Last week I preached a sermon on Isaiah 6.
You remember the seraphim?
Six-winged angels above God on His throne
crying out,
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts.
The whole earth is full of His glory.
The thresholds of the heavenly temple shook.
Smoke filled the place.
It would have been awesome.
You can't walk away from Isaiah 6
without the realization that God is serious about His holiness.
His holiness and our holiness.
God is qualitatively set apart from everything else.
He is an all-consuming fire of moral purity.
And throughout the New Testament,
we read over and over again
that God saves sinners
in order to make them holy
as He is holy.
All by His grace.
He saved us to be qualitatively different
from everybody else.
He wants us to share in His holiness.
That's no burden.
That's joy.
I need to get two things done.
I'm not going to preach on Ephesians 5, 3 through 6 this morning.
And so the note in your bulletin,
I'll be preaching on that next week.
What I'm going to preach on this morning is this.
We're going to do an overview of the book of Ephesians.
And then the second thing I want to help you see
is that there is a really important connection
in the book of Ephesians.
Really important for our holiness.
So let's get reacquainted with the book of Ephesians.
Now if you suddenly found yourself in a city
that you'd never been to before
or you were unfamiliar with,
what would you do?
I'm guessing some of us would look for a map.
I think other of us would pull out our smartphones
and hit our map application
to figure out,
hey, where am I in this city?
I've got a little app on my phone
and I love it.
Because not only it shows me the city,
it shows me where I am in the city.
It's very helpful.
And so this morning,
not only do I want to give you a map
of the book of Ephesians,
I want to show you where we're going to be at
in Ephesians next week.
So we're going to start off by
flying to 45,000 feet
so we can overview the book of Ephesians.
And then we're going to come down to 10,000 feet
so we can see some specific contours.
So it's been over a month and a half
since we were in the book of Ephesians.
I'm not sure if you've realized that.
It's been some time.
And we finished off
having just started Ephesians 5.
And Ephesians is essentially
a sustained line of apostolic logic.
It's progressive.
The first half of Ephesians,
chapters 1 through 3,
is all about the truth
of who we are in Christ.
It's truth after truth.
Fact after fact.
Full of instruction.
This is who you are.
The second half of Ephesians
depends on the first.
After informing us of who we are in Christ
over and over again,
Paul in the second half of Ephesians
exhorts us
over and over and over again.
This is who you are.
First half.
Second half.
This is how you live.
Did you hear that word exhort?
That might be an unfamiliar word to you.
It's not extort.
Coaches exhort.
Like Urban Myers of the Ohio State Buckeyes
exhorted his Ohio State Buckeyes
onto victory.
So the first half of Ephesians
who you are in Christ
truth after truth.
The second half
how to live
exhortation after exhortation.
So that's the 45,000 feet overview.
Let's now go down to 10,000 feet.
I want to lay this out
this book
to give you a better sense
of the whole
and where we are in it.
But there's a particular thing
I want you to see
as we go through this.
I want you to help you
to see Ephesians
through the lens of holiness.
God is serious about His holiness.
We need to be serious
about His holiness.
And Ephesians helps us.
So Ephesians 1.1
Here's what you're going to need
to do this morning.
You're going to need your Bible open.
So turn in your Bibles
to Ephesians chapter 1
and you might need
to kind of buckle up
because we're going to be moving.
So I'm going to hit the high points
throughout Ephesians
so that you can see
this beautiful book as a whole
and how it bears on our holiness.
So Paul in Ephesians 1.1
addresses the church.
Did you notice how he addresses them?
Paul, the apostle of Jesus Christ
to the saints who are in Ephesus.
And last week I told you
that word saints
literally means holy ones.
The holy ones living in Ephesus.
If God had an apostle
and wrote us a letter
it would start this way.
To the holy ones of Christ the King Church
in Kenosha.
Holy.
That's where Paul starts the book.
And then we move to Ephesians chapter 1
verses 3 through 14.
This is an awesome passage
of triune spectacularness.
It's amazing.
God the Father chose us
before the foundation of the world.
That's 1.4.
God the Son redeemed us
by His blood.
1.7.
God the Spirit indwelt us
as a deposit
guaranteeing the inheritance to come.
1.14.
I mean it's triune meganness.
And then 1.4
is what I really want you to see.
We learn that from eternity past
from before the foundation of the world.
God chose us in Christ
so that we should be holy
and blameless before Him.
Christian, when God thought of you
in eternity past,
He chose you.
He set His love on you
in order to make you holy
so that you can stand
in His holy presence
without fear.
From eternity past,
God has loved us
into holiness.
So from the very get-go,
we learn from Ephesians 1,
God chose us for holiness.
Holy ones,
God chose you for holiness.
And then in Ephesians 2,
1-10,
we see how God
makes sinners holy.
He makes sinners holy
by uniting sinners to Christ.
Christ is our holiness.
Christ is our righteousness.
Christ is our life.
And so in chapter 2,
1-3,
we learn what we were
before becoming Christians.
Things I think we already know of.
Before we were Christians,
we were spiritually dead
because of our trespasses and sins.
Deceived by the world
and held captive by the devil.
We were sons of disobedience
and daughters of disobedience.
We were unholy.
And we were under God's wrath,
children of wrath like the rest.
We were under God's
just and holy wrath.
That's who we were.
And then in chapter 2,
verses 4 and 5,
we hear gospel news.
Verse 4,
but God,
that is one of my favorite
but Gods in the Bible.
But God,
being rich in mercy
because of the great love
with which He loves us,
even when we were dead
in our trespasses,
made us alive together with Christ,
for by grace you've been saved.
God loved us into holiness
by uniting us to Christ.
For those Christians in the room,
you're no longer dead in your sin.
You're alive to God
in Christ.
At the moment you were born again,
you were born with a new appetite.
And not for chocolate.
But you were born with an appetite
for holiness.
You were born with a desire to obey.
It might have been a little desire,
but it was there.
You were no longer a son or daughter
of disobedience under God's wrath,
but you were made new.
You became a beloved child of God,
an imitator of God,
according to Ephesians 5.
So you see what happens
in Ephesians 2
is you go from being a sinner
to a saint,
and that's all because
of God's grace in Christ.
He radically changed us.
We were under God's wrath,
and now we are beloved by God fully.
Lavished in His grace.
This is gospel news.
And then in 2.10,
we see why God did this.
He created you in Christ Jesus
for good works,
which God prepared before Him,
that you should walk in them.
God made us alive in Christ,
who is our holiness,
so that we could walk in holiness.
And then we move on to chapter 2,
verses 11 through 22.
Not only have we been united
to Christ individually,
but those of us who have been
united to Christ
have also been united
to each other.
God has placed us
in a new people,
the church.
According to Paul,
it's an entirely new people group.
Not a Jew,
not a Gentile,
a Christian.
And we read in Ephesians 2,
19 through 22,
that God has made His people
the new dwelling place
for His Spirit.
We're the new temple.
Holy.
not a temple made with steel
and cement and stone,
but a temple that is made
of sinners
who were made saints
by God's grace.
We are the dwelling place
of the Holy Spirit of God.
We're a holy people.
This is who we are now.
Chosen by God
from eternity past
for holiness.
United to Christ
so that we could live
holy lives.
And we are being united
to one another
as a holy dwelling place
for God.
Holiness.
So when Paul addresses
the Ephesians as saints
in 1.1,
it means a lot.
Set apart for God
in Christ,
a holy people.
Now,
let's turn the corner.
In the middle of Ephesians
is a transition point.
We see it in chapter 4,
verse 1.
I therefore,
a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to walk
in a manner worthy
of the calling
with which you've been called.
What Paul is doing here
is he's moving
from explaining
who saints are
to explaining
how saints live.
He's moving
from instruction
to exhortation.
He's saying,
I urge you holy ones
to live real holy lives
because you've been really
called and made holy
in Christ.
Live out who you are
in Christ.
You've been made holy,
so live like it.
And so chapters 1-3,
truth after truth,
instruction of who we are
in Christ.
Gospel truth
after gospel truth.
And then chapters 4-6
is going to be
exhortation after exhortation
to holiness.
Here's how you need
to think about it.
Right down 60th,
there is a train trestle.
And often times
in the morning
you see metro trains
cruising over that thing.
Do you have a picture
in your mind
of one of those
big metro locomotives
and one of those
big blue things
with metro across it
you know what I'm talking about?
Here's how you need
to think about chapters 1-3
in Ephesians.
It is the gospel locomotive.
It is the gospel engine.
It is dynamic.
It is powerful.
It changes things.
This is God's grace
unleashed on us.
It makes us new people.
And so the gospel engine
of Ephesians 1-3
drives the holy exhortations
of Ephesians 4-6.
It's dynamic.
It's powered by God
through the gospel.
He changed us by Christ
and it changes the way
we live our lives.
So moving into Ephesians 4
into all these exhortations
were first exhorted
to unity as a church.
Verses 1-16
the church is one body
with the diversity of gifts
given by one God
for the building up
of the body.
It's an exhortation
to holy unity.
And then Ephesians 4
verses 17
through chapter 5
verse 21
it's a really big section
and it's exhortation
after exhortation
to live holy lives.
We're exhorted
to put off the old self
be renewed in our minds
and to put on the new self
which is created
in the likeness of God
in true righteousness
and holiness.
What's interesting
is that verses 25
through 425
through 5-2
it seems as though
Paul is emphasizing
holy behavior
within the church.
And then when we get
to 5-3
through 5-21
it seems to have
an emphasis
on our relationship
to people
who are not Christians
those outside
of the church.
Paul says
stop lying.
Paul says
stop stealing.
Paul says
stop being bitter.
Speak the truth.
Give.
Forgive.
Calls us out
of a certain way
of living
as non-Christians live.
And next week
that's where
we're going to pick up
in Ephesians 5
in this section
of how we are
to live
among non-Christians.
We're going to
experience some
exhortations
and some warnings.
But it's all
gospel driven.
Ephesians doesn't
end here.
It continues on.
In Ephesians 5
22-6
9
the Apostle Paul
exhorts us
onto a holiness
in relationship
to other people.
In 5
22-33
wives
are exhorted
to holiness
in relationship
to their husbands.
Husbands
are exhorted
to holiness
in their relationship
to their wives.
In chapter 6
1-4
children
you're exhorted
to holiness
in your relationship
to your parents.
And parents
you're exhorted
to holiness
in relationship
to your children.
chapter 6
5-9
holiness
in the workplace.
And then we get
to chapter 6
verses 10-20
all throughout
Ephesians
there's this
repeated command
walk walk
walk
walk walk
walk
and when you get
to Ephesians
chapter 6
it's stand
stand firm
against the schemes
of the devil.
take a stand
fight the fight
and so where
we're going to end up
is an exhortation
to fight
the spiritual battle
to put on
the armor of God
to stand firm
against the schemes
of the devil.
Christians aren't
jihadists
our battle
is not against
flesh and blood
but against
spiritual forces
and principalities
in the heavenly places.
God provides
everything we need
for that fight
but it's a holy fight.
So there you have it.
A brief overview
of Ephesians
through the lens
of holiness.
God is serious
about holiness.
He's serious
about our holiness.
The first half
truth after truth
of who you are
in Christ.
God has made you
holy in Jesus.
And then the second half
is exhortation
after exhortation.
We are to live out
who we already
have been made.
Holy ones
live holy lives.
So that's where
we're going to pick it up
next week
in Ephesians chapter 5
verses 3 through 6.
But I just want to see
at the risk of overkill
that you are seeing
not only a connection
in Ephesians
but the kind
of connection.
The nature of it.
Gospel truths
drive
holy exhortations.
Gospel truths
who we are in Christ
drive
holy exhortations.
Who God has made us
in Jesus
changes the way
that we live
our lives.
The Gospel fuels
our holiness
which means
ours is a holiness
by grace.
Let me say it this way.
Just speaking personally.
Because I am
a saint
by grace
I strive
for unity
in the church
Ephesians 4.
Because
I have been
made holy
by the blood
of Jesus
I speak
the truth
in love
to others.
Because
God
and the Gospel
has radically
changed me
brought me
from death
to life
by uniting me
to Jesus
I no longer
steal
but I use
my hands
to give.
Because
God
has
chosen me
from eternity
past
bought me
with the blood
of Jesus
and sealed me
with His Spirit
I don't lie
I speak the truth
I don't steal
I give
I don't get bitter
I forgive
give
because I've been
made alive
in Jesus
I imitate
my holy
father
as a beloved
son
and I love
as Jesus
loved
because I'm
blood bought
made righteous
with the righteousness
of Christ
holy
I love my wife
as Christ loved
the church
because God
has changed
me by His
grace
I raise
my children
to fear
the Lord
because God
has delivered
me from the
kingdom of
darkness
into His
kingdom
of the
beloved
son
I fight
now
I fight
a spiritual
battle
do you want
to know
how serious
God is
about your
holiness
God
shows you
from eternity
past
and then
He sent
His son
to die
for you
and caused
His spirit
to dwell
you
so that
you could
be made
new
so that
you could
walk
in holiness
that's how
serious God
is about
holiness
let's pray
together
God in
heaven
we do
praise you
for being
a holy
God
and we
do
thank you
God
for what
you've
done
for us
in Christ
that you
have brought
us in
and we
no longer
fear
there is
therefore
now no
condemnation
for those
who are
in Christ
Jesus
you have
made us
righteous
in your
sight
you welcomed
us as your
sons and
daughters
God
we thank
you
and we
as a
church
come before
you now
and ask
God that
you would
pour out
your
sanctifying
grace
on us
that you
would make
us holy
experientially
that we
would hear
these
exhortations
in the
latter half
of Ephesians
and say
oh God
thank you
we welcome
it
stir us
up God
we ask
help us
to strive
for holiness
we ask
this in
Jesus name
amen