Background
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Author - Apostle Paul
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Date of writing - ~AD 60…during Roman imprisonment
(Colossians very similar)
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Occasion - Not correcting any heresy, expanding
horizons for Gentile believers
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Recipients - Churches in Western Asia Minor (Turkey)
incl. Ephesus. Not just Ephesus
General Theme
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Impact of the "mystery" of God's grace on our
lives and how it should affect our daily living
Practical tips for personal bible study:
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Read the text multiple times in multiple translations,
if possible. Read the text in one sitting (meant to be read that way).
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Think on your own and form your own opinions 1st.
Consult other passages w/in the letter, w/in the bible. Check in bible
dictionaries, consult commentaries LAST (to double check what you've determined).
Eph 1:1-14
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Vs. 1 "in Ephesus"…this was probably a circular
letter, not directed specifically to the Ephesians; but to the churches in
that region
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Vs. 9 "the mystery"…theme scripture of the
letter. Everything else builds on this theme of bringing the Gentiles and
Jews together under Christ
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Vs. 12 "the first to hope in Christ" Referring
to Jews
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Vs. 13 Now refers to Gentile believers in the
region
Holy Spirit given to each of us as an "earnest
money" deposit from God that He will return for us.
We can have confidence in this
Eph 1:15-23
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Vs. 15 More evidence for a circular letter. Seems
as if Paul had never visited, but Acts 19 tells us that he was in Ephesus
for 3 months.
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Paul expresses deep thanks in his prayers for
the Ephesian converts. Look at how he prays for them…
He wants them to: (we should imitate Paul's desires
and prayers)
1) know God better - To accomplish this, he prays
for them to be given the Spirit of wisdom and revelation
| 2) know the hope to which they'd
been called (eternity)
3) know the riches of God's glorious inheritance
in the saints
4) know the incomparably great power for believers
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| To accomplish this
| he prays for the eyes
| of the heart to be
| enlightened
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Believers have power beyond compare, the same
power that rose Christ from the dead and seated him at the right hand of
God, high above any other power on Earth. We have that power working for
us!
Hard to grasp!…that's why we have to pray
for the eyes of our hearts to be enlightened!
Summary
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Ephesians 1 - sets the stage for helping the Christians
to understand how much they really have in Christ
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Move on to Eph 2 next week…
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