Untitled Sermon

Ephesians 1:1–2 ESV

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

OBSERVATIONS FROM GREETINGS:

- Author: Paul:

- an apostle

- An apostle of whom? - of Christ Jesus

- by the will of God

- Recipients:

- Ephesians

- Addressed as saints

- Addressed as faithful in Christ Jesus

- Greeting:

- Grace to you and peace from God our Father

- and the Lord Jesus Christ.

INTERPRETATION FROM GREETINGS:

- Paul is making note of his authority from God as an apostle. He explicitely identifies that he is an apostle of Christ Jesus. He is bringing truth about Jesus. And this is not of his own accord. He is not on a self-imposed mission for fame and legacy. He is called by the will of God.

- His recipients are called saints and faithful in Christ Jesus. Will both of these elements be brought about in greater detail as the letter goes on? What does it mean to be a saint? What does it mean to be faithful? Let's see how or if Paul addresses these concepts in Ephesians.

- Why grace and peace? Why not love and hope? What is so special about grace and peace that Paul extends these two aspects rather than other important qualities from God?

APPLICATION FROM GREETINGS:

- Do I recognize that I'm a saint? Do I know what this means? Do I delight in this fact?

- Am I faithful in Christ Jesus? Would people look at my life and characterize me as a man who is faithful in Christ? Does Jesus look at me right now and see me as a faithful man and bride to him?

PRAYER:

- Father, you know how quickly and how much I stray away from you. I need your grace all of the time and my depravity kicks right back in the moment I stop looking to you. My mind floods with the perfect marriage, the perfect wife, the hottest wife, the best and most euphoric sex life as my redemption. I look at these things and I clamor and quibble over them as if they are what will bring me purpose and meaning and satisfaction. Jesus, I am so sorry. I'm such a selfish man. Please be gracious to me Father and please flood me with your grace so that I am transformed into a purer and more sanctified bride. I want to be obsessed with you. Please come soon and let this be the case. Burn in my heart so much more than this burning in my groins for a sexual release. Be the joy that I am yearning for. Be my delight. Be the desire of my heart. Be my portion. Please don't delay.

Fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I love what you love and hate what you hate. Cause me to hate my sin with a burning, lasting hatred and to kill all of it by the empowering that you provide. Jesus let your words abide so rich in my heart so that it's just me and you and so that I will obey you and that you will reveval yourself to me. Shape me and protect my mind and heart so that it is truly just you and I when I pray and not this imaginary third party of someone also watching all that I am saying right now in which I gain validation from them as they are impressed with all I am saying. Please let me truly know and love that it is just you and I. That no one else will ever see these words and that that is wonderful because these are to be words of love to you, not for the world to see and approve of me for.

Father, please come soon. I need you and want you so much.

Amen.

3 Blessed be the … blameless before him

Ephesians 1:3–4 ESV

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, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

OBSERVATIONS:

VERSE 3:

- God is to be blessed.

- Εὐλογητὸς ὁ θεὸς - predicate position: Could be translated "God is blessed"?

- God is the Father of Jesus Christ.

- Jesus Christ is called Lord - τοῦ κυρίου

- ὁ εὐλογήσας - "Who blessed us" is in agreement with ὁ θεὸς which shows God the Father blesses us.

- We are blessed in Christ by God the Father

- We are blessed with every spiritual blessing

- in the heavenly places

VERSE 4:

- "Even as" -- God blessed us in Christ even as he chose us in him.

- We were chosen before the foundation of the world,

- so that we should be holy and blameless before him.

INTERPRETATIONS:

VERSE 3:

- God be blessed: He is most worthy of praise. He is the creator of all and is over all.

- Εὐλογητὸς - is used in .

- Paul is giving proper thanks and praise to God rather than exchanging the truth of God for a lie and worshipping God's creation instead.

- (God the Father) who blesses us in Christ: It appears here that the Father does the blessing and Jesus does the accomplishing to allow for that blessing to be possible. Jesus accomplishes, the Father blesses us with this accomplishment.

VERSE 4:

- "Even as" - This blessing (of every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies) happened in connection with he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.

QUESTIONS:

- What does it mean to be blessed in Christ? What use of the Dative is taking place with ἐν Χριστῷ,* ?

- What is "every spiritual blessing"? What does this all contain? What are the specific spiritual blessings that have been blessed to our account?

- What does it mean to be "blessed" with spiritual blessing? Does it mean it is granted to us?

- εὐλογήσας is the aorist active particple nominative masc sg of εὐλογέω.

- 39 out of 41 times this word is translated: "bless, blessed, blessing"

- Once as "said a blessing"

- Once as "thanks".

- So it is translated as blessed. Now what? What does that mean!?

APPLICATION:

- WORSHIP GOD NOT SEX.

- Paul calls God the Father blessed. To be blessed. To be praised. As seen in he says that people have chosen to run after their own passions and gods and desires rather than give thanks to the true God. Father, please do not let me exchange the truth of you and your glory for the lies of sexual immorality. Please do not allow me to exchange you for sex.

- CHOSEN TO BE HOLY AND BLAMELESS BEFORE HIM:

- Why did God choose us before the foundation of the word?

- So that we should be holy and blameless before him.

- Am I living out this calling? Am I seekig him and striving for this?