June 2026
Alive in Christ, 21 June 2026
22 06 26 Filed in: Sermons | Ephesians: Our True Identity
Alive in Christ
Ephesians: Finding Our True Identity
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
June 21, 2026
Ephesians 2:1-10
Series Big Idea: For followers of Jesus, we find our true identity in Christ.
Big Idea: People can change, but first they must die…to be made alive in Jesus.
One of the radical foundations of our faith is the belief that dead things can come alive. We are reminded of this each Easter Sunday when I say…He is risen! He is risen indeed! Don’t ever forget that!
Our text from today addresses our journey from death to life. It’s not describing a physical resurrection, but a resurrection, nonetheless.
As we continue or identity series on the book of Ephesians, Paul the Jew is writing to Gentile believers, reminding them of their past…which is just like ours. Like the last two weeks, this text—at least the first seven verses—was originally one, long sentence in Greek! He begins chapter two…
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. (Ephesians 2:1-2)
That’s a picture of every human before they encounter Jesus. Dead! This is obviously not a physical state, but spiritually dead…until God gives them life. It is not true that God helps those who help themselves. He helps the helpless! He helps the dead! Amazingly, He helps His enemies—sinners, the disobedient, rebels.
The Greek word for sin, hamarita, means to miss the mark. We often compare ourselves to others, which is dangerous. “Well, I’m not a murderer” someone might say, but God doesn’t grade on a curve. If you miss the target by a little or a lot, it’s still a miss.
I love how Paul speaks in the past tense: you used to live. This is our story, too. We followed the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the space between heaven and earth where it was believed the evil spirits lived.
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. (Ephesians 2:3)
Us may refer to Paul and Judean people. That was us. Today, that describes most people on the planet. In a sense, our world is a spiritual graveyard. People are not sick, but dead. Not ready for a remodel but a resurrection!
There are three reasons people are dead: the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world says, “Keep up with the Jones’ and conform.” The flesh doesn’t mean our bodies are evil, but rather our natural, fallen nature wants our mind and body to disobey God. The devil refers not to satan proper, but demonic forces who lie. They are real. If you believe in angels, you better believe in demons!
News flash: Sinners sin! It’s their nature. They can never earn their salvation. They are hopeless on their own goodness.
As a result of our sin, we are deserving of God’s wrath. The only thing I deserve is eternal separation from God. Without Christ, we have no purpose. We are filled with sin, selfishness, pride, and deception.
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. (Ephesians 2:4-5)
This is a wonderful “but!” It has been called this the most vital moment in world history. “But God!” The Roman world at the time of this writing was filled with gods—Zeus, Mercury, Poseidon, Artemis—but they had no imagination for being loved by them.
But because of his great love for us. John says God is love (1 John 4:8). His love is expressed to sinners as mercy and grace. Mercy is not getting the punishment deserved. Grace is unmerited favor, God’s undeserved generosity toward us. It’s not transactional. It’s an invitation.
We were dead, but God made us alive with Christ! We used to be enemies of God (Colossians 1:21), but now we are His adopted children, His friends.
Imagine it’s Judgment Day and you’re standing before God. He asks, “Why should I let you into heaven and the new earth?” How would you respond?
If you begin in the first-person by saying, “I,” you’ve got it all wrong. Religion is spelled D-O, what we do, but our faith is spelled D-O-N-E. It’s about what Jesus has done for us. In a word, it’s grace. You can’t earn it. You don’t deserve it. You simply say, “Yes” and receive it.
One of the best stories in the Bible illustrates this wonderfully. It’s about two criminals crucified beside Jesus. We don’t know what they did, but it took more than a speeding ticket to receive the death penalty!
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” (Luke 23:39)
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” (Luke 23:40-41)
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
The man said “yes” to Jesus. He didn’t go to seminary, take a mission trip, give money, or even attend Sunday School! That’s grace…unmerited favor. We are saved by grace. It’s amazing!
While the thief on the cross is an individual example, Paul is writing to a community of people. We’ve been made alive with Christ.
Now back to Paul’s letter:
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. Ephesians 2:6-7)
We were dead. We were made alive. There’s more to come. Much more. Incomparable riches of his grace! We are given new life now, known as regeneration. We will be given new bodies later, known as resurrection. But today, Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, and if we are in Christ, we are there with him. Amazing!
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. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
There it is again…grace! A Gift. Not by works. You’re not good enough. Saved from what? God’s wrath for our sins. Notice it is in the past tense. It is done. As I said earlier, Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good. He came to make dead people come to life. We all need help. We all need Jesus. It begins on our knees. Surrender. “Jesus, I give you my life.” All of it. Our salvation is not the result of our works…but works are the result of our salvation and relationship with God that is the result of faith, belief, trust, loyalty (Greek word pistis).
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)
Works are the result of God’s grace penetrating our hearts. We don’t strive to be good. We simply know Jesus and the good works come naturally. Good fruit comes when our branches are connected to his vine. Gratitude follows an encounter with God. Obeying God is the natural result of experiencing His love. We are not saved by good works but for good works. What are those good works? They’re representing the love, grace, kindness, mercy, creativity, beauty, peace, and justice of Jesus to the world.
This was illustrated recently when Oxford professor and Christian apologist John Lennox was interviewed on the “Diary of a CEO” podcast. After a conversation on historical proofs for the Christian faith, agnostic host Steven Bartlett said,
“One of the most compelling arguments for God that you’ve presented…is not actually necessarily anything you’ve written in your books, or not necessarily anything you’ve said…it is actually you. And you have a certain peace and contentment that I rarely see in people that I interview but I often see, and I’ve almost always seen, in the Christians that I’ve interviewed, and this is a interesting phenomenon for me.”
This is an interesting phenomenon for me.” That is an example of shining the light of Jesus in our dark world.
But I don’t want you to miss one important word. Here it is handiwork. I prefer the New Living Translation of this verse:
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)
You are a masterpiece! God knew you before the creation of the universe (Ephesians 1:4)! He knew you in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).
That word “masterpiece” in the original Greek is “poiema,” like poem. You are a one-of-a-kind work of art, created to do good works, created to worship, created to love.
So What?
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)
Jesus is alive, and if we are in Christ, we are alive, too! We have been born again to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves for His glory! Amen!
Ephesians: Finding Our True Identity
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
June 21, 2026
Ephesians 2:1-10
Series Big Idea: For followers of Jesus, we find our true identity in Christ.
Big Idea: People can change, but first they must die…to be made alive in Jesus.
One of the radical foundations of our faith is the belief that dead things can come alive. We are reminded of this each Easter Sunday when I say…He is risen! He is risen indeed! Don’t ever forget that!
Our text from today addresses our journey from death to life. It’s not describing a physical resurrection, but a resurrection, nonetheless.
As we continue or identity series on the book of Ephesians, Paul the Jew is writing to Gentile believers, reminding them of their past…which is just like ours. Like the last two weeks, this text—at least the first seven verses—was originally one, long sentence in Greek! He begins chapter two…
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. (Ephesians 2:1-2)
That’s a picture of every human before they encounter Jesus. Dead! This is obviously not a physical state, but spiritually dead…until God gives them life. It is not true that God helps those who help themselves. He helps the helpless! He helps the dead! Amazingly, He helps His enemies—sinners, the disobedient, rebels.
The Greek word for sin, hamarita, means to miss the mark. We often compare ourselves to others, which is dangerous. “Well, I’m not a murderer” someone might say, but God doesn’t grade on a curve. If you miss the target by a little or a lot, it’s still a miss.
I love how Paul speaks in the past tense: you used to live. This is our story, too. We followed the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the space between heaven and earth where it was believed the evil spirits lived.
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. (Ephesians 2:3)
Us may refer to Paul and Judean people. That was us. Today, that describes most people on the planet. In a sense, our world is a spiritual graveyard. People are not sick, but dead. Not ready for a remodel but a resurrection!
There are three reasons people are dead: the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world says, “Keep up with the Jones’ and conform.” The flesh doesn’t mean our bodies are evil, but rather our natural, fallen nature wants our mind and body to disobey God. The devil refers not to satan proper, but demonic forces who lie. They are real. If you believe in angels, you better believe in demons!
News flash: Sinners sin! It’s their nature. They can never earn their salvation. They are hopeless on their own goodness.
As a result of our sin, we are deserving of God’s wrath. The only thing I deserve is eternal separation from God. Without Christ, we have no purpose. We are filled with sin, selfishness, pride, and deception.
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. (Ephesians 2:4-5)
This is a wonderful “but!” It has been called this the most vital moment in world history. “But God!” The Roman world at the time of this writing was filled with gods—Zeus, Mercury, Poseidon, Artemis—but they had no imagination for being loved by them.
But because of his great love for us. John says God is love (1 John 4:8). His love is expressed to sinners as mercy and grace. Mercy is not getting the punishment deserved. Grace is unmerited favor, God’s undeserved generosity toward us. It’s not transactional. It’s an invitation.
We were dead, but God made us alive with Christ! We used to be enemies of God (Colossians 1:21), but now we are His adopted children, His friends.
Imagine it’s Judgment Day and you’re standing before God. He asks, “Why should I let you into heaven and the new earth?” How would you respond?
If you begin in the first-person by saying, “I,” you’ve got it all wrong. Religion is spelled D-O, what we do, but our faith is spelled D-O-N-E. It’s about what Jesus has done for us. In a word, it’s grace. You can’t earn it. You don’t deserve it. You simply say, “Yes” and receive it.
One of the best stories in the Bible illustrates this wonderfully. It’s about two criminals crucified beside Jesus. We don’t know what they did, but it took more than a speeding ticket to receive the death penalty!
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” (Luke 23:39)
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” (Luke 23:40-41)
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
The man said “yes” to Jesus. He didn’t go to seminary, take a mission trip, give money, or even attend Sunday School! That’s grace…unmerited favor. We are saved by grace. It’s amazing!
While the thief on the cross is an individual example, Paul is writing to a community of people. We’ve been made alive with Christ.
Now back to Paul’s letter:
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. Ephesians 2:6-7)
We were dead. We were made alive. There’s more to come. Much more. Incomparable riches of his grace! We are given new life now, known as regeneration. We will be given new bodies later, known as resurrection. But today, Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, and if we are in Christ, we are there with him. Amazing!
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. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
There it is again…grace! A Gift. Not by works. You’re not good enough. Saved from what? God’s wrath for our sins. Notice it is in the past tense. It is done. As I said earlier, Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good. He came to make dead people come to life. We all need help. We all need Jesus. It begins on our knees. Surrender. “Jesus, I give you my life.” All of it. Our salvation is not the result of our works…but works are the result of our salvation and relationship with God that is the result of faith, belief, trust, loyalty (Greek word pistis).
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)
Works are the result of God’s grace penetrating our hearts. We don’t strive to be good. We simply know Jesus and the good works come naturally. Good fruit comes when our branches are connected to his vine. Gratitude follows an encounter with God. Obeying God is the natural result of experiencing His love. We are not saved by good works but for good works. What are those good works? They’re representing the love, grace, kindness, mercy, creativity, beauty, peace, and justice of Jesus to the world.
This was illustrated recently when Oxford professor and Christian apologist John Lennox was interviewed on the “Diary of a CEO” podcast. After a conversation on historical proofs for the Christian faith, agnostic host Steven Bartlett said,
“One of the most compelling arguments for God that you’ve presented…is not actually necessarily anything you’ve written in your books, or not necessarily anything you’ve said…it is actually you. And you have a certain peace and contentment that I rarely see in people that I interview but I often see, and I’ve almost always seen, in the Christians that I’ve interviewed, and this is a interesting phenomenon for me.”
This is an interesting phenomenon for me.” That is an example of shining the light of Jesus in our dark world.
But I don’t want you to miss one important word. Here it is handiwork. I prefer the New Living Translation of this verse:
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)
You are a masterpiece! God knew you before the creation of the universe (Ephesians 1:4)! He knew you in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).
That word “masterpiece” in the original Greek is “poiema,” like poem. You are a one-of-a-kind work of art, created to do good works, created to worship, created to love.
So What?
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)
Jesus is alive, and if we are in Christ, we are alive, too! We have been born again to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves for His glory! Amen!
Thanksgiving and Prayer, 14 June 2026
14 06 26 Filed in: Sermons | Ephesians: Our True Identity
Thanksgiving and Prayer
Ephesians: Finding Our True Identity
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
June 14, 2026
Ephesians 1:15-23
Series Big Idea: For followers of Jesus, we find our true identity in Christ.
Big Idea: God is awesome and worthy of our thanksgiving and praise.
Summary: Paul loves his audience and thanks God for them. Their faith and love are encouraging and inspiring. He wants them to know their calling, their inheritance, and their powerful LORD.
If we can have Christmas in July, I want to propose today we have Thanksgiving in June! Gratitude is powerful. In fact, at a time when so many are feeling anxious, did you know gratitude and anxiety cannot coexist at the same time in the brain? If you want to change your mood, your mind, your focus, pause and develop an attitude of gratitude. You can begin with this truth: God is awesome and worthy of our thanksgiving, prayer, and praise.
Today we’re in week three of a long series on the book of Ephesians, a letter written by an early Church leader named Paul sometime around A.D. 55. Many believe it was written to a church in modern day Turkey, but it’s possible the intended audience was different or broader. Regardless, let’s imagine it was written to us! We could rename the book “Findlay!”
Last week set the context, encouraging words about God’s blessings and our identity in Christ as followers of Jesus. Last Sunday’s scripture was one long verse in the original Greek. We ended with this text:
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:11-14)
This week’s text was also one, long verse! Context is necessary to understand the first three words of today’s passage:
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. (Ephesians 1:15-16)
The faith and love of these believers are inspiring to Paul. They have faith toward God and love toward people. I want to say you can’t have one without the other, though many claim to do so. They love to sing on Sunday…but can’t stand their co-workers on Monday! Jesus said the two greatest commandments are to love God and love others as yourself, and Paul praises these people for doing both. They love God and all His people. Do you?
Paul thanks God for his audience and prays for them. He doesn’t stop giving thanks!
Thanksgiving and prayer are two of the greatest gifts we can offer God…and others.
College First family, I thank God for you. I love you. I love hearing stories about what God is doing in and through you. I love your generosity, gratitude, volunteering, and caring. I love meeting people new around here who have said they have been warmly welcomed. I love seeing small groups serve together, Next Gen leaders love and equip our future leaders, and our spiritual sponsors praying for kids at camp, mission trips, and Bible quizzing finals.
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
(Ephesians 1:17)
I can relate to this, too. I have five prayers for College First: direction, protection, passion, unity, and good fruit. I pray for wisdom for myself and our leaders, and I long for all of us to know Christ better, not just know about, but actually know Jesus. I want the world to know the LORD, but especially you. The word “better” implies growth, maturity…sanctification is the fancy word for becoming like Jesus, which occurs as we spend time with him and are filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul prays to the glorious Father, seen in Jesus, for the gift of the Spirit.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Ephesians 1:18-19a)
There was a popular song in the 90s called “Open the Eyes of my Heart.” I didn’t know my heart had eyes! This refers to the inner being—which includes the emotions, mind, and will. Warren Wiersbe notes,
The inner man, the heart, has spiritual faculties that parallel the physical senses. The inner man can see (Ps. 119:18; John 3:3), hear (Matt. 13:9; Heb. 5:11), taste (Ps. 34:8; 1 Peter 2:3), smell (Phil. 4:18; 2 Cor. 2:14), and touch (Acts 17:27). This is what Jesus meant when He said of the people, “They seeing see not, and hearing they hear not” (Matt. 13:13). The inability to see and understand spiritual things is not the fault of the intelligence but of the heart. The eyes of the heart must be opened by the Spirit of God.
Hope is not a wish, like hoping it doesn’t rain on your BBQ. Our hope is in the promised. Return of Christ for us, the Church. Without him, we have no hope, but in Jesus we have a living hope.
The word called is an important word for Christians. The word church combines two Greek words that mean “called out.” Elsewhere, Paul says we are “called by his grace,” we have a “holy calling,” we’ve been “called out of darkness into his marvelous light” and “called to glory.” This is who we are, church!
I had to read this next part again. When I saw glorious inheritance, I thought it referred to our inheritance in Christ, but actually it’s His inheritance in us, his holy people! God sees value in us. We are his wealth, his investment. He’s looking at our future, not our past. Christ will be glorified in us and we in him.
Then Paul mentions God’s incomparably great power…for him to use for his own selfish pleasure? No! It’s for us, for us who believe. This is dynamic, divine, eternal energy available to us! How big is your God?
That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. (Ephesians 1:19b-21)
Did you catch that? His incomparably great power for us who believe is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead! That’s more power than all of the AI data centers in the world! It’s the greatest power in the universe!
Where is Jesus now? He is at the right hand of the Father, above all. His reign is eternal. King Jesus is on the throne and for a season allowing people to be tempted by evil. I don’t understand why he doesn’t eliminate the enemy now, but the day is coming.
And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians 1:22-23)
All things are under Jesus’ feet, including all demons and spiritual forces.
Jesus is over the Church, his bride, his body on earth…us! He is the head and we are the body. We must always be connected! Decapitation harms the head and the body! What is your part? Are you hands that help? Hearts that care? Lungs that sing? Feet that go? Backs that carry the loads of others? Arms that hug? Tongues that teach? Minds that discern? We are the body of Christ, and each of us is a vital part.
As we spend time with Jesus, know Jesus, and become like Jesus, we will be a signpost pointing others to him as we go and make disciples of all nations. It’s all about Jesus! God is awesome and worthy of our thanksgiving, prayer, and praise.
So What?
The song “Holy Forever” contains these lyrics taken from our text:
Your name is the highest Your name is the greatest Your name stands above them all All thrones and dominions All powers and positions Your name stands above them all
The name of Jesus is the greatest. Jesus is the greatest. There’s no one like our God!
When you get stressed, don’t look down at your problems. Look up at His power.
Don’t worry about the future. Wonder about His faithfulness.
Don’t get depressed about your situation. Dial into His solutions.
In summary, Paul prays that they might know
God (17b)
God’s calling (18a)
God’s riches (18b)
God’s power (19-23)
I pray that for you…for all of us. If we truly grasp these realities, we will be transformed. We will become like Jesus…and his Kingdom will come and his will will be done here on earth as it is in heaven for His glory. Amen!
Credits: Some ideas from Warren Wiersbe and Jerry Murray.
Ephesians: Finding Our True Identity
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
June 14, 2026
Ephesians 1:15-23
Series Big Idea: For followers of Jesus, we find our true identity in Christ.
Big Idea: God is awesome and worthy of our thanksgiving and praise.
Summary: Paul loves his audience and thanks God for them. Their faith and love are encouraging and inspiring. He wants them to know their calling, their inheritance, and their powerful LORD.
If we can have Christmas in July, I want to propose today we have Thanksgiving in June! Gratitude is powerful. In fact, at a time when so many are feeling anxious, did you know gratitude and anxiety cannot coexist at the same time in the brain? If you want to change your mood, your mind, your focus, pause and develop an attitude of gratitude. You can begin with this truth: God is awesome and worthy of our thanksgiving, prayer, and praise.
Today we’re in week three of a long series on the book of Ephesians, a letter written by an early Church leader named Paul sometime around A.D. 55. Many believe it was written to a church in modern day Turkey, but it’s possible the intended audience was different or broader. Regardless, let’s imagine it was written to us! We could rename the book “Findlay!”
Last week set the context, encouraging words about God’s blessings and our identity in Christ as followers of Jesus. Last Sunday’s scripture was one long verse in the original Greek. We ended with this text:
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:11-14)
This week’s text was also one, long verse! Context is necessary to understand the first three words of today’s passage:
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. (Ephesians 1:15-16)
The faith and love of these believers are inspiring to Paul. They have faith toward God and love toward people. I want to say you can’t have one without the other, though many claim to do so. They love to sing on Sunday…but can’t stand their co-workers on Monday! Jesus said the two greatest commandments are to love God and love others as yourself, and Paul praises these people for doing both. They love God and all His people. Do you?
Paul thanks God for his audience and prays for them. He doesn’t stop giving thanks!
Thanksgiving and prayer are two of the greatest gifts we can offer God…and others.
College First family, I thank God for you. I love you. I love hearing stories about what God is doing in and through you. I love your generosity, gratitude, volunteering, and caring. I love meeting people new around here who have said they have been warmly welcomed. I love seeing small groups serve together, Next Gen leaders love and equip our future leaders, and our spiritual sponsors praying for kids at camp, mission trips, and Bible quizzing finals.
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
(Ephesians 1:17)
I can relate to this, too. I have five prayers for College First: direction, protection, passion, unity, and good fruit. I pray for wisdom for myself and our leaders, and I long for all of us to know Christ better, not just know about, but actually know Jesus. I want the world to know the LORD, but especially you. The word “better” implies growth, maturity…sanctification is the fancy word for becoming like Jesus, which occurs as we spend time with him and are filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul prays to the glorious Father, seen in Jesus, for the gift of the Spirit.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Ephesians 1:18-19a)
There was a popular song in the 90s called “Open the Eyes of my Heart.” I didn’t know my heart had eyes! This refers to the inner being—which includes the emotions, mind, and will. Warren Wiersbe notes,
The inner man, the heart, has spiritual faculties that parallel the physical senses. The inner man can see (Ps. 119:18; John 3:3), hear (Matt. 13:9; Heb. 5:11), taste (Ps. 34:8; 1 Peter 2:3), smell (Phil. 4:18; 2 Cor. 2:14), and touch (Acts 17:27). This is what Jesus meant when He said of the people, “They seeing see not, and hearing they hear not” (Matt. 13:13). The inability to see and understand spiritual things is not the fault of the intelligence but of the heart. The eyes of the heart must be opened by the Spirit of God.
Hope is not a wish, like hoping it doesn’t rain on your BBQ. Our hope is in the promised. Return of Christ for us, the Church. Without him, we have no hope, but in Jesus we have a living hope.
The word called is an important word for Christians. The word church combines two Greek words that mean “called out.” Elsewhere, Paul says we are “called by his grace,” we have a “holy calling,” we’ve been “called out of darkness into his marvelous light” and “called to glory.” This is who we are, church!
I had to read this next part again. When I saw glorious inheritance, I thought it referred to our inheritance in Christ, but actually it’s His inheritance in us, his holy people! God sees value in us. We are his wealth, his investment. He’s looking at our future, not our past. Christ will be glorified in us and we in him.
Then Paul mentions God’s incomparably great power…for him to use for his own selfish pleasure? No! It’s for us, for us who believe. This is dynamic, divine, eternal energy available to us! How big is your God?
That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. (Ephesians 1:19b-21)
Did you catch that? His incomparably great power for us who believe is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead! That’s more power than all of the AI data centers in the world! It’s the greatest power in the universe!
Where is Jesus now? He is at the right hand of the Father, above all. His reign is eternal. King Jesus is on the throne and for a season allowing people to be tempted by evil. I don’t understand why he doesn’t eliminate the enemy now, but the day is coming.
And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians 1:22-23)
All things are under Jesus’ feet, including all demons and spiritual forces.
Jesus is over the Church, his bride, his body on earth…us! He is the head and we are the body. We must always be connected! Decapitation harms the head and the body! What is your part? Are you hands that help? Hearts that care? Lungs that sing? Feet that go? Backs that carry the loads of others? Arms that hug? Tongues that teach? Minds that discern? We are the body of Christ, and each of us is a vital part.
As we spend time with Jesus, know Jesus, and become like Jesus, we will be a signpost pointing others to him as we go and make disciples of all nations. It’s all about Jesus! God is awesome and worthy of our thanksgiving, prayer, and praise.
So What?
The song “Holy Forever” contains these lyrics taken from our text:
Your name is the highest Your name is the greatest Your name stands above them all All thrones and dominions All powers and positions Your name stands above them all
The name of Jesus is the greatest. Jesus is the greatest. There’s no one like our God!
When you get stressed, don’t look down at your problems. Look up at His power.
Don’t worry about the future. Wonder about His faithfulness.
Don’t get depressed about your situation. Dial into His solutions.
In summary, Paul prays that they might know
God (17b)
God’s calling (18a)
God’s riches (18b)
God’s power (19-23)
I pray that for you…for all of us. If we truly grasp these realities, we will be transformed. We will become like Jesus…and his Kingdom will come and his will will be done here on earth as it is in heaven for His glory. Amen!
Credits: Some ideas from Warren Wiersbe and Jerry Murray.
Blessings, 7 June 2026
10 06 26 Filed in: Sermons | Ephesians: Our True Identity
Blessings
Ephesians: Finding Our True Identity
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
June 7, 2026
Ephesians 1:3-14
Series Big Idea: For followers of Jesus, we find our true identity in Christ.
Big Idea: We have been blessed by God because we are in Christ.
In 2011, more than 500 churches in Metro Detroit participated in an outreach campaign called EACH: everyone a chance to hear. The idea was for people to create a personal two-word story to generate conversations. Examples included:
Peace? Peace
Significant? Significant
Loved? Loved
People were then directed to a website filled with stories of people encountering Jesus.
The big question at the time was, “What’s your word?” After thought and prayer, I realized my word was blessed.
After last week’s intro by Dr. David Odegard, today we dive into our series Ephesians: Finding our True Identity. Today’s text focuses on this word blessings.
What are blessings?
The Greek word in our scripture reading is “eulogeo” which means “to thank or invoke a benediction upon, prosper, praise.” We can bless the LORD, praise the LORD. We can bless others, thanking them, praising them, seeking their prosperity.
When someone sneezes, people often say, “Bless you” or the German “Gesundheit” which means “health.” In Spanish, the word “salud” is used.
Most of my e-mails end with the closing, “Blessings, Kirk.” It’s not an auto-generated signature…on purpose. I manually type “blessings.” I have been blessed to be a blessing.
In the first book of the Bible, God said to Abram,
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2-3)
Thousands of years later, it’s appropriate to say we’ve been blessed to be a blessing.
Today’s scripture reading was quite long. In the original Greek, it was one, run-on sentence! English teachers today would tell Paul, “Use a period!” Fortunately, Bible translators did. Let’s go!
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)
The first word “praise” in Hebrew means blessing. Here we see two members of the Trinity, Father and Son (and later the Holy Spirit). This Father/Son relationship is not biological, but theological. They are both eternal and equal, both God.
Followers of Jesus are blessed. Perhaps our greatest blessing is reconciliation with God through the cross. This includes eternal salvation, but we don’t have to wait around until death to experience the blessings. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing which includes the power of the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit, gifts of the Spirit, and the constant presence of the Spirit.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)
If you are a follower of Jesus, your primary identity is “in Christ.” We’ll see this expression dozens of times throughout this series. It means essentially whatever God the Father says about Jesus, he says about you. Whatever is true about Jesus is true of you, because you are in Christ. You are on his team.
Think of it this way: the Dodgers won the World Series last year.
Shohei Ohtani, .333 batting average, 3 home runs, 5 RBIs, 6 runs, 9 hits
Alex Call, .143 batting average, 0 home runs, 0 RBIs, 0 runs, 1 hit
Justin Dean, 0 home runs, 0 RBIs, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 at bats!
They all received the same championship ring!
When we join Team Jesus, we get to wear his ring, put on his uniform, and we’re united with him. His blessings, people, future, status, and life become ours. This is living in union with Christ. It’s more than just a mental belief. It’s an existential reality!
Jesus taught this in John 15 when we said he is the vine and we are the branches. We share the life of the vine. The branches only produce fruit when connected to the vine, and we only produce good fruit when we’re connected to Jesus.
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. (Ephesians 1:4-6)
This introduces one of the great debates in the Christian faith. Do we choose God or does God choose us? The answer is…yes!
Am I married because I asked Heather to marry me, or because she said, “Yes?”
Here Paul says followers of Jesus were chosen…before the world was created! Similarly, God chose the people of Israel as His treasure. It can be said if you are a Christian God adopted us into His family.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. (Ephesians 1:7-8a)
Redemption refers to the idea of paying to set a slave free, to redeem, to exchange. That happens for us through the cross, the blood of Jesus we will remember today through communion. It also grants us the forgiveness of our sins. God’s grace is lavished on us, unmerited favor, we deserve nothing, we did nothing, it’s a free gift that simply needs to be received.
Have you said “yes” to Jesus? Are you responding to his simple invitation to follow him? He did the heavy lifting, suffering and dying. He wants to lead us, shepherd us, guide us, but like any sheep, we can choose to follow or stray. Where are you today?
This is not a one-time decision, but a daily choice to obey or disobey, to let Jesus take the wheel or put him in the trunk, so to speak.
With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. (Ephesians 1:8b-10)
From the beginning of time, God had a plan for humanity, but it was a mystery until Jesus the Messiah accomplished his assignment. This is not to say it’s mysterious, but rather it has been kept secret and is now revealed. God’s Kingdom is now open to Jews and Gentiles who repent.
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:11-12)
The “we” here likely refers to Paul’s ethnicity, the Jews. It’s impossible for us to fully understand the tensions and distinctions between Jew and Gentile, but here here’s highlighting Jews who follow Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah. Fortunately, Gentiles are included.
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
If you’re a follower of Jesus, you’ve heard the gospel, the good news, the message of truth, the message that Jesus is LORD and we are invited to follow him and experience salvation, abundant life, peace, joy, and the Holy Spirit.
We’ve been sealed by the Holy Spirit. We talked about this two weeks ago on Pentecost Sunday. Back in the day, a seal meant protection and ownership. The Holy Spirit seals us. We belong to God. Our salvation is secure, a guarantee that we are God’s and we will spend now and forever with Him. We are able to experience glimpses of the Kingdom of God in this life, but the next will be the fulfillment of life with God. I can’t wait!
So What?
If you’ve never said “yes” to Jesus, what are you waiting for? The benefits are endless. The blessings are eternal. The forgiveness lasts forever. The peace and joy are indescribable. The freedom is incredible. All you have to do is say, “Jesus, I give you my life.” Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to activate the benefits of the cross and empty tomb. Today is the day to begin your journey. Mark this as your spiritual birthday, and if that’s you, please tell me. I’d love to meet you in the lobby or send me a simple e-mail.
If you’ve said yes to Jesus, today is a reminder of how you’ve been
• Blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
• Chosen by God before the foundation of the world.
• Adopted into His family with full rights and inheritance.
• Redeemed and forgiven through the blood of Jesus.
• Sealed with the Holy Spirit, guaranteeing your future.
After you sneeze and someone says, “Bless you,” what do you say? Thank you.
Today, your next step may be to simply say to God, “Thank you.” We can do that through words, songs, giving, volunteering, praying, being still, paying attention, sharing our faith, and speaking God’s love language of obedience. We are blessed. Hallelujah!
Ephesians: Finding Our True Identity
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
June 7, 2026
Ephesians 1:3-14
Series Big Idea: For followers of Jesus, we find our true identity in Christ.
Big Idea: We have been blessed by God because we are in Christ.
In 2011, more than 500 churches in Metro Detroit participated in an outreach campaign called EACH: everyone a chance to hear. The idea was for people to create a personal two-word story to generate conversations. Examples included:
Peace? Peace
Significant? Significant
Loved? Loved
People were then directed to a website filled with stories of people encountering Jesus.
The big question at the time was, “What’s your word?” After thought and prayer, I realized my word was blessed.
After last week’s intro by Dr. David Odegard, today we dive into our series Ephesians: Finding our True Identity. Today’s text focuses on this word blessings.
What are blessings?
The Greek word in our scripture reading is “eulogeo” which means “to thank or invoke a benediction upon, prosper, praise.” We can bless the LORD, praise the LORD. We can bless others, thanking them, praising them, seeking their prosperity.
When someone sneezes, people often say, “Bless you” or the German “Gesundheit” which means “health.” In Spanish, the word “salud” is used.
Most of my e-mails end with the closing, “Blessings, Kirk.” It’s not an auto-generated signature…on purpose. I manually type “blessings.” I have been blessed to be a blessing.
In the first book of the Bible, God said to Abram,
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2-3)
Thousands of years later, it’s appropriate to say we’ve been blessed to be a blessing.
Today’s scripture reading was quite long. In the original Greek, it was one, run-on sentence! English teachers today would tell Paul, “Use a period!” Fortunately, Bible translators did. Let’s go!
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)
The first word “praise” in Hebrew means blessing. Here we see two members of the Trinity, Father and Son (and later the Holy Spirit). This Father/Son relationship is not biological, but theological. They are both eternal and equal, both God.
Followers of Jesus are blessed. Perhaps our greatest blessing is reconciliation with God through the cross. This includes eternal salvation, but we don’t have to wait around until death to experience the blessings. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing which includes the power of the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit, gifts of the Spirit, and the constant presence of the Spirit.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)
If you are a follower of Jesus, your primary identity is “in Christ.” We’ll see this expression dozens of times throughout this series. It means essentially whatever God the Father says about Jesus, he says about you. Whatever is true about Jesus is true of you, because you are in Christ. You are on his team.
Think of it this way: the Dodgers won the World Series last year.
Shohei Ohtani, .333 batting average, 3 home runs, 5 RBIs, 6 runs, 9 hits
Alex Call, .143 batting average, 0 home runs, 0 RBIs, 0 runs, 1 hit
Justin Dean, 0 home runs, 0 RBIs, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 at bats!
They all received the same championship ring!
When we join Team Jesus, we get to wear his ring, put on his uniform, and we’re united with him. His blessings, people, future, status, and life become ours. This is living in union with Christ. It’s more than just a mental belief. It’s an existential reality!
Jesus taught this in John 15 when we said he is the vine and we are the branches. We share the life of the vine. The branches only produce fruit when connected to the vine, and we only produce good fruit when we’re connected to Jesus.
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. (Ephesians 1:4-6)
This introduces one of the great debates in the Christian faith. Do we choose God or does God choose us? The answer is…yes!
Am I married because I asked Heather to marry me, or because she said, “Yes?”
Here Paul says followers of Jesus were chosen…before the world was created! Similarly, God chose the people of Israel as His treasure. It can be said if you are a Christian God adopted us into His family.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. (Ephesians 1:7-8a)
Redemption refers to the idea of paying to set a slave free, to redeem, to exchange. That happens for us through the cross, the blood of Jesus we will remember today through communion. It also grants us the forgiveness of our sins. God’s grace is lavished on us, unmerited favor, we deserve nothing, we did nothing, it’s a free gift that simply needs to be received.
Have you said “yes” to Jesus? Are you responding to his simple invitation to follow him? He did the heavy lifting, suffering and dying. He wants to lead us, shepherd us, guide us, but like any sheep, we can choose to follow or stray. Where are you today?
This is not a one-time decision, but a daily choice to obey or disobey, to let Jesus take the wheel or put him in the trunk, so to speak.
With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. (Ephesians 1:8b-10)
From the beginning of time, God had a plan for humanity, but it was a mystery until Jesus the Messiah accomplished his assignment. This is not to say it’s mysterious, but rather it has been kept secret and is now revealed. God’s Kingdom is now open to Jews and Gentiles who repent.
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:11-12)
The “we” here likely refers to Paul’s ethnicity, the Jews. It’s impossible for us to fully understand the tensions and distinctions between Jew and Gentile, but here here’s highlighting Jews who follow Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah. Fortunately, Gentiles are included.
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
If you’re a follower of Jesus, you’ve heard the gospel, the good news, the message of truth, the message that Jesus is LORD and we are invited to follow him and experience salvation, abundant life, peace, joy, and the Holy Spirit.
We’ve been sealed by the Holy Spirit. We talked about this two weeks ago on Pentecost Sunday. Back in the day, a seal meant protection and ownership. The Holy Spirit seals us. We belong to God. Our salvation is secure, a guarantee that we are God’s and we will spend now and forever with Him. We are able to experience glimpses of the Kingdom of God in this life, but the next will be the fulfillment of life with God. I can’t wait!
So What?
If you’ve never said “yes” to Jesus, what are you waiting for? The benefits are endless. The blessings are eternal. The forgiveness lasts forever. The peace and joy are indescribable. The freedom is incredible. All you have to do is say, “Jesus, I give you my life.” Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to activate the benefits of the cross and empty tomb. Today is the day to begin your journey. Mark this as your spiritual birthday, and if that’s you, please tell me. I’d love to meet you in the lobby or send me a simple e-mail.
If you’ve said yes to Jesus, today is a reminder of how you’ve been
• Blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
• Chosen by God before the foundation of the world.
• Adopted into His family with full rights and inheritance.
• Redeemed and forgiven through the blood of Jesus.
• Sealed with the Holy Spirit, guaranteeing your future.
After you sneeze and someone says, “Bless you,” what do you say? Thank you.
Today, your next step may be to simply say to God, “Thank you.” We can do that through words, songs, giving, volunteering, praying, being still, paying attention, sharing our faith, and speaking God’s love language of obedience. We are blessed. Hallelujah!