A series of homilies on Ephesians
A homily is “a short talk on a religious or moral topic; a usually short sermon; a lecture or discourse on or of a biblical theme.”
I am sharing a verse-by-verse series of short messages on Ephesians (as well as other passages of Scripture) specifically targeted at reviving families and encouraging and exhorting husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, and children to do what God has commanded them to do, for if the church is to be revived and the country is to be awakened, the family must be revived first.
TEXT: Ephesians 1:7-14:
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of time he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
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Sadhu Sundar Singh said, “To harmonize the thoughts and imaginations of men the presence of the stimulating breath of the Holy Spirit is necessary. When that is present there will be produced heavenly airs and joyous harmonies in men’s hearts, both in this life and in heaven.”
Leonard Ravenhill said, “I tremble at the awesomeness of preaching God’s Word. Sometimes I hear preachers read the Bible as if it were a weather report.”
In their book, The Ten Greatest Revivals Ever, Elmer Towns and Douglas Porter share with us: “Fasting with prayer is widely practiced in Korea. More than 5,000 “prayer mountains” have been established—mountain retreats where Christians go for days or weeks of prayer. The prayer life of the Korean church remains a role model for Christians around the world. No wonder that.by the year 2000, a third of the Korean population had become members of a Christian church.”
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On last night, we left off talking about how we, as believers, are sealed by the Holy Spirit once we believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. Prior to that, we talked about the inheritance that believers have in Christ. Today, we see how those two things come together. Paul writes, “Ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
If you have ever wondered about receiving your inheritance, you can rest assured that you will receive it because the seal of the Holy Spirit is your guarantee. That is what this verse is telling us. The Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance. The Greek word translated “earnest” is “arrabon.” It means “money given as a pledge or down payment that the full amount will subsequently be paid.” If you are saved, you already have the Holy Spirit living inside of you. He is the guarantee of your inheritance. God would not have given you the Holy Spirit if He did not intend to give you your inheritance in Christ as well.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary says, “The Holy Spirit who seals is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. The ‘deposit’ is more than a pledge which could be returned; it is a down payment with a guarantee of more to come. It guarantees believers’ ‘inheritance’ of salvation and heaven. In essence, the ‘deposit’ of the Holy Spirit is a little bit of heaven in believers’ lives with a guarantee of much more yet to come.”
With the Holy Spirit inside of you, you already have a little bit of your inheritance with you. You don’t have to worry about the future. God has made you a promise, and He will keep His promises. He cannot lie. He is faithful and true. You will receive all of the blessings and benefits that He has promised you.
Let’s pray.
Now, if you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, please keep in mind that the Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” Just pray and ask Him to come into your heart and He will. I will be sharing more on the matter of salvation in the next segment of our service which starts in about 5 minutes.
Revival Prayer List
PRAY FOR SPECIFIC FAMILIES
Philippians 4:6 says, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
— Kailash in South Africa
help him with the finances he needs to complete his MBBS degree/medical education
help him to use his calling to change the lives of others
— Ricardo
deliver him and his elderly father from demonic attacks
— Candice in Chicago
provide her with a job and help her to get her life back on track
bring unity back to her family
bless her kids with good health and give them safety
— Adeniyi in Lagos, Nigeria
provide him with divine intervention and help him to get married
give him a house of his own and ministerial breakthrough
— Doreen in Malawi
be with her and her family
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PRAY FOR CHURCH LEADERS
Paul said in Ephesians 6:18, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”
Leaders of the Episcopal Church
C. Kirk Hadaway
Su Hadden
Jayce Hafner
Patrick Haizel
David E. Hales
Scarlet Harlingten
Valerie Harris
Erin Heeter
Rev. Daniel R. Heischman
David Henritzy
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PRAY FOR GOVERNMENTAL LEADERS
1 Timothy 2:1-2 says, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”
STATE CABINET MEMBERS
WASHINGTON
Derek Sandison
Michael Cockrill
Brian Bonlender
Dick Morgan
Ross Hunter
Maia Bellon
Dale Peinecke
Christopher Liu
Scott Jarvis
David Schumacher
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.
He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.
He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.
BCNN1 WP 