Scaling the Heavenly Heights
Ephesians 1:1-3

Glory to God in the Church, Part 1
June 2, 2002
Have you ever been mountain climbing? The book of Ephesians is like a mighty mountain, which soars all the way into the heavenly places in Christ.
The Swiss Alps are known for their magnificent peaks and the whiteness of the snow capped mounts. Stretching for about 700 miles they are known for their beauty. This book of Ephesians is like the Alps, which soar into the heavenly places. It contains inspired prayers and sublime praises. It was John Calvin’s favorite book. John Knox wanted Calvin’s sermons from Ephesians read to him on his deathbed. It has been called the queen of the epistles, a letter of pure music, and the Grand Canyon of Scripture.
You are compelled in this book to look up into the heavenly places. What makes this book the alpine heights of the New Testament? There is a phrase used only five times in the New Testament and each time it is used it is here in Ephesians. The phrase is "in the heavenlies." It speaks of where our interests, affection, and attention primarily lie for Christ is seated there. It speaks of where we are seated now with Him, Eph.2:6. It speaks of where our home will eternally be. It speaks also of where our battles are fought, Eph.6:12.
Three factors that will help us to scale the heavenly heights:

1. The Man who wrote it, The Author
Eph. 1:1a: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God…"
A. Paul was an APOSTLE:
Nothing is high unless something is low. Most of us know that Saul of Tarsus was a Pharisee of the Pharisees, a trailblazer in the way of Judaism, and the chief persecutor of the church. On that Damascus Road God miraculously saved him and he became PAUL, which means little. Will you consider the lowness of Paul’s circumstances when he wrote this book?
God takes this man so full of fury against Jesus and calls him to be an apostle of Jesus Christ. The name Jesus Christ is used only five times in the Gospels. In Acts the name is used often, but in the epistles, the full name, Jesus Christ is used constantly. Christ is his divine title, Messiah.
God takes this man and calls him to be an apostle. Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. God has a will for every one of our lives. It is NOT God’s will for one to claim the office of apostle today, for the apostles gave us the New Testament.
B. Paul was a PRISONER:
As an apostle, Paul suffered much. He was in prison somewhere between AD 58-62 and during this first imprisonment he wrote Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, and Philippians. His circumstances allowed him to have friends visit him and there were many opportunities to witness. He was confined in a rented house (Acts 28:30,31). He is chained to Roman guards on a short chain. The guards were chained four times a day; they were on six-hour shifts. In AD 64, Nero burned Rome, blamed the Christians, and Paul was arrested again and martyred in about AD 67.
Eph.3:1, For this cause I Paul, the prisoner…
Eph.4:1, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord…
Eph.6:20, For which I am an ambassador in bonds…
Paul could have paced back and forth like an angry tiger in a zoo.
Look at Paul’s attitude while in prison: He is a prisoner of Jesus Christ, a prisoner of the Lord, and an ambassador in bonds. He was suffering for Christ.
Paul has become an apostle for the one he had once persecuted, v.1. An apostle is one sent with a mission.
C. Paul makes known a MYSTERY
Part of Paul’s mission was to make known the mystery, Eph.3:3-5.
The word mystery is used about 20 times in Paul’s writings and it is found 6 times in this one book.
• Eph.1:9, the purpose of God to bring everything under the headship of Christ.
• Eph.3:3
• Eph.3:4, the "mystery of Christ…"
• Eph.3:9, the fellowship of the mystery
The mystery is that the Gospel is as much for the Gentile as for the Jew.
• Eph. 5:32, This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
• Eph.6:19, "the mystery of the gospel."
This is not something different, it is the same thing. Here is a man incarcerated but he reveals the sublimity of something never known to man and that can never be investigated by the scientific method and it is given to him to make the mystery of Christ known.
That this man in this low circumstance is yet revealing the depth and breath and height of all Christ has done in the church shows the grace of God.

2. The People who Received it, The Assembly
Eph. 1:1b: "to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus."
A. Their Location, "Saints AT EPHESUS"
Ephesus was home to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Temple of Diana. They thought that the image of Diana had fallen from heaven.
The temple, built with shining marble, was over a football field long, 342 feet by 164 feet wide. It took more than 200 years to build. The temple cast its dark shadows of superstition throughout the entire world and had a strong grip on the people of Effuses. If there was anywhere in the world of Paul that one would have thought the people were more than satisfied with their religion and way of life, it was at Ephesus.
When they got saved, they got a big dose. They burned all their books that encouraged their paganism and idolatry. It totaled 50,000 days wages. That is in the millions of dollars. They were writings with magical formulas called "Ephesian letters." They burned their Ephesian letters and Paul writes them an Ephesian letter and Paul directs their attention to the heavenlies, the true high places.
They are now SAINTS. A saint is the Pauline word for disciple. It comes from the word "holy" and it means one who is set apart and now belongs to God. Notice also that a saint is not one special person but the saints are all the people of God. A saint is not a particularly holy person who is exalted to a position of sainthood after they die. Even the dictionary is wrong in defining a saint as "a person officially recognized for holiness of life." What a Biblically foreign idea of a saint! A true saint reaches sainthood in life, not death. A true saint does not have to do a miracle but rather he BELIEVES a miracle: the resurrection of Christ. In believing a miracle he has EXPERIENCED the miracle of the New Birth. A true saint is made by God and not any church. We do not become saints merely by works, but because we are saints our lives should be characterized by holiness.
B. Their Position, "faithful IN CHRIST JESUS"
Faithful means they have exercised saving faith. Saving faith is a whole being trust in God; it has an intellectual, emotional, and volitional element. The one who has put saving faith in Jesus Christ will also continue in the faith.
1. Our position in Christ speaks of our UNION with Him:
The phrase "IN CHRIST" or "IN HIM" occurs nine times in this first chapter alone (v.1,3,4,6,9,10,12,15,20). It is used twenty-seven times in this letter. It speaks of our union with Christ. If you are OUTSIDE of Christ, you can get IN by faith in Him.
Union with Christ has its source in the election of God the Father before the foundation of the world and it has its end result the glorification of the sons of God. Our viewpoint as God’s people is not narrow; it has the wideness of eternity. Its orbit has two centers, one the electing love of God the Father in the counsels of eternity past from the foundation of the world, the other focus being our glorification with Christ in the manifestation of his glory for all eternity in the future. To the first there is no beginning, the latter has no end.
2. Our position gives us GRACE and PEACE, v.2

Because a saint is IN CHRIST Jesus, we have grace and peace. Grace, which is the free and loving favor of God. This word appears twelve times in Ephesians. It is the word, charis and is similar to the word, joy, which is chara. Peace is serenity of soul that is ours. Peace is not merely the absence of conflict; it is the presence of God in all His fullness. This grace and peace is our equally from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Our position is in the heavenlies in Christ, v.3
Notice where we are right now in Christ according to Eph. 1:3, "we are blessed we all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ."
By virtue of our union with Him we are in the heavenlies in Christ! The phrase "in the heavenlies" occurs five times in the New Testament and every occurrence occurs in Ephesians. What is going on up in the heavenly places where we cannot see.
• Eph. 1:3
• Eph.1:20, Christ is in the heavenly places.
• Eph.2:6, God sees us up in the heavenlies.
• Eph.3:10
• Eph. 6:12, the dark side of the battle. There is a battle fought in the heavenly places.
They forsook their earthly treasures and God gave them something greater, an inspired epistle that contained the greater

3. The Purpose in writing it, The AIM
A. The Structure: Divides very neatly into two parts:
1. The Doctrinal, Eph.1-3. There are no real commands of responsibility. There is nothing told us to do. Paul is explaining to us what someone else did. Specifically, Paul tells us what the FATHER has done in blessing us with all spiritual blessings in Christ.
Eph.1:9, Having made known…
Paul has two prayers: Eph.1:17-23, knowledge of him…know what is the hope of his calling…
Eph.3:14-21, These prayers are like scaling a mountain. You read each phrase and you have to catch your breath.
Eph.3:19, Know the love of Christ…
The objective of the first three chapters is to KNOW certain things. Paul has a great and majestic God, and he wants us to know Him. Is your God small or great?
Look at Ephesians 1:3, "Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ."
Notice the words "BLESSED, BLESSED us, blessings." These are all the same root word in the original language,
• God is the BLESSED one who is the BLESSER:
Do we PRAISE GOD for these blessings? Blessed by God means that He is worthy of praise. We are to declare His goodness for all He has done. We must praise God for our election and not fight with one another over this truth! We must praise God for our election and not be suspicious of those who use the term. Let this truth comfort you who believe in Christ and not confuse your faith in him! God meant these things to bless you!
• We are the Blessed Ones!
Do we realize the amazing grace of these blessings? These blessings are the source of grace and provide all the peace! The blessed God has blessed us with spiritual blessings! This speaks of our wealth in Christ, all the riches that are our in Him.
• The Blessings are Spiritual:
We have to know what we are in Christ! What riches are ours in Christ! The Temple of Diana housed many earthly riches, but not one spiritual treasure.
As we continue reading we see that He has chosen us (v.4), predestinated us (v.5), accepted us (v.6), redeemed us (v.7), illumined us (v.8), revealed to us (v.9), sealed us (v.13).
We must KNOW these things!
2. The Duty, Eph.4-6, Now that you know your position in Christ in the heavenlies, WALK. We have to walk on earth today and live out what we know is true.
Eph.4:1
Eph.5:1,2
Eph.5:
B. The Theme of Paul
The major thing in these first three chapters concerns the Father. It is all the Father has done for us through Christ. This is important in understanding the theme and the mystery.
Eph.1:3-6
Eph.1:22,23
Ephesians 3:21, Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
What the Father is doing
What the Father is doing in the church,
What the Father is doing in the church by Jesus Christ,
What the Father is doing by in the church by Jesus Christ for His own glory
That is the height, what God is doing for His own glory. We are in the lowlands when we are all caught up with ourselves.
Eph. 3:20,21
Who is the "him" in verse 21? The FATHER, and unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end!
What the Father is doing in the church by Jesus Christ for His own glory FOREVER!
There are five elements to this theme. Review them!
We are secure in Christ because of where we are in the beloved.
Ephesians 4:1, what is our calling? To display the glory of God in the church.
Theme boiled down: Glory to God through the church.
This book is about more than just the church, but the glory of God.
If we are going to get this book in the grasp of our soul, we must pray. We can define the words and break down every phrase, but if God does not open up our hearts, then all will be in vain. If you want to scale the heavenly heights, live for the glory of God in the church!