We're going to look at several verses in Ephesians starting with the first chapter. Divine order is very important, and we find it all the way through the Scriptures. There is a very simple reason for God using divine order like He does. It is because God's plans are carried out by men. He works through His people. Thus, divine order becomes most important and necessary.
Divine order is clearly seen in the life of Jesus Christ. Couldn't God have saved mankind without working through an individual? Couldn't He have spoken a word and accomplished it as He did with the creation of the world? Either it was not possible or He just simply chose not to do it that way. In His wisdom He chose to save man by becoming man. Jesus was the answer to everything. He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by Me. John 14:6. No man can come unto God except through Jesus; that is divine order. It can't be done any other way.
Everything has to be done exactly the way God wants it done. Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me,) to do Thy will, O God. Hebrews 10:7. Again, I can of Mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and My judgment is just; because I seek not My own will, but the will of the Father which has sent me. John 5:30. Again, Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself: but the Father that dwells in Me, He does the works. John 14:10. In other words, Jesus was totally dedicated to the will of God and it had to be that way in order for God's will to be accomplished. God's will is accomplished through divine order.
In Matthew 23:39 Jesus said: Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till you shall say, Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord. That is divine order. We see it first in Jesus Christ. We don't see God unless we see Him in the ministry of Jesus. Then He sends others and we don't see the Lord unless we receive them.
There is divine order in everything concerning God's Kingdom. Of course, the very peak of that divine order is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is the beginning and the end. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord. Revelation 1:8. Do you understand? He is the beginning of God's plan for our salvation and when it is all done He is the completion of it. The Body of Christ ultimately becomes the fullness of Christ. In that sense, it is the return of Christ. Now let's look at some divine order in Ephesians.
Ephesians 1:19-20 And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who
believe, according to the working of His mighty power,
20 Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead...
There are two resurrections. His first resurrection was when Jesus came out of the ground. The second resurrection is when He comes out of the ground of our human flesh nature.
Ephesians 1:20-23 ...and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every
name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all
things to the church,
23 Which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.
That is divine order; Jesus Christ is the Head. He is over all things to the Church. When the Scriptures talk about the Church, it is not talking about what is usually thought of as the churches today. The term "church" today involves countless religious organizations. The Scriptures do not talk about the Church in that sense. The Church, scripturally, is in divine order. It is the Body of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Head and the Body are one. If you separate the head from the Body there is no life. The Head and the Body together is Christ.
Ephesians 2:19-20 Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners, but
fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
Himself being the Chief Corner Stone.
God's household is what the Church becomes. It is a household in divine order. The Church is built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets. The most important part of the foundation is the Chief Corner Stone. Many of today's churches have eliminated the foundation altogether. The Cornerstone on which the whole foundation rests upon is the Lord. He is the main part of the many-membered Christ. He is the Head and He is the Chief Cornerstone; He is the beginning and the end.
Ephesians 2:21-22 In whom all the building fitly framed together grows into an
holy temple in the Lord.
22 In whom you also are built together for a habitation of God through the
Spirit.
The household of God is becoming a holy temple in the Lord. Here is the purpose of God. He is working with man according to divine order in such a way as to create a body of people for His habitation. He will dwell in them. For you are the Temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. II Corinthians 6:16. God's will is wrought through divine order. His plan and purpose has its beginning in Jesus Christ. When His purpose is completed the final product is Christ. It begins with Christ the Individual and upon completion is found the many-membered Christ. He is the beginning and the end. Now let's look at that foundation a little closer in chapter four of Ephesians.
Ephesians 4:11 And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.
These ministries along with Jesus (the Chief Corner Stone) make up the foundation of the Church. They are also called ascension gift ministries because the Lord gave them when He ascended. Wherefore He saith, When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Ephesians 4:8. The gift Jesus gives, of course, is Himself. He is the Apostle, the Prophet, the Evangelist, and the Pastor and Teacher. The one that He ministers through as Apostle has an apostolic ministry. The one He ministers through as Prophet has a prophet's ministry, and so on. The moment the one who has an apostolic ministry becomes "The Apostle" divine order is polluted with the adamic nature.
Ephesians 4:12-16 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son
of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about
with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,
whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is
the head, even Christ:
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which
every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every
part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
It is the ministry of the Lord through the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers that builds up the Body of Christ, bringing it into the fullness of Christ. Maintaining divine order is essential. If the foundational ministries are removed, then the channels for the functioning of the Lord are eliminated and the body becomes lifeless. This is the reason that many of today's churches are lifeless. Even though they continue to profess to have evangelists, pastors and teachers, they are lifeless because they have eliminated the apostles and prophets. We must have Jesus the Apostle ministering to the Church, but He only functions as Apostle through apostolic ministries. That is divine order. That is not to say that everyone who claims to be an apostle or prophet really is. Real apostolic ministries do not boast about being an apostle, neither do real prophets boast about being a prophet. They realize that the Lord Jesus is the real Apostle and real Prophet. Now let's look in the latter part of chapter five of Ephesians.
Ephesians 5:22-23 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the
Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the
church: and He is the Savior of the body.
Did you get that? In the same way you would submit to the Lord, submit to your husband. The responsibility here is not one sided. We'll see that in verses 24 and 25.
Ephesians 5:24-26 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the
wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave
Himself for it;
26 That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of the water by the
Word.
So you see the submission unto divine order. Now we are talking about a husband/wife relationship that is coming forth within the Body of Christ, and to reject the divine order is to reject Christ. Look at verse 25 again: Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it. In other words, the husband lays his life down for his wife. He realizes the responsibility he has for his wife, and the wife understands her submission to her husband. Her relationship to her husband determines her relationship with the Lord, and the husband's relationship to his wife determines his relationship with the Lord. So the same responsibility is on both.
What happens when the husband/wife relationship is in divine order? Well, it enables the Lord to sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of the water by the Word. In verse 32 Paul says, This is a great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and the Church. Do you want your husband/wife relationship sanctified and cleansed with the washing of the Word? Then move forward in your submission to divine order.
Now Paul writes concerning the children.
Ephesians 6:1-4 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2 Honor your father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
3 That it may be well with thee, and that you may live long on the earth.
4 And, you fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord.
The Lord wants us to understand divine order and how important it is. Divine order works in everything of His Kingdom. It works in your relationship with the Lord; it works as far as the Body of Christ is concerned. It is the main thing between parents and children. Divine order is right; it is important. "But I can't do what I want to do." It really takes away from the doing of your own thing, but that only happens when the doing of your own thing is in opposition to God's will. You have to trust the Lord. Trust Him in what He is doing; trust Him in what He is creating in your relationships.
Ephesians 6:5-8 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to
the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ.
6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the
will of God from the heart;
7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of
the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
Paul writes about all kinds of relationships in these scriptures and divine order works in all of them. Do you remember the parable in Matthew 25 of the sheep and goats? The goats came under judgment simply because their relationship with the sheep wasn't right. In other words, they weren't submissive to divine order. They were doing their own thing. That is what the goat nature does. A goat is a Christian who wants to do his own thing - stubborn, hard-headed, self-willed. A goat-Christian might prophesy and do all kind of wonderful great things, but doesn't recognize the Christ that is coming forth in a brother or sister. If he is not one with them, then the divine order is broken. Jesus said, "Not everyone who says, 'Lord, Lord' shall enter into the Kingdom of God" (Matthew 7:21).
As you study the Scriptures notice the divine order. It is important. God's will is accomplished through divine order.
Copyright © 2007 by Henry DuBose