Paul's letter to the Ephesians turns to the cosmic significance and implications of Jews and Gentile being joined together as one family. Paul reminds the Ephesians of his conversion, and commission by God, and the Ephesians of their mission, and the supernatural purpose and impact that their mission has to the heavenly realms and the wider church.
Humanity at Peace - Ephesians 2:11-22
In the face of war, abuse, discrimination, genocide, we all long for peace - but that longing can only be fulfilled in knowing Christ and being a part of Christ’s people because in his death on the cross Christ has paid the cost of that peace. So the church - and ultimately humanity as a whole - can be at peace. As the church we can live at peace with one another by centrering our lives on Christ, the chief cornerstone of our community, and the One who paid the cost of peace.
Alive in Christ - Ephesians 2:1-10
In verse 1-3 of this passage Paul speaks about the life we are all saved from - a life of self-centredness - a life of boasting in ourselves and what we do. Then, in verses 8-10 he speaks about the life we are saved for - a life of Christ-centredness - of boasting in Christ and what he’s done. And finally, in verses 4-7 he explains he exactly we can move from the life described in verses 1-3 to the life described in verses 8-10.
Experiencing God - Ephesians 1:15-23
All of us were created to know God. Not just to know about God, but to actually know God. That’s what Paul prays for the Ephesians in these verses - that they might know and experience the God who has blessed them with every spiritual blessing in Christ. In particular, that they would know his incomparably great power, seen in the resurrection and exaltation of Christ.
Overflowing Thanks and Praise - Ephesians 1:1-14
All of us praise the people or things that we love. In this passage Paul is overflowing with thanks and praise because in Christ God has given us every spiritual blessing - including things such as significance, freedom, purpose, security and hope. We can grow in our thankfulness for what God has done for us by allowing our hearts to be increasingly captured by Christ’s love displayed at the cross, rather than captured by the people or things of this world.
Death, Dying and Grief - Genesis 49:29 - 50:26
In this passage we explore how both Jacob and Joseph die as great men of faith. We also explore how Joseph grieves his father’s death, how he recovers from that grief, and how - even in the face of his own death - he leaves God’s people with a sobering but hope-filled reminder.
The Blessing of Jacob’s Sons - Genesis 49:1-28
In this passage Jacob speaks words of blessing to each of his sons that predict their future as individuals, and the future of the tribe that will descend from them. As he does that Jacob also longs for God’s Promised King - the Lion of the tribe of Judah - who will fully and finally deliver God’s people from Satan, sin, and death.
Finishing Life Well - Genesis 48
In this passage we explore the ways in which Jacob is a great example of us of finishing the life of well. As much as he is physically failing, spiritually speaking, he is sprinting to the line - sprinting into the arms of his Good Shepherd.