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Home , Ephesians 1

Ephesians Part 1 Ephesians 1:1-12 Week of March 7, 2021

Before Connect Group • Ephesians 1:1-2 • Watch the sermon by going to http://switzerlandcommunitychurch.org

Paul, an apostle of by the will of God, To the who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:1-2, ESV Sermon Notes Your obedience should be so offensive that it would lead those who see it to praise the glory of Christ. And if suffering comes, so be it, because there will only be more glory that comes to Christ because of it.

There are several things I am praying for as we work through this Ephesians study. • That context would serve you. • That you would experience the transforming Gospel of Christ. • That the Grace of God would consume you.

That Context Would Serve You • Ephesians 1:1b “to the saints who are in Ephesus” • There are two ditches of which to be aware engaging in contextual study • Studying the Word of God apart from original context often leads to the manipulation of the text to mean what we want it to mean today. • Hyper-Context stating that “the text can have no meaning outside of its original context.” This has the danger of justifying parts of the text we do not like. It suggests the text is dying with History. • The Word of God is a living text. • This means that it has all power through the Spirit of God to bring about life and divine joy in the heart of the believer in any context or time. • Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. • 1 Peter 1:10-12 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. • My is that rather than a stumbling block, the context of Ephesians which we will continue to unfold is a blessing to your understanding and application of the Gospel within these pages. • So let’s take a few moments to talk about the context of Ephesians. • Ephesus was located on the western coast of modern day turkey. • Ephesus was an important Gentile city. • Ephesus is well known today because it became an important location for the Church. That is because it was an important location for the world. • Ephesus was an important port and trade city. • Ephesus was a leader in the development of culture and influence. • Ephesus was always an important city, but it was under Tiberius, who was the Caesar of during the life and ministry of Jesus, that it because second only to Rome as the center of culture and commerce. • Temple of Artemis - Greek goddess of hunt, chastity, childbirth, wild animals and the wilderness. One of the seven wonders of the world. • is tolerated, but not welcomed. • Context is an anchor for the interpretive imagination. Context does not hold the power of meaning, but it can help us hold to a correct interpretation of the text. • As you read the text, understanding may increase as you see some of these things addressed in the words of Paul. That You Would Experience the Transforming Gospel of Christ. • Ephesians 1:1a “An apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God.” • Paul is “one sent” to carry the Gospel as the introduction to the letter. He establishes his authority as one given to Him by God. • :1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead • Paul knows that he is writing Scripture, as Peter confirms for us in 2 Peter 3:15-16 • There is imagery of His conversion that he intends to overlay throughout this letter. That His authority isn’t based on anything he does but by the will of God. • Acts 9:1-9, 13-16 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to . Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank… But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” • Paul will be talking a lot about the will / purpose / plan of God. This plan is for His Glory and for your praise of Him • The very narrative of Paul’s conversion is meant for us to see that the path Paul was on was decisively headed a certain direction; Murderous direction. Then God worked undeserved Salvation () • 1 Timothy 1:15-16 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. • That God might be praised all the more. • The intent of the Gospel presented… • The imagery of Paul’s conversion is an overwhelming experience of the Gospel that then informs him. • We will not be working through the arguments of Ephesians to build your knowledge and inform you into the arms of Christ. We will be seeking to experience the full living presence and love of Christ that will expand and fill up our understanding.

That The Grace of God Would Consume You And Go With You • Ephesians 1:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. • This opens the book of Ephesians, and it closes it (:24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.) • Actually, some form of this opens and closes (within a range of a few verses) every one of Paul’s letters in the NT. • It is safe to conclude that Paul’s overwhelming intent for his readers is for them to experience, praise, and live within the Grace of God. • This is important because it is possible and has often been done, to read this book as merely a practical guide to living the Christian life. This is how you do marriage. This is how you put on the armor of God. • We too often separate the Grace act of the Cross from the moral command over the Christian life. • This is dangerous, because we begin to interpret the moral commands as merely declarations of our position as a Christian. Rather the moral commands over your life are to point to the praise of His Glory! • Ephesians 1:12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. • Grace to you. • May the Grace of God through Jesus Christ become clear through this Gospel of Ephesians. • Grace with you. • May the Grace of God through Jesus Christ go with you in your marriage, home, community. Connect Group Discussion Questions

• What types of authority and credentials does Paul have in his traning and upbringing? Compare thid with where Paul states his authority comes from? Why do you think Paul appealed to God as the source of His authority rather than to his own ability? • What is the point of the Gospel? How does it transform and shape the individual to reflect and display the glory of God in their lives? • Have you ever been tempted to look at the word of God as simply the a moral code? What relationship does the work of grace have with the moral code? • How can we be consumed by grace in us and through us? What does a life consumed by grace look like in the lives of those around us? • The center of Paul’s introduction is the Gospel that saved Him from death. How have we been saved from death? What is our story of coming to Jesus Christ and what impact has it made in our day to day?

Challenge For The Week Everyone finds themselves in a specific context. We all have neighborhoods, communities, places of work, and other places that define our context of where we live out our faith. • Consider the offensiveness to your faith to a world attempting to reject Jesus Christ. Is your faith on full display for the world and does it reflect the glory of God in your day to day life? • Who in your life needs to know that Jesus loves them? What opportunities do you have to share the love of God with them this week?