When I Think of All God Has Done

Hope has a name, and His name is Jesus. God is bigger than every season, situation, and circumstance that feels bigger than a person, but relationship with Him has to keep getting deeper and stronger. Relationship with God is not religion, boxes, or a list of do's and don'ts. Relationship is two way: God reaches out, and His people must acknowledge His presence and lean in.

God's Word is His voice in print, and the Bible must be known, not just casually read. Scripture brings people to know God, hide His Word in their hearts, and stand ready for the things of God. Ephesians frames a kingdom transfer: those once outside of Christ, dead in trespasses and sin, are brought under a new King, given a new identity, and called to walk a new way.

Grace sits at the center of that transfer. Jesus does not merely cover sin through religious effort or law keeping; the Lamb of God takes sin away once and for all. Christ brings the far off near, tears down the wall, makes strangers into children of God, and forms one new people with equal access to the Father. Unity therefore matters, because a redeemed church becomes a beautiful mosaic of grace, a little bit of heaven on earth.

Paul opens Ephesians 3:1 with, “When I think of all this,” because chapters 1 and 2 will not let him get over what God has done. The mercy, redemption, adoption, and love of Christ produce a response. Extravagant worship is not hype; it is a life laid down as a living sacrifice because Christ held nothing back. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 flow from chapters 1, 2, and 3: God’s grace changes more than a destination from hell to heaven. Jesus changes the direction of life.

Paul’s prison reveals that surrendered faith does not require easy circumstances. Paul is not a prisoner of Rome, people, misunderstanding, or discomfort; he is a prisoner of Christ Jesus. Prison becomes a privilege when God’s purpose is trusted, even when the situation is not liked. Rome may hold Paul’s body, but Jesus holds his life.

Jesus remains the only way, truth, and life. His finished work must be personally received through repentance, faith, confession, and surrender. Christ does not call people merely to claim a label, but to become followers whose lives give evidence that Jesus is not their best kept secret.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Relationship requires a real response
  Relationship with God cannot be reduced to knowing religious information or sitting near spiritual things. God remains present, but His people must acknowledge Him with attention, trust, and surrender. Faith grows when distraction gives way to a real, daily turning toward God. [28:10]
• 2. Grace creates a brand new direction
  Grace does not simply rescue a person from future judgment while leaving present desires untouched. Jesus forgives sin and redirects life under His rule, shaping a new identity and a new walk. Maturity means growing into the reality of what Christ has already made possible. [38:54]
• 3. Remembering mercy fuels surrendered worship
  Paul’s worship rises from remembering what he deserved and what Christ freely gave. A living sacrifice becomes reasonable when the heart sees that Jesus held nothing back. Gratitude rooted in the gospel produces obedience that is more than duty. [50:27]
• 4. Christ holds life through hard circumstances
  Paul refuses to let Rome define his identity, because his life belongs to Jesus Christ. Surrender does not call painful circumstances good, but it trusts that God can use them for a bigger purpose. Faith becomes steady when God’s control matters more than personal comfort. [58:04]
• 5. Jesus must not stay a secret
  The gospel is too good to be kept private when people are separated from God and need hope. A life that belongs to Christ should carry evidence of Christ through testimony, invitation, and love. Boldness is not about winning arguments; it is about letting people know that God is not mad at them but loves them. [1:11:29]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [27:49] - Hope Has a Name
• [28:10] - Relationship With God Is Two Way
• [29:35] - God’s Voice in Print
• [33:04] - Kingdom Transfer in Ephesians
• [34:44] - A New King and New Identity
• [38:54] - Jesus Changes Life’s Direction
• [42:19] - Grace, Not Law Keeping
• [45:28] - One New People in Christ
• [47:57] - When Paul Thinks of All This
• [50:27] - Extravagant Worship and Surrender
• [56:36] - Paul, Prisoner of Christ Jesus
• [1:02:09] - The Invitation to Be Saved
• [1:09:12] - Saying Yes to Jesus
• [1:10:57] - Is There Evidence of Faith?

Bible Reading

Ephesians 3:1
“For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—” [48:00]

Ephesians 2:1-10
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” [34:44]

Ephesians 1:3-14
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” [34:28]

Observation questions

1. In Ephesians 1:3–14, what blessings and actions of God are repeated or emphasized as Paul describes what believers have received in Christ?
2. According to Ephesians 2:1–10, what was the condition of people before God’s grace, and what changes because of God’s mercy and grace? [34:45]
3. What does Paul call himself in Ephesians 3:1, and how does that description differ from calling himself a prisoner of Rome? [58:11]
4. What does Ephesians 2:10 say believers were created anew in Christ Jesus to do? [52:38]

Interpretation questions

1. Ephesians 2 says salvation is by grace through faith and not by works. Why is it important that believers understand that they bring nothing to the table for their salvation? [43:08]
2. Paul begins Ephesians 3 by looking back on all God has done in chapters 1 and 2. How does remembering God’s mercy, redemption, and adoption lead to a life of worship rather than simply religious duty? [50:27]
3. If Christ brings those who were far off near and gives them equal access to the Father, what should that change about the way believers treat people from different backgrounds in the church? [45:05]
4. Paul’s imprisonment did not convince him that Rome, people, or hardship owned his life. What does it mean to trust that Christ holds someone’s life even when circumstances are painful and unwanted? [01:01:01]

Application questions

1. God is always present, but relationship with Him requires a real response. What distractions most often keep you from acknowledging God during an ordinary day, and what could help you become more present with Him this week? [28:28]
2. God’s Word is His voice in print. Is your current approach to Scripture more like casually reading or seeking to know God deeply? What is one realistic next step you could take to get God’s Word into your heart? [33:08]
3. Grace does not only change a person’s eternal destination; it changes the direction of life. Where do you see Jesus already reshaping your desires, choices, words, or relationships? Where do you sense He is inviting you to take the next step? [39:13]
4. Paul’s response to God’s mercy was, “not my will, but Your will be done.” Is there an area of your life where surrender feels especially difficult right now—plans, comfort, relationships, control, or a hard circumstance? What would trusting God with it look like in a practical way? [55:40]
5. Think about a difficult situation you are facing or have faced. How might your perspective change if you saw yourself as belonging to Christ rather than being controlled by the situation, another person, or disappointment? [57:57]
6. Jesus must not become a believer’s best-kept secret. Who is one person in your life who needs to know that God loves them, and what could it look like to share your story, offer an invitation, or show Christ’s love to them this week? [01:11:50]