Re:Member Ephesians Part 2: Gods House1 Prayer for Ebenezer Christian Fellowship: Thank you Father for everyone

ne in this church, Their faith in you which is made evident by their love for each other I pray Holy Spirit for your wisdom, revelation and knowledge I pray that we may know that there is a hope That there is a great inheritance among us That we may know the great power we have because of the Risen Living Lord who is inside of us, individually and together as the body of believers that you Jesus Christ fill! Continue to reveal to us what it means to be your beloved church! Last week we learned some amazing things with regards to Gods plan of salvation in Christ and how it relates to the Church. 1. The Church is the saints who are in Christ. The only way to be in the Church is to be made born again new through faith in Jesus Christ. 2. This is important, because every spiritual blessing that no money can buy is in Christ and poured out on the Church. 3. The Church has been predestined to be Forgiven, Blameless & Holy. 4. The Church is the spiritually adopted family of God. 5. The Church lives by and lives for the Gospel. 6. The Church is sealed, affirmed and guaranteed by the Holy Spirit. 7. The Church is full of Faith, Love, Hope, Inheritance & Power meaning there is prayer and perseverance needed. 8. The Church is united to God it is His Body & Christ is the Head who fills the church in every way. Now to Chapter 2:1 10 (Once sentence again!)

Apart from using Logos Bible Software & my ESV Study Bible from Crossway, these resources are helpful: The Message of Ephesians, John Stott, 1979, IVP; and commentary by Michael Eaton, http://www.slices.org.uk/Slicesforall/sfeEphesians.html

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christby grace you have been saved 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. In this section there is a clear separation / distinction between two types of people: A) The Non Believer 1. Dead No inclination or responsiveness towards God and no ability to please Him. Severe condition! 2. Walking in Trespasses & Sins Violating and offending God & His commands in thought, word & deed. 3. Worldly Rebellious and choosing everything thats anti-God. 4. Dominated by Satan (The power of the prince of the air the spirit at work on the inside) Controlled by Satan. Filthy rags 5. Labeled Sons of Disobedience Born in the wrong family! 6. Bondage to Passions & Desires of the flesh, the body & the mind your entire nature is enslaved in fallen state from birth. 7. Children destined for wrath This condemnation is already upon us its not that in the end God sends good people to heaven and bad people to hell, we are already born by default with a Hell-ticket! Because of our fathers, all the way to Adam who sinned. The only solution is to be born again into a new family!
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This describes us, we walked this way, and we lived this way, just like the rest of mankind! No one is born into the Church upfront. By nature and by action we are helpless and hopeless! We couldnt have been more in trouble than this. Dead! And rightly so! We all need to have the saving grace of God re-create us and this Spiritual miracle happens through faith in Jesus Christ: B) The Believer 1. Recipient of Rich Mercy & Great Love verse 4 But God being righteous must bring Justice, and this He brings upon Jesus at the cross the substitute. Mercy is given when you have nothing to bargain with, helpless and without means God is rich in Mercy towards us! His great love made a way. 2. Made Alive Because we were dead in sin, Jesus who dies for sin, doesnt just die, He overcame death and is raised powerfully to life. When you hear this Gospel, its truth is powerful and the Holy Spirit is present to do the miracle of new life new birth in your heart! Giving you the ability to believe. Faith & Life enter your heart almost instantaneously. 3. Saved by Grace This is the underserved favour God pours on us in Christ! You can take no merit for salvation. Not only does His grace save but also secures! Saved from the wrath to come at the final judgment! Total safety with Jesus 4. Raised up & Seated in Heavenly Places (United) You cannot be more favored by God than to be seated with Christ in heavenly places! There is no more esteemed/elevated position anywhere! Our position and our experience will be matched when God resurrects us to eternal life in the end! Key: We also have great authority over the spirits that once enslaved us! 5. Shown immeasurable riches of Grace & Kindness We will never come to the end of our praise, for all eternity when we consider the immeasurable riches shown to us! 6. Gifted: Through Faith No Works, No Boast Confident trust and reliance upon Jesus is the only channel for salvation! No part of salvation is your own doing! Its all a gift! 7. Is His Workmanship, Recreated for Good Works As a result of Gods NEW creation work in your life, good works flow from Christ in you as a consequence of His finished work. The First Good work you should walk in is to follow Jesus through
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the waters of Baptism as an outward work of the inward miracle or salvation through faith. Walk into the plans He has for you. Which are you? Are you saved and have no fear of death and judgment? Do you have faith in Jesus? Are you alive? Can it be said of you that you were once walking in sin. Are you working for Gods favour? I hope not. (God doesnt help those who help themselves; He helps those who are helpless!) And you if you have it, are you walking in the good works that He has prepared for you? Chapter 2 continued verse 11 17 11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. Now the distinction moves to the situation between the Jews & the Gentiles. C) The Gentile vs The Jew 1. Uncircumcision Circumcision 2. Separated from Christ Christ prophesied in Israel 3. Alienated from the Commonwealth of Israel The Nation of God 4. Strangers to the Covenants of Promise The Custodians of the Covenants of Promise 5. No Hope Awaiting the Hope
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6. Without God in the World Having God, yet only under the Law, its commandments & ordinances. D) Now The Church 1. Brought Near By the Blood! 2. Made one and the Dividing Wall has been destroyed 3. Abolishing the Law of commandments and ordinances Righteousness of the Law still required but NEW system! 4. One people of God One new man in place of the Two 5. Peace to the Far off (Gentiles) and Peace to those Near (Jews) Preached!!! The two major themes in Ephesians are here: 1. We are united to God in Christ. POWER OF CHRIST!!! 2. We are united to each other in Christ. POWER OF C!!! The Cross God reached out and brought us to Himself. It is in Him that we are brought nearer to each other The nearer we get to Him, the nearer we get to each other! This is the pattern of community! The Closer you get to the 3 in 1, the more you become 1. Look at it for your marriage too. Now, to wrap up with verse 18 22, it starts with Trinity, and ends with Trinity. Sandwiched in the Trinity is Gods Church! 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. So now: Everybody comes to the Father in the same way: THROUGH CHRIST and BY THE SPIRIT. Access: Prayer, Privilege!!! We are IN CHRIST and together we have the Father IN US this
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is BY THE SPIRIT. The Holy Spirit places us in Christ and together we are a temple and By the Spirit the Father dwells among us. Where then is favoritism? There is no Jew, no Gentile. We were all sinners; we were all lost; we were all dead. Christ is Gods gift to all men and we are saved by grace through faith in Him. All of us are elevated and esteemed in Christ to the highest place that can be given. Who then is more special than the other? No one is better than anyone else in Gods entire House! Therefore: Inclusion No discrimination! Pride, Blind, X-Value There is no racism or elitism or sexism or ageism or favoritism. Anyone can be in Christ - ANYONE can be saved! ANYONE can be united in the church; ANYONE can come and be a part! WHOSOEVER WILL!!! INCLUSIVE: What are you doing to encourage and display inclusivity - are you inclusive? The lost need to be included so that they can come to salvation and that Jesus would save them. Those already saved are included as far as God is concerned, is that your concern as well? Inclusive Young <-> Old. Rich <-> Poor. Black <-> White. Male <-> Female. There are so many ways that we can make ourselves exclusive. We don't want to be a hip and cool church - what about those who are sidelined and not seen as hip and cool, yet we want the hip and cool to say, wow, we want to be here, and those who are not so hip and cool, in whose eyes anyway, to say, I CAN BE HERE!!! This needs to be real. Single <-> Married getting together. The parents <-> childless. BREAKING WALLS: Lets Break bread in a new way share it and pray with someone who does not fit your mold. Find someone different to you on purpose!
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There needs to be one thing in common for everyone in this church and that is GOD! JESUS CHRIST! HIM AND HIS GOSPEL! BY THE SPIRIT! The Church is Gods City, for all citizens. The Church is Gods Household, we are members thereof Are you thoroughly convinced that you are a saint and thoroughly convinced that you are a member of the household/family of God? That has implications! You have rights, you have privileges and you have purpose and responsibility! GOD CHOOSES FAMILY! Also, remember this this is Gods family, not my church or His church or the man downs the roads church it is His church! The Church is built on the foundation of the Apostles & the Prophets that is all of Gods Word and Revelation regarding Jesus and Jesus from the bottom right to the top and He is the Cornerstone! From Generations on! The Church is Gods structure joined together It is not optional to be joined to the church. As followers of Christ, be devoted to the fellowship! The Acts church after Pentecost joined themselves yet only because God had already joined them by the Spirit! Our UNITY is stronger than City or Family, its living brick The Church is Gods Holy Temple, which grows in the Lord. A Temple is where there is joyful worship and fellowship, but Sanctification is vital growing in Holiness is expected and this is where discipline comes in. The Church is Gods dwelling place by the Spirit and in Christ we are all being built together! Are you allowing God to build you into the others or do you stay exclusive. I have shared the goal and the plan and the motivation for the amazing Church Gods New Community! This is Gods House!
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