Walking

Because we will be talking about “walking” today, here is a quick video on “walking” 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCLp7zodUiI

Ephesians ch 2

John

Ephesians 2:4–10

The Bible talks about our walk as a progression of the Christian life.  That as we walk, we grow as believers, we know God and live lives as people who know God.  

We are called by God to walk well.  Jesus’ first invitation to His disciples was to follow Him.  Our role as  believers is to follow Christ well 

1 John 2:6 ESV

whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

• How does “walking” represent the Christian life? In what way does walking help us to understand what it means to to live as Christians in the world? 

We can walk firmly in life trusting the certainty of Christ

 Slipping on our own desires

Ephesians 2:1–3 ESV

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

walking by the Course of the world

Walking alone and missing the mark, these two words for trespasses and sins. 

these are the internal cues we use to walk in our world. 

passions of our flesh

the desires of our bodies

• why is it difficult to get our eyes off of our own desires and passions? 

Walking by the prince of the power of the air

It becomes easy to slip and out of fear, exhaustion, or anxiety, loneliness. 

The question is, “do you know where you will end up?” If you are walking do you know where you are walking to?  

We end up always following something.  

Walking Firmly in Christ

Ephesians 2:4–7 ESV

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, 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, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Christ came to us 

The completed work of Christ is to find and restore us in relationship with Him. 

Christ has completed and surpassed that which we have not been able to complete on our own.

• Why is grace necessary in understanding how Christ relates to us? 

Psalm 40:1–3 ESV

I waited patiently for the Lord;

he inclined to me and heard my cry.

He drew me up from the pit of destruction,

out of the miry bog,

and set my feet upon a rock,

making my steps secure.

He put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear,

and put their trust in the Lord. 

• Take some time and pray this Psalm over each other in the group 

Christ Changed our Posture

Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

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

• In Christ we are shown who we are and shown how to walk. 

• Grace for us is so that we don’t have to boast. 

• It is an issue of motivation

• And to double down on the idea Paul ends this passage with a rare work, “workmanship.” That is a one of a kind work, a singular work, a masterpiece.  

• how can your life represent the masterpiece of God in you ?

› Christ came to restore our relationship with God in such as way that it represents the best God has to offer.  

• how can you give God your fear of falling so He can help you to stand firm? 

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