Here is this week’s outline & verses in a downloadable PDF format.
2020 Summer Truth Pursuit Week 4
Spend some time this morning to open up to the Lord in prayer regarding what He touched you with during the previous six days. Review your notes and the outline points and verses. Ask the Lord what He would have you share with all the saints. Prepare a prophecy (1-2 minutes long) to share with the saints what you enjoyed this week.
Message 4: God’s Goal—A Corporate Man
Scripture Reading: Gen. 1:26–27; Eph. 3:9–11; Heb. 11:24–25; Eph. 1:22–23; 2:21–22; 1 Tim. 3:15; Eph. 2:15–16; Col. 3:9–11; Eph. 5:31–32
I. God’s eternal purpose is being fulfilled by a corporate man—Gen. 1:26–27; Eph. 3:9–11
Genesis 1:26–27 And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of heaven and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. 27 And God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Ephesians 3:9–11 And to enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is, which throughout the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things, 10 In order that now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenlies the multifarious wisdom of God might be made known through the church, 11 According to the eternal purpose which He made in Christ Jesus our Lord.
A. The goal of God’s salvation is not just to save many scattered individuals, but to obtain one corporate man
B. This corporate man is the church—Eph. 3:10
II. The church has seven major aspects
A. The assembly of God’s called-out ones—Acts 5:11 and note 111; Heb. 11:24–25
Acts 5:11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all those who heard these things.
Footnote 111 Church: Gk. Ekklesia, composed of ek, out, and a derivative of kaleo, called; hence, the called out (congregation), the assembly. It is the first time that the church is mentioned here in Acts as a local church.
Hebrews 11:24–25 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 Choosing rather to be ill-treated with the people of God than to have the temporary enjoyment of sin.
B. The house (household) of God—Eph. 2:19, 21–22; 1 Tim. 3:15
Ephesians 2:21–22 In whom all the building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit.
1 Timothy 3:15 But if I delay, I write that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth.
1. The church is God’s house, God’s dwelling place.
2. The church is God’s household, God’s family.
C. The kingdom of God—cf. Eph. 2:19; Rom. 14:17
Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.
Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
D. The Body of Christ—Eph. 1:22–23
Ephesians 1:22–23 And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, 23 Which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.
E. The bride of Christ—Eph. 5:25, 31–32; Rev. 22:17
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.
Ephesians 5:31–32 For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh. 32 This mystery is great, but I speak with regard to Christ and the church.
Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come! And let him who hears say, Come! And let him who is thirsty come; let him who wills take the water of life freely.
1. As the bride of Christ the church’s relationship with Christ is one of love—Eph. 5:25.
2. As the bride of Christ the church should match Christ as His counterpart—Rev. 22:17.
F. The new man—Eph. 2:15–16; Col. 3:9–11
Ephesians 2:15–16 Abolishing in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, so making peace, 16 And might reconcile both in one Body to God through the cross, having slain the enmity by it.
Colossians 3:9–11 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his practices 10 And have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.
1. In the new man there is no place for the natural man, the old man—Col. 3:9, 11a
2. In the new man Christ is all and in all—Col. 3:11b
G. The golden lampstand—Rev. 1:20b
Revelation 1:20 The mystery of…the seven golden lampstands:…the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Further reading:
God’s Full Salvation, Lesson 3.