Ephesians

Adult Quarterly
SUNDAY SCHOOL
WINTER QUARTER, 2007-2008
A Revelation of Gods Grace

A Study in Ephesians
QUARTERLY AIM: The student will realize the presence of the grace of
God in the life of a child of God and will be moved to Christ honoring conduct in his daily life.
DECEMBER
2Gods
9Gods
16Gods
23Gods
30Gods
Grace
Grace
Grace
Grace
Grace
Revealed
Revealed
Revealed
Revealed
Revealed
in
in
in
in
in
His Eternal Choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Pauls Prayer for Ephesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Our Salvation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Christian Unity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
the Ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Revealed
Revealed
Revealed
Revealed
in
in
in
in
His Churches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
the Use of Our Talents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Christian Maturity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Changed Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Revealed
Revealed
Revealed
Revealed
in
in
in
in
Alert and Sober Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Christian Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Our Relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Determined Hope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
JANUARY
6Gods
13Gods
20Gods
27Gods
Grace
Grace
Grace
Grace
FEBRUARY
3Gods
10Gods
17Gods
24Gods
Grace
Grace
Grace
Grace
ADULT QUARTERLY, Sunday School, Vol. 95, No. 1, issued December 1, 2007, is published quarterly.
Prepared by David Robinson; cover design by Jeff Allen; Larry E. Clements, Editor in Chief,
<larryclements@abaptist.org>; Wayne Sewell, Business Manager, <wsewell@abaptist.org>.
Copyright 2007, BAPTIST SUNDAY SCHOOL COMMITTEE of the American Baptist Association,
4605 N. State Line Ave., Texarkana, TX 75503-2928.
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2008
Ephesians
1 Timothy
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Luke 13:2224
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2017
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American Baptist Association

Through-the-Bible Series Sunday School Lessons
2 Corinthians
Isaiah 139
Isaiah 4066
2 Chronicles 2932
2 Kings 2123
2 Chronicles 3335
2 Kings 1720
Zephaniah
Nahum
Philemon
Philippians
Colossians
Paul first encountered Ephesus on his second journey. He left Priscilla

and Aquila there to minister in his absence (Acts 18:1821). Ephesus was
a strategic city for the Romans and was the commercial center of Asia
Minor. Under the Greeks the original harbor had filled with silt, and a special canal was dug and maintained so that ships could reach the city.
Ephesus was a religious center for the Greeks, and it contained the magnificent temple of Artemis, or as the Romans named her, Diana. This structure was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (Acts
19:35). Much of the local economy was related to activities at this temple.
Paul returned to Ephesus on his third journey and stayed there for nearly three years (Acts 19; 20:31). As a result the Word of God was spread
throughout Asia, and the business of magic and idolatry was harmed. This
led to an uproar in the Ephesian theater. Paul then left for Macedonia and,
after meeting with the Ephesians, went on to Jerusalem (Acts 20:1738).
4
December 2, 2007
Gods Grace Revealed

in His Eternal Choices
Text: Ephesians 1:1-11
Focus: Ephesians 1:1-11
Sunday Devotional: Heirs of

God and Joint Heirs with Christ,
Romans 8:14-18.
Key Verse:
In whom we have redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the
riches of his grace.
Ephesians 1:7
Application: God has an eternal

plan for our salvation and it is by
His grace.
A FIRST LOOK
The work at Ephesus was in many ways the premier work
of the apostle Paul. He first came to Ephesus on his first missionary journey. He stopped there briefly and returned later
on his third missionary journey. On that later journey Paul
ministered for two years in Ephesus in the school of
Tyrannus (Acts 19:9, 10) and established a strong church in
a city largely given to the worship of the false god, Diana. His
total stay in Ephesus was nearly three years.
About ten years later, when he was in prison in Rome, God
inspired Paul to write this letter back to his friends in
Ephesus. For background on the church in Ephesus, read
Acts 18, 19 and 20. The letter of Ephesians was written to
encourage the people in Ephesus by allowing them to understand the wonderful privileged position that they held as
believers in Christ and as
Daily Devotionals
members of a New Testa- M. God Chose Noah, Genesis 6:5-13.
T. God Chose Abraham, Hebrews 11:8-10.
ment church.
God Chose Moses, Exodus 3:3-11.
This book is intended to W.
T. God Chose King David, 1 Samuel 16:4-13.
be a revelation of the grace F. God Chose Isaiah, Isaiah 6:1-7.
of God. We will examine it on S. God Chooses Us, John 15:15-21.
5
Gods Grace Revealed in His Eternal Choices
that basis. The grace of God is simply that process that

allows us to have things that we do not deserve. As a corollary thought, Gods mercy is the process through which we do
not get the things that we do deserve. Mercy sets us free, and
grace makes us rich. Both of these are available to every one
who believes in Jesus Christ.
While Paul was in prison, his future was uncertain. He
could have been set free, or he could have been killed at any
time. He wrote this letter to help settle and establish the
Christians of Ephesus in their faith in Christ. Although Paul
was an important leader, he would pass from the scene one
way or another. It was vital for these saints to build their
lives on Jesus and this book teaches them and us how to do
just that.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. Gods Desire for Humanity
Ephesians 1:1-3
1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints
which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2. Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from
the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Christ.
Paul began by referring to distinct personages. First there

was Paul, then there were the saints at Ephesus and then
there was God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
First, Paul was an apostle, and he served as the author of
this letter. God inspired Paul to write these words. They were
not his own thoughts or the imaginations of his own heart.
This letter was not the result of Pauls reasoning about the
conditions and needs in Ephesus. Instead, Paul spoke as he
was moved by the Holy Spirit. God used Pauls talent and
ability to convey a timeless message to the Ephesians and
also to all those who have lived since.
Although the Bible is complete and inspiration has ended,

God still uses messengers to carry His message. God calls
men to preach His Word. Today, men preach what is already
written, but the messenger is an important link in the
process that brings the truth to our hearts (Rom. 10:13-15).
Paul expected the saints in Ephesus to receive his message
and to act on it. We should be willing to hear and act on the
message that Gods men bring to us. Listen to your pastor. He
should be teaching you from the Bible, and, when he does,
take the teaching seriously and change your life to conform
to Gods Holy Word.
Then we find a group called the saints at Ephesus. This
term saint does not refer to someone who has achieved a lofty
level of spiritual development and become a super Christian.
The term saint simply means all those who have believed.
It is best defined for us in 2 Thessalonians 1:10. These believers in Ephesus had been taught and then organized into a
New Testament church by the apostle Paul himself. They had
been functioning as a church for ten years when Paul wrote
this letter to them. But there were still things that they could
learn and there were still changes that they needed to make.
We never outgrow our need to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.
The message of the Lord is specific, and it is addressed to
specific needs. Although we can find the gospel on every page
of the Bible, this book is primarily addressed to the needs of
those who are already saved and are members of a New
Testament church. One of the keys to proper biblical interpretation is to understand to whom the Bible is speaking.
Here this book is speaking to those who are saints.
Then we see that this is a message that concerns God and
Jesus. The great gifts of grace and peace are introduced early
in this book. This book is a revelation of the grace of God and
the peace that comes from accepting and living according to
that grace. We will see many facets of the grace of God as we
study, but here it is important that we note the source of
grace and ensuing peace. Both come from God through Jesus
Christ. There is no other source that offers these gifts.
Most of this world and most of the world of the Ephesians

was harsh and cruel. But God offered grace and peace. The
false gods of this great city offered up punishment for sins
and cruel treatment of those who criticized or dissented in
the least. In sharp contrast God offered grace for the sinner
and a richness of life that was beyond the comprehension of
the idolatrous worshipers of that day. This grace brought
about true peace in the souls of men.
Throughout the ages God has always sought to improve
the status of all those who come before Him. He still does.
II. Gods Eternal Choice
Ephesians 1:4-7
4. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him
in love:
5. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by
Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made
us accepted in the beloved.
7. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.
Gods grace resulted in Gods choice. He has chosen every

human being for salvation and spiritual blessing (2 Peter
3:9). Notice the power of these words. Before the foundation
of the world was put in place, God chose the plan of redemption and looked forward to the people who would be
redeemed. Gods choice is that everyone could be holy and
without blame, and this is possible because God loved the
world and gave His only begotten Son to die so that we could
live.
In addition to spiritual life, God has chosen us for spiritual adoption. This is the process whereby we become the heirs
of God and the joint heirs of Jesus Christ. This wonderful
truth means that whatever blessings God intends to give to
Jesus, He intends to give to them who believe in Jesus. Here
is wealth that we truly cannot comprehend.
This choice is not brought about by the ones who are chosen. This is the will of God, not the will of mankind. Vain men
imagine many plans of salvation, and common to all of them
is the idea that one must work his way into a position of privilege with his Creator. Gods choice is that one be saved by
grace and then that one live by grace.
Carefully note, that, although this is Gods choice, we also
have a choice in our spiritual condition. We are made in Gods
image and likeness and this means that like God, we have
the right of will. Mankind is given a choice as to whether he
will make the right decision concerning salvation. Sometimes that choice is contrary to the will of God. (See 2 Peter
3:9.) God is not willing that any should perish, but some will
perish, not because God wants it that way, but because the
individuals themselves have made choices contrary to Gods
will for their lives.
Gods purpose is not that we should save ourselves, or that
we should save each other, but that we should be accepted in
His beloved Son. The sacrifice of Jesus was intercessory. On
the cross He took our placed and suffered so that we can live.
This is Gods plan, and it is through that plan that we have
redemption.
Redemption suggests buying back something that was
lost. This is exactly what Jesus did when He died for us. He
paid the price so that we can be free. We are redeemed
through His blood, and our sins are forgiven by the richness
of His grace toward us.
III. Gods Eternal Plan
Ephesians 1:8-11
8. Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9. Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10. That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might
gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things
after the counsel of his own will.
10
Our choices are often arbitrary. We choose one over the

other with little concern for the consequences of our decisions. God never acts in this way. Gods choices are for a reason and there is a reason behind everything that God does.
Eventually, we will learn that much of what we thought was
random was just a part of His plan that we could not understand at the time.
God wants us to walk in the light. When we are saved, we
are no longer the children of darkness and He wants us to
live in truth and understanding. Understanding and knowing the will of the Lord is one of the most liberating experiences in a Christians life. So God has made known to us the
mystery of His will. Through Paul He was telling the
Ephesians and us things that would change our lives and our
outlook in any trouble we might be in. These things are a
mystery to those who will not accept Jesus, but they are
clearly revealed in the truths of the New Testament.
Understand and accept that God has a plan and a purpose
for your life. That knowledge alone will change how you live
each day. Your life is not a series of random unconnected
events. God has a plan and He will reveal that plan to you as
you study His Word and walk daily before Him in truth and
love. When you accept that plan, you live to a purpose that is
eternal.
God is taking the long look at history. We live day-to-day,
God lives for eternity. God looks into the ages and dispensations to come and in them He will gather all things to Him in
Christ. Eventually, everything will relate to Jesus, whether
things on earth or in Heaven. Literally, it is all about Jesus,
not about you and not about me.
God has chosen us to receive an inheritance. This is once
again a theme of grace. What can we do to earn an inheritance? Nothing. We have to be born into the right family to
get an inheritance, and through Jesus Christ we have been
born again into the family of God.
Understand that every day and in every part of your life,
God has a plan and a purpose for you and He is actively
working to bring that purpose to pass. Our part is to believe
and understand and then act on the things that we know to
be true.
11
A FINAL WORD
Many men lead lives of hopeless desperation. They live
from day to day with little hope of ever improving their lot in
life. This is still true in this modern age as well, but this does
not have to be. The book of Ephesians offers great hope, and
it all begins with the simple realization that you are not an
accident and that the things that are happening to you right
now are not accidents either.
We may not be able to see the plan of God as it unfolds
before us. We may question each step that we take and we
may live in fear and doubt. Nevertheless, God has a plan for
every one of His children.
The key is for every soul to trust Jesus Christ as Lord and
Savior. Then we must walk in obedience to the teachings of
Jesus as revealed in the Bible. Rebelling at the plan of God
merely means that we are no longer included in the plan. To
the extent that we accept the Lord, we are accepted of Him,
and to the extent that we choose to live outside the will of
God, we are ignored by the divine providence that must eventually bless us or curse us.
Paul, as a prisoner in Rome, had come to realize that he
was under the control of forces far beyond himself, but he
knew that there was a power superior to the might of Rome.
God is in control of the nations of the world and He is in
charge of every believer who will humbly submit his soul in
faith. Blessings are waiting for those who will trust the Lord.
FOR CLASS DISCUSSION

1. What is Gods eternal purpose for your life?
2. What choices must we make to fulfill His purpose for us?
3. What will be the eventual outcome of human history?
4. What part will you personally have in the inheritance
God gives?
December 9, 2007
Gods Grace Revealed

in Pauls Prayer for Ephesus
Key Verse:
That the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory, may give
unto you the spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of him:
and hath put all things under his
feet, and gave him to be the head
over all things to the church.
Ephesians 1:17, 22
Sunday Devotional: The

Promise of the Holy Spirit,
John 16:7-13.
Application: We should not
stop with our salvation, but
should go on to Christian maturity and Christ honoring
conduct.
A FIRST LOOK
The grace of God is instrumental in our salvation, but it is
also necessary for our service to God. We are not saved by
grace so that we can live in disgrace. Many believers seem to
think that an experience with Jesus is a once in a lifetime
thing. It is true that we can only be saved once. Being born
again is a unique experience that will never need to be
repeated, but, once we are saved, we need a daily, continual
walk with our Lord. We are saved by grace and we walk by
the grace of God.
Daily Devotionals
When we accept Jesus
Christ as our personal M. Pauls Prayer for the Romans, Romans 1:8-13.
Prayer for the Corinthians,
Savior, God begins a process T. Pauls
2 Corinthians 13:7-10.
of change that will only be W. Pauls Prayer for the Philippians,
1:4-9.
complete when we reach T. Philippians
Pauls Prayer for the Thessalonians,
Heaven. Most people who
1 Thessalonians 1:2-8.
are saved will continue to F. Pauls Prayer for Philemon, Philemon 1-7.
S. Pauls Advice to Timothy, 1 Timothy 2:1-6.
live on this earth for a
12
13
while and during that time they have the opportunity to

grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Obviously, we have to be exposed to knowledge to learn,
and just as surely, we have to be exposed to the grace of God
to grow in that grace. As Paul prayed for his brethren in
Ephesus, he was exposing them to the working of the grace
of God in their lives, and he was teaching them how to apply
these truths to every part of their daily living.
The truth we know will only change us as it becomes the
truth that we practice. What we do speaks so loudly that others cannot hear the words that we say.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. The Gift of the Holy Spirit
Ephesians 1:12-14
12. That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye
believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14. Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
God has a purpose in saving our souls and that purpose is

clearly stated in verse 12. We are literally created so that we
can praise the Lord. Every human being has the capacity to
be thankful. But true thanksgiving is not just to be a general feeling of gratitude without specific direction. We are to be
thankful to God and we are to be thankful in Christ. We are
deceiving ourselves if we claim Gods blessings in our lives
and then deny Christ. The words in Christ, or in him appear
frequently in Ephesians and they are fundamental to understanding Gods will for our lives. We are to seek fullness and
fulfillment in life through our relationship with Jesus.
The plan of salvation through Jesus is spelled out plainly.
We first hear the Word of truth. Faith comes by hearing and
14
Gods Grace Revealed in Pauls Prayer for Ephesus
hearing comes by the Word of God. When anyone hears the

gospel, that person has a choice to make. He or she can listen
to the message and change according to what the gospel
teaches or that person can reject the gospel.
We would like to think that we can just remain neutral
and make our decision later, but the truth is that, if we do not
accept the gospel, we have rejected it. There is no neutral
ground here. If we are not for the Lord, we are against Him
(Matt. 12:30). Once you hear and understand the gospel, you
are either saved or lost, and there is no way to remain neutral.
But God has not designed the gospel so that men might
reject it. Every human being should hear this life-giving message and repent of his sins and trust Jesus as his personal
Savior. This is the Word of truth that brings salvation.
When our souls are saved, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit.
This sealing refers to the seal that was placed on an important letter or official document. It means that we are set aside
and marked by God because of redemption. It does not suggest that we are somehow isolated from the realities of life,
like an object wrapped in plastic. God expects us to live in the
world, but, once we are saved, we are no longer of the world.
The presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts is the earnest
of our redemption. Earnest is something like a down payment. It is a token amount that is exchanged to seal a transaction. It indicates that all parties involved are sincere in
their dealings. God gives us the Holy Spirit in our hearts to
show that there are even greater blessings yet to come.
Remember that the presence of the Holy Spirit in our
hearts is absolutely vital to our salvation. In fact, if we do not
have the Holy Spirit, we do not belong to Jesus. Romans 8:9
puts this very plainly, But ye are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any
man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
The Holy Spirit is there in our hearts leading us on to the
day when our faith will be sight, and we will finally accomplish the great purpose of God which is to bring honor and
glory to God through Jesus Christ.
15
II. The Privilege of Intercessory Prayer

Ephesians 1:15-19
15. Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus,
and love unto all the saints,
16. Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in
my prayers;
17. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of him:
18. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye
may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of
the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19. And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward
who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.
We are not only to give thanks to God for our own salvation; we are to thank Him for saving others. When Paul
heard that souls had been saved in Ephesus, he was truly
thankful. He stated that he was continually praying for these
people, even though they may not have known about his
prayer at the time. Our prayer lives should not be determined by who we think is listening when we pray. We should
pray in secret and trust the Lord to reward us in the open.
Paul was not just praying some kind of general prayer that
things would get better in Ephesus. He was not praying that he
would get released from prison. Instead he was praying for the
spiritual development and growth of these brethren. In verse
17, he mentioned a truth also taught in James 1:5. When we
need wisdom, we should ask God for it. Paul prayed that God
would give these folks the spirit of wisdom as they considered
the things they already knew and learned more about Jesus.
Wisdom is the ability to make right choices. It is closely
related to knowledge and understanding. We need raw
knowledge, and we need to understand how to apply what we
know to the things that we are doing, but we also need wisdom to make the right choices in our lives. We can have both
knowledge and understanding and lack wisdom. Wisdom
does not come from studying books or even from practical
experience. Wisdom comes from God, and we can have it
when we will sincerely pray for it.
16
Wisdom will open our understanding and shine a light in

the dark places of our lives. We will then be able to see the
hope of our calling and the great riches that are waiting for us
in glory. God does indeed ask us to make sacrifices and any
sacrifice involves loss. But God only asks us to give up the
things that we cant keep anyway to gain things that we can
never lose. Jesus taught this life changing principle in Mark
8:35, For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospels, the same
shall save it. This passage may be difficult to accept, but it is
precisely true. We can only save what we are willing to lose,
and we will eventually lose everything that we seek to save.
When we give up anything for the Lord, we have to have
faith that He is able to replace what we have lost. Consider
the life of Jesus as an example. Jesus gave up His earthly life
by dying on the cross, but God replaced it with a glorified life
and a glorified body in the resurrection. The operative power
in the life of a child of God is the power of the resurrection.
That is the power to restore and to make all things new. God
can and will do that for every one of His children. Paul was
praying that the Ephesians would understand and accept
this truth.
III. The Power Available to Gods Children
Ephesians 1:20-23
20. Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the
dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21. Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also
in that which is to come:
22. And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the
head over all things to the church,
23. Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Paul used the example of Jesus and he applied this example to every believer. We read in Romans 8:18, For I reckon
17
that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be

compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. This
is a terrific truth expressed here.
This power to make things new and better is the power of the
resurrection. There are many things we can learn about the
power that brought Jesus out of the grave and into a new life.
First, we must learn that it only works when nothing else
will. Medicine cannot restore life. Resurrection power works in
the graveyard, not the hospital. What God does to our souls and
eventually to our physical bodies as well is not reformation, it
is replacement. This mortal must be replaced by immortality.
Then and only then is death swallowed up in victory.
The believers in Ephesus had been taught that this would
happen at the last day, and we have that knowledge as well.
But the truth is that this power to change us is available
right now in the very mess that we are in today! God is at
work right now. In the middle of the old creation, a new one
is taking shape. This is happening in our minds and in our
souls. As we learn from the Word of God and apply these
lessons to our lives, and, as we follow the leadership of the
Holy Spirit, the same power that brought Jesus out of the
grave is available to us.
Resurrection power can do anything. There is no job too
difficult and nothing is impossible for this kind of power. No
case is hopeless as far as God is concerned. If Jesus could
bring Lazarus out of a four day old grave, He can help you in
whatever trouble comes your way.
If all things are under His feet, then what is out of His control? Nothing is, and we should remember as we face trouble
and trial every day, Jesus is in control. He is the Head of his
churches, and He is in control of the things that happen on
this earth. As we commit ourselves to follow Him, we can
have access to His power to live and serve Him.
A FINAL WORD
This wonderful truth means that all the problems you had
recently are working for you. They are preparing you for this
great future day. They are teaching you something about how
18
to be patient and about how to handle pressure. They are giving you a chance to use the resurrection power of Christ that
is available to you. The weariness you feel at the end of the
day, the arthritic pains in your body, the disagreement you
had with your best friend are all working together for your
good. That is the point. That is what Paul wants these
Ephesians to see.
Life is not lost in a meaningless and random set of routine
of events. We are not drifting through life merely getting
more and more numb with each passing day. No, all things
are working together; they are preparing Gods children for
an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. Life will be
different if you learn to look at it that way. The hope of our
calling is that we will know the truth of Gods Word.
There is no circumstance we go through which cannot, in
the hands of our loving God, be turned to our advantage.
There may be what we perceive to be an immediate failure,
but that failure is not the end of the story. When we realize
this truth, then every moment we live, every event of our
lives, is touched with glory. We live on earth, but we know
that we are the citizens of Heaven. We know that eventually
everything will be brought together in Christ for the honor
and glory of God. What a wonderful way to live!

1. How does the Holy Spirit show in your daily life?
2. What do you pray for concerning others?
3. Does God give us the power to do what He asks us to do?
Why or why not?
4. What will eventually happen to all the kingdoms of this
world?
December 16, 2007
Gods Grace Revealed

in Our Salvation
Key Verse:
For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not
of yourselves: it is the gift of
God.
Ephesians 2:8
Sunday Devotional: A Lost Man

Finds Christ, Acts 16:25-32.
Application: The student will realize
that salvation and every other blessing
of life flows from the grace of God
toward mankind.
A FIRST LOOK
The realization of what Jesus has done for us and the simple truth that He has a plan for our lives will change us forever. We will never look at life in the same way once we understand these marvelous truths. The power of God will break
through our ignorance and reveal His truth to our souls.
We can never truly understand all that God has done for
us until we understand and accept the lost state of humanity. We must realize it is absolutely impossible for man to do
anything to save himself from his sins. Once we understand
this, we can then turn to the one true Savior and place our
faith in Him. It is never difficult to tell a lost man how to be
saved; it can be done in just a few words. Read Acts 16:31.
Often it is very difficult to
Daily Devotionals
get a human being to realize M. The Joy of Salvation, Psalm 51:1-13.
T. A Ruler of the Jews Is Saved, John 3:7-17.
that he or she is lost and W.
A Publican Is Saved, Luke 19:1-9.
needs the redeeming grace T. A Young Ruler Has a Chance To Be Saved,
Luke 18:18-26.
of Jesus Christ.
F. A King of the Jews Has a Chance To Be
In these verses we come
Saved, Acts 26:24-29.
to a truth so contrary to S. Saul of Tarsus Is Saved, Acts 9:1-9.
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Gods Grace Revealed in Our Salvation
human reasoning that many simply refuse to accept it. When

we hear it, we immediately water it down or try to explain it
away.
Remember, we are dealing with the eternal truth of the
Word of God. These plain truths are not subject to our review.
These things are not true if we believe them, they are true
whether we agree with them or not. You will find yourself in
the verses of the lesson today.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. Our Past Condition
Ephesians 2:1-4
1. And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and
sins:
2. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of
this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past
in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the
mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he
loved us.
Paul did not mince words here. He made no attempt to

soften the blow. He simply stated the truth. He put his finger
squarely on the basic problem of human nature, a problem
still widely ignored throughout the world today. Those who
have not been saved by the grace of Jesus Christ are dead in
trespasses and sins.
It is difficult to believe that a young healthy man or
woman is dead, but this is precisely what the Bible declares.
That abundant and radiant physical life conceals a dead
soul. The evidence of this is abundant. Notice how Paul analyzed this condition.
First, there is a walk, or a life lived, that is according to the
world and the devil. There is uniformity and conformity in
death. Eventually, all dead people are alike. The physical
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body returns to dust. Likewise, those who are lost are always
marked by their willingness to conform to the standards of a
lost world and Satan himself is behind these standards. This
is a matter of spirit, and there is an evil spirit working in the
children of disobedience.
Then, we learn that the conversation, or life-style, of lost
people is a matter of the satisfaction of lusts and the fulfilling of the desires of the flesh. Very few people in this world
who are not Christians will ever see beyond the satisfaction
of some immediate desire of the flesh. If we can have our lust
satisfied, we are happy, and, if we do not, we are miserable.
For literally millions of people in this world this is the greatest form of happiness. This itself is a sad commentary on the
human condition.
The two great characteristics of death are impotence and
corruption. Dead people are absolutely powerless to do anything. Once our soul leaves our body, the body can no longer
do anything, good or bad. The truth is that once we die, the
dead body loses all power.
The second characteristic of death is corruption. Once we
die, our bodies begin to deteriorate. This will not happen all
at once, but it will happen inevitably. The body that houses
our soul will rot and return to the earth. These are harsh
facts that we often dont want to face, but no rational person
can deny that they are true. This is the condition of a lost
man or woman.
Dead people cannot be made better by reformation and
renewal. They cannot help themselves and other people cant
help them either. It is beyond the power of man to restore life
to a dead body. Once death occurs, corruption, horrible corruption will soon follow. We may not like this description of
lost humanity, but this is precisely the condition we were all
in before we were saved.
Now notice the two wonderful words in verse 4, But God.
God loved us. While we were dead in sins, God loved us.
Before we ever knew Him, God loved us. The gospel begins
with love, not our love for God, but His love for us. God loves
us and through Jesus Christ He provided a way of redemption for us.
22
II. Our Present Salvation

Ephesians 2:5, 6
5. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together
with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6. And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Gods love results directly in our salvation. We were dead in

sins, but God has made us alive. Notice that we are made alive
with Christ. The very same power that brought Jesus out of
the grave and back to life is the power that saves our souls.
As a dead body cant help itself, a person dead in sins cant
help himself either. Salvation is not about what we do to help
ourselves; it is about what God does for us through Jesus. We
are not saved by our works. Like dead people we can do nothing to help ourselves. We are saved by the grace of God. Grace
is unmerited favor, the process by which we get things that
we do not deserve. Grace isnt earned and it is not a reward.
It is extended to us by a loving God who wants every soul to
find peace through Jesus.
As God raised Jesus from the dead and, then, took Him into
Heaven, God brings the lost souls of those who trust in His Son
to life and then takes them to Heaven when they are through
on this earth and brings them into His divine presence.
Please understand, salvation is not reformation. Jesus did
not come and die so that the good people could be made a little better. He died so that lost sinners could live. He died so
that those who were dead in trespasses and sins could have
spiritual life. That is the wonderful promise of the gospel,
and it is unique in all history. Most man-made religions focus
on making life better. Jesus proposes to make a dead soul
alive. What a marvelous difference!
III. Our Future Presentation
Ephesians 2:7
7. That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
23
We are saved by grace and we are saved for a purpose. As

our physical lives have a purpose beyond mere existence, so
our spiritual lives have a purpose. God has a goal in mind for
us, and, when we realize and accept this fact, the way we look
at life and eternity will be changed forever.
There are ages to come and we will have a part in them one
way or another. You are an eternal being. You will live on
after your body dies, either in Heaven or in hell. Both are real
places and there are real people inhabiting them right now.
Those who trust Jesus as their personal Savior will live on
in Heaven throughout all eternity and they will give evidence of two wonderful truths. The first is that God has
shown the richness of His grace through our salvation.
Remember that we are saved by grace, not by our works. If
you believe that these verses are true, then we are dead in
sins and dead people are powerless to help themselves. But
Gods grace is never powerless and it saves our souls and sets
us free.
The second thing God intends to reveal through us is His
kindness. These simple verses encompass Gods great goal
for humanity. He is gracious and kind to us, and He intends
to demonstrate it throughout eternity through those who will
accept Him and be saved.
Please note that all this is through Jesus Christ. None of it
is through our own efforts.
IV. Our Sure Foundation
Ephesians 2:8-10
8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto
good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk
in them.
In these verses, we have a concise statement of the foundation of truth as it applies to all humanity. We begin with
death and now we come to life at its fullest. True human fulfillment comes when we realize all that God has done for us.
24
What could be more plain than verse 8? We are saved

through our faith in Jesus Christ, and we are saved by the
grace of God. It is not of ourselves. We did not do anything to
bring it about. We did not contribute to our salvation, all we
did was agree to it. It is the gift of God, not a reward or
repayment for a life of human goodness.
Here is a wonderful and true revelation of human nature.
If we were saved by our works, then we would inevitably be
boasting about it. One man would brag that he had done
many good things while others had not. In Matthew 7:21-23
such a scene is actually recorded. Men appear before Jesus
to boast of all the wonderful things they have done. Another
such scene concerns a Pharisee and a publican recorded in
Luke 18:10-14. But no one can boast of his salvation because
not one of us did any work to bring it about.
Then in Ephesians 2:10 we see another life-changing
truth. God loves us, God saves us, and God has a plan for our
lives. We are not accidents, and we are not living out a hopeless series of random events, waiting to die. We live according to a great plan that God set in motion long long ago. That
plan is that we continue to live and serve the Lord on the
earth after our souls have been saved. God has ordained that
we do good works, not to be saved, but because we are saved.
A dead man cant do anything, but living people have a
choice. Living people can live in trespasses and sin or they
can walk according to the new life that Jesus gives.
Understanding this will permanently change the way you
live.
A FINAL WORD
What has God done for you? If you believe that His presence in your life is merely an accessory to an otherwise pretty good situation, then you will be very different from the
man who knows that he was dead and that God has made
him alive.
Many, perhaps some in Ephesus, did not understand the
eternal plan of God. Many foolish men see themselves as
being somehow equal with God. They want to argue with
25
Him and set their reasoning power against His. This is as

silly as going into a graveyard and having an argument with
the tombstones. Dead men dont need an argument, they
need life.
Dead men dont need encouragement. They dont need
reformation, they dont need to be told to behave. They need
the power of the resurrection. Here is the very heart of the
matter.
Was Jesus Christ who He claimed to be? Did He do what
He claimed to have done? How you answer these questions
will determine your eternal destiny.
When He was taken down from the cross, Jesus was dead.
He was not in a coma, and He was not just overcome by the
pain and suffering of His time on the cross. He was dead.
Even His dearest friends thought that it was all over. The
disciples went on their way, and the women prepared His
body for burial. But when they returned to the tomb three
days later, He was not there; He had risen. This great event
shows us what happens when we are saved and it gives us
the promise that as God conquers spiritual death, He can
also overcome physical death. This is the wonderful promise
of the good news of Jesus Christ.

1. Do you really think that you were dead before you were
saved? Why or why not?
2. What power rules this physical world?
3. How do you deal with the lusts of the flesh?
4. In what ways do you consider yourself to be the workmanship of God?
December 23, 2007
Gods Grace Revealed

in Christian Unity
Sunday Devotional: The Real

Way To Have Peace, Colossians
1:12-20.
Key Verse:
For he is our peace, who
hath made both one, and hath
broken down the middle wall
of partition between us.
Application: The death of Christ

on the cross is the most powerful
unifying force in the universe. No
matter what our other differences,
we can meet at the cross.
Ephesians 2:14
A FIRST LOOK
In one way or another most of us desire unity. However, the
path to unity that the world teaches is far different from the
unity that is taught in the Bible.
The unity of the world is brought about either by force or
by compromise. One powerful individual or group forces others to see things their way and then there is unity. Kings and
dictators have been imposing this kind of unity on others for
centuries. Then there is the unity born of compromise. This is
prevalent in our day. When there is disagreement, each party
involved has to give some ground to the other and a kind of
unity will result. Unfortunately, unity based on compromise
is never truly satisfactory.
A compromise that forDaily Devotionals
feits real principle will M. A False Peace, Psalm 28.
make both parties miser- T. Peace Is a Blessing from God, Psalm 29.
able. The compromise that W. A Meek Heart Brings Peace, Psalm 37:1-11.
is based on falsehood, T. Righteous Judgment Brings Peace, Psalm 72:1-7.
where both parties give F. God Intends Peace for His People, Psalm 125.
S. The Fear of the Lord Brings Peace, Psalm 128.
up things they never
26
27
wanted in the first place is unity based on lies, and it will

never last.
Real unity is possible and this is the Christian unity that
is taught in these verses. This is unity based on truth and
based on real changes that take place in the hearts and lives
of all those involved.
This unity will produce peace in our hearts, and it will last
throughout eternity. There are no disagreements and arguments in Heaven. Everyone there is united in the love of God
and in love for each other. Those who are saved can learn to
live that way while they are here on the earth.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. A Life of Unrest and Uncertainty
Ephesians 2:11, 12
11. Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in
the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the
Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12. That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from
the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of
promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.
No matter where you are going, you have to start where

you are. A wise man will also look back occasionally to see
where he has been. This is the thought behind the admonition here to remember. We can use our memories in many
ways and some of them are bad. In our imagination it is even
possible to remember things that never happened! But, if we
will be honest with ourselves, every saved person can remember a time when he was lost.
Before Paul and Silas came to Ephesus, this city was filled
with pagan temples and the hopelessness that results from
worshiping man-made gods. There were some Jews who lived
there and perhaps there was some truths communicated
through them, but for the most part this great city was in
spiritual darkness. This was not true for most or for many, it
was true for all of those who would later become a part of the
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Gods Grace Revealed in Christian Unity
church at Ephesus. Whether or not we are united in Christ,

remember that we were once united in sin.
The Jews even had a name for idolatrous worshiping
Gentiles. They called them the Uncircumcision. By referring to others as Gentiles and the Uncircumcision the Jews
had erected a wall that no Gentile could ever penetrate. The
term Gentile simply means the others. Of course Uncircumcision refers to the major identifying mark of the Jews. In
this way the Jews were excluding the Gentiles from their
worship.
Note the accurate description that Paul gave of those who
are lost. They are without Christ. They are aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, that is, they are like foreigners
without rights and privileges in a strange country. They are
strangers from the promises that God has made in His Word.
They are without hope and they are without God in this
world. This describes a horrible condition and a great barrier that exists between those who have these things and those
who lack them.
This also describes the life of unrest and uncertainty that
is lived by millions of people today. If you have ever been in
a strange place where everyone but you spoke a different language and understood what was going on, you get some sense
of what Paul was describing here. This is a sad and hopeless
situation, but there is hope and that hope is once again
expressed in the action that God takes on our behalf.
II. A Change That Brings Peace
Ephesians 2:13-17
13. But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are
made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of
commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of
twain one new man, so making peace;
16. And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by
the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17. And came and preached peace to you which were afar off,
and to them that were nigh.
29
These verses describe the things that God has done to

bring about true unity among men. There is no mention of
God setting aside any of His standards. There is no compromise and there is no force. But there is reconciliation through
Jesus Christ.
The initiative is taken by God. God sent His Son into the
world and through the work of Jesus all men can be saved.
This is unity based on truth; the only thing that must be
given up is the falsehood that will be lost anyway when the
real truth is exposed. Those who were a far off have been
made close by the shed blood of Jesus. This unification is not
through the works of the flesh; it is by the shedding of blood.
Jesus died so that we can have faith in Him and fellowship
with each other.
This unity brings peace. Division brings strife and even
war, but unity in Jesus brings real and lasting peace. Jesus
did this by breaking down the wall that separates men from
each other. Christ brings peace by breaking down all barriers.
This is an illustrative picture taken from the Temple in
Jerusalem. The Temple was surrounded by a series of courts.
Each court had a high wall separating it from the preceding
court. As you approached the Temple, you entered the outer
Court of the Gentiles. This is where the buying and selling of
animals and the exchanging of money took place (Mark
11:15). Then there was the court of the women. A Jewish
woman was limited to this court unless she had come to
make a sacrifice. The next court was the court of the
Israelites. This is where the whole congregation gathered on
the great feast days and where sacrifices were handed over
to the priests. The court of the priests was next. This court
was in the main part of the Temple. This area was sacred and
was accessible only to the priests. Finally, within the very
heart of the Temple stood the Holy of Holies where the glory
of God was to appear. Only the high priest could enter the
Holy Place and he could enter only once a year.
Partition after partition separated people from the presence of God. Warnings hung around the wall of the Court of
the Gentiles announcing that, if any Gentile walked any farther, he was to be put to death.
30
The teaching here is that of Jesus Christ who breaks down

all barriers and walls that separate men from God. All men
can now have access to God equally through the death of
Jesus Christ. We may still erect barriers, but Christ has done
away with them all. He has broken them all down by the
blood He shed on the cross. All men can approach God on the
same basis by repenting of their sin and accepting Jesus
Christ as their personal Savior.
This is the same message for those who were far off as it
is to those who are near. This is the secret to true unity. We
are not united in compromise or by force; we are united by
belief. When we confess our sins and believe in Jesus, we find
a lasting basis for true unity.
As a practical application, note that most of the divisions
among Christians are caused when both parties involved forget how, why and when they were saved. As long as we draw
closer to the cross, we draw closer to each other.
III. Understanding That Brings Blessings
Ephesians 2:18-22
18. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the
Father.
19. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but
fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20. And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21. In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto
an holy temple in the Lord:
22. In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of
God through the Spirit.
The unity that God gives is to be reflected in His children.

There is one Spirit through whom we have access to God.
The lie of humanism is that there are many paths to God and
it doesnt matter which one you are on. The Bible is very
clear in this. We read in 1 Timothy 2:5, For there is one God,
and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus.
31
Because there is one true God and one true way to approach Him, and because all the barriers to God have been
broken down by Jesus, we are no longer strangers and foreigners. What we are is reflected in three great illustrations
in this passage.
First, we are fellow-citizens with the saints. We are all the
citizens of the same country. One of the greatest divisions in
history is the division between the nations of the world. The
Romans hated the Jews and the Jews hated almost everyone.
The national differences were thought to be beyond reconciliation. But in Jesus all these differences are set aside and we
all become the citizens of Heaven. We share a common heritage and we share a common goal.
The second illustration Paul used is that we are members
of the same family. We are a part of the household of God.
Through our faith we are made members of the family of
God. We are born into that family, and we are also adopted
into that family. Regardless of any other differences, all
believers are a part of the family of God and this is a wonderful basis for unity and fellowship. We all appreciate the
ties that bind our earthly families together and those ties
should be as strong in our spiritual family.
The third illustration is that of a building. As the Temple
in Jerusalem was a large and magnificent structure, so is the
family of God. A large building has a foundation. Our foundation is the work of Jesus Christ, the solid Rock (1 Cor.
3:11). This foundation is the completed New Testament written largely by the men Jesus chose to be apostles.
A great building is also made up of several smaller stones,
joined together one by one with every stone in its place and
doing its job. This is a picture of a church. A New Testament
church is founded on the Word of God, and it consists of members joined together everyone in his or her proper place and
making up a structure that is greater than its individual
parts.
The people in Ephesus might naturally contrast this spiritual building with the great temple of Diana that was a part
of the architecture of the city. This would be a great illustration of what God was building in the lives of His children.
32
A FINAL WORD
Some important applications should be made from these
truths. First, have you personally experienced the grace of
God? Have you trusted Christ and received eternal life that
He alone can give? If you have not, or if you are not sure of
your spiritual position, turn to Christ by faith and trust Him.
Like Israel of old, you may have been given many spiritual
privileges, only to reject God who gave them to you. Or, like
the ancient Gentiles, you may have turned away from God
and lived in sin and disobedience. In either case, call on
Christ, and He will save you.
Second, if you are a true believer in Christ, are you sharing your faith with others? You have been raised from the
dead so that you can walk in newness of life. Share the good
news of eternal life with others. You are no longer at enmity
with God, so you can spread the good news of peace with God
with those who are still far from Him.
If you are not at peace and in harmony with your brothers
and sisters in Christ, then do what it takes to restore those
broken relationships. Jesus Christ died to make reconciliation possible. You and I can make reconciliation personal. We
do this when we take the Word of God literally and personally. There is no reason for earthly differences to divide those
who will ultimately be united in their eternal home.

1. What past attitudes have you discarded since you have
been saved?
2. How does the blood of Christ serve as a unifying force in
the life of a Christian?
3. What does it mean to reconcile two people? Have you
ever experienced this?
4. In what ways are Christians a family? In what ways are
we a building?
December 30, 2007
Gods Grace Revealed

in the Ministry
Key Verse:
Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of
the grace of God given unto
me by the effectual working
of his power.
Ephesians 3:7
Sunday Devotional: Jesus Calls

Men To Be Apostles, Matthew 4:1825.
Application: Every child of God is
given the blessed privilege of revealing the plan of God to others.
Witnessing should be a natural and
continuous part of our lives.
A FIRST LOOK
Almost everyone likes a mystery. We like to follow the clues
to the conclusion where the mystery is revealed. There are
mysteries in the Bible, but they are not like the mysteries we
commonly know. Bible knowledge is progressive. It depends
on the time in which we live and on our personal spiritual
condition. Through time, God has revealed more and more
about His dealing with men until the Bible was finally completed. As we grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord,
we can understand and appreciate more and more of the
tremendous truths of the Bible.
In some ways this passage is the key to understanding the
book of Ephesians. Here Paul explains his personal ministry
and its impact on those in
Daily Devotionals
Ephesus and all those M. The Ministry of Barnabas, Acts 4:36, 37; 13:1-7.
who will live in what we T. The Ministry of Silas, Acts 16:1-31.
call the church age. The W. The Ministry of James, Acts 15:12-22.
T. The Ministry of Epaphroditus,
first century was a turnPhilippians 2:25-30.
ing point in the history of F. The Ministry of Timothy, 1 Timothy 1:182:7.
S. The Ministry of Deacons, Acts 6:1-7.
mankind. In a relatively
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Gods Grace Revealed in the Ministry
short period of time, many things changed. Jesus came into

the world and His brief ministry changed the world forever.
The spread of His churches changed how the world would
think about God forever.
These words are given so that we could understand these
changes and apply the truth to our own hearts. The mystery
here is not some dark secret that only a select few can comprehend, instead it is knowledge that everyone can have if
they will learn the truth as God gives it in His Word.
Remember, the Bible is about revelation. If God wants to
keep us in the dark, all He has to do is remain silent.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. The Things the Gentiles Did Not Know
Ephesians 3:1-4
1. For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you
Gentiles,
2. If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which
is given me to you-ward:
3. How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery;
(as I wrote afore in few words,
4. Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in
the mystery of Christ).
Paul began by referring to himself as a prisoner. But note

that he was a prisoner of Christ. Paul did not ever refer to
himself as a prisoner of Caesar. Paul recognized that God was
in control of the things that Caesar was doing. Jesus taught
this in His discourse with Pilate in John 19:11. Jesus told
Pilate that the power behind all government was from God.
Paul was in the center of Gods will for his life, and he knew
that God was in control, no matter how it might have
appeared to those in Ephesus. Every Christian should always
remember that no matter what happens, God is in control.
Paul also mentioned that his imprisonment was on behalf
of the Gentiles. He was a prisoner specifically because he had
preached to the Gentiles. The Gentiles were benefiting from
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his present condition. If he had not been arrested, they might

never have known the truths in this and the other letters he
wrote from prison. We should learn that God is working in
many ways that are unknown to us, but all things do work
together for those who love the Lord.
The grace of God is at work in our salvation, and it is also
at work in our service to the Lord. It was a dispensation, or
giving, of this grace that had brought Paul into the ministry.
True ministers of Jesus are never self-made men. The ministry is not a choice among alternatives. It is a calling, and it
is different and distinct from every other occupation of men.
No true preacher enters the ministry on his own. The first and
most important qualification for a preacher is that God must
call him to preach. If this element is missing then his ministry
will fail, no matter what else happens (Matt. 7:21-23).
Paul occupied a unique position among the apostles. An
apostle had to be a man personally selected by Jesus and be
an eyewitness of the resurrection (Acts 1:22). Paul had fulfilled both of these qualifications, but he was not present
with the other apostles during the personal ministry of
Jesus. The other apostles had learned much from the personal teaching of Jesus, but Paul had to learn these same things
through revelation. We have a hint of this process in 2
Corinthians 12. But God had made the mystery of the ages
known to Paul, and he was passing that knowledge along to
these Ephesians and all who would later read these words.
In verse 4, we come to the purpose of this book. Paul expected those who read these words to understand the mystery that God had revealed to him personally. These words
are an attempt to share this mystery with all who come into
contact with this truth.
We can never study the Bible academically. The Bible is
personal and we should take it that way. We cannot make a
cold detached examination of these truths because they are
given to change our hearts. If we will look at them honestly,
they will have that effect. If we do not then they will fall to
the ground like seeds on the wayside. This is what Jesus
meant when He thanked God that these truths had been
revealed to children but hidden from the wise (Luke 10:21).
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The truth of Gods Word is there for anyone who will open his
heart and receive it. But if we study the Word with a cold and
calculating spirit, looking for errors and loopholes, we will
never benefit from our study.
II. The Men God Chose To Bring Revelation
Ephesians 3:5-8
5. Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of
men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by
the Spirit;
6. That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same
body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
7. Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the
grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
8. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace
given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable
riches of Christ.
Here we get a glimpse into the progressive nature of revelation. This mystery had not been made known to men in
other ages, but now it was finally revealed. Please note that
the reason that men in other ages didnt know these things
was not that they were not clever or smart enough to figure
them out. God had specifically reserved certain things to be
revealed at a certain time. At that time the revelation would
be plain and until that time it would not. Remember this as
we study about the prophecies of end-time events.
The mechanism of revelation was through the apostles,
prophets and the Holy Spirit. The New Testament was mostly written by the apostles. There are certainly words of
prophecy included and all this is made understandable to us
by the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Never forget
that we need the Holy Spirit to help us understand the Word.
A cold academic study of the Bible will never satisfy our
hearts, but, when we read these wonderful words and allow
God to lead us in applying them to our hearts, our lives will
be changed by what we learn.
The scriptural truth that Paul communicates here is that
Gentiles are fellow heirs and partakers of the promises that
God gave to the Jews. Expressing this, Paul uses three
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unique terms. They would literally read joint heirs, joint bodies and joint partakers. When we come to Christ, all other differences dissolve, and we become one in Him. In these terms
we have the solutions to all the troubles that plague
mankind.
The first term deals with possessions. Our problems with
the physical world are all resolved in Jesus. Jesus does not
show us how to keep what is in this world, but how we can
give up the things we cannot keep and gain things we cannot
lose. The ultimate solution to physical possessions is in the
resurrection. In this world we live in a state of declension
and decay, but in the resurrection all this will be reversed,
and all things will be made new, even the physical principles
of the universe and all this is made possible in Jesus.
The second term deals with our relationships. Why do people fight and struggle with one another constantly? Much of
our warfare is because we do not regard ourselves as members of the same body. Now artificial attempts to unite
humanity are doomed to failure, but there is a true unity and
this is in Jesus. When people come to Jesus, all other distinctions are set aside, and there can be true unity.
The third term that concerns mankind has to do with
power. Men strive to exercise power over each other and over
their environment. These issues are all resolved when we
realize that we are joint partakers of the power and promises of God. The Holy Spirit will dwell in the hearts of those
who believe in Jesus and will empower them to do anything
that is scripturally necessary. This power is not given capriciously or arbitrarily. God gives this power to everyone who
believes no matter what his condition or status in life. We
always have the power to do the will of God. Paul even had
this power as a prisoner in Rome.
III. The Eternal Purposes of God
Ephesians 3:9-11
9. And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God,
who created all things by Jesus Christ:
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10. To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in
heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
11. According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
The purpose of God is to make all people know about this

mystery. The key piece of knowledge is that all this is made
possible by Jesus. Many, even those who are truly saved, tend
to regard their relationship with Christ as an accessory to
life. Some view Christianity with a take it or leave it attitude, thinking that they can enjoy or set aside as they like.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus is the center
of all of life. We can only understand life and our place in the
universe as we properly relate to Him.
Jesus is the author of all creation. All things were made by
Him and without Him there was not anything made (John
1:3). This is a radical idea that is not accepted universally,
but nevertheless it is true. Unless we realize this and act
accordingly, we will never comprehend the mystery of God.
As all things were made by Jesus, they were made for a
purpose. This world is not a grand accident of evolution. It
was made by a Creator, and it was made for a purpose. The
purpose is that the power of the universe might be revealed
by the truth of Gods Word. This truth has been entrusted to
the Lords churches. The churches have a responsibility to
teach and preach that truth, and people everywhere have a
responsibility to hear and to believe that truth.
The wisdom of God is manifold, there are many parts to it,
and it is truly unsearchable as far as the human mind is concerned. God has an eternal purpose, and it is revealed to us
and through us as we draw closer to Jesus in our personal
and spiritual relationships.
A FINAL WORD
The purpose of God is revelation. He wants us to know the
truth, and He wants us to act on the truth, and He wants us
to rest in the truth. This truth is not a concept; it is a person.
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Jesus stated plainly that He was the truth (John 14:6). Jesus
is not one way to the truth. He is not truth concealed among
many other truths. He is the only truth. Only when we know
Jesus can we hope to know more about our world and about
ourselves.
This is the mystery that the world does not know. The
world puts Jesus in a category of religious and spiritual leaders that includes several men and even some figments of
imagination. This is total folly and will never lead to a discovery of truth. Only when we see Jesus for what He is, can
we see ourselves as we really are.
God has given us a mind to use to search out knowledge.
He has given us understanding, and He will give us wisdom
if we ask Him for it. We can then use these gifts to discover
the great mystery of His grace. The mystery is simply that all
things will eventually find their fullness in Jesus Christ.
We can look for fulfillment in several places, but we will
never find it until we look into our own souls and find a right
relationship with Jesus there. This comes through the grace
of God and through our faith in Jesus Christ. When you find
that, you have laid the foundation for the discovery of all
other truth.

1. Name some things we know now that were unknown
just a few years ago?
2. How did you learn what you know now? Can you describe the process of learning?
3. Name some ways we can teach the timeless truths of the
gospel.
4. In what ways is every child of God a minister?
January 6, 2008
Gods Grace Revealed

in His Churches
Sunday Devotional: Jesus Gives

the Great Commission to His
Churches, Matthew 28:18-20.
Key Verse:
Unto him be glory in the
church by Christ Jesus,
throughout all ages, world
without end. Amen.
Application: That the student will

realize that God has commanded us
to serve Him through a local, New
Testament church.
Ephesians 3:21
A FIRST LOOK
In these verses we get a sense of the concern Paul felt for
the people in Ephesus. He was aware that his circumstances
could be used by Satan to discourage others. After all, if a
great man like Paul was in prison, what hope was there for
the church members in Ephesus? Pauls response to those
feelings has given us one of the most spiritually encouraging
passages in this whole letter.
Most of us know the difference between what we should do
and what we are actually doing. There is a constant struggle
to be what we should be. The worlds solution to this struggle
is to be resolute. We are told to grit our teeth and determine
in ourselves that we will do better. This of course always
fails. However, this doesnt mean that we can never change.
The source of real change for a child of God is the inner
strength that Jesus imDaily Devotionals
parts to every soul who
M. The Church at Smyrna, Revelation 2:8-11.
trusts Him.
T. The Church at Pergamos, Revelation 2:12-17.
The key is the simple W.
The Church at Thyatira, Revelation 2:18-29.
truth of John 14:20, At T. The Church at Sardis, Revelation 3:1-6.
that day ye shall know F. The Church at Philadelphia, Revelation 3:7-13.
S. The Church at Laodicea, Revelation 3:14-22.
that I am in my Father,
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and ye in me, and I in you. Jesus lives in the heart of a

Christian. This inner life is the power to respond to desperate circumstances with unbounded hope and to do whatever
God leads us to do.
The brethren in Ephesus were in danger of losing heart.
This danger still looms today, and in these verses we learn
the permanent cure for this condition. No matter what, the
situation is not hopeless and all is not lost. It can never be for
the children of God.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. We Need Strength of Heart
Ephesians 3:12-15
12. In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by
the faith of him.
13. Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for
you, which is your glory.
14. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ,
15. Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.
Our first resource is prayer. We should never forget that

we have access to all of Heavens blessings through prayer.
Literally, there is no situation that cant be improved by
prayer. Paul knew this and also knew that some in Ephesus
might faint because of his tribulations. He had dealt with
this in chapter 1, and there he prayed for knowledge for
these brethren. We not only need light and knowledge to
begin our spiritual lives, we need power to continue in our
service to the Lord. Motivation demands resolve. This
remains a great need in the hearts of Gods people today.
Note the serious nature of this prayer. Paul bowed his
knees. This does not mean that this is the only posture of
prayer, but it does indicate that Paul was serious in this
request. Notice that this prayer was addressed to God the
Father. This was a recognition of the communion that we
have with the eternal God, the Creator of the universe and
the Father of Jesus Christ.
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Gods Grace Revealed in His Churches
This is a reminder that, when we are feeling alone and are

about to faint, we need to turn to our Heavenly Father for
strength to go on. If we realize the simple truth of verse 15,
which teaches the whole of Heaven and earth are a part of
the creation of God and that His name rules supreme in the
universe, we will recognize that there is no problem He cant
solve and no trouble that cant be turned to His glory.
When we turn our troubles over to God, we are not adopting a fatalistic stance that just takes whatever comes next
with stoic resolve. Instead, we are taking a positive step in
truly solving any dilemma and in appropriating the power of
Heaven instead to help us.
The answer to this kind of prayer may not be that we get
the things that we imagine would bring us relief. Prayer is
not the way we get our will done in Heaven, instead it is the
way we get Gods will done in our lives. But the direct and
immediate result of true effectual prayer is spiritual power.
We get the strength to endure our difficulties and live a victorious life.
The danger that we will faint is past when we truly realize the power of God is there to help us when we turn our
troubles over to Him.
II. We Need Christ Dwelling in Our Hearts
Ephesians 3:16-19
16. That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory,
to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being
rooted and grounded in love,
18. May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the
breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19. And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,
that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
The first result of this kind of prayer is renewed strength

in the inner man. This is the process by which our inner man
can grow stronger even though our outward man perishes (2
Cor. 4:16). No matter what we do, our bodies will age and
weaken. But our spirits can grow stronger day by day. This
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strength is an answer to our prayers for God to dwell in us

and strengthen us.
We are given strength to allow Jesus to make His home in
our hearts. The Holy Spirit gives us strength so that Jesus
can dwell in our hearts through our faith. This is the first
response of God to our weaknesses. He lets us know that He
is there and is available to us. God is not far off somewhere
else, He is right there in our hearts wherever we go and in
whatever we do. That is a consolation in times of stress.
Jesus is there, living in you.
The third step is that we begin to experience and share the
love of God. Note that this is not the first step; it is the third.
When our love grows cold, we need to restore it through
prayer and through spiritual strength and through the living
presence of Jesus. We cant skip a step here. We do not just
have love; we are rooted and grounded in love. This is a mixed
metaphor. Plants are rooted, and buildings are grounded, but
both are examples of security and stability. We need foundations in our lives and the strongest is the foundation of love.
When we know that we are loved and we are able to love others, we are never in danger of fainting.
The next step is the comprehension of the power that we
have in Jesus. We will only do this as we share our fellowship
with each other. Many of Gods children live in solitary confinement. They never share their feelings or faith with others. This is not only a lonely life; it is a powerless life. We
were meant to be together, joined to our brothers and sisters
in the Lord in the fellowship of a New Testament church. We
need the Lord, and we need each other as well.
We are to bear each others burdens (Gal. 6:2). We are to
enlarge our hearts toward each other (2 Cor. 6:13). We are
even to confess our faults to each other (James 5:16). When
we do, we get a strength that can come from no other source.
This strength is described as all encompassing having
length, breadth, height and depth. All of this comes as we are
led by the Holy Spirit to relate to each other in Christ.
Then we can literally know things that cant be known!
What a promise. We can know the love of Christ which passes knowledge and be given that love in our own hearts. We
may never understand the love of God, but we can feel it in
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our hearts, and we can know that it is real. A baby doesnt

understand its mothers love, but it feels it and knows that it
is real. This makes us absolutely immune to fainting. Never
forget that God loves you, and you are never alone. When you
do, you will not faint.
III. We Need To Serve God Through a Church
Ephesians 3:20, 21
20. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above
all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
21. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout
all ages, world without end. Amen.
Now we get a glimpse into what God is doing in our lives. Do

you have a goal? Do you have a plan for your life? What would
happen if you got everything you ever wanted? What would
happen if every dream you ever dreamed came true? It might
be wonderful, but it would be less than God plans to give you.
God has planned success for everyone of His children that
is beyond all that we could ask or think. No matter how
grand you imagine Heaven to be, you are wrong. Its better
than that. But, if we insist on running our own lives and
manipulating our world to get our way, then our way is all
that we will ever get. Most men will never live out their
dreams, but for the few who do, their dreams are all they will
ever achieve. But those who trust in Jesus and walk according to His Word will get riches beyond their ability to imagine them. This is the wonderful promise of these verses.
This is not brought about by the will of man; it is brought
about by the will of God. Our duty in every spiritual transaction is to assent to the will of God for our lives.
God is not willing that anyone should perish, but real people will die and go to hell. This is not because God wants it
this way, but because people deliberately choose to disregard
the pleadings of the Holy Spirit and turn away from the love
that is offered to them. When we reject the Lord, we cannot
receive His blessings.
In a similar way, when a saved person refuses to follow the
Lord in baptism, that saved person shuts himself off from the
45
blessings of God. It is not that God wants this to happen, but

we can choose this course for ourselves and we must live with
the choices that we make.
It is possible to disregard the divine instruction that God
has given us for our service to Him. Jesus Christ started His
church during His personal ministry on earth. He decreed
that the gates of hell would not prevail against it and that it
would be here when He returned to the earth.
Church worship may not be important to mankind, but it
is important to God. A local New Testament church is the
avenue through which we return our glory to God, both now
and through the ages to come. Eventually, every child of God
will learn this lesson. The wise will learn it now and live
accordingly.
This means that we should make our worship in our
churches an important and vital part of our lives. Often
someone states, I can serve the Lord just as well outside a
church as inside. This is nonsense and it is not taught in the
Bible. The Lords churches are here for a purpose, and He
offers them to us so that we can find encouragement and
strength in our fellowship with other believers.
One of Satans favorite tools is to drive Christians out of
churches. Then alone and afraid, they can become easily discouraged. The simple fact is that those who dont serve the
Lord in a church usually do not serve Him at all. Just think
about it from your own experiences. When you are not in
church on Sunday, what are you doing? Most of us are not
reading our Bibles and praying. We find ourselves easily
absorbed in the things of the world.
Make your church the spiritual center of your life. You will
be honoring God and serving Jesus in the process, and you
will be obedient to the direct teachings of the Bible.
A FINAL WORD
No one is immune from discouragement. Paul told us that
he was afraid that these brethren might faint, however he
did not discuss all the possible causes in these verses.
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But God did tell us plainly and simply the way back to
complete fellowship and strength. First, we should pray.
Never look at prayer as a last resort. Instead, look at it as a
first response to any troubling situation. Then, we should
allow the inner strength of Jesus to come into our hearts. We
take care of our outer man carefully, we wash him and dress
him and feed him. We should take just as good care of our
spiritual man.
Then, we should have a personal awareness of the presence of Jesus in our hearts. The key to this is through our
faith. When we are fainting, we are not believing. When we
believe, we are not fainting.
Know that you are loved. Only as we understand that we
are loved can we begin to love others. Love is the first and
great commandment of Jesus. Love gives us the power to
relate to each other and to identify ourselves, as we really
are, the saints of God.
Finally, we can begin to appropriate a power that we cant
even begin to comprehend. The love of God surpasses human
knowledge, but it can touch any human heart. We dont have
to understand it, but we do have to accept it and make it a
part of our own being. When we do, we will find ourselves
more that conquerors in any situation. The outer man is
indeed perishing day by day, but the inner man can be constantly renewed through faith in Jesus Christ.

1. How does Christ give you strength to do what you otherwise could not do?
2. How can we allow the indwelling power of Christ to control our lives more?
3. What does it mean to comprehend the love of God?
4. What are some of the things we can only do when we
gather in church capacity?
January 13, 2008
Gods Grace Revealed

in the Use of Our Talents
Key Verse:
I therefore, the prisoner of
the Lord, beseech you that ye
walk worthy of the vocation
wherewith ye are called.
Ephesians 4:1
Sunday Devotional: How Does

God Want Us To Use Our Talents?
Matthew 25:14-24.
Application: The student will
realize that he has a special talent
that can be used in Gods service
and will begin to develop and use
that talent.
A FIRST LOOK
We and God look at things differently. Our view is that if
we obey God, then, God has to bless us. Gods view is that He
has already blessed us, so we should obey Him out of love, not
out of duty. Ephesians is a wonderful balance of spiritual
knowledge and practical duty. The first chapters deal with
what we should know about our relationship with Jesus. The
latter chapters deal with our practical day-to-day duties as
believers in Jesus.
We can err if we put too much emphasis on either section.
While Christianity involves a life of continual learning, spiritual knowledge is never
Daily Devotionals
theoretical. God expects
us to put what we know M. The Holy Spirit Is Given, Acts 2:29-40.
T. The Gifts of God Cannot Be Bought,
into use in the lives we
Acts 8:13-22.
live right here on the W. The Gifts of God Come Through Jesus,
5:15-18.
earth. In Acts 1, Luke T. Romans
The Gifts of God Require the Love of God,
gave us an overview of the
1 Corinthians 13:1-13.
life of Jesus describing F. Every Good Gift Is from God, James 1:13-21.
We Should Use Our Gifts as We Near the
Jesus as a doer of truth as S. Second
Coming, 1 Peter 4:7-11.
well as a teacher of truth.
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Gods Grace Revealed in the Use of Our Talents
In Luke 16:9-12, Jesus strongly admonished us to take care

that we are faithful in what we might call everyday living. He
taught that we should take care of the money that is committed to our trust even though we know that our lives are temporary and that a mans life does not consist of the wealth
that he possesses. God expects every one of His children to
apply the principles of the Bible to every day of his life.
One of the sad shortcomings in the lives of some believers
is the compartmentalization of Bible truth. Many want to put
Jesus and their church in a box and only take them out on
Sunday. On Monday they try to get back to real life. This is a
totally erroneous view of life, and it will never lead to spiritual satisfaction.
Paul advised the brethren in Ephesus and us to allow
Jesus to be a part of all of our lives and to make the main
focus of living the service of Jesus Christ. When we do, we
will not only be serving our Lord, we will find true fulfillment
in our time on the earth and reward in eternity.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. A Right Attitude for Service
Ephesians 4:1-6
1. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk
worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
2. With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace.
4. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one
hope of your calling;
5. One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all,
and in you all.
Attitude determines our actions and our outlook determines the outcome of many situations. How do you see yourself? Paul saw himself as a prisoner of the Lord. Note again
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that he did not consider himself a prisoner of Caesar or of circumstances. He was a servant of Jesus, and so everything he
did was a part of the plan God had for him. Seeing things this
way will make a dramatic difference in how you face the
struggles of daily living.
You are not a cog in a giant machine moved along without
a plan or purpose. You are the creation, the workmanship of
God, and you have a purpose here on the earth. You can
accomplish that purpose, no matter what else may or may
not happen to you. Paul was in prison, but he was still able
to serve the Lord. A great part of that was in his attitude
toward his circumstances.
Paul was a prisoner, but he was still an apostle and a
preacher of the gospel. His time in prison did not change his
vocation. God has a plan for us, and, when we submit to Him
in faith, that plan will take precedence in our lives. No matter what else happens, we can take our part in carrying out
the plan of God.
The proper attitude is set forth in verse 2. Take this test in
your own heart. The goal is what is called forbearing. This
word forbearing literally means to hold each other up. It is
more than just putting up with the quirks of another brother.
It means finding a way to support and encourage each other in
everything that we do. We can only do this as we employ the
spiritual virtues of lowliness, meekness and long-suffering.
These three things describe the life and ministry of Jesus. This
was the way He lived and it is the way we are to live as well.
Our work is to endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in
the bond of peace. Unity and peace are the twin marks of
those who follow the Lord. Just as surely, unrest and division
are signs that something is wrong in our hearts. Jesus taught
us to pray that the will of God would be done in the earth as
it is in Heaven. In Heaven there is no division and there is no
turmoil. No one is ever out of sorts with another and no one
ever questions Gods will. Read Revelation chapter 4 for a
preview of what Heaven will be like.
Paul now listed seven areas where there is absolute unity.
These are one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith,
one baptism and one God. Men may split and divide these,
but God does not. We should be able to see that if we are unit-
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ed in our understanding of these spiritual concepts, we will

also be united in our practical service to the Lord.
Unity does not rule out diversity. We are not interchangeable, but we can be united. This is possible and it is our goal.
This is not accomplished as we each give up some of our
uniqueness, but it happens as we each draw closer and closer to Jesus. As the spokes of a wheel get closer to each other
as they get closer to the hub, so we have sweeter fellowship
with each other as we draw closer to Christ.
II. The Grace Given for Service
Ephesians 4:7-10
7. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the
measure of the gift of Christ.
8. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led
captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
9. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
10. He that descended is the same also that ascended up far
above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Whenever God asks us to do something, He gives us the

power we need to obey. The power always comes from God, and
it never comes from man. Consider the miracles Jesus performed. He asked lame men to walk and blind men to see. He
gave them the power to obey His Word. In a like manner God
gives us the power we need to follow and serve Him. We do not
serve God out of inner resolve; instead we serve Him from the
power of the Holy Spirit transferred to our hearts and lives.
This power is a gift of grace. It is not something that men
gives each other; it is something that God gives each one of
us when we trust Jesus Christ as our Savior. As the things
we are led to do for Jesus are different, so the power we have
available may vary with the duty we are to perform. Like our
daily bread, we always have enough power, but never too
much or too little. God gives us the precise amount we need
to follow where He leads us.
This power was illustrated in the resurrection of Jesus. It
is reasonable to call this resurrection power. There are three
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wonderful things taught about resurrection power in this

passage.
First we see that, when Jesus was resurrected, He led captivity captive, and He gave gifts to men. In the resurrection
Jesus fulfilled the longings, desires and prophecies of all
humanity. He made the promises of the Old Testament realities. The resurrection changed prophecy to history. In the
process He gave gifts to men. Those gifts involve this resurrection power. Literally, we have the same kind of power to
serve the Lord that God used to bring Jesus out of the grave.
We would do well to consider some fundamental truths
about resurrection power. It works only in a graveyard. This
kind of power is never an accessory to our own natural
strength. It comes into play when nothing else can help.
Resurrection power knows no limits and no boundaries. A
helpless and hopeless situation, like death, is immediately
reversed by this kind of power. This power is from the Lord,
never from other men. It is based on our relationship with
God alone. We cant give it to each other, and we cant transfer it among ourselves.
We also learn that Jesus could only come out of the grave
after He had been buried in the earth. He could not ascend
until and unless He had first descended. This shows us that
we only get resurrection power after we have died. Paul was
not mincing words when he stated, I am crucified with
Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of
the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me (Gal.
2:20). This describes our access to resurrection power. We
have to crucify the flesh so that the spirit can live. This is a
new way of looking at life. Our life is no longer ours, it
belongs to God, and we live it for His sake. When we believe
this, we have access to Gods power. If we do not, then we
must walk in our own strength.
We also learn here that this power will result in the fulfillment of Gods will for our lives and for the lives of others.
Jesus ascended far above the heavens so the He might literally fill all things. As we read in Colossians 2:9, For in him
dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. The power of
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God is not available to help us do what we want and get our

way here on the earth. God has little interest in you and me
getting what we want out of life. But God has a great interest in our doing His will on earth. He will open Heavens
gates and employ Heavens power so that we can serve Him.
The wonderful lesson here is that we can. We can serve the
Lord and we can do whatever He leads us to do. We always
have the power to do the will of God.
III. The Work We Are To Do
Ephesians 4:11, 12
11. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,
evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ:
The work God has for us is as varied as we are. Some were

apostles and some were prophets. These two offices were fulfilled and done away with when the Bible was completed. But
there is still a need for evangelists, pastors and teachers.
These are not interchangeable offices. Each of Gods children
is given the leadership of God and the provision and supply
of God for the work that he or she is asked to do.
But we can see that, although the specific work may be different, the ultimate goals remain the same. We are to work
toward the perfecting or completing of those who trust the
Lord as their Savior. No soul should ever be left behind. We
should strive to see that every child of God reaches spiritual
maturity. We are to do the work of the ministry. This is the
wonderful and manifold job of spreading the good news of the
gospel to all men everywhere (Rom. 10:10-13).
We are to use our gifts and our power to edify the body of
Christ. The word edify means the act of building, like building up a house or other structure. When the Word of God is
preached and taught, the souls of those who hear are built up
and established in the Lord. This is the ultimate goal of our
service to God. But we also know that there is an order to
these things. Souls must first be saved and those who are
saved must be baptized for them to be built up in Christ.
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A FINAL WORD
Every saved person should realize that salvation is not the
end of our Christian experience. We are saved for something
as much as we are saved from something. We do not work that
we might be saved; we work because we are already saved. We
must understand this important difference in perspective.
Our growth in grace and knowledge of the Lord is dependent on our fellowship with other believers. This is why God
has given us churches. A local church is the very best place
to learn from the Word of God and to acquire the spiritual
power we need to exercise the talents God gives us to use in
His service.
What is described here is a life that counts. It is not a life of
uniformity; it is a life of unity. Paul used the illustration of a
human body in teaching this to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 12:1225). Our bodies are made up of many parts and none of them
are interchangeable. Each of them serves a useful and perhaps
vital function. God has made us so that every part will function not only on its on but as a part of a greater whole.
We should see ourselves as important parts in the grand
and wonderful plan of God. We should allow ourselves to be
used to accomplish His purposes. This will give real meaning
to any life.

1. How can you identify the gift God has given to you to use
in His service?
2. What is the purpose of all of Gods gifts?
3. Are there saved people who have absolutely no talent?
Why or why not?
4. What questions will Jesus ask of us when we face Him
in judgment?
January 20, 2008
Gods Grace Revealed

in Christian Maturity
Key Verse:
But speaking the truth in
love, may grow up into him in
all things, which is the head,
even Christ.
Ephesians 4:15
Sunday Devotional: Our Great

Choice in Service, Matthew 6:2330.
Application: The student will realize that every child of God has a part
in the ministry of a New Testament
church and will take his proper place
in the service of God.
A FIRST LOOK
God has given us talents and He expects us to use them
(Matt. 25:14-30). We are not to use our abilities for our own
selfish purposes; instead, we are to use our talents for the
specific purpose of furthering the kingdom of God while we
are here on this earth.
This is not a vague goal. Many places in the New Testament give specific directions for the use of our talents. In this
very practical passage, Paul gave us a direction to our ministry. There are two equally bad ideas about the ministry.
One is that it is reserved only for preachers. The idea is that
the preacher is called of God and he is the only one who can
be involved in a ministry. This is not taught in the Bible at
all. God expects every
Daily Devotionals
saved person to serve Him. M. Ministry Before the Law Was Given, Hebrews
We are all His workman11:20-24.
ship and we are all created T. Ministry Under the Law, Leviticus 1:7-17.
W. The Ministry of Jesus, Matthew 4:12-22.
unto good works, and God T. The Ministry of the Apostles, John 21:15-18.
has ordained that we F. The Ministry Given to Us, Matthew 20:20-27.
should do those good works S. The Ministry in Heaven, Revelation 4:1-11.
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55
after we are saved. This is true for the preacher and also for
every other saved person.
The other extreme is that any activity, no matter what it
is, can be labeled as a ministry, and it then becomes the work
of God. Many use this excuse to sanctify what they wanted to
do anyway and claim that they do it in the name of God.
There are many ways that seem right to men, but they are
not the ways of the Lord. We cant make a certain activity a
ministry to God just because we say it is or because we
repeat the name of Jesus while we are doing it.
The ministry of the gospel is the work specifically defined
and set forth in the New Testament. It isnt difficult to find
and it isnt difficult to understand. In this as in several matters we must yield our will to Gods will and then follow His
instructions for our lives.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. The Goal of Christian Maturity
Ephesians 4:13-16
13. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of
the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14. That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro,
and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of
men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15. But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all
things, which is the head, even Christ:
16. From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the
body unto the edifying of itself in love.
We have some very specific goals for our service to the

Lord. Our Christian journey is not a trip without a destination. God expects us to accomplish some things while we are
here on the earth. Each of these things is a reflection of the
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Gods Grace Revealed in Christian Maturity
condition of things in Heaven. This is the fulfillment of Jesus

prayer in Matthew 6:10.
The first goal is unity. This unity is not the external unity
brought about by force or coercion; instead, it is the internal
unity brought about by faith. One sure sign of Gods people
truly at work is unity. We can never be united while we each
seek our separate rights and agendas. But, when we surrender our will to Gods will, we find a true unity based on faith,
not fear. We will all draw closer together as we all draw closer to Jesus.
Then, we are to increase in our knowledge of Jesus. The
sinful world is ever learning and never able to come to a
knowledge of the truth. Gods people are to learn the eternal
truths of the Word and apply them daily to their lives. Truth
is eternal. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the truth
will not. What we learn here that is true will be true for all
eternity. Isnt it fascinating that our knowledge will transcend the grave? We cant take our material goods to Heaven
with us. Our physical bodies must perish, but the truth we
know can go on into eternity with us.
We are to come to a place where we can think and function
like adult Christians. There are three signs of immaturity.
The first is to be tossed about with every wind of doctrine
that blows. As the wind blows here and there so do false doctrines. They come up one after the other and some people follow them relentlessly. This is a sure indication that the inner
man is not rooted and grounded in the truth of the Bible.
The second sign of immaturity is to be overly influenced by
the sleight of people. An illusionist can make it look like he
is sawing a body in half, but it is all an illusion. Evil men can
make good look bad and bad look good, but it is an illusion
and the spiritually mature Christian will not be taken in by
tricks.
Then, there is the cunning deceitful craftiness of those who
lay traps for believers. This is more than deception; it has an
evil heart behind it. This is the activity of those who are
actively seeking to hurt and destroy the work of the Lord.
There are such folks out there, and they usually prey on the
weakest among us. The goal of our service is to grow up and
be immune to the influence of these harmful things.
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The way to grow into maturity is to speak the truth in love.

Truth and love are powerful twin forces that help us accomplish the will of God. Truth without love will make us into
hard, self-righteous and cold people who are neither happy
nor attractive. Love without truth will make us mushy and
malleable, like a bowl of jelly. We may be sweet, but we will
not be strong. But truth and love together will help us accomplish the will of God in any situation.
Then we have the wonderful goal of complete cooperation.
The illustration used here is of a human body. Every part of
our bodies are essentially different; yet, in a healthy body all
the parts work together in harmony for the benefit of the
whole. It is this way in a healthy church. Every member will
be working toward the same goal and following the same
leadership. The ultimate goal is the building up of the body
through the love of Jesus. There is no better way for this to
happen than for Gods people to follow the leadership of the
Holy Spirit and cooperate with each other in the Masters
service.
II. The Vanity of the Worldly Mind
Ephesians 4:17-19
17. This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
18. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from
the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of
the blindness of their heart:
19. Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Because it would be a perpetual danger, Paul warned

about using the worlds methods in the work of the Lord. We
are to walk for the Lord, but we are not to adopt the walk and
way of the vain world all around us. Our outlook determines
the outcome of our lives, and we are to enter our Christian
service with a different attitude.
In the world men claw and scratch for position, wealth and
power. This is not to be so in the Lords work (Luke 22:24-26).
We are to think differently from the world and we are to live
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differently from the world. This difference should be sharp

and distinct. Heres why.
The world around us lives in a state of darkened understanding. As we stumble and fall when we try to walk in the
dark, so those who seek wisdom and knowledge apart from
God are sure to encounter great difficulty. This attempt to
walk in darkness leads directly to alienation from the life of
God. There is only one name under Heaven whereby we must
be saved (Acts 4:12). Jesus was plain when He stated that He
was the only way to the Father (John 14:6). Any attempt to
go around the plan of God will lead us to alienation from God.
In the vain imagination of a lost mind, a man may consider himself above the laws of God, and he may think that he
is equal to God. But he is wrong in both cases. This is why a
child of God should never envy the world or follow the paths
and plans of worldly people.
We never stay long, if at all, in a moral vacuum. If we do
not know and follow God, then we will quickly be overtaken
by the evil forces that control this earth. The end of worldly
thinking is depraved behavior. Certain things have a cause
and effect relationship. When we do one thing, we can expect
the other to happen (Prov. 30:33). Spiritually, when men
abandon God in their thinking and attempt to implement
their own philosophies and ideas, the result will be moral
depravity. Note that this is voluntary and reciprocal. These
men gave themselves over to this kind of behavior. They were
not forced into it, they voluntarily chose it when they chose
to turn away from the truth.
We may imagine that we can reject the truth and remain
morally neutral, but this is folly. If you dont believe the
truth, then what is left to believe? The only other thing you
can believe is a lie.
Note the three sure signs of this kind of spiritual and
moral decision. First, there is lasciviousness. This word literally means lack of restraint, indecency of wantonness. It
means that those who reject the truth also reject the
restraint the truth imposes. Note that depraved human
beings will do things even the animals will not do. There is
no bottom to the well of depravity.
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Then there is uncleanness. This term may refer to the

things that were ceremonially unclean in the Old Testament.
It suggests that, without the restraint of truth, we will
become what we truly do not want to be. Sadly this has happened to many people. Their beliefs have led them to behavior that they never imagined.
And finally there is greed. The spirit of Christianity is selfless in giving love. It is being like Christ who gave Himself
for sinners, even for those who would not receive Him and
honor Him. But the opposite is the spirit of greed and selfishness that demands more and more but is never satisfied.
A greedy man can never get enough to satisfy his greed, no
matter how much he has. But a true follower of Jesus will
always have enough whether he has little or much.
III. The Truth That Is in Jesus
Ephesians 4:20-24
20. But ye have not so learned Christ;
21. If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by
him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22. That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old
man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24. And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created
in righteousness and true holiness.
It is not enough to just put off certain things. We must also

put on the truth. This involves being renewed daily in our
minds by our contact with the Word of God and the Spirit of
God. This step is vital. We cant be what we should be if we do
not even know what we should be. Its like going on a trip
without a destination. We may make good time, but we are
constantly lost if we dont know where we are going. The Bible
is our all-sufficient rule and guide for our faith and practice.
When we know what is right, we then have an obligation to
do what it right. We do this by putting what we learn from the
Bible into practice in our lives. The new man, that is the part
of us that is born again when we trust Jesus, is created in
righteousness and holiness. Holiness simply means whole-
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ness. A holy man is whole, all his spiritual parts are there
and all of them function to the glory of God. When we put on
the new man these two adjectives will describe our lives.
A FINAL WORD
One of the best illustrations of putting off the old man and
putting on the new is the resurrection of Lazarus. When
Lazarus came out of the grave, Jesus instructed those who
watched to loose him from his grave clothes and let him go.
Lazarus was properly prepared for his funeral. But now that
he was alive again, he no longer needed the constraint and
limitation of the grave clothes (John 11:40-44).
When we trust the Lord as our Savior, we no longer need
the grave clothes of this life. We are not to be controlled by
the attitudes and actions of those all around us. Instead, we
are to prepare ourselves for our service to the Lord by
immersing ourselves in the Word of the Lord, reading our
Bibles daily and then putting the things we learn into practice ever day. As we do, we will find our hearts and minds
growing into true spiritual maturity.

1. How is Christian maturity manifested?
2. In what ways is a church like a human body?
3. Explain the metaphor of walking. How does it apply to
our service to God?
4. What are some things you must put off before you can
put on Christ?
January 27, 2008
Gods Grace Revealed

in Changed Behavior
Text: Ephesians 4:255:2
Key Verse:
And grieve not the holy
Spirit of God, whereby ye
are sealed unto the day of
redemption.
Ephesians 4:30
Focus: Ephesians 4:255:2
Sunday Devotional: When We

Are Saved,We Are New Creatures, 2
Corinthians 5:11-19.
Application: We must learn that
true salvation will always result in a
change in our behavior that springs
from a change in our hearts.
A FIRST LOOK
This passage is an application of the principle we learned
in Ephesians 4:15. When we speak the truth in love, we will
avoid the sins mentioned in todays Text, and we will positively follow the example Jesus gave us.
We seldom see sin as God sees it. In fact, in the world today
you will seldom even hear the term mentioned. It is not mentioned very often even in churches! But sin is real, and it
takes a terrible toll on humanity. Sin fills hospitals; it litters
battlefields with dead bodies. It fills graveyards and breaks
hearts every day. Yet, Satan is such a deceiver that it often
goes unnoticed.
Even when we do notice sin, we whitewash it so that it
does not look as bad as it
Daily Devotionals
really is. We attribute it to
M.
New
Wine
in Old Bottles, Luke 5:33-39.
human nature, or we exT. A New Life in an Old Body, Galatians 6:10-18.
cuse it because, everyones W. A New Covenant, Hebrews 12:22-29.
doing it. Obviously, we can T. A New Commandment, 1 John 2:1-11.
A New Song, Revelation 5:1-10.
never solve a problem until F.S.
A New City, Revelation 21:1-7.
we identify the problem.
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Gods Grace Revealed in Changed Behavior
This world is extremely clever at treating symptoms, but we

never look beyond to see the real cause of the trouble.
But God sees life as it really is, and He has told us in His
Word that we are to deal honestly and effectively with our
own sin. This is done in two simple steps. First, we must put
off the old man and then we can put on the new man.
Please note that this is not possible without the power of
the Holy Spirit employed in the heart of a child of God. These
things can never be accomplished in our own strength and by
human resolve alone.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. Sins That Hurt Our Relationship with Each Other
Ephesians 4:25-29
25. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with
his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
26. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your
wrath:
27. Neither give place to the devil.
28. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour,
working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have
to give to him that needeth.
29. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,
but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister
grace unto the hearers.
The first step is to put off the attitudes and actions that
are wrong. We can never put on the new until we put off the
old. Imagine a man who took a shower with his dirty clothes
on and then put on clean new clothes. The picture is ridiculous and so is the man who tries to clothe himself with righteousness without first repenting. We must discard the old
dirty attitudes of life before we can put on the new things
that are in Christ.
These verses deal practically with the heart of human behavior. Basic to our fallen nature is the desire to twist truth
and improve our circumstances by lying. There are many
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things you may not know how to do, but you most likely know
how to lie and to lie effectively. We are simply told to put
away lying, or to take it out of our catalog of possible behavior. We are not to tell the truth with a lie held in reserve,
ready to be brought out if needed. Instead, we are to simply
tell the truth, no matter what the circumstance. We divide
lies into categories of white ones, gray ones and black ones.
But the Bible never does this (1 John 2:21). No lie is ever of
the truth. So we must simply stop lying on any level, no matter what the circumstance.
Then there is the positive step of speaking the truth, but
you cant speak the truth and tell lies at the same time. It is
one or the other. The reason we are to tell the truth is plain.
We are joined permanently to each other. We are linked with
our brothers and sisters in Christ for all eternity. Eventually,
the truth will be told, and it is to our eternal advantage to
tell it now so that there are no harmful secrets revealed later.
Next to lying, the most basic part of our humanity is our
capacity to be angry. God does not tell us not to be angry
because anger itself is not a sin. God gets angry. The Old
Testament has many references to this fact. Of course, God
does not sin. We are not God, still we can be angry without
sinning. The way to do this is to limit the time we are angry.
Avoiding sin, when we are angry, includes that we should
never let our anger last beyond one sunset. This is not to suggest that we can get up early and enjoy our anger all day
long. It means that we should deal with the causes of our
anger as soon as possible. We dont have to wait until sundown to settle matters, but we should never let our anger go
over to the next day.
When we do, we are giving the devil an opportunity to
work in our lives. When we are angry for prolonged periods,
we are not serving the Lord. We will easily be led into the
trap of Satan.
The next area of behavior concerns stealing. This is another basic part of human nature. Men steal from each other, but
the child of God is simply told to stop it. God gives us the
power to change our behavior and the thief is told to stop
stealing. This means taking home office supplies from work
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as much as it means robbing a bank. Stealing is stealing no

matter the scope of the crime or the value of what is stolen.
When we put off stealing, we are to put on the positive
virtues of work and charity. We are to work so that we will
have enough to meet our own needs and then be able to share
with our less fortunate brethren.
There is also the matter of corrupt or rotten language. We
all know what it is. And we all have a choice in the words we
use. When we hear rotten language coming from someone
who claims to be a Christian, it makes us wonder what is
really in his or her heart. Cursing may be popular and even
accepted, but it is not right. We can use the wonderful gift of
language to praise the Lord and we should not use it to curse
the things God has made.
II. Sins That Hurt Our Relationship with God
Ephesians 4:30-32
30. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed
unto the day of redemption.
31. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil
speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you.
Just as we should pay attention to our relationship with

each other, so should we give attention to our relationship
with God. The first thing we should do is take care that we
do not grieve the Holy Spirit. How do we grieve the Holy
Spirit? As we read on we find out that it is bitterness, wrath
and anger that grieve Him.
The Holy Spirit is permanently linked to the heart of every
believer. We are sealed unto the day of redemption and neither we nor the Holy Spirit can break that seal. Just as you
and I do not like to live in a bitter, troubled atmosphere, neither does the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit bears the
power of God in Heaven we would do well to accommodate
Him in every way we possibly can. This is not difficult
because if we really think about it the things that the Holy
Spirit wants for us are the things that we truly want for ourselves.
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We are told to put away bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor,

evil speaking and malice. Think a moment about these things.
When you go to work or to school or come home at night or to
church on Sunday, do you want to find that kind of atmosphere there? Would you like to be in a place filled with bitter
people? Would you like to be surrounded by angry people who
were clamoring to get their way no matter what happened?
Would you like to hear evil words spoken continually with
malice directed to everyone present? Sounds unpleasant,
doesnt it? No one wants to be in a situation like that and yet
many cause such a situation because these things are present in their hearts.
If you dont want to be around a grouch, then dont be one
yourself. Wherever you go, there you are. We dont have a
choice in our circumstances, but we always have a choice in
our attitude. We can be bitter and angry, or we can be sweet.
This is a choice we make every day and often every hour. As
we are confronted by the trials of life, we can choose to allow
the sweet spirit of Jesus to influence us. This is advice that
will change your life.
There is also a positive to this negative. We are to be kind
to each other. We are to be tenderhearted and to genuinely
feel the troubles that others are bearing. We are to be forgiving as God is forgiving to us.
Once Peter asked Jesus how often forgiveness should be
offered. Peter thought seven times would be enough. The
thought comes to mind did someone offend Peter six times
already. But Jesus said that we should forgive each other
seventy times seven (Matt. 18:21, 22). This was not to set a
higher limit on forgiveness; instead it was to teach us that we
should never limit our willingness to forgive. We should be as
willing to forgive others as God is willing to forgive us.
Another stern warning is given in Matthew 6:12. We are to
pray that God will forgive us, as we are willing to forgive others. If you are not willing to forgive others, you cant expect
God to forgive you! That puts a different slant on being forgiving. A lack of kindness, tenderness and forgiveness will
not only separate us from each other, it will interfere with
our relationship with God.
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III. Living a Righteous Life

Ephesians 5:1, 2
1. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
2. And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given
himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
When we walk, we take two steps and repeat endlessly.

Then we are going somewhere. As Christians we are to follow the Lord. As children follow their parents, we are to follow our Father in Heaven. The word translated followers can
also mean to imitate, or to mimic. We are literally to do our
best to imitate the behavior of Jesus in our lives. This is why
we need to study our Bibles. We need to learn how Jesus
lived so that we can live the same way. In any situation we
will never go wrong if we simply do what Jesus did.
When we follow the Lord, we are to walk in love. This ties
in with the things we have seen above. We are to speak the
truth in love. We are to avoid behavior that threatens our
relationships, and we are to be guided by the principle of
love in everything that we do. Paul gave three reasons why
this is so.
First reason is because we are Gods children. We have His
nature. God is love and love is not a foreign concept to those
who have truly trusted in Jesus. If there is no love in your
heart, then you have reason to question your salvation (1
John 3:14).
Second reason is because God loves you. Christ was motivated by love and so was God. God loved the world and sent
His Son into the world. One of the greatest motives to love
others is to simply know that you are loved. Every child of
God should constantly appropriate that thought to himself.
God loves you. Others may not and you may not even love
yourself, but God loves you, no matter what you do and no
matter who you are.
Third reason is because you were purchased with a great
price. God gave His Son for you. Never take that lightly. It
took the blood of the sinless Son of God to redeem your soul.
Jesus gave His life freely for you. He paid the price so that
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you can be free. Knowing that will change your attitude.

Since God loved you, you can love others.
A FINAL WORD
These are life-changing truths. They will change your attitude, and, then, they will change your behavior. But first you
must realize that you have a choice. You are not some cog in
a cosmic wheel, moving along without the ability to change.
You are made in the image of God Himself. If you have trusted Jesus as your Savior, you have the Holy Spirit living in
your heart. You do not have to accept a defeated life and a
sour attitude.
You can choose to stop lying. You can choose to control
your anger. You can choose to be honest and upright in all
your dealings.
You can choose to have a sweet spirit and to avoid bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and the awful things that such
attitudes bring.
But you cant do this alone. This is not about self-resolve,
or pulling your own strings and making yourself respond.
This is about permitting the Holy Spirit of God to work in
your life. It is about learning the truth and permitting that
truth to have its way in your heart.

1. Are there such things as harmless lies or little white
lies? Why or why not?
2. How do you handle situations that make you angry?
3. What will happen if we grieve the Holy Spirit?
4. How are we to love each other? How will this change our
behavior?
February 3, 2008
10
Gods Grace Revealed

in Alert and Sober Living
Key Verse:
And be not drunk with
wine, wherein is excess; but
be filled with the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:18
Sunday Devotional: We Have an

Eternal Redemption in Our Future,
Luke 21:25-33.
Application: To allow every child
of God to be an effective witness in
deed as well as in word.
A FIRST LOOK
The true test of our character is not in what we say; it is
what we do. Our behavior is the best indication of what is
really going on in our hearts (Matt. 7:16-20). God shows us
how the Holy Spirit can control our actions.
We should note in the beginning that Spirit-controlled
behavior is simply not possible for a lost person. The old life
is the only life an unsaved man or woman has. However, a
born-again person always has a choice. When we are saved, a
new life is born in us, and we can then choose to let our new
nature control our old life. It is vitally important to know
that we cannot live a Christian life by just resolving to do so.
We cannot reach down
Daily Devotionals
inside ourselves and find M. Our Bodies Will Be Redeemed, Romans
the kind of resolve and
8:18-24.
T.
We
Are Redeemed by the Blood of Jesus,
strength to put off the old
Colossians 1:9-15.
man and put on the new. W. Gods Goal in Our Redemption, Titus 2:11-15.
This power comes only T. Our Redemption Is Eternal, Hebrews 9:12-15.
F. The Old Testament Right of Redemption,
from God and it is availLeviticus 25:23-34.
able to every believer in S. We Are Redeemed from the Power of Death,
Psalm 49:1-15.
Christ.
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A child of God should appropriate the power of God and

live a life that is pleasing to God. The Text offers us a powerful demonstration of what will happen when we do. These are
real changes in our outside behavior that are brought about
by a permanent change in our hearts.
While we are never to sit in judgment on each other, we do
have a right to look at fruit and make a determination about
the nature of the tree. Lost people need the gospel, no matter
where they are and no matter who they are. Outward imitation is no substitute for real spiritual change.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. A Vain Way of Living
Ephesians 5:3-9
3. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not
be once named among you, as becometh saints;
4. Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are
not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
5. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person,
nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the
kingdom of Christ and of God.
6. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these
things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
7. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
8. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the
Lord: walk as children of light:
9. (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness
and truth;)
It is possible for a saved person to behave like a lost person. Many do, but the Bible simply tells us to be real. A child
of God will eventually put off all this bad behavior and the
cause of Christ is best served if he puts it off as soon as possible. As you review this list, note some important points.
We should not only avoid this behavior, we should not even
let it be named among us. That is, we should not talk about
evil behavior as if we secretly wanted to engage in it. Filthy
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Gods Grace Revealed in Alert and Sober Living
and foolish talking can easily lead to filthy and foolish behavior. Many dreadful sins begin with what looks like an innocent conversation. Watch your words, they can lead you into
engaging in bad behavior.
Instead of foolish talking, we should use our gift of language to give thanks to God. When you are truly engaged in
giving thanks to your Heavenly Father, you will not be planning an occasion for sin.
The reason given here is simple. The list in verse 5 is not
given to suggest that we are saved by works and that certain
people cannot be saved. This verse is teaching that those who
habitually practice sin without the restraint and influence of
the Holy Spirit in their lives are lost, no matter what they
may say with their mouths. For instance, an idolater may
claim to know Christ, but his actions say he is lying, and in
judgment his deception will be made obvious. We do not work
for our salvation, but once we are saved there will be a
change in our behavior (2 Cor. 5:17).
Another good reason to avoid bad behavior is that the
wrath of God will come on those who do not obey Him. We
need to know two things about Gods wrath. First, the wrath
of God is not some kind of temper tantrum where God maliciously hurls trouble on those who have displeased Him. The
wrath of God is related to the law of inevitable consequences.
When we sin, the sin carries with it a weight of punishment.
Gods wrath is the withdrawal of His protective grace, and,
when this happens, the effect of sin is horrible.
Then, we should learn that the wrath of God is directed for
the purpose of helping and healing. God disciplines those He
loves (Heb. 12:6). God is leading the disobedient child back
home, and He uses chastisement to do this. This is not wrath,
as men know it; instead, it is an act of divine love designed to
draw us ever closer to Jesus.
We should simply refuse to partake of the evil acts of the
world around us. Say no to sin, and keep your word. We can
do this because we have had a change in our hearts when we
were saved.
Every saved man was once a lost man, but when we repent
of our sins and trust Jesus as our Savior, we are born again
and we have the power to change our behavior. We are not
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living in the dark. We do not have to be governed by the darkness that is all around us. So we can walk as children of light.
We walk by taking two steps and then repeating them over
and over. Spiritually, those two steps are putting off the old
man and putting on the new. We do this again and again as
often as necessary, and we do it in obedience to the Lord.
The fruit of the Spirit is not found in the works of darkness. We can never do good by doing wrong. Simply put, it is
never right to do wrong and it is never wrong to do right. A
child of God knows the difference and should put off the old
works of darkness.
II. Living That Is Acceptable to the Lord
Ephesians 5:10-14
10. Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
11. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are
done of them in secret.
13. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the
light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
14. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise
from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
There is a life-style that is acceptable to the Lord and

every child of God can live that way. Our conduct, far more
than our words, shows what is in our hearts. What we do
shouts so loudly that what we say cant be heard. These verses are a clarion call to correct Christian behavior.
In this, as in all things, our example is Jesus. Jesus lived
in the world, but He was never of the world. We are to follow
His example. God does not want us to withdraw and live in
some kind of holy isolation from other people. In fact, just the
opposite is true. Jesus said plainly in Matthew 10:16,
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be
ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Imagine a shepherd sending his defenseless sheep out into
the wolf pack! It looks like a recipe for disaster, but Jesus
knows what He is doing. As long as we depend on the
Shepherd, we are perfectly safe, but if we start to behave like
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the wolves and listen to them and envy them, we are in great
and grave danger.
We can be in the world, but we are not to have fellowship
with the world. This means that we are not to try to fit in, or
go along, or even get along. We are to be different, like Jesus
was different. But we are not to be distasteful. We dont have
to adopt a holy self-righteous attitude. Remember that all
saved people are still sinners. But we do have to set a positive example and show evidence of the changes that Jesus
has made in our hearts.
We should not speak like those of the world. We should
never let the shameful language of the world fall from our
lips. We dont have to, and we shouldnt use foul, filthy language. We should not seek the works of darkness. Instead, we
should let the light that is in us be seen by the lost people in
our lives. Only as the light shines can it accomplish its purpose. We must not hide our light under a bushel, but let it
shine and let the truth be told.
Jesus had a lot to say about light as a metaphor for spiritual truth. We are the light of the world, and we are not to
spend our lives in the darkness. Light will awaken us when
we are sleeping, and the light of the gospel should wake us
up, and then we can let Christ be our guide in all our living.
III. A Circumspect Walk
Ephesians 5:15-21
15. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the
will of the Lord is.
18. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled
with the Spirit;
19. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
21. Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
The word circumspect comes from two words that mean to

look around. Walking circumspectly means to walk with pre-
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cision and accuracy. We will not live a Christian life by accident. The fool bounces around from one place to another with
no direction or purpose in his life. The wise man will walk
according to a plan and that plan will be the will of God for
his individual life. God has a purpose for your life. You can
discover that purpose and you can live a fruitful and fulfilling life.
One important idea to keep in mind is that our time on the
earth is limited. We cannot hoard our time. We all have the
same number of hours in a day, but we can use our time wisely or waste it. When we serve the Lord, we are redeeming our
days and avoiding the evil in them. We live in a sinful world,
and, if we do not take positive steps toward righteousness, our
lives will be overtaken by evil. The remedy is to avoid folly and
understand the will of God for your life. How? By studying the
Bible and by following the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
The ways of the world lead to waste. The illustration in the
Text is of a person who is drunk. We are not to be drunk;
instead we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is a substitution, not a comparison. A description of a spirit-filled
person follows in the Text. When we are filled with the Holy
Spirit, we will be singing and praising God. This was the
behavior of Paul and Silas in Philippi (Acts 16:24-26).
We will be giving thanks, even when things do not go our
way. Can you give thanks for all things? That is a true test of
our spiritual maturity. And we will submit ourselves one to
another in the fear of God. This is a principle that has far
reaching application in our Christian lives and we will see
how it is applied in future lessons. These things are the
result of being filled with the Holy Spirit.
A FINAL WORD
We will all be directed by something or someone in our
lives. We can choose to follow the influence of the world all
around us. We can look to others we know for the standards
of our behavior. If we do, we will, of course, be like those we
imitate.
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We can stubbornly and selfishly try to set our own course

in life. We can look inward and rely on our own counsel. If we
do, we will have a fool for a leader. Many self-made men have
come to the realization that they did not like what they had
made of themselves. It is selfish and self-centered to think
that you have all the tools you need to make your own decisions in life.
We can follow the evil influence of the prince of the power
of the air. He is the devil, and he seeks to hurt, deceive and
destroy everyone on this planet. We can give in to our baser
nature, and we will reap the whirlwind of evil if we do.
Or we can listen to the truth of the Bible and be guided by
the gentle pleading of the Holy Spirit. When we do, we will
find true wisdom and the best way we can possibly live. God
is not your enemy. He loves you and He wants to take you to
Heaven. He gave His Son to die for your sins, and He offers
His Spirit to lead you in every decision you make. In all your
ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.

1. Name some sins that you committed when you were lost
that you no longer want to do.
2. Name some vain words that can deceive our hearts.
3. In what ways do you demonstrate the fruit of the Holy
Spirit in your life?
4. What is the biblical way to conduct a song service? Who
should get the glory when we sing?
The Message to the Church at Ephesus

Revelation 2:1-3
Jesus, as Lord of all His churches, saw three commendable things about Ephesus.
First, the members were dedicated, committed workers.They put their faith to work.
They witnessed; they labored; they ministered to human needs.
Second, their doctrine was sound. Their beliefs were well-defined and well defended.
Third, they were not quitters.They persisted in their teaching and their work despite
discouragement and hardship. But there is more to this church.
Revelation 2:4-6
We learn that this was a church in serious trouble. Despite all the commendable
things, there is something seriously wrong; it had left its first love.
This was so serious Jesus said that if the church at Ephesus did not correct it, He
would remove the churchs candlestick.
When we ask, What is first love? the answer seems obvious. It is the love we felt
for Jesus when we first came to know Him. Under the influence of that love, a new
Christian eagerly begins to serve God. But then other things can take first place.We may
do the same things but not for the same motive. We have lost our first love.
There are signs of this happening.
The first one is the loss of the joy in our Christian lives.
Second, we lose our ability to love others.
Third, we lose our perspective. Our physical needs take center stage in our thinking.
This is what happened at Ephesus.
What can we do when this happens? Jesus gave three clear, specific steps to take:
remember, repent and return!
Look back. Remember what it was like when you first came to Jesus.
Remember the joy you had in the Lord. Remember the closeness you felt to Him
and your brethren.
And then, repent! Change your mind. That is what repentance means. Put the Lord
back in the center of your life.
And return! Simply do the things you did at the beginning of your Christian life.
Now Jesus says a rather strange thing.There is some question about exactly who the
Nicolaitans were. They were mentioned in the letter to the church at Pergamos. The
Lord mentioned them here because in one area the Ephesians still had their first love
they hated the practices of the Nicolaitans.
As best we can tell this was a group that claimed to have some special position with
God and lived domineering immoral lives. Jesus said to keep on hating these practices.
You hate and I hate them. Keep on hating evil practices, then go back and do the rest of
the things again.
Revelation 2:7
The invitation was given to him who has an ear, or to anyone who is willing to listen
to the voice of the Lord. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life,
which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
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February 10, 2008
11
Gods Grace Revealed

in Christian Homes
Sunday Devotional: The Nature of

True and Lasting Love, Ruth 1:14-18.
Key Verse:
This is a great mystery:
but I speak concerning
Christ and the church.
Ephesians 5:32

allow the principles of a godly home to
set the pattern for his or her relationships with the others in the home.
A FIRST LOOK
In Ephesians 5:21, Paul gave a great principle, which is the
foundation for Christian behavior: Submitting yourselves
one to another in the fear of God. Then he applied this principle to various situations that occur in the lives of Gods people. Specifically, he mentioned husbands and wives, parents
and children, and slaves and masters. Literally everyone on
earth will find himself in one or more of these situations.
The key to contentment is understanding that all our relationships with each other are based on our relationship with
Jesus. Think of a cross. There is a vertical part, and it is
absolutely essential. Then there is a horizontal part that
makes the cross complete. So it is with our relationships. The
first and most important relationship in any life is the vertical relationship we have
with God through Jesus
Daily Devotionals
Christ. Only when we are M. The First Home, Genesis 2:18-25.
right with God can we T. A Godly Home in a Bad Situation, Exodus
1:152:10.
hope to be right with each W. Jesus Teaching on Marriage, Matthew 19:3-9.
T. A Good Wife, Proverbs 18:15-22.
other.
A Blessed Husband, Proverbs 31:21-31.
When we are right with F.S.
The Heavenly Marriage, Revelation 19:1-9.
God, we need to be related
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properly with the others in our lives. We do this through

understanding that we must submit ourselves to each other
in the fear of the Lord. This is directly opposite of our fleshly thinking. Our Adamic nature will tell us to strive to get
ahead and to satisfy our own needs at the expense of others.
But Jesus tells us that the greatest among us is the servant
of all (Mark 9:35).
This kind of submission is not possible for a lost person.
Only when we have first submitted our hearts to the saving
grace of Jesus can we hope to build a right biblical relationship with the others in our lives.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. A Message to Wives
Ephesians 5:22-24
22. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto
the Lord.
23. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the
head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the
wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
The first message is to wives. In line with the idea that we

are to submit ourselves one to another, the wives are told to
submit themselves to their husbands. The word submit has a
military connotation and it suggests to be put in proper rank
or order. The husband is the head of the household and the
wife is to place herself in proper relationship to him.
Note that this is something that the wife does; it is not
done to her. In Christian love, she voluntarily submits to the
spiritual leadership of her husband. Note also that she is to
submit to her own husband. She is not to be in submission to
any other husband. Furthermore note that she is to submit
herself to her husband like she submits herself to the Lord.
This is the key here. When a woman is not in submission to
the Lord, she will find it difficult to be in submission to her
husband. Conversely, when she is in submission to the Lord
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Gods Grace Revealed in Christian Homes
she will not find submission to her husband an onerous situation.

The husband is the head of the home in the same way that
Jesus is the Head of the church. Jesus has this right because
He is the Savior of every person who makes up a true New
Testament church. In like manner, the husband has the vital
interest of his home at heart. As Jesus died for His church, a
husband would sacrifice himself for the sake of those in his
home.
Please notice the clear and unambiguous language of verse
24. This is plain and not difficult to understand. A church is
to be subject to Jesus in everything. There is no time or circumstance where it is best for any church to rebel at the
leadership of the Holy Spirit and the teaching of the Word.
This is the example that is set for a Christian wife.
The wife is to be in submission to her own husband in
every matter. This is true when she understands and appreciates the situation, but it is especially necessary when she
does not. A wife may not understand and she may not agree,
but she is to be in submission to her husband.
Now a word of warning is in order here. It should go without saying that this applies only to situations where the husband himself is acting in accordance with the truth. It is
never right to do wrong and it is never wrong to do right. No
wife is obliged to commit a sin merely because her husband
asks her to. She should properly refuse any such demand.
But in matters of leadership, she should submit to her husband, like she would submit herself to the Lord.
II. A Message to Husbands
Ephesians 5:25-29
25. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the
church, and gave himself for it;
26. That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of
water by the word,
27. That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not
having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy
and without blemish.
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28. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He

that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and
cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church.
Submission is not a one-way street. The wife is to submit

to the husband and the husband is also to submit to his wife.
He does this by loving her like Jesus loves His church. There
has never been a greater love than the love of God expressed
through the life and sacrifice of Jesus. This is the way a man
is to love his wife.
No man who loves his wife will mistreat his wife in any
way. Those who mistreat their wives do not love their wives,
and they dont love the Lord either. Notice the divine goal of
Jesus in His relationship with His churches. Jesus wants to
sanctify and cleanse the church. This is accomplished by the
washing that takes place when the Bible is preached and
taught. The force of the Word of God is to change us from what
we are into what we can become through the love of God.
A husband will likewise make decisions and take actions
that will benefit and help his family. He will desire to see
them well provided for and nourished and brought together,
spiritually as well as physically. Jesus goal is that His
church be presented to Him like a husband beholds his bride.
As a man in love sees only the beauty of his bride, so Jesus
sees His church as a glorious bride without spot or blemish.
The next illustration is easy to grasp. A man is to love his
wife in exactly the same way he loves his own body. As we
nourish, or feed, and cherish, or care for, our own bodies, a
husband is to care for his wife. Her needs should become his
needs, and he should make as certain that her needs are satisfied as he does his own. The reason is simple. When two
people are married they become one flesh. What happens to
one will also happen to the other. One source of much unhappiness in marriage is the idea that even when a man and a
woman are married they still somehow have their own life.
Then they keep secrets and lead separate lives. This denies
the teaching of the Bible. Husband and wife become one
flesh, and they should treat each other as they would treat
themselves.
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A husband who abuses his wife is inflicting punishment on

himself. Any man who has been married for long has learned
this lesson. If you want to be happy, then you should see to it
that your wife is happy. No sane man wants to live with an
angry discontented woman.
This does not mean that you abdicate your responsibility
as the head of your household, but it does mean that as you
will consider your own body in every decision you make you
should also consider your wife. If you nourish and cherish
your own body, then you should also nourish and cherish
your wife.
Note here the wonderful synergy of these verses. The wife,
in love, submits to her husband and the husband in turn
loves his wife like he loves himself. The two then become one
in purpose concern and even in destiny. This is not an
unachievable goal; this is the way God expects His children
to live.
III. A Message About Homes and the Lords Churches
Ephesians 5:30-33
30. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his
bones.
31. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and
shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and
the church.
33. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his
wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
As a man and a wife become one when they are married,

so we become one with other believers when we unite with
one of the Lords churches. Both church membership and
marriage are entered voluntarily. No one forces you to get
married; you choose to do so, and no one forces you to join a
church. Both represent lifelong commitments and neither
should be entered into lightly. One wise man of long ago
wrote, Marry in haste and repent at your leisure. Much
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heartache could be avoided if couples would seriously consider their responsibilities before they get married.
If you are about to be a wife and you dont want to submit
to your own husband, you are about to make a mistake. If you
are about to get married, and you dont love your bride to be
like you love your own body, you are about to make a mistake. Think before you act and save yourself great heartache.
Furthermore, if you are a member of a church, or if you are
about to be, enter this covenant with prayer and forethought.
Being married is the very best way for a man and a woman
to live. Serving the Lord in a New Testament church also
offers us the greatest opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in our lives on earth. Neither of these relationships
should be taken lightly.
The mystery here is that this fact is known to Christians
and largely unknown to the world. As men have proposed
many alternative views of marriage, all of them failures, so
men have sought to substitute human wisdom for the divine
truth that Jesus is glorified in His churches. The world may
not know these things, but they are readily understandable
for those who know Jesus as their Savior and study their
Bibles.
But even if you do not understand the relationship of Jesus
with His churches, and even if this remains a mystery to you,
every man should love his wife and every wife should reverence her husband. It is evident that Paul expected the
Ephesians to understand and then implement this teaching
in their lives. We should take these words seriously and
apply them to our hearts and actions every day.
A FINAL WORD
What would be the effect of actually doing as the
Scriptures teach here? How would a man react to a wife who
willingly submitted herself to his leadership and trusted him
to look after her and provide for her? Most men would be
honored and flattered almost beyond belief.
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How would a woman react to the unselfish and sacrificial

love of her husband? Few wives would reject such love. They
would be willing to walk hand in hand with such a man
through the valleys of life.
Note how dependent the whole situation is on the husbands love. A wifes submission will not substitute for a husbands love. What a difference would exist in most homes if
the husband loved and nourished his wife in the same way he
does his own body. And what a peace would come if the wife
were humbly submissive to her husband as she is to the
Lord.
Notice how this fulfills the teaching of Jesus. Jesus taught
that the way up was down. The way to have a blessing was
not to insist that one come your way. Instead, it was to be a
servant and have a servants heart. This is the underlying
truth of these verses. When a man or a woman truly wants to
serve the Lord and serve his or her mate, then these things
are easy to do. If either party wants to rule the roost and be
selfish, then harmony is almost impossible. Far too many
homes are either a battleground or an armed camp in fearful
peace and constant threat of turmoil.
This should not be and it does not have to be if men and
women will follow the plain teaching of the Bible.

1. What are the biblical responsibilities of wives?
2. What are the biblical responsibilities of husbands?
3. Can we safely ignore these teachings if we disagree with
them? Why or why not?
4. How does a right relationship in a home reflect a right
relationship between Christ and His churches?
February 17, 2008
12
Gods Grace Revealed

in Our Relationships
Sunday Devotional: Proving the

Will of God in Our Daily Lives,
Romans 12:1-8.
Key Verse:
Put on the whole armour of
God, that ye may be able to
stand against the wiles of the
devil.
Application: We need to
conduct ourselves in our homes
and in our workplaces in ways
that demonstrate the positive
changes that Jesus makes in our
souls.
Ephesians 6:11
A FIRST LOOK
In the last lesson we learned how husbands and wives can
submit themselves to each other in the fear of the Lord.
Today we will see how parents and children and servants
and masters as well as all Christians in general should
behave toward each other. All this is based on the principle
we learned in Ephesians 5:21. This kind of interaction is only
possible when we are willing to submit ourselves to each
other in the fear of the Lord.
Keep in mind that this kind of behavior is expected of
those who believe in Jesus and is impossible for those who do
not. If you are not saved, you will only be frustrated if you try
to behave this way. You will find an internal conflict that is
impossible to resolve and
Daily Devotionals
eventually you will give
We Are the Children of God, John 1:11-13.
into the flesh and change M.
T. God Leads His Children, Romans 8:14-17.
your behavior.
W. God Loves His Children, 1 John 3:1-3.
But the child of God T. Blessed Servants, Luke 12:31-37.
Cursed Servants, Luke 12:45-48.
will always find the spiri- F.S.
Our Position in Christs Kingdom, John 13:13-20.
tual resources to follow
83
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Gods Grace Revealed in Our Relationships
the Word of God. When he or she does, life will take on a new
meaning, and that individuals life will find true fulfillment.
Please note that, although Paul addresses some of these
teachings to masters and slaves, these same principles could
apply equally to any workplace. They are applicable to any
situation where there is a division between labor and management.
The world has tried many solutions to these problems in
these relationships, and the condition of society today is ample
evidence that the worlds solutions do not work. We see rising
divorce rates, a breakdown of discipline and respect among
young people and deadly strife in the workplace. But there is
hope. A return to biblical principles will work as well today as
it did when these words were written.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. Parents and Children
Ephesians 6:1-4
1. Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;
3. That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on
the earth.
4. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring
them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Children are addressed first, perhaps because, although

not everyone is a parent, everyone is a child. The admonition
is simple, and it is repeated from the Old Testament.
Children are to obey their parents in the Lord.
There are two thoughts here. First, children are to be obedient. No matter how old you get, your parents will still be
older. They have the age and experience to have been where
you are going, and they should be respected and heeded. The
divine recipe for order in a home is for the children to obey.
85
When the children become the masters, the home is headed

for trouble. Children simply do not have the needed skills to
know what is good for them much less what is good for the
home as a whole.
The important qualification is added that obedience is in
the Lord. This means that no child is obligated to do wrong
merely because of parental direction. This is not blind obedience. It is informed consent to the wisdom of those who
brought us into the world.
Verse 2 repeats the fifth commandment (Ex. 20:12). Paul
notes that this is the first commandment that has a promise
attached to it. The promise is twofold. It will be well with us
if we honor our parents and we will live a long life as well.
This is not mysterious. Stress can literally kill you, and there
is not a much more stressful situation than to be in conflict
with your parents or children. Such situations can shorten
our lives, and, if we avoid them, our lives can be longer. God
knows what He is doing.
But there is also a submission for parents. Parents are to
avoid behavior that will provoke children to wrath. No parent should make his relationship with his children a test of
wills. If this happens, anger and resentment are the only possible results. A parent should be reasonable and loving in his
requests of his children. He should consider their welfare in
every decision. Nevertheless, it is better that the children
should cry than the parents. The parents are ultimately
responsible for the rearing of their children. They have to
make difficult decisions, and they should not shirk from
them.
The goal of the parents should be to bring their children to
mature adulthood, both physically and spiritually. A parent
who neglects the physical care of his children has denied his
faith. First Timothy 5:8 teaches that a parent who neglects
his children spiritually is doing them even greater harm.
A selfish child will not honor his parents, and a selfish parent will provoke his children to wrath. But those who are
willing to submit themselves to the Lord and to each other
will find a wonderful relationship with each other in their
homes.
86
II. Servants and Masters

Ephesians 6:5-9
5. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your
heart, as unto Christ;
6. Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of
Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
7. With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
8. Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the
same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
9. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing
threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is
there respect of persons with him.
There is a divine order herehusbands and wives, then

parents and children and now servants and masters. When
the home is what it should be, the workplace will easily follow. But when things are not right at home it is hard for
them to be right anywhere else.
Paul does not address the evil of slavery here. In the
Roman empire many, many men and women were slaves.
Slavery was the norm of the day. Everyone understood it
although surely everyone also knew that slavery was an
essentially evil institution. Thank God that is has largely
been abolished today. However, throughout the ages good
people will find themselves in bad situations. These verses
tell us how to handle ourselves when we do.
The servant was to obey his master and he was to do his
work to the best of his ability. The servant was to serve with
fear and trembling. He was not to be afraid of his master, but
he was to fear his own heart and the desire that would be
there to rebel and perhaps steal and cheat his master. Such
action would not help the servant witness to the master.
The servant was to serve sincerely, not just doing what
looked good, eye service, but he was to do his work to the best
of his ability. The reason is plain, and it is revealing.
A slave was not really working for his master; he was
working for the Lord. Think of this the next time you have to
perform some onerous task or engage in some boring and
87
routine job. You arent working for the boss, or even for yourself, you are working for the Lord. Jesus is watching what
you do, and He will reward you for your labor far above any
other possible reward you could receive on earth.
Being bond or free makes no difference when it comes to
the reward that Jesus will give. So work for the Lord and you
will earn an eternal reward that is all out of proportion to the
service that you give.
The masters were to treat servants the same way. They
were to be sincere in their dealings with them and honest in
their relationships. Literally, this is about making the best of
a bad situation. The master and servant might worship in a
church on Sunday and have to go back to their work on the
next day. They were taught to respect each other and work
together in Christian love.
Every master was to remember that he also had a master.
Jesus is in control of everything on this earth, and we would
do well to keep that in mind as we make our decisions. If we
treat others badly, we can expect our Heavenly Father to
chastise us. With Jesus there is no respect of persons. He
does not care who you are or how much money you make or
how smart you are or how far you have climbed up the corporate ladder. Jesus is as concerned for the janitor who
sweeps the floor as He is for the CEO who runs the company.
III. Brethren and the Lord
Ephesians 6:10-13
10. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power
of his might.
11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil.
12. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye
may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to
stand.
88
Paul addressed the relationship that we all have with the

Lord. He painted a picture of life as a struggle, a battle where
the Lord provides the equipment and encouragement to win
the victory.
We have an enemy. The enemy is not our wives or our husbands or our parents or our children or our bosses or our
employees. Our enemy is the devil. He is wily and clever, and
we need the help of God to resist him. The only way we can
do this is to clothe ourselves with the whole armor of God.
The order here is very important. We cannot expect to win
the battle if we rush haphazardly into the conflict with no
preparation or protection.
First, note that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.
This is difficult to grasp, but no human being is your enemy
in this struggle. If we do wrestle with flesh and blood, then
we cant expect to win a victory when we prevail against each
other. Our enemy is the spiritual power that rules this world.
Behind the scenes of this world, there is a malevolent force
that is silently and powerfully seeking the destruction of all
human life. This is not a fairy tale and it is not a figment of
some imagination. Jesus stated this plainly in John 8:44.
Satan is a liar, and he is a killer. He will deceive you and he
will kill you. He is in charge of most of the high places of the
earth and every Christian should be aware of this. Our challenge is not to win because the victory belongs to Jesus. Our
challenge is to stand and defeat Satans personal attack.
We do this by taking the armor of God. Armor is a
metaphor for the protection that a soldier would employ for
a battle. No Roman soldier would go into battle without his
armor and his weapon. This is self-evident, but many of Gods
children enter a deadly struggle naked and barefoot and
unarmed in any way. No wonder so many fall by the wayside.
A FINAL WORD
Something is wrong and the devil has done his work when
we regard each other as enemies. The wife and husband who
think of each other as enemies will never have a happy home.
89
Neither will children and parents, and the same goes for servants and masters. But, when we first learn who the enemy
is, we can begin to understand the nature of the struggle. It
should be obvious that we can never win if we cant even
identify the enemy.
The key to all these proper relationships is to submit ourselves to each other in the fear of the Lord. When we do, we
have overcome our fleshly desires, and we have overcome the
deceit of the devil.
Behavior never changes our souls, but, when our souls are
changed, there will be evidence in our behavior. An inward
change will have an outward manifestation. As you study
these verses, remember that these are instructions for saved
people. A lost man or woman would find these things impossible to implement in his or her life. This is one of the reasons
these verses are so often misunderstood.
A child of God should have a sense of the source of his ultimate reward. Our rewards will not come from each other;
they will come from Jesus. Knowing this will make us study
His words, revere His words and apply His words to our lives.
Others may not understand what we are doing or why we do
it, but Jesus will see what we do and reward us for it.
Our faith is under constant attack and the attack is to just
get us to give in and go along. But God gives us the grace to
stand firm in our faith and to withstand any attack that may
come our way. He that is in you is greater than he that is in
the world (1 John 4:4).

1. How can the teaching about servants and masters be
applied to your workplace?
2. How would you describe eyeservice? Have you ever
behaved this way?
3. What is the source of our ultimate reward? How should
this change our attitude about work?
4. What is the source of the many attacks on our faith?
How can we resist them?
February 24, 2008
13
Gods Grace Revealed

in Determined Hope
Sunday Devotional: The Wrong

Armor, 1 Samuel 17:32-40.
Key Verse:
Praying always with all prayer
and supplication in the Spirit,
and watching thereunto with
all perseverance and
supplication for all saints.

understand that children of God
have a reason to be optimistic in
any situation.We have the means to
preserve our faith and to live for
Jesus.
Ephesians 6:18
A FIRST LOOK
A child of God should be the most optimistic, hope filled
person on earth. When we are saved, Heaven is our eternal
home and that fact alone should fill our hearts with joy. But
many Christian do not live like this. Look around on Sunday
morning and you may see sour faces and bad attitudes.
Several of Gods children look like they have been vaccinated
with dill pickle juice.
This does not have to be so and it should not be so. But to
have a happy and optimistic attitude, we have to have an
understanding of the struggle we are in and of the eventual
outcome of the battle. Once we get these truths firmly fixed
in our minds, our outlook will change. We are not only winners; we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ
(Rom. 8:37).
Daily Devotionals
A positive attitude will not M. The Power of Prayer, Matthew 6:5-15.
only help us as individuals, it T. The House of Prayer, Matthew 21:12-16.
The Power of Prayer, Matthew 21:17-22.
will do wonders for our wit- W.
T. The Limits of Prayer, 1 John 5:13-18.
ness to others. Few of us truly F. The Prayer of a Prophet, James 5:16-19.
desire to be around grouchy S. The Real Lords Prayer, Luke 22:39-45.
90
91
ill-tempered people. We may have to endure such sour people, but we usually avoid them if possible and get away from
them as soon as we can. On the other hand most people like
to be around happy, cheerful, upbeat folks. Now, no person on
earth has more to be happy about than a born-again child of
God who is a member of a New Testament church and is
actively serving the Lord in that church.
We can and should have a positive attitude and outlook.
These verses tell us how.
A CLOSER LOOK
I. The Armor of God
Ephesians 6:14-17
14. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and
having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15. And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of
peace;
16. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be
able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God.
The first admonition to the Christian is to stand. We are

never to retreat. If you are convinced that you believe the
truth, you never need to apologize for what you believe. You
never need to compromise with error, and you never need to
try to harmonize with false philosophy. This is a military
metaphor, and it is teaching us about making a spiritual
application of the various elements of a first century soldiers
military equipment. As no soldier would go into battle without his armor and his sword, so no child of God should enter
the conflict of life without this vital equipment.
The tenses of the verbs used in the Text divide this armor
into two groups. The first group consists of truth, righteousness and peace. These are things that every child of God
already has, even if he or she does not realize that they are
there. If you are saved you should know the truth. You have
92
Gods Grace Revealed in Determined Hope
the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed for your own righteousness, and you have been saved by hearing and believing
the gospel. The result of your faith is that you have peace with
God. These things are facts, but you need to understand them
and realize that they apply to your heart. As the girdle, the
breastplate and the shoes were basic items of clothing that
were elemental to a soldiers protection, so truth, righteousness and peace are fundamental to a child of God. Get a firm
grip on what God has already done for you before you go any
further. Realize that understanding these three things will go
a long way toward protecting you from Satans attacks.
The second group consists of three things that we take. We
will not have them unless we consciously appropriate them
for ourselves. The first is the shield of faith. This is not saving faith; instead it is living faith. It is faith in the sense that
we actually act on the things that we already believe. The
Roman shield was a large wooden and leather, perhaps
metal, device that was used to protect the soldier from
attack. Our best protection is to put our faith into action and
literally act on the things that we believe. When we do this,
we are protected from the fiery darts of our enemy.
Satans darts are the evil thoughts that pop into our minds
and the sour attitudes that creep into our lives. We should
recognize that these things are sent from hell to discourage
and defeat us, and we should resist them by applying our
internal faith to our daily lives.
Satan attacks our minds, and so we have a helmet of salvation. Three things can happen to our minds and two of
them are bad. We can simply be ignorant, that is we just
dont know what we need to know. We can be misinformed,
that is we can learn, but learn all the wrong things and, of
course, we can know the truth. Knowledge of the truth begins
with our relationship with Jesus, and we can test all other
truth against that great event. If you are saved, then get in
touch with the truth that saved you. Go back to the cross and
renew your acquaintance with Jesus. The Christian who
studies the Bible and worships the Lord regularly in a local
church will not be easily lead astray.
Finally, the only offensive weapon here is the sword of the
Spirit. This is the Word of God (Heb. 4:12). This is the only
93
weapon we will ever need. This sword can pierce to the heart
of any matter and help us handle and situation. Jesus used
the Word of God when He was attacked by Satan (Luke 4:113) and so should we.
II. The Provisions of God
Ephesians 6:18-20
18. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for
all saints;
19. And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I
may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the
gospel,
20. For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may
speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
The power that enables a child of God to stand is the power

of prayer. As a soldier needs proper nutrition to properly fight,
or as one man said, An army travels on its stomach, so the
child of God needs a steady diet of prayer to serve the Lord.
We are told to pray always. This does not mean that we
should go around mumbling under our breath. It means that
we should always keep prayer in our hearts so that we are
ready in an instant to communicate our needs as they arise.
This prepares us for a surprise attack by the devil.
We are to pray with all prayer because there is more than
one kind of prayer. There are prayers of supplication, thanksgiving and intercession as well as prayers where we simply
ask God for the things that we need. If we only pray for specific blessings, we are missing out on some vital forms of communication with our Heavenly Father.
We are to pray in the Spirit. This means that we do not
come to God in our own strength and on our own merit. The
Holy Spirit will make intercession for us with words that we
cant speak so that Gods will can be done in our lives. We may
not know the right words to say, but the Holy Spirit does, and
we should always rely on Him as we pray (Rom. 8:26).
We are to adopt an attitude of watching as we pray.
Watching means to be alert or as Paul stated in 1 Thessalonians 5:6, 8, be sober. We are not to be slothful or sleepy
94
as we live or as we pray. Our prayer lives should not deteriorate to merely mumbling some rote or ritual words every so
often. When we talk with each other, we must pay attention,
and, when we pray we should pay attention as well. Listen to
God and speak to Him fully aware of your situation and of
His power to help you.
Prayer should never be temporary. This is why we are told
to persevere in prayer. We should not pray once and then forget about it. Jesus taught that we should be earnest in our
prayers and keep on praying in faith. This is not to suggest
that we are trying to get God on our side or influence Him
unduly. This can never be done. But we are to show that we
are sincere when we pray, and one way we do this is by persevering (Luke 11:1-8).
We are to be specific when we pray, but we are not to be
exclusive. We are to pray for all the saints. It may be easy to
pray for those we like or those in our family, but this teaching
is also directed to those we dont like and those who are our
enemies. One mark of true Christianity is that we pray for
those who hate us and despitefully use us (Matt. 5:44). Jesus
taught us to say, Our Father, not my Father. God is not a
respecter of persons and none of us has any exclusive right to
pray. We should intercede for the needs of all the saints.
When we pray or when we ask for prayer, we should never
be afraid to be specific. Paul asked the Ephesians to pray for
him in a very specific way. He asked them to pray that a door
would be opened for him to preach the gospel to others even
though he was in prison when he wrote these words. He did
not ask to be released from prison, but he did ask to be used
in a greater way to spread the gospel. This is a wonderful
example of praying in the will of God.
III. The People of God
Ephesians 6:21-24
21. But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus,
a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make
known to you all things:
22. Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye
might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.
23. Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
95
24. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
One wonderful feature about the Roman shield was that

the individual shields could be linked together to form a kind
of wall that would protect the troops as they advanced. We
are not in the battle alone. One of the devils favorite tools is
to isolate an individual believer. When we try to stand in our
own strength and when we try to face the trials of life all by
ourselves, we are easy victims of his fiery darts.
But, when we stop and look around, we will easily see that
we are surrounded by a vast company of fellow-believers.
Paul wanted the folks in Ephesus to know about the things
that were taking place in his life. He was not ashamed of his
situation. He wanted honest and open discussion of all that
had happened to him. So should we.
Paul sent Tychicus, his faithful helper, to make known all
things to the Ephesians. The purpose of this was not gossip,
it was to comfort the hearts of those in Ephesus who truly
cared for Paul and wondered about the things that had happened to him.
This teaches us to share our burdens as well as our blessings. This is one of the functions of a local church. There we
can meet and share with each other. The result of this will be
that hearts are comforted. Often we might think that we are
the only one who has ever had a certain problem or born a
certain burden. What a comfort it is to realize that others
have been down the same road and have emerged from the
battle in victory.
A FINAL WORD
The conclusion to this great letter to the Ephesians is both
simple in its words and profound in its meaning. This is not
a formal or throwaway conclusion, like we might perfunctorily write at the end of a letter just for the sake of being
grammatically correct. This is as much a part of the Bible as
any other words we might find.
96
Paul was expressing his desire for those who would read
these words. He wanted three thingspeace, love and faith.
As we saw earlier, peace is the result of the gospel. The gospel
of Jesus Christ will bring peace to our hearts when we
believe it. Jesus is the greatest expression we could possibly
have of the love of God for mankind, and, when we will
receive that love, we will find peace in our hearts. This is all
brought about by faith. When we not only believe the Bible
but also take the step of applying what we believe to our
lives, we find a right relationship with God and with our fellow believers.
This is all the result of the grace of God that is revealed to
us through Jesus. We are saved by grace and we live by grace.
It is the grace of God that preserves us and enables us, and
it is that grace that will one day deliver us from lifes greatest enemy, death.
This grace is shown in the lives of all those who truly love
the Lord. This is the sincere love that shows in a changed life,
not the hypocritical claim that is only expressed in words.
When we have Gods love, we will find a permanent basis for
a happy, God-honoring life.

1. What is the command given to this soldier? Why?
2. How would each piece of armor prepare this soldier for
attack? How would the absence of any piece weaken him?
3. Why didnt Paul ask the Ephesians to pray that he
would be released from prison?
4. How is information vital to our spiritual well-being?
What part did Tychicus and Epaphroditus play in providing
communication link between Paul and Ephesus?

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Adult Quarterly

WINTER QUARTER, 2007-2008

A Revelation of Gods Grace

His Eternal Choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Alert and Sober Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

American Baptist Association

Paul first encountered Ephesus on his second journey. He left Priscilla

Gods Grace Revealed

Focus: Ephesians 1:1-11

Sunday Devotional: Heirs of

Application: God has an eternal

Gods Grace Revealed in His Eternal Choices

that basis. The grace of God is simply that process that

Paul began by referring to distinct personages. First there

Text: Ephesians 1:1-11

Although the Bible is complete and inspiration has ended,

Gods Grace Revealed in His Eternal Choices

Most of this world and most of the world of the Ephesians

Gods grace resulted in Gods choice. He has chosen every

Text: Ephesians 1:1-11

Gods Grace Revealed in His Eternal Choices

Our choices are often arbitrary. We choose one over the

Text: Ephesians 1:1-11

FOR CLASS DISCUSSION

Gods Grace Revealed

Focus: Ephesians 1:12-23

Sunday Devotional: The

Text: Ephesians 1:12-23

while and during that time they have the opportunity to

God has a purpose in saving our souls and that purpose is

Gods Grace Revealed in Pauls Prayer for Ephesus

hearing comes by the Word of God. When anyone hears the

Text: Ephesians 1:12-23

II. The Privilege of Intercessory Prayer

Gods Grace Revealed in Pauls Prayer for Ephesus

Wisdom will open our understanding and shine a light in

Text: Ephesians 1:12-23

that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be

Gods Grace Revealed in Pauls Prayer for Ephesus

FOR CLASS DISCUSSION

December 16, 2007

Gods Grace Revealed

Focus: Ephesians 2:1-10

Sunday Devotional: A Lost Man

Gods Grace Revealed in Our Salvation

human reasoning that many simply refuse to accept it. When

Paul did not mince words here. He made no attempt to

Text: Ephesians 2:1-10

Gods Grace Revealed in Our Salvation

II. Our Present Salvation

Gods love results directly in our salvation. We were dead in

Text: Ephesians 2:1-10

We are saved by grace and we are saved for a purpose. As

Gods Grace Revealed in Our Salvation

What could be more plain than verse 8? We are saved

Text: Ephesians 2:1-10

Him and set their reasoning power against His. This is as

FOR CLASS DISCUSSION

December 23, 2007

Gods Grace Revealed

Focus: Ephesians 2:11-22

Sunday Devotional: The Real

Application: The death of Christ

Text: Ephesians 2:11-22