Ephesians 1:1-2 Bible study

1. In Christ
EPHESIANS 1:1-2

2. Who wants to be ‘In Christ’?
•Everyone wants to be ‘in’…
•Even though all people seem contradictory, if
they were completely honest, would admit this
•Remember My Space from 2003?
•Know why/how Facebook won?
•Today we’ll learn a tiny portion of God’s love
thru His Grace and Peace in Christ from the
Apostle Paul’s teaching in Ephesians

3. “1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of
God,
2To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are
faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Ephesians 1:1-2, NASB

4. Paul was an interesting dude…
•Acts 9 says born in Tarsus, a
metropolitan City in SE Asia
Minor, at peace under Rome
•Father a rich tentmaker and one sister, nothing
known about his mother
•Strong religious conviction, studied under
Gamaliel, grew to become Sadducee in Jewish
rule, giving us other info

5. Paul was an interesting dude…
•Brilliant mind, strong in character, solid in
leadership, Gamaliel was train-
ing him for a seat on the Sanhedrin

6. “…circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of
Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the
Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6
concerning zeal, persecuting the church;
concerning the righteousness which is in the law,
blameless.”
Philippians 3:5-6

7. Paul was an interesting dude…
•Brilliant mind, strong in character, solid in
leadership, Gamaliel was train-
ing him for a seat on the Sanhedrin
•But while on the way to Damascus to persecute
more Christians, He had a surprise encounter
with Jesus Christ Himself

8. “As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and
suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.
Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice
saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you
persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You,
Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you
are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against
the goads.”
Acts 9:3-5

9. Paul was an interesting dude…
•Brilliant mind, strong in character, solid in
leadership, Gamaliel was train-
ing him for a seat on the Sanhedrin
•But while on the way to Damascus to persecute
more Christians, He had a surprise encounter
with Jesus Christ Himself
•Chief Persecutor transformed into Chief
Apostle, Saul to Paul, Missionary of Christ

10. An Apostle, By the Will of God…
•V 1a, Establishes Paul’s
credentials
•The Greek
“apostalos”= ‘sent one
•Sent of whom is the ?
•Modern day ‘apostles’
•Not Possible…

11. What qualifies one as an Apostle?
•Personal physical witness of Christ Jesus

12. “And you also will bear witness, because you
have been with Me
from the beginning.” John 15:27

13. What qualifies one as an Apostle?
•1.) Personal physical witness of Christ Jesus
•The Apostles were a special
group who physically knew Him
while He was here
•Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus
•2.) Chosen by Jesus Himself

14. “And you also will bear witness, because you
have been with Me
from the beginning.” John 15:27
“And when it was day, He called His disciples to
Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He
also named apostles:…”
Luke 6:13

15. What qualifies one as an Apostle?
•1.) Personal physical witness of Christ Jesus
•The Apostles were a special group who
physically knew Him while He was here
•Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus
•2.) Chosen by Jesus Himself
• All of Christ’s apostles were personally
called and chosen by Christ Himself. No
man had the right or authority to take it
upon himself to become an apostle of Christ.

16. What qualifies one as an Apostle?
•3.) Able to perform miracles

17. “Then fear came upon every soul, and many
wonders and signs were done through the
apostles.” Acts 2:43

18. What qualifies one as an Apostle?
•3.) Able to perform miracles
•While these miracles confirmed
the truth of the apostles’ message,
they also proved that a man was qualified to
serve as an apostle
•As far as I know, No one today meets those
qualifications. Therefore, let’s guard against
those whom Paul warns…

19. “Then fear came upon every soul, and many
wonders and signs were done through the
apostles.” Acts 2:43
“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers,
transforming themselves into apostles of Christ…”
2 Corinthians 11:13

20. To the Saints…
•V 1b, If you grew up Catholic,
this may freak you out
•No, Paul is NOT talking to a bunch of dead
godly folks in Ephesus– So Sad that doctrine
has become more important than Scripture!
•9 times Paul calls them
saints—no miracles, not dead, just reborn!
•Greek “hagios” means “most holy thing”

21. Faithful in Christ Jesus…
•V 1:b.b, The word ‘Faithful,’ in the
N.T., can mean “exercising faith”
or “to continue in faith”– here probably both
•Notice that Paul focuses on their
faithfulness “in Christ” (in Him)
•One of the most important phrases in the
whole book, 15 times in the 1st 14 verses!
•Over 50x in all Paul’s writings– important?

22. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who
abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for
without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does
not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is
withered; and they gather them and throw them
into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in
Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what
you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
John 15:5-7

23. Faithful in Christ Jesus…
•Paul would never have been an
apostle, unless he was in Christ
•None of born-again Christian
would have been a saint, unless
he or she is in Christ
•We cannot be faithful to God,
unless we are in Christ first
•So, to be in Christ means to be joined not
only to our Lord but also to our brothers and
sisters in the faith

24. Greeting to the Ephesians
•V 2- Grace– even the lost use this word, mostly
without understanding the meaning
•They think it’s a hymn or prayer pre-food
•Grace means “God’s undeserved favor”
•Peace is a Grace by-product
•Paul included grace and peace in all of his
greetings. He wanted all of his readers to
experience God’s unmerited love and rest in their
daily living. And the Lord wants that for us too

25. Take Home!
• Do not be deceived by those who call them-
selves apostles of Jesus Christ of the 21st
Century. The office of the apostles of Jesus
Christ has been closed with Paul
• Do not be confused by some religious
concepts of ‘saint.’ If you are born-again, you
are a saint, not by good behavior, but by
Christ’s holiness
• Do not think that we can chart our own
spiritual journey without Jesus. Unless we are
in Christ, we are utterly lost, and will be
damned in hell eternally
• Do not seek peace anywhere else other than
Jesus Christ. You won’t find it