Looking through the Kaleidoscope
Ephesians 1.3-14
Jeff Foster (Cortez, Colorado)
Do you like grand beginnings?
Star Wars; Baseball’s Opening Day; New Year’s Eve/Day; Weddings.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church has a grand beginning.
Ephesians 1.3-14 forms just one sentence in the Greek language.
Translators have added a number of periods, breaking up Paul’s sentences into easier-to-read sound bites, but something of the dramatic impact is lost in the translation.
Paul begins his letter with a burst of energy . . . he neither pauses for breath, nor punctuates his words.
This passage has been described as . . .
"As we enter this epistle through a magnificent gateway. It is a golden chain of many links, and a kaleidoscope of dazzling lights and shifting colors.
"A snowball tumbling down a hill, picking up volume as it descends."
"Some long-winding racehorse . . . careering onward at full speed."
"Like the preliminary flight of an eagle, rising and wheeling around, as though for a while uncertain what direction in his boundless freedom he shall take."
Read Ephesians 1.3-14.
These verses are written in the style of a eulogy.
When we hear "eulogy," we think of funerals and the words of remembrance that are spoken, but a eulogy is actually merely a statement of praise (or blessing) spoken in honor of a person.
In the case of Paul and the text before us, the object of praise is God. Paul begins his letter to the Ephesians by praising (or blessing) God for the unsurpassed blessings he gives his people.
In this statement of praise, Paul speaks of the entire "Godhead." Godhead (or "Trinity") is a term that describes the relationship between the three "personalities" of God revealed in the Bible.
Godhead (or Trinity) is a term that describes the relationship between the three Apersonalities@ of God revealed in the Bible.
First, there is God the Father, the Creator.
Second, there is God the Son, Jesus Christ.
Third, there is God the Holy Spirit.
The Father, Son, and Spirit are one, they are God, yet each can also be understood as a distinct personality (or person). They are three while being one.
We do not have to go very far into the Bible to discover that God is a trinity of persons within one being.
In Genesis 1.1 we are introduced to God as the one who conceives and designs the works of creation. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
Because he is the mastermind behind creation and the one who generates the universe, we recognize him as the Father of lights from whom derives every good and perfect gift (see James 1.17).
In the first sentence of the Bible, God is presented as the Father and originator of the created world.
In Genesis 1.2 we are introduced to God as the Spirit who watches over the works of creation in his of protector and perfecter. "The Spirit of God swept over the face of the waters" (this is the Holy Spirit).
In Genesis 1.3 we are introduced to the "Word" of God through whose agency God’s will becomes activated. "Let there be light," God said, "and there was light."
God speaks, and his Word goes forth and is accomplished.
In John 1 Jesus is introduced as the Word that was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made and, as John tells us, he became flesh and lived among us as the Son who had come from the Father.
This threefold nature of God is behind God’s statement in Genesis 1.26: "Let us make mankind in our image, according to our likeness."
It is in the New Testament that the concept of the "Godhead" becomes more developed. There are a number of passages that present the plurality of God in the same general context.
Matthew 3.16-17: "And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he was coming up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ’This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’"
Romans 8.15b-17: "When we cry, ’Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ."
1 Corinthians 12.4-6: "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone."
2 Corinthians 13.13/14: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you."
Matthew 28.19: "God therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
In our finite minds, it is difficult (and really impossible) to fully grasp the concept of the Godhead.
Augustine, a Christian thinker and writer who lived 1,600 years ago describes a day when he was wrestling over the doctrine of the Trinity. He took a walk along the beach where he observed a young boy with a bucket running back and forth to pour water into a little hole. Augustine asked, "What are you doing?" The boy replied, "I’m trying to put the ocean into this hole." Augustine then realized that he had been trying to put an infinite God into his finite find.
But perhaps an illustration from the world of nature can help us understand to some sensible degree the concept of the Godhead. (It is an analogy with which you are perhaps familiar.)
Consider H2O, the chemical designation for water. But water is only one of the forms H2O can take.
For instance, when H2O becomes very cold it solidifies into ice. And when H2O becomes very hot it becomes gaseous and we see vapor or steam. In its normal state H2O is water, a liquid.
But whichever forms it takes, as a liquid, as a solid, or as a gas H2O remains H2OCthe chemical composition does not change.
In much the same way God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are one but also different.
The Father, Son, and Spirit share the same character, they are God.
They are eternal, for they have no beginning or end, and all other things have come into being through them. God had no birth, and he will not die.
They are all-powerful, for nothing is beyond their ability. God is not bound by any limitations of any sort except for those that are self-imposed.
They are all-knowing, for nothing is beyond their intelligence and wisdom. God is not limited by intellect or insight.
They are ever-present, for they transcend both the physical and spiritual worlds. God is not bound by place, time, or dimension.
They are all-righteous, for they define what goodness is. God is holy and pure.
The distinctiveness of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to one another comes from their different roles and works and in the different ways in which they interact with man.
God the Father is the Creator, the King and righteous Judge. He sits enthroned in heaven ruling over, providing for, and sustaining his creation.
God the Son, Jesus, is the Mediator between God and man, the savior and deliverer, the righteous redeemer of mankind. He is the personal face of God shown to man.
God the Spirit is God=s indwelling presence, his mark of identity placed upon every faithful believer, the conscience that provides us with wisdom, strength, and comfort.
In Ephesians 1.3-14 the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are seen in the light of these roles.
Paul introduces God the Father as the source or origin of every spiritual blessing which we enjoy as his children. (Read vv. 3-6.)
God’s initiative in giving is plainly set forth in this dramatic statement, for he is the subject of almost every verb in these verses (vv. 3-14). The whole paragraph is full of references about God the Father who has set his love and poured his grace upon us and who is working out his eternal plan.
Paul speaks of the Son, Jesus Christ, as the sphere in which God’s blessings are received and enjoyed. (Read vv. 7-12.)
In verses 3-14 Jesus is mentioned either by name or title (pronoun or possessive) no fewer than 14 times, with the phrases "in Christ" or "in him" used at least 10 times. Paul=s message is simple: it is "in Christ" that we have been blessed so richly by the Father.
It is through Jesus (God the Son) that we have been saved and redeemed, and it is through him that God has acted to bless us.
In these verses, Paul speaks of the Holy Spirit. (Read vv. 13-14.)
The blessings God bestows upon us are spiritual in nature . . . the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives guarantees their worth and promise.
The Holy Spirit is God’s abiding presence within the heart of every person, a realization of the promise we have been awarded today and the hope we have for tomorrow and for eternity.
What is Paul’s purpose for composing this grand sentence at the beginning of his letter to the Ephesians?
Quite simply, Paul is seeking our praise by offering a beautiful statement of praise to God. Just as a eulogy at a funeral is used to bring to mind the good qualities and accomplishments of a person and spurs the individual memories a listener might have of the one being eulogized, this eulogy is used by Paul to elicit our thanksgiving to God.
The story is told of a young stranger to the Alps who was making his first climb up those majestic peaks. The man was accompanied by two stalwart guides. It was a steep, hazardous ascent, but the young man felt secure with one guide ahead and one behind.
For hours they climbed. And now, breathless, they reached for those rock protruding through the snow above themCthe summit! The guide ahead wished to let the stranger have the first glorious view of heaven and earth and moved aside to let him go first.
Not knowing the gales that would blow across those summit rocks, the young man leaped to his feet. But the chief guide dragged him down. "On your knees, sir!" he shouted, "You are never safe here except on your knees."
It is only with a sense of wonder and worship that we need to approach and consider the infinite greatness of our God and to appreciate the great love he has for us.
Paul is calling us to worship. Before he gets to the heart of his message in this great letter, he presents us with a grand beginning meant to illicit our praise and worship of the God who made us, redeemed us and made us whole, and who desires to guide our steps in his abiding presence.
Are you able to praise God for his goodness? Have you availed yourself of the opportunity that has been extended your way? Have you experienced the mercies that God has offered? Have you given your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and seen the grace of God our Father? If not, come this morning. Please come as we stand and sing.
