The whole of chapter 3 is a parenthesis unfolding the mystery; and presenting at the same time, in the prayer that concludes it, the second character of God set before us at the beginning of the epistle, namely, that of Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; and this is the way in which it is here introduced. The verbs in vv. Chapter 4. The Mystery Revealed. Ephesians 3. There the calling and inheritance were in the sure purpose of God, and his prayer is that they may know them, and the power that brought them there. This free Bible study guide will help you understand what you're reading. Ephesians 3 is the third chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible.Traditionally, it is believed to have been written by Apostle Paul while he was in prison in Rome (around AD 62), but more recently it has been suggested that it was written between AD 80 and 100 by another . Ephesians 1:3-14 is actually one long sentence extolling God’s action. Ephesians 3:18, in keeping with Ephesians’ effusive style, talks about knowing the breadth and length and height and depth, though the author doesn’t identify the reality about which the church will know such dimensions. Love led him to the Cross and love caused him to build his church (Matthew 16:18), which not being limited to Jerusalem, covers the whole earth and reaches to heaven itself!!! The new life which God has given us in Christ (1:3 - 2:10) 2. Ephesians 3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles (NASB: Lockman). 2 assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles. 7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. All the gracious offers of the gospel, and the joyful tidings it contains, come from the rich grace of God; it is the great means by which the Spirit works grace in the souls of men. We are filled unto all the fulness of God; and it is in the assembly that He dwells for this purpose. This answers to the two parts of the apostle's ministry pointed out in Colossians 1:23-25: as verse 27 in that chapter corresponds with verse 17 here. I pray that you may know the depth of his love. [3] He is able to do above all that we can ask or think according to His power that works in us. Paul revisited the magnificence of God, the plan for Christ to create a Church of all believers, that the fruits of grace are to be shared, that discouragement due to suffering may be evidence of doubts about God’s sovereignty, that faithfulness in suffering may be strong evidence of true salvation, and that we n… For, although we are journeying on the earth, and although we are the habitation of God by the Spirit on the earth, yet in the mind of God our place is in heaven. The new society which God has created through Christ (2:11 - 3:21) 3. But dwelling in love we dwell in God and God in us: and that in connection with the display of His glory, as He develops it in all that He has formed around Himself, to exhibit Himself in it, in order that Christ, and Christ in the assembly, His body, should be the centre of it, and the whole the manifestation of Himself in His entire glory. In it He had carefully raised a middle wall of partition. Ephesians Commentary Purpose and Themes. Find Top Church Sermons, Illustrations, and Preaching Slides on Ephesians 3. Here was a kind of wisdom altogether new; a thing outside the world, hitherto shut up in the mind of God, hid in Himself so that there was no promise or prophecy of it, but the special object of His eternal purpose; connected in a peculiar way with the One who is the centre and the fulness of the mystery of godliness; which had its own place in union with Him; which, although it was manifested on earth and set with Christ at the head of creation, formed properly no part of it. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, Walk Worthy Ephesians 4:1-3 Pastor Jefferson M. Williams Chenoa Baptist Church 01-12-20 What’s Your Name? He who had created all things, as the sphere of the development of His glory, had kept this secret in His own possession, in order that the administration of the mystery, now revealed by the establishment of the assembly on earth, should be in its time the means of making known to the most exalted of created beings the manifold and various wisdom of God. The Old Testament prophets, and Moses himself, had indeed shewn that the Gentiles should one day rejoice with the people: but the people remained a separate people. Thus He, who fills all things with His glory, fills the heart Himself, with a love more powerful than all the glory of which He is the centre. All Rights Reserved. Ephesians 3:4 Parallel Verses [⇓ See commentary ⇓] Ephesians 3:4, NIV: "In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ," Ephesians 3:4, ESV: "When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ," Ephesians 3:4, KJV: "Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)" What a place is this which is given us in Christ! | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Sitemap. Here is an old converted Jew writing to Gentiles. Only in the latter epistle the whole subject is treated more briefly, and the essential principle and character of the mystery according to its place in the counsels of God is less explained, is viewed only on a special side of it, suited to the purpose of the epistle, that is, Christ and the Gentiles. Chapter 1, note, gives the saints before God; the prayer of chapter 3, Christ in them. [1] This appears to me to be the true word, and not "the fellowship.". 1) the Christian brought into the presence of God Himself; but the fact that these Christians formed the body of Christ, and that they were the dwelling-place of God here below, the house of God on the earth-in a word, their whole position-is comprised in the expression, "their vocation." This is a summary of Ephesians 1-3. “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles — “ At the time the words of this verse were written, Paul was, from a human perspective, a prisoner of the Roman Empire. Ephesians 3: The Mystery of Christ. To the saints who are in Ephesus, and c are faithful 1 in Christ Jesus:. Summary of Ephesians 3 & 4 Paul then explains that he is in prison (One incident of him being in prison is recorded in Acts 16 ). Thus the gospel of the apostle was addressed to the Gentiles, to announce thus good news to them according to the gift of God, which had been granted to Paul by the operation of His power, to proclaim to them not merely a Messiah according to the promises made to the fathers, a Jewish Christ, but a Christ whose riches were unsearchable. He enlightened all with regard, not precisely, to the mystery, [1] of the mystery; that is to say, not only the counsel of God, but the accomplishment in time of that counsel by bringing the assembly together under Christ its head. In Ephesians 3:1-12 God has revealed this mystery to him. 1. It is based on a book I started writing nearly 20 years ago. Maybe someday I will finish it. The wisdom of God is made known through the church. See Ephesians 3:13 (printed below) Therefore, I ask you not to be discouraged because of my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory. "For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles," The writer begins his second … 1 comment Eph4: Therefore walk worthy of your calling. … 1 comment Eph5: Walk in love as Christ loved us. 8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Christ gave each of us gifts to build up the body. God, who created all things, had this thought, this purpose before creation, in order that, when He should subject all creation to His Son become a man and glorified, that Son should have companions in His glory, who should be like Himself, members of His body spiritual, living of His life. (Ephesians 5:1-3) He explains that vulgar talk should not exist among Christians. Therefore these Gentile believers were not to be discouraged on account of the imprisonment of him who had proclaimed to them this mystery; for it was the proof and the fruit of the glorious position which God had granted them, and of which the Jews were jealous. This was the entirely new part of the ways of God. In Christ He reveals Himself in all His glory. Here it is what is in us, and he prays that it may exist, and that as present power in the church. . Ephesians 3:4, NLT: "As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ." It was written to encourage believers to walk as fruitful followers of Christ and to serve in unity and love in the midst of persecution. This is the individual state which he desired to be realised among the Ephesians. He is overwhelmed with that. Ephesians 3:14-19 (taken from “The Message”, Eugene Peterson, Navpress) Context to Paul’s Prayer: Paul is writing to the church at Ephesus. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” It is the true fruit of nearness to God, and of the possession of privileges; if they are enjoyed in His presence. Here we might lose ourselves; but he brings them back to the well-known love of Christ, yet not as anything narrower, for He is God, and it passes knowledge, so that we are filled up to all the fulness of God. Ephesians Summary We have detailed a brief summary of the Book of Ephesians for Bible Study or Sunday School lessons. Ephesians 1 is a beautiful introduction to how we have received every … 11:25; 16:25; Eph. Verses 1-21. Paul wrote it about 60-62 A.D. In (3:1-13), the apostle leads us to focus on five aspects of this divine mystery: its prisoner, its plan, its preaching, its purpose and its privileges. The purpose of the book of Ephesians was to warn the church elders about the false teachers that were teaching a false gospel and to maintain their first love that they held when they first became believers. How does Paul describe his present situation in Ephesians 3:1 (printed below?) [2] Christ is the centre of all the display of divine glory, but He thus dwells in our hearts so as to set them, so to speak, in this centre, and make them look out thence on all the glory displayed. PRISON AND PRIVILEGES (Ephesians 3:1-13)To understand the connection of thought in this passage it has to be noted that Ephesians 3:2-13 are one long parenthesis. Ephesians 3:1 “For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,” The writer begins his second prayer in behalf of the readers. [7] There are hints throughout Scripture that the reason God created the world and the reason the church exists is to teach the angels something. 2 assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles. E phesians is one of the most encouraging books in the New Testament. New International Version. What a portion for us! Chapter 3 is Paul's administration of it; it speaks especially of the bringing in of the Gentiles on the same footing as the Jews. Before, God only had a special relationship with the Jewish people. They had seen creation arise and expand before their eyes; they had seen the government of God, His providence, His judgment; His intervention in lovingkindness on the earth in Christ. Browse Sermons on Ephesians 3. See Ephesians 3:19. The power to understand. Ephesians Chapter 3: Ephesians Chapter T hree Commentary by Ron Beckham. Verse 18. God’s Marvelous Plan for the Gentiles. The duty of the Jew was to respect this separation; he sinned, if he did not strictly observe it. Summary page for Preaching outline and Commentary on the book of Ephesians including Big Idea statement and some Notable Quotes. 3 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— 2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as … Chapter 3 had developed this in its whole extent. This revelation of the ways of God does not, as the first chapter, present Christ to us as man raised up by God from the dead, in order that we should be raised up also to have part with Him, and that the administration of the counsels of God should thus be accomplished. 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