The Gospel Message of Ephesians (1:1-2)

Turn with me in your Bibles this morning to Ephesians chapter 1. This morning we will begin a verse-by-verse study of perhaps my favorite book of the Bible. Ephesians is truly a marvelous and extremely relevant book of Scripture for us to study together as a church family. This short letter, made up of only six chapters is what William Bradley calls “the queen of the epistles.” The English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge described Ephesians as “the divinest composition of man.” One respected commentator designated this epistle as “pure music.” He named it “the greatest, maturest, and for our time the most relevant of all Paul’s writings.” Missionary Ruth Paxson called Ephesians “the Grand Canyon of Scripture,” implying that this letter is breathtakingly beautiful and seemingly inexhaustible to the one who longs to take it all in.

Over ten years ago, as the Lord began urging me to make a transition in my ministry. He impressed on my heart the need to equip myself in biblical counseling. And I remember thinking, how on earth am I going to equip myself for such an enormous task. How would I ever prepare myself to be able to speak biblically at moment’s notice concerning whatever problem may catch on of my fellow my church members by surprise. I recall feeling completely in over my head when I stumbled upon David Powlison. Dr. Powlison was an author and one of the founders of the modern biblical counseling movement. And in one of his books, he addressed this common anxiety among young biblical counselor. And his counsel to us was simple. He said, undoubtedly you will need to grow daily in your knowledge of all the books of Scripture to be a sound and gifted biblical counselor. But, if there is one book of the Bible that you can master, it should be the book of Ephesians, for there will be nothing you will ever face in a counseling situation that the book of Ephesians doesn’t speak into directly. Now, I’ll be honest. I thought that was a stretch the first time I heard it, but over the years even when the crazy of our culture has shockingly hit unforeseen heights, this small six-chapter epistle from Paul to Ephesus has faithfully spoke into all the chaos that has ever come my way. And today, I am more convinced than ever, that it will continue to offer sound and timeless counsel to whatever else we may face.

Now just consider that for a second, because some of you find yourself in the thick of craziness this morning. And when our personal lives are a complete mess, when we find yourself exhausted and frustrated over the madness of our world, its then that we desperately need the unfailing, lasting, and godly counsel of Ephesians.

This morning we simply want to consider the first two verses of this epistle, that form Paul’s greeting or salutation to his readers. Now, if you are like me, you may be tempted to scan past these introductory remarks and get on to the message that this letter contains. But such a notion would prove to be a costly mistake, for even in this first sentence, there are treasures of God’s grace to behold. There is truly great wisdom and counsel for us cling to in this simple introduction. Read along with me as I read Paul’s opening thoughts, and then we will come back and settle on the first two verses… Ephesians 1:1-14...

This morning, I want us to notice three distinct gospel dimensions from the first two verses of Ephesians. Number one, notice…

1) The gospel testimony (v. 1a)

The testimony I want you to see is that of Paul, who identifies himself simply as “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.” We are wise to slow down here and reflect on Paul’s life. At the onset of Christianity, Paul went by a different name, the name Saul. And Saul was a notorious militant opponent of Christ, even an accessory to the murders of early believers. And as Saul was on his way to Damascus to imprison more of these Christ followers, so that he could bring them back to Jerusalem for trail, Christ, in all His resurrection glory, stops him dead in his tracks and radically transforms his life. We read of this encounter in Acts 9:3 and following… It reads, “As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.’ The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus.” (9:3-8).

Saul would never be the same after that miraculous event that led to his conversion. In fact, we get a glimpse of how drastic this change was in Acts 9:22, when just a few days after his encounter with Jesus, we read these words, “But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ,” meaning the promised Messiah. The conversion of Saul was nothing short of a profound miracle, for nothing else could explain how this man could join the small band of apostles.

It is noteworthy that before his conversion, this man’s name was Saul. You see, he was named after the tallest of the Benjaminite’s, King Saul, from whom Paul was descendent. But after coming to know Christ as Lord, Saul embraces the name Paul which means small and humble. Jesus in many ways cut Paul down to size, and out of his humility and small nature Paul became a medium for God’s greatness and Bigness, so that his weakness would became the channel for God’s power to flow. Listen church, there is a sound truth here that we must not miss. When we stand before Christ, the only proper response is radical humility. When we stand before the Word of God, remember that according to John 1, Jesus is the Word incarnate. Therefore, when we come before God’s Holy Word in Bible Study, like we are at this moment, if we are truly understanding what we read here, then when should walk away from this time together smaller in nature and more humble than when we walked through these doors. This is why Paul could say in 1 Timothy 1:15… “This is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners, among whom I am the foremost of all.” How could Paul say that? How could he not look at others and compare himself with other sinners? Surely, he knew of men who were far worse of a sinner than he was! But, the reality is, if you truly look to Christ through His Word and hear His voice, no one else’s sin matters. Only yours! You see, our worship this morning, everything that has occurred here this morning, should aim to make us like Paul, small and humble, for its only then that we can behold the glory and majesty of the triune God.

Jesus personally called Paul to be his chosen instrument, to bear His name before the Gentiles. Thus, Paul became an apostle, meaning one who is sent with authority. In the New Testament this official title was given to the men whom God directly chose to be the foundational layers of the church, as well as be the receivers, teachers, and writers of the New Testament scriptures. Paul was an apostle of Jesus. He was chosen, equipped, and commissioned to speak with the authority of Christ. This apostle belonged completely and wholeheartedly to the Lord as His servant. And so, when Paul pens this letter, we can and must receive it as if it was written by the divine hand of God. Listen, this letter is not a humbled man’s opinion about life, marriage, family, and church. These are not merely the words of a gifted missionary or powerful teacher. No, every word of Ephesians are divine, inspired by God’s Holy Spirit, to impart amazing grace and both abundant and eternal life to us.

I love how Paul adds the five small yet powerful words, “by the will of God.” Oh, how Paul is quick to add, this was not nor is not his plan for his life! He was rather content being Saul from the tribe of Benjamin, who was educated by the top rabbi in all Israel. He knew both the philosophies of the world, the Scriptures of the Old Testament. Saul was a proud member of the Sanhedrin, and he genuinely and passionately hated Christ and everything the Lord stood for. Yet, he was humbled by Christ and came to know him as Lord and Savior.

That’s Paul’s condensed yet powerful testimony, and if you are a fellow believer and follower of Christ, then you have much in common with this apostle. Now, your testimony is perhaps far less dramatic, but it’s equally significant and miraculous. For in Christ, every believer in this room has been delivered from the great bondage of our self-egos, and we have been given position, purpose, and authority in Him.

The Bible tells us that before we come to know Christ as Lord, we are mere enemies with God. Romans 5:8-10… “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

Apart from salvation we are enemies of God. Let that sink in for a moment, because some of us have come to believe an unbiblical view of God, where He is nothing but love, or at least how you define love, and you view Him as a God who accepts everyone just as they are. Folks, that’s not biblical. Listen, before salvation, it doesn’t matter how good of a person you are, everything you were at that time stood opposed to God. Our lives, our self-seeking egos, were full of sin and robbed God of His glory. Thus, everyone of us deserve to endure His just and holy wrath. Listen, if you are here and you have not trusted in Christ as Savior and turned from your sinful ways, you are God’s enemy, and if you die in your sinful way, don’t be surprised when God doesn’t welcome you into glory just as you are! Listen, every lost soul, every unbeliever is at war with God and perhaps worse yet, God is at war with them. But in His grace and love God offers terms of peace through the precious blood that was shed on Calvary’s cross. Church, our God is holy, just, He’s a consuming fire. Yet, He is also gracious, loving, and good.

Listen, … He’s patent, and merciful. Listen to Romans 9:22-23… “What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory.” What if I told you that you didn’t have to endure God’s wrath for your sin? What if I told you that God acted in grace and love toward you, by sending His Son to die on the cross for your sin? That Christ endured the wrath of God for you, so that you can be forgiven and accepted by God through faith? Wouldn’t that be the best news you have ever heard?

Church, there is no what if about it… those things are absolutely true, our holy God is patient, and He is calling out this morning to all of us here to place our faith in Him and turn from or sinful ways. He longs to make known the riches of His glory by showing us His mercy. Will you turn to Him? Like Paul, will you leave your old ways behind and live as Christ’s servant?

William Borden, who died in 1913, was born into great wealth. He was an American philanthropist and millionaire. He had come to know Christ as a teenager through the ministry of DL Moody. And after high school graduation, before he would attend Yale, his parents sent him on a trip around the world. During that trip God began to call William to leave behind his family inheritance and become a missionary. And though his friends begged him not to throw away everything to follow the Lord, he couldn’t. And so, William at the age of 25 traveled to Egypt to learn Arabic in preparation to take the gospel message to the Muslim world. Yet, while in Egypt, William contracted spiral meningitis and within a month after his diagnosis he would pass away. He left it all behind, and died learning a language so that one day he could share Christ with those in need. On his tombstone he asked that these words be written… “Apart from faith in Christ, there is no explanation for such a life.” Let me ask you today, would that statement be a fitting epitaph for your life? Could such a statement help explain the story of your life? Paul had a powerful testimony. William Borden a powerful testimony. And if are a follower of Christ, if you been made small and humble by the message of the gospel, then praise God for you too have a powerful testimony. You have a story worth telling. A gospel testimony that a prideful and sinful world desperately needs to hear.

2) The gospel identity (v. 1b)

In the second part of verse 1, Paul writes, “To the saints what are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus.” Notice, that Paul identifies the Christians who are in Ephesus as both saints and faithful. In choosing these two specific words, Paul covers both sides of salvation. From the Divine side, God Himself has made us holy, and from our side, we are to exercise faith. You see, even in these two descriptions, Paul highlights both God’s sovereignty over man’s salvation, as well as man’s responsibility to respond and grow in faith.

Now some of us believers here today, may struggle with being identified as a saint. In your mind, perhaps you think of the many saints of the Catholic church, or the elite people of faith, those who have reached a very high level of spiritual maturity. But that is not the New Testament’s understanding of this term. The word saint simply refers to those who are set apart by God to be His people. This word has deep roots in the Old Testament, which speak of God choosing the people of Israel, from among all the nations of the world, to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. They were to be radically different from the world around them. You see, the idea expressed in the word saint, is a person who is set apart to belong to God.

Please understand, that all Christians because God has brought them into a new relationship with Himself. It is not because of their pious nature or good works, but solely on account of what Christ has done for them. They are the elect community of faith whose lives should be characterized by Christlikeness. Listen church family, every Christian is a saint because every Christian has been set apart and made holy through the perfect righteousness of Christ being accredited to their account. You see, when a person acts in faith to receive Christ, God acts in grace and gifts to that person Christ’s own righteousness. It’s not a person’s works, nor their goodness that establishes believers as saints. No, it is only Christ’s perfect righteousness that becomes ours when we believe, that justifies all Christians in being called saints. It’s the sovereign work and grace of God.

Yet, at the same time, we also have the personal responsibility to respond to Christ through faith. Paul defines Christians as those “who are faithful in Christ Jesus.” The word faithful expresses those who have acted in faith and trusted in Christ for salvation. In other words, they are people whose lives are marked by faith and believe in the gospel truths of God. Thus, they display a faithful, trustworthy, and steadfast character. Christians are faithful, a term that emphasizes man’s responsibility to consciously respond to the gospel message and live for Christ alone.

But notice also in our text that this letter is addressed to the believers who are both “in Ephesus” and “in Christ”. Both prepositional phrases are important for us to consider. First, this letter was written for Christians in Ephesus. Now, it’s worth noting that many of the earlier manuscripts do not mention the city of Ephesus. They are simply written “to the saints who faithful in Christ Jesus.” Therefore, many scholars believe that this epistle was a circular epistle, a shared letter that was to be read in a church, then shared with other nearby churches. This is perhaps why; Paul does not address a specific crisis or send personal greetings to individuals like he so often does at the close of his other letters. Instead, Ephesians speaks timelessly to all churches in general. I think that is part of the reason why this letter is so applicable and relevant to us today. Yet, we do know that this letter was actually read in the church at Ephesus and the surrounding churches in Asia. Therefore, we are wise to consider that context in which Paul originally sent his letter.

Ephesus was a very pagan city. We gloss over the words, to the church at Ephesus. But they would have been rather surprising, if not shocking to the ancient world. It would be like reading a note written to the evangelicals working at Planned Parenthood, or the evangelicals within the LGBTQ community . You see the phrases do not seem to go together because the challenges to faith in the place these believers live and breathe are so strong.

The city of Ephesus was a large city, it was the fourth or fifth largest metropolis in the world during this time. It was port city on the Mediterranean Sea. Even today as you walk the street from the ancient docks into the old city, there remains a sign carved in stone that guided sailors to the local brothel. This was a society mired in materialism, sensuality, and idolatry. In fact, there was a famous temple in this city, the Temple of Diana, which at the time was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. People from all over the known traveled to Ephesus to worship this Greek god, known as the moon god who ruled over the weather and infertility. This was a dark, dark, place for Paul to be sending a letter to believers.

I think we are safe to say, that Ephesus was much like Boston today. Did you know, that going right now, this weekend, just down the road in Boston is Satan Con. A Conference specifically aimed at being the largest satanic gathering in history. Please understand, this letter was written to believers very much like ourselves, who live in dark areas during dark times.

But the letter was also written to those who are in Christ Jesus. This is one of Paul’s most loved expressions and means a lot more than simply being a Christian. This small phrase sums up all that Christians have and are as children of God and coheirs with Christ. It speaks of the amazing privileges and great inheritance that is ours in Christ. This glorious phrase points to the fact that Christ is our representative King. He alone brings us before God and brings God to us. You see, even though we may live in a dark world, we must never forget that we are not of this world for we are in Christ, purchased by the precious blood of the Lamb of God. You see, even though we live here, we must not forget that this world is not our home.

Sadly, too many of us have embraced the materialistic, the sexual, and the idolatrous ways of this world. We’ve made ourselves at home in the darkness. It’s like we have spiritual amnesia and are walking around as if we ave no clue who we really are. Some of us profess Christ, but there is no degree of faithfulness in our lives to be observed by others. Church family, as Christians we should stand out in this culture, not blend in as if we are wearing some kind of cultural camouflage.

This second part of verse 1, speaks of our identity in Christ. Which really will be the theme of the first two chapters of this letter. And I love that about this epistle, because Paul spends so much time reminding believers of who they are in Christ and all the immeasurable blessings that are theirs in Christ. Over the next several weeks, we are going to walk verse by verse through the overwhelming treasures of God’s grace that He has poured over us.

I greatly appreciate how Paul spends so much time belaboring this point, explaining who we are in Christ, because the reality is, we live out of our perceived identity. If you convince yourself that you are a loser, guess what, you will live the life of a loser. Or if convince yourself that you are a drunk, guess what, then more than likely you will forever struggle with the temptation to drink more alcohol than you should ever drink. Listen, when it comes to our identity, we must stop listening to our feelings, our thoughts, our self-overdosed hearts, our culture, and our experience. Instead, we must listen to God, our Creator!

You see, your true identity is who God says you are. You will never discover who you are by looking inside yourself or listening to what others say. The Lord, He alone gets the first and last word because He made you. He knit you together in your mother’s womb for the precise purpose of making Himself known. It’s interesting that Paul is writing this letter, from a prison cell. He could have written as, Paul a captured and defeated prisoner in Rome, but instead He’s Paul, an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen, over the next few weeks we are going to slowly study the first two chapters of this book, where Paul specifically reminds Christians who they are from God’s point of view. Before he gets to anything else, he spends 1/3 of his letter just reminding them of their true identity in Christ! Why does he do this…several reasons come to mind… 1) because he understands the undeniable connection between understanding our identity and living the life of faith, and 2) because he knows how messed up our hearts are. He knows that Satan will do everything in His might to confuse us on our identity, and the apostle knows how easily it is for us to act on our own emotions, our experience, and our own thoughts, rather than simply cling to God and His Word, and 3) because so often we fail to understand the riches of who we truly are in Christ.

Church family, if we fail to continually remind ourselves of our true identity and purpose, if we fail to keep our minds and heart clean by the daily washing of the Word, we will quickly experience spiritual amnesia. We will forget that we have been called, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, and commissioned by God to make Him known, and we will inevitably blend into the darkness that plagues our culture.

And oh, how great that darkness is! Just think about church, our world can no longer define the word “woman.” That’s where we live! When it comes to identity, our culture has never been more confused and confessing as it is today. This is the madness you get when you stop listening to voice of God and solely listen to the countless voices that flow out of our human hearts. Oh how we must remind ourselves of who we truly are. I love how Peter defines our identity (1 Peter 2:9)… “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” If you are believer in Christ, you are saint meaning your life is to be different, set apart from the rest, and you must be faithful to live for Him in His marvelous light. This is our gospel identity, our true identity!

3) The gospel security (v. 2)

Look with me once again to verse 2… Paul simply writes, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” I obviously want to suggest that this small sentence is much more than simply a traditional Christian greeting, for this greeting truly celebrates how the gospel works. In fact, in this opening salutation, the apostle plainly states the message of the entire book. The book of Ephesians is primarily a book about God amazing Grace and how we can experience His indescribable peace while living in a pagan and dark environment. Paul is offering his audience the hope of God’s glorious grace amidst sin, and His peace amidst the chaotic storms of culture and conscience. Yet, How on earth, can Paul offer such things in a seemingly hopeless environment?

Its only because such grace and peace are not of human origin. Notice, they are “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” You see, both God’s grace and His peace are not limited by human strength or ability. The word grace is simply God’s great kindness to those who are completely undeserving of His favor, but who have placed their faith in Christ alone. To greet a Christen brother or sister with the word grace is an acknowledgement of the divine grace in which they stand.

Paul will go on in chapter 2:8-9 and proclaim… “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” We are saved by God’s grace and empowered by that same grace to live out our faith in Him. You see, we are secure in our salvation, because it is God who saves us, not ourselves.

Oh, what great news it is, that Salvation is not something you earn, it is something you are given, that it’s simply a priceless gift that can never be returned. For those who are truly in the faith will enjoy it forever. You say, what about those who have drifted away from the faith? The Bible says in 1 John 2:19, that they were never really with us in the first place. Listen, when God redeems us by grave, He graciously secures us in His hand, from which we can never be snatched, and from which we can never escape, even on those days we feel like running away.

John Bunyan the great puritan author and preacher said it well… “God…will not lightly or easily lose His people. He has provided well for us: blood to wash us in; a Priest to pray for us, that we may be made to persevere; and, in case we foully fall, an Advocate to plead our cause.” I would add to this quote, that God in His grace has also imparted His Holy Spirit to us, to give us supernatural power to obey the Word of God. Listen, it’s impossible to live the Christian life on your own power, in fact you can’t even take one step forward in walking in a manner worthy of your calling, without the empowering of God gracious Holy Spirit who indwells believers. You see in His grace, God not only saves us, He sustains us, grows us more and more into the image of Christ, and eternally secures us in our faith.

God’s grace is the sole fountain of eternal and abundant life, it’s the source of all His blessings, and peace… well His peace is the stream that we will forever satisfy the desires of our heart. You see there can be no peace apart from God’s grace. The Old Testament Hebrew word for peace is shalom means much more than a lack of conflict, it implies completeness, wholeness, and true contentment. You see Paul’s greeting of peace implied more than general wellbeing, and lack of conflict, it included the peace of heart and peace of mind. Philippians 4:7 reads… “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Again, its supernatural peace because it comes from God and not own making. Paul’s greeting peace is both peace with God, and the peace of God.

We’ve already looked to Romans 5 this morning which explains how we have peace with God through salvation, through being justified by faith. Like Paul, prior to experiencing God’s grace, we were enemies with Him. Yet, God in His love sent us own Son, whom Ephesians 2: 14-15 calls “our peace” who by means of the cross, gave His very blood and life in our place, so that we might have peace with God and experience the peace of God. Listen, if you are here today, and your world lacks the peace of God, it may be because you have never been given justified with Him. Please understand that you can never experience the indescribable peace of God if you are God’s enemy and are not at peace with Him. Maybe today, is the day that you need to turn to Christ in faith. Believe in Him and repent of your sin. Turn from all your selfish living and so-called wisdom, and trust in His Word and obey His will. Oh, the peace that awaits you! Oh, the gift if a calm heart that Christ wants to bless you with this morning.

God’s Grace and peace… they are our gospel security. They are the fountain and the stream of God’s blessing over our lives. Church family, there is much for us to glean from the book of Ephesians. Like those living in and around Ephesus our world is seemingly hopeless and dark. Yet, in God’s grace, He has transformed lives, given us powerful gospel testimonies to behold and share, like the apostle Paul’s. In His grace, God has reminded us of our true gospel identity and called us to live as faithful saints. And in His grace, this morning, God has reminded us of the security we can find in His Amazing Grace and incomprehensible peace. I pray you will come back next week as we continue to uncover the gospel truths found in the book of Ephesians. Pray with me….