ACE Men’s Bible Study

EphesiansSpring Semester

2015

The Impact of a New Year..

“Grace contains within itself… the whole of New Testament theology”.

- J.I. Packer

Ephesians: The ‘Alps’ of the NT

• Ephesians 1:3-6. God the Father planned the Church

• Ephesians 1:7-12. God the Son paid the price for the Church

• Ephesians 1:13-14. God the Holy Spirit protects the Church

Ephesians 1:1-5

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus;2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.3 Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,4 Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.5 In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will,

Divine Election & Free Will Reconciled

• God made us in His image – with the ability to choose our own path

• Adam and Eve chose the path of disobedience, introducing sin into the world and a sin nature into all people

• Our sin nature inherently rejects the Gospel & the authority of God

• Result: Left to our own free will, we will ALL reject God• In His grace, God gave the ultimate gift to those He called• In His sovereignty, those He called were predestined and

called by name before the foundation of the world!

The Amazing Grace of Election..

29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.. Romans 8:29-30

Ephesians 1:6-10

6 To the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved.7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace,8 Which He has lavished upon us, in all wisdom and,9 Making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ,10 As a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Ephesians 1:11-14

11 In Him, we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,12 So that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory.13 In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,14 Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.

ACE Men’s Bible Study

EphesiansThe “Joshua” of the

New Testament

God’s Promise, Our Possession

• God gave Israel a blessing (a gift) in an unconditional covenant

• Promised Land – Land of milk & honey; conflict & conquest

• Land is promised to Israelites, but they must take possession

• Ownership was unconditional, possession was conditional

• Joshua tasked to lead the nation into the land and possess it

• Move out by faith, in step with the Commander of the Army of the

Lord

God’s Promise, Our Possession

• Where and how do we fit in the picture?

• Apostle Paul explains: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord

Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in

the heavenly places in Christ”

• So often we are like Israel – blessed with all spiritual blessings but

rarely if ever claim them as their own.

• What must we do to fully claim and possess the spiritual blessings

that have been given to us?

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

• The divine benefits and power present in a deep and abiding personal relationship with God thru Christ Jesus

• Divine election – Not simply chosen, but made holy & blameless (Ephesians 1:4)

• Adoption as His children – Not only made holy, but granted full rights and privileges as His child (Ephesians 1:5)

• Accepted in the beloved – In Christ, God sees Christ’s holiness when we sees us (Ephesians 1:6)

• Redemption thru Christ’s blood – we are bought with a price, no longer slaves to sin (Ephesians 1:7)

• Wisdom and Insight into and thru His word – Eyes to see, ears to hear..• Inheritance in Christ – See 1 Corinthians 2:9• Sealed by the Holy Spirit – His eternal guarantee of your adoption!

Sealed by the Holy Spirit

• Baptized• And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in

the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38

• Regenerated• Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has

passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

• Indwelt• But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my

name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:26

Sealed by the Holy Spirit

• Baptized• And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ

for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38

• Regenerated• Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the

new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

• Indwelt• But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all

things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.John 14:26

• Filled• But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,

and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Three Steps to Walking in the Spirit

• Step 1: True recognition and confession of your own absolute sin, weakness and depravity• The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can

understand it? Jeremiah 17:9• “The belt of truth is impossible to wear when you try to buckle it around your

own lies…”• “Every man knows that of himself that he dare not tell even his closest friends”

- Dr. Samuel Johnson

• Step 2: Acknowledge your total dependence on God & give Him ALL your life• And He said to him, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and

with all your mind and with all your strength” Matthew 22:37

• Step 3: Patiently rest in the Holy Spirit• They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with

wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint Isaiah 40:31

18…we look not to the things that are seen but to the

things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are

transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:18

SEEN

UNSEEN

REALITY

Walking (Living) in the Spirit

Walking in the Spirit - Application

• We have been saved for a redemptive purpose (discipleship)• Prayerfully consider your life history – where do you recall seeing

God’s hand? What impact did it have on your life? Then? Now?• Prayerfully consider your life now – where do you see God’s hand?

What is He teaching you? Where is He leading you?• Can you say today that you are living a life of redemptive purpose?• Feeling stuck? Can’t move? No traction?• Open your mind and heart wider and listen inside!

• We are all soldiers (warriors) in the Lord’s army• Walking in the spirit seeking to free the enslaved in sin

• On the move – God never asked us to “stand” in the Spirit• Living a soldier’s life? Action, adventure, risk, reward?• Prayerfully get in the fight!!

Walking in the Spirit - Example

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying ‘Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

Matthew 14:28-32

Walking in the Spirit - Application

“It is for us as it is for soldiers, who come home on leave from the front but who, in spite of all their expectations, long to be back at the front again. We cannot get away from it any more. Not because we are necessary, or because we are all that useful to God, but simply because that is where our life is..”

Dietrich BonhoefferRe: His decision to return to Germany

(Later hung as a traitor)

EphesiansSpring Semester

2015

ACE Men’s Bible Study