"The Household of God" -- Ephesians 2:11-22

The Fifth in a Series of Sermons on Ephesians

One of the most important issues facing Christians in the apostolic era was the racial divide between Jew and Gentile.  When a Gentile came to believe that Jesus was the Son of God, many Jews expected that Gentile to now live as a Jew.  This meant undergoing circumcision and keeping a Kosher diet–no small thing.  Jesus was, after all, Israel’s Messiah and his coming marked the dawn of the messianic age, a period which many Jews thought would be characterized by zealous obedience to the law of God.  Most Gentiles had been raised to believe in the pantheon of pagan gods, and so when they became Christians, they soon learned that much of their previously acceptable behavior was not only offensive to Jews, but was also in direct violation of the law of God.  This difference in perspective created a huge divide between Jew and Gentile and provoked much conflict in the early church.  When Paul writes his circular letter to the churches in Asia Minor (that letter we know as the letter of Paul to the Ephesians), at some point the Apostle must address the role of Jew and Gentile in God’s redemptive purposes so as to make sure that both his Jewish and Gentile readers clearly understand how the coming of Jesus Christ was intended to remove these divisions over race and culture which arise from human sinfulness.

We return to our series on Ephesians, and we take up the second half of Ephesians chapter two (vv. 11-22).  Recall that Paul composed this epistle in about A.D. 62 while imprisoned in Rome.  As we have noted, it is likely that the Book of Ephesians was originally composed as a circular letter which was intended to be read in a number of churches.  But the letter eventually became identified with the predominantly Gentile church in the city of Ephesus (in Western Asia Minor).  Paul’s letter has two main sections.  In the first section (1:1-3:21), Paul describes the work of Christ in relation to God’s eternal purposes.  The Apostle explains how God’s purposes are worked out in redemptive history “in Christ.”  In the second part of the letter (4:1-6:24), Paul discusses Christ’s formation of his church and our collective role in that new society formed by the Savior himself.  Paul speaks in some detail of the church, and the gifts given it by the Holy Spirit.  Paul will describe what it means to walk in love, and he will speak about transformed relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, slaves and masters, before describing the spiritual weapons the Lord has given us which enable us to endure the trials as well as resist the temptations of this present evil age.

In the opening chapter, Paul sets out what we’ve been calling the panorama of redemption–the box top of the puzzle, if you will.  The Apostle takes us from eternity past (when God decreed to save his elect in Christ) all the way until the redemption of our bodies–the day the Lord Jesus returns to raise the dead, judge the world, and make all things new.  Paul speaks in overtly Trinitarian terms of how the Father chose to save his elect in Christ, how he sent his son Jesus to provide for the redemption of those whom the Father had chosen, and then how the Holy Spirit calls all those to faith all those whom the Father has chosen, for whom the Son has died.  This is the grand pattern of redemption–redemption decreed, redemption accomplished, and redemption applied.

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"The Immeasurable Riches of His Grace" -- Ephesians 2:1-10

The Fourth in a Series of Sermons on Ephesians

Ephesians 2:1-10 is one of those great passages of Scripture with which most Christians are well-familiar.  This passage contains important and well-known proof-texts for the doctrine of sola gratia (grace alone), as well as for the doctrine of total depravity.  Most of us have memorized Ephesians 2:8.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”  Many are familiar with the opening verse of this chapter which reminds us that “we are dead in sin.”  Our familiarity with this chapter is both good and bad.  We may already know the details of the passage–which is good.  But the downside is that we must not concentrate upon the well-known proof-texts to the exclusion of the other important points Paul is making.  As we make our way through Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians we need to understand this passage as part of a larger discussion.  In this section of Ephesians (chapters 1-3), Paul sets out his overall purpose in writing–to remind believers of our glorious inheritance in Jesus Christ so that we understand our role in God’s new society, which is the church of Jesus Christ.  This, in turn, becomes the basis for the applicatory section of the letter, in chapters 3-6.  A proper understanding of how God saves us from our sins, is the only proper basis for living the Christian life.

As we continue our series on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we make our way into the second chapter as Paul continues to describe how it is that God saves us from our sins, and how we as Christians are to understand the course of human history (in general) and our place in that history in particular.  In verses 3-14, Paul has already given us a Trinitarian panorama of redemptive history.  Paul’s “big picture” (as we have been speaking of it) begins in eternity past when the Father chose a vast multitude of those whom he would redeem from their sins in the person of his Son.  Paul moves on to recount that the Father sent his beloved son to die for all of those whom the Father had chosen.  It was the shed blood of Jesus which redeems and secures the forgiveness of our sins for those given him by the Father.  And then, Paul says, at a particular moment in time, the Holy Spirit called us to faith.  We heard the word of truth, we were included in Christ, and we were then sealed until the day of redemption.  Here we have the famous Reformed mantra–redemption decreed, accomplished, and applied.  Paul has given us a redemptive historical panorama which takes us from eternity past to until that day when Jesus Christ returns to judge the world, raise the dead, and make all things new at the end of the age.

Whenever we look at the “big picture,” we see the love of God in saving sinners who truly deserve his wrath.  We also see that Jesus not only took to himself a true human nature, but he came to earth to suffer and die to secure redemption for those whom the Father had chosen.  But when God raised Jesus from the dead and Jesus ascended on high to take his place at the Father’s right hand, Paul says, it is clear that God has the power to do what he has promised.  In the cross of Christ, we see God’s love and justice.  In the resurrection, we see God’s power.  In Christ’s ascension, we see Christ’s on-going rule over all of human history in his priestly, kingly, and prophetic offices.  And this, Paul says, is the basis of our hope.

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"Above Every Name" -- Ephesians 1:15-23

The Third in a Series of Sermons on Ephesians

Paul has a well-defined concept of history.  While God ordains all things and reveals his will through the unfolding events of human history, Paul is especially concerned with the redemption of God’s people.  Redemptive history refers to God’s plan of salvation as it unfolds in those historical events recorded in Genesis through Revelation.  In verses 3-14 of Ephesians 1, Paul’s redemptive-historical panorama takes us from eternity past (when the Father chooses to save a multitude of sinners so vast they cannot be counted), to the historical work of Christ (who redeems those chosen by the Father through his shed blood), to that moment in time when we were called to faith by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the gospel.  Paul states that we were sealed by the Holy Spirit until the end of the age when our bodies will be raised in the resurrection.  In our passage this morning (verses 15-23 of Ephesians 1), Paul focuses upon the center-point in redemptive history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  For Paul, Jesus’ resurrection marks the dawn of the new creation and is that critical turning-point when God begins to undo the effects of human sin.  Occurring at the mid-point of Paul’s redemptive-historical panorama, the resurrection of Jesus defines how we as Christians are to view the balance of human history from the moment Jesus was raised until our own resurrection at the end of the age.  It is in our Lord’s triumph over death and the grave that we find our hope as we await that day when the story of redemption is finally complete and we receive that glorious inheritance promised to us “in Christ.”

We are continuing our series on Ephesians and now make our way to the concluding verses of Ephesians chapter 1.  Building upon the sweeping Trinitarian panorama of redemption he has set forth in verses 3-14, Paul now prays for those who will read this letter, and in doing so, points us to the importance of Jesus Christ’s resurrection as the foundation for the Christian life.  Jesus not only shed his blood to redeem us from our sins, but his resurrection and ascension are a defining moment of the redemptive drama.  All those who read Paul’s letter to the Ephesians presently live in that period in redemptive history after Jesus has actually accomplished redemption for all those whom the Father had chosen from eternity past.  This is why we speak of particular redemption (or definite atonement).  Jesus does not merely make salvation possible for whomever wishes to be saved.  Who among Adam’s fallen children actually wishes to be saved?  Rather, Jesus actually redeems all those given to him by the Father.  Jesus’ resurrection is the proof that Jesus definitely accomplished our redemption, and as surely as Christ “died for us,” it is certain that Jesus was “raised for us,” ensuring our own resurrection at the time of the end.  

When Paul wrote this letter in the early 60's of the first century, Christianity was spreading rapidly throughout the Roman world.  As we read this letter today, people are still coming to faith in Christ.  It has been argued by some that the course of history will reach its end when the last elect sinner comes to faith in Jesus and the full number of those chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and called by the Holy Spirit is realized.  Now, since we don’t know when that will be, we must prepare as though human history will continue to roll along just as it has been doing, long after we are dead and gone.

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"To the Praise of His Glory" -- Ephesians 1:3-14

The Second in a Series of Sermons on Ephesians

If you want to draw a blank stare from someone, tell them that you are a Calvinist.  Those who actually know what the word means are often taken aback by the realization that there are still people around who believe such things.  In evangelical circles, the term “Calvinist” provokes several common reactions.  A).  You believe in predestination, so you must hold to some sort of fatalism.  B).  Because you believe in predestination, you cannot possibly engage in evangelism or effective prayer.  C).  Because you’ve aligned yourself with of one of history’s most notorious spoilsports, John Calvin, it must be your life’s mission to make sure that no one enjoys themselves.  All of these are gross misconceptions, but they arise so often because Calvinism seems so completely out of step with contemporary ways of thinking and doing.  But there are reasons why many Christians still identify ourselves as “Calvinists.”  One reason is found in our text, Ephesians 1:3-14, where it is the Apostle Paul, who sets forth with great power and clarity those very same doctrines most often associated with Calvinism, namely predestination and particular redemption (or as it is commonly known–limited atonement).

We are resuming our series on Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians.  In our first sermon, I set forth a basic case for Pauline authorship of this letter, and identified some of the circumstances under which Paul wrote this epistle while he was imprisoned in Rome at some point early in the 60's of the first century.  We saw how the Book of Ephesians was likely a circular letter which eventually became associated with the church in Ephesus.  The letter has an impersonal tone to it–a bit odd since Paul had been in Ephesus for several years and no doubt knew many people in the church.  This indicates that this letter was probably sent to more than one congregation.  Furthermore, Ephesians does not address any specific doctrinal controversy, as is typical of most of the letters we know to have come from Paul, but its themes and content are the “quintessence of Paulinism.”  This is quite evident in our passage this morning, where Paul takes us from eternity past, to the doing and dying of Jesus, to that time when each one of us comes to faith in Jesus Christ, and then to the resurrection of our bodies at the end of age.  Paul lays all of this out in panoramic form to show us that from beginning to our end, our salvation is the work of a gracious God in the lives of those whom he has chosen to save because he is a gracious God who saves sinners.

Nothing upsets Americans more than to be told “no”–that they cannot do something.  In this section of Ephesians, Paul tells us “no”–we cannot save ourselves.  This is why people hate Calvinism.  This is why people will always hate Calvinism.  This kind of a gripe has little to do with Calvin, but with the apostle Paul.  In fact, Paul will make it crystal clear that it is God who saves us when we could do nothing to save ourselves.  God does this by choosing a vast multitude to be saved before time begins, by sending Christ to die at just the right time for those whom the Father has chosen, and then by calling all those whom the Father has chosen, and for whom the son has died, to faith in Jesus, through the means of the preaching of the gospel, people who are now indwelt and sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption.  In these opening verses of Ephesians, we are not only given a “big picture” of God’s purposes in saving sinners (the box top of the puzzle, if you will), but we are also given the means as to how those sinners will be saved–the preaching of the gospel.

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"To the Saints Who Are in Ephesus" -- Ephesians 1:1-14

The First in a Series of Sermons on Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was said to be John Calvin’s favorite book of the Bible.  I know that a number of you would likewise answer “Ephesians,” should someone ask you to identify your favorite portion of Scripture.  I am choosing to preach on this epistle not only because it is an important letter in terms of its rich doctrinal content, but also because of the fact that Paul sent this circular letter to the churches in western Asia Minor including Ephesus.  Ephesus is the same city which was the home of the Apostle John who composed his three epistles about thirty years after Paul wrote this letter.  Therefore, this is an important letter for us to study on its own terms, but a study of this epistle fits well with our previous series on the three Epistles of John.

F. F. Bruce once called this letter the “quintessence of Paulinism.”  I couldn’t agree more.  While it is difficult to discern any single theme in Ephesians, this epistle is loaded with doctrinal content which would have been very important for any number of the congregations scattered throughout western Asia Minor.  Paul discusses his two-age eschatology (how the end-times unfold), the Lordship of Christ over all things (including death), he offers a powerful declaration of salvation based upon God’s gracious and eternal decree, which is worked out through the person and work of Christ and received by faith alone (the famous declaration in Ephesians 2:8–“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God).”  Paul also discusses the role of Jews and Gentiles in God’s redemptive purposes, and as well as setting forth how the church comprises a new society, one in which God turns all other fallen human societal structures (i.e. racial division, social status, etc.) on their head.

Given the somewhat impersonal tone of this letter–which is surprising in light of the fact that Paul spent several years in the city of Ephesus and certainly knew many of the members of this church–this may be an indication that this epistle is a sort of circular letter which eventually became associated with the church in Ephesus.  In light of this possibility, a number of commentators have argued that Ephesians was a theological tract, which originally circulated in the form of a letter.  One writer even calls Ephesians a commentary on Paul’s letters, picking up on the fact that the letter lacks a central theme and doesn’t address any specific controversy, as is typical of most of Paul’s letters.  While it is probably not the case the Ephesians is a summary of Paul’s other letters, it is clearly a revelation of the mystery of Christ, set forth by Paul, as the wisdom of the age to come.

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"Be Strong in the Lord" -- Ephesians 6:10-24

Here's the audio from this morning's sermon:

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"The Discipline and Instruction of the Lord" -- Ephesians 6:1-9

Here's the link to this morning's sermon, the fourteenth in a series on the Book of Ephesians

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"Christ and His Church" -- Ephesians 5:22-33

Here's the audio from this morning's sermon on Ephesians (the thirteenth in a series of sermons on Ephesians.

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"Be Filled With the Spirit" Ephesians 5:15-21

Here's the link to this morning's sermon:

http://links.christreformed.org/realaudio/KR20090927-Ephesians.mp3

"Building Up the Body" -- Ephesians 4:7-16

Here's the audio from this morning's sermon (09/06/2009), the ninth in a series on Paul's Letter to the Ephesians

http://links.christreformed.org/realaudio/KR20090906-Ephesians.mp3