Broad Overview of the Entire Book

The point: If you are having problems in Christian living (Ephesians 4-6), go back to chapters 1-3 until your mind and spirit are permeated with that truth.

Jesus' comment about the woman who loved much because she was forgiven much illustrates that the measure of obedience is proportional to love, which in turn is proportional to the appreciation of God's saving mercy. This supports the argument that defects in living are corrected by returning to the truths of Ephesians 1-3.

live in the climate of the thinking of chapters 1 to 3 that your life will embody the standards of conduct reflected in chapters 4 to 6. Now you say, how does that work? Well, do you remember what our Lord said on one occasion when there was a woman whose love for him prompted her to do something that seemed very strange to those around her? And Jesus made this comment. He said, this woman has done this because she loves me,

14:45 - 15:16 Read in full sermon

The point: If you appreciate chapters 1-3 but are cool to chapters 4-6, it's a symptom of barren intellectualism.

Martin notes that many commentators on Ephesians devote disproportionately less space to chapters 4-6 compared to 1-3, illustrating the real danger of barren intellectualism in Christian scholarship.

I've performed an interesting experiment sometimes. I look at the book of Ephesians, and as I see the number of verses in each chapter, and if you were to count the words, you see that pretty well divides itself into 50-50, so that if you were to write just one letter on every page, so that you ended up with a nice book about so big that comprised the book of Ephesians, you could pretty well split it right in the middle and find chapter 3. But when you go to the commentators, it's interesting to note that if you take out their introduction, which is only fair, let's not load the case against t...

20:44 - 21:24 Read in full sermon

Driving home: his theologizing turns into eulogizing. And his theology becomes doxology.

John the Baptist is used as an example of someone who possessed both 'heat' (burning heart, doxology) and 'light' (clear theological understanding). This illustrates the ideal balance Paul achieves in Ephesians 1:3-14 and the balance believers should strive for.

the fuel of what his mind grasps so inflamed his heart that instead of coming up with a theological treatise, he comes up with a doxology. But wonder of wonders, when his heart is inflamed unto doxology, his mind is still clear in its theology. So that you have before you in this first paragraph one of the most beautiful models of what John the Baptist was. Our Lord says he was a burning and a shining light.

34:42 - 35:17 Read in full sermon

The point: If you dislike thinking hard about theology, pray that God will help you stir up every faculty of your mind and give yourself to hard and careful thought.

The piling of one concept upon another in Ephesians 1-3 is likened to a 'park full of Mount Everests,' conveying the immense theological depth and complexity that can make even the most diligent student feel staggered, emphasizing the need for hard thought and prayer.

You're going to have to think. Just trying in preparation to sort out the lines of thought in here. And one staggers before them. Staggers before them.

38:11 - 38:22 Read in full sermon