Will For Security - Week 1
Lesson One 1:1-14
Connecting to one another
Think of one specific thing God has gifted you to do (sing, run, host a party, work with wood, bake). Imagine you are doing this thing to express praise to God for rescuing you from lifelong slavery. Now imagine you are on a stage before God, the holy and fallen angels, humanity, and all creation.
Share -- How would you do the thing you love to express praise to God?
Understanding the Truth with one another
Verse by Verse ~ Topic by Topic ~ Argument by Argument
1. Verses 1-2
Review the definitions for apostle, Christ, and saints on page 4. What do these persons have in common in relation to the will of God?
Typically, in Paul’s letters, this is where he finds something to praise in his recipients. But the Father sent Paul to part the curtain on His plan for the entire cosmos, to center and unite all things in Christ. So, Paul, already a gifted writer, pulls out all the stops – literally—and writes a *202-word sentence of praise that we read as verses 3 to 14.
*In the original Greek, Ephesians 1:3-14 is a 202-word sentence.
Read Ephesians 1:3-14 as one continual sentence. Try to breeze through the periods.
Did God’s glory leave you breathless? What a writer experiences with his content, he tries to reproduce in his readers. I’m thinking Paul desired to bring his readers to breathless praise of our glorious God.
2. Verse 3 Think of this verse as the thesis statement of today’s text.
What is the reality for all in Christ regardless of their spiritual maturity?
Consider the who, what, when, and where. See “Terms to Know.”
3. Verse 4
When and why did the Father position us in the heavenlies? Explain how Jesus’ pre-existence is implied (Col 1:15-17). See “Terms to Know.”
4. Verses 5-8a
Why can we be utterly confident of our union with Christ? Make a lavish list! See “Terms to Know” for those rarely used spiritual terms Paul layers one right after the other.
5. Verses 8-10
The Father is so pleased to announce what He is so pleased to have done. What has He done? Paul is using more common words, but in special ways. See “Terms to Know.”
6. Verses 11-12
How did we obtain our inheritance? For what purpose? See “Terms to Know.”
7. Verses 13-14
How does Paul order the steps to our redemption here? What role does the Holy Spirit play in our salvation and eternal security?
Living the Truth as we are sent out
God is one; He exists in three eternal, co-equal persons, who are the same in essence but distinct in subsistence (Deut 6:4; 1 Pet 1:2).
8. According to this passage how does each Person in the Trinity act in conformity to God’s perfect will to be in an eternal relationship with us? List the actions below each Person. Then articulate how you would explain the Trinity’s relationship with us to a young believer using this information.
Father Son Holy Spirit
9.. Your Christian friend is struggling with something he or she did in the past or maybe with a recurring sin in the present. How would you explain eternal security to your friend using this passage? How does knowing you cannot lose your salvation actually free you to righteous living?
Praying Through the Truth for one another
An obvious application of this passage is to praise God for who He is and how He has blessed you. Engage in prayer as a group. We encourage each of you to pray at least one sentence or even one word. Then one to two persons can close your group in prayer and send you out singing!
Worship ALL Week At Grace we trust Christ to transform us as we abide in Him daily.
READ
o Homework – Read Ephesians 1:15-23 in preparation for next week.
o Optional -- Read John 6.
o Optional – Read Romans 8.
o Optional – Read the “Terms to Know” for Ephesians 1:1-14. See the other references that support that term’s meaning.
MEDITATE
o Homework -- Take notes from Ephesians 1:15-23 on God’s power and the power that is ours as “in Christ.”
ACT Options
o Teach someone what you learned about the Trinity using Ephesians 1:1-14.
o Teach someone what you learned about eternal security using Ephesians 1:1-14.
o Pray through Ephesians 1:1-14 out loud or in a journal. Consider this: The letter |s|, in the Greek “sigma,” is represented like this ∑. It is an appropriate letter to use in our spelling of E P H E ∑ I A N ∑ because it represents summation. Reflect on verse 10 and how “all things,” all of heaven and earth, are consummated in Christ.
o Do the thing you love, the thing God has gifted you to do as a praise to Him. See “Connecting to one another.”
God’s joy and strength to you!
kpaulson@gracelaredo.org
Terms to Know EPHESIANS 1:1-14
1. adoption – A legally adopted child in the Roman world was guaranteed an inheritance. This both improved the status of the adopted who received an inheritance and the family who had an heir to sustain the family’s future (Eph 1:5; Rom 8:15-17). See predestination.
2. all things -- the harmonized whole of heaven and earth (Eph 1:11). See predestination.
3. apostle – a designated “sent one” who encountered the risen Christ (Eph 1:1; cf Acts 14:4; 1 Cor 15:7; Gal 1:13-19; 1 Cor 4:6, 9)
4. believer – All who have trusted that Christ died on the cross to pay for their sins (Eph 2:8-9)
5. beloved – In this verse Jesus titled “Beloved.” (Eph 1:6; Mark 1:11; Col 1:13).
6. blessing (blessed) The Blesser (God) blesses His children (believers) with every blessing (spiritual, inner gifts given from and through the Spirit) (Eph 1:3, 6).
7. in Christ – in the “anointed one,” the Messiah. Believers are in union with Christ: He is in us; we are in Him. His death, burial and vindication in resurrection are ours (Eph 1:1; 3, 9, 12). See also “in Him” references (Eph 1:4, 10, 11, 13) and in the Beloved (Eph 1:6).
8. forgiveness – to give pardon for an offense. The offended releases the offender from paying retribution for his sin (Eph 1: 7; cf Acts 13: 38-39).
9. fullness of time – consummation (completion) of God’s promises through Christ (Eph 1:10)
10. glory – the infinite beauty of God that emanates from His character (Eph 1:12, 14)
11. gospel – “good news” which is based on these facts: Jesus died for our sins, was buried and was raised from the dead on the third day (Eph 1:13; cf 1 Cor 15:3-4; Mark 16:15-16).
12. “grace and peace” – Paul opens with this blessing in his letters. Grace is a Greek greeting, but in the Word means “undeserved favor.” Peace is a Hebrew greeting, “Shalom,” meaning peace. Numbers 6:24-26 incorporates both and highlights this cause-effect relationship: When we receive grace, we possess peace (Eph 1:2)
13. guarantee – When we are regenerated, we receive the Holy Spirit, God’s down payment and pledge that He will complete our salvation (Eph 1:14; cf 2 Cor 5:5; Rom 8:23).
14. heavenly places – a literal place where both good (above) and evil supernatural forces (below) dwell. Here it directs us to the source of our blessings above (Eph 1:3).
15. hope – an expectation based on God’s promises and character (Eph 1:12; cf Rom 8:24-25).
16. inheritance – something received or appointed by lot; the Greek kleroo is used only here in New Testament (Eph 1:5; cf Rom 8: 15-17).
17. mystery – something previously unknown or given detail it previously lacked (Eph 1:9; Rom 16:25; 1 Cor 2:7; Eph 3:9; Col 1:26-27). Here Paul is referring to what has already started.
18. plan – an administration, a dispensation; it is commonly used for households, cities, states, but here it is applied to the world and emphasizes that Christ will rule His Kingdom (Eph 1:10).
19. predestination – the sovereign act of God to set apart son and daughters before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless (Eph 1:5, 11). See adoption.
20. redemption – the required ransom to rescue the guilty from bondage. “Blood” in verse 7 implies rescue (Rom 3:24-25; Heb 9:11-15).
21. saint – one “set apart,” made holy by God for special use, a New Testament title given to every believer (Eph 1:1)
22. seal – A seal indicates that the letter’s protected contents are authentic. The Holy Spirit is evidence that we are “in Christ” and positioned in utter protection (Eph 1:13: 2 Cor 1:21-22).
23. trespass – an exceeding of your rights, a crossing of God’s will or law (Eph 1:8 cf Rom 5:18)
24. will – God’s sovereign execution of His plan (Eph 1:1, 5, 9, 11)
25. wisdom and insight – understanding that leads to proper application (Eph 1:8). In this verse, God is demonstrating wisdom and insight in relation to His plan.