Ephesians 1:9-14

Key Passage: Ephesians 1:9-14

Key Points: 1.  God's method and purpose of salvation don't change. 2.  God's work is purposeful, focused and consistent in all aspects of who He is in everything He does.

Key Themes: o God chose to reveal His plan to redeem His creation through Jesus(9) o God knew from the beginning He would redeem all of creation, things in heaven and on earth through Jesus (9-10) o The riches of God's love are found in Jesus Christ.(10) o God intended to bring Himself glory through His Son and placed Him in the position of preeminence(11) o God is One, there is no division in the God-head and everything works together to glorify God(11) o God's plan of salvation has always been through faith(12) o The Spirit of God seals believers the moment they place their trust in Jesus(13) o The Holy Spirit is an assurance of our coming reunion with God the completion of our salvation(13) o Both the Spirit and the  Son work together to bring praise and glory to God(9-14)

Reflective Questions: 1.  What does vs 9-10 tell us about God's character? a.  What does it reveal about His Sovereignty? b.  What circumstances and events cause us to doubt God's Sovereignty? c.  What does the evidence of a plan tell us about God? 2.  What does vs 11 tell us about finding fulfillment in the Christian life? a. What do we learn about the Holy Spirit and the Son's relationship to the Father in vs. 11-13? b.  How does our knowledge of how God operates within Himself affect the way we think about Him? c.  How does this knowledge affect the way we think about how we operate as the church? d.  What things need to change so that we live out the single-minded focus and purpose shown in the God-head? In your life? In corporate gatherings? 3.  What do we learn about the assurance of salvation in vs 13-14? a.  What do we learn about the way God provides salvation in vs. 12? b.  Did God change His method of salvation after Christ? c.  What passages of scripture help us understand God's method of salvation before and after Christ? 4.  What does the consistency in the method of salvation before and after Christ, tell us about God's character?

Individual Challenge: What areas of your life are in opposition or out of sync with the purposes of God? What single change can you make this week that would bring you more alignment with God's purposes and will?

Community Challenge: How would like-mindedness and focus change the way our fellowship operates?  How would a singleness of purpose affect the way we reach our our community and target demographic?