We will attempt, and may I place great emphasis on the word "attempt", to exposit this great Letter of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesian church. An attempt is the highest achievement that any mortal man can achieve when it comes to understanding or explaining the uncovered mysteries that are contained in the book.
Ephesians is a complete book, in that it contains all the mystery concerning Christ and His church. This book is also a convenient book, in that the mystery of the church, as revealed to the Apostle Paul, becomes very clear to the serious saint who will exposit it correctly. But most importantly, Ephesians is a Christ book, in that we see our Lord as our heavenly bridegroom. In this attempted exposition, we will enable ourselves to receive a more heavenly and spiritual understanding, if we look at this great masterpiece of scripture as:
1) A Unrivaled Symphony
The aim of a symphony concert is, by musical standards, a progression of sound and intensity, until a pinnacle is reach near or at the end. These progressions are called octaves. Each musical octave contains eight notes and each note of the octave is sounded in a higher pitched note, with the eighth note being the highest. As this progression of sound travels from octave to octave, each octave achieves a higher composition, and the ultimate goal is to reach what is called a crescendo, which is the culmination and combination of all the octaves at the end with an enormous increase and intensity of sound. Now, in comparison, Ephesians is a heavenly symphony and our conductor is Jesus Christ himself. There are sweet notes of salvation, sound notes of seperation, and safe notes of security. However, there is one striking difference in an orchestrated symphony and this heavenly symphony. That difference is, that instead of building throughout the musical presentation to an ultimate end, Ephesians begins with a crescendo of out bursted sound and never comes back down the scale. In essence, it begins with a crescendo and ends with a crescendo. There are no dead notes, no flat notes and no skipped notes. This book is a masterpiece from the Master Composer. Only a perfect God could compose and conduct a perfect symphony.
2) An Unveiled Shadow
In the canon of scripture, there are many shadows and types of Christ. The Old Testament contains many pre-incarnate appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through these types, we see glimpses of the shadow of our Bridegroom. Now a shadow is only a representation and a promise that there is a substance that is producing the shadow. For instance, the shadow of a dog cannot bite, but the substance of the dog can tear you up. This book of Ephesians has seized the shadow, and traces the shadow back to the real substance. In this book, we are looking at shadows of the Bridegroom any longer, we are beholding the substance. This letter unfolds and unveils the mystery that the shadow produced and presents the promise and provision that only the substance can provide. While the shadow only contains a promise that there is a real substance, Ephesians reveals the substance, which not only fulfills the promise, but also contains the presence.
3) An Unfolded Suitcase
Many times, when I was preparing for a trip, I would wisely pack all the necessary items that would be needed upon arrival at my destination. Contrary to the fact that sometimes I would forget to pack some necessary item, and suddenly and sadly discover this fact, Ephesians is a well planned, packed and performing of every essential item This book is a suitcase that has been packed with loving forethought and when opened and examined, contains all the faith, facts and fashion that we will need, not only for the journey, but also for the jubilee that we will be attending. In this wonderful and heavenly packed suitcase, there are no unwanted or unneeded items. The essentials that we need in order to be washed clean, and all the clothing that we will desire to wear. Another wonderful observation is that the items in this suitcase are not just thrown in randomly, but are neatly and timely placed and packed in the order that we will need them in order to function by faith. As we are brought together to sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, through the exposition of the wonderful book, let us look on with excitement and expectation at the Unrivaled Symphony, the Unveiled Shadow, and the Unfolding Suitcase.
0 comments:
Post a Comment