Ephesians 2:1-22
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desiresa of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordainedb that we should walk in them.
11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:c
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
CHAPTER 2
Before we can fully understand the _________ we have in Christ, we must understand our condition of our __________ without Christ.
God has ____________ us. This word means that God has made us _______ from the dead. We were dead in _____________ and sins.
Define: Trespass __________________
Define: Sin _______________________
Before you became a Christian, you ________ in sin. We were just following the _________ of this ________. We fall in line with the _________ of the power of the air. This refers to _______. He is a spirit that _____ works in children of ________________.
When we lived in sin we had our _______________ in the _______ of the flesh. This describes more than what we _____. It refers to our ____________. When we live after the flesh we seek to fulfill the desires of both our flesh and ______. Paul teaches that we are, by _________, the children of ________.
NOTE: The words "by nature" do NOT refer to __________ instinct, __________ code or some other innate trait. This phrase means "long standing __________ or habit." We do many things by __________, without thinking, just by long practice.
Now that we have a clear picture of our ______, let us look at our __________ situation. God is ______. He has plenty of _______ and ______ for each of us.
Even while we were still _______ in sins, God was planning a way for us to be _____________ with Christ. We are saved by ________.
God has _________ us from the dead and given us a place to _____ together. This is not just a recliner or rocker. This place to be together is a ___________ place in Christ.
Throughout the Christian _____ God has shown the ____________ riches of his grace. He has shown his __________ toward us through Christ Jesus.
We are saved by ________ through ________. Salvation can not be gained by our own ability. We do not have power in ____________ to save us. Salvation is a _______ of God.
Salvation is not accomplished by _______ of merit. If man could save himself, he would ________.
We are not saved by our own ________. We are the _______________ of God. We were __________ in Christ for the purpose of doing ______ works. This plan is __________ of God. This is how we are to ______.
Back to the Past: _____________ that you are Gentiles, not Jews. As Gentiles, you are called ___________________, because you were not under the law of Moses. Also remember that _________________ was an act of the flesh and done by ________.
Before you became a Christian you were:
Without _________;
__________, not citizens, of _________;
Strangers from the ___________ with its promises;
Without _______;
Without ______ in the world.
Now that you are a Christian:
You are made _______ (close, near) to God;
You are saved by the ________ of Christ.
Jesus is our ________. He was to be the _________ _____ ________. He made _______ (Jew and Gentile) united in _____. He ________ down the ________ of separation between the Jews and Gentiles.
Jesus _____________ the wall. To abolish means to _________ its power or to nuteralize its force and __________ its ability to harm. This wall was the _________, or cause of dissention between Jews and Gentiles. The wall was the law of __________________ contained in ____________. Purpose: To take the two (_________) and make one ______ person. Result: ________.
What other purpose was served in the destruction of this wall? He will _____________ both Jew and Gentile to God in one _______. This was accomplished on the ________. This is when the _________ was slain.
Jesus came and ___________ peace to those ______ off (Gentiles) and to those that are near (Jews).
HINT: When you see the word "therefore" you need to look back and see "what it is there for." Here is the conclusion or summary of what has been said.
We are not strangers or ______________. Now we are fellow ___________ with the saints. We are now part of the _____________ of God.
Our lives have a solid ______________. We are _________ on the foundation of apostles and _____________.
JEWS GENTILES
Apostles Prophets
Jesus
What part have the apostles played in your salvation? _________________
What role have the prophets filled in saving you? _____________________
______________ How is Jesus the corner stone? _________
What is the "chief" corner stone? ________
Jesus is the part of our lives that __________ us together. Without Jesus in this vital role, we could not be the holy __________ which God seeks.
This temple is the _______________ of God through the _________.