Healing Through Ephesians, Part 1

Ephesians 1:1-14

Eph 1:1-14
 
Introduction
Before we start on the actual book of Ephesians, let’s take a look at some of the background for Paul’s relationship with the church in Ephesus. 
The Ephesians know Paul. They have been with him through some high points and some very low points. In Acts 18 and 19, Luke describes Paul’s ministry in and around Ephesus. Paul left Priscilla and Aquila there to continue the work and they discipled Apollos to understand the Gospel more fully. After Apollos went on to other ministry in Corinth, Paul came back and worked at evangelism and church planting for three years. Paul left after the riot sparked by idol-crafting silversmiths, but not before encouraging the Ephesian believers to continue in the faith. After Paul visited other churches in the area, he came back on his way to Jerusalem, called the elders of the Ephesian church and spoke to them in Acts 20, warning them among other things, (Acts 20:29-31). Now, Paul is writing the Ephesians a letter from prison, following up on his ministry in Ephesus.

Ephesians 1:1-14.
Vv1-2 Paul’s introduction to the Ephesians. The will of God is a big theme in this section, Paul is an apostle by God’s will. Paul’s ministry isn’t something he cooked up on his own. He also refers to the Ephesians as “saints”, “holy ones” even though they, like us are still fighting sin in their sanctification.

V 3 in the same way God is blessed, he also pours his blessing out on us. God does not halfway bless. He’s poured it all onto us through Christ.
If you’re in Christ right now, you’re blessed with every heavenly blessing. Romans 8:28-30 This section has been referred to as the “golden chain of redemption.” Our final glorification with Christ is so solid, so real that Paul can speak of us as already being glorified.
(v 4) The point of salvation is for us to be holy and blameless before God. God chose us in Christ. I know we can get off into the weeds with the details of how it works itself out. Holiness and blamelessness are the point of salvation. We are called to be like Christ. Not in the way Adam and Eve wanted to be “like God” in Genesis 3. We are called to be like God in how we’re committed to his glory and freedom from sin. Are we going to do that perfectly in this life? No, of course not. But that’s our calling. I’m hesitant to preach on holiness because of how the word has been tied to legalism. But holiness is being committed to God’s glory. God is holy because he’s committed to his own glory. Objects and days in the OT were holy because they were committed or dedicated to God’s purposes. We’re called to be holy as we’re committed to God’s glory. How do we accomplish that? The Law is summed up in two words, love God, love our neighbor. Are we going to do either of those any way close to perfectly? No, of course not. But that’s what grace is for. Even the ability to desire to bring God glory is an outworking of grace in our hearts.
Both those propositions have been difficult in the past month. It’s been hard for me to trust God in the suffering. It’s been hard for me to treat fellow image-bearers as fellow bearers of God’s image.
Even before the foundation of the world, if you’re a believer, God knew you. It’s not that God just knew facts or what would happen, or a general idea of people, but God knew YOU personally.
v.5 We’re not just called to be holy and blameless like God wants a bunch of tin soldiers to put on his dresser that look like him. God predestined us in love to adoption as sons and daughters along with His Son Jesus. We get to be in the family of God. We’re not just the second-rate children that are merely tolerated. We’re adopted. We’re part of the family. We’re in. We have a Father who not only loves us, but wants us. And, it’s according to the purpose of his will. This is what God has willed. We as the church are not the second best option for God’s plan. We’re part of God’s plan from the beginning. That’s some good news. You being here right here and now is not a mistake. You are not a mistake. In verse 11, we’ll see that not only are we part of the family, we’re also heirs. We’ve received an inheritance as a son or daughter would.
V.6 We should praise God for his glorious grace. Grace should always be in our thoughts. That God would see rebels such as us and will to redeem us from the sin that we’re loving is so astounding as to be scandalous. Grace is scandalous. There is a sense where we want justice. That’s a good thing. We should want and work and speak for justice. Also within the human heart is “I want justice for everyone else’s sin, but mercy for mine.” As it's been said before, we’re just beggars telling other beggars where to find bread. It’s hard to see in English, but you can see it in the Greek text, Paul switches words for blessed in verse 6. In v 3 Paul uses the word εὐλογητός and the verb form εὐλογέω to speak of blessed be God who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. But he switches in v 6 to χαριτόω which is the verb form of χάρις which means grace. A more woodenly literal translation could be “to the praise of his glorious grace which he has graced us in the Beloved.” 
V 7 God’s grace is just. God can show us grace because Jesus died on the cross in our place. Jesus’ blood provides us with redemption. We’re bought back as it were from our slave master sin. How much redemption and forgiveness do we have? All according to the riches of His grace. If God’s grace is unfathomable, then we have unlimited grace.
v8 not only are we swimming in the riches of God’s grace, but God has lavished that grace upon us. We can’t run out of it. We can’t swim deep enough and get to the bottom. Even in eternity, I don’t think we’re going to know all the ins and outs of God’s grace still. We’ll know more. We won’t have the blinders of the flesh and sin upon our hearts, but God’s grace is so unfathomable. I just want to weep when I hear of God’s grace; that he would love a sinner like me.
V9-10 God has not left us on our own to figure out life for ourselves. He’s made known to us the mystery of his will. What does God want for our lives? V10, he wants us to be united to Him. God the Father has sent Christ as the Redeemer who will, according to the purpose of God, accomplish his plan of redemption of the world. Not just heaven. Not just earth. Both heaven and earth are part of God’s redemptive story. We get to participate in that in the Gospel. 
Vv 11-14 Not only do we have redemption and forgiveness in Christ, not only are we adopted into God’s family, not only are we called to become like Christ in his righteousness and holiness, but we also have obtained an inheritance, an inheritance of God Himself, where the indwelling Holy Spirit is just the down payment. How can we know that we’re in the kingdom? If God has called us, and He works all things according to the counsel of His will, then we know that He cannot not complete it. What is the point of all this? Election, calling, redemption, forgiveness, regeneration, justification, sanctification, it’s all to the praise of His glory.
Conclusion
A favorite book series of mine and my kids is The Wingfeather Saga. One recurring line the mom speaks in the story is she reminds her three children to “remember who they are.” One theme of this letter is remembering who you are in Christ. So, who are you in Christ? Meditate this week on what God has done and is doing in your life through the Gospel.