Ephesians 4:1-6: The Unity of the Body
We have reached the half way point in the letter to the Ephesians and Paul does a typical thing that happens in most of his writings. In chapters 1-3 he laid out the doctrine of the church, now in 4-6 he lays out the proper practice flowing from these truths. This pattern is gospel shaped, it starts with what God has done, and then focuses on what we should do. In technical terms we say that the imperative is rooted in the indicative. Our doing is only possible because of God’s doing. Paul begins the exhortational part of the...
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1 Samuel 26: David Spares Saul again
Outline David’s daring David’s restraint David’s complaint Introduction Knowing a truth and doing it are two different things. We can say that God answers prayer but not believe it if we are not committed to praying. We can say that God can do the impossible but will we trust Him for it? David has been learning some lessons about God in the last few chapters. A major lesson is one of trusting God. God has made a promise that David will be king, it is David’s part now to patiently wait and trust and be faithful and not sin...
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Ephesians 6:18: Persevering Prayer
Outline Who God is Why God delays Introduction We are lingering over the issue of prayer because it is so needed in our lives. We have reminded ourselves of the nature of prayer, the different types of prayer, and today we continue by considering perseverance in prayer. Paul writes, ‘praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance….’ There are two aspects of perseverance to consider. Firstly, Paul is calling upon us to be alert and persevere in attempting to pray at all times, in the Spirit, with...
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