Final Brainstorm for Ephesians: Walk the Walk
Wow, we are in the last week of creating our first series together.
This week, you may not see a lot of activity here in the member’s area, but I can promise you that we are working tirelessly behind the scenes to put all the finishing touches on this series for you.
The final hurdle before we launch is finalizing the sermon outlines and research notes. So I thought it would be awesome to open up the comment section this week for any ideas that might be helpful for this series.
So please comment below if you can think of a good quote, illustration, video clip, or any other element that might be a good fit for this series.
We will take all ideas into serious consideration to include in the series. And remember, although your ideas may seem obvious to you, they might not be obvious to everyone and could be incredibly helpful to the rest of the team.
What illustrations, quotes, or other creative ideas pop into your head when you think about the topics we’ll be covering through Ephesians?
Thank you for all your help so far.
Next week we will deliver the first series package, and start the process again on our second series. I can’t wait!
When I preached from Ephesians 1 I used this quote in terms of worship is essential for us. It is from Klyne Snodgrass. From his commentary on Ephesians, I believe.
“I have a sense that the church of our time has forgotten how to worship. The old forms of worship do not fit, and the new forms do not convince. How will we recover the depth and spontaneity of Paul’s doxology? I offer no fix-it plan for worship, but I am convinced that the key to worship is not in procedures, but in experiencing God, not in a plan for worship, but in time for worship and eyes sensitive enough to discern God and his work.”
I also used this quote in Ephesians 2 from CS Lewis in his sermon “Weight of Glory.”
“Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink, sex, and ambition, when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
Great quotes! Thanks for sharing. Lewis and Snodgrass are great. So far, I’ve found Snodgrass’ commentary to be the most enlightening.
Walking the walk….implies walking to the cross. Mt. 16:21. Walking through darkness, sin, death into the light of resurrection, hope, life…(Sorry if this is a double post.)
“Walk the walk” reminds me of the walk of Jesus to Jerusalem to the cross. Mt. 16:21. Walking through the darkness of sin, death, into the light of the resurrection!
Good point. And if we are called to walk like Jesus, then we too will have to pick up our crosses as he did, humbling ourselves, and putting others’ interests ahead of our own.
I really love the verse in Ephesians 1:13-14. the good news of my salvation because it helped to secure the fact that Jesus saved me and I have His promise of my salvation sealed by the Holy Spirit
Amen. How comforting is that, to know that our salvation is secure? It makes me want to praise God even more for the grace given to us.
Before walking in Christ (Ephesians 4-6), it’s vital to understand our worth in Christ (Chapters 1-3). Example, we are “chosen in Christ.” Perhaps we’ve all had that dreaded experience of being the last kid “chosen” to be on the kickball team at school. How incredible that our Lord “chose us” in Him based on His plan, not our performance.
Great illustration. Love it!
Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama’s #1 QB, has a strong walk and witness for Christ. Tua suffered season ending hip injury recently, yet still centers on glorifying God. https://bit.ly/2qyrBzy
Here is the correct link for Tua https://bit.ly/2KUypyu
That’s good. This example of faith in the midst of adversity might fit well in Ephesians 6 when talking about needing the “shield of faith” to protect against the enemy’s attack. Thanks!
I’m loving all these ideas. This is great.
Just a thought:
The idea of walking the walk make me think of Jesus’ admonition at the end of the Sermon on the Mount about the importance of putting into practice what he taught. Wise man built on the rock…foolish built on the sand. Our society (and many church people) are building their hopes on shaky ground that won’t support them when the tough times come.
Excellent point! I think that’s what Paul is getting at in Ephesians. If you believe in Jesus, you should walk like him more and more, not like everyone else. Thanks!
Whenever I think of Walking the Walk I also think of Walking the Talk. A point I would easily drop in would be that Walking the Walk shows integrity. Integrity comes from the word Integer or “1”. Integrity is being one with values and behavior, walking the walk, and walking the talk… Being one in thought, word and deed.
Really good observation. An illustration that “could” work with this thought is how they “yoked” cattle to get them into rhythm and working as a team. Jesus yoke helps us to walk as he did. Possible illustration to learning how to “walk the walk” and especially for those who are new to the faith that it seems difficult and possibly foreign.
These are both great ideas. Thank you!
Do we have a sermon topic for each of the six weeks?
Yes. We decided that in the breakdown a few weeks ago. But I think we could probably have been more details. (Also, we are probably making a few minor tweaks to the titles of the first two messages to be more consistent, but the topics and verses are the same).
Maybe this will help:
Walk the Walk: 6 Weeks
Week 1 – Who are you? (Eph 1:1-2:10)
Focus: Our identity and new life in Christ.
Week 2 – Who are we (the church)? (Eph 2:11-3:21)
Focus: Church unity
Week 3 – Walking in Light (Eph 4:1-5:21)
Focus: Walking like Jesus—in the light, not the dark.
Week 4 – Walking in Love (Eph 5:1-33)
Focus: Marriages and sacrificial love
Week 5 – Walking in Obedience (Eph 6:1-9)
Focus: Obeying God and serving others well (whether powerful or powerless)
Week 6 – Walking in Armor (Eph 6:10-24)
Focus: The Armor of God and defending against the attacks of the enemy