EPHESIANS LESSON 5


     We will begin this lesson in Ephesians 3:1 "For this cause I
Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,"

     For the cause of the Gentiles being offered Christianity is
possibly what Paul is speaking of here. Paul really would rather have
brought his message to the Jews, but the Lord had sent him to the
Gentiles.  The reason the Lord chose him to bring the message to the
Gentiles could have been because he had been a Pharisee. The fact that
he was ministering to the Gentiles, would show the great change that
had come when he received the Lord Jesus into his life.

     Ephesians 3:2 "If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace
of God which is given me to you-ward:"

     "Dispensation", in the verse above, means administration. The job
of bringing the message of grace to the Gentiles had been given to
Paul by the Lord Jesus. Acts 9:15 "But the Lord said unto him, Go thy
way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the
Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:" In the beginning
when Paul had founded the church at Ephesus, they heard that God had
called him to bring the gospel message to the Gentiles primarily and
to all men as convenience arose. This was, in a sense, Paul's converts
and he felt responsible for them knowing the truth.

     Ephesians 3:3 "How that by revelation he made known unto me the
mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,"

     As we said, above, Paul did not learn the good news of the gospel
in the school he attended under Gamaliel. His knowledge of the good
news of Jesus had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit of God,
while he spent 3 years in the Arabian desert seeking truth of God.
Paul would never have sought for the truth about Jesus, had he not
encountered the great Light on the road to Damascus. The writing in a
few words, was earlier in this letter to Ephesians.

     Ephesians 3:4 "Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my
knowledge in the mystery of Christ)"

     Paul had just casually mentioned it before, and now he will go
into greater detail about his encounter with Jesus Christ, and with
his subsequent study through the teaching by the Holy Spirit. Some of
the things, pertaining to Jews and the Gentiles, had to be unlearned
of Paul, because in the law, the Jews thought of all Gentiles as
unclean heathen people.

     Ephesians 3:5 "Which in other ages was not made known unto the
sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets
by the Spirit;"

     The other ages that Paul is speaking of, is pertaining to the
days of the Old Testament. The law of Moses was full of ordinances and
sacrifices, but offered very little personal fellowship with the Lord.
Christianity is so different from the law. The law was fulfilled in
Jesus and the Christians are no longer under the regulations the law
put upon them. The sons of men could not truly understand the things
of God. To speak of a person as a son of man, means that he is a flesh
man. Jesus paid our debt for us, and we Christians have been adopted
into the family of God. We are not any longer sons of men, we are sons
of God. Sons of God are following the Spirit of God, not the flesh of
man.

     Ephesians 3:6 "That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of
the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:"

     All believers in Christ are heirs with Christ. Romans 8:17 "And
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and jointheirs with Christ; if
so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified
together." The promises were made to Abraham and his seed. Galatians
3:29 "And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs
according to the promise."  The catch to all of this is, do you belong
to Christ? It does not matter whether you are male or female, old or
young, or whether you are black or white. The thing that matters is,
have you given yourself to Christ? If you do, then you inherit the
same promise of faithful Abraham.

     Ephesians 3:7 "Whereof I was made a minister, according to the
gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his
power."

     Notice, that Paul did not make himself a minister. He was called
of God for the purpose of ministering to the Gentiles. Paul is very
aware that the grace of God given to him was not because of his deeds,
because he had actually been persecuting the Christians when God
called him. Not many of us see the same type of dramatic thing that
Paul did. God stopped him in his tracks, and set him on a totally new
path. The power of God that was so evident in Paul's call was the
extremely bright Light that Paul saw. It blinded him for three days
and then he received his physical and spiritual sight as a gift from
God. This encounter with the Light {Jesus Christ} transformed Paul
from a prejudiced Pharisee to a believing Christian.

     Ephesians 3:8 "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints,
is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ;"

     This shows just how humble this proud Pharisee had become. He
believes that he is not less than just the apostles, but all of the
believers who accepted Jesus without question. He had not believed in
the beginning. He is questioning why God would choose someone like
him, who had not believed in the beginning for such a large task as
this. Paul is saying, that this is not through his own ability he
brings this message of the unsearchable riches of Christ. It is Christ
in him that is bringing this message to them. Paul is the mouth that
God is speaking to them through. This is what makes Paul such a good
teacher. It is Christ bringing the message through him. We learned in
a previous lesson that Paul was like an ambassador. An ambassador
brings the message of the one who sent him, not his own message.

     Ephesians 3:9 "And to make all [men] see what [is] the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in
God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:"

     This message had been concealed for many years, until the time of
the cross. The mystery of the fellowship, to me, is the fact that God
would even want to fellowship with sinful man. This was God's plan
from the beginning. He made man that He might fellowship with him as a
Father does with a son. Jesus created all things. Jesus' name, at the
time He created all things, was the Word of God. John 1:1 "In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God." John 1:2 "The same was in the beginning with God." John 1:3 "All
things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that
was made." He took on the name Jesus, when He came to the world to
save mankind. Paul, in speaking to these people, knew they all
believed that the Word of God created everything. His concern was that
they realize that Jesus was the Word of God.

     Ephesians 3:10 "To the intent that now unto the principalities
and powers in heavenly [places] might be known by the church the
manifold wisdom of God,"

     This is speaking to the end that those who God has given limited
authority to in the heavenlies were not really aware of this, until
Jesus was victorious on the cross. Lucifer, the old devil, really
thought that the cross was defeat for Jesus, when, in fact, it was His
greatest victory. The church, of course, is the believers in Christ.
Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the believers to teach us all things.
Jesus said, Himself, that He had not hidden things from those who
believe. The Holy Spirit of God opens our understanding to the things
of God. Matthew 11:25  "At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank
thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these
things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes."
Matthew 11:26 "Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight."
Matthew 11:27 "All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no
man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the
Father, save the Son, and [he] to whomsoever the Son will reveal
[him]."  The worldly people have eyes to see, but they do not see,
because their understanding has not been opened. The wisdom of God is
so far above the normal understanding, that even the angels in heaven
did not understand, until it was revealed to them by God.

     Ephesians 3:11 "According to the eternal purpose which he
purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:"

     God is not like man that He should be influenced by
circumstances. Salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord, was part of
the eternal plan of God. This was all decided by God, even before He
made man. His purpose was the salvation of man. It was always the plan
for Jesus to save His people who believed in Him, by giving Himself as
sacrifice for them. We are just as if we had never sinned, because of
the blood that Jesus shed to pay our debt to God in full. The law was
fulfilled totally in this. There was nothing left for us to sacrifice.
He paid it all when He took our sin on His body, and He became our
substitute. Salvation for all mankind is in the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is salvation in no other.

     Ephesians 3:12 "In whom we have boldness and access with
confidence by the faith of him."

     The veil of the temple was rent from the top to the bottom at the
moment Jesus cried, it is finished on the cross. This signified that
Jesus had opened the way to the Father for all who would believe.
Jesus is the Way. No man cometh to the Father, but by Him. He is the
door that we must walk through on our way to the Father. The door in
heaven is now open to all the Christians. We can boldly go to the
throne of God, knowing that we are in right standing with God, because
we are washed in the blood of the Lord Jesus. We now pray directly to
the Father in the name of Jesus Christ. We Christians are now the sons
of God. We have been purchased with the precious blood of Jesus. We
are even allowed to use the special endearing name for the Father
"Abba". Only His children call Him by that name. Romans 8:15 "For ye
have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have
received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."































                        Ephesians 5 Questions


1.  What did Paul call himself in verse 1?
2.  What specifically was the cause Paul is speaking of in verse 1?
3.  Was Paul a messenger to the Gentiles by his own choice?
4.  What would the fact that Paul was called to minister to the
    Gentiles show?
5.  What does "dispensation" in verse 2 mean?
6.  Quote Acts chapter 9 verse 15.
7.  Why did Paul feel responsible for the church at Ephesus?
8.  How had God let Paul know about the mystery?
9.  How long did Paul spend in the Arabian desert being taught of the
    Holy Spirit of God?
10. What caused the turn around in Paul's life?
11. The Jews had thought of the Gentiles as _________ _________.
12. What are the other ages spoken of in verse 5?
13. The sons of men could not truly understand the things of ____.
14. The sons of God were taught of the ______ _______.
15. Quote Ephesians chapter 3 verse 6.
16. Who are heirs with Christ?
17. Where do we find the Scripture that tells us that?
18. Who made Paul a minister?
19. What was the power in Paul's ministry?
20. When did Paul receive his sight again?
21. Describe the sight that was restored to Paul.
22. The Light of Jesus transformed Paul from a _______ ________ to a
    believing Christian.
23. Why had Paul said, that he was least of all the saints?
24. What does verse 8 tell us that Paul preached?
25. What does verse 8 show us about Paul?
26. When was this mystery revealed?
27. What kind of fellowship did God want with man?
28. Who created all things?
29. Was everyone in heaven aware of the plan of salvation, before it
    happened?
30. Quote Matthew chapter 11 verses 25, 26, and 27.
31. What was the eternal plan for man's salvation?
32. What gives us the authority to pray directly to the Father?
33. What special name can only the children of God call Him?