Scripture referenced 25 passages
The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
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Ephesians 1:1-2 read aloud as part of a continuous reading of Ephesians 1-3
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Ephesians 1:3-4
read aloud, noting God blessed believers with every spiritual blessing and chose them before the foundation of the world
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ;
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love;
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Ephesians 1:5-6
read aloud, predestination to adoption as sons and daughters through Christ
5 having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire,
6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved,
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Ephesians 1:7-10
read aloud, redemption through his blood and the mystery of his will to bring all things together in Christ
7 in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
8 which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him
10 to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, in him;
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Ephesians 1:11-12
read aloud, obtaining an inheritance having been predestined according to his purpose
11 in whom also we were assigned an inheritance, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who does all things after the counsel of his will;
12 to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ.
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Ephesians 1:13-14
read aloud, sealed with the Holy Spirit as first installment of the inheritance
13 In him you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.
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Ephesians 1:15-19
read aloud, Paul's prayer for wisdom, revelation, and knowledge of the hope of his calling
15 For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which you have toward all the saints,
16 don’t cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him;
18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might
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Ephesians 1:20-23
read aloud, Christ raised and seated above all rule and authority, head over all things to the church
20 which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come.
22 He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly,
23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
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Ephesians 2:1-3
read aloud, formerly dead in offenses and sins, walking according to the prince of the power of the air
1 You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins,
2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience;
3 among whom we also all once lived in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
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Ephesians 2:4-7
read aloud, but God, rich in mercy, made us alive together with Christ by grace
4 But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus;
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Ephesians 2:8-9
read aloud, saved by grace through faith, not of works so no one can boast
8 for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, that no one would boast.
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Ephesians 2:10
read aloud, we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works prepared beforehand
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.
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Ephesians 2:11-13
read aloud, Gentiles formerly separate from Christ and without hope, now brought near by the blood of Christ
11 Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “uncircumcision” by that which is called “circumcision”, (in the flesh, made by hands);
12 that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ.
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Ephesians 2:14-18
read aloud, Christ is our peace, broke down the dividing wall, reconciling both into one body
14 For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,
15 having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace;
16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility thereby.
17 He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near.
18 For through him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
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Ephesians 2:19-22
read aloud, no longer strangers but fellow citizens, built on the foundation of apostles and prophets with Christ as cornerstone
19 So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God,
20 being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone;
21 in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord;
22 in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.
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Ephesians 3:1-6
read aloud, Paul prisoner of Christ, the mystery revealed that Gentiles are fellow heirs and members of the body
1 For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,
2 if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you;
3 how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words,
4 by which, when you read, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ;
5 which in other generations was not made known to the children of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;
6 that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News,
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Ephesians 3:7-11
read aloud, Paul made minister to preach unfathomable riches of Christ, multifaceted wisdom of God made known through the church
7 of which I was made a servant, according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power.
8 To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
9 and to make all men see what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ;
10 to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places,
11 according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord;
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Ephesians 3:12-13
read aloud, boldness and confident access through faith in Christ, not to be discouraged over tribulations
12 in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him.
13 Therefore I ask that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your glory.
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Ephesians 3:14-19
read aloud, Paul's prayer to be strengthened, rooted in love, to know the love of Christ surpassing knowledge, filled to all the fullness of God
14 For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth,
19 and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
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Ephesians 3:20-21
read aloud, doxology to him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all we ask or think
20 Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
21 to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
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Ephesians 4:1
referenced as the call to walk in a manner worthy of the calling
1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,
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Ephesians 4:17-19
read aloud, no longer walk as Gentiles in futility of their minds, darkened understanding, hardness of heart, given to sensuality
17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,
18 being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts;
19 who having become callous gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
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Ephesians 4:20-24
read aloud, not the way you learned Christ, put off the old self, be renewed in spirit of your minds, put on the new self in true righteousness and holiness
20 But you did not learn Christ that way;
21 if indeed you heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus:
22 that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit;
23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.
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Romans 12:1-2
cited as a parallel to Ephesians 4, present bodies as living sacrifice, be transformed by renewal of your mind
1 Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.
2 Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.
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Colossians 3:12-15
cited as a parallel to putting on the new self, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, love binding everything together, peace of Christ ruling in hearts
12 Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.
14 Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
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Recap
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
The pastor opened by reading Ephesians 1 through 3 in full before moving into chapter 4, making the case that the practical instructions in the second half of the letter only make sense if you have let the first half settle in. The sermon traced how believers are called to walk differently from the life they lived before Christ, and why that walk is possible at all.
What was said
The reading of Ephesians 1 through 3 was not background material. The pastor treated it as the foundation the whole morning stood on, and he read it straight through before saying anything else. His point was that a preacher who skips to the commands in chapter 4 without laying that groundwork is asking people to build on air. The Ascent Youth Group was visiting that morning, and he said he would not have felt right wagging his finger at people who had never heard from him before without first giving them the ground to stand on.
From those first three chapters he drew a simple picture: your position is either in sins or in Christ. There is no middle category. But your walk, he said, does not look that clean. Believers stumble, go backward, and sometimes return to old patterns. The honest picture of the Christian life is not a straight line from dark to light but a path that moves generally in one direction, with the work of the Holy Spirit as the engine of that movement, which the Bible calls sanctification.
When he reached chapter 4, verse 17, Paul's instruction to "no longer walk as the Gentiles do" landed with that whole backdrop behind it. The pastor described what he called the sequence of futility: hardness of heart leads to darkened understanding, darkened understanding leads to a kind of ignorance where you do not even know what you do not know, and from there people reach for whatever seems like it might satisfy, which Paul describes as licentiousness and uncleanness. He was careful to say this is where all of us start, not a condition unique to people outside the church.
Paul's alternative is not simply trying harder. The pastor pointed to the phrase "put off your old self" and connected it to the call in Romans 12 to not be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewal of the mind, and to Colossians 3, which he called one of his favorite chapters, with its image of taking off an old garment and putting on a new one. The new self, Paul says, is "created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." The pastor acknowledged that is hard to believe about ourselves, but said it happens through humility and trust rather than self-effort.
He closed the sermon proper by returning to the either/or choice that runs through the whole letter: obedience, where God works through us, or disobedience, where God may still accomplish his will but in spite of us. He said he would rather God work through his obedience than in spite of his disobedience. The service then moved to communion, where the pastor prayed over both elements and reminded the congregation that the new covenant, unlike the old, is all on Christ.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
- Pastor Mark recommended Ephesians as a starting point for someone who already knows Jesus and wants to grow spiritually. What is it about the first three chapters of Ephesians that he said needs to be understood before you get to chapters four through six, and why do you think that order matters?
- Pastor Mark described the 'sequence of futility' as moving from hardness of heart to darkness to ignorance to licentiousness to uncleanness. Have you seen that progression play out, either in your own life or in what you have observed around you? Where does it tend to start?
and 3 more questions in the guide
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