Knowing What

Really Matters

Putting Things In Place

Knowing & Experiencing God's Power

(Ephesians 2:1-10)

How can I experience God’s life changing power?

What would you like to praise God for today?

Where did you see God at work this past week?

"We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts." Dietrich Bonhoeffer

So, Let's Start! What special gift have you received recently?

God's Good Word! Isaiah 40:25-26 (NKJV)

"To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?"

says the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things,

Who brings out their host by number;

He calls them all by name,

By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power;

Not one is missing.

God's Good Word for Today! Ephesians 2:1-10

I. Understanding The Need For God’s Power Ephesians 2:1-3 (NKJV)

¹ And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses 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 sons of disobedience,
³ among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

1. What phrases does Paul use in describing what the Christians in Ephesus were like before Christ? Why do you think Paul reminded these people what their lives were like before Christ?

2. How might your life “before Christ” compare to the descriptions Paul gives? Why?
How does knowing that you have been saved from these things make you feel?

II. How We Receive God’s Power Through Faith In Christ Ephesians 2:4-9 (NKJV)

⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
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, lest anyone should boast.

1. From these verses, what was life for the Ephesians like after they began to follow Christ by faith? What are some benefits of a life lived with Christ that you didn’t experience before you came to follow Christ?

2. Is anyone “good enough” to earn salvation?

3. What does it mean to respond in faith (v. 8)? Why do you think some Christians feel obligated to work their way to God even after they have been given the gift of salvation through Christ?

4. Why do you think people have difficulty understanding that salvation is a free gift? Why might “salvation by works” look appealing to some?

III. How We Apply God’s Power Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

1. Verses 8 – 9 tell us that works do not save us; what does verse 10 add to that truth? Why should a Christian want to do good works?

2. What is the significance of the phrase “prepared in advance for us to do”? How does knowing you are God’s workmanship (i.e. His masterpiece!) make you feel?

Care & Prayer – How can we help you through prayer today?

· Do you need to place your trust (faith) in Christ and receive the gift of salvation?

· If you are saved, how might God be at work in your life?

· Who are those you know that need Christ?