Ephesians 1:1-14
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Ephesians 1:1-14: The riches of HIS Grace
Ephesians 1:1-14: The riches of HIS Grace
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 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, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Intro:
In Greek, Ephesians 1:3-14 is one extended sentence and that it is difficult to outline it for that reason. Pauls seems to pile one great truth upon another in his desire to express adequate praise to God for salvation.
The English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge termed this book “the divinest composition of man”. because as he believed, “it embraces, first, those doctrines peculiar to Christianity, and, then those precepts common with it in natural religion.” John Mackey a former president of Princeton theological seminary who was converted at the age of 14 through reading Ephesians, called it the greatest.. maturest… and for our time the most relevant of all of Paul's writings. “This letter is pure music” he said. Ruth paxson called Ephesians “the Grand Canyon of scripture”, meaning that it is breathtakingly beautiful and apparently inexhaustible to the one who wants to take it in
All superlatives aside, I want to begin by emphasizing the simple clarity of this letter. If Ephesians is profound, it is so not for the mysterious nature of its unfathomable deep secrets, but for the clear way it presents the most basic Christian truths.
John R. W. Stott writes, “The whole letter is thus a magnificent combination of Christian doctrine and Christian duty, Christian faith and Christian life, what God has done through Christ and what we must be and do in consequence.”
grace and peace vs 2
What can keep us as believers faithful to God in our environments?
There's only one answer. it is what Paul speaks of in his greeting: “grace and peace,” and particularly grace, from God the Father. As the book goes on we are going to learn what we should be in this world. But from the very beginning there's no mystery about how we are to be it- by the will and strength of God who alone can help us. We have no other strength, but by his grace we can triumph
God’s work in our lives:
God the Father: PAST (vs3-6)
Lord Jesus Christ: PRESENT (vs6-11)
Holy Spirit: FUTURE (vs11-14)
7 Spiritual blessings
-the blessings come from God the Father
Election v 4
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
Election pure and simple. it teaches that we are too hopelessly lost in sin ever to partake of God’s great spiritual blessings on our own. Instead, God in his mercy chose us and then made his choice effectual. First he made our salvation possible by sending the Lord Jesus Christ to die for our sin. Then he made us capable of responding to him by sending the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the truth and glory of the gospel. Thus, all the blessings we enjoy must be traced back to this sovereign electing purpose of God toward us in Jesus Christ. And Paul does exactly that in these opening verses of Ephesians.
Adoption v 5
5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
Adoption means becoming God’s sons and daughters with all the privileges implied. On this basis we are said to be “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” Romans 8:17 and have the privilege of bringing all things to God in prayer and of being heard by him.
17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
-The blessings become ours in Jesus Christ
3. Redemption v 7
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
a. The work of the Father was primarily in planning our salvation. The work of the Holy Spirit is in applying it to individuals. Jesus’ principal work was to achieve salvation by his redemptive death for us on Calvary’s cross.
b. Redemption means being delivered from the slavery of sin by the death of Christ.
c. In ancient times people became slaves in one of three ways. He could be born a slave: children of slaves were automatically slaves too. He could become a slave by conquest. He could become a slave through debt. Significantly, the Bible speaks of people being slaves of sin in each of these ways. We were born in sin, receiving a sinful nature from our parents. (Psalm 51:5
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
We are conquered by sin. Psalm 19:13
13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
We are also slaves of sin through debt. Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
4. Forgiveness of sins v 7
a. Redemption and forgiveness are closely linked but have different means. Redemption means being freed from sin’s power. Forgiveness means having God wipe the slate clean.
5. The revelation of God’s purpose in history vv 9-10
9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
a. We live in a broken world. Paul is stating here that it wont last forever. The disharmony of the world is not to go on forever, for the same God who has predestined us to salvation in Jesus Christ has also predestined all things to be brought together in submission to him.
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
-The Blessings are applied by the Holy Spirit
6. Sealing by the Holy Spirit v 13
a. Ephesians 1:13
13 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,
b. Paul is saying that God’s gift of the Holy Spirit is an authentication that believers are truly God’s and none of the promises God has made to them will fail.
7. An Inheritance v 14
a. Ephesians 1:14
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
So What?
Assurance. Put your fears aside. Jesus takes care of His own.
Hope. Even when things are going badly for us, we know that God is shaping us for greater things.
Boldness in sharing the good news of Jesus. Let’s tell the amazing story of the Creator-Redeemer who loves the people of this world. We don’t need to trick people or manipulate them. We just tell the story, and God draws people to Himself.
