Ephesians INTRO

In 62 A.D. Paul was held in Rome under guard and wrote to the believers in Ephesus. Ephesus was a prosperous city in Ancient Greece with a fascination with the occult and magic. It was the place of the great temple of Artemis, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It had a theatre that could hold 20,000 people, which was enormous back then.

Paul writes to the church to remind them of their place in Christ. Over 50 times in the letter, Paul uses a variant of the word “in” to describe our position in relation to Jesus.

2 Corinthians 1:20 says that “all the promises of God are “yes” and “amen” in Christ Jesus”.

So we’ve been offered salvation “by grace through faith” (Ephesians 2:8) and it gives us access to all the promises bestowed upon Jesus.

Ephesians has often been thought of as having three sections, which was coined by the Chinese pastor Watchman Nee: Sit, Walk, and Stand.

SIT - Our position in Christ Jesus.

The first section runs across chapters 1 to 3 & is framed by 2:6

Eph 2:6

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus

BEFORE we do ANYTHING, we are seated with Christ. We don’t work out our salvation TO BE accepted by God. We work out our salvation FROM AN acceptance by God. “We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)

WALK - Our life in the world.

Then we walk out our salvation in chapters 4 and 5.

Eph 4:1

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

We live in a world that eagerly awaits the weekend--TGIF. But God flips that around. We rest to work, not work to rest.

Phil 2:12-13

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

God works it IN us, so we can work it OUT.

STAND - Our attitude to the enemy.

Finally, we take our stand & “do not give the devil a foothold” (4:27). When the enemy attacks, we must remember our stand.

Eph 6:10-11

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Ephesus is a treasure chest with so much to discover in every verse.