Sermon: GM17-201
Series: Ephesians:
The Divine Purpose of God in Christ
Setting:
Service:
Subtitle: Ephesus
– You’ve Got Mail! (Part 2)
Scripture: Ephesians
1:1-2
Subject: Introduction
to Ephesians
Scope: Paul
demonstrates pastoral concern for these believers by writing a letter to them,
wishing upon them blessings of God’s grace and peace.
Scheme: To provide strategic
information which enables you to appreciate, assimilate, and actuate the
principles of this letter to the Ephesians.
Scrutiny: What do you need to know in
order to fully appreciate this letter?
Solution: This message provides three
(3) aspects of strategic information that enables you to fully appreciate this
letter to the Ephesian Church.
Sketch: Part 1 – The Welcome
of the Genuine Believer (1:1-2)
1A The Author of Ephesians
2A The Audience of Ephesians
3A The Age of Ephesians
Part 2 - The
Wealth of the Genuine Believer (1:3-3:23)
Part 3 – The
Walk of the Genuine Believer (4:1–6:9)
Part 4 – The
War of the Genuine Believer (6:10-20)
Part 5 – The
Windup of the Genuine Believer (6:21–24)
Part 1 –
The Welcome of the Believer
Ephesus,
You’ve Got Mail!
(Part 2)
Ephesians
1:1-2
INTRODUCTION
John Stott writes, “The letter to the Ephesians is a marvelously
concise, yet comprehensive, summary of the Christian good news and its
implications. Nobody can read it without being moved to wonder and worship, and
challenged to consistency of life.” [1]
This letter has been the favorite of many
believers since it was written. Many people have written beautiful and moving
descriptions of its content, of its effect on their mind and souls, and how it
blessed beyond mortal words.
[For example…]
·
Ephesians was John
Calvin’s favorite letter
·
Armitage Robinson
called it ‘the crown jewel of Paul’s writings’
·
Samuel Taylor
Coleridge said, ‘it was the divinest composition known to man’
·
John MacKay, former
president of Princeton Theological Seminary stated, ‘To this book I owe my life’
·
Someone once wrote
of Ephesians, ‘it is the crown & climax of Pauline theology
·
It has also been
described as the sublimest communication ever made to man by Dr. Martyn
Lloyd-Jones
·
It has been called,
‘the believer’s bank, the Christian checkbook, the treasure house of the bible
( MacArthur’s NT commentary; Eph: vii)
·
Someone has called
Ephesians ‘the Queen of the epistles’
·
When John Knox was dying
he had Ephesians read to him often
To summarize the glorious things that have
been said or written about his letter, Klyne Snodgrass wrote of Ephesians, ‘Pound for pound Ephesians may well be the most influential
document ever written.” [2]
I don’t think we have to think too hard to
come to the conclusion that this letter is a mind boggling, soul stirring, and
life changing, letter from God. It behooves us to seek by the HS of God a deep
love and intimate relationship with this letter.
What do you need to understand and grasp in order to fully appreciate
this letter?
Tonight’s
message provides four (4) aspects of strategic information that will enable you
to fully appreciate, assimilate, and actuate the treasure trove of truth in
this letter written to the Ephesian Church.
REVIEW
Before we
begin, let’s take a moment and remind ourselves what God through His HS taught
us last week. We looked at five (3) key points in our introduction. Let me just
briefly remind you of those key points:
A. The Classification of Ephesians
It is crucial to properly
classify the genre of the book or passage that we are studying for proper
interpretation. This is because each book of the bible is classified by a type
or genre and each genre has different rules for properly interpreting it.
Ephesians is classified as an epistle, it is a letter. We looked at some rules
or principles of interpretation for epistles or letters.
If you missed those
principles you can ask me later and I will gladly give them to you.
B. The Circumstances of Ephesians
You need to learn about the world of
the text. It is also crucial to know what can be known of the historical
situation prior to and during the time the biblical book was written? How did
society function at that time, e.g., what was the status of women, children, or
slaves in the culture, what religions existed at the time of writing, or what
were the main cultural values in society?
You need to have next to
your bible is a reliable Bible Handbook or commentary. Either one will help you
ascertain the historical background of the passage that you are studying.
C. Consideration
It is vitally important that you determine the
consideration or the argument of the book that you are studying. As we have
said, once you understand the historical background of your book you should be
able to discover and determine the argument or theme that the author is putting
forth.
D. The Contention of Ephesians – (aim)
As you dig in and dig down into the book you are
studying you must determine what is the purpose or the objective of book? What
is that the author wanted to accomplish? At the end of the day, when you have
determined the genre, background, main point, you must answer the question what
does God want you to belief and how does he want you to behave?
E. The Composition of Ephesians (division or
structure)
When I speak of composition I am referring to the
structure or the divisions of the book that you are reading. IOW, you must
outline the book. Outlining enables you to determine the overall theme of the
book and to see the theme of each paragraph in the book and how they are
related and support the main theme.
So,
last week we determined that the genre of Ephesians was that of an epistle, or
letter; the background was somewhat obscured with no doctrinal issues, internal
problems, or sin to deal with, but Paul developed the idea of the universal
church under the headship of Christ where both Jew and Gentile were formed into
one body through the atoning work of Jesus and facilitated by the ministry of
the HS, with the purpose of enabling each believer to live according to their
standing in Christ which is demonstrated in the various divisions of the letter
entitled, The Welcome, the Wealth, the Walk, the War, and the Wrap-up of the
believers.
[Now,
that we have caught you up and we have been reminded of the ground we covered
last time, let’s move on to our…]
TRUTH FOR TODAY
I propose
for your consideration vital strategic information which will enable you to
appreciate, assimilate, and actuate the principles of this letter to the
Ephesians.
The question then is, what do you need to know in
order to fully appreciate this letter?
This
message provides three (3) aspects of strategic information that enables you to
fully appreciate this letter to the Ephesian Church.
[The first
aspect of strategic information need to appreciate, assimilate, and actuate the
principles in this letter is knowing…]
1A The Author of Ephesians (Vs. 1a)
Paul wrote
Ephesians from prison in Rome between AD 60 & AD 63. He also wrote the
books of Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon at the same time.
Acts 28:16
tells us that Paul arrived in Rome and was put under house arrest. He was able
to live for two years in a rented house chained to a Roman guard.
There is an
interesting description of Paul in a non-biblical book called The Apocrypha
Acts of Paul and Thecla: “A man small in size, bald-headed,
bandy-legged, well built, with eye-brows meeting, rather long nosed, full of
grace –for sometimes he seemed like a man, and sometimes he had the countenance
of an angel.”
This may or
may not be accurate. It was not inspired by the HS, but it may be a means of
knowing something about this unique and interesting man.
[The text
says…] “Paul, an apostle…”
1B Apostle
- apostolos
1C What does this word mean?
First
of all, it meant to send away or to send off.
Second, when there was a delegation for a specific
purpose, the reason or cause for sending someone off or away was usually
obvious within the word itself.
Third, the one sent off or away had full power or
authorization which stemmed from the one who was doing the sending, and was a
personal representative of the one doing the sending away.
apostolos from the root apostellw, originally was used to describe the sending out or
commissioning of a cargo ship or military ship. It also was used of an envoy, a
naval expedition, or even of colonists being sent overseas to colonize a
territory.
Fourth, whatever it was
used of it conveyed two things:
o A direct & specific commission was given
o There was absolute authority given by sender
o Our word is used some 132 times in the Greek NT.
And, so, Paul informs the Ephesians as the author
of this letter that he is an envoy, an ambassador, or one who has been sent
with absolute authority. Where did he get that authority? “…of
Jesus Christ, by the will of God.”
2C What are the marks or the signs of an
apostle?
First – they had to be part of the group of
disciples from the time John’s baptism to the ascension of Christ
Second
– an apostle had to be a witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Third – he must have been specially called to
be an apostle.
3C Why does this matter? Why can’t just
anyone claim to be an apostle?
The
apostles claimed that they were speaking with absolute authority from God.
They claimed to be representatives from God.
The application of this point is to recognize that Paul was God’s
representative with the necessary divine authority to effectively speak on
behalf of God.
Therefore
we can’t ignore nor shrug off what the apostle tells us in this letter. We must
accept Paul as we would God. IOW, this letter contains God’s words.
2B “…of
Jesus Christ, by the will of God…”
This phrase tells us two very important things:
1C Paul belonged
to Jesus Christ
He was subordinated to
Christ. He is the great efficient Cause who saves (in the fullest sense) by his
Word, by his blood, by his Spirit. To him, therefore, must be all the praise of
salvation. "Unto him that loved us."
But
yet he stood in an important relation
to him as an apostle. He was not the only apostle, but he was as much an
apostle as any. He was sent from Christ (with special authority), as Christ was
sent from God. With special powers his mission was to bring the salvation that
was in Christ to man, and to build up the Church.
2C Paul’s calling was by the
will of God
This was at
once his abasement and his support. He had no
personal merit entitling him to the position of apostle. At the same time, that
position was not a self-chosen one. It was the will of God that Christ (such is
the idea) should station him, now here and now there, among the Churches. And
whether he was anxiously engaged in the composition of an Epistle, or whether
he was pleading tremblingly with his voice for Christ, he was supported by the
feeling that he was acting at the Divine instance and under the Divine
authority.
Paul’s
calling was that of a special ambassador or messenger sent by Jesus Christ
himself. (1 Corinthians 15:8-11)
[So, the first
aspect of strategic information is that Paul is the author. The second aspect
of strategic information needed to appreciate, assimilate and actuate this
letter is knowing…]
2A The Audience of Ephesians (Vs. 1b)
The first thing we have to ask ourselves is who did
the Apostle Paul write this letter to? The second part of verse one (1) tells
us that Paul wrote…
“…to the saints who are in Ephesus and
faithful in Christ Jesus.”
1B To whom
was Ephesians written?
Right off the bat we have an
interpretative challenge.
It seems that there is a difference of opinion among
scholars, teachers, and theologians over this issue.
The sad truth, at least to me is how big a case most
of these scholars make out of where I consider to be very little and highly
suspicious information. By the way, the audience, or the recipients of this
letter was virtually unchallenged throughout church history. It wasn’t until
the mid-1800’s that a serious attack on the audience or recipients was launched
and waged.
There are three (3) manuscripts that are
“considered” to be very early, very old manuscripts. The prevailing thought of
course because these three manuscripts are so old and so early that they are
more accurate & authoritative. Then there are two (2) more manuscripts more
recent that are used to challenge whether this letter was actually written to
the church in Ephesus.
In Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus, and what is
called a Chester Beatty papyrus, the words en Efesw ”in Ephesus” are not in the manuscripts.
So, the
prevailing thought is that this letter was actually written and designed to be
passed around several churches in Asia Minor, or maybe more specifically in the
Lycus Valley.
Once
the letter had been read, and maybe even copied, it was to be sent on to the
next church, and the next and the next until it made the rounds of a number of
churches.
So,
scholars and theologians think that it went to Ephesus first, then to Smyrna,
then to Pergamos, all the way around and ending up in Laodicea.
The
idea is that since Paul told the Colossians to read a letter from the Laodicean
church, they think the letter to the Ephesians is that letter. They think
somebody at Laodicean inserted that name into the space reserved for the
audience or recipients.
The
scholars & theologians also believe the following reasons which they use to
deny this letter entitled to the saints in Ephesus was not written to Ephesus:
·
They state the lack of any personal greeting
to people in the Ephesian church proves that Paul didn’t write this
specifically to them
·
They state the lack of any church problem or
issues not addressed proves that the letter was meant for a broader audience
than Ephesus
·
They state that the use of the word “heard” in
vss. 1:15; 3:2; & 4:21 prove that Paul only had an indirect relationship or
knowledge of these believers rather than a personal relationship
So, the
hypothesis of these scholars is that Paul would have greeted his many friends
and converts in the church of Ephesus and that he would have personal knowledge
of them and their circumstances and wouldn’t have stated that he had “heard of
them.”
But
here is the problem with this position and hypothesis:
·
There are no Greek manuscripts extant, or in
existence, that have any other name of any church or location in the space that
would occupy the words “at Ephesus.”
Why
didn’t a church insert their name or location in that spot? If they did why
hasn’t at least one of those letters been found?
·
Second, the majority of Greek Manuscripts have
the words “at Ephesus” included in them in the space normally allotted for the
addressees.
·
Third, the majority of the early church
fathers wrote or commented that this letter was sent to the church at Ephesus.
2B What
is the solution?
So, why does it seem to be so impersonal with
no greetings, remarks, or comments by Paul?
·
First of all, Paul wrote this letter some
seven (7) years after he left Ephesus. There must have been a huge number of
new believers and members added to this church over those seven years and Paul
would not have known them.
·
Second, the subject matter of this letter does
not lend itself to a personal letter. The theme is so majestic, so huge, and so
elevated that it would seem to require a different approach in its writing.
Paul is writing about the unique, divine, spectacular, holy, blood bought
church of Jesus Christ.
I am convinced that this letter was written to
and intended for the believers in Ephesus. By the way, there wasn’t one large
building where all the believers met as a church. This letter was sent to the
many house churches that were scattered throughout the large metropolitan area
of Ephesus.
Secondly, even if it were proved that this
letter was a general encyclical letter for all the churches in the Lycus Valley
or in Asia Minor, it would not change the content, teaching, or validity of
this letter.
3B Who
are the saints & faithful?
Notice too how Paul describes those to
whom he is writing. He says, “To the saints in
Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus”.
If you think of a saint as someone with a
hallo around their head or as a figure in a stained glass window, it may
surprise you to learn that all Christians are saints, though, sadly, not all
Christians live like saints! Paul is not writing to a few very holy,
specially-gifted individuals. He is writing to all believers. The fact we are
called ‘saints’ does not mean that we are perfect – sadly, far from it. We are
‘a work in progress’ –the work may take rather a long time. Yes, we as
believers still have our faults & our weaknesses. We still fail.
We still fall into sin, but, hallelujah, we
have been saved by grace. We will find out a lot more about this later in
Ephesians.
The recipients of this letter and the children
of God are called saints. The word for saint means, ‘one who has been set
apart.’ Believers have trusted the gospel message when they heard it.
It is related to the word we know as
‘sanctified’ which means also, ‘set apart.’ Every person who has been
converted, saved, washed by the blood of Jesus Christ is immediately
sanctified, set apart for Christ by the act of the HS. Every believer belongs
to God through Jesus Christ.
And so, believers are made holy and set apart
for God. Believers are consecrated to God as his own people. God calls
believers to reflect his own purity and holiness.
So, the
Apostle Paul is the author of this letter and the Ephesian Church is the
audience to whom this letter was written. We now will consider our third and
final aspect, and that is…
3A The Appellation of Ephesians (Vs. 2)
“Grace to you and peace from God
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
This Paul’s common greeting to those to whom
he writes. But it is more than just a greeting.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote, “No two words
are more important in the whole of our faith than ‘grace’ and ‘peace.’ Yet how
lightly we tend to drop them off our tongues without stopping to consider what
they mean. Grace is the beginning of our faith; peace is the end of our faith.”
1B Grace
(Read 2:4-7)
Grace and peace have been called twin virtues.
Grace always precedes peace. This was a common greeting in Paul’s day.
Grace is the word translated caris
it was
used to convey the idea of joy. The word came to include the joy that comes
from God’s underserved favor or kindness.
Grace is always acknowledged as bestowed upon someone
who is lessor by someone who is greater. Grace is freely given to us by God.
When Paul used this word, he probably used to
include all of the favors and gifts of God that he gives to his children.
Grace is God’s unmerited favor. We deserve
judgment, but God saved us and then blessed us. When God bestows his grace on
us by the cross of Christ, He becomes our Father and Jesus becomes our Lord.
Now we can come to God, we can come near to
Him and he will not reject us.
Grace cannot be earned – it is completely
undeserved & unmerited!
Matthew Henry wrote, “Grace is the free,
undeserved goodness and favor of God to mankind.”
John Newton said, “I am not what I ought
to be; I am not what I wish to be; I am not what I hope to be; but by the grace
of God I am what I am.”
2B Peace
(Read Philippian 4:4-7)
Dante wrote, “In thy will is our peace.” The only people who know peace know God.
Our sins have brought to us the enmity and
hostility from a holy and righteous God. In Christ peace is granted.
Peace with the holy God is the basic need of
every sinner. We cannot appease God by our own sacrifices, good deeds, or
self-righteousness. None of these things can ever wash away the awful stain of
sin.
Listen
to Paul, “For He himself is our peace…” God reconciled us to
himself through Jesus Christ. God gives to us peace within our hearts
demonstrating that he has made peace with us.
My purpose today was to provide you with some strategic
information which will enable you to appreciate, assimilate, and even actuate
the principles of this magnificent letter. I hope this portion has simulated
your appetite for an in-depth study of this almost indescribable letter to the
Ephesian church.
[What do you say we wrap this up?]
CONCLUSION
Paul’s opening greetings emphasizes his authority as
an apostle to instruct these believers in Ephesus. He writes to believers in
Ephesus who God has set apart as his people and who should demonstrate this
fact by the way they live. They believed the gospel and now their lives are to
be defined by their relationship with Jesus Christ. As God’s people they are
recipients of God’ grace and peace, peace with God and peace with other
believers, whether Jew or Gentile.
All of these blessings have come through the Lord
Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ dominates the mind of the Apostle Paul – as He should dominate our minds.
Let’s pray! J
Our
Father, we thank You first, for this majestic and glorious letter that you gave
to your church. Secondly, we thank you for giving the church such a man as the
Apostle Paul. The account of his life reminds us that You are the founder, the
head, the protector and provider of this thing we know as the church of Jesus
Christ.
And
it is because we have come to believe that gospel that salvation is provided
for all who repent and all who believe in You through the work of Christ on the
cross, and we believing that come to celebrate that.
We
thank You, O God, for the provision You’ve made in Christ. We thank You,
blessed Holy Spirit, for giving us life and faith even as You gave to the Ephesians
to put our trust in the one Savior. Thank you for your unmerited favor &
peace!
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