The Gift of Christ
The love of material things often steals our attention. This leads us to focus on growing our collection of possessions, even thinking that those items can somehow provide authentic, deep life satisfaction. And when our idea of Christmas revolves around a misplaced focus on material things, we get the wrong idea. In this message we’ll see how God shows us that Jesus is overwhelmingly more valuable than anything else we could imagine.
Discussion Questions
Read Ephesians 1:1-14. What does Paul discuss here as the reason for his prayer that follows these verses?
Read Ephesians 1:15-17. Are you demonstrating the faith and love Paul mentions? How could you pray in a similar way for the church today?
Read Ephesians 1:18-21. Where might the “eyes of your heart” be having a hard time seeing the hope of God’s calling? How could they be enlightened to know that hope?
What would it look like for you to understand the riches of God’s glory and the greatness of His power in your everyday life? How could you improve your understanding of the supremacy of Christ?
Read Ephesians 1:22-23. How would your life need to be ordered to reflect the fact that Jesus is the head over all things, and that all things are in subjection under His feet?
Further Reading
It Doesn’t Feel Like Christmas
We generally associate Christmas as being a season of joy and celebration, but many of us experience deep feelings of grief and loneliness during Christmas. That grief and loneliness grows as we tell ourselves we should be feeling positive emotions instead. If that’s...
Make Room for Jesus
The story of that very first Christmas includes chilling words for any family trying to deliver a baby: “There’s no room for you.” Truth is, that’s not the last time that sentiment would be spoken in Jesus’ direction. Life wants to crowd out Jesus. The pace. The...