This past week I preached a sermon at Cross of Christ Fellowship on Ephesians 1-3–a review and reflection sermon, having just finished preached through this portion of Scripture.
Here’s my audio and notes:
“Remembering and Reflecting” EPHESIANS 1-3 SERMON
Intro: Do you have a morning ritual? Something you do everyday when you first get up in the morning?
-My morning ritual—cup of coffee and my Bible (read a few chapters, reflect and pray).
-State of my heart going in is often bored, cold, distracted, distance
-War within: a pull to distract myself more, but also desire to spend time with God.
-By God’s grace, as I spend time with God, I often feel lifted up/strengthened/renewed/instructed.
-Even if I do not immediately feel better, the time spent in communion with God reorients me.
-Time spent with God in His Word also helps me REMEMBER: we are so quick to forget!
-What happens when we remember God again? WORSHIP & DEVOTION.
-As a church, we have spent 11 Sundays so far in Ephesians and covered chapters 1-3.
-Today we remember and reflect on what have learned in Ephesians 1-3.
*As we remember and reflect on Eph 1-3, may it lead us again to Worship and Follow God.
Walk Through TEXT with Applications
1:1-2 Audience and Author: Paul to the Church in Ephesus
-Acts 19 (initial ministry), Acts 20:17-26 (Ephesian Elders); Acts 21-28 (Jail)
-Paul’s letter from jail to the Ephesian church
-They had heard about Paul, and were in some way tempted to ‘lose heart’ (Eph 3:13)
-Challenges they might have faced: pressure from cultural (idolatry); Gentile vs. Jew divide; spiritual warfare
*REMEMBER: If you are a Christian, you are a “saint.” (1:2)
1:3-14: Prayer of Praise to our Triune God
-Praise God the Father (3-6)
-Blessed us with every spiritual blessing (1:3)
-Choose and predestined us to be adopted into this family (1:4-5)
-All for the praise of God’s glory
-Praise God the Son (7-12)
-Redemption and forgiveness of sins
-Inheritance on new heaven and new Earth
-Praise God the Holy Spirit (13-14)
-SEALED and assured of eternal life.
*REMEMBER: This is who God is! Trinity, Glorious, Loving, Powerful, Concerned about the good of his people.
1:15-23: Prayer for the Ephesian Christians
-Open the eyes of our hearts (18)
1. Know the hope of their calling (18b)
2. Know the riches of his glorious inheritance (18c)
3. Know the greatness of God’s power toward His people (19…)
*REMEMBER to Pray! Shut off the screen and get alone with God and pray.
-Pray this prayer for yourself.
2:1-10: GOSPEL SUMMARY
-BAD NEWS (1-3)
-Dead in sins, slavery to sinful passion, under God’s wrath
-GOOD NEWS (4-10)
-BUT GOD acted and made us alive and united with Christ,
-Saved by grace through faith in Christ
-Made a new creation, created for good works (10)
UNBELIEVER: Hear this bad news and good news. Believe in Christ today!
*REMEMBER: This is the gospel. It has bad news and good news. (Let’s share it w/others and preach to ourselves!)
2:11-3:13: RESULTS OF THE GOSPEL
-GENTILES are brought close to God (with believing Jews) and made a new Creation
-Reconciled to God and each other
-God saves believing Jews and Gentiles same way: through the gospel (3:6)
-This was a mystery, but now revealed.
*REMEMBER: GOSPEL is the Great Equalizer! Through the gospel we have all the privileges of salvation!
APPLY: -Don’t look down on other Christians who are less mature or weaker in areas where you are strong
-Don’t consider yourself a “second class” Christian because you are missing certain gifts/experiences.
3:14-21: PRAYER FOR STRENGTH
-Prayer for spiritual strength (14-19)
-Christ might dwell in hearts (believe and obey)
-Might know God’s love
-Be filled with fullness of God
-To God be the glory! (20-21)
-Praising God, a God of limitless power and matchless worth
-To live for His glory rightly orients our hearts and lives.
*REMEMBER: We need God’s strength daily to follow Him and know His love.
-Remember also: God is able to do more than we ask or think!
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE REMEMBER? WORSHIP & DEVOTION.
- WORSHIP: Theology Leads to Worship
-When we REMEMBER who God, it leads us to worship and delight in Him.
-We read the Bible and hear it preached to behold God and enjoy Him.
-This is why daily Bible intake is important: we need to behold God afresh every day.
-Illustration: receiving high def TV with 4k blue ray of your favorite movie, but only looking at receipt!
-Bible as window to behold and rejoice in God!
-Let’s do this together as a church and encourage each other: share what your read. - Devotion: Theology fuels Devotion.
-Theology fuels and instructs us to do what God wants and follow Him.
-Ephesians 1-3 is followed by Ephesians 4-6!
-Knowledge of the gospel propels and helps us obey
-Milton Vincent Gospel Primer quote
““What happens to my appetites for sin when I am filled with the fullness of God in Christ? Jesus provides this answer: “He who continually comes to Me will never huger or thirst again.” (John 6:35). Indeed, as I perpetually feast on Christ and all of His blessings found in the gospel, I find that my hunger for sin diminishes and the lies of lust simply lose their appeal. Hence, to the degree that I am full, I am free. Eyes do not rove, nor do fleshly lusts rule, when the heart is fat with the love of Jesus.””
-My own experience as a new Christian
-Let’s keep drinking deep of these wonderful truths of Ephesians as we finish this year and head into next.
BY GOD’S GRACE, LET US REMEMBER WHO GOD IS AND WHAT HE HAS DONE!
