Title: Ephesians Panorama
Contents
Ephesians Panorama
Theme: The Church is His Body, and in All Things
The fullness of him who fills (1:23).
The central theme of the book of Ephesians is called “ecclesiology”. This is true insofar as we recognize how grand and “glorious the church” (5:27) is. what is the church “The church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” (1:23). So, who is Christ, the head of the church? “In him all the fullness of the divinity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9). Therefore, the body church also says, “May you be filled with all the fulness of God” (3:19). This is the glorious church.
The word “fullness” appears seven times in Ephesians, which is the opposite of empty. It was empty and shattered like shattered glass because of the entry of sin into the world. But He “fills” the void and “fills” the emptiness, “He is our peace, who made the two one, and broke down the wall that was in the middle” (2:14), reconciling between God and sinners, bringing Jews and Gentiles into one. “so that all things in heaven and on earth may be unified in Christ” (1:10). This is the grandeur and glory of the Church.
The apostle writes in the book of Ephesians, “If you read these, you may know that I have understood the mystery of Christ” (3:4). The mystery that Paul realized is “the secret economy hidden in God, who created all things from eternity,” in which all things are filled and the heavens and the earth are unified. Ephesians is the book of Ephesians that reveals the grandeur and splendor of the secret dispensation “that something might be revealed” (3:9).
<Chapter 1>
① Chapter 1 can be said to be the selection of materials for building the church. each member of the church,
㉠ It means that God chose them before the foundation of the world (1:4). those whom you have chosen,
㉡ Christ is said to have bought with a price, “redemption through his blood” (1:7). Those whom the Holy Spirit bought with a price,
㉢ It means that God’s possession was revealed by “sealing” (1:13). How amazing is God's economy that there was the work of the Holy Trinity through the election of the Father, the redemption of the Son, and the sealing of the Holy Spirit in order to become a Christian?
<Chapter 2>
② In Chapter 2, you will see that the people prepared in Chapter 1 are connected to each other and are being built, that is, the church is being built.
㉠ “You were built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets” (20a), and there is a “foundation”.
㉡ “Christ Jesus Himself has become the corner stone” (2:20), and it says that Christ is the first “corner stone” laid down when building.
㉢ After that, “every building is connected to each other and becomes a temple in the Lord” (1st 21), and the small temples of each person are connected and built. This is the church.
㉣ Then whose house is the church? “You also are being built together in Jesus to be a dwelling place for God in the Spirit” (2:22).
“In order to become a dwelling place for God in the Holy Spirit, in Jesus,” and church building is the work of the Holy Trinity in relation to the Holy Spirit, the Son, and the Father. Did you know how glorious it is for a brother to be part of the church?
㉤ Christ says, “He is our peace, who made the two one, and broke down the wall in the middle” (2:14). In the past, there were many barriers between God and man and between man and man. Christ broke down the wall between God and man.
He also broke down the barriers that stood between men and humans, between Jews and Gentiles, between men and women, between masters and servants. Therefore, it is said that God reconciled between humans and made them one, so that they could be connected and built.
All Christians are so diverse that no two people are alike, but He called them into Christ and embraced them as one. This is the meaning of “en Christo,” that is, “in Christ”, which sums up Paul’s theology in one word.
㉥ There are only two churches. One is the heavenly church and the other is the earthly church. God’s ultimate goal is “that all things in heaven and on earth may be unified in Christ” (1:10). In the Old Testament era, the physical tabernacle and temple were called the dwelling place of God, but in the New Testament era, the church is said to be “the dwelling place of God” (2:22).
<Chapter 3>
③ Chapter 3 deals with praying for the church. It is like Solomon completing the temple and praying. “When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house” (2 Chronicles 7:1).
㉠ The prayer of the Apostle Paul also concludes by saying, “May you be filled with all the fulness of God” (3:19). do you know The church is such a glorious thing that it is filled with all the fullness of God. Even when Moses completed the tabernacle, “after that, the cloud covered the tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34).
The tabernacle or temple is a type of “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). In Christ “all the fullness of the divinity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9).
㉡ We must go further. Because he says, “In him you are also filled” (Colossians 2:10). Now, through the redemption of Jesus Christ, the church is filled with the glory of God. The head is full and the body is not empty. It is also full of body.
If God has filled the shadow of the true thing with such glory, we can be sure that He will fill the church of God, the reality purchased by His Son's blood, with more glory. That's why he says "the glorious church". The Holy Spirit who came down on the day of Pentecost did not fill the upper room. It was enough for the 120 disciples who had gathered there.
Did you now know the incomparable glory of the Church? Don't just know. Don't just say you believe. let's enjoy When you worship, meditate on being in that glory. Whatever you may see, I hope you will be convinced of this based on the faithful promises of God. Above all, keep in mind that you are a member of this glorious body of the Lord, the Church. Please do not forget this.
<Chapter 4>
㉠ “Walk worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (4:1).
㉡ “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (3). This is not to say that we strive to be “one”. “There is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God” (4-6). That is, we are one when we are born as members of the Church. But there are people who want to destroy it. That's why it's called "keep it hard".
㉣ Church members are diverse. However, the common denominator is that “faith, hope, the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and God are one.” Therefore, “be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (4:32).
<Chapter 5>
⑤ Again, the fact that the “church” is filled with the glory of God means that each and every member of the church is full. Also, that each saint is full,
㉠ It means the fullness of their home, the family. So “wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord” (5:22),
㉡ “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it” (25).
㉢ However, looking at the context of this exhortation, it is the exhortation given in the context of “Be filled with the Holy Spirit” (5:18). Being a Christian wife and a Christian husband is no easy task. It means that it is impossible without the filling of the Holy Spirit.
<Chapter 6>
⑥ Next, Chapter 6 says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord” (6:1). “And fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (4).
㉠ God's glory should not only be filled with the church, but also the "family". Because if the home is not filled, the church, the gathering of such families, will not be able to be filled.
㉡ Furthermore, the workplaces and businesses they serve should be filled with satisfaction. Social life and church life are never two, but one. Failure in social and family life as a Christian means failure in church life.
㉢ Therefore, “servants, obey your masters of the flesh with fear and trembling and with sincerity in sincerity, as to Christ” (6:5),
㉣ “Masters, do the same to them and stop accusing them, for you know that they and your master are in heaven, and there is no favoritism about him” (9).
㉤ That is why the mission of the church is said to be “the fullness of him who fills all in all” (1:23). All things can be filled with the glory of God when Christians live a full life as individuals, families, and members of society.
⑦ God's economy for the church spans the past, present, and future.
㉠ He has already given up his Son and sent the Holy Spirit to establish the church. This is a thing of the past.
㉡ Even in the present, he continues to “nurture the church” (5:29).
㉢ Also, in the future “he will set before him a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or such, holy and without blemish” (5:27). This will be completed with the Second Coming of the Lord.
Brothers, the church was not established by man, not supported by man, and not built by man. It is Christ Jesus who said, “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18).
Let us submit to the sovereignty of God. Let's keep in mind that while it is pride to rush to achieve it, to be discouraged and frustrated is another form of pride. The Church of God is established by God, nourished by God, and completed by God. This is the glorious church.