Expositional Archives - Page 80 of 109

Ephesians: The Gift of Life

Joe Harby on January 11, 2015

Death to Life

Last week we looked at how Paul understood that salvation is all wrapped up with the doctrine of resurrection. Because Jesus rose from the dead, and we are in him, we have risen from the dead. Salvation is a passing from death to life (2:1 and 2:5).

The Significance of Baptism

God taught the Israelites that if they wanted to be in fellowship with him, they had to be separated from the world of death. So God gave them a whole host of
rules and regulations that distinguished between Jews and Gentiles and made them live separately. And there was special care taken in any matter that dealt

directly with death or the dead. You washed everything that came in contact with the dead (Num. 19).

Baptism for the Dead

The Jews concluded that if you needed to be baptized when you have been touching something that is dead, then anyone who converted to being a Jew would need to be baptized, because Gentiles were all dead people.

This is why, in 1 Cor. 15, when Paul is confronting the people at Corinth who are denying the resurrection, he says to them, why do you then baptize for the dead (1 Cor. 15:29)? Paul isn’t talking about a separate special kind of baptism (as the Mormons teach). He is talking about the baptism that we all have received. All baptism is baptism for the dead. And Paul is saying, why would we go through this ceremony about separating ourselves from death if death if there is no resurrection?

Brought Near (2:11-13)

You who were once far off, who were once dead and excluded from this life, have now been brought near. Remember where God has taken you from. Maybe you don’t remember a moment of conversion. But surely you see what unbelief looks like. God has redeemed you from that. This is what you should talk to yourself about.

By Grace (2:8-10)

So conversion is about going from death to life. But if that is the case, then that says something about the very nature of conversion, doesn’t it? This means that it is totally, fully, solely, completely, accomplished by God alone and not with our contribution. “By grace you have been saved” (2:5). You see that connection? Because you were dead when God came for you, you contributed nothing.

Gratitude

This is why this is something that Paul is thanking God for. That’s what you do when something has been given to you. It is either gratitude or boasting (Luke
18:9-14).

Ephesians: Death to Life

Joe Harby on January 4, 2015

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Because of the Resurrection

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was written when Paul was in prison. This was an imprisonment that began when he was arrested at the Temple, recounted in Acts 21 and 22. When Paul is questioned he asserts two things – first, that he has a clean conscience (Acts 23:1), and second, that he believes he is actually being arrested because of his belief in the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:6).

Pharisees Versus Sadducees

This appeal to the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead revealed a division between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, a division which Paul seems to be
exploiting. The Sadducees only received the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, and rejected the oral tradition which was received by the Pharisees. Because of this, the Sadducees did not believe in angels, miracles, or the resurrection of the dead. The question is, when Paul appealed to the doctrine of the resurrection, was he bringing up the subject merely to exploit the difference between the two parties? Or was Paul really convinced that the doctrine of the resurrection was the reason for his persecution?

A Good Conscience and the Resurrection

Paul links a good conscience and the resurrection again in the next chapter, when he testifies before Felix, the Roman governor, where again maintains that it is because of the resurrection that he has been arrested (Acts 24:15-16, 21). In fact, throughout his letters, Paul regularly connects his message to the idea of the resurrection. But he does this most pointedly in his letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 15:12-19). Here Paul explains the close connection between the concept of a resurrection, the resurrection of Jesus, and the hope that we all can have of a good conscience.

Made Alive

This brings us to Paul’s letter to our text from Ephesians. In the previous chapter, Paul has just explained how the power that is at work in us is the same power that raised Christ from the dead (1:19-20). We have what Christ has because he is the head and we are the body (1:22-23).

2:1-3 Now, we who were once walking in death, have been made alive in Christ. This is true of both Gentile and Jew.
2:4-6 This resurrected life is made possible by the mercy of God, which flows from his eternal character.

2:7 And, lastly, this mercy is poured out on us with the purpose of preparing us for more grace.

Ephesians: Raised

Joe Harby on November 16, 2014

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Thankful

1:15-16. Paul blesses God in 1:3 for every spiritual blessing, which is enumerated in 1:3-14. And then Paul thanks God in 1:15, once again for what will be enumerated in the following verses. But specifically, he is thanking God for what has happened to the Ephesians.

Enlightenment

1:17-19. Paul describes what he is praying for when he prays for the Ephesians–a spirit of wisdom and revelation, enlightened understanding, and to know the hope, riches and glory that God has in store for us. This all describes a new frame of mind, a realization of what God has already done, not a set of steps in order to get God to do something

The Power Which God Worked in Christ

1:20-23. This power, which Paul says is at work in the Ephesians, is the same power that was at work in Christ, when he rose again from the dead and ascended into heaven. That the Messiah would conquer his enemies and then be enthroned, everyone knew. The Old Testament foretold it – Ps. 110:1.

Jesus conquered sin and death. That this is why he took on flesh, so that he could fight this fight on our behalf. He rose from the dead and then he ascended into heaven. And in heaven he now sits, with all of his enemies under his feet – Heb. 2:7-12.

What happened to Jesus is what happened to you (1:19-20). The power that was on display when Jesus rose from the dead (the Holy Spirit) is the power that is working in you now. The great victory that he won, you have won.

In the incarnation, when Jesus took on a body, he connected himself to us. Because of this union that we have with him, we are considered to be “in him.” This means that what Jesus has received, we receive, because we are in him. Everything that Jesus now has, you now have. That is why Paul has been saying that you were chosen, adopted, accepted, and beloved. The Son has come so that all the bless ings that he has from the Father are now yours.

And this is why Paul wants us to meditate on these things. The news is far, far better than what you think.

Surveying the Text: John

Joe Harby on November 9, 2014

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Introduction

The apostle John was overwhelmed by the vastness of Jesus Christ. This fourth gospel is a cosmic gospel, but with profound ramifications for us here on earth. It is cosmic, but it is in no way removed from us. No, the ultimate and divine Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). The synoptics should be treated as a cluster of similar perspectives. The gospel of John appears to have been written later, with the intention of addressing various things that the synoptics missed. Very few things in John’s gospel overlap with the others.

The Text

“And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:30–31).

Some Background on John

Let’s begin with some things that we ought to know about John, but which we usually don’t. John was very likely the Lord’s first cousin on their mothers’ side. John was a son of Zebedee, and his mother’s name was Salome, which we can find out by comparing Mark 16:1 and Matt.27:56. Mark says that the third woman who went to the tomb was Salome and Matthew said it was the mother of Zebedee’s children. And then in John 19:25, it says that four women were present at the crucifixion—two Marys from Mark and Matthew, the Lord’s mother, and the Lord’s aunt. This helps make sense of how the Lord would entrust the care of His mother to John, which on this reading would be her nephew. It also helps explain the particular closeness of Jesus and John (John 21:7).

John was also from a well-to-do family with respectable connections. His father had hired servants (Mark 1:20), and Salome was one of the women who was a financial patroness of the Lord’s ministry (Luke 8:3; Mark 15:40). John was known to the high priest (John 18:15-16), and was able to get Peter into the place where the Lord was being tried.

We also know a great deal about John’s giftedness and related challenges. Jesus named him, together with his brother, a son of thunder (Mark 3:17). He was a fire-eater, and sometimes succumbed to the temptations that come with that—which would be misdirected zeal and ambition. He was one of the disciples who wanted Jesus to torch a Samaritan village (Luke 9:54), and it was Salome who made the request for James and John to sit at Christ’s left and right hand (Matt. 20:20; Mark 10:37). John was not formally trained (Acts 4:13), but was nonetheless a staggering genius. He was a tender and humble man as revealed by all his writings, but it is very plain that this was the result of the Spirit taming a lot of horsepower.

He remained in Jerusalem for a number of years—at least 14 (Gal. 2:9), but then moved to Ephesus, where he wrote his gospel (according to Irenaeus. That was the time during which he was exiled to Patmos. According to early reports, he lived until the reign of Trajan (which started in 98 A.D.)

Outline of John

The gospel of John can be understood as having three basic sections. The first is where Jesus Christ is revealed to the world (John 1:1-12:50). The second is where He is revealed in greater depth, this time to His disciples (John 13:1-17:26). We see this revelation in the Lord’s extended discourses to His disciples. And the last section is where Christ is glorified (John 18:1-21:25)—again, to the world, but with His disciples being the ones who understood how the nature of glory has been transformed, and who declare that to the world.

Features of John

John has an orderly mind, and likes to see things in patterns. For example, he uses three a lot—three Passovers, three condemnations of Christ, three words from the cross, three denials by Peter, a three-stage restoration of Peter. We also see seven quite a bit as well— seven great signs or miracles (John 2:1-11; 4:46-54; 5:1-18; 6:5-13; 6:16-21; 9:1-17; 111-44), seven “I am” sayings followed by a metaphor (John 6:35; 8:12; 10:7; 10:11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1).

Five Were, One Is, One Is to Come

There are many reasons for reading the gospel of John and the book of Revelation together, side by side. Let me mention a handful of examples, and then give one specific parallel in greater depth. If you read the two books in an intertextual way, side by side, you should notice many connections. Here is just a small sampling:

“He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth andheareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice” (John 3:29).

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20).

“…and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

“And from Jesus Christ . . . and the first begotten of the dead . . . to him be glory” (Rev. 1:5–6).

“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

“They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat” (Rev. 7:16).

But John is not just entertaining himself with mental gymnastics. There is a gospel point to this, a gospel center.

In John 4, Jesus meets a disreputable woman. “For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly” (John 4:18). In Revelation we meet the great harlot who rides the beast. “And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space” (Rev. 17:10).

Here is something a friend pointed out to me. Notice the mathematical pattern—five past, one now, one to come. But what is the point? When the disciples come back with food and find Jesus talking with the Samaritan woman, they are amazed (John 4:27). Everywhere in the Bible when you see a man talking with a woman at the well, you know that a wedding is in the offing (Gen. 24:16-17; 29:11; Ex. 2:17-18). How do you know that? The same way you know two things when a movie starts with a cute blonde waking up late, slapping the alarm clock. She dashes around getting ready, runs down the steps of an upscale brownstone apartment building, only to run over a young man who happens to be walking by. Now what two things do you know? First, you know that your wife tricked you into a chick flick, and second, you know that the colliding couple are destined for each other. You know this because motifs communicate.

In John 4, the one that is to come is Christ—the Father is seeking worshipers (a bride) for His Son (John 4:23). The book of Revelation makes the same point in a slightly different way. Revelation is all about the replacement of the old Israel (the harlot) with the virgin bride (the new Jerusalem).

But—and this is key—what is the raw material out of which God assembles this new Eve? That is right, the answer is a rib taken right out of the side of the old corrupt Adam. But there is more. God is able to take this rib out of two Adams at once because the second Adam was dying on the cross suffering the penalty that the first Adam earned (John 19:34-35).

Now John wrote all that he wrote so that you might believe. A strong theme in this book is the glorious future of women with inglorious pasts. The Samaritan woman believes, along with the rest of her town (John 4:39). The woman caught in adultery is told to go and sin no more (John 8:11). Mary Magdalene, out of whom seven devils were cast, met the Lord in the garden. Adam met the woman in a garden of life, with innocence behind her. The second Adam met the woman in a garden of death, a cemetery, and with all her innocence before her (Matt. 20:11-18).

Of course, Mary Magdalene is not the bride of Christ. But she most certainly is the type of the one who is. John told us all this so that we would believe. Do you believe?

Introduction to Ephesians

Joe Harby on October 12, 2014

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Intro to Ephesians

Ephesus had been a great Greek city going back as far as 1000 BC. It’s on the western coast of modern day Turkey. Under Rome, it was the capital of its province and a very magnificent city. Had a theatre that seated 30,000.

Paul first came to Ephesus in Acts 18:19. He experienced especially fruitful ministry here, along with excessive opposition. He leaves Ephesus to go to Jerusalem, where he is arrested and eventually taken to Rome. It is from Rome, where he would eventually be executed, that Paul probably wrote this letter to encourage the saints that he left behind.

When Paul first came to Ephesus, he preached to the Jews in the synagogue. But only a few of them received his teaching. So he withdrew and preached to the Gentiles in a place called the school of Tyrannus (19:9).

Some Terminology

Apostle

This letter is from Paul, who has been called to be an apostle, by the will of God.

Jesus

Paul is an Apostle of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name Joshua, or literally “salvation.”

Christ

Christ is the title that Jesus was given. The Hebrew word for Christ is “Messiah,” Christ is the title that Jesus was given. The Hebrew word for Christ is “Messiah,” meaning someone who has been anointed with oil to set them aside for a particular office. This was done for Kings (1 Sam. 16:13); Priests (Ex. 28:41; 29:7, 21, 29; 30:22-33); and Prophets (1 King 19:16).

This anointing with oil usually corresponded to an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, gifting someone in a way that related to the office that they were to fulfill.

All of these Old Testament offices, however, were pointing forward to one man, who would perfectly embody them all – namely, Jesus Christ, Jesus the Messiah, Jesus the Anointed One. This is why, when Jesus begins his official ministry, his baptized and the Holy Spirit falls upon him (Mat. 3:13-17).

Saints

The letter is to the saints. The word saint means “holy one.” All Christians are saints, because we are all holy in Christ. However, he further defines what he means by “saints.” He says that they are the “faithful,” that is, those that believe in Christ Jesus.