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Nov 17, 2024

Ephesians - Grace and Mercy

Passage: Ephesians 2:8-10

Speaker: Brian Land

Series: Ephesians

Category: Grace Brevard

Keywords: mercy, sin, gospel, redemption, grace, forgiveness, wrath

This is probably the clearest Gospel Presentation in all of Scripture. As we couple it with 2:1-7, we see our unfathomable need for rescue due to our death-inducing sin; we see the mercy of Christ on the cross paying for all of these sins; we see the grace of Jesus at the resurrection infusing His righteousness into us; we see how we are the Artwork ("workmanship") of God as we are set free to love the way we've been loved.

Eph 2
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

 

SERMON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

What is a word (or tiny phrase) that really sticks out to you in this passage?

See if you can summarize the whole passage in 8 words or less.

 

How can you explain (or give example/illustration) the extent/depth of our sin?

Commission (things we’ve done) -- Omission (things undone) -- Heart/Motivation

 

The underlying point isn’t the number or severity of our sins, but the penalty and our vast need.

How do you deal with hearing things like “God’s Wrath”? Why does he have it?

 

Talk about how Mercy is “not getting what we deserve”

Talk about how Grace is “getting what we don’t deserve”

(but also that Grace is even more than that - the WHOLE thing is by Grace)

How does Jesus’ Death and Resurrection make these possible?

 

How is it that even FAITH is a gift from God? What does that mean? What are the implications?

 

“Workmanship” in this passage is the word Poiema (“poem” - work of art)

What does that say about who you are in Christ?

What does that say about God himself, who made you His Poiema?

 

As God’s Work of Art - what does it mean to “walk”?

Do you subtly try to go back to “empty works” that couldn’t save us in the first place?

What then IS the role of works after we’ve already been rescued?