Ephesians by Scott Risley (2022)

When you have been adopted as His child and and completely forgiven by the loving God of the universe, it can be quite difficult to believe. But once you believe, nothing is ever the same again. All the promised blessings in Christ are yours the moment you believe.

Against all reason, God chose to love you! He loves you not because of anything you have done but because He created you. He wants YOU, not the things you can do for Him. Once you heard the message of forgiveness, and believed it, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. God wants you to know how much He loves you and He will help you to believe Him.

Before Jesus died on the cross, there was enmity between the God and man that was unreconcilable. But His death on the cross not only made a way for peace between God and man but also allowed peace between Jews and Gentiles. Now, anyone who puts their trust in Jesus has a unity with other Christians that only Christ can bring about. Every Christian is a unique stone in the spiritual temple of God. Only Christ can bring true unity with others. Though you are far away from God, Christ can bring you near.

God hid His plan of redemption until He revealed His Son,Jesus, to the world. He kept His plan hidden from all the spiritual forces so that Satan would be fooled into cooperating with His plan. Jesus dying on the cross was not a defeat but God's victory over sin. God's solution solved the problem of the penalty for sin, and any accusations against God's character. He is both loving and just. God can be trusted!

In Chapters 1-3, Paul emphasizes the "Sit" phase of a Christian's life, where he learns to embrace all the things God has done for him. In Chapters 4-6, he talks about the "Walk" phase , where the Christian learns to "Walk" in a manner worthy of his calling. Based on all the wonderful things God has done for him, the Christian must walk in such a way that he demonstrates humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance. A Christian that walks in this manner will preserve the unity of the Body of Christ that Christ provided for us.

Because Christians are united with Christ, they have unity with other Christians. This is not a unity we generate, but a unity we must strive to maintain. Just as our bodies are made up of many parts, so too is the Body of Christ made up of many different individuals who work together, each doing their unique role, to build up the Body of Christ for the work God created each of us to do.

Everyone who rejects God, has made a decision of the will to ignore the evidence God has given people to know He exists. This leads to a darkening of their minds where they cannot understand the significance of their rejection of God. This leads to being cut off from the life God wants to give them. To reject God is to reject the good things He wants to give us. This ultimately leads to living a life of calloused self-indulgence which will never satisfy the deep desire in their hearts that only knowing God can fulfill.

When you become a Christian, God gives you a new identity. In Christ, the old has gone and the new has come. But you need to believe and live out that "new you." As you keep your eyes on Jesus and that truth, God will renew your mind and transform your character as you learn to walk in love. As people see the transformation in you, God will get the glory.

When you become a follower of Jesus, and are laying aside your old self and putting on your new self, you need to take actions that fit the new you. Three areas of applications are learning to resolve conflict, learning to control your tongue and learning to forgive.

To walk as children of light begins with a deep change in your identity. We live as children of light because of what God has done for us, forgiving and adopting us as His beloved children. We live as children of light because the old way does not fit anymore. Also, we want to live in a way that pleases God. Finally, we live as children of light for the sake of our witness to others.

Six practical tips for learning God's Will: 1, Make sure you have a relationship with God. 2, Understand the different types of decisions. 3, Be willing to follow His lead. 4, Knowing God's Word is essential. 5, Pray and listen. 6, Seek the counsel of others. Walking wisely means making the most of the time God has given you. Knowing God's will is a great treasure, available only to those who really want it. It is worth it!

Ephesians Chapter Five speaks of the three aspects of being filled with the Spirit. First, speak to oneself in spiritual hymns, psalms and songs. Second, always give thanks for all things. Third, be subject to one another in the the fear of Christ. If you are not experiencing a spiritually fulfilled life, have you received the Holy Spirit? If you have, are you asking to be filled with the Holy Spirit?

God calls Christians to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Submission is not a popular idea today or throughout history. In marriage, the wife is to submit to the leadership of her husband. The husband is to love his wife. Marriage is going to take everything you have, but with Christ, you can have a successful marriage. But we must learn to do things His way. Jesus gave us an example when He submitted to the Father and went to the cross for our sake.

Children need godly parents to show them the way to live. They in turn are called to obey when young, and honor their parents when older. In Greco-Roman times, the father was the ultimate authority, but Peter points out that God is in authority over the father. God calls the father to bring their children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

A spiritual battle rages around us that is a battle for truth with eternal consequences. We are called to stand firm not by our own strength but in the Lord's. We are to take up the full armor of God to withstand the schemes of the devil. We are to rely on God's truth, His righteousness, the peace that comes from the Gospel, faith, salvation, the Word, and prayer.

Some skeptics try to argue the Bible supports the practice of slavery, but the reality is The Bible has a high regard for slaves. In the Old Testament, God proscribes humane treatment of slaves. The New Testament (NT), calls Christians to consider themselves slave, slaves to Christ. In the NT, slaves are treated as humans in God's image. Masters and slaves were both saved by grace. All Christians began calling themselves slaves of Christ. The most shocking point of all is that Jesus became a slave on our behalf. The Master submitted to the slaves and calls us to follow His lead.