Ephesians 4:7-5:14
God wants us to ‘grow up in every way into Christ’ (15). We are to ‘walk in love’ (2), a life which is ‘pleasing to the Lord’ (5:10).
It is so easy for us to settle for something less than God’s very best. We settle down into a state of spiritual complacency.
What does God have to say about this? - ‘Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God’ (30). He gives us His wake-up call: ‘Awake, O sleeper…’ (5:14). God says to us, ‘Awake, awake, put on your strength… Shake yourself from the dust, arise’ (Isaiah 52:1-2).
Have you become ‘lukewarm’? - ‘Be zealous and repent’. Christ says, ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him’ (Revelation 3:16,19-20).
What will you say to Him? - ‘Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay.’
Salvation, Sanctification And Service
Ephesians 2:11-4:6
By the grace of God we are called to salvation - ‘saved through faith’ - , sanctification - ‘for good works’ - , and service - ‘according to the gift of God’s grace… by the working of His power’, we are enabled ‘to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ’ (2:8-10; 3:7-8).
When we consider all of this, we say in our hearts, ‘To God be the glory’! (3:21).
We are ‘strengthened with power through His Spirit in our inner being’ so that we might live as those who are saved, sanctified and serving.
Even when we are deeply conscious of our own great weakness, we draw encouragement from this: God is ‘able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us’ (3:16,20).
We grow in grace as we share in fellowship - ‘eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit’ (4:3).
By the grace of God we are called to salvation - ‘saved through faith’ - , sanctification - ‘for good works’ - , and service - ‘according to the gift of God’s grace… by the working of His power’, we are enabled ‘to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ’ (2:8-10; 3:7-8).
When we consider all of this, we say in our hearts, ‘To God be the glory’! (3:21).
We are ‘strengthened with power through His Spirit in our inner being’ so that we might live as those who are saved, sanctified and serving.
Even when we are deeply conscious of our own great weakness, we draw encouragement from this: God is ‘able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us’ (3:16,20).
We grow in grace as we share in fellowship - ‘eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit’ (4:3).
Saved By Grace, Called To Holiness
Ephesians 1:1-2:10
‘By grace you have been saved through faith… for good works’ (2:8-10).
God calls us to live a ‘holy’ life. We cannot make ourselves holy. We are spiritually ‘dead’. We need to be ‘made alive’ - by God. Holiness does not come from ourselves. It comes from the Lord.
Long before we ever thought of loving Him - He loved us. Our love for Him is so changeable. His love for us is unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable. It is eternal. He loved us ‘before the foundation of the world’. He will love us ‘in the world to come’.
This is the love of God, the love which inspires us and enables us to live a ‘holy’ life (2:1; 1:4; 2:7). When we realize the truth concerning ourselves - ‘nothing good dwells within me’ (Romans 7:18) - and God - He is ‘rich in mercy’ (2:4) - , we will ‘praise His glorious grace’ (1:6).
‘By grace you have been saved through faith… for good works’ (2:8-10).
God calls us to live a ‘holy’ life. We cannot make ourselves holy. We are spiritually ‘dead’. We need to be ‘made alive’ - by God. Holiness does not come from ourselves. It comes from the Lord.
Long before we ever thought of loving Him - He loved us. Our love for Him is so changeable. His love for us is unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable. It is eternal. He loved us ‘before the foundation of the world’. He will love us ‘in the world to come’.
This is the love of God, the love which inspires us and enables us to live a ‘holy’ life (2:1; 1:4; 2:7). When we realize the truth concerning ourselves - ‘nothing good dwells within me’ (Romans 7:18) - and God - He is ‘rich in mercy’ (2:4) - , we will ‘praise His glorious grace’ (1:6).
A Call To Prayer
God calls us to pray - ‘Devote yourselves to prayer’.
* We are to pray with concern - ‘watchful’.
* We are to pray with gratitude - ‘thankful’ (2).
* We are to pray for those who preach God’s Word.
Thank God for the past. Trust Him for the future.
Remember - the important thing is the ‘message’ (3). The messengers are just ‘jars of clay’. The message is the ‘treasure’ (2 Corinthians 4:7). The messengers must not draw attention to themselves. They must direct attention away from themselves to Jesus Christ - ‘We do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord’ (2 Corinthians 4:5).
We are to pray that the message will be ‘clear’ (4). Pray for good preaching - preaching which does you good, giving you good cause to say in your heart, ‘For me it is good to be near God’ (Psalm 73:28). Pray for preaching which glorifies God.
New Life In Christ
Be what you already are. Be what God has made you in Christ. This is what God is saying to us here. ‘You have been raised with Christ... You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God’ (1,3).
Paul is describing the new birth. Christ has made His home in us. New life has begun.
Now that Christ lives in us - what are we to do about it? How are we to live? - ‘Set your hearts and minds on things above’ (1-2). This is how we are to live. We are to live out the life which God has put into our hearts.
The new life begins when Christ comes to live in us. It does not end there. That is only the beginning. We are to go on, ‘being renewed in knowledge after the image of our Creator’ (3:10).
Christ wants to reign in us. He wants to enrich our lives (3:15-16).
In Him, there is so much blessing. Let’s enjoy it!
Keep Christ At The Centre
‘In everything’ Christ is ‘pre-eminent’ (18).
* In Him, there is salvation - ‘redemption, the forgiveness of sins’ (14) - , sanctification - ‘mature in Christ’ (28) - and service - making Him known (27).
Everything is in Christ.
* In Him are ‘all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ (2:3) - all that we need for salvation, sanctification and service.
We must go on with Him - ‘Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him’ (2:6).
How are we to live in Him? - ‘rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness’ (2:7).
Remember all that the Lord has done for you. Give thanks to Him. He has loved you so much. He has done so much for you. Let gratitude be your attitude. Filled with His strength, we will go from strength to strength.
A Prayer For Revival: “O Holy Ghost, Revival Comes From Thee. Send A Revival. Start The Work In Me.”
Psalm 85:1-13
We are to pray for revival - ‘Restore us again, O God our Saviour…Will You not revive us again that Your people may rejoice in You?’ (4,6).We are to pray that God will ‘grant us His salvation’. We are to pray that ‘His saving presence will remain in our land’. We must pray that ‘His glory may dwell in our land’ (7,9).
We are to pray for real listening - ‘I will listen to what God the Lord will say’ - , a real turning to the Lord - ‘turning to Him in our hearts’ - , and a real sense of His blessing - ‘He will speak peace to His people’ (8).
Prayer for revival does not begin as a prayer for others. It begins with ourselves: 'O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee; send a revival - start the work in me.' It begins with this prayer: “Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine; fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine’(Mission Praise, 587).
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These words are taken from
where you can find more words of encouragement.
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My notes can also be found at Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com
A Call To Prayer And A Promise Of Blessing
In 2 Chronicles 7:14, there is a there is a call to prayer and a promise of blessing: ‘If My people who are called by My Name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their hand.’
* Why is there so little blessing? - ‘You do not have, because you do not ask.’
God will bless mightily - when His people pray earnestly.
*Why does the devil have so many victories among us? - ‘Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’. God will lead us in His way of victory - when we stop tolerating the devil, and start resisting him.
* Why does God seem so far away? - ‘Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you’ (James 4:2,7-8).
God will come near to us - if we will let Him.
‘I stand at the door and knock; if any one... opens the door, I will come in...’ (Revelation 3:20).
* Why is there so little blessing? - ‘You do not have, because you do not ask.’
God will bless mightily - when His people pray earnestly.
*Why does the devil have so many victories among us? - ‘Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’. God will lead us in His way of victory - when we stop tolerating the devil, and start resisting him.
* Why does God seem so far away? - ‘Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you’ (James 4:2,7-8).
God will come near to us - if we will let Him.
‘I stand at the door and knock; if any one... opens the door, I will come in...’ (Revelation 3:20).
Rebuilding, Revival, Restoration (Psalm 85)
In Psalm 85, we have three great lessons:
* the principle of rebuilding - There's work for us to do.
The prayer of the Psalmist comes from a time when the Lord's people needed the challenging words of Haggai and the inspiring leadership of Nehemiah. We dare not be apathetic when the Lord's work lies in ruins. We must rise to the challenge. The Lord's work must not be left in ruins. We must build on the one sure foundation - Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 2:11).
* the prayer for revival - As we work, we must also pray.
In the work of the Lord, it is not all about what we do. There needs to be a real looking to the Lord for His blessing - "Restore us again ... Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?" (verses 4, 6).
* the promise of restoration - Working and praying, let us look to the Lord to send His blessing.
"God promises peace to His people ... that His glory may dwell in our land ... The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest" (verses 8-9, 12).
* the principle of rebuilding - There's work for us to do.
The prayer of the Psalmist comes from a time when the Lord's people needed the challenging words of Haggai and the inspiring leadership of Nehemiah. We dare not be apathetic when the Lord's work lies in ruins. We must rise to the challenge. The Lord's work must not be left in ruins. We must build on the one sure foundation - Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 2:11).
* the prayer for revival - As we work, we must also pray.
In the work of the Lord, it is not all about what we do. There needs to be a real looking to the Lord for His blessing - "Restore us again ... Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?" (verses 4, 6).
* the promise of restoration - Working and praying, let us look to the Lord to send His blessing.
"God promises peace to His people ... that His glory may dwell in our land ... The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest" (verses 8-9, 12).
Promises
The promises of God are not subject to the will of men. They are eternal, written, steadfast, and always yes and amen.
Mighty Through Christ
John 15:5 I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life.
John 15:16 I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.
1 Corinthians 3:16 I am God‘s temple.
2 Corinthians 5:17–21 I am a minister of reconciliation for God.
Ephesians 2:6 I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.
Ephesians 2:10 I am God‘s workmanship.
Ephesians 3:12 I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.
No weapon formed against us, shall prosper..
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John 15:16 I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.
1 Corinthians 3:16 I am God‘s temple.
2 Corinthians 5:17–21 I am a minister of reconciliation for God.
Ephesians 2:6 I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.
Ephesians 2:10 I am God‘s workmanship.
Ephesians 3:12 I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.
No weapon formed against us, shall prosper..
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No Deposit, No Return
Who do people say you are? This is who the word of God says a born again Christian is. Are you born again? If so, tell the world.
Romans 8:1–2 I am free from condemnation.
Romans 8:28 I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.
Romans 8:31–39 I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God.
2 Corinthians 1:21–22 I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.
Colossians 3:1–4 I am hidden with Christ in God.
Philippians 1:6 I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me.
Philippians 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven.
2 Timothy 1:7 I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.
1 John 5:18 I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.
In His Glorious Name Ministries Online
Romans 8:1–2 I am free from condemnation.
Romans 8:28 I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.
Romans 8:31–39 I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God.
2 Corinthians 1:21–22 I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.
Colossians 3:1–4 I am hidden with Christ in God.
Philippians 1:6 I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me.
Philippians 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven.
2 Timothy 1:7 I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.
1 John 5:18 I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.
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