep them from going to Hell. Oh listen, that's just a small portion of it. But God has created us to be something in His vineyard. We are to be something in that great symphony that He has constructed and created. Let's start with verse 14.

Ephesians Lesson 14 of 39 part 1

As has been the norm we got into the 14th lesson in our last post so we'll pick back up where we left off, coming back to Ephesians chapter 2, and we'll read verse 6 again. And as said, I must warn you that we're in the mind field (not a mine field but the mind-field) or mind game for awhile. So you better have the ears to hear what the Spirit is saying or else you'll miss it I'm sure.

Ephesians 2:6
"And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
We're in the Body of Christ, although we're living here on the planet. But now look at verse 7. See this life is just a little snap of the finger compared to eternity. Oh eternity is beyond comprehension, and as we've said before and say again, the Bible doesn't really tell us that much of what we're going to be doing. But this much we know, that when we get to glory it's going to be beyond human comprehension. All the things that we think are enjoyable on this earth will be as Paul says, "Dung" by comparison. So this much we can rest on.

Ephesians 2:7
"That in the ages (eternity) to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."
God didn't have to save the human race, but rather He did it out of Love to show and demonstrate His Grace. Now verse 8 is one of the super, super Pauline verses.

Ephesians 2:8
"For by grace (it's not simple favor, no but divine blessing where in He works) are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: (not something that we've worked for, not something we've decided to do, but) it is the gift of God:"
What I am about to say needed to be said in brackets behind "faith" but because it could be lengthy I've chose to share it this way instead. John in chapter 1 and verses 14 and 17 sets Jesus out as being all Truth, Grace and Faith. Because as we've already said Jesus trusted in His faithfulness to His own word as spoken through His Prophets during the Old Administration of Israel's Time or Age. He is the Word, and as the Word He is of Faith personified, so He is Faith. He is the Faithful one and has been from the beginning of mans beginning. There are many who mock, ridicule and make light of what I'm here saying but Truth is truth matters not what others opinions are or what they've been programed to think and many times say in response, all out of ignorance, by way of the traditions of man.

We don't have to tell you what a gift is. It's something that we do not work for. A gift a lot of times is something that we don't deserve. But Salvation is a gift of God that none of us deserves. There is but one way into God's Salvation and it costs us our love of things that are NOT of God. Our love of self, self-will, self-sufficiency, self-exaltation, and a host others including the love of family, sons, daughters, wife and other evils imparted to man at the fall. The sweetness of sin and the kings delectable a dainties which deceive and delight us all. For we work so very hard to acquire them even to the extreme of our future retirement and all sorts of fails securities. Now the next verse tells it all.

Ephesians 2:9
"Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Now that flies in the face of probably 98% of Christendom. They are somehow either blatantly or by innuendo making people feel that they've got to do something, and some more than others. I know people who spend their time digging in scripture to find the "Truth!" in its so called many forms, not realizing that Christ is all that is Truth. Some even believe that when they find all Truths they'll some how have entered into God's Will our Salvation through those Truths. Not so! Many have spent their whole life chasing the smoke screens of Satan's making in deception, the chasing down of rabbit trails and for no purpose but vain glory. But let's look at what Paul says.

Ephesians 2:9
"Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Faith + Nothing = Salvation. Let's go to Romans chapter 4. For here Paul uses Abraham as his prime example, but of course it's prompted by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said that we're all to: 'seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness above all other things'[paraphrased]. This has been our mantra from the beginning.

Romans 4:2-3
"For if Abraham were justified (or made right with God) by works, he hath whereof to glory (or boast); but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, (+ nothing) and it (his believing, his trusting in) was counted unto him for righteousness."
At what personal cost to Abraham? Nothing, he just took God at His word, he believed God! He trusted God! How and why because he had grown to know God through his mentors Shem and Eber, though our Bibles don't clearly reveal this connection. And then jump down to verse 5. We've used this verse to lead quite a few to the Lord.

Romans 4:5
"But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
As soon as someone says, "I've got to do this or that", “I'm giving glory to God”, “I'm doing it all for God” then that cancels the work of the cross. But if we just believe then God will justify the ungodly. God doesn't justify Godly people. Remember in His earthly ministry, what did Jesus say? 'Who needs the physician? Not the well person, but rather the sick.' If there were such a thing as a Godly person he wouldn't need salvation, but there is no such thing as a Godly person. Until we suffer what? Death! For there's no glory in death but only willful submission to God's divine Will and purposes. The Death of sin's hold and influence on us. We're subjecting our selves to God's plan and Will by way of allowing Him to be who He is GOD! Remember God gets glory from only one person His Son so if we have not the Spirit of His Son in us we're none of His! Let's look at Romans 3:23.

Ephesians Lesson 13 of 39 part 5

Back to Ephesians chapter 2, and begin with verse 6 and picking up the flow with verse 4.

Ephesians 2:4-6a
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together,..."
That is, after God, who is rich in mercy has made us alive within Christ, by virtue of the Last Supper on through the work of the Cross and Christ's ascension. Remember when He died, we died, and when He rose from the dead it was by that same power we've also been raised out of deadness. The revelation of our being placed by God in what we've called our first estate at the moment of conversion into redemption. Remember when we talked about the 3 circles that shows our makeup. Remember in our center circle we are born into the human family dead spiritually (separated from God), with a sin nature which is the engine of all carnal activity. Now looking at the third circle we find that now as believers the old Adam has been crucified, the sole purpose of the Holy Spirit's indwelling us and His taking us through to what we've called the crisis. Where we find ourselves as bankrupt and the revealing of sins utter sinfulness is laid open or revealed to us and He then reveals our way of escape, death. He then awaits our choosing of death, the taking of the Lords yoke or to remain wonder Satan's yoke in the wilderness of sin under the Law. If we have chosen death by our own free will He then causes us to be given a new nature. Through the circumcision of the heart, a working of God's hand not mans. We have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and now we're a completely new person. This is all a process called working out of our own salvation. Why working, when we've not labored but rather waited under God listening. The Learning of Christ. All the time learning the mystery of Christ or learning of Him. It takes great pains to cause a deadness to come to the flesh and the taking of every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. To loose ourselves freely into His hands and Loving Rule. Both areas of Satan's strength as the circles reveal.

Now we still have the old nature to fight with, and we have to keep him or it under control, and to let the new nature control our activity. That's why from time to time Christians fail and behave like they're not Christians. That's when they let that old sin nature, self, that old Adam, raise his ugly head and take over their lives for a little while. That can happen to any of us, but that doesn't mean that we have lost our salvation. Now reading verse 6.

Ephesians 2:6
"And hath raise us up together, (he has given us resurrection power, the Spirit of Holiness in Eternal Life the power hidden in Christ) and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:"
Here we have Romans chapter 1 and verse 4 revealed and by its being revealed here in this way so we can see again how scripture just dovetails together. When we first started sharing this Book of Ephesians what did we say, the prepositional phrase was throughout this whole little book? In Him, In Whom, In Christ, which was a positional thing. We are in Christ as a result of our salvation experience, our having chosen death over life as we knew it, it's a work of God. The mystery of the Lord's Supper coupled with the cross and His ascension as one action, the culmination of the Jewish Age. Along with everything else that happens the moment we believed this Gospel. Such as He has redeemed us, justified us, sanctified us, made us Holiness onto Himself but He has also placed us positionally into the Body of Christ. It's purely a work of God, and we take it by faith. We mean, you can't lay out a diploma and say, "See this is what God gave me." But rather we just simply take it in by faith. The Book says that it has happened and we believe it. And when we believe it we receive it into our selves as Jesus prayed in John chapter 17. So in verse 6 we find that Paul writes that we're in the heavenliest, but we're still on the earth. But positionally we are in Christ Jesus in the heavenliest. All of a sudden a verse just comes to mind. We're living in such crucial days, and let's let some of the Scriptures just thrill our hearts. Turn to the Book of Titus chapter 2 for a moment, and let's look at verses 12 and 13. This goes right along with what we've been saying, that now because of the Grace and mercy and Love of God we've been brought out of that life of desire to live in the nature of Old Adam. Now this is what we've been translated to.

Titus 2:12-13
"Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, (desires) we should live (instead) soberly, righteously, and godly, (not when we get to heaven, but where?) in this present world: (that's to be our lifestyle. Now here's the verse that came to mind. We are at the same time) Looking for that blessed hope; and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ;"
Now here Jesus Christ is claiming to be the great God, and we know this flies in the face of people who claim that Christ never claimed to be God. Yes, He did. Paul claims He was by inspiration, and this is what we can be looking for. "The glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ." This with what John reveals of Christ Jesus in chapters 1 and 3 ties Him to Genesis 1:1-3 again. It also ties Him to the promises or covenants given or spoken over Abraham, Isaac and then Jacob who became Israel when He swore by none greater than Himself, which simple means that He is the subject of and the receiver of the promise or covenants. This is the trusting of Faith to Himself that Jesus as the Son of man brought to light and life through Himself. In other words Jesus trusted His Faithfulness to His word even though it was spoken through a Prophet, as God speaking. What a hope we have. And why can we do it? Because in verse 14 it tells us that.

Titus 2:14
"Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."
This is also what was said in like fashion to Israel but they never received its revelation, for they were told that they were to be a peculiar people unto God. This can also be seen in scripture in the following places: Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 14:2, 26:18; 1 Peter 2:9. Now coming back to Ephesians chapter 2, and we'll read verse 6 again.

Ephesians Lesson 13 of 39 part 4

We're dealing with God's remnant.

Matthew 7:13b
"...for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:"
And that's where most people are headed. Because they're going out into eternity with nothing more than that physical body that's now been laid in the grave, it's asleep waiting for the resurrection that Jesus talked about in John chapter 5. And they went out with a rebellious sin-natured soul, their spirit remained in the cocoon, shell or sleep state. Which in time is one day going to be called up to the Great White Throne Judgment, and that judgment is only for the lost and unbelieving. Now back to Revelation and follow these lost people.

If you doubt me that lost people go to Hell consciously just read Luke 16 about Abraham, Lazarus, and the rich man. And keep in mind that this is the LORD Himself speaking here. The Scripture gives us just one little window of opportunity for information, and it's the only time we have this account in Scriptures, but again the Lord Himself refers to it. And through that little window we found Abraham conversing with the rich man who was in Hell. The rich man was in torment. The rich man was conscious even though he wasn't there in body, but rather only in the area of the soul, the mind, the will, and emotions. Yet the conscience was so real that what did he ask Abraham to do? Somehow dip his finger in water and cool his tongue, because he was in torment in the flames. Now the Lord Jesus Himself used that. That didn't come from story tellers.

So we know that the lost is in a torment situation, but that's not the end, because they're going to be resurrected out of Hell, because Jesus said they would be. After they're resurrected out of Hell, they're going to be given a body, not fit for glory, but rather a body fit for their next abode which is found in Revelation chapter 20.

Revelation 20:4
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment (or rule and authority) was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
We think this includes the believers of all ages, as well as the Tribulation believers who will have been martyred for their witness of Christ the Word of God. Now verse 5. Now we look at the lost being resurrected.

Revelation 20:5a
"But the rest of the dead..."
Well if you've got all the believers involved up here in verse 4, then naturally who are "the rest of the dead" here in verse 5? The Lost an Unbelieving people all the way from Cain, and Esau, and all the way on up through when there was a time of opportunity. Now continuing on.

Revelation 20:5a
"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished..."
So there's coming a day when they're brought back on the scene to have their day before our Lord to see what degrees of punishment they will receive in the "Lake of Fire".

Before I progress on I need to remind everyone what Isaiah said in: 5:14-16 "Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled: But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness."

Revelation 20:5b
"This is the first resurrection."
Now this is always confusing, because it's not talking about the rest of dead in the first part of verse 5, but the ones up in verse 4. They were in the first resurrection which was the resurrection unto life. The ones who were the martyrs or witnesses of Christ having been resurrected within their soul and spirit in the re-birth, the quickening of their spirit from above. They were the martyrs of our day who lived as a witness of Christ's resurrection within their souls and spirits. This statement is worth repeating and that is why I did. Because so very few know and understand this fact. This took place long before the resurrection of verse 5.

Revelation 20:6
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: (the true believers) on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priest of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."
These are those who have received the illumination of revelation upon which the Church is built. For they don't see the wrath of God on man nor do they experience it. Now come on down to verse 11.

Revelation 20:11-15
"And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, (which will be Christ) from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, (the lost who have been down in Hell in torment ever since they died) small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead (those spiritually dead who never entered into redemption let alone salvation) were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (remember a believer will never face the second death, because we experience our death when we were identified within Christ when He died on the cross. Remember Paul says,`we are crucified with Christ!', the secret held within God Himself.) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
So these unbelievers will be resurrected out of Hell and given a body that is fit for the "Lake of Fire". That sounds horrible doesn't it? But that's what the Book says. We're all given the opportunity of accept this Gospel of God for nature itself reveals it Truth.

Our goal through the Holy Spirit is to continue to open the Word where anybody can understand it. Now let's go back to Ephesians chapter 2, and begin with verse 6. However to pick up the flow we will begin with verse 4.

Ephesians Lesson 13 of 39 part 3

So turn with me to I Corinthians 15, just drop down to verse 51.

I Corinthians 15:51
"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not sleep, (to die physically) but we shall all be changed."
How are we o be changed? Here's one thought how about if we all through His divine presence are become as He was as seen by the disciples on the Mt. Is this possible do you think? This would be a later day rain of sorts and is keeping with the revelation of scripture and Faith's Hope.
Now let's take time to also read the one over in I Thessalonians.

I Thessalonians 4:13
"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as other which have not hope."
And all Paul is talking about are believers who have died. Their spirit has remained asleep and continues in that state. Now there are cults who have taken that to mean that when a believer dies he goes into an unconscious state, and some cults even feel that the soul stays with that body in the grave, and it is merely asleep. Listen the soul nor the awakened, quickened spirit of man never sleeps! The soul of a lost person, as we're going to see here, goes immediately to Hell.

People just don't like to hear that expression anymore, but you see we're not afraid of it. We've always said that if people don't like the way we share our life experiences by what we teach, then they can push the off button or delete. Now we're sure the Lord doesn't want it that way, but they've got that option, so it doesn't scare us that we may lose a retirement if we can't keep doing what we're doing like it would other proclaimers, preachers and teachers who are depending on a denomination retirement pension. The Lord never told me to build a house or church from which to proclaim His Truth and this Gospel is His Truth. He just said in effect to be instant in season and out of season and to take no thought as to what to say for He would give me the words or put them in my mouth. And without any planed course of direction this is how we've lived now since 1985. So we're going to teach it just like the Bible puts it, and if people don't like it, then that's tough. The lost person is going to go to Hell with all unbelievers! Now this just put me in mind of another thing which I need to get off my chest and it has to do with evil spirits or demons. We as receptive believers have through the ontological essence of the Spirit of Christ no fear of them as they are under our feet. They run to hide when the presence of their LORD is in the room or anywhere near by. In fact when we're walking through a store or in a crowd most of them will go in another direction because they love the darkness of sin more than the Truth of Life in the Light of God.

All right, the soul and spirit never sleeps, and for many the spirit is never awakened or quickened but what about the body? We can refer to it as being asleep because what's going to happen one day? It's going to be resurrected, it's going to be woke up, it's going to be changed. Changed from a corruptible body to an incorruptible one.

When this old body is put in the grave, matters not whether its cremated or blown apart or left whole, and it's really asleep. But before it knows it the time has gone by, what's going to happen? The Lord's going shout, and the trumpet of God is going to sound, and this body is going to be raised from the dead, and will be awakened or changed in a split second, an atomic second. But always remember, "the soul and spirit never sleeps". OK so let's deal with the lost person first and then we'll come back and look at the believer.

So the lost person's body dies, his old sin nature, which has never gotten right with God, goes out into eternity, to Hell, the place that is waiting for the resurrection of the lost person. Now let me take you back to Ephesians chapter 2 for a moment and then we'll go to Matthew.

Ephesians 2:2-3
"Wherein (that is in trespasses and sins) in time past ye (believers) walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, (Satan) the spirit (small s so it's not the Holy Spirit) that now worketh in the children of disobedience (the lawless, wicked, as they don't walk by Faith): Among whom also we (including ourselves, our former way of life) all had our conversation (former manner of living) in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others."
Now turn with me to Matthew chapter 7. These are verses that we don't hear much any more. Most teachers and preachers just skip over them. When were young, we heard this quite often. We haven't heard about this for a long time, but these verses are still in the Book. And on top of that this is what the Lord said Himself.

Matthew 7:13-14
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, (not eternal life, but rather eternal condemnation) and many there be which go in thereat: (why do many take the broad way? because its easy and lined with deceptive sweetness's or pleasures) Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life,(eternal life) and few there be that find it."
Years ago we had a fellow who was a salesman for one of the dealership I was responsible to, he was a member of one of the largest religious systems in the world, and he was trying to implore me to become a part of his religious system. And I said to him, now wait a minute, my Bible tells me that based on numbers alone you're going in the wrong direction, and we don't want to be part of it. He said, "What do you mean?" I said, "Have you ever heard about the verse in the Bible that says, "broad is the way, and many go in thereat, but narrow is the way that leads to eternal life, and few there be that find it." I said, "Tell me something, does your particular religion qualify for many, or few?" He said, "Well we're many." I said, "Then according to that where are you?" He said, "On the way to destruction?" with that said I said, "You named it."

Because you see all through history has God never had the "many?" NO! Never! That's a doctrine that can be followed all the way from Genesis to Revelation, and we call it the "Doctrine of the remnant." Now those women who go to the fabric shops, what do you like to find? A remnant. It's just a little bit left of the whole bolt. Well you see that's what God has kept all the way through human history, is that little remnant. Once it got so small He could hardly see it, like at the end of the first 1600 years of human history, we had the event of the flood. How many were saved from the flood? 8 out of probably 4,000,000,000. Yes, 4 million people is the possible number of lost souls with on told numbers of fallen angels, some of which had intercourse with women who are now demons. Invisible to our naked eyes.

Then we come to the next graphic description and that is when Elijah was confronting the prophets of Baal up there on Mount Carmel. And Elijah ran scared from Queen Jezebel clear down to the south end of the Sinai peninsula. He hid under a Juniper tree, and what was his graphic statement? "Lord I'm the only one left." But what did God say? "Elijah 'I have 7000 who have not bowed their knee to Baal'." In other words these 7000 were still believers. Now that sounds pretty good, but you see Israel has always had a population coming out of Egypt running between 7-10 million. Do you know what percentage 7000 is out of 7 million? It's not 1% but is .01 of 1%. Not 1/10th, but rather it's one, one hundredth of one percent. It's a pretty small remnant isn't it? And it's always been that way, and it's that way today. We're getting down to a smaller and smaller percentage everyday. But is God surprised? Why of course not, because it's always been that way. So this is what Jesus meant when He said this is Matthew chapter 7 and verse 13.

Ephesians Lesson 13 of 39 part 2

We'll pick back up where we left off in Ephesians chapter 2.

Ephesians 2:1
"And you hath he quickened, who were (past tense) dead in trespasses and sins:"
In the last section we went back and reconstructed Adam as he was created, a perfect spirit in Genesis 1 and a perfect human in human Genesis 2. Remember we had the three circles, and in that first circle we had the makeup of Adam as he was created with a perfect body, with no seeds of death through sin. Adam could have lived forever. God gave him a personality of a mind, will, and emotions patterned after the very personality or character of God Himself. Also in that first circle we found Adam also had that third part the spirit that made him complete so that he could fellowship and communicate with God. And with his spirit operating correctly it had an influence on his personality, and it in turn had an influence on the body. So Adam was under a perfect set of circumstances in a perfect body, and with perfect soul and spirit.

But then we went and looked in the second of the three circles after he ate, immediately the body begin to die even though he lived 930 years, he still died. We're talking about physical death here, with his soul and spirit being separated from his physical body. The physical body is all that died, his soul and spirit remain active and they are the part which goes in the hell awaiting the finial judgment. He also lost that third part, the Spirit or God's presences. Then we pointed out how the moment Adam ate of the fruit he became sin with its nature. Now the reason we're using that word is because so often Paul uses the terminology that "we are of a sin-nature, its who we are not what we do." The things that we do naturally are not Godly, but rather ungodly, Satanic or evil. Now that's just the bent or benefit of the old Adamic Nature, but remember the spirit part of Adam died and completely became inoperative as far as God was concerned, sadly it became Satan's realm of influence and so every child born from Adam and Eve on are now only a two part being of physical body with a soul, of mind will and emotion...etc., but that flesh or the outer shell contains the sin-nature creature. Here's the secret, God at the same moment of death caused the spirit to become a seed like hidden within mans soul awaiting rebirth or awakening.

Now we're going to pursue the lost person a little further, because that's the format of Scripture. The natural first, and then the spiritual. So we're going to look at the natural for a little bit. This is the person who is living but is spiritually dead, and what is his future if he does not come into God's saving Grace. Let's go back to John's gospel chapter 5, and we're going to jump in at verse 28. Now this is Jesus speaking during His earthly ministry, and they're asking Him many questions. But here again Jesus doesn't give us any doctrine on how all this is brought about, but rather He leaves that for the Holy Spirit and the Apostle Paul to reveal. But Jesus does tell us the end result of a person who is nothing more than body and soul. We also have to keep in mind that the Lord Jesus was under constraint by the Holy Spirit and then the Law and the Prophets. In other words He could not openly reveal that which was still hidden from plan view. That is why He taught in parabolic form, even His disciples did not always get it. And so it is still into our day, if we have not the Spirit of Christ we are none of His! And all remains a secret hidden in plan sight.

John 5:28-29a
"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming (He doesn't put a date or year on it, but it's a future point in time) in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice. (that is the voice of God to come forth) And (they) shall come forth, (there will not be anyone that won't hear that call to come forth from the grave, whether they're lost or saved. They will come forth, not the saved and lost at the same time, but all will come forth) they that have done good,..."
Remember there's only one way we can please God, and what is it? BY FAITH! After we've done His perfect Will. Jesus doesn't come right out and say it here, but the scriptures are so plain that there's only one way of doing good in God's eyes, and that is by exercising Faith. And Faith comes through Love and Love through the knowledge of God in Christ and then the knowledge of Christ in us who is all Love restored to us. Then His Grace works through both Love and His Faith because they've been restored within us. We have become Christ-like-ones again.

Hebrews 11:6a
"But without faith it is impossible to please him:..."
And who pleased God, Christ did. So those who are of faith will come forth.

John 5:29b
"... unto the resurrection of life;..."
Now the word eternal is not in there, but it's certainly implied, because what does John 3:16 say?

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son (declared the only begotten, when? After He ascension as revealed in Hebrews 1:5, 5:5; Psalm 2:7 and Revelation 1:5), that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
So that's always implied that the believer is looking forward to an eternal life situation. This is our hope and the working out of our so great a salvation. Now let's look at the next part of the verse of John 5: 29.

John 5:29b
"...and they that have done evil, (having no faith, and rejecting this Gospel, they reject Christ) unto the resurrection of damnation."
Now we could stand here the rest of the our study and give scriptural instances of lost people who were lost only because they would not believe what God said. We can start with Adam and then Cain. We wouldn't doubt a bit that Cain was probably a nicer man than his brother Abel. He was probably the kind of guy that people would say, "Isn't he a swell guy?" But what was his problem? No Faith! Which is what got Esau cast out. He couldn't believe what God had told him to do, so Cain goes out into eternity lost.

The next person we could use as an example is Esau. Jacob and Esau were twins, they had the same parents, the same environment, and again we wouldn't doubt that Esau was probably a more likable fellow than Jacob, in fact from a man's point of view, he was. Because which one of the two did their father Isaac prefer? Esau. Nice guy, good fellow, but what was his problem? No faith! Whatever God said didn't mean a thing to him, and that's why he was willing to sell his birthright for a bowl of bean soup. He saw no value in his birth rite nor its promise. Tennessee people know all about white bean soup. So Esau gave it all up for a bowl of soup, and the reason is no faith, and he's lost for all eternity. So you can find that all the way up through Scripture, the ones without faith may have been better people, they may have been more moral, but they were destitute of faith, so God calls them evil.

John 5:29b
"...and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."
A better word for damnation would be condemnation. In other words every lost person from Cain, who left this life when their body died, their soul continued to live. So many times Paul uses the word "sleep" when he refers to those who have died. In fact let's look at the Scriptures so we'll know what we're talking about. So turn with us to I Corinthians 15, he also uses it in I Thessalonians chapter 4. Let's just drop down to verse 51.

Ephesians Lesson 13 of 39 part 1

Picking back up with the fact that most of mankind are walking dead because they believe not this Gospel of Christ which is the Truth of God and Christ's ontological essence of Spirit restored to man when man becomes receptive of Him. First through redemption wherein man becomes a seeker of the kingdom and the righteousness of God through the learning and teaching of the Holy Spirit, which Israel as a nation chose not to partake of because of unbelief. And then into Salvation through the revelation of all that took place beginning with the Last Supper on through Christ's ascension back into the heavenliest place again through our learning of Christ by our willingness to accept His yoke of Matthew 11 and His High Priestly prayer of John chapter 17. With all that said turn to Romans 5 and verse 12.

Romans 5:12a
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death (spiritual separation from the Living God, entered) by sin; and so death passed upon all men,..."
Death passed upon all men. And the reason is that every person that has ever been born, that spiritual part of them is dead. Dead as a seed which remains on a shelf (John 12:24) or remains hidden within mans soul asleep and waiting for Light and Life to bring Life back into it. The mystery of Genesis 1:1-3. Death and sin are almost synonymous. If there never would have been sin, there never would have been death. So death and sin almost become partners. When Adam sinned his spirit died, his soul became a sin-nature thing that can think nothing but evil, for out of the mouth and belly comes all sorts of evil and it is contrary to the Will of God, and the reason is because the spirit is counted as dead. It has not been planted in the likeness of a death which brings forth Life from Light. So this is where the human race is as Paul says in Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 1.

Ephesians 2:1b
"... (you) who were dead in trespasses and sins."
Even good people are walking around spiritually dead. They have no connection with God whatsoever. They can't have because they are spiritually dead. Now reading the last part of Romans 5:12

Romans 5:12b
"...and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:"
And you come on down to verse 14.

Romans 5:14a
"Nevertheless death reigned from Adam (do you see how Paul puts the finger on it? Death didn't come in some place along the line, but rather it came in when Adam ate from that forbidden tree) to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression,..."
Now let's turn over to I Corinthians chapter 15 where again Paul brings out this same problem. Paul lays it right out here just what the crux of our problem is, and how we can overcome it, if we choose.

I Corinthians 15:45
"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made (or created) a living soul: (that was back here in this first set of circles when Adam was complete) the last Adam (speaking of Christ) was made a quickening spirit:"
And how does man become complete? Believe or by receiving Paul's Gospel found in I Corinthians 15:1-4, the mystery or secret of Deuteronomy 29:29.

Before I progress within our study allow me to interject something fresh to our thought processes. This is this that from Seth on God has had one line through which He dealt with man and this is revealed not by Matthew but rather by Luke as revealed in chapter 3 as a line of righteous men and a few woman. Now I must stress that not all within this family line or family tree were righteous before God as God is concerned for the individual not the group as a whole. And this then leads to what I want to here reveal as we find it in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 and verse 24, which states this:

“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receives the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” (compare with Philippians 2:16, 3:12, 14)

Though there are many who run the race that is to say a crowd, there is only one who receives the prize. This is a prototypical metaphor as Jesus run the race alone and stood out from the crowds as an individual and in like fashion did His disciples after Him including Saul of Tarsus who became Paul after his conversion. Each person feels safe within the crowd and he looses his individualism or identity within that crowd. But the crowd is not always in the right or Truth depending of its identity or direction of leadership (1 Corinthians 10:1-5). In other words there is NO safety in numbers except when the individual does as Christ did, separated Himself from the crowds. This is what we can learn also from those of His family line beginning with Seth and keep in mind that the righteous ones which were counted as such by God skipped generations. God has always been looking towards those who would become the willing ones, the seekers of His kingdom and His righteousness. Those in and through whom He can work. I'm sharing something my wife shared here: “Have you ever thought about what it means to be "part of the crowd"? Have you ever thought why Jesus was NEVER part of the crowd? What about the statement that the Apostle Paul said in 1Corithians 9:24, "Know ye not that they that run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? Even so run; that ye may attain."

Or in Philippians where he says to "work out YOUR OWN salvation"? Too many focus on the "work out" but fail to understand the "YOUR OWN".
YOU are the ONE that God has called, and only YOU can answer that call! If you choose to be only a speck in a crowd thinking that you will have Eternal Life through them all, you are sadly mistaken my friend. Or if you think that to belong to a huge congregation is cool, and the pastor must really have it "goin' on" then you again are mistaken. In a crowd, there is error flowing like sweet wine that too soon turns sour!

The Crowd is Untruth! I ask you to please consider your salvation and not that of the crowd.....too much stays hidden in a crowd and you will most likely lose your individuality, and that is what God is looking for.....The single individual!! Will you, as that single individual, answer His calling and run the race to receive the prize???“

To which we add this which we find in 2 Corinthians 6:11-18 this: "O ye Corinthians [this can be said for anyone], our mouth is open to you, our heart is enlarged. Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels [remember Acts 9:5 and the kicks against the pricks]. Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as to my children,) be ye also enlarged. Be ye not unequally yoked [as in the crowd the congregation or assemblage] together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God [know you not that your body is the temple of God if indeed the Spirit of Christ be in you, 1 Cor. 3:16 paraphrased] with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate [Deuteronomy 6:5], saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father to you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

Now we'll pick back up where we left off in Ephesians chapter 2.

Ephesians 2:1
"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins:"

Ephesians Lesson 12 of 39 part 5

Starting with God Himself, as the Trinity by the title Elohim implies. And remember we're still talking about our circles. Here Paul is signing off his letter to the Thessalonians, and let's see what he says.

I Thessalonians 5:23
"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; (or completely, all together, as this is the definitive goal) and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
So what are we? We are a three part being. Now we guess the theologians would call it a trichotomy or trichotomous that is to say having three parts, but that's too big a word for us. We are just simply three part being. We are body, soul, and spirit, and that's the way Adam was created. He was created with that perfect body that could have lived forever. He was created with a personality or character, patterned after the personality and character of the three persons of the Trinity, a mind, a will and a set of emotions. But he also had the third part which is what we call the spirit. The portion through which inspiration or illumination comes through to us. So this first circle completed with all three parts of body, soul, and spirit represents Adam as a perfect three part being.

The spirit is the area where Adam had fellowship with his Creator God. The portion through which communication took place other than the mouth and the spoken word. The spirit was also intrinsically united with the soul, and we still look at it that way. So that Adam in his purity, in his original state, through his spirit fellowshiped with his Creator, and through that fellowship with his Creator, it had an effect upon his very personality, his mind, his will, and his emotion, and that in turn exercised the body. Now we don't know how long Adam, woman, were in the Garden before they fell, but however long it was it was perfect. It was a glorious experience, and they could look forward to their Creators coming, maybe once or twice a day to walk with them, and commune them. I must stress that the woman had no name until the separation from God took place and this I feel needs to be understood and this is recorded in chapter 3 verse 20.

And naturally we've still got lots of questions about Adam and woman for example, where did they sleep at night? Where did they experience their days of habitation? Did the Lord also have a beautiful home for them? We'd like to know that. We're sure they didn't wonder around in the Garden of Eden 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, what did they do to occupy their time. We've always told people that the Bible tells us everything we need to know, but it doesn't tell us everything we'd like to know. This we do know though, Adam and woman who became named Eve lived in perfect communion, and fellowship with their Creator. Sin hadn't even showed it's ugly head.

Then, the next thing we know is that Adam sinned when he ate, and for that we want to make a second set of circles. Remember over here in the first set of circles before Adam ate we have Adam complete. So in this next set of circles, again this outside ring represents the human body. Adam is still living just like he was in the first circle. He is still a body, he still has his soul, the mind, will, and emotion, none of that has changed since he ate, but the moment Adam ate of the fruit, he lost that third part, the spirit, it died or becomes none responsive to God as it were and he becomes nothing now but a body, and a soul, and now the spirit is counted as dead!

From Adam and Eve on every person that is born, comes into the human experience with only a body and soul, the spirit part is hidden and is asleep as a seed. It in effect like the natural seed has a hard shell around it something like a thick veil. That spiritual part of each is dead or unable to communicate with God. It has no fellowship with God, it has no communion with God. Also remember the moment Adam sinned the soul became a sin nature, a bestial nature like Satan's. So now Adam and Eve have become sin-natured creatures, and that's the way each person is when they come into this world. That's the best way we can explain it. They are now operating under a sin nature or have the character potential of Satan, and this sin nature is separated from God. And it's going to influence the physical body, not for good, but rather for evil. That's the whole concept of the spiritually dead individual. Oh we can move through life with the most pleasant of personalities but let a crisis of some sort happen and that personality changes to the most vile person around. Train up a child with no rules of conduct or boundaries and what happens? all manor of crimes or sins.

Now this is exactly what Paul talks about when he says in Ephesians 2. Let's look at that and start at verse 1.

Ephesians 2:1b
"...who were dead in trespasses and sins;"
We weren't dead because of what we did, but rather we started there at birth. Every baby that is born is born in sin, dead in trespasses and separated from God, lacks the ability to communicate with Him. Let's go back to Romans chapter 5 for a moment and let us show this. Do you realize that all the way from Genesis chapter 3 to Romans chapter 5 there is not a word of Scripture that deals with Adam, with the exception of one or two places as a name in a genealogy. Not one word of Adam being the cause of sin and death. Not one word of how he at one time was a spiritual being in fellowship with God. We don't find this until we get to the Apostle Paul's writings. Now in this chapter here it comes.

When I think about these things it is amazing that Jesus in His 3 years of earthly ministry never revealed this. Have you ever thought of that? Why didn't Jesus take the time with the twelve or during His teaching, and say "Now look folks, the crux of your problem was Adam. And it was with Adam that sin and death came into the world." But see Christ never mentioned that. And the closest we can come to that is in the Old Testament and it's found in Jeremiah. Let's turn to Jeremiah 17 and start at verse 9.

Jeremiah 17:9a
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked:..."
That as close as we can get to the problem, and we can't build doctrine like Paul does on that one verse. Now let's look at what Paul says in Romans chapter 5 and verse 12. Please keep this in mind, that Paul write and spoke what he heard from the mouth of God through the ontological essence of Christ's Spirit within him the same as we're to become empowered to do as a son of God.

Ephesians Lesson 12 of 39 part 4

Picking up with our look at Genesis 2 and verse 16 where we left off:

Genesis 2:16-17
"And the LORD God (which is God the Son, Yehovah on this occasion for He is Master which is what LORD here means) commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
Or he would be separated from God. There will become a gulf between them. That's what's going to happen within Adam, when he followed the woman and ate, if he eats of this one tree. Now let's go over to chapter 3 and see what happened. And again we all know this, but there's some that don't. Let's jump in at verse 2. Now woman who will become called Eve shortly is now on the scene.

Genesis 3:2a
"And the woman said unto the serpent,..."
Remember back there in verse 1 he was called the "most subtle of all the creatures" that God had created. If you ever wonder what that word means, look in the dictionary. It means to be sly, cunning, crafty, deceitful, full of pride, boastful and animal like and so forth. He is skilled in mind games and all forms of deception. That is why he's called the "prince of the power of the air". So all these things were wrapped up in this creature that Satan is using. Let's see what Eve says to the serpent.

Genesis 3:2b
"...We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:"
Now Eve wasn't with Adam when he got his instructions from God back there in chapter 2. So where did she find out what God had said? From Adam. He had to have revealed these things to her but did she fully understand them, don't know. And we're bringing that out to point out Adam's headship. God told Adam, not woman, and that's where He left it, and then it was Adam's responsibility to instruct Eve, and he had. So she has the right answers. BUT....

Genesis 3:3
"But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die."
We've had people ask, "Well did they have a concept of death?” Well it's kind of hard to say yes or no, but we believe they did, or otherwise God would have just been speaking empty words. Keep this one thing in mind Adam had named all living insects, animals and plant life. So he understood what He was talking about. They knew that if they disobeyed Him they'd be separated from Him. Now verse 4. Here comes the very first lie in Scripture. First turn quickly to John chapter 8 and verse 44.

John 8:44b
"...for he (Satan) is a liar, and the father of it."
This is Jesus speaking to the Jewish leadership here and he reveals just who they are of. Now let's see what Satan says to the woman. Turn again to Genesis 3 and verse 4 and following.

Genesis 3:4-5
"And the serpent said unto the woman, “Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know (doesn't that sound like the false teachers of today using the Scriptures? Oh they give credit to the Holy Spirit, and make it sound so official, but it's just as much the power of Satan as this was. So Satan can say) that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, (small "g" of course) knowing good and evil."
Now is that what God had said? Come back to chapter 2 again for a moment, we've got to compare Scripture with Scripture. God-Yehovah is speaking.

Genesis 2:17a
"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it:..."
See that's exactly what God called that tree. Do you see how meticulous Satan can be when he gets ready to deceive somebody? Oh he didn't goof it up, but rather Satan said it to woman just exactly the way God said it. Now coming back to chapter 3 and verse 5

Genesis 3:5-6
"For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (this is why God had told Adam not to eat of the tree) And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, (remember knowledge leads to mans form of wisdom) she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."
OK the moment Adam ate, what happened? He died spiritually being separated from the God of all goodness, Love and Life. By way of then being united spiritually to Satan from that moment or instant on. Oh not physically, but spiritually, and he was separated from God. He could no longer expect Him, God to come and fellowship with him, and walk with him, because that had been totally destroyed, because of sin. Now remember sin in it's simplest definition is what? "Disobeying the revealed Word, Will of God." That's what sin is, and they disobeyed the Will of God by eating. Now if you'll just look at the end of verse 6 where it says, "and he did eat." Immediately what happens in verse 7? Well the results of their sin.

Genesis 3:7a
"And the eyes of them both were opened,..."
That's exactly what Satan said would happen. But not to have their eyes opened for a greater appreciation for their Creator, but rather to know good and evil. Their ability of seeing and hearing the divine spiritual communications became veiled, they became a shamed of the nakedness which before they knew not of because of the glory which covered them. So immediately, the moment Adam sunk his teeth into that fruit, their spiritual [soul and spirit] eyes were veiled, darkened by sin and their natural eyes opened to know good and evil, and their relationship with God was immediately broken. He took on the nature of the bestial world or Satan's nature. So spiritually they died. Not physically of course because Adam lived 930 years, but when did the seed of death begin? The moment he took part of that fruit. Now do you see all of that?

To help us visualize these things we'll make use of three circles to just simply indicate the three parts of man. The outside circle represents the tent of flesh in which we live which is what we call the "body." That's just the simple exercise of the five senses. Now within this body, we also have a smaller circle called the "soul," and within the soul is a still smaller circle called the "spirit."

Now the "soul" also reaches to the "mind, the will, opinions, imagination, intellect and emotions," all of which are invisible. But these make up the personality, and it's in the area of the "soul and spirit" that we were made in the likeness and image of God. Now turn all the way to the Book of I Thessalonians chapter 5, and then we'll come back to Genesis. I think it's interesting to note how much in Scripture is tied to the number three. Beginning with God Himself, as a Trinity by the title Elohim. Here Paul is signing off his letter to the Thessalonians, and let's see what he says.

Ephesians Lesson 12 of 39 part 3

I titled this part 3 and so it will be if we make it into Ephesians chapter 2 after I say what the Lord has impressed upon me to do herewith.

In first Corinthians chapter 11 and the first 15 verses we find that which we've just shared about woman being mans complement but in verses 16-19 we have a warning about falsehood and deception of men. Then Paul picks up with the LORD's Last Supper and our being identified in Him through it and the rest of the actions taken against Him up to and including His ascension. Which took place forty days latter in accord with Daniel chapter 9. Now through the perversion of this Gospel which we find as mentioned in verses 16-19, and which Paul picks up again in verses 27-34 and compares them with those spoken of in verses 16-19. Which says, 'they don't properly discerning the Lord's Body and they partake of this meal in an unworthy manor'. And because they do so they eat and drink unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (this we've seen by way of personal knowledge and experience with family). For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world'. Then Paul reveals in 1 Timothy and elsewhere (for example Hebrews) and Peter does in 2 Peter. So lets take a moment or two to look at them.

1Corinthians 11:16-19
“But if any man seem to be contentious (through the idea of custom and usage of the Law of Moses, they oppose God, look to 1Timothy 6:3-5), we have no such custom, neither the churches of God. Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions* among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies (to take for one's self, those things now obsolete, taken as tenets [sects or parties] that is to say Pharisee’s, Sadducees, Christians and the like, which are the divisions* [denominations, as the “Jews” are figurative of them], look to Acts 5:17, 15:5, 24:5, 14, 26:5, 28:22; Galatians 5:20 and Titus 3:10) among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.”

This is what the LORD addressed to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus in Acts chapter 9 when He asked him "And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” Saul here was a contentious man, he was a heretic because he was a Pharisee's Pharisee, he belonged to the sect of Pharisee's, and so he could speak from himself by way of personal knowledge. He was kicking against, resisting the proddings of Christ within his soul. Before we move into Timothy lets look at what the Lord said as recorded in Matthew 18:7 and by Luke in 17:1 which is saying the samething so we'll look at Matthew.

Matthew 18:7
'Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!' (now here's a listing of referenced or related passages for farther study Mat. 13:41-42, 23:13-28, 26:24; Joh. 17:12; Acts 1:18-20; 2Peter 2:3, 2:15-17; Jude 11-13; Rev, 2:14-15, 20-23, 19:20-21)
We could also look at what the Lord reveals in what is called the Beatitudes as found in Matthew chapter 6-7 about false religion but for time and space we'll leave that for another day.

Now to 1 Timothy chapter 4 where we find this in verses 1-10:
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.”

From here we'll turn to 2Peter chapter 2 and beginning at verse 1 through 10 we find:
“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.”

Now to keep this brief we'll not expound on these because they pretty much speak for themselves. So we'll pick back up with our study in Ephesians chapter 2.

Ephesians 2:1
"And you (the believer) hath he quickened, (made alive from the dead) who were (past tense, separated from God by) dead in trespasses and sins;..."

Now as we always like to define words so that anybody can understand. What really is death? Well we normally think of when something dies, it's dead! Well what happens when something dies. Let's keep it in perspective by using the human race as an example. What happens when a person dies? Well their soul, spirit the invisible part of them is separated from the physical body. Now that's all death is. Now that's probably over simplifying, but death is simply the separation of the invisible part of us, for all peoples it's soul and spirit. For the unbeliever it's only the soul, his spirit hasn't been energized, awakened, as it is still separated from God, it is asleep figuratively speaking. For both the soul and spirit are covered as a seed with a shell of sin, Satan's nature.

Spiritual death is also a separation, but it's a separation from God. So the person who is spiritually dead has been separated from the Creator God. And Paul is saying here, "This is where we were before redemption which is designed to bring us through to salvation." Let's look at what he says.

Ephesians 2:1b
"...who were dead..."
Now I understand why the Lord had me to do as we've done and revealed above. For only those who are dead men and women can remain in that estate by their chosen deeds or the lust for the sweetness of sin and death, that is to remain separated from God and His Light in Love. They remain contentious and as heretics.

You no we, were all separated from God. Now we're going to go all the way back to Genesis chapter 2. As you know we're always stressing Paul's Epistles are the basis for most of what we believe, but that doesn't mean we don't use the rest of Scriptures. Remember all Scripture is inspired of God, and is profitable for reproof, for correction and instruction in righteousness. So when Paul says you were dead in trespasses and sins, what was he talking about, when did it happen? Well spiritual death or this separation from God was an event, it wasn't a process, but rather an event, a crisis.

We find that God has now created Adam, he's still alone. Eve is still in Adam, because she hasn't been brought out of him to be his "help mete" and salvation from the desire to gain the knowledge (the true, for unlawful carnal knowledge) of the nature and nature of all beasts. This knowledge makes us bestial in our very nature or Satan like. And you pick it up in verse 16: