Shabbat Shalom! I will begin today, with the help of the Lord, the study of the book of Ephesians. In Hebrew, we call them El HaAfsiyim, to the Ephesians. This is a very important letter that was written by Paul, by Shaul, the servant of the Lord, writing to the believers, not only in Ephesus, not only the Ephesians, but it's really written for the body of Messiah, for the body of Christ, for believers, both Jewish and non-Jewish, those who came to trust in our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah. I would like to really give an introduction to the book, and at least to dwell mainly in chapter 1, verses 1 and 2.

And we'll take one step at a time, as the Lord enables us, so we can have systematically teaching of this letter, that were written for all believers in the present-day dispensation of the church age, of the ecclesia, of the Kehillah. So let's just read Ephesians chapter 1, verses 1 to 2. 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, in Messiah Yeshua. Grace be to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I would like, beloved brothers and sisters, just by way of introduction, to open this study, this ministry meeting today, with the introduction to the book of Ephesians.

Now, let me just say something by way of introduction. I've noticed for myself, as an Israeli Jewish believer in Yeshua the Messiah, that since I became a believer over 35 years ago, I noticed one or two things that have happened in the body of Christ, in the church of our Lord Jesus the Messiah. If you find yourself among Gentile Christians, often times they will emphasize the teaching of the book of Ephesians. If you find yourself among Jewish Christians, or Messianic Jewish people, they will emphasize Romans chapter 9, 10, and 11. Now, I would like, by the grace of God, to have us all to understand the importance of balance in the things of the Lord.

We don't want to be imbalanced. Because an imbalanced believer is biased, is not just when it's come to the teaching of God's word. And what we need all to learn, it is not my word, your word, it is the word of God. It is the plan of God. It is the purposes of God that we need to submit to. Not your plan. Not my plan. Not what you have an idea in your mind, or what I have an idea in my mind. Because all our purposes or our own plan, at the end of time, will have to be set aside. What we really need to learn, as believers, is to submit ourselves to the authority of God's word.

Because if we submit ourselves to the plans and the purposes of God, we can be in tune with what God has in mind for his own people. Whether it is for Israel or whether it is for the church, the body of Messiah. The purpose, the reason that we read today in Exodus chapter 19 and in Deuteronomy chapter 7 is simply this. God have elected the people of Israel to be his chosen people. And no believer who is not Jew should doubt about this for a moment. I have been listening to many who have already said that Jews and the purposes of God for Israel have been done away.

And we, the church, have replaced Israel. It is not what the Bible teaches and it is not healthy to take this position. Because God has chosen Israel as a nation for his own pleasure and his own purposes. When it's come to the church, to the ecclesia, it is the very same thing. God has chosen the believers, and we will see it in our study. Not what I think, but what the Bible says. He has chosen Jewish people and Gentiles to be united in one body called their church, the ecclesia. And he put us together. And he has a purpose for us. He has a purpose for this heavenly company.

And he wants us to understand it as we study his word and as we walk here in this world. He is not going to change his mind. You and I have to change our mind. His plan will be carried through whether you and I like it or not. He is going to carry through his purposes whether we like to fit ourselves into it or not. At the end, God is sovereign. He has his own plans. And you and I are not going to change his plan for a moment. We need to submit to his plan and take his word at its face value and simply say, Lord, I don't understand everything.

I have my feeling and my opinion, Lord. But help me with the help of the Spirit of God to submit myself to your authority. And even if I don't agree with it, Lord, help me to see what you have in mind. Now, I'm just saying this by way of introduction because the book of Ephesians is one of the most beautiful books, letters that is found in the scripture. One of the lessons that he teaches us, that we who belong to Yeshua, to Jesus, the Messiah, are so rich because of our association with him. We are so wealthy, and I'm not talking about material wealth, because of our relationship with the Messiah, with God, the eternal Son of God, the Son of the Father who came to this world to give his life a ransom for many.

But unfortunately, we live in our life here, and I'm speaking about spiritually, as if we are so poor and have no understanding of the wealth that we have in the Messiah, in Christ. One of the writers that I read spoke about a lady, a woman who had been very, very wealthy. But when you look at her, the way she lived, she lived like a poor woman. She could buy herself a castle, but she was living in poverty. She could be fed by servants taking care of her, but she was conducting herself in such a way as she was really unable to meet her own need.

And that's sometimes what happened to you and I, spiritually speaking. We have such wealth because of what the Messiah had brought us into as believers in Yeshua and Jesus, the Messiah. But in our lives, spiritually, we're often starving ourselves and living in a spiritual poverty, in carnality and not spiritual mindset. And I don't speak about you, I speak about myself. No wonder we are so unstable in our walk with the Lord. No wonder we are oftentimes not blessings to others. And we don't use the gifts that God had given to the believers in Christ, in Mashiach, in Messiah Yeshua. All the wealth and the riches that we have because of what he has done.

If you will just turn with me to John 10. And Yeshua is speaking there to his disciples and speaking also to the Pharisees who was listening to him. In verse 10 he says, "I am come that ye might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." Now that expression "more abundantly" comes from the Greek word "perissos", which simply means "beyond measure". In Hebrew we use the word "yeter", "beyond measure", to live the Christian, the Messianic life beyond measure. Not only have the life, eternal life, but to live that life in such a way that is live more abundant, to have the abundant life. Why is it a time that we don't live the abundant life?

It's not because we don't have it, it's because we are not using what our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, had given to us when he had given his life for us and have redeemed us out of this world. Jewish and non-Jewish and united us together in himself, in that one body. So, beloved brothers and sisters, we have the abundant life, but we don't always live the abundant life. We have life eternal, but we have abundant life, but we don't always live as those that have that wealth that God had provided for us through our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. So, this special book, special letter was written by the apostle Paul by divine inspiration to help the believers to grow and to appreciate what they have in the person of the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah.

So, now, let's just look for a moment at some points as we study the book of Ephesians, and we want to make sure that we communicate this. We have this before us before we actually going to verse by verse systematically throughout this whole book. The first thing that comes to mind is immediately who is the writer who wrote such an amazing book? Well, notice that it says here in Ephesians 1 verse 1, the first word of this letter is Paul. An amazing thing when you really think about this man by the name of Paul. Now, this is important to bear in mind. Who was Paul? Paul, according to the scripture, according to the Bible, was the Jewish man.

But more than just that, not only that Paul was linked with Abraham and was linked with Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, but also Paul was Jewish from the tribe of Benjamin and was a Pharisee. In Hebrew, we call him Parush. He was zealous for the God of Israel and rightly so. Everyone among our people of Israel needed to be zealous for the God of Israel, just the same. Like every believer in Jesus the Messiah has to be zealous for our Lord Jesus the Messiah. Paul's Hebrew name is Shaul. It was not changed to Paul. It was always Shaul and it was always Paul.

Shaul was his Hebrew name. Paul was his dispersion's name. His name in the earlier days of the book of Acts always was Shaul. It was Shaul. But as he was ministering to the nations of the world, less and less he used the word Shaul, more he used the diaspora name by the name of Paul, which we see it right here in this first stanza, the first word in the book of Ephesians. But I want you to see something about Paul in the book of Philippians. If you turn to Philippians chapter 3, look what he said about himself in verses 4, 5 and 6. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh, if any other man think that he has whereof that he might trust in the flesh, he says, I have more.

I was circumcised on the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Binyamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law, a Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law. Now, can you imagine, beloved brothers and sisters, here is a man by the name of Paul, and he said to someone, listen, if you want to exalt yourself in anything, I want to tell you, he said, I have much more that I can exalt myself, lift myself above so many. Why? Because look at my history. Look at who I am. I was circumcised on the eighth day.

Link him with Father Abraham, who God commended every Jewish boy to be circumcised on the eighth day. Paul and his parents followed these instructions that had been given to Abraham, Yitzchak, and Jacob. I came from a stock of the nation of Israel, the nation that God had chosen. When it's come to the tribe, I was born to the tribe of Binyamin. If you remember, Binyamin was one of the favoured sons of Yaakov, whom Yaakov didn't want to send to Egypt because he so much was concerned for this little boy, there's something going to happen to Binyamin. And then he said, you want to talk about Hebrews?

I was a Hebrew of the Hebrews. I was a solid, genuine Avri. I'm a descendant of my forefather Abraham. I really cared for the God of my people, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then he said, touching the law, I was parush, a Pharisee, a scribe. I sought to submit to the requirements of the law legally. I was seeking to be submissive to the law. I was a Pharisee, parush, he was saying here in verse 5 of Philippians chapter 3. And then he said, concerning zeal, do you want to talk about zeal? I persecuted the church, the ecclesia, the called out ones. Of course, the early believers in the church were Jewish.

He never persecuted non-Jewish believers. He always persecuted his own brethren, the Jewish believers. But in a sense, he thought, wow, I'm doing something for God. I'm going to persecute all those Jewish believers who are part of the ecclesia of the church because they are following a false God and I'm not going to let them do so. He was saying in the beginning of his life when he was persecuting the church at that time before he became a believer in Yeshua the Messiah. And then he says, touching righteousness, which is in the law, I was blameless. In other words, Paul sought to live a life in accordance with the will of God.

Who of us today can say, I live a blameless life? We just have to look at each other and talk with each other for five minutes and we can see that there is so much blame in us. Yes, we know it in our heart, but Paul could say it by divine inspiration. He sought to live a righteous life that is pleasing to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is amazing to think here is a Jewish man who cared for the God of Israel, who loved his own people so much that he wanted to harm those who went astray from the God of Israel.

Now he is writing a letter mostly to non-Jewish people, Gentiles who became believers in Yeshua the Messiah. And you can see what a balanced man Shaul Paul was. And I believe, beloved brothers and sisters, it is essential for us to be balanced. Paul loved his own people, the Jewish people, but he loved the Christians, the believers from among the Gentile world. He loved them because he knew that they are part of a redeemed company, that is part of the assembly, the church of our Lord Jesus the Messiah. He was a balanced believer. On the one hand, reaching out for his own people. On the other hand, reaching out for the nations of the Gentile world.

And he sought to bring a balance to the truth that God has given to us in his word. Now his name is first mentioned in the New Testament in Acts 7, 58. When Stephen was stoned by the Sanhedrin, those witnesses that witnessed against Stephen, when they were stoning him, they laid their outer garments by the feet of a man by the name of Shaul. That's this man's name, Shaul Paul. Shaul is Hebrew name, Paul his diaspora name, his dispersion name. But notice in Acts chapter 9, what happened to him and what made him to be an apostle to the Gentile world, to the uncircumcision. In Acts chapter 9, in verse 1, first of all, it says that Shaul was breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord.

He went unto the high priest and a desire of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogue, that if he found any of their way, whether they were men or women, that he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. He really wanted to bring those early believers to Jerusalem in order to condemn them and judge them. So he went to the high priest. He took some letters. He went to Damascus. But on the way to Damascus, he had an amazing experience and conversion. Teshuvah, you might say in Hebrew. He turned his heart towards the living Messiah. And if you remember, it was on the way to Damascus.

It says in verse 3, As he journeyed, he came near Damascus and suddenly there shine ran about him, a light from heaven, and he fell to the earth. And he heard a voice saying unto him, Shaul, Shaul, why persecuteest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Yeshua, Jesus, whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the priest. He was like riding on a horse and kicking as if he wanted so much to get his own way. And the Lord met him on the way to Damascus. And he said to him, Shaul, Shaul, why do you persecute me?

The me, the Messiah glorified, and the believers on earth, the head in heaven, the body on earth. And he says, why do you persecute me? And then he says, Who art thou, Lord? And by calling him Lord, we understand that he recognized the lordship of Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, and he have accepted him into his heart. He recognized that he is the answer for his sin and sin. And I hope as we are hearing the message today that every one of us can say today, I have accepted our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, as my Lord and my Savior. I confess my sins, and I realize that he is my Lord and my Savior.

And then the Lord sent him to become a servant of his. Notice he said in verse 15, the Lord said unto him, Go your way. He's speaking, of course, to Hanania that went to Paul's house, and he said to Hanania, Hanania, you go your way, for he is, namely Shaul, the chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles. Notice, first of all, the nations, the Goyim, then kings, then the children of Israel. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. That was the call of salvation of Shaul. He became a believer in Yeshua, the Messiah. And from here on, we see the development of Shaul's ministry, as he was ministering among the nations of the world.

Now, turn to chapter 13 of the book of Acts. Again, it's very important to make sure that we know who is the writer. And notice in verses 1 to 4. Well, Shaul is in the place that is called Antioch in Syria. There is a local assembly there in Antioch in Syria. It says in verse 1 of Acts 13. Now, there were in the church that was in Antioch certain prophets and teachers, as Barnabas and Simon, who was called Niger, and Lucius or Lucas of Cyrene, and Menashe or Menachem, which had been brought up with Herod, the Tetrach, and Shaul. Notice verse 1. Shaul was with them. As they ministered unto the Lord, and they fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate unto me Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereon I have called them.

Notice the Spirit of God have said to the brothers and sisters in this local assembly of Antioch, Syria, and he was speaking to them, really moving them to realize that Shaul and Barnabas, they will be separated for a ministry that the Lord called them to do. And so notice it says, and they fasted, verse 3, and they prayed, and they laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, they departed unto Seleucia, and from thence they sailed unto Cyprus. So here we can see now the ministry of Shaul, of Paul, to the nations of the world. Wherever the Apostle Paul had gone, his main purpose, of course, was to reach the nations, the Gentiles, with the message of the Gospel.

And we know that he had gone everywhere, and he stopped in the synagogue first, according to Romans 1.16, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. But he went to minister to the nations of the world. I want you to notice, in this same chapter 13, and I want you to read with me verse 9, to see that Paul and Shaul is the very same person, that his name was not changed to Paul, because it says in verse 9 of Acts chapter 13, then Shaul, who also is called Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he set his eyes on him. Notice this very important verse. Then Shaul, he was already saved.

Long time saved. Became a believer in Yeshua for a long time. But his Hebrew name, Shaul, Paul's name is the diaspora name. He's also called Paul. And from here on, beloved brothers and sisters, as we move on, mostly his diaspora name was used in the ministry among the Gentile world. Paul was now his ministry among the nations of the world. So the writer of the book of Ephesians was a Hebrew, Israeli, Jewish man who was called to serve among the Gentile world. And he did it with pleasure. He did it with love towards the nations of the world. You can see what he was willing to suffer for the sake of the believers from among the Gentile world.

And you know what? I want to say this, that in our little fellowship here, we can be a great testimony because some of us are Jewish and some of us are not Jewish. And we can gather ourselves together as brothers and sisters in Messiah, not having advantage, one over the other. We are all part of this one body. And we can enjoy ourselves in the midst of each and every one of us and the Lord in our midst to serve among the people of God. Jewish believers, non-Jewish believers united together in the body of Messiah. What an example, what an opportunity we have to serve in such a way.

And so far, praise the Lord for helping us. Not many church groups have the privilege that you and I have to be Jewish people and non-Jewish people meeting under the same roof consistently. Many groups, the vast majority are non-Jewish. You go to many church groups, you look to find one Jewish person, none. You're looking on the board to see if there's any Jewish ministry, none. And you make you wonder, why is it that there is not ministry among the Jewish people so we can enjoy practically to be together in a practical way, Jewish people and non-Jewish people together under the sound of the word. Well, the Apostle Paul, a Jewish man, was reaching out to the Gentile world and he did it out of love in the call that the Lord had called him to serve among the Gentile world.

Now, let's add these thoughts that we have before us. When was this letter written to the Ephesian church? It is important for us to understand that when the Apostle, when Shaul Paul wrote this letter, he was actually in prison in the city of Rome. He was taken from Jerusalem by the Roman soldiers to Caesarea. And from there, he had a long journey all the way to the city of Rome. And he was there kept in a separate house. He was under house arrest for two years. And from this place in Rome, he wrote those four letters that we have in the Brit HaChadasha in the New Testament.

He wrote to the church of Ephesus, what we read here. He wrote to the church of Philippi, the Philippians. He also wrote the letter to the Colossians. And he also wrote the letter to Philemon. Can you imagine here's a man writing four letters that are called prison letters that were written to those four areas for the benefit of the believers? Most Bible teachers believe that he wrote about 62-63 A.D. when he was actually in the city of Rome under house arrest. Please turn with me to Acts chapter 28, verse 16. And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard, but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with soldiers that kept him.

Notice that? They gave him the privilege of being separated in a home by himself, but he was kept there bound to a soldier for two years. He was separated from the believers that he loved so much because he had three missionary journey. He met all these believers. He established the church of Ephesus long before, some ten years before. But now he's finding himself in the city of Rome. He's bound to a soldier and he's writing this letter of instruction to the early believers in the city of Ephesus whom he loved so much. So the date, beloved brothers and sisters, is about 62-63 AD in which the Apostle Paul was bound to a soldier in a home in a city that is called the city of Rome.

Again, I want you to see in Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 1, notice how many times he called himself a prisoner. For this cause I, Paul, a prisoner of Yeshua the Messiah. Chapter 4 and verse 1, I therefore the prisoner of our Lord beseech you. Notice that? He called himself a prisoner of Yeshua the Messiah, a prisoner of the Lord. In Ephesians chapter 6 in verse 20, for which I am an ambassador in bonds. Even though Shaul, Paul, was in prison, he didn't use this expression, I am a prisoner of Rome. But he used this expression, I am a prisoner of our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. I am a prisoner and I am an ambassador in bonds.

How can you be an ambassador and yet you are in bonds? Well, God have allowed him to be in prison here for two years in Rome and he used him, even though he was bound in chain to a soldier in one locality, yet the Lord used him to write such a phenomenal letters that are ministering to the hearts of every believer in Yeshua the Messiah. He was prisoner of the Lord Jesus the Messiah. He was an ambassador which was in bonds according to Ephesians 3, 1, 4, 1, and chapter 6, and verse 20. So, you have to realize the date is 62, 63 A.D. Just before he left Rome to be released and some believe that Paul was released about 63 A.D.

and he ministered for additional five years and then he was captured again in Rome and then ultimately he died and have been taken to the presence of the Lord. Interesting experiences that these men have gone through. Now, thirdly, by way of introduction, what is the theme of the book of Ephesians? And the theme is found in Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 3. The theme is the blessings that believers have in the Messiah Yeshua. Eternal spiritual blessings that every one of us that belong to Yeshua have, the riches of the blessing. It says in verse 3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah who has blessed us listen, with every spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Messiah, in Christ.

When we belong to Him, we have such riches that we have been brought into eternal salvation, eternal relationship with the living God and the spiritual blessings that we possess because of what the Lord Yeshua have done for us. So, we have the author is Shaul Paul. We have the date is 62-63 AD. We have the theme, the spiritual blessings that believers have because of the work of Yeshua the Messiah for us. Now, fourthly, what is the purpose that Paul wrote the book for? What is the reason? Why was that letter written? I would suggest to you five reasons by way of introduction. The first reason is because Paul wanted to show us that this great salvation that we are part of has not originated by men.

We didn't think about it. It was totally the plan of God. It was God in eternity past. He has thought this plan of salvation of mankind. time. It was not originated with men. He is the one who executed this salvation by sending his son Yeshua the Messiah. Again, I want you to notice who was the originator of this plan. Chapter 1, verse 3, the first part that says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. It was God the Father who had been the master planner of this salvation that you and I are part of. It was not human men that planned it.

It was not you and I, but God in his wisdom, in his gracious love towards us, had planned it in eternity past. He is the one out of whom the origin of this great salvation have arrived to you and I even today. Second reason why Paul wrote this letter, Paul wanted believers to understand, and I made a point to it already, they are rich positionally, spiritually, because of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah worked for us. And that's why verse 3b, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. And I'm repeating what I've already said, because it is next to the first half of verse 3.

God have planted the Father, and through the Messiah we have been enriched. You notice, spiritual blessings in the heavenly places, and it is always in Christ, in the Mashiach. those of us that are not with Christ, not in Christ, in Messiah, do not have this wealth, cannot say that they have been rich in the Messiah. And that's why it is so important to accept the Lord and to acknowledge him as our Messiah and our Lord and our Savior because once the time is past and we are leaving this world, only believers in Yeshua have eternal relationship with God. the unbelievers are going to have to be eternally separated from the Lord Jesus.

But the believers, we are going to live eternally with the Lord. We are going to worship him. We are going to praise him. We are going to serve him. We are going to be with him throughout eternity. And that's why the importance that the Apostle Paul had in mind here is that we need to appreciate the spiritual blessings that we have through our Lord Jesus Yeshua the Messiah. And we have this in chapter 1 and verse 3b. Thirdly, Paul also wanted believers to understand that Jewish people and non-Jewish people are now united in this one body. There is distinction in the sense that one is still a Jew by nature and another one is still from among the nations of the world.

But positionally, we are one in Christ, in a Messiah. Turn to chapter 2 and verse 13. Now in the Messiah, Jesus, Yeshua, ye who are sometimes far away, you were made nigh by the blood of the Messiah. For he is our shalom, our peace, who has made both one. Who are the both? Jew and Gentile. He made both one and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us and he abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances for to make in himself. Notice of the twine, Jewish people and non-Jewish people, one new man saw making shalom, saw making peace.

You know, before the body of Messiah was formed, there was this enmity that existed between Israel the nations and the nations of the world. There was a distance between those two. But in the Messiah when he came and he died and he gave his body a ransom for many, what happened is that through his death he united Jew and Gentiles who only simply believe on him. That's all. And he put us together but it cost him. It says here in chapter 2 and verse 15 it was making peace in his flesh. In other words he died. And what happened now he brought Jew and Gentile united together but also together we can approach the presence of the Lord.

enter into the most holy place on the basis of his finished work.

And so one of the purposes of the writing of this letter is not only to point to the fact that God planned it not only to point to the fact that we are so rich in the Messiah but also to point to the fact that Jew and Gentiles who are believers in Yeshua the Messiah are part of this one body there is not a church for the Jews and a church for the Gentiles no there is one body one assembly one Kehillah one called out one one church which is a composition of Jew and Gentiles united in the body of Messiah and we need to practice this being sensitive to each other you know many

of us who are married to non Jewish believers we thank the Lord for them how many we see today Jewish people and non Jewish people but they are married in Christ in a Messiah Jew and Gentile united together some of us right here in this very room that are Jew and Gentile who united together in marriage but they are united together in a Messiah there is no advantage for one over the other we are all coming to God and the basis of the finished work of the Messiah and we are united in the Messiah oh yes we have a history some of us Jewish we came from Israel we came from the descendants of Abraham

Isaac and Jacob others might have come maybe from a pagan world but they turned their hearts to the Messiah they accepted the Messiah Yeshua and together we are one and you know what brothers and sisters I'm not one with my very own family if they are not believers in Yeshua by nature part of my family like Paul was a part of his own family but what we have to learn that in the Messiah the relationship with a gentle believer is far superior than even a relationship to our own family member in the flesh in fact I want to say that when Paul became a believer in Yeshua the Messiah who is the one that rejected

him the most his very own brethren who should have be happy that he became a believer in Yeshua but they didn't acknowledge him and then he fell in love with the Lord and other believers from among the Gentile world who loved Yeshua became part of this family of God it's hard to grasp it but in reality that's why the Apostle Paul write this letter to help us appreciate it and understand it that we are one in the body of Messiah here is another reason why the Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians Paul wanted believers to understand the present dispensation of the age of the grace of God now I know that this is

troubling a lot of people and we have a lot of misunderstanding but Apostle Paul is very very clear in chapter 3 the Apostle Paul wanted the believers at Ephesus to understand that we are in a different dispensation different age or different order in which God had now present before us notice that in chapter 3 verse 1 for this cause I Paul the prisoner of Yeshua the Messiah for you Gentiles if he have heard of the dispensation the word for dispensation here is a word that has with an order time a period of time is oikonomia it's economy come from the word economy that we use in English o-i-k-o-n-o-m-i-a in the Greek and it is a

dispensation of the grace of God which is given me towards you verse 3 how that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery as I wrote before in few words whereby when you read ye may understand my knowledge in a mystery of the Messiah which in other ages it was not made known unto the sons of men nobody knew about this dispensation in other ages but he said that it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the spirit what is this that was not revealed in other ages he said in verse 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of the promises of the

promise in Messiah by the gospel the reason that apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians is to help us to understand that we live in a different period of time God's law remained the same it is men who failed to submit to God's law the Messiah came he fulfilled the law of God and now because he finished the work he died he was buried he rose he formed what is known today as the Mashiach the body of Christ it's a different dispensation he called it here in verse 2 the dispensation of the grace of God chesed Elohim and so we have to understand that that's why even though the truth of God under law

is still maintained because God's law never changed yet we have to understand that in this present day the things that God have commended our people Israel historically is to be distinguished with what he is given to the present day Gentile Jewish church age the law remained men failed in submitting to the law but because of the Messiah we have been brought to a different dispensation he he called it by the mystery of Christ the Messiah in verse 4 that's why things like for example we are struggling with day keeping food eating certain celebrations that Christians around the world don't do that they are believers they're all part of the family of God but if we

were under the past dispensation of the law God would have judged us if we would not submit to what food that he commanded Israel not to eat and if any one of us eating here something that is not kosher that is not like pork and other things under the old economy you would be judged if you would eat that if you have it in your own home today believers do eat this because we live in a different dispensation you don't have to eat it it it not necessarily good for you but we live in a different dispensation what about keeping days keeping feasts there were dates that were given to Israel specifically to keep a

certain feast and if they would not be there to keep the feast God will judge them but today in the present day dispensation believers all over the world they don't keep those feasts and had they been under the Old Testament dispensation under the Lord dispensation of the Lord God would judge them including circumcision all sort of things that God had given our people Israel and apparently we live in a different dispensation I know to some of us it's difficult to accept but we live in a different dispensation we have to tune ourselves with the present day dispensation we don't need to be liberals we don't need to be legal we need to be balanced in

understanding of the dispensation in which we live in and that's what the apostle Paul say that ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given unto me toward you how that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery that I wrote in a few words and this mystery was in ages before not made known notice verse 5 to the sons of men nobody knew before you never find the church in the old testament you've turned your pages from Bereshit to Malachi from Genesis to the second book of Chronicles in Hebrew that's the book of the Tanakh you will not find a church in the Tanakh the Tanakh has to

do with Israel and Israel first coming of the Messiah and the rejection second coming of the Messiah and the acceptance and then the messianic kingdom you don't find a church in the old testament look as much as you want you won't find it the church was something that Yeshua said I will build my church Matthew chapter 16 it is in the future as far as he was concerned and so we have to understand the church the ecclesia is a composition of Jew and Gentile in the time in which we live in today after the finished work of the Messiah on the cross now people may try to put the church into the old testament and

that's where you get replacement theology that's why many today say all what the blessings that God gave to Israel now move to us the church but they leave the cursing on Israel the cursing they don't want the judgment they don't want but only the blessing we take for ourselves no when God said that he is going to judge Israel he judged them when God said that he is going to restore Israel he will restore the people of Israel so we have to distinguish between Israel the nation and the ecclesia the body of Messiah of this present day dispensation now finally the fifth thing why the apostle Paul wrote this epistle is to help believers to

walk in a way that is pleasing that is fit to where and who they are turn to Ephesians 4 and verse 1 Paul says I therefore a prisoner of the Lord beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called you have called to be part of the assembly of the church of the the body of Mashiach well if you have been called to be part of the Messiah body then he is saying to us I beseech you that you walk that you live your life worthy of the vocation wherewith you have been called you have been called to be part of this body of Messiah well your walk are to be

consistent with the place in which you have been brought into we are not always so beloved brothers and sisters we that is the reason why the apostle Paul gave us this book of the letter to the Ephesians he wrote it because he wanted the believers to walk in a special way in a godly way and we know how amazing when you think about church history and how we as believers failed in our walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we have been called we failed and I'm saying we because we as well had failed not only them but we that's why apostle Paul beseech you I beg you I challenge you that you walk here in

this world worthy of the vocation for which you have been called you have been called to such a special relationship with the Messiah will walk in the light of this walk in a way that is pleasing to the Lord and when believers not walking right with the Lord what do you think it does it hurts the testimony when we sinned and we live a life carelessly it hurts the heart of God the testimony to the person of the Lord he is grieved by that so so we have the author we have the date we have the theme we have the purpose now what is an outline you know Paul is a Bible teacher you know

a Bible teacher usually gives an outline to be able to understand what we have been receiving from the Lord so what is the outline of the book of Ephesians it really divides itself into two sections Ephesians chapter one two and three has to do with doctrine Ephesians chapter four five and six has to do with duty you know some people say brother Gideon why do we need to know doctrine ah don't give me doctrine well beloved brothers and sisters if we don't have doctrine we ain't got foundation at all doctrine is essential teaching is essential you know don't say all what we love you remember that we don't need only love but we need also

light we need instruction how can a man stand right unless he know what is given to him and then he can now continue to walk so there is doctrine and there is duty chapter one two and three doctrine chapter four five and six duty chapter one two and three believers riches and you're going to see the three chapters that we're going to study the wealth of the believers chapter four five and six believers responsibility we have riches and wealth in the messiah but we have responsibility here in this world the riches were given to us by the messiah the responsibility is a response that believer the child of god responding to the lord here we

fail much when it's come to the wealth and the riches that's been given to us positionally because of what the lord yeshua have done for us so this was important beloved brothers and sisters to give by way of introduction because if we don't have this we will not understand the book of ephesians the letter to the believers at ephesus now first of all i want you to notice in verse one not only that we talked about paul but i want you to notice that he says here in verse one paul an apostle of yeshua the messiah by the will of god to the saints which are at ephesus and to the faithful in christ jesus

in messiah yeshua you learn immediately when you read this verse that paul was an apostle the greek word here for an apostle is apostolos which simply means one that is sent by the lord or a sent one of course we are all sent by the lord to serve him in one way or another but what apostle is a person that was sent by the lord for a special mission in order for minister the truth that the lord had given unto him here in this world now there are not more than twelve apostles plus the one that the apostle paul was the thirteenth one and i said many times before that there are many who claim

to be apostles with capital a in many places today in the professing church but as far as the bible is concerned the lord yeshua the messiah have elected and chosen and took to himself only those twelve apostles we know that judas or yahudah as we call him in hebrew though he was chosen but yet the lord revealed the reality of who he was he was the one who betrayed the lord and sold him for those thirty pieces of silver he's the one that we read of him that he went and he hung himself after he sold yeshua the messiah for thirty pieces of silver he was among the apostles but he was not chosen in

order to be sent as an apostle he was chosen to show us how satan could even in the midst of god's people have influence upon individuals such as this man by the name of judah that's why it says that satan entered unto him when he was in the upper room with yeshua the messiah when judah died they replaced judah by a man by the name of matityahu matatayas act chapter one but the qualification of one to be an apostle and he gives this to us in act chapter one one had to be one that saw the lord the risen messiah while paul was not there when the messiah was here on earth he was not

there to see the risen messiah because he revealed himself only to his own people shaul paul have seen the risen messiah on the way to damascus first of all but also as we read in second corinthians chapter 12 he was taken to the third heaven and he have heard and received revelation from the glorified messiah but i want us to see that he did claim to see the glorified messiah it's not that we say what we think it says in first corinthians chapter 9 verse 1 am i not an apostle am i not free and then he said notice that have i not seen yeshua the messiah our lord in other words he's saying to

the corinthians you don't acknowledge me as an apostle but i want to tell you am i not an apostle acts 1 shows us who was qualified to be an apostle that's why he's emphasized the fact that he has seen the lord have i not seen yeshua jesus christ yeshua hamashiach the qualification to become an apostle was one that have seen the lord not only in his life but also in his resurrection that's why if you read act chapter 1 verse 21 and 22 to be qualified to be an apostle one must see the resurrected messiah and that's why paul is qualified to say i'm an apostle you see not every one of us who speak

who teach the bible have the authority of an apostle we have to be very careful there are many great bible teachers who teach the bible and we appreciate them but they don't have the authority of an apostle they are good teachers thank god for them they are faithful teachers praise god for them and we respect them and love the fact that they teach and minister to us the word of god but they are not apostles they are servants of the lord they are only those selected apostles who were actually called by yeshua himself to go and to minister the word of god in such a way they had an authority of an apostle they had

the gifts of an apostle they could do things by divine inspiration allowed by the lord that others today cannot do and we have to be very careful not to listen to one who claimed today to be an apostle now notice in the same verse 1a that it's not only that he is the jewish paul who loved the gentle believers who served them and ministered to them he was also an apostle sent by the lord but notice it says by the will of god now you know in the earlier part of the church people challenged paul are you an apostle of yeshua the messiah isn't that your own will didn't you the one that kind of

instigated your position as an apostle paul says no i did not promote myself to be an apostle i was placed there to be an apostle by the will of god it's not my will it is god's will i want you to see turn to galatians chapter 1 verse 1 he wrote this to the galatians as well when he instructed them there's something that is very important paul an apostle not of man neither by man but by yeshua the messiah and god the father interesting eh you know someone might say oh yes we have designated you to be an apostle he says nobody called me to be an apostle no man it says you're not of

man neither by man nobody just selected for me the ministry of apostleship and said listen to apostle paul we're gonna make you an apostle we're gonna give you a salary and we're gonna make you an apostle paul said no i was not of man neither was i made an apostle by man it was totally divinely arranged for him by yeshua the messiah and by god the father according to galatians chapter 1 and verse 1 this is a very important verse and since you're in galatians chapter 1 turn to verse 15 we are talking about paul and apostle in verse 15 he says but when it pleased god who separated me from my mother's womb you

know paul was born from his mother's womb already then he was separated to the ministry of yeshua the messiah he didn't believe in the messiah yet he didn't know how to speak he didn't know how to do anything he couldn't walk he couldn't do anything he was just a little baby that was born out of his mother's womb and paul is saying as it pleased god who had separated me from my mother's womb and call me by his grace i want to suggest that every one of us of course who are believers the lord has a purpose for us from the time that we were born the lord has a plan for us all what

we need to do is to submit to his plan you know we talked about those of us who are going to go for a mission field god has a plan and a purpose for us it is for his own pleasure as eat please god god had a purpose for all of us god had a purpose for this man by the name of shaul who was born in the land of israel to a jewish family he had a plan for him that he will minister the message of the gospel to the nations of the world that he will be a vessel to be used for the nations of the world notice it said god called me

by his grace the greek and the hebrew of course has to do with the chesed the grace the chen the grace of god and then he says in verse 16 to reveal his son in me that I might preach among the heathen now you know Paul didn't go to a place that everybody was very nice you know put together type of thing he went to the heathen to people who worshipped idols to an area you know Ephesus was a pagan city totally saturated by idolatry saturated by Diana this queen Diana that is great is the Diana of the Ephesians that were shouting when he preached the gospel they were pagans and he went to the

heathen and he said I didn't confess with flesh and blood I didn't go and ask somebody could you please approve of my call he said in verse 17 neither I went to Jerusalem to them which are the apostles there before me I didn't go to the city of Jerusalem and I got the approval by the rest of the apostles it says in verse 17b but I went unto Arabia and I returned again to Damascus then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and abode there for 15 days but other of the apostle I saw three years he probably had in Arabia something similar that Moses had in Sinai a lesson from

the Lord he went through the school of God to learn in Arabia to realize how he need to depend upon the Lord he went through the school of God in Arabia Moses had to go to Sinai to go through the school of God God called him to serve God called Moses Moshe God called Shaul Paul to go to become his own servant and it was totally by the will of God for his pleasure he separated these servants even from their mother's womb to serve him in this case Paul among the nations of the world so these two things are very very important for us to understand beloved brothers and sisters now you in Galatian right

just one more verse turn to Galatia 2 verses 7 and 8 we can see that specifically the apostle Paul was called to be an apostle of the Gentiles of the uncircumcision it said but contrary wise when they saw this is the apostles that the gospel of the uncircumcision the people who were not circumcised the Gentiles were committed unto me as the gospel of the circumcision those who were circumcised the Jews was committed unto Peter for he that wrought effectually in Peter as an apostle of the circumcision the same was mighty in me Shaul Paul towards the Gentiles you see there are two apostles that are in scripture presented before us one of them was called

the apostle to the Gentiles Shaul Paul the other one was called to be an apostle to the Jewish people both of them were selected and called by God from their mother's womb specifically we read of Paul of Shaul to be a servant as an apostle among the nations of the world and among the Jewish people both of these apostles are given to us here in Galatians 2 verses 7 and 8 he is clearly distinguished between the call that God had given to him to work to the nations and the call that God had given to Shimon Petros who was called to serve among our nation the Jewish people his own brethren ok so we have

verse 1 the first part it is Paul he is an apostle and he was called by God not by men now who did he write to this is also I think very important as we are closing this ministry for today according to verse 1b the apostle Paul was writing to the saints which are at Ephesus to the faithful in Christ Jesus in Messiah Yeshua notice he is writing to the saints today we have been taught by some that a person in order for him or her to become a saint first of all he or she must have been such a great servant in this world and then when they die they announce them to be

saints but here beloved brothers and sisters he didn't write this letter to dead believers but he wrote this letter to people who lived in Ephesus and he called them saints what is the word saint mean in the Greek the word for saint is hagios h-a-g-i-o-s and it simply means ones that are set apart holy ones and those saints though many times probably did not live a saintly life they were saints positionally they were set apart in Hebrew we call it set apart for the Lord for Jehovah for the Messiah so he's writing to people just like you and I they had to get up every morning to go to work the mothers had to take

care of the children at home they had to deal with all kind of problems they might have sicknesses and might have had all sort of financial problems they these people who had many issues and problems in their own life and he called them saints now you might look at them and you're going to say well listen this brother you called him a saint let me tell you I know what he was speaking to this way he does things and what the way he speaks and so on or looking at this sister and you say wow I know how she behaves and so maybe they don't behave saintly like but positionally they are saints set apart

to God that's why we have doctrine and practice doctrine and duty the believer's riches the believer's responsibility so if you and I are called positionally saints it doesn't mean that we always behave as saints unfortunately but nevertheless he wrote this letter to the saints to the set apart and it's so beautiful to know that you are set apart for God not because of your goodness not because of my goodness but because of the work that Yeshua the Messiah have accomplished for us he called us set apart you have been chosen set apart to be part of a redeemed company part of the body of the Messiah and therefore because you are saints seek to live

a life that is pleasing to the Lord and by the way you notice how many times he called them saints just turn here with me chapter 1 verse 15 so I want to show you how many times he called them saints chapter 1 verse wherefore I also after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the saints notice in verse 18 of the same chapter the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his calling and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints again he used the word saints set apart chapter 2 and verse 19 he says

now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with their saints in of the household of God chapter 3 and verse 8 he says unto me who am the least of all the saints verse 18 that you may be able to comprehend with all saints again he called them saints as he mentioned here in the Greek chapter 4 and verse 12 he saying to them for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry chapter 4 and verse 12 chapter 5 and verse 3 again he is saying but fornication and all uncleanness and covetousness let it not be once named among you as become saints again use the word saints

and finally in chapter 6 and verse 18 where he uses this word again praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints so when he talks about the saints he doesn't talk about someone who died and have been elevated and become now a saint as some groups have elevated certain individuals he's talking to people like you and I who may not behave saintly much of our lives though we are to but we are called positionally saints set apart positionally to the Lord Yeshua the Messiah so verse 1 he says not only that they are saints but they are faithful in Christ Jesus apparently

they believed on the law but they were also faithful to him they sought not only to have faith in him but to be faithful in their lives as they live for the Lord they sought to be so and then verse 2 beloved brothers and sisters he's saying to them these two beautiful words he says grace be to you and peace from God our father and from the Lord Yeshua the Messiah and notice he's using these two words chesed v'shalom we would say it grace and peace is something that we need in our lives all the time as believers we need the grace of God not only the grace that saved us by grace are ye

saved through faith that's the grace that we receive for salvation but we need grace every day of our life when we live here in this world the Ephesians needed grace but not only did they need grace chesed the grace of God they also needed peace not so much peace with God because they had peace with God Romans 5 1 we have peace with God positionally but they needed practical peace the peace of God Philippians chapter 4 and verse 7 and the peace of God which passes all understanding shall guard your hearts and your mind through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah so beloved brothers and sisters Ephesians is a wonderful letter that help us to balance

things out to understand our position in the Messiah to understand the present day dispensation to understand all that which God has for us as believers in Yeshua the Messiah may the Lord bless us and encourage us as we continue to study the book of Ephesians