Ephesians
(summer/fall 2018)
Paul tells us in Ephesians 6 that we are in the middle of a battle between God and Satan. God has won the victory, but we are still fighting. The enemy hasn't conceded victory. In order to win this battle we need to know what we are fighting for, who we are fighting, how to fight them.
Everyone can agree with Paul in Ephesians 4 that humility and gentleness and speaking the truth in love is good. But what about Ephesians 5:22, “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.” How is this good and right and beautiful? What does it mean for gender and marriage in 2018?
Walking with Christ in our sexuality is neither suppression nor indulgence of our desire, but instead the reordering of it to God’s perfect end. Will we trust His pattern and submit to his path to flourishing?
Do you want what Jesus wants for you? Do you want unity with God and with others, and to live a life marked by maturity and love? What will it take? Paul tells the Ephesians that it will take an all-of-life exchange.
Paul transitions from unity back to diversity. He instructs the church on the various gifts we have been given so that we may grow up into the fullness of Christ.
Paul begins to pray but gets hung up on a word, mystery. The mystery of the radical inclusion of the gospel, his own role in proclaiming it, and the role of the church as well.
Paul begins to pray but gets hung up on a word, mystery. The mystery of the radical inclusion of the gospel, his own role in proclaiming it, and the role of the church as well.
Paul’s first command to the Ephesians Church is to remember. What are the six truths Paul believes are essential to the flourishing of Christ’s church?
Paul’s first command to the Ephesians Church is to remember. What are the six truths Paul believes are essential to the flourishing of Christ’s church?
Four prepositional phrases. "By grace through faith in Christ, not of works." These are some of the most important descriptors for the Christian life. In Sunday's sermon, Dave unpacks why salvation had to be this way and how knowing how grace and faith works can help Christians in their daily life.
Paul tells us that before Christ, we were like zombies, walking dead, but are now alive in Christ. That is a bold statement. If you are not a believer in Jesus, that statement may be pretty off putting. But if you are a believer, it may also be difficult if you don't feel alive.
Paul prays that the church would be given the Spirit of wisdom and enlightenment, that they would know hope, riches and power.
The Holy Spirit plays and active role in our salvation. He leads us to the person of Jesus Christ. He is our seal and the guarantee of our inheritance, but how well do we know Him? How often do we speak His name? How quick are we to worship Him?
That God the Father would adopt sinners into his family is good news, but who could have imagined that he would do so by sending his only Son to die?
Ephesians 1 opens with God’s eye view of the gospel, beginning before the foundation of the world. What does it mean that our salvation began before time began?
As we begin our series in Ephesians, Dave takes us back to the start of the church in Acts 19. As we consider a story filled with idols, exorcisms, and magic, we're forced to ask ourselves: do we believe in this stuff? Where is the spiritual realm in our own lives?