Read: Ephesians 2:1-10
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
The purpose of Lent is to reflect, repent and pray as a way to prepare our hearts for celebrating the Resurrection. Our passage from last week’s message captures the heart of God’s work for us in Christ. It identifies what we were; what God did; and what we do now.
In verses 1-3, what was our condition before we came to faith in Jesus? Whose power were we under?
Verse 3 tells us we “were by nature children of wrath.” What did God do (see verses 4-5) that changed that? Why did he do that?
Paul mentions “grace” three times in verses 5-8. What is grace? How has God been gracious to us?
Verses 8-9 explain the process through which we were saved. How would you explain that in your own words?
If our actions (works) cannot save us, what role do good works play in our lives (verse 10)?
What might God be prompting you to do in light of this passage? Who can you share the message with? Who can you serve? Pray for these people and for opportunities to follow through!
Beginning February 12th and running until April 6th, we will post devotions intended to help us as a community reflect on the lessons of Ephesians and the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. They will combine Scripture and study questions; stories and reflection questions. Our prayer is that they will encourage us to consider the incredible love God showed us in sending his Son to die and his incomparable power that raised him from the dead.
Join us Dec. 24 at 5:00 PM for Christmas Eve worship!
We are excited to welcome Rick Schupp as our new senior pastor this November. With 25 years of pastoral experience in both the United States and internationally, he is ready to start this new season of life with Salem. His wife, Angela, and he are moving up from Knoxville, Tennessee to join our church family. Rick has a passionate and genuine love for Christ, along with a deep desire to see others changed by Jesus’ love. We are so glad to have him join our team!