Serve

Serve

Ephesians 2:1-10

Ephesians 2:1-10 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

If you are serving the church or others, why?

If you aren’t serving the church or others, why not?

What is the foundation for serving? (1-9)

• First, you were dead. (1-3)

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

• Then, you were made alive. (4-9)

⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Who or what do you serve? (10)

            ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship

Go and do! (10)

            created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Mark 10:43-45 ⁴³ But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”^[1]

We have been set free to serve as Jesus served

^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mk 10:43–45.

DISCUSSION for the FAMILY

Key Points:

• We learn that we are created by God for a purpose, which is to do good works.
• The bottom line is, God created you to praise Him and serve others.

Memory Verse:

Ephesians 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Discussion:

1. Who wrote the book of Ephesians?
2. Who created you? (Eph. 2:10)
3. What is one of the reasons God created you? (Eph. 2:10)
4. What are some ways you can serve others?
5. Why should you serve others? (Psalm 145:3)
6. Think of some practical ways you can serve others this week.

Don’t forget to check out the CB kids LifeGroup resource page.

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