The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians 13OCT
Ephesians ABF • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 6 viewsABF lesson on some of the greatest words in the Bible.
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Welcome
Welcome
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Memory Verse, eph 2:8-9, anyone have it?
Ephesians 2:8–9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Scriptures for today on whiteboard
Eph 2:1-3
Eph 2:4-7
Eph 2:8-10
1Pet 5:8
Eph 1:13-14
Rom 8:5-8
John 3:16
Rom 10:8-10
Rom 10:11-13
Rom 10:14-17
1Pet 1:3-5
Phil 1:29
John 3:18
Last week
Last week
Finished off chapter 1
Chosen by God, predestined to heaven, adopted as sons of the Father, been given an inheritance, given the downpayment of the Spirit, given the POWER of the HS which is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him in the highest authority
THAT GRAND WORK is what God has done.
We’re left on this Mount Everest at the end of chapter 1!
PRAY (ask someone)
PRAY (ask someone)
Deliverance from Death to Life in Christ
Deliverance from Death to Life in Christ
Upcoming textual structure
Upcoming textual structure
Deliverance from Death to Life in Christ (2:1–10)
The old life in death (2:1–3)
Even while dead, believers are made alive in Christ’s life (2:4–7)
Expansion on this new life as a divine work leading to new obedience (2:8–10)
***Readers: 1-3, 4-7, 8-10
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
A) The old life in death (2:1-3)
A) The old life in death (2:1-3)
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Textual comments…
stark tonal contrast from the end of ch1
“course of this world” : aion of this kosmos : the “age of this universe” : world system of this earth (similar Gk words)
“course”: you can think of as “way” or “path”
kosmos can also mean “ornament” or “adornment”
idea that the humans are the adornments/ornaments in the world. Kind of odd, but sort of fits.
Image bearers, special creation
Yet, sin has killed us, made our “courses” our paths, our efforts like frivolous ornaments
Like a Christmas tree, the ornaments come out, put on display, get appreciated for a short while, but get put away and forgotten completely
This definition is interesting, but not the primary one. Just couldn’t help myself.
“ruler of the power of the air”
Who we talking about?
“ruler” : archon : leader/official/commander
“power” : exousia, ex - ousia : out of - wealth/property/abundance : POWER/authority
“air” : aer : literally, air.
We got the who, but now, what are we talking about? Power of the air? What are the connotations with this statement?
Satan has been executing a certain power over creation up until this point. (see next phrase)
Objective evil is in fact objective evil (murder, genocide, deeds of the flesh, etc. we see all around us)
“spirit …in the sons of disobedience”
“spirit” : pneuma : breath/wind/spirit
lower case “s”
actively working, employing it’s power, in those who disobey (disobey whom?) [literally “sons that are defined by their disobedient nature”
Combined with “prince/ruler of the power of the air”, strong imagery here
At least in this aion, the prince, Satan, is blowing around like a wind, working inside people
Reader
1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Think of the demon possessed man and the pigs (Mark 5:1-20)
“Legion” looking to possess and devour
Like the wind blowing, these evil spirits “blew on”, out of the man, into the pigs
Does the Spirit (capital “S”) operate like this? Blowing in and out of people?
NO!
Reader
Ephesians 1:13–14 “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
“we all” + “by nature children of wrath”
“we all” : every/total/the whole
ALL were sons of disobedience (“formerly conducted ourselves” “once lived”), ruled by the prince of the power of the air
“by nature”…in our natural state, in our born-into condition
“lusts of our flesh” + “desires of the flesh and of the mind”
ESV “lived in the passions of our flesh”
works itself out as DOING the deeds of the flesh and DOING the deeds of the mind.
BOTH actions and thoughts are in play, characterize the “sons of disobedience”, which we ALL WERE!
I have to bring in Romans 8 here…
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
The way we live and the way we think are connected
one affects the other: living affecting the mind, mind affecting the flesh.
“we all…were by nature children of wrath” == “in the flesh cannot please God”
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Application comments…
Back to verse 1: “You were DEAD.”
What can dead men do?
Nothing!
“dead” : nekros : dead, lifeless, useless, a corpse
All were children of wrath>in the flesh>doing the lusts of the mind and flesh>hostile to God
This state IS spiritual death (for to set the mind on the flesh IS death)
This is the state that every single human being, apart from the work of God, is in.
B) Even while dead, believers are made alive in Christ’s life (2:4-7)
B) Even while dead, believers are made alive in Christ’s life (2:4-7)
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Textual comments…
“BUT GOD” two best words in the Bible!
God interjects, throws a stick through the spokes of the bicycle wheel (Indiana Jones memory)
We get ourselves in terrible trouble. ALL THE TIME.
BUT GOD is merciful!
“rich in mercy” OT connotations-repeated mercy God showed on Israel, the provisions He made to repeatedly repair their relationship with them, but it was never effective, never permanent
Can you think of a time God has shown you mercy after a mistake you made?
Did you ever go back and make that mistake again?
{temporary fix}, not so with our eternal life, it’s a one way check valve! See v5…
“great love with which he loved us”
Reader
John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
it’s because of His Love, that the next thing in the text happens. That’s it. That’s what “riches of His grace” is (1:7)
5: “when we were dead” + “made alive”
“when we were dead”: same nekros as before, “were” > AN ALREADY EXISTING STATE
“made us alive together with” : syzoopoieo : a supernatural alivinening, quickening
poieo : to do, to make // zoopoieo : make alive // syzoopoieo : prefix adds in “together with”
aorist active verb in the singular 3rd person
external power (God) is the active agent of the verb, acting on the plural “us”
**** THE POINT *** God, and God alone, has done this enlivening!
Who’s heard of the life ring metaphor? Explain this (either me or someone else)
Explain the real, more accurate way to look at this: dead on the bottom on the ocean
A dead man can’t move his fingers to grab a life ring, a dead man is dead.
In the final analysis, if the life ring analogy is true, then the deciding factor of salvation, THE ACTION that saves you is you (grabbing the ring), which simply ISN’T what the Bible teaches.
PRAISE GOD that HE has the power to take our dead, lifeless bodies, lift them off the ocean floor, into the light of day, and breath eternal life into us!
v6=eternal life now & v7=eternal life @ your judgement day and beyond
Christ glorified in your judgement, Christ glorified forever and ever
v6-7: throw back to ch1 at large, “heavenly places”
C) Expansion on this new life as a divine work leading to new obedience (2:8–10)
C) Expansion on this new life as a divine work leading to new obedience (2:8–10)
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Textual comments…
“For by grace you have been saved through faith”
fleshed out from v5 (Paul couldn’t help himself in v5, HAD to immediately say how salvation happens = GRACE)
“by grace” “through faith” : grace is the cause, faith is the mode (or means, or ‘way it happens’)
Paul speaks about the faith/belief relationship, the “righteousness of faith” (Rom10:6) in this way…
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Sending->preaching->hearing->faith/believing the “word of faith” or “word of Christ”
Human means (confessing with your mouth; believing in your heart; calling on the name of the Lord; preaching the word), are empowered by God, but still a baked in component to how God designed salvation to work!
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
God caused rebirth, given an imperishable/unfading inheritance, guarded by God through faith.
It’s “our faith” in the sense that we have it, feel, know it, think it, act upon it, make decisions based on it, love because of it
But it’s God who gave it and secures it in us through Christ!
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
“this is not your own doing”
What’s “this” referring to?
Actually, it’s referring to the entire phrase “by grace you have been saved through faith”, the whole event!
“this” is neuter - “faith” and “grace” are feminine and “saved” is masculine”
Super common, the pronoun would be neuter referring to the entire phrase. It’s illogical and awkward, grammatically, to tie it only to faith.
Why do I belabor this??
This means all of it, <the grace, the saving, the faith> = A) doesn’t come from us, B) DOES come from God as a gift
Even the belief of the believer is given to him (see 1Pet1:3-5 above “God’s power is guarding our faith”)…
Even more explicitly…
Reader
For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,
So, we’ve been given faith/belief/salvation as a gift from God. By definition, what is a “gift”? Are gifts given due to merit of the recipient?
So, what’s grace again, how do we normally define it, or distinguish it from mercy?
Taking 2:1-3 into account…I don’t think “underserved favor” “giving someone something they don’t deserve” goes far enough to define “grace”, nor does Paul.
We are dead, condemned already by our sins and trespasses
John 3:18 “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
So, not only do we not deserve these gifts, we actually actively deserve the opposite of these gifts (punishment!)
So, maybe a better “grace” definition: “God’s underserved favor despite human demerit”
BTW, how are you doing with this in your own life?
Do you give your kids, your spouse, your roommates this kind of grace?
Love on them when they actively attack you?
How easy is this to do?
How easy is it for us to forget that we were once rebels actively bucking God’s authority, yet we treat others like we’ve forgotten we were once the same!
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
“gift of God” vs “not from yourselves…not of works, so that no one may boast”
OBTW…affirmation vs denial concept right here in Scripture!
“His workmanship”
Used twice in NT, here + Rom 1:20, where it refers to all of Creation.
“created in Christ Jesus for good works”
relationship between faith and works
Faith (which we’ve established is a gift from God) is the antecedent for works
driving purpose statement for God’s work in His workmanship
God “makes alive” to execute the good works he’s already designed, because He is good!
“created in Christ Jesus”
v6. Our raising is the FULL and FINAL and COMPLETE end state of our being “created in Christ Jesus”
“God prepared beforehand”
ch1:4,7c-8,12
“we would walk” (ESV: “we should walk”)
not “could” or “may” or “perhaps, if we feel like it”, it is a by product of someone who has been gifted belief
2:1 started with dead sinners walking in death, and ends with “made alive” sinners walking in newness of life! Praise God!
Closing
Closing
To be a Christian is to be a mimetai! [an imitator, one who represents, a mimic]
Who’s heard of the leadership technique of leading by example? Why is this technique effective?
Yogi Reads opening of 1Thess 1…
1 Thessalonians 1:6–7 “And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.”
To be “made [us] alive together with Christ” is to be made into a mimic of Christ
Us sheep must look to CHRIST to see the mold into which we, by the power of the Spirit, are being formed into!
And as the apostles were conformed into the Christ-mold, the Christians of that time could look to them as examples.
And us now, in 2024: God has ordained elders for His Church, to function in a similar way…
Elders, as they mimetei Christ, should provide a practical, tangible, visible example to the church, to the souls they are responsible for caring for, nurturing for, sacrificing for…insofar as they themselves faithfully mimic the Lord.
But, chiefly, Christ is our head as the church body, and as individuals, and we must look to Him as the perfect example of humanity, as the perfect mold.
And when we do this, we are able to walk in the good works which God prepared beforehand for all of us!
And when we understand from Eph 2 that GOD is the one who did this great work of salvation in us...GOD GETS ALL GLORY
This helps us be mimetei’s in so many ways…
Our own sin: combats Pride
Our own perspective: relationship with our heavenly Father, not a punitive or careless one, He LOVES his creatures
Our own personal witness and ministries and discipleship efforts
In our families
In our church
In our lives with the unbelieving world
PRAY
PRAY
Brother Dustin is going to lend me a helping hand next Lord’s day.
See you next week!
Ephesians 2:11-22
The Unified New Creation Inaugurated
Gentile separation from Israel and from God (2:11–12)
Christ has united Gentiles with the saints into a new human race (2:13–18)
The unified church household as new creation temple (2:19–22)
