(text and audio)
Title: It’s All Greek To Me
(OR) This Deal Just Keeps Getting Better
Intro:
Story of Ben and Mary getting married, needing a TV, Ty telling us to go see Tony at Best Buy, “One Hand Scratches the Other.”
“abound”
Greek: perisseuō
(Definition Slide from BLB)
(N.T. examples slide)
DQ: In what ways is the redemption (“the riches of his grace”) we find in Christ “in abundance”?
(Take answers)
PB’s Thoughts:
- It covers ALL our sin (in theory, without limit)
- It covers the sin we are UNAWARE of.
- It covers the sin we haven’t committed yet.
What comes with the riches of his grace?
When the rubber meets the road, what does this lavish gift look like?
How does it manifest itself in our lives?
What is the practical result?
What (besides salvation) do we actually gain?
“all wisdom and prudence”
“wisdom”
Greek: Sophia
(Sophia BLB Slide)
…too many NT examples of Sophia to list them, it’s everywhere
“prudence”
Greek: phronēsis
(phronesis BLB slide)
(examples BLB slide)
And what is Paul’s evidence that these riches come with wisdom and understanding?
(he has) made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
This is so very important and I beg you to follow me here:
What Paul is telling us is that the evidence of God giving us these riches is that we not only HEAR the Gospel, but UNDERSTAND the Gospel, and (because he has called and softened our hearts) we ACCEPT the Gospel.
This leads us to a concept that we get into more later in Ephesians, but I want to touch on it now.
Why does someone who is saved see scripture differently than someone who isn’t? Why is it truth to the saved and foolishness to the world?
(take answers)
Illumination.
When paul says that Jesus has “made known to us” he is saying that we have been illuminated (through no doing of our own) to see Truth as Truth and not fables.
Therefore, the evidence that Paul cites is that we “know the mystery of God’s plan.”
Close:
So, as we close today, let me offer a paraphrase (again, not a translation, but a working paraphrase) based on all this Greek we’ve studied today.
“Jesus has LAVISHED UPON US ABUNDANTLY, by giving us both PRACTICAL WISDOM and INSIGHT and we know this because we both UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT THE GOSPEL and can find direction for life’s matters IN SCRIPTURE because he’s ILLUMINATED our minds. HE did this because it made him happy.”