As Phil pointed out in week 1, Ephesians is an incredibly practical book and has some very timely messages for us. As we grow, as we move to a new location – as we try to carve out a little space in a dark, lost world for Christ’s kingdom – Paul’s instructions to the young churches of southwest Asia Minor could not come at a better time for us.
In Ephesians 1:1 through 2:10, Paul describes all the incredible things God has done for us, in us. He has called us, predestined us to adoption into His family. Like the abandoned babies of Ephesus, Christ has rescued us from hopelessness and death. The Fall in Genesis 3 separated us all from God – but on that first Good Friday, Jesus’ death reconciled us to God the Father.
Question 1: Of all the things God has done for us as outlined by Paul in this letter to the Ephesians, which one thing stands out as most significant to you? (yes we know they are all important, but what means the most to you?)
Paul goes on. In 2:11-22, Paul explains that Christ’s death has also solved the problem of separation between each other. Before, only the Jews had ready access to God through the priests and the temple and the whole system that went along with it. Gentiles were excluded. There was a “courtyard of the Gentiles” along the outer walls of the temple – and that was as close as non-Jews could get. As non-Jews, you and me were separated from God not just individually because of our sins, but also because of our race. We were excluded from the commonwealth of Israel – with no hope of becoming part of the people of God, of sharing in that community. Christ’s death tore down that dividing wall, making one new people out of what were before two irreconcilable groups.
Question 2: Considering the renewing work of Christ, what are some of the ways you have been transformed by His work in your life? Think of real, practical, visible changes that have come about from your salvation in Christ. Dig deep and don’t be afraid to dive into the personal here. Explore some of the more surprising changes God has made in you since you were given a new identity in Christ.
In the first half of Ephesians, Paul tells his readers to do just one thing: “remember,” in 2:11. So the first half of the book can be summed-up under that one broad category: remember what God has done for you… in you… what He is doing even now in you and for you. Remember who you were before and who you are now. You were dead, hopeless – and now you’re alive, with hope and a future!
So what?
Now, beginning in chapter 4, Paul gets practical. In fact, where he used the imperative just once in the first half of the book, he uses it 40 times in chapters 4, 5 and 6. But notice how he starts it off: “therefore.” What’s the “therefore” there for? Paul considers everything from here on out as a natural result of what He’s described in chapters 1-3.
Question 3: Referring back to the “Super Glue” illustration Pastor Phil used in his weekend messages, what are the connecting points or natural results of Jesus having control of your life?
In 4:1, we get the first imperative, the first command: “walk.”
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called…
As a result of everything God has done for us and in us, we ought to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we’ve been called.
And with that, let’s dive into the second half of Ephesians…
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