Timelines
Eph. 1:3-13 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has
blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are
united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us
in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to
himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him
great pleasure.
So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to
his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our
freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.
He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to
fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will
bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven
and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have
received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes
everything work out according to his plan.
God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would
bring praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth,
the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he
identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised
long ago.
Eph. 2:1-10 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your
many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the
devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at
work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that
way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By
our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we
were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the
dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us
from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms
because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future
ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us,
as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved
you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a
gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so
none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us
anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Eph. 3:6-9 And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the
Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are
part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they
belong to Christ Jesus. By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given
the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News. Though I am the
least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of
telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. I
was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator
of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.
Luke 14:15 Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed,
“What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!”
Luke 14:16-24 Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast
and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his
servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ But they all began
making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please
excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to
try them out. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I now have a wife, so I can’t
come.’
“The servant returned and told his master what they had said.
His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the
town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ After the
servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ So his
master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge
anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. For none of those I first
invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’”
Acts 13:36 “For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation,
he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed.