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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/eric-mccullough/ephesians-2/
I'll ask you to turn please to the epistle to the Ephesians. You that have heard me speak through the years know that this is a favorite epistle of mine and yet every time I look at it I can find something that's new.
So we'll read in chapter one of the Ephesian epistle. Paul is praying for these believers. Verse 17 he says he's making mention of them in his prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him having the eyes of your understanding enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his calling and the riches of the glory of his inheritance and the exceeding greatness of his power.
You notice it's all his according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenlies far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but in that also which is to come.
And he put all things under his feet and subjection under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the church which is his body the fullness of him that filleth all in all. Now look down to the end of chapter 2.
Verse 19 Paul says now therefore you're no more strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth onto unholy temple in the Lord in whom you also are builded together for an habitation of God through the spirit.
Now chapter 3 and verse 1 for this cause I Paul a prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles if you have heard the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you word how that by revelation he made known unto a made a mystery as I wrote afore and few words or before time whereby when you read you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of man and it is now revealed in his holy apostles and prophets by the spirit and this is the mystery that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.
Now chapter 4 and verse 11 and he that is God gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry for the building up the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God unto a full-grown or a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by sleight of hand and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive but speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things which is the head even Christ.
Now chapter 5 the last part of verse 25 Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it that he might sanctify and cleanse it with a washing of water by the word that he might present it to himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing that it should be holy and without blemish.
Now finally chapter 6 and verse 10 finally my brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take on to you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand stand therefore having your loins girt about with truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace above all taking the shield of faith wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked or the wicked one and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
And Paul says. And for me now God we know will bless his word. The epistle to the Ephesians is one of the high water marks in the ministry of the apostle. I was noticing recently that Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians are linked together in a lovely way.
For instance in the epistle to the Galatians he's seen the Lord Jesus as our deliverer. He hath delivered us from the power of darkness and were brought into the kingdom of his dear son. In the Ephesian epistle that I want to look at a little this afternoon the Lord Jesus is seen as our leader our file leader over and over again.
He tells us in this epistle how we should walk that's most important in our lives. In the epistle to the Philippians he's seen as our life Christ. Paul says that I might know him that I might get to know him better that I might seek to honor him.
For me to live is Christ. And it's only the spirit of God that enables us to live out the life of Christ. And the epistle to the Colossians Christ is our head. The one who is head over all things to the church the one that in him and for him and through him all things are made and he says by him all things consist.
So he's our head. Now I want to look at a theme in the epistle to the Ephesians. And for the sake of young believers let me suggest that when you approach a book particularly in the new testament see if you can find a theme and trace that theme right throughout the epistle.
For instance in the epistle of John 1 John you could readily trace the theme of love love not the world and so on. It runs right through the epistle. There's a number of themes that I've enjoyed in this epistle.
One of them suggests to me the work of God the working of his mighty power in our salvation in our prayer life in our preaching the power of God. And Paul makes a play on words. When he talks at the end of chapter one about power he uses the word that's our word for dynamite.
You know what dynamite does. Tremendous power. Then not only that he talks about the operation that's the energy the effective working of his mighty power. Then he talks about strength and that's what fortifies us.
Then he talks again about might and every time he uses the word power but they all have a different connotation. So you look for a theme that you can trace. Now the Ephesian epistle corresponds very readily with the book of Joshua in the old testament you remember Moses wasn't allowed to go into the land because he had instead of speaking to the rock he smote it and he smote it twice.
And so Moses was forbidden to go into the land of Canaan. He was allowed to look in but he didn't get there. And Joshua was raised up as the leader of the people of God. And God said to Joshua as I was with Moses so I will be with thee.
And every place that your foot stands upon it's yours to possess now. That's what Paul's teaching in the Ephesian epistle what we possess in Christ. And again you could trace through the epistle that theme of our possessions what God has given to us.
In every epistle the believer is viewed as seated in the heavenlies already in the purposes of God. This is positional teaching. That's the exposition of the epistle the positional teaching that tells me that God views me although I'm down here he sees me up there.
I enjoy that I hope we all do that we're seated in the heavenlies in Christ. Nothing will change. That you see this epistle reaches a very very high pinnacle. When Paul met with the elders in chapter 20 of the acts he said to them after my departure grievous wolves will enter in not sparing the flock.
And there's grievous wolves abroad in our day. And dear brethren the devil doesn't care who he uses to divide and disrupt fellowship among the people of God. He can use anyone. And so Paul warned the Ephesians who had reached this high plane.
He says after my departure grievous wolves will enter in not sparing the flock. And you know just what Paul warned would happen did happen. Because when John writes to them in the early chapters of the revelation you remember he says to the church at Ephesus I have against thee thou has left thy first love.
And just what he told them would happen did happen. And you know beloved brethren we have nothing to boast in the devil is bent on disrupting and destroying testimony. My father spent a year in Norway before he was married.
He used to write to a couple of Scottish missionaries who were there. He was living in Ireland at the time and they encouraged him to go over to Norway. So he went over and he stayed for a year preached at first by interpreter and then got so he could speak a bit of the Norwegian language.
And I said to him dad one day I said to him why didn't you stay in Norway. I might have been born in Norwegian. Wouldn't that have been something. I'd had to change my accent anyway he said to me I discovered that the assemblies in Norway were sending out missionaries to the heathen Africa South America.
And he said I felt there was more need somewhere else. I have a diary of his. He tells about being at conferences and Bergen and Stavanger and some of those big cities with three and four hundred believers and there were many assemblies but they were all wiped out until today.
There's I think one little assembly with 10 or 12 in fellowship that's it now dear brethren we need to be careful of grievous wolves that can enter in not sparing the flock. Now come with me. I want to suggest from this epistle some of the figures of the church that he's speaking about.
And when I'm speaking about the church in this epistle it's not as local aspect as when he writes to the Corinthians. This is the church universal or dispensational composed of all believers. Now the first thing he says at the end of chapter one after telling them that he's praying for them that they would have their eyes open that they've been enlightened that they know the hope of his calling and the riches of his inheritance and all the exceeding greatness of his power.
He tells us that he gave him to be head over all things to the church which is his body. Now when you think of a body as I you think of life something that's living. You see the church is not something that's stagnant it's something that's ongoing.
It's living and souls are being saved and they're being added to the church which is his body. Part of the body's in heaven. Our head is there but not until the lord comes at the rapture will the church be complete.
Then the body and the head for the first time will all be united. And so he says he put all things under his feet. There's creation that was put in subjection to him over all created intelligences. He says he gave him power and dominion not only in this world but in that which is to come.
And he says he gave him to be head over all things to the church which is his body. And if you want to apply it to a local aspect you'd have to go to the Corinthian epistle and look at chapters 12 and 14 where the various members of the body are mentioned and they're all interdependent and absolutely necessary every member.
I remember listening to a professor one day in a class of physiology and he started. He was an agnostic and I didn't like him. But all he wanted to know is if you would assimilate what he was propagating.
And when it came to the final exams I answered his questions and then I wrote at the bottom but I don't really believe one word of this and he gave me an A. He didn't care whether I believed it or not he just wanted to know.
Did I understand what he was teaching. And one day he was talking in that physiology class about what he called the lowly appendix. And here's how he described it the vestigial remains of the evolutionary process something like the tail of a monkey.
And I laughed at him he didn't like it. But you know they've come to tell us that the appendix is a very necessary organ in our bodies. It has a function in digestion and while we don't know anything about its workings it's absolutely essential.
And every member of the body of Christ is necessary just as every member in the assembly is necessary. You make sure that you care for every assembly member show them the same love show them the same affection.
They all belong to Christ and they're interdependent one upon another. That's what Paul deals with locally. When he writes to the Corinthians he says they I can't say the hand to the foot. I have no need of thee and so on.
You know what he says. They're all necessary. The body reminds us of life. Now another figure at the end of chapter two is a building. He says all a building fitly framed together groweth. You notice again it's active.
It's not stagnant. It's growing. It groweth onto an holy temple in the Lord in whom he also you Ephesians you're builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. Now when you think of a building you think of something that's visible.
And when we think of the church of God on earth in its broad aspect people should recognize in your life and in my life something different something of reality. You know that the church is not the building made of brick and stone.
I was speaking to Brother Steinerson reminding him of the years ago when we were building the hall up there in Wisconsin in Ontario and it was all home sought oak lumber and all of those two by fours that went around the outside of that building.
You had to drill a hole before you could drive an ale in. There was supposed to be two by fours but they were closer to two and a quarter and four and a quarter. And that building is it's held together by trusses and bolts.
And instead of 24 inch centers on those rafters they're 16 inches. Because that's what the law demanded the state of Wisconsin. You could drive a bulldozer over that roof. The strongest building in the town of Ontario is the gospel hall.
But people see it. It's something to look at. But then they watch the individual members. But that gospel hall is not the church. That's where the church gathers. That's where they meet. It's composed of living stones.
You know man can make a brick but only God can make a stone. Just like Solomon's temple. Those stones were quarried and brought up to Jerusalem and they were placed in that building. There wasn't a sound made.
The Bible says that there wasn't the sound of a hammer. No noise. And when you hear a lot of noise today about the so-called work of God and hundreds of people professing to be saved you can put a big question mark after that because God doesn't work that way today.
It's a soul here and another one there quietly. The building is still going on. Then very quickly another figure I mentioned in chapter three is the mystery. The world doesn't understand the Christian.
Paul tells us what the mystery is that Jew and Gentile who are a strain. The Gentiles looked as the the Jews looked at the Gentiles as dogs. How can you Gentiles be brought into this realm of salvation that we have.
And Paul told them there's no longer a middle wall separating. That wall has been broken down and now it's not Jew or Gentile but the church of God. They're one that was the mystery wasn't made known in earlier days.
Then quickly in chapter four the figure is the family he says as he writes to them not to be like children carried about with every wind of doctrine. You know there's some people and they're easily influenced.
The lady told me one time about this preacher that she heard minister for a week and I said to her well what was he ministering on. Well she said I just can't remember. Well I said what did you like about him.
She said I liked his accent. Well I hope brethren that there's more than an accent that we appreciate. Mr. Lavery's lost most of his Irish accent but a little bit there. But you see he's telling us here that God wants us to be just like a family not as children full-grown matured brought into what he says the measure of the fullness of Christ not tossed about by every wind of doctrine.
Check everything by this book. Then in chapter five the figure that he uses is a bride. I like this. He says Christ loved the church gave himself for it that he might present it to himself a glorious church.
Now this reminds me of that day when at the marriage supper of the lamb the bride will be presented to Christ. And you know dear brethren from what john writes in the revelation chapter 19 is it. He talks about the saints in garments of fine linen pure and white that we're going to wear in that coming day.
And we're weaving down here the garments that we're going to wear up there. Never forget that what you and I will be in a coming day is conducive is dependent upon what my interests are right now. Don't ever think that when we get to heaven we're all going to be the same.
We'll have glorified bodies. But our sphere of activity in that day is dependent on my interest in God's things right now. That's why we encourage young people to go in for pleasing him. The bride will be presented to the bridegroom or the bride which is the church.
You know in our weddings everybody wants to see the bride. What kind of gown is she wearing. What's the colors of all her bridesmaids. The groom just has to be there. You know that the mother of the groom just has to wear beige and not say anything.
It's the mother of the bride. That is all the work that right. But in this heavenly sphere it's the bridegroom that will be the focal point. The bride of Christ composed of all believers will be presented to him.
And then we'll go into the father's house. And then there'll be that eternal age when you and I will reign with him from sea to sea and from the rivers onto the ends of the earth. Now finally in chapter 6 the figure that he uses of the church is a warrior.
You notice Paul like an army sergeant saying put on take up stand over. And over again he says put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the enemy. You see there's a war on the Christian is not like a soldier that's on leave.
This is active engagement wiles of the devil. And the devil is very much alive in our day. There's a man called Hal Lindsay wrote a book called satan is alive and well on planet earth today. If you've never read it and you can get it.
Read it but don't read it. Going to bed at night you'll have nightmares. But he reminds us of the power of the enemy in this day in which our lot is cast. And so Paul says God has made provision. He has given us the girdle of truth the breastplate of righteousness to guard our affections.
Where are my affections today. What's the prime interest in my Christian living. Is it him or is it self. The sandals of preparation the shield of faith the helmet of salvation the sword of the spirit.
Paul says put it on. And as I often mention there's no armor mentioned for the back. Reminds me of the war days near the end when the Japanese forces were taking all the islands in the pacific. And they look back for that bad for the allies.
And general MacArthur called his troops together and to encourage them not to defeat and turn their back but to stand and fight the enemy. Here's what he said. The greater the recognition of the enemy the greater the potential of ultimate victory.
In the end recognize the enemy face the enemy and that's what they did. The day came when those Japanese naval and air officers laid down their swords on the deck of the mighty battleship the Missouri.
And they were brought to their knees in unconditional surrender. And so you and I have power. We have all that's available to stand against the wiles of the devil. Put on the armor and face the enemy and seek to honor him the Lord.
Bless you. Thank you for listening. Bless his word.