Journey Through Ephesians

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Those are the profound words from Ephesians 2:8-9. In this overview, we journey through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

Listen: Journeying through Ephesians

Overview of Ephesians

Some people call Ephesians the most impersonal of Paul’s letters. In other words, it does not deal with lots of personal things about his own life, or even very personal things about the church at Ephesus. It is full of doctrine and great truth. It has been called the “Grand Canyon of Scripture”, broader and deeper and in some ways most beautiful. This book was not written just for the people in Ephesus. It was written to them, but it was written for us.

The Book of Ephesians is a prison epistle. Many scholars believe it was the first of the prison epistles. Think about this: the Apostle Paul writes one of the most doctrinal, beautiful, profound letters he ever wrote, sitting in a prison cell. One author even called it Paul’s greatest prison masterpiece. Well, I do not know if he was sitting in a Roman prison or if he was under house arrest. I do not know all of the circumstances, but I know this: spiritually, he was sitting in the heavenlies.

The Heavenlies

“The heavenlies” is one of the great phrases of this particular book. It is found three times – Ephesians 1:3, Ephesians 2:6, and Ephesians 3:10 — “in heavenly places.” There is a beautiful parallel between the New Testament book of Ephesians and the Old Testament Book of Joshua. 

You see, the heavenlies are not heaven itself; it is our present access to heavenly places. It is our Canaan — our present possession. It is possible not just when you die, friend; it is possible today. Wherever you may be at this moment geographically, spiritually, if you are in Christ, then you are seated at this moment at the right hand of the Heavenly Father. You are in heavenly places. You have access to all of heaven’s resources.

Think of that. God’s great treasure house is at your disposal. As a matter of fact, the Book of Ephesians opens the way many of Paul’s letters do with a recognition of both their geographical location and their spiritual one. He says: “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:”

They were at Ephesus, but they were in Christ Jesus. You are physically located in a particular town as you read this, but you are in Christ Jesus. That beautiful phrase “in Christ,” or some equivalent of it, is used 35 times in the book of Ephesians. That is more than any other New Testament book. You see, the book of Ephesians was written to reveal to us who we are in Christ and what we have in Christ. It is powerful.

Key Verses of Ephesians

Ephesians 2:8-9 are the key verses of the book. Then we go on to verse ten: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” That passage shows us two things. It shows you both the wealth and the work of the believer, and it must go in that order.

First, it is about what you receive. It is about the believer’s riches in Jesus Christ. That word “riches” is used all through this book. And it is powerful. You are rich in Jesus. When you receive Christ, you have it all, my friend. But then, naturally, it progresses from the wealth of the believer to the work of the believer. We might say it this way — from the riches to the responsibility.

In the first part, we are told what God has done for us. Now we are told what He expects us to do in response to that. Not to be saved, not to keep ourselves saved, but rather with a grateful heart, we want to serve the Lord. God changes your wants.

In the first part of the book, we are told about the Holy Spirit who seals every believer. But now we are told not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God by the way you speak. In the first part of the book, we are told what God does in us and towards us. But now we are told in the second part of the book what we are to be and do towards Him.

Points of Emphasis in Ephesians

The Holy Spirit

There is a great emphasis in the book of Ephesians on the person of the Holy Spirit. And I would challenge you to read that. We should desire, as believers, not just to say, “Oh yes, I am in Christ, and Christ lives in me,” but we should desire that the person of the Holy Spirit is able to live and labor through us.

Our Work

Like most of Paul’s letters, he moves from the doctrinal to the practical, from the wealth that we have in Christ to the walk of a Christian. And here is the bottom line. We live as we do because of all of the blessings that we have in Christ. We are not working toward something; we are working from something.

I am not working my way to heaven. I could never work my way to heaven. Heaven came to me in the person of Jesus Christ. Now I’m seated with Him “in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” And friend, if you are seated in heavenly places, you are not going to live the same way on earth. It is going to change the way you live your life today.

Our Walk

The book of Ephesians, though it is very doctrinal, is intensely practical. That is true of all of God’s teachings. They said of one preacher of a bygone era that all of his doctrine was application, and his application was all doctrine. I love that summary. 

You see, those two things are beautifully blended in God’s truth. That is why in this particular book, as you progress near the end of the book, there is a great emphasis on our walk, our lifestyle. For example, in Ephesians 4:1, we are to “walk worthy.” In Ephesians 4:17, we are to “walk not as other Gentiles,” in Ephesians 5:2, we are to “walk in love,” in Ephesians 5:8, we are to “walk as children of light,” and in Ephesians 5:15, we are to “walk circumspectly.” If you know Jesus Christ, it is going to affect your walk.

Recently, I was in a place of business, and a young man there was cursing and taking God’s name in vain. I spoke to him about the Lord Jesus. And when I did, he said, “Oh, yes, I’m a Christian.” I thought, what a sad testimony to swear by the name of the one whom you profess to be your Savior. If you know the Lord Jesus Christ, you are a new creature. It is going to make a difference in the way you live. Do you really believe the Creator God of the universe could live inside of you and no one knows it?

Outline of Ephesians

This book centers on the person and work of Christ, and the life of a believer centers on the person and work of Christ. We might summarize it this way.

Ephesians 1-3: DONE

Chapters one through three can be summarized by the word done. Jesus did it all when He cried from the cross, “It is finished.” He did it all. It is done, friend. The payment is paid in full. Salvation is complete the moment you put your faith in the Lord Jesus. 

Ephesians 4-6: DO

But in chapters four through six, we could summarize this way. Do, because done. We are to do certain things and live a certain way because of all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done in our hearts and lives. Wherever you are physically right now, spiritually, you are seated in heavenly places.

What to Do in Your Home

This truth should direct the way we speak. It must dictate how we treat others,  even under our own roof. You are no better Christian than the Christian you are in the privacy of your own home? Interestingly, Ephesians has one of the classic passages on marriage and raising children. (Read Ephesians 5). Why? Because knowing Christ will make a difference, not just in your heavenly home someday, but in your Christian home today.

What to Do in Battle

Is it a battle? Read Ephesians 6. It is a battle every day of your life, and you are constantly working to die to self and look to Christ. Putting flesh to death, mortifying the flesh, and allowing the Spirit of God to live His beautiful life through you. But this is the wonderful joy we have. This is the true riches and the wealth we have in Jesus Christ. (Listen to Scott’s study on this passage HERE.)

Ephesians is known as the book of “fullness.” When you read it, you find the fullness of God, the fullness of Christ, and the fullness of the Holy Spirit. And my prayer for you today on this journey is that you, this day, will know all of the fullness of God, and not only will you know it, your cup will run over, and everyone around you will know it as well.

Click HERE to listen to Scott’s podcast series through the book of Ephesians, “All Spiritual Blessings.”

---

About Scott Pauley

---

Related Audio Series: A Good Soldier of Jesus Christ