Sermn / Preaching Research Ephesians 2:1-13, 19-22 (United) 7/19/15 at Hly Crss Life Grup Leader Guide Instructins Leading a grup can be intimidating but here s sme help. Included in this packet are three main parts t help yu prepare. Dn t be intimidated remember the Hly Spirit is with yu t empwer yu t grw and help thers grw as yu study His wrd and practice applying it t yur life. 1. Ltz Wrksheet This is a fancy ddle sheet. Print it ff and start making bservatins. Lk fr phrases that simplify what is being said, then summarize it and turn yur summary int a questin. Cnsider it Bible scratch paper! 2. Ltz Outline This is the rugh ideas that Fr Greg came up with has he ddled his way thrugh the passage. The first line (underlined) is frm the secnd clumn f the LOTZ wrksheet and the questins are his thughts. Dn t be afraid if yu cme up with smething different and dn t be afraid t send what yu find t Greg. 3. Reflectin Wrksheet This has tw parts and it is a great way t keep digging int the passage fr yurself. a. Biblical and Gspel Reflectin These are just a set f questins I filter every passage thrugh. They can be helpful as yu think thrugh mving frm study t teaching. b. Small Grup Questins These are Open, Dig, and Apply questins that we d suggest fr yur grup. An Open questin simply gets peple thinking abut what they re ging t learn. It s like teeing up the ball fr the cnversatin. A Dig questin helps yu jump int the Bible after all just hearing everyne s pinin n Life can be bring. This helps yu see what Gd has t say. Finally, the Apply questins are there t help yu put sme practical s what applicatin int yur mind. As always if yu need help we re here t cach yu thrugh this. Send an email and we ll help yu ut! 1
Sermn / Preaching Research Ephesians 2:1-13, 19-22 (United) 7/19/15 at Hly Crss Lk/Analyze/Hmiletics/Listen Lk at Gd s Wrd Exegetical Analysis Lessns (Hmiletics) Listen t His Vice Begin by reading the passage f Scripture. Underline, circle, r therwise mark text if it will aid yur study 2 And yu were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which yu nce walked, fllwing the curse f this wrld, fllwing the prince f the pwer f the air, the spirit that is nw at wrk in the sns f disbedience 3 amng whm we all nce lived in the passins f ur flesh, carrying ut the desires f the bdy [a] and the mind, and were by nature children f wrath, like the rest f mankind. [b] 4 But [c] Gd, being rich in mercy, because f the great lve with which he lved us, 5 even when we were dead in ur trespasses, made us alive tgether with Christ by grace yu have been saved 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 s that in the cming ages he might shw the immeasurable riches f his grace in kindness tward us in Christ Jesus. 8 Fr by grace yu have been saved thrugh faith. And this is nt yur wn ding; it is the gift f Gd, 9 nt a result f wrks, s that n ne may bast. 10 Fr we are his wrkmanship, created in Christ Jesus fr gd wrks, which Gd prepared befrehand, that we shuld walk in them. 11 Therefre remember that at ne time What des the passage say? Use the wrds f the text t list the mst utstanding and bvius facts. Dn t paraphrase; be literal as yu list the facts. Put simplificatins in [ ]. What des the passage mean? Identify a lessn t learn frm each fact. Fcus n spiritual lessns. What des the passage mean t me? Rewrite the lessns frm the previus clumn in the frm f questins. Be persnal as yu frmulate yur questins. 2
Sermn / Preaching Research Ephesians 2:1-13, 19-22 (United) 7/19/15 at Hly Crss yu Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcisin by what is called the circumcisin, which is made in the flesh by hands 12 remember that yu were at that time separated frm Christ, alienated frm the cmmnwealth f Israel and strangers t the cvenants f prmise, having n hpe and withut Gd in the wrld. 13 But nw in Christ Jesus yu wh nce were far ff have been brught near by the bld f Christ. 19 S then yu are n lnger strangers and aliens, [a] but yu are fellw citizens with the saints and members f the husehld f Gd, 20 built n the fundatin f the apstles and prphets, Christ Jesus himself being the crnerstne, 21 in whm the whle structure, being jined tgether, grws int a hly temple in the Lrd. 22 In him yu als are being built tgether int a dwelling place fr Gd by [b] the Spirit. 3
Sermn / Preaching Research Ephesians 2:1-13, 19-22 (United) 7/19/15 at Hly Crss Ltz Outline Text: 2:1-3 Befre Christ we were dead sinners fllwing the wrld, the flesh, and demnic 1 And yu were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which yu nce walked, fllwing the curse f this wrld, fllwing the prince f the pwer f the air, the spirit that is nw at wrk in the sns f disbedience 3 amng whm we all nce lived in the passins f ur flesh, carrying ut the desires f the bdy and the mind, and were by nature children f wrath, like the rest f mankind. Questins D I realize the desperate state I was in withut Christ? D I realize just hw desperate the situatin fr thse withut Christ really is? Ntes Yu were - Prir t ur salvatin, althugh we were physically alive, we were spiritually dead, incapable f life with Gd. Our lack f hliness rendered us incapable f a living relatinship with a hly Gd (Chapell) Pwer f the air - Mst Jewish peple believed that Satan r the chief f the heavenly angels f the natins ran the whle wrld except fr Israel. Ruler with authrity ver the realm f the air was a natural title fr his dminin; it was cmmnly believed that evil spirits dminated the lwest realm f the heavens (i.e., the atmspheric realm), far belw the realm f Gd s highest angels and his thrne. Air was the usual term fr the atmspheric heaven. (IVPBBC) Spirit nw at wrk - Paul des nt see sin as always directly inspired by demns but thinks that the wrld is pervaded with the devil s less direct influence (including in racial divisin 1:21 23); ne is nt delivered frm this influence by ne s Israelite ancestry but (vv. 4 6) thrugh faith in Jesus. (IVPBBC) The spirit - Satan is the unhly spirit (1 Cr 2:12) wh apes the peratins f his divine cunterpart by being cnstantly at wrk. The verb (energunts, at wrk ) is deliberately chsen t imply rivalry with the Hly Spirit (cf. Eph 1:19, 20). (EBC) Disbedience - Disbedience apart frm Gd was nt an aberratin; rather, we were living in accrd with ur nature. Paul takes fr granted ur understanding that we are by nature brn dead in sin. We inherit the fallen nature f Adam by which we are spiritually separate frm Gd and subject t the desires f the wrld and its way f thinking. (Chapell) Yu were dead in the trespasses and sins - Thse bund in sin are dmed t death, and s already belng t its realm; the very thing they think f as life is but a fretaste f death, because it is withut Gd (NBC) Flesh desires carrying ut - The flesh (sarx) is nt merely the bdy but the whle man rientated away frm Gd and twards its wn selfish cncerns (Hulden, p. 282). The wrd translated desires (epithymiai) is here used in its bad sense, it can als stand fr legitimate desire. The plural suggests the multiplicity f such urges in the unredeemed persnality. Desires (thelēmata) are rather dictates r demands (literally, things willed ). mind (dianiai) refers nt t the mind itself but t the prjects it entertains with uncntrlled abandn. The natural man is altgether at the mercy f the tyrant self and its rash impulses. (EBC) Children f wrath - This culd all sund like a determinism t evil fr which we are nt respnsible, but v 3 puts the blame equally fairly n ur wn rebellius nature with its crrupt desires and thinking. All this made us what Paul calls children f wrath (ESV crrectly); that is, thse cndemned t suffer Gd s hly anger directed against sin. (NBC) Illustratins Dr. Erwin Lutzer teaches preaching curses at Trinity Evangelical Divinity Schl. Every year, he takes his students n a field trip t the lcal cemetery s they can preach. He says: I take them t a little cemetery in Deerfield, Illinis, and I have them all gather arund a certain gravesite. I pint ut the name, and then I tell ne f the students, "Preach the gspel t Mr. Smith here." They lk at me like I'm nuts. S I preach t Mr. Smith with enthusiasm: "Sir, Jesus died fr yur sins, and yu must put yur faith in him." Then I lk at the students and tell them, "This is n different than preaching the gspel t unsaved peple. The Bible says that they are dead in their sins. Yu can preach yur heart ut, but nthing will happen unless Gd des a miracle t give them the life t listen." 2:4-7 We were dead but Gd lved us and saved us by grace t demnstrate immeasurable grace 4 But Gd, being rich in mercy, because f the great lve with which he lved us, 5 even when we were dead in ur trespasses, made us alive tgether with Christ by grace yu have been saved 6 and raised us up with him and seated 4
Sermn / Preaching Research Ephesians 2:1-13, 19-22 (United) 7/19/15 at Hly Crss us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 s that in the cming ages he might shw the immeasurable riches f his grace in kindness tward us in Christ Jesus. Questins D I understand and experience Gd s lve in my life? D I understand his grace and all that it cvered and did fr me? Ntes But Gd being rich in mercy lved us - The mentin f Gd s wrath has shwn hw seriusly he takes human sinfulness. But against the backgrund f the real pssibility f Gd s wrath, his mercy and his lve shine ut in all their radiance. Gd s initiative t deal with the human plight was launched, nt n the basis f sme ptential within the cnditin f humanity, but n the basis f his rich mercy and great lve. The divine reversal invlved making men and wmen alive with Christ, raising them up and seating them with Christ in the heavenly realms. What Gd did fr Christ, therefre, he has als dne fr believers (WBC) Lved us - This picture f Gd s delighting t bestw his lve n his peple frever develps Old Testament pictures f his special lve fr his peple (e.g., Deut 7:6 9). (IVPBBC) Why des Gd make us spiritually alive? Paul answers, Because f his great lve fr us, Gd, wh is rich in mercy, made us alive (Eph. 2:4 5). This lve is nt tward the inncent. Gd expresses his lve t thse wh were disbedient, wh by nature fllwed the ways f the wrld and f Satan. Gd demnstrates his wn lve fr us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died fr us (Rm. 5:8). (Chapell) Time and again I have heard wrds f cnsternatin frm thse whse sin is s plain t them that they believe Gd shuld nt lve them; the high schl student whse dating life has becme prmiscuus; the churchman whse marriage is falling apart due t his wn hardness; the seminarian wh, despite his aspiratins and lcatin, is still caught in a cyclic web f addictin and guilt; the yung mther wh dubts that she can treat her children better than her mther treated her. Over and ver, Because f what I have dne, because f wh I am, Gd shuld nt lve me. And these wrds are true. On the basis f justice alne, a hly Gd shuld nt lve the sinful. Yet, having dispensed his justice in the judgment f his Sn, ur Gd nt nly delights t extend us his mercy, but by his pwer he enables us t respnd t his lve. Seated us with him - t be seated with Christ means in 2:6 what it meant in 1:20 21 t be enthrned ver the evil pwers. Christians need nt fear demns, Fate r anything else; their lives are ruled by Gd (IVPBBC) Made us alive - T say we have been made alive (the wrd cmmnly dentes resurrectin) with Christ appears t be shrthand fr saying, we shall be resurrected with Christ t new-creatin life, and we may speak f that as thugh it were an already-accmplished event because first, the decisive event f the resurrectin f the representative Man Jesus lies in the past and secndly, we already begin t participate in aspects f that new-creatin life in ur present unin with him. (NBC) The resurrectin pwer f Gd in us indicates nt nly that we are a frgiven peple, but als that we are an empwered peple since Christ lives in us. The sin that assaulted us yesterday can be met and vercme by the risen pwer f Gd in us. My status as an enthrned heir f heaven despite my presence as a finite and frail creature f earth underscres my helplessness t secure what salvatin prvides. I d nt have the pwer t give life r status the way that Gd grants it t thse wh are the bjects f his mercy (Chapell) Yu have been saved - in v 5 (and in v 8) des nt mean the writer thinks ur salvatin is already cmpleted, but that ur cmplete salvatin has already been assured and revealed in Christ, and it is under way in us: we have truly begun t experience transfer frm the realm f death t that f resurrectin and life (NBC) Salvatin is viewed retrspectively. The Ephesians are nw in the psitin f having been saved (EBC) In Jesus Christ - Gd grants life with Christ, resurrectin pwer with Christ, and eternal lve with Christ, in rder that in the cming ages he might shw the incmparable riches f his grace, expressed in his kindness t us in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:7). Life, pardn, divine righteusness, and eternal glry are mine because I am in Christ. All f these blessings are the fruit f my unin with my Savir. (Chapell) Shw the immeasurable grace - This was Gd s publicity prgram fr the whle f histry and beynd. He planned a cntinuing exhibitin f his favr tward man t cver all the centuries between the ascensin and the return f Christ, and after that thrugh all eternity (EBC) Illustratins Grace means yu're in a different universe frm where yu had been stuck, when yu had abslutely n way t get there n yur wn. Anne Lamtt, Plan B (Riverhead, 2006), pp. 54-55 Fr t lng, we've called unbelievers t "invite Jesus int yur life." Jesus desn't want t be in yur life. Yur life's a wreck. Jesus calls yu int his life. And his life isn't bring r purpseless r static. It's wild and exhilarating and unpredictable. Russell Mre, "A Purpse Driven Csms," Christianity Tday (February 2012) 2:8-10 We were saved by grace thrugh faith in Gd s ding (Gd s gift). Nt ur wrkmanship but His 5
Sermn / Preaching Research Ephesians 2:1-13, 19-22 (United) 7/19/15 at Hly Crss 8 Fr by grace yu have been saved thrugh faith. And this is nt yur wn ding; it is the gift f Gd, 9 nt a result f wrks, s that n ne may bast. 10 Fr we are his wrkmanship, created in Christ Jesus fr gd wrks, which Gd prepared befrehand, that we shuld walk in them. Questins D I think my salvatin rests n my wrk r His wrk? Ntes Yu have been saved - Ambrse: D nt rely n yur wn effrts but n the grace f Christ. Yu are, says the apstle, saved by grace. Therefre it is nt a matter f arrgance here but faith when we celebrate: We are accepted! This is nt pride but devtin. On the Sacraments 5.4.19. (ACC) By faith - Faith, hwever, is nt a quality, a virtue, r a faculty. It is nt smething man can prduce. It is simply a trustful respnse that is itself evked by the Hly Spirit. (EBC) It is a gift - Yes, we are respnsible t defend the faith and prclaim mre than simple truths abut Gd, but we are nt ready t address the challenges f dctrine, church, culture, and wrld until we acknwledge that we will always be little children crawling int the lap f the Father t ask him hw he wrks. Only in that attitude f humility, filled with the knwledge f his lve and persn, are we ready t speak t the wrld f a Gd wh lved us when we culd nt lve him back, and saved us when we culd nt save urselves. Fr nly as little children delighting in the pening f a gift beynd ur highest hpes and fndest dreams (Chapell) Fr gd wrks - Gd wrks flw frm what Gd des in us, rather than Gd s wrk in us flwing frm ur wrks. Gd redeemed Israel befre he gave them cmmandments (Ex 20:1); it was always his purpse fr gd wrks t flw frm his grace, even if Israel (like many peple tday) did nt always grasp that pint (Deut 5:29; 30:6, 11 14). Illustratins Wrks - Real freedm is nt ding what we mst want t d. Real freedm is knwing which f the things we mst want t d is siding with what we were designed fr. Real freedm is finding the right restrictins, and that is why Jesus says, If yu hld t my teaching yu will knw the truth, and the truth will set yu free (Jhn 8:31-32); Whever finds his life will lse it, and whever lses his life fr my sake will find it (Matthew 10:39); Cme t me, all yu wh are weary and burdened, and I will give yu rest. Take my yke upn yu and learn frm me, fr I am gentle and humble in heart, and yu will find rest fr yur suls. Fr my yke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). (Tim Keller) 2:11-13 Remember that we were separate strangers f Christ s prmises and peple but nw in because f Jesus bld 11 Therefre remember that at ne time yu Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcisin by what is called the circumcisin, which is made in the flesh by hands 12 remember that yu were at that time separated frm Christ, alienated frm the cmmnwealth f Israel and strangers t the cvenants f prmise, having n hpe and withut Gd in the wrld. 13 But nw in Christ Jesus yu wh nce were far ff have been brught near by the bld f Christ. Questins D I try t justify myself r rest that I am in the family because f Jesus sacrifice? Ntes Called the uncircumcisin - In ancient Jewish beliefs, nn-jews culd never participate in the fullness f the cvenant withut circumcisin, althugh they culd be saved by keeping sme basic cmmandments. T be circumcised was t be grafted int the cmmunity f Israel, t becme part f Gd s cvenant peple. (IVPBBC) The pint was nt that Jews alne practiced the minr surgical peratin (ther Semites did t), but its significance as a rite f entry int the Msaic cvenant. (NBC) Alienated frm the cmmnwealth - The Gentiles exclusin frm the cmmunity f Gd s peple meant they had n part in the cvenants which prmised the Messianic salvatin. (The language here strngly eches Rm. 9:4.) Hpes and gds they may have had in plenty, but these wuld have prved empty, fr the Gentiles were withut the true Gd and the hpe he gave, and was nw beginning t fulfill. (NBC) But nw - The apstle s reminders f alienatin are s heavy, s numerus, and s dark that we are left gasping fr spiritual air Paul n lnger says, Remember the past, but instead identifies the reality f nw. While we are drwning in remembrance, the Wrd f Gd declares t us that the tide has turned with the simple phrase But nw. That was then, but this is nw. Yu and I nw have a new identity that is nt determined by memries f the past. We are nt what we remember but whm Gd makes us. In the face f the memries that culd haunt us, the apstle urges us t claim the reality f ur new identity. (Chapell) (Our new identity?) (Chapell) in Christ nt imprisned in humanity but united t divinity 6
Sermn / Preaching Research Ephesians 2:1-13, 19-22 (United) 7/19/15 at Hly Crss brught near peple r all natins are gathered t Christ s hly presence in Christ we are part f the same family despite ur pasts and their cnsequences. (Chapell) Our shared identity means that the respectable and the despicable are ne. We d nt divide ur pews r ur perceptins int thse deserving f grace and thse nt. We are pushed tgether int the arms f Christ with equal recgnitin f ur ttal need f him -- Despite ur weakness, arrgance, cldness, r ignrance, we are in unin with him. When I may want t call myself failure, liar, hypcrite, pervert, r betrayer, my Gd calls me my child, because I am in unin with his Sn. (Chapell) In essence, Gd says, Take all f thse ther labels f the flesh and paste this ne n tp f them: Gd s Own Child, Heir f the Prmises and Glry f Heaven. Hw can it be that yu and I, whse identities are s much a prduct f ur birth and ur past, culd have this new identity? The answer lies in the cleansing and uniting pwer f Christ s bld. (Chapell) Brught near - The verb t make near had becme a term fr making a nn-jew a prselyte, and s jining him r her t the cngregatin f Israel. This made the persn cncerned near in tw senses, bth f which are attested in Judaism. He r she becmes clse t the rest f the peple f Gd and clse t the Gd t whm the peple are near. They have access t the temple (the special place f divine presence) and t the Gd wh was mre generally present amngst his peple. (NBC) Illustratins Sme f yu reading these wrds are living in a cuntry ther than yur hmeland. Yu knw the lneliness and islatin that cme frm being away frm yur family in a freign land. Yu knw the ever-present fear that smething might happen t deprive yu f yur security because yur lack f citizenship gives yu s little pwer and standing in a freign natin. That sense f islatin and vulnerability Paul reminds the Ephesians was nce theirs in terms f their spiritual citizenship (Chapell) 2:19-22 We are nw citizen saints united as a dwelling place fr Gd in the wrld 19 S then yu are n lnger strangers and aliens, but yu are fellw citizens with the saints and members f the husehld f Gd, 20 built n the fundatin f the apstles and prphets, Christ Jesus himself being the crnerstne, 21 in whm the whle structure, being jined tgether, grws int a hly temple in the Lrd. 22 In him yu als are being built tgether int a dwelling place fr Gd by the Spirit. Questins D I live as if Gd is indwelling me as a resurce fr the wrld? D I live as a citizen f Gd s Kingdm r my wn? Ntes N lnger strangers - In the Old Testament, the nly divisin in the temple was between priests and laity, but by Paul s day architects had added barriers fr nn-jews and fr wmen (cntrast 1 Kings 8:41 43); Paul says these barriers are ablished in Gd s true, spiritual temple. (IVPBBC) Verses 19 22 represent a further expansin f v. 13. Tw technical terms cmmnly denting inferirity f status are cntrasted with symplitai ( fellw citizens ). The first (xeni) applies t freigners in general but in particular t shrt-term transients. The ther (pariki) were the resident aliens wh had settled in the cuntry f their chice. The pariks was a licensed sjurner in a twn whse prtectin and status were secured by the payment f a small tax (MM, p. 496; cf. TDNT, 5:583). He had n intrinsic rights, hwever. Such had been the psitin f the Gentiles in relatin t the kingdm f Gd befre the cming f Christ (EBC) But nw they enjy all the privileges f Gd s new peple. They are united with the saints f the past (Eph 1:18) as well as with cntemprary Christians. This tgetherness is stressed again in vv. 21, 22. The Gentiles are nt nly symplitai but ikeii tu theu, members f Gd s husehld. (EBC) Fellw citizens - when Paul here reminds us that we are fellw citizens with Gd s peple, he is reminding us that we have the pwer and prtectin f heaven. We are as treasured as any f the cvenant peple. Cuntering the vulnerabilities we feel in ur travel thrugh this wrld, Paul says we have the privileges f ur heavenly citizenship t prtect us. (Chapell) Husehld - T say we are already citizens f that temple-city is t say we nw, in unin with Christ, participate in that heavenly city radiant with the glry f Gd, and that it shall finally be revealed and displace all that we knw f as reality in this age (NBC) Built n the fundatin - The inclusin f the Gentiles was nt a surprise r an afterthught; the fundatin f the Scriptures was laid bradly enugh t include us. Gd always intended fr us t be part f his plan (Chapell) Illustratins Mandy - Seminary president David Sebastian tells the stry f his sn biking int their garage and saying, Dad, yu d better cme. There s a crazy lady in the field and she s drawing a crwd. As a pastr in a small twn, David knew that whenever there was a crazy lady in the field, it fit in his jb descriptin t g see what was up. The 7
Sermn / Preaching Research Ephesians 2:1-13, 19-22 (United) 7/19/15 at Hly Crss wman in the field had made it frm Missurit Oklahma n the bus befre her mney ran ut. The plice had ffered her a place in a hmeless shelter, but the shelter wuld nt accept the yung wman with the puppy she carried. In desperatin and fear that smene might take her dg, the wman ran until she ran ut f breath. Then she just std there in the field, ut f breath and ut f hpe, while a crwd gathered arund her. When Pastr David arrived, he received a quick summary f the situatin frm the plice and then asked the yung wman her name. With dwncast eyes and a vice barely audible she replied, Mandy. Where is yur hme, Mandy? he asked. She said, Missuri. And that s when a bell rang in David s mental register. Yu are Mandy frm Missuri? he said. I have been expecting yu! Yur pastr is a friend f mine. He wrte me weeks ag t say that yu wuld cme. I have prepared a place fr yu. Mandy lked up with unbelieving eyes and said, Yu knw abut me? Yes, he said, Lk. I have the letter right here. When David shwed Mandy the letter, she culd hardly believe it. The trubled yung wman had nt fully understd r remembered why the pastr in Missuri had placed her n the bus. She had nt planned t cme t this twn. But smene had planned fr her, and it was there in writing. It was t gd t be true, but it was true. And the truth that smene had s cared fr her renewed enugh hpe in her t give her strength t walk ut f the field, t shw up fr wrk at a new jb a few days later, and t start life again. Seeing in writing that smene had planned all alng t care fr her prvided pwerful new hpe fr Mandy, but the plan tuched mre than just her. David Sebastian tld that stry t a grup f seminary presidents. This is a grup f persns whse ccupatins make them sphisticated in the matters f faith, but als accustmed t hard realities and public scrutiny. There is nt much that mves them. But when they heard the stry f Mandy frm Missuri, islated in a field and encircled by gawkers yet still within the plan and cmpassin f Gd they were tuched. I watched as heads went dwn and hands crept up t wipe tears frm eyes. All knew what it meant t feel islated, alne, and under the scrutiny f thers. Smething in that stry f a girl alne in a field and islated by the pressures f life tuched them. It was fr such as them, as well as fr such as us, that Paul in essence writes, Gd planned fr yu all alng t be part f his husehld. He lved yu, planned fr yu, and prepared fr yu. See, he wrte dwn right here thrugh the apstles and prphets his plan t include yu s that yu wuld be sure. And if yu were t have any questins yet, he wrte his lve in the bld f his Sn. Yu can rest n that fundatin, and n that crnerstne yu can build much new hpe. 8
Sermn / Preaching Research Ephesians 2:1-13, 19-22 (United) 7/19/15 at Hly Crss Biblical Reflectin Theme: In ne sentence, what is the main pint f the passage? Aim: In ne sentence, hw did the authr intend his audience t apply the passage? Hw des this text pints t the wrk f salvatin in Jesus? This will depend n which testament yu are in and the cntents f the passage. Old Testament 1. Is this passage quted r alluded t in the NT? Carsn and Beale s Cmmentary n the New Testament Use f the Old Testament is invaluable fr this. 2. Is there a theme that anticipates Jesus fulfillment (e.g., the sacrificial system and Jesus penal substitutinary atnement)? 3. Des this passage represent a mvement in the stryline f the Bible tward the 1 st advent? New Testament 1. Is there a reslutin f the OT stryline, r mvement tward the 2 nd advent? 2. Des the passage shw what Jesus has accmplished by his life, death, r resurrectin? 3. Hw are these things displayed as the plan f Gd? Hw are they shwed t be wrught in us by the Spirit? While Jesus is the main character f the Bible, we must maintain a Trinitarian view f each passage. Gspel Reflectin What faith (in an idl) r fear des this cnfrnt? Persnal idls Mney Child sacrifice Rmance Lve w/ bundaries Children if my kids x = happiness Religius idls Truth rightness f belief Gifts experience Mrality gd b/c I d X Cultural idls Reasn if we just get religin ut f the way all will be better Technlgy prgress will make everything fine Educatin we just need t knw mre Hw des this pint t Jesus being the slutin? Hw is He a better slutin t all the ther prblems? Hw is Jesus perceived as the climax f this text? Hw is this practical and hw is Jesus the slutin? Hw des this text pint t Jesus ready presence and/r hly therness? Hw are we missing Jesus in ur actins as seen in/thrugh this text? Wrship prblems (fear/idlatry) Identity prblems (amnesia) Preaching the Gspel t urselves Because f the life, death, resurrectin f Jesus we are: Adpted > Children fully lved >> Nthing t prve Saved > Rescued frm hell, given life >> Nthing t fear Justified > Fully pardned and declared righteus >> Nthing t defend Dn t have t cntrl thers pinins humble Regenerated > New life / New identity >> N need t lk anywhere else 9
Sermn / Preaching Research Ephesians 2:1-13, 19-22 (United) 7/19/15 at Hly Crss Small Grup Questins Ephesians 2:1-13, 19-22 Open Pick ne r tw t pen the discussin What have yu learned frm a Christian whse backgrund is different frm yurs (cnsider thse wh are different in terms f age, denminatin, ethnicity, gender, scial status, and s n.)? Hw freely and cnfidently d yu apprach Gd? Wh tucked yu in at night and heard yur prayers? Dig Read the passage nw, then ask the fllwing questins t dig int what the Bible says What did Paul d in respnse t Gd s wrk thrugh the gspel (v 14)? What des Ephesians 3:15 say abut Gd the Father? What d yu think this means? Wh prvides us with the pwer f Gd (v 16-17)? Why did Paul pray fr the church t be strengthened with pwer thrugh the Spirit in ur inner being? What des it mean fr Jesus t dwell in ur hearts? What did Paul pray fr the church t be rted and grunded in (v 17-19)? What did Paul pray the church wuld have the strength t d (v 17-19)? Why wuld Paul want t pray such a prayer fr Christians? What is Gd able t d (v 20-21)? Hw is He able t accmplish this? What is t be given t Gd, and fr hw lng (v 20-21)? Hw d the fllwing things feature in Paul s prayers fr the Ephesians? Strength Lve Faith Understanding Knwledge Gd the Father Christ The Hly Spirit After reading the entire sectin, what d yu imagine Christians wuld be like as a result f this prayer? List all the requests in verses 14-19. What repeated themes stand ut in these requests? Paul begins in verse 14 with the phrase fr this reasn. What was the reasn frpaul s prayer? Hw is Gd characterized in verses 14 and 15? Why wuld Paul ask that Christ might dwell in their hearts when he is praying fr Christians (v 17)? As yu think abut all that has been explained in the bk f Ephesians s far, why is lve such an imprtant element f Paul s prayer? We shall have pwer t cmprehend these dimensins f Christ s lve, Paul says, nly with all the saints (v 18). Why is this emphasized? D yu think it s pssible t knw Jesus apart frm ther Christians? Hw is Gd s pwer demnstrated by Paul s benedictin in verses 20-21? Hw is this whle prayer evidence f the freedm and cnfidence with which we can apprach Gd? Hw des this prayer demnstrate the centrality f the church in Gd s plan fr the wrld? Hw wuld yu describe, with tw adjectives, this cncluding prayer t wrap up the teaching sectin f this epistle? What exactly is Paul asking Gd t d fr the believers in Ephesus? Apply Make it practical what will yu take with yu as yu g ut? Hw wuld yu cnsider yur psture befre Gd? D yu have a difficult time accepting that Gd is yur Father? Why r why nt? What d yur prayers reveal that Gd is able t d? What d yur prayers reveal abut yu? What wuld peple learn abut yu frm yur prayers? Jesus has given t His church the task f prclaiming the gspel t all natins. Frm what yu learned in this sessin, what is yur part in that? What have yu learned abut the imprtance f the church? What difference shuld this passage make in ur discipleship and ur utreach? Hw des ur understanding f Gd impact hw we apprach Him in prayer? 10
Sermn / Preaching Research Ephesians 2:1-13, 19-22 (United) 7/19/15 at Hly Crss What effect wuld it have n the church if the prayer that we all culd grasp the lve f Christ were answered? Hw have yu seen this prayer answered in yur wn church? Hw accurately des the benedictin in verses 20-21 cmmunicate yur perceptin and expectatin f Gd? Explain. In what current situatin r relatinship d yu have the pprtunity t learn frm anther Christian? Hw wuld yu like t grw in the way that yu pray fr yur church? Hw big is yur Gd? Hw wuld yu cmpare yur view f Gd nw t yur view f Gd five r ten years ag? Life Grup Questins cllected frm the fllwing resurces: Serendipity s Interactive Study Bible (NIV); Wh D Yu Think Yu Are? by Mark Driscll; Ephesians: Gd s Big Plan fr Christ s New Peple by Thabiti Anyabwile; Ephesians: Building a Cmmunity in Christ by Jhn Sttt. Paraphrasing used where necessary t better cmmunicate with the Hly Crss cmmunity f faith. General Small Grup Questins What new thing did yu discver in the stry? What did yu learn abut Gd? What did yu learn abut peple? Which persn is mst like yu in the stry? What will yu take away frm this discussin? What will yu d with what yu have learned? Life Grup Questins cllected frm the fllwing resurces: Serendipity s Interactive Study Bible (NIV); Wh D Yu Think Yu Are? by Mark Driscll; Ephesians: Gd s Big Plan fr Christ s New Peple by Thabiti Anyabwile; Ephesians: Building a Cmmunity in Christ by Jhn Sttt. Paraphrasing used where necessary t better cmmunicate with the Hly Crss cmmunity f faith. 11