Ephesians is one of the most exciting books in the NT.
The church to which it’s addressed was established by the apostle Paul in AD53 during his homeward journey to Jerusalem (see Acts 19 and 20).
About 7 years later Paul wrote this letter while he was in prison in Rome.
It was intended not only for the Ephesian Christians of his day, but, as the very first verse tells us, for all those who have come to put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. So it’s highly relevant to us as Christians today.
Its main theme can perhaps be best summarised in Paul’s own words:
“I am talking about Christ and the church.”
Ephesians 5:32
The Life Application Bible summarises its contents as follows:
“In this letter, Paul explains the wonderful things that we have received through Christ and refers to the church as a body, a temple, a bride, and a soldier. These all illustrate unity of purpose and show how each individual member is a part that must work together with all the other parts. In our own lives, we should work to eradicate all backsliding, gossip, criticism, jealousy, anger, and bitterness, because these are barriers to unity in the church”.
So let’s make a start by reading the first 14 verses.
Ephesians 1:1-14
1 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will –
6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,
9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,
10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfilment – to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his glory.”
This is an amazing passage! We clearly cannot deal with it all in one talk.
But let’s make a start by highlighting several major themes. After greeting the Ephesians in his usual way, Paul begins with Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and the rest of the passage is punctuated with expressions of praise – vv.3-6-12-14
And Paul is very clear as to what he’s praising God for.
He’s praising God for blessings in the heavenly realms (v3). These include:
- The will of God 1-4-5-9-11
- Election and Predestination 4-5-11
- In Christ (10 references)
- The gift of the Holy Spirit 13-14
In the next few talks we’ll look at these in more detail.
Today let’s concentrate on the will of God.
This passage makes it clear that the will of God for us is GOOD.
We have every reason to praise him!
It’s God’s will for us to:
- v4 be holy and blameless in his sight (cf. v1 God’s holy people)
- v5 be adopted into his family
- v9 know his purpose – ultimate (v10) and immediate
- v1 know God’s personal calling in our lives (apostle)
- v11 submit to his sovereignty (Note ‘mystery’ v9)
- v13-14 receive his Spirit