Sermons on Ephesians 1:4-18:

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

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

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

In Christ, I Am...chosen For God's Glory Series

Contributed by Vic Folkert on Aug 17, 2018

Who are we? In Christ, we are CHOSEN FOR GOD'S GLORY. That makes us glorious, and gives meaning and purpose in our lives.

IN CHRIST, I AM…CHOSEN FOR GOD’S GLORY—Ephesians 1:1-14 (Series on Ephesians: In Christ, I Am…) Did you hear about the woman in Iceland who spent half the night trying to find herself—literally? Her tour bus had stopped in the volcanic Eldgja region of Iceland, and she went into a rest area to ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:1-14

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

In Christ, I Am...confident Series

Contributed by Vic Folkert on Aug 17, 2018

When we lack confidence, we need the eyes of our hearts to be opened, to comprehend the hope to which God has called us, the riches our inheritance, and the resurrection power in us.

In Christ, I am…Confident—Ephesians 1:15-23 (Series on Ephesians: In Christ, I Am…) We have all known people who struggle with lack of confidence. It is not that they lack opportunity or ability; they just lack the confidence to believe they can succeed. ***I grew up across the street from ten ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:15-23

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Martyr's Mindset

Contributed by Samuel Sampson on Aug 27, 2018

We are not called to be martyrs in Christianity, but we are called to love God even to the point of readily giving up this temporal life if need be.

—The Martyrs Mindset— "Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you."—Philippians 3:15 We find quite often nowadays in the news, stories like: —'3 men summarily executed by Saudi authorities for converting to ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-23, Acts 7:51-60

Gods Perspective Is Our Mindset Series

Contributed by Vince Miller on Aug 28, 2018

A vantage point is a place from which your point of view is generated. In Jesus Christ, God sees us through a completely righteous lens.

I believe that perspective is absolutely key in the spiritual life for us men. Guys, perspective changes everything. And on this journey of becoming the man that God wants us to be -there’s a cavernous difference sometimes between how we view ourselves, and how God views us. And part of our ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

Open My Eyes Oh Lord

Contributed by Lola Olanrewaju on Sep 1, 2018

If God can open our spiritual eyes to see from the inside out the beginning and the end of our situation we will know the right step to take and we will have more confident in Him and won’t have to worry much.

Am sure some of us will be wondering why we need God to open our eyes when we haven’t close them or when we are not blind. I believe as Christians God has given us physical eye to see in the physical realm and He can give us spiritual eyes to see in the spiritual realm . Ephesians 1:18 says “The ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:18, Ephesians 1:18

Denomination: Pentecostal

Connecting To New Life (We Are Better Together)

Contributed by Brad Bailey on Sep 11, 2018

Connecting to New Life (We Are Better Together) Brad Bailey – September 9, 2018

Connecting to New Life (We Are Better Together) Brad Bailey – September 9, 2018 Intro It’s great to see you this morning… and to be together. I imagine that if asked “WHAT did you come to?”…when you came to church this morning…and “WHY did you come here this morning?”… there would be a variety of ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:5

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational