Expositional Excerpts

As we examine the last have of Ephesians 2:5 and verse 6 we remember that " God chose to act when we needed it most ." Having asked the question of how did God chose to act? We see in today's passage that He acts to make us alive with Christ and God acts to give us the hope of the resurrection.

We look at the idea that " God chose to act when we needed it most" as we look at Ephesians 2:4-5a. We see that God, first of all, acts according to his nature, and secondly, that God acts in spite of our condition.

Today we examine the last half of Ephesians 2:3 and consider the 3-fold truth of the future for those who are apart from Christ.

Today we examine Ephesians 2:3a and the Characteristics of Spiritual Death . What does it look like to be spiritually dead? It looks like living according to the passions of our flesh. And, as we dig a little deeper, we find that our fleshly desires manifest themselves in two areas: the body and the mind.

In part 3 of our discussion of Ephesians 2:1 we look at the leaders of the unsaved masses, namely the course of this world and the prince of the power of the air.

In part 2 of our discussion of Ephesians 2:1 we look at the idea that the life apart from Christ is not independence or autonomy.

As we begin chapter 2 we start off with the idea that we all must face the grim truth of reality apart from Christ. To understand this, we see that spiritual death is the reality of every person on earth at some point, even believers. And so we begin the discussion as to what spiritual death is, closing out the episode by noting that it is a different type of death that we are accustomed to and th...

Today we examine this section as it seeks to build a theology of prayer .

In this short section of Ephesians 1:15-23 we continue the discussion of praying for believers and this time we look at the idea of praying for other believers that they would have knowledge . What things are they to know? There are three: 2 that are tangible but future, and 1 that is right now, but intangible.

We begin looking at this section from vv. 17-23 by examining the idea that believers ought to take appropriate action toward other believers and that action is prayer. To begin the discussion we look at the nature of prayer, that it is ongoing, as well as the content of prayer which begins with the idea that we pray that others would have the Spirit of wisdom and increase in their understanding of...

We pick up the text where we left it in the previous episode by finishing discussing the thought that we ought to adopt the right attitude toward other believers in our prayer life, namely that of thanksgiving. We already looked at the idea that we ought to give thanks for other's faith, but now we examine the idea of giving thanks for the other's love, as well as discussing who the recipient of o...

We begin a new section today that looks at the attitude that believers ought to have toward other believers. Can you give thanks for the believers in your church? Sometimes people are difficult to love, but Paul says that there are certain aspects that are true of all believers from the start of the church to the present day, no matter their personalities or quirks and we need to learn to be able...

We wrap up the discussion of this long sentence from Ephesians 1:3-14, having looked at the past blessings in Christ, the present blessings in Christ, and now the future blessings in Christ. This episode picks up from the previous episode in that whereas our future blessings in Christ were determined in the past, vv. 13-14 show that our future blessings are guaranteed by the Holy Spirit.

In the last section of this long sentence that spans from Ephesians 1:3-14, we begin looking at the future blessings we have in Christ. In these two verses, we consider the fact that our future blessings in Christ were obtained for us in the past.

We continue our discussion of the the blessings that Christ is accomplishing in us right now as believers. Verses 9-10 show that Christ's redemptive work is instructive for the believer. One of the key takeaways from the discussion today is that: " It is at the cross of Christ where the puzzle pieces of God’s redemption fit together ."

Whereas Ephesians 1:3-6 outline things done in the past that are cause for rejoicing, verses 7-10 outline present realities that are cause for rejoicing for the believer. We look at vv. 7-8 and delve into the idea that Christ has given us redemption.

Of all that we have seen from the text up to this point, we ask ourselves what our response ought to be and the text gives us the answer - that it is to praise God!

What could possibly be the motivation that would drive God to these incredible actions that are such a blessing to us as believers? In Ephesians 1:5 we discover that He is driven by the highest form of love, and that is cause for rejoicing!

Today, we look at Ephesians 1:4 and do a deep dive into what it means that God chose us, which touches on the doctrine of predestination.

As we begin this incredible section of praise from the quill of Paul, we contemplate the idea that We ought to rejoice in the work of Christ that was accomplished for us in eternity past . To do this, we first examine the idea that the believer's response to God's work should be to rejoice. 

Today, we wrap up the introduction to Paul's letter to the Ephesians. We finish discussing the fact that the encouragement of the saints is necessary. This, coupled with the first point, that the calling of God is his will, help us we strive to appreciate both the calling and encouragement of God in our lives as believers.

Today, we continue the introduction to Paul's letter to the Ephesians. We finish discussing the fact that the call of God is his will, and begin to look at the fact that the encouragement of the saints is necessary. Both of these things help us we strive to appreciate both the calling and encouragement of God in our lives as believers.

We begin examining Ephesians 1:1, looking at the call of God being his will. We see that God's calling is to individuals and that it may be to specific offices.

Today, we are examining some contrasts found in Ephesians as well as the significance that it is a prison epistle.

Today we start our study of Paul's letter to the Ephesians by introducing the book. This episode looks at the provenance of the letter.