A. MAKING A COMMITMENT TO FOLLOW JESUS

In 1970 a fellow on a ship in the US Navy was feeling guilty about some decisions he had made while on “liberty” from the ship.  He felt so bad that he wanted to take his life and jump off the ship. Another Christian sailor was called to help. The sailor shared from the Bible the good news of God’s love and forgiveness.  The guilty sailor listened to the Bible and saw the good news of Jesus. He discovered that Jesus wanted to forgive his sins, give him eternal life, and live with him forever. This was such great news he put his trust in the truth of the words of Jesus. His life was changed forever.

 Jesus came onto the earth as a baby, grew up and then at age 30 he began his public ministry. He came with a message of good news about the coming Kingdom of God. For three years he explained to the people and his disciples the values of the kingdom, the actions in the kingdom, and the kingdom’s many mysteries. These were unfolded in his parables. As a growing Christian who has made this commitment to follow Jesus into his kingdom, it will be valuable to understand what has happened in your life and how to explain it to someone else. Let’s use a letter written by one of Jesus’ followers the Apostle Paul who wrote a letter to the Christians in Ephesus about what has happened in their lives now that they have made this commitment.

Let’s look at Ephesians 2:1-10:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh^[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

1. What was our condition before we followed Jesus in vs.1-3?

2. What did God do in verses 4-5?

3. How does this make you feel in your relationship with Jesus?

4. What keywords stand out to you?

5. What is it that is hard for you to understand?

6. How would you explain grace?

7. What does it mean to be saved?

8. How does faith fit in this process?

9. Describe your journey of faith.

10. What does it mean “that not of yourselves” in vs. 8?

11. Describe how vs. 10 affects your view of your future life.

1. How would you use these verses to sum up the good news of Jesus?

2. Who could you share this within the next week?

3. How would you use these verses in Eph. 2:8,9 to tell your friends how they can be saved?

1. What is the most important part of this lesson to you? Explain.

2. How do you see applying aspects of this lesson to your life?

3. When do you feel would be the best time to make that application?

4. What do you hear the Lord speaking to you about this right now?