Ephesians # 2 Eph 1-1 thru 1-5
We’re Going to continue on the book of Ephesians. Last week we covered what I would call an introduction. We looked at some things that we’re going on in the city of Ephesus. We also looked at (Acts 19) which was the time that Paul spent in Ephesus. Paul spent about 3 years in Ephesus. He wrote the book of Ephesians from Rome while he was in prison. The date Paul wrote this book was about 61 AD. Last week we also covered (EPH 1:1) so let’s pick up from there.
I. EPH 1:2
A. This is a familiar greeting. Paul uses this same or similar greeting in many of his letters. (ROM 1:7, 1COR 1:3, 2COR 1:2, GAL 1:3 and so on)
1. In all of these books including EPH, “Grace” always comes 1st then “Peace.”
a. Before you can have peace in your life you have to understand the Grace of God.
i. Sometimes people get so caught up in their own efforts that they never have peace.
ii. They are always frustrated, trying to work to please God, so that you can receive his promises.
b. There’s 1 thing about trying to work to please God and received, you never know when you’ve done enough.
i. The Devil will always try to tell you that you haven’t done enough.
2. But when you understand Grace, you understand that God has already done all the work.
a. All you need to do is reach out in faith and receive it.
i. Realize that Jesus has already done the work for us. We should be at peace knowing that the work is done.
B. Turn with me to 2 PET 1:2
1. Notice that “Grace and Peace” can be “Multiplied” unto you through the knowledge of the God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
a. Understanding “Grace” (the work is already done) will bring peace.
b. Understanding and knowing God’s Word, especially knowing and understanding who God is and the Lord Jesus Christ will cause “Grace and Peace” to be multiplied unto you.
II. Starting from (EPH 1:3 through EPH 1:14) are all in 1 sentence in the Greek.
A. Let’s read it then as it should be written. EPH 1:3-14
1. The tense of these Vs are in the past tense.
a. They deal with everything that God did for you before the foundation of the world.
2. A time long ago, before you were ever born, before the world even existed, God planed out the Plan of Redemption.
a. He saw you already redeemed and called you out, by name, and said you are redeemed.
i. What was God doing? “Calling those things that be not as though they were.”
3. God knew that we needed the Plan of Redemption. He knew that man would sin and lose their fellowship with God.
a. So God created the answers before the problem ever existed.
B. Let’s look at each starting with V 3 (EPH 1:3) (read)
1. In the 1st part of (V 3) Paul says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
a. The word “Blessed” is actually the word “Praise.” And the word “Be” is italicized meaning that it is not really there.
i. The translators put it there in an attempt to make things clearer.
b. What this V is really saying is this, “Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2. Paul goes on to say, “Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” (V 3b)
a. The word “Blessed” here means something different than it did when used in the 1st part of the V.
i. It’s a different Greek word, but it is from the same root word. The meaning of this word is “To benefit or to Prosper.”
ii. What are the benefits or what is it that God has prospered us with?
b. Every spiritual blessing in heavenly places.
i. We have already been blessed with every spiritual blessing therefore we do not need to go to the Father and beg for these things.
ii. All we have to do is to receive them by Faith.
c. Let me give you an example of a spiritual blessing. (The authority of the Believer)
i. We don’t have to beg for Authority, all we have to do is to put it to use by faith.
ii. This same thing goes for all the Spiritual Blessing that God has given us. (Prosperity which is a spiritual blessing, that’s where it starts, Healing, Righteous)
iii. Joshua didn’t have to ask for the land that God had promised him. All he had to do was to enter into it by faith and walk in it.
3. Paul ends this V by telling us how to receive these blessings. It only come by the Lord Jesus Christ.
a. You have to be in Christ and walking with Him to have all these blessings.
C. EPH 1:4
1. In the 1st part of (V 4) Paul says that God has chosen us.
a. The word “Chosen” means “To call out.”
b. What has God called us out to?
i. He’s called us out to be “In Him.”
ii. When was all this done? Before the foundation of the World.
c. And why did He do that?
i. So “that we should be holy and without blame before him.”
2. There is some differences of opinion where the words “In love” should be placed. (At the end of V 4 or at the beginning of V 5)
a. Some say that the “In love” should remain at the end of (V 4) which would mean that we are to walk in love in order for us to be “Holy and without blame.”
b. Others say that it belongs to (V 5) meaning “In love having predestinated us.”
i. Well both are true. Everything that God does is motivated by love.
ii. The Bibles says that God is love.
c. But it’s also true that we have to walk in love to be holy and blameless in God sight.
i. Both are true.
III. All right, let’s go on with EPH 1:5
A. In this V many people are confused by the word “Predestinated.”
1. They say, “If God already predestinated us to be saved, then why should we go out and witness, what good is it going to do. Those that are going to get saved will and those that are not predestinated to be saved won’t.”
a. There is 1 big mistake in their thinking, that’s not what this V is saying.
2. The “Predestination” here refers to those that choose to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour are predestinated to become sons.
a. In other words, If you receive Jesus, it’s God’s plan that to make you a son.
b. Now God does have a foreknowledge of who will except Jesus and receive salvation, but we are not puppets on a string.
i. We have a free will, we can either except Jesus or reject Him.
3. When Paul uses the phrase “adoption of children” when referring to us, it means adopted as full-fledged sons of God.
a. Now no one had to twist God’s arm to get Him to do this.
b. It says in (V 5) He did it “According to the good pleasure of his will.”
i. It was God’s will to bring you in as sons and He took pleasure in it.
Ephesians #2 EPH 1:2-1:5.docx
WOLCC Thurs. 2/22/96