RICHER THAN YOU THINK!

Study series on the Book of Ephesians

Ephesians 1:1-14

Different people express themselves differently when they want to wish others well, some say “all the best” or "good luck'. Recently our president in his address to Muslims in Cairo evoked an Islamic way of blessing, “Salam wa lay-kum” "May Allah bless you and grant peace." In Judaism, a blessing (or berakhah) is recited at a specified moment during a prayer, ceremony or other activity, especially before and after partaking of food. The function of these blessings is to acknowledge God as the source of all blessing.[2] A berakhah typically starts with the words, "Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe. Christians would say the Lord bless you or simply bless you. We often hear the politicians say God Bless America. Certain gangs also use this word blessing. For example, Bloods (a street gang) initiation rite will involve getting blessed, a process by which an inductee is punched as hard as possible in the forehead. Certainly we don’t want that type of a blessing.

What does it mean "To be blessed"? It means 'to be favored by God'. Blessings therefore are directly associated with God and from God. To express a blessing, is like bestowing a wish on someone that he/she will experience the favor of God. In the Bible there are many blessings recorded. I would like to share several rich Spiritual blessings or Spiritual favors.” found in Ephesians 1:1-14. Rich theology is hidden in these fourteen verses. Let me unpack it verse by verse. The first two verses are Paul’s greetings coupled with God’s gracious gifts. Vs 3-6 describe God the father’s outpouring generosity. Vs 7-12 about the redemptive and unifying work of God’s son (Jesus), Vs 13-14, about the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. In a sense in the first fourteen verses we see undoubtedly the beautiful working relationship between the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

Background and the importance of the book of Ephesians:

Paul wrote the letter to the Church in Ephesus in 60 A.D while he was in prison at Rome. Ephesus was one of the most important cities in western Asia Minor (Now Turkey) Because of its strategic location Ephesus became a major trade route. It also boasted of its pagan practices. A temple was dedicated to the Roman goddess (Diana). Paul made Ephesus a center for Evangelism for about 3 years.
Unlike several other letters of Paul, Ephesians does not address any particular error or heresy. Scholars believe that this is a circular letter, intended for other churches in the region in addition to the one in Ephesus. All the books of the Bible are important particularly the book of Ephesians for several reasons. Firstly Paul had invested a lot in this church since it’s beginning he had left Priscilla and Aquila to take care of the church.(Acts 18:19). Secondly, The Holy Spirit was poured upon them when Paul prayed over the believers (Acts 19:7). Thirdly “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick and their illnesses were cured and evil spirits left them. That brought fear to many Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. (Acts 19). Fourthly Ephesus became the hub of Christianity in the province of Asia. Fifthly study of the book of Ephesians will help us to understand how to be a Church that loves God and is committed to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
It will also unfold the overall purpose of God for the church in the world. Finally it warns us not to repeat the same mistakes of the Ephesian believers. It started as a glorious Church, a lot was going for them but in the end they were warned by God to repent, because they had lost their first love. (Rev 2:1-7).

All the blessings mentioned in Ephesians 1:1-14 and much more comes from God to all those who believed in Christ. In other words these blessings or favors are reserved only for those who belong to Christ.

If you have not accepted Jesus as your personal savior, it is not too late you can confess your sins and accept the Lord today so that you too can enjoy these rich blessings.

I. Greetings and Gifts (Vs. 1-2)

Vs1-2 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God to the saints, in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul knew who he was, he asserted his right as an apostle, and also knew under whose authority he was writing this letter. This is the typical style of Paul’s letters; he asserts his right, establishes his spiritual authority and then addresses his recipients with a greeting. Here he addressed the Ephesian believers “saints and faithful.”

Lets’ ponder on these two words, “Saints and Faithful” What do these words mean? First, Saints. How many of us think of ourselves as saints? What would our church look like when we think we all are saints? Some how, we have a distorted view of saints. When we hear the word saint we tend to think that saint is someone in a stained glass window, wearing long archaic clothes and commemorated in liturgical prayers. (St. Benedict, St. Augustine, St. Francis etc). For modern minds a saint is an extraordinary person, extremely pious person or a hero. So for a normal un-heroic church person like you and me to call ourselves a saint is unthinkable. But precisely that’s what we are at least that’s what we are called to be.

Paul’s address of Ephesian believers’ saints was not determined by their saintly acts but was determined by the sacrificial act of Jesus Christ on the cross. Marva Dawn a best selling author and an adjunct professor of Spiritual theology at Regent College in Vancouver writes, “We became saints not by working harder, but totally by sheer, unadulterated gift. Absolutely all of our efforts are unnecessary.”[1] In other words none of our good works will enable us to earn that title saints but it is only by his sheer grace and mercy. We will discover the riches of his grace and mercy as we go deeper into our study but for now pause for a while, take a deep breath, if you are a child of God enjoy this privilege that you are a saint.

Peter further highlights the sainthood of all believers in I Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people a royal priesthood, a holy nation a people belonging to God.” For a child of God there should be a mark of difference. In the early church saints were peculiar people, they were a misunderstood lot. For example St. Francis of Assisi: He wwas born in Assisi in 1182 to Pietro and Picca Bernadone. Pietro was a cloth merchant and probably the richest man in Assisi. Francis heard a higher call from God. He was inspired by three scriptures in the Bible, The three verses were as follows: 1) If you would be perfect, go and sell all you have and give to the poor, and follow me; 2) Take nothing with you for the journey; and 3) If any man will follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.
Taking those scriptures without any interpretation left everything, took the vow of poverty, lived a life of chastity and charity and started a whole new movement called “Little brothers” which eventually became the catholic Franciscan order.

Paul addressed the Ephesians as saints to remind them that they were called to be set apart from the world. When we became a follower of Christ we became saints and as the truth of God's incredible gift of grace and love dawns more and more on us, do we desire to remain in sin and destructive lifestyles? No!

Picture a radiant bride, dressed in a magnificient white gown, being picked up in a horse drawn carriage and whisked away to her wedding ceremony. As her loving bridegroom awaits her arrival at the little country church, the bride suddenly orders the coachman to stop. She bolts from the coach and plunges headlong into thick, dark mud. This scene may seem ridiculous, but we who are Christ’s bride sometimes do much the same thing. Although we have been made holy and righteous by his sacrifice for us, if we take our focus of our heavenly bridegroom, we stray right back into the muck that he rescued us from before. This is not God's will at all! He calls us to intimate relationship with him to be holy just as he is holy. (1 Peter 1:16) As we grow in God we become more and more bowled over by His amazing love and our heartfelt response is to say: Lord, I want to bring all areas of my life under your control!

The second part of Paul’s address of the Ephesians Believers was, “Faithful” The Greek word pistos has a range of meanings such as: faithful, reliable, believer, believing, faithfully, sure, trustworthy. We assume that faithfulness means how well we are doing. Instead of again depending on our doing we need to rely upon His faithfulness because even when we are faithless he remains faithful. Just like holiness, faithfulness is also a gift from God. Without His help it is hard to maintain our faith. Only by fixing our eyes upon Jesus who is the author and the finisher of our faith can we remain faithful” (Hebrews 12:1). All our striving stops at Jesus.

How is it possible for us to maintain our saintliness and remain faithful? Second verse enables us to do that, “Grace and Peace to you from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Marva Dawn says, “God’s unmerited favor and forgiveness, his gift that liberates us from our sin and his shalom that releases us from our guilt over it. What a wonder it is that we can be set free both from our fallenness and from how bad we feel about its results.”[2]

How do we define peace? Is it a feeling or fact? Peace is not always as described by the Yoga therapists. It is more than a feel good factor, the peace that Bible describes is beyond anything that we can explain, it is a fact. The Hebrew word for peace Shalom begins in reconciliation with God. Once we were the enemies of God through our sin, Jesus’ sacrificial death has satisfied the wrath of God and has reconciled us back to God hence we can experience peace that surpasses all understanding. Once we accept that fact we experience peace.

When we have peace with God, we can have peace with in ourselves and with one another. In other words outside of God we can not accomplish peace. Jesus said before he was crucified he said my peace I give to you not according to the world. In Jesus there is peace. Accepting Jesus as your personal savior is the beginning to experience God’s incredible rich blessings. That makes you Richer than you think.
[1] The Un Necessary Pastor: Marva Dawn & Eugene Peterson, Page 42.
[2] Un Necessary pastor, Page43