Introduction: Before a final exam my students love to have a
review of the entire course. That feels like what we are
doing this week – reviewing all of the book of Ephesians.
Let’s dive into our study to refresh our recollection of
Paul’s Holy Spirit inspired advice to us!
I. The Foundation of Our Life
A. Read Ephesians 1:3-4. What is available to us?
(Every spiritual blessing!)
1. What is the purpose of this gift? (That we
should be holy and blameless.)
B. I’m halfway through Ron Duffield’s “The Return of
the Latter Rain.” In it he recounts the 1888
controversy in my church over righteousness by
faith. Some leaders were arguing what I consider
classic “salvation by works,” while others were
arguing “righteousness by faith.” How do you
believe we become “holy and blameless,” as Paul
says? (Read Ephesians 1:7-8. It says that we are
forgiven and redeemed through the blood of Jesus.)
1. Duffield reveals that those arguing for
righteousness by faith were also arguing that
by the power of the Holy Spirit we could go on
to overcome sin. This overcoming was not for
the purpose of being saved, but rather to honor
God. How do you view this?
II. Resurrected with Christ
A. Read Ephesians 2:1-3. How is our former life
described?
B. Read Ephesians 2:4-5. How does this shape our view
of righteousness by faith and obedience? (It tells
us that while we were still in our former life
(“dead in our trespasses”), God saved us by grace.
That means the argument that we cannot be “saved in
our sins” is technically wrong.)
C. Read Ephesians 2:8-10. Is it God’s goal that we
should be “saved in our sins?” (No. Verse ten
explicitly states God’s goal for our life, “we
should walk” in “good works.”)
III. The Mystery of Unity
A. Read Ephesians 3:2-6. What is the mystery that forms
the basis for Paul’s work in life? (Verse six tells
us that the “Gentiles are fellow heirs” in the
church and the gospel.)
1. What is the importance of that revelation? (As
a Gentile, it is wonderful news!)
B. Read Ephesians 3:8-10. What is our goal in our new
unity with the Jewish people? (To reveal the wisdom
of God to “the rulers and authorities in the
heavenly places.”)
1. Who are those rulers and authorities? (Paul
must be referring at a minimum to unfallen and
fallen angels. This may also be a reference to
other worlds.)
2. Let’s assume the audience is at least fallen
angels and Satan. How would you expect them to
react to this news? (The battlefront for the
war between good and evil just got a lot
bigger.)
3. How should you react to an expanded
battlefront? (This tells us that the battle is
not just about us, it is about the greater
community of Christians.)
C. Read Ephesians 3:16-17. How are the Holy Spirit and
God’s love related? (We are grounded in God’s love
first by His sacrifice on our behalf, and second,
because of the gift of the Holy Spirit.)
1. Think about this for just a minute. Jesus made
a tremendous sacrifice to come to earth to save
us. Is it a similar sacrifice for the Holy
Spirit to spend His time helping all of us?
What was He doing before He was sent to help
us?
D. Read Ephesians 3:18-19. If we are filled with God
are we filled with love?
1. If you answered, “yes,” is that easy for you?
(In the battle against evil, it is hard for me
to have a positive attitude towards the people
who are doing so much harm. My attitude needs
to be modified.)
IV. Walking in Unity
A. Read Ephesians 4:2-6. What should be the Christian’s
goal? (Unity with fellow believers.)
1. How did all the different denominations happen?
What does your church say about other churches?
(We need to resist attacks on fellow
Christians. If you disagree, how do you
understand Paul’s teaching here?)
B. Read Ephesians 4:15-16. How does “speaking the truth
in love” work for unity with other churches? (This
is undoubtedly the sticking point. If we disagree on
what is true, we find problems with building a
unified body.)
V. Children of Light in Darkness.
A. Read Ephesians 5:8-10. If you look around you and
are angry or discouraged by all of the evil, what
should you do in response? (Be sure that you are
walking in the light. Why? Because the result of
that is “all that is good and right and true.”)
B. Read Ezekiel 9:4-6. This is a text about judgment.
It seems that it was not that many years ago I would
read this with some concern about my attitude. Did I
“sigh and groan” over sin? Or was I attracted to
temptation? These days I can truly say that I “sigh
and groan” over “abominations.” How about you?
1. If your experience is like mine, do you think
the world has changed or you have changed? (Our
goal is, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to
walk more fully in the light. But I am
confident that the world has greatly changed
for the worse.)
VI. Exposing Deeds of Darkness
A. Read Ephesians 5:11-14. How does exposing evil help
in the battle between good and evil? (Bringing
darkness into light reduces its power by allowing
people to better understand the evil. This is the
first step to allowing truth and righteousness to
prevail.)
B. I’m now reading Douglas K. Murray’s book, “The
Madness of Crowds.” His book recounts example after
example of those who either deliberately stood up
for truth or inadvertently spoke the truth and had
their careers destroyed. Yet Murray has the courage
to expose that to the light. Murray is teaching me
new things. Is that like Ephesians 5:14 that we are
like “sleepers” being awakened by courageous people?
1. In the “light” department I must tell you that
Murray is both an atheist and a homosexual.
Does that prevent him from bringing light? (I
would love to discuss this issue in detail.
Knowing his background helps me to better
evaluate his opinions. He misses the Biblical
picture in all of this. For example, I just
read his comment that the conflicts over sex,
race, and gender are currently so terrible that
if they continue the world will be looking for
some powerful figure who will sort it all out
for us. I’m thinking about the anti-Christ, he
is not.)
VII. Armor of God
A. Read Ephesians 6:13. What is our primary goal as
soldiers in the battle between good and evil? (To
stand firm. Isn’t the most important conflict about
you and your family? Our first obligation is to
stand.)
B. Read Ephesians 6:18. How does prayer bolster our
spiritual defenses and offenses? (Prayer connects us
directly to God, the source of our strength, wisdom,
and guidance in every battle.)
C. Friend, the book of Ephesians guides us in
understanding the nature of our spiritual warfare.
Waging peace is not passive; it involves standing
firm in our identity, promoting unity, walking in
love, shining as light in the darkness, and wearing
God’s armor. As we encounter spiritual battles may
we be continually rooted in the teachings of
Ephesians, harnessing God’s power to wage and
promote true peace. Will you, right now, agree to
use Ephesians as your guide in the battle between
good and evil?
Next week: New series on “God’s Mission – My Mission.”
Copr. 2023, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are
from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within
parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail,
but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this
link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the
Holy Spirit as you study.
