The Master’s Plan (Overview)

EPHESIANS: THE MASTER’S PLAN
Faith Community Bible Church • April 16. 2023 • Steve Walker
Intro: What’s God’s job? What’s He doing? What’s He up to?” How you answer those questions affects how you relate to Him, and how you’ll live out your life. Allow me to identify five common misconceptions about God’s job:
[SOME PICTURE GOD AS:]
[…The CEO of the Universe]: Can you imagine walking into the offices of Amazon and asking to see Jeff Bezos, or trying to get an appointment with Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, or demanding a little sit-down chat with Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook? How far do you think you’d get? “And who are you?”
•That’s how some of us see God. He is incredibly important and terribly busy running the universe; so He’s got a lot on his mind, and frankly the last thing He wants to do is listen to you/your stupid problems. He knows you exist (at least in theory), but probably couldn’t pick you out of a line-up. If the truth were known, He doesn’t much care whether He knows your name. To Him, you’re just 1 of the nearly 7.53 billion other human beings that live on a small planet in a mediocre solar system orbiting around an unimpressive star on the edge of a dying galaxy of which there are billions and billions more in His vast universe. (Does the word, insignificant mean anything to you?) If God did bother to speak to you, He’d say, “Look, I really don’t have time for this, and honestly, I really don’t care. Figure it out for yourself.” He’s distant, busy, and impersonal. His job makes him that.
Some picture God as more involved, especially in moments of crises:
[…Heaven’s 911 Operator]: God exists to fix your problems, to come to your aid 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He’ll be your spiritual Fire Department or emotional ambulance, or a moral toxic-waste clean-up team, or a psychological counselor. Just call out, but it better be important. If you try to call and just chat, you may hear, “Hey, don’t you know this is an emergency number? If you don’t have an emergency, get off the line. God’s job is to be there when you are burning up or breaking down. But he has no plan other than to simply react to us and to our dire needs. Because that’s God’s job: to answer us as Heaven’s 911 operator. Some people think God’s job is to be the giver of all good things…to an extreme:
[…A Cosmic Genie] God’s job is to do whatever possible within His power to bless and fulfill every whim and expectation we have. In other words, it’s His responsibility to make and keep us happy. So God’s plan = our plans. He exists to work things out, and heal us when we’re sick, and fill our pockets with money and our garages with neat toys. When we come to church, he works hard to make us feel good and fulfill us emotionally through programs, and music, and messages. That’s His job. (How silly. No, church is where we learn! God wants us to know the Bible. So his job is:)
[…The Host of Biblical Jeopardy] As the host of Biblical Jeopardy: (God): “And the answer is, Joshua and Caleb. (BZZT!) Who are the two spies who surveyed the promised land a gave a good report?” (Right you are!)” God’s job is to be the ultimate teacher/educator, and His plan is to fill our brains with biblical trivia, so you are biblically literate. He intends to disseminate biblical truth—as much and as accurately as possible, through Bible studies, podcasts, TV programs, books, websites, until we all know the Bible from cover to cover. Look, I’m a prof for Western Seminary. I’m educated beyond my intelligence. I’m all for learning the Bible. But I suspect God’s got more in mind than us passing a biblical literacy test. Reacting to that, some rush to the opposite end of the spectrum. God isn’t a teacher, he’s:
[…The General of a Fanatical Army] God’s job is to enlist an army of obedient (though somewhat mindless, unquestioning) followers whose motto is, “Never ask how or why, our is only to do or die.” It’s never about what we know, it’s only about what we do. So doctrinal matters are so much theological lint to be brushed off from the clothes of daily life. God wants you to salute and say to Him, “Skip the mind games; just tell me what to do and I’ll give it my best shot.” We attack the culture. We advance on the worldly. We follow God into battle. Because He’s the general. That’s his job. [x]
•You get the point: all these are both reflections and distortions of the truth about God’s job—what God is doing and how we are to respond. A lot of us don’t really know what God’s is up to. Does He have any kind of a plan for us? Kind of important—we just kissed our lead pastor goodbye. Where does that leave us? Does this frustrate God’s plan? Does He even have a plan?
•The answer is, “Absolutely, yes. He has provided a set of plans that clearly detail where He’s taking the world, and how we as believers are to respond in the nitty-gritty of our daily lives. It’s called, “Ephesians.” I call it: “The Master’s Plan.”
A. THE AUTHOR: Identifies himself in first sentence (1:1a): Paul, the Apostle—lit. a "sent one"—much more than an errand boy or mailman; he's an ambassador, a personal representative of Jesus Christ Himself with the full weight of Heaven behind him. And he is an apostle ''by the will of God," not because he decided to be one; so his authority comes not from his academic credentials, nor from his popularity as a speaker, but from God Himself. So what we’re about to read is not an advice column or opinion article, but authoritative revelation from God.
B. THE TIME: Most place the penning of this letter ca. 60-62 A.D., or about three decades after Jesus' resurrection. By now Paul had traveled all over the ancient world, teaching and proclaiming the Good News about Jesus, starting and nourishing churches everywhere he went. Now he finds himself in Rome, under house arrest, awaiting trial before Caesar. He is Paul, the Prisoner. You can hear the hints of his situation if you read between the lines (3:1; 4:1; 6:19-20). But far from being a dark, discouraging, depressing letter, Ephesians is remarkably optimistic, uplifting and encouraging.
C. THE DESTINATION: (1:1b) To Ephesus and Beyond. Not nearly as restrictive as might initially think: to saints in Ephesus sounds like to very pious people in a very old city. Not so for a couple of reasons. First, think in terms of:
•…the place: Some of the more ancient mss of this letter omit the words, "in Ephesus." Just a blank. Further, Paul's history with the church at Ephesus was a long and rich one, but the letter sounds very general, not addressing any specific situations or individuals like he does in the letter to Corinth. If Paul had composed it specifically to the church at Ephesus, you'd expect more details. So most scholars think that Ephesians is more of a circular letter to a number of churches in the area, the largest of which probably was Ephesus whose name eventually became associated with it. You get the idea that we could insert our names (to the saints & faithful in Boise, in Meridian, in the Treasure Valley)—and we'd be right! (Wait! Who are the "saints/ faithful"?) So now think in terms of:
•…the people: When we think of "saints", we picture very pious/holy people. In fact, I did a little checking, and to become a saint in the Catholic tradition, you must pass five tests:
1) you must be dead (yep—no living saints; so you can’t screw up in last five minutes of your life);
2) 5 yr waiting period after death (to assure nothing dark bubbles up?);
3) thorough examination of your life/ character;
4) must have performed two legitimately confirmed miracles (card tricks won’t cut it);
5) must be recognized by the Vatican Sainthood Review Board and pronounced a saint by the Pope.
…which, probably excludes most of us. However, a "saint" in NT was simply one who was set apart or different, or special (that's what saint means) because of their relationship with Jesus! And to make certain we understood who these saints were, Paul clarifies it with, "the faithful in Christ Jesus". One form of word "faithful" in NT = predictable. Another form simply means, full of faith or believing—that's the idea here: the people who are special, who are different and set apart are those who are believers, who have fully trusted Jesus as the Christ. NLT: (you) who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus. THEY are the ones Paul is writing to in this letter. And they are you! You are not reading someone else's mail—you are reading what is intended for you as believers in X to read! So lets…
D. UNROLL THE BLUEPRINT
1. GENERALLY—letter divides into two halves—1-3 and 4-6:
•First half is the revelation of God's plan to us; answers the question, ''What in the world is God doing?" There are 155 verses in Ephesians, only six short chapters. You can easily read it in less than 15 minutes. Yet it lays out God’s plan for the world and His will for each one of us on a daily basis. Far from being merely reactive to us, or uninvolved, or making up the script as he goes along, God is very purposeful, very intentional, and is moving human history and your individual life toward a very specific end. Seeing His purpose & plan for everything helps us see how we are to fit in; the greater story informs and gives perspective to our individual stories. It gives us vision and direction for our lives. Obviously the plan for your life ought to be a subset of His overall plan for everyone's life.
•2nd half is applicational, and gives the implications of God's plan for us in practical terms: "How in the world should we be living?" It’s striking to me that in first half there are only 2 commands (actually just one repeated), and the command isn't really to do anything, but just to remember. However, in the second half there are over 60 specific commands! In 1st half, we hear Paul explaining, revealing, convincing, and emphasizing all that God has done in your behalf; but in the 2nd, he becomes sometimes uncomfortably specific & pointed about how we need to align our lifestyle with the Master's Plan! The pattern is no accident: Our beliefs shape and motivate our behavior. God knows that ultimately our behavior is linked to our brain—our convictions shape our conduct; & if He doesn't change our thinking, our living won't stay on course. So God isn't interested in just publishing another list of rules to live up to; instead, He wants our response to come from the inside-out—from a glad and free heart which responds in gratitude to all He done; and from the power of the Spirit who has taken up residence in each of our lives.
•(1:3/text) NB key phrase that peppers this letter more than two dozen times: We’ve been given every blessing/privilege in Christ. In Christ is one of the most important ideas in the whole book.
•Think geographically: we live in Boise, Idaho, and so as Boisiens/Idahoans (?), we are affected by our climate, conditioning, govt, roads, taxes, etc. In Christ we are affected by Christ!
•Or think relationally: I live in a family—speaks of commitments, responsibilities, benefits. Affects all of life. So in Christ is sort of like that: you live in a certain sphere where one relationship dominates all others: what has happened to you because of Jesus Christ places you in a certain favored position with God; it has affected your identity—who you are and how you see yourself; it has given you benefits and responsibilities, and has shaped every other relationship in your life. You are in Christ. In your relationship with Jesus, you find God withholding nothing good from you that He otherwise might withhold. His hand is open toward you in Christ!
[Aside: Christ is not Jesus’ last name. (eg Mary and Joseph Christ, Jimmy Christ, Jesus Christ, the Christ family reunion] Christ is the title of a unique individual in all the history of world—the special and promised person who would come and make all things right. In Hebrew, He is called, The Messiah. In the NT Greek language, He is called The Christ. So every time you see Christ in the NT, you could easily and correct add the word, the before it: Jesus, the Christ—and you’d know what it’s point out. Jesus is that promised person! And we—you and I—are linked with Him, we are in Him!
2. SPECIFICALLY: Now stare at his plan: (1:9-10) God intends to unite everything and everybody, in every place, in every generation, under the Christ's rule. When all the dust has settled, everything will be under one single person: Jesus the Christ. See what's going on? God is using all his might to bring everything eventually under control of Jesus--so that at the center of all existence and all of human history, and even of every individual life will be a person! Not a doctrine, not a religion, not an institution, but a Person! And that person is Jesus. (“Wow! Mind-blowing!” That why what follows:)
•Prayer for Insight: (1:15-19) We need God's help to grasp this amazing plan, for it to sink in so we can more deeply experience our relationship with God through faith, and understand that we are in fact NOT directionless, hopeless, worthless, or powerless! Need God's help to remove the glaze from our spiritual eyesight!
(But for God to pull this off, He must overcome two huge obstacles:)
•TWO PROBLEMS:
1) Chasm between God & man: Surprisingly, Paul doesn't talk about evangelism and missions here: e.g "Get out there and tell others about Jesus!" Rather, He focuses on what He has done (and what only He could do) to save us: (2:1). See how desperate our condition was? Not ''blind", or "needs assistance" or "spiritually handicapped" but dead. So if you are a believer today, it is because GOD has done something: (2:4-5). Old saying, "God helps those who help themselves?" Nope. Apparently God helps those who are totally incapable of helping themselves! But His plans for you don’t end when you put your faith in Christ: (2:8-10). But there’s a 2nd problem:
2) Wall between Jew and Gentile: Some people we love to hate—they’re culturally different, look different, different politics; God is in the business of making impossible relationships work. Paul will spell out exactly how—hint: it’s all about Jesus.
1st half ends w/another:
•Prayer for Perspective: (3:20-21) If everything Paul has said is all true, then we need to live for something larger/bigger/vastly more important than ourselves! (You can’t say that the purpose of your life is your job; you were someone before your job, and you’re someone even if you lose your job; you’ll eventually retire, and you’ll still be someone after your job. So your job can’t be your purpose. You have to live for something far bigger than yourself, or your job. Brings us to 2nd half: No wonder begins with: (4:1)
•LIFESTYLE: [specifically six bullets]
Make a couple of observations about all these commands:
1) No NT book portrays "conversion" as clearly as Ephesians. When you become a Christian, something is supposed to happen to you. It may be quiet or may be dramatic; it may be instant or gradual, but something happens. If God enters your life, it should have far reaching affects. NB the before and after descriptions, the pictures of the then and the but now:
√(2:5) dead vs. alive
√(2:12-13, 19) excluded, unwanted vs. included, belonging
√(4:17, 20-24) old self vs. new self (not just part but all of you)
√(5:8) As different as light is from darkness!
It's almost as if God is saying, "You are no longer what you once were; so you must not live as you once lived!" It’s all about bringing life into line with our faith.
2) Ephesians is "relentlessly relational." Every relationship in life is addressed, from our relationship with God to our relationship with other believers in the church, to our relationship with those who do not yet believe in the world, to our relationship with our husband or wife, to our parents or kids, to our relationship with those who have control over our lives, even to our relationship with unseen, evil spiritual forces; all are understood against the backdrop of our relationship with Jesus. You have no relationship that isn't affected by your relationship with Jesus. It’s all about Jesus.
(Finally, if we take message of this book seriously, Paul warns:)
•Get ready for a fight! (6:10-11, 13) If you take seriously the Master's Plan & determine to live in accordance with it, better fasten your seatbelt & hold on; you will slam head-on into opposition. Someone out there doesn't want God's plan to succeed, and no wonder: spiritual forces of darkness are rebelling against Christ's authority—all Hell to this hour is working/plotting against Heaven's plans succeeding. It’s far more than realizing we live in a broken world; we live in a war-zone! So God IDs the enemy and gives us proper equipment for the conflict. In this last chapter, Paul shows us who/what they are and how to use our weapons against them.
Concl: So what’s God’s plan? What’s He up to? It’s no secret. He’s made it plainly known:
Because of Jesus, we have been rescued from our guilt, and included in His family, we are greatly loved, and given a favored status in Heaven’s sight; we have every resource we need to live life well, and are included in God’s plan for this age of the world… His plan is make everyone, everywhere, at everytime, in all Creation, be under the Lordship of Christ.
So in response, we say, Lord, whatever you want, wherever you take me, however you want me to live, I’m yours.