Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20091018.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Ephesians: Overcoming Our Insecurities In Christ
Part I: The Believer's Secure Position In Christ, Ephesians 1:1-3:21
E. Overcoming The Insecurity Of A Personally Insignificant Existence
(Ephesians 1:8-10)
  1. Introduction
    1. A fear that often afflicts folk today is that their personal lives might be of no significant value in history.
    2. However, the way God has planned history has placed us believers in the Church era in very key roles! Paul alluded to this fact in Ephesians 1:8-10, and we view it with related Scriptures for our edification:
  2. Overcoming The Insecurity Of A Personally Insignificant Existence, Ephesians 1:8-10.
    1. Paul reported that God has lavished His grace upon us Christians who have believed in Christ, Eph. 1:8a.
    2. This grace has been showered upon us in all "wisdom and understanding", Ephesians 1:8b NIV.
    3. Specifically, Paul claimed God had revealed His once hidden (mystery) plan made in His good will that in the "dispensation of the fulness of times," Christ's Messianic rule, He might gather together all things in Christ, be they in heaven or on earth, Eph. 1:9-10; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to Eph. 1:10.
    4. If we view Paul's later reference in this epistle to this same truth (Ephesians 3:3, 4-11) in light of other Old and New Testament passages, we see God has given us believers in this Church era an astounding, critical role in His plan in world history especially as it relates to the Messianic Kingdom (as follows):
      1. Paul noted in later referring to this theme in Ephesians 3:3-11 that God had made Gentiles in the Church era who believed in Christ fellow heirs of the same body and recipients of God's Abrahamic promises in Christ as were believing Jews, Ephesians 3:6 with 2:11-22.
      2. As such, this body of believers, the Church, is the spiritual Bride of Christ, 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:25-27.
      3. In perusing other Scriptures, we see that the Church as Christ's Bride and He as her Bridegroom are united in an astounding divine wedding reception with all other saints in the Messianic Kingdom, saints from heaven and on the earth, in line with Paul's Ephesians 1:9-10 prophecy (as follows):
        1. When Abraham asked God how he could know he would possess the Promised Land (Gen. 15:8), God revealed he would die, that he would thus not gain possession of it in this life, Gen. 15:13-16.
        2. When Daniel in Daniel 12:6-8 wanted more details about the end of the Great Tribulation Period, God's angel gave him only a timeline overview of the Tribulation, omitting reference to Christ's Second Coming, and that he would be raised to inherit his plot of land in Israel, Daniel 12:13.
        3. New Testament prophecy reveals that, in the Kingdom, the glorified Church will return to earth after the rapture with Christ, and other saved Jews and Gentiles not of the Church era will be invited to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, His Kingdom. The Church in that Kingdom will be a trophy exhibit of God's grace unto all, Rev. 19:7-9; J. D. Pentecost, Things To Come, 1972, p. 227-228.
        4. Thus, Old Testament saints like Abraham and Daniel and Tribulation era martyrs who had been in HEAVEN (Heb. 12:22-23; Rev. 6:9-11) with surviving Tribulation era saints on EARTH (Rev. 7:9-17) will be raised or stay alive to inherit God's blessings, and they, at God's wedding reception, the whole Messianic Kingdom, will view us, the glorified Church and Bride of our glorified Bridegroom, as a trophy of God's grace in line with Paul's Ephesians 1:10 prediction!
        5. Little wonder, then, that in 1 Peter 1:10a, 12c, Peter noted how even the angels of God in heaven long to look into these matters, things regarding the glories that would follow Christ's suffering!
        6. [We know from Colossians 1:16-19 with John 1:51 that Christ's uniting of all things in the Kingdom will include His also uniting heavenly angels in His reign with events upon the earth!]
Lesson: God has so lavished His GRACE upon US believers in the CHURCH era that He will USE US as TROPHIES of His GRACE before raised Old Testament and Tribulation saints and surviving Tribulation saints ALL DURING the THOUSAND YEAR MESSIANIC KINGDOM, God's WEDDING RECEPTION of US, the CHURCH and of our spiritual BRIDEGROOM, the LORD JESUS CHRIST!

Application: (1) In view of God's gracious plans for us, may we never think our individual lives as Christians are worthless! (2) May we thus abound in God's work as our lives and work are not in vain in Him, 1 Cor. 15:58, and (3) may we evangelize others to trust in Christ to find value for their lives!