Introduction to Ephesians
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Transcript
Good morning, everyone. It's so good to be here with you today at Enterprise Baptist Church. Can you believe it's been almost been a year since God brought us together? Time flies, doesn't it? God has been good and we are seeing Him at work in our church.
We're going to keep serving faithfully because Jesus gave us a big job—it's called the Great Commission. That's when Jesus told His followers to go into all the world and make disciples, which means teaching people about Him and helping them follow Him. And specifically, God has called us to be right here in Coaling, like a lighthouse shining in a dark, stormy sea full of sin and death. You know, I've always been fascinated by lighthouses. They stand tall between boats full of people and those deadly rocks hidden under the water. They face wind and waves year after year, just to save folks passing by.
I got a real lesson on how important a guiding light several years ago while deep sea fishing with my father-in-law. We were out on a small fishing boat, and we got caught after dark. That boat wasn't made for night running—it just had those colored lights so other boats could see us as another vessel, but no headlights to see where we were going. We had to cross Mobile Bay from Dauphin Island over to Fort Morgan in the pitch black. We inched along through the dark water, trying not to hit sandbars or run into land. Man, my heart was racing, waves slapping against the side, no idea what was ahead. I felt helpless, wishing for anything to light the path. Then, far off, we spotted a distant glow from the shore—relief washed over me like a wave. That's what finding Jesus is like: seeing His light in the darkness of life, guiding you safely home.
As we continue to grow in our faith and as a church, we need to be grounded in God's Word—the Bible. We need to understand who we are because of Jesus and how He wants His church to work.
I've been praying and asking God to show us where He is working and His plan for Enterprise Baptist to join Him in that work. I want us to become everything He dreams for us. As I've read and studied the Bible, I keep coming back to one book: Ephesians. It's one of the most incredible parts of the Bible. It's full of deep truths about what we believe and how to live it out every day.
This letter is perfect for us right now because it does a few key things: It helps us see the amazing riches we have in Jesus—things we can't even fully wrap our minds around, like forgiveness that wipes away all our wrongs and a promise of eternal life. It reminds us how we were once spiritually dead because of our sins—our wrong choices that separate us from God—but now we're made alive through trusting in Jesus. It describes what the church is all about in Jesus, like a family or a body working together. It shows how we all fit together in the church, like parts of a body—each one important. It teaches us how to live in a way that matches who we really are in Jesus, not faking it but truly changing. It gives wisdom for healthy relationships with family, friends, and others—like how to love your spouse or raise kids right. And it shows us how to fight spiritual battles—against unseen evil forces that try to trip us up—so we can live victorious lives, strong and winning.
Over the next several months, we're going to walk through the whole book of Ephesians together. I want you to come ready each week. Pray about it—ask God to open your heart. Read ahead in your Bible so you're familiar. Bring your Bible with you. Grab a notebook and a pen—take notes on what stands out. Ask questions if something's not clear. Really dig into the words, think about what they mean for your life. Expect God to use this time to teach you something life-changing, maybe even fix a problem you're facing.
Today, let's start with an introduction to this book called Ephesians.
Paul is the one who wrote this letter. He wrote it sometime between AD 60 and 62—that's about 60 years after Jesus was born. Paul was in prison in Rome at the time, but he wasn't in a dark dungeon; it was more like house arrest, where he could still have visitors and write letters. This letter to Ephesians was probably written around the same time as a few others: Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon.
Now, not every old copy of this letter—called manuscripts—has the word "Ephesus" in it. And the letter doesn't address any specific problem or name any individual people. So, scholars think it was meant to be a general letter, circulated to all the churches in Asia Minor—that's an area in what we now call Turkey. It might have gone to Ephesus first, a big city there, and then been passed around to other churches.
Let me tell you a bit about Ephesus, because understanding the place helps us see why this letter matters. It was a coastal city, super important for trading in Asia Minor. Starting around 26 BC—before Christ—it became a major spot for worshiping the Roman emperors; people treated the Caesars like gods. But even bigger, it was the center for worshiping Diana, or Artemis, the goddess of fertility—that means she was supposed to help with having babies and growing crops. Her temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world—bigger than a football field, with 117 huge columns, each six feet thick.
In those days, religious places were also cultural hubs. If you wanted to gather with 10 or more people for a social event, you'd probably do it at a temple. Food from animal sacrifices was often eaten at these gatherings, like community meals mixed with false worship.
The city had a massive theater—25,000 seats, almost 500 feet across. That's where a big mob scene happened in the Bible, in Acts chapter 19. Silversmiths who made idols of Diana got angry because Paul's preaching was hurting their business—fewer people buying idols meant less money. They stirred up a crowd chanting for hours.
Ephesus was in a rich area—lots of food, variety of crops, and famous for its black wool.
To understand the background, look at Acts chapters 18 through 20 in the Bible. Ephesus was Paul's main base during his third missionary trip. He stayed there nearly three years and started a big, influential church. Paul preached the good news about Jesus boldly and did many miracles—supernatural signs from God to show His power, like healing sick people or even cloths from Paul healing folks when touched.
20 In this way the word of the Lord spread and prevailed.
That means the message about Jesus grew strong and won out over the false gods. Missionaries from Ephesus went out and planted churches in other cities like Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, Colossae, and Hierapolis.
Paul wrote this letter about 10 years after he left Ephesus. He wanted to share the wonderful truths God had shown him about Jesus and the church. Even under house arrest, Paul was focused on encouraging believers, showing us that tough times don't stop God's work.
Now, let's dig into the letter itself. Today, we'll look at the salutation—the greeting—in verses 1 and 2 of chapter 1.
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will: To the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus. 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let's break this down piece by piece, because even the greeting is packed with meaning. It's like the front door to a house—sets the tone for everything inside.
First, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will"
Paul starts by introducing himself. An apostle means "sent one." In a general way, we're all sent by Jesus to share the good news about Him—telling others how He can save them from sin. But Paul is talking about a special role here. Apostles were a select group of men chosen by God to lay the foundation of the church—like the base of a building that everything else stands on. Without a strong foundation, the whole thing crumbles.
19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
The original apostles were Jesus' twelve closest followers during His time on earth. After Judas betrayed Jesus and died, they chose Matthias to replace him. Then Paul was added later when Jesus appeared to him specially. That's the complete list. No more after that—the role ended with Paul, because the foundation was laid.
What did these special apostles do? They preached the gospel—the message that Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross to pay for our sins (all the wrong things we do that hurt God and others), and rose from the dead to beat death. That's the core story that brings hope. They taught others about faith and prayed with them for guidance and healing. They performed miracles, like making the blind see or the lame walk, to prove God's power was real. They trained up other leaders in the church, like mentors passing on skills. And some, like Paul, wrote parts of the Bible, which is God's inspired Word to us.
To qualify as one of these special apostles, you had to have seen Jesus in person after His resurrection—that proved He was alive.
1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
Paul saw Jesus in a bright light on the road to Damascus, where Jesus spoke to him and changed his life forever. And you had to be appointed by Jesus himself to the job. Paul says it's "by the will of God"—not because he earned it or was super talented, but by God's choice, His grace, which is undeserved kindness.
8 Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
I love how Paul mixes boldness with humility. He knew he wasn't worthy—none of us are worthy to represent God. Paul used to hunt down and hurt Christians before he met Jesus, trying to stop the church. But God changed him from an enemy to a leader, showing grace can transform anyone. That's encouraging for us. Whatever your past—maybe lies, addictions, broken relationships—God can forgive and use you if you turn to Him. Paul worked hard, but he gave credit to God's grace powering him.
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will: To the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus.
Next part: "To the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus."
The word "saints" gets misused a lot. In some places, people think saints are super-holy folks recognized after death, like statues in churches or people who did miracles. Some groups examine a dead person's life, check for good deeds and at least two miracles, then declare them a saint. But that's not what the Bible means at all.
In the Bible, "saint" comes from a Greek word "hagios," which means holy—set apart, made clean and special for God—through the blood of Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross, His blood covers our sins like a perfect sacrifice, making us holy in God's eyes right away when we believe. It also means separated from the world and sin—pulled away from wrong living, like choosing honesty over cheating or kindness over gossip.
21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Jesus never sinned once—He was perfect. But on the cross, God treated Him like He carried all our sins, so we could get His perfect righteousness, like swapping dirty clothes for clean ones. It's a gift, not earned.
Then, "faithful" here means true believers, the real ones who stick with it—those who have really been saved by God will stay faithful through ups and downs. They keep following Jesus, not perfectly, but persevering like a runner finishing the race.
But notice, we're only holy and faithful "in Christ Jesus." He's the only one who can change us inside, recreate us from the heart out. When we make Jesus our Lord—meaning we trust Him as the boss of our life and the one who saves us from sin's penalty—we become part of Him, united like a branch on a vine. The branch gets life from the vine; we get spiritual life from Jesus. But we still live in our physical places, like Ephesus or our small town of Coaling. We're to live for Jesus right where we are, in the context of the local church, this gathering of believers.
It's like a progression: You're a saint because of Jesus' work. Then a faithful saint, staying true day by day. Then a faithful saint in the local church, where we encourage each other, serve together, and shine as a group.
This reminds us to be faithful even in a tough world. Ephesus was like sin city—people flocked there from all over to worship Diana, and part of that "worship" included temple prostitutes, mixing religion with immorality. Idols everywhere, false gods promising fertility but delivering emptiness. It was a place of wealth but spiritual darkness, with crowds in that huge theater rioting against the truth.
But the Bible calls us to stand out:
14 Do everything without grumbling and arguing, 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, 16 by holding firm to the word of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing.
We are pressured by our world today—maybe not idol temples, but pressures from TV, social media, or friends pushing wrong ideas. We shine by living differently: forgiving when we’re hurt, helping the needy, speaking truth with love. Like a lighthouse guiding ships in the dark, our good lives point to God.
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, the greeting ends with: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
Grace is God's loving favor we don't deserve, given freely through Jesus. It's like getting a huge gift when you expected nothing. Everything good in our lives—salvation from sin, strength for daily stuff—is because of grace. Paul knew he wasn't worthy, but...
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
God's grace helps us handle anything—struggling with bills, hard days at work, family troubles, health issues.
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.
Paul had some ongoing problem, like a "thorn in the flesh"—maybe pain or opposition—but God said grace is enough. When we're weak, His power shows up strong. So next time you feel overwhelmed, remember: God's grace can carry you if you let it.
Peace means quietness inside, being at rest even in storms. We all chase peace—from worry, anger, or chaos. But the biggest is peace with God. Without Jesus, our sins make us enemies of God, at war with Him because we've rebelled against His laws. Only our faith in Jesus can restore the peace that was broken by our sin.
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
Once we have peace with God, it flows into peace in life—calm in trials, knowing He's in control.
Notice Paul says this grace and peace come from "God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." He's putting Jesus equal with God the Father. That's huge—it shows Jesus is God Himself, part of what we call the Trinity: one God in three persons—Father, Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit. Saving faith believes Jesus is God, who came to earth as a man to save us.
This whole letter lifts up Jesus high and shows us our role as His body—the church. Jesus is over everything, in charge.
18 He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.
So, I ask you today: Is Jesus number one in your life? Does He come first in your decisions, your time, your money, your relationships? If not, today could be the day to change that. Repent—turn away from putting other things first—and trust Him fully. He'll forgive and lead you.
Friends, as we start this journey through Ephesians, let's remember who we are: those of us who have trusted Jesus as our Savior are saints made holy by Jesus, faithful in Him, shining in our town even when it's hard. God has big plans for Enterprise Baptist Church—to grow, reach more lost folks, and mature into what He wants.
I’m excited to think about how Ephesians will help us grow in our faith. We'll uncover riches in Christ—like being adopted as God's kids, sealed by the Holy Spirit as His guarantee of heaven. From dead in sin—like a lifeless body unable to help itself—to alive in Christ, with new desires to do good. The church as a mystery—Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles) united as one family. We fit together with different gifts: some teach, some help the poor, some encourage—all needed like body parts. Living it out: Put off old bad habits, renew your mind with truth. Relationships: Husbands love wives sacrificially like Christ loves us; wives respect husbands; parents teach kids about God without provoking anger; work honestly as if for Jesus. Warfare: It's not against people, but unseen evil powers—put on God's armor like truth as a belt, faith as a shield, prayer as a weapon—to stand firm against lies and temptations. I'm excited for this series. Pray with me that God uses Ephesians to ground us, grow us, and send us.
Let's pray.
