Sermon Tone Analysis

LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

The Power of a Preamble

The Power of a Preamble

November 5, 2017

Dr. David S. Steele

Intro

A. “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic

defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

1.

These are words that should be familiar to most of you this morning.

Indeed, these are words that should be familiar to most Americans.

2. These are the words commonly referred to as “the preamble” of the United States Constitution.

A preamble is defined as “a preliminary or

preparatory statement; an introduction.”

3. I think you’ll agree that this preamble contain some very important information that we dare not pass over.

The preamble contains a set of

sweeping realities that affect everyday life, liberty, and even have a bearing on the freedom we enjoy today as we worship together in this place.

4. To jettison the preamble to the United States Constitution would be a terrible mistake.

B. Yet how often do we pass by the preambles in some of the books of the New Testament.

As we begin a new series in the book of Ephesians this

morning, it would be easy to jettison the preamble in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

But as we will soon discover, such a decision would be a terrible mistake.

C. I want to invite you to turn with me to the book of Ephesians.

While we will limit our study to verses 1-2 this morning, I want to begin by reading

to give you an overview of the treasure chest that we will explore together over the next several weeks.

1.

Text - .

D. Ephesians - A Powerful Book

1. “Pound for pound, Ephesians may well be the most influential document in history.”[1]

2. It has been called “the crown and climax of Pauline theology,” “the sublimest communication ever made to men,” and “the consummate and

most comprehensive statement which even the New Testament contains of the meaning of the Christian religion.

It is certainly the final statement of Pauline theology.”[2]

E. What do we stand to gain?

1.

We will gain a greater God’s redemptive purposes for the nations.

2. We will gain a greater understanding of God’s love for us.

3. We will gain a greater understanding of the roles of the Trinity in salvation.

4. We will gain a greater understanding of the depth of our sin.

5. We will gain a greater understanding of the depth of grace.

6.

We will gain a greater understanding of our position in Christ.

7. We will have a greater understanding of the mystery of the gospel and the role of the church.

We will see that the church is not optional in God’s

mind.

Rather, it is at the center of his redemptive purposes.

8.

We will have a greater understanding of what it means to walk with God.

9. We will have greater understanding of the Christian life.[3]

a.

Why worship?

(1:3-14)

b.

What should we pray for?

(1:15-23)

c.

How can we be unified (4:1-16)

d.

How can we imitate God? (5:1-14)

e.

What is God’s plan for marriage?

(5:15-33)

f.

What is God’s plan for parenting?

(6:1-4)

g.

How do we fight in the strength that God supplies?

(6:10-24)

F. Before we dive into this incredible book, we need to look carefully at the preamble.

G.

The title of the message is The Power of a Preamble

1. Verses 1-2 contain the preamble to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

What we will find in two short verses are words that pack a powerful punch.

2. I want you to notice the author, the recipients, and the motivation for writing the letter.

I. THE AUTHOR ()

A. PAUL

1. Background information

a. Paul writes his letter to the Ephesian believers in a Roman jail in A.D. 62[4]

2.

An apostle of Jesus Christ

a. Apostle (ἀπόστολος) - a special messenger of Jesus Christ.

The word comes from the noun apostellō - “to send.”

b.

An apostle is an ambassador and is never greater than the one who sends him - in this case the Lord Jesus Christ.

It also designates the

authority which those called to this office possess.

c.

See the verb apostéllō in .[5]

Apostello means “to send away for a stated goal or purpose.”

3. The biblical criteria for apostleship[6]

a.

A physical eyewitness of the resurrected Christ (; ; Cor. 9:1; 15:7-8).

b.

Personally appointed by Jesus Christ (; ; , ; ).

c.

An apostle had to be able to authenticate his apostolic status with miraculous signs (; ; ; ; ).

“The New Testament apostles were recognized as the revelatory agents of God, and as such they possessed an unsurpassed level of authority in church history - an authority they derived from Christ Himself … To be an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ was a specific calling and a profound privilege - something far different from merely being a messenger sent from a local congregation.

[Apostleship] was a unique office that encompassed a nontransferable commission from Christ to proclaim revelatory doctrine while laying the foundation of the church … Hence, the writings of the New Testament constitute the only true apostolic authority in the church today.”[7]

d.

Our task, then, is to listen carefully to Paul’s words, to heed the Word of God and respond submissively to God.

4. Commissioned by the will of God.

a.

Will (θέλημα) - “Desire or purpose.”

b.

When it denotes God’s will, it signifies His gracious disposition toward something.

Used to designate what God Himself does of His own good

pleasure.[8]

says that God appointed Paul to be an apostle before he was born!

c.

The will of God means the counsels or eternal purposes of God (; ).[9]