Stone's Hill Community Church
Letters from Prison - Ephesians
Our series is called "Letters from Prison" - which is a study of Paul's prison epistles or letters. We've covered Philippians and Philemon. Now, we look at Ephesians! Even though Paul is chained up in prison (Ephesians 6:20), he feels incredibly blessed—and he wants his Christian readers, then and now, to realize how incredibly privileged we are as well. This letter to the Ephesians is really nothing more than a description of the riches that we have in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul emphasized these riches a great deal: Ephesians 1:7 talks about the riches of His grace, at the end of the verse. Chapter 3:8 talks about the unsearchable riches of Christ. Chapter 3:16—the riches of His glory. So you have the riches of His grace, the riches of His glory and the riches of His Son. In other words, God is unloading all of His riches in the book of Ephesians. The vault is open! The word grace is used 12 times in this book. There are enough resources in heaven to… cover all past debts, present liabilities and future needs and still not diminish your account. That’s God’s plan. This letter is about that... and it's about us...Welcome to "Ephesians". And welcome to Stones Hill Community Church and Online Notes!
Locations & Times
Stone's Hill Community Church - Ligonier Main Campus
151 W Stones Hill Rd, Ligonier, IN 46767, USA
Saturday 12:02 PM
We welcome you to Stone's Hill today!
A typical Stone's Hill service has music (feel free to sing out); some announcements (things that are upcoming that you can be a part of); a message out of the Bible (God speaks to us through his Word); and an opportunity for you to respond to the message (either immediately in the case of a decision that needs to be made OR in the future as you live out the message in your life.)
So relax and enjoy your morning! We're so glad you are here!
Letters from Prison
There are two questions parents have to answer; two crucial questions that all of us as children need answered from the beginning of our lives. If they're answered positively, then "honoring your parents" is a joy. If they're answered negatively, not only does it leave us vulnerable, but honoring and obeying parents will always be a struggle.
Here are those two questions:
1. Am I worthy of love? (Am I important to someone?)
2. Are others capable of loving me? (Am I safe?)
Based on how these two questions get answered forms our identity and our core beliefs about ourselves. If parents / caregivers do a good job of answering them, then a child feels safe and secure, thus a greater ability to deal with lifelong stress. And we feel safe and secure and we can try new things without fear, because we are convinced that failure doesn’t bring condemnation or abandonment.
But if these questions go unanswered then we end up having these scathing inner dialogues with ourselves as we get older. “I’m worthless. Nothing I say or do is ever right. I’m ugly, fat, and lazy. I’ll never amount to anything.” And what makes these scathing inner monologues and self-abuse even more dangerous is how a person tries to silence those voices with various mechanisms and strategies.
An early rupture in attachment with parents or caregivers can be devastating. If you’ve experienced abandonment on some level, when it comes to your parents, you may feel pain, anger, and confusion rather than closeness, warmth and security. And so, when we talk from Ephesians 6:1-4 about honoring parents, then it will be a struggle.
Would you like to do a great job of answering those two questions for your kids? Would you like to find a measure of healing from the pain you've endured because those two questions were not answered for you? I would invite you to consider what is shared today in the message and to open your life up for Christ to meet you in your wounds and bring about your healing.
(from Kevin Leman’s book, Adolescence Isn’t Terminal)
Note: Having raised three children, I will offer some clarifying viewpoints on some of these, as a few of them need some explanation. - Pastor Joey
1. Please don’t give me everything I say I want. Saying no shows me you care. I appreciate guidelines.
2. Don’t treat me as if I were a little kid. Even though you know what’s “right,” I need to discover some things for myself.
3. Respect my need for privacy. Often, I need to be alone to sort things out and daydream.
4. Never say, “in my day…” that’s an immediate turn off. Besides the pressures, and responsibilities of my world are more complicated than they were when you were my age.
5. I don’t pick your friends or clothes; please don’t criticize mine. We can disagree and still respect each other’s choices.
6. Refrain from always rescuing me; I learn most from my mistakes. Hold me accountable for the decisions I make in life; it’s the only way I’ll learn to be responsible.
7. Be brave enough to share your disappointments, thoughts, and feelings with me. By the way, I’m never too old to be told I am loved.
8. Don’t talk in volumes. I’ve had years of good instruction; now trust me with the wisdom you have shared.
9. I respect you when you ask me for forgiveness for a thoughtless deed or word on your part. It proves that neither of us is perfect.
10.Set a good example for me as God intended you to do. I pay more attention to your actions than your words.