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Ephesians

Explore God's saving grace in Christ and the new life, unity, holiness, and spiritual strength he gives his church.

36 sermons in this series

Audio
Ephesians

Five Departing Blessings (Ephesians 6:21-24)

Bryan Schneider

December 4, 2020

Ephesians 6:21-24

The Book of Ephesians both begins and ends with peace and grace, and we also find it interwoven throughout the entire Book. Here in these concluding verses, Paul gives five blessings. First, he says, be blessed by brotherly encouragement -- that is, by friendship with individuals within the congregation; and by the wonderful news of God's workings in other places, as it is presented in congregational reports from other churches. Then Paul pronounces several more blessings upon the people of God: peace, love, faith, and grace. We have peace with God and God's children, for we have been purchased by Jesus' blood. This calls us to be forgiving of each other -- just as the Father has forgiven us. As for love, the Lord Jesus is the demonstration of God's love for us. He loves us with an everlasting love, so that we may enjoy everlasting life. And just as His love for us never ends, we are called to imitate this love by serving our brothers and sisters in the church. Faith is another blessing from God, by which we believe in Jesus Christ. When days are dark, faith in Him will give us hope. And last but not least, God blesses us with grace, even when we do not deserve it. Let's pray that the Lord would enable us to show grace to all around us, just as grace has been shown to us!

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Ephesians

Persistent and Persuasive Prayer (Ephesians 6:18-20)

Bryan Schneider

November 27, 2020

Ephesians 6:18-20

Our life's problems all lie within ourselves. Even if we became a monk or a hermit, we might be able to escape the corruption in the world around us; but we would still not be able to get away from the pollution within our hearts. This is one reason why the Apostle Paul tells us that we must have persistent and persuasive prayer-lives! He tells us to "pray without ceasing." That does not mean that we must never do anything but pray; but rather, we must pray in every kind of circumstance that we find ourselves in -- and not just in times of problems, either! Even when things are going well, we ought to pray and give thanks. Our hearts are to be overflowing with prayer. Jesus Himself is a great example of this. Why do we need to pray? Because there is an enemy lurking around us! But sometimes it is difficult to pray. We must avoid distractions as much as possible, and make prayer a priority. And even though we have no lack of things to be thankful for, prayer is not just thanking God for our temporal blessings. The Psalms are the prayer-book of the Old Testament, and they furnish wonderful thoughts to boost our own prayer-lives. Prayer-life requires diligence, watchfulness, and attentiveness. Jesus tells us to "watch and pray." Don't give up! Persevering through hard things is good. God is indeed listening to our prayers. So let's not hold back! Let's fall on our knees and lift up our hearts and voices in prayer! Let's intercede for our brothers and sisters in Christ. As soldiers in the great spiritual battle, our prayers are an attack on hell and the devil; and they do much good for the Body of Christ, as His people are lifted up by each other's prayers!

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Ephesians

Standing Firm in the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20)

Bryan Schneider

November 21, 2020

Ephesians 6:10-20

Paul is writing these words while he is in prison -- very likely chained to a soldier who was wearing armor. As Christians, there is a different kind of armor than that with which ancient soldiers used to protect themselves. This is the armor of God; and in it, we are to stand firm! And even though we may often feel like we can't stand, he reminds us that we are not standing in our own strength. Our eyes are not to be on ourselves; but rather, on the strength of Christ Jesus. Since this is God's armor, it is He Who puts it on us. First, He gives us the belt of truth, so that we may not be tripped up by the lies of the devil. Then there is the breastplate of Christ's righteousness; for without that, our heart and vital organs are exposed to Satan's darts. Third, our feet wear the shoes of the Gospel of peace, with which we are enabled to always be ready to give out the good news of salvation. Moreover, we are handed the shield of faith, which keep us from being attacked by the fiery darts of the devil. Then there is the helmet of salvation, which protects our head on all sides. And last but not least, we wield the sword of the Spirit -- that is, God's Word! The devil knows the Scriptures well, and he twists them in order to deceive us; therefore, the stated goal of the Church must be to know God's Word! We have the armor of God, but we also need to pray for one another; for without prayer, this armor is of no use. Throughout Church history, all great revivals and movements of the Gospel have been in conjunction with an increase in prayer among the people of God. Since God thus arms us, what do we need to be afraid of? Since He is on our side, who can be against us?

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Ephesians

Be Strong in the Lord! (Ephesians 6:10-13)

Bryan Schneider

November 13, 2020

Ephesians 6:10-13

After Martin Luther's famous declaration at the historical Diet of Worms, he hid in the Wartburg Castle. While in "exile" there for 11 months, he undertook the monumental task of translating the Bible for his countrymen to read; but it was still a time of great spiritual trials for him. We, too, are in a spiritual battle; and if we rely on our own strength, we will lose. Our strength must come from the Lord. Our culture tells us to "look within," and then we will be strong; but the Apostle Paul teaches us that it is in Christ that we can do all things. If we are outside of Him, we belong to the prince of darkness; but He has purchased us to Himself, and made us alive. And He is our source of strength -- just as He has been for all His saints and martyrs in all ages. Who is our enemy? The devil himself! In different ways and methods -- tyrannical governments, cultural pressure, advertising, trials, heresies, and even prosperity -- he is always working to attack and deceive us. We are also faced with many various temptations from inside of us, which is why we can't "follow our heart" and look for strength therein. But these attacks do not place us in a hopeless situation! We are to wrestle with the devil, but only in the power of our Lord Jesus. Because of His victory that He has already won, we can succeed in this battle -- even though some days may be harder than others. On the cross, Christ came out on top as the Conqueror; but as we wait for Him to come and consummate the victory, we must still continue fighting -- in His strength!

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Ephesians

Working as to the Lord (Ephesians 6:5-9)

Bryan Schneider

November 6, 2020

Ephesians 6:5-9

In this passage, Paul talks about the relationship between slaves and their masters. This does not mean that he was justifying slavery; but unfortunately, slavery did exist in those days. And so Paul was addressing how to live under such a system. Thankfully, in our culture, we live under the light and liberty of the grace of God. Paul was telling his audience that they might be slaves, but they were free in Christ! Even if they never had the opportunity to buy their freedom, they must still live the life in which they were placed. And their service must not be "eye-service" -- the kind of work that some people do well only when the boss is present, or when they are trying to ingratiate themselves; and not the sort of work which is the result of a desire to be pleasing to Christ. These words are still applicable to our lives today! We are not to do our work just to please men; but rather, we are to work in such a way that we please the Lord. No matter what work we are doing, it is holy work! Distractions will slip up on us easily, and try to keep us from doing our jobs. But we must strive to live in such a manner -- "unto the Lord" -- that our employers speak well of Christ because of our actions. On the other hand, masters/employers are to treat their workers differently than the manner in which they would handle a mere tool. The Lord redeemed His people when they were slaves in Egypt, and He showed no partiality. Masters are called upon to do the same. We were once slaves to sin, but now we have been set free! Our God brought us out of that slavery; and now, no matter who our boss is, we can serve him "unto the Lord!"

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Ephesians

Christian Fathers (Ephesians 6:4)

Bryan Schneider

October 30, 2020

Ephesians 6:4

Here the Lord is calling out fathers. A tragic result of the Fall is that men no longer want to be men. But that is not acceptable. Fathers are specifically called upon to raise their children; and in doing so, they are to model our Heavenly Father. The American crisis of the absence of fathers erodes the foundations of the family. Society is holding up the single mother as a model of virtue, but it shouldn't be that way. When mothers and fathers are together like God wants, the statistical numbers drop to nothing. There is indeed a benefit to following God's ways! However, even when fathers are present in the home, they can mess up. And unfortunately, our society makes it very hard for them to do what is right, by enticing them to seek after their own pleasures or hobbies or jobs. But if fathers don't invest in their children's lives now, they won't get it back later. Christian fathers, in particular, are called upon to not be consumed with themselves and their own lives. Fathers aren't to be their children's slaves, but they should be thoughtful of them and kind to them. This doesn't mean that discipline is not required. In fact, it is necessary; even our Heavenly Father disciplines us in love! And this is to be done with our own children by teaching and admonishing them with instruction from the Word of God (Deut. 6:6). Fathers, we must admonish our sons and daughters in the Lord! Let's pray for grace to not just think of their external joy alone, but may God also help us to encourage them to be in the Word and enjoy a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

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Ephesians

Christian Children (Ephesians 6:1)

Bryan Schneider

October 23, 2020

Ephesians 6:1

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother,' which is the first commandment with promise: 'that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth'"(Ephesians 6:1-3). In the New Testament, we see plain proofs that Jesus cares for children. But what does the Bible have to say about children and their obedience? The world tells us that children aren't disobedient; they just go through "a phase." But the Word of God teaches us differently. Our hearts are marked by a pattern of stubborn disobedience, even before we are born! The Apostle Paul states that children ought to obey their parents. We don't obey simply because we fear bad consequences; but rather, because we fear the Lord God. Nevertheless, it is true that obedient children generally have a better life; for when the obedience structure is broken down, the blessings of the Lord are lost. We read in the Gospels of the good example that our Savior Himself set, for even He obeyed His earthly parents. God has created and ordained authority in all areas of life, and even in heaven; and this authority structure starts in the family! Our homes are to be like greenhouses, where little sprouts are growing up in our families for God's glory. Jesus loves children, and children can show Jesus how much they love Him by obeying their parents!

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Ephesians

The Christian Husband (Ephesians 5:25-33)

Bryan Schneider

October 18, 2020

Ephesians 5:25-33

Although our worldly society has distorted the marriage model, the Christian husband is called and commanded to love his wife sacrificially and faithfully. And here in this passage, Paul gives us the husband the model to follow -- and that model is Christ Himself! The goal of marriage is to sanctify the Bride. The godly husband will be constantly asking himself, "Does my wife look more in love with Christ today than when I married her?" "Is my home a place of holiness?" "Is my marriage being governed by Scripture?" "Do I open God's Word with my wife and study it together with her?" Society's view of love is filled with bad ideas! But the love that Christ shows for His Bride, and which godly husbands are to imitate, is a nourishing love. Husbands, are you committed to your wife's spiritual health, and not just her physical needs? Are you praying for her and with her? You don't cut off your arm when it hurts, so don't do that to your wife either! Christian husbands are also called to a separating love. When a man and woman are joined together, the love between them must be guarded from undue influences that may cause divisions and problems. Husband, do you live love in your life? No, life isn't perfect; but despite that fact, does your wife know that you love her? Are you committed to sanctifying her and seeing her grow closer to the Lord Jesus? Let's pray for grace so that Christ's amazing love for His Bride may be our model in our own marriages!

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Ephesians

The Christian Wife (Ephesians 5:21-24)

Bryan Schneider

October 14, 2020

Ephesians 5:21-24

What is the structure of the universe? How did God order the church? How has God ordered the family? God's structure for the Christian family is redemptive and restorative. But that doesn't make it easy.

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Ephesians

Arise! Christ Will Give You Light! (Ephesians 5:6-14)

Bryan Schneider

September 25, 2020

Ephesians 5:6-14

Corporations pay good money to convince you of something that you "need" to buy. But they also pay a lot of money teaching people how to spot lies. That is exactly what we, as children of the light, need to do. We need to be alert -- testing things according to the Word of the Lord. A big problem in today's culture is the danger of people "following their hearts," instead of following God's Word. The world is always trying to lead us astray, and we are only to prone to go after our own "feelings" on matters. But here Paul is telling the Church that we must be on guard. We cannot keep on sinning, just because we enjoy the privileges of grace. We must put off the works of darkness; and although we cannot avoid the world, we don't have to have close fellowship with it. Paul teaches us to be on guard, for we are always exposed to temptations by the sins around us -- and these sins may even be working within the Church. When we go to church, we are going as professing saints, to grow in faith and expose the works of darkness. Why does God want us to expose these works of darkness? Because as God's children, we ought not to be walking in those dark ways any longer; we are to be walking in the ways of light. Formerly, we were slaves to the works of darkness; but now we have been raised up to new life in Christ! And it is because we have been made God's children that we become holy; we are called upon to imitate our Heavenly Father. If we find ourselves walking in darkness, then it is time for us to repent of our sins and pray to God for grace to walk in light and bear the fruits of the Spirit!

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Ephesians

Imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1, 2)

Bryan Schneider

August 28, 2020

Ephesians 5:1-2

Have you ever been unable to find your shoes in the morning -- only to discover that one of your children is walking around the house in them? Just as our children often imitate what they see or hear in us, the Lord calls us to be imitators of Himself. "Be holy," He says, "for I the Lord your God am holy." Since we have been adopted as God's own sons and daughters, there should be some sort of family resemblance. But this imitation is expected from us because we are already His children; it is not something that we do in order to earn His love and favor. What is one way in which we may imitate our Savior? "Walk in love," the Apostle tells us, "as Christ has walked in love!" In John 15, we read that there is no greater love than a person laying down his life for his friends. Jesus sacrificed His life for us -- not just when we were His friends, but even when we were His enemies! And surely, if He has done that for us, there ought to be some sort of practical response from us! What would that look like? That is what the latter portion of Ephesians 5 will show us. Holiness is something which we must daily strive for. It is something for which we must continually cry out to God in prayer. If we find ourselves becoming too familiar with the world, and not desiring holiness -- then we must pray for grace to imitate our Savior!

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Ephesians

What an inheritance! (Ephesians 1:11-14)

Bryan Schneider

January 31, 2020

Ephesians 1:11-14

The sermon explores the concept of inheritance within the context of Ephesians 1, arguing that believers are not merely recipients of an inheritance but are, in fact, God's chosen inheritance, set apart and predestined according to His purpose. Drawing parallels to Old Testament passages, the message emphasizes that God's plan for redemption involves uniting believers to Christ and sealing them with the Holy Spirit, who serves as a guarantee of their ultimate inheritance and a source of comfort amidst life's challenges, all to the praise of God's glory.