Dennis R. Wiles
First Baptist Arlington
August 11, 2024
AUGUST 2024
Together!
August 4 - 31, 2024
Preaching Voice: Teacher
Together . . . in Praise and Prayer!
Ephesians 1:3-23
Theme for 2024: Together
Theme for August 2024: Together!
What is God doing? The answer to this question is contextualized by determining what God has already done.
Ephesians 1:3-14 reveals what God has done: Blessed, Chosen, Destined, Freely Given, Lavished, and Made Known.
PRAISE – The Jewish tradition of praising God is practiced by recounting how God has worked in the past with an expectation of how He may work in the future.
PASSOVER – This passage is laden with imagery from the Passover and the Exodus.
PLAN – God’s great plan of redemption and rescue is to result in the praise of His Glory throughout creation.
PEOPLE OF GOD: The Church is to be used by God to accomplish God’s plan on earth.
“The point of it all is the display of God’s eternal and now revealed plan of rescue to show creation that He is the glorious Creator. . . The Church is to be the advance sign to the world the new heaven and earth reality that God plans to make. . .
The purpose of God leads to the purpose of the Church. . . The point of the Church is to be so visibly the people indwelt by the Spirit of this God of love and grace and generosity and healing and hope that people will see it and give praise to God the Creator and Redeemer.”
-N. T. Wright
PRAYER – We need God’s provision, perspective, power, and presence in order to fulfill our calling on earth as His people.