March 21st, 2021
"In His name, By His Power" / Ephesians 2: 1-10
Introduction—towards the end of his second missionary journey, and for more than two years on his third missionary journey, Paul ministered to Ephesus's people (Acts 18:18–21; 19:1–41). During his time in this city which housed the famous temple to the Greek goddess Artemis, Paul saw people being transformed by the name and power of Jesus. However, Paul also witnessed many people aggressively rejecting the name and power of Jesus, who chose division rather than love.
Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians sometime in AD 60–61, around the same time he wrote Colossians and Philemon, as he sent all three letters by the hand of Tychicus, accompanied by Onesimus (Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7–9; Philemon 1:10–12). It was during this time that Paul sat in Rome undergoing his first Roman imprisonment (Ephesians 3:1; 4:1)
The big idea—because of His name and by His power, everything can be transformed. This transformation has the ability to change everything around you but be warned the world will hate you for it.
The name Jesus is derived from the Hebrew name Yeshua, and is based on a Semitic root that means "to deliver; to rescue." Now about the power of Jesus, the whole thing is relatively simple and yet challenging to describe. Many will remember the feeding of the multitudes, healing the sick, walking on water, resurrection, and a host of other things that showed the miraculous power of God. Yet, they will forget that Jesus' power was not in what He did but in who He is. (1 John 4:7-21) so, because of His name and by His power, things will change, and the world will HATE you for it. (Matthew 10:22)
Paul has prayed that Christian readers might know the greatness of God's power towards them (1:17–19), and then praised God for exercising that same mighty power in raising Christ from the dead and exalting Him to be head over all things for the church (1: 20–23).
Now the Apostle reminds us of the mighty transformation: we were spiritually dead, without a purpose (2:1–3), but out of His "Love "God has raised and exalted us in victory with Christ (2:4–7) then the question is what are you doing to do with such a victory that isn't yours, and yet it is for you.
