Supplement to the Book of Ephesians
I.
God in the book of Ephesians
A.
The father of all (1:2; 4:6)
1.
Above all (4:6)
a.
Power
b.
Wisdom
c.
Glory
2.
Through all (4:6)
a.
Abide with people
b.
Living through us
3.
Dwelling in all (4:6)
a.
Dwelling in the church ()
b.
Dwelling in the heart of the believers ()
4.
Choosing us to be his sons (1:4-5)
a.
Past - sons of disobedience (2:2-3)
b.
Present - receive goodness (5:1,8-9)
B.
Source of blessings (1:3; )
1.
All things come from him, therefore he is the
head of all things ()
a.
God gave men dominion over all things (Gen )
b.
Because men sinned, they lost this privilege
(Gen -19)
c. God
put all things under Christ’s feet (),
therefore through Christ the church may obtain all things ()
2.
Spiritual blessings from Heaven
a.
Abundant grace (1:7)
b.
Spirit of the truth (-14)
c.
Spiritual inheritance (,14)
C.
Source of
wisdom ()
1.
Plan of salvation (1:4)
a.
Before the creation (1:4)
b.
Completed in Christ (1:5-7)
2.
Give believers wisdom (1:8)
a.
To understand the mystery of God’s plan (1:9,7;
3:9-11)
b.
To understand the wisdom of God ()
(a) Does
not depend on men’s intelligence
(b) By
the spirit which gives wisdom and revelation
c.
To understand the blessing of his calling (-19)
D.
Rich in mercy (2:4)
1.
Merciful toward sinners (2:1-3)
a.
Sinners are dead in trespasses and sins (2:1)
b.
Sinners are disobedient sons because of the work
of the evil spirit (2:2-3)
c.
He gives grace to those who believe in him (2:8)
d.
He wants men to build a relationship with him (-16)
2.
Merciful toward believers
a.
Forgive our transgressions ()
b.
We ought to imitate God and forgive others
II.
Christ in the book of Ephesians
A.
God’s beloved son (1:6)
1.
He was with God before the creation (1:4)
2.
His love is beyond measure (3:9)
3.
Those who believe him will have adoption as sons
by him (1:5)
B.
The Savior of the body ()
1.
He redeemed us with blood (1:7; )
2.
Abolished enmity by his death (-16)
3.
He was raised from the dead ()
4.
He is seated in the heavenly places (-21)
5.
He gives hope to the believers (2:5-6)
C.
Head of the church ()
1.
The church is his body, he is the head of the
body (; )
2.
We are the members of his body (-16)
3.
He is the corner stone of the temple ()
4.
He fills all in all (-23)
III.
Holy Spirit in the book of Ephesians
A.
The promise of the Lord ()
1.
Descended on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4)
2.
Dwells in the church (; )
3.
Fills the heart of the believers ()
B.
The work of the Holy Spirit
1.
In our faith
a.
A seal for the believers ()
b.
The guarantee of our inheritance ()
c.
To bring people to the father ()
2.
In spiritual cultivation
a.
To enable people to understand the mystery of
the gospel (3:5-6; )
b.
To strengthen people’s heart ()
c.
To give the believers a heart of unity (4:3-4)
d.
To grieve for the believers ()
e.
The sword of the spiritual warfare ()
f.
The helper of our prayer ()
IV.
Church in the book of Ephesians
The book of Ephesians is a Pauline
epistle to the saints in Ephesus. Paul once pastored
at Ephesus for
over three years where he admonished them with unceasing tears. He built a strong bond with them, and he
eagerly hoped for the perfection of the church at Ephesus.
The main theme of this book is the
relationship between church and Christ:
the church is the body of Christ (),
the church is the house of God (),
the church is the temple
of God (-21), the church is the bride of
Christ (-33). There is only one body of Christ, one house
of God, one temple
of God, and one bride for
Christ, therefore there must only be one true church of salvation. The church
is the Body of Christ, the House of God, the Temple of God,
and the Bride of Christ:
A.
Chapter One:
The Church is the Body of Christ
1.
Introduction ()
a.
Christ is the head (), believers are the members of the body (; Rom 12:4-5)
2.
There is only one body (4:4)
a.
There is only one body of Christ (I Cor )
b.
Though there are many members, there is only one
body (I Cor -13)
c.
Christ cannot be divided (I Cor
)
3.
The body of Christ is filled with the spirit of
Christ ()
a.
A body without the spirit is dead (Jam )
b.
Without the spirit of Christ, one does not
belong to Christ (Rom 8:9)
4.
How to build up the body of Christ (-16)
a.
Each member ought to carry out its function (-12)
(a) Each
member has its distinct function (;
I Cor 12:8-12)
(b) Each
member must fulfill its duty with diligence (; Mt 25:14-30)
b.
All members are connected to the head - Christ ()
(a) Christ
is the head of the church (-24;
)
(b) We
must magnify the Lord (Lk ; Ps 16:8)
c.
Every part does its share to achieve effective
work ()
(a) According
to each distinct function, help one another (I Cor )
(b) To
be united with love and to be established in love (; Col)
d.
Grow up to have the stature of a man (-14)
(a) To
have the full measure of Christ (ref. Lk , 52)
(b) To
avoid the influence of heresies
5.
Christ loves the church ()
a.
He protects the church
·
There is peace in Christ (Jn
)
b.
He cares for the church
·
The true peace that comes from the Lord (Jn )
B.
Chapter Two:
The Church is the House of God
1.
Introduction ()
a.
The Church is the house of God (I Tim ). We were apart from Christ because we were
aliens from the commonwealth of Israel
and strangers from the covenants of the promise () Now what a blessing it is to be a member of the
house of God.
2.
How can one become a member of the house of God?
a.
By the cleansing of the precious blood of Christ
(; Heb )
b.
Have access by one Spirit to the Father ()
3.
The house of God is filled with the love of God
(-19)
a.
The width and length and depth and height of the
love of Christ ()
b.
Do all things out of love (5:2; )
4.
How one should behave in the house of God
a.
Do not be the guest, but rather fulfill the duty
of a family member
·
Work diligently according to you gift (ref. -12)
b.
Obey one another in the order of age
(a) Wife
must obey the husband ()
(b) Children
must obey the parents (6:1)
(c) Servants
must obey the master (6:5)
c.
Make this house prosperous and glorious
(a) Put
off the old man and put on the new man (-24)
(b) Be
imitators of God as dear children (5:1-2)
(c) Walk
as children of light
C.
Chapter Three:
Church is the Temple of God
1.
Introduction (-22)
a.
The word “church” does not refer to the physical
building/chapel, but it is a spiritual assembly of those people who have been
redeemed by the precious blood of the Lord. (Acts ).
The church is God’s temple (I Cor 6:19: 3:16),
it is a spiritual temple.
2.
God abides with his holy temple ()
a.
The glorious light of the Lord filled the temple
in the olden time (II Chrn 7:1-2; Hag 2:20)
b.
Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Cor )
c.
The true church is the temple of God
3.
The temple has been built on a solid foundation
()
a.
It is built on the foundation of the apostles
and prophets
(a) The
prophets prophesied about Christ, and the apostles also testified for
Christ. The church is founded on the
Bible which God inspired the prophets and the apostles. (II Tim 3:16-17; Rom
15:4)
(b) The
apostles evangelize, and the prophets cultivate the believers by explaining the
scripture (I Cor 14:1). These two works are the most fundamental work
in the establishment of the church ().
b.
Christ Jesus is the chief cornerstone (; Acts 4:11-12; I Cor 3:11)
c.
The believers are like a living stone, being
built as the spiritual palace (;
I Pet 2:5)
4.
Every “room” works together through God ()
a.
Deeds - To keep the unity of the spirit in the
bond of peace (4:2-3)
b.
Holy work - Each member ought to help each other
according to its function ()
(a) “Jerusalem
is built as a city that is compact
together” (Ps 122:3)
5.
The function of the temple
a.
The temple is the house of prayer for all
nations (Is 56:7). Since the church is
the temple of God, it ought to be a assembly of
prayer. Paul often pray and intercede
for others (ref. -16;
3:1,12,14; -20)
b.
The temple is glorious (; -27). The believers must have good conduct to
glorify God (Mt ; I
Pet )
D.
The Church is the New Bride of Christ
1.
Prologue (Eph -33)
a.
In these verses, Paul utilized the relationship
between Christ and the church to illustrate how the husband and wife should
treat each other; and through the relationship between husband and wife, he
described how close the relationship between Christ and the church is. Christ is the husband, and the church is the
wife.
2.
The Church Originates from Christ -The woman
originates from man.
a.
We are his flesh and bone(30). Eve was Adams
flesh and bone (Gen -23).
b.
The church was bought with the blood of Christ
(Acts 20:28; I Pete 1:18-19).
3.
Christ is the Head of the Church- As the husband
is the head of the wife(23).
a.
One body cannot have two heads, nor can one
family have two heads (Col 1:18; ref: Mat ).
b.
Christ is the head of all people (I Cor 11:3).
c.
We should respect Christ as the greatest over us
(Lk 1:52)
4.
Christ Loves the Church- As the husband loves
the wife (25-26).
a.
Died for the church (ref: Eph 2:13-18)
b.
He cleansed the church (I Cor
6:11; I Pete 3:21).
c.
Protected and cared (29; ref: Phil 4:6-7).
5.
The Church Should be Obedient to Christ- As the
wife is obedient to the husband (24).
a.
Be obedient in all things (Jn
-24; Ps 40:8).
b.
Be respectful (33; ref: Phil 2:9-11).
6.
Be a GloriousChurch to be Offered to
Christ (26-27).
a.
Have no staining diseases; be without bad deeds
(ref: Eph 4:19,22).
b.
Be holy and spotless- complete and without flaw
(Heb ; II Pete ).
c.
Put on the white linen and await the coming of
the Lord (Rev 19:7-8).
