Sermon Tone Analysis

Ephesians 1

Good morning church!

Very excited to be able to gather together this morning with you to dig deeper into God’s Word.

Today we will be starting the book of Ephesians if you will find your place with me there so you can see it as you hear it.

I know I often say when we are starting a new book that it is one of my all time favorite books of the Bible, so I won’t say that this morning.

I also won’t say that it’s not one of my all time favorite books either.

It is a different style of book from what we’ve been discussing.

Corinthians was a corrective letter, some of the others have been letters addressing particular situations in different churches, Galatians unraveled legalism, love, love, love Galatians.

In some letters Paul defends his Apostolic authority...

Ephesians is similar to Romans in that it builds on the doctrine Paul introduces in his other letters.

In fact some say that it is the perfect summary of Paul’s theology.

In some of the earliest manuscripts of this letter it begins Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in…and its left blank, some have interpreted that to mean that it was intended to be a circular letter, one that would be passed around from place to place.

That argument is furthered by the lack of personal greetings that we see in the other letters of Paul.

I do know that it had relevance to the Ephesian church and that it has application to our church today.

Charles Spurgeon wrote of the letter of Ephesians.

“The Epistle to the Ephesians is a complete Body of Divinity.

In the first chapter you have the doctrines of the gospel; in the next, you have the experience of the Christians; and before the Epistle is finished, you have the precepts of the Christian faith.

Whosoever would see Christianity in one treatise, let him ‘read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest’ the Epistle to the Ephesians.”

(Spurgeon)

Spot on Chuck!

I agree.

It has often been said that Perspective is everything.

The way that we see things, our background, culture, life experiences all effect our interpretation of our vision.

How we see things is also impacted by the way the people we surround ourselves see things.

That, is something to consider when we are choosing the people that we allow to have influence in our lives, as they have impact on our perspective.

Does everyone agree that perspective is pretty important?

You’ve heard me speak of having a heavenly perspective or an eternal perspective.

For me when life gets really really difficult, or someone is super mean to me and hurts my feeling, the one straggler that I have left, I remind myself that I get to go to Heaven.

All this, the ups and downs of life, are but a vapor compared to glory, in the presence of my Savior for ever and ever.

But... as important as perspective is…I think our focus is 10 times more so.

I say this because even for me, I know that someday I get to go to Heaven, I know how the story ends, but right now... things can be really really bad, and Heaven can seem like its a long way off.

So where do I put my focus?

Is the really really bad all that I can see?

Is that... what I think about, is that... what I talk about, do I associate with others that are stuck in the rut of focusing on the doom and the gloom, of all that’s wrong in Bummerville?

Ephesians is a letter written to clarify doctrine, sure, I get that, that’s hugely important I don’t want to minimize that.

But in praying, Lord, you know all the things that I don’t know, you know the circumstances our people are living in that haven’t been shared with me, so what Lord, in this passage, in this message, what do you have for us, those that are gathered here, in Old Town this morning?

I believe we are to examine two things this morning…The first, the riches we have in Christ right now, in the present.

And the second, where are we placing our focus and attention.

Pray with me church!

"1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." - John 1:1-4 NKJV- Word of God Speak!

The Catholic church has perverted the Biblical definition of Sainthood.

I am a Saint, you are a Saint if you are a Christian.

I want to stop here, even though Paul doesn’t.

I say Paul doesn’t stop because if you examine the original text of this epistle, Paul doesn’t stop, in fact beginning in verse 3, he carries through all the way down to the bottom of verse 14 without stopping.

No periods, one long continuous, rambling sentence, giving the impression he was just overwhelmed with excitement and joy.

Check it out!

Has blessed us with every spiritual blessing…not is going to, or maybe you guys will get a couple of these, the saints will have them all, but God might toss you a couple....no, no, no, Paul says these are ours right now, has blessed us is in the past tense which means, the spiritual blessing is in our present state.

Here’s what’s mind-blowing about perspective and focus, Paul wrote these words from a prison in Rome!

In the custody of his oppressor, with his earthy freedom removed, Paul tells us brothers and sisters in Christ, you always have something to be thankful for, and if your perspective is off, if your focus is on the wrong things, let me give you eight things to lock your eyeballs on, that will change you life, heart, and mind.

Christian you always have something to be thankful for.

Because in good times and in bad.

On your best of days and your worst of weeks, these things belong to you, all of you who are Christians, and all of these, to all of you.

Verse 3 again Eph 1:3-4

God chose you!

Before the foundation of the world!

Before you did anything good, and several of us will be eternally grateful, that it was before we did anything bad.

God chose you.

Not because you were holy, but that we should be holy, to make you holy, not because you were without blame, but that you should be without blame, and He did it in love.

Verse 5 Eph 1:5

2. Predestined us to adoption as sons, according to the good pleasure of His will predestined to co-heirs with Jesus.

The fact that you were 1. Chosen, 2. Predestined to be adopted, should take away your doubt that this isn’t real, or maybe is all in your head.

You’re here because God chose you to be one of His kids, He did it in love, because He loves you.

OH, but what if He hasn’t chosen me?

Choose Him!

The Bible clearly teaches here that God chooses, God predestines those that He chooses.

God is sovereign!

But the Bible also teaches that we have free will and that God will not violate our free will so we must chose Him, but what if He didn’t choose me?

Or maybe, just maybe you aren’t a Christian and you’re here this morning or watching on line and feel like you’ve been ripped off, or slighted by God, because you haven’t been chosen by God, and you feel like the last kid on the kickball field that hasn’t been picked.

Choose Him!

I don’t have time to engage in a debate this morning, and if you take a singular stance defending only the sovereignty of God, or only the responsibility of Man or free will, you’d loose anyway…but for the one that questions if they’ve been chosen read John 3, and there are several other passages, but from that one chapter John 3:16

Verse 18 John 3:18

The last verse in the chapter, verse 36, John 3:36

Choose Him, believe Him, no one has ever turned to God in sincerity for salvation and been told, sorry bub, you didn’t make the cut, not on the list!

Continuing on in Ephesians verse 6

Verse 6 Eph 1:6

3. The third thing we have right now today, by His grace He made us accepted in the Beloved, God said My Beloved, in whom My soul is well pleased, you are accepted in Him.

I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but I want you to see this, and I want you to hear it again, I don’t want to add to the Scripture, or take away from the Scripture, but I want you to notice it doesn’t regard how we feel, or what lies we believe, Ephesians one six says that He has made, past tense, so true in the present, accepted in the Beloved.

You Christian, and I ARE, we are accepted.

You’re chosen, predestined and adopted, number three YOU ARE ACCEPTED!

Paul continues…and I see two more in verse 7 Eph 1:7

This word redemption in the bible...

I. a releasing effected by payment of ransom

a. redemption, deliverance

b. liberation procured by the payment of a ransom

Is liberation.

These two, seem to be the hardest for Christians to believe.

Not the world looking in upon the church, or trying to understand our faith, Christians struggle to believe what God has said is true of them.

Eph 1:7

In Him we HAVE, now today, on our best day, on our worst day, on a day of accusation from the enemy that desires to condemn us, WE HAVE redemption through His blood, we have liberation, we have been set free, through His blood we are no longer in bondage, no longer slaves to sin, we HAVE redemption, by the payment of ransom through His blood we are free.

So, number 4 redemption, #5 In Him we have the forgiveness of sins - to what measure?…according to the riches of His grace.

Some of you refuse to believe what the Bible says of you.

Those that have confessed their sins, those that have asked God to forgive, and have placed their faith and trust in Him, you HAVE forgiveness.

You can stop tormenting yourself about what you’ve done, that thing you can’t get over, the sin that fills you with shame and regret, God says

YOU ARE FORGIVEN!!!

So you are not to be living in condemnation.

According to the riches of His grace...

6.

He reveals to us the mystery of His will.

He gives us understanding, wisdom, prudence, and according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself He makes known to us the mystery of His will, so that He might gather together in unity us, the all things in Christ. 1 Corinthians 2 speaks of things that are Spiritually discerned, God has made know to us, past tense with a present application the mystery of His will!

Christian that needs assurance of your salvation, verses 13 and 14 are a gift from the Lord to you.