In Ephesians Jesus is revealed as The One Who Awakens God’s Blessing In The Earth.
Eph 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. NIV
Jesus awakens God’s blessing in all of the earth for all humanity!
Gen 22:2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love--Isaac--and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you." NIV
Isaac is placed back on the wood as the sacrifice as Abraham’s faith is tested. Suddenly God provides. Amazingly there are an abundance of parallels with this event and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Jesus was also placed on his back on wood as a sacrifice.
Archaeological evidence suggests that the place of the crucifixion of Jesus was at the summit of Mt. Moriah. It is entirely possible that the exact spot where Abraham’s son Isaac was laid on his back on that wood is where Jesus was crucified.
Gen 22:17-18 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore…
Incredible type of God’s blessing being released as a result of this obedient sacrifice.
Eph 1:7-10 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. NIV
God made his promise to Abraham in Gen 13 using the dust of the earth as his illustration. Then in Gen 15 he uses the stars of the sky. Both are significant and speak of God’s blessing both in the earthly realm and the heavenly realm. The blessing of God is released in both realms of our lives as we come into Christ.
We really must learn to keep our practical lives spiritual and our spiritual lives practical. We are the salt of the earth. Salt is Sodium Chloride. Sodium alone will kill you. Chloride alone will kill you. However you will die if you don’t have them combined in your system. We need to learn how to pray as a family and we also need to learn how to have fun together as a family if we really want to experience all God has in store for the blessed family.
Eph 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. NIV
Notice this was released in your life, “when you believed.” Faith is both a natural and a supernatural resource. Several years ago, an experiment was performed in a school in the San Francisco Bay area. A principal called in three teachers and said, “Because you three are the finest in the system and you have the greatest expertise, we’re going to give you ninety selected high-IQ students. We’re going to let you move these students through at their own pace this year and see how much they can learn.”
The three faculty members, the students and the students’ parent thought this was a great idea. And it seemed they especially enjoyed the school year. By the time school was through, the students achieved 20 to 30 percent more than the other students in the entire San Francisco Bay Area.
At the end of the year, the principal called the three teachers in and told them, “I have a confession to make. You did not have ninety of the most intellectually prominent students. They were all run-of-the-mill students. We randomly took ninety students from the system and gave them to you.”
The teachers naturally concluded that their exceptional teaching skills must have been responsible for the students’ great progress.
“I have another confession.” said the principal. “You’re not the brightest of the teachers. Your names were the first three drawn out of a hat.”
Gen 15:6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. NIV
You were never created to live out a life that you could live without God’s help. A life you can live without him is not the life He’s called you to live. Aren’t you glad God doesn’t consult your budget to determine your dream. Don’t act all surprised when God asks you to do bigger things than you can do.
This is why giving a portion of our income as an expression of worship to God has always been part of God’s plan. Every time we increase from the world’s system tithing reminds us that we are part of a more powerful system.
A steady rhythm of exercising your faith will strengthen your faith for unseen fights ahead. Doesn't take God long to promote you. Just takes a while to prepare you especially when we are being uncooperative with his preparation. Jesus sacrificially embraced and released Gods blessing to the world around him - so should we!!
Eph 1:17-19 “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe..." NIV
Revelation and Wisdom are many times inclined in opposite directions and both are necessary.
GP4RL: Purpose to wake up to a song about God’s love for you and share that love specifically and strategically every day of the week.
DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY GROUP LEADERS
Click here for a downloadable pdf file of this discussion guide.
Icebreaker: What is the best (or worst) excuse you’ve ever used to get out of a phone call?
Eph 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. NIV
Jesus awakens God’s blessing to Abraham into all of the earth!
Gen 22:2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love--Isaac--and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” NIV
Isaac is placed back on the wood as the sacrifice as Abraham’s faith is tested. Suddenly God provides.
Discussion Question:
Name a time your faith was tested in a situation and how God showed himself faithful in it?
Eph 1:7-10 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. NIV
Discussion Question:
• What are some suggestions you could make to help keep our spiritual lives practical and our practical lives spiritual?
Eph 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. NIV
Discussion Questions:
• How can you explain the concept of faith without using Christian terminology?
• Why did Peter’s faith fail him when he was walking on water and began to sink? (Matt 14)
Gen 15:6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. NIV
A life you can live without God is not the life He’s called you to live.
Discussion Questions:
• What is something God has asked you to do that you felt was too big for you?
• How was God faithful when you stepped out and did what God was asking you to do?
Our prayer for the church:
Ephesians 1:17-19 “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe...” NIV
GP4RL: Purpose to wake up to a song about God’s love for you and share that love specifically and strategically every day of the week.
Going Deeper:
Message Bible Introduction to Ephesians:
What we know about God and what we do for God have a way of getting broken apart in our lives. The moment the organic unity of belief and behavior is damaged in any way, we are incapable of living out the full humanity for which we were created.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians joins together what has been torn apart in our sin-wrecked world. He begins with an exuberant exploration of what Christians believe about God, and then, like a surgeon skillfully setting a compound fracture, "sets" this belief in God into our behavior before God so that the bones—belief and behavior—knit together and heal.
Once our attention is called to it, we notice these fractures all over the place. There is hardly a bone in our bodies that has escaped injury, hardly a relationship in city or job, school or church, family or country, that isn’t out of joint or limping in pain. There is much work to be done.
And so Paul goes to work. He ranges widely, from heaven to earth and back again, showing how Jesus, the Messiah, is eternally and tirelessly bringing everything and everyone together. He also shows us that in addition to having this work done in and for us, we are participants in this most urgent work.
Now that we know what is going on, that the energy of reconciliation is the dynamo at the heart of the universe, it is imperative that we join in vigorously and perseveringly, convinced that every detail in our lives contributes (or not) to what Paul describes as God’s plan worked out by Christ, "a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth."
NIV Intro:
Traditionally named Ephesians, this letter may not actually have been written to the believers in Ephesus. Some of the best early copies of the letter don’t include the phrase in Ephesus in the greeting. While Paul spent two years in Ephesus, this letter appears to address people Paul has never met.
Paul here presents a two-fold pattern, first explaining the new identity believers have in Christ and then bringing out the implications for their new way of life. God has brought everything together under the rule of the Messiah, exalting Jesus above all things. Paul echoes a phrase from Psalm 8—God placed all things under his feet—to show that Jesus is the truly human one. Jesus fulfills the original human calling to rule over the creation properly. Jews and Gentiles have been brought together into one body, with Jesus at the head. God is now creating one new humanity from all over the world through the reconciling work of the Messiah.
This means Jesus-followers must give up their former way of life and practice purity in daily living and integrity in their relationships. The reciprocal responsibilities of those in and under authority are used as key examples of the new kinds of relationships God is expecting. Paul cautions his readers that they are entering a spiritual battle. They must arm themselves with all the resources God has provided, until the Messiah brings unity to all things in heaven and on earth.