Preaching the Gospel to Christians (Week 5)

A New Sermon Series on the Reality of Grace in a Save-Yourself World

Tim Chester, You Can Change

[We] grow towards maturity by “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).
We build one another up through the words we say. . . . We need to be communities in which we encourage, challenge, console, rebuke, counsel, exhort and comfort one another with the truth. We need to be communities in which everyone is speaking truth to everyone. In verses 17-24 Paul reminds us why “speaking the truth in love” is central to change. He reminds us firstly in verses 17-19 that the underlying causes of sinful behavior and negative emotions are futile thinking, darkened understanding, ignorant minds, hardened hearts, indulged desires and continual lust. In other words, we think or believe lies instead of trusting God’s word (chapter 5) and we desire or worship idols instead of worshiping God (chapter 6) (170).

Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, Total Church

We need to take responsibility for eachother’s godliness – not only at the level of behavior but of attitudes and underlying idolotries. Paul encourages the Christians in Ephesus to “speak the truth in love” to one another (Ephesians 4:15.). This means recognizing that apparently insignificant moments are actually full of significance (170).

Here are the Life Group study guides to accompany last Sunday’s sermon from The Gospel Lived:

Preaching the Gospel to Christians
Preaching the Gospel to Christians (Leader’s Guide)

Also, don’t forget: you can still pick-up a copy of Milton Vincent’s excellent book, A Gospel Primer for Christians: Learning to See the Glories of God's Love, at the church office or on Sunday morning for just $5.