Ephesians 4
Outline:
I. \\#1:1-3:21\\ The Position of the Christian
A. \\#1:1-14\\ Praise for Redemption
1. \\#1:1, 2\\ Salutation from Paul
2. \\#1:3-6\\ Chosen by the Father
3. \\#1:7-12\\ Redeemed by the Son
4. \\#1:13, 14\\ Sealed by the Spirit
B. \\#1:15-23\\ Prayer for the Ephesians
C. \\#2:1-2:22\\ Position of the Christian
1. \\#2:1-10\\ The Christian’s Position Individually
2. \\#2:11-2:22\\ The Christian’s Position Corporately
D. \\#3:1-13\\ Paul’s Ministry in God’s Work
E. \\#3:14-19\\ Paul’s Prayer and Desire for the Ephesians
F. \\#3:20-21\\ Paul’s Doxology
II. \\#4:1-6:24\\ The Practice of the Christian
A. \\#4:1-16\\ Exhortation to Unity
1.\\#4:1-3\\ Unity in the Church
2.\\#4:4-6\\ Commonality in the Church
3. \\#4:7\\ The Difference in the Church
4. \\#4:8-16\\ The Gifts in the Church
B. \\#4:17-5:21\\ Exhortation to Holiness
1. \\#4:17-22\\ Put Off the Old Man
2. \\#4:23-32\\ Put On the New Man
3. \\#5:1-5:20\\ Be Followers of Christ
c. \\#5:1-2\\ Be Loving
d. \\#5:3-5\\ Be Clean
e. \\#5:6-20\\ Be Wise
C. \\#5:21-6:9\\ Exhortation to Submission
1. \\#5:21\\ The Command
2. \\#5:22-24\\ Wives: Submit to Your Husbands
3. \\#5:25-33\\ Husbands: Love Your Wives
4. \\#6:1-4\\ Children: Obey Your Parents
5. \\#6:5-8\\ Servants
6. \\#6:9\\ Masters
D. \\#6:10-18\\ Conduct in the Conflict
1. \\#6:10\\ Be Strong in the Lord
2. \\#6:11-18\\ Put On the Armor of God
E. \\#6:19-24\\ Conclusion
1. \\#19-20\\ Pray for Boldness
2. \\#21-24\\ Good Bye
Notes:
\\#4:1-6:24\\ The Practice of the Christian-As is common in Paul’s
writings, the first half of Paul’s letter was dedicated to doctrine
and the last to practical living. Even so, Paul will continue to
allude to some major doctrines.
I. \\#4:1-16\\ Exhortation to Unity
A. \\#4:1-3\\ Unity in the Church
1. \\#1\\ "the prisoner"-Paul again called himself a
prisoner, \\#Eph 3:1\\ referring to the fact that was
in a Roman prison as he wrote this letter.
2. "beseech" means "to ask" or even "beg."
3. "worthy"-means "as is becoming" or "proper."
4. "vocation"-means "calling" or "job."
5. Paul was asking the church to live like a Christian
should live.
6. \\#2-3\\ To accomplish that…
a. \\#2\\ "with all lowliness and meekness"-ALL
humility and self-abasing will be required.
b. "forbearing one another in love"-To forbear
means "to tolerate." For unity and love’s sake,
some things must be tolerated.
c. \\#3\\ "Endeavoring to keep the unity"-And there
must be a conscious effort put forth to keep
unity and peace among the believers.
d. Good churches don’t just happen. The people chose
to make their fellowship a good church by being
slow to anger and quick to forgive.
B. \\#4:4-6\\ Commonality in the Church
1. Unity is oneness. Paul has already emphasized
the church’s oneness \\#Eph 2:14-22\\. He goes back
to that theme again.
a. \\#4\\ There is but one body, a reference to the
church, the body of Jesus.
b. There is but one Holy Spirit.
c. God has but one hope for "your calling." The Holy
Spirit who calls us has been one desire for the
church, The text does not reveal what that
desire is but it is likely that we would glorify God.
d. \\#5\\ There is but one Lord.
e. There is but one kind of faith in our Lord. While
we might use the term "faith" to mean religions,
God does not. You either have saving faith or no
faith.
f. There is but one baptism. Paul was not speaking
of water baptism but of the baptism of the Holy
Ghost which occurs at salvation.
g. \\#6\\ There is but one God and one Father.
(1) Paul reaffirmed that we do no worship three
gods but One.
(2) This God "is above all." There is none higher
in power, position, might, beauty,
intelligence, love, and all other categories.
(3) "through all"-Perhaps meaning that God’s
being is woven in us all. After all, we are
all made by His power, filled with His life,
and fashioned in His image.
(4) "and in you all"-Speaking to the believers,
God is IN us as the Holy Spirit resides
within us.
(a) God’s fulness is mentioned as being in us
\\#John 1:16, Eph 1:23, 2:22, 3:19, 4:13\\.
(b) It is only as we come together in oneness
that all of the Christ which has been poured
into us can be whole again.
(c) We provide God with a completed vessel for
His holy habitation.
2. In illustrating all the commonalities Christians have,
how can we be so divided?
C. \\#4:7\\ The Differences in the Church
1. "But"-But is a word of contrasts.
a. Paul had been describing what the individual members
of the church had in common but now he will share a
difference.
b. BUT even though Paul listed a difference among the
believers, this difference is not given to separate
and fragment the body of Christ but to make us
dependent upon one another thus creating a more
unified body!
2. "unto every one …grace according"
a. "everyone"- To everyone is given grace to serve,
but the amount or kind of grace is different.
b. "to the measure of the gift"-The factor which
decides the grace given is the "gift of
Christ." God gives to each what is necessary
to use the "gift" that God has called them to
fulfill.
D. \\#4:8-16\\ The Gifts of the Church-A huge part of what
binds the church into one is our gifts and the resulting
dependence upon one another that the gifts require. Paul’s
point in these verses is to show how our gifts create a
dependence among the believers and he will stay on that
thought; however, he will mention some events that surround
the giving of those gifts.
1. \\#8\\ Paul quoted from \\#Ps 68:18\\.
Ps 68:18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast
led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts
for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the
LORD God might dwell among them.
a. By quoting this passage. Paul indicated that the
prophecy given here was fulfilled by Christ’s giving
of the gifts that he was about to mention.
b. This Old Testament passage disclosed another purpose
for God giving us spiritual gifts. Not only do they
help to bind us together, they also are the means by
which God dwells "among" us.
2. \\#9-10\\ Paul added explanation to the verse. Paul’s
commentary, along with the quote, give us a more
complete picture of the actions of Jesus toward the Old
Testament saints and the church around the time of His
death and resurrection.
a. "Thou" and "he"-The Person is only identified
by what He did but that description makes it
obvious that Paul was speaking of Jesus.
b. \\#9\\ "descended first"-Paul explained that before
this One could ascend, He first had to descend.
c. "into the lower parts of the earth"
(1) Paul moved beyond what the Scripture said
about this passage to what the Spirit said.
(2) Some feel that this is a reference to Jesus
coming TO the earth, for the earth is a
"lower part." Others feel it is a
reference to Jesus descending in to hell.
This reference alone cannot settle the issue.
(3) However, Peter tells us that after Jesus
died and rose, he "went and preached" to
the imprisoned spirits, the prison being
a "cage" or a place where they were being held.
1Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered
for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might
bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh,
but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the
spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once
the longsuffering of God waited in the days of
Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few,
that is, eight souls were saved by water.
(4) These two passages together would indicate
that after the resurrection Jesus went to
place where the dead were being held.
(5) Jesus’ spoke of the dead saints BEFORE
His death being in the same area as hell
but with a great gulf which kept the
suffering separated from the saints.
Luke 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar
died, and was carried by the angels into
Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was
buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in
torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus
in his bosom.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there
is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would
pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they
pass to us, that would come from thence.
(6) Hell is always referred to as being down,
below and in the lower parts of the earth.
Job 11:8 It is as high as heaven; what canst
thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
Ps 86:13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and
thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.
Pr 9:18 But he knoweth not that the dead are
there; and that her guests are in the depths of
hell.
Pr 15:24 The way of life is above to the wise,
that he may depart from hell beneath.
Isa 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to
hell, to the sides of the pit.
Eze 31:16 I made the nations to shake at the
sound of his fall, when I cast him down to
hell….
Am 9:2 Though they dig into hell, thence shall
mine hand take them; though they climb up to
heaven, thence will I bring them down:
(7) All of this together indicates that Jesus
MAY have gone to Abraham’s Bosom which was
in the lower parts of the earth to proclaim
to those there that He had paid the price
for their sin.
d. \\#8\\ "he led captivity captive"-Although Paul
did not detail what happened, this is a
military term used of freeing the captives.
(1) The thought is that those in Abraham’s
Bosom were not to stay there but to be
carried to heaven.
Heb 11:16 But now they (the Old Testament
saints) desire a better country, that is, an
heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be
called their God: for he hath prepared for
them a city.
(2) We suppose that city to be New Jerusalem.
Re 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
(3) It is believed that after Jesus’ death and
the blood was applied, Jesus gathered those
from Abraham’s Bosom and took them to
heaven where they wait for their resurrection,
their glorified bodies, and the coming kingdom.
e. \\#8\\ "and gave gifts unto men"-Paul did not
elaborate on the captives being freed for that
was not part of his discussion on unity in
the church; however, he will speak more of these
gifts \\#11-13\\ for they are part of God’s
plan to unify the church.
f. \\#10\\ "the same also ascended"
(1) When Jesus finished His work, He ascended
back to the heavens.
(2) Paul again only mentioned Jesus’ ascension,
but added that Jesus returned to a place
higher than the highest for He is the
Christ and will "fill all things."
(3) To ‘fill all things" - The word "things" means
the whole. I wonder if that is a reference to
Jesus filling the whole church. Some speculate
it means that Jesus fulfilled all things written
about Him but that seems weak. Regardless, the
phrase is repeated in varies forms.
(4) The later thought seems to be alluded to
several times in the Bible.
Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him
that filleth all in all.
Eph 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above
all, and through all, and in you all.
Col 3:11 … but Christ is all, and in all.
(5) I do not know of any passage that explains
this phrase, leaving the impact the truth
has on us unclear.
(6) So far, four things are mentioned:
(a) He descended.
(b) He preached to the spirits in prison.
(c) He ascended.
(d) He lead captivity captive.
(e) In the next verse, He gave some gifts.
g. \\#11\\ "And he gave some"
(1) Five of the gifts which Jesus gave to us are…
(a) Apostles-The word means "messenger"
but was most often used to describe
those who were with Jesus from the
beginning \\#Acts 1:22\\ and were
gifted with the ability to perform
miracles to authenticate their message.
(b) Prophets-Those who proclaim truth,
typically with a dynamic presentation.
They can have knowledge of the future but
that is not required.
(c) Evangelists-Prophets who travel proclaiming
the truth.
(d) Pastors-Prophets who stay in a common area
proclaiming the truth.
(e) Teachers-People who proclaim the truth with
a less dynamic but more thorough
presentation.
(2) Obviously, "gifts" in this passage refers to
an office or position to serve within the body.
(3) These are not the only "gifts" God gave for
others are listed in Romans 12 and
\\#1Cor 12:8-11\\.
Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing
according to the grace that is given to us,
whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to
the proportion of faith;
7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering:
or he that teacheth, on teaching;
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that
giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that
ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy,
with cheerfulness.
(4) In both of these passages, Paul also made note
that the grace given to each person is different
but the purpose is to produce the unity of the
church. That was and is Paul’s main thought.
h. \\#12-16\\ In accomplishing that goal, other purposes
are accomplish.
(1) \\#8-9\\ Paul quoted from \\#Psalm 68:18\\
to list one purpose of the gifts, namely
that "God might dwell among them."
(2) Here, Paul added:
(a) "For the perfecting of the saints"-To grow
and mature the saints. A believer must grow
to use these gifts effectively for the Lord.
(b) "for the work of the ministry"-These are the
gifts that do the work that God has called
us to do.
(c) "for the edifying of the body"-The proper
use of God’s gifts and offices encourages
the believers.
(3) \\#13\\ "Til we all come in the unity"
(a) This was Paul’s topic all along
\\#Eph 4:3\\. These gifts help to
accomplish the unity God wants the
church to have.
(b) So do "faith" and "the knowledge of the
Son of God."
(c) \\#15-16\\ Again speaks of God’s goal
of unity.
i. \\#15\\ Until we "grow up into
him …the head …even Christ" -
Until we are all properly
connected to Christ our Head.
ii. \\#16\\ And "the whole body fitly
joined together …every joint
supplieth" - Remember that God
gave us different grace and
gifts but the those difference
are to make us dependent upon
one another, each joint
connected to the Head and
fulfilling its essential roles.
iii. "working the measure of every
part" - Every part doing its
work with the "measured" grace
that God gave to him
iv. "maketh increase …unto the
edifying" - That the body might
increase itself, both by
functioning to win the lost and
by encouraging itself.
(4) \\#13\\ Til we come to be "a perfect man"-
Until we are grown into the image of Jesus
Christ.
(a) \\#14\\ Til "we henceforth be no more
children"-The child is contrasted
to the mature Christian who is…
(b) …incapable of standing against every
"wind of doctrine" that might come
along.
(c) …easily sidetracked "by the sleight
of men…"-The word "sleight" is a
gaming piece. Mature Christians are
not easily bamboozled by the games of
the world.
(d) …as well as their "cunning
craftiness…"-That is their devised
plans by which they intend to "deceive."
(5) \\#15\\ Til we speak "the truth in love…" -
(a) Perhaps this is still one of the results
of our becoming "a perfect man," but
it is important enough to mention on
its own.
(b) Our message that Jesus is the only Way
to God and heaven is difficult for the
lost world to hear. These gifts are
given to make us capable of delivering
it with love.
II. \\#4:17-5:21\\ Exhortation to Holiness - As believers we want to
mimic God’s natural character of holiness. That involves
stopping some wrong things and starting some right things.
A. \\#4:17-22\\ Put Off the Old Man
1. \\#17\\ "walk not as other Gentiles" - We cannot live like
the rest of the world lives.
2. \\#17-18\\ And how do they live?
a. "in the vanity of their mind" - Vanity is like
arrogance. We cannot live thinking our philosophies
and cultures are right or moral. Sin has left our
minds broken and largely incapable of righteous
thinking.
b. \\#18\\ "having our understanding darkened" -
Understanding is ability to see how things work,
i.e. the cause and effect, the conclusions at which
we arrive. Our ability to do these things correctly
has been damaged.
c. This has left us "alienated from the life of God."
d. "blindness of their heart" - Not only are we incapable
of proper reasoning, but we are also incapable of
recognizing that condition.
e. \\#19\\ "Who being past feeling" - Not that the lost
have no feelings but that they have no feeling of
conviction, of right and wrong, of godly and wicked.
f. But "have given themselves over unto lasciviousness" -
That is, they have given themselves over the fleshly
desires.
3. \\#20\\ "But ye have not so learned Christ" - This is not
now Jesus teaches us to live—IF you have been taught
\\#21\\.
4. \\#22\\ "that ye put off …the old man"
a. Rather, in Christ we have learned to take this man
off! The old man is a reference to the old nature
and we must not live like that any longer.
b. Why? Because it "is corrupt." It is tainted by sin
and yielded to "deceitful lusts."
B. \\#4:23-32\\ Put On the New Man
1. \\#24\\ "put on the new man"
a. But walk in the new nature that is given us by Jesus
Christ.
b. "which after God is created" - The new nature in
created to seek after God.
c. "in righteousness and true holiness" - To seek God, it
must grave these.
2. \\#25-31\\ So stop…
a. \\#25\\ "lying"
(1) Instead, "speak every man truth…." Paul gave
this command in reference to our neighbors but
we should speak the truth to everyone.
(2) "for we are members one of another" - This refers
to the word "neighbors." Perhaps by neighbors,
Paul was referring to fellow Christians.
b. \\#26\\ "Be angry, and sin not"
(1) Paul did not say it was wrong to be angry. God
gave us all of our emotions but we should not let
any emotion rule over us or cause us to sin.
(2) "let not the sun go down upon your wrath" - For
example, we should not allow anger to brood.
If something has offended us, we should go make
it right now.
c. \\#27\\ "Neither give place to the devil" - Allowing
ourselves behaviors, thoughts, attitudes which we
know are evil.
d. \\#28\\ "Let him that stole steal no more" - Instead,
we should work and not only for ourselves but so that
we can help meet the needs of others.
e. \\#29\\ "Let no corrupt communication" - Although lying
has already been mentioned, this command covers all
of our speech. Instead, we should be "edifying" and
"ministering grace" with our words.
f. \\#30\\ "grieve not the holy Spirit"
(1) We should not live sinful or willful lives so as
to grieve the God within us.
(2) "whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption" - Paul continued his practice of
mentioning but not explaining deep doctrines.
This statement argues for the security of the
believer.
g. \\#31\\ And some other things:
(1) "bitterness" - Unresolved anger.
(2) "wrath" - Anger out of control or anger on
steroids.
(3) "anger" - As already explained \\#26\\.
(4) "clamour" - We might call it whining.
(5) "evil speaking" - As already mentioned in
\\#29\\.
(6) "with all malice" - Malice means to intentional
do meanness or evil toward a person.
h. What a long list (12 times) which Paul clearly listed
as wrong behaviors. Would not Paul be called a
legalist today?
3. \\#32\\ And start…
a. "be ye kind one to another" - Kindness is granting to
people love, grace, and forgiveness that they do not
deserve,
b. "tenderhearted" - To be tenderhearted is to be
thoughtful and kind to them.
c. "forgiving one another"
(1) All of these words are connected.
(2) To forgive is to mark a debt paid regardless of
whether the debt is financial, emotional, legal,
or moral.
(3) "even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven
you." - Here Paul reminds us of the standard of
forgiving. We must forgive as we have been
forgiven.
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