Be the Church God Wants to See in the World

In one paragraph

This message worked through the first chapter of Ephesians, covering what Paul calls the longest sentence in the New Testament and then the second longest. Pastor Mark traced the shape of Paul's opening blessing and his prayer for the church at Ephesus, and connected both directly to First B Jackson. Paul opens Ephesians with a letter addressed to the saints at Ephesus, but Pastor Mark noted it...

Read together

1. Ephesians 1:1-2 greeting to the saints, grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
2. Ephesians 1:3 blessed be God the Father who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places
3. Ephesians 1:4 chosen in him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless
4. Ephesians 1:5-6 predestined for adoption as sons through Christ to the praise of his glorious grace
5. Ephesians 1:7-9 redemption through his blood, forgiveness of trespasses, according to the riches of grace lavished upon us, making known the mystery of his will
6. Ephesians 1:10 plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and on earth
7. Ephesians 1:11-12 obtained an inheritance, predestined according to his purpose, working all things according to the counsel of his will
8. Ephesians 1:13-14 sealed with the promised Holy Spirit upon belief, the Spirit as guarantee of our inheritance
9. Ephesians 1:15-16 Paul giving thanks without ceasing for their faith in Christ and love for the saints
10. Ephesians 1:17 Paul's prayer that God give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him
11. Ephesians 1:18 prayer that the eyes of their hearts be enlightened to know the hope of his calling and the riches of his inheritance in the saints
12. Ephesians 1:19-20 the boundless greatness of his power toward believers, worked out in raising Christ from the dead and seating him at his right hand
13. Ephesians 1:21 Christ raised far above all rule, authority, power, dominion, and every name in this age and the one to come
14. Ephesians 1:22-23 all things in subjection under Christ's feet, Christ made head over all things to the church which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all
15. Psalm 8 Old Testament reference cited for putting all things under the Messiah's feet
16. Luke 4 Jesus's first sermon referenced as setting captives free and healing the sick, as a parallel to the church's ongoing mission

Talk about it

1. Paul prays that God would give the Ephesians 'a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.' What is the difference between knowing about God and knowing him, and where do you see that difference playing out in your own life?
2. The sermon described hope in the New Testament as 'an absolute certainty that has not yet come to pass.' How does that definition change the way you think about your own calling, and what parts of it still feel unsettled to you?
3. The sermon said that Christ is the head and the church is his body, and that this is 'plan A with no plan B' for how God moves in the world. What does it do to you to sit with that responsibility?
4. The sermon drew a contrast between understanding the theology of Ephesians and actually living it out, saying you will be 'judgy and ugly and proud' if you try to skip ahead to the practical commands without first being shaped by this foundation. Where have you seen that play out, in yourself or in the church generally?
5. The sermon closed with the idea of being 'the church that God wants to see in the world' rather than the church we might prefer. What would have to change, in you personally or in how we function together, for that to be more true of First B?