In Part 4 of Family Matters, Pastor Hazen Stevens steps back to trace the movement of the first three chapters of Ephesians and discover where Paul has been leading us all along. We are chosen, adopted, made alive, brought near, built together, and ultimately filled with God. The mystery has been revealed: through Christ, God is creating one family and making that family His dwelling place.
At the summit of Paul’s argument is love—the love of Christ that is wider, longer, higher, and deeper than we can comprehend. Before Ephesians tells us how to walk, forgive, love, and live, it invites us to receive what God has already done. The walk flows out of the fullness, never in place of it. We are created to be filled with God and then carry His love into our homes, relationships, church, and world.
Key Scriptures:
Ephesians 1–3, Ephesians 1:17, Ephesians 3:14–21
Main Points:
1. Ephesians 1–3 builds toward a crescendo: God desires to fill His family with His presence
2. Everything begins “in Him”—our choosing, redemption, access, unity, and new life are found in Christ
3. The mystery has been revealed: we are fellow heirs, one body, and one family in Christ
4. Paul’s prayers move us from revelation to habitation—from seeing clearly to being filled with God
5. The crescendo of Ephesians is the surpassing love of Christ
6. Our obedience flows from what God has already done for us, not from an attempt to earn His grace
7. We are filled with God so that His love and presence can overflow through us to others
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