Ephesians 3: God's Perspective on Life.

Ephesians 3:     God’s Perspective on Life

• Overview of this lesson.
• The mystery has now been revealed to us through Jesus.  We as Christians and Christ’s church are now part of that mystery through God’s new covenant with his people.  Salvation is now open to both Jew and Gentile alike.   People of different backgrounds are now heirs at the same level.  We all can be saved.
• None of the Old Testament prophets knew of this mystery but they were able to prophesy about the birth and death of Jesus.
• The Jews were a chosen people of God during the Old Testament.   They did not see the Gentiles as fitting into God’s plan.  They struggled with the New Testament teachings of the Gentiles, which eventually led to Paul being a prisoner, a prisoner of Christ.
• (Deuteronomy 7:6-10)  The Jews were a Holy people that God has chosen.
• (Isaiah 49:8-13)          God would provide comfort to the Jews.
• (Genesis 22:18)           All nations of Abraham’s descendants would be blessed.  
• (John 3:16)                 For God so loved the world (Jews and Gentiles)
• (John 10:14-19)           Jesus is the shepherd of one flock, some of which are not of this world (Gentiles)..   
• (Acts 10:34-46)           Peter eating at Cornelius’s home with the uncircumcised.
• (Acts 15:1-21)              The Law of Circumcision.
• The cost of unity (between Jews and Gentiles) is expensive.
• Paul lost his freedom and became a prisoner.

• Paul’s message included the unity between Jews and Gentiles, which caused Paul to be arrested.  He appealed his case to Ceasar since he was also considered a Roman citizen.  Paul was not a prisoner to Rome, but a prisoner to Christ, under the sovereign protection of God.  
• Paul realized he was living under a new covenant of Grace.  He knew God had sent him to the Gentiles to share the Gospel with them.
• Paul was the only Apostle preaching at this time - Grace for all.
• Paul spent 3 years in the desert where God revealed his mystery/plan to Paul.
• Paul was imprisoned and sentenced 7 times.
• Peter’s Gospel message was made mostly to the Jews.
• God’s plan of salvation caught the angles attention.   
• God let the Angels see his plan of salvation unfold to educate them.  Salvation is not for the angels.  The angels have seen it all.  Angels can be helpers of our salvation and they have the opportunity to study us. (I Peter 1:10-12)
• We shall one day judge the Angels.   (I Corinthians 6:3).
• Accepting Jesus as a Christian costs our pride.
• If all of the message of unity is true from the apostle Paul, we must like everyone regardless of who and what they are.
• We are not to lose heart because of all the tribulations Paul suffered to share the Gospel message.  (Paul's encouragment to the Ephesians).
• During Jesus’s time, Jews and Gentiles did not like each other.
• The plan of Salvation cost Jesus his life.
• Jesus paid the greatest price for God’s mystery by dying on the cross for us.
• Jesus’s prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.  (John 17:1-5)
• Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders (Acts 10:25-28).
• Main Theme
• God’s Mystery - That the Jews and Gentiles share the same inheritance through Christ Jesus.
• The Sacred Mystery, something that was not revealed in the Old Testament but the New testament.  Christ is that Mystery  and we are stewards of that mystery - to spread the Good News.   Christ is now risen and head of the Jews and Gentiles.
• Dispensation - The economy of the Grace of God.
• Old Testament - Law and sacrifices.
• Sacrifices eventually point to Jesus.
• New Testament - Grace through Faith.
• The Mystery of Christ (v3:1-13)
• Notice the dash after the word Gentile in verse 1.  Paul interrupts himself and returns back to his prayer in verse 14.   Paul was ready to pray, but instead he gives his credentials.  He was specifically chosen by Jesus to deliver the Gospel to the Gentiles.
• Paul explains the great mystery that was revealed to him that both Gentile and Jew have equal standing with God.   (Isaiah 49:6).  God sent his Son so that salvation may reach all the ends of the earth.
• Paul’s Second Prayer (v3:4-19).
• Paul prays that the Ephesians will claim the blessings and utilize them from his first prayer in Ephesians 1:15-23.
• Comparison - Having a Million Dollars in the bank does us no good if we do not use it.
• Paul prays that they would not only know God’s truth but also livr according to them as well.   Paul prays that the Ephesians know that God blessed through Jesus Christ with every spiritual blessing and that they would put those blessing to goods use.
• If we are growing spiritually, we are using the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives.
• As we feed upon God’s word, we grow in faith, Godliness, and good works.   Our sin nature starves, becomes stunted, and dies a slow death.  We need to starve our sin and feed our new nature in Christ.
• Letting Jesus Love Others Through Us. (v3:17-19).
• The process of Sanctification involves us becoming more like Christ. This is a slow process and we must die daily to self in order to live for Jesus.   The Holy Spirit prepares our hearts for the indwelling of Christ.   Jesus come to take ownership of our heart.
• The more room we give Jesus, the more he reveals to us about his incomprehensible love.   The more we welcome Jesus, the more love we experience.
• Genuine Christian love is unselfishness.   Love is an act of the will to do good to everyone.
• If we have the true love of Christ, we can love our enemies.
• God helps us to love others we could not typically love.   This type of love helps us to seek the vastness of God’s love.   We see that God’s love lasts  for an eternity.
• The more we give over ourselves to God, the more he occupies and fills us.
• Far More Than We Ask. (v3:20-21)
• God is able to do far more than we ask for.   There is no way we can fully understand God’s truths.
• Conclusion.
• The church is important to God, is the church important to us?
• Jesus Christ came to build the church.
• Have we become independent and not looking at sharing the Gospel with others?  Is our first love Christ?   Has communion become a ritual?   Have we lost the love for the Churches owner?
• Paul does mention prayer in this Chapter.
• What is the depth of our prayer?  Does it include praise, adoration, intercession (praying for other people), and benediction (blessing)?
• Notice how Paul starts this chapter, he begins to pray and all the sudden his prayer is interrupted by a thought.  Paul then returns to his prayer in Verse 14.
• What is the position of your heart?  Do we pray according to God’s will or our will?
• Is our prayer in reverence to God?  (Example is the LORD’s Prayer).
• Understanding the full love of God.
• Stability - Our inner being.
• Intimacy - Knowing and Seeking God.
• Charity - Love (Is it rooted and on firm ground?)
• Spiritual needs - Inner/Main focus of our prayers.
• Matthew 6:33 - Seeking the kingdom of God first
• Romans 8:37-39  Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
• The key to answered prayer is to pray according to God’s word.
• NLT Translation for verses 1-7
• 1 I, Paul, am a prisoner of Christ Jesus because of my preaching to you Gentiles. 2 As you already know, God has given me this special ministry of announcing his favor to you Gentiles. 3As I briefly mentioned earlier in this letter, God himself revealed his secret plan to me. 4 As you read what I have written, you will understand what I know about this plan regarding Christ. 5 God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now he has revealed it by the Holy Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets. 6 And this is the secret plan: The Gentiles have an equal share with the Jews in all the riches inherited by God's children. Both groups have believed the Good News, and both are part of the same body and enjoy together the promise of blessings through Christ Jesus.7 By God's special favor and mighty power, I have been given the wonderful privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.