Ephesians Overview

Context of Ephesians

what are some things you know about this book?

This is another church that Paul himself had planted

We read this in Acts 19

Ephesus was a center of worship for the Greek & Roman Gods

Temple of Artemis in Ephesus was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world

A man who made idols of these gods started a riot because Paul was affecting his business

Paul and his companions then left Ephesus

But the Church began to grow over time bigger and bigger

And Paul writes this letter to the Ephesians in his imprisonment in Rome towards the end of his life

Now before we get into the book I want you to think of the sort of problems this early church faced…

An epicenter of pagan worship

Pressure to sin/reject God

Some of the epistles we have gone through so far have been pretty heavy handed, written to churches that are seriously compromised

Corinthians and Galatians

But to the Ephesians Paul is proud of them and praying and encouraging them to continue following after Jesus

The tone is different than the other letters we’ve gone over

And the big picture/structure of this letter is split into 2 sections

Part 1 is chapters 1-3

Part 2 is chapters 4-6

The first part focuses on the Story of the Gospel

It is filled with truth after truth about who we are in Christ

The second part focuses on Our Story

It is filled with imperatives (commands) on how we are to live in light of the Gospel truths

The Story of the Gospel (Ch 1-3)

Paul begins his letter with a greeting and poem of praise to God

He rehashes the beautiful story of the Gospel

God is to be praised because He chose us before the foundation of the world

He predestined us to be adopted as sons and daughters

He has redeemed us through his blood and forgiven our sins

He has richly poured out his grace on us with all wisdom and understanding

He has made know his plan to us

His plan to bring everything together in Christ

Both in Heaven and on Earth

So Paul takes time to praise God for these truths

After this he prays that the eyes of their hearts might be enlightened that they might truly know how glorious these truths are

Paul then reminds his readers what they have been saved from

We were once dead in our sins…

Ephesians 2:4–5 (CSB)

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!

Expounding on the wonder of the Gospel Paul then writes some verses that all of us are familiar with:

Ephesians 2:8–10 (CSB)

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

Paul then takes time to talk about how God has done this amazing work for both Jew and Gentile

That Christ has made a new humanity - with a new purpose and destiny

And God has made a new multiethnic family - with new relationships and love

So in Ephesians 1-3 we have a beautiful retelling of all that God has done for us

From before creation to the work of Jesus

God has saved us, brought us spiritual life, and adopted us into his new family

This section is filled with indicatives (statements of facts)

It doesn’t tell us what to do, it simply states the truth of who God is, who we are, and what God has done

Our Story (Ch 4-6)

These two sections hinge on the first word of Ephesians 4, therefore

While the first section is filled with indicatives, the second is filled with imperatives (commands)

Just listen to the first verse:

Ephesians 4:1 (CSB)

Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received

He is challenging them to live out their faith

Respond to these great truths

How does this play out?

Maintain and strive for unity

Unity vs Uniformity

We are to not let things get in between our bond as believers

Two Metaphors

Building a Temple

Growing of a Body

We are to put off the old (humanity) and put on the new (humanity)

Ephesians 4:25–32 (CSB)

Therefore, putting away lying, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another.

Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and don’t give the devil an opportunity.

Let the thief no longer steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need.

No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.

And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption.

Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

Paul practically tells us how this relates to our everyday relationships:

Husbands/Wives

Children/Parents

Slaves/Masters

This is how we should behave

And we should expect conflict

Paul finishes this letter by reminding the reader of the reality of Spiritual Evil

Remember this is in idol worshipping Ephesus

We face a real and vicious enemy

Our enemy seeks to destroy the unity between believers

Destroying friendships and families

Our enemy seeks to compromise their new calling

Leading us into sin and rebellion

Paul’s overwhelming response to this is:

Stand Firm!

Fight!

Trust in God’s Strength!

Be Grounded in Prayer!

Do good, and continue to do good!

Conclusion - Live The Gospel

So that is a quick overview of this book

I think the key message of this book is the importance of living out the gospel

And how our good works flow from our identity in Christ

We can often think of Christianity as a list of do’s and don’ts

Before Paul gets to any of the do’s he spends half of the letter talking about what God has done for us

We often feel guilt or shame for not doing as we should as a Christian

But it’s truly not about performance

When we root ourselves into the story of the Gospel, the good works will come

This is true even for Jesus

Before any of his ministry

Baptism - Wilderness

We all need regular time to sit and remind ourselves of the gospel

To remind ourselves of how much God loves us

How our sins have been forgiven

How beautiful the church is despite its brokenness

How great our hope is

So I hope you have time this month to read Ephesians

It truly is an amazing book with some truths worth meditating on