Stone's Hill Community Church
Letters from Prison - Ephesians
Our series is called "Letters from Prison" - which is a study of Paul's prison epistles or letters. We've covered Philippians and Philemon. Now, we look at Ephesians! Even though Paul is chained up in prison (Ephesians 6:20), he feels incredibly blessed—and he wants his Christian readers, then and now, to realize how incredibly privileged we are as well. This letter to the Ephesians is really nothing more than a description of the riches that we have in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul emphasized these riches a great deal: Ephesians 1:7 talks about the riches of His grace, at the end of the verse. Chapter 3:8 talks about the unsearchable riches of Christ. Chapter 3:16—the riches of His glory. So you have the riches of His grace, the riches of His glory and the riches of His Son. In other words, God is unloading all of His riches in the book of Ephesians. The vault is open! The word grace is used 12 times in this book. There are enough resources in heaven to… cover all past debts, present liabilities and future needs and still not diminish your account. That’s God’s plan. This letter is about that... and it's about us...Welcome to "Ephesians". And welcome to Stones Hill Community Church and Online Notes!
Locations & Times
Stone's Hill Community Church - Ligonier Main Campus
151 W Stones Hill Rd, Ligonier, IN 46767, USA
Saturday 1:05 PM
We welcome you to Stone's Hill today!
A typical Stone's Hill service has music (feel free to sing out); some announcements (things that are upcoming that you can be a part of); a message out of the Bible (God speaks to us through his Word); and an opportunity for you to respond to the message (either immediately in the case of a decision that needs to be made OR in the future as you live out the message in your life.)
So relax and enjoy your morning! We're so glad you are here!
Letters from Prison
How can we claim the reality of Christ’s victory over the darkness? How can we live in His authority? By understanding THREE things…
Three Things that Lead to Living in Christ's Authority
The Nature of Our Weapons –
they’re spiritual and powerful
The Need for Our Weapons –
we have an enemy and an evil day to face
The Names of Our Weapons –
the weapons cover the whole body.
******************************************************
Four Things that Prepare You For Spiritual Warfare
There are FOUR things we need to do when we are facing spiritual warfare in our lives; four things to consider if you intend to activate your Christ-provided authority.
1. Acknowledge the adversary. Remember: There is an enemy. Satan is real (1 Peter 5:8-9). Why would God send his Son to fight what does not exist? The Bible says in 1 John 3:8, “ (NLT). When you’re being attacked, it’s proof that you’re a believer. The more you make an impact for God, the more the Devil is going to fight you. You never outgrow it; it just gets more intense.
2. Accept God-given authority. Remember: The victory has already been won. Most believers don’t understand about the authority they have against the Devil. Matthew 28:18-19 says we have all authority in Heaven and on Earth. Then Jesus says, “ (NIV). He transfers the authority to you and me. He does that because he’s given us a specific mission: sharing the message of Jesus as his ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20).
3. Put on God’s armor. Remember: The enemy is not people. When Paul wrote about the whole armor of God in Ephesians 6:11-17, he was in prison chained to a Roman guard. Paul used the Roman centurion as a model for spiritual armor. Paul says that just as the Roman soldier was properly dressed to do battle, we also need to be dressed for battle. What is that battle? Prayer.
4. Aim the artillery at your thoughts. Remember: You yourself will be your own worst enemy. The battlefield for spiritual warfare is primarily in your thought life (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). The weapons God gives you to demolish arguments are truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and Holy Spirit. Take every thought captive!