Lesson 1
SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS IN CHRIST
Ephesians 1:1-23
Key Verse: 1:3
1. How did Paul express who God is, who Jesus is, their relationship to each other, and to us (1-2)? Read verse 3. How and why did Paul praise God? What realization did Paul want the Ephesians to have, living among the rich and affluent people of their times?
2. What specific blessings does Paul mention that God gave us (4-8a)? What do each of these blessings mean to us both personally and as a church? What does this teach us about God’s sovereign grace and love? What does “in” and “through” Christ imply?
3. What mystery did God reveal to us (8b-10)? In light of God’s will and purpose, what hope and vision should we have for the church universal, and when will this be fully realized? How should this hope and vision impact our lives and ministries?
4. How were both Jews and Gentiles included in God’s plan (11-13a)? What is our assurance (14)? What was God’s purpose in revealing Christ to both Jews and Gentiles (12b,14b)?
5. What can we learn from Paul who did not “stop” giving thanks for the Gentile believers (15-16)? What was his constant prayer for them and why was this important (17)?
6. What did Paul want the Gentile believers to know (18-19a)? To what does “the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people” refer? Why is this hope so urgently needed? By what power is this hope being fulfilled?
7. How is God’s power exerted through Christ (19b-23)? What is the scope of Christ’s reign? What assurance does this give those who are in him?