Imprint Community Church

The Christian's instructions about waging spiritual warfare against the kingdom of Satan continue in these verses, as Paul outlines the essential defensive pieces of spiritual armor that God has provided. This armor will equip God's people to withstand the devil's deceptions, accusations, distractions, and seeds of doubt, and provide confidence that we will ultimately triumph over him.

Paul concludes his letter to the Ephesian Christians with a poignant and memorable description of the spiritual battle they're engaged in. In these verses, he urges the church to prepare for spiritual battle by knowing a few important things: the power at work in them, the enemy who opposes them, the tools God has provided, and the victory that's already theirs in Jesus Christ.

In these verses addressed to slaves and their masters, Paul gives Christians important principles about how they relate to authority. Living in light of the gospel means faithfully serving those in authority, and holding authority over others with gentleness and respect, for the sake of Christ.

As Paul continues his instructions on household codes, he turns to the relationship of children with their parents - addressing children directly as recipients of his letter. God's design for household order includes children living under the loving authority of their parents, and both parties must rely on the strength and assurance of the gospel.

Paul begins to apply the principles of gospel living to Christian households, beginning with the relationship of husbands and wives. The gospel is reflected in a profound way in the marriage relationship, and in this message Pastor Kyle unfolds how the unique roles of husbands and wives, and the very nature of marriage itself, paint a picture of Jesus Christ's relationship to his church.

Guest preacher Ben Lacey unpacks an exhortation from the apostle Paul to "look carefully how you walk." He urges Christians to examine their lives and make the most of the opportunities God has given them.

In this passage in Ephesians, Paul uses the metaphor of light and darkness to define the shape of Christian faithfulness, and the holiness that God intends to cultivate among his people. With particularly strong warnings concerning God's wrath against sin, Christians are exhorted to abandon "works of darkness" and pursue the "fruit of light."

Paul's description of life in "the new man" has a distinctly relational shape. These verses urge Christians to live with one another, within the church, in ways that display the transformative power of the gospel.

Paul's instructions on "walking worthy" continue, as he exhorts Christians to stop living like unbelievers, and to live out their new identity in Christ instead. The gospel gives us the power to live holy lives!

Within the theme of the church's unity, Paul here directs his attention toward the unique and diverse ways Christ gifts each individual member, and the roles they have to play in building up the body of Christ. In order to grow into the unity that Christ has accomplished for his church, each member must minister to one another.

How can a church pursue unity? What are the characteristics, the capacities, and the commitments that will lead to a truly united church? As Paul begins to focus on the practical outworking of the gospel foundation laid in chapters 1-3, he turns to these questions of unity. As Christ has purchased his people's unity, and the Spirit has gifted it to them, followers of Jesus must be vigilant to cultivate oneness in their local church contexts.

Paul concludes the first half of his letter with a prayer for his readers, that they would experience the strength of the Spirit, the love of Christ, and the fullness of God. These verses provide a compelling vision for Christian growth and vitality, and give us confidence in our prayers for Christ's church.

Paul highlights the cosmic importance of God's creation of the Church. Because of Christ's reconciling atonement on the cross, the newly-created, united people of God provide an announcement to Satan that his kingdom will not stand.

The same grace that makes sinners right with God, also makes sinners right with each other. These verses paint a powerful, compelling picture of the Church of Jesus Christ as a redeemed people, united to each other by the overcoming death of Jesus. The religious, cultural, and racial divisions that existed between Jews and non-Jewish peoples have been destroyed by the cross, and Christ has created for himself "one new man," for now and eternity. This passage challenges Christians to prioritize gospel community in their lives, and to pursue the reconciliation Christ died to achieve.

In Eph. 2:1-10, Paul clarifies the REASON that Christians enjoy such spiritual blessings (v. 3-14) and spiritual power (v. 15-23): the grace of God. He unfolds the "spiritual biography" of every follower of Christ, all with the aim of highlighting and celebrating the lavish grace of God.

Paul prays for the Holy Spirit to open Christians' eyes, to truly grasp and experience three rich realities of their spiritual lives: the vastness of hope, glory, and power available to them through Jesus Christ. These verses call us to lean on the abundant grace of God in our lives, appropriating his power in our fight against sin and the treacherous journey to eternity.

God isn't only redeeming for himself a people, but an entire creation. The "spiritual blessings" enumerated in Ephesians 1 culminate in God's cosmic redemptive plan to "sum up all thing in Christ." In this message, Pastor Kyle discusses the glorious reality of the creation's future restoration, and provides several applications of this truth to the lives of Christ's followers.

All the spiritual blessings Paul enumerates and celebrates in Eph. 1:3-14 are brought into the life of the believer through one essential, mysterious reality: Union with Christ. Pastor Kyle's second exploration of these verses shines a spotlight on this precious but neglected doctrine, and considers the ways that union with Jesus Christ defines the Christian's core identity.

These 12 verses form one of the most theologically rich and devotionally precious paragraphs in all the Bible. In this message (Part 1 of 3 on this passage), Pastor Kyle enumerates the vast spiritual blessings that we have in Christ, and demonstrates how a Christian's salvation is ultimately not about THEM, but about GOD and his glory.

In Paul's two-verse salutation beginning this letter, he reminds Christians of the riches of grace that God has poured out on us. His grace is evident in Paul's appointment as an apostle, God's sanctifying of his people through Christ, and in the forging of peace with God brought about by Jesus' death. These two verses set the tone for the glorious riches to follow!