Value of Ephesians

• Presents the purpose and plan of God for the Church

• Relation between positional truth and experiencing it
in one’s life – Position and Practice
• Supremacy of Christ in God’s eternal plan
• Emphasizes God’s sovereign grace in the lives of
believers
 Introduction
• Author – Paul
• Recipients – the church at Ephesus and other
churches in the surrounding area
• City of Ephesus
• Chief city of the Roman province of Asia Minor
• Religion – a center of the emperor cult and the
temple of Diana (Roman goddess Artemis)
• City of large commerce
• Pluralistic culture
 Introduction

• Purpose – Ephesians shows how our position of

status in Christ relates to our daily walk.

• Theme – Ephesians deals with our legal position

before God in Christ and the daily life that
corresponds to that position.
 Doctrine

• Ephesians argues that the believer’s position before

God is the same as Jesus’ status before God (chapters
1-3). The second dimension is that the believer is to
apply positional truth to experience (chapters 4-6).
• The doctrine of the “mystery” is that God changed His
economy from working with Israel to the church. God
did not reveal the idea of the church in the Old
Testament. That it is why Paul called it the “mystery”
(Eph. 3:1-6).
 Ephesians 1:1-2

• Double source of authority – “Paul, an apostle”

• “of Jesus Christ”
• “by the will of God”

• Double designation of believers

• Saints
• Faithful
 Ephesians 1:1-2

• Double blessing
• Grace
• Peace

• Double source
• God the Father
• Lord Jesus Christ
Ephesians 1:3-14 (KJV)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus

Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of
children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the
good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he
hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Ephesians 1:3-14 (KJV) cont.

7 In whom we have redemption through his blood,

the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of
his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all
wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his
will, according to his good pleasure which he hath
purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times
he might gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven, and which are on earth;
even in him:
Ephesians 1:3-14 (KJV) cont.
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance,
being predestinated according to the purpose of
him who worketh all things after the counsel of his
own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who
first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the
word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom
also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that
holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the
redemption of the purchased possession, unto the
praise of his glory.
 Concept of the Church

• Bride
• Family
• Household
• Kingdom
• Flock
• Building
• Vine and Branches
• In Ephesians – Body
 Church – the body of Christ

• Best communicates the unity, diversity and

mutuality within the church
• Body functions totally dependent on each part
• Body receives direction from the head
• Body manifests the person in the world
• So does the Church
 Six Aspects of Blessing
• The Blessed One is God
• God is the Blesser - Our blessing is our words to
Him; His blessing is His deeds to us.
• Who are the blessed – “us”
• The blessings themselves – spiritual blessings
• Location of the blessings – heavenly places
• Basis for the blessings – “in Christ”
 Forming of the Body of Christ

• Past aspect – Election

• Present aspect – Redemption

• Future aspect – Inheritance

 Every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly realms – verse 3

• God has blessed us

• In Christ

• With every spiritual blessing

 Chosen in Christ before the
creation of the world – verse 4
• A choice God made

• God decided to save us “in Christ” – not in our

own name or on the basis of our own
performance
 Chosen in Christ ... to be holy and
blameless in God's sight – verse 4
• The purpose and result of God choosing us “in
Christ

• God sees us always, only and ever in Christ – as

holy and blameless in his sight as Christ himself
 God predestined us to be adopted as his
sons – verse 5
• God did it “in love”
• It is “through Jesus Christ”
• Another Purpose and Result of salvation: God adopted
us as His “sons”
• Adoption – “in accordance with his pleasure and will”
• Salvation – grounded in the will and the pleasure of
God
 Christian Commonality

• Common source of life

• We all came in through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ
• Common kind of life
• We all possess the divine nature
• Common destiny
• The Kingdom of God and glory in heaven forever with
Christ
 Seven Elements of Election
• The Method – Sovereign Selection
• “According” and “His will”
• The Object – The Elect, “us”
• The Time – Eternity, “before the foundation of the world”
• The Purpose – Holiness, “Be holy and without blame”
• The Motive – Love
• The Result – Sonship
• The Why – Glory
John 1:11-13 (KJV)

11 He came unto his own, and his own

received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the
will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of
God.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith;

and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
2 Timothy 1:9 (KJV)

9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an

holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace,
which was given us in Christ Jesus before
the world began,
Matthew 25:34 (KJV)

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his

right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world:
1 Peter 1:19 (KJV)

19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of

a lamb without blemish and without spot:
Ephesians 2:10 (KJV)

10 For we are his workmanship, created in

Christ Jesus unto good works, which God
hath before ordained that we should walk in
them.
 Redemption
• Deliverance by the payment of a price
• To pay a price to free somebody from bondage
• Everybody that comes into the world is a captive in
their sinful state.
• John 8:34 – Men are slaves to sin
• Romans 6:17 – Men are servants to sin
• Romans 7:14 – Sold under sin
• Romans 8:21 – In bondage to corruption
 Comparison of Salvation Terms
• Justification – acquittal
• Forgiveness – cancel a debt, the price is paid
• Adoption – sonship, becoming a son of God
• Reconciliation – bringing two parties together
• Redemption – redeem, to purchase to set free
 Comparison of Salvation Terms, cont.

• Justification – the sinner stands before God

accused, but he is declared righteous
• Forgiveness – the sinner stands before God as a
debtor, and receives a cancellation of his debt
• Adoption – the sinner stands before God as a
stranger, but he is made Son
 Comparison of Salvation Terms, cont.

• Reconciliation – the sinner stands before God as an

enemy, but he is made a friend
• Redemption – the sinner stands before God as a
slave, and he is receiving his freedom
 Five Aspects of Redemption
• The Redeemer
• The Redeemed
• The Redemptive Price
• The Redemptive Results
• Forgiveness
• Wisdom and Prudence
• The Redemptive Reason
 Forming of the Body of Christ

• Past aspect – Election

• Present aspect – Redemption

• Future aspect – Inheritance

 Inheritance
• The Ground of our inheritance
• God’s side – Predestination
• Our side – Personal Faith
• The Guarantee of our inheritance
• Sign of security
• Sign of authenticity
• Sign of completed transaction
• Sign of authority
• The Goal of our inheritance