October 9, 2022
Ephesians 1:1-14
“One Eternal Plan”
Service Overview: Before there was a need, God planned to provide. In the case of humanity, before the world needed a savior, God planned to provide one in Jesus. All this to his eternal praise.
Memory Verse for the Week:
“3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5 (NIV)
Background Information:
- Paul writes this letter from prison, probably in Rome. As readers in the Ephesian region of Asia Minor would know, he had been arrested on the charge of having brought a Gentile into the temple (Acts 21:28-29; 28:16). Racial or cultural division between Jew and Gentile was a major issue in the Ephesian church (cf. Acts 19:17), and Paul was one of the best qualified writers of antiquity to address both sides intelligently. (Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, 272)
- (v.1) The office of Apostle was a unique position that required three specific experiences: (1) he had to have seen Jesus; (2) he had to have been an eyewitness of Jesus’ resurrection; and (3) he had to have been personally called by Christ. Each of these requirements was met by Paul’s encounter at Damascus. (Mark A. Holmes, Ephesians, Kindle Location 371)
- Outside of Rome, Ephesus was the most important city that Paul visited. Located at the intersection of two ancient, major overland routes (the coastal road running north to Troas and the western route to Colosse, Laodicea, and beyond) at the western edge of Asia Minor (now Turkey), with easy access to the Aegean Sea, Ephesus had become a political, commercial, and religious center. It had been one of the main routes either by sea or by land from Rome to the East. (Bruce Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Ephesians, xiv)
- The word saint is simply one of the many terms used in the New Testament to describe “one who has trusted Jesus Christ as Savior.” The person is “alive,” not only physically, but also spiritually (Eph. 2:1). You will find Christians called disciples (Acts 9:1, 10, 19, 25–26, 36, 38), people of the Way (Acts 9:2), and saints (Acts 9:13, 32, 41). (Warren Wiersbe, Be Rich: Ephesians, 16)
- Although the impressive ruins of Ephesus are uninhabited today, in the middle of the first century Ephesus was the most important city of western Asia Minor and a major center of political, economic, and religious activity. (Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Living Insights: Galatians & Ephesians, 186)
- Ephesians—carefully, reverently, prayerfully considered—will change our lives. It is not so much a question of what we will do with the epistle, but what it will do with us. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: Ephesians, 19)
The question to answer…
Why should anyone care about what Paul has to says here?
Answer…
Because this text reveals the beauty of divine foreknowledge; how before you had a need, God knew and planned to provide for it.
What amazing truths can we celebrate in light of what God’s Word reveals here? How in Christ…
- … you are blessed beyond measure.
(v. 3 | Ps.32:2; Prov. 13:20-21; Mal. 3:10; Mat. 5:3-12; John 10:27-30; 1 Cor. 2:9; Phil. 4:19)
Verses 3 and 4 are part of one continuous sentence, meaning that believers are blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing because God chose us in Christ. We have these blessings because of God’s choosing us (1:4), Christ’s dying for us (1:7), and the Holy Spirit’s sealing us (1:13). God gives spiritual blessings to believers because of the saving work of all three persons in the Trinity. (Bruce Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Ephesians, 11)
They are blessed to whom a wonder is not a fable, to whom a mystery is not a mockery, to whom a glory is not an unreality—who are content to ask, “Is it like Him?” (George MacDonald, “The Higher Faith” sermon, 19th century)
- … you were chosen on, and for a, purpose.
(vv. 4, 11-12 | Ps. 139:13-16; Jer. 1:4-5; John 15:16; Rom. 8:28-30; Col. 3:12 ; 1 Pet. 2:9)
The fact that God has chosen us for salvation in Christ should not cause us to boast; it should drive us to humility. It should not make us live loose lives; it should motivate us to “be good”—that is, to conduct ourselves in holiness and blamelessness before Him (1:4). (Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Living Insights: Galatians & Ephesians, 203)
God’s purpose in choosing us was that we would be holy and blameless. Believers are chosen not just to be saved but also to live changed lives during their remaining time on earth. (Bruce Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Ephesians, 13)
- … you were adopted into a forever family.
(v. 5-6 | John 1:12-13; Rom. 8:14-17; Gal. 3:26; 4:5-7; Phil. 2:12-16; 1 John 3:1-2)
Adoption has a horizontal aspect, not just a vertical aspect. Not only is God our Father, but we are also now brothers and sisters with other Christians. The church is a family of adopted brothers and sisters. The greatest apologetic we have is to be a family. (Tony, Merida, Exalting Jesus in Ephesians, 22)
If I am adopted, I have become a child; God is no longer my judge, but my Father. (D.L. Moody, “The Eighth Chapter of Romans” sermon, late 19th century)
- … you are redeemed from sin and death.
(vv. 7-8 | Is. 44:22; Rom. 5:8; 1 Cor. 6:20; Gal. 2:20; 3:13; Col. 1:14; Titus 2:14; Rev. 5:9)
Being in Christ refers to the unexpressed sacrificial death of Jesus and to the relationship and intervention made by Christ daily on behalf of His redeemed. (Mark A. Holmes, Ephesians, Kindle Location 502)
God says to the human race, “I made you, and you are Mine. I have redeemed you. Return to Me” (Isaiah 43:1 and Joel 2:12, author’s paraphrase). God’s gift of redemption says, “I will buy you back with My blood because I love you. I will free you from the chains of sin. I will settle the conflict within and give peace to your soul. But you must come to Me with a repentant heart. You must be willing to be redeemed. You must exchange your sin-blackened heart for a new heart that is cleansed by My blood.” Redemption is the Bible’s great theme. (Billy Graham, The Reason for My Hope, 29-30)
- … you are sealed and guaranteed an inheritance.
(vv. 13-14 | John 14:15-17; Acts 2:38; Romans 8:17; Colossians 3:23-24; Titus 3:7)
In regard to sealing, in the ancient world the owner announced his ownership by attaching his seal to his possessions. That is what God has done for us. He has tagged us, he has left his mark on us in our hearts, and we who have the seal know it. “The Spirit himself,” says Paul in Romans 8:16, 17a, “bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.” The seal not only assures us that we are his—it also assures us of his protection. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: Ephesians, 54)
Conclusion…
What can we be encouraged to do in light of all this?
A. Rejoice and rest.
(Ps. 5:11; Mat. 11:28; John 14:27; Romans 15:13; Philippians 4:4-7; 1 Thessalonians 5:16)
A God who chose you before time, when only he existed, will not leave you victim to the time and tides of life. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: Ephesians, 29)
Peace sought by the world requires the absence of turmoil and strife. The peace of God is quite different, as it is often found in the very midst of turmoil and strife. It comes not so much from harmony within humankind, as from harmony of the soul with God. (Mark A. Holmes, Ephesians, Kindle Location 447)
B. Passionately pursue our purpose.
(Prov. 16:4; 1 Cor. 6:19-20; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 1:16; 2 Timothy 1:9; 1 Peter 2:9)
Because Christ is central to everything, he must be central in us—our highest value and the focus of our lives. (Barton, Ephesians, xxi)
To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God. (William Temple, The Hope of a New World, 30)
Gospel Application…
Forgiveness and eternal inheritance await all who are in Christ. Look to him.
(Ps. 103:10-14; Mat. 6:19-21; John 3:16; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Corinthians 2:9; 1 John 1:9)
The world, like entertainment, tends to give people what they want. The gospel, in its truth, gives people what they need. (Mark A. Holmes, Ephesians, Kindle Location 809)
When we believe, an exchange takes place. We give Christ our sins, and he gives us redemption and forgiveness. Our sin was poured into Christ at his crucifixion. His righteousness was poured into us at our conversion. God’s forgiveness means that he no longer even remembers believers’ past sins. We are completely forgiven. (Bruce Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Ephesians, 18)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- If you were rich, how would your life be different? What do you think it means to be spiritually rich?
- Re-read Ephesians 1:1–3. Why does Paul identify his readers as “saints”? Is it helpful for you to think of yourself as a saint? Explain.
- How does living “in Christ” affect who you are and how you live?
- God chose you to be holy and blameless (v. 4). What does it mean to be holy and blameless? How can you possibly become that?
- What competes with Christ for your attention? What can you do to keep him at the center of your life?
- How are all three persons of the Godhead (Trinity) involved in our salvation?
Quotes to note…
Paul relates the Christian experience by the oft-repeated phrase “in Christ.” This becomes the relational state in which all believers, Jew and Gentile, now find themselves. They were once in the world, or in sin, but now they are in Christ. Thus, the obedient sacrifice of Jesus enabled God the Father to relate to humankind by grace, and enabled humankind to relate to and experience the Father. Christ is the means of relationship with God. (Mark A. Holmes, Ephesians, Kindle Location 214)
God’s “deposit” of the Holy Spirit in believers’ lives is the first payment of all the treasures that will be theirs. And the deposit binds both parties. (Bruce Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Ephesians, 27)
The inner life of the believer has been invaded by the power of heaven. He possesses eternal life, the life of heaven, and is, therefore, uniquely a resident of the kingdom of heaven. He is lifted above the earthly, the worldly, and the temporal. Now, of course, he is in the world but not of the world. (Willard H. Taylor, Beacon Bible Expositions, Volume 8, 122)
We shall have enough spending money on the road to glory; for he who has guaranteed to bring us there will not starve us along the way.” (C. H. Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No.1)
Paul wrote Ephesians with one basic message in mind: Because believers have new life through Christ, they ought to live a new life through the Spirit. (Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Living Insights: Galatians & Ephesians, 188)
The “deposit” is more than a pledge which could be returned; it is a down payment with a guarantee of more to come… In essence, the “deposit” of the Holy Spirit is a little bit of heaven in believers’ lives with a guarantee of much more yet to come. (Harold W. Hoehner, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, 619)
The phrase “in Christ Jesus” is used twenty-seven times in this letter! It describes the spiritual position of the believer: He is identified with Christ. He is in Christ, and therefore is able to draw on the wealth of Christ for his own daily living. (Warren Wiersbe, Be Rich: Ephesians, 17)
Someone once asked Charles Spurgeon how he reconciled God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility, and he responded, “I never reconcile two friends” (“Jacob and Esau”). Someone asked another pastor about this “problem,” and he replied, “That’s not my problem. That’s God’s problem. And for God, it’s not a problem.” Just believe both truths and let God harmonize them. (Tony, Merida, Exalting Jesus in Ephesians, 20)
Salvation does not come by knowledge, but by faith and trust in the grace of God. It was not what the readers of the letter would know that would save them, but whether they were in Christ as a result of their faith in His sacrifice on their behalf. (Mark A. Holmes, Ephesians, Kindle Location 233)
Love is both the basis for and the end product of our holiness. (Bruce Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Ephesians, 14)