Ephesians 1:1b
An Unlikely Recipient
Eph
1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints
which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
1.
You are the Recipient
i.
We talked about Paul last week and how he was chosen by God for a special
purpose, but he was not the only one, you are too!
b.
You are set apart for God’s Purpose
i.
Ephesians 1:4-5
c.
You Are a Saint
i.
One can tell a lot about a believer by the way that he or she
refers to others in the body of Christ. Have you ever asked yourself how Christ
would refer to the other members of our church?
ii.
The word for saint comes from the Greek root word which means
holy.
a.
This is not the only time Paul uses this term in reference to
believers. He refers to Christians as saints 39 times in the NT and 9 times in
the book of Ephesians
2.
This is a work that is done by Christ - Ephesians 5:25-27
3.
This is a work done by you - Ephesians 4:23-24
4.
This is a work done by others - Ephesians 4:11-12
d.
You Are Faithful
i.
Not only are you a saint, but you are also faithful. Do you
consider most believers that you interact with as faithful? I am sure if you
really thought about it, you would be surprised as to how much God uses the
people around you to be a blessing.
1.
You are faithful because of the patient work of God in your life
a. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
2.
You are faithful because of God’s faithfulness to you
a. 2 Timothy 2:12-13
3.
You are faithful because of the ministers who have faithfully explained
the word to you
a. Ephesians 6:21
4.
You are faithful because you cling to the faith that was given to
you
a. Hebrews 10:23
5.
You will be faithful in the midst of dark times
a. Revelation 2:10-13
