Dear Ephesians

Opening:

Im excited about our new series in the Book of Ephesians

Ephesians is such a great book…It has been called, “The Queen of the NT.”

Im excited to see what God is going to do through this series.

A word of Warning: Today I am going to give you background…Next Week predestination.

Think with me for a sec:

Culture…Its something that we all are faced with. Its all around us

The World can have this culture that is at work all around us

When it comes to the culture within the World….Christians are to stand out not blend in. (We can even become culture makers)

Why does this matter?

God has called each of us to make disciples and proclaim the gospel….He has called us to live a life of faithfulness.

Sometimes we intentionally go against go the culture….It can bring persecution.

We must understand that we are called…God has a purpose and a plan…..We are called to be faithful

Question: Are you faithful to the Lord, even in the midst of the culture around you?

At work

At the ball field

With you friends

Main Idea: Paul encourages the church(es) at Ephesus who are faithful and who are to remain faithful.

Facts About Ephesians

The first 3 of Ephesians deal with Doctrine, The Last three deals with Behavior

Another way of saying it - The first half is theological, the second half is practical

Mac Brunson, “Chapters 1-3 = God’s Devotion to you. Chapters 4-6 = Your devotion to God.”

Lets dive into the text as we look at our sermon entitled….. “Dear Ephesians”

Read The Text: Ephesians 1:1-2

Lets look at some things from the Text Today….

I. Pauls Authorship (v.1a)

Paul is the author of this book!

Who Was Paul?

Paul was known as Saul in the Book of Acts

Names after the first King of Isreal, Saul….Saul was the tallest and Vainest of the Benjamites….This is the tribe that Paul was from

Paul’s name means “Small or Little.”

What does this show us? After Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the Road to Damascus he was cut down and humbled

Ephesians—The Mystery of the Body of Christ Celebrating Self (v. 1a)

Paul’s smallness became the medium for God’s bigness, his weakness a channel for God’s power.

Question: Does your life display the products of change? Can people tell that you are different because of the Gospel?

Paul says…. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

The word apostle means sent one or one that is sent.

Paul was an apostle of Christ Jesus by….The will of God. This was God’s will for Pauls Life. God called Paul and Paul responded to that calling.

Where was Paul writing this Letter From?

Quite Simply, Paul was writing from Prison in Rome. This is his first Imprisonment

Three times Paul mentions his imprisonment

Paul most likely wrote this book at the age of 55. While chained to a guard.

Paul saw the importance of spreading the Gospel….

Do we see the importance of the Gospel?

II. Paul’s Recipients (v.1b)

Paul was writing this letter to the churches throughout Asia Minor around AD 60-62 while he was in a prison in Rome.

It was written to multiple churches throughout Asia Minor

Paul Calls them Saints….

The word Saints means holy ones

Holy ones was term that was used in the OT for God’s covenantal people.

The were called “holy ones” because they had been chosen by God and consecrated to him as his own people.

God called them to reflect his own purity and integrity in their lives

What we need to understand is that Paul uses the term Saint a lot when talking about believers.

Ephesians—The Mystery of the Body of Christ Celebrating the Saints (vv. 1b, 2)

Marcus Barth explains, “By using the same designation … the author of Ephesians bestows upon all his pagan-born hearers a privilege formerly reserved for Israel, for special (especially priestly) servants of God, or for angels.”

Question: Do you realize you are a saint?

If you come to Christ you are a saint, A holy one not because of anything you have done.

We are called to reflect God’s Purity and Integrity - We are to be holy because God is holy!

Q: Do you see yourself as a Saint?

Saints are living people

They are saints because of the Blood of Jesus

Who where the Saints at Ephesus?

The Book of Ephesians was intended for Several Churches throughout Asia Minor

Paul did ministry there for 3 years

Ephesus was the main Hub…..It was a port city

The whole city was made of wealth

The whole city was made of Marble

It was a Roman Capital and it gave it perks

It contained a massive bank

It contained of of the seven ancient wonders of the World…. Temple of the godess Diana or Artomas

What we need to understand about the Christians of Emphasis and The Culture they lived in…

They lived under the a cult and magic

This means that they were a minority group

The culture was steeped in materialism, sensuality, and perverted idolatrous practices.

The Culture was obsessed with demons, magic, and idolatry.

Exalting Jesus in Ephesians The Struggle in Ephesus

The city was known for different forms of paganism. Some were more sophisticated, others quite sleazy. The sophisticated types embraced the Greek notion of true enlightenment, which involved rising to high levels of mysterious knowledge. This knowledge was obtained not just by learning but by experience, through both erotic and ascetic practices (cf.

The Church was in this culture but they didn't blend in they stood out.

They literally began to turn the World upside down by following Jesus….The Book of Acts would tell us.

Application:

No matter what is going on around you are you faithful?

Paul says that they are faithful and are bing faithful

III. Paul’s Blessing to His Recipients (v.2)

Grace is God’s great kindness toward those who are undeserving of His Favor

Grace: God’s riches at Christ expense.

Ephesians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Dual Blessings of Believers

Grace is the fountain of which peace (eirēnē) is the stream. Because we have grace from God we have peace with God and the peace of God, “which surpasses all comprehension” (

Ephesians—The Mystery of the Body of Christ Celebrating the Saints (vv. 1b, 2)

“Grace and peace.” This greeting celebrates how the gospel works. Grace comes first, and as it fills our lives through the Holy Spirit, it brings shalom — peace, reconciliation, wholeness.

Understand: You cant experience the peace of God until you have the Grace of God.

Closing:

ILL: Queen victory before she became queen was being educated on the History of her family. One day her tutor opened long scroll of the history of the kings and queens of England. He went through it till he arrived at her name. He tapped on her name and said, “My dear lady that is you.” Victoria went back to her room that night and wrote in her journal, “I realize today Im not just an English girl, but that one day I am to be queen. And I have decided to live my life differently.”

We have to live our life differently and in view of the Gospel…

Bottom Line: May we be faithful in the culture around us and experience the Grace & Peace that only comes from God?

Are you faithful to the Lord even when you are surround by an ungodly culture?

What do you need to do to make sure you are being faithful in the culture around us?