Study of the epistle to the �Ephesians

San Antonio Bible Chapel 2023

Arcadian Street

Archadian street

Temple of Artemis

The temple today….

Ephesians arcadian theatre, upto 25000 seats!

Possible location for public trail

Theatre today…

Cult of the goddess of Artemis

Temple of Artemis (almost twice the size of the Parthenon in Athens)

Introduction

• Authorship: Eph 1:1; 3:1- Paul
• He has personal knowledge of the Ephesians and addresses his ministry and this letter to their situation (1:15-16; 3:1; 4:1; 6:19-20).
• Audience: Generally accepted to church at Ephesus. However…
• Some scholars view this epistle as encyclical, a circular letter to be distributed to several undesignated local churches in the province of Asia or some other area.
• 2 observations to support this…
• (1) the words “in Ephesus” (1:1) do not appear in three early Alexandrian Greek manuscripts, and
• (2) it is strange for Paul not to mention by name any of the individuals in a church where he had lived and worked for three years (Acts 20:31).

Place and Date- Roman imprisonment seems more likely

• Paul was a prisoner at the time he wrote this letter (Eph. 3:1; 4:1; 6:20). Scholars differ on whether Paul wrote this letter while he was imprisoned in Caesarea (Acts 24:27) in a.d. 57-59, or in Rome (28:30) in A.D. 60-62.
• Along with Ephesians, the Books of Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon are thought to have been written during the same time period and hence are called the “Prison Epistles” (Phil. 1:7; Col. 4:10; Phile. 9).
• Since Ephesians gives no hint of his release from prison, as do Philippians (1:19-26) and Philemon (v. 22), it is reasonable to think that he wrote it in the early part of his stay, or about A.D. 60. This would have been when Paul was kept under guard in rental quarters (Acts 28:30). Following his release he traveled, wrote 1 Timothy and Titus, was arrested again, wrote 2 Timothy, and was martyred in Rome.

Purpose- “The mystery” revealed– “The Church”

• Chapter 1 it is called the mystery of God’s will (1:9,10,11,14,22,23)
• Chapter 2 describes the process by which Jews and Gentiles are saved by the grace of God
• Chapter 3 gives the most complete explanation of the mystery. There it is spoken of as the mystery of “the Christ” (v. 4 JND), meaning Christ, the Head, and all believers, His Body.
• Chapter 4 emphasizes the unity of the Body and God’s plan for its growth to maturity (vv. 1–16)
• Chapter 5, the mystery is called Christ and the church (v. 32). The relationship between Christ and the church is the pattern for the relationship between a believing husband and wife.
• Chapter 6, Paul speaks of the mystery of the gospel, for which he was an ambassador in chains (vv. 19, 20).

​

Intro…

• Even so, the epistle may still be considered a circular letter, with Ephesus being the primary church addressed since Paul had stayed there so long and since it was the capital city of the province of Asia.
• This helps explain the absence of personal names of Ephesian believers.
• If this epistle were routed to other churches after the Ephesians read it, it may have gone to Laodicea and Colosse, for Paul in writing Colossians urged the believers there to “read the letter from Laodicea” (Col. 4:16), possibly a reference to the Ephesian epistle.
• Ephesians was probably delivered by Tychicus (Eph. 6:21-22), who also took Paul’s letter to the Colossians (Col. 4:7-9).

​

Events at Ephesus

• Ephesus was a leading center in the Roman Empire. Paul had spent a short time in Ephesus on his way back to Antioch from his second missionary journey (Acts 18:19-22).
• On his third missionary journey he stayed in Ephesus three years (Acts 20:31).
• Several remarkable things happened in Ephesus. Paul baptized a dozen of John the Baptist’s followers (Acts 19:1-7).
• He had discussions in the hall of Tyrannus (19:8-10).
• Unusual miracles occurred (19:11-12), strange events took place (19:13-16), sorcerers were converted (19:17-20), and the city rioted over silversmith Demetrius’ loss of business because of people who turned to Christ from worshiping the great Ephesian goddess Artemis (19:23-41).
• On Paul’s return to Jerusalem from his third missionary journey he gave a moving farewell address to the Ephesian elders at the coastal town of Miletus (20:13-35). That was his last time to see them (20:36-38), unless Paul visited Ephesus after he was in Rome ( 1 Tim. 1:3 with 3:14).

Outline

• SEATED
• WALK
• STAND

Ephesians

• OUR POSITION (Standing)
• Broad focus: Doctrinal
• Text: Chapters 1-3
• Content: What God has done for us

• OUR PRACTICE (State)
• Broad Focus: Practical
• Text: Chapters 4-6
• Content: Exhortations on Christian living

Preliminary Observations

After his initial introduction, Paul breaks into a wonderful hymn of praise running as one long continual sentence of 202 words from verses 3-14.

Preliminary Observations

• Certain features can be seen to shape this eulogy:
• The focus is clearly the praise of God for his blessings. Verses 3-14 begin with praise: Praise be to God and end with praise to the praise of his glory. Within these bookends of praise we see the nature of the work of God from before the foundation of the world to our future inheritance in glory. God’s purposes, past, present and future, are set out for us.
• The sphere in which we experience and enjoy God’s blessings are ‘in Christ’. All the gifts between verses 3-14 are part of this package of blessing and are therefore grounds for giving praise to God.
• The way in which the blessings are experienced is through the agency of the Holy Spirit: the blessings are from God, in Christ, mediated by the Spirit.
• The centrality of the word of God in all things related to the Christian

Plan and Purposes of God

• In these verses we have the plan and purposes of God unfolded for us. What was hidden has now been made known; the purposes of God in history are no longer a secret.
• ^{Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:}
• ^{Eph 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:}
• As the nature and sphere of God’s blessings are explained and his purposes for history are revealed, so also the present outworking of that is now being seen in the church.
• The end of the eulogy praises God for the emergence of a new community, made up of Jew and Gentile who together share the promise of the future and who will display a picture of that future in their lives together.

​

​

​

Observations

• The Source of our blessings: The Father v3 (The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ)
• The Scope of our blessings: The Son v3 (Blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing)
• The Sphere of our Blessings: The heavanlies (1:3,20 ; 2:6; 3:10 and 6:12)

Trinitarian Observations

• Blessings Planned by God the Father in Eternity past (1:3-6)
• Blessings Purchased by God the Son in the Historical past (1:7-10)
• Blessings Provided in God the Spirit in our Personal past ( 1:13-14)
• Blessings received/accepted by us through faith (2:8-9)

Occurrences of the phrase �“In Christ” or its variations

• ^{AV Eph 1:1 . 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:}
• ^{AV Eph 1:3 . Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ:}
• ^{AV Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:}
• ^{AV Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.}
• ^{AV Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;}
• ^{AV Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:}

​

​

Occurrences of the phrase �“In Christ” or its variations

​

• ^{AV Eph 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:}
• ^{AV Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:}
• ^{AV Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.}
• ^{AV Eph 1:13 In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,}
• ^{AV Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own right hand in the heavenly [places],}
• ^{AV Eph 2:6 And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:}

​

​

Occurrences of the phrase �“In Christ” or its variations

• ^{AV Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.}
• ^{AV Eph 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.}
• ^{AV Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.}
• ^{AV Eph 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.}
• ^{AV Eph 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:}
• ^{AV Eph 3:11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:}
• ^{AV Eph 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.}
• ^{AV Eph 3:21 Unto him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.}
• ^{AV Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.}

​

​

What does the passage tell us about the Father and ourselves?

• We are has blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies (1:3,20;2:6;3:10;6:12)
• We are chosen us in Christ to be holy and blameless before Him (1:4)
• We are, in love, predestined unto the adoption (our placement) as sons (1:5)
• We are favored (graced) in the Beloved (1:6)
• Our purpose is His purpose(v9) ! -is to praise His glorious grace! (1:6)

What does the passage tell us about the Son and ourselves?

• He has redeemed us through His blood and forgiven our trespasses because of God’s lavish grace (1:7-8)
• The mystery of Gods will : a plan for the fullness of time to unite and head up all things in Christ (1:9-10; 3:3-9;5:32)
• God has predestined us to obtain an inheritance in Christ (1:11)
• God has given us hope in Christ (1:12)
• Our purpose is to praise His glory! (1:12)

​

What does the passage tell us about the Holy Spirit and ourselves?

• God has sealed us with the Holy Spirit when we heard the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation, and believed in Christ (1:13)
• The Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance ( 1:14)
• Stated purpose is to praise His glory! (1:14)

Privileges of the Saints

• Work of the Father v 3-6

Blessed us

Chosen us

Predestined us

Made us accepted

• Work of the Son v 7-12

Redemption today

Revelation for the future

• Work of the Holy Spirit v 13-14

Sealed us

Given us the earnest

​

Praise and Prayer sections

• The opening section of Ephesians (1:3–2:10), which describes the new life God has given us in Christ, divides itself naturally into two sections.
• The first consisting of Praise and the second of Prayer.
• In the ‘Praise’ half Paul blesses God that he has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing (1:3–14), while in the ‘Prayer’ half he asks that God will open our eyes to grasp the fullness of this blessing (1:15–2:10).
• Next time Lord willing – Prayer half

Paul’s vocabulary- Our word study

• Apostle
• Grace
• Heavenly places
• ‘Chosen
• Foundation of the World
• Predestinated

​

​

• Accepted
• Beloved
• Adoption
• Redemption
• “Mystery of His will”
• Dispensation

​

SUBTITLE

• “Fullness of times”
• “Gather together in one all things”
• Inheritance
• Word of truth
• Sealed
• Earnest

​

Sample Footer Text

38

Tuesday, February 2, 20XX

1. We are told in verse 3 that we are blessed with “every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Carefully list each of the blessings in verses 4-8.��2.As you reflect on these blessings, what contributions do you see of each person of the Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? (Although the Holy Spirit is mentioned by name only in verses 13 and 14, his activity is assumed throughout.)��3. How do these blessings relate to the past (v. 4), the present (v. 7), and the future (v. 10)?�

Questions?

4. What is this purpose of God for the future (v. 10)?��5. What do you think it will mean to have all things under the head of Christ?��6. How do these blessings relate to the past (v. 4), the present (v. 7), and the future (v. 10)?�

Questions?

Questions?