God’s Mysterious Plan Revealed

Introduction:

Again, Paul repeats himself quite a bit in this passage.

In this passage, Paul talks about his God given role.

Paul talks a lot about Paul.

When I think of all this …

I, Paul …

God gave me ..

I briefly wrote …

… revealed his mysterious plan to me.

… I have written …

… my insight …

I have been given …

… I am the least …

He graciously gave me …

I was chosen …

How can we apply this passage of scripture to our lives?

Ephesians 3:1-12 NLT
God’s Mysterious Plan Revealed
3 When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles . . . ² assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles. ³ As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. ⁴ As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. ⁵ God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.
⁶ And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus. ⁷ By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.
⁸ Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. ⁹ I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.
¹⁰ God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. ¹¹ This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.
¹² Because of Christ and our faith in him we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.

 Examine the scriptures:

Ephesians 3:1-12 NLT
God’s Mysterious Plan Revealed

^3:1 When I think of all this,

Briefly:
Review Chapter 2

¹¹ Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, …. ¹² In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. ¹³ But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. … (through the end of chapter 2)

This is a good description of each of us before we were saved.

We really were outsiders, lost and without hope, heading straight to hell. 

I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus

Repeated:

4:1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord …

6:20 I am in chains now …

Paul was a prisoner at the time he wrote this letter. (Likely in Rome)

Paul suffered imprisonment or confinement several times for serving Christ.

2 Timothy 1:11-12 NLT
¹¹ And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News.
¹² That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.

for the benefit of you Gentiles . . .  

Paul suffered imprisonment for preaching to Gentiles.

• Living a life that is honoring to God can be very challenging. 

² assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles. 

Paul’s primary God given role was to proclaim God’s grace to the Gentiles.

• A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 NLT
⁷ A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. ^… 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

Ephesians 2:10 NLT (Previous chapter)
¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. 

³ As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. 

Paul’s understanding of God’s mysterious plan came as God Himself revealed it to him.

Galatians 1:11-12 NLT
Paul’s Message Comes from Christ
¹¹ Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. ¹² I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

God revealed this mysterious plan to Paul by revelation on the road to Damascus and more fully at other times. 

⁴ As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ.  

• As we spend quality time in the word God gives us (reveals to us) a better understanding of His will for our lives.

Romans 10:17 NLT
¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. 

⁵ God did not reveal it (verse 6) to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.

“But now …” Paul is referring to NT prophets.

The role of the Holy Spirit is somewhat different in the NT compared to in the OT.

Beginning at Pentecost.

Prophecy here is not so much about predicting the future as it is speaking a special word from God.

⁶ And this is God’s plan:

This is what is being revealed.

Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.

Gentiles: anyone who is not Jewish.

Both … Both … both.

Jews and Gentiles, who believe the Good News, together are part of God’s family and heirs of God’s riches.

Jews and Gentiles, who believe the Good News, are part of the same body.

Jews and Gentiles, who believe the Good News, are united with Jesus Christ.

Romans 10:12 NLT
¹² Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him.

Galatians 3:28 NLT
²⁸ There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

• As believers, we are part of God’s family and heirs of God’s riches. 

 ⁷ By God’s grace and mighty power,

Grace: Undeserved blessing that comes from God.

Mighty power:

Matthew 19:26 NLT
²⁶ Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” 

• God equips us to serve Him.

I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.

Would God treat Paul differently than He treats us?

(Keep in mind that the “body” has many parts.)

⁸ Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people,

God did not call Paul because he was a good person.

• God did not call us because we were good people.

he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. 

Reminder: We are heirs of “endless treasures.”

• We have the privilege of serving God by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

⁹ I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. 

¹⁰ God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 

The church is meant to be God’s showcase.

The ultimate purpose of the church is to glorify God.

• God uses people (us), His church, to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world.

¹¹ This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.

God’s plans existed from the beginning of time.

• God’s plans for each of us existed from the beginning of time.

¹² Because of Christ and our faith in him we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.

Not because of what we have done, but because of what Christ has done for us, we can come boldly to the throne of God. 

Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT
Christ Is Our High Priest
¹⁴ So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. ¹⁵ This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. 

• As believers, we can come boldly to the throne of our gracious God and receive His mercy and grace to help us when we need it most. 

 

Living in the Light

Ephesians 5:8-14 NLT
⁸ For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! ⁹ For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
¹⁰ Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. ¹¹ Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. ¹² It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. ¹³ But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, ¹⁴ for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,
“Awake, O sleeper,
    rise up from the dead,
    and Christ will give you light.”

Examine the scriptures:

Ephesians 5:8-14 NLT
Living in the Light 

⁸ For once you were full of darkness,

This is a description of everyone one of us.

We were all dominated by sin, ignorant of God and His ways.

Ephesians 4:17-19 NLT
Living as Children of Light
¹⁷ With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. ¹⁸ Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. ¹⁹ They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

John 3:19-21 NLT
¹⁹ And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. ²⁰ All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. ²¹ But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” 

• At one point in time we were all full of darkness. 

“But” 

but now you have light from the Lord.

Christians are changed people.

Christians are no longer part of the darkness, in which they used to live.

Colossians 1:11-14 NLT
¹¹ We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, ¹² always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, ¹⁴ who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-5 NLT
⁴ But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. ⁵ For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night.

• When we became Christians, we were rescued from the kingdom of darkness. 

So live as people of light! 

Believers live in fellowship with God, in whom there is no darkness.

1 John 1:5-7 NLT
Living in the Light
⁵ This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. ⁶ So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. ⁷ But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

Matthew 5:14-16 NLT
¹⁴ “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Philippians 2:15 NLT
¹⁵ … Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

John 3:21 NLT
²¹ But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” 

• Scripture tells us to live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

Be noticed!  (I wasn’t raised this way.)

Redeemer Day School needs to be noticed. 

⁹ For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

Light is productive.

Grow lights promote plant growth.

Light chases away darkness.

Jesus is the Light of the world.

John 8:12 NLT
¹² Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

Philippians 1:11 NLT¹¹ May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
²² But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

• The light within us produces only what is good and right and true.

We have a perfect resource living within us. 

¹⁰ Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 

Romans 12:2 NLT
² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. 

Philippians 1:9-10 NLT
⁹ … keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. ¹⁰ For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.

Our goal should be to please God.

Colossians 1:9-10 NLT
⁹ So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰ Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. 

• Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 

¹¹ Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 

• Love justice and hate evil.

Amos 5:15 NLT
¹⁵ Hate evil and love what is good;

1 Corinthians 5:9-13 NLT
⁹ When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. ¹⁰ But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. ¹¹ I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.
¹² It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. ¹³ God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”

2 Thessalonians 3:6 NLT
⁶ And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us.
¹⁴ Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 NLT
¹⁴ Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? ¹⁵ What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:
“I will live in them
and walk among them.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
¹⁷ Therefore, come out from among unbelievers,
and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord.
Don’t touch their filthy things,
and I will welcome you.
¹⁸ And I will be your Father,
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.” 

¹² It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 

Merely talking about the things that morally and ungodly people do in secret can be morally and spiritually corruptive.

• Christians should not dwell on the evil that their lives (Christ) are exposing in others.

Example: Parents to children.
Positive proclamation of the truth in the light of the Word exposes all evil.

Proverbs 6:23 NLT
²³ For their command is a lamp
and their instruction a light;
their corrective discipline
is the way to life. 

How does this apply to parents? Teachers? 

¹³ But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 

• The pure and illuminating light of God’s Word exposes sin.

2 Timothy 3:16 NLT
¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 

Psalm 119:105 NLT
¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path.

Christ’s light shining on us and reflecting from us will expose evil intensions.

¹⁴ for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,
“Awake, O sleeper,
    rise up from the dead,
    and Christ will give you light.”  (Possibly Isaiah 60:1)

Christ shines on sinners with His life-giving light.

This is an invitation for salvation to the unsaved, in order that they may be transformed from children of darkness into children of God’s holy light.

 

Walking in Love

Introduction:

Practical examples of how Christians should relate to others.

This passage contains powerful lessons for us as well as powerful lessons to teach to young people.

Ephesians 5:1-7 NLT
Walking in Love
^5:1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. ² Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
³ Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. ⁴ Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. ⁵ You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. ⁷ Don’t participate in the things these people do. 

Examine the scriptures:

Ephesians 5:1-7 NLT

Walking in Love

^5:1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 

• Christians are commanded to imitate God in everything they do.

This command is found throughout scripture,

Matthew 5:48 NLT
⁴⁸ But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

1 Peter 1:15-16 NLT
¹⁵ But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. ¹⁶ For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

Leviticus 19:2 NLT
² “Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.

Leviticus 20:7 NLT
⁷ So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the Lord your God.

Luke 6:36 NLT
³⁶ You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

Paul’s challenge:

1 Corinthians 4:14-17 NLT
¹⁴ I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. ¹⁵ For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. ¹⁶ So I urge you to imitate me.
¹⁷ That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go.

As a child imitates his parents, a child of God should imitate his heavenly father.

This is the purpose of sanctification.

1 John 3:2 NLT
² Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.

• The Christian has no greater calling or purpose than imitating the Lord.

God chose his children to be like His son.

Romans 8:29 NLT
²⁹ For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

The Lord makes us more and more like Him.

2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT
¹⁸ So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

• The Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

² Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

When Christ gave Himself up for us, it was the supreme act of His love.

• Imitate God by living a life filled with love.

Walk in love.                           ESV

Live a life of love.                   ERV

Be full of love for others        TLB

Romans 12:1 NLT
A Living Sacrifice to God
^12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 

² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. 

³ Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 

These are selfish, self-centered activities.

⁴ Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you.

These are harmful behavior.

• These self-centered vices in conduct and speech (verses 3 & 4) are the opposite of the self-sacrificing love we are called to practice.

Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.  

The speech of God’s people is to be characterized by thankfulness to God for all he has done, and is doing for us. 

⁵ You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

The things greedy people desire become their gods.  God is replaced by things.

Colossians 3:5 NLT
⁵ So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 NLT
⁹ Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, ¹⁰ or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. ¹¹ Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 

Galatians 5:19-21 NLT
¹⁹ When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 

• Verse 5 is not a description of a believer. This is not who we are.  We have been transformed.  Therefore, it is not o.k. for us to practice an immoral lifestyle. 

• God’s people must have a holy lifestyle, avoiding the immorality common among the unbelievers. 

⁶ Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 

False teachers

2 Peter 2:1-3 NLT
The Danger of False Teachers
^2:1 But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. ² Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. ³ In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.

God’s view of sin should be taken seriously.

Colossians 3:5-6 NLT (verse 5 repeated)
⁵ So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. ⁶ Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.

Romans 1:18 NLT
¹⁸ But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

• Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse sinful behaviors. 

⁷ Don’t participate in the things these people do.  

• Christians must not participate in the sinful behaviors of unbelievers. 

 

Living as Children of Light (continued)

Practical examples of how Christians should relate to others.

Ephesians 4:25-32 NLT
Living as Children of Light (continued)
²⁵ So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. ²⁶ And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
²⁸ If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. ²⁹ Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
³⁰ And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. ³² Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Examine the scriptures:
Ephesians 4:25-32 NLT
Living as Children of Light (continued) 

²⁵ So stop telling lies.

Exaggerations, fabrications, cheating, making foolish promises, betraying a confidence, and making false excuses are all forms of lying.

• Don’t tell lies. 

Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 

Tell the truth.

Ephesians 4:15 NLT
¹⁵ Instead, we will speak the truth in love,

• Speak the truth in love.

Ephesians 4:3 NLT
³ Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 

Psalm 133:1 NLT
¹ How wonderful and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in harmony! 

Romans 12:5 NLT
⁵ so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 

• Lying destroys unity in the body of Christ. 

• Lying destroys our Christian testimony.

²⁶ And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry,  

Psalm 4:4 NLT
⁴ Don’t sin by letting anger control you.
Think about it overnight and remain silent. 

This is not saying, “Don’t ever get angry.”

• Not all anger is sin.

Being angry with evil can be righteous anger which is not only permissible but commanded.

Proverbs 8:13 NLT
¹³ All who fear the Lord will hate evil.
Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance,
corruption and perverse speech.

Psalm 97:10 NLT
¹⁰ You who love the Lord, hate evil!

Romans 12:9 NLT
⁹ Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.

• Jesus got angry.

Mark 3:5 NLT
⁵ He looked around at them (Pharisees) angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! 

Matthew 21:12-13 NLT
¹² Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. ¹³ He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!” 

• Don’t sin by letting anger control you.

Deal with anger before the sun goes down.

Anger must be resolved quickly.

“Keep short accounts.”

Don’t let anger control you. 

²⁷ for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

Not all anger is sin. However, anger gives a foothold to the devil, giving him an opportunity to lead us into further sin. Anger begins to control us rather than us controlling our anger.

Satan can use anger to create division among Christians.

• Anger gives a foothold to the devil, giving him an opportunity to lead us into further sin. 

²⁸ If you are a thief, quit stealing. 

• Don’t steal.

Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. 

• Work hard and then give generously to others in need.

Hard work provides for a person’s material needs.

Hard work gives us something useful to do.

Hard work enables us to help others materially.

1 Thessalonians 4:11 NLT
¹¹ Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.

²⁹ Don’t use foul or abusive language. 

• Don’t use foul or abusive language. 

Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

• Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Good words benefit the hearer.

Be an encouragement to others.

³⁰ And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live.

• Foul or abusive language is totally out of character for someone professing to be a Christian.

We grieve the Holy Spirit when we use foul or abusive language (when we sin). 

Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

Why would we knowingly bring sorrow to someone who has done so much for us?

³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 

• Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 

³² Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

• Be Kind. Be tenderhearted (compassionate).  Be forgiving.

Colossians 3:12-13 NLT
¹² Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. ¹³ Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

1 John 4:19 NLT
¹⁹ We love each other because he loved us first. 

 

 

Gifts for Building Up the Church

In this passage Paul addresses both the growth of the body as well as the growth of the individual.

Ephesians 4:7-16 NLT
⁷ However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. ⁸ That is why the Scriptures say,
“When he ascended to the heights,
he led a crowd of captives
and gave gifts to his people.”
⁹ Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. ¹⁰ And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.
¹¹ Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. ¹² Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. ¹³ This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
¹⁴ Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. ¹⁵ Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. ¹⁶ He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Examine the scriptures:
Ephesians 4:7-16 NLT
Gifts for Building Up the Church 

⁷ However,

Previously in this chapter, Paul discussed the unity in the church.

We were reminded that all believers have a lot in common:
One Spirit, one Lord, one God, one body, one hope, one faith, and one baptism.

Now Paul discusses the diversity of gifts in the church.

 he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. 

God gives each believer a special gift to be used for building up the church.

God does not give each believer the same gift.

1 Corinthians 12:7 NLT
⁷ A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.

Romans 12:6 NLT
⁶ In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. …

1 Corinthians 12:11 NLT
¹¹ It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. 

• God gives each believer a special gift to be used for building up the church. 

  We do not choose our spiritual gifts. 

⁸ That is why the Scriptures say, (Psalm 68 NLT) 

“When he ascended to the heights,
he led a crowd of captives
   and gave gifts to his people.”   

Similar to:
2 Corinthians 2:14-15  NLT
¹⁴ But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. ¹⁵ Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. 

The imagery is that of a Roman triumph in which the victorious general would lead his soldiers and the captives they had taken in procession through the streets of Rome, while the people watched and applauded and the air was filled with the sweet smell released by the burning of spices in the streets.

A military victor has the right to give gifts to those who are identified with him.

Christ, the Victor, having captivated sinful people by redeeming them, has the right to give them to the church as gifts. 

⁹ Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. 

John 1:14 NLT
¹⁴ So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

Philippians 2:6-8 NLT
⁶ Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
⁷ Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
⁸     he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.  (and was buried) 

¹⁰ And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.

Acts 1:9-11 NLT
⁹ After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. ¹⁰ As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. ¹¹ “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”

Acts 2:33 NLT
³³ Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today.

After completing His work on earth, Christ is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand.

•  Jesus Christ has both the authority and ability to give gifts to His church.
• With the gifts given to us by God and with the power of the Holy Spirit we are equipped to do the work God planned for us to do. 

¹¹ Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church:

In his letters, Paul has different lists of God’s gifts.  None of these lists are comprehensive.

• Here the focus of gifts is on the gifts of leadership most needed for the growth of the church. 

the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 

Apostles were the twelve disciples chosen by Jesus to be with him and whom he commissioned and sent out to preach. (Proclaim the gospel, establish churches, and teach sound doctrine.)

Prophets communicate God’s will to His people.

Evangelists proclaim the Good News.

Pastors (shepherds) care for God’s people.

Teachers expound Scripture and God’s truth. 

¹² Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 

The apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers do not do all the work themselves. They train the people to do the work of the church.  They equip the people to communicate God’s will to others, proclaim the good news, care for God’s people, and expound Scripture and God’s truth to others.

We are being equipped to equip others.

• Our responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church.

A challenge from Romans 12:6-8: 

Romans 12:6-8 NLT
⁶ In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. ⁷ If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. ⁸ If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. 

¹³ This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

• Unity in our faith and maturity in the Lord are two essential goals for the body of Christ.

This is an ongoing ministry which will continue until Christ returns and takes us home. 

When we are properly equipped:
¹⁴ Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 

• Mature Christians are able to discern and resist false teaching. 

¹⁵ Instead, we will speak the truth in love,

• We are being equipped to speak the truth in love.

We dare not depart from or compromise the truth.

Communication is most effective when the truth is proclaimed in love. 

growing in every way more and more like Christ,

Sanctification.

who is the head of his body, the church.  

¹⁶ He (Christ) makes the whole body fit together perfectly.

• Christ, the head of the body, makes the whole body fit together perfectly.

Colossians 2:19 NLT
¹⁹ …. For he (Christ, the head of the body) holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.

As each part does its own special work,

• Each part of the body has an important role.

it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

• When each part of the body does its own special work, the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

1 Peter 4:10 NLT
¹⁰ God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

Unity in the Body

Introduction:

We have been called by God.

2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT
²⁰ So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 

Matthew 5:14-16 NLT
¹⁴ “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

In this lesson Paul begs us to live a life worthy of our calling.

Live in unity with other believers.

• Live a life worthy of your calling.

Ephesians 4:1-6 NLT
Unity in the Body
^4:1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. ² Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. ³ Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. ⁴ For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
⁵ There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
⁶ one God and Father of all,
who is over all, in all, and living through all.

Examine the scriptures:

Ephesians 4:1-6 NLT
Unity in the Body of Christ 

^4:1 Therefore

Reflecting on what Paul had written in Ephesians 1-3.

Remember all that God has done for you.

Paul was addressing Jews and Gentiles.

Paul has taught that God brought Jews and Gentiles into a new relationship with each other.  Paul also taught that the church (the body of believers) is to be the reflection and full expression of the glory of God.

Now in chapters 4-6, the believers are expected to apply the principles taught in chapters 1-3. 

 I, a prisoner for serving the Lord,

Paul made this same statement in 3:1.

Paul was a prisoner at the time he wrote this letter. (Likely in Rome)

Paul suffered imprisonment or confinement several times for serving Christ.

2 Timothy 1:11-12 NLT
¹¹ And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News. ¹² That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.

• The walk of faithful Christians can be costly. Paul knows this from personal experience. 

(I) beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 

A person’s calling and conduct should be in balance.

Knowing all that God has done for us should have a significant impact on the way we conduct ourselves in our personal lives and in our church life.

Philippians 1:27 NLT
²⁷ Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.

1 Thessalonians 2:12 NLT
¹² We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.

Colossians 1:10 NLT
¹⁰ Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

Paul mentions three virtues that should be enhancing our daily walk. 

² Always be humble

The pagan culture of Paul’s did not consider humility an admirable quality.
Many people today feel the same way.

Humility – Freedom from pride.

Humility promotes unity.  Pride, the opposite of humility, promotes disunity.

and gentle (or meek).

Strength under control.

Gentleness is having one’s emotions under control.  It does not mean weakness.

Be patient with each other,

Calm and unruffled temper.

 making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 

Colossians 3:12-14 NLT
¹² Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. ¹³ Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. ¹⁴ Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

• Practicing humility, gentleness, and patience will enhance our daily walk.

³ Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 

All believers.

Jews and Gentiles

Colossians 3:14-15 NLT
¹⁴ Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

• As members of the body of Christ we are called to preserve the unity which God had established.

• Even with ethnic differences (Jews and Gentiles) all believers have a lot in common: 

⁴ For there is one body

The church

1 Corinthians 12 – One body with many parts.

and one Spirit,

The Holy Spirit.

 just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.

Christians will live with God forever.

⁵ There is one Lord,

Jesus Christ.

one faith,

John 3:16 NLT
For this is how God loved the world. He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 14:6 NLT
⁶ Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

one baptism, 

One response – a profession of faith.

⁶ one God and Father of all,

God the Father.

Here the word all refers to all believers, not all mankind.

 

One, one, one, one, one, one, one  (7 ones)

One Spirit, one Lord, one God.

One body, one hope, one faith, one baptism.

Remember, Paul is speaking to Jews and Gentiles. 

• When Christians are living a life worthy of their calling there is unity in the body of Christ. 

(one God) who is over all, in all, and living through all.

God is present everywhere.

Psalm 139:7-12 NLT
⁷ I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
⁸ If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
⁹ If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
¹¹ I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
¹²     but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you. 

1 Corinthians 6:19 NLT
¹⁹ Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,

Galatians 2:20 NLT
²⁰ My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Colossians 1:27 NLT
²⁷ For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.

• With God living in us, we are certainly equipped to live a life worthy of our calling. 

 

Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth

Introduction:

Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth and Empowerment

This is Paul’s second prayer recorded in the book of Ephesians.

His first prayer was for spiritual understanding.  (Ephesians 1:15-23) October

Paul’s prayer can be our prayer.  This prayer is not exclusively for the Ephesians.

The requests Paul makes for his readers can be requests made for us.

This is another great prayer to pray for your students, your own family, coworkers, other believers, or anyone else you relate to.

Look for the theme of power and love.

 

Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT
¹⁴ When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, ¹⁵ the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. ¹⁶ I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. ¹⁷ Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. ¹⁸ And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. ¹⁹ May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
²⁰ Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. ²¹ Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Examine the scriptures:

Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT
Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth 

¹⁴ When I think of all this, 

Paul began verse 1 with this same phrase: “When I think of all this …”

Paul is reflecting on all that God has done and is doing for the Gentiles (for believers).

Briefly: (from previous lesson)

Review Chapter 2
¹¹ Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, …. ¹² In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. ¹³ But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. … (through the end of chapter 2)

A very brief summary of verses 1-13:
⁶ And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.  

⁸ …, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.  

¹⁰ God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 

For us:

Think of all that God has is doing and has already for us, as believers.

• God takes people bound for hell and adopts them into His family. 

I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 

This was a display of reverence and emotion.

People in Paul’s day usually stood to pray.

¹⁵ the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 

Paul is recognizing the awesomeness of God.

Genesis 1
Creator of everything!

God is the source of glorious, unlimited resources that He gladly gives to His children.  (v. 16) 

¹⁶ I pray

A second prayer from Paul for the Ephesians, people he loves.

Paul’s first prayer was for spiritual understanding.  This prayer is for spiritual growth and empowerment.

Paul prays that his readers would be strong in their faith.

that from his glorious, unlimited resources

• God’s has glorious, unlimited resources, beyond our comprehension. 

he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 

God is certainly able to empower us with inner strength by gifting us with the Holy Spirit.

• Paul prays that the Holy Spirit will energize, revitalize, and empower his readers (us).

Acts 1:8 NLT
⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Galatians 5:16 NLT
¹⁶ So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 

¹⁷ Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.

Trust and obey

Colossians 1:27 NLT
²⁷ For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.

Galatians 2:20 NLT
²⁰ My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.

John 14:16-17 NLT
¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. ¹⁷ He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 

²³ Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.

John 15:4-5 NLT
⁴ Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
⁵ “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

• Christ will make his home in (our) hearts as (we) trust in him. 

Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 

Rooted in God’s love.

Roots have access to nourishment.

Colossians 2:6-7 NLT
⁶ And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. ⁷ Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Psalm 1:1-3 NLT
¹ Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
² But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
³ They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do. 

• (Our) roots will grow down into God’s love and keep (us) 

¹⁸ And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 

God’s love is great in every dimension.

Romans 8:38-39 NLT
³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

¹⁹ May you experience the love of Christ,

God’s love.
May you know the love of Christ.

Romans 5:5 NLT
⁵ … For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

though it is too great to understand fully.

Christ’s love is much greater than human love.

• Paul prays that (we) would understand and experience God’s love. 

Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

• Without Christ our life is incomplete.

A void exists.

A Transformation takes place in the life of the believer.

Sanctification.

Romans 8:29 NLT
²⁹ For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NLT
¹⁶ But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 

²⁰ Now all glory to God,

God deserves nothing less.

who is able, through his mighty power at work within us,

God’s power.

Verse 16 … he will empower you …

Verse 18  … may you have the power to understand …

Here      … through his mighty power at work within us …

Power from God is a gift!

to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 

Reflect on this phrase.

Philippians 4:13 NLT
¹³ For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Colossians 1:29 NLT
²⁹ That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.

• All glory to God who is at work in our lives. 

²¹ Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

• The church (the body of believers) is to be the reflection and full expression of the glory of God.

The ultimate goal of our existence.

This doxology concludes the first section of the letter.

Ephesians 1-3 Doctrine

Ephesians 4-6 Application

 

 

 

Introduction: A Real Christmas Gift (Available to Gentiles)

We all have received Christmas cards with pictures of family and friends. As we move through these verses today, picture this on a Christmas card. What does your card look like?

Ephesians 2:19-22 NLT

A Temple for the Lord
¹⁹ So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. ²⁰ Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. ²¹ We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. ²² Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

 Examine the scriptures:

Ephesians 2:19-22 NLT
A Temple for the Lord

¹⁹ So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners.

Strangers and foreigners have no rights or privileges, or limited rights and privileges.

• There are no strangers, foreigners, or second class citizens in God’s family.

You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people.

Note:  As citizens …

1 Peter 1:3-4 NLT
³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, ⁴ and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 

You are members of God’s family. 

Romans 8:15-17 NLT
¹⁵ So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”  ¹⁶ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.

• Believing Gentiles are members of God’s family and are heirs of God’s glory. 

²⁰ Together, 

Jew and Gentile believers. 

we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.

Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets teaching, not the apostles and prophets personally.

1 Corinthians 3:10-11 NLT
¹⁰ Because of God’s grace to me, I (Paul) have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.

At this point in time the New Testament had not yet been completed.

Today we could say, built on the foundation of the scriptures (God’s Word). 

And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.   (Merry Christmas)

The cornerstone is the most important stone in a building’s foundation.

This stone set the foundation and squared the building.

The building is aligned with Christ.  Everything points back to the cornerstone.

• Jesus is the cornerstone of his holy temple. 

²¹ We are carefully joined together in him,

• Every believer is a stone in Christ’s temple, the church, Christ’s body of believers.

1 Peter 2:5 NLT
⁵ And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.

Scripture is all about community.

1 Corinthians 12:27 NLT
²⁷ All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

Believers form a community

Acts 2:42 NLT
⁴² All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

Galatians 6:2 NLT
² Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

Romans 12:5
⁵ so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

Romans 12:10 NLT
¹⁰ Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

Hebrews 10:25 NLT
²⁵ And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Proverbs 27:17 NLT
¹⁷ As iron sharpens iron,
so a friend sharpens a friend.

• As believers, we are carefully joined together in Christ.

becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 

“Becoming”

• The church is a living and growing organism.

1 Peter 2:4-5 NLT
⁴ You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.
⁵ And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.

Matthew 18:20 NLT
²⁰ For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

Matthew 28:20 NLT
²⁰ Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

1 Corinthians 3:16 NLT
¹⁶ Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in (or among) you?

• The church is meant to be a community of people in whom the Holy Spirit dwells.

Belonging to the visible church is not optional for followers of Christ.

• Living in isolation, separated from believers, is not an option for followers of Christ. 

²² Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

• The Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in the vast spiritual body of all of the redeemed. 

Individually

1 Corinthians 6:19 NLT
¹⁹ Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, ²⁰ for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

Corporately

2 Corinthians 6:16 NLT
^16 … For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:
“I will live in them
and walk among them.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people. 

 

 What does your Christmas card look like?

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction:

Another “before” and “after” picture.

From “Outsider” to “Heir” and the Benefits That Go with It.

Ephesians 2:11-18 NLT
Oneness and Peace in Christ
¹¹ Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. ¹² In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. ¹³ But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.
¹⁴ For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. ¹⁵ He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. ¹⁶ Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.
¹⁷ He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. ¹⁸ Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

Examine the scriptures:

Ephesians 2:11-18 NLT

Oneness and Peace in Christ

¹¹ Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders.

• Gentiles used to be “outsiders”.

You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. 

Socially:
Gentiles were considered outsiders. 

Genesis 17:9-14 NLT
The Mark of the Covenant
⁹ Then God said to Abraham, “Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility. ¹⁰ This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised. ¹¹ You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you. ¹² From generation to generation, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. This applies not only to members of your family but also to the servants born in your household and the foreign-born servants whom you have purchased. ¹³ All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant. ¹⁴ Any male who fails to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant.” 

Gentiles were cut off from the covenant family. 

• Gentiles were “excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel” (verse 12). 

¹² In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 

• Gentiles:

Were living apart from Christ.
Did not know God’s covenant promises.
Lived in this world without God.
Lived without hope.

Colossians 1:21 NLT
²¹ This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.

We really were outsiders, lost and without hope, heading straight to hell. 

¹³ But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

Brought near to God.

Jesus restored a broken relationship. 

• Gentiles were brought near to God through the blood of Christ.

The Old Testament discusses this in some detail in Isaiah 56. 

Isaiah 56:8 NLT
⁸ For the Sovereign Lord,
who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says:
I will bring others, too,
besides my people Israel.” 

¹⁴ For Christ himself has brought peace to us.

• We can have peace with God because of what Jesus has done for us.

Romans 5:1 NLT
^5:1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 

united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.  

• Christ made peace between Jews and Gentiles possible.

Galatians 3:26-28 NLT
²⁶ For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. ²⁸ There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 

¹⁵ He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. 

• The Mosaic Law included many commandments that served to separate Israel (the Jews) from the other nations (Gentiles).

Deuteronomy 20:16-18 NLT
¹⁶ In those towns that the Lord your God is giving you as a special possession, destroy every living thing. ¹⁷ You must completely destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, just as the Lord your God has commanded you. ¹⁸ This will prevent the people of the land from teaching you to imitate their detestable customs in the worship of their gods, which would cause you to sin deeply against the Lord your God.

Jesus changed all of that.

Romans 10:4 NLT
⁴ For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given.   As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.

Romans 6:14 NLT
¹⁴ Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

Romans 7:6 NLT
⁶ But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

• We have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power.

He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 

2 Corinthians 5:17-18 NLT
¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
¹⁸ And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. 

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 NLT
¹² The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. ¹³ Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

¹⁶ Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. 

• Christ’s death on the cross reconciled humans to God, and also Jews and Gentiles to each other. 

¹⁷ He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 

John 14:27 NLT
²⁷ “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. 

¹⁸ Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

The gift of the Holy Spirit.

We have access to God through the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:44-45 NLT
The Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit
⁴⁴ Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. ⁴⁵ The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. 

Galatians 4:6-7 NLT
⁶ And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” ⁷ Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. 

Romans 8:15-17 NLT
¹⁵ So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. 

Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT
¹⁴ So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. ¹⁵ This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. 

Ephesians 3:12 NLT
¹² Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. 

• Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.

 

A Gift from God

A nine word sentence everyone needs to understand.

Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT
⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

 Romans 10:9-10 NLT
⁹ If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

 Examine the scriptures:

Review a “before” and “after” picture.

• The unsaved are in the clutches of Satan and follow in his opposition to God and are doomed to an eternity in Hell.

• God raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms.

How do we get from “the clutches of Satan” to “seated with him (Christ)”?

Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT

⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed.

• God saved you by his grace when you believed.

Ephesians 2:8 is a concise summary of how a person is saved.

Some additional important details:

Romans 6:23 NLT
²³ For the wages of sin is death, …

Romans 1:16-17 NLT
¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. ¹⁷ This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

Romans 3:24-25 NLT
²⁴ Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. ²⁵ For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,

Galatians 2:16 NLT
¹⁶ Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”

Where does this faith come from?

Romans 10:13-17 NLT
¹³ For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
¹⁴ But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? ¹⁵ And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
¹⁶ But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?” ¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. 

• Faith comes from hearing the Good News about Christ.

Scripture transforms our lives. 

And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  

• Salvation is a gift from God. 

A gift belongs to you after you accept it. 

⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.  

Romans 9:16 NLT
¹⁶ So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.

Romans 3:20 NLT
²⁰ For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

2 Timothy 1:9 NLT
⁹ For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.

Titus 3:5 NLT
⁵ he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 NLT
³⁰ God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. ³¹ Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.” 

• Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done. 

¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. 

Psalm 139:13-16 NLT
¹³ You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
¹⁵ You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
¹⁶ You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed. 

• God gives purpose and meaning to our lives.

Philippians 2:13 NLT
¹³ For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

• God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Assurance of your salvation: 

Romans 10:9-10 NLT
⁹ If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 

John 3:16 NLT
¹⁶ “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 

• We can also know we are truly saved.