A Good Place to Start. (Ephesians 1: 1-3)

The Bible Project Daily Podcast is an in-depth, daily study of the entire Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. 

Episode Notes: A Good Place to Start (Ephesians 1: 1-3)

If the last episode was about lifting our eyes to the vast landscape of Paul’s world and God’s eternal purposes, today is about taking that first quiet step into the text itself. And truly, this is a good place to start because Paul begins not with instruction, not with correction, not with urgency, but with blessing.

He begins with grace.

He begins with peace.

He begins with identity, and that’s where we begin too….

Transcript

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Welcome back, friends. Welcome back into the Bible Project Daily Podcast. I'm Jeremy McCandless, and today we finally place our feet on the first stepping stone of this remarkable letter, the opening verses of Ephesians chapter 1. Now, in yesterday's episode, our first episode, it was about lifting our eyes to the vast landscape of Paul's world that we're entering into and God's eternal purposes we'll find there. And today is talking about that first little step into the text itself. And this truly is a really good place to start because Paul begins not with instruction, not with correction, not even with a sense of urgency, but simply with a blessing. He begins with grace and peace, and he also begins with identity, and that's where we should begin too. So imagine again that small group of believers in Ephesus I introduced you to yesterday, gathered in a modest home, the noise of the city buzzing around outside them, the smell of oil lamps would probably fill the room, and the letter has been unrolled. The parchment is in hands, and the very first word this small gathering of people are going to hear are these I, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to God's holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus, grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Simple words, familiar words maybe, if you go to church, we open sometimes our church services with them, but beneath them lies a whole world of meaning, because Paul begins very simply by giving them his name. But he's not giving them it out of any sense of ego, because he also begins by his name alongside his calling. He says, I'm Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God. So this is not about ambition, not even about position or talent, not about any personal achievement, but simply all framed as being by the will of God. Paul wants his readers to know then, and by nature us today to know that the authority behind this letter that we're about to study does not come from a man, a man who is in chains at the moment, after all, but from God, the God who called him. Before Paul ever speaks to the church about anything and about their calling, he quietly reminds them of this fact, and in doing so, he sets the tone for what's to come. He's positioning his letter as one not of human opinion, but saying it is a divine invitation to those who are holy and faithful. And then Paul turns his attention to those recipients, to God's holy people, the faithful in Christ Jesus, whether that was then or those who would later read the letter, or even us reading the letter today. Now, if you'd ever walked the streets of Ephesus and met these believers on that day, in those days, you would have probably found former idol worshippers, former magicians, certainly former pagans, and anyone who might call them holy people would probably have been laughed at. But Paul isn't describing these people by their past, he's naming their present and he's declaring their identity, and he says they're holy, not because of their behavior, but because of who they belong to. And they're faithful, not because they've never faltered or made mistakes, but because they have placed their faith in Christ. And because of that, Paul begins by naming the way God sees them, and that's always a good place to start. Then comes that familiar greeting of Paul. Grace and peace to you. Grace, the unearned favour of God, peace, the settled peace and wholeness that comes from being reconciled to Him. Grace is, of course, the beginning of the Christian life, and peace is the fruit of it. But Paul does not begin with the demands, instead, he begins with the gifts of being a believer. He doesn't begin with anything to do with what we must do, he begins with what God has done for us, and that's why these opening verses are such a good place to start, because they remind us that the Christian life is not built on our own effort, but on God's initiative. And then Paul lifts the curtain on the entire letter with that one breathtaking third sentence. Now, this is such a huge verse, we're going to explore it a little bit more in the next episode, but notice in the opening the direction it's placing. It's situating also for us the direction, the posture of Paul's heart, because before he teaches, he's worshiping. Before he explains, he simply exalts God, and before he unpacks the blessings to come, he blesses the one who gives them. So Paul begins with praise, because everything that follows, every truth, every command, every encouragement, they are all going to flow from the goodness of God. So today we begin our verse by verse journey through the book, the letter to the Ephesians, as part of our overall journey through the whole Bible, verse by verse. But let me invite you this part of the journey, this season, where it starts, where Paul starts, with grace, with peace, with your identity, with blessings, and with worship. But before we ask what the letter requires of us, we pause to remember what God has already given us. Truly, these opening verses are a really good place to start. Welcome to today's episode of the Bible Project Daily Podcast. Well, they didn't even blink, they just looked at me and said, Under the circumstances, what on earth are you doing under there? I've never forgotten that moment because it stopped me in my tracks, and it raises a question, one that sits beneath the surface of all our daily lives, and that is, where are you? Not geographically, not financially, not emotionally, but where are you spiritually? Where are you positionally and where are you in relation to Christ? Because the Bible gives us a very different way of answering that question than we usually do. If I asked you right now where are you, you might answer in a dozen different ways. You might tell me where you live. Livem Sedans, London, Lagos, Los Angeles. You might tell me how you're feeling though. I'm in good health, or I'm struggling a bit, or I'm full of energy or exhausted. Or you might even decide to tell me your financial situation, I'm doing really well, or well, I'm struggling a bit with debt, I'm in the red. You also might choose to answer with your emotional state. I'm good, I'm in a good place, or I'm struggling, I'm in a bit of a dark place. And of course, all those answers are real, and all of them matter, but none of them are the determining factor of where you truly are in the eyes of God. So let me ask you again, where are you? Are you living under your circumstances or are you above them? Because the opening verses of Ephesians tell us something astonishing about where we stand as believers. Something that has nothing to do with geography, our finances, our health, even our mood, and that is where Paul chooses to begin his letter. So before we go any further, let's remember where Paul actually was when he wrote this. He was in prison, not just metaphorically, not emotionally, he was literally physically detained in prison. Now later in the letter, he says, For this reason, I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ. So Paul has been arrested because he preached the gospel, and it follows the situation when he did that, and the local Jewish leadership orchestrated a riot. He was accused of stirring up unrest, and now he's sitting in chains, either under house arrest or maybe even in an actual cell, writing letters that would one day shape the world. And from this situation he will write Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. Whilst he's in prison, all written from confinement, and yet listen to the tone of this letter. There's no not a hint of bitterness, no despair, and certainly no self-pity. Paul may be in prison, but the prison is not in Paul. He is physically confined but spiritually free. He may be geographically limited, but positionally he's unlimited and exalted. He may even have been chained to a guard, but he is actually in reality anchored to Christ. And that is why he can write with such authority, such joy and such and such clarity, because Paul knows where he truly is. But you know you don't have to be in a Roman prison to feel trapped. Some people feel trapped in a job. Some people even feel trapped in a marriage. On the other hand, some feel trapped in signalness, some feel trapped in debt. Some people can feel trapped in their own home, maybe living with parents and supporting them into middle age, or caring for someone they love, or just simply stuck in a situation they didn't choose. And some I know feel trapped inside their own minds, prisoners of their minds, restricted, restrained by anxiety, depression, fear, and regret. Well, if you've ever felt trapped in any part of your life, then Ephesians is a letter written for you. Because Paul shows us that your circumstances do not determine your position, your location does not determine your identity, and your limitations do not determine even your calling. Paul was in prison here, but he wasn't under the circumstances, he was in Christ, and that makes all the difference. But before Paul tells us who we are, he follows the standard letter writing format of the ancient world. In those days, letters began with the identity of the author, the recipients, and then the greeting. Now we tend to do the opposite today. We sign our name at the end of a letter, but in the ancient world you introduced yourself at the very beginning, which is why Paul wrote, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God. This is not a boast, remember, this is not Paul flexing his spiritual muscle, this is Paul saying simply, I belong to Christ, and I represent Christ, and I'm sent by Christ, and I'm writing to you with his authority, not mine. So when Paul calls himself an apostle, he actually has three things in mind, and each one is really spiritually rich. Firstly, he's saying he belongs to Christ. Paul's identity is not self-constructed, it is bestowed upon him by Christ. Now, in a world these days that is obsessed with self-definition, Paul begins with surrendering his identity. He is not even his own, and that identity has been bought for him at a price. This is the foundation of all our Christian identities. We belong to Christ before we belong or identify to anything else. But that term apostle also means he was sent by Christ. The word apostle comes from the Greek term apostelo, meaning to send out with authority. In the ancient world, apostles could be military envoys or political ambassadors, even royal representatives. They're messengers carrying the authority of the one who sent them. And Paul sees himself as part of Christ's task force sent into the world with a mission. And here's the spiritual insight every believer can share in this apostolic impulse. Not the office, but the calling. We are all sent people, all sent out into the world with the message and the authority of the one who sends us. And then thirdly, this term means he is he serves by the will of God. None of this is self-promotion. There's nothing about ambition going on here. This is not career advancement. Paul is in fact astonished, humbled that God should choose him after all. There's no pride in his voice here, only wonder, and that is how every Christian, every one of us, should see our calling, whatever it is, not with pride, but with simple amazement. And Paul writes to these people and calls them holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus. Now we need to slow down and savour those words for a minute, because they apply to us as well. Holy people, haggioi. Now holy, let's be clear, does not mean morally perfect. It doesn't mean that you live a totally perfect life, it simply means that you have been set apart. In the Old Testament, objects in the temple were actually called holy, not because they behaved well, obviously they were objects, but because they belong to God. So Paul is saying that you, his people, wherever you may live, in this case in Ephesus, you may be there, but you belong to Christ. But he also talks about us being faithful. Faithful doesn't mean flawless, again, it just means full of faith. These believers are not spiritual superheroes, they're ordinary people just trying to live as best they can in a pagan city, but the thing they've done is they've placed their cross, their trust in Christ. And here's the spiritual beauty of this. Paul names them according to their identity in Christ, not their performance. God always begins with our identity. The world will tend to begin with our behavior, and our religion usually begins with creating rules and rituals to follow, but Paul begins with who you and I are in Christ. So let me return to the question I began with and ask it again. Where are you? Not geographically, not emotionally, not financially, but where are you yourself in Christ? Because Paul begins this letter by reminding us that our true location, our true identity is not ever determined by our circumstances, but by our connection, our relationship to Jesus. Paul was in prison, but he was also in Christ, and so, my friend, are you, wherever you happen to find yourself. Now, a Christian, Paul says, always lives a sort of double life, not in the sense of hypocrisy or duplicity, but in the sense of always having that sort of dual location. Every believer, of course, all of us have a human address, but we also have a divine address. You might, as they did, live in Ephesus, or you might, as I do, live in Living St. Anne's or Manchester or Mumbai or some town in America, beginning with them, but you also live in Christ no matter where you're located. You may have a postcode zip cloth, but you also have a spiritual position. You have a street address and in a sense a heavenly address. You have this place on earth, but also a place in Christ, and that is the mystery and the miracle of the Christian life. But notice Paul in this introduction calls these people saints. Now I know that some of you, if you grew up in certain traditions, that word saint might conjure up all sorts of images and have all sorts of baggage for you. Ideas of stained glass windows, people with halos above their head, and people who never seem to even put a foot wrong. But in the New Testament, let me be clear, the word saint simply means someone who's set apart for God. Just someone who's a believer, who belongs to God, and Paul is writing to those ordinary believers. They might have been shopkeepers, mothers, laborers, widows, young men, older men, older women, slaves, free citizens. He's calling everyone, all of them, saints. Why? Because holiness is not something you ever achieve, it is something you receive. Holiness is not a reward for good behavior, it is a status given by the grace of God. You are holy because you belong to the Holy One. And this is why Paul can write from prison, even from prison, with such confidence, because his chains do not define him, his circumstances do not locate him, and his physical address does not determine his spiritual reality. On this occasion, he is in Rome, but he is also in Christ. He is in chains, but he is also in Christ. And he may be in trouble in the world's terms, but he is also in Christ. And you know what, friends? So are you. Paul chooses these words he's using in his introduction deliberately, but he's also choosing them pastorally, because grace and peace which he offers and applies here are the two great pillars of the Christian life. Grace is the gift you cannot earn. The Greek word is charis, a word that carries layer upon layer of meaning, undeserved favor, unearned kindness, and that gift freely given. Grace is God's goodness poured out on his people who do not deserve it and could never earn it. When most Christians hear the word grace, they think of saving grace, the grace that brought them to Christ, the grace that forgave us of our sins, the grace that opened the door to eternal life. And all that, all of that is true, but it's only the beginning. Grace is not just the doorway into the Christian life through salvation. Grace is the air that we breathe every day once we're living it, living out the Christian life. Grace is not just the spark that ignites our salvation, grace is the fuel that keeps the Christian life burning. Grace is not just the moment you're saved, it is the ongoing power that can sustain you. And Paul, by simply saying grace upon you, is not wishing salvation upon Christians who already believe, who already know Christ. He is wishing them fresh grace, daily grace, sustaining grace, because the Christian life is impossible without it. And yet there is yet another nuance to this word grace, that of beauty. Grace is a beautiful thing, and grace makes things beautiful, and grace makes people beautiful. That means it makes you beautiful in God's eyes. Now a Christian life that is harsh, cold, judgmental of other people, unattractive is not a life shaped by grace, because grace softens, grace warms, and grace beautifies. Grace is the difference between a life that repels people, a life that pushes people away from God, and a life that attracts people. So when Paul says grace to you, he's saying, May the beauty of God's generosity rest upon you, and may the loveliness of Christ shape your life. May the gift of God's grace and kindness be the thing that transforms you. So grace is not really a doctrine, it's a pervasive atmosphere, it's a fragrance, it's a way of living, a way of being. But grace is also a gift, a gift you can ask for at any moment. You can come to God and say, Lord, I'm struggling and I need your grace at this time. Please send me your gift of grace. And you know what? The promise of the Bible is grace will arrive quicker than any Amazon delivery. In fact, Scripture often uses the presence tense when speaking of calling on the Lord for grace, meaning you can call on him continually, constantly, right now, friends, today, this moment, if that's what you need to do. You see, grace is not that one-time event, although it is that when we are saved, it is also a continual supply of everything we need to live the Christian life. And you can never exhaust it, you can never outrun it, and you can never reach the bottom of it. Grace is God's ongoing generosity towards you, not because you deserve it, but because he delights in giving it to you. But then after grace, Paul also wishes them peace. Now, not the peace of a quiet afternoon in a nice garden or a tidy house, not even the peace of a balanced bank account. What we're talking about here is biblical peace. Shalom. This is a peace that is something far deeper. Shalom is not the absence of trouble, it's the presence of a sense of wholeness. Shalom means recognizing that everything is the right place, everything is ordered ultimately for your highest good, and everything, in fact, is aligned with God's purpose. Everything held together by his hand. Shalom is the deep, settled assurance that God is with you and God is for you, and God is working all things for your good. Now you can live a life of ease and luxury and still have no peace. You can have the finest house, the largest bank account, the most comfortable life, and still be restless. Anxious and feel empty. You cannot, on the other hand, be starving in prison, facing persecution, or living with a chronic illness, or walking through a season of grief, or simply carrying burdens that no one else sees and still have the peace of God. Because peace does not come from our circumstances, peace comes from alignment with the will of God. When you're doing something you know you ought not to, our peace evaporates. But when you are resisting God's voice, peace disappears. And when you are running from his calling, peace can dissolve. But when you're walking in obedience, then even if the road ahead is hard, even if the task is difficult, and even if the personal cost is high, there can still be a deep contentment that settles in the heart. Because in God's will, you can always be at peace. But the Bible tells us there are two aspects of their peace. There is, of course, peace with God, that is what happens the moment you trust in Christ. That war is over, that hostility ends, and the barrier has gone, you are reconciled, and this is the peace of the new believer, the peace as the fruit of salvation. But as well as peace with God, there is the peace of God. There is something deeper, something ongoing, something experiential here. Paul tries to describe it for us in Philippians, where in chapter 4 he writes, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition and with thanksgiving present your request to God, and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. That tells us, friends, that peace with God is a state of being, peace with God is a fact, and the peace of God is a feeling, but more than a feeling, because peace is objective and the peace of God is experiential, and Paul wants his readers to have it all, both aspects of it, all of it for all of us. Grace is God's generosity towards you, peace is the fruit of receiving that generosity. Grace is the gift, peace is the effect of receiving that gift. Grace is the cause, peace is the result. Grace is God's hands reaching down to us, peace is you simply allowing your heart to rest in that hand of God. So this is why Paul begins every letter with these two words, grace and peace. They're not filler, they are the foundation of everything he's going to say in every letter, and in this one to the church in Ephesus as well. He is saying, before I teach you anything, before I challenge you, which I will surely do, before I try and encourage you, before I call you to walk a life worthy of your calling, you must know this. God is gracious towards you, and God desires peace with you and for you. And this is the starting point of the Christian life. This is the whole environment of the Christian life which we are called to live in. It is the daily bread of the Christian life. Grace and peace. And I hope you can live it and embrace that today. So, in conclusion, let me just ask you again, where are you? Well, let me tell you, you are a saint set apart for God. You are faithful, full of faith in Christ. You are in Ephesus or you are wherever you happen to live, but you are in Christ, and that is your true address. And for your own life, well, into that life, God speaks these two words: grace and peace. Grace for the past, grace for the present, and grace for the future. And peace with God and the peace of God. And that truly is a really good place to start. Thanks for being with me today! If you're new to this or just come across this, then please consider subscribing to this wherever you get your podcasts from. Now, transcripts of each podcast should be available wherever you get your podcasts from. Most of the major providers are producing them now, but I just want you to know that the transcripts that you will see, whether it be an Apple or Spotify, should now be my own authorised transcript. I have been creating and checking transcripts of everything I said and putting them out there. And each individual episode will have its own individual transcript available for you to use in whatever way you want. But if you'd like to get the whole transcript of this whole series when it's finished, then my plan as always is to put it together in one large PDF or Word document file and make it freely available over there to anyone who's signed up to follow me on Patreon. Completely free to anyone who is supporting this ministry in that way, and also available at a very small cost just to cover the cost of offering it as a product through the Apple store to anybody else over there. And that is a plan to do every single season and episode as I progress from this point forward. So thanks for being with me. It's been great to spend this time together, and I'll see you back here again tomorrow, I trust, as we continue our journey through Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Bye-bye for now.