| Ephesians
is regarded as the greatest among the epistles
of Paul. It is probably the most profound book
in existence. It concerns those in the "'heavenly
places." Its chapters include both eternities
past and those yet to come.
When you read
the Book of Ephesians you enter a different sphere. It
is as practical as it is sublime. Ephesians is
a statement of the grace of God to the church
and an exhortation to Christians to live a worthy
life.
the purpose of Ephesians is to establish
Christians in their faith and to guard them against
the danger of slipping back into the old life. It
also warns of the danger of forgetting as Jews and
Gentiles their unity in the body of Christ.
Ephesians
is divided into two great sections of three chapters
each. The first is doctrinal and the second is
practical. The first deals with Christian truth,
and the second deals with Christian life It's
All Ours! - 1:1-3
--
True wealth, purpose, love, and power are gifts God wants to give us in
Christ. So, when we feel these longings, it is really God we want. Spiritual Blessings In Christ
- 1:3 --
In this cryptic sentence Paul opens the door into Ephesians and gives us a
glimpse into what awaits us. It is a key to this book of spiritual treasures. Heavenly
Places In Christ - 1:3
--
From
eternity to eternity God works all things according
to His perfect plan. All
history, all nations, all that exists in heaven
and on earth are
included in His purpose. And
that purpose is fulfilled in Christ. Sealed And Secure - 1:13-14
--
The Holy Spirit is our seal!
The God of the universe has stamped His mark on
our souls. Nature
Of Redemption - 1:13-14
--
If we wish to enjoy the freedom and joy that God is providing for us
in the
salvation that He has also given us, we must understand the nature and intent
of that redemption. You Were Dead - 2:1
--
When we truly see the horrible picture of our destitute condition before we were
saved, the greater will be our appreciation of what God has done for us in
Christ. You Hath He Quickened!
- 2:3-5 --
The same almighty hand that was laid upon the body of the dead Christ
and lifted
Him from Joseph’s grave to the throne in heaven, is now laid upon your soul. It
has raised you from the grave and death of sin to share by faith His celestial,
heavenly life. It
Is By Grace! - 2:8
-- In order to have a true and clear understanding
of what it is that makes us
Christian, we must learn the truth of this statement: “ By grace are you
saved.” Saved! - 2:8
--
The word “saved” brings to our attention the most solemn consideration that
can possibly occupy our minds. Nothing is more important to us than our eternal
souls. Salvation through Faith
- 2:8 --
Faith is more than belief, though it includes that.
Faith is trust. It is
the openness of mind, heart, and life to receive what God has to give
and to
yield to what He demands. What
Makes A Church Great? - 2:10
--
Love is the dynamic that transforms the church into an instrument of God.
It is
through the demonstration of sacrificial love by the church, that is, love like
Christ's love, that the world will be won to Christ. Members
Of The Household Of God
- 2:19 --
As imperfect as it is, it is the Church in any given community
that God has
brought together for the purpose of serving Him. The Church cares, prays,
teaches the Word of God, and invites people to come to the Lord Jesus. Gifted By Grace
- 3:1 --
God has given me something I did not deserve.
He did not
present me with my gifts because I was highly skilled, or properly
born, or spiritually perfect. My place in the Lord's body
is an act of grace. My function as a member of that body is
an act of grace. My service for Him, using the
"spiritual gifts" is a function of grace. We Are
Privileged - 3:1
--
You rarely hear the word, privilege, around a
church. You hear of the words like beauty, responsibility,
obligation, sacrifice, sometimes spoken in a virtuous
and even
martyred tone of voice, but rarely the word,
privilege. Spirit Gifts - 3:2
--
Each of us have specific spiritual capacities produced in us
by
the entrance of the Holy Spirit into our lives. This
means that I have received spiritual abilities, so that I might
perform adequately as a member of Christ's body. Our Real Wealth
- 3:14-21 --
Paul prays that we might be strengthened with power
through His Spirit in
the inner man so that Christ may dwell
in our hearts through
faith... and so that we may experience His
abundant love. Unity
Of Spirit - 4:3
--
The failure to cultivate and practice these graces have been
at the root of many a church squabble, and have been
most
destructive of the spiritual health of such churches. The
spiritual health of this body is dependent upon the harmonious
functioning of every member. Live
Worthy - 4:1-3
--
True humility is intelligent self-respect
which keeps us from thinking too
highly or too lowly of ourselves. It makes us mindful of the nobility God
meant for us to have. Yet, it makes us modest by reminding us
how far we have
come short of what we can be. One
Body - One Spirit - One Hope
- 4:4-6 --
So many members of the body of Christ that we are unable to count
them, but yet there is only one body.
They are known as the body of
Christ, and the Bible speaks of them as "the church." One
Lord - One Faith - One Baptism
- 4:5 --
"One Lord" -- the Lord Jesus is the one Lord.
He owns us, loves us,
cares for us, protects us, guides us, and keeps us. We recognize His
sovereignty and own Him as our Deliverer and Ruler, and we trust, obey, love,
and worship Him. No one can rightly called himself or herself a
Christian who does not acknowledge Christ as Lord. One
God - 4:6 --
Here we arrived at the ultimate source of all union.
God, one God, the only
God, who has created all things, by whom all things are kept going,
the
God who planned this great salvation and who sent His Son Resurrection
Power
.-
4:7-10 --
Resurrection power
is like no other power on earth. It
is unique, and has no possible rival. For
one thing, it is the kind of power that operates
in the midst of death. It
works when everything around it is dull, dead, and
barren. It
works best in the midst of a cemetery for
that is where it was first demonstrated. |