Discussion Questions
Week of: April 7, 2024 // Sermon Text: Ephesians 2:11-22
SERMON OVERVIEW
The main idea of this week’s sermon was: we who trust in Christ have been reconciled to God and to one another through his death. The three main points were:
1. Without Christ, we are separated from God and his people (vv. 11-12)
2. Through his death, Christ has reconciled those who believe to one another and to God (vv. 13-18)
3. We who believe now fully belong to God and his kingdom, family, and temple (vv. 19-22)
DIGGING DEEPER
1. Our culture is becoming increasingly divided between “us” and “them.” What are some ways this sort of thinking can (and has) crept into the church?
2. As you interact with others, especially other Christians at CrossWay, what kinds of things could you be tempted to make more important than the unity you have in Christ? (e.g., political affiliation, ethnicity, opinion on a social issue, an approach to parenting or schooling, etc).
3. How can this passage help us guard against this sort of “us” and “them” mentality?
4. Sadly we can be prone to forget things, even really important things. Eph. 2:11-12 encourages us to “remember.” What does God (through Paul) want us to remember? Why is it good to remember these things? What effect might regular obedience to this instruction (to "remember") have on our hearts?
5. In verse 12, Paul highlights five different aspects of what was true of us before we were “brought near by the blood of Christ.” What are they? How do these realities strike you?
6. Christ is our peace (v. 14). How is this true in both an objective and subjective sense? How is objective peace (between us and God), a prerequisite to a deep, abiding subjective peace?
7. Eph. 2:14-15 tells us that Christ "has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace.” How did Pastor Brett help us understand what Paul is speaking of here? Why is it important to grasp this idea? What is the practical takeaway (s) of this truth for us?
8. The Jews used to be able to meet God in the Jerusalem Temple. The Gentiles were excluded. Where does God now dwell (vv. 21-22)? What is this new temple constructed on (v. 20)?
9. According to Eph. 2:19-22, what is now true of us who are in Christ by faith? What might it look like for us to treasure these realities as we ought? What are some ways that we can remind ourselves and one another of these things? What might be the effect of doing so more regularly?
10. Is there anyone who Christ died to reconcile you to, who you are not living in unity with? How will the gospel challenge and enable you to seek peace and friendship with them?
11. In what ways is a church service a foretaste of the life we will enjoy when Jesus returns? If you went to church thinking of it that way, how might it change your attitude or actions there?