Week 40
Jesus and His Kingdom
We will work our way through Ephesians this week. It is another one of
Paul’s Prison Epistles (letters) written between 60-62 A.D. Ephesus was a
major commercial center where Paul spent three years helping to establish
the church there (Acts 20:31). Timothy eventually pastored this church and
led them in spreading the Gospel throughout all of Asia (Acts 19:10).
In many ways, Ephesians is Paul’s greatest word to the worldwide Church.
Much of its teaching centers on what God has intended the church to
become in doctrine and in practice. The theme is Christ, His Church and
the plan of God to gather together all things in Christ Jesus.
As you read this special letter this week, join me in praying for us at PGCC
to become more like what Christ wants us to be in our practice and in our
doctrine. I would be delighted to hear from any of you who sense God
speaking to you about your part in seeing Christ honored here. Amen.
If you are using The Daily Bible in Chronological Order, pages 1601
- 1607 will be your goal this week.
Monday, September 29 – (pp. 1601 - 1603)
Ephesians 1:1-23
The first three chapters of Ephesians are filled with worship and praise to
Christ! Chapter one is a masterfully crafted prayer by Paul about how we
should be overwhelmed with thankfulness for the wealth of blessings we
have as Christ followers (Ephesians 1:3).
The blessings Paul enumerates are coming personally from each member of
the Godhead (Father, Son and Spirit). From verse 3 and all the way through
verse 14 is one uninterrupted sentence in the original Greek. One gets the
feeling that Paul was so thrilled to speak of these blessings that he just
couldn’t stop until he had honored each member of the Trinity. Wow!
I just want to list these blessings and not make comments on them. My
prayer is that each of us would think and reflect on each of these blessings
until God touches us with a thankful spirit.
Notice the blessings that come to us when we are “in Christ”:
 Directly from the Father in verses 3-6.
o He has chosen us (vv. 3-4)
o He has adopted us (vs. 5)
o He has accepted us (vs. 6)
 Directly from the Son in verses 7-12.
o He has redeemed us (vs. 7a)
o He has forgiven us (vs. 7b)
o He has revealed His will to us (vv. 8-10)
o He has made us for His purposes (vv. 11-12)
 Directly from the Spirit in verses 13-14.
o He has sealed us (vs. 13)
o He has given us an inheritance (vs. 14)
All of these blessings have been given to us as we’ve surrendered to Christ
as Lord. God did not have to save and bless any of us! But He did. And He
did so for His own glory (Ephesians 1:14). I’m overwhelmed with gratitude
in thinking about this. Aren’t you?
The last portion of this chapter (verses 15-23) is the final part of Paul’s
prayer that essentially asks the Lord to make all of the previous blessings a
vital part of each believer’s life. Again, this is one long Greek sentence
showing Paul’s passionate heart to see us live out our calling.
Notice these special requests Paul makes for us:
 That the Lord would give us greater spiritual understanding to know
Him better (vv. 17-18a).
 That we would know the hope to which He has called us (vs. 18b).
 That we would know the riches of the inheritance that we will receive
from Him as His saints (vs. 18c).
 That we would know the very power that raised Jesus up from the dead
in our daily lives (vv. 19-23).
After some reflection on this exceptional passage of Scripture today, I had
one special thought the Lord gave me. Here it is:
Christ has so identified Himself with the Body of Christ that Scripture tells
us this is “His Body.” By that He means that the Church is to fill this world
with His very presence, power and message.
That thought thrills my heart today. Yours’ too, I trust.
Tuesday, September 30 – (p. 1603)
Ephesians 2:1-22
This, again, is a beautiful passage of worship and praise to Christ for His
gift of salvation to us. Verses 1-10 contain one of the clearest and best loved
descriptions of what it means to be truly saved by grace through faith. As in
chapter one, all ten of these verses are just one sentence in the Greek! Paul
is thrilled to speak of God’s saving grace offered to us apart from us ever
thinking we could work our way to salvation. Thankfulness is just
overflowing from his heart as he writes.
Several times in these ten verses there are contrasts made between a life of
sin and a life of faith. Notice the “formerly” and “now” statements
(especially verses 1-3).
It just seems that Paul was working “overtime” under the direction of the
Holy Spirit to make sure the saints knew that believing in Christ makes one
ready to do good works (Ephesians 2:10).
This truth has made me appreciate even more that God has so highly valued
us. To personally redeem us without having to work for it is one thing. To
know that He now wants to fill us with Christ’s presence so that we will bear
the fruit of good works … that’s something very awesome to realize.
As you slip down into verses 11-22 today, this is again a worship filled
passage. It is also a beautiful teaching on the doctrine of reconciliation.
Let’s just recall together what reconciliation means: it is God’s divine
process of restoring broken relationships. He took the initiative to restore
our relationship to Him through what Christ did for us on the cross. And
because we now have Christ’s very presence in our lives, we have the power
and duty to see us reconciled to each other.
What better example of the need for reconciliation than Paul’s mentioning
of Gentiles and Jews. Paul contrasts how the Gentiles had been “without
hope and without God” in this world (2:12). But Christ had graciously
redeemed them through His blood (2:13).
The Jews had the covenants and the promises that came through the nation
of Israel. They became proud of their position as God’s people ... yet they
still needed to be redeemed by the blood of Christ. The barrier between
Jews and Gentiles was enormous.
But Christ broke down this barrier. The Gospel of peace was preached to
the Gentiles who were “far away” and it was preached to the Jews who
“were near” (2:17). And consequently, we both have total access to God
through our Lord Jesus Christ (2:18).
All along God has planned to bring together every person, tribe, nation,
tongue and creed into His household of faith that has been solidly built on
the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ (2:19-22). He is building a “temple”
where Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone and we are individual members of this
spiritual house (1 Peter 2:1-6).
Dear people of God, we are to be God’s holy temple together, where the
Lord Jesus meets with us in joyful worship and supportive fellowship.
We’re not just coming to a service to be entertained or to be “fed” and then
leave. We are reconciled to God and to each other so that the world gets a
visible picture of what Jesus can do for them.
What a privilege it is to be the very “dwelling place where God lives by His
Spirit.” Unbelievable! But so true! I’m so, so grateful!
Wednesday, October 1 – (pp. 1603 - 1604)
Ephesians 3:1-21
Chapter three is still overflowing with a spirit of worship as Paul finishes
the first half of his letter. He is so thankful for the wealth that we’ve been
given in Christ. From verses 14-19 Paul bubbles over with praise as he
finishes in a beautiful prayer for the Ephesian believers. Still not done with
his praise to God, Paul offers a benediction (vv. 20-21) that should send our
hearts into the “stratosphere” in worship and praise. Read with eager hearts
today.
Let me make just some brief comments on the three sections in this
beautiful chapter.
Verses 1-13: It has already been several years since Paul had “pastored”
this amazing church in Ephesus. Timothy was probably now their
shepherd. So, Paul takes great care to re-introduce himself, his calling and
his ministry to the Gentile people in these verses. One gets the sense that
Paul wanted to assure the Ephesian church that his own special ministry to
Gentiles was divinely directed, thus very credible and authentic.
In a spirit of humility Paul rehearsed his call from God to be an Apostle and
a minister to preach the “unsearchable riches of Christ” (3:8). By God’s
design Paul’s role as Apostle to the Gentiles necessitated major suffering
that he said God had used for their own spiritual benefit (“glory” – 3:13).
Here’s something to ponder: we who want to be used of the Lord in
leadership in His Church need to be ready to suffer hardships for the sake
of the cross and for His people, just as Paul describes here. This is not
something we would personally choose … but it is something we must be
ready to endure if God chooses to set it in our path.
We have to ask the question at times, “Do I value Jesus and His ministry
enough to endure hardship for Him?” My immediate response is “yes!” But
when we’re truly standing in front of the “lions,” still saying “yes” could be
much more difficult. I want to see myself be like the Apostle Paul here!
Verses 14-19: Paul returns to praying for those in Ephesus with such
openness, grace and love. What a model for our own prayers for others!
He not only prays for them to be strong in the Spirit, but to be so full of the
love of Christ that every one of them would have the assurance that Christ
was dwelling deep within their inner being. If this kind of love were to ever
happen in each member of every church in this country, amazing things
would begin to happen.
To know Christ is to know and express His love through our individual
lives. But this must also be the experience of the entire Church. We need to
be known as a church where the love of Christ resides. How sad to read the
Apostle John’s words in Revelation 2:1-5 describing how this very church
that Paul is writing to (Ephesus) was eventually reprimanded by Christ for
losing their first love. Wow! My prayer is that we at PGCC would constantly
work at loving Christ and each other with everything we’ve got.
Verses 20-21: What an amazing statement from Paul! He has just
finished talking about God’s love and its power to change us completely and
beautifully. It is no wonder that Paul now breaks into such a great doxology
of praise in these two verses! To experience God’s all-consuming love will
always create a tremendous response in our hearts. This is a description of
wonderful, beautiful and powerful worship. Use these special verses in your
prayer today as you finish.
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or
imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory
in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and
ever! Amen.
Thursday, October 2 – (pp. 1604 - 1605)
Ephesians 4:1-32
Today we begin the second half of this beautiful letter. The emphasis
throughout this chapter is on the Christian’s lifestyle. These are a few key
verses that describe our new lifestyle: Ephesians 4:1, 17; 5:2, 8, 15).
Paul urges us to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (4:1).
The King James uses the imagery of “walking” to help us picture how we
are to be progressing, one step at a time, to the place where we are honoring
Christ with every step of faith we take.
This is a great image to think about … especially when we remember that
Hebrews 12:1-2 pictures us as eventually being able to “run the race …” of
faith. If we’re not learning to walk in faith, how would we ever get to the
place where we can run? Paul is laying out how we should walk.
Verses 1-16: We are to walk in unity together under the leadership of the
Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:3). We have been called by Christ to be one body.
Therefore, to live a life worthy of such a calling we must make every effort
to guard this unity that we have in Christ.
We cannot live just for ourselves … we must live for Christ. He has done so
much for us! He has brought His Church together to be His hands, voice
and feet to a world that desperately needs Christ’s presence and power. This
is not an organizational unity that Paul speaks of … but a living, organic and
vital union with Christ and with each other. Note the power of Jesus’
description of this unity in His High Priestly Prayer in John 17:20-23.
The grounds for the unity in the Body of Christ are listed in verses 4 to 6.
What are those “grounds?” Paul wants to make it obvious by using the word
“one” seven times and attaching a significant modifying word each time.
Spend some time reflecting on these seven words, noting how solid the
ground is around our unity in Christ.
The gifts for exercising this unity that we have in Christ are given in verses
7-11. These gifts are so diverse, so special and so essential to the ministry of
Christ’s Spiritual Body in this world. Prophets, evangelists, pastors and
teachers are specifically noted because of their special role and duty.
Verse 12 describes that special role as preparing “God’s people for works of
service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” All of those who have
this special calling to be a prophet, evangelist or pastor/teacher must see
their role as helping to equip each saint to do the work of ministry.
The ministry of the Church is essentially in the hands of the saints. Why?
Because, each saint has been given at least one or more gifts that are to be
used to build up the Body of Christ. How important it is that we see each
member in the Body as sharing in the growth of the church. This is the goal
of Christ’s giving us gifts.
Verses 17-32: We are to walk in purity, not just before believers, but also
before the world of unbelievers. This could be one of the greatest challenges
we face spiritually, because the temptation to be like the world is enormous.
But we must not allow the world to shape us into its mold (Romans 12:2)
because we have a huge responsibility before Christ to represent Him
truthfully.
The Christian life must be radically different from the ways of this world.
Romans chapter 6 teaches us that we are to consider the “old self” to be
crucified and buried. All of the negative things mentioned in these verses
are sins that we now do not indulge in because we are “dead” to them. We
“put away” anger, bitterness, corrupt talk, stealing and telling lies. We
choose daily to not give the devil opportunity to persuade us into such evil.
All of these vices will destroy the unity of Christ’s Body if we succumb to
such sin. All of the virtues woven into this passage will bring tremendous
blessing to each of us, and to His Church, if we will “walk” in faith. “Lord,
give me strength to walk in the Spirit today.”
Friday, October 3 – (pp. 1605 - 1606)
Ephesians 5:1-20
Paul continues to describe this “walk of faith” in our verses for today. Paul
seems to use verses 1-2 as his foundational statement for the rest of the
chapter. He points out in these verses that we are to imitate true love as it is
reflected perfectly in Christ.
Jesus sacrificially gave Himself to God for us. It is a love that involved a
total sacrifice. For us to walk in this kind of love means that we would first
receive His love in our hearts personally. Christ comes into our lives at that
very moment and gives us a new life. Then, in the strength of this new life,
we willingly express the same kind of love toward others. Paul just says in a
forceful way, “This is what you’ve got to do … to walk in love.”
Verses 3-7 tell us how the world would love to trap us into thinking it knows
what true love is all about. But it is a false love. It is a “love” that is totally
self-focused … and preaches a message of self-fulfillment rather than selfsacrifice. All of the ugly actions mentioned here are a graphic description of
the world’s false love. Paul’s admonition is strong at this point: “Therefore
do not be partners with them” (5:7). Yes, Lord!
Verses 8-14 describe the huge difference between the children of light and
those who are of the darkness. The admonishment is strong to walk in the
light of the Lord (5:8). The reason we do this is clear: we’re not of the
darkness anymore! Hallelujah!
One of the major results of walking in the light is that the evil in this world
will be exposed and become visible (5:13-14). As Jesus’ disciples, we are to
live so that there is no mistake that we are His kids! Doesn’t this truth
remind you of Jesus’ own words: “In the same way, let your light shine
before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in
heaven” (Matthew 5:16)? “Make it so, Lord.”
Verses 15-20 counsel us to walk carefully and wisely. This carries the idea of
prudently looking around so that we do not stumble or cause another to
stumble. To not do so would be foolish and we would miss understanding
the will of God (5:17).
Even more important in our walk of faith is to be people who are Spirit
filled (5:18). Alcohol will skew our judgment, confuse our sense of proper
modesty … and stand directly in the way of being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Paul tells us, rather, to be people who are filled with worship, music, praise
and thankfulness for everything that God has done for us through His Son
Jesus. I know nothing would please my Lord more than if my own walk
reflected these truths on a daily basis. That’s what I’m praying about today.
Saturday, October 4 – (pp. 1606 - 1607)
Ephesians 5:21-6:9
This is an important section of chapter 5 that continues to flow into the
beginning of chapter 6. All of this section is about God’s will for us to have
our walk in Christ be characterized by being in submission to one another
(5:21). Paul expected Christians to be subject to one another in the Spirit of
Christ. This kind of character is developed by turning away from selfcenteredness and then seeking to work for the good of others. It means that
we would always choose to think of the other person as more important
than ourselves (Philippians 2:3).
Paul takes the time to explain the meaning of “submitting to one another”
(5:21) by illustrating what it looks like in various relationships. There is a
definite pattern and design to this submission when we look carefully at
each relationship that God has created
The first example is of the husband/wife relationship (5:22-33). Wives are
exhorted to submit to their husbands, not because of some inequality
before God. Both genders are created equal in God’s image (Genesis 1:2628). Both are heirs together of eternal life (Galatians 3:28-29). The wife’s
submission to her husband is in deference to God’s established pattern of
leadership for the family. It is to be through a godly husband (5:23-24).
Equally important to say is that the husband is bound by the example of
Christ’s love for the Church, to love his wife in such a sacrificial way that
she finds their marriage to be a rich source of happiness and fulfillment
(5:25-33). This is God’s will for all marriages at all times. The only
hindrance to this kind of marriage is for either one to not be walking in the
Spirit.
The second illustration is of the parent/child relationship (6:1-4). Children
are to be taught to obey their parents for several reasons: (1) because it is
the right thing to do; (2) because God has commanded it; and (3) because
it will bring God’s blessing. Fathers who will honor the Lord by disciplining
them and instructing them in the Lord will have little trouble winning their
child’s love and respect.
The third illustration is of the master/slave relationship (6:5-9). What’s so
important to notice in this passage is the assumption that both slave and
master are fellow heirs of eternal life. Both have had their lives renewed
and transformed so that love for God and love for their fellow man was to
be paramount.
Selfless and sacrificial service on the part of both slave and master is never
off of God’s radar screen (6:8). He will reward every faithful believer, every
faithful servant, every faithful master, child, wife and husband … equally …
because Paul tells us, “there is no partiality with him” (6:9). What a
tremendous truth to be reminded of today.
Sunday, October 5 – (p. 1607)
Ephesians 6:10-24
This final section of Ephesians tells us all about how we can walk in victory.
Paul has been adamant since chapter 4 that we “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” (Ephesians
4:1-2).
By the end of this letter Paul is still pressing his point to the max,
reminding each of us that our walk must also be a victorious walk. We’ve
got to win the battle that Christ has set before us.
What potentially stands in the way of our victory walk? Three barriers: (1)
not knowing the enemy that we are to fight; (2) not knowing the equipment
we are to wear; and (3) not knowing how we receive the strength and
energy to finally receive the victory crown. Let’s review each of these three
barriers just briefly.
We’ve got to know the enemy we are to fight (6:10-12). Satan is a strong
enemy and Paul urges us to be strong in the Lord. How do we get this
strength to stand against this evil one? Paul has already told us in
Ephesians 1:19-23 that Christ has been seated with God in heaven “far
above all rule and authority and power and dominion.” And now this very
power that Christ has is now given to us through the indwelling Holy Spirit
(Ephesians 3:14-21). We’ve got to understand our spiritual position in
Christ before we can have the needed spiritual power to face such a wicked
enemy.
We’ve got to know the equipment that we are to wear in the battle (6:13-17).
Some of the armor elements are to be used for our defense. Some of our
armor is used for the actual battle. The belt of truth, the breastplate of
righteousness, shoes that are ready to bring the Gospel of peace, the shield
of faith and the helmet of salvation are all meant to give us spiritual
protection from the enemy’s charge on our faith. Know what they are and
put them on. Ask the Lord for wisdom to know how to dress for battle.
The sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon for attacking Satan’s
strongholds in your life. The Word of God is the only sword, the only
weapon we will need. If we are consistently reading it, studying it,
memorizing it and applying it to our lives … the evil one doesn’t have a
chance.
One of the biggest reasons I’ve felt we needed this journey through the New
Testament this year was for us to be better equipped for the spiritual battles
that lay ahead for us. I have no idea what battles we are each going to face.
But I know they will come! And when they come … we’re going to be ready!
Right?
One more barrier: We’ve got to know how we receive the strength and
the energy to finally receive the victory crown. That “energy” comes from
Spirit filled prayer … praying “in the Spirit” (6:18-20). If we are praying in
the Spirit “on all occasions with all kind of prayers and requests,” he will
be defeated and we will gain the victory!
We should “watch and pray” (Mark 14:38). There’s a vigilance that we must
keep up in this arena of faith. We’re not only praying for ourselves, but also
for our fellow brothers and sisters who are in the same spiritual battles.
Sometimes we may not even know exactly how to pray. The Holy Spirit will
help us (Romans 8:26). But we might also consider praying like the leaders
of Israel prayed in 2 Chronicles 20:12 when they just didn’t know exactly
what to do next. "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are
upon you." was their simple, Spirit-filled prayer. You just know that God
will honor a prayer like that, right?
Paul closes this beautiful letter (6:21-24) knowing that his friends in
Ephesus would want to know about his circumstances while he was
imprisoned. Tychicus would tell them. Paul was convinced of his love and
loyalty. What a great friend to have! What a great friend to be!
May the beauty of this letter hit your heart deeply this week. Amen
Pastor Doug