Identity in Ephesians: You are Blessed
Ephesians 1:1-14
Connect:
Share how you have seen God in the Highs and Lows of your week.
Discuss how resolutions made last week in “growing more like Jesus” worked themselves out— what did God do in and through you (Phil 2:13)? Celebrate those together!
Prayer:
Pray that God would lead your discussion time and bring fresh insight, conviction, and hope through your time together.
Review:
We are launching into a new series on our identity in Christ as presented in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. There are 14 things that God says we are, and the first is “Blessed”!
The Grand Tour of the message: Thinking back on what you heard this Sunday…
o What did you learn about God?
o What did you learn about people?
o What did you learn about yourself?
o What do you want to commit to putting into practice?
Reflect:
Read Ephesians 1:1-14
Explain and discuss the statement, “Your identity will determine your destiny” as Scott used it this week. Do you agree? Why or why not?
Blessing of holiness: Read Eph 1:1-3
o The letter calls them “Holy people” or “Saints” in other translations. It calls them “Faithful in Christ Jesus”. What do you think that means when the reality is that we all struggle with sin until our last breath?
o In verse 3, it says He “has blessed” us with every Spiritual blessing “in Christ”— What does that mean (from a guy who’s sitting in a dungeon writing that)?
Read Eph 1:4
o The verse says God “chose us before” we ever actually existed— how does that work??
o What does the word “holy” mean as it is used in Scripture?
o The verse says He chose us to “be holy”, and Scott unpacked that as a holiness that God gives to us. Explain that with reference to this and other scriptures you can think of together.
o Scott said, “If your identity is that you are holy, it changes the way you want to live”— in other words, there is both a “positional” (in Christ) and a practical (walk the talk) side to this. How does that work itself out in the Christian life? (Isaiah 53:5; Hebrews 10:14; Romans 5:1, 6:1-4; Psalm 37:4; Phil 2:13; Ephesians 2:14, 4:1)
Blessing of adoption: Read Eph 1:5
o Talk about the contrast between before and after adoption— what changes?
o God’s choices and our choices seem to interact a lot! Scripture says God wills that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9), and that all who call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved (Rom 10:13)! It also says, God will have compassion on those He chooses to have compassion (Exodus 33:19), and He has purposes in election that stand (Romans 9:11-18). Granted both, Scott’s core question was “Do you still trust Him?” Do you? Explain.
Blessing of redemption and grace: Read Eph 1:7-10
o “Redemption” talks about being bought out of a situation where we had no power to free ourselves; the whole system keeps us where we are.. .until someone changes something! What changed to bring us redemption?
o “We’re not only saved by grace; we live by grace” Explain that.
Blessing of revelation and inheritance: Read Eph 1:11-14
o This Scripture says that God has a plan, and that as this plan reaches fulfillment, the result will bring Him glory. How does this bring us hope in situations we don’t understand?
o Inheritance is not achieved— it is a product of a parent’s life; their choices, their efforts, their love. This verse talks about the Gift of the Holy Spirit as God’s Own guarantee of our inheritance in Christ! What is our inheritance?
Respond:
o Verse 14 closes this section of the letter with “He did this so that we would praise and glorify Him”— which is the only possible way we will ever be able to relate to God as He is in Himself. Take some time this evening to do exactly that in view of everything we just read!
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