Ephesians 1:1-14

The story is told of Albert Einstein who was once travelling from Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of every passenger. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn’t find his ticket, so he reached in his trouser pockets. It wasn’t there, so he looked in his briefcase but couldn’t find it. Then he looked in the seat beside him. He still couldn’t find it.

The conductor said, “Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I’m sure you bought a ticket. Don’t worry about it.” Einstein nodded appreciatively. The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next car, he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket.

The conductor rushed back and said, “Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don’ worry, I know who you are. No problem. You don’t need a ticket. I’m sure you bought one.”

Einstein looked at him and said, “Young man, I too, know who I am. What I don’t know is where I’m going.”

It’s important that we know who we are and where we are going. Ephesians 1-3 teaches the deep theological truths of who we are in Christ; our position. Ephesians 4-6 teaches how to live accordingly so our participation with the Lord communicates whom we belong to; our practice.

Ephesians 1:1–14 ESV

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 Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him. 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.

Before we dive in, we need to unpack the context of Ephesians. Paul wrote this letter around AD 61 from Rome. Timothy was their pastor and scholars believe the apostle John was one of the church elders.

Ephesians is addressed to a group of believers who are rich beyond measure in Jesus Christ, yet they lived in spiritual poverty. Here are two good reason to believe there were both Jewish and Gentile Christians in Ephesus. First, saints is an Old Testament term that signifies God’s chosen people. The faithful in Christ Jesus is post-resurrection language, which would include Gentile believers. The second reason, grace is a Greek greeting and peace is a Jewish greeting.

Ephesians is written to the same group mentioned in Revelation 2:1-7, “But this I have against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” We can quickly jump to the conclusion that fire insurance will only take a person so far.

There are three verses that I believe summarize the chapter well.

Ephesians 2:8–10 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not 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, that we should walk in them.”

Ephesians 3:20–21 says, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

Ephesians 4:1–3 says, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Four reasons to live “to the praise of his glory”

The purpose of God is the initiator of anything good in our life.

We don’t need to look much further than verse 1. Paul wrote that he is an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. That wasn’t always his story. In Acts 9, we read about Paul going on a business trip that was approved by his boss. He was doing his job the best way he knew how and was moving up the Pharisee ladder. He wasn’t anticipating an interruption to his work day or even a modified career. He was going about his business when “suddenly a light from heaven shone around him…and he heard “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” The purpose of God initiated a conversation that changed his life forever. Through the book of Acts, we discover the many ways God’s purposes initiated events in Paul’s life.

Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” The purpose of God is the initiator in our life as well.

Verse 5 - according to the purpose of his will.

Verse 7 - according to the riches of his grace. Do you understand the difference between grace and mercy? Grace is receiving something we do not deserve. Mercy is not receiving something we do deserve.

Verse 9 - according to his purpose.

Verse 11 - according to the purpose of his works.

Verse 11 - according to the counsel of will.

To be chosen by Christ and to be adopted into the family of God is an unmerited privilege.

Let’s look at verses 3-6. Blessed us in Christ; the purpose of God is the initiator.

These four verses raise the blood pressure of Christians around the world and have divided denominations in our country. Six words that get people fired up fast - He chose. He predestined. He adopted. I’m going to give you a simplisitic definition this morning. If you want to talk more about it on Wednesday night, we can.

The Greek word for predestined is pro-or-izo and means “decided beforehand.” The Lord chose us before we accepted the Lord. If that is all you ever understand about predestination, that is enough.

If we’re chosen by Christ and we’re adopted into the family of God, what more do the verses tell us the Lord decided?

- We should be holy and blameless before him.

- We should be adopted as sons and daughters for his purposes.

- We should glorify the Lord be giving praise to him.

The key to all of those things is that our position in Christ is a privilege. Our invitation to participate with Christ is a privilege. Our position in Christ never changes. We should never take for granted being chosen and adopted because the Lord Jesus Christ decided to pursue our hearts and call us his own. He began a process in our life long before we began to recognize his work. If we want to get excited about something in this passage, let’s get excited about that.

I will remind us ~ there are 7,463 people within 5 miles of our church building that do not attend church regularly. They need Jesus.

As a believer, our spiritual bank account overflows.

Check this out. If you opened a retirement fund for a 1-year-old with $1500 and never touched it again, that child would have $1,072,897 on their 67th birthday. Sometimes we have a similar approach to our spiritual bank account. We’re saving in order enjoy the benefits of it in a different season of life. The contents of our spiritual bank account should be enjoyed today.

verse 3 - every spiritual blessing

verse 5 - adoption

verse 7 - redemption and forgiveness

verse 8 - wisdom and insight

verse 10 - unity with Christ

verse 11 - an inheritance

verse 13 - sealed by the Holy Spirit

verse 14 - citizenship in the kingdom of God

As a believer, our eternal inheritance is sealed and guaranteed.

Look at verses 11-14. We have obtained an inheritance…we were the first to hope in Christ…we were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it.

One commentator wrote, “The seal that Paul speaks about refers to an official mark that was placed on a contract. It was usually made from hot wax, placed on the document and impressed with a signet ring. The document was officially identified and under the authority of the person to whom the signet ring belonged.” Think of the Holy Spirit as the signet ring. At the moment of salvation, the contract is sealed. It’s the doctrine of soteriology. We have been reconciled through the atonement of Christ. We’ve been redeemed, but we are still being sanctified. We have been promised eternity in heaven, but we still walk the earth.

Paul says, “to the praise of his glory.” We, too, have the opportunity to proclaim the praise of his glory because the Holy Spirit fills and seals the believer while we anticipate the hope of the future.

Present the path to salvation concisely and clearly!!!

As we transition into communion, I think we can draw three points of application.

First, do you know Jesus as your personal Savior? Are you certain of that?

Second, do you experience the joy of your salvation? Does it feel like your spiritual bank account is overflowing or does it feel empty?

Third, is your next step with Jesus being baptized or becoming a church member?

While we sing together, I invite you to prepare your heart for communion together. You may sit quietly where you are. You may come to the front and kneel. You may kneel at your pew. This is your time consider and respond.