Introduction: Paul wrote the Book of Ephesians from prison in Rome on his first imprisonment. He was later believed to have been released and then taken captive again. It was his second imprisonment that ended in his being beheaded for his testimony and preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

           The Book bears the title of being to the Ephesians, but it is believed it was a letter written to be circulated among all the churches. It is addressed both to the Ephesians and "to the faithful in Christ Jesus." The date when Paul wrote this letter varies from 58 to 63 AD. There was a span of

           Unlike the rest of Paul's Epistles this one does not deal with problems that the churches were experiencing in this time. Paul worked at Ephesus for three years, but he does not mention any names of people he would surely have know there. In his other letters he freely mentions many people by name.

           The letter was probably first brought to Ephesus by Tychicus and some think it is also the letter called the "the Epistle to Laodicea" of Colossians 4:16.

           The Gospel first came to the city when Aquila and Priscilla were saved when Paul first stopped there on his second missionary journey. (Acts 18:18-19) On Paul's third missionary journey he stayed there three years.

           Ephesus was a great Roman city of commerce and false religion. The worship of the idol Diana was centered there in a great temple. After Paul, Timothy became the pastor of the church and later the Apostle John was there for many years.

           The purpose and theme of the Book is to present a summation of the Christian life. God's plan for the believer. Paul sums up the believer's life by first addressing God's plan for the believer. The believer's position in the body of Christ, his relationship to other believers, the spiritual gifts God gives to Christians. He speaks of the believer's relationship to their former life, to evil, to the Holy Spirit, on relationship in the marriage, and to slaves and masters. The letter ends with Chapter six which addresses the spiritual warfare Christians face in this life and how to overcome the assaults of the Devil.

           This letter is not a polemic, which corrects problems or defends the truth, but a letter which proclaims God's truth in a plan and straightforward way.

I. The Greeting. 1:1-2.

A. Paul identifies himself as a Apostle of Jesus Christ. There were those who criticized him for calling himself an Apostle. He was often attacked because of his message of truth. Yet, he was an Apostle, having been called personally by the Lord Jesus on the Damascus road to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. (Acts 9)

           He declares the authority of his calling as coming by the will of God. It was Jesus who called him and gave him his ministry. (Acts 9:15, Rom. 11:13, 1 Tim. 2:7, 2 Tim. 1:11)

           The letter is addressed to the "saints" at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. The word saint refers to believers who are morally pure and blameless. The Greek word is "sacred" meaning dedicated to the Lord.

           He could have address them as believers or Christians which is normal, but he says to the "sacred." Often we overlook spiritual truths found in God's word. But God inspired the Apostle to write this Epistle and every word is included because it was chosen to reveal to us spiritual truths. The word "sacred" is the word "holy."

           It means separated unto the Lord. To be holy is to be dedicated wholly and solely for the use of the Lord. Like the Tabernacle and its furnishing were to be only used in God's serve and were declared "holy" so should be the believer in Jesus Christ.

           I believe that this phrase is a dual statement in which those whom were to receive this letter were both "sacred" and "faithful" to Jesus Christ.

           Who are the one's who benefit from the preaching of God's word? Who are the one's who with open hearts are seeking God's will and wanting to hear God's instructions to them? Who is it that wants the victory over sin and wants their lives to be a testimony of God's truth and want to glorify Him above all things? It is the saints of God, who in dedicating themselves to the Lord, are faithful to Him and who live their lives in God's will. These are the one's who want to see their lives accomplish what God intended them too.

           In contrast, many who profess to be Christians are not truly faithful to Him and are not really interested in God's will for their lives. Many are more interested in the things of the world that obeying God and living the life He intended for them.

B. In verse 2, he begins by wishing them the Grace of God. Grace and peace is an important theme of Paul's letters and of God's message to us in the New Testament. Paul uses the phrase here, and in Romans 1:7, and Philemon 1:3. He uses a similar phrase, "Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ" in 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Philippians 1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:2. In 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus Paul adds "mercy" to the phrase. Saying " Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."

           Peter in the greetings of both of his Epistles uses the phrase "Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied"

           John used the phrase in his second Epistle. "Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love" (2 John 3)

           John in Revelation 1:4, addressing the seven churches of Asia Minor, greets them saying, "John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (Revelation 1:4-6).

C. Clearly we cannot ignore God's word that combines grace and peace so many times in His word to us.
1. What then is God's "grace?" The definition we most hear is that "Grace is the unmerited favor of God." Not that God's favor in not something we can earn, or merit, but is His freely given benevolence offer to all men. The word appear 159 times in Scripture being first used in Genesis 6:8, "Noah found grace in the eyes of God." Noah receive the free unmerited love and favor of God, which is "the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from Him." (Webster's 182 Dictionary)

           The unmerited favor of God is that He offers "saving grace" freely to all who will believe and receive it.

           Ephesians 2:8-9 declares this truth to all men. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

2. Paul's continues and adds to grace "peace" as do the other writers of the New Testament. "Peace" is the state of being without conflict. Peace is the product of grace.

           Man in his natural state is at enmity against God. There is no peace in a man's life when he is at odds with his Creator. John 1:3 and Colossians 1:16 explain to us that Jesus Christ is our Creator. Genesis 1:1, 27, states clearly that God created the Heavens and the Earth and on the sixth day created man. This plainly tells us that Jesus Christ is our God and Creator.

           As Genesis 3, records sin entered the world and it brought both death and separation from God. From that fateful day when Adam and Eve sinned, man has been apart from God. Mankind has been without a full peace since that day.

           We must understand that this means that man is in enmity against God, not God against man. Enmity means being in a state of discord, opposition, dissension, and rebellion against God. All we need do is look around us, here and over the world to know that mankind is hostile to God and to His truth. There is no peace in the world, except in the lives of those who have believed and received God's grace and with it true internal peace.

           Enmity means man sins and rebels against God and against God's truth. Romans 5:20, explains this truth saying,

"Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 5:20-21).

           All men are under the Law of God as we are His creation. The Law is God's loving way of telling us what is good and bad for us. It is His reaching out to us that we might avoid the pitfalls of sin.

           Notice the great love of God....where sin abounded....which is in you and I, God's grace to much more abound. God's grace is greater than all our sin, as the word of the great hymn proclaim. Sin will lead us to death, which means a physical death and spiritual death and separation for eternity from God. But God's love in shown in that grace reigns we receive God's righteousness which brings eternal life in Jesus Christ.

           Note the truth found here. When God's grace is received it will bring peace. Grace will forgive the sinner of all his sins and give unto him eternal life.

           Grace will make us righteous, which means being right with God. The person who accepts God's grace becomes a child of God no longer in rebellion. The true believer no longer fights with God, but accepts that He is truth. Being right with God makes peace possible in our lives. There is a void in man and spiritual need that all men have. Trying to fill the need men have invented every kind of false religion there is...making a god like themselves as Romans 1:18-22 states. All false religions make their god like a man, or something material. Some even claim that God was once a man or that man can become a god. Deep down they know the truth....whatever satisfaction their religion gives them it is always lacking....it cannot satisfy one's need to know our true Creator and be reconciled to Him.

A. God desires that all men receive God's grace by faith, and receive the peace of God.

           Do you understand that the Bible I hold in my hand is God reaching out to you and I, to all men to believe in Him and receive His unmerited favor?

           Do you understand as Romans 5:1-2 says, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:1-2). B. This Epistle is an expression of God's love. He wants men to be saved and to become "saints" who are "faithful" in Christ Jesus.

Conclusion:

1. To the unsaved, who have never truly believed and put your faith in Jesus Christ alone, He says, "Let not your hearts be troubled, believe in me....." (John 14:1)

           Surely, we all know that we are sinners and have sinned against God. We know that our sin will keep God from us and keep us from going to heaven. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). We are not right with God, meaning we have no righteousness of our own. The only one's who will avoid the hell, prepared for the devil and his angels, will be those who are right with God.

           But it is a simply matter to receive that righteousness and be reconciled to God.

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:9-10).

           If you have not been saved by God's grace, God through this message is reaching out to you even now. He is saying believe in me and let me give you my grace and peace.

2. To the Christian, the message is also clear. To have God's peace we must be faithful to Him. As I mentioned earlier some who have believed and received God's grace are not a peace in their hearts because sin and worldliness is there. To some the things of the world are more important that serving and worshiping God. That is why Sunday Schools are today so poorly attended and Sunday and Wednesday night services. People have more to things to do than to come to God's house, to assemble with God's people and worship Him. The truths that are so important to the believer, that God wanted to give each of us are not just taught on Sunday morning, but in the church's other services as well. It is not popular today to say this...but God wants you to have the full measure of His peace and so many are missing that...and wasting their God given lives. There will come a time that those who are unfaithful will sourly regret it.

3. This is God's invitation. You know what you need to do...will you accept God's grace and peace?



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