INTRODUCTION:
• While in Corinth, Paul meets Aquila and his wife Priscilla… Jewish believers who owned a tentmaking business and Paul began working with them in order to provide for his needs in the ministry
• Apollos at this time is in Ephesus and because he is able to prove from the scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah and a church is established
• Priscilla and Aquila them come to Ephesus, they notice that Apollos is a brilliant teacher, mighty in the scriptures but he only knows of the
Baptism of John, the baptism of repentance
• So they take Apollos aside and instruct him in Paul’s teachings and we’re told they instructed him more fully concerning Jesus
• With this knew found knowledge, Apollos leaves Ephesus and takes over the work in Corinth and Paul comes to Ephesus
• When Paul arrives in Ephesus, he finds a group of 12 disciples and he noticed something lacking in their joy, their passion for the things of God
• So Paul asks them, did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?
• They respond… we didn’t even know there was a Holy Spirit
• So Paul asks… how were you baptized? They said by John’s baptism
• Paul instructs them… John baptized with the baptism of repentance, but Jesus said He would baptize you with the Holy Spirit
• Paul laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit
• Paul continued in Ephesus for 3 years… probably working with Pricilla and Aquila and ministering at the church in Ephesus
• The church grew in size and influence, people were being delivered from demonic powers and it was affecting the idolatry industry in Ephesus
• The silversmith’s in Ephesus got together and incited a riot because Paul was preaching the goddess Diana wasn’t a god and people stopped buying idols
• Thus the church in Ephesus was a strong church and through Ephesus, the surrounding region of Asia Minor was saturated with the gospel
• Other major cities were evangelized and churches established so that when Jesus addresses the churches of Asia in Revelation, Ephesus was the first church addressed
• Paul eventually goes to Rome where he is arrested and he ends up preaching to Caesar Nero, but Nero rejects the gospel
• Ephesians is one of Paul’s prison letters, written by Paul during this first Roman imprisonment around 64 AD
• Now there are historical writings that are not Biblical that say Paul’s visit with Nero went well and Paul was released and went back to Ephesus
• However, after Nero rejected the gospel history tells us he went mad
• He began persecuting the Christians, using them as human torches to light up his garden
• During this time Paul was arrested and eventually beheaded
• Now the interesting thing about Ephesus… here’s a church that was strong, highly influential and yet in Revelation Jesus rebuked them saying they had left their first love
Ephesians is unique to Paul’s writings in that it wasn’t written to address a problem in the Church
• Corinthians was written to address division, charismatic abuses and the misunderstanding of grace as it relates to sin
• Galatians was written to address the Judaizers who were trying to mix law with grace
• Philemon was written to address a problem that resulted between a believing slave and a believing slave owner
• But Ephesians was written to teach believers what it means to be a follower of Jesus
• The first 3 chapters of Ephesians deal with our relationship with God
• The second 3 chapters deal with our relationship with each other in view of our relationship with God
Ephesians 1:1–2 (NKJV)
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Paul’s introduces himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God
• The word apostle means “sent one”
• Paul wasn’t sent by his own will or by the will of man, but by the will of God
Acts 9:15–16 (NKJV)
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
• Thus is was the Lord Himself that chose Paul to bear His name before Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel
• I’m always suspicious of those who are always talking about how they’re called to use their gifts or get their message out there
• They are self-proclaimed ministers… they may even get other people to validate them… but notice Paul said I’m an apostle by God’s will
• Who was he sent to? The saints in Ephesus
• What defines a saint? Someone who is faithful in Jesus Christ Notice vs. 3… Paul’s greeting… grace to you and peace
• You can’t experience the peace of God until you experience the grace the God
• Religion is man’s attempt to find peace without God’s grace Ephesians 1:3–6 (NKJV)
3 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,
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
• We believe the scriptures teach there is only one God, made up of three persons… Father, Son and Holy Spirit… called the Trinity or the Tri-unity
• Paul makes reference to this by referring to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
• Psalm 2:7 David writes concerning the decree of the Lord who says you are my Son, today I have begotten you
• Proverbs 30:4 refers to the Creator of the world asking what is His name and what is His Son’s name?
• Hosea 1:1 God says out of Egypt I called My Son
• It’s evident from the Hebrew scriptures that Jesus is the Son of God Now I want you to understand your position as a follower of Jesus
• Paul begins by saying… as a believer you are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ
• Now what is included in every spiritual blessing?
• First, we are chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world
• That means before the world came into existence, God decided that He would chose you to be His child
• Now there are those who take this to say only those who are His are chosen, I want to suggest that what Paul is saying is God has chosen everyone to be His child
• God isn’t willing that any should perish… so God has chosen everyone
• If God has chosen everyone, why isn’t everyone saved?
• Because God’s choosing isn’t what saves us… what saves us is when we respond to God’s choice to demonstrate His love by receiving the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ
Second, we are holy and without blame when we stand before Jesus in agape love
• How is this possible? Through the death of Jesus on the cross we are forgiven, declared holy (set apart) and blameless
• Paul says in Romans 8, there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus
• Since we are set apart for God, since we are forgiven… God wants us to live as free people, as forgiven people, as people set apart for God
Third, we have been predestined to be adopted as sons
• Now we have the flipside of being chosen, predestination
• The word predestined comes from the Greek word proorizo and it means to appoint… it literally means to set the limit or to horizon
• When you’re sailing on the ocean, you look out across the sea and you see the horizon and if you’re out to sea all you see if the horizon
• You’re horizoned, all around you the limit is set by the horizon and you’re in the middle of it
• That’s what it means when God says you’re predestined
• Everywhere you look, the plan of God is evident… His plan is to adopt you as sons and daughters, to lavish His love on You, to forgive You
• The world He created was established for you to have a place to live in fellowship with God, to enjoy creation, to experience the joy of living
• You are horizoned… surrounded by the inexhaustible love and grace of God… and just like you can’t swim to the horizon and find dry land because the ocean is too big… you can’t get to the end of God’s love
• One day, I’m going to be in heaven and it’s not because I was a nice guy who served the Lord
• The only reason why I am saved is because God, who is rich in mercy, spoke my name and told me He loved me and revealed Himself to me
• He did this simply because He wanted to… according to the good pleasure of His will
• Vs. 6 Paul breaks into thanksgiving… to the praise of the glory of His grace… praise the Lord for His glorious grace!
Fourth… we are made accepted in the Beloved
• The root word of accepted is Charis which means grace meaning we are the recipients of the grace of God in Jesus
What does it mean to be accepted in the Beloved?
• First, it means we have redemption through His blood Ephesians 1:7–12 (NKJV)
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth— in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
• Redemption means ransom and it’s the picture of being bought out of slavery to sin
• Redemption means our sins, our debts are forgiven, paid in full… on what basis? According to the riches of His grace.
• When we’re all standing before God, in the dispensation of the fullness of times, complete in Jesus Christ, gathered together by Jesus… we will receive the inheritance that is ours as those accepted in the Beloved
Second, it means we have an inheritance
• Through Jesus Christ, I am adopted into the family of God
• I’ve been redeemed, my sins are forgiven and now I’m an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ
• Now why did God do this? Because He wanted to… according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will
• He’s doing it in order that my life would bring glory to God
• The emphasis is not on me living a life that glorifies God
• The emphasis is on God who has done so much for me that the result of His grace working in my life makes everyone who sees my life say… wow look at what God has done!
• What gives God access to my life… because I first trusted in Christ Ephesians 1:13–14 (NKJV)
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, 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.
• What produces trust or faith in my life?
• Hearing the word of truth known as the gospel of your salvation
• Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of God
• Notice the gospel of my salvation is not a message, it’s a person… Paul says in whom also having believed speaking of Jesus
• What happens after you believe in Jesus… you are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise who is the guarantee of our inheritance
Two things I want to point out about the Holy Spirit
• Paul says we are sealed with the Holy Spirit
• When you would import goods from another country, you would
personally oversee the packing of the goods and then you would put a wax seal on the boxes that were yours
• The boxes would then ship to the destination and you would take all the boxes that had your seal on them
• In the same way, the Holy Spirit is God’s mark of ownership on your life and when you arrive at your destination (heaven) God will be looking for the seal of the Spirit on your life… that’s the proof that you belong to Him
• Consequently, discernment is not the ability to identify evil, but the ability to identify the mark of the Spirit on someone or something
• Paul also says the Holy Spirit is our guarantee… literally down payment
• When you buy a house, you put a down payment on the house
• Now you don’t own the house, the bank owns the house, but the down payment is the guarantee that once the debt is paid you own the house
• The Spirit is the down payment of the inheritance which means… the debt is paid, so now the Holy Spirit is the guarantee that you will receive the inheritance as an adopted child of God
• Again, God doesn’t have to do this… He does it because He wants to and it produces worship in our lives… to the praise of His glory
Ephesians 1:15–23 (NKJV)
15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making
mention of you in my prayers: 17 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, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding
greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His 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 age but also in that which is to come.
• I love this prayer that Paul prays over the Ephesians
• This is the prayer that we should be praying over each other Ephesians 1:22–23 (NKJV)
22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
• The Bible says that God has put all things in subjection to Him
• But the Book of Hebrews tells us we do not yet see all things in subjection… it’s for a future date
• All things are under the feet of Jesus, yet we don’t see all things under His feet… so we have this dispensation of time
• This period of time in which God is drawing out from among the Gentiles a bride for His Son… the church, the bride of Christ
• One day we will be united with Him and we will all be one with Him
• Paul begins Chapter 2 with your favorite subject! Ephesians 2:1–3 (NKJV)
2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
• In order to understand the grace of God, you must understand the condition of man
• Without Christ we are dead (already judged) in trespasses (willful disobedience) and sins (means to miss the mark, to come up short)
• Vs. 2 in which you once walked… better translated meander
• If you see someone walking you might think they have an appointment
• But if you see someone meandering, you think they’re just wasting time
• Paul is saying in times past you were just meandering through life, no real purpose, no meaning… wasting time.
• Just doing whatever everyone else did, going with the flow, following every fad, every trend, according to the prince of the power of the air
• Now this is where it’s hard for me to understand the person who doesn’t want to submit to the will of God
• They have a wrong concept of God that God is going to make them do something they don’t want to do
• But as long as you are meandering through life, you are being manipulated by Satan, the prince and the power of the air
• Not only are you being manipulated, but you’re being lied to believing that you’re doing what you want, fulfilling your desires and your cravings when in fact you’re being led to destruction as children of wrath
• That’s the condition of man… being led towards destruction Ephesians 2:4–7 (NKJV)
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, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
• There I was, hopelessly lost, bound by Satan’s power, a slave to my flesh, in bondage to sin… BUT GOD!
• God intervened because of His mercy and His great love for us
• He did it when we were dead in trespasses
• John said this is love, not that we loved God but God loved us
• He made us alive, he raised us up from the dead and made us sit with Him in heavenly places in Christ
• Now why did God do this? So He could show us the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness towards us
• If you believe or feel like God is mad at you or doesn’t love you… let me say as clearly as possible… that is a lie and it doesn’t matter how bad of a sinner you are… you cannot mess up God’s love for you, it’s
impossible
Ephesians 2:8–10 (NKJV)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
• Grace is God’s real powerful presence at work in our lives
• I get this from Strong’s exhaustive concordance
• Grace is the divine influence on the heart and it’s reflection in the life
• The divine influence is Jesus Himself, it’s reflection is the fruit of the Spirit’s work in our lives
• It’s from this definition that I’ve come to the conclusion that grace is a person… it’s Jesus Christ Himself at work in us
• It’s not a quality of life… we’re under grace or favor, it’s Jesus Himself
• Thus it’s Jesus Himself who saves us and we receive His salvation by faith as a gift
• We can’t buy it, earn it or work for it… we can only receive it
• Because God is working in us, to restore us to His original created intent
• We were all made for a purpose… like a Porsche is made for racing and a truck is made for hauling… we’re all made for different purposes, good works that God determined before we were born
Ephesians 2:11–18 (NKJV)
11 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—12 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. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
• Through Jesus, not only are the racial walls that divide us torn down… but the spiritual wall that separates us from God is also torn down
• By dying on the cross, He took upon Himself, in His flesh our sin and the enmity between us and God and through the shedding of His blood the debt of sin is satisfied and we are now forgiven
• Now all men everywhere have access by one Spirit, the Holy Spirit to the Father and we are no longer at war with ourselves and each other
• This is the power of the cross…
• So you can see the basis that Paul will later use to challenge everyone to forgive and love one another
• Because Jesus died for your sins, it is only right to forgive the sins done against you
Ephesians 2:19–22 (NKJV)
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
• Here is the biggest reason to forgive and love one another
• Together we are the dwelling place of God… not individually, but together
• This temple, this dwelling place is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (referring to the Word of God)… Jesus being the chief cornerstone, the plumb line by which everything is kept straight