By Rev Charles Seet

Preached at / Published Life BPC Weekly, 2020-01-05

Text: Ephesians 1:1,2

This morning we begin a series of sermons on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians. This book deals with some of the most profound and important themes of the Bible. To give you an idea of the high esteem that Ephesians enjoys, listen now to what some commentators have said about it: John A. Mackay has described it as ‘the crown and climax of Paul’s theology.’

Martin Lloyd-Jones wrote a six-volume commentary on this book. This is what he wrote in his introduction, “…there is nothing more sublime in the whole range of Scripture than this Epistle of the Ephesians.” William S. Deal, in his Pictorial Introduction to the Bible wrote, “In this epistle Paul reached the most sublime heights of his entire written ministry… In no other writings of his does he come so near to the very heavenlies themselves.”

Why is this book commended so highly? This is what we aim to find out as we study it in detail this year. From now onward, please take time to read and meditate on each passage from Ephesians before the sermon is preached. My aim this morning is to introduce this epistle to all of us and provide an overview, in order to facilitate our study of it.  Let us turn our Bibles to Ephesians 1 and read the first two verses: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”

This is how a letter usually begins – with the person who writes the letter identifying himself, followed by the name of the ones he is writing to. In order to fully understand what is written in the letter, one thing that we need to know is the relationship between the writer and the recipient. And so the first question we must ask about the epistle we are studying is:

1. What was Paul’s relationship with the Ephesians?

It all began at the end of the second missionary journey of Paul the Apostle in AD 52. Paul had completed his mission work at Corinth and was returning to his sending church at Antioch in Syria. As they sailed eastwards, the ship made a stop at Ephesus, a port-city located on the west coast of what is now Turkey. Ephesus was situated at the mouth of the Caÿster River between a mountain range and the sea. It was also the capital of the Roman province of Asia. Because of its strategic position, Ephesus served both as a great export centre at the end of the Asiatic caravan-route, and also as a natural landing-point for ships sailing eastwards.

During a short stopover of Paul’s ship at Ephesus, Paul took the opportunity to visit the local Jewish synagogue. This encounter is described in Acts 18:19-21 – “And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews. When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not; But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.”

From the good response that Paul received, it was evident that God had clearly opened a door for the Gospel in Ephesus. Paul must have realized what huge prospects were for a future ministry in this great city. And so, when he set out on his third missionary journey in AD 53, Paul’s main objective was to plant a church in Ephesus that could later become a hub for missions to the entire province of Asia. At first, Paul’s target audience was the Jews he had met in the local synagogue.

As he preached the Gospel there, a number of them were gloriously saved. But other Jews were hardened against Paul’s teaching and they started to oppose him. And so Paul and the converted Jews left the synagogue, and started to meet regularly in a nearby lecture hall, where they were joined by Gentile seekers as well. These meetings went on for more than two years and it became the very first church to be planted in Ephesus. Within that time, the Lord brought many more people into that church not only from Ephesus but also from outlying cities in Asia, such as Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis. Eventually there were at least seven churches established in the province of Asia. They became the ‘seven churches of Asia’ that are mentioned in Revelation chapters 2 and 3.

After completing his 2-3 year ministry at Ephesus, Paul departed westwards to revisit the churches he had planted earlier in Macedonia and Greece. But when he was returning home at the end of his third missionary journey, Paul made a brief stopover at Miletus which is about 70 km from Ephesus. There, he called the Ephesian church elders to come to Miletus to meet with him. As the founder of their church, Paul charged them to “feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood.” (Acts 20:28)

After that meeting, Paul prayed for them and there was a very long and tearful parting as he departed. This shows how close they were to him. Even though Paul never saw the Ephesians again, they were always dear to him. In fact, they continued to be in his thoughts five years later when he wrote: “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called…” (Ephesians 4:1) By this time Paul was imprisoned in Rome waiting to be tried by Caesar for false charges that were brought against him by the Jews. It was from this Roman prison that he wrote his epistle to the Ephesians. This brings us now to the question…

2. Why Did Paul Write to the Ephesians?

Every church has its own share of problems and issues. Some of them can easily be resolved internally, but others cannot be resolved and may require outside help. It is very likely that Paul had heard about certain problems that had developed in the Ephesian church and the surrounding churches in Asia, and the need was urgent enough for him to deal with them by writing with apostolic authority. One of these problems was…

1. A Lack of Unity among them

This is reflected in Ephesians 4:3 where Paul wrote– “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Whenever people from diverse backgrounds gather in one body, there is always a risk that disagreements and splits will occur after some time. There was one particular fault line for a split in this church – the long-standing differences between and the Jews and the Gentiles. This can be seen in what Paul wrote in 2:14 – “For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.”

This invisible wall of partition has stood as a barrier between Jews and Gentiles even from ancient times. The Jews had always thought that they were better than all other nations of the world because of the covenant that God had made with their fathers. They were God’s chosen people, the ones who have received His special attention. Therefore to them, all Gentiles were outside of God’s grace. This was the reason why the prophet Jonah refused to obey God’s commandment to go to preach to the people of Nineveh at first. He despised them because they were not Jews but Gentiles. This same spirit continued to exist even in the New Testament era. It caused the apostle Peter to hesitate to bring the Gospel to the home of a Roman centurion until he was convinced by a vision from God.

The Gentiles on the other hand regarded Jews as a rather strange people because they had their own laws and oftentimes refused to conform to the customs and laws of other people when they lived in a foreign land. This has resulted in persecutions, pogroms and other anti-Jewish sentiments that persist to this day.

When the Gospel first came to the city of Ephesus, there were both Jews and Gentiles there. Earlier on, we saw that there was a local synagogue there, where visiting Jewish teachers like Paul could preach to the Jews in Ephesus. Some of the Jews of Ephesus even tried to exorcise a demon but were unsuccessful (Acts 19:13).

Then, in Acts 19:10 we are told that within the two years that Paul preached at Ephesus, “all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.” Thus, the composition of the churches that were established in and beyond Ephesus included people from these two groups – the Jews and the Gentiles. One of Paul’s purposes for writing the Book of Ephesians was therefore to show how believing Jews and Gentiles are now united in the Church of Jesus Christ. The second half of chapter 2 and almost all of chapter 3 are devoted to this theme.

Besides their lack of unity, the Ephesian Christians were also faced with…

1. The Need to be Holy in a Sinful and Pagan Environment

Words like “holiness,” “righteousness” and “light” are found no less than 15 times in the epistle. One cannot read Ephesians and miss the strong emphasis that Paul makes on holy living for all believers. What he wrote in 4:17 reveals that this need was especially great for the Gentile believers in the church – “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind.” Unlike the Jewish believers who had been living under the Law for centuries, the Gentile believers came from a heathen background.

Ephesus was well-known for its great heathen darkness. Its commercial activities gave it a very thriving economy, but this fostered a sinful and decadent lifestyle where all kinds of materialistic and shameful vices also thrived. There was covetousness (cf. 5:3), dishonesty (cf. 4:25), stealing (cf. 4:28), drunkenness (cf. 5:18), prostitution (cf. 5:3) and dysfunctional family relationships.

Because of its good location, Ephesus also became a great pagan centre of idolatry – particularly of a fertility goddess called Diana (who is also known as Artemis). The temple of Diana had been rebuilt after a great fire in 356 BC, and it ranked as one of the seven wonders of the world until its destruction in AD 263. It contained an image of Diana which, it was claimed, had fallen from heaven (cf. Acts 19:35). Silver coins from many places show the validity of the claim that this goddess of Ephesus was revered all over the world (Acts 19:27). They bear the inscription Diana Ephesia (cf. Acts 19:3). Besides the worship of Diana, many magic cults flourished in Ephesus (Acts 19:13ff. One kind of magic formula that was used as amulets for protection was called Ephesia grammata or ‘Ephesian letters’.

When the gospel first arrived at Ephesus it was not long before it came into direct conflict with these cults and idolatry. As more and more people turned to Christ, gave up their idolatry and burned their books of occult practices, the business of those who marketed them was badly affected. This brought about the huge riot that is described in Acts 19.

It must have been immensely difficult for the Ephesian Christians to live a life that is holy in such a sinful and pagan environment, to say the least. As Paul the apostle thought about this situation, he might have wondered what he could write to convince them that they must be holy in everything they did. And in the first few verses of this epistle he gives the most persuasive argument of all for holy living – they have been specially chosen by God to be holy: “According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him…” (1:4) Besides the two specific needs we have just seen, we now come to the third and most important need that Paul addressed in this epistle:

1. The Need for a Deeper Knowledge of Christ

This is a need that every believer has, no matter how spiritually mature he may be. Paul prays that the Ephesians would have it in 1:17 – “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” Paul himself testified in another prison epistle that he counted everything but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ! Every one of us must therefore keep striving to know Christ fully, as that is what the Christian life is all about.

And for this reason this epistle contains some of the best passages in the Bible on the person and work of Jesus Christ. E.g. The central role that Christ has in God’s entire creation is spelled out in 1:10 – “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him.”

The headship of Christ over the church is highlighted in 1:22-23 – “And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.” The work of Christ in our lives to save and sanctify us is taught in 2:10 – “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Besides all that, Christ is presented in this epistle as the ‘chief cornerstone’ (2:20); the One in whom there is ‘unsearchable riches’ (3:8); the One who gave spiritual gifts to us when He ascended up to heaven (4:8); the One who gives us light (5:14); the loving Husband of the church (5:25); and the One whom we all must serve and love in sincerity (6:5,6,24). ‘Christ’ is mentioned 43 times, and there are over 90 references to Him in this epistle.

This extraordinary presentation of Christ made this particular epistle very valuable and useful to instruct not only the Ephesians but also the believers in the other churches of Asia. Hence Ephesians was written as a circular letter. It was meant to be copied for a wider distribution than only one church. That is why Paul did not make any reference to specific people in this letter, as he did in many other letters. After being read by the Ephesians, copies of the letter were probably sent to the churches in Colossae, Hierapolis and Laodicea.

And this means that its message is meant for us too. As we read and study this epistle together, we, like all those churches that first received it, will grow in our knowledge of Christ and all the spiritual riches that we have in Him. Theodore Epp wrote in his book, Studies in Ephesians: “The Book of Ephesians is especially significant to the believer because it reveals what he possesses because he is “in Christ.” Now that we have seen the reasons why Paul wrote this Epistle, we will proceed to ask…

2. What did Paul write to the Ephesians?

Let us look at the contents of Ephesians. As the epistle has six chapters, it can be outlined by using the six letters of the name EFESUS. The first ‘E’ stands for the…

1. Eternal plan of God for us and all Creation (Chapter 1)

This chapter provides a marvelous panoramic view of the sovereignty of God. It is like being at the highest peak of a lofty mountain and taking in the whole grandeur of God’s works at a glance! Here we will see our salvation from God’s perspective – it began with God’s choosing us in Christ in the timeless eternity before the foundation of the world (1:4), and it will end with the fullness of times (1:10) which will stretch right into eternity future.

As you study this chapter, you will realize that salvation is fully God’s work alone, exalting all three persons of the Trinity – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And this breath-taking view of your salvation should cause you to bow down and worship God for such a great work of salvation, and say with Paul, “Blessed be God…”! The next chapter of Ephesians will then amaze us deeply with the…

1. Favour of God upon undeserving sinners (Chapter 2)

The theme of this chapter is the unmerited favour or Grace of God. Grace is one of the keywords of this epistle, occurring no less than 12 times. In fact the epistle begins with grace (1:2) and ends with grace (6:24). In chapter two we have the well-known passage on grace – “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (2:8,9) After learning about God’s grace to us, we will then be launched in the next chapter into an…

1. Exploration of the Mystery of God (Chapter 3)

The word ‘mystery’ is found six times in Ephesians – which is the most number of times it is found in any book of the Bible. E.g. 3:3-6 – “How that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)…” The word ‘mystery’ is not used here in the sense of something mysterious, but something that was unknown to us until it was revealed by God. Here, the mystery of God is the truth that Jews and Gentiles would be equal heirs in one body of Christ, as the passage continues, “…Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel.”

The doctrinal section of Ephesians ends at this point, with a grand climax of benediction in 3:20,21 – “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” From this point of the epistle onward, the emphasis is less on doctrine and more on our practical response to it. This is seen in the word ‘walk’ which is found seven times in the epistle. E.g. Ephesians 4:1 – “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called…” With this practical exhortation, Paul begins this chapter which is on…

1. Spiritual unity and spiritual gifts for transformed living (Chapter 4)

This vocation (‘calling’) mentioned in verse 1 is the one mentioned in v.4 – “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling.” (The word “calling” in this verse is translated from the same Greek word as ‘vocation’ in v.1) The first practical instruction that Paul gives to the Ephesians is therefore to promote spiritual unity among believers.

Outward unity grows out of the spiritual unity that already exists. But this is a unity that includes a diversity of function which is necessary for the growth of the Church. This diversity can be seen in the spiritual gifts listed in v.11 – “And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.” This list of spiritual gifts is not exhaustive. Other spiritual gifts are mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Peter 4:10,11. But the point of all these passages is that every Christian in the body of Christ has at least one spiritual gift which he should discover and use for the building up of the church.

In the rest of chapter 4, Paul gives instructions on holy living by contrasting our former life without Christ with our new, transformed life in Christ (vv.17-32). We are told to “put off…the old man which is corrupt…and put on the new man which…is created in righteousness and true holiness” (vv.vv.22,24). The next part of Ephesians continues on the theme of holy or…

1. Undefiled living for everyone in the church and the family (5:1-6:9)

In verse 2 we see that all the practical instructions given here can be summarised in one commandment – “walk in love.” Love is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 10:13). But this love must be understood as a selfless, unconditional love, the same selfless love that Christ has for us.

Undefiled living is a great challenge in this world, because of the pressures we face every day from the sinful, worldly and ungodly environment we live in. Hence the apostle presents a progressive series of warnings to keep us from giving in to the powerful and dark influences around us. The influence usually starts very subtly, when a person is first deceived with vain words (v.6). After he is deceived, he becomes a partaker with unbelievers (v.7); and as he partakes with them, he begins to enjoy his fellowship with them (v.11). Finally he makes unwise choices like them (v.17) and he ends up becoming drunk with them, engaging fully in all their sinful and worldly pleasures (v.18).

What then can we do to counteract these things? We must prove (or discover) what is acceptable unto the Lord (v.10); reprove (or expose) the works of darkness (v.11), and walk circumspectly, and wisely, understanding what the will of the Lord is (v.15,17). But the most important measure of all for success in undefiled living is to be filled with the Spirit (v.18).

The rest of chapter 5 right up to chapter 6:9 show us how  holy living affects every relationship we have. In church relationships, holy living will result in mutual edification (v.19), and mutual submission (v.21). In family relationships holy living will result in the wife’s submission to her husband (v.22), the husband’s love for his wife (v.25), the child’s obedience to his parents (6:1), and the parents’ nurture and admonition of their children (6:4). In our work relationships, holy living will produce obedience by servants toward their masters (6:5), and the master’s fair and humane treatment of his servants (6:9). Now we come to the final part of Ephesians which is about…

1. Standing firm and strong in spiritual conflict (6:10-24)

Here, Paul picks up the theme of the sinful and dark world that we live in, and adds on a spiritual dimension to it – there are unseen spiritual forces at work against us (6:12). How can the Christian stand against such powerful forces? Only by putting on the whole armour of God. This armour is not a literal armour but a metaphorical description of all the provisions and means of grace that God has given us: our Hope of salvation, Righteousness, Truth, the Word of God, Faith, the Gospel of Peace, and Prayer. By the right use of each piece of God’s armour we can stand firm and strong in the spiritual conflict. We can even make significant advances for the kingdom of God into this world to save souls out of darkness.

Thus, by walking through Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians we have seen what he wrote to them. Here is a summary, following the acronym EFESUS: 1. Eternal plan of God for us and all creation (1:1-23); 2. Favour of God upon undeserving sinners (2:1-22); 3. Exploration of the mystery of God (3:1-21); 4. Spiritual unity and Spiritual gifts for transformed living (4:1-32); 5. Undefiled living for everyone in the church and the family (5:1-6:9); and 6. Standing firm and strong in spiritual conflict (6:10-24).

As we go on to study all these in greater detail in our sermons, we will see how all of these are meant to draw us much closer to Jesus Christ and experience the abundant life that is found in Him. May the Lord enable us to present every man perfect in Christ as we study His Word in Ephesians this year!

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