EPHESIANS: In the Beloved. R.E. Harlow. EVERYDAY PUBLICATIONS INC. 310 Killaly St. West Port Colborne, ON L3K 6A6 Canada

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1 EPHESIANS: In the Beloved R.E. Harlow EVERYDAY PUBLICATIONS INC. 310 Killaly St. West Port Colborne, ON L3K 6A6 Canada

2 Copyright 1979 by R.E. Harlow ISBN

3 46 In the Beloved in heavenly places, 2.6, and we are blessed there with all spiritual blessings, 1.3. Angels are in the heavenly places and Christ is there, but far above them, 1.20; We can almost say we are already in heaven, but actually we are on earth, and there is still conflict in heavenly places because wicked spirits are still there, You can learn more about the Lord's coming in Matthew 24, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and the book of Revelation. In Ephesians we have seen that Christ will present His Church to Himself as a beloved and purified Bride, A little later He will establish the Kingdom of God on earth and unbelievers will have no inheritance in it, 5.5. Believers already have this inheritance, 1.11, because God has promised it and the Holy Spirit is the guarantee that we will receive it fully, We will share with all believers, Jews and Gentiles, 3.6. In fourteen Epistles Paul wrote 100 chapters (including Hebrews). In this one letter there are only six chapters but a wonderful wealth of truth. You have started to learn some of the deeper teaching about the Church and God's purposes in Christ. Perhaps you should read through Paul's letter to the Ephesians again quite quickly and get a good view of the whole. Soon you can start studying another book of the Bible. God's Word is rich and wonderful. It is all yours, if you will take the time to study a little every day. Contents Chapter page Introduction 5 1 The Church's Blessings 7 2 New Life in Christ 13 3 All One in Christ 18 4 How to Live in the Body 22 5 How to Live in this World 27 6 How to Fight for the Lord 32 7 God, Christ and the Holy Spirit 37 8 Angels, Men and Saints 41 9 The Church and the Last Things 44 3

4 The Church and the Last Things 45 the Spirit. In the Old Testament the prophets kept teaching the Jews that they were different from other people and must keep separate from all who worship idols. We now share equally with all believers whether Jews or Gentiles, in God's greater blessings. The Lord Jesus rose from death and this was a great victory over Satan. Then Christ sent the Holy Spirit and gave gifts to His Church, These gifts are to make the Church strong so that believers can give the Gospel to men. Through the Gospel men can get eternal life, and this is God's greatest gift. Five gifts were given to the Church. Apostles and prophets laid the foundation and wrote the New Testament. Evangelists, shepherds and teachers help each church to become strong so it can stand strong against all false teaching. All the members should work together and help each other and build up the Body of Christ, The Body is one, just as there is one Spirit, one Lord and one Father, The Bride is also a picture of the Church, From these verses we learn that 1. Christ is the Head of the Church, v.23. The Church is subject to Christ, v Christ is the Saviour of the Church, v.23. The Church is loved by Christ, v Christ is feeding the Church, v.29. The Church is being cleansed by Christ, v Christ is caring for the Church, v.29. The Church is Christ's Body, v Christ will present the Church to Himself, v.27. The Church is set apart for Christ, v.26. The word Church is not found in chapter 6 but we are told to pray for all God's people, which means the whole Church of Christ. 2. FUTURE THINGS The Spirit does not teach us much in Ephesians about future things. In this letter believers are seen seated with Christ, already

5 ~ 9 ~ The Church and the Last Things 1. THE CHURCH One of the greatest truths in Ephesians is the revelation that the Church is one Body, and Christ is the Head. This letter is addressed to the Church in Ephesus, and to all who believe in Christ Jesus. Every local church is a body like the whole church; Christ is the Head and all the believers are members of the Body. In chapter 1, verse 10, we learn that God's great purpose is to gather all things together with Christ as Lord of all. First He is gathering all true believers together in one Body. The Church is called His Body and He is the Head, 1.22,23. In chapter 2 we see that the old division between Jews and non-jews is healed in Christ. Two thousand years before this God called Abraham to live separately from all nations, and his descendants, the Jews, had many special blessings. Christ has died and now both Jews and non-jews are brought together in one Body, the Church. The dividing wall between us has been broken down, v.14. This does not mean that the Jews must give up some of their blessings to Gentile believers, but rather that we all get far greater blessings in Christ. In chapter 2 the Church is like a building. The foundation has been laid by the apostles and prophets who wrote the New Testament. Christ has the highest and most important place, He is the Cornerstone, God dwells in the Church by the Spirit. This is more wonderful than His dwelling in the Temple of the Old Testament. In chapter 3 Paul explained how he knew this great fact, a mystery hid from earlier prophets, but specially revealed to Paul by 44 Introduction The apostle Paul wrote fourteen of the 21 letters of the New Testament, if we include Hebrews. There are 100 chapters in these fourteen books and they give us wonderful truth about God. We may say that the letters of Paul are the most important part of the whole Bible, but remember, every part of the Bible is very important. Saul or Paul was about thirty years old when he was converted. Acts tells you how he came to know the Lord. How long was it before Paul began to tell others about Christ? Paul preached about Christ in the Jewish synagogue in Damascus just a few days after he was converted. This is always a good sign that a person is really saved he wants to tell others about the Lord. Paul kept on preaching the gospel but when he was about 45 years old, the Spirit of God sent him on a journey along with Barnabas and John Mark, Acts 13.2,5. These men went to the island of Cyprus and three other countries and preached the Word of God. This journey is called the first missionary journey. Later, Paul went out again; on the second missionary journey he went with Silas, Acts 15.40,41. This time they went north through the province of Asia, which we call Turkey today, and then into Europe. The important city of Ephesus was in the province of Asia but Paul stopped there for a short time only, near the end of the second missionary journey, Acts 18.18,19. Aquila and Priscilla and Apollos had all been in Ephesus and Paul arrived there again on his third missionary journey. He found twelve believers there but they needed a lot of teaching about God's plan for the Church, Acts They did not even know the Holy Spirit existed. 5

6 6 In the Beloved Paul stayed in Ephesus two years, v.10. The people needed teaching and the gospel went out through the whole province of Asia. Paul taught the believers so they could teach each other as we will see very clearly in Ephesians chapter 4. In the next chapter, Paul called the elders of the church at Ephesus and warned them that they would soon have trouble in the assembly, Acts People from outside would come in like wolves and even some members of the church in Ephesus would start teaching wrong things, vs. 29,30. Paul did not expect to be back in Ephesus but he could commend them to God and His Word. Later Paul asked a young man, Timothy, to help the believers at Ephesus and to teach them God's Word, 1 Timothy 1.3. When Paul was about 55 years old, he was put in prison in Rome and there he wrote a wonderful letter to the Ephesians. There was no post office service in those days, so a messenger was needed to take Paul's letter to the church of Ephesus. This messenger's name was Tychicus, Ephesians The letter has two main parts. Chapters 1 to 3 have a great deal of teaching in them and chapters 4 to 6 tell us how we should act as Christians. For example, we are told five times how we should walk or live, 4.1,17; 5.2,8,15. Angels, Men and Saints 43 works. God planned long ago that we should live this good life and now He gives us the power to do so. Here is God's order: His grace Our faith Salvation Good works. We are not saved by our good works but by God's grace. Now we do good works, not to save ourselves (because we are saved) but to show our love to God. One of God's greatest gifts is putting us in the Body of Christ. Another is to know what God is going to do later on. We will learn something about these matters in lesson 9. Ephesians Chapters 1-3 Doctrinal What we should know and believe. Chapters 4-6 Practical What we should be and do. However, there is some doctrine and practical teaching in every chapter.

7 42 In the Beloved So were we before God gave us a new life. Even so we still have the old nature but we should live according to the new, , and not go on in sin. Sinful men try to lead us away by clever tricks and false teaching, but we should grow up and be able to stand against them, 4.14, SAINTS AND THEIR BLESSINGS Many people think that saints are very holy Christians, quite different from most of us. The word saint does indeed mean a holy person, but the Bible uses this word for all God's people. Seven times the believers in Ephesians are called saints, in 1.1,15,18; 3.8; 4.12; 5.3; 6.18, but some translations say God's people. This word means we are holy because we belong to God and He has set us apart from other men for Himself. It also means that we should live pure and holy lives, 1.4; Ephesians tells us about the great blessings God has prepared for His saints. We are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ, in the Beloved, 1.3,6, and some of these blessings are mentioned in verses 4 to 9: chosen, marked out as sons, set free from sin, our sins forgiven, given to know a little about God's plans. We have seen the terrible condition of sinful men; dead and under the wrath of God, yet living according to the world, the devil and their own nature, 2.1-3; 5.6. But God has forgiven our sins and delivered us from the power of Satan, 1.7; He has given us life with Christ, 2.5, and set us apart as His sons, 1.5. We are now able to understand God's will for ourselves and all men, 1.9. God saves us by His grace, not our own works. This is one of the most important truths of the New Testament and Ephesians is one of the greatest passages which explain this. God is rich in mercy and grace and His love is shown by raising us from the place of dead sinners to heaven with Christ. We are saved by grace and through faith. All this is God's gift to prove His love to us. We know His love and so we try to please Him with good ~ 1 ~ The Church's Blessings You should read through all six chapters of this letter at one time. Do this every day for a week, it will help you to get some idea of what the epistle teaches. Then you should read the first chapter more carefully and write down in your notebook which verses you do not understand. In this book, we will study every verse; there are 155 verses in Ephesians. 1 Paul called himself an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. No one can make himself a true apostle of Christ and no one can make someone else an apostle. The Lord Jesus gave apostles to His Church after He rose from death and the apostles gave us the New Testament. The New Testament is complete and there are no true apostles in the Church today. What can you learn about the will of God in Ephesians? Read these verses: 1.5,9,11; 5.17; 6.6. They all speak about what God wants, God's will. Three of these verses in chapter 1 tell us what God planned to do. The other two are in the practical part of the book and tell us what God wants us to do. We should know God 's will and do it with a good heart. According to verse 1, to whom did Paul write this letter? This epistle is addressed to the people or the saints of God who lived in Ephesus; and also to those who have faith in Christ. It is God's message for us today because we believe in the Lord Jesus. 2 In verse 2, Paul sent his greetings to the believers in Ephesus and asked God to give them grace and peace. Read the first few verses of Paul's letters to the Romans, the Corinthians (both), the Galatians, the Colossians, the Thessalonians (both), Timothy (both), Titus and Philemon. Which of these letters contain the same words of greeting as Ephesians? 7

8 8 In the Beloved All thirteen of Paul's letters have the words grace and peace but in 1 and 2 Timothy, he added also mercy. In some Bibles, we read the word mercy in Titus 1.4 also. These blessings come from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. So the first two verses show who wrote this letter and the people he was writing to, also his greeting to them. Verses 3 to 14 show you many reasons to praise God, and verses 15 to 23 are Paul's prayer for the believers. PRAISE TO GOD, God is one and we should praise and worship Him. God the Father has blessed us, vs These blessings come to us through God the Son, vs. 7-12, and through the Holy Spirit, vs.13,14. We should praise God our Father because He has blessed us with every blessing, v.3. Note that these blessings are: 1. Spiritual; 2. For us who belong to Christ; 3. In heaven. God had promised to bless His people, Israel, Deuteronomy Where were these blessings? In the land of Canaan. They were material blessings plenty of food and the good things of this earth. Our blessings are spiritual and in heaven. Many people think that God will make them rich if they serve Him but He has not promised Christians that they would have blessings in this world. We serve Him because we love Him, and we love Him because He has blessed us in a spiritual way. 4 Here are three of these blessings. 1. He has chosen us, v He planned long ago to bring us into His family, v He gives us grace through His beloved Son, v.6. Before God created the world or any man, He decided to bless all who are in Christ. God's great purpose was to glorify His Son and so He provided wonderful blessing for all who believe in Him. ~ 8 ~ Angels, Men and Saints God created all things, including men, angels and spirits. 1. ANGELS What can we learn about angels and spirits from Ephesians? The word angel is not found in this letter, but there are four words for different kinds of angels in 1.21, and Christ is above them all. There is still a great struggle going on and in fact wicked angels or spirits always try to keep us from serving God, We may think that men are trying to destroy us, but the real fight is with the spirits that live in or control the people. These evil spirits are controlled by Satan, the great enemy of God. Satan is the ruler of the spiritual powers, the spirit who works in sinful men, 2.2. Men of this world live according to Satan's will and we did the same before we were saved. Now the Holy Spirit warns us not to give in to the devil but to stand up against all his schemes, 4.27; We can learn how he attacked our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 4 and Luke 4. The Lord met Satan with the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. One of Satan's tricks is to divide God's people and get them to fight against each other, 2 Corinthians Most angels obey and love God and they are very happy to see His great work for us. God shows them the Church as a wonderful proof of His wisdom, In the future we will be the greatest proof of the riches of His grace, MEN All men were created by God, but most of them live without Him, 2.12; 3.9. They live according to Satan's will, so they disobey God, 2.2. They are dead in both transgressions and sins, 2.1,5. 41

9 40 In the Beloved There are many spirits in the world, but only one Holy Spirit, 4.4, and He is God. He is a Person, not just a force. The Holy Spirit will be grieved if we do not obey God's will. 2. What He does The Holy Spirit came in a special way on the day of Pentecost to fulfill God's promises, 1.13, Joel 2.28; John 7.39; 14.16,26; 15.26; 16.7,13. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and strength, and helps us to come near to the Father, 1.17; 2.18; He makes many believers into one Body, the Church, which is a house where God dwells, 2.22; 4.3. The Holy Spirit gave the apostles and prophets a knowledge of the mystery of the Church and the whole Bible is His sword, which we should use to defeat our spiritual enemies, 3.5; He is also the Seal which proves we belong to God and the Guarantee that God will fulfill His promises, 1.13, What should we do about the Holy Spirit? We should be careful not to make the Spirit sad, We should be filled with the Spirit, pray in the Spirit and use His Sword in the battle, 5.18; 6.17,18. In these few verses the Holy Spirit gives us all this teaching about Himself. Ephesians 1 9 God made His Son the Judge of all men so that all men must honour the Son as they honour the Father, John 5.22,23. God knew long ago who would be in Christ and He planned great blessings for us. This does not mean that only certain people can be saved. The Lord Jesus commanded us to give the gospel to all men. God knows who will be saved and who will reject the Saviour, but He does not force anyone to believe or reject. We were chosen according to God's advance knowledge, 1 Peter ,6 We are now the sons of God but He wants to show all men plainly that we are in His family. This will take place in the future, when Christ comes and we receive our new bodies, Romans So verses 3 to 6 in Ephesians 1 tell us about God's blessings. These blessings are spiritual, but God has also promised to supply us with everything we need, Philippians His great purpose is to glorify His beloved Son. For this reason, all these blessings come to us through Christ. The next verses, 7 to 12, tell you more about these blessings which we receive through Christ. 1. He has redeemed us or set us free, v Our sins are forgiven, v God has told us His plan, v God has promised us an inheritance, v.11. We are redeemed because Christ paid the price. God can righteously forgive our sins because Christ died for us. You will learn more about these things in lesson 8. 7,8 Here we read about God's great grace and wisdom. God has revealed to us some of His plans for us. Christ revealed His secrets to His disciples, whom He called friends, not only servants, John God tells us many things because He loves us. 9,10 In Ephesians, the Holy Spirit has revealed to us God's great plan for the Church. This truth was hidden in the past, but Paul was told to make it known. The same Greek word is found in Ephesians 1.9; 3.3,4,9; This word means a mystery or a secret which God wanted His people to know.

10 10 IN THE BELOVED In Ephesians 1 God revealed to us His secret plan or mystery because He loves us. His plan is to make Christ supreme. 11,12 God has also promised us an inheritance. It is part of His plan that we should be blessed in Christ and when Christ comes, we will share in His glory. Some translations do not use the word inheritance but this is in God's plan for us. Even now, we should praise Him for what He has done and what He is going to do. 13 In verses 3 to 12, God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ have been mentioned several times. Now in verses 13 and 14, you can learn something about the Holy Spirit. Men receive the Holy Spirit when they believe in Christ. Some people pray very hard to receive the Holy Spirit. This proves that they do not belong to Christ because they have not received the Holy Spirit, they are praying for Him. See Romans 8.9. God shows that we belong to Him by giving us His Spirit. The Holy Spirit is like a seal on a letter or a paper. This seal shows the name of the owner so no one else can make a claim. Long ago, God had promised to give the Holy Spirit to all men, Joel This was partly fulfilled in Acts 2.16,17 and will be completely fulfilled when Christ comes again. The Lord Jesus also promised to send the Holy Spirit, John 14.16,26; 15.26; 16.7; Acts 1.5,8. The Spirit came a few days after Christ went back to heaven and He gave power to the disciples. Since then, all believers receive the Holy Spirit when they accept Christ. So the promised Holy Spirit is called a seal of ownership. Another name is given to the Holy Spirit in Ephesians He is called the Earnest or Guarantee. The Holy Spirit makes us sure that God will give us all the blessings He has promised. God has bought us, we are His. When Christ comes, we will receive new bodies so we can live in heaven, Romans Then all the world will know that we belong to God and we will receive our inheritance. The Holy Spirit is God's guarantee that He will do all this. God, Christ and the Holy Spirit There are many blessings which we have only in Christ and we will think about these in the next lesson. Christ is the Head of the Church which we will consider in lesson 9. Ephesians also teaches us a little about Christ and the future, see lesson 9. The present work of Christ is praying for His people here on earth. In Ephesians we read two prayers of Paul for the believers, ; Paul wrote these words as led by the Holy Spirit and his prayers were surely according to God's will. The Lord Jesus is praying for us according to God's will so we can learn from Ephesians a little about what Christ wants us to have. In the first chapter Paul prayed that we might be able to understand God's wonderful power, In the third chapter he prayed that we might know more fully His great love, The Lord Jesus Christ is our great High Priest and in heaven now He prays the same way. 4. What should we do about Christ? 1. We should believe in Him, 1.1,12, We should walk in love, We should praise and give thanks to God, 5.19, We should serve the Lord, 6.6, We should be strong in the Lord, We should learn the truth in Jesus, We should prove what is acceptable to Him, We should be ready to suffer for the Lord as Paul did, 3.1; 4.1. You see that there is a great deal of teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ in Ephesians. THE HOLY SPIRIT Ephesians also teaches us some great things about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent to glorify Christ and we have seen that He mentions the Lord Jesus 65 times in Ephesians. The Spirit spoke about Himself only twelve times in this letter. 1. Who He is The Holy Spirit is God. He is called Holy and only God could dwell in all believers in every place and make us into one, 4.3,30.

11 38 In the Beloved The Bible teaches everywhere that God is One, but in the New Testament we also learn that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. In Ephesians we read about God the Father in 2.18; 5.20 and God is called the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 1.3 and It is wonderful to know that God is our Father. CHRIST In Ephesians Paul wrote about the Son of God only in 4.13 but he referred to Christ 45 times. Christ 27 times Jesus Christ 2 times Christ Jesus 10 times Lord Jesus Christ 6 times He is also called Lord Jesus once, Christ Jesus our Lord once. The word Lord is found 16 times without any other name and sometimes it may mean God or Christ. In Ephesians the human name Jesus, without either Lord or Christ, is only found once, He is often called Jesus in the four Gospels, but the Epistles speak about Christ now in heaven and the name Jesus alone is not often used. The Lord was called the Beloved in 1.6. What did the Holy Spirit through Paul teach about Christ in Ephesians? This, or another of His names, is found 65 times, at least nine times in every chapter. 1. He is equal with God. Grace, peace and love come to us from the Father and the Son, 1.2; Christ fills all things, 1.23, which could only be true of God. God's eternal purpose is being worked out in Christ, and the riches of Christ are so great that they cannot be measured, 3.8,11. Christ is eternal and infinite, He is God. 2. God's purpose meant that the Lord Jesus had to die for our sins and we can come near to God only through His blood, Ephesians says more about the Lord's resurrection and glory than about His death. God raised Him from death and seated Him at His own right hand, He had first come down from heaven, then He went up to heaven again, He is above the highest angels and everything is under Him, 1.21,22. EPHESIANS 1 11 PRAYER TO GOD, The rest of chapter 1 is a prayer and it contains some very important truth. All Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit and we know that this prayer is according to God's will. The Lord Jesus Christ is praying for us at all times of course, according to the will of God. Read again Ephesians and remember this is what God wants for us. 15,16 We should always give thanks to God when we pray, Philippians 4.6. Many psalms of David contain both prayer and thanksgiving. For example, see Psalm 9.1,13. Paul began his prayer for the believers at Ephesus by giving thanks to the Lord. What did he thank God for? He was thankful because the believers at Ephesus had both faith and love, v.15. Is the Lord Jesus happy about our faith and love? 17 What did Paul pray for? He prayed that the Holy Spirit would help them to know God better. They already had the Holy Spirit as you learned in verses 13 and 14. In verse 17, Paul prayed that they might have the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of wisdom, Isaiah Only the Holy Spirit can help us to understand the things of God, 1 Corinthians In this letter, the Holy Spirit makes known to us God's plan for the Church, but first it is necessary to know what God has done to glorify Christ. 18,19 Paul prayed that the believers would know three things. God wanted the Ephesian believers to know their hope, their future blessings and God's great power in them. (Some translations use different words but they mean almost the same.) 1. God has called us to Himself and we have a strong hope that He will take us to heaven. 2. Even now, we can know something about the rich blessing which God has planned for us. 3. We should also know more about God's power in us. Only His power can keep us from sin every day. He can give us new life here, and new bodies when Christ comes back. 20 God showed His great power in the past when He raised the

12 12 In the Beloved Lord Jesus from death and gave Him great glory. The rest of chapter 1 tells you more about Christ's glory. The Lord Jesus today is in heaven, sitting at God's right side. This is the place of greatest glory. The Lord Jesus had this same glory before He came into this world and God gave it to Him again, John ,22 Christ is greater than the angels. Verse 21 lists four different levels or ranks of angels and the Lord Jesus is over them all, 1 Peter In fact, He is supreme over all things and always will be. 23 In verse 23, you learn that the Church is the body of Christ. Note also ; Verses Church Christ 1.22,23 Body Head Building Cornerstone Bride Bridegroom You will learn more about these things later on, but here notice also the last part of verse 23. What is said about Christ and His Church here? Christ completes all things, yet the Church is the completion of Christ. God is the Creator of the world and everything depends on Him. He has no need of anything but the whole world needs God. The Holy Spirit teaches here that Christ is the supreme God of the universe. Why then does He say that the Church is the completion of Christ? This shows the love of Christ for His Church. He will never be fully satisfied until His Church is with Him. ~ 7 ~ God, Christ and the Holy Spirit The Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and the New Testament was written in the Greek language by eight men, four of them apostles. In lesson 7 we wish to think about the words of Ephesians which describe God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. There are many good translations of Ephesians but we will think here of the actual words which the Holy Spirit used. The Bible teaches us that God can speak by His Spirit through humans and in Ephesians we read that God's message for us is the word of Truth, The Lord Jesus said God's Word is Truth, John 17.17, and that He Himself is the Truth, John Paul said the truth is in Jesus, Paul knew that the great message of Ephesians was a special revelation to him from God, 3.3. This was a proof of God's grace to Paul but it was also given to other holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. We can believe that the whole epistle is inspired by God's Spirit and also the other 65 books of the Bible. The Word of God makes us and keeps us clean, 5.26, and through it we can gain the victory in the spiritual battle, GOD The word God is found 31 times in Ephesians, four to six times in every chapter. We read about the will of God, 1.1; 6.6, the wisdom of God, 3.10, and the life of God, We also learn about His power, He created all things, 3.9; His mercy, 2.4, and grace, 3.2,7; and His glory, We should act as He does and walk in good works, 2.10; 5.1. God is our Father, 1.2, and the Father of all men, 4.6. He gives life to all, but He gives eternal life to those who believe in His Son. 37

13 36 In the Beloved This is the wonderful letter which Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus. I am sure that believers there read it again and again. They were very happy to learn that they were all one in Christ, and to practise what the Holy Spirit commanded them to do. Paul did not know of anything wrong in the church of Ephesus when he wrote the Epistle, but later he told Timothy to correct some bad practices there. Some people were teaching false doctrines and some were willing to listen to them. Read 1 Timothy 1.3,6,7,19,20; 4.7; 6.3. Still later the Lord Jesus sent a message to this church, Revelation He told them that they had left their first love and if they did not repent He would remove the testimony of the church. This took place and today there is no strong Christian church in Ephesus. There is a lesson here for us. We must know and obey the Word of God and refuse all false teaching. If not, God will set aside our church and we will not be able to serve Him as we should. We should therefore pay attention to what the Bible teaches. In lessons 7, 8 and 9 of this book, we will think about the great doctrines of Ephesus. What does the Spirit teach about God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, angels, Satan, man, sin, salvation, the Church and future things? ~ 2 ~ New Life in Christ Chapter 2 tells us more about God, Christ and the Church. Read the chapter three times and think about its two main parts: 1. our new life, vs our new position, vs The first half tells us about: 1. the old life, vs how we get the new life, vs the difference between grace and works, vs.8-10 THE OLD LIFE, The old life was really death, spiritual death. When a man dies, his spirit is separated from his body, James 2.26: the body without the spirit is dead. This is natural death. When a man sins, he is separated from God. This is spiritual death. God told Adam he would die if he ate the fruit of one tree in the garden of Eden, Genesis So we read in Ephesians 2.1 we were all dead in sin. 2 All men of this world live in sin and we followed them. We too obeyed Satan who is the ruler of wicked spirits, and still controls men of the world. 3 We too lived like them, giving in to the natural desires of our bodies and our minds. We were therefore under God's judgment, just as others. So, what were we? Dead, separated from God, v.1. Yet living, but acting like all men of this world, v.2. Under God's judgment for sin, which is death, v.3. 13

14 14 In the Beloved OUR THREE ENEMIES the world, v.2 the flesh, v.3 the devil, v.2 THE NEW LIFE, The first three verses paint a black picture but verse 4 starts off with But God. God's mercy changes everything. 4 His mercy is rich and His love is great. 5 By His grace, He gives us a new life in Christ. Mercy, love and grace are not all the same but they express God's thoughts about us, even when we were spiritually dead. 6 God raised the Lord Jesus from death and as a result, we have great blessings. This verse says God raised us with Christ. The Lord Jesus is on the throne of Heaven and we are seated with Him. 7 Through all eternity, we will be the greatest proof of God's grace. No wonder. We were rebels against God, dead in sin, and controlled by the world, our own evil nature and by Satan, vs Now we have life in Christ and will rule with Him on His throne. This is grace indeed! Stop here and thank the Lord for His wonderful grace. God gave us life with Christ. He raised us up with Christ. He has made us sit together with Christ. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GRACE AND WORKS, Most people do not know God's grace and will not believe that He loves us. They suppose that they must do many good things before God will forgive their sin. Ephesians 6 35 and saying prayers all day and night, but we should be ready to turn to the Lord in prayer at any time. 2. in the power of the Holy Spirit. All prayer should be made as He leads. 3. without giving up. Sometimes we will have to go without our sleep and pray at night. Always we should watch out for sudden attacks from the enemy. 4. for all Christians. In this epistle, we have learned that there is only one Church which includes all believers. We should pray for all. 19,20 Paul especially asked prayer for himself, that he might bravely tell people the gospel. The gospel message was like a secret to many people in Rome and Paul was in prison because he preached the good news. Still, he wanted to speak up boldly and tell people how they could be saved. We learn from Philippians 1.12,13 that all people in the emperor's palace did hear the gospel. CLOSING WORDS, ,22 Tychicus had travelled with Paul and Luke and Timothy years before this, Acts Now he was in Rome and was ready to take this letter to the church at Ephesus. He would tell them the news about Paul and this would encourage the believers there. 23 Paul prayed that God's people would have peace and love and faith. These blessings can come only from God, the Father and the Son. 24 Paul always prayed for grace for the believers whenever he wrote a letter. See Romans 16.24; 1 Corinthians 16.23; 2 Corinthians 13.14; Galatians 6.18; Philippians 4.23; Colossians 4.18; 1 Thessalonians 5.28; 2 Thessalonians 3.18; 1 Timothy 6.21; 2 Timothy 4.22; Titus 3.15; Philemon 25. (Paul may not have written Hebrews but it ends up the same way, ) He wrote these words himself to prove the letter was really from him, 1 Corinthians 16.21; Colossians 4.18 and 2 Thessalonians They are lovely words with which to end a letter! Grace to you! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

15 34 In the Beloved the evil spirits who live in them. There are different kinds of spirits, some have more authority than others. Some are in heavenly places, some in this world. 13 Satan's spirits will attack us in every possible way but God's power will protect us. We should learn to wear this armour and be ready to stand against our enemies without fear. The Armour, vs We should resist these enemies and not be afraid of them or give in to them. Six pieces of armour are described here and each one stands for something spiritual. 1. The belt of truth, v.14. A person puts on a belt to serve or to go on a journey, Luke 17.8; Acts We need to be supported by God's truth at all times. 2. The breastplate of righteousness, v.14. God's righteousness protects us from the accusations of Satan. 3. The shoes of the gospel, v.15. We should be ready at all times to go out with the good news. This will protect our feet and keep us from walking in sin. 4. The shield of faith, v.16. Satan attacks us by putting doubts in our minds. We must keep on believing God's Word. Our faith will protect us from the devil's flaming arrows. 5. The helmet of salvation, v.17. The helmet protects the head and we need to use God's full salvation. 6. The sword of the Spirit, v.17. This is the Word of God and in these verses it is the only weapon for attacking the enemy. The armour is to protect the believer, not to attack. The Word of God is the only way to gain spiritual victory. We never attack men because our enemies are spirits but we can give men the gospel and the Word of God. Some will hear and believe. Prayer, vs Prayer is the most important weapon in the spiritual battle, both to protect ourselves and to defeat the enemy. We should pray: 1. at all times. This does not mean that we should be kneeling Ephesians Here we learn that God saves us By grace Through faith Not by our own good works. It is God's grace and He also gives us the opportunity to have faith and believe the gospel message. He is willing to give this opportunity to all men and has commanded us to tell everyone about His grace. 9 Men like to boast and some try to tell God about their good works. Read what the Pharisee said in Luke 18.11,12. But no one can really boast about his own works before God, because God does all the work which is necessary to save us. Do you believe this? 10 If you really believe, you will want to serve the Lord and work for Him. This is God's will for all who believe in Christ. God works for us and we get saved. God works in us and this proves we are saved. We work for God just because we love Him. Is this clear? If not, read also Romans 8.1-4; Philippians 2.12,13; James Good works must come after we are saved, not before. Many people suppose that their good works will help to save them. This is not true. They must come to God only on the basis of Christ's work. After they are saved, they must do the good works, not to save themselves, or to keep themselves saved, but to show that they have already been saved. This is a very important truth. Do not trust in your own good works, but in Christ alone. After that, start at once to serve the Lord. OUR NEW POSITION, The second part of chapter 2 teaches us about our new position. Before we were saved, we were far away from God but now He has brought us near. 1. Former Distance, vs. 11,12 11 We were Gentiles and the Jews properly called us uncircumcised. What is circumcision? God commanded that the men of

16 16 In the Beloved Israel should be circumcised as a sign that they were His people, Genesis God promised to bless His people Israel but the Gentiles could not claim these promises. 12 We did not belong to the nation of Israel and God had not made any covenants with us or promises to us. We were without Christ, without hope, without God. 2. One Body, vs Now everything is different. Verses 13 to 18 show that God has brought Jews and Gentiles together in one body. 13 Before we were far away, now through Christ's death, we have been brought near. 14 There was a wall separating Jews and Gentiles but Christ has broken down this wall and brought peace. In Christ, Jews and Gentiles come together. 15 The Lord Jesus did not come to destroy God's law but to fulfill it, Matthew The Jews thought they could be saved by keeping the law of Moses but the death of Christ proves that this is neither necessary nor possible. Now both Jews and Gentiles can be saved only because the Lord Jesus died for us. So Christ has wiped out the differences and made us both into one. 16 His purpose was to change us from enemies into friends and make us into one body. Both Jews and Gentiles were afraid of God but now we know God loves us, He is our Friend. One act of Christ, dying on the cross, brings us back to God and to one another. We are reconciled to God and made into one body with all Jews and Gentiles who believe. 17 The Lord Jesus was able to come to the Gentiles, who were far away, and to the Jews, who were closer to God. Christ announced the good news that He had made peace by dying for all. He sent His servants to tell all men this good news. Even today millions have never yet heard that Christ has made peace with God and He wants them to be His friends. 18 These two truths are explained again in verse 18. Men can come to God; all men, Jews and Gentiles, can come to the Father as one, through Christ, by the Spirit. Ephesians 6 33 should punish them when they do wrong and praise them when they do well. Servants and Masters, vs In early days, many people were slaves and were forced to obey their owners. Today we can work for an employer and quit if we don't like the boss. Christians should sincerely obey their employers because Christ is their Master. 6-8 We should work hard even when the manager is not watching. The Lord Jesus is watching us and He will give rewards to all who serve Him faithfully. In some countries, workmen try to do as little as possible, yet always demand more money. The believer should serve his employer properly even when his fellow workmen laugh at him or attack him. The Lord Jesus will some day make everything right. 9 Christian employers should also treat their servants decently, especially those who are Christians. Never forget, our Master in heaven will punish or reward us, according to what we do to others. OUR WARFARE IN THE HEAVENLY WORLD, In chapter 2, verses 2 and 3, we learned that Satan is the ruler of spiritual powers and that men are controlled by him. We have been delivered from Satan but he still often attacks us. In chapter 6, we read about the wicked angels who try to lead us into sin and how we can overcome them. The Battle, vs These spiritual beings are much greater than we but the strength of the Lord will help us. There are three words in verse 10 meaning power or strength. Read also 1.19 and We can resist the devil, 1 Peter 5.8,9. Christ in us is greater than Satan, 1 John For a battle, you can use metal armour to protect yourself from arrows, sword and spear. God can give us spiritual armour to protect us against Satan's wicked plans. 12 We should remember that our real enemies are not men, but

17 EPHESIANS 2 17 ~ 6 ~ How to Fight for the Lord LIFE IN THE HOME [continued] This chapter continues to show us how we should act in the home, vs. 1-9; and how we should prepare for the spiritual battle, vs At the end, we read Paul's greetings and blessings, vs Children and Parents, vs. l-4 1 Children should obey their father and mother because this is right. Sometimes children are taught in school or in youth meetings that they are wiser than their parents and should not obey them. Christian children should obey, this is God's will. 2,3 The Old Testament says the same thing. In the Ten Commandments, God told His people what to do. The Fifth Commandment also gave a promise: those who obeyed would live a long life in the land of Israel, Exodus 20.12; Deuteronomy God does not promise Christians that they will have a long life in this world; for example, Stephen and James were killed by their enemies, Acts 7.59; But children who obey their parents will be happier. The Lord Jesus taught that children should honour their parents, Matthew 15.4, and when they are grown up they can really continue to help them. However some parents will tell their children to lie, steal, kill men or to worship idols. The Christian must first obey the Lord, then obey and help his parents if possible. 4 Fathers and mothers should be loving and kind to their children. Some fathers know they are stronger than their little children and so they think they have the right to strike or kick them and make them angry. Christian parents should teach their children the Word of God and the right way to live. This means they 3. One Building, vs We have read about the Body, v.16, but verses 19 to 22 speak about the Church as a Building. 19 We were strangers and foreigners, as we read in verse 12. No longer. Now we belong to God's people and to God's family. Israel was a nation and a great family, all were descendants of Jacob, but we Gentiles were outside. Now God's family includes all who have been born again, v.5. I'm so glad I belong to the family of God. 20 Jews and Gentiles are together in the family of God and we also form a building for God to live in. The foundation of this building was the teaching of the apostles and prophets. The Cornerstone is our Lord Jesus Christ. In 1 Peter 2.6, we learn that God made Christ the Cornerstone, and in Matthew 16.18, the Lord Jesus said that He would build His Church on the truth that He is the Son of God. Paul taught that Christ is the Son of God, Acts 9.20; 13.33; so did Peter, 2 Peter 1.17; John, 1 John 1.3; Matthew in 3.17; Mark in 1.1; Luke in Christ must have the chief place. 21 This building is being properly built and all the parts will be in their right place. It is another picture of the Church. It is growing, like a body, but here it is called a Temple for the Lord. 22 In the Old Testament, the people of God came to the Temple to worship the Lord who dwelt there, 2 Kings God said He would dwell among His people, but now He lives in them. Jews and Gentiles form a temple for God to dwell in through the Spirit. We ought to be very holy people because the holy God lives in us. So you see the two parts of chapter 2 are somewhat alike. Both parts start with a sad picture of what we were. Then, the word but, vs. 4,13, changes everything. We were born again by God's grace, not our works, vs God brought us together with all His people to form a temple for Him to live in, vs

18 Ephesians 5 31 ~ 3 ~ All One in Christ Chapter 3 gives us more teaching about the Body of Christ, vs. 1-13; then Paul's prayer that the believers might understand more fully the love of Christ, vs THE REVELATION TO PAUL, God revealed His secret to Paul and the apostles, and through them to others, vs This secret is explained in verse 6 and some of the results of this revelation in verses Paul was in prison at Rome when he wrote this letter. He always preached the gospel to Jews but in a special way he was the apostle to the Gentiles, Romans 11.13; 15.16, even as Peter was to the Jews, Galatians 2.7,8. 2 The Lord gave Paul this privilege of serving Him as an apostle. Paul often called himself an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. Read the first verse of 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. 3 The Spirit has inspired all 66 books of the Bible, but sometimes He gave special revelations to His servants. Here Paul said he learned about the secret mystery by a special revelation. He had already mentioned the body of Christ in 1.22,23. 4,5 The revelation was given to Paul by the grace of God but the believers could read and understand how he received this knowledge. God had revealed many things to men but the truth of the Church was kept a secret. Now God was telling Paul and other apostles and prophets. 6 What was this great secret? The Church is one Body including both Jews and Gentiles. We share God's blessings and promises with the people of Israel. The Old Testament taught that God with Him forever. First He makes it clean and holy by giving it the Word of God. He gave apostles and prophets, who wrote the New Testament as the Holy Spirit guided them. Now He gives shepherds and teachers to help us understand the Word. The Bible is called the Holy Bible and it has this effect on those who read and obey: it makes us clean and holy. Read Psalm Some day, the Lord will take the Church to Himself as His Bride, Revelation It is very important that we should be ready. The Church must be without any spot or stain, glorious, holy and perfect. Only the power of God could do this but Christ has all power, He is God. 28,29 The husband is the head of the wife but the man and woman become one when they get married, vs First we see that men ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies, as their own selves. A man should feed and care for his wife just as Christ feeds and cares for His Church. 30,31 The Church is the Body of Christ and each Christian is a member of His Body. The Old Testament says that a man should leave his parents when he gets married because he becomes one with his wife, Genesis This shows that a man should love his wife and care for her as himself. 32 This may be hard to understand but it is a wonderful picture of Christ and His Church. We are one because Christ lives in us and we in Him. He is the Head of the Body and we are parts of the Body. 33 So the Apostle Paul puts the practical teaching in short form in verse 33. The husband should treat his wife as his own body and the wife should treat her husband as the head of the woman. 18

19 30 In the Beloved 2. OUR LIFE IN THE HOME, We have the new life in Christ and we should live in our homes like Christians. The Spirit tells us how we should act as wives or husbands, ; as children or parents, 6.1-4; as servants or masters, First there is a general rule that we should give way to one another. Pride and fighting spoil the joy of verses 19 and 20. We should each think that others are better than we are, Philippians 2.3. However, we must always be subject to Christ. Sometimes it is necessary to oppose others if they teach false doctrine or go on in sin. We submit to other believers but only in the fear of Christ. Wives and Husbands, vs Women should submit to their husbands, children should obey their parents, and slaves should obey their masters, 6.1,5. A Christian woman should submit to her own husband, not to others. 23 God has made the man to be the head of the family, over his wife and children, 6.1. This is the same as Christ being the Head of the Church. The Lord Jesus is the Saviour of the Church. Some men think they are stronger than women and therefore they can order them around and beat them or kick them and hurt them. But Christian men should help their wives as Christ helps His Church. Note that Christ is both Saviour and Head of the Church. You cannot accept Christ as your Saviour only, He is also your Lord and Master. 24 The Church must submit to Christ and in the same way Christian wives must submit to their own husbands in all things. This is God's order, both His command and His arrangement. 25 Christian men must love their wives. Again Christ is a great Example because He loves the Church. Love always gives, and Christ gave Himself for His Church. 26 Today Christ is preparing His Church so it will be ready to be Ephesians 3 19 would especially bless Israel if the people obeyed His commands. He also promised to bless other nations. Now we learn that we are all one in Christ. Many people today are trying to make one big organization which will include all churches. God has already made all true believers into one Church, the Body of Christ. Only true believers have the Spirit of God and He makes us all one. We should not try to make a superchurch with a man as a head whom everyone would have to obey. 7 Paul was not only an evangelist preaching the gospel, he was also commanded to teach this great truth about the Church. He believed that this was a special gift of God and that God would give him the strength he needed to obey Him. We too can have God's power to help us understand, Paul knew that God had given this special gift to one who was less than other believers. This is God's way, Matthew Paul was the least of the apostles because he had persecuted the Church, 1 Corinthians But God gave him great grace, vs. 2,7, and the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the blessings they could have in Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ has enough power to save all the sinners in the world who put their trust in Him. 9 Paul was to make this mystery known to all men, namely, that in the Church Jews and Gentiles are all one in Christ, vs. 4,5. God the Creator kept this truth a secret and had never revealed it to men, from Adam until the time of Paul. 10,11 God also wants the angels to know now more about His great wisdom as proven in the wonderful way He has formed the Church. This is one part of His plan which was formed long ago in eternity and is now being carried out through Christ. 12 Christ dwells in us and we have the privilege of coming before Him without fear at all times. This is a greater blessing than the priests of Israel ever had, or even the high priest. 13 Paul was suffering in prison because he preached the gospel and the truth about the Church. The believers in Ephesus should have been very happy to know these things and should