Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

The letter to the Ephesians has a place in the development that I have been doing from the Gospel of Matthew:

Matthew 28:19-20 ended with the Great Commission.

Unfortunately, some have tried to argue their way out of the Great Commission by:

Arguing that Jesus only intended the Disciples/Apostles to be involved in the Great Commission.

Jesus could not expect little ol’ me to be involved in missions!

Arguing that if everyone is involved in missions, then there will be nobody in the churches.

Who is going to send the missionaries and support the missionaries?

Obviously, then, God does not want everyone to be involved in missions.

Jonah 1-4 I tried to show that Missions is not just a novel New Testament invention.

God loves the world!

From Jonah we saw that God went to great efforts, humanly speaking, to get a preacher to Nineveh.

We saw that the problem was not God’s mercy or grace, the real problem is that people do not want to go and preach the message God has given.

The narrative is a satire that shows the folly of Israel, because Israel was not following God and was not acting gracious like God.

They only cared about there own wants.

Nahum 1-3 I tried to show that God will punish the wicked!

Since God has to punish the wicked

And since God has given us a message that can save the wicked,

Then we should go and share that message with all those who God gives us opportunity to preach because it brings glory to God to act like God.

So how does Ephesians fit into the this Biblical Theology that I am developing that God loves the world, will punish the wicked, but has a salvific message that can save all humanity if they will put their faith in Jesus Christ_

Why does missions exist?

Missions exists because there are places in the wold where people are not worshiping and glorifying God!

That statement is very purposeful because I am not saying:

Missions is to help economically poor countries be rich!

Mission is to help uneducated countries be educated!

Missions is to help the socially oppressed to be liberated!

Missions, is the responsibility of the local church, exists because there are places in the world where people are not worshiping God.

Because or since we worship God:

We Worship God we value God more than our comfort

We worship God we obey God more than our desire

We worship God we teach others to worship God too:

First, with the Gospel

Then, with discipleship

We Love God, and therefore we must love what God love.

John Piper makes this point in the book “Let the Nations Be Glad” and he quoted John Stott saying “The highest of missionary motives is neither obedience to the Great Commission (important as that is), nor love for sinners who are alienated and perishing (strong as that incentive is, especially when we contemplate the wrath of God . .

.), but rather zeal—burning and passionate zeal—for the glory of Jesus Christ. . . .

Only one imperialism is Christian . . .

and that is concern for His Imperial Majesty Jesus Christ, and for the glory of his empire.”

Piper, John.

Let the Nations Be Glad! (p.

10).

Baker Publishing Group.

Kindle Edition.

Psalm 67:4 and Psalm 97:10-11 talk about the nations being glad, worshiping the Lord.

Missions is not a New Testament phenomena, rather, it is God’s work to bring people to worship Him.

We go, we send, not because there is a need (primarily), but because we worship God and we want to be obedient to God, we want to be involved in what God is involved, and we want others to worship God!

We are theologically motivated, not pragmatically oriented (because of a punishment) or anthropologically oriented (man has a need).

Rather our focus is on God!

So how does Ephesians fit into the Biblical Theology I am developing?

Ephesians is the outworking of a missionary work, Paul traveled to a town where there were people worshiping, but they were not worshiping God.

Paul preached the gospel and people were saved.

I. Exposition of Ephesians 1:1-2

Eph.

1:1 The letter begins as a typical letter fashion introducing himself.

The author introduced himself as Paul.

But we must ask the question, who is Paul?

A. Paul’s early life

Acts 22:3 Paul was in Jersualem to fulfill a promise he had made to go to the temple in Jerusalem.

While there, some of the Jews made an accusation against him and Paul ends up arrested.

From this arrest we can gather

In Acts 21:37 Paul addressed the commander in Greek!

So he could speak Greek, which is good because the earliest of the Ephesians manuscripts are all written in Greek.

Acts 21:39 and Acts 22:3 Paul states that he is from Tarsus in Cilicia.

Tarsus was on the Cydnus River, some 10 miles north of the Mediterranean Sea, and some “40 km.

(25 mi.) S of the Cilician Gates, which for three millennia have been the only major pass through the Taurus mountain range between Cilicia and Syria” (Eerdmans Dictionary, “Tarsus” 1276).

The city was a center of education that was better than Athens and Alexandria.

The city and the area of Cilicia became Roman property.

Mark Antony made the city free Roman city.

Acts 22:3 Paul said that he was Jewish man (Ιουδαιος) which means “1.

pert.

to being Judean (Jewish), with focus on adherence to Mosaic tradition” (BDAG, 478).

Paul clarifies what he means when he says he is a Jew

Phil.

3:4-5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Pharisee – that was not a pejorative statement that we say now, rather it was a declaration that he was conservative and held to God’s Word!

Acts 22:3 Paul was “born” (γεγεννημένος Perf.

Mid.

Part.

Nom.

Masc.

Sg.) in Tarsus.

Paul would have had Roman citizenship and Jewish citizen ship.

Paul was “brought up” (ἀνατεθραμμένος Perf.

Mid.

Part.

Nom.

Masc.

Sg.) – “a. to make grow by nourishing, raise, educate” (GE, 158).

The one bit of debate is how one understands “this” as in “this city”?

It could be “this” city Jerusalem, where he was standing or it could be “this” city Tarsus which he just mentioned.

There is debate as to where Paul grew up.

Paul was “educated” (πεπαιδευμένος Perf.

Mid.

Part.

Nom.

Masc.

Sg.) – “2.

mid.

educate, teach:” (GE, 1521) or “1. to provide instruction for informed and responsible living, educate” (BDAG,749).

Paul was educated, at the very least, in Jerusalem.

And Paul was taught by Gamaliel.

Who was Gamaliel?