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Ephesians 6:10-11 – Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

I don’t need to tell you that there is constant warfare in this life.  You know that as well as anybody!  Every day we struggle or battle against the common problems and obstacles of life.  We have business deals that fall apart, vehicles that break down, schedule conflicts, kids that need braces, unexpected bills, and lawns that we can’t mow because it rains five days a week!  Sometimes, it feels like nothing is easy.    

In addition, the Christian is also engaged in spiritual warfare. The powers of darkness are trying to destroy our relationship with God and our testimony amongst men.   

Given our situation, it is fitting that Paul uses the analogy of a soldier to prepare us for what lies ahead.  Notice what our first two preparations are to be – one, we are to be strong in the Lord, operating in his might.  In other words, we are to have spiritual strength and courage.  We need to mature past the point where we are babies in Christ.  We should be engaging in the enemy through prayer, fasting, praise and worship, quoting the word, etc.   Each answered prayer is a victory, and each victory strengthens us in the Lord and gives us courage to battle even bigger foes.  Each victory causes faith to grow.

Why don’t you take a moment right now and reminisce about your last three or four victories?  Share your testimony with someone else.  It will build your faith and make you stronger! 

Our second preparation is to arm ourselves with the armor and weapons God has provided.  God provides them and makes them available to us, but it is our responsibility to pick them up and become skilled at wielding them!  The reason for putting on the armor is that we may be able to stand against the devil.  This involves withstanding temptations, recognizing deceit/lies, avoiding traps and snares, rescuing those still under Satan’s grasp and spreading the gospel message. 

Clearly, it takes both the armor/weapons and spiritual courage in order to be successful soldiers for Christ.

Spiritual warfare also has a very pleasing benefit – it draws you into a more intimate relationship with Jesus.  As you battle the enemy, you will be drawing on the strength and wisdom of God.  You will be pressing into his presence with prayer and praise.  You will find yourself enjoying communion and intimacy with him as he stands with you against the foe.     

Ephesians 6:12 - For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

“Flesh and blood” is a euphemism for people.  If human strength and cunning were the extent of the opposition we faced, the battle wouldn’t be too overwhelming.  It would be human against human and we would have a chance of victory.  However, that is not the case.  As Christians we need to remember that people are the instruments or tools used in the attack, but the true enemies are evil spiritual powers.  They are far stronger and more cunning than we are; we cannot withstand them in our own power or strength.

What we truly face are “rulers, authorities and cosmic powers” as well as “spiritual forces of evil” in the heavenly realms.  These phrases denote ranks of demonic powers.  They seem to have an organization with differing levels of power, just as an army would.  They are numerous.  They are powerful.  They are experts at temptation, violence and evil of all kinds.  Back in the garden of Eden Satan won the rights to earth from Adam and Eve.  This world has been the seat of his empire since then.  Therefore, this world is considered in present darkness.  Paul tells us this not to overwhelm us with fear, but to stir up diligence within us, so that we can be prepared to fight.       

Ephesians 6:13 – Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

An ‘evil day’ is a time when we face temptations, persecution, trials, etc. Therefore, any day can be an evil day.  Since we don’t know when the next attack may come, we are to take up God’s armor and be ready to fight the enemy at all times. 

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

We are instructed to “take up” and to “stand”.  Notice that we are not expected to achieve the victory.  That is because Jesus has already won victory over Satan.  Our job is to enforce that victory.  We must be prepared to stand our ground in faith, rejecting temptation, repelling sickness and disease, warring against injustice, spreading the gospel and in general, fighting Satan’s evil schemes where we find them. James tells us that if we stand firm and resist the devil, he will run away. Obviously, he is not scared of us, but of Christ who lives in us.

Ephesians 6:14 – Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness…

Continuing with his military analogy, Paul now takes the time to give us the particulars of our spiritual armor.  We are not going to make an in depth study of the actual pieces of ancient armor, because this is only an analogy; it is intended to focus our minds on what is necessary for the Christian life. 

The belt of truth:  Truth is actually a very broad topic.  There is truth of action, meaning honesty in all our dealings and relationships.  There is truth of the heart, which refers to our intentions.  God is very, very interested in our intentions or motivations. This is clear throughout the Bible.  For example, remember when Samuel was sent to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be the next king of Israel?  A number of Jesse’s strong young sons were brought before him, but this is what the Lord said:

1 Samuel 16:7 -  But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him.  For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart”.

There is also truth of speech, which entails much more than just an absence of lying.  It also includes building up and strengthening others through truthful words.  Perhaps someone told your best friend that she was a failure and she would never amount to anything.  As a Christian, you should use words of truth to encourage her.  You need to tell her that she is a victor in Christ.  Tell her that God has a plan and purpose for her life.  Tell her that God loves her so much, he numbers the hairs of her head and he has her name tattooed on the palm of his hand.  Truth of speech not only builds up others, it protects us as well.  We too, need to know the truth of how God views us.  We need to realize that he is pleased with us, that he loves us, that his love does not depend on performance, etc.  

Just as a belt encompasses our entire body, the spiritual belt of truth surrounds all aspects of what we do in the spiritual realm.

The breastplate of righteousness: This weapon is fairly easy to understand.  It signifies the practice of righteousness or living a holy life.  A soldier’s breastplate protected the vital organs from the chest to the thighs.  These were the most likely areas of enemy attacks, because any injury here would have a good chance of being fatal.  As we live holy lives, we defend and protect our spiritual man from attacks of the enemy that could be very serious indeed. How often have we seen Satan ruin the life or even the ministry of a man/woman of God because of sin?  We should develop a thick breastplate through personal holiness.          

Ephesians 6:15 -  and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

Roman soldiers wore heavy sandals studded with hobnails which gave them a secure foothold when fighting.  (The best modern day example we have would be the athlete’s footwear called ‘spikes’.) 

Being properly shod indicates that the Christian soldier is constantly ready to move forward, taking new ground for Christ by sharing the good tidings of peace. The Israelites were commanded to eat the Passover with their feet shod to show that they were ready for their journey. Christ commanded His messengers to be shod with sandals, so they were prepared to proclaim the gospel wherever they were sent.  You and I should be prepared to witness for Christ as the opportunity arises.

I think this is an excellent place to stop for reflection.  If you are experiencing weariness in your Christian life, perhaps you need to re-think your position and check your armor.  Are you trying to do accomplish things for the kingdom using your own power?  You should be getting your strength from the Lord, who has an infinite supply.  Isaiah tells us that those who ‘wait’ on the Christ will run the race of life without being weary. David tells us in Psalms 18 that it is God who gives us strength for the battle.

Psalms 18:39 – For you (God) equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me. 

How are you progressing in the area of personal holiness?  All of us fail at times; you should not allow the devil to condemn you for that, but overall is your level of personal holiness greater now than it was six months ago?  A year ago?  If you are not sure, this might be a good time to check your armor.

2 Corinthians 7:1 - … let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.  

How important is truth in your life?  Are you governed by it’s principles?  [FYI, if you base your life on principles of truth, things will go much smoother and more trouble free for you!]

When was the last time you spontaneously prayed for someone or shared the gospel?  If called upon to share it right now, are you able to give a reasonable, clear account of the salvation message? 

I share these thoughts not to make you feel badly about yourself, but just as a check.  A good soldier has routine maintenance performed on his gear and weaponry.  Now is a good time for us to do the same to our spiritual gear!

Ephesians 6:16-17 – In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

Faith is like a sort of universal defense.  Our enemy will try to launch fiery darts of unbelief, worry, unforgiveness, bitterness and hopelessness, etc.  All of these lies can be stopped or blocked with faith. 

For example, you may hear a report from work that says your job is going to be eliminated.  Don’t be surprised if Satan immediately launches a “fiery dart” at you by putting thoughts in your mind.  He may whisper something similar to this: 

“I know I am going to be let go and I will never find another job at my age”

“If I lose this job, I will lose my house”

“If I lose my job, I won’t be able to afford medical insurance”

“If I lose this job, I will need to declare bankruptcy”.

If we were to listen to those thoughts, it would induce a sense of panic, worry and fear into our lives.  We would be tempted to think that God either cannot or will not take care of us.  Our peace would be gone; so would our trust in God.

But it does not have to be that way.  When the enemy whispers those thoughts in our ear, we can fend him off with the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.   

For example, when those thoughts come to you, you should immediately banish them from your mind.  You can’t necessarily keep them from popping up in your mind, but you do have the power to shut them out without dwelling on them.  Instead, fill your mind with the God’s truth.  Remind yourself of past times when God met your needs.  Remind yourself that the God you serve owns the universe and he loves you!  Remind yourself that he has promised never to forsake you.  Remind yourself that he has promised to meet your needs according to his riches in glory!  Remind yourself that God miraculously fed millions of people every day for over 40 years with manna.  Surely, he can take care of you in your situation!  

The truth is that even if you DO lose your job, God is still going to walk with you and take care of you!

Philippians 4:19 – And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

As you dwell on these truths, your faith will kick in and you will not fall prey to the enemy.  Instead of fear and worry and panic, you will have peace and assurance that God is leading your steps.  That is how the shield of faith works.  Faith is believing what God says rather than what the circumstances look like. If you resist the devil, he has to leave you alone!

James 4:7 – Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The shield of faith works best in conjunction with the sword of the Spirit, or the word of God.  When the enemy attacks, fight back with the word.  This is exactly what Jesus did when he was tempted by the devil.  If you look at the temptation of Christ in Luke 4, you find that Jesus spoke the word of God in response to every temptation Satan threw at him.  Eventually, Satan gave up and left.  We can do the same thing.

I believe there are two keys to using the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit.  One, you have to get control of your mind and emotions.  You can kick Satan out of your thoughts and dwell on Christ, but it takes discipline.  Replace those thoughts with thoughts of God’s power and love for you.  Praise and praise songs can be a very effective way of reminding yourself how great and power God truly is!  Regardless of how you do it, I would advise you to start stretching your mental muscles today, so you will be ready when the battle comes.

Secondly, you must know and be familiar with the word.  If you never read the Bible, how will you use it when the day of testing comes?  Again, look at Jesus.  When Satan came to tempt him, he didn’t get out a scroll to look up a scripture.  He had them already hidden in his heart, and they came to him as he needed them.  You must do the same.  Prepare now for the day of battle and you will be successful!

Ephesians 6:18- …praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.  To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.

The first thing to notice is that prayer should be happening at all stages of life.  If you are young, you should pray.  If you are middle aged, you should pray.  If you are old, you should be pray.  If you are lying about your age, you should definitely be praying! 

Prayer should be happening no matter what circumstance you find yourself in.  Whether in adversity, prosperity, temptation, joy, under trial, or having a ‘mountain top’ experience, we need to be praying. 

Our prayers themselves are different and unique.  The prayer we pray for a stranger at Walmart is different from the deep interceding we do in our private prayer closet.  The prayers you pray with your spouse will be different from the group prayers that are prayed at church.  Sometimes our prayer may just be a simple cry for help, or it maybe it takes the form of silently waiting to hear from God.  While there are different kinds of prayer, the key is that in all circumstances, we should pray.

This raises an important question – what should we pray?  Well, first of all, we know we should pray in accordance with the Word of God.  It is good and right to pray for people to be healed of sickness, because the Bible says Jesus has paid the price for our healing; it’s God’s will that we are healthy.  Obviously, we want to avoid prayer that is in direct opposition to God’s word.  For example, we should not pray that we don’t get caught cheating on our taxes! 

Sometimes, it is clear what we should pray for, but other times it is not.  For instance, what is the best way to pray for an unsaved loved one that you don’t see very often?  In this case, we may not know the circumstances well enough to pray for the right thing.  Even if we know the circumstances, we may misinterpret what God is doing.  If our loved one is going through a difficulty, we may pray for her to be delivered, when in fact, the trial is the very thing God is using to draw her to himself. 

Thankfully, according to Ephesians 6:18, the Holy Spirit will assist the believer in prayer.  This is confirmed in Romans 8:26-27:

Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words….the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Practically speaking, you can begin by praying with your understanding.  Then, wait on the Holy Spirit to guide you in your prayer.  He is more than willing to lead you in the right direction.

Also, for those who have a spiritual prayer language from the Holy Spirit, you can also use this to pray.  In this instance, the Holy Spirit himself is praying through you, so you can be sure that you are praying the exact will of God.

 Ephesians 6:19-20  …and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

If the apostle Paul felt that he needed prayer support from his church, how much more do we need it as well?  We should be able to ask our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to aid us in our ministries by prayer.  We should be able to boldly ask them to pray for us when we are sick or facing trials and difficulties.  One of the blessings of being part of a church body is the support, love, and prayer we can receive from each other.  If you are not involved in a church, I would encourage you to find one and become an active participant.   

Ephesians 6:21-24 -  So that you may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything.  I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.  Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.

Can we read between the lines in Paul’s final words to the Ephesians?  Paul is sending a messenger with this letter to “tell you everything”.  It is his intention that the church at Ephesus may “know how we are” and that it may “encourage your hearts”.  

But what exactly was Paul’s situation?  He was in prison, being accused of a crime he did not commit.  He is not telling the Ephesians that everything is great.  He is not telling them that the Christian life is easy or trouble free.  Rather, he is showing them that in all his tribulations, God is present with him.  In all his trials, God comforts and sustains him.  In all the unfairness of his situation, God is still in control and he will bring about his purposes for the church.  Wow!  This is a lesson we can all learn from!

This letter is also a great reminder that this world is not the end.  There is another eternal, spiritual world that will one day be our home.  I hope this study of Ephesians has stirred up your mind to a greater understanding of the spiritual blessings we have in Christ.  I also hope it has encouraged you to become an active member of the body of Christ! 

May the Lord bless you!

 

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Ephesians 6:1-4 – Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land”.  Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Paul now comes to the second key relationship of his day: children & parents.

Again, in each of these three relationships, the first partner (in this case the child) is responsible to be submissive to the second (in this case the parents).  The second partner is also submissive to a higher authority (God) and they are to relate to the first partner in love. 

In a perfect world, children would have an inward love and respect for their parents.  This would manifest itself in obedience to their instructions, listening to their wisdom and treating them with dignity and respect.  In turn, the parents are to be good examples to their children, loving them, correcting them, providing for them, protecting them, and most of all, introducing them to Christ.

Jesus is the highest and best example we have.  He was in perfect obedience to Mary and Joseph as well as his heavenly father at all times.  There was mutual love and respect between himself and his earthly parents as well as between himself and the father.   

Most unfortunately, the world is marred by sin.  In every other parent-child relationship, mistakes are made on both sides, even in Christian households.  When this happens, all we can do is address the issue, ask for forgiveness and move on in love.  Even if they are not perfect, healthy loving relationships can exhibit the love of Christ to a lost world.

Ephesians 6:5-9 – Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye service, as people pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.  Masters, do the same to them and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.     

Lastly, Paul comes to the relationship of servants & masters. 

In this relationship, the first partner (in this case the servant) is responsible to be submissive to the second (in this case the master).  The second partner is also submissive to a higher authority (God) and they are to relate to the first partner in love. 

The world “bondservant” denotes one who is bound to render service to another, whether that service is for life or for a limited time.  Therefore, it could be used to mean a slave, but in could also reflect an employee-employer relationship.

The employee is to serve his boss faithfully, regardless of whether the boss is watching or not.  What kind of an employee are you? 

A boss is to treat his employees fairly and justly.  What kind of boss are you?

What conclusions can we draw from these passages of scripture?

No one is exempt from being under authority. Of the six roles listed, you will likely find yourself in more than one.  You are already a child, and it is probable that at some point you will either be an employee or a boss.  You may also become a father or mother, a husband or a wife.  Regardless of which roles you fit into, Jesus is the highest and best example to follow.  We know that Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth, yet he submitted to the authority of his earthly parents as well as his Heavenly Father.  When you are in a place of authority, exercise that right carefully; you are responsible for the way you treat those under you.  When you are in a place of submission, do your best to glorify God.   

Christianity is practical.  2 Corinthians 3:2-2 says “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Since you are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart”.  In other words, people need to see we belong to Christ by our actions, not just our words.  We can reflect Christ by doing the right thing in our relationships.  Given the fallen state of our world, that can be a very tricky business.  We must depend on God for wisdom and the ability to forgive one another.

We have hope for the future.  All through the ages, marriage has been a picture of the union between Christ and the church.  While that picture has become more clear since the death and resurrection of Jesus, we know it has not yet been completely fulfilled.  We can have hope knowing that someday, Jesus will perfect the church.  She will be “without spot or wrinkle”.  Someday, we will be completely and eternally free from the bondage of sin. 

Don’t EVER give up in your Christian walk! God has ultimate victory for you through Christ.  This message of hope is not just for the church as a whole.  It is for you as an individual.  My guess is that you are somewhat like me – not a perfect child, not a perfect parent, not a perfect employee and not a perfect marriage partner.  At times, Satan would like to whisper in your ear how much you have failed.  He wants you to believe that you should give up, based on your performance so far.  He may also be telling you that you will never make it through the bad situation you are in right now. He may be pointing out what a failure you have been in relationships.  He tells you that you are not qualified to share God’s love with anyone.  When Satan comes against you with these false ideas, just re-read the book of Ephesians.  Here are some things for close consideration:

Satan tries to make you feel guilty based on the past or present, but God has already taken care of that.  He looks at what you will become.  He considers you a saint – Ephesians 1:2.

Even though you are not yet perfect, you are forgiven and God has blessed you with every spiritual blessing possible (seriously, EVERY ONE.  He is not holding anything back from you) – Ephesians 1:3.

God chose YOU to be blameless and holy in his sight, before the world was ever in existence.  He knew you would sin, but he also knew he would rescue you from it, so Satan has no grounds to condemn you -   Ephesians 1:4.

God chose to adopt YOU as his precious child.  He desired you so much, that he paid the ultimate price for you…the blood of Jesus.  He has never regretted that decision.  He is actively working to perfect his relationship with you – Ephesians 1:5-7.

God pours his grace upon us “lavishly”.  Lavish means superabundant or excessive.  It means ‘to expend or bestow profusely’.  God is not stingy with his love, his forgiveness or with any of the gifts he gives us.  He blesses you gladly and freely; He has a plan unite you with himself, despite your short comings – Ephesians 1:8-10.

Even though you are not yet perfect, you are sealed with the precious and all powerful Holy Spirit – Ephesians 1:11-14.

As we close this section on relationships, I want you to keep in mind that all people are imperfect.  Even if they love you, they can still disappoint you or mistreat you or break your heart.  However, God loves you perfectly and completely and eternally.  Don’t judge his love by the love of humans. 

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Ephesians 5:15-16 - Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

The word for ‘carefully’ or ‘circumspectly’ means correctly, accurately or consistently.  The meaning is that we should be aware of God’s boundaries and consistently and perfectly walk in them.  We should live according to God’s precepts in small matters as well as great matters, living the gospel, not just professing it with our mouths. 

The unwise man follows his passions wherever they may lead, eventually ending up in spiritual death.  However, the wise man who has been taught of God literally “buys opportunities” for doing good for as long as they can.  This present season of grace will have an end; then we will have no more opportunities to use our talents for God in this life.  Perhaps in the past we have misspent our time, but now we must be diligent to use it for God’s glory.

If the season of grace were to end today, where do you see yourself?  Are you happy with the way you spent your time and resources?  Or are there things you still want to accomplish for the Kingdom of Heaven? If so, do them now!  Don’t become distracted by the things of the world; keep your focus on the heavenly realm!  

Ephesians 5:17-Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 

Paul wants every believer to know God’s purposes for himself and for the world.  When we know his will, we can work with him to bring about his purposes on earth; we will know how to use every opportunity we have for the glory of Jesus.

I sometimes hear people complain that they do not know God’s will for their lives. If that is you, I will encourage you to begin by examining the scriptures.  You’ll find that God has already made his will known.  For example, we have been given a clear mandate to spread the gospel to the world.

Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go you into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Fortunately, God has given us his Holy Spirit to enable us for this task.

Acts 1:8 – But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Also, we have been given a clear mandate to live as righteous people. 

Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

We have also been informed that the greatest commandment or the greatest thing God requires us to do, is to love him.

Luke 10:27 And he answering said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.

So let’s put this all together.  God’s will is not some difficult, unsearchable mystery.  He has clearly revealed his will in his Word.  First and foremost, we are to love Him with all of our hearts and minds.  In addition, we are to love our neighbors and preach the gospel to all who have not heard the good news. 

If you know Jesus, you are qualified to do this. You have access to the Holy Scriptures.  You have access to the Holy Spirit who empowers you.  You have a measure of faith that God gave you.  He has promised to be with you the whole time. 

Romans 12:3 - …God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Hebrews 13:5   …I will never leave you, nor forsake you.

So basically, you need to get started.  Find an area of ministry and get involved.  As you step out in faith, God will open the next door and then the next, or show you the next step to take and the next, but you have to start somewhere. 

As you begin to walk in the revealed will of God, or the part of God’s will that you know, you will be ready to pray that you become filled with spiritual wisdom and knowledge of God’s will for the unique dispensation or circumstance in which you find yourself.  That’s what Paul did for the Colossians.  

Colossians 1:9-10 - For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you might walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

If you are truly seeking God’s will, you will find it, but it is imperative that you begin by living in the knowledge that you have.  You are going to need growth and strength for the next level.  That growth and strength are provided by experience in the present.  So, pray for guidance.  Equip yourself with the word.  Then go out and minister to the lost! 

Ephesians 5:18-21 -  And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit addressing one another in Psalm and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

Paul continues to offer practical life applications by warning the Ephesians against drunkenness.

Drunkenness is a very, very bad thing.  People will do and say things when they are drunk that they would never do while sober.  The worst thing about drunkenness is that it is a gateway for other sins.  Those under its influence are led into sexual sins, rage/anger, abuse of others, theft, destruction, even murder.  How many deaths have resulted from drunk drivers?

However, in this particular passage Paul seems to be referring to the social aspect of drinking, namely, the exhilarating influence of wine (or any alcohol) consumed with company, which gives a temporary rush of joy or cheer.  Back in Paul’s day, the Gentiles worshipped a false idol called Bacchus.  He was considered the god of wine.  They would gather in groups to sing rousting hymns to him and drink until they were drunk. Other sins then followed, but the root cause of it all was that sense of social camaraderie and joy.  [FYI, the same Greek word used here for drunkenness was used in the parable of the prodigal son.  In that passage, it was translated as “riotous living”].

At any rate, Paul instructs the Ephesians that instead of using wine/alcohol to cheer themselves, they should open their hearts to the Holy Spirit.  This is wise instruction for believers today as well.  The Holy Spirit will fill our hearts and give us an eternal joy that is not destructive.  In fact, his joy gives us benefits.  The spirit of joy will lead us into praise and worship of God.  Praise and worship usher us into the Lord’s presence.  In his presence, we find everything we will ever need to live fulfilling lives on earth, plus he gives us eternal life!

Ephesians 5:20-21 – giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Paul closes this section with yet another call to Christian unity, this time centering on how we should properly submit to one another.  It is a topic that is discussed in the remainder of chapter 5, so we will look at it more next time.

For now, I want to encourage you to spend some time this week meditating on walking in love, living within God’s boundaries for us, and walking a wise Christian walk.  Do you know God’s will for your life?  Are you pursuing it with all your energy?

In the last few verses, Paul was admonishing Christians to live Spirit filled lives.  He now discusses how the Spirit filled life manifests itself in three key relationships of his day: Wives & husbands, children & parents and slaves & masters.

Ephesians 5:22-24 – Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

In each of these three relationships, the first partner (in this case the wife) is responsible to be submissive to the second (in this case the husband).  The second partner is also submissive to a higher authority (God) and they are to relate to the first partner in love. 

If we lived in a perfect world, no one would question this submissiveness because it would be wonderful, loving and flawless.  It would be the perfect example of the relationship between the church and Christ.  However, last I looked, the human race was far from perfect.  We have a tendency to abuse power, and to love ourselves more than others.  If you have been in a bad marriage relationship, it may be difficult for you to understand and accept that the marriage institution is to be an example of the relationship between the church and Christ.  For some, the thought of submitting yourself to anyone can bring instant feelings of anger and rebellion.  I think Paul was well aware of our shortcomings when he wrote this, because he includes descriptions of how the perfect wife/husband relationship should look.

 Ephesians 5:25 - Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…

In a Spirit filled relationship, the husband would love the wife so deeply and completely, that he would be willing to do anything for her good. This is how Christ loves the church.  Literally, he gave himself up for us, so that we could be delivered from the chains of sin.     

Ephesians 5:26-27  - …that he [Jesus] might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing that she might be holy and without blemish. 

Here Paul reveals WHY Jesus gave himself up for the church.  Specifically, Jesus paid the price for sin so that he could sanctify or set apart the church for himself, just as a wife is set apart or reserved only for her husband.    

The ‘word’ refers to the word of God, or the preaching of the gospel.  The ‘washing of water’ refers to baptism, which is the outward symbol of our inward trust in Christ as Savior and Lord.  Both of these speak of the church as being spiritually cleansed and set apart for God.

Ultimately, at some point, Jesus will receive the church to himself as a perfect, fully glorified bride without spot, wrinkle or blemish of sin.  We will be entirely pleasing to him in all respects.    

Ephesians 5:28-30 - In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.  He who loves his wife loves himself.  For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.

The scripture reveals that Christ nourishes and cherishes his body, the church.  The idea of nourishing or nurturing suggests tender loving care.  Jesus has tenderly cared for his church from its weak infancy until now, and he will continue to cherish and watch over it until it reaches full maturity in heaven.  He is well able to meet all the needs of his body; he furnishes whatever is needed for life, health and happiness.

The love of an earthly husband for his wife should reflect the same level of love, caring and provision. 

Ephesians 5:31-33 -   “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”.  This mystery is profound and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

The word “mystery” means something which is hidden, concealed or before unknown; it must be taught or explained to someone before they can understand it.

In this case, the mystery which was long unknown, but at least in part understood after the resurrection of Jesus was the union of Christ and the church.  The Son of God uniting himself with mortal man and making them one with himself was a concept that was not imagined prior to this time.  Under the old covenant, God was someone to be respected and sometimes feared.  Even though He loved his people and dwelt among them in the tabernacle, they were never united as one because of sin.  Now, in the new covenant, God joined man to himself; He is the head and the church is the body.

 

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Ephesians 5:1-2 - Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

These first two verses of chapter 5 should have been at the tail end of chapter 4.  In 4:32 the apostle ends by admonishing the Ephesians to "be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you". 

He then goes on in 5:1-2 to say therefore or because God has been so exceedingly good and merciful in pardoning your sin, you should imitate him and forgive others showing kindness and love at all times.  Christ is to be our example and we are to imitate him, just as any small child will imitate what she sees her earthly father doing. 

Here in Ephesians, Jesus is described as both.  His life was an offering to God because he was in perfect obedience, saying and doing only what the Father directed. He offered his own will and his own desires as an offering to the heavenly father.  As you are already aware, his life was a bloody sacrifice as he died on the cross. 

Jesus' offering and sacrifice were a sweet smelling savor to God.  This phrase is found in the Old Testament and refers to a smell of satisfaction; a gift well pleasing to God not only because of what was given, but also because of the attitude or spirit in which it was offered.

I like that last bit - the offering is pleasing to God because of the attitude or spirit in which it was offered.  In second Corinthians Paul says that God loves a cheerful giver.  If you give something grudgingly, it taints or ruins the gift.  Have you ever given a tainted gift?

What kind of sacrifices have you made to God recently?  Have you considered surrendering your will and your desires to him?

Ephesians 5:3-4 - But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.  Let there be no filthiness, nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place but instead let there be thanksgiving.

Have you ever been driving down the road in your car, just enjoying the day, listening to the radio when all of a sudden a horrible smell hits you?  Then you try to decide what they smell is; maybe farm animal excrement or a skunk or a dead deer. You might even check to see if it is the one of the passengers in your car!  You keep driving hoping the awful fumes will soon dissipate!    

Verse four is a warning against unseemly talk.  The Bible has an awful lot to say about our speech.  We could do a whole study on it, but we won't.  James sums it up nicely when he says in 3:10, "From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be so".  This is the same point Paul is making.  As saints of God, we are to avoid any manner of speech that is not encouraging, edifying or thankful. 

Ephesians 5:5-6 - For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure or who is covetous (that is an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.  Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

In the next few verses the apostle gives us reason and motivation to choose what is holy and reject that which is evil. 

He begins in verse five by warning that idolaters of any kind have no inheritance in the kingdom of God.  An idol is anything that we put in the place of God. In our generation, it could be money, our kids, TV, our job, sports, electronics, the pursuit of a hobby, etc.  Since idolatry can keep us from entering heaven, we must anxiously examine our own lives and make sure we are free of the sin of idolatry.

Others will tell you that idolatry is harmless and God will overlook it. Don't fall into that trap!  God's mercy will allow the sinner multiple opportunities for repentance.  Do not mistake His delay of judgment as an approval of sin, for in due course his wrath will come upon those who are disobedient.  If you find that you have an idol in your life, repent right away.  Then begin to take steps to get rid of it without delay!

Ephesians 5:7-10 - Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

At one time, the Ephesian believers were slaves to sin.  They were ignorant of the ways of God and practiced the abominations that are being discussed here.  But, now that they have been enlightened [redeemed] by Christ and been made aware of the evil of idolatry, evil speaking, etc, they are expected to forsake these practices and live [walk] as true children of God. 

Those who are redeemed have the Holy Spirit living in them.  The working of the Holy Spirit produces spiritual fruit in the life of the believer.  This fruit is listed in Galatians:

Galatians 5:22-23 -  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control: against such there is no law.

Every believer, who lives by the gospel and has the indwelling Holy Spirit, should be well able to please the Lord.  This includes you and I.  Each of us should be able to examine ourselves and see if we have the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.  We should pray for him to reveal to us areas in which we are prone to idolatry.  The Holy Spirit is our teacher, our comforter and our guide in this life.  Let's willingly partner with him.  

Ephesians 5:11-12 -  Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.  For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 

The Ephesians were greatly involved in the practices of magic and sorcery which included secret rites and incantations.  The initiates of these rites were obliged to keep the group's secrets, on pain of death (see Acts 19:17-19).  This is probably what Paul is referring to when he speaks of shameful things they do in secret.  Obviously, these works of darkness are unfruitful because they are devoid of any true wisdom or power.  They do not draw men closer to God, but drive them further away.  Paul implies that by concealing or ignoring these practices, we too are sinning. He maintains that it is the duty of the true Christian to expose or testify against these practices and stand for the truth of the gospel. 

How do you feel about that?  Do you think you are sinning if you say nothing in the face of such evil as abortion, gay marriage, and other sins of our society?   

Ephesians 5:13-14 -  But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light.  Therefore it says, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you".

The overall meaning of these verses is that when you shed the light of truth [expose or testify against] on the works of darkness, their true nature is demonstrated or made known.  This is what the gospel does – expose sin for what it really is. 

How do you know if you are a spiritual 'sleeper'? 

• If you engage in things you know to be sin (sexual sins, unforgiveness, fraud, drunkenness, anger, etc) without your conscience bothering you, you are asleep.
• If you never feel any conflict with temptation, you are asleep.
• If you are too busy to pray, you are asleep. 
• If you never feel convicted by reading the word of God, you are asleep.
• If you have no compassion for others, you are asleep.
• If you never hear God speaking to you, you are asleep.
• If your life looks exactly like the life of unbelievers, you are asleep.

If you find yourself in any of these situations, WAKE UP!  Repent and call upon God to enlighten you.  He specializes in bringing the dead to life, and he will restore you spiritually.

 

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Ephesians 4:17-18 – Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.  They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.

In the prior section, Paul explained the governing and working of the church as a unified body.  He spoke of how pastors, apostles, teachers, etc were to preach/teach the gospel for the edification of the saints and the winning of souls.  Now he discusses general and particular characteristics that should be present in the life of every believer.

To begin with, Paul reminds the saints where they came from and he describes the ways in which sinful people (here referred to as Gentiles) live their lives.  First, they live in the “futility of their minds”.  This means they follow their own thoughts and ideas, living without any revelation or guidance from God.  They do whatever makes them feel good.  

Sinners are “darkened in their understanding”; they are void of any spiritual knowledge.  They prefer to dwell in the darkness of sin rather than the light of God’s holiness.  

They are also “alienated from the life of God”.  There is physical life and spiritual life.  Here the apostle refers to spiritual life.  Sinners are spiritually dead; they have a dislike for holiness, which is the way of life that God requires.  God himself is pure, righteous, holy, good and true, while those alienated from him desire the exact opposite.     

Paul is very specific that the reason they are this way is because of their own hardness of heart. They willfully and persistently shut out the light that would lead them to righteousness in Christ.  God makes himself known to man by his great works, by the gospel and by love, but if a sinner will not acknowledge God, they will remain in darkness.

Ephesians 4:19 - They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

All men are by nature corrupt and inclined to be evil.  Those who are alienated from God will give free reign to self indulgence, ignoring the stings of conscience until the pain of remorse is calloused over.  Once a person is past feeling any guilt or conscience, depravity knows no bounds.  God, for his part, continues to call out to sinners, but because of rebellion, their hearts are hardened rather than being softened.  They have become slaves to sin and to Satan.

Ephesians 4:20-21 - But that is not the way you learned Christ! – assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,

But Christians are different because we have “learned Christ”.  We have been taught the real truth by Jesus himself both in the way he lived and what he said.  That truth is also revealed to us as the Holy Spirit quickens are spiritual understanding of the word through pastors and teachers.  That truth has set us free from the bondage of sin, and with the help of the Holy Spirit we can live holy lives pleasing to God.

Ephesians 4:22-24 – to put off your old self which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

These verses describe three things that are to be done:  Be renewed, Put off and Put on. 

Be Renewed:  The only way to break the chains of sin in our lives and have our natures renewed is to accept Jesus Christ as our savior.  He takes our sin upon himself, setting us free.  In 2 Corinthians 5:17 the scripture says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. 

Put Off:  We are to put off the ‘old self’ or the ‘old man’. This is a phrase used by Paul in several places, like Romans 5&6, here in Ephesians and in Colossians 3.  The old man refers to the sinful and corrupt nature that we were all born with.  Because Adam sinned, all people born after him were automatically born into sin.  We have a corrupt nature; it is natural for us to love and indulge in sin.  Here Paul notes that these sinful desires and passions are deceitful.  In other words, they look good; we expect that if we indulge in them we will feel good and they will satisfy the longing of our souls, but they will not.  They will only leave us feeling bitter and empty for sinful desire can never satisfy. 

As I am sure you have already noticed, our tendencies to sin are still present with us even after we are renewed or saved.  God does not make us instantly holy.  It is our job to partner with the Holy Spirit in what is called “progressive sanctification”.  This is an ongoing process in which we choose to pursue the ways of God, thus crucifying our evil desires.  We can take comfort in the fact that the Holy Spirit will carry to perfection the work begun when you became a new creature in Christ. 

Put On:  If you are going to “put off” the old man, you will also need to “put on” something new.  What does the new creature in Christ put on?  He puts on the characteristics that God possesses, such as kindness, patience and forgiveness. He walks in holiness; telling the truth, maintaining Godly relationships, encouraging others, etc.   When we act and think like God, it is an outward manifestation that reflects the change that has taken place in our spiritual man.  When we reflect the love and kindness of God, we are a witness to those who still walk in darkness. 

Colossians 3:12-14, - Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience… forgiving each other as the Lord has forgiven you… and above all these put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony.      

Putting off the old and putting on the new are very general concepts.  In the next six verses, Paul discusses specific examples of each.

Ephesians 4:25  – Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor for we are members of one another. 

There can be no doubt that God hates lying.  One of the original 10 commands is:  Exodus 20:16 - You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.  However, Paul may have something more specific in mind here.  Unity of the church is the main topic of the 4^th chapter, so he seems to be indicating that unity of the body is based on mutual confidence, which can only work if we always tell the truth to one another. 

Ephesians 4:26-27 - Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil.

“Be angry and sin not” is a quote from Psalms 4:4.  Anger itself is not necessarily a sin;  Jesus displayed righteous anger in Mark 3:5.   Keep in mind that righteous anger is anger directed at the sin, not the sinner.  We need to have pity and compassion for the sinner.  If we are angry at the person as well as the fault, we are sinning.  This is a very difficult thing to manage.  Be careful with anger!  If you find a need to express it, be sure that you reconcile with the person immediately.  Otherwise, Satan has an opportunity to cause division.  Anger must not be allowed to fester into wrath and bitterness.    

Ephesians 4:28  - Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

Theft has been a part of society forever and some of the heathen really did not think it was so bad.  Paul explicitly states that theft is evil.  He then goes on give a very good example of putting off the old and putting on the new.  Not only should the Christian stop stealing (put off), but he should do honest work and use some of that money to share with the poor (put on).

Ephesians 4:29 – Let no corrupt talk  come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 

The Greek word for corrupt literally means “rotten” or “putrid”.  While it could mean cursing or foul language, it also means any talk that tears down, humiliates, makes fun of, intimidates, or belittles someone else. Christians should be known for building up and encouraging others, not tearing them down.

Proverbs 12:18 There is one that speaks like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise beings health.

Ephesians 4:30 – And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 

This sentence is short in length, but long on meaning!  Several things are implied by this verse:

1. The Holy Spirit demonstrates personality; he is the third Person of the Trinity – a person as much as the Father and the Son.
2. The Holy Spirit loves us immeasurably.  You can only grieve those you love or those who love you. 
3. If we persist in offending the Holy Spirit, he will suspend or withdraw his influence in our lives. 
4. The Holy Spirit seals us.  He marks or brands us as a possession of God.  As discussed in chapter one, this is an assurance of our final redemption.

Ephesians 4:31-32 – Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

All the negative emotions and actions listed in these verses are a form of malice.  Malice should not be found in the life of any Christian!  It will not only tear apart the church, it will bring death to the individual believer.  On the other hand, forgiveness will not only enforce and strengthen church unity, it will heal and bring life to the individual believer.  As always, our ultimate example of forgiveness is Christ.   

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Ephesians 4:1-3  - I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,

In the first three chapters of this letter, Paul shared numerous high and lofty truths with the Ephesian church concerning their admission into the body of Christ and the spiritual blessings that God has given them. The remaining three chapters consist of practical applications of these truths.

First of all, they are to live their daily lives (walk) in a manner that reflects the grace of God. They are also to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  While that sounds simple, I doubt it was.  Remember, the Ephesian church was composed of both Gentiles and converted Jews. Based on the history between the two groups, we might expect frequent differences that were more likely to produce argument and division rather than peace and harmony.

Paul wants to stop that from happening, so he admonishes them to "eagerly" work for peace and unity.  The Greek word for 'eager' means intense, diligent or industrious.  The clear indication is that this peace and unity will not happen naturally or magically.  They are going to have to work at it.  It is going to take some effort on their part. So it is for the church of today.  We should allow the Holy Spirit to direct the way we think, speak and act towards our fellow believers.  We would do well to focus on those points on which we agree, not so much on our points of difference.

The bond of peace is an outward manifestation that is visible to the lost world around us.  Why would the world want to be part of an organization that has infighting and quarreling?  They have enough of that already! It is peace and love that will show them we are different.       

 So, practically speaking, how is the church to keep unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace?

Paul says it begins with humility or lowliness, which is the opposite of pride and arrogance.  It means to have a modest estimation of our own worth; it means we are willing to waive our rights and take a place or station that might be lower than what we are due.  Jesus gives us an excellent example of humility in the book of John.

John 13:3-5 - Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper.  He laid aside his outer garments and taking a towel, tied it around his waist.  Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet...

If we are willing to keep an attitude of humility, it will go a long way to creating a bond of peace in the church.  

Gentleness or meekness is also needed in forming the unity of Spirit and bond of peace.  My favorite definition of meekness is "power under control".  It relates to the manner in which we respond when someone else injures or insults or attacks us.  We are to bear that injury patiently, without retaliating or seeking revenge.  Best example?  Jesus on the cross.  He had the power to obliterate those who were crucifying and humiliating him, yet he had perfect control of that power and he did not retaliate.     

Lastly, Paul says we are going to need longsuffering (with patience).  It is defined as 'bearing injuries or provocation for a long time; patient endurance'.  Example?  You guessed it – God.  God is longsuffering towards sinners.  He patiently waits until we acknowledge him and accept salvation.

2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Obviously, we cannot control the actions of others (Bummer! That would really come in handy sometimes).  The Christian traits of humility, meekness and long suffering do not mean that we will all become like identical robots with the same sentiments, the same opinions and the same decisions.  Rather, it means that we should strive to interact with others without giving offence or taking offence.  We should avoid contention when we don't get our way.  If we can do this, our different personalities and intellects will bond us together in peace. The world needs to see that peace and unity in the church.

Ephesians 4:4-6  - There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is overall and through all and in all.

I have been accused of beating a dead horse on more than one occasion, but obviously, I am not the only one!  Here Paul stresses the need for unity by pointing out that the church is one body, with one head (Jesus).  We are all quickened by one and the same Holy Spirit.  All of us are called to one hope, which is eternal life in heaven.  We have one faith which is the gospel message.  We have one baptism, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  We have one Father who has ultimate dominion over all things.  In light of this, we clearly need to conduct ourselves in unity.  Given this list, there should be more to unite us than to divide us.

Ephesians 4:7 - But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. 

No one person has it all, therefore, the members of the church must pool their gifts together so that everyone can have what is sufficient for maintaining their place in the body.  For example, we need worship leaders, but not everyone can lead worship or play an instrument or sing.  We need pastors, but not everyone is called to pastor.  We need teachers, administrators, sound technicians, carpenters and electricians, grass cutters, janitors, ushers, etc.  Notice that regardless of how big or how small a person's gift may be, it is still a gift.  We did not manufacture it on our own, it was gifted to us by God.  In God's infinite wisdom, he made us dependent upon each other, which promotes unity, strength and harmony in the church.

Ephesians 4:8-10 - Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men".  (In saying, "he ascended", what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?  He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens that he might fill all things).

In verse 8, Paul is referencing Psalms 68:18.  He is not actually quoting it.  The 68^th Psalm is considered a Psalm of triumph, written by David to celebrate the time when the ark was brought up to Jerusalem.  It also has Messianic overtones which we are not going to examine at length in this study.  For our purposes we only need to know that the bringing of the ark up to Jerusalem was a picture or shadow of the triumph of Christ's victory over Satan in Jerusalem.  

They would chain or bind the most prominent captives from the battle and force them to walk behind the victor's chariot in shame.  Everyone would see and mock the captives.  At the same time, the commander would throw spoils/money/coins out into the crowd of people who came to celebrate his victorious return. 

Colossians 2:14-15 – [Jesus cancelling] the record of the debt that stood against us with its legal demands.  This he set aside, mailing it to the cross.  He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him [the cross].

So, what we see in verse 8-10 is Paul comparing Jesus to Psalm 18 and the victorious commander.  Jesus descended first to earth, then to hell, defeated Satan, took the keys of death, hell and the grave, then rose victorious.  He paraded Satan around as a defeated foe and gave gifts to the church. This ties in with the subject in Ephesians, which is the victorious Christ giving gifts to his people the church.  In fact, the victorious Jesus is the fountain of all blessings to the church.  He dispenses his blessings to whom he wills, in the measure he wills, to the different members of his body, both Jews and Gentiles.  The greatest gift of all, obviously, is the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:11-13  - And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.    

Having established that Jesus has given gifts to the church and that the church must function in unity to be fully equipped, Paul goes on to discuss specific offices in the church.   It seems odd that Paul would discuss offices of the church instead of gifts, but the obvious answer is that when God calls you to an office, he equips you with the gifts necessary to fulfill that office.  If you are a true pastor, then God has given you the gifts and abilities necessary for that office.  The same is true of all the offices. 

Scholars agree that the powers exercised by the leaders of the early church were not as well defined and systematically arranged as they are in today's church.  Their duties varied depending on the circumstances and the people who exercised them.  Therefore, rather than dissecting the differences between the offices listed, we are going to focus on the ultimate purpose of these offices in the body of Christ.

We want to begin by noting that HE gave - in other words, the office of true Christian leadership in ministry is based on divine authority.

We further note that the appointment of apostles, pastors, etc, is given for specific purposes.

The first of these purposes is "to equip the saints for the work of ministry" (your translation may say 'for perfecting of the saints').  The word for equip or perfect means to restore to its place/putting in order; making complete or completing what is unfinished.  The meaning is that apostles, pastors, etc have been ordained by Christ to bring individual members of the body to maturity, thus making the whole church complete or perfect.  Maturity includes instruction, purification, holiness, etc.  

The second purpose of church leadership is "for building up the body of Christ" (your translation may say '(for the edifying of the body of Christ).  This phrase refers to the growth or maturity of the church body as a whole, in contrast to the individual members as mentioned above.  We note that the church belongs to Jesus.  He could have edified it any way he wanted; he chose to do it by the outward preaching of the word by people.  When individuals claim that they do not need to attend church or be part of a body, they are saying that they know better than God! 

Jesus has decided to use leaders to help bring the individual members of the body to maturity, but they cannot do this alone.  The believer must desire to come to maturity and work in conjunction with the leadership and the Holy Spirit.  Are you doing your part?  Are you meditating on the word, spending time in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to identify the parts of your life that need to be perfected, working towards a more holy life?  Or are you just coming to church every week waiting for the pastor to spoon feed you like a baby?

No person is excluded from this hierarchy.  A person who claims that they do not need to be planted in a body of believers is really in a form of rebellion to Christ.  If any person feels they have arrived at maturity, then they should be an active part of the body by helping those who are still immature believers.  There is plenty of work to be done – who will rise up to mentor or disciple the new believers?

Mistakes will be made.  Despite the calling and gifts they have been given, spiritual leaders are themselves fallen humans who are not perfect.  In addition, as each individual member increases in maturity, they will begin to take a bigger role in the church.  They too, will make mistakes.  If we react with criticism and strife, division will result; this is the opposite of unity.  However, the body should have enough love for one another to work through these difficulties.  The only perfect workers are the ones who do nothing but warm the seats!

Speaking of workers, keep in mind that all the members of the body are essential.  What is your call, your gift, your ministry?  If you don't know, I suggest you start by filling a need you see in the body.  If that is not where you belong, God will move you towards something else.  Just get started!

Ephesians 4:14-15 -  so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.  Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ...

Paul goes on to illustrate another reason for spiritual leaders. The leaders guard against childish behavior or mistakes in the ignorant and inexperienced of the faith.  Until the believer becomes firmly rooted in truth, they are in danger of being led into false doctrine or beliefs by any crafty or deceitful person who professes to be a Christian teacher.  The spiritual leaders are to oversee the flock as they grow from babes to mature believers. 

Romans 16:17-18 – I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.  For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

Speaking the truth in love – in this instance, truth is the whole gospel doctrine.  They are to teach and preach the truth as opposed to the false doctrine as noted above. Truth is the element in which the Christian is to live at all times.  But, truth should be inseparable from love.  While God is certainly a just judge, he is not to be portrayed as harsh task master, waiting for his subjects to fail so he can bring punishment.

Ephesians 4:16 – from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Just as the physical human body is formed by a union of all its parts, with the head in charge, so the church is formed by the union of its members with Jesus in charge.  Both the physical body and the spiritual body (the church) arrive at maturity when each individual part begins to function as it should. 

What is your place in the body of Christ?  Are you rooted in a local church? If not, why?  Are you diligently working for unity in the body?  Have you prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to help you mature in Christ?  How much to you think you have grown spiritually in the last three months?  In the last six months?  

 

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Ephesians 3:14 – For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,

We now come to the second part of chapter 3, which contains Paul’s prayer to God for the Ephesians.  It is a devout prayer that shows his love for them.

In this prayer, Paul asks for three great gifts for the believers.  They are: The infusion of spiritual strength, The indwelling of Christ and The establishment of their hearts so they can be ‘rooted and grounded’ in the love of God.  Let’s take a look at his prayer.

Obviously, bowing his knees before the Father signifies a traditional position of prayer.  Do you kneel every time you pray?  Most people that I know do not.  The truth is, you can pray standing up, sitting down on your couch, laying flat on the ground, even driving your car, as long as you are reverencing God in your heart.  However, I came across a scholar who had a rather interesting insight.  He said “Posture affects the mind, and is not therefore unimportant”.  In other words, if you believe or feel compelled in your spirit to kneel in prayer, then by all means, do so!  If you feel that at certain times you need to lay face down on the floor and pray, then do so!  If you have an overwhelming unction to stand straight up and raise your hands to heaven as you pray, then do so!  Sometimes, your posture may be important.  Listen to the Holy Spirit and do as he asks you to do.    

The reason for the prayer is found in verse 13, where Paul ends by saying “I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering”.   He is saying that he does not want the Ephesians to faint or lose heart during tribulation, and so for that reason, he prays for them.

What a loving and beautiful picture of intercession.  How often do we intercede for the brothers and sisters of our own fellowship?  When we know they are suffering, do we intercede for them that they do not lose heart?   Let’s take a closer look at the specifics of the prayer that Paul prays for them because it is a prayer that we should be praying for ourselves and others.  

Ephesians 3:15-16 -  …from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,  

The above quote is from the English Standard Version, but in this case, I feel the King James Version is little clearer.  It says, “of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named”.   The whole family means all God’s children; it includes Jews and Gentiles from every nation as well as believers on earth and those in heaven.  The Greek word for ‘family’ denotes a clan all descended from a common stock.  So, we are ONE family; we are all children (common stock) of our heavenly Father.   

Paul prays that the Ephesians will be strengthened “according to the riches of his (God’s) glory”.  How much strength is that?

Think of it this way:  Suppose there was a noble person who had performed a great act of courage for his country.  Everyone in the country honors this person by bringing a gift.  First comes a peasant and he brings a very small gift indeed, perhaps a small loaf of bread.  His gift is accepted as proper, because his gift is based on what he posses.  Next in line comes the king of the land.  If he gave the noble person a small loaf of bread, would it be accepted?  No!  There would be outrage!  The gift would be considered an insult, because based on what he possesses, the king is able to give an astronomically bigger gift, right? 

So, here in Ephesians, Paul is praying that they will receive an amount of strength that is equal to the abundance of God’s glory.  Since the amount of God’s glory is inexhaustible, so is the amount of strength that they will receive!  (Throughout his writings, Paul frequently uses the word ‘riches’ to mean abundance.)

What does this mean for you?  It means that God will always be able to supply as much strength as you need.  Are you currently suffering through a loss?  Maybe you feel like you can’t go on?  That is not true – God can and will supply you with all the strength you need to get through that adjustment period.  Are you overburdened right now?  Is your job or your ministry taking all of your strength? Are you facing an overwhelming problem right now?  You can conquer that period in your life, because God has enough strength to get you through.  Maybe all is well with you right now and you are in a period of rest.  Maybe you don’t require a whole lot of strength at this time.  Well, praise God for that!  But when the time comes, you can be confident that God has more than enough strength to carry you through!

Habakkuk 3:19 The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like deer's feet, and he will make me walk upon my high places. 

Isaiah 40:29 He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases strength.    

2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather boast in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

God is not going to put more on you than you can bear, because he will always be there to strengthen you as much as you need!  Be confident! Be courageous!  You have been made a victor through Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior! Praise him for that strength.

Now, Paul further prays that believers will be strengthened “with power through his Spirit in your inner being”.  Your inner being refers to your heart and mind.  Just as you strengthen your body each day with food, your heart and mind need to be strengthened every day by the Holy Spirit so that you can be victorious in your trials, so you can resist temptation and so you can perform all of the good works that God has planned for you.  You are a very busy and valuable spiritual person – you need to be strengthened each day!

Ephesians 3:17 – So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

Rooted in love refers to a mature tree, whose roots extend deep and far into the soil.  Likewise, the love of God should be rooted in our hearts, extending deep and wide into our being.

Grounded in love means essentially the same thing.  Here, reference is made to a tall building which is based on a firm and solid foundation.  Paul wants us to be firm in the love of Christ just as a tall building stands firmly on a solid foundation.

What is the greatest of all things?  It is love!  We must exemplify the love of Christ to our brothers and to the world; in order to exemplify it, we need to have a handle on it ourselves.  

Ephesians 3:18-19 – (that you) may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

So, if "Christ dwells in our hearts by faith," we will be "rooted and grounded in love," and as a consequence, we will be able to comprehend spiritual things. We should be able to understand and appreciate the wonders of redemption. 

The apostle goes on to give us some dimensions.  These dimensions represent the vastness of God’s love. 

 BREADTH: The breadth of His love is seen when Divine Mercy reaches out to sinners who are far off from God. “Breadth” suggests the world wide extent of that love, for God died for ALL people – not one is excluded.  

LENGTH: The length of His love reaches from eternity to eternity. It was not an afterthought or a whim.  It was not a spur of the moment decision to later be regretted. (God did not experience buyer’s remorse after he purchased us).  Rather, it was established before the foundations of the earth were laid. We will never see its beginning or its end.   

DEPTH: The depth of His love is seen in raising sinners from condemnation and hell. Never could we have done this for ourselves! It could only be accomplished by Jesus, the perfect lamb of God who suffered in the lowest regions of Hell in order to save us.  

HEIGHT:  The height of His love consists in making sinners heirs of God and bringing them finally to glory.  Jesus desires that we should be with him in the highest heaven for all of eternity.   

Wow!  That is some kind of love, isn’t it?  The Bible says in Philippians 4:8 that our minds should dwell on “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things”.  The breadth, length, depth and height of the love of God qualifies as something we should be thinking about!

We are to comprehend a love that surpasses knowledge.  That may seem a bit contradictory at first glance, but there is a difference between knowledge and comprehension.  We do not want simply to know about the love of Christ in an intellectual manner (we could never understand it anyway), but we want to experience that love, to possess it for our own.  It may be too vast for us to understand with our intellect, but it is not too rich for us to enjoy! 

The purpose or end result of our experience of this love is that we can be filled with all the fullness of God, or rather, it means to have as much of God within us as our vessel can contain. The fullness of God is all the gifts and graces which he has bestowed on man and which he dispenses to the church.  For example, mercy, peace, hope, meekness, joy, justice, holiness, redemption, a knowledge of God’s will, etc. 

When we are filled with the fullness of God, we are manifesting the attributes of the divine nature.

Let’s give this some further consideration.  The more we are filled with the fullness of God, the less room there will be for self.  There will be less room for unforgiveness, less room for bitterness, less room for pride, less room… you get the idea.  Also, if we are filled with the fullness of God, then we can spill that fullness out onto the others we come into contact with.  We can give a word of encouragement, a prayer for healing, a helping hand, an act of comfort, a word of wisdom, etc.

Ephesians 3:20-21 – Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever, Amen.

Paul closes his prayer with thanksgiving and praise. Remember, praise not only gives God the glory he is due, it affects us as well.  When we praise him, we realize how big and powerful he is and at the same time, our problems become smaller and smaller.

No matter what we can think or imagine, God can and will do much, much more.  His grace and mercy are inexhaustible.  No matter how much we ask for in prayer, we can never drain him dry.  Our needs can never overtake his bounty.

Paul desires that God’s praise may resound in the church ‘throughout all generations, forever and ever’.  That praise has continued on and on from the time of Paul until our present day and it will continue to abound until the end of time.  Then it will ring throughout all eternity, for we can never give him all the glory he is due!

What things is God filling you with?  How have you been able to share these with others?  How has God’s strength allowed you to overcome trials and obstacles?  Please join in the conversation and share with us!

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Ephesians 3:1-3  -  For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles – assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.

In chapter 3, Paul gives an account of himself to the Ephesians.  He stresses the fact that he was appointed by God to be the apostle to the Gentiles and that he was called to reveal the ancient mystery of the gospel.  Why do you think he did this?  Why did Paul feel this was necessary?

[Hum your favorite game show music now. Possibly the theme to 'Jeopardy'].

Do you have your answer?  There is a clue in verse one.  Paul was in prison.  For the purposes of our study, the reason for his imprisonment is most significant.  Paul is not in prison for committing a crime or for being a debtor or a war captive; he is in prison for sharing the gospel with Gentiles.  Specifically, Paul asserted that the privileges of justification and salvation through Christ belonged to the Gentiles as well as the Jews, even though the Gentiles were uncircumcised in the flesh and they did not adhere to the law. 

Many Jews were consumed with anger over this issue.  As we discussed in prior lessons, they were unwilling to accept the Gentiles into the family of God.  Beginning in Acts 21, we find an account of the Jews attempting to lynch Paul.  When they were prevented from beating him to death, they changed tactics and brought formal charges against him.  Eventually, this led to Paul being imprisoned in Rome. He wrote the letter to the Ephesians from the Roman prison.

Therefore, Paul gives an account of himself to the Ephesians so that they can know with certainty that God called him to be the apostle to the Gentiles.  He wants to make sure that they fully understand that God has welcomed them into his family not as second class citizens, but as full sons and daughters. Paul will also make it clear that inclusion of the Gentiles was God's intention from the very beginning.

Did you correctly answer the question of why Paul gave an account of himself to the Ephesians? If so, enjoy your reward as you continue reading. If not, don't worry - another quiz question is coming soon!

Who do you think was driving this separation of the Jews and Gentiles?  The obvious answer is Satan [that was not the quiz question.  Put the candy down and back away slowly].  Only Satan could be fueling the hatred that we see tearing these two groups apart. 

Do you have an answer?  Compare it to what Jesus says in Mark 3:24-25 - If a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand and if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

That means that Jesus, who is head of the church, would have two bodies!  Have you ever seen two bodies that shared the same head?  Of course not!  A person like that would soon die.  Likewise, the church would die if it did not unite as one.  That is why Satan fought so hard to divide the two groups. 

What are the implications of that today?  I believe that Satan still tries to divide the church by pitting different denominations against one another.  Personally, I believe he is at least partially successful in getting us to fight each other instead of uniting to fight against him!  Let's try to remember that we may differ from others in minor beliefs, but as long as we all believe in salvation through the blood of Christ, we are brothers and sisters!

Sadly, we even have disputes and divisions within individual churches!  Satan has not changed – he still seeks to divide and conquer, but if we allow a bond of love to unite us, we can overlook our differences and serve Christ in harmony.

Ephesians 3:4-6 -  When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.  This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

The mystery is that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile in the kingdom of heaven. Both are heirs of Christ.  Both are included in the body of Christ.  Both are entitled to the same spiritual benefits including salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  The really mysterious part (to the Jews at least) was that the Gentiles could be included without the works of the law.  The Gentiles did not need to be circumcised or keep the Sabbath day or observe any of the Jewish festivals, or dietary laws, yet they still were equal in the kingdom! Admittedly, this is not much of a mystery to us, but during the early days of the church, this was a shocking revelation. 

Paul says that the mystery was "not made known" or in other words, it was hidden from earlier generations. This seems odd to us, because clearly God always intended to include the Gentiles in his plan of salvation.

Psalms 22:27 – All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.

Daniel 7:13-14 – I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.  And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

John 10:16 – I [Jesus] have other sheep that are not of this fold.  I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.  So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Well, the mystery was not so much the fact that it would happen, the mystery was how and when and in what manner it would come to pass. 

Until it actually happened, the Jews had no clue that God was going to repeal the ceremonial law, tear the veil in two and allow all believers access to his presence.  They believed that God was going to make all the Gentiles into Jews first, then, once they were established in the law, they could receive salvation.  When it didn't happen that way, the Jews were angry and confused.  Little did they realize that God's plan was so much greater and deeper and more magnificent then they could understand!   

So then, God revealed his astonishing plan to his prophets and apostles (including Paul) by the revelation of the Holy Spirit.  It was their job to instruct or explain this mystery to the church.

Ephesians 3:7-9 - Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power.  To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.  

I am not sure what your opinion is, but I don't see Paul as the "least of all the saints".  Nevertheless, as he abases himself, the grace of God becomes more highly exalted.  He does not want the Ephesians' attention on himself, but on the gift of God. 

Also, we want to note that Paul's humility essentially disarms his enemies.  You can easily picture the hostile Jews pointing to Paul and saying, "Who does he think he is?  Why would God reveal mysteries to him?" But since Paul admits up front that he is unworthy apart from the grace of God, his enemies have no point of attack against him.

Ephesians 3:10 – so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

The overall meaning of the verse is this: The church, composed of both Jews and Gentiles, is a mirror in which angles behold the astonishing wisdom of God, displayed in a manner previously unknown to them. 

Ephesians 3:11-13 – This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.  So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

 Now, what about you?  How does it feel to know that God thought about you in ages past, and he wanted to give you an opportunity to be joined to him?  He wanted it so much, that he died for you.  Does this fact make you feel a certain boldness to approach him?  It should!  Do you have confidence that he hears your prayers?  You should! Does this fact cause worship to rise up within you?  I sure hope so!

Let me ask you this:  Do you think there are other mysteries that God will reveal to future generations?  Does the scripture speak of other things or events without revealing how and when and in what manner they may come to pass?  Please write and share your insights with us!   

 

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Ephesians 2:11  - Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands –

I admit, it seems awkward to begin a Bible study with the sentence “Let’s talk about circumcision”, but since I cannot think of any really good way to introduce the topic, we’re just going to move ahead with it!   

Back when God chose Abraham to be the father of the Jewish nation, he made a covenant with him.  The Jews, for their part, were to be God’s chosen people.  They were to worship and serve him only, obeying and adhering to the Law.  God’s part of the bargain was to be their God, to give the Jews the Promised Land, to make them a numerous people and to use them to bless all the nations of the earth (because the Messiah would come through the Jews).  Circumcision of the flesh was the token of that covenant.   

Thus, circumcision became the way to access the privileges of the covenant, but it also obligated the Jews to fulfill the duties which the covenant imposed. 

At the time the covenant was instituted, every male in Abraham’s household (including Abraham himself) were circumcised.  Going forward, every male child was to be circumcised on the 8^th day of life (they also named the boy at the same time). 

So in the Old Testament, circumcision of the flesh did two things:  it clearly separated God’s people from the heathen/Gentile nations, and it consecrated them to God.  Jews would often refer to the heathen or Gentile nations as ‘the uncircumcised’, which was a term of contempt.  Not surprisingly, in the time of Christ, circumcision had become an issue of national pride and national identity to the Jews.

Whereas circumcision of the flesh was a part of the old covenant, circumcision of the heart is the symbol of the new covenant which Jesus brought about by his death on the cross. 

Romans 2:28-29 – For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical.  But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter…

In other words, Paul is saying that under the New Covenant those who belong to God circumcise their hearts, not their bodies.  Circumcision of the heart is putting (cutting) off sin and living a holy life unto God.  It separates us from the heathen world and consecrates us to God.  

With this background in mind let’s look at the next verses in Ephesians chapter 2:

Ephesians 2:12-13  - …remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  

In these verses Paul is reminding the mostly Gentile Ephesian church that in past times, when circumcision was a fleshly covenant, the Gentiles were excluded from it.  They were without God and therefore without hope, stuck in their sins, as we discussed last lesson.  When they compare where they were with where the now are, spiritually speaking, it should humble them and also cause thankfulness and love for God to rise up within their hearts. 

The same is true for all of us.  We need to remember that God has forgiven all our debt and that fact should cause us to be thankful, joyful and grateful.  I recommend taking two minutes, right now, and giving Jesus praise for paying the price for your sin.

I suspect that right now, all of us are thinking warm, fuzzy, happy thoughts about being forgiven.  But how will we feel tomorrow when the car breaks down, or our girlfriend/boyfriend breaks up with us, or someone else gets the promotion you wanted?  The truth is, we will still have cause to be thankful, joyful and grateful because despite unfavorable circumstances on earth, our eternal position has not changed! 

We don’t always have control over what happens to us in daily life, but we always get to choose what our response to life will be.  When things don’t go our way, will we get crabby and mean or will we deal with our circumstances in a mature way remembering that this world is not our final home?  If we keep our eyes on Jesus and remember that he has forgiven us, it becomes much easier to overlook petty faults in others. Keeping our eyes on Jesus means keeping our joy and peace. 

Now, moving on to chapter 2, verses 14-16, Paul continues to speak on the topic of unity in the body of Christ.  You might think that these three verses seem a bit strange, but they begin to make sense when we look at the ancient relationship between the Jews and the Gentiles.

Earlier in this study, we alluded to the fact that there was a definite separation between the Jews and the Gentiles.  Let’s consider this for a moment.  God chooses a nation of people and purposely separates them from the rest of the world.  He gives them his favor, his blessing and his law.  He gives them religious ceremonies and observances that were clear symbols of their separation to himself.  He does the miraculous on their behalf.    

As a result, over time the Jews developed an attitude of pride and arrogance; they despised the Gentiles. They considered themselves holy people, superior to others who did not have the law. They believed that they alone were the children of Abraham and they alone would find peace with God.  Every holy day (Passover, Day of Atonement, Feast of Weeks, etc) was like a brick that built a wall around them, keeping the Gentiles out.  Every sacrifice made at the temple added another brick to the wall of separation.  Every circumcision and every reading of the Torah made yet another row of bricks upon the wall.  Soon the wall of separation between Jews and Gentiles was formidable indeed, and that was fine with the Jews.  

The Gentiles are no better.  They have long scorned the Jews and their belief in a single, almighty God.  They have taken every opportunity to persecute, rule over and take advantage of the Jews whenever possible.

Of course, you and I know that God ordained this temporary separation in order to bring the Messiah who would die for the sins of ALL men, Jew and Gentile alike. But the Jews and Gentiles lost sight of this great plan (assuming they ever really understood it before Jesus died, which is a topic of discussion for another day).

So, Jesus dies and rises again.  He ascends to heaven and sends the Holy Spirit down to his people on the Day of Pentecost.  The church is born.  The gospel goes forth and people are added to the church daily.  For those Jews willing to accept it, the Messiah has finally come.  The Jews are being vindicated for their beliefs in God.  Things are looking good - until Acts chapter 10.  Because in Acts chapter 10, God gives a vision to the apostle Peter and says to him ‘what God has made clean, do not call common’.  Immediately afterward, Peter is called to visit the house of a Gentile name Cornelius.  Peter shares the gospel, the Holy Spirit falls, people are baptized with water and the Spirit, and thus another miracle has occurred… God is now adding Gentiles to the church! 

The wall of separation between the Jews and the Gentiles was smashed on the cross.  The coming together of the two groups into a single united body (the church) under the headship of Jesus Christ begins to manifest itself at the house of Cornelius.  So we see that God both set up and tore down the wall of separation between Jews and Gentiles. But this new found oneness was difficult for both parties to accept, in fact, only through the blood of Jesus could reconciliation occur.  This is what Paul was speaking of in verses 14-16:

Ephesians 2:14-16 – For he himself [Jesus] is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in the place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.    

Paul continues to speak of this unity in the remainder of chapter 2.

Ephesians 2:17-18  - And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.  For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 

In this instance the Gentiles are the group referred to as ‘far off’ and the Jews are the group referred to as ‘those who were near’ (the Jews were nearer to God than the Gentiles, because they had a relationship with him).

The Greek word for “access” refers to the custom of introducing persons into the presence of a prince, or any other person greatly their superior.

So, the meaning of the verses is plain.  Jesus came with a message of peace/salvation, which is for both Jews and Gentiles.  The whole church, united as one body, has access or is introduced to the throne of God because of the blood of Jesus, with the help of the Holy Spirit.  These verses are a clear teaching on the Trinity, or triune nature of God.

Ephesians 2:19 -  So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

Anyone who accepts the sacrifice of Jesus is welcomed into the family of God.  Jews and Gentiles are brothers in Christ.  There are no strangers, no aliens, no step brothers or second class citizens; we are all entitled to the same privileges and inheritance in Jesus.

Consider your own family for a minute.  While no one in your family is a stranger, some of them may still be strange, am I right?  Trust me, I have a family too!  

I am sure it has not escaped your attention that the members of any one family are often very different.  They have different looks, different tastes, different gifts, different ideas and different interests, yet the members of the family are bound together in love (at least that is the ideal situation).  So it is with the body of Christ.  Believers in America are different from believers in Africa, yet we are brothers and sisters in Christ.  We both have a future home in heaven and we both have access to the same throne of God. 

However, we don’t need to look halfway around the world to find differences in the body of Christ, do we?  Even in your own local church there is much diversity.  How do we handle that?  The same way as we do in the natural family.  We love one another and celebrate the different talents and skills of our body.  We overlook faults because we love one another. 

But before we link hands and sing ‘Kumbaya’, let’s admit that loving each other isn’t always a feeling, it’s a choice. Obviously, there will be times we disagree about what shade of paint to use in the lobby, or how often to mow the grass.  We may not like every Bible study teacher or the new bulletins.  These differences can cause loving feelings to disappear, but if we make love a choice, we can get through our differences with our family intact.  God’s love for us, which is central in chapter 2 of Ephesians, is the example for us to love each other.  God chose to love us, and his choice even included the death of his son.  Surely, we can choose to overlook minor differences within our group!

Ephesians 2:20-22 …built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being jointed together grows into a holy temple in the Lord.  In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God by the Spirit.

The comparison of the church with a building is common in the scriptures.  The comparison was probably taken from the temple which was a building of great beauty, expense and majesty.   Also, before the Messiah, it was the sacred place on earth where God dwelt.  Now that Jesus was resurrected, the people of God (the church) are now the places were God dwells.

The concept is a simple one. The OT prophets and NT apostles both reveal the true foundation of the church, which is Jesus.  In fact, Jesus is both the foundation and the cornerstone of the church.  He is the one who binds together and unites the Jews and Gentiles, just like the cornerstone unites different walls together into a cohesive building.  All Christians, including the Ephesians and ourselves, are a part of this structure.

 

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Ephesians 2:1-3  - And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience – among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Chapter two divides itself into three sections.  Verses 1-3 deal with our natural spiritual state of death, verses 4-10 speak of our change from death to life by the grace and power of Jesus, and verses 11-22 deal with our new life in grace. 

Speaking of death, have you noticed how many popular movies, television shows, books, comics and video games contain zombies?  I see them everywhere.  And, yes, I admit to being a fan of some of them!  [Do you have a favorite?]  What’s that - is it possible that some of you aren’t familiar with the concept?  If that is the case, you should know that a zombie is a fictional undead being created through the reanimation of a human corpse.  The term comes from Haitian folklore in which a zombie is a dead body reanimated through various methods, most commonly magic. 

Picture some of those zombies in your mind.  They have rotting flesh.  Some are missing big clumps of hair or teeth.  Some are missing arms or legs. These disfigured corpses wander aimlessly, attacking the living.  They do not love or work or create.  They do not enjoy music or the beauty of nature.  They do not feel pain or pleasure.  They do not have relationships.  They have no plan for the future and no idea where they are going. They just exist in a state of death and seek to bring death to others.  They are oblivious to anything else.

If we could look into the spiritual realm, I think we would see a lot of zombies.  In fact, we used to be zombies ourselves!  All of us were born into sin which is a state of spiritual death; we were alienated from God who is the fountain of all life.  To be dead in trespasses and sin is another way of saying that we ‘walked following the course of this world’.  We were under the authority of Satan, here referred to as the prince of the power of the air. 

In verse 3, Paul is very clear that “we all” – meaning Jews and Gentiles alike - once lived in this state of spiritual death, where we indulged in whatever thoughts and activities we wanted to, regardless of whether they were right or wrong.  As I am sure you would agree, the depravity of man knows no limits. 

To make matters worse, we are completely unable to raise ourselves from the dead.  We can no more rescue ourselves from sin, than a zombie can turn itself back into a normal human.  Man, due to his own actions, was rushing towards inevitable ruin, misery, death and eternal hopelessness.  

In order to get the full impact of this scripture, I want you to consider your own sin, not just sin in general.  Each one of us has lied, gossiped, lusted, cheated and a whole host of other vile things we would rather not mention.  Despite what we may think, the Bible does not divide sin up into “big sins” and “little sins”.  Sin is sin and we are all guilty. Each one of us deserves death. 

Ephesians 2:4-5 – But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved.

BUT… God intervenes on our behalf. Hallelujah!  Our hopeless situation is reversed.  Man’s utter futility becomes God’s opportunity.  In due time, God reveals his great, all inclusive plan of salvation. 

God’s plan of salvation reveals two of his amazing attributes, those being Mercy and Love, as mentioned in this passage. 

Mercy is compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; it is compassion, pity, or benevolence.  It includes acts of kindness or favor. The noun denotes compassion and love, as expressed in tangible ways.

God is not just merciful, he is mercy.  He has all the rights and all the power needed to punish us and hold us accountable for sin, yet he has so much compassion that he gave his only Son that we might inherit eternal life. I can’t think of a more tangible expression of mercy!  Clearly, God’s mercy is not stingy; it is rich and full and it overflows onto each one of his children.  

Titus 3:4-5 – But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness but according to his own mercy…

1 Peter 1:3 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a loving hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  

The other attribute from which the plan of salvation sprang is God’s love.  Again, this is misnomer; God does not possess love, He IS love! His love is inexpressibly great and inexhaustibly rich. It knows no bounds.  It is a great love, an everlasting love, an unchanging love, a perfect love, and an invincible love.  

Romans 5:8 – But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Paul goes on to say that we have been ‘made alive together with Christ’.  In other words, God has given us a complete resurrection from the death of sin, just as the body of Christ has been resurrected from the grave.  The same divine power was at work in achieving both resurrections.  Further, our amazing resurrection was obtained by grace; which is the unmerited or undeserved favor of God towards us.  There can be no pride or glorying in ourselves.

Ephesians 2:6 - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

When Jesus rose from the dead and ascended up into heaven, he did not do so  merely as an individual.  He was raised as the head of the church (see chapter 1).  Therefore, when the Father raised and glorified Christ, all believers were raised and glorified with him.  What He has done, the believer may be said to have done, because he is the head of the body.  Notice verse 6 does not say “and will raise us up with him and will seat us with him”, it says “raised us up and seated us with him” which is in the past tense.  

Now, the scripture tells us that God sees the end from the beginning.  So even though we have not seen the entire manifestation of this yet, God has.  In other words, God already sees us raised from the dead and seated in Heaven with Jesus.  Eventually, the day will come when you and I experience the fulfillment of what God already sees.

Isaiah 46:9-10 – Remember the former things of old; for I am God and there is no other; I am God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying ‘my counsel shall stand and I will accomplish all my purposes’.

I don’t know about you, but I cannot help but be astonished by this!  By the sacrifice of Jesus we were changed from the hopeless zombies in verses 1-3 to people who are a part of the body of Christ, raised to life with him and seated in heavenly places with him!  Stop for a minute and consider how great God’s love for you truly is.  If you have ever doubted God’s love for you, this should settle your questions forever. 

Ephesians 2:7 – so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Verse 7 tells us that God poured out his great love, mercy and grace upon the Ephesian believers, and this is an everlasting example of his mercy.  It shows that his love is perpetual and unchanging; we also have this same love bestowed upon us.  We also have an opportunity to be forgiven and be seated with Christ in heaven.  As believers, we also will become monuments of God’s love and mercy for future generations.

We can draw a couple of conclusions from this passage.  One, as previously mentioned, the conversion of each and every sinner is living proof of the mercy and goodness of God. 

Two, the conversion of every believer is an encouragement or a testimony to all those who are still spiritual zombies.  It is very important that, as Christians, we live our lives in a matter that reflects the love of God.  If we call ourselves Christians, but we still lie, gossip, hold grudges, are unforgiving, etc, what does that say to the lost about the love of God?  Please pause and remember – YOU represent God to the lost world.  What kind of representative are you?

Three, this monument to God’s love is eternal.  At some point, all believers will be seated together in Heaven with Jesus.  This will exhibit the most impressive proof, for all eternity, of the goodness of God.  Think about the countless numbers of people who were once dead, vile, hopelessly doomed creatures, alive forevermore because of his great love.  All life created by God (whether angels or other beings we know not of or even those not yet created) will see in us this monument to God’s love.  Aren’t you glad to be a part of that?

Ephesians 2:8-9  – For by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Here Paul clearly and concisely states an important truth, which is kind of a recap of what he has been discussing so far.  We could not save ourselves, it required an act of God.  Since that is the case, there can be no boasting by believers.  

Interesting side note:  God’s salvation is a free gift, but God does not ever force it upon us without our consent.  We must purposely and knowingly accept the gift through faith.  Sadly, there will be people who know of the gift and know that it can be theirs for the asking, but they will die without it, remaining slaves to sin.

Good works are not the cause of our salvation; they are the result of it.  Again, since that is the case, there can be no boasting. 

Ephesians 2:10 – For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Do you realize that YOU are God’s workmanship?  He has created YOU for a purpose and he has a plan for YOU.  There are people in this world who will say that you don’t count for anything. They will say you are worthless or unimportant.  These lies may have been spoken to you by someone close to you or someone in authority over you, and thus you are tempted to believe them, but they are still LIES.  

You are an integral part of what God wants to do in this age.  You are an irreplaceable piece in the body of Christ. No one can offer praise to God like you do.  No one prays like you do.  You have a sphere of influence that no one else can penetrate.  God wants YOU to be his representative in that place.  God did not create you on an assembly line.  The bible says he breathes the breath of life into every person.  You are a unique creation that God wants to use for good works.  So, lift up your head.  Be glad that God has redeemed you. Reading this blog is a sign that you are spiritually training yourself.  When those good works show up, you will be ready to seize the opportunity for Christ!