Ephesians 4:1-6

          It helps to know that Paul writes as the prisoner of the Lord.  The call to believers to walk worthy of the calling is coming from one who is walking the walk in a most difficult situation.  Remember: the worthy walk depends on the worthiness of the One who called us and not on the ease of our circumstances.

          The calling with which you were called surely refers to God’s choice of us to be holy and without blame (1:4).  But in Ephesians this calling is in the context of the one body of Christ consisting of Jew and Gentile.  Thus, as Paul moves to the practical insights based in the doctrine of Eph. 1-3, his first concern is that these believers walk in unity.  Three things contribute to this worthy walk: attitudes, 4:1-3; doctrine, 4:4-6; and church ministry, 4:7-16.

¨     The right attitudes for unity, 4:1-3.

·        Lowliness is the attitude of submission or humility.  It is the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5-11).  It is the means of receiving God’s grace (1 Pet. 5:5).

·        Gentleness is the meekness whereby we yield our rights and expectations to God.  Vine’s word study says it is equanimity of spirit that is neither elated nor cast down, simply because it is not occupied with self at all.

·        Longsuffering is patience in difficult situations.  Again, from Vine, it is that quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation which does not hastily retaliate or promptly punish.

·        Forbearance is putting up with the ill-treatment of others.  It is united with love because forbearance must include a positive attitude toward the one who mistreats us.

·        Peace is the context believers live in as they deal with each other.  Thus they keep the unity they already have as fellow citizens with the saints.

¨     The right doctrine for unity, 4:4-6.

          This is a recognition of the unity or singleness of certain truths.  As there is no division in these, there is no room for believers to be divided over them.

·        One body, not one for Jews and one for Gentiles.

·        One Spirit who is the seal of God’s work in all believers.

·        One hope in our calling.  God will bring all His sons to glory, so there is no room for division between the haves and have-nots in Christ.

·        One Lord.  It’s not Jesus and Moses or Jesus and anyone else.  He is Lord.

·        One faith that saves, the faith which appropriates God’s grace.

·        One baptism in my view refers to the baptism by the Spirit into the one body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13) that is pictured by water baptism. 

·        One God and Father of all.  The word all is used 4 times in v6.  In worship we worship one God.  In prayer we pray to one Father.  

          Are you experiencing divisions in your relationships in the body of Christ?  Some division is necessary (1 Cor. 11:19) but we must ask if our disunity is the result of bad attitudes or failure to maintain the unity of the Spirit.

Psalm 54 (1 Sam. 23:14-29)

We have included the reading from 1 Samuel because the story that is behind this Psalm provides such an encouragement for those in a similar situation.  David was essentially betrayed or may have felt ganged up on by the Ziphites.  He was hiding in their area and so they went to tell King Saul.  In the meantime God did two wonderful things to deliver David.  First He encouraged him by a visit from his beloved friend Jonathan.  Then, when Saul was close to David (they were on opposite sides of a mountain) God brought news to Saul of problems with the Philistines so he had to go fight a more important battle.  According to the title David prayed this prayer when the Ziphites had gone to tell Saul of his whereabouts.

With that in mind, consider this short prayer.

·        54:1-3: the request.  David asks to be vindicated.  In other words he has a strong standing before God.  He has not actually caused Saul any trouble but has been helpful to Saul.  In addition it is God who chose David to succeed Saul as King.  Furthermore, David had not abused the Ziphites in any way.  He calls the strangers, indicating he had little contact with them.  Perhaps you have been in this type of situation, betrayed by those around you, people who have no reason to be against you.

·        54:4-5: the object of faith.  David’s confidence is in God.  When we come in prayer we must have a confidence that will not leave us ashamed.  If we trust in our money or influence or friends or education we will eventually be ashamed.  Our trust must be in an Object that is always reliable.  We David we need to say, “God is my helper.”

·        54:6-7: the exercise of faith.  David’s confidence in God brings confidence in the moment.  He is at rest, no longer worried about the situation.  His promise to worship God fits his faith.  In v7 he may be referring to past deliverance, although it sounds more like he sees the current problem as already solved.  Confidence in God does that for believers.

Be encouraged today as you face life’s trials, especially those involving people around us.  Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication let us bring every situation to God; and His peace will guard our hearts (Phil. 4:6-7).   Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you (1 Pt. 5:7).

Ephesians 3:14-21

          In Eph. 1 Paul prayed that believers would have their eyes opened wide to the depth and significance of their spiritual blessings.  Now, after revealing how the enmity between Jew and Gentile has been abolished by the Prince of Peace, he again prays, asking God to enable the believer to know the love of Christ.  

¨     Paul’s prayer of adoration, 3:14-15.

          As always prayer is addressed to the Father, the One who longs to provide for His children.  But the Father is further identified as the One from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.  The term family ties this in with the household of God (2:19) as well as the family emphasis in Paul’s stewardship.  Whether they have gone to be with the Lord in heaven or are now on earth, all the family has been chosen by God and predestined to be His sons.

¨     Paul’s prayer of supplication, 3:16-19.

          There is a definite process through which believers come to know the fullness of Christ’s love.

·        Paul first prays for strength in the inner man, v16.

·        The result of this inner strength will be that Christ dwells in the heart of the believer, v17a.  The word dwell has the idea of truly being at home.  Paul is praying for more than Christ simply being in the believer; He must occupy the house and be Lord of the house.

·        Paul then prays that they might be rooted and grounded in love, v17b.  This happens when Christ is truly at home in the believer through faith.  We experience His love in ways that go far beyond simply reading of His love in the Bible or hearing about His love from a preacher.  And as we experience His love during the successive trials of life we become rooted and grounded in that love.

·        As we grow solid in His love we come to comprehend that love in all it’s dimensions, v18-19a.  This love is wide, extending to every person and circumstance; it is long for all time; it is high with extreme sacrifice; and it is deep for the deepest need.  It surpasses knowledge in that it is hard to speak of, and yet we are able to comprehend it more and more.

·        The end of this is that we are then filled with the fullness of God, v19b.  To comprehend the love of Christ is to be filled with the fullness of God.  God chose us for this: to be like Him as a son is like his father.

¨     Paul’s prayer of commitment, 3:20-21.

          The power that works in us was identified in 1:19b-23 as the power that was at work in Christ.  Remember that this prayer began with a request for strength in the inner man.  This process cannot be accomplished in any way apart from God who does above what we ask or think.  Along with Paul let us give God glory.  His power has raised you to the heavenly places in Christ (2:1-10) and will cause you to be filled with the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:1-13

          Note that both vs. 1 & 14 begin with the same phrase, For this reason.  It appears that Paul is about to express the prayer of 3:14-21 at the beginning of the chapter when the Holy Spirit causes him to be sidetracked.  Paul is led to explain and affirm his special role as the one who reveals the mystery of His will (1:9).  

¨     Paul had a dispensation/stewardship from God, 3:1-3.

          This word dispensation relates to a household.  In Roman times a wealthy home was run by stewards or servants under the authority of the father, the head of the house.  When the father went on a trip he would give responsibility for the family to various servants to be sure the family was well cared for in his absence.  So Christ, when He ascended to heaven, gave dispensations or stewardships in order to care for the household of God.  In one sense all believers, by their spiritual gifts, have something to give to the family.  

¨     Paul’s stewardship involved the mystery of Christ, 3:4-6.

          Paul’s stewardship was unique.  It involved a mystery not known in Old Testament times.  Though God had always intended to do what He kept secret, it was Paul that God chose to give the details as to how Gentiles would become fellow-heirs, of the same body, and partakers of the gospel promise in Christ.

¨     Paul's stewardship was carried out in his service, 3:7-13.

          This paragraph teaches all believers key truths as to how we carry out our stewardship.  The primary truth is that Paul became a minister or servant.  He realized that his only task was to carry out the will of his Master, and that will was that he serve the body of Christ.  For many people servanthood is demeaning.  But for Paul being a servant was a gift of the grace of God and something he did, not in his strength, but by the effective working of His power.  

          To serve the Lord Jesus Christ is in fact an undeserved gift.  He knew that he was the least of all the saints (v8).  And yet to him was given the task of preaching to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to make all see the fellowship of the mystery.  In other words, he evangelized among the Gentiles, and then worked to be sure that all in the church knew that there was a unity in fellowship between Jew and Gentile.  A reading of the book of Acts shows that Paul in fact did this.

          The purpose for Paul’s stewardship was the same as for all things: for the glory of God (v10-11).  The working out of this mystery shows, even to the angels, the great wisdom of God.  It was God’s eternal purpose to bring together all under Christ and He deserves glory for how it is all coming together.  This raises Paul’s service to the highest level and gives sense to the trials that accompanied it every step along the way.

          In many ways Paul is the prime Biblical example of the servant of Christ.  Do you see yourself in this passage?  What has God, by His grace, given you to give to the body of Christ?  Are you serving by His power?  Are the accompanying tribulations light because you see God’s glory being displayed?