Welcome to Ephesians!

Ephesians 1:1–2 NASB95

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is a letter…

There is an author or writer of the letter

There is an audience or those receiving the letter

There is also a purpose for this letter that is actually VERY PRACTICAL for our daily lives!

CONSIDER… reading through this letter this week as a letter… no headings, verses, or chapters!

Scripture should never be sterile… so let’s take some time today to get to know and get personal with this letter since we will be looking at it in the coming months and look at:

The Writer

The Church & Culture

The Leadership

… we will close our time today considering what we should expect from our study of this powerful letter!

The Writer

If you will… open up your bibles to the very front (prior to Genesis)… the table of contents

Two divisions will be seen Old Testament and New Testament

In the New Testament you’ll notice the Gospels (Good news of Jesus coming and Salvation)

Next you will see Acts (the historical accounts of Christ building His Church… birth/growth)

Romans through Philemon are the 13 letters written by Paul through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to Christ church.

His final three are to key men addressing the structure, order, and leadership for Christ Church

The ones I want you to notice are (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon) these are known as Paul’s Prison Letters… written during his imprisonment in Rome for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

NOW TURN TO THE BACK… many of your bibles will have a maps section. Just past Revelation (I will mention this later)

Some may have a map of the biblical world at the time of Paul writing these letters

Notice where we see Ephesus

Also many have a map of Paul’s missionary journeys…

Paul visited Ephesus on his Second missionary trip

On Paul’s Third missionary journey he stayed in Ephesus quite a while longer (over two years)

His stay in Ephesus was powerful yet also faced conflict as many trusted Christ and turned away from idols. (This Impacted Money)

Paul later would not visit Ephesus, but would speak with the leaders in Acts 20:28-32...Paul has insight and experience with what they will be facing in the church to come…

Acts 20:28–32 NASB95

“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. “And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Almost 10 Years after his last visit to Ephesus… Paul (UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT)writes this letter, from prison in Rome, to a people he loves dearly:

The Church & Culture

Nero is the emperor at this time, MANY worship him!!! (We see the same propensity for people today with our own government leaders)

Location / Opportunity with travelers and spiritual things

This city is a major sea port, a central hub, the place all wanted to be!!!

Home of one of the seven wonders of the world… “Temple of Diana” or Artermis the goddess of fertility

A great deal of worship in this temple revolved around sensual activity

Various ships coming into port, paganism flourished there, a place where evil desires were lived out!

It is said that in that time Ephesus made Las Vegas look like a child’s playground

It is no wonder that Paul gave the warning to the leaders

It’s here we see the church, one that had great impact in the world around them!!!

It would be Tychicus who would deliver this letter no doubt to be distributed to other churches in the region…

Paul would address this church as “saints” (this is our standing) he also called them “faithful” which defined thier relationship!!!

“Grace” expresses God’s steadfast love toward man and “peace” shows the relational state as a result of that grace.

The church has OPPORTUNITY with location, it is an ACTIVE church sending out, involved in MISSIONS and the gospel, and they are FAITHFUL… consider who is leading them:

The Leadership

Paul has established this church and set it on track

Paul left the husband / wife team Aquilla and Priscilla there to disciple and teach

Their Pastor is Timothy, Paul’s right hand man, trained and passionate for the Lord, entrusted to continue the work Paul started

There is a faithful group of men, qualified as ELDERS, active and striving for this church body

With such a powerful letter of instruction in what we BELIEVE and practical Christian living that impacts our BEHAVIOR, it is no wonder Christ had Paul write these words to this church and its leadership!

Look at what we can expect as we dive into this letter…

Expectation Overview

INTRODUCTION

As we read we see “In Christ” is a key phrase. This is our position!!!

We see this phrase “In Christ” or its equivalent 35 times in this letter.

This is such a essential doctrine for the believe to understand

You and I are as close to God as His Son Jesus Christ positionally!

TWICE we see Paul pray for the believers!

As you read and study this letter it does not take much to realize that at its center is a very distinct shift… We read in Ephesians 4:1 the opening word… THEREFORE!!!

Ephesians 4:1 NLT

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

THEREFORE

This verse is the hinge, it is the catalyst that applies the first portion of the letter.

It is a very distinct “IF”… “THEN” concept

The first three chapters deal with Teaching / Theology / Doctrine

The last three chapters apply this teaching, our theology into practice

We are given us 35 DIRECTIVES as we live out this Doctrine

We learn and discover our Position “IN CHRIST” in Chapters 1-3

We learn what the Practice or working out of that Position should be in Chapters 4-6

The first half deals with the believer's Calling and the second half deals with our Conduct or walk

I want us to consider our standing in Christ… who we are according to the first three chapters of this letter...

REDEMPTION

Interestingly enough verses 3-14 are one complete sentence in the Greek. It is the longest sentence in the bible.

ADOPTION

We are adopted into His family… We are Chosen!

John 3:16 God loved the world

2 Peter 3:9 declares that God desires none perish

GRACE

Paul clearly lays out that our redemption, our salvation is ONLY the work of God’s Grace to us…

The closing of chapter 3 is Paul not able to contain himself as he ponders all God has done… truly God has given us “every spiritual blessing!”… THEREFORE!!!! This is the very essence of the key verse summarizing the letter beautifully Ephesians 2:8-10

Ephesians 2:8–10 NASB95

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as 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 so that we would walk in them.

OUR WALK

OUR ONENESS

LIVING AS LIGHT

As we “walk” and conduct ourselves there should be a contrast

As light we are to REVEAL Christ to a dark world

RELATIONSHIPS

One Another as the family of God

Wives and Husbands

Children and parents

Slaves and masters

Paul closes with a directive given in a militant tone…

STAND FIRM and PRAY!

Pray at all times

Pray for alertness

Pray for perseverance

Pray for each other

Pray for boldness

Paul even ask them to pray for him...

As we consider this powerful letter I also want to issue to us, myself included, a warning…

Close With A Warning…

A letter FULL of solid church doctrine and practical living

And this letter of Ephesians emphasizes Christ love, their love for Him & their love for each other

The church in Ephesus had everything going for them … “Swindoll” states this as he reflects on the Ephesians church just 40 years after this letter was written as we read of this same church in Revelation…

“The church with everything, but the greatest thing! “

They lost thier first LOVE…

Christ looks at this church and sees their DEEDS, TOIL and their PERSEVERANCE…

“I know” what you are doing… (probably had many ministry programs)

“I know” how hard you are working… (in this church 90% were doing the work)

“I know” (Ephesus is a hard place to be a Christian)… yet you keep the faith

WARNING: This can happen to our church too!

I want this study to challenge us to BELIEVE & BEHAVE like Christ… in the midst of our study DO NOT FORGET TO LOVE HIM!