Category Archives: RDS Dad’s Bible Fellowship

Living as Children of Light (continued)

Introduction:

Practical examples of how Christians should relate to others.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT
¹⁶All 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. ¹⁷God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

Lessons for you and for your family.

Ephesians 4:25-32 NLT
Living as Children of Light (continued)
²⁵So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. ²⁶And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
²⁸If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. ²⁹Don’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.
³⁰And 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.
³¹Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. ³²Instead, 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)

Our previous lesson ended with Ephesians 4:24:

²⁴Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

Colossians 1:13 says:

Colossians 1:13 NLT
¹³For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,

We read in 2 Corinthians 2:17:

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT
¹⁷This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

Christians should be “changed lives changing lives”.

²⁵So stop telling lies.

What is a lie?

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

People all around us are telling lies (starting with our government officials).

“Good” people tell lies. (That behavior is destructive.)

Scripture tells us to stop telling lies.

Don’t tell lies.

Proverbs 6:16-19 NLT
¹⁶There are six things the Lord hates—
no, seven things he detests:
¹⁷haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent,
¹⁸a heart that plots evil,
feet that race to do wrong,
¹⁹a false witness who pours out lies,
a person who sows discord in a family.

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

Tell the truth.

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

Speak the truth in love.

Lying destroys unity in the body of Christ.

Lying destroys our Christian testimony.

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

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

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

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

The Bible talks a lot about anger.

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

James 1:19-20 NLT
¹⁹Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. ²⁰Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.

Colossians 3:8 NLT
⁸But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.

Ecclesiastes 7:9 NLT
⁹Control your temper,
for anger labels you a fool.

Proverbs 15:1 NLT
^15:1 A gentle answer deflects anger,
but harsh words make tempers flare.

Proverbs 29:11 NLT
¹¹Fools vent their anger,
but the wise quietly hold it back.

Don’t sin by letting anger control you.

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

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

Romans 12:9 NLT
⁹Don’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
⁵He 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
¹²Jesus 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. ¹³He 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!”

Deal with anger before the sun goes down.

Anger must be resolved quickly.

“Keep short accounts.”

Don’t let anger control you.

²⁷for 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.

²⁸If you are a thief, quit stealing.

Exodus 20:15 NLT
¹⁵“You must not steal.

Define stealing.

“Good” people steal. (That behavior is destructive.)

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

²⁹Don’t use foul or abusive language.

Also consider:

Deuteronomy 5:11 New Living Translation
¹¹“You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

Deuteronomy 5:11 King James Version
¹¹Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Don’t use foul or abusive language.

“Good” people use abusive language. (That behavior is destructive.)

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.

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

³⁰And 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.

Why would we knowingly bring sorrow (by lying, getting angry, stealing, using abusive language to someone who has done so much for us?

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

Proverbs 15:1 NLT
A gentle answer deflects anger,
but harsh words make tempers flare.

Proverbs 15:1-2 NIV
A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.

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

³²Instead, 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
¹²Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. ¹³Make 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
¹⁹We love each other because he loved us first.

Living as Children of Light

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Introduction:

God’s people are called to live in a way that is different from that of unbelievers.

Is your lifestyle different than that of your unbelieving coworker? Is your lifestyle different than that of your unbelieving neighbor?

Ephesians 4:17-24 NLT
Living as Children of Light
¹⁷With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. ¹⁸Their 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. ¹⁹They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
²⁰But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. ²¹Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, ²²throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. ²³Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. ²⁴Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

Examine the scriptures:

Ephesians 4:17-24 NLT
Living as Children of Light

¹⁷With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do,

“Gentiles” used here refers to unbelieving Gentiles, pagans, godless people, or the unsaved.

God’s people are called to live in a way that is different from that of unbelievers.

Live differently than you did before you were saved.

1 John 2:15-17 NLT
Do Not Love This World
¹⁵Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. ¹⁶For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. ¹⁷And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

2 Corinthians 6:17 NLT
¹⁷Therefore, come out from among unbelievers,
and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord.

for they are hopelessly confused.

1 Peter 1:14 NLT
¹⁴So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then.

¹⁸Their 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.

2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT
⁴Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

Matthew 13:12-15 NLT
¹²To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. ¹³That is why I use these parables,
For they look, but they don’t really see.
They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.
¹⁴This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,
‘When you hear what I say,
you will not understand.
When you see what I do,
you will not comprehend.
¹⁵For the hearts of these people are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
and let me heal them.’

The minds of unbelievers are full of darkness. Unbelievers are hopelessly confused.

1 Corinthians 2:14 NLT
¹⁴But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.

Unbelievers are spiritually separated from God.

Think for a minute what this is saying about public schools that are bring run by “unbelieving” educators.

They are unable to put our school verse into practice.

Psalm 78:4-7 NLT
⁴We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders.
⁵For he issued his laws to Jacob;
he gave his instructions to Israel.
He commanded our ancestors
to teach them to their children,
⁶so the next generation might know them—
even the children not yet born—
and they in turn will teach their own children.
⁷So each generation should set its hope anew on God,
not forgetting his glorious miracles
and obeying his commands.

¹⁹They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

Unbelievers are morally insensitive.

The hardness of unbelievers’ hearts is reflected in their moral insensitivity and sexual immorality.

Romans 1:18-32 NLT
¹⁸But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. ¹⁹They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. ²⁰For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
²¹Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. ²²Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. ²³And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
²⁴So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. ²⁵They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. ²⁶That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. ²⁷And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.
²⁸Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. ²⁹Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. ³⁰They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. ³¹They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. ³²They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

Reflecting back on verses 17-19:

¹⁷With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. ¹⁸Their 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. ¹⁹They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

Be aware of the dangers of ( just to name a few a few)

public school education,

secular TV,

Disney movies,

and secular children’s books,

all produced or controlled by those who are hopelessly confused.

²⁰But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. ²¹Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him,

1 John 5:20 NLT
²⁰And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.

2 Corinthians 5:14-18 NLT
¹⁴Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. ¹⁵He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. ¹⁶… ¹⁷This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
¹⁸And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.

John 8:36 NLT
³⁶So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.

²²throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.

Romans 6:6 NLT
⁶We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.

Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.

²³Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.

Spiritual renewal is an ongoing process in the life of the Christian.

Spend quality time in the Word.

Be active in a Bible believing church.

Be a part of men’s Bible studies.

²⁴Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

A believer has a new nature. God is at work in us and He is the one who brings about the change.

Colossians 3:10 NLT
¹⁰Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

We put on the new nature as we pursue the things of Christ rather than the desires of the flesh.

Romans 12:2 NLT
²Don’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.

Galatians 5:22-25 NLT
²²But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
²⁴Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. ²⁵Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

The transforming work of God’s spirit is part of the gift of salvation.

Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT
⁸God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

Remember:

God’s people are called to live in a way that is different from that of unbelievers.

Gifts for Building Up the Church

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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
⁷However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. ⁸That is why the Scriptures say,
“When he ascended to the heights,
he led a crowd of captives
and gave gifts to his people.”
⁹Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. ¹⁰And 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.
¹¹Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. ¹²Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. ¹³This 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.
¹⁴Then 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. ¹⁵Instead, 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. ¹⁶He 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:

Previous passage of scripture

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. ²Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. ³Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. ⁴For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
⁵There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
⁶one God and Father of all,
who is over all, in all, and living through all.

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

⁷However,

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
⁷A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.

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

1 Corinthians 12:11 NLT
¹¹It 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.

⁸That 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
¹⁴But 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. ¹⁵Our 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.

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

John 1:14 NLT
¹⁴So 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
⁶Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
⁷Instead, 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)

¹⁰And 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
⁹After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. ¹⁰As 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
³³Now 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.

¹¹Now 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.

Romans 12:6-8 NLT (addressed later in this lesson)
⁶In 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. ⁷If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. ⁸If 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.

1 Corinthians 12:8-10 & 28 NLT
⁸To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. ⁹The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. ¹⁰He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.
²⁸Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:
first are apostles,
second are prophets,
third are teachers,
then those who do miracles,
those who have the gift of healing,
those who can help others,
those who have the gift of leadership,
those who speak in unknown languages.

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.

¹²Their 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
⁶In 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. ⁷If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. ⁸If 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.

¹³This 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.

Psalm 133 NLT
¹How wonderful and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in harmony!
²For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil
that was poured over Aaron’s head,
that ran down his beard
and onto the border of his robe.
³Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon
that falls on the mountains of Zion.
And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing,
even life everlasting.

When we are properly equipped:
¹⁴Then 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.

¹⁵Instead, 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.

¹⁶He (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
¹⁰God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth

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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)

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 own family, your coworkers, other believers, anyone else you relate to, and for yourself.

As we study this prayer, look for the theme of power and love.

Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT
Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth
¹⁴When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, ¹⁵the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. ¹⁶I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. ¹⁷Then 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. ¹⁸And 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. ¹⁹May 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.
²⁰Now 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. ²¹Glory 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

¹⁴When 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 lessons)
Review Chapter 2
¹¹Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews… .¹²In 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. ¹³But 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 chapter 3:1-13 the section immediately preceding these verses.

⁶And 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.

¹⁰God’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. Recognizing God as a holy God.

People in Paul’s day usually stood to pray.

¹⁵the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.

Paul is recognizing the awesomeness of God.

Genesis 1
Creator of everything!

¹⁶I 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 is the source of glorious, unlimited resources that He gladly gives to His children.

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
⁸But 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
¹⁶So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

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

Trust and obey.

Colossians 1:27 NLT
²⁷For 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
²⁰My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.

John 14:16-17 NLT
¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. ¹⁷He 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.

²³Jesus 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
⁴Remain 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 are an access to nourishment.

Colossians 2:6-7 NLT
⁶And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. ⁷Let 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
¹Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
²But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
³They 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) strong.

¹⁸And 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
³⁸And 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. ³⁹No 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.

¹⁹May 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
²⁹For 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
¹⁶But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸So 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.

²⁰Now 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
¹³For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Colossians 1:29 NLT
²⁹That’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.

²¹Glory 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.

To bring glory to God is ultimate goal of our existence.

This doxology concludes the first section of the letter.

Ephesians 1-3 was doctrine.

Ephesians 4-6 will be application.

Paul’s prayer can be our prayer.
God takes people bound for hell and adopts them into His family.
God’s has glorious, unlimited resources, beyond our comprehension.
Paul prays that the Holy Spirit will energize, revitalize, and empower his readers (us).
Christ will make his home in (our) hearts as (we) trust in him.
(Our) roots will grow down into God’s love and keep (us)
Paul prays that (we) would understand and experience God’s love.
Without Christ our life is incomplete.
All glory to God who is at work in our lives.
The church (the body of believers) is to be the reflection and full expression of the glory of God.

Jesus, the True Vine

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Jesus, the True Vine

From Redeemer’s web page (www.redeemerdayschool.org):

Our Mission

To provide a Christ-centered, teacher-directed, academically challenging school for Atlanta’s children while mentoring parents in Christ-centered child-rearing.

Briefly address one of Redeemer’s Core Values.

Core value (under Christ-Centered)

Nurturing students in love for the Lord by learning the Bible is Truth

2 Timothy 3:16 NLT
¹⁶All Scripture is inspired by God (God breathed) 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. ¹⁷God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

Either you believe that everything from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21 is truth or you don’t.

We believe it is truth.

We may not understand everything we read in scripture, but we know that it is truth.

We want our children to believe that everything from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21 is God’s truth.

Our Mission

To provide a Christ-centered, teacher-directed, academically challenging school for Atlanta’s children while mentoring parents in Christ-centered child-rearing.

The words of Jesus clearly address the importance of Christ-centered lives.

Redeemer’s school verse.

Psalm 78:4-7 NLT
⁴We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders.
⁵…
He commanded our ancestors
to teach them to their children,
⁶so the next generation might know them—
even the children not yet born—
and they in turn will teach their own children.
⁷So each generation should set its hope anew on God,
not forgetting his glorious miracles
and obeying his commands.

One of Redeemer Day School’s primary reasons for existing is to share Biblical truths from both the Old and New Testament with all of the students. (verse 4)

At some point in their lives: (Hopefully before they reach their 18^th birthday)

We want our children to learn to set their hope on Christ (God) and not on themselves. (verse 7)

We want our children to come to understand Psalm 127:1

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. — Psalm 127:1.

We want our children to live Christ-centered lives.

Our goals are clearly contrary to the goals of secular humanism and the modern paganism that goes with it.

A look at some of the Words of Jesus.

John 15:1-10 NLT
Jesus, the True Vine
^15:1 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. ²He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. ³You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. ⁴Remain 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. ⁶Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. ⁷But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! ⁸When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
⁹“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. ¹⁰When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

Examine the Scriptures:

John 15:1-10 NLT

This passage of scripture may have been directed to the disciples, but the principles of this passage apply to all believers.

^15:1 “I am

the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.

The last of the seven “I am” statements.

The bread of life
The light of the world
The door
The good shepherd
The resurrection and the life
The way and the truth and the life
The true vine

²He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. ³You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.

God, the gardener wants branches (people, Christians) who bear fruit (much fruit).

We want our children to be “Fruit bearers” – those who produce much fruit.

God does what is needed to make the vines produce fruit.

Pruning produces fruitfulness.

Most of us desire the same thing for our children and ourselves.

We pray for this.

Colossians 1:9-10 NLT
⁹So 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. ¹⁰Then 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.

Another of Paul’s prayers:
Philippians 1:9-11 NLT
⁹I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. ¹⁰For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. ¹¹May 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.

Instructions from Jesus. (For our children and for us.)

⁴Remain in me, (abide)

What does it mean to remain, or abide, in Christ?

Accept Jesus as Savior.
Believe the truth of the Bible.
Obey God’s commands.
Committed to serving Jesus and obeying His Word.

John 8:31 NLT
³¹Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. (We need to know the scripture.)

Colossians 1:21-23
²¹This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. ²²Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
²³But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.

1 John 2:24 NLT
²⁴So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father.

John 14:21 NLT<
strong>²¹Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
²³Jesus 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.

Jesus instructs us to remain in Him.

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.

A branch out of contact with the vine is lifeless.

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 (Christ) you can do nothing.

Apart from Christ people do become doctors, lawyers, teachers, professional athletes, successful entrepreneurs,

What is it that we can’t do without Jesus? We can’t produce the fruit Christ wants us to produce.

What does it mean to produce much fruit?

I can be the person God intended me to be.
I can live the life God has planned for me to live.
I can do everything God wants me to do.
I can bear the fruit God wants me to bear.
I can have the impact on others that God intends for me to have.

Apart from Christ we can do nothing.

Our goal is for all of our children to learn to set their hope on Christ (God) and not on themselves.

Gold, silver, and jewels vs. wood, hay, and stubble.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 NLT
¹⁰Because of God’s grace to me, I 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. ¹¹For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
¹²Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. ¹³But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. ¹⁴If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.

Unless the Lord build …

Psalm 127:1-2 NLT
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of Solomon.
¹Unless the Lord builds a house,
the work of the builders is wasted.
Unless the Lord protects a city,
guarding it with sentries will do no good.
²It is useless for you to work so hard
from early morning until late at night,
anxiously working for food to eat;
for God gives rest to his loved ones.

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.— Psalm 127:1 ESV

Are we teaching our children to build on wood, hay, and stubble or gold, silver, and jewels?

⁶Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. ⁷But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! ⁸When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

⁹“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. ¹⁰When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

Obedience and love go together.

What does this look like?

Psalm 92:12-15 NLT
¹²But the godly will flourish like palm trees
and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.
¹³For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house.
They flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁴Even in old age they will still produce fruit;
they will remain vital and green.
¹⁵They will declare, “The Lord is just!
He is my rock!
There is no evil in him!”

A final thought.

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

From “Outsider” to “Heir”

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From “Outsider” to “Heir”

Another “before” and “after” picture.

We (Gentiles) go from “Outsider” to “Heir” and receive all of the benefits that belong to heirs of God.

Christians are the temple of the Holy Spirit, individually and corporately.

Ephesians 2:11-22 NLT
Oneness and Peace in Christ
¹¹Don’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. ¹²In 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. ¹³But 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.
¹⁴For 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. ¹⁵He 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. ¹⁶Together 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.
¹⁷He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. ¹⁸Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.
A Temple for the Lord
¹⁹So 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. ²⁰Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. ²¹We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. ²²Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

Examine the scriptures:
Ephesians 2:11-22 NLT
Oneness and Peace in Christ

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

Gentiles (us) 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
⁹Then God said to Abraham, “Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility. ¹⁰This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised. ¹¹You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you. ¹²From 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. ¹³All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant. ¹⁴Any 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” (Ephesians 2:12).

¹²In 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
²¹This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.

***This is also a description of all unbelievers.

Romans 3:23
²³For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

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

¹³But 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.

We have been 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 Isaiah 56.

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

What happened at Easter?

¹⁴For 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.

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.

Christ made peace between Jews and Gentiles possible.

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

¹⁵He 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
¹⁶In those towns that the Lord your God is giving you as a special possession, destroy every living thing. ¹⁷You must completely destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, just as the Lord your God has commanded you. ¹⁸This 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
⁴For 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
¹⁴Sin 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
⁶But 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
¹⁷This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
¹⁸And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 NLT
¹²The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. ¹³Some 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.

¹⁶Together 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.

¹⁷He 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.

¹⁸Now 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
⁴⁴Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. ⁴⁵The 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
⁶And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” ⁷Now 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
¹⁵So 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.” ¹⁶For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. ¹⁷And 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
¹⁴So 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. ¹⁵This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. ¹⁶So 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
¹²Because 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 Temple for the Lord

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

Strangers and foreigners had 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
³All 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, ⁴and 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.

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

²⁰Together,

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
¹⁰Because 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. ¹¹For 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.

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.

²¹We 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
⁵And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.

Scripture is all about community.

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

Believers Form a community.

Acts 2:42 NLT
⁴²All 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
²Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

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

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

Hebrews 10:25 NLT
²⁵And 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
¹⁷As 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
⁴You 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.
⁵And 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
²⁰For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

Matthew 28:20 NLT
²⁰Teach 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
¹⁶Don’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.

²²Through 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
¹⁹Don’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, ²⁰for 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.

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

Gentiles used to be “outsiders”.
Gentiles were “excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel” (verse 12).
Gentiles: Were living apart from Christ. Did not know God’s covenant promises. Lived in this world without God. Lived without hope.
Gentiles were brought near to God through the blood of Christ.
We can have peace with God because of what Jesus has done for us.
Christ made peace between Jews and Gentiles possible.
The Mosaic Law included many commandments that served to separate Israel (the Jews) from the other nations (Gentiles).
We have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power.
Christ’s death on the cross reconciled humans to God, and also Jews and Gentiles to each other.
Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.
There are no strangers, foreigners, or second class citizens in God’s family.
Believing Gentiles are members of God’s family and are heirs of God’s glory.
Every believer is a stone in Christ’s temple, the church, Christ’s body of believers.
Jesus is the cornerstone of his holy temple.
As believers, we are carefully joined together in Christ.
The church is a living and growing organism.
The church is meant to be a community of people in whom the Holy Spirit dwells.
Living in isolation, separated from believers, is not an option for followers of Christ.
The Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in the vast spiritual body of all of the redeemed.

Made Alive with Christ

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A “before” and “after” picture.

Ephesians 2:1-10 NLT
Made Alive with Christ
^2:1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. ²You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. ³All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
⁴But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, ⁵that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) ⁶For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. ⁷So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
⁸God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ¹⁰For 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.

Examine the scriptures:
Ephesians 2:1-7 NLT
Made Alive with Christ

^2:1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.

Romans 3:23 NLT
²³For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Romans 5:12 NLT
¹²When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.

Romans 6:23 NLT
²³For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.

Sin separates us from God

Sin is like a wall between us and God.

We have no way to get over, under, or through this wall.

We were all spiritually dead with no inclination toward God.

This is a picture of total sinfulness and total lostness.

²You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.

1 John 5:19 NLT
¹⁹We know that … the world around us is under the control of the evil one.

The unsaved are in the clutches of Satan and follow in his opposition to God.

Satan dominates his human subjects.

We are surrounded by Satan’s evil forces.

Ephesians 6:12 NLT
¹²For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

³All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

Psalm 51:5 NLT
⁵For I was born a sinner—
yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.

Romans 2:5 NLT
⁵But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger. The wages of sin is death.

⁴But

God is so rich in mercy,

Mercy: showing forgiveness and compassion to those who deserve punishment.

Grace: Undeserved blessing that comes from God.

Grace is a gift we don’t deserve, while mercy is not getting the punishment we deserve.

Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT
²²The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
²³Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.

and he loved us so much,

God is rich in mercy.

⁵that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)

When we were dead, God gave us life.

Romans 5:8-10 NLT
⁸But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. ⁹And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. ¹⁰For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.

⁸But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. ⁹And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. Romans 5:8-9 NLT

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.

Romans 10:13 NLT
¹³For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Since unsaved people are dead, they have to be made alive before they can believe. This is why salvation can only be by grace alone.

1 Peter 1:3 NLT
³All 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, ⁴and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

⁶For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.

Colossians 1:13 NLT
¹³For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,

Philippians 3:20 NLT
²⁰But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

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

⁷So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 3:20 NLT
²⁰Now 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.

Revelation 7:10-12 NLT
¹⁰And they were shouting with a great roar,
“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne
and from the Lamb!”
¹¹And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. ¹²They sang,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and strength belong to our God
forever and ever! Amen.”

Our salvation is for God’s glory.

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

⁸God saved you by his grace when you believed.

A nine word sentence everyone needs to understand.

God saved you by his grace when you believed.

Repeat the definition of grace

Grace: Undeserved blessing that comes from God.

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

Some details:

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

Romans 1:16-17 NLT
¹⁶For 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. ¹⁷This 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
²⁴Yet 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. ²⁵For 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
¹⁶Yet 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?

Faith comes from God in the form of a gift.

Romans 12:3 NLT
³Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

Romans 10:17 NLT
¹⁷So 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.

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

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

Romans 3:20 NLT
²⁰For 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
⁹For 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
⁵he 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
³⁰God 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. ³¹Therefore, 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.

¹⁰For 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
¹³You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
¹⁵You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
¹⁶You 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
¹³For 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
⁹If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For 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 know that we are truly saved.

Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom

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Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom

Introduction:

Scripture talks a lot about prayer.

Colossians 4:2 NLT
²Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

Philippians 4:6 NLT
⁶Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT
¹⁶Always be joyful. ¹⁷Never stop praying. ¹⁸Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Matthew 26:41 NLT
⁴¹Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

Romans 12:12 NLT
¹²Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

Psalm 145:18 NLT
¹⁸The Lord is close to all who call on him,
yes, to all who call on him in truth.

Matthew 7:7-12 NLT
⁷“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Paul records some of his prayers in scripture.

One of these prayers is found in Ephesians 1:15-23

Paul prays that the readers of this letter to the Ephesians would know God personally and intimately.

This could be a great prayer to pray for yourself, your children, your own family, coworkers, other believers, or anyone else you relate to.

Ephesians 1:15-23 NLT
Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom
¹⁵Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, ¹⁶I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, ¹⁷asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. ¹⁸I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
¹⁹I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power ²⁰that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. ²¹Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. ²²God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. ²³And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

Some addition prayers Paul recorded in the Scriptures.

Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT
¹⁴When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, ¹⁵the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. ¹⁶I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. ¹⁷Then 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. ¹⁸And 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. ¹⁹May 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.
²⁰Now 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. ²¹Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Colossians 1:9-14 NLT
⁹So 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. ¹⁰Then 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.
¹¹We 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, ¹²always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. ¹³For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, ¹⁴who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 NLT
¹¹So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. ¹²Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Examine the scriptures:
Ephesians 1:15-23 NLT
Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom

Verses 15-23 are one sentence in the Greek.

¹⁵Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere,

Paul’s description of the Ephesians:

Faith in the Lord Jesus – a right vertical relationship.

A love for God’s people everywhere – a right horizontal relationship.

Paul’s prayer:

¹⁶I have not stopped thanking God for you.

Paul begins this prayer giving thanks to God for the Ephesian church.

Paul thanks God for the people in his life.

Similar statements in some of Paul’s other prayers:

Romans 1:8 LT
⁸Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you,

1 Corinthians 1:4 NLT
⁴I always thank my God for you.

Philippians 1:3 NLT
³Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.

1 Thessalonians 1:2 NLT
²We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly.

This is only a sampling of the times Paul has given thanks for other people.

Application: Begin your prayer by thanking God for your spouse, your children, and other believers in your life.

Thank God for your spouse.

God designed marriage.

Genesis 2:18 NLT
⁸Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”

Thank God for your children.

Children are a gift from God.

Psalm 127:3 NLT
³Children are a gift from the Lord;
they are a reward from him.

Thank God for the people in your life.

1 Timothy 2:1 NLT
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.

I pray for you constantly,

. Also:

Colossians 1:9
So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you.

2 Thessalonians 1:11
So we keep on praying for you,

Paul prays constantly

Scripture tells us to pray continually.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT
¹⁷Never stop praying.

¹⁷asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Paul’s request.

to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.

Paul prays for spiritual wisdom and insight for others.

Colossians 1:9
We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Philippians 1:9
I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.

And

Colossians 1:10 NLT
…you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

To know God personally, not just to know about Him intellectually.

We can know God.

John 14:7 NLT
⁷If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

1 John 2:3 NLT
³And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments.

Pray, then act.

To know God we must know His Word.

Paul prayed that the Ephesians would know God personally and intimately. Paul wanted them to have the spiritual understanding to grasp the full significance of all that God had done for them.

We could be (should be) praying this prayer for others.

¹⁸I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—

Paul prays for a spiritually enlightened mind.

Able to understand the confident hope he has given to those he called.

The assurance of eternal life.

Paul prayed that the Ephesians would understand the hope he gives to those he has called.

his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

Understand that we are a part of God’s family. We belong to God.

Romans 8:17 NLT
¹⁷And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.

Ephesians 3:18And 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. ¹⁹May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.

¹⁹I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him.

Able to understand God’s great power.

God’s power for us who believe him

The power of God’s Spirit at work in and through His people.

This is not our power, rather it is the power at work in us.

Paul prayed that the Ephesians would understand the incredible greatness of the power of God’s Spirit at work in and through His people.

This mighty power:

This is the same mighty power ²⁰that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. ²¹Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come.
²²God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.
²³And the church is his (Christ’s) body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

This mighty power:

Power over death.

Jesus’ power and authority transcend all rival powers, in this world and in the world to come.

The church is made full and complete by Christ.

Pray to experience God’s power in your life.

Pray that your spouse, your children, and the other believers in your life would experience God power in their lives.

2 Thessalonians 1:11… May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.

Ephesians 3:16
I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.

Finally, pray that you and the people in your life would live lives that honor and please the Lord.

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
… asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. …¹²Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live,

Colossians 1:10
Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit.

Paul the Preacher to the Gentiles

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Paul the Preacher to the Gentiles

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?

(Focus on the role God has given to each of us.)

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 . . . ²assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles. ³As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. ⁴As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. ⁵God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.
⁶And 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. ⁷By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.
⁸Though 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. ⁹I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.
¹⁰God’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. ¹¹This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.
¹²Because 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

¹¹Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, …. ¹²In 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. ¹³But 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:

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

Ephesians 6:20I 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
¹¹And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News.
¹²That 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.

We are in a spiritual warfare.

2 Corinthians 11:23-27 NLT
²³Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. ²⁴Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. ²⁵Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. ²⁶I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. ²⁷I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.

²assuming, 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
⁷A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. ^… ¹¹It 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)
¹⁰For 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.

³As 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
¹¹Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. ¹²I 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.

⁴As 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
¹⁷So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

⁵God 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.

⁶And 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
¹²Jew 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
²⁸There 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.

⁷By God’s grace and mighty power,

Grace: Undeserved blessing that comes from God.

Mighty power:

Matthew 19:26 NLT
²⁶Jesus 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.

We have the privilege of serving God by sharing the Good News.

This starts at home with our children.

⁸Though 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.

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

Paul was chosen for a specific task.

We were not all given the same gifts.

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

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

¹⁰God’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.

We are the church.

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

¹¹This 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.

¹²Because 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
¹⁴So 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. ¹⁵This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. ¹⁶So 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.

God’s Mysterious Will

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God’s Mysterious Will

Ephesians 1:9-14 NLT

⁹God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. ¹⁰And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. ¹¹Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
¹²God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. ¹³And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. ¹⁴The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Examine the scriptures:

God’s Mysterious Will
Ephesians 1:9-14 NLT

⁹God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—

His (God’s) mysterious will has been revealed to us. A previously hidden divine truth, now revealed by God.

Ephesians 3:9 NLT
⁹I (Paul) was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.

Scripture tells us everything we need to know to have a right relationship with God.

which is to fulfill his own good plan.

God’s mysterious will (God’s plan) is multifaceted. It has many different parts.

God has a good plan, from the beginning of time, which He will fulfill.

Psalm 33:11 NLT
¹¹But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever;
his intentions can never be shaken.

Proverbs 19:21 NLT
²¹You can make many plans,
but the Lord’s purpose (plans) will prevail.

Ephesians 3:9 NLT
⁹I (Paul) was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.

One part of God’s plan:

Ephesians 2:10 NLT
¹⁰For 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.

A major part of God’s mysterious will:

¹⁰And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.

Since we have the New Testament, much of it written by Paul, we know as much of God’s mysterious will that we need to know.

Christ is the center of God’s plans.

The Gospel is all about Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:27 NLT
²⁷For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his(Christ’s) authority.”

(Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.)

Philippians 2:10-11 NLT
¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

1 Timothy 3:16 NLT
¹⁶Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith:
Christ was revealed in a human body
and vindicated by the Spirit.
He was seen by angels
and announced to the nations.
He was believed in throughout the world
and taken to heaven in glory.

Christ, as described in Scripture:

Colossians 1:16-20 NLT
¹⁶for through him (Christ) God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
¹⁷He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
¹⁸Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.
So he is first in everything.
¹⁹For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
²⁰and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

1 Timothy 6:15 NLT
¹⁵For,

At just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

Revelation 19:16 NLT
The Rider on the White Horse
¹¹Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. ¹²His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. ¹³He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. ¹⁴The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. ¹⁵From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. ¹⁶On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

Jesus Christ is the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

Repeat: God’s mysterious will (God’s plan) is multifaceted. It has many different parts.

Other aspects of God’s mysterious will:

Ephesians 3:3-6 NLT
³As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. ⁴As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. ⁵God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.

Ephesians 6:19 NLT
¹⁹And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News (the Gospel) is for Jews and Gentiles alike.

Colossians 1:26-27 NLT
²⁶This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. ²⁷For 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.

Colossians 2:2 NLT
²I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.

¹⁹…For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.

Mark 4:11 NLT
¹¹He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders,

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.

¹¹Furthermore, because we are united with Christ,

we have received an inheritance from God,

Those who are united with Christ, those adopted into God’s family, have received an inheritance from God.

Romans 8:17 NLT
¹⁷And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.

Galatians 3:29 NLT
²⁹And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

Salvation.

Eternal life in heaven and all that goes with this.

for he chose us in advance,

Review Ephesians 1:5
⁵God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

Romans 8:29-30 NLT
²⁹For God knew his people in advance …

Colossians 3:12 NLT
¹²Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves …

1 Thessalonians 1:4 NLT
⁴We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people.

God chose us in advance.

and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

A brief summary of God’s plan for his people.

Romans 8:28-30 NLT
²⁸And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. ²⁹For 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. ³⁰And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

God is firmly in control of history.

¹²God’s purpose was that we Jews (this was written by Paul) who were the first to trust in Christ

Romans 1:16 NLT
¹⁶For 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.

Chronologically many Jews became believers before Gentiles became believers.

would bring praise and glory to God.

This verse: God’s purpose was that Jews who put their trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God.

Verse 13-14: God’s purpose was that Gentiles purchased by God would bring praise and glory to God.

Westminster Shorter Catechism

1. 1. 1. What is the chief end of man? A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

God’s glory is the supreme purpose of redemption.

¹³And now you Gentiles

God’s plan includes salvation for Gentiles.

Acts 9:15 NLT
¹⁵But the Lord said (speaking to Ananias), “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.

Acts 28:28 NLT
²⁸So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.”

1 Corinthians 12:13 NLT
¹³Some 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.

have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you.

Heard the truth.

Romans 10:14-15 NLT
¹⁴But 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? ¹⁵And 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!”

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

Faith comes from hearing the Good News about Christ.

The ministry at Redeemer Day School is to tell the students about Jesus.

And when you believed in Christ,

And believed in Christ.

John 1:12 NLT
¹²But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

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.

Romans 10:9-15 NLT
⁹If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For 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. ¹¹As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” ¹²Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. ¹³For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

¹⁴But 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? ¹⁵And 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!”

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

How God’s sovereignty and human responsibility work together is a mystery no one fully understands.

he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.

Acts 2:38 NLT
³⁸Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 1:22 NLT
²²and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.

These are promises from God.

God’s promises vs. our feelings.

We may not feel like we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, but we do because God said we do.

Ephesians 4:30 NLT
³⁰And 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.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (NIV)

The Holy Spirit in our life (in a believer’s life) identifies us as one of God’s own children.

¹⁴The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised

and that he has purchased us to be his own people.

2 Corinthians 1:22 NLT
²²and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.

Galatians 3:29 NLT
²⁹And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

Galatians 4:7 NLT
⁷Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

Colossians 1:12 NLT
¹²always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.

Titus 3:7 NLT
⁷Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.

The Holy Spirit living in us is God’s guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised.

He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Ephesians 1:6 NLT
⁶So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.

Colossians 1:12 NLT
¹²always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.

David does this well.

Psalm 108 NLT
A song. A psalm of David.
¹My heart is confident in you, O God;
no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart!
²Wake up, lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn with my song.
³I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.
I will sing your praises among the nations.
⁴For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens.
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
⁵Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.
May your glory shine over all the earth.

This is something done well at Redeemer Day School where the students memorize Psalm 100 each year at Thanksgiving.

Psalm 100 NLT
¹Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
² Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
³Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
⁴Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Scripture instructs us to praise and glorify God.

Remember:

God chose us.
Jesus redeemed us.
The Holy Spirit protects (seals) us.

We should praise God for choosing us. (Ephesians 1:3-6)
We should praise Jesus for redeeming us. (Ephesians 1:5-13)
We should praise the Holy Spirit for protecting (sealing) us. (Ephesians 1:13-14)

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Category Archives: RDS Dad’s Bible Fellowship

Living as Children of Light (continued)

Living as Children of Light

Gifts for Building Up the Church

Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth

Jesus, the True Vine

From “Outsider” to “Heir”

Made Alive with Christ

Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom

Paul the Preacher to the Gentiles

God’s Mysterious Will