Last week left us in a heavy place. We were faced with the reality of our sin. We realized that what we have all earned is death and wrath. And that's difficult, because we often believe we are pretty good people, doing pretty good on our own. But no, last week left us realizing we need someone to step in on our behalf. And I promise you that verse 4 will be sweet music to your ears.
This week as you do your homework, please stop each time you study and pray. Ask the Lord for wisdom and discernment. Ask Him to help you to remember the dark reality of life without Him. I encourage you to slowly work on your homework throughout the week. This helps you savor the text instead of rushing through it just to get it completed. (Tip: Each paragraph below could be treated as a day of homework)
Let's start by reading verses 1-7 of Ephesians chapter 2. Look for the word that marks a big shift or contrast (but) and place a black slash before the word but. Marking contrasts help us to see that there are two major things Paul is showing us the difference between. Last week we looked at the dark reality of being without Jesus, this week we will look at the other side Read back through verses 4-7. What did God do? Paul lists out several things God did, let's number each one to help us see them more clearly. When you have marked them, get out your journal a make a list of what God did. How is God described in verse 4? I would like us to break down what we learn about God here. We learn two things in verse four about God, write them down in your journal.
The two attributes of God that we see here are His mercy and His love. Using Blue Letter Bible do a word study on mercy and love. Now let's look up some cross references. Look up these cross references and write down what you learn about God's mercy & love: Titus 3:5, 1 Peter 1:3, John 15:13, Romans 5:8, Ephesians 1:4-5, 1 John 3:1, 1 John 4:7-8.
Now we must ask ourselves, because of God's mercy & love, what did he do for us? Remember that list we made? Let's look at it further. The first thins we see that God did, was while we were dead, He made us alive (by grace you have been saved). Look up the phrase alive together in Blue Letter Bible. Write down in your journal what you learn. We must ask ourselves, how were we made alive? Did we earn it? Did we strive toward it? The answer is there in the text. It's by grace that we were saved. Look up the definition of the word grace using Blue Letter Bible. Write down what you learn. There are probably a million cross references on grace, let's look at just a few: John 1:14-17, Romans 3:23-24, 1 Cor 15:10, 2 Tim 1:8-9
What is the next thing that God did for us? He raised us up with Him. What does the word raised up mean? Look up the definition using Blue Letter Bible and write down what you learn in your journal. Let's look up some cross references. Look up these cross references and write down what you learn in your journal: Colossians 2:12, Colossians 3:1. Now I want you to ask yourself after God raised us up, what did He do? He seated us with Him in the heavenly places. Look up these cross references on the heavenly places and write down what you learn in your journal: Ephesians 1:3, Ephesians 1:20,
Now let's look at verse 7. verse 7 has a phrase we call a term of conclusion. a term os conclusion is often determined by the use of the phrase "so that" or "therefore." Find the term of conclusion in verse 7 and mark it with a black box. Now we must ask ourselves what is Paul concluding here? Look at the text and try to answer the question based on what we see in verse 7. Write down your answer in your journal. What the the ultimate outcome or conclusion? That in the age to come God would show the surpassing riches of His grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Let's look at this a little closer. We have already looked up the definition of grace, so let's look up the definition of kindness. Write down what you learn. I encourage you to stop and read back through verses 4-7. Conclude this week by thinking about what God has done in Jesus on our behalf. Remember that He did this when we were dead. Dead people can't help themselves, we needed someone to intervene on our behalf.
Know that I am praying for you this week! Asking God to open your hearts and minds to the goodness of His grace, mercy, and kindness!
Friday, February 28, 2014
Friday, February 21, 2014
Ephesians 2: Formerly & In Christ
Welcome to chapter 2!!! I believe this chapter is one of the most important chapters in this book. I believe this chapter will drastically transform the way you view grace.
Let's start this week by praying and asking God to give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. Now let's look at chapter two and read the entire chapter once all the way through (remember to read slowing looking for key words.) Now, go back and reread chapter 2. This time, I want you to mark two key phrases: formerly (once were or at one time) and in Christ. After you mark these words I want you to make a list contrasting what you were formerly with what you are in Christ.
We will spend the rest of this week focusing on verses 1-3. What does Paul say that we were in these verses? Let's look at verse one first. What does Paul say that we were? Write it down in your journal. Paul tells us that we were dead in our trespasses and sins. Let's focus on that phrase and break it apart. What does it mean to be dead? Let's do a word study on the word dead using Blue Letter Bible. Now let's do some cross references on the word dead. Remember we look at cross references to see what Scripture tells us in other places about that same word. Look up these cross references about the word dead and write down in your journal what you learn: Luke 7:15, Roman 8:10, & Colossians 2:13
What does Paul tell us in verse one we are dead in? Write down the answer in your journal. Yes, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. Look up the definition to both of these words in Blue Letter Bible and write down what you learn. We also want to check out some cross references for these words. Look up the following cross references and write down what you leant about trespasses or sin: Romans 5:18, Romans 8:28, Galatians 3:22, & James 1:15
Now let's look at verse 2. How does verse 2 tell us we walked formerly? Who is the prince of the power of air? Let's look up some verses on the prince of the power of the air. Look up these verses and write down what you learn about satan: John 8:44, John 12:31, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4. Now, go back to verse two. What does it say we did or lived? We walked according to the the course of this world. What does the word walk mean? Look up the definition and write it down in your journal. Look up James 4:4 and write down what you learn about the world.
Okay, let's move on to verse 3. What does Paul say we were in this verse? How did we live? What is lust? Let's look up that word on Blue Letter Bible, write down what you find. Now let's look at some cross references: Romans 6:12, Romans 13:14, Titus 3:3, James 1:14-15.
Now go back and read the first three verses and allow the reality to set in. What were we formerly? Who exactly were we before we became in Christ? Be ready to talk about all of this and share what you learned.
Let's start this week by praying and asking God to give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. Now let's look at chapter two and read the entire chapter once all the way through (remember to read slowing looking for key words.) Now, go back and reread chapter 2. This time, I want you to mark two key phrases: formerly (once were or at one time) and in Christ. After you mark these words I want you to make a list contrasting what you were formerly with what you are in Christ.
We will spend the rest of this week focusing on verses 1-3. What does Paul say that we were in these verses? Let's look at verse one first. What does Paul say that we were? Write it down in your journal. Paul tells us that we were dead in our trespasses and sins. Let's focus on that phrase and break it apart. What does it mean to be dead? Let's do a word study on the word dead using Blue Letter Bible. Now let's do some cross references on the word dead. Remember we look at cross references to see what Scripture tells us in other places about that same word. Look up these cross references about the word dead and write down in your journal what you learn: Luke 7:15, Roman 8:10, & Colossians 2:13
What does Paul tell us in verse one we are dead in? Write down the answer in your journal. Yes, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. Look up the definition to both of these words in Blue Letter Bible and write down what you learn. We also want to check out some cross references for these words. Look up the following cross references and write down what you leant about trespasses or sin: Romans 5:18, Romans 8:28, Galatians 3:22, & James 1:15
Now let's look at verse 2. How does verse 2 tell us we walked formerly? Who is the prince of the power of air? Let's look up some verses on the prince of the power of the air. Look up these verses and write down what you learn about satan: John 8:44, John 12:31, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4. Now, go back to verse two. What does it say we did or lived? We walked according to the the course of this world. What does the word walk mean? Look up the definition and write it down in your journal. Look up James 4:4 and write down what you learn about the world.
Okay, let's move on to verse 3. What does Paul say we were in this verse? How did we live? What is lust? Let's look up that word on Blue Letter Bible, write down what you find. Now let's look at some cross references: Romans 6:12, Romans 13:14, Titus 3:3, James 1:14-15.
Now go back and read the first three verses and allow the reality to set in. What were we formerly? Who exactly were we before we became in Christ? Be ready to talk about all of this and share what you learned.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Ephesians 1: Paul's Prayer
This week we will turn our attention to Paul's Prayer in the second part of chapter one. Last week we studied and talked about what it means to be blessed and how God has blessed us. Start this week by praying and asking the Lord to open up your eyes to His Truth. Grab your observation worksheets and read through chapter one. Now read back through 1:15-23. Our study this week will focus on these verses. As you read mark these words: prayer, what is/what are, knowledge, power, & body.
Get out your journal and make a list of what Paul is praying for the Ephesians.
Now let's dive into it! What is Paul praying for them? My hope is that you see this is not just a prayer, but Paul's hope for their growth as they walked in Jesus!
Paul prayed that they would have a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. Stop and consider what it means to have a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ. What is Paul specifically asking that the Ephesians would have knowledge of? Look for the phrase what to find out. What does the word knowledge mean? Look up the greek definition and write down what you learn in your journal.
First thing Paul prays is that the eyes of their hearts may be enlightened, so that they will know what is the hope of His calling. I want you to think about what is the hope of His calling. Think about what we studied and talked about last week. How do they connect to the hope of His calling? Look up the greek definition of the word hope. Write down in your journal what you learn. Now look at these cross references and write down what you learn from each verse about the hope of your calling: Romans 8:28-30, Philippians 1:3-6, Philippians 1:19-21, 2 Timothy 1:9-12, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, Ephesians 4:1&4.
Next, Paul prays that they would know what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.What is the inheritance that Christ has given? How is the inheritance defined? Go back and look at the verses we looked at last week about inheritance.
Finally Paul prays that the Ephesians would know what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. Let's look up some greek definitions. Using Blue Letter Bible, look up these words in the greek: power, working, strength, might. Now stop and think about how great God's power is, what does that mean for believers who are sealed in the Spirit?
Now stop. Go back, and read verses 15-23 in context. See if you can't piece it together and make sense of it. Looking forward to our time together this week!
Get out your journal and make a list of what Paul is praying for the Ephesians.
Now let's dive into it! What is Paul praying for them? My hope is that you see this is not just a prayer, but Paul's hope for their growth as they walked in Jesus!
Paul prayed that they would have a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. Stop and consider what it means to have a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ. What is Paul specifically asking that the Ephesians would have knowledge of? Look for the phrase what to find out. What does the word knowledge mean? Look up the greek definition and write down what you learn in your journal.
First thing Paul prays is that the eyes of their hearts may be enlightened, so that they will know what is the hope of His calling. I want you to think about what is the hope of His calling. Think about what we studied and talked about last week. How do they connect to the hope of His calling? Look up the greek definition of the word hope. Write down in your journal what you learn. Now look at these cross references and write down what you learn from each verse about the hope of your calling: Romans 8:28-30, Philippians 1:3-6, Philippians 1:19-21, 2 Timothy 1:9-12, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, Ephesians 4:1&4.
Next, Paul prays that they would know what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.What is the inheritance that Christ has given? How is the inheritance defined? Go back and look at the verses we looked at last week about inheritance.
Finally Paul prays that the Ephesians would know what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. Let's look up some greek definitions. Using Blue Letter Bible, look up these words in the greek: power, working, strength, might. Now stop and think about how great God's power is, what does that mean for believers who are sealed in the Spirit?
Now stop. Go back, and read verses 15-23 in context. See if you can't piece it together and make sense of it. Looking forward to our time together this week!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)