Lessons From Ephesians, Part 1

Lord, as we come to the preaching of your word, we ask that you would show us Christ for the purpose that we might be fruitful after leaving this place. In Jesus name, amen. Turn to the letter Ephesians. We're just going to read the first two verses for now.

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are the Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus, grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Having been studying through Ephesians for a while now in our morning class at second hour, I want to share with you today some lessons from Ephesians.

Some of the things that we can learn, some of the things that we can put in practice in our own lives. Paul, as he wrote this, he seemed to have two things in mind. One, who we are as Christians. And he takes those first three chapters that we have and he explained to us who we are in Christ.

And then in the latter three chapters, he talks to us about how we ought to act since this is who you are in Christ. So today we want to do lessons from Ephesians part one. And we're going to be in that area dealing with who we are in Christ. And as we go through and point out some things, there's a purpose in us knowing who we are in Christ. So we're going to start today with the idea of lesson point number one.

We are saints. We are saints. Paul uses these first three chapters to help his readers understand who we are in Christ.

And before he'd get to things like, and we're seated us with him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, he tells us one of the things that we are. And we've already read it. To the saints who are at Ephesus. So the first thing he wants us to know is that we are saints.

This word comes from a Greek word, hagios, which is translated most holy thing, or it could be translated saint. So point one, we are saints. What does this mean? When something is most holy, that means that there is nothing holier than it. So when the Bible calls us saints, it's using that term, which means most holy thing. And he wants us to understand that that's who we are. Why are we that most holy thing? Second Corinthians 521.

He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ. When God sees us, he sees us based on what we have become, not what we used to be. Because Christ on the cross, God made him sin on our behalf, that when we place our faith in the finished work of Christ, then we would become the righteousness of God in Christ. What is that verse telling us? That when Christ was on the cross, God treated him as if he had committed our worst sin. For what purpose?

So when we come to him believing in what it is that Christ did on the cross, then God can treat us like we have lived Christ's life. They call that the great substitution. So that's why we can become saints, that most holy thing for God. When God has done this, he has repeated this throughout the New Testament, repeated that word, most holy thing, that we translate saint. To bring this idea home to us, we want to really look at this word, most holy one.

Let us see how the word is used and is translated holy in the New Testament. This Greek word is translated 229 times in the New Testament, 161 times it is translated holy. So what does it call holy? Remember when Zachariah was going to have the son, and the son was going to be John the Baptist, and he didn't really believe it, and then God made him mute until the baby was born. And then when they gave John, said, what are we going to name him? And he wrote down the word John. Zachariah wrote down the word John.

From that point he could speak. He then gave a prophecy, and in that prophecy in Luke chapter 1 verse 70, we won't turn there, but he called the Old Testament prophets holy, and he used this term. He says they are holy. In Acts chapter 3 verse 21, when Peter is preaching, he called the present-day apostles and prophets, he called them holy. In John chapter 17 verse 11, when Jesus is in his high priestly prayer, he prays to Holy Father. Acts chapter 4 verse 27, Jesus is called the Holy Child. In Romans chapter 1 verse 2, the scriptures refer to as the holy scriptures.

Throughout scripture, the Spirit of God is called the Holy Spirit. Same Greek word that we translate saints when it's talking to us. All three persons of the triune God are referred to as holy. Holy Father, Holy Child, Holy Spirit. So does that make us little gods? No, it does not. But what it does make us is the holy ones of God. It talks about us collectively in the scriptures. In first Corinthians chapter 3 verse 17, we're called the holy temple.

He says, do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that's who you are. We are Christians. We have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in us, therefore we are the temple of God, and he wants us to understand that. Peter would call us a holy priesthood. In first Peter 2 verse 5, he says, you also, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Just four verses later, he calls us a holy nation. First Peter 2 verse 9, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellences of him who have called the you out of darkness into this marvelous light.

Now he didn't make us saints just so we could be saints. He made us saints so then we can proclaim his excellence of him calling us out of darkness into this marvelous light. When you've been in darkness, and you walk out to the bright light, it hurts your eyes sometimes, but this darkness that he's talking about is a deeper darkness than that because that darkness leads to eternity without God, but he says you and I have been called out of that darkness, and we have been called to his marvelous light, and that's what we are to proclaim.

We are saints. Lesson 2, we are saved. We are saved. Chapter 2 verses 4 and 5, but God being rich in mercy because of the great love in which he has loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, he has made us alive with Christ. By grace, you have been saved. He tells us that this has all happened because by grace, you have been saved, but whenever you see that word but, you know he's contrasting something, so we need to go back to verse 1 and pick up what his contrast is. He says, and you were dead in your trespasses and sins in your former walk according to the course of this world, according to the prince, the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Among them, we too all formerly lived in the lust of our flesh, indulging in the desires of our flesh and of our minds, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. What is Paul doing here? He is comparing us to what we were before, and he doesn't spare anything. He says, you were dead in your trespasses and sins. Now, notice he used the term you.

He says, you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince and the power of the air. What does that mean? That means you was under the devil's rule. He says, that's where you were at. You were under the devil's rule. He says, of the spirit that is working in the sons of disobedience. Who are the sons of disobedience? All those non-Christians today, the sons of disobedience. But then notice what he does in verse 3.

He says, among them, we too. He didn't use you here. He said, we too. Now, the writer is including himself. He says, let's make this clear. None of us escaped this. He says, we too all formerly lived in the lust of our flesh, indulging in the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. Rest of what? The rest of the world. He says, that's what we were. Then he comes and tells us what God was like when we were out there. That's verses 4 and 5. But God, being rich in mercy because of his great love, which he has loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive with Christ.

By grace you have been saved. You can't take this group over here who are dead in the trespasses and sins and make them alive in Christ unless you're God. He did this on his own. He has made us alive in him. Now, the New Testament keeps that theme up about this was God's idea about salvation and not ours. The very first book that was written to the Christians in that day, probably some 16 years after the church was founded, was James.

In James chapter 1 verse 18, James dropped this on him. He says, in the exercise of his will, he brought us forth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of first fruit among his creatures.

James says, in the exercise of his will, who is the his? God's will. He brought us forth through the truth of the word of God. Well, Tom, I understand what that means. That means that God looked down through time and saw what I was going to do and he chose me. No, then that would have been your will. He said, God's will. In the exercise of God's will, he brought us unto himself and that's the point that he is bringing to us. We are saved. Ephesians 2, 8 through 10, for by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not of yourselves.

It is a gift of God, not as a result of works so that anyone may not boast. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God has prepared beforehand that we should walk in him. For by grace you have been saved through faith and that is a gift. A gift is not earned. It's not deserved. It is on the heart of the giver and God has given to us this gift of grace, not as a result of works so that no one may boast. You know, most religions have it backwards. They work to get to God to get to heaven.

You and I work because God has saved us and seated us in heaven and then we work to glorify him, to put him on display, to bring others into that and that leads us to our third point.

We are seated in him. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 6, and raised us up with him and seated us with him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. I found it interesting that before Paul told us that we were seated with him in heavenly places, he told us in chapter 1 verse 19, these are in accordance with the workings of the strength of his might which he brought about in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in heavenly places. So he has seated Christ by his right hand, the right hand of power.

He has seated him in heavenly places and every time a person changed from sinner to saint, that person is seated in Christ in heavenly places. Now I know this is a positional statement. We're seated in heavenly places because you and I still down here on earth dealing with the things that this old sinful body still tags us with and dealing with the heat and dealing with the air condition out or whatever, whatever we're dealing with. But know this, if you're a believer, you are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Now what does that become? That become an encouragement for us because it's God's promise to you that your place in heaven is already secure. Doesn't matter how bad it gets down here. Your place in heaven is secure. I saw on the internet the other day, leaving cancer behind from Jennifer Small, person instrumental in her and her husband in the music in the first development of our church.

If you don't know this, Jennifer has cancer. Her mom died of cancer. Now she is placed in hospice. She has three daughters and a husband. It doesn't matter how bad it gets down here for Jennifer. Jennifer knows that she has a seat in heaven already secured. It's not that, well, I might get, you know, so bad one day I say something that wipes me out of the seat. No, God has guaranteed that. By already seating us there in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. God set Christ in these heavenly places at his right hand, and then he has now brought us there positionally to sit us in heavenly places.

That in Christ Jesus, we might have the understanding that in God, all of these things are ours. So we're saints, we're saved, we're seated in heavenly places, and every other thing that is mentioned to us, not only in Ephesians, but throughout the Bible, of what it is that we have is conditioned on these three things. You don't get those if you're not a saint, if you're not saved, if you're not seated in heavenly places. But if you are, then all of those things come along with it, that you might understand what it is that we have.

So let's just read through some of those things. Ephesians chapter one, verse seven, in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our sins. Remember the song this morning, our sins are many but his mercies are more. He says we have redemption through his blood, and that means that we have the forgiveness of sins, plural. He has forgiven us of our sins past, our sins present, and our sins future. That's why he could seat us in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Chapter one, verse 11, in him we also have attained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who work all things and according with the plan of his will.

Whose plan? Whose will? According to God's will. What have we been? We have been predestined, predetermined, okay. Now Tom explained that to me. I can't. I believe it because it's here in the scripture. He says that we have been predestined. But you know the scripture also says everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. So there's a responsibility for man also. Man must respond to the call. So you're going to ask me to explain that? No, I can't. Do you, can I believe it? Yes, I do.

And that's what he is calling us to do. We have this inheritance. By the way, Peter tells us that this inheritance is in heaven and it is secure there. So we're not going to, we're not going to lose it. So many times down here on earth people think they have an inheritance coming, and when they get there there's nothing. But he says this is secure for you in heaven. Chapter 1 verse 13. In him you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having also believed, you were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of promise.

He said, you know something took place in your life. You listened to the message of truth, which was the gospel. You believed it, and when you believed it you were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of promise. The Holy Spirit of promise. What is that? Remember when Jesus was here on earth he says, I'm going to go back, but I'm going to send you another comforter. That's that promise. So why does Paul mention here that he's the Holy Spirit of promise? He's reminding us that God, the God who cannot lie, has promise, and he's kept his promise.

We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Sealed for what? Sealed to the day of redemption. It's in that idea of buying a house, and the person has this valuable house that they want to sell you, but they don't want you to tie them up and go off and do something else. So that's you for what is called earnest money. You put this money down and you say, if I walk away from this house, you can have the house. I'm sorry, you have the money. The Holy Spirit of promise has sealed us, which is God's promise that he's going to come back and redeem us from this sinful world.

That's his promise to us. He has made this promise, and as Paul would write to Titus, he's the God who cannot lie, and he's promised. In Ephesians chapter 2 verse 7, he says, so that in the ages to come he might show the boundless riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. I call that God's trophy. He says, in the ages to come, this is eternity, God will show the boundlessness of his grace toward us by pointing to old Tom Mason and say, I saved that guy right there. That's what he's telling us.

He's going to show his great mercies toward us by saving us, and all throughout eternity, we'll be there. That's my mercy. That's how far my mercy reached, and those are the things that he's bringing to us. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 13, he says, but now in Christ Jesus, you who previously were far off have now been brought near by the blood of Christ. How far away were we? He said we were far off. How far away were we? Look up at verse 12, because this verse starts with a but.

He says, remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, excluded from the people of Israel and strangers to the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. That's how far off we were. We had no hope and we were without God in the world, but now in Christ, you who previously were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. There can be no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood, so he keeps bringing this back to us by the blood of Christ, by the blood of Christ.

There is a key phrase in Ephesians that a lot of times I think we read through it and we don't even pick up on it. By the way, in the first three chapters of Ephesians, it's mentioned 19 times, and that key phrase is in Christ.

Now sometimes it's mentioned as in him. Okay, so let's just look at a couple of those times that it is mentioned for us.

He says in, by the way, in chapter one, he brings it out to us that we might understand who we are in Christ. He's sharing this with us that we might truly know to the saints who are the Ephesus and the faithful in Christ. That's the first time that it's mentioned.

And then he goes through and he talks to us again. In Ephesians chapter two, verse 10, he says we are his workmanship created in Christ. Notice chapter two, verse six, and he's raised us up with him and seated us with him in heavenly places in Christ.

Chapter one, verse 20, which he brought about in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his own right hand. So this phrase keeps repeating itself, keeps being said over and over again. Let's go back to Ephesians chapter one, verse seven, in him we have redemption. Verse 11, in him we also obtain an inheritance. Verse 13, in him you also, after listening to the gospel of the truth, having believed you were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit. He just keeps bringing this up why he wants us to understand who we are and where we are grounded.

It's in Christ. We're not here because we were searching good people. We're here because Jesus Christ shed his blood for us and when we placed our faith in what he did on the cross, he placed us in him and he just keeps repeating it some 19 times in these first three chapters.

We're in him. We're in Christ and that he wants us to know. Where does that lead us to? Let's lead us to the table behind us. Since we are in Christ, this is the one ordinance that he's left for us to do. One of two, but this is one of the ordinances that he left for us to do. Now who gets to participate in this? If you are a saint, if you are saved, if you're seated with him in heavenly places, you get to participate in this. If not, just pass the tray and let the next person get that. And you know a lot of times, especially here in America, what that person is going to think if I pass the tray.

Don't worry about what that person thinks because their thoughts aren't important, but I'm going to read to you what God's thoughts are about this so we can understand what God wants from us. First Corinthians 11, starting at verse 23, Paul says, For I have received from the Lord that which all souls delivered to me, to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is shared for you.

Do this in remembrance of me. And in the same way, he took the cup also after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink of this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. And he goes on and he says, Therefore, whoever eats this bread and or drink this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But if a man, excuse me, but a man must examine himself, and in so doing, he is to eat and drink of the cup.

Now he says, Don't do this unworthily. And then he says, How to figure out if you are? He says, Let a man examine himself. Now, what do I have to examine about me? Is there sin in my life that I have not confessed? Is there sin in my life against another person that have not been dealt with? He says, If that is true, and that examination takes place, the Holy Spirit reminds you, Yes, that is true. Then he says, Refrain from this. Why? He goes on to say, Because many of you are sick and weak, because you violated this, and even some have died.

This is from God. This is a warning. By the way, parents, grandparents, if you have your kids with you during these times, it's a good time to teach them about how this is and who is supposed to participate. This isn't just church participation because we're sitting on a pew. This is participation because we are sealed in him, because we are seated in him, because we are saved, and because he has made us his most holy people. So we get to do this in that order. And if not, then just pass that over.

Teach the kids. No, you don't get to participate in this yet. Why not? I'll explain this to you at home. We don't have time here. I'll explain to you right now.

I'm just telling you we don't participate in this. And then get home, pick up this Bible, and tell them. Explain to them what this is. This is the body of Christ that was broken for us, broken through scourging, broken on the cross, broken for us. And this is the blood of Christ that he shared for us to replace all of the sacrifices that had gone on before. This was the final sacrifice from God, his own son on the cross. So when you and I do this, we are honoring him until he comes. Matter of fact, the verse says we are proclaiming him until he comes.

What part of him are we proclaiming? We are proclaiming his death because that's what paid the penalty for us. We are proclaiming his death until he comes.