I.               Introduction

A.  Collins’ Story[1]

B.  Definitions of Hope

1.    The world often uses the word hope in a flippant way.

2.    For Christians, hope is foundational to our faith.

a.    Romans 4:18 Abraham about promise of child

b.    Romans 5:4-5 character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame…

c.    Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope…

d.    2 Corinthians 1:10 …On Him we have set our hope that He will deliver us again.

e.    Colossians 1:23 we are told not to shift from the hope of the gospel

f.     1 Timothy 1:1 Christ Jesus is our hope

g.    1 Timothy 4:10 our hope is set on the living God

h.    Hebrews 6:11 we are encouraged to have a full assurance of hope

i.     Hebrews 6:18 we are told to hold fast to the hope set before us

j.     1 Peter 1:3 we are born to a living hope

k.    1 Peter 3:15 we are told to be ready to give a defense for the hope that is within us

3.    Hope is a confident expectation that God is the keeper of His promises.

4.    What is the one hope Paul urges the Ephesian brethren to remember?

C.  Background

1.    Again, I’ll remind you that the Ephesian letter is written to a congregation struggling to figure out how to get along.

2.    At the beginning of the letter, he reminds them of the blessings that God has given them in Christ.

3.    Now, he prays that they will open their eyes to see what he’s talking about- the hope they have in Christ.

II.            One Hope

A.  Hope in (15-18)

1.    God wants us to in our understanding of what He has made for us through Christ.

2.    He wanted them to open the eyes of their hearts to enlightenment to the hope that is found in the power of the resurrection of Christ.

3.    Until we really seek to see the world through the eyes of Jesus, there will always be things we’re missing. The world will be a little fuzzy and out of focus.

4.    When we grow to Christ, we God more and help others see it as well (Colossians 1:9-11).

B.  Hope in His (19-23)

1.    God has given us hope by showing us what He is of doing.

2.    Notice all the words Paul uses to emphasize God’s great power:

a.    Immeasurable greatness

b.    Power

c.    Great might

3.    God has used this power to save us.

a.    Illustration: Brian Shaw.[2]

b.    That’s impressive, but it’s nothing compared to what God can do.

4.    Paul tells us what kind of power God has…it’s resurrecting power.

5.    F.F. Bruce rightly observes, “If the death of Christ is the supreme demonstration of the of God…the resurrection of Christ is the supreme demonstration of His .”[3]

C.  Hope in His

1.    We have hope because of the that God will do exactly what he says He will do.

2.    Paul concludes with an interesting comment. He says the church is Christ’s body and “the fullness of Christ who fills all in all.”

a.    The idea is that we are so full of the presence of Christ that it can’t help but overflow from Him through us.[4]

b.    Illustration: What spills out?[5]

c .    When people bump into us in life, do they get a little bit of Jesus? Does He fill this congregation so much that when people bump into us, He spills out?

d.    Does hope spill out of your cup?

3.    Paul would remind us that our hope in Christ should always resides within us.

4.    The hope we have in Christ should be evident to those around us when life “” into us. (Galatians 2:20)

III.         Conclusion

A.  The Magnolia Foundation[6]

B.  Invitation

Text: Ephesians 2:13-22; 4:4-6

I.    Introduction

A.  Belonging

1.    DNA research has revolutionized one’s search for ancestry. Many, who once had no hope of discovering their biological roots are now turning to DNA services.

2.    In 2019 a documentary called The Missing Piece explored the reunion of two Korean born sisters who had never met because they didn’t know the other one existed.[1]

3.    All of us long to belong, but even in the church we can struggle to feel like we do.

B.  Background

1.    Paul begins this section of Ephesians by revisiting and more specifically addressing the blessings of being in Christ.

a.    He concentrates on their past lives lived in sin and away from God.

b.    He then turns and expresses how great God’s mercy was towards them in the giving of Jesus to make a relationship with God possible.

c.    In verses 11-12, Paul addresses the Gentile brethren particularly. They were strangers to the covenantal protections of God’s people.

2.    In our passage today, Paul then addresses how they were “brought near.”

3.    F.F. Bruce titles these two sections “Their Former Plight” and “Their Current Access.”[2]

II.            One Spirit

A.  Newness

1.    Being in Christ brings a lot of changes in our lives.

a.    New (v 13)

b.    New (v 14)

c.    New (v 15)

d.    New (v 16-19)

2.    As a Christian, you have the blessings of :

a.   

b.   

c.   

3.    The Spirit is the connection point of all these new blessings (v 18).

a.    This is because they are now identified through the seal of the Spirit, which guarantees (Ephesians 1:13-14) the blessings described earlier in Ephesians 1:3-12.

b.    Paul writes of the seal of the Spirit in 2 Corinthians 1:22, 2 Corinthians 5:5, and Romans 8:16.

4.    In essence, Paul is reminding the church at Ephesus that those who are in Christ .

B.  New (v 20-22)

1.    The church is not just a family, community, or place of like-mindedness; it is the place where God now in the Spirit.

2.    As God had dwelt in the Tabernacle and Temple by His Spirit, He now dwells in the church.[4]

a.    Exodus 40:34

b.    1 Kings 8:11

c.    John 14:15-17

d.    1 Corinthians 3:16-17

3.    This place is founded upon the teachings of both the prophets (NT) and the apostles (NT) with Christ as the cornerstone, determining the beginning point and direction of the church.[5]

4.    As each of us is added to this building, we contribute to the stability and strength of God’s house (Ephesians 4:16).

6.    “What is God doing in the world in the interval between resurrection and Parousia (the second coming)? According to Paul, God is at work through the Spirit to create communities that prefigure and embody the reconciliation and healing of the world. The fruit of God’s love is the formation of communities that confess, worship, and pray together in a way that glorifies God.”[6]

C.  in the Spirit

1.    Most people want to be different, to stand out in some way (e.g., popularity, fame, etc.).

2.    In Christ, we are called to an ambiguity of sorts. We are called to constantly and back to Christ, not ourselves.

a.    One Spirit calls us to unity in the of one another (one man)- Be a people who seek to add others to the dwelling place of God.

b.    One Spirit calls us to unity in the of our existence (one purpose), which is to be the of God on earth (we are His workmanship).

III.         Conclusion

A.  Spiritual DNA

B.  Invitation

Text: Ephesians 4:4-6

I.               Introduction

A.  Fascinating Facts about the Human Body

B.  Body of the Church

C.  The Seven Ones

II.            Unity and Diversity in the One Body

A.  in the Body

1.    Unity in

a.    We serve under the of Christ. (Colossians 1:18, 2:19)

b.    The brain is the control center of the body.

c.    It works subconsciously to control many of the systems in your body.

2.    Spiritual

a.    – It is Jesus who defines for us what obedience, faith, truth, worship, etc. look like.

b.    – Jesus is the WAY (purpose, vision, mission, etc.).

c.    – Jesus determines what the church looks like (leadership, work, etc.).

3.    Unity in

a.    We should serve God with the of Christ.

b.    We often refer to the heart as the emotional center of our being.

c.    Rarely do we make a decision based on logic alone.

4.    Spiritual

a.    We are to be a people that seek to love one another.

b.    Remember the traits that we talked about last week (humility, gentleness, patience, tolerance, eagerness to keep the bond in peace).

c.    Jesus loved people, and so should we (Matthew 9:36; Luke 7:13).

5.    We must follow Jesus’s example in our heads and hearts if we want to be His people.

6.    When these two get out of balance, we can become legalistic or liberal.

B.  in the Body

1.    is Useful

a.    Our diversity is meant to be a

b.    The body metaphor also reminds us that we are each different from one another.

c.    How we experience worship, serve Christ, and connect with others may look very different, but as long as we do it with the right head and heart, we’re serving the Lord.

2.    Different

a.    When we pair this passage with Paul’s other passages, we also learn that our differences can be a strength because those differences will lead to differing roles.

b.    We read about the unity and diversity of the body in 1 Corinthians 12:1-31 and Romans 12:3-8.

c.    Those two passages remind us that each part of the body of Christ is

d.    Just as the different parts of the body have different functions, they all work together. Paul returns to this idea later in our theme passage for the year (Ephesians 4:16).

III.         Conclusion

A.  The Soul

B.  Invitation

Text: Matthew 16:13-20

I.               Introduction

A.  The Kingdom of Eswatini[1]

B.  Series Introduction

1.    On the third Sunday night of each month, we’ll examine an image of the church in Scripture.

2.    The purpose will be to better understand the blessing and importance of the church.

II.            The Church as the Kingdom

A. 

1.    The kingdom was prophesied about in the Testament (Daniel 2:44).

2.    The kingdom was prophesied about in the Testmament by the angel Gabriel to Mary (Luke 1:31-33).

B. 

1.    The kingdom is a reality as seen in Scripture.

2.    During Christ’s

a.    Mark 1:14-15 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

b.    Matthew 12:28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

c.    Mark 9:1-9

d.    Acts 1:3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

3.    By Christ’s (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:36; Ephesians 1:20-22; 1 Peter 3:22)

4.    By its

a.    1 Thessalonians 2:12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

b.    Colossians 1:13,14 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

c.    Hebrews 12:28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,

5.    By its

a.    Matthew 25:34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world

b.    2 Peter 1:10-11 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

C. 

1.    God’s kingdom plan has always included the .

a.    Ephesians 1:22-23 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

b.    If the church is such a huge part of the plan of redeeming mankind, it should be of the upmost importance to us.

2.    The Kingdom is

a.    God promised that the church would never be destroyed.

b.    Daniel 2:44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,

c.    Matthew 16:18-19 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven

3.    If the Kingdom of God is this powerful, shouldn’t we want to be part of it?

III.         Conclusion

A.  Troubles in the Kingdom[2]

B.  Invitation

Text: Ephesians 4:1-3

I. Introduction

A. Bobbie the WonderDog[1]

B. Reunited with God

1.    Bobbie’s story pales in comparison to what God has done to reunite us with Him.

2.    Our passage this morning is designed to explain how we should respond to the lengths that God has gone to in order to redeem us.

3. Paul challenges us to walk in manner worthy of the calling to which we’ve been called. One thing that includes is the unity of the Spirit.

II. Unity of the Spirit

A. What is the unity of the Spirit?

1.    Paul reminded them that the
Spirit had given them what was necessary to be united to God.

a.    The Spirit is the Christians are given (1:13)

b.    The Spirit affords us to the Father (2:18)

c.    Assists in building us (the church) up into a dwelling place for God (2:22)

d.    Delivered the to the mystery of the gospel (3:5)

e.    Provides for the Christian (3:16)

f.     of the Spirit (6:17)

2.    In essence, unity of the Spirit is Paul’s way of saying that unity is found in walking (4:1) in the things of God.

3.    Just like we need ligaments to connect our muscle tissue to our bone for the purpose of stabilizing and proper movement so we need the Spirit to keep us connected to God and one another.

4.    The unity of the Spirit is what God has offered to the faithful.

5.    It is our connection to God to know we are His and belong to one another.

B. Achieving Unity of the Spirit

1.   

a.    Humility is about the attitude we have toward self.

b.    Humility was considered a negative trait in the 1^st century.

c.    Humility is not about allowing others to mistreat us.

d.    True humility is simply looking at ourselves in light of God’s great and and seeking to that to others.[2]

2.    The next traits are about our attitudes towards others.[3]

3.    /Meekness

a.    Gentleness is my rights by bringing my desires under control so that others may experience what is for them.

b.    Illustration: You may have experienced this when someone runs a traffic light. You have the right of way; it’s your turn, but if you proceed, both of your lives will be impacted negatively.

c.    Meekness is not weakness; it is a strength that allows everyone to benefit. (Matthew 5:5)

4.    Patience

a.    The Greek word makrothumia means that you are not easily provoked even by your opposition.

b.    It is so easy to react rather than respond when we do not agree or are wronged by someone, even in the church.

c.    Patience encourages us to rather than and risk harming someone’s walk in Christ.

i.     Galatians 5:22

ii.     Colossians 3:12

5.    Bearing with One Another in Love/

a.    As if to emphasize the first two traits, Paul reminds us to be tolerant with others’ .

b.    This is not about being tolerant of continuous sinful habits but reminding ourselves that we all have flaws that we are trying to work on. We are all works in progress. We are all a little broken.

c.    We all come from different walks of life. Our experiences, education, and environments are diverse. That diversity can be a strength if we come to understand each other; it can divide us if we don’t. (Colossians 3:13)

6.    Eager to Keep the Bond

a.    We are to seek to care for one another despite our diversity

b.    This eagerness will act in conjunction with a bond (fastener) of peace.

c.    The word for bond is like ligaments connecting bone and muscle.[4]
We hear quite a lot about athletes tearing their ACL or MCL. Both of those are
ligaments around the knee that help with the stability of the leg. If they are
damaged, movement is more challenging.

7.    Why must it be accomplished in the bond of peace?

a.    Peace and unity are two things granted to Christians; therefore, we should be agents of and .[5] (Ephesians 2:14-16)

b.    Jesus calls us to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9).

c.    Unity is not something that is just to be preserved in Christians, but also observed by the world in the Christian’s actions.[6]

d.    Christians are to show the world the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

C. Challenges

1.    Unity is challenging because of our diversity, but our diversity is actually meant to be a part of our strength.

2.    The way we find unity is not through our own wisdom, compromise, or forcing uniformity. True unity is found in Christ!

III. Conclusion

A. Bobbie’s Story Continued

B. Invitation

1.    God desires for us to be united to Him. I can’t wait for that Day when we “begin” eternity with God.

2.    God desires for us to be united to one another because we need help along the way.

3.    This morning, do you need help?

When you think about suffering, what comes to mind? Do you envision bedraggled children with distended stomachs, a hospital patient hooked up to life-sustaining medical equipment, or a courageous veteran dealing with the aftermath of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.  Adversity seems to be a common denominator to human existence, but what does the Bible have to say about suffering?

Jesus spoke to His disciples about suffering. One of the most well-known verses reads, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24 ESV). The Greek word for cross in this verse is staurós. It refers to the crossbeam which the lowest criminals carried as they trudged toward their execution. The cross symbolized degradation and indescribable pain as well as sacrifice.

While the invitation to eternal life is free, it comes at a price–certain suffering.

Text: Ephesians 4:12-16

I.               Introduction

A.  The Right Tools

1.    I have a set of tools on the stage today. Some of these tools have a very specific purpose while others can have multiple applications.

2.    This Christmas, I decided to build something for Sally. It wasn’t the hardest project in the world, but if I had not had the right tools it would have been a lot more difficult.

3.    I’ve built things in the past where it took me much longer than it should have simply because I did not have the right tools.

4.    This year, my Sunday morning focus will be on providing you with the tools you need for your spiritual life.

B.  Equipped for Life Theme

1.    For 2025, our theme is Equipped for Life

2.    God has provided tools to equip us to live in this world.

3.    Some are basic, everyday tools that we need; tools of knowledge.

4.    Some are more advanced tools; they are tools with specific purposes, like tools for how to be a faithful Christian in the workplace, how to develop a Chrisitan home, etc.

5.    All of these tools are important.

6.    This year, we’ll examine how the Christian can live a full, purposeful life in service to the Lord.

7.    Our theme passage this year will be Ephesians 4:12-16

C.  Background on Ephesians

1.    In chapter 1, Paul gives us insight into the spiritual blessings we have in Christ and His church.

2.    Chapter 2 is Paul’s focuses on helping the Ephesians understand God’s plan to restore the original unity of God’s creation through Christ. In Christ, the Jew and Gentile have become one new creation (2:15).[1]

3.    Chapter 2 reminds us that the church, the dwelling place of God, is still being built up – the work is not done. Our passage this year focuses on how that building process works best.

4.    In chapter 3, we learn that the church is the unveiling of the “mystery” of God to redeem all mankind and to bring unity to God’s people.

5.    Chapter 4

a.    Verses 1-6 calls us to unity through the seven ones

b.    Verses 7-16 call us to maturity

6.    This year, our goal will be to become better equipped to handle life so that we finish the year looking more like Christ, than like the world.

II.            Equipped

A.  for His Church[2]

1.   

a.    The seven ones provide a good, basic blueprint of the essential truths that we need to understand what it means to be in Christ.

b.    These ones help us appreciate all that God has done for us in Christ.

c.    They show us how to maintain unity in a world of divisiveness.

2.   

a.    Ultimately, we aim to think, act, and speak more like Jesus.

b.    Immaturity in the church leads to division and strife.

c.    We need to continue growing in the faith no matter our age.

d.    Paul reminds us that we cannot stay children in the faith because we will be tossed to and fro by deceitful schemes.

e.    As we mature, we begin to find purpose.

3.  

a.    Temptations and trials come in all forms. They can change depending on the season of life, but they never leave us alone.

b.    Paul reminds us that storms will come and we must prepare now for those storms.

B.  of His Church

1.   

a.    In chapter two, we are reminded that we are being built into a dwelling place for God.

b.    In Peter’s first epistle, we learn that each of us is a stone in that building, a part of the priesthood of the church. (1 Peter 2:4-5).

c.    For the church to grow, there must be growth in each one of us individually.

d.    Illustration: I mentioned at the beginning of my lesson that each of these tools has an important role. It’s been designed to perform some specific task. Each of us has something that this congregation needs. If we use it to help the church, growth happens in the body. If not, growth can be frustrated and halted.

2.   

a.    When each of us grows individually, the church grows collectively.

b.    Colossians 2:19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

c.    Later in this letter, Paul talks about the armor of God.

d.    Everything we’re studying this year is to help us secure that armor so that we can face the wars that wage against us.

III.         Conclusion

A.  Challenged

1.    My hope and goal is that we will all be challenged to live more purposeful lives for Christ.

2.    If we will use the tools God has given us to build His houe, we will succeed.

3.    It won’t always be comfortable; growth never is, but it is worth it.

B.  Invitation

1.    One of the most important tools God gave us is His Word.

2.    In it is the blueprint for how to make sure you are in Christ.

3.    This morning, do you need to change something? Do you need to equip yourself with Christ?