Chosen and Grateful

Ephesians 1:1–5 KJV 1900

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Introduction

How has being an American changed recently? What is now the major focus: being a part of the United States?

What effects has this changed focus had on the unity in our country?

What do you see as the most important identifying factor in your life?

What three words might an observant person use to identify you?

What three words would you use to identify yourself?

The believers in Ephesus struggled with their identity. Some were Jews, some were Gentiles, and all were from Ephesus, a proud and pagan city. They wondered how life as a believer affected them ethnically and culturally. Paul gave the Ephesian believers a simple answer: they were unified "in Christ." In his letter to Ephesus, he emphasized the doctrinal basis and practice of life "in Christ." His timeless teaching helps us with our identity in a confused and volatile world.

Let’s learn some background information about this letter

Ephesians' Setting and Purpose

Paul's History with Ephesus

The apostle Paul wrote his epistle to the Ephesians during his first imprisonment in Rome between AD 60 and 63 (Eph. 1:1; 3:1; Acts 28:16-31). While awaiting trial before Emperor Nero, Paul lived under house arrest in a rented place.

Picture of Ephesus in first century Asia minor

Paul visited Ephesus briefly when he was returning home from his second journey (about AD 51). Priscilla and Aquila accompanied him when he entered Ephesus. Although his visit was brief, it was effective. Many Ephesians trusted in Christ and abandoned their pagan practices When Paul left Ephesus, Priscilla and Aquila stayed behind to minister in the newborn church.

Acts 19:18–20 KJV 1900

And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.

On his third missionary journey, Paul visited Ephesus again (about AD 54). This time he ministered there three years. The gospel spread across throughout Asia.

Acts 20:31 KJV 1900

Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

Later Paul held a brief conference with the elders of the Ephesian church at Miletus, about thirty miles south of Ephesus on the coast of Asia. It was the elders' last glimpse of Paul, but Paul's care for them continued.

Ephesus' Obsession with Diana

Because some of the early manuscripts do not include the words "in Ephesus," some scholars believe Paul wrote Ephesians not only to the church in Ephesus but also to neighboring churches in the province of Asia. The richest and most peaceful province of the Roman Empire, Asia was so populous that it was called the province of five hundred cities. It stretched along the entire western coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and boasted many important and heavily populated commercial and manufacturing cities.

Athenians founded Ephesus as a port city on a plain near the mouth of the Cayster River. The impressive city reflected the oriental influence of its large Asian population. Because it was a free city, it enjoyed self-governance with authority vested in a senate and an assembly of the citizens.

Worship of the goddess Diana permeated the life of the city. The Ephesians believed she gave and protected physical life. They lived as if they owed their lives to her. In their minds, they lived "in Diana."

The Ephesian silversmiths found a lucrative trade in making and selling miniature silver images of Diana. People bought the images to gain favor with Diana and ensure her blessing on their lives. When the gospel began to spread in Asia, belief in Diana waned. Consequently, the silversmiths lost money and feared the worship of Diana might cease altogether.

DISPLAY: Visuals 2 and 3—Theater in Ephesus.

The city's theater, then the largest in the Greek world, boasted a seating capacity of twenty-five thousand. During Paul's third missionary journey, an angry mob, incited against Paul's disruption of their pagan-based economy, stormed into this theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, two of Paul's missionary companions. The town clerk addressed the mob, however, and successfully quelled the riot by reminding them of the "fact" that the image of Diana fell from the sky so Ephesus could be her temple guardian. The crowd's anger quickly turned to pride. The clerk also warned that continuing the riot might give Rome a reason to take away their city's freedom to govern themselves (Acts 19:23-41).

DISPLAY: Visual 4—Temple to and Statue of Diana.

The Ephesians took their role of defending and worshiping Diana seriously.

They built a magnificent temple to her around 700 BC. The temple was subsequently destroyed and rebuilt twice with the last version being the most magnificent. The temple is deservedly recognized as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The superb structure of shining white marble stood outside the city walls and faced east. It is said to have been over 450 feet long and around 225 feet wide. By comparison, a football field is 360 feet long and 160 feet wide. More than 127 marble columns supported the 60-foot-high temple. Numerous statues and paintings adorned the temple, and within its inner shrine stood an image of the goddess Diana.

DISPLAY: Visual 5—Remains of temple of Diana.

Invading Goths destroyed the third temple to Diana in AD 262. Over the centuries that followed, the location of the temple became unknown. Not until the nineteenth century did archaeologists identify the temple's remains. There wasn't much left.

Diana proved to be false. There are no magnificent temples to her today and relatively few people seriously worship her. The gospel, by contrast, has continued to grow, moving beyond ancient Asia Minor to reach countless people around the world.

Paul's emphasis on life "in Christ"

The typical Ephesian found identity in Diana and took pride in living in a free city. Being "in Diana" and in Ephesus affected every aspect of the Ephesians' lives. Paul directed the Jewish and Gentile believers in Ephesus to consider their unity and identity "in Christ" (Eph. 1:3). In chapters 1—3, the apostle laid out the doctrinal basis for believers' unity in Christ. In chapters 4—6, Paul communicated what life in Christ looks like personally as well as in the church, workplace, and home. His doctrinal and practical teachings will help us learn why and how we can live in Christ to the praise and glory of God's grace.

ASK: Based on what criteria does the world assign identify? Physical traits, "race," economic status, sexuality, generational group, political affiliation, religion, level of worthiness.

Paul's Personal Greeting

Ephesians 1:1 KJV 1900

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:

Paul recognized both his apostleship and his imprisonment as God's will for his life. He was okay with how God had led him. What a contrast to the superstitious Ephesians who expected only pleasant circumstances to come from their devotion to Diana.

ASK: What might the pagan Ephesians conclude about the prospects of living devoted to God? That such a choice seemed foolish and troublesome.

Paul understood his riches in Christ were neither material nor earthbound. He had abundantly more than the pagan Ephesians ever realized. He detailed some of the blessings in Christ immediately after finishing his personal greeting.

Paul went on to address the Ephesian believers as "saints," a term identifying them as set apart for God. He wished the Ephesian saints a twofold blessing of "grace" and "peace" (1:2). Grace includes all of God's unmerited favor, and peace means the presence of calm, confidence, and contentment even during trying or troubling circumstances.

"Grace" was a common greeting among Greeks. "Peace" was a common greeting among Jews. Paul combined the words to show early on that both saved Gentiles and saved Jews were one "in Christ Jesus."

Being a saint in Christ supersedes all our physical or cultural differences. Nothing about our physical makeup or cultural background will ever be as important as being together in Christ.

Introduction to Life in Christ

God bestowed us with blessings

Ephesians 1:3 KJV 1900

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Paul introduced life in Christ by thanking God for bestowing believers with the many spiritual blessings that come from being "in Christ" (1:3). The blessings flow from God through Christ to us, and they operate "in heavenly places," meaning they are of a spiritual nature rather than physical. Paul enjoyed rich blessings in Christ even as he lived under house arrest with very few earthly goods.

By contract, the Ephesians and visitors from around the world filled the temple to Diana with tremendous wealth and priceless works of art to gain Diana's attention and attempt to earn her blessings. Teachers and preaches today who claim God always enriches faithful believers with physical health and wealth teaches a similar and damaging doctrine. Their teachings demean the spiritual blessings we have in Christ, redefining them as things that appeal to our fleshly desires and pride.

God had Chosen us

Ephesians 1:5 KJV 1900

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Paul ascribed praise to God for blessing us "according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world"

“He has chosen us. This is the doctrine of election, a doctrine that has confused some and confounded others. Some say that God elects some to be saved and others not to be saved. To be clear this is not what we believe. Yes, God is sovereign knowing all things. But that does not mean He doesn’t offer salvation to all.

Salvation Begins with God

The lost sinner, left to himself does not seek God.

Romans 3:10–11 KJV 1900

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

On our own apart from God, lost in our sins and will not chose God. So God in His great love for us came to seek the sinner.

Luke 19:10 KJV 1900

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Salvation Includes all of the Godhead.

To understand this we must first understand the Trinity or tri-unity of God. We understand that there is God the father who sits on the throne in heaven. God the Son, the person of Jesus Christ who came to earth to die for sinners. Last God the Spirit who lives in the hearts of the believers. They are all three God, and all three one God. All three are unique in their roles but equal in the Godhead. Just as I am a father, a son, and a man. I am one but have different roles.

Note that all three Persons of the Godhead are involved in our salvation.

1 Peter 1:3 KJV 1900

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

God the Father

As far as God the Father is concerned, you were saved when He chose you in eternity past. Meaning: When God is eternity past knew what His plan for salvation would be. That Christ would come to die for the sins of all. God’s plan then is for everyone to be saved.

Revelation 22:17 KJV 1900

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

2 Corinthians 5:15–17 KJV 1900

And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,” in this verse means that before the world even begin, God’s plan was for you to be saved. But that alone did not save you. The fact that God’s plan for you to be saved does not guarantee your salvation.

God the Son

As far as God the Son is concerned, you were saved the moment He died on the cross. Meaning at that moment He made the way for all to be saved. Saying on the cross, “it is finished”

John 19:30 KJV 1900

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

At that moment Jesus gave the same opportunity to everyone to come to God through Him.

John 14:6 KJV 1900

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The fact that Jesus died on the cross does not save you either. But He made the way at that moment for you to be. Just because you know that Jesus died on the cross for sins does not mean you are automatically saved.

God the Holy Spirit

As far as God the Spirit is concerned, you were saved when you yielded to His conviction and received the payment from Christ and accepted Christ as your saviour.

What began in eternity past was fulfilled in time present, and will continue for all eternity.

God has Adopted us

Ephesians 1:5 KJV 1900

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Here we meet the misunderstood word predestination. This word is used in the Bible to refer to what God does for saved people. Nowhere in the Bible are we taught that God has predestined anyone to hell. This word only refers to God’s people. The word simply means “to ordain beforehand.”

Adoption has a dual meaning, both present and future. You do not get into God’s family by adoption. You get into His family by the new birth in Christ. We see this in John 3 when Jesus says to Nicodemus that he must be born again.

Adoption is the act of God by which He gives us adult standing in the family. Why is this important? Why does He do this?

So that we might immediately begin to claim our inheritance and enjoy our spiritual wealth. A baby cannot legally us an inheritance but an adult son can and should. This means that you do not have to wait until you are an old saint before you can claim your riches in Christ. You can claim that at the moment of your salvation.

The future aspect of adoption is found in Romans

Romans 8:22–23 KJV 1900

For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

it refers to the glorified body we will have when Jesus returns. When Christ returns, this “private adoption” will be made public for everyone to see who is true a child of God.

Conclusion

Since God has chosen us and predestinated us "according to the good pleasure of his will," we cannot boast that He saved us based on our special qualities that attracted His attention. He saved us when we were helpless, lost, unworthy, and unprofitable. Nor can we assume that people are not accountable for their responses to the gospel.

The gospel invites sinners to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.

Acts 16:31 KJV 1900

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

All who believe on Christ receive salvation, whereas all who reject Christ live under God's wrath.

Where are you tonight? Are you in Christ? You can only be in Christ if you have accepted His salvation. If you have done that are you walking with Him? Are you choosing to live your life sold out for whatever plan and purpose He has for you? As we walk through the great book of the Bible we will unpack some heavy topics but all the way I hope you will discover for yourself what it means to live a life in Christ.