Sermons on Ephesians 1:1-2:1:

Identity Series

Contributed by Russ Barksdale on Jul 18, 2019

Understanding and accepting who we are in Christ is foundational to the life of abundance Jesus claimed to grant us.

At the Movies: Identity Understanding and accepting who we are in Christ is foundational to the life of abundance Jesus claimed to grant us. Identity attributes of the Christ-follower: 1. We are favored v.3 2. We are chosen v.4 3. We are adopted vv.5-6 4. We are redeemed v.7-8 5. We are ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:1-13

Denomination: Baptist

Paul And Ephesus

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Jul 29, 2019

We hear Paul's letter to the Ephesians like we might overhear someone talking on the phone. We get only half of the conversation. If we are going to understand Paul's teaching we need to learn as much as possible about the circumstances of his readers.

Years ago there was a farmer from a very small village in Germany who was just itching to get out and see something of the world. His big chance came when his nephew got a job on a barge that would sail up the Rhine River to Rotterdam. Even if it only stayed there for one day to drop off one ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:1-2

God Chose You

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Jul 29, 2019

Some of us might have trouble believing that the big, eternal God would ever even notice little old me. But Paul, right from the start of his letter to the Ephesians, emphasized that God had chosen them to be his.

This is our third Sunday now focusing on the book of Ephesians. At last we're getting around to starting at the beginning. We have already peaked at parts of chapter 2 and chapter 3 because of special themes for Epiphany and Human Relations Sunday. But now we get back to a more orderly ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:1-14

You've Got A Lot Going For You, Part 1: God The Father

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Jul 29, 2019

Too many Christians feel inadequate to be any use to God or their church. Paul reminds the Ephesian Christians of the resources they have going for them.

In any church you’ll find some members who sit on the sidelines, feeling like they don’t really belong on the team. They have heard a number of times that God loves them, but in their hearts, they wonder. They feel a little lonely at church, a little on the sidelines. And they’d like to get to ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-14

You've Got A Lot Going For You, Part 2: The Trinity

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Jul 29, 2019

It can be confusing to talk about serving one God who is 3 persons. We may think we can just ignore abstract ideas like that. But this part of the nature of our God is one of the richest blessings of being a Christian

Last week we started looking at the main body of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. He starts out with a very high falutin statement of the glory of God, listing first, blessings we have received through God the Father, then through God the Son, then through God the Holy Spirit. Starting out like ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-14

God The Son Series

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Jul 29, 2019

We may think we can make our own way to be good enough, but our only hope is in the redemption won by Jesus.

We are still at the beginning of working our way through one of the most amazing books of the Bible, Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. It presents the most beautiful picture of the church and the Christian life, a picture that really stretches your mind. The last two weeks we have been working ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-14

The Holy Spirit

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Jul 29, 2019

The Christian faith focuses on what God did long ago and will do in the future. But an experience of the Holy Spirit is a taste of what God means to us here and now, deep in our hearts.

Today we’ll finish up with the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Because of holidays and our communion schedule we haven’t done the chapter in order. Some weeks ago we started looking at the trinitarian opening of the letter, with Paul’s introduction of God the Father, God the Son, ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-14

Blessed Be You

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Jul 29, 2019

Maybe you have heard many promises of blessings in Christ, but aren't experiencing them for yourself. Perhaps the next step is an act of faith to receive those blessings.

The last two Sundays we’ve taken a break from working through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Those were Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. And those Sundays are always a treat. But today we go back to the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. And that’s a different kind of treat. If you ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:15-23

You Are The Body Of Christ

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Jul 29, 2019

Many times, if God is going to touch someone, it will be through us.

Today we celebrate the baptisms of three children of our congregation. A lot of things are happening in a baptism. Their parents are asking for God's blessing on their children and making promises to provide Christian nurture for them. God is making a statement to the children, that he ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:22-23

He Is The First In Everything!!!

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Jul 29, 2019

In this message, Yours Truly aims to glorify His Heavenly Sire, Saviour and Sustainer by focusing on His unique attribute of being the originator of love, faith and hope in us.

HE IS THE FIRST IN EVERYTHING!!! “….He is first in everything”- Col 1:18 (TLB) Speaking about the pre-eminence of worship in a Christian’s life, a Biblical scholar put it wisely “If prayer and praise are a preoccupation about our needs and blessings respectively, ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:19, Ephesians 1:3-5, 1 Corinthians 15:20

Denomination: *other

True Treasure Derives From God's Good Pleasure Series

Contributed by Charles Cunningham on Aug 3, 2019

Earthly pleasure is temporary and important to God in terms of legality and morality, but true pleasure comes from God our Father who has gifted His children with the True Treasure that is SO important in terms of eternity.

“My pleasure” is an idiom I sometimes use in response to a “thank you” . . . sort of like a special way of saying “you’re welcome” but reserved for gratifying, delightful experiences which rise above the customary courtesy level . . . of just being polite. Actually to discover true pleasure ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-24, Luke 12:32, Ephesians 1:9, Philippians 2:13

The World Series

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Aug 6, 2019

As we try to follow God, know that you are swimming against a strong current of the world's pressures.

Some years ago we went up to Minnesota to visit our daughter, Elizabeth, and she took us out to one of her favorite spots, Interstate Park on the St. Croix River. If that name seems strange, it’s not a place where you have a picnic in the median between northbound and southbound lanes. It’s ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10, James 4:4, John 16:33

The Flesh Series

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Aug 6, 2019

We can be tempted to blame our failings on other people, but our own lack of self control, our slavery to 'the flesh' can be our worst enemy

Kathy and I have a Siamese cat, named Ling. For the purposes of being a pet, she’s really good. She’s quite affectionate, for a cat. She’ll come and sit in our laps several times a day, and if you scratch her in just the right spots, she really purrs. She plays amazing games with her balls and ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10, Galatians 5:13-24

The Devil Series

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Aug 6, 2019

The devil knows a lot of cheap tricks to pull us down. If you are wise to those tricks you can stand strong against him.

In my freshman year of high school I went out for tennis. I wasn’t very good. The coach never took me to even one away meet because most everybody was better than I was. But I had a lot of fun. It was great being outside with my friends in the springtime. And tennis wasn’t near as much work ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10, Ephesians 3:9-10, Ephesians 6:10-20

He Raised Us Up With Him

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Aug 6, 2019

The resurrection of Jesus calls us to life on a new dimension.

Imagine with me a young boy spending the summer on his grandfather’s farm. He has chores to do, but as soon as they are done he loves to roam in the woods and hills nearby. He spots an eagle soaring in the sky, follows it to its nest on the edge of a cliff and sees its mate sitting on the nest. ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-7, Matthew 10:39