Happy New year friends. – We are going to get through the New Testament this year …..But remember…

The goal is’nt getting THROUGH the Bible …. the goal is getting the Bible THROUGH us.

Here is the outline and a view brief notes from the message “Enjoy The View>’

Introduction – “ENJOY THE VIEW.” – THE WORDS OF THE ELEVATOR ATTENDANT IN THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING back in 1978.

A birds eye view of New York city.

Total Height: 1,454 feet
To 86th Floor Observatory: 1,050 feet
Steps: 1,860 from street level to 102nd floor.

Glacier Point in Yosemite gives you yet another amazing view – YOU CAN SEE WHERE YOU HAVE BEEN / WHERE YOU ARE CAMPED AND WHERE YOU ARE GOING!

The book of Ephesians is like the Empire State Building and Glacier Point!
To have a grasp of the book of Ephesians gives you a BIRDS EYE VIEW of not only the rest of Paul’s letters in the New Testament but you begin to get a CLEAR VIEW of who God is through Jesus Christ as well as a VISION of who you are in Christ.

Ephesians is has a two part theme:
1. Who we are in Christ Chapters 1-3  –  Our position in Christ
2. How we should live Chapters 4-6  – Our practice in this world – (practice….religion is a discipline)

1. How to sit.

2. How to walk.

3. How to stand.

1. Our Status – SIT

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ Ephesians 1:3

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus Ephesians 2:6

Knowing God better comes from sitting down and getting to know him.
Spiritual activities can never replace spiritual intimacy. A lot of us go to church with the wrong focus. We want to know what the pastor’s subject is. What we should be thinking is: “Lord, whatever the preacher says today, I want You to speak to me personally so I’ll know what Your will is for my situation.” When God’s Word starts coming alive for you in ways that change you and take you in a direction you would never have discovered for yourself, you’re on the same wavelength as the Holy Spirit, whose job is to clarify and reveal God’s purpose for your life. Living on this wavelength puts you in a world apart from others, even many professing Christians.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians, Chapter 2, verse 14, that the “natural man” can’t grasp anything from God because his spirit is dead. He says the things of God are “foolishness” to such a person. So a mature believer is worlds removed from the understanding of the spiritually dull or dead person. The truth is, even church-goers don’t understand the mature believer. Paul said such a person “is appraised [properly understood and evaluated] by no one” (1Co 2:15 NASB). Folks can’t figure mature believers out because they have “the mind of Christ” (1Co 2:16 NIV). This kind of intimacy with God is rare today, even though the mind of Christ is God’s will for, and is available to each of us. Spiritually mature believers have a passion to pursue and know God, and they aren’t satisfied until they are in an intimate relationship with Him. So make your goal – knowing God better.

What if you rejected everything about God that wasn’t God and just accepted him for who he is?
God is really more than what religious people say he IS or ISN’T.God is for you not against you. – Romans 8:31God doesn’t just love you …. He actually likes you!
He likes you enough to want to spend eternity with you!

 

2. Our Service – WALK
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live and walk a life worthy of the calling you have received Ephesians 4:1
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light Ephesians 5:8

“OUR GOAL IS TO MEASURE UP TO GOD’S PLAN FOR US.” 2 CORINTHIANS 10:13 TLB

Three all-important questions when it comes to our walk!

How will I know when Christ is the center of my life? Because you’ll walk in confidence before Him. Worry is a warning light that Christ has been shoved to the sideline. The moment you put Him back in His rightful place and say, “I’m trusting You, not myself,” you’ll have peace again. Listen: “A sense of God’s wholeness…will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Php 4:7 TM).

What kind of person am I becoming? Peter says, “Don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love” (2Pe 1:5 TM). Tall order, eh? Don’t get discouraged. It takes a lifetime to put these building blocks in place.

What will my contribution be? While we’re called to serve others, even Jesus didn’t try to meet everybody’s needs. Choose where you can be effective based on your gifts; ask, “Who do I have a desire to help most?” Jesus said, “I appointed you to go out and bear fruit” (Jn 15:16 NRSV). But each of us bears different fruit.
One day God will review your answers to these questions. Did you make Jesus the center of your life? Did you seek to become more like Him each day? Did you devote yourself to serving others? Ultimately, these are the questions that will matter.