APOSTLES, SAINTS, AND ALL BLESSINGS Eph. 1: 1-3
I. Introduction:
A. Verse 1-3 is the introduction to the letter of Eph.
1. It was written by _______; vs. 1.
2. Not just any Paul but “Paul, an ________ of Christ Jesus.”
4. But he is not a self-proclaimed apostle but an apostle “by the will of God.”
B. Why does Paul feel like it is necessary to tell us that he is “an apostle of Christ
Jesus, by the will of God”?
1. He does so to establish ______________. Notice 2 Cor. 11:12-13:
But what I am doing, I will continue to do, that I may cut off opportunity from
those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter
about which they are boasting. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful
workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.
2. These __________ apostles attacked Paul.
3. To establish authenticity Paul says: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the
will of God.”
II. Frequent Question: “Do we have apostles today?”
1. Many claim to be apostles today.
2. The Mormon Church claims to have 12.
A. Prerequisites necessary to be an apostle.
1. An apostle must have _______ Jesus.
1 Cor 9:1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?
1 Cor 15:6-9 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
a. Not everyone that Jesus appeared to after His resurrection was an apostle but
everyone of the apostles saw Him.
b. That eliminates everyone who claims to be an apostle today because none of
them have seen Jesus.
2. True apostles were empowered by the Holy Spirit to perform ___________.
2 Cor 12:12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all
perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.
a. 1 Cor. 13:8 and Acts 8: 14-18 tell us that the miraculous gifts have ceased.
b. Therefore, there are no new true apostles today.
3. The apostles received _____ the truth.
John 14: 26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My
name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I
said to you.
John 16:13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all
the truth;
a. 1 Cor. 2: 11-12 confirms that the apostles received the Holy Spirit .
b. In Eph. 3: 1-5 Paul says that what was received was written down, can be read
and understood.
c. Therefore, there is no need for “new” apostles today because all we need to
know for salvation has already been given.
d. Besides, we still have the original apostles with us…they are in your Bibles.
III. “…to the saints”; vs. 1.
A. Who are “saints”?
1. Common idea: St. Benedict, St. Christopher, St. Bonaventure, St. Florian, etc.
2. All of these were designated as saints after they were ________!
B. Paul is writing to saints who are _______! Who are they?
1. Paul says: “To the saints who are faithful in Christ Jesus.”
2. 1 Cor 1:2 “…to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have
been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling,
a. “Saints” means “sanctified.” or the “Holy Ones.”
b. Notice when “sanctification” takes place:
1 Cor 6:11 And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were
sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in
the Spirit of our God.
c. Washing, sanctification, and justification all take place at the same time.
d. Acts 22: 16: Your sins are washed away at ________ so at _______ you are
sanctified, or you become a saint. Thus, “saints” are those who have been
baptized into Christ.
IV. Grace and peace:
A. Paul says: “Grace to you and peace from our God and Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ.”
1. ________ always comes before __________.
2. The only way peace can be had is if God extends His grace and it is only after we
receive His grace that we can have peace.
3. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave(here is the grace) His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish(here is the peace),
but have eternal life.”
4. Grace always comes before peace.
V. The Blessings IN Christ:
A. Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
1. ___ Christ you are a saint; vs. 1
2. ___ Christ you are one of the chosen; vs. 4
3. ___ Christ you are a son; vs. 5
4. ___ Christ you have redemption and forgiveness of your trespasses; vs. 7
5. ___ Christ you are His heritage; vs. 11
6. ___ Christ you have hope; vs. 12
7. ___ Christ you are sealed with Christ; vs. 13
8. ___ Christ you have the promise of an inheritance; vs. 14
C. ALL of these blessings belong to ALL who are IN Christ.
1. If we understand this then there won’t be any reason to be jealous of, or to slander, or to be bitter toward or critical of someone else.
2. IN Christ we are all ______l, we are all __________, and there is no reason to be jealous of one another.
V. God does this for us:
A. “God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing…in Christ.”
1. These blessings do not depend on your performance.
2. If we understand this we will save ourselves a lot of worry as to whether or not we
have done enough.
3. And like Paul in this passage, we will be quick to consistently praise God sincerely
and without hesitation.
VI. Conclusion: There are no “new” apostles. There are saints. And IN Christ you ALL have ALL spiritual blessings.