The book of Ephesians does show us “How to Follow Jesus in Trying Times”: 
Hymn 623 – I Will Follow Thee, My Saviour so that our actions will always speak louder than our words.

The Memory Text  brings us 
Hymn 294 – Power In The Blood and 
Hymn 177 – Jesus, Your Blood And Righteousness. Because of the precious blood of Jesus, shed on Calvary for me, 
I Would Draw Nearer To Jesus – Hymn 310 and 
Hymn 306 – Draw Me Nearer, along with 
Hymn 312 – Near The Cross so I may be 
Nearer My God to Thee – Hymn 413 and 
Near To The Heart Of God – Hymn 495. (These latter hymns are reiterated on Monday). This then gives me 
Peace, Perfect Peace – Hymn 463 and 
Hymn 466 – Wonderful Peace as is found in Ephesians 2:17, 18.

The Reconciliation spoken of on Monday is for all people groups because of our L
ord Of All Nations – Hymn 588.

Jesus, Preacher of Peace (Wednesday) reassures us once again in 
Hymn 463 – Peace, Perfect Peace and Hymn 466 – Wonderful Peace.

It is with joy that one sees 
The Church Has One Foundation – Hymn 358 then we will remember the actions of our Church in 
Hymn 581 – When The Church Of Jesus.

At the conclusion of weeks’ study on Friday we are encouraged to have unity, as does verse 2 in 
Hymn 214 – We Have This Hope.

So, dear people, be encouraged to go forward and
“Lift up the trumpet and loud let it ring, Jesus IS coming again” – Hymn 213.

To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org/Search and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

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Key Thought Paul here sees the cross of Christ as destroying walls and barriers that shut out, alienate, and separate Jews and Gentiles.
July 29, 2023

1. Have a volunteer read Ephesians 2:11,12.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What does Paul accent in his fresh description of the past?
3. Personal Application: From what condition has Jesus redeemed you? Why might it be important to remember on a regular basis where you were when He found you and where you might be if He hadn’t? Share your thoughts
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “How do I get away from the forces of evil that are still prevalent in our world? They are everywhere and influence everything: politics, education, work, television, internet, sports, everything.” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Ephesians 2:14-16.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What does Paul say about the cross and how it transforms our relationships?
3. Personal Application: In what ways might you need to be reconciled to someone else? How do you go about doing it? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “How important is it for the church to deal with its own internal issues and conflicts between races? Are there some issues and conflicts that reflect human selfishness, pride, and a tendency to blame others for our own shortcomings and situations in life?” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Ephesians 2:17,18.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What action did Paul say Christ took toward the “law of commandments contained in ordinances”?
3. Personal Application: What tensions among Seventh-day Adventists or other Christian members need to be confronted and overcome? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states: “What issues between ethnic groups exist in your community? How might the church play a positive role in unifying the church without compromising Bible truth and principles?” How would you respond to your relative?

4. Have a volunteer read Ephesians 2:19-22.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. How does Paul use the metaphor of the church as a temple?
3. Personal Application: How do you treat the church? Do you look at it is a temple and show proper reverence in the presence of God? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

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Compare Ephesians 2:1-3, Paul’s earlier description of the Gentile past of the addressees, with Ephesians 2:11-12. What does he accent in his fresh description of their past?

Gentiles who were now believers in Christ and members of His “body,” the church, were once totally separated from Israel and the salvation God offered. Paul judges it important for them to “remember” (Ephesians 2:11) this past.

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They were then “without Christ,” the Anointed One, the Messiah of Israel. They were “aliens from the commonwealth [the state or people] of Israel.” And they were “strangers from the covenants of promise,” oblivious to the promises of salvation God had offered down through salvation history. The alienation from Israel and the salvation offered through it meant that they once had “no hope” and were “without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12, NKJV).

Also, in their past existence, Gentiles were caught up in a grand feud between themselves and the Jews. Paul gives a sense of this entrenched hatred by referring to one symptom of it, name-calling. Jews referred to Gentiles with derision as “the uncircumcision” and Gentiles referred to Jews with equal disdain as “the circumcision” (Ephesians 2:11).

Ephesians 2:13, however, points to something radically different now. Paul wrote: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (NKJV).

When Paul describes Gentile believers as once “far off,” he borrows from Isaiah 57:19: “ ‘Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,’ says the LORD, ‘and I will heal him’ ” (ESV; compare Ephesians 2:17-18). In Christ and through His cross, Gentile believers had been brought near to all from which they were separated — God, hope, and their Jewish brothers and sisters. Here is the powerfully good news implied by Paul’s description: that the cross of Christ can heal the wide rift between Jews and Gentiles means that all of our feuds and divisions can be resolved there. This good news invites us to consider the divisions that exist in our own lives and in the church and to ponder the power of the cross to supersede them.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility … that he might … reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross” (Ephesians 2:14-16, ESV).

How does Paul describe the cross and the impact of Christ’s work there in each of these passages in Ephesians? How would you summarize what Paul says about the cross and how it transforms our relationships? (See Ephesians 1:7-8; Ephesians 4:32; Ephesians 2:13-14; Ephesians 2:16; Ephesians 5:2, Ephesians 5:25.)

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In the context of our passage for this week, Ephesians 2:11-22, the cross yields three great assets for believers: (1) Gentiles, who were “far” from God and His people, are “brought near” (Ephesians 2:13, ESV) to both, being now sons and daughters of God and brothers and sisters of Jewish believers (Ephesians 2:19); (2) the “hostility” (Greek, echthran, “enmity,” related to echthros, “enemy”) between Jewish and Gentile believers is itself “put to death” (Ephesians 2:16, NASB). The cross of Christ removes what seemed to be the permanent state of hostility and war in which Jews and Gentiles were sworn enemies (Ephesians 2:17); (3) in the place of hostility comes reconciliation. It was Christ’s purpose to “reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross” (Ephesians 2:16, NKJV; compare Colossians 1:19-22).

What does reconciliation look like? How does it feel to be reconciled? Imagine severe estrangement between a mother and daughter, one that has settled in over a period of years. Imagine this rancor being dissolved in a wave of grace and forgiveness and the ensuing reunion between the two. That is reconciliation. Reconciliation is experienced in the moment when one church member lays aside whatever issue divides from another and acknowledges the other church member as a beloved brother or sister, who accepts what has been offered. Reconciliation is not a mechanical or legal term but an interpersonal one that celebrates the mending of broken relationships. Paul dares to imagine Christ’s powerful work on the cross as impacting the relationships, between not just individuals, but also people groups. He imagines it invading our lives and destroying our divisions, dissolving our quarrels, and renewing our fellowship with and understanding of each other.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Sabbath Afternoon

Read  for This Week’s Study: Ephesians 2:11-22; Romans 3:31; Romans 7:12; Isaiah 52:7; Isaiah 57:19; John 14:27; 1 Corinthians 3:9-17.

Memory Text: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one” (Ephesians 2:13-14, ESV).

You are a Gentile, a Greek, who has learned to treasure the God of the Jews. In fact, you have left your worship of many gods and have embraced the One true God. As you make your way through the beautiful courtyards and fluted columns of the Jerusalem temple, the sounds of worship call forth your praise. Just then, though, you find yourself confronted by a stone barricade four feet high. Engraved every few feet in Latin and Greek is this message: “No foreigner may enter within the barrier and enclosure around the temple. Anyone who is caught doing so will have himself to blame for his ensuing death.” In that moment you feel shut out, alienated, and separated.

In Ephesians 2:11-22, Paul sees the cross of Christ as making a dramatic difference, destroying such barriers and walls. Vertically, the cross dissolves alienation, reconciling humans with God. Horizontally, it reconciles people with each other. The cross removes enmity and brings peace between Jews and Gentiles, making of them “one new humanity” (Ephesians 2:15, NIV). Together, they become a new temple, “a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22, ESV).

What does this truth mean for us today?

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, July 29.

Sunday–>

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