Ephesians 3

No Turning Back - The New Normal 

No Turning Back - The New Normal 

Dave Riddle - 4/23/2023

Key Passage: John 21:1-14

They go fishing and catch nothing

  • John 21:1-3

  • In the midst of a crazy situation the disciples look for normalcy so they go fishing… and catch nothing.

    • Probably not a coincidence…

Jesus knew

  • John 21:5-9

    • Their struggles

    • The solution

    • What they needed

Not the first time

  • Luke 5:1-7

    • Jesus is again showing them a different way, an alternate reality to their default way of life.

      • Ephesians 3:20

Breakfast with Jesus

  • John 20:10-13

    • They knew it was Jesus and they sat down to eat.

      • Compare this to Luke 5 or Matthew 4.

  • They weren’t called to be successful fishermen, they were called to be fishers of men.

The Hidden Made Visible

  • John 21:14

    • Jesus reveals himself to remove all doubt as his followers are about to head into the gauntlet.

      • There’s no going back to our old lives!

We have been commissioned. Have we embraced it? Are we walking in it?

Passionate Prayer

House Rules - Prayer

Dave Riddle - 10/23/2022

Key Passage: Ephesians 3:14-21

Passionate Prayer

  • growing in our desire and commitment to seek God (individually and with others) and yield to His will for our lives.

Key Concept: Surrender!

  • Prayer is acknowledging that we don’t have complete control

Posture of Humility

  • Ephesians 3:14

  • Philippians 2:10

  • Pray = proseuchomai (Greek: προσεύχομαι) to pray to God, supplicate, worship.

  • Worship = proskyneo (Greek: προσκυνέω) - to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence

Phenomenal God

  • Ephesians 3:14b-16a

  • Ephesians 3:20

    • dynamis (Greek: δύναμις) strength, ability of power, especially inherent power, residing in something (or someone) by virtue of its (or their) nature.

Passionate Request

  • Ephesians 3:16

    • Praying for spiritual maturity

  • Ephesians 3:17

    • Praying for a strong foundation

  • Ephesians 3:18-19

    • Comprehend, know, filled with the fulness of God

      • Know = ginōskō: to know in a deeply experiential way.

Point of it All

  • Ephesians 3:21

Peace With God

Message begins around the 41 minute mark

Peace With God

01/16/2021 - Dave Riddle 

Key Passage: Romans 5:1-9

Undivided in our relationship with God 

Declared Righteous

  • Romans 5:1

  • Our sin separates us from God

    • But we have been declared righteous!

  • Romans 5:9

    • Not by our own action, but by His blood.

Peace With God!

  • Romans 5:1 - Peace

    • …we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

    • Peace = eirēnē (Greek: εἰρήνη) - a state of tranquility, harmony, and safety. In a Christian context: the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation.

  • Colossians 1:19 - 20

    • Peace through His sacrifice on the cross.

  • Peace with each other is impossible if we don’t first have peace with God.

By God’s Grace

  • Romans 5:2

  • Ephesians 3:12

Rejoice 

  • Romans 5:2b-4

    • Rejoice in the hope

    • Rejoice in our afflictions

Even when it’s hard

  • Romans 5:2b-4

    • Affliction produces endurance

    • Endurance produces proven character

    • Proven character produces hope

Undivided in our commitment to Him

  • You can’t serve two masters

  • To the Rich Young Ruler: “you lack one thing” …it was the only thing.

    • Take up your cross and follow Jesus.

  • John 14:15 - if you love me, you will keep my commands

Overflowing

  • Romans 5:5 - God’s love has been poured out…

    • Overflows, gushes!

      • Do we respond in kind?

What are the things in our lives that are keeping us from living undivided for God?

  • “There’s nothing I hold onto”

Trust Our Unchanging God

Trust Our Unchanging God

Dave Riddle - 8/8/2021

Key Verse: Ephesians 3:14-19

We can trust in the Love of God

  • The core of our relationship with God is love

  • Ephesians 3:17

    • Rooted and established in love

      • agapē - unconditional love

We can trust in the Power of the Holy Spirit

  • Paul prays for the Ephesians to be empowered by the Holy Spirit

    • Ephesians 3:14

    • Ephesians 3:17

      • That Christ may dwell in your heart…

        • to house permanently

To Comprehend

  • Ephesians 3:18-19

    • eagerly pursue Christ’s love

To Experience 

  • Ephesians 3:19

    • Know the love of Christ

    • Know = to know something from personal experience. An intimate knowledge, not just from an observation or empirical data.

To Be Filled Up Completely

  • Ephesians 3:19

    • Filled to the measure of the fullness of God.

      • Refers to a fishing term. Trying to cram a net full of fish.