A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers 3 (Part 3)

Numbers 3:11-13—11 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 12 "Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be Mine, 13 because all the firstborn are Mine. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They shall be Mine: I am the LORD." If God says something belongs to Him, does it belong to Him? So when He says He has taken the Levites to Himself, do they then belong to God? Well, yes. But these were His people, His tribe, rather than all the firstborn of Israel. For one very important reason: that they may act as a go-between between God and Man. Were they better than the others? By no means. We have already shown, from the book of Judges, that they could be just as dastardly as anyone. He does it for one reason and one reason only: because He can. Because that’s what He decided He wanted to do.

Don’t think you are any different. He chose who would be His from before the foundation of the world. Why? Are we better than those He didn’t choose? Oh goodness, no. We are far worse than we could ever think, far worse than we could ever be accused of being. And likewise, these Levites were no better than the others. But the others were set apart for His armies, and the Levites for His service in the Tabernacle. This was done to maintain order in this crowd of over 600,000 people. Ever take part in putting something together or tearing it down? It can be frustrating. People milling about, moving stuff in no particular order, with seemingly no rhyme or reason. Then one person puts something where it doesn't belong, and everything gets out of whack, and… Now, suppose instead of setting up a stage for a production, we’re talking about the place where God has decided to put His name. And instead of a dozen or so workers, we have over a half million. So God says, Okay, before we get started, we are only going to have the sons of the tribe of Levi handling this. They are going to put stuff up, they alone are going to take it down and put all the stuff where it’s supposed to be, and do everything else. Now, that’s settled.

Now, suppose one of these Levites said “Nah, I’d rather not”. Could they have just walked away from this calling? No. “The Levites shall be MINE”. They belonged to God. If you are in Christ, you belong to God. And that should make us the most humble of all people. That we have been bought with the price of the blood of the Son of God. Not because we were good enough or smart enough or holy enough or righteous enough to accept that payment. But that we were chosen, based on nothing, by God, redeemed with His blood, and we are now set apart to Him. There are some who say “Yes, but you can always walk away. You can say ‘I don’t want to do this anymore’”. Seriously? You think that once you are in Christ, saved from the wrath to come, that God thinks so little of you that He would let you waltz off into Hell? 1st Corinthians 3:23—and you are Christ’s and Christ is God’s. Ephesians 1:13-14—13 having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. See that word “guarantee” in verse 14? In the KJV it is translated “earnest”. It is defined as “money which in purchases is given as a pledge or down payment that the full amount will subsequently be paid.” God gives us His Holy Spirit as a pledge. And God does not go back on His word.  The Holy Spirit is our guarantee, our earnest. If God guarantees something, will it happen?

Verses 14-39 detail which duty each division of the Levites was to carry out, so we will skip on down to Numbers 3:40-51—40 Then the LORD said to Moses: "Number all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and above, and take the number of their names. 41 And you shall take the Levites for Me—I am the LORD—instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the livestock of the children of Israel." 42 So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the children of Israel, as the LORD commanded him. 43 And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names from a month old and above, of those who were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three. 44 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 45 "Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. The Levites shall be Mine: I am the LORD. 46 And for the redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, who are more than the number of the Levites, 47 you shall take five shekels for each one individually; you shall take them in the currency of the shekel of the sanctuary, the shekel of twenty gerahs. 48 And you shall give the money, with which the excess number of them is redeemed, to Aaron and his sons." 49 So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those who were redeemed by the Levites. 50 From the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 51 And Moses gave their redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Here we see a picture of redemption. The Old Covenant is often referred to as a “Covenant of Works”, and the New Covenant is referred to as a “Covenant of Grace”. I would argue they are both a Covenant of Grace. Adam’s sin plunged all humans into death and sin. God would have been perfectly justified in wiping us all out and starting all over again. But He didn’t. Even before He began the work of Creation, He knew Man would sin. So He planned to redeem some with the blood of His Son, Whom He would send at an appointed time. Until that time, He would chose for Himself a people He would call Israel. And He would give them types and shadows to serve as guideposts so that when that Son came into the world, they would know it was Him. One of those guideposts was this concept of redemption.

First, He says in verse 45 that He shall take the tribe of Levi instead of all the firstborn of all Israel. There were 22,000 males in the tribe of Levi, there were 22,273 firstborn males in all of Israel. That meant there were 273 more firstborn males than there were males in the tribe of Levi. So how would these additional 273 souls be redeemed? Well, in verses 46-48, we see that God told Moses that there was a price to be paid for them. They couldn’t just say “eh, close enough”. The first 22,000 firstborn had to be redeemed with a Levite, the remaining 273 had to be redeemed with something. God determined that that price was five shekels. This would be the price of anything devoted to the service of God, as it says in Numbers 18:16— And those redeemed of the devoted things you shall redeem when one month old, according to your valuation, for five shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. God could have said “that one is Mine, and I shall have it”, but He didn’t.  He said “give five shekels to the Levites, that they might minister on My behalf, and intercede for you”. So the principle of redemption was established.

This principle would find its way into the New Covenant, but instead of paying five shekels to redeem a soul to God, it was now a price God paid to redeem a particular people. In 1st Corinthians 6:20 it says you were bought with a price. That price was not five shekels, but rather the blood of the Lamb without spot or blemish. As John the Baptist said, “the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). In order for your sins to be taken away and forgotten, something had to be given in its place. God cannot just forget about the times you have disobeyed Him and rebelled against Him. Under the Law, that something was the blood of bulls and goats. But as we saw earlier, Hebrews 10:4—It is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. We had to be redeemed. We had to have someone go into the Holy of Holies in Heaven with blood from a perfect sacrifice in order for God to forgive our sins. Hebrews 9:12—Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. F.B. Meyer in his commentary, wrote—

We are led to consider Christ’s high-priestly work. The scene for it is no edifice made with hands in this transitory world, but eternal and divine. His stay in the Holiest is not brief, hurried, and repeated year by year, but once for all He enters by virtue of His own blood. That blood cleanses not only from ceremonial guilt, but from moral and spiritual pollution. A will or testament comes into force when the testator dies; so the will of the eternal Father toward us has been made valid through the blood of Jesus.

I’ll end with the words of the Apostle Peter, in 1st Peter 1:17-19—17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. If you are in Christ, it cost more than five shekels to redeem you from the curse of sin. You were bought and paid for with the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Leviticus 26:1-20

OK, just two more chapters. Chapter 26 will outline the various blessings and cursings that God promises the people for obeying and rejecting Him. He promises to bless them for obedience, and He promises cursings for their disobedience. So many times when we think about the “promises of God” we only think about the good promises—long life, Heaven, etc. But we often forget that God also promises punishment. Are the promises of God ‘Yes’, and in Him, ‘Amen’ (2nd Corinthians 1:20)? Absolutely. If He promises good to us, He will give good to us. But, He also promises to chasten those whom He loves, and to scourge His children when they need it (Hebrews 12:6). And He is faithful in providing such chastenings and scourgings. This chapter of Leviticus is proof of that. Because it will not be long until the people put Him to the test, and go chasing after other (little-g) gods, for which God sends severe punishment. But when they return to Him, He pours out the blessings that He promises. And we will see how God rewards and punishes Israel as we study the text. Now, since much of the content of this chapter is rather self-explanatory, this will be more of a commentary than an expository teaching. Some parts will require more comment and depth than others, and when necessary they will be treated with the depth they require. And we see an example of the “self-explanatory” category in the first verses in this chapter.

Leviticus 26:1-2—“‘1 You shall not make idols for yourselves; neither a carved image nor a sacred pillar shall you rear up for yourselves; nor shall you set up an engraved stone in your land, to bow down to it; for I am the LORD your God. 2 You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD.’” Does this need much comment? We have discussed the idolatry of Israel many times. But that is because we humans are so enamored with things we can see and touch and feel. We want something other than the true God. So we set up idols, we forget to remember the LORD, and we worship the god of self. These people, who saw the mighty works of God, were no different. They could see the graven images of Ba'al, they could touch the Asherah poles, they could feel these images they craved. But they could not see, touch or feel YHVH. And because of this fact it was easy for them to ignore Him. How quickly would a king, and the people, turn from worshipping God to turning to idols who could do nothing for them? They could not prevent them from going into exile to Babylon, and God had to prove this fact to them in 587BC, as God led Nebuchadnezzar to sack Jerusalem and carry Zedekiah and the people into captivity for 70 years because of their idolatry (see Jeremiah 34:18-22)

Leviticus 26:3-4—“‘3 If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them, 4 then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.’” Did the Israelites live in a land where it rained a lot? Or did they live in a relatively arid climate, where every bit of rain that fell was cherished? If you ever wondered why God would choose to place His people in a desert land, one which received very little rainfall, I think I can give you the answer. If He had put them immediately into a land flowing with milk and honey, how would they ever learn to rely on Him? How could one generation say to the next, “Wait on the LORD and He will provide.” And it was because they lived in such a climate that they learned the faithfulness of God.

Leviticus 26:5—“‘Your threshing shall last till the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last till the time of sowing.’” Because we can walk into any grocery store and pull nearly any kind of produce off the shelves—thanks in large part to cold storage, a concept which did not exist at this time—we don’t fully grasp the significance of this statement. The barley crop was sown in autumn—usually October—and reaped around the time of Passover. Grapes were reaped, usually, around the month of June. So think about the promise God is giving them—if they would continue obedient, He would cause their crops to be so plentiful that the barley harvest would last all the way to June—another 2-3 months. And the grapes? They would still be gathering them when it was time to sow the barley in October. In other words, before they could finish gathering in the crops from the field, it would be time to bring in the harvest of the vineyard. And before they could finish gathering the harvest of the vineyard, it would be time to plant the field crops. That’s why He says in Leviticus 26:9-10—“‘9 For I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you. 10 You shall eat the old harvest, and clear out the old because of the new.’” They would have so much produce that what they brought in last year would still be in their barns, and they would have to make room for this year’s crop.

In foretelling of the gathering of Gentiles into the kingdom of God, He makes the following promise to the people by the mouth of the prophet Amos. The context of the prophecy is this: God is warning the house of Israel that the day will come when He will sift the grain (the faithful) from the chaff (the unfaithful). And in that day, there will be so many coming into the kingdom of God that the laborers will be tripping over each other bringing them in. Amos 9:13—“Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed…” Is there ever a time when the people of Christ are not reaping and harvesting and sowing and threshing? There are always some who are sowing the word of God; there come behind them those who tend the vineyard and field; there may be still others who see the reaping of the fruit. I planted, Apollos watered (1st Corinthians 3:6). And just as every crop in a field is different from another—barley is different from wheat, wheat is different from grapes—so too every soul who reaps and is reaped to the kingdom of God is different from one another. Ephesians 4:11—And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. And the work goes on, non-stop, around the world. But in the end, we are not really the ones who are responsible for bringing in the harvest. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 1st Corinthians 12:4-6—4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.

Leviticus 26:5-8—“‘5 You shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. 6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid; I will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword will not go through your land. 7 You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you. 8 Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you.’” What is one of the biggest concerns on the minds of most people right now? It’s the issue of ‘national security’. We need better weapons, better intel, newer, more sophisticated machinery and computers and tracking software and surveillance systems and… And yet who did God tell the Israelites to trust in? Him! God! Psalm 20:7—Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. Time and time and time and time again, God showed Himself faithful in this. We could spend weeks discussing the many victories He gave to Israel when they should have, by all rights, been utterly destroyed. Judges 7:8-21—8 And he sent away all the rest of Israel…and retained those three hundred men…12 Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude…20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers…and they cried, "The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!" 21 And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled. God promised His faithful that five of them would cause one hundred to flee and one hundred would put 10,000 to flight. And on that night, three hundred men caused about 135,000 to flee.

When Ammon and Moab and those form Mount Seir came to attack the people of God, Jehoshaphat led the people in a prayer of faith to Almighty God. And when the enemy came, 2nd Chronicles 20:12-24—“12 O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You”…15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's’”…22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. 23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another. 24 So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped. The people didn’t even have to pick up a weapon! God caused His enemies to fight against each other, and wipe each other out to the last man. And yet how many times do we try to win a spiritual battle with fleshly weapons? How many times do we feel the battle raging and think “I can do it this time. I can overcome this myself.” Or we just cave and do what we know we shouldn’t. When we feel the enemy pursuing us, instead of charging forward we need to just stop, wait on the Lord, and He is faithful to fight on our behalf.

Leviticus 26:11-13—“‘11 I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people. 13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright.’” Again, He reminds them that they did not break the bands of slavery themselves. They did not rise up and defeat pharaoh and his army. They did not part the Red Sea to walk through on dry land. It was God who did that. But, not unlike us, the people needed to be reminded, time and again, of who was really in control of everything. It was God who broke the chains of slavery to Pharaoh—and only God could keep them free. The people of Israel could no more keep themselves out of the hands of their enemies than they could have freed themselves from the grip of Pharaoh. And is there not an application in this for us today? Who brought us out of sin and iniquity? Did we bring ourselves out? Were we so strong and so wise that one day we woke up and said, “Gee, I think today would be perfect for becoming a Christian”? If you think that’s what happened, think again. There was nothing in you that wanted to—or could—break the hold of sin in your life. Ephesians 2:4-6—4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Who made us alive together with Christ? Who raised us up together? Who made us sit in the heavenly places in Christ? Who? You? Are you so bold as to say that you were different from the apostle Paul, and that even though he might have needed a boost from God to come to the saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, you didn’t? You mean you had enough good in you that God didn’t need to do a thing to make you believe, that you did it all on your own? Well, congratulations! You did what none of the apostles ever did! You came to know Christ Jesus as Lord all on your own, and God the Father didn’t have to show it to you!

No, none of us comes to know Christ unless that one’s spirit has been brought to life by the Holy Spirit. He does not give men the opportunity to be saved—He saves them, brings them to life, while they are still dead, unrighteous, sinful wretches. Even when we were dead in trespasses, [He] made us alive together with Christ. We were dead—He made us alive. And because it is God who brings us to life, it is God who sustains our life, and it is God who will continue to perfect us until the end. Philippians 1:6—He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. 2nd Timothy 1:12—I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. Either Paul understood that God was the one who keeps us in Him until the very end of all things—or he had his theology wrong.

OK, so God has promised all these things to the people. He has promised blessing to the people if they obey Him. That’s the good news. Now for the bad news. Leviticus 26:14—“‘But…’”

BUT.

That one little word is used countless times in Scripture to signal an abrupt change of course. One could be reading on and on about a certain thing, and all of a sudden, here comes that word.

BUT.

Paul uses it for the good in 1^st Corinthians 15. From verse 12 he is rattling off this litany of all the misery that would be said of us who put our faith in Christ, if He has not risen from the dead. 1st Corinthians 5:13-19—13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

BUT.

1st Corinthians 15:20—But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For seven verses, Paul lays out this dark, dreary expectation of our lives if the one we look to as Savior and Lord is still rotting in a tomb, having persuaded us that we should be with Him in the glory of His mansion. And with one word, the entire focus and outlook changes.

BUT.

But now Christ IS risen from the dead. And now he can launch into this glorious section of the blessings and hope that we have in our risen Savior and Lord. And because He has risen, then we too will be raised up on the last day, to reign and rule with our Lord and to be in His presence forever.

However, in this section of Leviticus, the word BUT shifts the focus from the grace and blessing of YHVH the sore punishment inflicted if they disobey Him and go chasing after other (little-g) gods. Leviticus 26:14-17—“‘14 But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, 15 and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, 16 I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you. ’” Wasting disease and fever. One possibility here would be tuberculosis. There was a time many years ago when TB was called “consumption” because of the drastic and horrific weight loss that accompanied it. It also comes with a great fever which cannot be broken. That is what the people looked forward to if they did not obey the word of the LORD. Instead of living in relatively good health for many years, they would be laid out and open by this disease that wracks the body and crushes the soul.

Second, their crops would not grow. They could sow the fields with every seed they had, and there wouldn’t be one stalk to grow. And even if one did grow, He would surely send locusts to devour it. Finally, instead of putting their enemies to flight, their enemies would put them to flight. Not long after the death of Joshua, the one who would lead them into Canaan, the people did exactly what God said they would do—they went chasing after other (little-g) gods.

Judges 2:8-15—8 Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died when he was one hundred and ten years old. 9 And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash. 10 When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel. 11 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals; 12 and they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger. 13 They forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. 15 Wherever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for calamity, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed.

OK, let’s think about this a minute. The people followed the pillar of smoke and the pillar of fire all through the desert. They taught their children about God, about His commands, about the promises of blessing and the promises of cursing. And the very next generation, when they get old enough, they say, “Well, yeah, that was good for you old folks. But we’re young, hip, cool and relevant. We need something a little more exciting to draw in the crowds! Hey, I know—let’s be like the culture around us, and incorporate some of their more worldly elements into our worship service!” Yeah, does kinda sound like some churches today, huh? And so, they go out to the surrounding nations, and they borrow their Ba’als and their Ashtoreths and their groves and sacred pillars. And what does God do? He does EXACTLY as He promised. He fights against them, He sells them into the hands of the neighboring lands. Hmmm…seems as though God said something about setting His face against them, about them being defeated by their enemies, those who hate them ruling over them and the people fleeing when no one pursued them. Oh yeah, Leviticus 26:17—“‘I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you.’” And yet, what is their response when that which God specifically promised comes to pass? They were greatly distressed. No kiddin’!

God knew that was going to happen. If He didn’t, He would not have warned them about it. But He also knew that the heart of man is always bent on destruction. Genesis 8:21—“The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth.” All we ever think about is what we want. And even after being punished, we go back for more. And God gave them another warning, Leviticus 26:18-20—“‘18 And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. 19 I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. 20 And your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit.’” In other words, God is saying that if it isn't enough allow them to be defeated and plundered and scared of their own shadow, and they want to keep coming back for more, then He will give it to them. And in their obedience, when the earth brought forth its produce, this no doubt gave them a sense of pride. But, when they became prideful of all their crops, God said, “OK, enough of those things. I’m shutting up the heavens, and I’ll turn the ground to bronze, and all your sweat and toil will not be able to break it up to sow anything.” And you would think that would be enough to make the people turn back to God. And you would be wrong. And we will see why next week

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.

Jesus IS Lord in Ephesians and Philippians

Ephesians 1:1-3—Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

Ephesians 1:15-17—Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.

Ephesians 3:11-15—According to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.

Ephesians 4:1-5—I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism.

Ephesians 4:17—This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind.

Ephesians 5:8-10—For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:17-22—Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:28-29—So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

Ephesians 6:1-4—Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:5-10—Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh…with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Ephesians 6:21-24—But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you; whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts. Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

Philippians 1:2—Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:12-14—But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel...and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Philippians 2:9-11—Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:19—But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state.

Philippians 2:24—But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.

Philippians 2:29—Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem.

Philippians 3:1—Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.

Philippians 3:8—Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.

Philippians 3:20—For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 4:1-5—Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

Philippians 4:10—But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.

Philippians 4:23—The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

"Paul never quoted Jesus!" (Ephesians)

Ephesians 1:7--In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

• Matthew 9:2; Mark 2:5; Luke 5:20--When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

Ephesians 1:18--...that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe...

• John 14:1-3--“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

Ephesians 1:19-21--...according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

• Matthew 26:63-63--And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Ephesians 1:22--And He put all things under His feet...

• Mark 12:35-36-- Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: 'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'"

Ephesians 1:23--...and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

• Matthew 16:18--"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."

Ephesians 2:11-13--Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands—that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 3:6--...that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel...

• John 10:15-16--"As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd."

Ephesians 2:19-20--Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone...

• Luke 20:17--Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone'?"

Ephesians 3:3-4--...by revelation He made known to me the mystery...which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets...

• Matthew 11:25--At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes."

Ephesians 4:1-3--I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

• John 13:14-17--"If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."

Ephesians 4:26-27, 31--“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil...Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

• Matthew 5:21-22--"You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire."

Ephesians 4:32--And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

• Matthew 6:14-15--"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Ephesians 5:1--Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

• Matthew 5:48--"You shall be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect."

Ephesians 5:8--For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

• Matthew 5:14-16--"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

Ephesians 5:11-13--And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.

• John 3:19-21--"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

Ephesians 5:28-31--So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

• Matthew 19:3-5--The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?"

Ephesians 6:5-8--Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

• Matthew 10:24-25--"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master."
• Luke 12:47--"And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes."

Ephesians 6:14--Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth...

• Luke 12:35-36--"Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately."