Introduction to Ephesians pt. 2

Colossians 3:16 NIV

16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Psalm 3:1–8 NIV

1 Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” 3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. 4 I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. 6 I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. 7 Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. 8 From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.

Open in prayer:

The Wonder of the Gospel

Ephesians was written to be read as a whole and a message communicated and understood inside the context of that letter.

How many of you would get a letter from a loved one, read a couple lines, put the letter down and discuss what was written? Of course you would read the whole letter and then discuss its content.

See this letter to the Ephesians the same way. Read it through in one sitting.

Subjective vs Objective - Read the whole letter as though you are hearing it for the first time.

What God has done to save us from the evil one through the grace of his marvelous salvation in Jesus Christ.

Gospel Framework

All that He has done for us in Jesus Christ

Paul spends three chapters explaining what God has done to make possible all we will do.

Ephesians 1:3 NIV

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

SEE WHAT GOD HAS DONE!

It is after that that he says this is what you should do, and this is what you should be.

All that we now do and become because of what He has done in Jesus Christ.

Gospel Design

In Ephesus

In Christ Jesus

1-3 What is means to be in Christ Jesus

What is means to be in Christ Jesus in Ephesus

They lived in a place full of the occult. It was a very dark place for a group of people to be called to live in the light.

Ephesians 2:5–6 NIV

5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

Christians are in Christ, but alive in Portales.

Book “Who Am I” by Jerry Bridges

There is tension between who we are in Christ and who we are in our every day lives as we daily live out the Christian life as justified saints in sinful flesh that rebels every chance it gets.

Our nature was dead.

3. Gospel Neighborhood

The house God is building is in a nice neighborhood. Actually, it is a house built in a place where the street out front is paved with gold.

When in Christ, our identity is bound up in Christ. We may not see it, we may not totally understand it, but we are bound up in the eternal Son of God and it is permenant.

A real Christian is always saying, “How wonderful Crhist is in all he does. It is Christ who is good, it is Jesus who has saved me, it is on him and him alone I count on for righteousness.

Ephesians 1:1 NIV

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:

1-3 the work of God setting them apart for as saints

ch 4-6 the context in which their faithfulness is displayed

4-6 new standards to be worked out in the community. This is what it is going to look like for you to be a married person in Ephesus, this is what it is going to look like for you to be a teenager in Ephesus, This is what it is going to look like to live out your Christian life in Portales.

Gospel Gated Security

God grants peace through grace

It is in our understanding of the amazing grace of God that we can stand even when our hearts condemn us.

God is the one who called, convicted, and saved us for his name sake.

When did God begin to love us?

When you started being good?

When you started going to church?

When you started reading your Bible?

Now that you are doing good I will come and be nice to you… NO!

Ephesians 2:4–5 NIV

4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Ephesians 6:17 NIV

17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Gospel Security Guard

The Holy Spirit is our guarantee, the stamp of proof that we belong to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:17–20 NIV

17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit works in His people powerfully to

Therefore, read this letter and enjoy the building of a wonderful, eternal home in Christ for every believer.

Prayer, commuion