Speaking on Eph 2:1-10 tomorrow. So many excellent rabbit trails to follow (like the 5 Solas). Gotta follow Curly's word of wisdom to preachers though,find the "One thing."
I must admit Ephesians freaks me as a speaker. This one had me locked in the headlights for a bit. Throw Romans or Hebrews at me and "no problemo."
Guess I don't feel like I can do Ephesians justice -- like I'm messing with Paul's Magnum Opus.
Yeah well, (says I to myself) this isn't about me as a speaker.
(reminds myself)
When we're weak, He is strong.
The power is in the living word.
Ergo, less of me, more of the Word.
Then it dawned on me that most folks probably feel overwhelmed by the richness of the book (not to mention the run on sentences).
Their eyes glass over like mine do when reading Ephesians first few chapters due to Paul's writing style. It's just crazy how richly layered these first chapters are.
I can almost hear Gamaliel to Paul, "You get an A+ for content but I''m taking off 5 pts for sentence structure and run-on sentences."
So, I backed off and am working on KISS. Know your audience, no? In attendance we have all ages, recent refugees from at least 10 countries and tribes in Africa, and new believers from a wide range of church backgrounds (from Catholic and Anglican to Pentecostal).
I'm just going to preach a simple outline of Eph 2:1-10:
What we were v1-3
What God did about it v4-6
Why He did it v7 (and how He did it vs 8,9)
What His will is for believers v10
Then get to application:
v 8,9 the gospel message (The Bridge Illustration) for unbelievers
v10 Christian living for believers.
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