Ephesians: Deeper Dependency

 Today we continued our journey through the book of Ephesians and saw how Jesus leads us out of anger and bitterness toward a life of love. Two questions help us to react and respond in everyday life, "What would a person, deeply loved by God do? How would a forgiven person respond?"

Sermon Notes/Quotes:

Ephesians 4:25-32

"If we are a body, then we are one that is afflicted with an autoimmune disease.” - Christina Cleveland
Anger is like a headache in that it tells me something is wrong. It’s a feeling that seizes us in our body and immediately impels us toward interfering with, and possibly even harming, those who have thwarted our will and interfered with our life. Anger includes a will to harm them. Most wrongdoing traces back to anger. We talk about “righteous anger,” but usually people feel their anger is righteous in the moment they’re angry. We say anger is an energy for action, but anything you can do with anger you can do better without it. - Dallas Willard

James 3:6-12

“The illusion of control is an acceptable one. It's a pretty & perfect vice. It accomplishes, succeeds, & wins—all the while killing you. - Lore Ferguson Wilbert

“When the Bible uses the term heart, it means the causal core of your personhood. The heart is your directional system. The heart is your steering wheel. Your behavior isn’t caused by the situations and relationships outside of you. Your behavior is shaped and caused by how your heart reacts to and interacts with the situations and relationships that are outside of you”. - Paul Tripp

“I'm an old man, and this is one of my dreams: that my descendants will one day live in a land where people are quick to confess their wrongdoing and forgive the wrongdoing of others and are eager to build something beautiful together.” - John Perkins