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COMMUNITY GROUPS DISCUSSION
Week of 1-13-2013
“Problem Child”
Ephesians 1:1-6

Scripture Memorization:

“In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will,” – Ephesians 1:4b-5

Summary:

Paul begins his letter to the Ephesians by identifying himself as an apostle. Apostleship was an office in the early church. Apostles had witnessed the risen Jesus, were sent by Jesus and wrote most of the New Testament. He addresses the members of the church in Ephesus as saints, those who have been justified and sanctified by God through the life and death of Jesus Christ. They are faithful in Christ Jesus. Paul breaks out in a long sentence (verses 3-14) full of praise to God. In it, he tells the Ephesians that they are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places and that God chose Paul and the Ephesians before the foundation of the world so that they should be holy and blameless before him. God in love predestined (chose) all Christians in order to adopt them through Jesus Christ according the purpose of his will so that his saving grace to those he chose in Jesus would be glorified.

Discussion:

  1. “Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (v. 1-2)
  • Paul tells the Ephesians that they are faithful but not because of their good works and efforts. No. They are faithful because they are in Christ. Our faithfulness is possible because we are first in Christ. Outside of Christ we cannot be faithful.
  • Jesus himself does the work in us. He causes us to be faithful and do good works unto him.
  • God’s grace is verse two is referring to God’s goodness shown to ill deserving sinners.

1)Explain how Jesus is the initiator of our faith and ultimately our daily growth in our walk with him through sanctification? How can we work for God if he does the work?

a)Colossians 3:17 – “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father THROUGH him.”

b)Philippians 2:13 – “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

c)Hebrews 12:2 – “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

d)Philippians 1:6 – “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

2)If God had not initiated his relationship with you through his saving grace, where would you be today?

3)How has the grace of God transformed you?

  1. “Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, w ho has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” (v. 3)
  • Jesus is the mediator of all of God’s blessings on this earth.
  • All of God’s blessings are found in Christ.
  • Spiritual blessings means that they are conveyed by the Holy Spirit (pneumatikos). The Holy Spirit’s presence assures us of future heavenly blessings in heavenly places since that is the Christian’s final home after being resurrected in a glorified body.

1)Do you try to find blessings outside of Christ? What is Jesus competing against when it comes to your soul being satisfied?

a)Psalm 16:11 – “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

b)Philippians 4:11 - “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.”

c)Hebrews 13:5 – “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

d)John 4:14 – “But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up with eternal life.”

  1. “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. ” (v. 4-5)
  • The Father chose Christians in the son (Jesus) and this took place in eternity past, before the foundation of the world.
  • The Father’s decision to choose people is NOT arbitrary and was planned all along in Christ.
  • God chose his people in HIS love so we cannot take credit for our salvation.
  • We were chosen with the goal that we would be holy and blameless.
  • Holiness expresses moral purity while blamelessness expresses freedom from the guilt of our sins and trespasses.
  • Predestined means previously ordained or appointed to something. We are predestined to be his sons through adoption.
  • “According to his will” means it will come to pass. God’s will cannot be frustrated. His will is to pour out his grace on his people.
  • Just as an orphan cannot choose his or her adoptive parents we could not choose God.
  • If we can choose God then that means we can fall out of his grace (lose our salvation).
  • If God chooses us, we can rest assured that we will not lose our salvation because his will is not frustrated. He will keep us because he did not make mistakes when he chose us in Christ.
  • When God adopted us it’s not as if he was adopting cute babies. He was adopting his enemies. No one who has been predestined by God deserved God. He adopted people who willfully rebelled against him.
  • God rejoices over his children.

1)Do you have a wrong view of God as a Father? What common wrong views do you find people have of God as a Father?

a)1 John 4:16 – “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

b)Romans 5:8 – “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

c)Zephaniah 3:17 – “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

2)Knowing God is a loving Father, how does this truth help you understand how he relates to you when you sin and fall?

3)As a child of God, do you walk in condemnation or in acceptance?

a)Romans 8:1 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

4)What does freedom in Christ look like? Does it mean we are free to do as we please because his grace will always abound?

a)Romans 6:1-2 – “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

b)Romans 6:6 – “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”

c)WE ARE FREE FROM SIN, NOT TO SIN.

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