Sermon Tone Analysis

Efesians 1-6

I. Salutation

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.

II.

Praise to God our Father for our blessings in Christ

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.

In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.

In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

III.

Prayer to the Father for the Ephesians

A. Thanking the Father of glory for the Ephesians

For this reason I too,

having heard of the faith

in the Lord Jesus

which exists among you and

your love for all the saints,

do not cease giving thanks for you,

while making mention of you in my prayers;

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of glory,

may give to you a spirit of wisdom and

of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

B. A prayer to receive understanding in three areas

1.

Three things Paul desired the Ephesians to intimately know

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened,

so that you will know

what is the hope of His calling,

what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and

what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.

2. God powerfully did this when raised Christ from the dead

The hope of our calling, the riches of the glory in His inheritance and the greatness of His power are available to us by God’s powerful work through Christ.

These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might

which He brought about in Christ,

when He raised Him from the dead and

3. God powerfully seated Christ at His right hand in authority

seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

far above all rule and

authority and

power and

dominion, and

every name that is named,

not only in this age but also in the one to come.

And

4. God powerfully placed Christ as header over the church

He put all things in subjection under His feet, and

gave Him as head over all things to the church,

which is His body,

the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

5. God powerfully raised us from the dead with Christ

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

in which you formerly walked

according to the course of this world,

according to the prince of the power of the air,

of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh,

indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and

were by nature children of wrath,

even as the rest.

But

God, being rich in mercy,

because of His great love

with which He loved us,

even when we were dead in our transgressions,

made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and

raised us up with Him, and

6.

God powerfully seated us with Christ

seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

so that in the ages to come

He might show the surpassing riches of His grace

in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

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.

7. God powerfully created us in Christ

For we are His workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus for good works,

which God prepared beforehand

so that we would walk in them.

C. What is the hope of your calling

1.

The Gentiles previously had no hope, no promises

Therefore remember that formerly you,

the Gentiles in the flesh,

who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,”

which is performed in the flesh by human hands—

remember that you were at that time separate from Christ,

excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and

strangers to the covenants of promise,

having no hope and

without God in the world.

2. Now in Christ, the Gentiles are included in the blessings promised to Israel

But

now in Christ Jesus you

who formerly were far off

have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

3. Christ made a new man, reconciling Jews and Gentiles

For He Himself is our peace,