Ephesians: Walking Through Ephesians: June 2014

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Ephesians 5:15-33

Key Points
1. Live a Spirit led life.
2. Submit to the Spirit and allow Him to lead you into righteousness
3. Christians are of one body and are one with Christ.

Key Themes
o Be sober and intentional in how you live(15)
o Walking as a Child of God takes deliberate and intentional action(15)
o Live your life on purpose knowing there is not time to waste because life is short(16)
o Don't be ignorant of God's plan and purpose, live life on mission(17)
o Don't be guided by your passions and lust, allow God's Spirit to fill you and guide you(18)
o A life guided by the Spirit produces a life characterized by thanksgiving, humility, and worship(18-21)
o Husbands and Wives submit to each other in reverence/fear for the Lord(20-28)
o Wives show respect and give honor to your husband as the church shows respect and gives honor to Christ(22-24)
o Husbands exhibit selfless love for your wife the way Christ did for the church(25-30)
o Husbands bear patiently with your wives putting their welfare above your own(25-28)
o Just as a Husband and Wife are of one flesh so we the church are One, what affects one affects all(29-33)
o Christ gave himself up so that the Church would exist and be sanctified, this is why the Church honors Christ and brings Him glory(24-33)

Reflective Discussion Questions:
1. How does Paul tell the Ephesians to walk? (15)
a. Why does Paul stress this theme of how a person walks so often in chapter 5?
b. What is the reasons Paul gives for the Ephesians to be wise?(16)
2. How does Paul characterize someone that is foolish? (17-18)
a. How do Christians act foolishly?
b. Can people that engage in ministry activity be living foolishly?
c. How do we deter ourselves from living foolishly and filling our schedule with reckless and fruitless ministry?
3. What does Paul tell us to be filled with instead of wine? (18)
a. How does the comparison of being filled with the Spirit and being filled with wine affect our view of the way the Holy Spirit works in our life? (18)
b. What are the behaviors that flow from a Spirit filled life? (19-21)
c. What is a characteristic attitude or perspective of someone that is led by the Spirit? (19-21)
d. How can these characteristics become more dominant in your life?
e. What are the factors that contribute to you not living a Spirit filled life?
4. How does the Spirit filled life affect interpersonal relationships between believers?(21)
5. What is Paul comparing the image of husband and wife to Christ and the Church? (21-33)
a. How does this image affect interpersonal relationships between believers? (21)
6. Does Paul's instruction in vs 2 mean that women are to yield and submit to every man?
a. How is a married woman to submit to her husband? (22)
b. How does this passage affect a single woman? Who is she supposed to submit to? (22)
7. How are husbands supposed to treat their wives? (25, 28)
a. What is Paul's standard for how a husband expresses his love for his wife?
b. How do these passages on husband and wife relationships become distorted in secular and Christian culture?
c. What element of the husband and wife dynamic is Paul emphasizing to illustrate the relationship between Christ and the Church?
8. What are the implications of vs 24-28?
a. How does the analogy Paul uses in vs 22-30 relate to being led by the Holy Spirit?

Individual Challenge
What are the things that keep you from Trusting God and being led by the Spirit? How would your life change if you had the confidence to Walk in the Spirit? How would submission in your life look in your relationship with God? With your spouse? With people in spiritual authority over you?

Community Challenge
How would our community change if we recognized that mutual submission to one another builds the body and honors Christ? How would the relationships in our church change? How would this affect visitors perception of our church?

Ephesians 5:7-14

2. Why does Paul instruct the Ephesians not to participate in the fruitless works of darkness? (11)

a. What does Paul exhort the Ephesians to do instead of participating in the deeds of darkness?(11)

3. What does Paul mean when he says it is shameful to mention the sinful practices done in secret? (12)

a. How does Paul's command to expose the deeds of darkness relate to what Paul says in verse 12 and 13?

b. Is the command to expose the deeds of darkness something meant as a personal or communal imperative?

c. If this command is carried out in community what instructions has Paul given to govern how sin is exposed?(4:25-32, 5:1-2)

4. How does exposing sin to the light make things clear?

5. What does verse 14 mean?
a. How does the Messiah shine on you?
b. How does the Messiah bring someone dead to life? Or wake someone that is asleep?

Individual Challenge:
How would your life change if you were willing to expose the deepest darkest sins of your life to the Truth and find help to overcome it? Would you pray and ask God to give you the courage to seek help and to confess your shameful sin to a trusted and mature follower of Christ this week? How would letting the cat out of the bag free you from the burden of guilt and free you to begin walking in grace?

Community Challenge:
How would our community change if we were a people that could be trusted with the deepest darkest sins of others because we were up front and honest about ours? How would letting go of the facade that things are all good affect the relationships in our church? How do you think this openness allow the church to be more effective in doing ministry? How would this affect the world's view of Christians being hypocrites?

Ephesians 5:7-14 Leaders Guide

Key Points:
1. Expose secret sin to the Truth of Jesus Christ.
2. The Truth of Jesus Christ allows us to experience grace and live life as a child of God.

Key Themes:
o Don't participate in doing evil(7)
o Don't yoke yourself to people disobedient to God(7)
o You are called to be witness to those in the dark(8)
o Walking as a child of the light produces good fruit(8-9)
o Children of Light have lifestyles that bring pleasure to God(9-10)
o Children of God can discern what is pleasing to God and what is evil through the life of Jesus and the testimony of the Holy Spirit(10)
o Participating in sin and turning a blind eye to it produce guilt and shame(11-12)
o The Word of God helps God's Children know the Truth(13)
o Don't hide sin, expose it to the light(11-14)
o Wake up to the life God intends for you to live, life apart from God is death(14)

Reflective Discussion Questions:
1. Why and What does Paul instruct the Ephesians not to become partners with? (7-8)
o Paul instructs the Ephesians not to become partners with people that are disobedient and people that engage in sinful practices. Paul tells the Ephesians not to engage in sinful practices because of what he says earlier in chapters 2 and 4. Christ has died and has allowed us to put off our identity as enemies with God and become Children of God. Because of this we should no longer work as Children of the darkness and now as Children of the Light. This is what Paul explains in the following verse and expounds on the result or fruit of living out an identity of child of light.

a. What does Paul say will be the fruit of walking as a child of light?(9-10)
o Paul tells us that the fruit of walking as a child of light results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. He goes on to say that it produces discernment about knowing howto do what pleases the Lord.

2. Why does Paul instruct the Ephesians not to participate in the fruitless works of darkness? (11)
o Paul tells the Ephesians not to participate in the the deeds of darkness because they are fruitless and produce things that only set us in opposition to God. It is also a reference to what he says earlier in vs 5 when he says that people that walk as children of darkness have no inheritance in the kingdom of God. The pursuit of sinful desires and practices only produce distance between God and the rest of the family of God and will result in fruitless/pointless suffering.

a. What does Paul exhort the Ephesians to do instead of participating in the deeds of darkness?(11)
o Paul exhorts the Ephesians to expose the deeds of darkness rather than participate in them.

3. What does Paul mean when he says it is shameful to mention the sinful practices done in secret? (12)
o People that are wrapped up in sin don't want people to find out about their deepest darkest sins. They know what they are doing is wrong and would rather keep sinful behavior secret. If people were to find out about their vice they'd be put to shame and feel embarrassed.

a. How does Paul's command to expose the deeds of darkness relate to what Paul says in verse 12 and 13?
o Paul instructs the Ephesians to expose shameful sin to the light because as long as it remains a secret the sinner remains enslaved to sin and can't experience the freedom and joy found in Christ. We only experience God's grace when the truth of our depravity drives us to our knees and we recognize our need for Jesus. This command is something that needs be done regularly so that sin is never allowed a foothold in our life. When we allow sin to pervade our life we allow sin to rob us of joy found in the grace of God.

b. Is the command to expose the deeds of darkness something meant as a personal or communal imperative?
o The command to expose sin to the light is both a personal and communal imperative. This command follows on the heals of Paul's teachings of how individual followers of Christ are joined together and one body. If one part of the body is affected with sin then it affects the rest of the body. However the body doesn't cut out and discard the body part that is affected, it works together as a unit to fight off the infection so that the body can work together in harmony. So the command carries both individual and communal implications. The individual needs to seek reconciliation through the power Jesus Christ and the support and encouragement given through the body. The community needs to be ready to support and encourage individuals to seek repentance.

c. If this command is carried out in community what instructions has Paul given to govern how sin is exposed?(4:25-32, 5:1-2)
o Paul begins the chapter by instructing the Ephesians to imitate God and to walk in love as Jesus did. He qualifies the way Jesus walked in love by citing his unselfish sacrifice. This should clue us in on how the community is to expose sin. The Church must remember that all Christians are part of the same body so restoration and reconciliation is something we should always seek. When we begin thinking about how we can leverage the exposure of someone's sin to our benefit this becomes sinful and no longer helps build the body. Moreover, the instructions Paul gives in chapter 4 apply to how we expose sin. He clearly says that we are to stop lying and to speak the truth. This relates to the shameful sin we keep from each other that also separates and divides the fellowship of believers. The speech we use when exposing sin isn't malicious but good for building up others in need. We are to be kind and compassionate when someone's sin becomes exposed to the light because we are aware of the sin that is in our lives and that Christ forgave us for. If we are the grieved party then we should also forgive and be reconciled because Christ forgave us, but also because there should be no division in the body.

4. How does exposing sin to the light make things clear?
o Exposing sin to the light helps us face the reality of our depravity. When a person is in the throes of sin shame drives us to denial and justification. We begin to lie to ourselves about the reality of our situation and become more and more entangled by our sin. Once we start down this road it becomes more and more difficult for a person to break free of the lies he tells himself. Jesus tells us that if His Word remains in us then we will know the Truth and the Truth will set us free(Jn 8:31-32) This applies in the how we interpret Ephesians. Like a surgeon doing exploratory surgery the true roots of our ailment and issues are only seen when we expose ourselves to the sword of the Spirit and allow the light of Christ to free us from sin.

5. What does verse 14 mean?
a. How does the Messiah shine on you?
b. How does the Messiah bring someone dead to life? Or wake someone that is asleep?
o The Messiah helps us recognize that apart from Him we are dead in our trespasses but that through Jesus Christ we can awaken from the darkness and begin living true and fruitful life in the Spirit.
Individual Challenge:
How would your life change if you were willing to expose the deepest darkest sins of your life to the Truth and find help to overcome it? Would you pray and ask God to give you the courage to seek help and to confess your shameful sin to a trusted and mature follower of Christ this week? How would letting the cat out of the bag free you from the burden of guilt and free you to begin walking in grace?

Community Challenge:
How would our community change if we were a people that could be trusted with the deepest darkest sins of others because we were up front and honest about ours? How would letting go of the facade that things are all good affect the relationships in our church? How do you think this openness allow the church to be more effective in doing ministry? How would this affect the world's view of Christians being hypocrites?

Ephesians 5:1-6

Key Points:
1. The Wrath of God is coming for those that are disobedient.
2. Walk in love following the example of the Messiah.
3. Confirm your identity in Christ by producing fruits of the Spirit.

Key Themes:
o Live a lifestyle consistent with the behavior of God's children(1)
o Jesus shows us how to act like God's children, follow Him(2)
o Children of God must abide in love(2)
o God children surrender their will to God(2)
o A lifestyle of sin reveals bad fruit and confirms we have no inheritance in God (3-5)
o Don't be ignorant of God's coming judgement on those who disobey Him(6)

Reflective Questions
1. How does Paul say we should imitate God?(v1)
a. What makes it difficult for people in our generation to relate to the image of a child imitating their parent?

o The image of a child imitating their parent can be difficult for people to relate to in this generation because of the rise of children growing up in broken homes. Many children today don't have parents that would be good to imitate. Many children today grow up in homes where their parents are enslaved to addictions or so driven and selfishly only focus on themselves neglecting their parental duties. Children in many homes don't feel loved by their parents.
b. How do you think parents influence their children's behaviors?
2. Who does Paul give as a specific example to follow? (2)
a. What are some of the things Paul lists as behaviors and characteristics of the person we are supposed to imitate?(2)
b. How does the example of the Messiah affect the way we think about how to treat others?
3. Why does Paul tell us not to engage in the activities listed in v3-4? (5)
a. What are the assumptions we make about people that that display the behaviors in v3-4?
b. How do church people use vs 3-5 to treat other people, especially other Christians? Does this list give Christians the task or authority to condemn people?
c. What would be an appropriate way this list can be used to build up the family of God?
4. Why does Paul warn the Ephesians to not be deceived by empty arguments?(6)
a. What are the ways people try to minimize the impending wrath of God?
b. How do people justify sinful behavior?

Individual Challenge
Would you commit to asking God what areas of your life need to be changed so that you walk in the footsteps of Jesus? How would your life change if you were to eliminate one specific behavior you know doesn't honor God? Who would notice the change? How would it affect your witness?

Community Challenge
How would our community change if everyone committed to walking as Children of God? How would the way we relate to each other change? How would it affect the way people perceive the Church?

Ephesians 5:1-6 Leaders Guide

Key Points:
1. The Wrath of God is coming for those that are disobedient.
2. Walk in love following the example of the Messiah.
3. Confirm your idenitity in Christ by producing fruits of the Spirit.

Key Themes:
o Live a lifestyle consistent with the behavior of God's children(1)
o Jesus shows us how to act like God's children, follow Him(2)
o Children of God must abide in love(2)
o God children surrender their will to God(2)
o A lifestyle of sin reveals bad fruit and confirms we have no inheritance in God (3-5)
o Don't be ignorant of God's coming judgement on those who disobey Him(6)

Reflective Questions
1. How does Paul say we should imitate God?(v1)
o Paul insructs us to imitate God as dearly loved Children.

a. What makes it difficult for people in our generation to relate to the image of a child imitating their parent?
o The image of a child imitating their parent can be difficult for people to relate to in this generation because of the rise of children growing up in broken homes. Many children today don't have parents that would be good to imitate. Many children today grow up in homes where their parents are enslaved to addictions or so driven and selfishly only focus on themselves neglecting their parental duties. Children in many homes don't feel loved by their parents.

b. How do you think parents influence their children's behaviors?
o Whether or not a parent is a good or bad one, parents have a dramatic influence on their children. When parents are good parents they leave an example that their children want to emulate. When a Parent is absent or abusive, they leave an example children don't want to follow. Bad parent modeling can provide the impetus for children to want to change and not follow in their parents footsteps. However, the norm is that children take on some of the behaviors and traits displayed by their parents. This is clearly seen in families that experience divorce, teen pregnancy, substance and domestic abuse. These patterns take hold and are not easy to break, this is sometimes referre to as generational sin. Its something God talks about in Exodus 20 in the 10 commandments. It's by God's grace and mercy that children are able to break free from the pattern and set the course of their family on a different trajectory.

2. Who does Paul give as a specific example to follow? (2)
o Paul specifically exhorts us to follow the example of the Messiah.

a. What are some of the things Paul lists as behaviors and characteristics of the person we are supposed to imitate?(2)
o Paul tells us that we should follow the Messiah in walking in love. He qualifies this by giving us an example of how the Messiah demonstrated His love. The Messiah demonstrated His love by loving us and giving Himself up as a sacrifice on our behalf demonstrating his obedience/love for God.

b. How does the example of the Messiah affect the way we think about how to treat others?
o Hopefully the Messiah's example pushes us to demonstrate sacrificial love for both the lost and believers as a sign of obedience and gratitude toward Jesus.

3. Why does Paul tell us not to engage in the activities listed in v3-4? (5)
o Paul tells us not to engage in the activities listed in vs 3-4 because the people that do won't have an inheritance in the kingdom of God.

a. What are the assumptions we make about people that that display the behaviors in v3-4?
o People that do participate regularly in the activities listed in vs3-4 are not walking in love and the pursuit of their selfish desires leads them to not demonstrate a love or reverence for the Messiah. This is an important theme to pick up on in both Ephesians and in other parts of scripture that speak of producing fruit of the Spirit and fruit of the flesh. A person that produces fruit of the flesh is a person that has no true knowledge of God and demonstrates open rebellion towards God by refusing to obey/love Him.

b. How do church people use vs 3-5 to treat other people, especially other Christians? Does this list give Christians the task or authority to condemn people?
o Many Christians may take vs 3-5 as a license to tell people that their going to hell. While this may be true because the person confronted might not be producing fruit of the flesh it doesn't mean that we have the ability to "judge" someone and send them to hell. If we do think someone is producing fruit of the flesh this gives us the opportunity to love that person by providing the mirror/sounding board to recognize the sin that is in their life then to be supportive and encouraging family that leads them out of sin and into life with Christ. This passage can also serve as a personal reminder and exhortation to produce fruit of the Spirit by abiding in love.

c. What would be an appropriate way this list can be used to build up the family of God?
o Rather than being self righteous and pious we can choose to love brothers/sisters in Christ that have fallen or the lost. We can choose to demonstrate a sacrificial love Christ demonstrated for us and point them to the unconditional acceptance and forgiveness Christ provides for those that repent. However, True Repentance necessitates the genuine admonition of sin and a brokenness that leads us to accept the grace of God because of the debt He pays on our behalf.

4. Why does Paul warn the Ephesians to not be deceived by empty arguments?(6)
o Paul warns the Ephesians not to be deceived by empty arguments because he doesn't want them to be ignorant of the impending wrath of God held back by God's grace and patience. There is a consequence for sin and the punishment will come.

a. What are the ways people try to minimize the impending wrath of God?
o People try to minimize the impending wrath of God by choosing to only view God as a God of forgiveness and love and to diminish his other attributes. People over emphasize God's forgiveness and love to the point that it diminishes the reality of the consequences of sin and ignore the entire reason for which Christ came to earth in the first place. The only reason why Christ had to come to earth is because of the sin of man and the consequence of eternal separation from God, death. Without the covering of Christ's shed blood for our sins we are still subject to the consequence of eternal separation/death. There is no other way.

b. How do people justify sinful behavior?
o People justify sinful behavior by grading the level of sin into lesser and greater sins. The problem with this is that God is Holy and the standard God sets is a complete absence of sin. This is not possible without the atonement of Jesus Christ we receive by living a lifestyle of love/obedience for Christ. People also justify sinful behavior by renaming it and comparing the way they behave to the way lost people behave. The only problem is that followers of Christ are called to have a totally separate and different identity than the lost an their behaviors should look nothing like the behaviors of the lost.

Individual Challenge
Would you commit to asking God what areas of your life need to be changed so that you walk in the footsteps of Jesus? How would your life change if you were to eliminate one specific behavior you know doesn't honor God? Who would notice the change? How would it affect your witness?

Community Challenge
How would our community change if everyone committed to walking as Children of God? How would the way we relate to each other change? How would it affect the way people perceive the Church?