This book has been called the "crowning jewel,"
or capstone, of Paul's theology. All of the
great themes of Paul started in Galatians,
developed in Romans, and are now expressed
in Ephesians in a wonderful summary fashion.
As you know Apostle wrote Galatians early
around AD 48 -49
He developed the doctrinal truths into the book
of Romans
From the book of Acts we know the greatest revival
that Apostle Paul was part of was in the city of
Ephesus
He stayed longer in Ephesus than any other city.
Apostle stayed in Corinth for 18 months what a
mess that city was.
But Paul remain in Ephesus for 24 months longer
than any other city.
The Bible say God open the door to the Gospel
that no one could close.
This was some type of Revival people were
leaving paganism, cults turning to God.
To give you an example of how real the revival
was those living in a cult brought the magic
books and burned them publicly.
To show their complete BREAK with the Past!
Epaphras (Col. 1:7; 4:12; Philemon 23) was converted
during Paul's Ephesians campaign (Acts 19)
Doing this time a man by the name of Epaphras was
saved.
Epaphras was a layman he had never seen Jesus he was
not from Palestine.
He heard the Apostle Paul preach and got saved. He
was so moved he wanted to take the life changing life
freeing message back to his home area, the Lycus
River Valley.
This layman was so excited about the message
that he started three churches.(Hierapolis,
Laodicea and Colossae)
Things were going well until false teachers
came around.
These false teacher were called “Gnosis” Greek
word knowledge.
It comes from the word “gnosis” meaning to
know. Gnosticism was a philosophical system
built on Greek philosophy.
Gnosticism was built on Greek philosophy that
taught matter was evil and the Spirit was good.
Christian Gnostics said since matter was evil, God
could not really incarnate in a human body
The Gnostics supposedly had knowledge of God
that was exclusive.
a series of aeons (angelic levels)
existed between the good high
God and a lesser god who formed
matter
salvation was based on knowledge
of secret passwords which helped
people progress through
the aeons (angelic levels)
Epaphras sought Paul for advice on how to combat the
merging of world-views by the heretics. Paul was in
prison at Rome (early 60's)
False teachers came and began to merge the gospel
with Greek ontology
Apostle Paul got so upset he wrote a hard-hitting
letter in short, emotional sentences, directed at the
false teachers. The central theme was the cosmic
lordship of Jesus. This is known as Paul's letter to the
Colossians.
Soon after writing Colossians, with time on his hands
in prison, he developed these same themes.
Ephesians is characterized by long sentences and
developed theological concepts
1.
2.
3.
4.
Wrote to all the churches to circulate
in western Turkey
Has no greetings and no good byes
It was written to churches who had
not yet encounter Gnosticism
To prepare the churches for what was
coming.
This book has life changing principals but just like
the teaching of Jesus it’s the heart of the hearer
who hold the keys to the truth.
John 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the
truth will make you free.”
Only the Holy Spirit can reveal to you the truth and
turn it into a life style no preacher can do that
only God.
Usually Paul pray for the church that he is
writing to but there is no particular church in
this book.
Apostle substitute praying for a local church to
a prayer to God the Father
Verses 3-14 is one sentence in Greek.
But I want to show you how it breaks into three
different topics
1.
A.
B.
C.
We are going to thank God the Father for what he
has done in the pass
His Creation
His choosing Israel
His plan of redemption
2. We are going to thank Jesus Christ for what He
has done in time the Father has sent the Him.
3. Then we are going to thank the Father for sending
the Spirit to seal what Jesus has done in our
hearts.
3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation
of the world, that we would be holy and
blameless before [d]Him. In love
5 [e]He
predestined us to adoption as sons through
Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the [f]kind
intention of His will,
Exegesis means “exposition or
explanation.”
Biblical exegesis involves the examination
of a particular text of scripture in order
to properly interpret it.
Exegesis is a part of the process of
hermeneutics, the science of
interpretation.
3
who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing
in the heavenly places in Christ
First I need to clarify that every spiritual blessing
does not mean every thing we want
Some time the worst thing God can do is answer all
of our prayers. Because some times we pray for
things that would pull us away from God
But everything we truly need we find in Christ Jesus.
Notice the phrase in Heavenly Places is it in Italic?
3
who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing
in the heavenly places in Christ
He we notice the italic word places what does that
means. These words were not in the Greek Text.
They were supplied in the English readers to
understand implication of the text.
The heavenly places did you know does not appear
outside Ephesians and the whole Bible?
What does it means? It appears 5 times in Ephesians.
The first two times you read it, you think it means
Heaven after we die.
But in Ephesians 6:12
12 For our struggle is not against [a]flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the
powers, against the world forces of
this darkness, against the spiritual forces of
wickedness in the heavenly places.
So what Paul is mentioned is Spiritual Battle the
believer will face.
Now I want you to notice that the most
common word Paul uses for believers is “ In
Christ”
Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places in Christ
4 just as He chose us in Him before the
foundation of the world, that we
would be holy and blameless
before [d]Him. In love
3
6
to the praise of the glory of His grace, which
He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
7
In [g]Him we have redemption through His
blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of His grace
8
which He
insight
[h]lavished
on[i]us. In all wisdom and
9
He [j]made known to us the mystery of His
will,according to His [k]kind intention which
He purposed in Him
with a view to an administration [l]suitable to the
fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all
things in Christ, things [m]in the heavens and things
on the earth. In Him
10
11 [n]also
we [o]have obtained an inheritance, having
been predestined according to His purpose who
works all things after the counsel of His will,
to the end that we who were the first to hope
in [p]Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
12
In [q]Him, you also, after listening to the message
of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having
also [r]believed, you were sealed in [s]Him with the
Holy Spirit of promise,
14 who is [t]given as a pledge of our inheritance, with
a view to the redemption of God’s
own possession, to the praise of His glory.
13
We are who we are because we are IN HIM.
Every spiritual blessing to us through HIM
We are breathing now because of HIM
You woke up this morning because of HIM
You were protected this week because of HIM
Your blood is running through your body because
of HIM.
Your heart is beating right now because of HIM
James 1:17
17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift
is from above, coming down from the Father of
lights, with whom there is no variation
or [a]shifting shadow.
4
just as He chose us in Him before the
foundation of the world, that we would
be holy and blameless before [d]Him. In love
This phrase appears 5 times in the New
Testament. I would submit to you that this is
what God the Father did before Genesis 1:1
This is the plan of redemption before creation.
Revelation 13:8 The lamb was slain before the
foundation of the world.
My fear is that we take this as some type of Elite
manner. I am elect and you are not. Doctrine of
Election is not a doctrine of the lost world it’s a
doctrine of the save world.
The doctrine of election and predestination is meant
to put steel in your backbone when things don’t go
well.
This was never to be a word to unbelievers as to why
they have not accepted Christ.
We are chosen to be holy and blameless before
him.
We are not chosen for some elite standing but
rather to be Christ Likeness
Loving one another as Christ as loved us
Serving those in need of a helping hand