Ephesians Overview (1:1-2)

Ephesians: Theological Depth for Today (Overview) Pray & Intro: (God, we praise you this morning for who you are. Father, because of your unfailing love, because of the sacrifice of your Son on our behalf and because he is now seated at your right hand, we ask that you’d give us now eyes to see your face, ears to listen unreservedly to your truth, hearts softened to being molded by your will and not our own, and hands ready to serve you out of love and adoration for who you are. Amen.) • I can hardly overstate the importance of revelation from God for the church and our lives today than Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. • Our world has lost its moral compass. We live in an age of spiritual darkness (and signs are evident that it grows rapidly darker). Not only that, but rampant individualism, misguidedly crowned as king of virtues, invades the church and cripples growth in maturity and the advancement of the gospel. • Yet Ephesians undermines the shallow gospel so prevalent in our day and restores to God’s adopted children the depth and power of their faith, anchored in the immeasurable love of God, springing from his infinitely glorious character as the only true God, stored by his perfect wisdom according to his divine will, and showered mercifully upon his chosen ones by his grace in the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. • As we look at the first couple verse and then an overview of this letter, the point you must walk away with today is this: We need theological depth in our day. And you need theological depth for today and every day. Reading with Explanation and Application: I. Let’s look first at the Prologue and Interesting features of this letter called Ephesians. A. LONG sentences in the first half.  -- The exhortations in the latter half of the book are founded upon the theological affirmations of the first half. B. Close ties btwn Ephesians and Colossians. (shared themes but not necessarily the same emphases, even some places that are nearly verbatim) – biblical scholarship that we would subscribe to suggests the likely possibility that Ephesians was written shortly after Colossians, maybe even sent with Tychicus at the same as the letter to Colossae and the one to Philemon regarding Onesimus. (The best guess is that it was intended to be a circulated letter, which would explain less personal address than the majority of Paul’s letters.) C. Vv. 1-2 1. Paul – Hellenistic designation, as opposed to Saul 2. Apostle – credentials for authority (to write this letter and for them to listen) – not that he had done anything to merit it, but that he was so made by unmerited favor of the will of God 3. Recipients – Some good early manuscripts don’t have the words “in Ephesus,” which makes sense with the lack of personal flavor to a church where he ministered for THREE years! a. The readers of Ephesians likely constituted a broader group than just a single local church in the city proper of Ephesus. b. Least situational letter, no particular problem or heresy seems to be addressed. (Gentile Christians addressed more directly as opposed to those of Jewish heritage) 4. Saints – holy ones  (Drastically different position and course should mean a…) Dramatically different way of living. There can be no doubt that those who are truly Christ’s are set apart to Him and are to clearly walk as those playing for a different team (and we can extend the metaphor to say that we’re playing an entirely different game, fighting a different battle). – But we do not trudge heavily under the weight of an overbearing tyrant. Rather, we stand firmly established with the truth of his sovereign purposes. We move surrounded by the cover of his unfailing love. And we battle armed with the power of his might. 5. Faithful meaning “believing” (not their trustworthiness or reliability)  set apart and believing response side by side  (but a response which God graciously initiates, 2:8) 6. Grace and peace (flowing from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ) D. Intro summary—One exegetical scholar explains it this way: Having addressed a specific problem in Colossians, Paul has remodeled his letter for a more general Christian readership. He writes Ephesians to his mainly Gentile Christian readers, for whom he has apostolic responsibilities, with the intention of informing, strengthening, and encouraging them by assuring them of their place within the gracious, saving purpose of God, and urging them to bring their lives into conformity with this divine plan of summing up all things in Christ (1:10). Paul wants to ‘ground, shape and challenge’ his readers in their faith. In other words, the main purpose of his letter is ‘identity formation’. (P.T. O’Brien) II. Read through selected passages that help us catch this overarching flow of Ephesians. III. Once more I want to synthesize the reading we just highlighted back to a central thesis and application for us.  We are in desperate need of theological depth for our day. Again, my meaning in that is two-fold, reflecting the need for our churches in our day as well as my need and yours in daily living. A. Our culture at large is quickly becoming a theologically barren wasteland, and even within the church we find that many localized spiritual gardens are malnourished or largely composed of weeds.  Local churches that are part of the true church must stand firm against acceptance or complacency toward removing God or compartmentalizing his role in our lives and in the world. And unless we radiate the light of the face of God himself (found in his revelation, his word), we will be useless to combat this present darkness. B. Secondly, the depth of our daily spiritual lives, and I daresay even our usefulness to one another and the global church, is as deep as our knowledge and love of God and his truth. 1. What is worked out in practical daily living in fact comes from having a big picture of the weight of God, what he has done, and where he is heading all things. 2. What made King David special was not his taking down a trash-talking giant with a rock to the head, but rather an overwhelmingly consistent relationship with and reliance upon his God. What makes a dead man a godly man today is not is his monstrous or masterful attempted exploits for God, but rather his adoration for and dependence on his God for even the moment by moment motivations of his heart. 3. Do you see it? Theological depth affects your life today, and tomorrow. – The grandeur of God affects why you get up and go to work in the morning. The mind-blowing gospel and risen position of Jesus DIRECTLY corresponds to how I love and lead my wife and kids. God’s plan for this age and future culmination of all things dramatically alters the eyes with which you and I view others, particularly those who remain separated from God and under his wrath. C. So your application for today isn’t give more of your money to fund a new car for your pastor. Or even, if you want to honor Jesus you should serve in Awana or in the nursery.  No, this is heady, and it’s a big picture application. Theological depth directly impacts the church’s faithfulness to her groom and your daily relational walk with your Savior.  Thus Paul prays like this: 1:17-19 and 3:16-21.