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Ephesians Six Choices for Making the Most of What You’ve Been Given

Copyright © 2016 Tom Holladay

Published by Pastors.com 30021 Comercio Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. The Living Bible, TLB, and the The Living Bible logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NCV are taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4228-0387-5

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

ContentsIntroduction ............................................................................................... 7

WEEK 1

Day 1 .................................................................................................... 9Day 2 .................................................................................................. 15Day 3 .................................................................................................. 21Day 4 .................................................................................................. 27Day 5 .................................................................................................. 33

WEEK 2

Day 1 .................................................................................................. 39Day 2 .................................................................................................. 45Day 3 .................................................................................................. 51Day 4 .................................................................................................. 57Day 5 .................................................................................................. 65

WEEK 3

Day 1 .................................................................................................. 71Day 2 .................................................................................................. 77Day 3 .................................................................................................. 83Day 4 .................................................................................................. 89Day 5 .................................................................................................. 95

WEEK 4

Day 1 ................................................................................................ 101Day 2 ................................................................................................ 107Day 3 ................................................................................................ 115Day 4 ................................................................................................ 121Day 5 ................................................................................................ 129

WEEK 5


WEEK 6


Ephesians 1 Small Group Study ........................................................... 219






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Introduction

These studies began as Wednesday night Bible Studies for Saddleback Church, then became an audio podcast through Scripture called Drivetime Devotions, and are now in written form through this personal and devotional Bible study series. Although I have no doubt that many can be encouraged by the teaching of these books to others through this series, the main focus is on living God’s Word in your daily life. With that in mind, there are three things that I believe will help you in your personal growth that you should be aware of in these studies:

1. Read one study every day. These studies are meant to be read one study a day, five days a week—that way you can miss two days in the week and still keep up! We all grow more by studying a shorter section of God’s Word daily than we would by studying a longer section only once a week. It’s like eating: You’ll be healthier if you eat small amounts daily and not one big meal weekly.

2. Act on the truth of God’s Word. Jesus clearly taught us in the story of the houses built on rock or sand that it’s not only hearing the Word that is important, but also acting on what you hear. “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24). The purpose of these studies is to strengthen you to live God’s Word, to apply God’s truth, to do God’s will, and to practice God’s love.

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3. End with a prayer. Prayer is our response to what God has said to us. It’s good to think about God, and it’s even better to talk to God about what you are thinking—prayer is the bridge between you and God. You may want to pray the prayer that is written or it may prompt you to pray your own prayer. The growth comes in the prayer, in the moments we take to rely on God’s strength to bring into our lives what he has directed and promised.

A brief note about translations: Since the majority of these studies were taught using the New International Version before the most recent update in 2011, I’ve retained the 1984 version throughout.

My prayer is that God’s grace will be your strength as you look to practice his joy in your daily life!

Tom Holladay

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Week 1: Day 1Ephesians is a book that tells you how to make the most of what God has given you. While it is good to get training in practical skills to do your best in every area of life, you must begin at a deeper level if you want to see God make the most of your life. We oft en see people with the greatest skills fail because of a weariness that overtakes them or an insecurity that overcomes them or a sin that overwhelms them. Skills are good, but we need something more. Ephesians is the message of God’s deeper foundation for a meaningful life. It is also the message that even when we think it is over, God has a plan for our lives.

In our study of Ephesians, we’re going to look together at six specifi c choices for making the best of what God has given you.

1. Become overwhelmed by how much you’ve been given.

2. Live a life of grace.

3. Center your life on serving through the Body of Christ.

4. Learn how to put off the old and put on the new.

5. Be unselfi sh in your relationships.

6. Fight spiritual battles, expecting to win.

Tomorrow we’ll look at the fi rst of these. We begin today with a brief look at Paul, the author of Ephesians, and the people of Ephesus, who were the fi rst to receive this letter, and we’ll conclude with a truth that will get your heart ready to hear God’s truth.

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Ephesians 1:1-2 says: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul begins by saying he’s an apostle of Jesus Christ sent by the will of God. An apostle is a messenger who is sent as an authorized spokesman for Jesus Christ. How could Paul, who began his ministry after Jesus was in Heaven, be an apostle? How could Jesus have sent him? In the book of Acts we read that God arranged a special meeting for the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus where God personally called him to serve.

Paul says he’s writing to the saints in Ephesus. The Bible’s definition of a saint is different from the first listing you find in most dictionaries. The American Heritage Dictionary says a saint is “a person officially recognized, especially by canonization, as being entitled to public veneration and capable of interceding for the people on earth.” It’s interesting that the second definition in that dictionary is “a person who has died and gone to heaven.”

Neither of those fit with any of the people in Ephesus! The idea we have of a saint being somebody who lives a nearly perfect life and then is given a special designation in death is not the way the word is used in the Bible. A close look at the New Testament shows that every Christian is called a saint. The word “saint” means someone who has been set apart for God’s special purposes. According to the Bible, if you’re a follower of Jesus, you are a saint.

You may not feel worthy of that designation. The point of the first three chapters of the book of Ephesians is to show you that you’re not

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worthy in yourself of being called a saint, but God has set you apart in Jesus Christ and that has made you worthy.

The saints Paul is writing to were in Ephesus, one of the larger cities of that day. It was originally built as a trade city, but its harbor was ruined as it slowly filled with sediment over the years. As a result, trade suffered, so Ephesus became primarily a temple and tourist city. There was a temple to a false goddess named Artemis where the so-called worship had come to involve a culture of prostitution. The city was thought of as we might think of Las Vegas or Amsterdam today. Paul is writing to let them know that God has a different identity for them. He wants the Church to know that our calling can be a greater influence than our culture.

Paul had been to Ephesus and had seen how Christ could work to change even a city like that. In Acts 19 we learn that Ephesus was the place where Paul stayed for nearly three years, longer than he stayed at any other church in his missionary journeys. It was there he had his greatest impact, expressed his highest love, but also faced his strongest criticism.

As a result of Paul’s preaching in Ephesus, the message of Jesus Christ spread across Asia. People from all over the region traveled to Ephesus for a holiday or on business. While there, they would see the group of Christians growing in the city. They’d hear about Jesus, and then they’d take the news back to their friends. All of Asia was impacted by Paul’s ministry at Ephesus.

In Acts 20 Paul goes back to visit the Ephesian leaders and talks about it as a place of highest love. He poured out his life for the people

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there. The impact that Christ made through Paul in that city came at a cost. He gave his heart in sacrificial service.

Paul’s preaching came with another cost. Paul faced probably his strongest criticism—and certainly his loudest—in Ephesus. Because the message of Jesus was changing people’s lives, Paul’s preaching began to affect the local economy. There were some silversmiths in the city who made idols of the false goddess Artemis that they would sell for profit. But their sales went down as people started worshipping the one, true God. So they tried to undermine Paul’s ministry by appealing to religious and local pride. They filled a theater and led people to shout for two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

It’s true that great success is often met by great criticism.

About 10 years after his initial ministry in Ephesus, Paul was a prisoner in Rome writing this letter back to these people that he loved. In his opening comments, Paul talks about the two worlds we all live in as Christians. He says, “to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus.” Notice the two worlds: in Ephesus and in Christ Jesus.

Just like the Ephesians, we live in the world, but we’re not of the world. We live in the world, but, more importantly, we’re living in Christ. The phrase “in Christ Jesus” is used 15 times in this letter. You are in Christ.

Here’s the picture: As believers in Christ we’re like scuba divers. We live in an alien environment—this world—that is filled with evil. But we have this little tube sticking out of the environment that enables us

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to breathe. The only source of oxygen for the scuba diver is through that tube, and the only source of real life for us in this world is through Christ. To try to live in the world without being in Christ is like a scuba diver trying to breathe with the tube under the water.

Paul begins this letter with a very simple prayer: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. He begins most of his letters with a prayer for grace and a prayer for peace. That doesn’t mean you should skip over it; that means it’s important. God says something again and again so that we’ll remember it. Grace and peace: we live our lives in light of his grace, we live our lives in the victory of his peace. That is the place to start as we study the book of Ephesians.

Prayer“Thank you, Father, for your grace—your gift of new life and love through Jesus Christ. And thank you for your peace—your gift of freedom from worry and your hope in daily life because of Jesus Christ. I pray that as I study through this book I will see myself in a new way, and will see the world around me in a new way. I know that this starts when I see you in a new way, so help me to see in a greater way the depth of your love. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

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Week 1: Day 2Who is the richest person in the world? Th e Sultan of Brunei, the Walton family from Walmart, Bill Gates, Warren Buff ett? Th e Bible says the richest person in the world is you! Ephesians 1:3 says you are blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Th ose are incalculable riches.

Th ese are not riches for every person who lives on the planet. Th ese are riches for those who have accepted God’s choice of them in his Son, Jesus Christ. God doesn’t just throw riches at anybody; God’s riches come based on our faith in him. Th e moment we put our trust in him, the riches are poured out on our lives.

Th e Bible says in Ephesians 1:3: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

“Every spiritual blessing” does not mean some spiritual blessing or your share of spiritual blessing or even most spiritual blessing. It means every spiritual blessing! God turns up the volume on this statement through the next 11 verses.

Notice the phrase “in the heavenly realms in Christ.” We’re going to come back to this a few times in Ephesians. “In the heavenly realms” refers to the part of reality that God sees, even though we don’t. Th ings that may look unsettled to us on this earth are already settled in Heaven. You may wonder about how blessed you really are, but it’s already settled with God. He blesses us now and all the way into eternity. We’re already seated with God in Jesus Christ in heavenly places. God already looks at you as holy. God’s inheritance is already

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yours. It may not feel that way, but it is that way, based on the power of God’s person and promise.

As we study these verses about God’s blessings, look for this phrase that you’ll see again and again: “to the praise of his glory.” It reminds us that God’s blessing is for God’s glory. God brings us within the circle of his love so that he can be seen as the center of everything. God is rightfully the center of attention of the universe because he’s the Creator. This may sound prideful to us, but that is because we’re not God. God doesn’t need to have pride; he is perfection. He is the person who is at the very center, not because he’s pushing for a position but by the very nature of his being.

Some have called Ephesians 1:4-14 the last will and testament of Jesus to the Church. Because he died and was resurrected, these blessings are the inheritance we receive. In the original Greek this entire passage is easily read as one sentence. To get the effect you would have to read these verses in one breath. Phrase after phrase builds praise upon praise as we see blessings that God has built into our lives. We’re going to see seven specific blessings that God has given us as we study this passage.

The first blessing is that God chose you to be holy and blameless. Ephesians 1:4 says: For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. The blessing is that we are holy and blameless. However, we get stuck earlier in the sentence on the words “chose us in him before the creation of the world.” This idea of being chosen and predestined creates questions for many of us. How can we be chosen and still have the responsibility to choose? If my life is predestined, does that mean I don’t ever make any

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decisions? Because this is one of the top questions Christians have about faith, we can’t skip by without dealing with this question.

You might think of this in terms of two questions. First, do people have a free will? The answer is obviously “yes.” You can see that everywhere in this world in both the good and evil choices that people make.

Second question: Does God have absolute control? The answer to that one is also “yes.” We can see that in the actions and descriptions of God found in the Bible.

Do people have free will? Yes. Does God have absolute control? Yes. Does this make sense to us? No! It doesn’t make sense to us that we can have free will and God can still have absolute control. But when we get to Heaven, it will all make sense. It makes sense to God now. Can something be true even if it doesn’t make sense to you? Of course it can. God is greater than we are.

People try to figure this question out logically, but it can’t be figured out logically. This truth is greater than us. Because our finite minds cannot quite grasp this, we’re tempted to compromise one truth in favor of the other or to weaken both truths by taking a position somewhere in between. Just let both truths be true. We have the opportunity to choose, and God has chosen us. Don’t get bogged down in trying to explain the unexplainable.

J. I. Packer has said, “Let God be wiser than man because he is.”

God chose us before the creation of the world. The blessing is what he chose us for—to be holy (separate and distinct), blameless, and a sacrifice fit to offer God. This is a description of your future. You will

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stand before God “holy and blameless in his sight” because of what Jesus did for you.

Paul is clearly talking not only about the future but also about now. Because God has already done this for you in Christ, this is how he sees you right now. God sees you in light of where you’re headed, not where you are today. The Christian life is not about trying to become something you are not; it is living up to what God has made you to be.

The second blessing is that God has adopted you into his family. Ephesians 1:5-6 says: In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

We’re all part of God’s creation, but we are not automatically a part of God’s family. God doesn’t force anyone to be in his family. You have to accept his choice of you to be adopted into his family. When you are adopted into his family, you see the world in a different way. Romans 8:15 says: We should not be like cringing, fearful slaves, but we should behave like God’s very own children, adopted into . . . his family, and calling to him, “Father, Father” (TLB).

I’ve talked to people who were adopted as children who struggled when they learned that they were adopted. But there came a moment when they realized the fact that they were adopted meant they were chosen. Someone had specifically chosen them to be a part of their family. Adoption shouts the truth, “I am wanted!”

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God says he wants us in his family, so he adopts us into his family. He does this, the Bible says, in accordance with his pleasure and his will. “God’s will” means he wanted to do it. “God’s pleasure” means it makes him happy to do it. For God, adopting you isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s a joyous thing to do. He wants you in his family. Jesus Christ came to this world and gave his life so you could be adopted into God’s family. The next phrase talks about the result: “to the praise of his glorious grace.” The most important impact of our adoption is that eternity will echo with the praise that God is a giving God.

These beginning verses of Ephesians talk to us about who we are in Christ. Later in Ephesians we’re going to look at what we do in Christ, but God begins by sharing with us who we are. This is because what we do grows out of who we are. We become in order to do; we don’t do in order to become. You are made a new person and adopted into God’s family so that you can do the things God has made you to do.

Prayer“God, I am grateful that you have chosen me to be holy and blameless in your sight. I could never attain that on my own effort. I see the evil and sin in my life, but you see me as new and different because of Jesus Christ. Father, thank you for adopting me into your family. I want to live my life secure in this truth of your love. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

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Week 1: Day 3We are continuing our study of the blessings that God has given us in Jesus Christ as we look at Ephesians 1:7-12 today. We looked yesterday at the fi rst two blessings: you are holy and blameless and God has adopted you into his family.

God’s third blessing for all who are in Christ is: we are redeemed and forgiven. Ephesians 1:7-8 says: In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

Th ese verses remind us of two blessings you have because Jesus Christ died on the cross: you have redemption and you have forgiveness.

Redemption means a ransom was paid to deliver those incapable of freeing themselves. Th e picture behind the word “redemption” is that of a slave being bought at a slave market, not to be used as a slave but instead to be set free. We’re picked up out of the place of our sin, and we’re delivered to a destination of freedom. Th is “picking up out of ” is called redemption.

Th e picture behind forgiveness is that of being carried away. Th e Jewish people had a clear example of this each year. When a sacrifi ce was made for the sins of the people on the Day of Atonement, two goats were used. One was sacrifi ced, and the blood was sprinkled on the altar. Th en the priest would put his hands on the other goat and symbolically place upon it the sins of the people. It was called the scapegoat, the original use of this term. Th en that goat would be sent out into the wilderness, carrying away the sins. Th e Bible says

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in Psalm 103:12: He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west (NLT). All of the Old Testament sacrifices were looking forward to what Jesus Christ was going to do on the cross. Jesus is our scapegoat, and our sins are carried away from us because of what he did on the cross.

Grace is not just given to us. It is lavished upon us. What do you think of when you see the word “lavished”? You may have a picture of a wonderful meal or six-star hotel or beautiful vacation spot. Whatever that picture is, you can take and multiply it by a million, and you still will not get close to the riches of what it means for grace to be lavished on you. Something that is lavish usually comes with great cost, and that is certainly true of grace. The blood that Jesus gave for us was the cost of our forgiveness, of our redemption. You will enjoy the riches of God’s grace for all eternity because of the price that Jesus paid. You have redemption—you are free. You have forgiveness—your sins are sent away.

The fourth blessing in this list is that God has shown us the mystery of his will. Ephesians 1:9-10 says: And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

In the New Testament, a mystery is a secret that has now been revealed. The mystery Paul is talking about here is the culminating and unifying and sanctifying event in all history. What is this event? It is the bringing together of all things in Heaven and on Earth under one head, Jesus Christ.

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The mystery revealed is Jesus! All the Old Testament was looking forward to Jesus. All of us now look back to Jesus, and all of eternity in Heaven will be in praise to Jesus. Jesus is at the center of everything. When life gets confusing, that’s the answer to the mystery of life. If you want to sort things out, you have to center your life on Jesus Christ. The secret is no longer hidden. God wants you to enjoy these riches that are given to us in Jesus Christ.

There’s a fifth blessing: being chosen to bring praise to God. Ephesians 1:11-12 says: In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

In verse 11, Paul’s words begin to take on a more personal tone as he talks to the Ephesians. He’s not only talking about what God has done for all who trust in Christ; he’s talking about what God has done for the Ephesians. To hear this truth theologically you must first hear it personally. God chose you! Instead of beginning with questions you may have about how God’s choice works, always begin with God’s choice of you as the foundation for answering your questions.

Our choice and God’s choice are both involved in these verses.

We choose to look for hope in Christ rather than dozens of other places. We choose to listen to the word of the Good News of Jesus Christ. We choose to believe. God has given us that choice, and he’s going to hold us responsible for the choice we make.

And, God chooses us. He sent Jesus Christ into this world to choose us. He sent his Spirit into our lives to let us know that we are chosen.

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Our choice would mean nothing without God’s choice. We wouldn’t have a choice without God’s choice.

The Bible is clear that predestination involves God’s choice and human choice. If you lean too far in the direction of God’s choice, you end up with fatalism, the idea that no matter what we do, God has inevitably made his choice. But we know that God has given us a choice, and he’s going to hold us responsible for that choice. If you lean too far toward human choice, you end up not with fatalism but with humanism, the idea that it all depends on you, and whatever you choose you can have. But we know that our choice is based on God’s choice of us and what he has done for us.

The Bible says in these verses that you are chosen to bring praise to God. The ultimate fulfillment in life is to bring praise to your Creator.

What gift can you give to God, who owns everything? You can give him your choice to love him. That brings him praise, because it all started with God choosing to love you.

If you have not told God that you want to trust in him for these blessings in your life, you can tell him in a prayer right now.

Prayer“Jesus, thank you that you gave your life for me on the cross and showed how deeply you love me. I trust you for the blessings of your redemption, your forgiveness, and your love.

“I want to live this day in light of your love. I know that no one is going to love me more than you. I know there are no greater riches than the riches you have given. Instead of chasing after other riches or

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hoping that some other love is going to satisfy me, I choose to focus this day on your riches and love. I want what I do and say to be based on who you are and what you’ve done for me. I pray this in your name, Jesus. Amen.”

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published by pastors - amazon s3...a wise man who built his house on the rock” (matthew 7:24). the...

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