3-NT 10 Ephesians

q N. T. SURVEY EPHESIANS 2019 Lesson #10 PREPARATION FOR LESSON: Read Ephesians 1-6 BACKGROUND Ephesus, as a port and capital of Asia province, was an important city. It was especially famous for its great white marble temple of the goddess Artemis. As one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, this temple attracted many tourists and supplied income to those who made and sold replicas of it. It was also the center of the occult world where people learned to get power from evil spirits. Paul first visited Ephesus en-route to Jerusalem at the end of the 2nd missionary trip. On his 3rd trip, he spent over 2 years teaching among the Jews and Gentiles from 53-55 AD. In spite of idolatry and superstition, several churches were established in the area. When a riot threatened his life, Paul had to leave suddenly. Some months later, again on his way to Jerusalem, he passed near Ephesus and met with church leaders to warn them about false teachers. When he arrived in Jerusalem, Paul was taken prisoner. He spent 2 years in Caesarea and then 2 years in a rented house in Rome (58-60 AD). It is during his 2nd year of house arrest that he writes the Ephesians and neighboring churches to give them further teaching. They are believers and have salvation. They need to know what comes next. God has developed a plan and picture for the Christian life. This letter is the first time Paul has written a local church about the details of it. Jesus is pictured as Head. All believers are part of a group called the Church. It is pictured as His Body. It includes all believers thruout the world starting from the day of Pentecost until Jesus returns for us. The letter is written c. 60 AD from Rome while Paul is under house arrest (often called a prison epistle or captivity letter). THEME The Christian life - Christ is the Head; all believers everywhere are members of His Body OUTLINE The Christian Life I. Christ as Head 1-3 What He gives us Spiritual blessings New relationships How He gives it Why He gives it II. We, as members of His Body 4-6 Our response to other believers 4:1-16 Our response to society 4:17 – 5:20 Our response in the home 5:21 – 6:9 Our response against Satan 6:10-23 Christ the Head C Believers - His Body the Church This illustration shows the inter-connection we have with Jesus and with other believers. DEVELOPED OUTLINE Chapter 1 - Spiritual Blessings ◆ ◆ In Christ God the Father choose s to always look at us in the holiness and beauty of Jesus. This is our legal position; justification; we are declared holy. God the Holy Spirit sees us as we really are; He convicts us and gives us power. This is our daily experience; sanctification; we are becoming holy F justification x J H. S. xsanctification Placed as sons (“Adopted”) A Roman ceremony when the father declares his child to be an adult. People are there to witness the action. The boy takes off his child’s toga and puts on the toga virilis - the toga of manhood. Eph. 4:22-24 He goes to the temple of the gods to leave his childhood toys - putting away childish things. 1 Cor. 13:11 For the first time, the father calls his boy, son and the boy calls his parent, father. Gal. 4:6; Rom. 8:15 As an adult son, he is declared heir as well as joint-heir with his adult (“adopted”) siblings Gal. 4:7 (D. Pawson - tape on Ephesians) ◆ ◆ ◆ Redeemed - to set free by making a payment: Free from the penalty of sin; forgiveness of our sins. Seal of the Holy Spirit: Proof of ownership. We are paid for; one day we will be with Jesus in His home; we belong to Him right now. Deposit: The Holy Spirit is our guarantee that we will get to heaven and be free from the presence of sin. He is our guarantee that what God started in our life, He will finish. q EPHESIANS Page 2 DEVELOPED OUTLINE continued Chapters 2 - 3 - New Relationships We used to be separated from God, followed the ways of the world and obeyed Satan. Now we are spiritually alive and pictured as seated with Jesus. As Gentiles we did not have access to God; we did not qualify for His promises. Now during the time of the Church, Jews and Gentiles are in one Body, accepted by God We have the same access 2:18; we share in His promise of salvation. 3:6 How He gives these things – By grace and thru faith in Jesus. 2:8-9 Why He gives these things – So in the future, all can see what He has accomplished in our lives. 2:7 So in the present: Satan and his angels can see God’s wisdom. 3:10 Others can see our changed lives. 2:10 Chapters 4 - 6 Instruction about our responses… ◆ ◆ ◆ To other believers Jesus is Head over all believers everywhere 4:1-16 God’s purpose / role for each local church is to develop maturity in believers of that congregation. He gives the local church a variety of gifts and gifted people so each believer grows in his/her faith. As local churches becomes more mature, the Church, the Body of Christ becomes more effective. To society as we mature in faith, our speech, attitudes and actions will change. Unwholesome speech means bad, unfit for use, destructive (such as derogatory comments and put-downs) 4:29 Our speech should build people up, encourage, validate and inspire them. Changes in our life are possible because we are connected to the Holy Spirit who empowers us. 5:18 In the home respond (submit) to one another 5:21 (Parents cannot submit to children, but they can respond). In the Christian life, because all are members of one Body, power is to be used as leadership, not dictatorship. Paul is not using the model of the military, based on power, authority and fear. He is using the model of Christ and the Church based on a relationship of love, sacrifice and trust. The husband model: to love his wife in the way Christ showed His love for the Church. 5:25 He provides opportunities for his wife to develop in her abilities and character. He offers guidance as a leader. But after giving guidance and opportunities, he gives her freedom to choose. He lets her be responsible for her choices. This implies he is a believer, mature and has leadership skills. He is to nourish her and care about her as much as he cares about himself. 5:28 The wife model: She is to respond to her husband as she responds to the Lord (because he is acting like the Lord). She is to respond to her husband as the Church responds to Christ 5:22, 24 When there is a relationship of trust, she will know he wants the best for her. She will find a way to respond that protects the relationship. The team model: they are to respond to each other in partnership because he does not have all the answers. As the husband is making sacrifices for his wife, she is not to keep demanding more. She is to provide opportunity for him to develop his abilities and character. When he does not provide her/children opportunities to develop, she must find others ways to develop. But when one spouse is destructive and/or abusive, the other spouse cannot stay in the relationship. Children: to obey parents as minors within God’s rules and to honor them as adults if they are worthy of honor. Husbands, parents and employers are to be leaders that provide opportunity for others to develop, that encourage participation and give room for people to make their own choices. ◆ Against Satan Satan wants to get us re-connected to the sin nature. What we need to do when Satan attacks: Be empowered with the strength of Jesus vs. 10; make sure we are using all the tools God gave us vs. 11; stand firm; actively resist, using our will vs. 14; believe with certainty that Jesus has defeated Satan; use Scripture to strengthen our faith 1 John 4:4; John 16:11; James 4:7; 1 John 3:8; be alert and pray for other believers so they can be strong and resist Satan vs. 18. q EPHESIANS Page 3 APPLICATION We are God’s workmanship 2:10 The Greek word poiema meant make or do. Then it came to mean work of art. We get our word poem from it. The final part of God’s eternal plan is that people and angels will marvel at His grace and His greatness. He also wants them to look at our individual lives and say, Wow, look at God’s work of art. Look at what God did with his life. Look how God changed her life. God’s concern is not how we started in life, but how we finish - to be a trophy of His grace. DEFINITIONS LAW In salvation: Faith in Jesus gives us freedom from the laws of Moses as a system of self-effort - trying to be good enough and do enough to get right with God or to have power over the sin nature. In the Christian life: We are free from the law of Moses (Ten Commandments) which ended with Jesus’ death. It only exists now to restrain society because those in the world cannot control their sin nature. We are under the Law of Christ Gal. 6:2 ; also called the Law of the Spirit of life. Rom. 8:2 Nine of the ten Commandments are now part of the Law of Christ. That is why we keep them today. Paul added other rules in his letters to the churches. They show us what is right and wrong from God’s perspective. The Law of Christ is instruction for our “Christ”-life - our Christian life. PREDESTINATION means to establish in advance; make a plan. Before God created the world, He made a complex plan that included salvation, how it would be accomplished and the results there would be in the lives of those who believed. CHOSEN The Jews are God’s chosen people, but not to the exclusion of others. They were chosen to be God’s voice, so His message could reach everyone. As members of the Body of Christ we are chosen, but not to the exclusion of others. We are now chosen to be God’s voice so His message can reach everyone. This was part of God’s eternal plan. PREDESTINATION, ELECTION and CHOSEN are talking about God’s plan from before the foundation of the world. He predestined… That the death and resurrection of Jesus would be the way for humans to become right with Him (salvation). Eph. 1:5 That the Father would see all who accepted Jesus’ payment as holy and blameless - just as He sees Jesus. Eph. 1:4 That all who believe… …are to display the qualities of Jesus in their daily lives (conformed to the image of His Son). Rom. 8:29 …will have eternal glory. 2 Cor. 4:17 …are declared adults so that we can inherit our spiritual blessings. Eph. 1:5 …will never cease to praise the grandeur and wonder of His grace. Eph. 1:6 …will live in such a way that others will be in awe of who God is. Eph. 1:11-12 …will have changed lives that are spiritually growing and maturing. Eph. 2:10 Romans 9 talks about certain people being chosen by God for special ministry - such as Moses and Pharaoh. Ephesians talks about all believers being chosen by God for specific results. Certain believers are chosen for special ministry. MYSTERY means spiritual truth that was not previously known. Paul was the first to know these truths. Jesus personally taught and revealed to him… …that God works in different ways in different time periods. …that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit planned salvation before the world was created. …that the Church would be made up of believing Jews and Gentiles united into one Body. …how His plan would affect those who choose to believe. p