08 September 2024
SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION: Ephesians 1:15-23
SERMON REVIEW:
1. The Church’s Reputation: vs. 15
a. Their faith
b. Their love
2.Paul’s Petition: vs. 16-19
a. Spirit of wisdom
b. Revelation of knowledge
c .Hope in calling
d. Riches of inheritance
e. Power in living
3.Christ’s Position: vs. 20-22
a. Raised form the dead
b. Seated at His right hand
c. Above all rule, authority, power and dominion
d. Above every name
e. Above everything
4.Our Affiliation: vs. 23
a. We are the church
a. His body
b. The fullness of Him
QUESTIONS:
Life Application:
The Duck That Thought It Was a Dog
Scientists know that ducks tend to imprint soon after birth. To “imprint” means that they attach themselves to the first thing they see after they hatch, thinking they are “that” thing. This is supposed to work for the duck, since, when they hatch, the first thing they normally see is a mama duck.
This phenomenon backfires, occasionally. Once, for example, a duckling was hatched under the watchful eye of a motherly collie dog. The baby duck took one look at the collie and decided that the dog was its mother. It followed the collie around, ran to it for protection, and slept with it at night. It spent the hot part of the day under the front porch with the collie. When a car pulled into the driveway, along with the dog, the duck would run out from under the front porch quacking viciously, trying to peck the tires.
Some things could not be changed, however. The duck still quacked, enjoyed the water, and flapped its wings. Sometimes it acted like a duck, and sometimes it acted like a dog.
Christians often experience a similar confusion in identity. We have been born into and grown up in a fallen world, so we have learned the ways of the world. We have become like it. When we become a Christian, we are in Christ. We die to the world and are born again, so that, spiritually, we are no longer who we once were (2 Cor. 5:17). Too often, however, we don’t see ourselves correctly. We act like the thing we think we are, rather than what we really are. We believe and try to do the right things; but for the life of us, we cannot get it exactly right. When we least expect it, a car pulls into the driveway of our life; and we explode from underneath the front porch, quacking viciously and pecking at the tires.[1]
Digging Deeper:
Spirit of wisdom (v. 17)
A spirit of wisdom is given through the Holy Spirit, but this spirit probably does not refer to the Holy Spirit himself, even though the word is capitalized in the niv. The Ephesian believers were already possessed by the Holy Spirit. Nor does it seem that Paul was speaking of the human spirit, which everyone already has. The most likely meaning is that he is using the word spirit to mean “an attitude, a disposition, a mind-set,” as we mean when we say, “The cheerleaders want to give the student body a spirit of enthusiasm.” Jesus used “spirit” in this fashion in the Beatitudes when he said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” meaning, “Blessed are those who have an attitude of humility.”
Wisdom is insight into the true nature of things. This wisdom is not the “cause/effect” wisdom that the world can know; rather, it is the wisdom that stands for knowledge and understanding, of things as they truly are, as, for example, we see in Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
A spirit of revelation (v. 17)
Revelation in this context is a parallel idea to wisdom. It has nothing to do with the giving of new revelation on the same level as the Bible. Instead, it has to do with the “grasping or understanding of the truth of Scripture.” Revelation (apokalypseos) means “to reveal, to unfold, or to unveil.” The desire is that we might have a mind-set of fearing God so as to have understanding and an unfolding of the truth. We might paraphrase it: “I pray that your mind and heart may be tuned to receive the truth about God.” In summary, Paul prays that we might be given a capacity for spiritual discernment.[2]
Discussion Questions:
1. How can we foster a deeper revelation of God's wisdom and knowledge?
2. How can the teachings in this chapter motivate us to live a holy and blameless life?
3. What does it mean to live as if all things are under Christ's feet and He is the head over everything for the church?
4. How does Paul's declaration of love for the Ephesian church model Christian love for us today?
5. How can you practically live out your spiritual identity that Paul elaborates on in this chapter?
PRAYER:
[1] Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 90.
[2] Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 104–105.
SERMON REVIEW:
1. The Church’s Reputation: vs. 15
a. Their faith
b. Their love
2.Paul’s Petition: vs. 16-19
a. Spirit of wisdom
b. Revelation of knowledge
c .Hope in calling
d. Riches of inheritance
e. Power in living
3.Christ’s Position: vs. 20-22
a. Raised form the dead
b. Seated at His right hand
c. Above all rule, authority, power and dominion
d. Above every name
e. Above everything
4.Our Affiliation: vs. 23
a. We are the church
a. His body
b. The fullness of Him
QUESTIONS:
- What did the message teach me about God/Jesus/Holy Spirit?
- What did the message teach me about the human condition?
- Is there anything I need to confess, repent, or be grateful for, because of this passage?
- How do I need help in believing and applying this scripture to my life?
- How can I encourage others with this passage?
Life Application:
The Duck That Thought It Was a Dog
Scientists know that ducks tend to imprint soon after birth. To “imprint” means that they attach themselves to the first thing they see after they hatch, thinking they are “that” thing. This is supposed to work for the duck, since, when they hatch, the first thing they normally see is a mama duck.
This phenomenon backfires, occasionally. Once, for example, a duckling was hatched under the watchful eye of a motherly collie dog. The baby duck took one look at the collie and decided that the dog was its mother. It followed the collie around, ran to it for protection, and slept with it at night. It spent the hot part of the day under the front porch with the collie. When a car pulled into the driveway, along with the dog, the duck would run out from under the front porch quacking viciously, trying to peck the tires.
Some things could not be changed, however. The duck still quacked, enjoyed the water, and flapped its wings. Sometimes it acted like a duck, and sometimes it acted like a dog.
Christians often experience a similar confusion in identity. We have been born into and grown up in a fallen world, so we have learned the ways of the world. We have become like it. When we become a Christian, we are in Christ. We die to the world and are born again, so that, spiritually, we are no longer who we once were (2 Cor. 5:17). Too often, however, we don’t see ourselves correctly. We act like the thing we think we are, rather than what we really are. We believe and try to do the right things; but for the life of us, we cannot get it exactly right. When we least expect it, a car pulls into the driveway of our life; and we explode from underneath the front porch, quacking viciously and pecking at the tires.[1]
Digging Deeper:
Spirit of wisdom (v. 17)
A spirit of wisdom is given through the Holy Spirit, but this spirit probably does not refer to the Holy Spirit himself, even though the word is capitalized in the niv. The Ephesian believers were already possessed by the Holy Spirit. Nor does it seem that Paul was speaking of the human spirit, which everyone already has. The most likely meaning is that he is using the word spirit to mean “an attitude, a disposition, a mind-set,” as we mean when we say, “The cheerleaders want to give the student body a spirit of enthusiasm.” Jesus used “spirit” in this fashion in the Beatitudes when he said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” meaning, “Blessed are those who have an attitude of humility.”
Wisdom is insight into the true nature of things. This wisdom is not the “cause/effect” wisdom that the world can know; rather, it is the wisdom that stands for knowledge and understanding, of things as they truly are, as, for example, we see in Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
A spirit of revelation (v. 17)
Revelation in this context is a parallel idea to wisdom. It has nothing to do with the giving of new revelation on the same level as the Bible. Instead, it has to do with the “grasping or understanding of the truth of Scripture.” Revelation (apokalypseos) means “to reveal, to unfold, or to unveil.” The desire is that we might have a mind-set of fearing God so as to have understanding and an unfolding of the truth. We might paraphrase it: “I pray that your mind and heart may be tuned to receive the truth about God.” In summary, Paul prays that we might be given a capacity for spiritual discernment.[2]
Discussion Questions:
1. How can we foster a deeper revelation of God's wisdom and knowledge?
2. How can the teachings in this chapter motivate us to live a holy and blameless life?
3. What does it mean to live as if all things are under Christ's feet and He is the head over everything for the church?
4. How does Paul's declaration of love for the Ephesian church model Christian love for us today?
5. How can you practically live out your spiritual identity that Paul elaborates on in this chapter?
PRAYER:
[1] Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 90.
[2] Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 104–105.