Through the Bible - Ephesians

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world... (Ephesians 1:3–4)

Discover the riches you already possess in Christ—and the directives they were given to fulfill.

A Prison Epistle to the Saints

The book of Ephesians is one of Paul's letters, and one of his prison epistles. Paul wrote it during his time in prison in Rome. After his first arrest he was released for a short period—you can read about that in the later chapters of Acts—then taken back into captivity and ultimately beheaded for his faith and witness in Christ. While imprisoned he penned four letters: to Ephesus, to Philippi, to Colossae, and to a man named Philemon, who likely had a church meeting in his house in the region of Colossae.

Ephesus was in Asia Minor. In Acts 16 Paul wanted to move into Asia, but the Lord kept pushing him west. Yet at the end of his second journey and into his third, Paul spent nearly three years teaching and working miracles in Ephesus. That city held the great temple of the goddess Diana, one of the seven wonders of the world. As many came to faith and turned away from paganism, magicians, and witchcraft books, a great deal of money was lost, leading to the uproar recorded in Acts 18 and 19, where they wanted to put Paul to death.

A Letter for Many Churches

Paul wrote this letter from Rome around A.D. 60–61, and it was likely not sent only to Ephesus. In many early manuscripts of Ephesians 1:1, the word "Ephesus" is missing—there is simply a blank—suggesting this was a circular letter taken to several churches along a route. In Colossians 4:16 Paul references a letter written to the Laodiceans, telling the Colossians to exchange letters with that church. We don't have a separate "letter to the Laodiceans," but perhaps we do in Ephesians.

Remember in Revelation 2 and 3, John's revelation was sent to seven churches on a circular route through Asia Minor—the first being Ephesus, the last being the lukewarm Laodicean church. Many scholars believe Ephesians was written to several of these churches. It is written "to the saints that are in God." If you have believed in Christ, you are a saint, and so this letter is for us. It reveals, perhaps more than any other New Testament book, the church in Christ. That phrase—"in him," "in Christ," "in whom"—appears over thirty times across these six chapters.

Position and Practice

There are many ways to divide this letter. Watchman Nee wrote Sit, Walk, Stand, dividing Ephesians into being seated, walking, and standing in Christ. For our study tonight we'll use two sections. Chapters 1–3 deal with our position in Christ—what we have received as those seated in Christ. Chapters 4–6 deal with our practice in Christ—what changes after we've been seated in heavenly places. The second half contains about forty directives: stand, walk, be filled with the Spirit, do not be drunk with wine, and many more.

Our orthodoxy must always move into orthopraxy. The things we believe and understand from God's Word must be worked out in our lives. As Paul tells Philippi, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Otherwise there is no fruit. We all meet people who say they've been Christians for twenty years and yet you would never have known it—because it hasn't transformed their life. Perhaps that is because of what we'll see tonight.

Blessed in Heavenly Places—Now

We are told in chapter 1 that we have been given all spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). Many Christians assume those blessings come only after death—that heaven is the inheritance. But that's not what the Scriptures say. The phrase "heavenly places" appears five times in this book. In 1:3 he has blessed us with all spiritual blessing there. In 1:20, Christ was raised and seated at God's right hand there. In 2:6 we read that God "has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus"—present tense, something we possess right now.

In 3:10 the wisdom of God is made known by the church to principalities in heavenly places. And in 6:12, "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers... against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places." We are in a spiritual battle there right now. This experience of receiving blessings, being seated with Christ, and battling in heavenly places is present, not merely future.

This echoes Jesus in John 17:3—eternal life is to know God, and that life begins the moment you receive Christ, not when you breathe your last. Peter says it too in 2 Peter 1:3–4: God's divine power "has given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness," with "exceeding great and precious promises" that we might be partakers of the divine nature. God has given us everything we need to live godly and a new nature—for "that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

When you placed your faith in Christ, you were born again by the Spirit. As 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might be the righteousness of God in him." He clothes us in His righteousness. Yet too many Christians live as if spiritually bankrupt. When did you last make a withdrawal on this infinite bank account of God's grace? God has given you a spiritual bank account in heavenly places that can never be drained, and He wants you to use it.

Blessings from the Father

In chapter 1, these spiritual blessings come from all three persons of the Godhead. From the Father we first receive all spiritual blessings (v. 3). Second, He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world (v. 4)—He has set us apart as dear to Himself; we are no longer of this world, bought with a price.

Third, He has predestined us (v. 5)—which literally means He determined to mark us out beforehand. Fourth, He has adopted us into His family. John 1:12 says, "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God." Behold what manner of love the Father has given that we should be called the children of God. Fifth, in verse 6, He has made us accepted in the beloved. That word means to make graceful, to compass with favor. God has surrounded us with favor, justified us, and made us able to stand in His presence.

Blessings from the Son

The "beloved" is Jesus, and in verse 7, "in whom we have redemption through his blood." From the Son we are redeemed—released from the payment of our great debt, the wages of sin, which is death. Remember Jesus' final cry from the cross: "Tetelestai—it is finished," an accounting term meaning "paid in full."

We are also forgiven (v. 7). Redemption means release from a debt or ransom; forgiveness means release from bondage and imprisonment. He pardons and remits our sin, for "without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sins" (Hebrews 9). Then in verses 8–9, Jesus has enlightened us—making known the mystery of His will. That mystery, expanded in Colossians, is "Christ in you, the hope of glory," not only in the Jew but in the Gentile. He is the Savior of the whole world to all who call on Him. Finally, in verse 11, we have obtained an inheritance.

Sealed and Guaranteed by the Spirit

In verses 12–14 we read of the Holy Spirit. After you believed, "you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise." From the Spirit we are sealed—He sets His mark upon us for our security. Romans 8 says His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs. If you have the seal of the Holy Spirit, you are eternally secure in Christ.

How does His Spirit bear witness with ours? By marks of heredity. I look at my son, five weeks old tonight—people say he has my ears and Andrea's chin. We see physical traits, and we begin to see traits of behavior too. The same is true in Christ: when we're born again, we begin to take on the characteristics of God, becoming partakers of His divine nature. The fruit of the Spirit is one such mark. So is hunger—a hunger for the pure milk of the Word, a thirst for righteousness. And so is a new desire to obey, follow, serve, and love God in a way no unbeliever ever would.

The Spirit is also the guarantee (v. 14)—the word means a down payment, a pledge, often non-refundable. Think of layaway, which became big again in 2008 as people lacked spendable income. You put down a guarantee, and because you can't get it back, you stay invested until you receive the purchased possession. The Holy Spirit is God's down payment, the guarantee of our inheritance—and our inheritance is God Himself, just as God was the inheritance of the Levites. We are like a product on layaway, purchased and held, awaiting the day He comes to redeem us completely. That's why we say, "Come, Lord Jesus."

Six Pictures of the Church

Ephesians builds on the theme of the church, revealing six characteristics. First, the church is the body of Christ. In 1:22–23 God "gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all."

Second, the church is the temple of God. In 2:19–22, we are "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone," growing into "an holy temple in the Lord... an habitation of God through the Spirit." As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Third, the church is a mystery. In 3:5–8, what was not made known in other ages is now revealed—"that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body." Paul, "less than the least of all saints," was made a minister to preach "the unsearchable riches of Christ." Jesus brought this mystery to light by His death, burial, and resurrection, from which the church was born.

Fourth, the church is the new man. In 4:22–24 we are to "put off... the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts," and "put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Fifth, the church is the bride of Christ. In 5:24–25, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it." As God took something from Adam's side to make a bride, so from the second Adam's pierced side came blood and water—and the church, His bride.

Sixth, the church is a soldier. In chapter 6, "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities... against spiritual wickedness in high places." We must take up the whole armor of God to stand. We are in a great struggle, given weapons and armor: the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, praying always with all perseverance for the saints.

The Directives of Chapters 4–6

Every spiritual blessing in chapters 1–3 is given so we can accomplish the directives of chapters 4–6. I counted about forty. We're to walk worthy of our calling—in lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, and love—endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit. We're not to be tossed about by deceitful doctrines, but to speak the truth in love. We're to put off our former conduct, be renewed in mind, and put on the new man.

We're to put away lying, be angry but not sin, stop stealing—and if stealing is your problem, get a job and give. We're not to speak corrupt communication but words that impart grace. We're not to grieve the Holy Spirit; we're to put away bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and malice, and be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving. We're to walk in love, put away fornication and filthiness, give thanks in all things, and not be associated with the children of disobedience.

That doesn't mean we don't live among unbelievers and bring Christ into their world—Jesus was called a winebibber and a glutton because He spent time with such people. A boat is good in the water, but water is not good in the boat. So we're to walk as children of light with no fellowship—koinonia—with the works of darkness. In the East, sharing the same bread bound people together in communion; we are not to be so bound to darkness. We're to walk circumspectly, with eyes open, redeeming the time, not drunk with wine but filled with the Spirit, submitting one to another in the fear of God—wives, husbands, children, parents, servants, and masters.

Why We Cannot Do It Alone

We cannot accomplish these things unless we use the spiritual blessings of chapters 1–3. Many want to stop lying, stop stealing, stop being filled with malice—but they keep trying in their own strength. This is why Watchman Nee's approach matters: we must first learn to sit in Christ before we can walk and stand. We must get to know what we have in this heavenly bank account.

Ephesians 2 says we were "dead in trespasses and sins," walking according to the course of this world, by nature children of wrath—"But God." Circle those words. "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ." By grace you are saved, raised up, and seated in heavenly places. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works."

He created us in Christ for good works, but only as He works in and through us as we yield. This is the very problem of Galatians—a church justified by faith yet trying to perfect itself by works of the flesh. We are saved by grace, and we stand the same way.

The Purpose of the Church

Notice what God wants to do with His church in Ephesians 3:10: "to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God." Principalities and powers are spiritual beings—angels and demons. God's intent is to use His church to display His manifold wisdom to them. That is your purpose. There has been much talk of the purpose-driven church and life, but the purpose of the church is to show all creation just how wise God is.

To that end, He gave "some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (4:11–12)—until we all come to the unity of the faith and to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. God has chosen the foolish things of this world to build up His body.

How many times have you wondered whether God knows what He's doing? He does. He has a plan; He's never late, always on time. As we'll see in Philippians 1 next week, "he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it." The purpose of the church is to prove to angels and demons and all creation just how awesome and wise our God is, and one day to be shown off as His bride.

I encourage you to study this book slowly. Ephesians and Romans are perhaps the two most doctrine-filled books, important to read, understand, and memorize. Above all, remember our purpose: to show forth the wisdom of God. Fall in love with the first three chapters; get to know the riches you have in Christ, so you can fulfill the directives He's given—walking circumspectly as wise, redeeming the time, being filled with the Spirit, and standing, having done all, to stand.

Closing Prayer

Father, would You cause in us a hunger and thirst for Your Word like we've never had before, Lord, that it would be the first thing we desire when we wake and the very last thing before we sleep, the desire of our soul all day long. We know Your promise: those that hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled. Lord, I pray for this small group on Saturday nights, that You would fill them to overflowing with Your grace and power. We know You are able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. I pray You would help us rely upon the spiritual blessings You have given us, not to drum it up from our own energies, for it is not by might nor by power but by Your Spirit. Remind us every day that we need to be plugged in to You, abiding in You, trusting in You. You've made us accepted, redeemed us, forgiven us, given us an inheritance, sealed us, and given us the guarantee of the down payment. We look forward to the day when You will come and redeem us body, soul, and mind. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.