In the Epistle to the Ephesians we have a most remarkable unfolding of truth centred in the Person of Christ where He is now a glorified Man at God’s right hand, beyond the power of Satan, of the malice of man. Every divine thought is centred in Him, for the glory of God, for His own glory and for the blessing of His people.
The phrase “in Christ”, or “in Him”, is mentioned again and again in the first three chapters especially, but we also have references to “in the Lord” and also “in Lord”. In Greek when the article is mentioned it draws attention to the object, and when the article is omitted it is what is characteristic.
“Wherefore I also, I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus” (1:15)
The first two of these are extremely positive because they are not drawing attention to what is characteristic but what is particularly glorifying of the Lord personally, they draw attention to Him.
The faith that the Ephesians had in Christ centred on His death, His resurrection and His ascension, and their faith in Him brought the blessing that they had. It was what they saw in Him that really mattered, the greatness and glory of this wonderful Person, this attracted us to Him, what He was, who He is and what He did. This is the great attraction of our hearts and when we needed blessing we knew where to turn to and we found it in Him, all is centred in Him.
“In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord” (2:21)
The most important point here is the greatness of this Person in Whom the temple is being erected, it is not in Jerusalem, nor in any earthly or other centre, but it is in Him where He is at God’s right hand. This work of building is a progress that is going on today, it began at Pentecost and will not be completed until the Lord comes for His own. What a wonderful edifice this will be for God’s glory and praise, when it will be completed in all its glory and beauty.
“I therefore, the prisoner of Lord” – I am going to omit the article, “beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” (4:1)
Now we begin with verses where the article is omitted. This is very relevant to what we are discussing in our Bible readings in 1 Corinthians. It is one thing to glory in the position that we have and there is nothing wrong with doing so, but then to take a good long hard look at our practice in relation to that position is another matter altogether. We have to humble ourselves in the presence of the Lord when we think of the great disparity that exists in relation to this matter, but we must not lose sight of that objective. The eye can see where the foot never can tread and so it is right to glory in what God has done in Christ and to see all the glorious features and how it will be completed, but at the same time, it is utterly wrong to ignore the practical day-by-day living that is consistent with such a position. In every walk of life this is true. If someone decides to join the army it is not enough to join up and say, ‘I am a soldier’ and then to ignore the discipline that belongs to such a position, or to study law and to ignore the things that are necessary to gain the appropriate qualification, and so in all walks of life commitment to a certain position must involve a certain discipline. So it is with this matter with being in Christ and in the Lord or in Lord in this particular way that we are going to discuss.
Paul says, “I therefore, the prisoner of Lord”. Paul did not take account of himself as the prisoner of Jesus Christ. That he was a prisoner was without doubt because of his own failure. He was warned not to go to Jerusalem and not merely by man (Acts 21:4) but by the Spirit, “Thus saith the Spirit” (Acts 21:11). And when a voice like that is given and it is ignored it can only end in disaster. But you remember what the brethren said “let the will of the Lord be done” (Acts 21:14). And so it was that Paul in prison was not hindered in the exercise of the tremendous gift that God had given him and out from the prison came ‘the Prison Epistles’ and we are greatly indebted to them. “I, prisoner [characteristically] of the Lord”. Everything in Paul’s imprisonment was coloured by the fact that he belonged to the Lord. He never lost sight of this fact so that he continued to serve the Lord there and souls were saved. Onesimus was brought to the Lord when he was in prison (Phile. 10) and no doubt others were influenced when he was there, and many marvellous epistles that tell us so much about God’s mind and Christ’s heart for us were written. So while Paul was a prisoner, he was characteristically the Lord’s in that situation. He was obedient to the Lord in the prison and there was glory for Christ. He did not sit down and mourn about his circumstances as we so often do in one way or another; he did not complain that he was in this situation, did not cry that God was unfair in allowing him to be placed in such a humiliating situation. Not for one moment. He accepted it from the Lord, characteristically he was marked by obedience to the Lord and there was something for the Lord’s glory.
“This I say therefore, and testify in Lord” – again omitting the article – “that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind” (4:17)
Paul was testifying in Lord. He was the Lord’s mouthpiece to those Gentile believers. Those who study these matters will tell you that one of the great features of Pagan life was licentiousness, immorality in every conceivable kind, wickedness, lawlessness, everything that was obnoxious to God. And those Ephesian believers were not only to rejoice that they were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world and were destined for the greatest possible blessing in that which was to come, but there was a walk, a walk that was in keeping with that position that was totally different from the kind of life that was all around them. Believers are, as it were, exotic plants. That is, we live in a strange land and we are not to be characterized by the features that belong to this world. Now that brings into question a great many matters amongst us, our behaviour, our clothing, and the principles by which we move in this world. This is always a great exercise for young people. We must be like our neighbours, we must be like our schoolmates, we must be like our colleagues, we must conform, because if we do not we will be ridiculed. In one sense it is very difficult not to dress, but we must not follow the prevailing fashions of the day simply to be “in”. This is a very simple example to consider. The unrighteousness and the awful corruption that exists in this world today, the throwing overboard of the marriage bond and all that belongs to it! Matters of this kind are far more important than clothing, but nevertheless we should not forget the other side and so here is Paul saying that those who are in Christ are to receive this word that Paul is giving us from the Lord. He is testifying in Lord, it is characteristic of the Lord Himself, this is what the Lord wants of those who belong to Him. They are not to walk as other Gentiles walk. The Jew had to have a distinctive garment. In the book of Numbers they were told to have tassels of blue on the hem of their garment. Now, why was that? It was not just an ornament. They were to remember the law of the Lord, they were to remember that they belonged to Jehovah and that the law of the Lord Jehovah was binding upon them day by day wherever they went. If I, and I say this humbly, had remembered that I had belonged to the Lord every day of my life and was responsible to obey Him every day of my life I would have been spared from many, many things that I am ashamed of. And so, dear Christian friends, this is what Paul says, “I testify in Lord”, this is a word from the Lord, it is characteristically of the Lord, ‘I am in the message’. I suppose you could say ‘I am an example of the thing that I am saying to you. I was saved from Judaism and all its worst features, of persecution and wickedness and now I am walking, pleasing the Lord. That is what he means when he says, “that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind”. O dear brethren, what vanity there is today! What ignorance of the mind of God, what pretension of the human mind, and all the fruit that is has brought! All the wickedness and confusion and sorrow that has been introduced into the world because men are walking after the vanity of their own minds leading up to the public display of themselves as God. This has not yet not taken place yet but the spirit of it is abroad everywhere and will come into full-blown expression after the church is gone. So here is a word characteristically connected with the Lord, and of the Lord, and the Lord’s servant was in it, “walk not as the Gentiles walk”.
“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in Lord: walk as children of light” (5:8)
Light is a marvellous thing. It reveals and it exposes. We can be very, very thankful when we think of the Lord Jesus walking here in His pathway, the light of the world. Those who followed Him would not walk in darkness, they would have the light of life. As He walked in this world he revealed wonderful light, a light that shed abroad for comfort, encouragement and help. Light which sprang up in darkness. That same light revealed hypocrisy and wickedness of every conceivable kind. Light is a wonderful thing. If we take a torch and shine it into the filthiest corner it never contaminates the light, no smell can attach to it; light is pure. Mr Darby’s hymn expresses this “Lord, to our hearts, Thy light is ever pure”. And here, those who are light in the Lord, who are characteristically like the Lord Himself, shed light wherever they go; “Walk as children of light”. We were sometimes darkness when we did not know the Lord, we could not shed a single ray of light for the help and benefit of others. We could probably discern what was wrong, but we had no ability to pass judgment on anything that was right or wrong in the sight of the Lord. Now as children of light we have that capacity and we are to walk as children of light, not connecting ourselves with any form of darkness whatever. But if the light that is in us becomes darkness, how great is that darkness! And whenever truth is known but refused, how great is that darkness! And so, we are to walk as children of light. Characteristically is “in Lord”, just as He was light, we too become light. We take character from Him as we are under His Lordship.
“Children, obey your parents in Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise.” (6:1)
The Word of God supplies the best possible guidance for parents and their children. Here particularly the word is to the children. And the word is, ‘Do not turn your back upon your parents if your will is contrary to their will’. No, says Paul, “obey your parents in Lord”. Be like the Lord. He went down and was subject to His parents. Very, very impressive that, when we think of the Lord of glory, being subject to His parents. He did not turn around and say, ‘Well, I am of such an age, I can do what I like’. As long as children are in the home, as long as they are under the roof, as long as they are under the care of their parents, they are subject to them, and especially when they belong to the Lord. I have no doubt that Paul was speaking to children who belonged to the Lord, they confessed His name, and now Paul says “obey your parents in Lord”. Be characteristically like the Lord, take character from Him as He was subject to His parents, you be subject to your parents. Mind, this involves a great deal of responsibility on the parents, that what they subject their children to is right in the sight of the Lord. That is a very responsible position.
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (6:10)
We have all attended Bible readings for a long time and we should know that in the Epistle to the Ephesians the warfare is not against flesh and blood, it is against Satanic influence and power in the heavenly places which seek to rob us of our inheritance and we have to fight in order to maintain them. And so here the apostle exhorts the saints “my brethren, be strong in Lord”. Be strong as He was strong, be characteristically like Him. Where did He derive His strength from? Surely in obedience to the will of God. There might be a difference of opinion when we come to chapter 10 if we discuss that matter where it says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:13). Now, I do not know what your impression is, but for a long time I used to think, that meant that when I was tempted God, in divine power, would come in and open the door so that I could run through and get away from my temptation. But I have given that up. The way of escape is obedience and we can consider the occasions that we find previous to that statement and the different people in different times in the history of Israel. This is where the strength of the Lord came from when He was here for God. Simple day-by-day obedience. I should not use the word ‘simple’ because sometimes obedience is not simple. Neither was it simple for the Lord, and that final act, that extreme act of obedience, when He laid down His life, do not think for one moment that that was easy – it was not – it was a great sorrow to the Lord and the garden of Gethsemane is the expression of that. But dear friends, Paul says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in Lord.” Be strong, as He was strong, be characteristically like Him. And what strength there was, strength of purpose, strength of will, strength of obedience, day by day, wonderful, wonderful features of strength were exhibited in the Son of God, “strength made perfect in weakness”. Very often that is where strength is exhibited, in utter weakness, deriving the strength from God to be faithful to Him. So, he says, put on the whole armour of God.
“But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in Lord, shall make known to you all things.” (6:21)
Now lastly, this delightful character Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in Lord. If you trace the references to this brother he was always available, ready to be sent, ready to do anything that Paul asked him to do. He was a beloved brother, a “faithful minister [deacon] in Lord”, ready to do any form of work in connection with the Christian testimony. Not just one particular feature of work, any kind of work that was laid upon him by the Lord, he was ready to do this. Was not that how the Lord was? What a tremendous variety of work we see in the Lord Jesus when He was here. The simplest task, taking up a little child in His arms and blessing it, comforting widows bereaved, helping those in extremity of distress, in the greatest extremity, death. What an overall variety of ways, teaching, preaching, helping, comforting, such a variety of work. And, says Paul about Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in Lord, characteristically he was like the Lord, he would make known all things to the Ephesians.
I do not know if I have explained it sufficiently but I commend the Scriptures to you that you may search them out for yourself and marvel over them. “In Christ Jesus” in Ephesians, “in Him”, the place of blessing, the place of stability and power, the place of purpose, place of great joy and satisfaction, and “in Lord”, the great question of being like Christ. May we be encouraged, for His name’s sake.