This is our discussion guide for 777 this week. Hope you enjoy it.
777 Soles Chapter Guide 3
Read (Ephesians 2:11-18)
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
Lost and Found (Verses 11-18)
• You were once without Christ (Vs 11-12)
I hear many people say, “Oh, I have always been a believer” or “I have always had Christ”. This misconception has lead many people in the Church to live a life in the grey area, uncommitted, hypocritical, ect. Jesus said, “ I would rather you be hot or cold, but because you are lukewarm I will spit you out of my mouth”.
Have you ever had Luke warm coffee? Or it may be a bad analogy, but on the real, a lukewarm beer? Yuck, you just want to spew it out! This is what Jesus is talking about. If you have always had Jesus, then you have no need for salvation. The Bible says, “We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. We must all recognize our sinful condition at some point in our lives and receive the gift of salvation.
• God purchased you with His own blood (V 13)
We need to take our salvation very serious. God didn’t spare any expense when it came to saving you. He gave up His own life. He spilled his own blood to save you.
People are always asking the question, “Can I still do this as a Christian” or “can I still do that”? Man… your lucky to even be alive. A better question is, “should I be doing this” or “should I be doing that”.
God deserves to be honored even if He didn’t do anything for you. How much more should he be honored considering what He has done? Lets not take advantage of the sacrifice of Christ.
• Focus on Jesus (Vs 14-18)
Prior to giving our lives to Christ, we were spiritually dead because of sin. Jesus came to the earth and paid the penalty for that sin. This is why it’s so essential for us to consider Him in everything we do. Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing”. He acts as a filter between ourselves, others, and God, keeping us in a right relationship. If we continue to live our lives making choices outside the will of Christ, essentially we are living like dead people and the things we are doing account for absolutely nothing.
God desires more than anything for us to be in right relationships. It is here that we obtain treasure in heaven. In this passage the Jews and Gentiles were having many struggles. Paul reminds them to put Jesus in the center to keep the peace between the two formally hostile worlds. We must also do the same in our relationships.
Questions:
1. When can you honestly say, “I gave my life to Christ”? (Sometimes this is done through baptism) If not do you want Christ in your life today?
2. What action steps have you taken to honor the sacrifice of Christ? If not how can you?
3. How have you listened to Christ this week in your relationships? How does God speak to you?
