Bible Text: Ephesians 3:13-21 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: Ephesians | This is the bulletin insert to help you follow along. The full sermon notes are a click below.

8.18.19 ~ Ephesians 3:13-21, What’s in a Name?

Read Ephesians 3:13… Paul doesn’t want them to lose heart over his temporary suffering (see 2Corinthians 4:8-9, 16; 11:24-28), but rather consider their eternity in heaven (see Romans 8:18; Philippians 1:12-14).
Read Ephesians 3:14-15… We have been given a new name (see John 3: 3, 5-6; 1:12-13).
Our most distant relative is God Himself.
Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.’”
Genesis 1:27, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
Genesis 2:7, “Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
Genesis 2:18, “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.’”
Genesis 2:21-22, “So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.
Christians are related to Abraham, not through his bloodline, but through his faith (see Romans 4:1-3).
Abraham (cf. Genesis 15:6) believed that God would give him numerous descendants (see Romans 4:19-25).
Abraham is the true spiritual father of all who trust and believe in Christ (Galatians 3:26-29).
The word Christian means adherent [close follower] of Christ (cf. Acts 26:28, becoming one; Acts 11:26, living as one; 1Peter 4:16, suffering as one).
Read Ephesians 3:16-19… Paul wants us to grasp and appropriate all we have in Christ (cf. 2Peter 1:1-3), not because of any inherent goodness, ancestral heritage, or could ever earn it, but because God loves us so much.
Paul prays for us to be strengthened in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, because we have confessed that Jesus is Lord, believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, making us God’s possession, God’s children.
Your Father in heaven has given you His name and all that you need, now and forever through Jesus Christ.
Philippians 4:12-13, “I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
Read Ephesians 3:20-21… Paul encourages us to have confidence in God “who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think,” and this is “according to the power that works within us,” through God’s Holy Spirit.
Everything we do individually, and corporately, in the Church, is for God’s glory, “throughout all generations, for ever and ever!”
Colossians 3:17, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
And all God’s children said? Amen!

Bible Text: Ephesians 3:1-12 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: Ephesians | Here is the bulletin insert to help you follow along. For full sermon notes, click below.

8.11.19 ~ (Ephesians 3:1-12) God’s Greatest Mystery, Christ in Us…

The Church is made up of every believer and follower of Christ (see Galatians 3:26-29), who are also part of God’s temple (see Ephesians 2:21-22).
Read Ephesians 3:1… Paul begins a prayer in verse 1, that doesn’t end until Ephesians 3:21.
Read Ephesians 3:2-7… Paul reminds the Gentile converts of what he already said about this Mystery. (cf Ephesians 1:9).
This mystery is Jews & Gentiles forming one spiritual body, in Christ.
Paul was made a minister [Greek, diakonos = “one who waits on tables”.
Read Ephesians 3:8-9… Paul preached Christ.
Romans 10:13-14, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”
Galatians 1:15-16, “But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles…”
Read Ephesians 3:10-11… God’s purpose was to reveal and make known His plan, to all the “rulers and authorities in heavenly places,” (holy and unholy angels).
God’s eternal purpose is accomplished in Christ,(see Colossians 1:15-18).

Read Ephesians 3:12… The fullest expression of God’s mystery (see Hebrews 1:1-3; Ephesians 2:3-7).
Before Christ, only the High Priest could approach God and commune with God, in the Holy of Holies, on the Day of Atonement (see Leviticus 16:1-34).
But now every believer and follower of Christ may come before God at any time, anywhere, with total confidence, speaking with God about all things.
Hebrews 4:15-16, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
This is indeed a great mystery, we have privileged access to God, our Father, through His Son, Jesus Christ.
God came to earth, put on flesh, provided forgiveness for sins, and eternal life for our souls; through the life, death, and resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus Christ
By His mercy and grace God brings to Himself all who trust and believe in Jesus Christ, as Savior and Lord, making us fellow citizens in God’s kingdom, members of God’s own family– one body (the church), under one head (Christ)– that we might serve God on earth, while we wait to be joined with Him in heaven.
And all God’s people said, Amen!

8.11.19 ~ (Ephesians 3:1-12) God’s Greatest Mystery, Christ in Us…
The Church is made up of every believer and follower of Christ (see Galatians 3:26-29), who are also part of God’s temple (see Ephesians 2:19-22).
Read Ephesians 3:1… Paul begins a prayer in verse 1, that doesn’t end until Ephesians 3:21.
Read Ephesians 3:2-7… Paul reminds the Gentile converts of what he already said about this Mystery. (cf Ephesians 1:9).
This mystery is Jews & Gentiles forming one spiritual body, in Christ.
Paul was made a minister [Greek, diakonos = “one who waits on tables”.
Read Ephesians 3:8-9… Paul preached Christ.
Romans 10:13-14, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”
Galatians 1:15-16, “But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles…”
Read Ephesians 3:10-11… God’s purpose was to reveal and make known His plan, to all the “rulers and authorities in heavenly places,” (holy and unholy angels).
God’s eternal purpose is accomplished in Christ,(see Colossians 1:15-20).

Read Ephesians 3:12… The fullest expression of God’s mystery (see Hebrews 1:1-3; Ephesians 2:3-7).
Before Christ, only the High Priest could approach God and commune with God, in the Holy of Holies, on the Day of Atonement (see Leviticus 16:1-34).
But now every believer and follower of Christ may come before God at any time, anywhere, with total confidence, speaking with God about all things.
Hebrews 4:15-16, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
This is indeed a great mystery, we have privileged access to God, our Father, through His Son, Jesus Christ.
God came to earth, put on flesh, provided forgiveness for sins, and eternal life for our souls; through the life, death, and resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus Christ
By His mercy and grace God brings to Himself all who trust and believe in Jesus Christ, as Savior and Lord, making us fellow citizens in God’s kingdom, members of God’s own family– one body (the church), under one head (Christ)– that we might serve God on earth, while we wait to be joined with Him in heaven.
See Revelation 21:1-5; 22:18-21… And all God’s people said, Amen!

Bible Text: Ephesians 2:19-22 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: Ephesians | This is the outline provided in the bulletin. The full sermon notes are a click below:

8.04.19 ~ God’s Building Project Ephesians 2:19-22…

Ephesians 2:19-22… Paul illustrates how we are all members of God’s family, through Christ:
• Fellow citizens (see Philippians 3:20).
• Members of God’s household (see Galatians 6:10).
• A holy temple in the Lord (see 1Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 1:13-14; 1Corinthians 12:12-13).
Christ is the chief corner stone…
Isaiah wrote (Isaiah 28:16), “Therefore thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.’”
Psalm 118:22, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone” (see 1Peter 2:1-10).
Jesus is the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:21-22). God takes up residence in us, as we have already
studied (see Ephesians 1:9-10, 13-14; 2:8-10). Colossians 1:18, “He is the head of the body, the
church.”
1Corinthians 12:12, “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.”
1Corinthians 12:18), “But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.”
1Corinthians 12:27), “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it,” (Colossians 1:18), “He is head of the body, the church.”
The Church is God’s dwelling, God’s holy temple on earth, of which Christ is there cornerstone (1Peter 2:5), “you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
God’s plan, purpose and provision is through Christ (Titus 2:14), “who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”
2Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
Before salvation, we are separated from God and we can’t do anything ‘good’ in God’s sight. But now, through Christ (Ephesians 2:10), “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
Every born-again believer and follower of Christ is a part of this eternal dwelling, a spiritual building, holy and inhabited by God, through the presence and life giving essence of the Holy Spirit.

Bible Text: Ephesians 2:14-18 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: Ephesians | Here is the bulletin insert to help you follow along. Click below for the full sermon notes.

07-21-2019 – Ephesians 2:14-18, Peace with God, through Christ…

Read Ephesians 2:14-18… Jesus brought peace with
God to anyone who comes to Him by faith.
Jesus brings God’s peace, destroying the dividing wall of hostility, unifying all people as one in Christ..
Christ abolished the authority of the law, by His own death and resurrection, making full payment for all sin.
Sin’s enemy is defeated by God’s peace, given to all those who trust in Christ; those hated by the world.
John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” 15:18-19, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.” 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” 1John 3:13, “Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.”
COEXIST
The Body of Believers is marked by God’s Spirit (cf. Galatians 3:28-29; 1Corinthians 12-14, 18, 20, 27).
Before Christ, Gentiles and Jews couldn’t fellowship or worship together because all the distinctions caused alienation; in Christ alone there is peace and unity. Colossians 2:16-17, “no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.” Romans 10:11-13, “For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for ‘Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’.
Colossians 1:21-22, “And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.”
Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
See 2Corinthians 5:14-21…
John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me’.” 15-17 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.” 1John 4:13, “By this we know that we abide [live] in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.”
The only way to enter God’s presence, is through Jesus Christ. He alone has provided eternal peace, having reconciled sinful men with the Holy God of Creation; and only those who believe in Him, trusting in what He accomplished through the cross and the resurrection, will receive eternal life in heaven.
Romans 10:9-10… God’s greatest gift is Jesus, Yeshua [Hebrew = God’s Salvation]; [cf Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23, Immanuel = God with us].
Our purpose is to tell others about God’s Son.
John 20:31, “so [they] may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing [they] may have life in His name.”
Acts 4:12, “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Bible Text: Ephesians 2:11-13 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: Ephesians | Here is the bulletin insert to help you follow along as you listen. Please click on the full notes, below.

7.07.19 ~ Ephesians 2:11-13, All are Accepted by God, in Christ.

Read Ephesians 2:11-13… Jewish converts called the Gentile Christians “uncircumcised,” and themselves “the circumcision” (lit. in the flesh, made by the hand).
Romans 2:28-29, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.”
Romans 10:12-13, “There is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
See Ephesians 2:12a… separate from Christ… No hope, no purpose, only the impending judgment of
God, until the coming of Christ.
See Ephesians 2:12b… excluded from citizenship…
Amos 3:2, “You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth.” Only those of Israel had God’s spiritual favor.
See Ephesians 2:12c… strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope… Prior to Christ, Gentiles had no promise of eternal life.
Genesis 17:7, “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.or the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”
See Ephesians 2:12d… without God in the world…
Gentiles believed in a plurality of gods, but did not know the Creator of Heaven and Earth.
God’s plan was to save all who believed by faith.
Galatians 3:6-9, “Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘All the nations will be blessed in you.’ So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.”
Galatians 3:26-29, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”
See Ephesians 2:13… God set apart Israel to bless the world, they failed; but out of Israel came God’s Son, providing eternal life to all who would believe in Him.
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
1Peter 2:9-10, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
1John 5:11-13, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Bible Text: Ephesians 2:8-10 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: Ephesians | 6.30.19 ~ Ephesians 2:8-10

Salvation is by God’s Grace, through Faith, expressed in Good Works.

Read Ephesians 2:8-9… Salvation is a gift from God.
See Romans 3:21-24; Romans 4:25; Romans 6:23.
God’s forgiveness is granted to those who believe in and receive God’s Son (cf Acts 4:12; 2:21).
In Jesus’ day, certain works were thought to render a person righteous in the eyes of God, absolutely not true!
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus said blessings and persecutions would come to those who follow Him, and no one goes to heaven based on outward works (verse 20), “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
See Galatians 2:15-16… No one is saved by what they might accomplish or avoid (cf. Romans 10:9-10).
Salvation is not the result of works, it is all by God’s grace; and yet, “good works” are important.
Read Ephesians 2:10… Good works are for God’s glory, that we might accomplish His will in this life.
Before you can do a “good” work for God, He does His good work in you (cf. Romans 5:8; 8:1).
In Christ (2Timothy 3:17), we are made “adequate, equipped for every good work,” for Jesus (Titus 2:14), “gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”
No wonder James says (James 2:17) “faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself,” (verse 26) “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”
2Corinthians 13:5, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?”
Jesus said (Mark 1:15, 17), “Repent and believe the gospel. Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men,” (John 10:27-28) “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand,” (John 14:6) “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
Have you received salvation through Jesus Christ?
If you are not a Christian, you need to get right with God, to receive forgiveness for your sins and eternal life.
Acts 2:21, “And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Acts 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 10:43, “Opening his mouth, Peter said:
“I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ ([for] He is Lord of all)— you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

6.30.19 ~ Ephesians 2:8-10, Salvation is by God’s Grace, through Faith, expressed in Good Works.
Read Ephesians 2:8-9… Salvation is a gift from God.
See Romans 3:21-24; Romans 4:25; Romans 6:23.
God’s forgiveness is granted to those who believe in and receive God’s Son (cf Acts 4:12; 2:21).
In Jesus’ day, certain works were thought to render a person righteous in the eyes of God, absolutely not true!
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus said blessings and persecutions would come to those who follow Him, and no one goes to heaven based on outward works (verse 20), “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
See Galatians 2:15-16… No one is saved by what they might accomplish or avoid (cf. Romans 10:9-10).
Salvation is not the result of works, it is all by God’s grace; and yet, “good works” are important.
Read Ephesians 2:10… Good works are for God’s glory, that we might accomplish His will in this life.
Before you can do a “good” work for God, He does His good work in you (cf. Romans 5:8; 8:1).
In Christ (2Timothy 3:17), we are made “adequate, equipped for every good work,” for Jesus (Titus 2:14), “gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”
No wonder James says (James 2:17) “faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself,” (verse 26) “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”
2Corinthians 13:5, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?”
Jesus said (Mark 1:15, 17), “Repent and believe the gospel. Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men,” (John 10:27-28) “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand,” (John 14:6) “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
Have you received salvation through Jesus Christ?
If you are not a Christian, you need to get right with God, to receive forgiveness for your sins and eternal life.
Acts 2:21, “And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Acts 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 10:43, “Opening his mouth, Peter said:
“I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ ([for] He is Lord of all)— you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

Bible Text: Ephesians 2:1-7 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: Ephesians | 6.23.19 ~ Ephesians 2:1-7, Dead or Alive?

See Ephesians 2:1-3…

Our Salvation is from sin (see
Romans 5:12-17).
Spiritually dead are made spiritually alive through
God’s Spirit (see John 1:12-13; 2Corinthians 5:17). The world rejects God’s salvation.
Psalm 14:1, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good.”
Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” 1Corinthians 1:18, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
Everyone is “dead in sin,” until being granted life (Romans 8:1-2), “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
We are spiritually dead because of sin (cf. Romans 5:12); for although a person is physically alive, they are spiritually dead and by nature are children of wrath. 1Corinthians 13:5, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?”
If you have been saved through Christ’s sacrifice and raised to new life through His resurrection, you have the Holy Spirit (God’s Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of Christ) in you and therefore you will desire to know and to do that which pleases God, for you belong to Him.
Everyone who rejects God is not equally corrupt, but everyone is equally guilty of sin, condemned to an eternal death (cf. Romans 3:11-12, 20-23; 6:23; 5:8; 8:1; 11:29).
See Ephesians 2:4-7… God’s love provides eternal life through Christ (cf. John 1:4; 5:26; 11:25-26; 14:6).
We are all born acceptable to the Holy and Righteous God who provided His Grace (forgiveness, eternal life) to us, for all the world to see.
See Mark 10:18-27… No one is “good” except God.
Jesus is (John 14:6), “the way, the truth, the life; no one comes to the Father but through Him.”
Jesus told His men the Holy Spirit would soon come (John 16:8) to “convict the world of guilt in regard to sin,” the sin He spoke of (verse 9), not believing in Him.
Hebrews 1:1-3 says, in these last days, God has spoken to us in His Son, through whom He also made the world, for He is the radiance of God’s glory, the exact representation of God’s nature (see John 5:39-40; 6:28-29; 8:23-24; 10:10, 30).
Rejecting God’s revelation of Christ, even Creation itself (cf. Romans 1:18-20), brings condemnation.
All who live apart from God’s forgiveness remain spiritually dead, separated from God.
Hebrews 9:27, “…it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.”
Those who reject Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord will receive God’s judgment .
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” 18, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” 36, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
All who believe in God, are made spiritually alive, through Christ: crucified, resurrected, coming again.
1John 5:11-13, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Bible Text: Ephesians 1:15-23 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: Ephesians | Here is the outline from Sunday’s Bulletin to help you follow along. The full sermon notes are a click below.

06-16-2019 – God’s Blessings in Christ…

Ephesians 1:15-23

“For this reason,” relates to
verses 3-14, i.e., to the blessings we have in Christ. Paul praises the believers for their Christian love
toward one another (cf. 1John 4:7-11; John 13:34). Read Ephesians 1:17… Paul prays for us to become
more intimate with all God has given us in Christ.
Paul isn’t praying for us to have more of Jesus! You you have all you need to serve God honorably.
Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His [God’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 4:4-6, “There is one body and one Spirit… one Hope, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all, through all and in all.” See 1Corinthians 12:13; 2Peter 1:2-3…
At salvation, repenting of our sins, confessing Christ as Lord, believing in Him as Savior, we belong to God.
See John 14:26…
Read Ephesians 1:18-19a… The Holy Spirit is able to
speak to our heart/soul, the center of our spiritual person, where there is deep understanding that the brain cannot comprehend (cf 2Corinthians 5:17).
Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.”
Proverbs 15:14, “The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on folly.” Proverbs 15:28, “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.”
Proverbs 16:23, “The heart of the wise instructs his mouth, And adds persuasiveness to his lips.”
Romans 10:9-10, “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
Paul is praying for us to understand in our spirit, just what we have been given and who we are in Christ.
Romans 8:29, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.”
See 2Corinthians 13:5; 1John 2:4-6; 5:10…
God’s master plan allows Christians to display the very power and presence of God in their lives, as they follow the example of Christ.
Paul prays for a divine awareness of just how great this power is that believers possess through Christ.
Read Ephesians 1:19b-21… The greatest example of this power, was displayed when Christ rose from the grave, proclaiming victory over sin, death and judgment; this same power is now being revealed in the lives of those who believe, follow, and obey Him who has all authority, power and dominion (see Philippians 2:8-11; Revelation 1:8, 18; 5:11-13).
Read Ephesians 1:22-23… Christ is the head of the Church, His body, the fullest expression of Christ in us.
All that we have as believers is by God’s provision in Christ. Paul prays for us to understand and appropriate what we have been given in Christ.
The very power that God displayed in raising Christ from the dead, is the same power that has saved us, marked us, and will bring us to be with Him in heaven!
God will faithfully and sovereignly complete all things, for He is Almighty God, Creator, Sovereign Lord, sustainer, and Judge over All.
God’s people must unify in prayer and purpose, bringing salvation through Christ to this decaying world.
Christians are fully equipped to express their faith in God, to love for their brothers and sisters in the family of God, and to be witnesses of Christ, so others might come to know the Lord: crucified, resurrected and coming again!

Bible Text: Ephesians 1:8b-14 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: Ephesians | This is the insert in the bulletin to help you follow along. Full sermon notes are a click below.

6.09.19 ~ Ephesians 1:8b-14,

Marked by God, for God…

Read Ephesians 1:8b-10… What is the mystery? (Colossians 1:25-27; Romans 16:25-27).
When will it be fully revealed (Philippians 2:9-11; Colossians 1:17-20).
John 5:24 tells you have everlasting [eternal] life.
Matthew 5:45 says the sun rises, the rain falls, on the believing and unbelieving; but God’s spiritual and eternal favor is only for those who belong to Christ.
Read Ephesians 1:11-12… God has chosen [sovereignly selected] out of all those who will ever live on earth, a small number of people who will bring Him honor, glory and praise.
God predestined (marked out ahead of time) a people of His very own, from the time of Adam to the White Throne Judgment.
God determined that Christians should bring praise, honor and glory to God, being fully equipped by God.
Verse 3 – blessed us with every spiritual blessing Verse 5 – adopted as His children with full rights Verse 7 – redeemed us, forgiving our sins
Verse 8 – lavished on us all wisdom and understanding
On our way up to heaven we see a sign in the sky that reads, “Whosoever will may come”, looking at the backside of that sign, as we pass by, we read, “Chosen in Him before the foundation of the world was laid.”
Mankind was made in God’s image; sin obliterated that image, but it can be restored through Christ (see Genesis 1:26, 31; 2:25; 3:1-15, 21-23; 5:1, 3).
Adam and Eve disobeyed God, were forced to leave Eden, and would now work the ground in order to eat, until they returned to dust. The broken enmity between mankind and God, would be healed through Jesus, born to Mary (cf. Genesis 3:15).
Romans 5:1 tells us, “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” Romans 8:6 says, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.”
Our new birth is from God the Father, through Christ the Son, by the Holy Spirit (John 1:12-13; 3:3, 5-8).
We bring God glory through Christ (2Corinthians 5:17; 1Corinthians 15:58; Colossians 3:17).
Christians are both, an inheritance to God, and inheritors of God’s grace.
Read Ephesians 1:13-14… When you believe in Christ God marks you with His Spirit, “as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Romans 11:29, “God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.” You belong to God forever, it is eternal!
God has saved us to bear His image and to bring Him glory, as His very own children, eternally marked by the Holy Spirit, as we serve God on earth, while waiting to be in heaven for eternity (Revelation 21:1-5).
Have you been marked as God’s possession, is there evidence that you belong to Christ? 2Corinthians 13:5 says to examine, to test yourself, to see whether or not Christ is in you, unless, of course, you fail the test?
Christianity does not provide “I hope so” salvation, it provides “I know so” salvation, made effectual by a personal relationship with God through Christ the Lord. 1John 5:11-13 “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Bible Text: Ephesians1:7-8 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: Ephesians | 6.02.19 ~ Ephesians 1:7-8

Redemption, the Forgiveness of Sin…

Christians have been redeemed and forgiven, according to the riches of God’s grace in and through Jesus Christ. What is redemption? (Gk lutroo- paying a ransom in order to release someone from captivity or bondage.) It was commonly used in reference to the freedom given to a slave whose debt or value had been paid.
To free someone from slavery meant to pay their total debt or bondage value, as set by their master; and to receive written certificate of redemption or purchase. Christ’s death paid the price necessary to redeem sinful mankind for Himself. He freed us from our slavery/bondage to sin.

We should expect the people of the world to live as if they do not know God or understand God’s truth; but we, God’s people, have received forgiveness, wisdom and understanding through Christ, our Redeemer; let us bring honor and glory to God, as we humbly and boldly serve, as witnesses of HIS G-R-A-C-E!