Posts by Josh Moody

1 Kings 15-16, Psalm 119:73-80, Luke 3:21-38, Ephesians 5:1-21 Ephesians 5:1-21: What does God require of us? Here Paul outlines in 6 practical steps what it means to follow Jesus today. First, we are to “follow God’s example” (5:1). But note, we do so as “dearly loved children” (5:1). That is the way to root our commitment to…

1 Kings 13-14, Psalm 119:65-72, Luke 3:1-20, Ephesians 4:25-32 Ephesians 4:25-32: We saw that the model of holiness that Paul here is teaching involves “putting off” the old way of living, and “putting on” the characteristics of Christlikeness. This is not possible to do unless we have the power of Christ within us. That is, we must be…

1 Kings 12, Psalm 119:57-64, Luke 2:41-52, Ephesians 4:17-24 Ephesians 4:17-24: How do you become holy? What is God’s method for your sanctification? First, let me define terms. By “holy,” I mean becoming more like Christ. Holiness has the sense of “set apart.” It is something special. So when you hear the word “holy” don’t think “restrictive, narrow…

1 Kings 11, Psalm 119:49-56, Luke 2:21-40, Ephesians 4:1-16 Ephesians 4:1-16: How do we maintain and further the unity of the church? Five principles of unity emerge from this amazing section of Paul’s teaching. First, focus on the calling that you have received. Our unity in Christ is furthered as we reflect on Christ and what he has…

1 Kings 9-10, Psalm 119:41-48, Luke 2:1-20, Ephesians 3:14-21 Ephesians 3:14-21: What a prayer! What do we learn from this prayer of Paul’s? We learn that the gospel motivates praying. “For this reason.” What reason? The reason is the truth and power of the gospel. A people that love the gospel will be a praying people. We learn…

1 Kings 8, Psalm 119:33-40, Luke 1:67-80, Ephesians 3:1-13 Ephesians 3:1-13: When we think of the word “mystery,” we often think of something “mysterious,” perhaps a whodunit or a magic and sorcery movie or a strange ghostly apparition of some kind. But, for Paul and in the Bible generally, the word “mystery” tends to have a more precise…

1 Kings 6-7, Psalm 119:25-32, Luke 1:57-66, Ephesians 2:11-22 Ephesians 2:11-22: At the start of chapter 2 of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, Paul described the beauty and power of the gospel. But what are the practical implications of this gospel for how we live? The massive implication that Paul focuses on here is that in Christ, both…

1 Kings 4-5, Psalm 119:17-24, Luke 1:39-56, Ephesians 2:1-10 Ephesians 2:1-10: This is one of the most glorious summaries of the gospel in the New Testament. What are the 10 key components of this gospel? First, outside of Christ we are dead. How often is this message diluted! Around us, according to Paul, are the walking dead! A spiritual…

1 Kings 2-3, Psalm 119:9-16, Luke 1:26-38, Ephesians 1:15-23  Ephesians 1:15-23:  When we listen to godly men and women pray, it is worth observing exactly how they pray and what they pray. How much more so when we have the opportunity to overhear the apostle Paul pray, as he prays here in this second half of chapter 1…

1 Kings 1, Psalm 119:1-8, Luke 1:1-25, Ephesians 1:1-14 Ephesians 1:1-14: We often think of election—or the choice of God—as some negative or nefarious idea snuck in by conniving overly complicated theologians to the detriment of the simple truth of the Bible. But here as we come to Ephesians chapter 1 and the election of God, his choice…