STRONGER-Part 1-AFTER THE SERMON
We trust today’s message encouraged and guided you in your journey of following Jesus. These notes are meant to help you remember and reflect on the message, help you go deeper into study on the subject, or to be used for a sermon group discussion. CLICK HERE to find a discussion group. Enjoy!
Sermon Title: A Thriving Church
Main Scripture: Ephesians 1:1-14
Other scripture mentioned: Ephesians 4:1; 4:13
If you’re going through this discussion with a community group this week consider taking the time to read the provided scripture to catch everyone up!
Summary:
Today, Pastor Ryan launched our new series and study through the book of Ephesians. We learned a lot of the background and set up for Paul’s reason and purpose of this letter to the church. We learned that Paul wasn’t addressing any particular issue in the church like he typically does in other letters. This gave Paul the opportunity to proactively teach and strengthen the church on a variety of topics.
These areas of life were all critical, such as:
God and His plans.
The value and power of Jesus.
How one is saved.
God’s great love for us.
Unity in the church.
How to live like a child of God.
How to be faithful to God in this world.
Healthy relationships in marriage, family and work places.
Lastly, how to stand strong in spiritual battles.
We learned that Paul specifically structured the first three chapters of the letter to focus on God and our relationship with Him. In the last three chapters Paul teaches how we live in light of our relationship with Him. Pastor Ryan mentioned the well known metaphor “don’t put the cart before the horse.” Paul wanted the church to remember their identity and behavior begins with God, not in what they do. A key point in today’s message is how Paul’s letter was meant to strengthen the church now. Whatever may come, they would be ready if they kept their faith and found their strength in the Lord. To wet our appetite, Pastor Ryan scratched the surface of chapter 1:3-14, showing us Paul’s admiration and acknowledge of Jesus in almost every verse. This led Pastor Ryan to end the message with the following takeaways…
Takeaways:
Everything revolves around Jesus.
Jesus is the source of all we need!
We are strong because of Jesus
Grow stronger in the good days so you’re thriving in the hard days.
“The world at its worst needs the church at its best!” -Pastor Coon
Discussion:
What was one big takeaway for you from this message?
What scripture verse stuck out to you and why?
What did you sense the Holy Spirit was saying to you during this message?
Why do we tend to wait for things to get bad before we start to work on things?
How specific ways can we grow stronger in our faith now so we’re ready for the hard days?
Is there anything you felt like you needed to do after hearing this sermon?
Pray:
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your Word. We thank you for your truth. We acknowledge our strength comes from you. We need more of strength in these days. We renew our faith in you and our reliance in Christ. Make us stronger in every area of our lives, especially our faith in you. Give us eyes to see areas that need fortifying and strengthening. Bring our hearts, our families and our friends closer to you. Strengthen us, so we can help lift others up and lead them to you. In Jesus name we pray, amen!
We hoped you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!