WEEK TWO
Day One
DAILY SCRIPTURE
Ephesians 2:4-6
LEADER GUIDE QUESTIONS
Week Two Download
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Know: Read Ephesians 1:20-23, 2:1-6
Note: Read slowly, carefully marking keywords- continue to mark the words from previous lessons—Mark keywords with a different color or with a symbol to differentiate them.
In Him, In Christ
Rule, authority, powers (of the air), dominion,
Heavenly Places
Trespasses, sin
But God
Love
Fullness
Observation: Study notes below for context. Journal your thoughts or questions.
What: Do you live for victory or from victory? How would you define spiritual warfare? What does God’s grace mean for you?
“Which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:20-23
Have you ever seen a war movie?
In the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, there is a battle between the forces of good and evil in Middle Earth. In one of the major battles, the tension had grown so intense, it looked as if all was lost until the climax. Gandolf and his gathered army arrive from one direction, Aragorn and his army on the other, to defeat the enemy and ultimately destroy the Ring of Power that had almost destroyed an entire world.
During the movie, even though the final outcome is predictable, you cannot help getting nervous for the characters when you see how very terrible the enemy is. The characters take their cues from the enemy until hope is but a glimmer, and suddenly, hope arises, and all is well.
How often do we do the same in real life?
When trouble comes, we tend to take our cues from the enemy. We get in defense mode. We look at how terrible the enemy is and fear kicks into gear. Suddenly, we feel defeated and either begin to believe God is small or is somehow allowing the trouble to come in order to teach us something.
While there certainly is something to learn, it should never be that God left us defenseless and on our own.
Our theology about God will determine how we face spiritual warfare.
When Jesus walked the earth, He never took his cue from what the enemy was doing. He did what He saw His father doing. Jesus disarmed and defeated the enemy at the cross. He now sits at the Father's right hand, which means He’s not worried. His work was finished. When God finishes something, be assured it’s done perfectly.
Our theology about who we are in relation to this truth will determine how we face trouble. Do we believe that God allows us to go through trouble and suffering to sanctify us and to refine us? Or do we believe that God is a good God? “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17).
If we know that God is good, loves us, and desires us to live as “more than conquerors” on earth, then we must understand that when trouble comes, it is not from Him. It is from Satan. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)
The devil was defeated when Jesus died and rose to life. Jesus took His cues from His Father in Heaven even before the defeat. He healed, delivered and set captives free. He never railed at the enemy. He never conversed with the enemy or gave them much attention except casting them out. He looked beyond the oppression and saw the person. He restored their value by seeing and speaking what His Father did. Jesus never looked for what was “wrong” in a person by calling out demons and shaking His head in helplessness. He looked for what was right and then made it right.
Jesus showed us how to live amid “battles” - rested. “As Jesus is so are we in this world.” 1 John 4:7
Rest is confidence in God.
Therefore, spiritual warfare on this side of the cross looks like rest. You are seated with the Victor far above ALL powers and principalities.
Have confidence in God. You live FROM victory, not for it.
The enemy is operating illegally. Enforce the victory. We are his extension on the earth. Love people through the lens of Jesus.
“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions.” Ephesians 2:1-5
To be dead in sin is to live without God-life (Zoe). It is akin to living on death row- “dead man walking.” The “sons of disobedience” will not be persuaded of God’s love for them. Before we were made alive (Zoe) in Christ, we were blind to our need for God. We lived for our pleasures, ruled by emotions, learned family habits, and driven by our need for success; we lived with a desire to have our needs met by the love of a person or things that often lead to addiction. Paul called this “living in the lusts of the flesh.” For as long as we reject the love of God, we condemn ourselves and live on a perpetual rollercoaster of needs that are never satisfied.
But God… even when we were dead in sin, Christ died for us.
Mercy -is not giving us what we deserve.
God accepted us. He did not punish us for our sin. God does not make us behave a certain way to love us. He does not require sacrifices or rituals. He loved us, even in our messiest.
Grace- is giving us what we don’t deserve.
With all of His God-love, He embraced us and brought us into His heart. His love washes away our self-inflicted pain, failures, and fears. It forgives and heals. He takes our wounds and suffering and carries them for us.
Grace is like Jesus taking an exam we were required to take, passing the test, and giving us an A. It is like a race we were required to run, but Jesus said, “Sit. Relax. I will run it for you.” He runs the race and gives you the medal and the winner's title.
Knowing the love of God will keep you from sin, empower you over sin, and remove the taste of your old man- flesh’s desires. Knowing His love will give you a new desire: wholly satisfied with Him.
“Made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:5-6
Self-righteousness tells us that we must work hard to become complete. To be “complete” means to fill to the full to cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally, to abound, to be liberally supplied.
“For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him, you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.” (Colossians 2:9-10)
The word in Greek is in the passive perfect participle, which means that we did nothing to be made complete; it was done once, never to be done again; it is ongoing. Imagine a filthy rock covered in dirt and slime. If someone were to take it and place it under running water, clean it thoroughly, and then put it back where they found it, it would get contaminated again. The cleansing would be incomplete. But what if that rock, which got washed once, were to get placed back in its native soil, stay clean continually, and make the soil around it clean? That would be a miracle. That is what Paul is saying happened to us.
When we were made complete, we experienced death to the law and to our “old man.” Our “old man” was joined to our flesh. When we were raised with Christ, our “new man” was joined to Him.
At the cross, Jesus cut away (circumcised) the “old man” from the flesh. The old man and its sinful nature went into the grave and died. The new man and his new nature were born.
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
The new man is joined to Jesus, one spirit with Him, which means we are no longer like the old man. We have been translated from this world to the heavenly kingdom. We went from dark to light. We stepped through the door of Jesus. Spiritually speaking, your spirit is new, holy, and sinless.
However, while we live on earth, we still live in a body with a soul. Our new spirit lives in the flesh of our old man. Until we receive a new body, we struggle against the flesh and its old desires. Because of the Holy Spirit that lives in us, sin no longer has dominion over us. It also no longer has the power to condemn us.
That is why we must learn what we have been given because if we are living by our flesh and its desires, we are living powerless. We will either be ruled by our old desires or try to complete ourselves by our righteousness. (self-righteousness).
Living by the spirit is to live from the new man realities. Through the cross, Jesus removed our sins as far as the East is from the West and made us alive together with Him, raised us up together, and seated us with Him in heavenly places!