The following is the outline that our church body used on June 9, 2019 in our Sunday morning service. I pray it is a help to you as you study God’s Word!
Bill Whittington, the slave of Christ Jesus
I. The Apostle’s Circumstance – a Prisoner in the Lord
A. A Prisoner belonging to Jesus Christ
B. A Prisoner on behalf of Jesus Christ
II. The Apostle’s Appeal – I urge (parakaleo) you to walk worthy of the calling to which you have been called (passive)
A. Urge – exhort; call to one’s side; beg; “beseech” (KJV)
B. Walk – “live a life” (NIV)
C. Worthy of the Calling To Which We Have Been Called
III. The Apostle’s Basis for His Appeal – The Calling God Has Called Us To
– Notice – the passive voice – We have been called by God to this calling; we are not saints by our merit, choice, or desires. God has called us to be saints.
– Ephesians 1-3 explains this calling
– Ephesians 4-6 explains the walk that matches this calling
Ephesians 4:1 is the verse that the letter to the Ephesians swings upon. It is the verse that connects doctrine and application. Paul has given doctrinal truth in chapters 1-3 and chapters 4-6 are the way this doctrine is to be applied.
Notice: Unless otherwise noted: “Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.” https://www.crossway.org/permissions/
Scripture quotes marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotes marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible. Public Domain.
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