A New Kind of Home (Ephesians): Kids are great! But parenting is hard. What happens when you apply the gospel to the relationship between parents and children? How can parents shepherd their kids? How can adult children honor their parents when carrying wounds from their upbringing? There are many lessons here for everyone. Recorded on Jul 14, 2024, on Ephesians 6:1-4 by Ted Selker.
Our series, Ephesians: The Gospel in Life, serves as an epilogue to Finding Life in Jesus’ Name from John’s gospel. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reveals much about how the life found by faith in Jesus actually works. This series will touch on themes of grace, identity, purpose, family, the church, spiritual warfare, and more. If you’re considering the life of Jesus or if you’re ready to follow him today, this series is for you.
A New Kind of Marriage (Ephesians): Do you want a better marriage? Or do you want to be better prepared for marriage in the future? God’s word provides power and wisdom for two to become one. Is this easy? No! But it can be beautiful as two people grow together in unity, love, and maturity over time. Plus, marriage can be a picture of the gospel for a world that needs to see the faithful love of Jesus. Recorded on Jul 7, 2024, on Ephesians 5:21-33 by Pastor David Parks.
Our series, Ephesians: The Gospel in Life, serves as an epilogue to Finding Life in Jesus’ Name from John’s gospel. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reveals much about how the life found by faith in Jesus actually works. This series will touch on themes of grace, identity, purpose, family, the church, spiritual warfare, and more. If you’re considering the life of Jesus or if you’re ready to follow him today, this series is for you.
Sermon Transcript
Including today, we only have four more weeks in Ephesians before moving on to a new sermon series on the OT book of Ruth. But today, as we approach the end of The Gospel in Life series, we’re considering how our union with Christ transforms even the most basic household relationships — from the relationship between a husband and wife to the relationship between parents and children to the relationship between a household servant/slave and their master, which was a common work relationship in the first century AD. Now, we’ve already seen in Ephesians that when you become a Christian, you go from death to life — from without hope and without God in the world to becoming a dearly loved child of God. So, the gospel changes our identity in Christ. We’ve already heard the call to follow God’s example, putting off the old self and putting on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. So, the gospel changes the direction of our lives. So it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the way of Jesus might change our relationships, too. A few weeks ago, I stumbled across one of my old high school yearbooks. I read a few comments my friends wrote all those years ago, and one caught my eye. It said something like, “I’m so excited for you and Holly! Even though some people think you’re crazy, if anyone could figure out marriage, it would be you two!” Thanks? It was kind of a compliment, I guess. But, you see, Holly and I knew each other from the age of ten on. And once we started dating in high school, we knew we were supposed to be together. So, we got engaged just before the end of high school and got married the next year. But that comment in my yearbook probably represented what a lot of people thought at the time: that we were crazy! That we didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into! That it would never work! Now, from my vantage point today, I know that marriage is always risky — whether you’re 19 years old or 30 or 50 or 75. Just because loving people is the highest calling and the greatest commandment for human beings doesn’t mean it’s easy! In fact, really loving another person with all their sins and struggles, with all their blindspots and weaknesses — along with all of yours! — is one of the hardest things you could do in life. So how did we survive? How did we navigate the ups and downs of marriage in a broken world together? It wasn’t easy. And we’re still learning how to love each other better. But over the years, we’ve seen the wisdom/power of God’s way again and again in our marriage. So, do you want a better marriage? Or do you want to be better prepared for being married one day? Then grab your Bible/app and open it to Eph 5:21. We’ll read through this text and unpack it as we go.
Ephesians 5:21 (NIV), “21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Well, we didn’t get very far, did we? I had to stop here because this verse is special for two reasons. First, grammatically, this verse is really the end of the list of actions associated with being filled with the Spirit from v. 18 (speaking to one another, singing and making music to the Lord, giving thanks to God the Father, and (v. 18), submitting to one another). But in the NIV translation, v. 18 is grouped with our text on marriage. Now, I think the NIV got it right because the Apostle Paul goes on to list these three household relationships as a three-part case study of what it looks like to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” You might say v.18 serves as a transitional verse for what the Spirit-filled life looks like at home. Second, this verse is special because, in Paul’s day, household codes were common in Greek/Roman culture. Plato, Aristotle, and others wrote about how these relationships were supposed to work. But here, the Apostle Paul gives a uniquely Christian vision for the household. He applies the gospel to the most common household relationships, bringing transformation and renewal to them as it does to every part of life. The first difference in Paul’s Christian vision for marriage and family is that we are to submit to one another. It’s not the strong ruling the weak. That’s the way of the world. This reminds me of Paul’s instruction to the Galatians: “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” (Gal 5:13). Ok! But what does this mutual submission look like in marriage?
Ephesians 5:22-24 (NIV), “22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.” Now, notice what Paul is not saying. He’s not saying that all women must submit to all men. That would be unwise at best! We know not every man has the best interest of every woman in mind. And he’s not saying that wives must submit themselves to their own husbands because they’re more susceptible to temptation or they’re inherently inferior to men. That was Aristotle’s argument and was the common view of their culture, just as it is in many places today. But look at what Paul actually says (I’m going to point out two things): First, wives are to submit themselves to their own husbands. In other words, this ought to be voluntary, not forced. Paul assumes wives have the agency/ability to choose to do this. This would have been totally counter-cultural, as women had limited rights in the Roman Empire. However, this fits with the Biblical view that women are equal to men in their value and dignity as image-bearers of God. Jesus taught women as his disciples and was supported financially in his ministry by a number of women. Men and women are coheirs with Christ and are equally saved, filled with the Spirit, sanctified, and sent out on the mission of God. This teaching elevated women in many ways, even if the language of submission sounds foreign to us today. Second, Paul says the reason wives are to do this is because the marriage relationship is to be a reflection of the relationship between Christ and the church. “For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.” Now, we must not press this analogy too far. The wife is to be like the church, and the husband is to be like Christ. However, the husband does not replace Christ. Christ is still the savior and the head of both the husband and the wife. But, the idea that the relationship between a husband and wife is supposed to be a picture of the relationship between Christ and the church is totally new to Paul. No one else ever envisioned marriage in this way. Let’s continue on to the husbands and come back to what this looks like for wives.
Ephesians 5:25-27 (NIV), “25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” Now, earlier in Chapter 5, men and women were already called to “…walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Eph 5:2). So Christian husbands and wives are to follow the pattern of Jesus and love one another just as Christ loved us first. But here, husbands are specifically called to “love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Well, how did Christ love the church? He humbly came from the riches and glory of heaven down into this broken world. He became a human being with all our limitations, temptations, and struggles. Then he willingly suffered and died on the cross to save us from sin/death/judgment, giving his life for us so that we might receive life and love forever and ever. So, how should husbands love their wives? Like Jesus! By being willing to give up everything for them, even your very life. Why? Not to get the glory, honor, or praise, and not to make her owe you something, but simply to serve her needs — to help her flourish. Christ did this for us in order “…to make her [the church] holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” Jesus saw what we were but had a much bigger vision for what we could be. So, Jesus didn’t stop working in our lives when he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. He continues to work through the power of his word and Spirit to wash/sanctify us and to transform us into the men and women that God intended us to be from before the creation of the world. So, husbands, do you have a vision for what your wife could be? Are you, like Jesus, working to help her grow in the beauty of her inner character, in her holiness and godliness? Are you, like Jesus, looking to serve her needs because of your faithful love for her? One of the reasons why the teaching on wives submitting to their own husbands is so hard for modern Western people to accept is because they don’t understand that power and authority work differently in the kingdom where Jesus is King. Wives aren’t called to submit to husbands who are selfishly looking only to meet their own needs. This would, of course, set up the marriage relationship to be oppressive and abusive. Instead, think about how Jesus used his power and authority. He didn’t act in this way because he wasn’t deserving of glory or he wasn’t as capable/valuable as others. He did this to faithfully love us and serve our greatest needs, even when we were unfaithful to him. In Mark 10, Jesus taught his disciples, saying, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk 10:42-45). This is what power/authority looks like in the kingdom where Jesus is King. We must never apply worldly ways of power and authority to the way of Jesus. And we must never think worldly ways of power/authority are appropriate for how we treat our spouse in marriage. But this mutual love and submission is only natural when we understand our union with Christ. By faith in Jesus, we are united with Christ and with every other person in Christ. We already saw how this impacted the division between Jews and Gentiles back in Chapter 2. Here, we see how this impacts and transforms the marriage relationship as well. But it was always God’s vision for marriage — that two would become one in every way.
Ephesians 5:28-31 (NIV), “28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” Now, Paul isn’t denying the reality that some people have a distorted or even destructive attitude about their own bodies or body image. He’s just saying that husbands and wives are to be one flesh. So, for husbands to love their wives ought to be as natural as wanting to feed and care for their own body. This is rooted in the creation account of marriage from Genesis Chapter 2. Paul quotes Moses in saying “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” When Jesus taught on marriage, he referred to Genesis 2 as well. From Ge 2, we discover that marriage was a gift from God, not a social construct. Therefore, as its creator, God can define it and govern it by his word. This means we’re not free to redefine marriage any way we want, though our culture or our laws might say otherwise. And from the beginning, God’s vision for marriage was that a man would leave his father and mother, as important as that family relationship is, and be united to his wife. This was to be a covenant relationship between one man and one woman for life. The covenantal aspect meant that they were to commit to faithful and exclusive love no matter what might happen in the future — for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health. But within the safety of this unconditional commitment, then the husband and wife were to experience a whole-life oneness. This is what one flesh means: to be one physically in sexuality but also emotionally, financially, legally, and in every other way. This was God’s design for marriage. But this is so different than what most people think of when they think about marriage today. Most people, especially in our consumeristic culture, think of marriage as a relationship that is only valid so long as it continues to meet your needs or expectations. But if it ever stops meeting your needs, maybe your relationship is really hard, or maybe someone gets sick, then you’re free to get divorced and maybe find someone else who you like more. Now, in the Scriptures, there are several sad situations that break the marriage covenant, including adultery and abandonment. But aside from these conditions, the marriage relationship was to be until death do we part. This might seem risky because of how high the expectations are for commitment, but in a broken world, this is actually the safest kind of relationship. You are committing your life to be with someone who has also committed, upfront, to love you no matter what. This is the best environment for sexual oneness, for having kids, for navigating the ups and downs of life, and more. But again, this kind of exclusive and faithful relationship of love is a picture of the relationship between Christ and the church.
Ephesians 5:32–33 (NIV), “32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” This is God’s word. So, how did our marriage survive our decision to get married so young? How have we been able to navigate life and kids and career changes and moves together? How were we able to recover when we sinned against each other? By the grace of God, and the example of Christ, and the power and wisdom of God’s word and Spirit, and a commitment to follow Jesus in our marriage. Have we done this perfectly? Absolutely not. But over the years, we’ve had the joy and the honor of having a front-row seat to watch what God has done in redeeming and transforming each other to greater and greater degrees into the likeness of Christ. Do you want a better marriage? Or do you want to be better prepared for being married one day? Look to Jesus. Listen to Jesus. And submit to one another, loving and serving one another out of reverence for Christ. But if you do, if you commit yourself to this path, not only will you have a better marriage, but your marriage will also be a picture of the gospel out into a world that desperately needs to see and experience the faithful love of Jesus. Let us pray.
Following a New Way: How can we learn to navigate the rough terrain of life? Not by following the ways of this world. Becoming a Christian puts you on a new path — the way of Jesus — where we learn to walk in the way of love, goodness, righteousness, truth, and wisdom. This is the way. Recorded on Jun 30, 2024, on Ephesians 5:1-20 by Pastor David Parks.
Our series, Ephesians: The Gospel in Life, serves as an epilogue to Finding Life in Jesus’ Name from John’s gospel. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reveals much about how the life found by faith in Jesus actually works. This series will touch on themes of grace, identity, purpose, family, the church, spiritual warfare, and more. If you’re considering the life of Jesus or if you’re ready to follow him today, this series is for you.
Sermon Transcript
Today, and through the end of July, we’ll continue to work through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in a sermon series called The Gospel in Life. And today, as we start Chapter 5, we’re going to consider how our identity in Christ — our union with Christ — impacts and transforms the direction of our lives. I don’t know about you, but I love to go backpacking. The first time I went backpacking, I was in high school, and our youth group went to Colorado for a 5-day, 4-night hike over a 12,000+ foot mountain pass. Now, backpacking is so much work. You carry everything you need for life on your back the whole time. If you forgot something, you just don’t have that thing. If it rains, you put on your rain gear and keep going. And there are certainly no showers, beds, or bathrooms on the trail. But as some of you might’ve guessed, I love that kind of challenge, and I love being out in the woods or the mountains. However, we didn’t know what we needed to bring or what to do, or how to get from where they dropped us off at the trailhead to the end of the trail (on the other side of the mountain). But everything was ok because we had a guide, and our guide knew where we needed to go and what we needed to do to make it across some very rough and potentially dangerous terrain. Our guide made sure we stayed on the right path. He showed us how to hike through the woods, above the tree line, and finally across the snow at the top of the pass. Well, in our passage for today, the Apostle Paul acts like a trail guide, helping us know how to navigate the rough terrain — how to walk through life. Every one of us will reach different points in our path where the trail seems to lead in different directions. How will we know which way to go? How can we make sure we’re on the right path? the path that leads to life/love/joy/peace? the path that honors God and is worthy of the calling we have received in Christ? If you have your Bible/app, please take it and open it to Eph 5:1. We’ll read through this text and unpack it as we go.
Ephesians 5:1–2 (NIV), “1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Last week, we considered the call “to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” That in Christ, we’re being transformed day by day into the likeness of Christ. Here, Paul uses the idea of walking as a metaphor for how we live our lives. Three times in this passage, he refers to how we might walk through life, the first of which is here in v. 2 (“…walk in the way of love”). He says, “Follow God’s example (lit. “be imitators of God”), therefore, as dearly loved children.” Have you ever seen a little kid imitating their parents? Not just in their appearance but in how they speak, dress, or act? This can be really cute or scary, depending on the example of the parents. But, Paul says, no matter what example our parents were for us (good or bad), “as dearly loved children,” of our Father in heaven, we’re to follow God’s example and imitate him. But please notice the order. Paul does not say to follow God’s example so that he might love us. He says because you are dearly loved children, because you’ve gone from death to life in Christ, because of your union with Christ, therefore, follow God’s example. Obedience to follow the way of Jesus is not the way of salvation. As we’ve seen, we’re saved by grace alone through faith alone. But obedience to follow the way of Jesus then is what the Christian life is all about. And the first thing about this new way of Jesus is that it’s the way of love. Why? Because of the gospel. Walk in the way of love, “just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Christians are to be people of love because we know how much we have first been loved through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to rescue and redeem us from the power of sin and death. Jesus is the way. He is our guide. So where he has gone, we must follow. But what does this way of love look like? It might mean we must give our lives to save others, as it did for Jesus on the cross. But what else might it mean?
Ephesians 5:3-4 (NIV), “3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” If we are a people who are learning the way of Jesus, a way of love in light of the gospel, then first, there “must not be even a hint of sexual immorality.” The term translated as sexual immorality is porneia, which is where we get the word pornography today. In Paul’s day, this meant any sexual relationship outside a life-long covenant of marriage between one man and one woman. Basically, this means sleeping with anyone other than your spouse. This kind of thing, as common as it is and has always been in the world, should not be common among God’s holy people. It’s not that human sexuality is sinful or shameful, but that God has a very particular context for such a powerful thing according to his wisdom and how he created human beings to work. It’s a beautiful and helpful thing in the right context, but it is destructive and dehumanizing in the wrong context. So, we should be careful to honor God with our bodies and our faithfulness in marriage. Impurity is a more general term that implies anything that isn’t clean or holy. Perhaps Paul had the descriptions of v. 4 in mind. Obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse joking — all of these ways of speaking to others would be considered impure. Again, these things are common in the world, but they should not be common for followers of Jesus. Finally, he mentions greed. To always want more and more, to be driven by money or possessions, and to measure your worth as a person by your income or your savings, yet again, is the normal way of this world. The rich are important, while the poor are ignored/disposable. This is especially true in our materialistic/consumeristic culture. But this cannot be the way for followers of Jesus. All these practices should be totally out of place among us. There shouldn’t even be a hint of these things here. Instead, Paul says, we should be thankful, not entitled or selfish or worldly. We should be people who know we’ve received more from God in creation, more from Christ in salvation, and more from the Spirit in life than we could ever repay. We should be people who know how much we’ve been blessed, that God has lavished his grace on us, and as a result are thankful from the moment we wake up to the moment we lay our heads back down at night to sleep. Why? Because we are dearly loved children. That’s our identity; that’s who we are. And that changes everything.
Ephesians 5:5-7 (NIV), “5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.” Again, Paul doesn’t argue that we must act a certain way — to follow God’s example — to earn our way into the kingdom of Christ and of God. By faith in Jesus, we are already dearly loved children of our Father in heaven. But if that is who we are, then we must act accordingly. An immoral, impure, or greedy person, such person is an idolater because they are serving money in the place of God, remains separated from God, dead in their transgressions and sins, and will have to give an account for their life on the day of judgment. That doesn’t mean there is no hope for them. All people, regardless of their past, are invited to trust in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins and a new relationship with God that will never end. Now, some people always want to cut out the bad news of the gospel to make it more appealing or less offensive, but this is not right. “Let no one deceive you with empty words…” Everyone needs a savior. Everyone needs Jesus. If we didn’t, he would never have had to come into this dark world. We would never have needed the cross. But we were dead. We were lost apart from the person and work of Jesus. And in him, we are being made new. So, let us learn joyful obedience to Jesus. But what does it mean not to be partners with them, with people who are not followers of Jesus? Some take this to mean Christians shouldn’t marry non-Christians or be business partners with non-Christians, but is that the kind of partnership Paul has in mind? Jesus was known as a friend of sinners. He was invited to dinner with tax collectors; he healed and taught and spent time with all kinds of people, some of whom with very questionable morals. So, Paul can’t mean that Christians can’t be friends with or minister to non-Christians. I believe Paul, as a scholar in the Hebrew Bible, is thinking more along the lines of Psalm 1, which says, “1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.” As dearly loved children of our heavenly Father, we must love people but not participate with them in their way of life that is opposed to the way of Jesus. Let’s move to the second section, which talks about how we walk through life with v. 8.
Ephesians 5:8-14 (NIV), “8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” It’s harder to see the walking analogy here, but v. 8 says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” Paul mixes his metaphors here by introducing the theme of light and darkness, a theme which was common in John’s gospel. It’s interesting that he doesn’t say that you were once in the dark and now you are in the light, but that you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Again, this points to our identity — to who we are in Christ. So, we ought to live (walk) in a manner fitting to who we are as children of light. Paul says the fruit of the light (a third metaphor if you’re keeping track) consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth. We are to have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness. In fact, Paul calls us to expose them, that is, the deeds of darkness. Last week, we saw that the desires of our hearts are unreliable and sometimes are downright harmful to ourselves or to others. Our desire to expose what is shameful or wrong is not to heap condemnation on people but to show them the path that leads to life. It is so often the case that when behavior that has been hidden in darkness comes out into the light, so much of the power of that behavior and the hold that it has over us starts to diminish. In using this analogy of light and darkness, I wonder if Paul was thinking about his conversion to Christianity. In Acts 26, Paul recounts the story of Jesus appearing to him on the road to Damascus, saying that Jesus told him, “I am sending you to them [Gentiles] 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’” (Ac 26:17-18). The mission of God in the world is to bring the good news of Jesus to people who are walking in darkness. So that they might hear and believe and go from darkness to light. This is why, Paul says, it is said, “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Many scholars believe Paul is quoting from an early Christian hymn based on several passages from Isaiah. But he includes this saying to point to the fact that this new path, this unique way of life, is open to all. Even enemies of Jesus, like the Apostle Paul was before he became a Christian, are welcome. But if we do this, if we live/walk as children of light and follow the path of goodness, righteousness, and truth, what will that look like?
Ephesians 5:15-20 (NIV), “15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is God’s word. And this is the third section which talks about how we walk through life. Verse 15 says, “Be very careful, then, how you live [lit. walk!]—not as unwise but as wise,” The first section invited us to walk in the way of love and thanksgiving. The second section invited us to walk in the light of goodness, righteousness, and truth. Here, we’re called to walk in the way of wisdom, “making the most of every opportunity (lit. redeeming the time), because the days are evil.” Wisdom means knowing how to live out God’s word in any and every situation. Now, not one of us is as wise as we could be. But wisdom comes when, having filled our hearts and minds with the truth of God’s word through the power of the Holy Spirit, we reflect on our experiences and learn “what the Lord’s will is.” This can be complicated. What is God’s will for your work/money/marriage/kids/future? There are a lot of things to take into consideration. But this is why drunkenness isn’t helpful. It takes us out of reality. It numbs us to what we should be thinking about and to the influence of the Spirit and rarely leads to a life of love, joy, and peace. More often, it leads to debauchery. Proverbs 20:1 says, ”Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.” Along with sexual immorality, impurity, and greed, drunkenness (or any practice or substance that numbs you to life) have been common temptations in this broken world. And it can be very understandable why someone would want to find some sort of escape in this life, but this is not the way. There’s a better way in Christ. “Instead,” we are to “be filled with the Spirit.” And what does that look like? It looks like “speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.” It looks like singing and making “music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It looks like a life of joyful worship, of music, of thanksgiving, and so much more. This is the life I want to live! This is the kind of life I want for my kids and my grandkids! Wouldn’t this be the absolute best thing for your friends or family members? All those years ago, when we set out on our backpacking trip, we need a guide to show us the way, to keep us safe, to help us fully enjoy the beauty and power of God’s creation, and to make sure we ended up at the right destination. Here, Paul is both reminding us of our identity in Christ and that the way that we walk through life must be based on his way. He is the way. He is our guide. But if we learn to follow him, if we as dearly loved children follow his way of love/thanksgiving/goodness/righteousness/truth, then we too will be safe, we’ll be able to fully enjoy the beauty and goodness of life, even in a broken world, and we too will end up at the right destination: in the kingdom where Jesus is King, no longer condemned and in darkness, but forgiven and freed and infinitely loved forever and ever. Amen. Let us pray.
To Be Made New: What does it mean to “put off your old self” and “put on the new self?” This hopeful calling is about experiencing the whole-life transformation God envisions for you. No longer having to follow our emotions and desires alone, anyone can learn this new way of life according to the truth that is in Jesus. Recorded on Jun 23, 2024, on Ephesians 4:17-32 by Pastor David Parks.
Our series, Ephesians: The Gospel in Life, serves as an epilogue to Finding Life in Jesus’ Name from John’s gospel. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reveals much about how the life found by faith in Jesus actually works. This series will touch on themes of grace, identity, purpose, family, the church, spiritual warfare, and more. If you’re considering the life of Jesus or if you’re ready to follow him today, this series is for you.
Sermon Transcript
We’ve been working through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in a sermon series called The Gospel in Life. And today, as we finish Chapter 4, we’re going to consider the call of the Christian life to put off the old self and “to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” I remember when our kids were little. Some of you have little ones here today. Two out of our three kids are adults now. But when they were little, I could never really picture how they would be when they were all grown up. I could only ever picture the next phase of their life. When they were in preschool, I could picture them in second or third grade but not high school. As a parent, I had certain things I hoped they’d have in their future, but I just couldn’t really envision them in that future. But then they’d go from preschool to second or third grade, and by then, I could start to picture them in fifth or sixth grade…or even in middle school. But here’s the thing: my kids were going to learn/grow/change; they were going to be transformed as they grew up, whether I could picture it or not. And it turned out to be more than ok. I love the young adults they are today and am excited about their future, whatever it’ll look like. In our passage today, I hope you’ll see that you have a Father in heaven who has a vision for your future. But unlike me, he can see the end from the beginning. And his vision for your life is a vision of transformation for every part of your life. If you have your Bible/app, please take it and open it to Eph 4:17. We’ll read through this text and unpack it as we go.
Ephesians 4:17–19 (NIV), “17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.” The first half of Ephesians is more on what the gospel is. The second half focuses more on what the gospel does or (to use his language) what it looks like to walk in a manner worthy of the calling they’ve received in Christ. Here, Paul starts by looking back at where his mostly Gentile friends in Ephesus came from before they became Christians. He says, “…you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.” Now, remember that most people in his audience are Gentiles. But Paul isn’t cutting them down here. He’s been clear that everyone, Jews and Gentiles, were on the same sinking ship, and both groups needed a savior in Jesus. What he is saying is that apart from Christ and the power of his Spirit, the life of unbelieving Gentiles flowed out of a futility or an emptiness in their ways of thinking. Again, this isn’t meant as an insult. He says they were darkened in their understanding of reality because they were separated from God. He’s not saying they’re not smart, he’s saying their hearts were hardened toward God. They weren’t looking to learn about who God is or how he might want them to live. They weren’t concerned about him at all. But, and this is so insightful of Paul, if you reject a belief in a transcendent God who provides a transcendent/objective definition of good/evil, right/wrong, you still need to come up with some way of determining how to walk through life — how to make decisions, how to establish/live out your values, and how to deal with people who may or may not share your values or ethics in life. So the worldly way loses God, along with the wisdom and direction of his word and his way, but still needs some sort of compass to direct their life. So, what’s their compass? Paul says, “Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity…” without any limit to their desires. Apart from God, the only way to determine how to walk through life would be according to the desires of your heart. What do you want/desire? Who/what are you attracted to? What do you think will make you happy? However you answer those questions will determine your values/aim/ethics. But here’s the problem: the desires/attractions of our hearts, including even the things we think will make us happy, are unreliable for at least three reasons. First of all, we’re limited in knowledge and maturity, so what are the chances we’ll be able to navigate the difficult terrain of this broken world well, based only on how we feel? Probably not good. But, second (sadly), sometimes what we desire is not just unwise, but is extremely destructive to ourselves or others. Remember the Fall in Genesis 3? “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” (Ge 3:6). Listening to Satan and eating the forbidden fruit seemed like a good idea. It seemed like it would be helpful and good — but it ruined everything. So some of our desires are destructive, but the problem is it’s not always obvious to us which desires are helpful and which are harmful. As if this wasn’t complicated enough, third, Paul mentions that sin is blinding — or, to use the language from this passage, sin is desensitizing. Apart from God, not only can people not clearly see where to walk or what dangers they should avoid in life, but they’ve lost sensitivity — they can’t accurately feel right from wrong. Now, this is almost a 2,000-year-old letter. But doesn’t this describe our world/culture today? How many people today are chasing all sorts of things based on their feelings/desires/attractions, things they think will make them happy, only to find that they fall far short of a life of love, joy, and peace? All of this agrees with what the Prophet Jeremiah wrote some 2,700 years ago, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9). But if this is true, then we need something/someone outside ourselves to be our compass and help us know how to walk through life. We need a savior. We need Jesus!
Ephesians 4:20-24 (NIV), “20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” So Paul compares the ways of the world to the way of Jesus. He compares their life BC (before Christ) with the life they learned when they “heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.” And remember, we’re not Christians because we’re better/smarter/more deserving than other people. We’re Christians by the grace of God and through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Our life BC was just as darkened as any unbeliever. It was only when we accepted the light of the world, when we saw/believed that Jesus is the only way and the truth and the life, that we’re now able to see what is real/true, that we’re no longer separated from God, that we’re able to grow in the sensitivity/discernment of our hearts, and we can learn to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. Paul uses an analogy of clothing to describe this change. “…to put off your old self,” like you’d take off a dirty old smelly coat with holes worn in the elbows and seems coming apart, “which,” he says, “is being corrupted [spoiled/ruined] by its deceitful desires.” And “to put on the new self,” like you’d put on a brand-new coat, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” This is who you were created to be: righteous and holy. Of course, it’s true that God loves us just how we are today. But God loves us too much to leave us as we are today. So many of us (maybe all of us) have far too small a vision for our own lives. We hope to be made a little better or we hope things will be a little easier for us in the future. But our Father in heaven has a vision for us and for our lives that is as high as the courts of heaven. His original vision for humanity is that we would be made in the image and likeness of God. This, of course, has been corrupted by sin, but he still has this vision for his children, not just that we or our lives might be a bit better. But that we would become fully righteous as he is righteous and perfectly holy as he is holy. But…how? How does this whole-life transformation happen? Look back at v. 23. “…to be made new in the attitude of your minds.” This is how we put on the new self. This is the same thought as Romans 12:2 (NIV), “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” The transformation that is possible in the Christian life comes first from the outside in and then from the inside out. It comes first from the outside in by hearing and believing the truth of the gospel — of who God is, what he has done and is doing through his Son and Spirit, and everything God has promised for our future in Christ. It comes from the outside in by being “taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.” He becomes our compass and our way. But then, it comes from the inside out as our minds are renewed (made new). As more and more of our thoughts no longer conform to the pattern of this broken world but are transformed by God’s word and his way, then more and more of our decisions, values, ethics, and the aim of our lives come into alignment with the truth. As this happens, we not only grow in our ability to test/approve, to understand/discern what God’s will is in every part of life, but to be able to live out God’s will in every part of life. This inner renewal of the gospel leads to a dramatically new direction in life. But what does this actually look like? What would it look like to put off the old self and put on the new self? What would it look like for this cosmic gospel and the grace of God and our union with Christ to shape/transform everything? I’m glad you asked. This is really what Paul spends the rest of his letter explaining.
Ephesians 4:25-28 (NIV), “25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.” The gospel changes how we treat other people. Jesus changes how we treat other people. How? Paul gives five examples with the first three here. Let’s briefly consider these examples. First, we must be honest and truthful with other people. “…each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor.” It’s so tempting to twist/exaggerate the truth so that it makes ourselves, our work, or our kids look better. But this is not right. It can even be tempting to hold on to thoughts we know are false. But this never helps anyone. As we saw last week, the truth must always be tempered with love. But we must never think we’re loving people by withholding the truth from our neighbor. The way of Jesus is the way of truth. Second, Paul quotes Psalm 4, saying, “In your anger do not sin.” Our God is slow to anger, but he does get angry. So it’s possible to be angry and not sin. But given the old self, given our flesh, and given this broken world we live in, it’s incredibly difficult to be angry and keep from sinning. When we’re hungry, tired, discouraged, and yes, when we’re angry, we’re more vulnerable to temptation to sin. So, we must not let anger, even righteous anger, go unaddressed or ignored for long. This is what “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” means. If we let anger linger or if we let it spiral with no self-control, it gives the devil a foothold; it can give the devil space in our lives to tempt us to resolve our anger through worldly means. Paul comes back to the theme of spiritual warfare in Chapter 6, so for now, we’ll keep moving. The way of Jesus is the way of finding healthy ways of dealing with all our negative emotions, including our anger. Third, Paul writes, “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.” Passages like this make me wonder if Paul had anyone in particular in mind when he wrote this. Anyone who has been stealing (Karl) must steal no longer. I guess he doesn’t call anyone out here. But this speaks not only to the kind of people God is transforming us to be: hardworking so as not to be reliant on others if possible (of course this is not always possible). To be generous people willing to share with people in need. But also, to the kind of people who are in the church — former thieves/criminals. Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t that a hopeful vision for change? There’s hope for anyone in Jesus! The way of Jesus is the way of being productive and generous. Let’s continue.
Ephesians 4:29-30 (NIV), “29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” So, first, tell the truth; second, be careful with your anger; third, work hard and be willing to share with those in need. Fourth (I love this one), watch your mouth. As a preacher, I’ve been preaching this one to myself all week. We should only share “what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.” Unwholesome talk, including gossip, slander, and swearing, might make you popular, but it’s not beneficial/helpful for anyone. Jesus said, “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.” (Mt 12:36). The way of Jesus is the way of building others up in how we speak to them. Finally, fifth, “…do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Christians have been filled with the Holy Spirit, the personal power, and the presence of God. God will not withdraw his Spirit from his children. But we should be careful not to grieve the Spirit within us through thoughtlessly or carelessly running after the things of this world or rejecting God’s word over our lives. I know there were times in my life when I just wanted to do what I wanted to do, regardless of what I knew to be true in God’s word. I think I was still a Christian during those times, but I also think I caused the Spirit much grief. Of course, it’s not like my life was awesome when I lived in that foolish and selfish way. But the way of Jesus is the way of being sensitive to the Spirit and being willing to follow his leading in our lives.
Ephesians 4:31–32 (NIV), “31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” This is God’s word. Paul ends with a great summary of old self and the new self. But this calling to renewal, to transformation, is really what the vision for our church is all about — that the gospel of Jesus Christ will transform the people of the city in every way. This is the vision that your Father in heaven has for you and for your future. This is the work that he is doing in your life. But also, we are graciously invited to join him in his work. To put off the old self and put on the new self day by day. The self that is slowly but surely being transformed into the likeness of Christ. May we be people who never lose sight of what he is doing or where he is leading. And may we be a church that never tires of helping people find and follow the way of Jesus for his glory and for our joy.
So That The Body Of Christ May Be Built Up: Did you know you’re needed for the ministry of the church? Even if you aren’t on staff or are a leader? You are! The whole church, equipped by leaders through the ministry of the word, is called to do the works of ministry. By speaking the truth in love, the whole body grows in unity, maturity, and love until it reaches the whole measure of the fullness of Christ! Recorded on Jun 16, 2024, on Ephesians 4:7-16 by Pastor David Parks.
Our series, Ephesians: The Gospel in Life, serves as an epilogue to Finding Life in Jesus’ Name from John’s gospel. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reveals much about how the life found by faith in Jesus actually works. This series will touch on themes of grace, identity, purpose, family, the church, spiritual warfare, and more. If you’re considering the life of Jesus or if you’re ready to follow him today, this series is for you.
Sermon Transcript
We’ve been working through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in a sermon series called The Gospel in Life. And today, as we continue in Chapter 4, we’re going to consider the work of ministry that every member of the body of Christ has been called to do. This teaching touches on the very purpose of the church and of Christian ministry. This is something I’m so passionate about because this teaching must impact our very identity as Christians and everything we do as a church. Have you ever wondered what you’re doing here? Like what role do you play as a member of this church? I think most Christians think that if they show up for worship on a regular basis, and maybe serve or give, that’s all that they’re expected to do. But is that true? If so, then you might get the impression that you’re not really necessary, that you’re not really needed here. But that’s dead wrong. You’re vital. We need you as much as you need us. But if we fail to understand what ministry is or what it does, then we, as individuals and as a church, are headed for danger. If you have your Bible/app, please take it and open it to Eph 4:7. We’ll read through this and unpack it together.
Ephesians 4:7–10 (NIV), “7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” 9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)” Last week, we saw how, because of our union with Christ in the church, we have already been made one. However, with so many forces threatening to pull us apart, it can be incredibly difficult to stay one. It takes humility, gentleness, patience, and so much more. And we saw that Paul shifted from a temple metaphor for the church to the body metaphor — that we in the church are members of the body of Christ. Here, starting in v. 7, Paul starts describing why the body needs to grow and mature and how that process works. He says that “to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” Now, of course, it’s true to say that every Christian has received the grace of God in their salvation. We are saved by grace through faith, right? So you can’t be a Christian and not receive the grace of God. But here, Paul uses the language of grace to describe more gifts after salvation — grace on top of grace already given. This is why Paul quotes Psalm 68. Now, if you go read Psalm 68, you’ll notice that Paul changes the language of v. 18 from people giving gifts to an exalted and victorious God to an exalted and victorious Christ giving gifts to his people. There are several theories about why he changes the meaning of this verse, but I don’t believe Paul was simply making the Psalm to say what he wanted it to say. If you read through the whole Psalm, it ends with God giving gifts to his people — gifts of power and strength. So, by changing the language of one verse, he points back to the whole Psalm. That the gracious gifts of God flow down from an exalted and victorious savior. Paul is saying that we now know that this savior’s name is Jesus. For it was Jesus who descended from heaven by his incarnation but later ascended through his resurrection and ascension back into heaven, where he is currently seated at the right hand of God and is exalted, having won the victory over Satan, sin, death, and hell. But, from this high and lifted-up state, above every power and authority in heaven and earth, Jesus continues to love and serve his body by graciously giving gifts to each one of us according to his own wisdom and measure. But what are these gifts, and what are they for?
Ephesians 4:11-12 (NIV), “11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up…” So first, what are the gifts, and second, what are they for? Well, in this passage, Paul says the gifts that Christ gives come in the form of certain people. And he either lists four or five kinds of people as we’ll see. First, “Christ himself gave the apostles.” What is an apostle? The word apostle means “one who is sent,” which, of course, could apply to anyone sent for any purpose. An Uber driver is a type of apostle. But in the NT, the apostles were unique in that they were chosen by Christ himself to be eyewitnesses to his life/ministry/death/resurrection. These twelve men were sent out by Jesus to bear witness to what they saw and heard from him, starting in Jerusalem and Judea, then to Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth (Ac 1:8). From the original twelve, after losing Judas they added Matthias (twelve apostles to match the twelve tribes of Israel), but then later Jesus added Paul of Tarsus, his apostle to the Gentiles. The early church was devoted to the apostles’ teaching, which, as Paul said back in Chapter 2, became the foundation (with the prophets) for the church, with Christ himself serving as the chief cornerstone. As the church, we are built on Jesus and the message about Jesus from his apostles. Now, in those early days, you could hear this message from an apostle in person. (Wouldn’t it be cool to have Peter or John visit our church?) But within that first generation, you could also hear the message of the apostles from their writings, which is what we have in the NT of our Bibles today. So, unfortunately, you can’t sign up to be an apostle on a ministry team here today. However, you can be devoted to reading, studying, and working to share the message of the apostles any day of the week. In fact, the more, the better. Second, “Christ himself gave…the prophets.” OT prophets such as Moses, Isaiah, and Daniel spoke on behalf of God. Like the apostles of the NT, they spoke or wrote down God’s word for God’s people, saying things like, “This is what the Lord says…” However, the prophetic ministry didn’t stop with the coming of Jesus, who, of course, is our great high prophet. Paul writes about prophets and the gift of prophecy in his letters. The book of Acts writes of prophets like Agabus or the prophets and teachers who led the church at Antioch. Of course, it also describes false prophets, as there were false prophets during the OT. For this reason, Paul writes to the Thessalonians, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.” (1Th 5:19-22). When I think of prophecy, I tend to think more about someone who receives insight concerning something that will happen in the future. And this is often the case. But also, a prophet is one who reveals God’s word to his people. This is why “…the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.” (1Co 14:3). Third, “Christ himself gave…the evangelists.” What is an evangelist? The root word for evangelist, evangelical, and evangelism all comes from the Greek word for good news. Now, you could be an evangelist who bears any kind of good news. I don’t know if they still use this lingo, but Apple used to have product evangelists for their Mac computers and iPhones and such — spreading the good news about their expensive gadgets. But, an evangelist who is a gracious gift for the body of Christ is one who preaches/proclaims/shares the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The work of an evangelist isn’t done until they’ve both proclaimed the gospel and invited people to respond through repentance and faith. “The time has come [as Jesus said]…The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mk 1:15). To switch back to the temple metaphor, if apostles and prophets lay the foundation, then evangelists invite people to come in the building. Finally, “Christ himself gave…” the Pastor-teachers or possibly the pastors and teachers. The Greek suggests that these last two gifts should probably be taken together, although they might be separate kinds of people. Whether these last two should be taken as one or not, the truth is that while not every teacher is a pastor (I think of parents teaching their kids or a community group leader or small group kids leader at Midweek when i think of this), but every pastor is also a teacher. The word for pastor lit. means shepherd, so pastors shepherd the flock of God (yet another metaphor for the church). But what do shepherds do? They lead, feed, and protect the flock that Jesus, our Chief Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, has entrusted to their care. How do pastors do this work? Pastors lead, feed, and protect the flock according to the ministry of the word and prayer. And what do teachers do? Teachers teach! They help people learn, understand, and apply God’s word to every part of their lives. Of course, all of these people are involved in the ministry of the word. Apostles and prophets lay the foundation of God’s word, evangelists invite people to hear and believe the word, and pastor-teachers lead by the word, seeking to explain and apply the word. These are the people that Christ graciously gives his body. But for what purpose? What are these gifts for? (v. 12) “…to equip his people.” For what? “…for works of service [ministry].” But why? “…so that the body of Christ may be built up.” This means that ministry isn’t just the calling for a select few, such as the elders or church staff members. The leadership of the church has been given not to be an impressive show to sit back and watch but to equip you, the people of the church, for ministry. Now, there are several lists in the NT of spiritual gifts, including our passage here, 1Co 12, Ro 12, and other places. But, one of the interesting aspects of these various lists is that none of them are the same. There’s some overlap, but each one is different. I think that means that none of them are meant to be exhaustive. So, we can trust that Christ will give gifts of all kinds to equip his people and build up his body. But if this happens, if those who are called to the ministry of the word are faithful and hardworking so that the people of the church are equipped to do the good works that God has prepared in advance for you to do, and if the body of Christ is built up, what does that look like?
Ephesians 4:13 (NIV), “13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” What does it look like to build up the body of Christ? Paul says the goal of ministry is to build up the body of Christ in three ways. First, built up in unity. But unity in what exactly? Well, this is certainly related to the unity we focused on last week. But here, Paul says that good leadership and fruitful ministry equipping will result in unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God. We’ll never be built up; we’ll never become mature unless we first have unity in our faith, believing/trusting in the same core doctrines to be true about the person and work of Jesus. But then, second, good leadership and fruitful ministry equipping will result in maturity — of growing up and gaining wisdom, love, self-control, and all the fruit of the Spirit. But if this happens, then we might attain “to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” And this is no small matter. No matter what you do for work, whether you’re in healthcare, finance, education, or in business, whether you’re paid or unpaid, this, this work of discipleship is the most important work in all the world! But what happens if we, as leaders, fail to lead in this way? Or if we, as the body of Christ, fail to do this ministry and fail to grow in our unity and maturity and fail to attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ? Well, there is a great danger here. Look at v. 14.
Ephesians 4:14 (NIV), “14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” Sadly, this is where many Christians are today. They’ve heard the gospel and trusted in Christ for their salvation, but they were never discipled, never expected to grow and mature, never led, fed, or protected by the word. They were never called to do the work of the ministry. In other words, they received the first half of the Great Commission but not the second. They believed and were baptized into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, but they were never taught to obey everything Christ has commanded for us or expected to help anyone else do the same. This is just as much an emergency as it would be to have a baby in the open ocean. An infant, tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind, is not cute. It’s terribly dangerous. Why? Because a Christian who remains spiritually immature is vulnerable to being influenced or led astray by any and every wind of teaching, good/bad/ugly. They might be saved, but they’re vulnerable to the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. There are false pastors and teachers today, just as there were false apostles and prophets during the time of the early church. There are some today who preach the gospel for selfish gain, perhaps for wealth/fame/power or some other worldly benefit, and not to build up the body of Christ. Jesus warned that this would be the case. Paul warned the elders in Ephesus that this would be the case, that wolves would come seeking to devour and destroy the flock of God, and they should guard against it. If you remain immature in your faith, in your knowledge of the Son of God, you will not be able to discern whether someone in a position of spiritual authority is truly representing Christ or not. But with the ministry of the word, and with every believer doing their part, the body of Christ is far stronger than any false teacher or false teaching, no matter how powerful they are or how many people are led astray. But if we see the fruit of good leadership and we are able to grow in our unity and maturity, what will that look like?
Ephesians 4:15–16 (NIV), “15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” This is God’s word. So instead of remaining immature and being tossed about by every wind and wave, instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow and be built up in love, as each part does its work (each part includes you, too!). So here, we find as good a job description as any in the Scriptures for what it means to be part of a local church. It means that because of our union with Christ, by grace and through faith, that we are joined to his body, of which he is the head. And that as members of his body, we are called to speak the truth to one another. But truth tempered in love for one another. Why? So that our unity and our maturity grow together and are expressed by ever greater love for one another. This kind of Christian is a Christian who is unshakable. This kind of church is a church that is unshakable, against which the gates of hell will never prevail. And this is God’s grand desire, his incredible plan is, for your life. So today, are you needed? Are you necessary to the ministry of this church? Absolutely, yes. You are vital. May we grow and continue to grow, speaking the truth in love to one another until we all attain the measure of the fullness of Christ! May he be glorified both now and forever more! Amen. Let us pray.
Keeping the Unity: Unity in the church (or any close relationship) doesn’t just happen. It takes work…and lots of it! In the church, our union with Christ means we ought to have unity with each other. But staying united takes loads of humility, gentleness, and patience. This is not easy; is it worth it? Absolutely. Recorded on Jun 9, 2024, on Ephesians 4:1-6 by Pastor David Parks.
Our series, Ephesians: The Gospel in Life, serves as an epilogue to Finding Life in Jesus’ Name from John’s gospel. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reveals much about how the life found by faith in Jesus actually works. This series will touch on themes of grace, identity, purpose, family, the church, spiritual warfare, and more. If you’re considering the life of Jesus or if you’re ready to follow him today, this series is for you.
Sermon Transcript
We’ve been working through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in a sermon series called The Gospel in Life. And today, as we start Chapter 4, we’re going to consider the unity we have as a church, that because of our union with Christ — which, we’ve seen is one of the main themes of Ephesians — but because of our union with Christ, we also have unity with everyone else who has this same union with Christ. This past week, Holly and I went back through a hard drive with all our old pictures, and I came across our old, grainy wedding video. Some of you know that Holly and I met when we were ten years old. So, even though we got married when we were young, it still felt like we knew everything about each other. Of course, that was far from true, but, you know, young love! But what that video captured was that on our wedding day, Holly and I were two who became one. And Holly and I were blessed not to have much conflict early on in our marriage. But do you know how hard we’ve had to work over the last hundred and fifty years of our marriage to stay one? Even in the best of circumstances, it takes a lot of work to keep a marriage healthy. But this is just a picture of the work needed to keep the relationships healthy that we have here in the church. There are many things that might be different about us or threaten to divide us, but we have been made one in Christ. But how can we keep our unity here in the church when there are so many forces that seek to pull us apart? If you have your Bible/app, please take it and open it to Eph 4:1. We’ll read through this and unpack it together.
Ephesians 4:1 (NIV), “1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” In Chapter 1, Paul made it clear that every believer is called in Christ — called into a relationship with God, called from death to life, called into hope, called into the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, called by the power of the Spirit, and so much more. In Chapter 2, we saw that this calling was a result of God’s gracious gift and because of God’s eternal love — not because of anything we had done or ever could do. Remember? “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” We’re not saved by works, but saving faith is faith that produces good works. Remember? “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” So, the way of salvation is not by works. But the Christian life is full of good works done because we’ve been saved. Now, it’s always important to make sure we get the order right. Otherwise, we can become confused and think that salvation depends on us. This is why Paul and other NT authors usually start with what the gospel is, but then they pivot to talking about what the gospel does in life. In Ephesians, Chapters 1-3 are mostly about what the gospel is. But here, at the start of Chapter 4 and through the end of the letter, Paul turns his focus more to what the gospel does. And Paul urges his friends in Ephesus to…what? To “live a life worthy of the calling” they had received. To live a life (lit., to walk in a manner) worthy of the cross of Christ, worthy of the gospel of God’s grace. Of course, here in Chapter 4, we don’t move away from faith; we don’t leave the grace of God as we learn to follow Jesus and obey all that he has commanded of us. We come to Christ by faith, and we continue in Christ by faith. “We live [walk] by faith, not by sight.” (2Co 5:7). But in Christ (and by faith in Christ), we are responsible for the way that we walk through life. A Christian who thinks that faith in Jesus is where their responsibilities end doesn’t understand what they’ve been called into. But what does Paul have in mind for a life worthy of our calling? How is he urging us to live?
Ephesians 4:2 (NIV), “2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” The life that Paul has in mind is guided/shaped by a particularly Christ-like set of virtues. He gives us three to think about. First, let’s consider humility. What is humility? Well, humility is the opposite of pride. Being humble doesn’t mean you’re a doormat and let people walk all over you. It means you have nothing to prove, and you don’t need the attention or credit from others; you’re secure in who you are. You don’t always need to get your way. Being humble means you know you’re not perfect, so you’re open to feedback, correction, learning, and growth. And that’s ok; you know that’s life. It doesn’t devalue/demean you or mean that other people are better than you. It means you’re comfortable with the fact that you’re human. It means you can apologize when you’re wrong. It means you can laugh at yourself; you don’t have to take everything about yourself so seriously. In fact, humility really means you don’t have to think about yourself that much at all. Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians, “…in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Php 2:3-4). Humility is more concerned about others than about yourself. So first, Paul says, be completely humble. And you know what? It takes humility to admit we’re not yet completely humble. Second, let’s consider being gentle. Being gentle is the opposite of being harsh, rough, or aggressive. Being gentle means you aren’t explosive; people don’t have to walk on eggshells around you. Now, being gentle doesn’t mean you’re weak or that you’re not passionate about anything. It just means you have self-control — you’re in control of your anger, frustration, and irritation. These things don’t rule you. As a result, you can choose to be kind, considerate, and respectful of others. If strength is needed, you can apply strength, but you don’t need to constantly flex on everyone. If authority is needed, you can apply authority, but you don’t leave a wake of bodies behind you. Gentleness means you can forgive others when they sin against you. You don’t have to punish people or hold a grudge. Gentleness means you understand there are better ways to influence others beyond using fear, guilt, or shame to manipulate people into getting your way. Now, from the outside, a gentle person might seem like they have less power or influence than someone who is more of a bully. But think about the difference between a little stream and a mighty river. The river will look calm on the surface; it doesn’t appear that much is happening, while the little stream will splash and roar. But which one has more power? Which one has more influence? Obviously, the river. Be completely humble, gentle, and, third, “be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Patience means being calm, being ok, it means having peace when we’re unable to get immediate gratification. As far as I can tell, the only time we need to be patient is when we need to wait, when we can’t get what we want when we want it, or we can’t get where we want to when we want to. Now, if there were no other people on the planet, if God made all this creation just for you, then maybe you wouldn’t have to be patient as often. But I still think you’d have to be patient! You’d still have to wait for the weather, you’d still have to wait for the seasons to change, you’d still have to wait to grow up, and so forth. But it’s not just you, is it? There are literally billions of us here! So, it’s inevitable that we’ll have to wait at times. It’s inevitable that we’ll get in each other’s way or step on each other’s toes or someone will want to drive 2 MPH slower in front of us on the highway, or misunderstand something we’ve said, or commit some other terrible offense. In this context, then, in the real world, humility, gentleness, and patience are what love looks like. This is what Christ looks like. This is all part of learning to live a life worthy of our calling in Christ. But these virtues are so different than the ways of the world, right? How many people do you work with or go to school with who could be described as humble, gentle, and patient? How many interactions on social media are guided by humility, gentleness, and patience? Not many. But, the truth is, what Paul is urging us toward was counter-cultural in his day, as well. Greek and Roman philosophers had lists of virtues — of positive values for life/society, such as justice, courage, wisdom, and self-control. But no one included humility, for example, as a positive virtue. That is, not until Jesus. Not until the Son of God came from heaven, not to be served (as he deserved) but to serve and give his life as a ransom for sinners (see Mk 10:45). Only after Jesus did people start to see humility as a noble thing, as something to aspire to. But if we actually lived like this, if we actually followed the way of Jesus in our attitudes and actions toward others, as counter-cultural as it always is, what do you think would happen?
Ephesians 4:3 (NIV), “3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” What would happen if were completely humble, gentle, and patient, here, in our church? We would be one. We’d enjoy the unity of the Spirit. We’d have peace. If everyone was putting everyone else’s needs ahead of their own, and keeping their anger under control, and staying calm when having to wait for something/someone, then everyone would be cared for and honored and loved and no one would be lacking in any way. Now, “Make every effort” means to be zealous, to try, to care…about what? To keep/guard the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. This is something that will take work/effort. But we’re not expected to do this work without any help. The truth is, the hard work has already been done. Back in Chapter 2, Paul said that Jesus is our peace — that through his death on the cross for the sins of the world and his resurrection from the dead, Jesus broke down the barriers between people and God. “He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.” And now, through hearing and believing the gospel, we’re united with him and with everyone else who is united with him. Paul isn’t saying we need to manufacture this unity. In Christ, we are already one. However, we must make every effort to keep/guard the unity, to keep the peace between one another. As Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Mt 5:9). But why does Paul have to urge us to live like this? Why does this take so much energy? Why does this take so much effort? Well, the reason is…have you ever met people before? Are people easy to get along with? Are people easy to love? Or are people incredibly hard to love? I say it all the time, but really loving other actual people is the hardest thing in all the world to do. Of course, it’s the best thing. It’s what we were created for. But in a broken world, to expect sinful/foolish people to love other sinful/foolish people so that we’re truly one might seem impossible. Now, it’s not impossible. But it’s worth pointing out that it did take the death of the Son of God and the gift of the personal presence and power of God in the person of the Holy Spirit indwelling/empowering us in order to unite us with one another in Christ. In other words, it took a whole lot to make this possible, so it shouldn’t be that surprising that it might take some effort to keep the unity/peace. But this commitment, this work, would be helpful in every part of your life: home, work, society. But remember, Paul’s focus here is in the church. He’s writing to the Christians there in Ephesus. And a church of Jesus Christ ought to be a whole community of peacemakers. Paul ends this passage focusing on all that we have in common in the church.
Ephesians 4:4–6 (NIV), “4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” This is God’s word. So, in Chapter 4, Paul switches from the temple metaphor for the church to the body metaphor. And no matter how many local churches or denominations there might be in the world, there is still only one body of Christ. There is still only one Holy Spirit who fills and guides, and gives life to this one body. Paul will continue to develop this body analogy in our passage next week. But for now, it’s worth pointing out that our unity doesn’t delete all the beautiful differences from one Christian to another or one local church congregation to another. Unity doesn’t mean uniformity. But that’s where the body metaphor is brilliant. There’s one body, though there are many different members, gifts, personalities, and so forth. But because of all that we share through faith in Christ, that we have one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father over all, we have a common bond and one that crosses space and time. This means you have more in common with a Christian who lives in China/Zambia/Argentina/Alabama today than with your non-Christian next-door neighbor. This means you have more in common with the Apostle Paul, King David, Mary/Hannah/John/Isaiah/Ruth, or any other of the faithful men and women in the Bible than with your non-Christian coworker, family member, or friend. Of course, this lack of spiritual unity doesn’t give anyone permission to mistreat their non-Christian neighbor/coworker/whoever. You must love your neighbor as yourself, regardless of what they believe about Jesus. But when you think about what really matters for eternity, we have way more in common with other believers than we have that divides us. If you’ve been saved by the grace of God, then none of us earned our way into this family; we’re all on the same footing before God. If you’ve put your faith and trust in Jesus, then our lives are all built on the same chief cornerstone, and we’re all rooted and established in the same love — the love of Christ! Isn’t that incredible? Isn’t that so unlike the ways of the world? The world says the only people you should love are people who like you or are like you. But if the gospel is true, then it’s not just true that you can be united and have real love and peace with anyone in Christ — but that you do, and you must guard this unity!
Now, normally, at the end of our sermons, we try to make the connection from the text to apply to our lives today. I’d like to close with an encouragement and an invitation for you today. First, the encouragement. I don’t believe our church is struggling with this. I believe our leadership and our church as a whole is very healthy and unified. Do you remember several weeks ago how Paul said that he had heard a good report about the church in Ephesus? That he’d heard in Rome about their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for all God’s people? This is how I feel about you. Every week, I see examples or hear stories about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for one another here, and it brings me great joy as your pastor. This church is awesome. So my encouragement is to keep going. Keep working at this. Even the best garden needs to be weeded to continue to flourish. And there are way too many forces in this broken world that seek to divide us for us to grow complacent about the unity/peace we enjoy with one another. Finally, an invitation. If you aren’t a Christian here today, I want to invite you to come to Jesus. Or, if you are a Christian but are struggling with any of the virtues that Paul mentioned that will guard our unity with one another, I want to invite you to come back to Jesus. Don’t forget it was Jesus who opened his arms wide to all people, saying, “28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” May we be people who, by the grace of God and the power of his Spirit, are growing in humility, gentleness, patience, and all the other virtues of Christ. And may this church enjoy the unity and reflect the peace of Christ out into the community and the world around us. Let us pray.
The Presence of Christ: What would be the best thing for you? How about for the people you love? To have the spiritual power that comes from a growing knowledge and experience of the love of Christ. To be rooted and established in his love. And that his presence would be real to you in your inner being. Recorded on Jun 2, 2024, on Ephesians 3:14-21 by Pastor David Parks.
Our series, Ephesians: The Gospel in Life, serves as an epilogue to Finding Life in Jesus’ Name from John’s gospel. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reveals much about how the life found by faith in Jesus actually works. This series will touch on themes of grace, identity, purpose, family, the church, spiritual warfare, and more. If you’re considering the life of Jesus or if you’re ready to follow him today, this series is for you.
Sermon Transcript
For a little over a month now, we’ve been working through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in a sermon series called The Gospel in Life. And today, as we finish chapter 3, we’re going to consider the second prayer of Paul in this letter, which is really one of the most expansive and powerful prayers in all of the Scriptures. The reason it’s so powerful is because Paul prays for what would be the absolute best thing for his friends there in Ephesus. Have you ever wondered what would be the best thing for you? Or what would be the best thing for someone you love? A parent or spouse or child or friend? A few years ago, I found myself thinking about that question a lot. We’d just moved our oldest son, Tyler, into his dorm room for his freshmen year at college. And Holly and I drove home with a bunch of empty bins in the back and a lot of feelings swirling around in our hearts — healthy pride in who he was and in his accomplishments, fears of what he might encounter, and everything in between. We realized that our relationship and our role as parents had seemingly changed overnight. Holly and I found ourselves feeling driven to pray for Tyler a lot that year. But what should we have prayed for? Should we have prayed that God would protect our son from negative influences? Should we have prayed that God would help him get good grades? or make friends? or that he would just be happy? What would be the best thing for him? What would be the best thing to ask God for? Well, today, we’re going to discover what would be the very best thing for all of us. Grab your Bibles/apps and open to Eph 3:14.
Ephesians 3:14–17a (NIV), “14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Paul starts this section with “For this reason…” which is the same way he started the text we looked at last week. It almost seems as if Paul interrupted the flow of his letter with an aside about his story and his suffering. But after considering how Paul’s story was changed in every way by the story of who God is and what God has done and is doing through his Son and Spirit — in other words, the story of the gospel — it doesn’t seem like that much of a tangent. In fact, his story as a Jewish man who became a Christian and then was commissioned by Jesus to be his apostle to the Gentiles fits the great theme of this letter of our union with Christ and, therefore, our unity with one another in him, Jew and Gentile. But after a brief stop in connecting his story to this theme of unity, Paul comes back to where he left off in Chapter 2 with another prayer. But what does he pray for? He says that he’s kneeling before God the Father in heaven, “from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.” Now, this doesn’t translate well into English, but the Greek word for Father is the root of the word for family. So, Paul starts this prayer with a reminder of who he is praying to. Paul is praying directly to the source of every person, family, tribe, and nation — to the creator of the heavens and the earth. Is there anyone higher than our heavenly Father? Is anyone greater or more capable of answering our prayers? No. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he told them to pray like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (Mt 6:9). God is not some shapeless being or divine spark. He’s revealed himself to be our Father. And he’s not bound by space and time or limited in any way as we are. He’s transcendent; he’s above all; he is our Father in heaven. And everything about him is holy, set apart, and perfect. Hallowed be your name. In prayer, we’re approaching the burning bush, and we better take our sandals off because the place we are standing is holy ground. Never approach God in prayer flippantly or without reverence and awe. Of course, we don’t have to wonder if God will accept us or our prayers in Christ. As we’ve seen already in Ephesians, the doors have been thrown open to the throne room of God because of his great love for us! But we must never forget who we are praying to. Paul goes on to tell us his first request in v. 16. “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,” So far, in Ephesians, Paul has been emphasizing the cosmic scope of the gospel: That from eternity to eternity, God has been working to bring redemption and renewal to all things in heaven and earth so that everything might be brought to unity in and under the lordship of Christ. And that it is out of the glorious/boundless/incalculable riches of his love/grace/mercy that God has been doing his saving work. And it is out of that abundance that Paul prays that God would give his friends power. But notice he doesn’t pray for physical power or political power or power that comes from being rich or famous — but that they might be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit in their inner person, their inner being. In other words, that they would have spiritual power within their hearts and minds, in their thoughts, emotions, and will. But the outcome of this strengthening is unexpected. Paul asks that God would strengthen them in their inner being “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Now, remember, he’s writing here to Christians. So, they had already believed the gospel and received Christ by faith. The Spirit of Christ was already dwelling in their hearts. As he writes to the Romans, “…if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” (Ro 8:9b). You can’t be a Christian and not have the Holy Spirit. So, Paul must not be praying that they would become Christians. But if that’s not the case, then what exactly is he praying for? Well, having talked with hundreds of people about their faith over the years as a pastor, I can tell you that many Christians have trusted Christ for salvation but have experienced little else from him in their lives. They are Christians, but they struggle to connect their faith or the story of the gospel to their work/relationships/money, or some other aspect of life. They believe in Jesus, but do they experience the presence and power of Christ dwelling in their hearts? Has the gospel shaped and transformed their entire inner person/world? Maybe a little? Can you resonate with that? But just imagine if it did! Imagine if your union with Christ was so real to you that you had the sense of walking through all of life with him, that his presence was leading and guiding you moment by moment and day by day, that he was giving you daily bread, that his word was becoming not just another option for you when it was convenient or obviously beneficial to you but his word was the first thing that came to mind and shaped the very desires of your heart. So, Paul isn’t praying the Ephesians would start believing in Jesus, like flipping on a light switch and going from darkness to light. He’s praying that these believers would have a growing sense/experience of the power/presence of Christ in their inner being, like turning up the dimmer switch of a light that’s already on, so that Christ would shine more and more brilliantly from within their lives. But what exactly does Paul want them to experience more of? What aspect of the person and work of Jesus would be best for them?
Ephesians 3:17b-19 (NIV), “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Paul prays that his friends would have a growing sense/experience of the love of Christ. This is what he’s praying that God would turn up in their lives. And Paul uses two different metaphors here. First, he prays that like a mighty oak tree whose roots run deep to provide nourishment but also stability and strength to stand against any wind/storm that might come, Paul prays that the Ephesians would be rooted in the love of Christ. Second, the word established here is an architectural word for foundation. So he prays that, as a building with a firm foundation can stand strong for hundreds of years, sometimes even thousands of years (Remember, some of the buildings that stood in Ephesus during the time of the Apostle Paul are still standing to this day!), so in the same way, Paul prays that his friends would be built on the love of Christ. You might recall the image from Chapter 2 of God building us, his people, Jew and Gentile, into a new temple, which he dwells by his Spirit, with Christ as the chief cornerstone. We, as God’s people, a holy and living temple, are to be rooted and established not in guilt or shame or fear, but in love. And this love provides the nourishment we need and the stability that allows us to stand firm, no matter what we might face in this broken world. But from this place of strength/health/life, Paul prays that we might have power, together with all the saints, all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp/comprehend “how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” This is what Paul wants to dial up in their lives. These dear brothers and sisters in Christ know the love of Christ, but they haven’t yet grasped the extent of his love. They haven’t reached the end. There are still dimensions and vistas they’ve yet to see. This is certainly true for us as well. One of the beautiful aspects of the gospel is that a young child can understand and believe, “Jesus loves me; this I know.” But they won’t be able to grasp the depth of his love or fully comprehend what it cost him on the cross to love or all that his love means for every aspect of life — at least not all at once. Even for those of us who are more mature in our faith, the love of God comes pouring out to us in a flood we can barely contain. It’s lavished on us from one who wants to share his boundless riches with us! So, we all can/need to grow in our knowledge/experience of the love of Christ. To pursue a growing knowledge/experience of this love as Paul says, that surpasses knowledge. But what does that mean? Is Paul praying for the impossible? To know something that is unknowable? Possibly. God is personal and wants a personal relationship with us so he can be known to a degree. But there are aspects of God that are difficult, if not impossible, for us to fully understand. How is God three and one? How did God create everything from nothing? I’m not sure that as finite human creatures, we’re able to comprehend all of God’s nature. And maybe that’s what God’s love is like. It’s so deep and wide, even though we can grow in our understanding, it’s still beyond our ability to fully comprehend. Or maybe, in saying that his love surpasses knowledge, Paul is referring to the fact that the love of God must go beyond a purely intellectual basis. It’s not just a fact, it’s meant to be an experience. It needs to saturate our whole inner person. The love of Christ must be something we learn about and meditate on, something that comes quickly to mind and shapes our identity/motives/expectations/goals. The love of Christ must be a source of spiritual power, and that flows out into every aspect of our lives and to the people around us every day. I think both meanings might be true. But if this happens, if Paul’s prayer is answered and God strengthens his people with power in their inner being to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, then they will be…what? They will be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” And Paul can’t take it anymore. The possibility that his friends might experience the loving presence of Christ to this height and depth and the whole cosmic sweep of the gospel of God’s grace, lifts Paul from the chains of his prison where he writes, all the way up into the heavens in a doxology or a call to glorify God.
Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV), “20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” This is God’s word. Well, if you take notes in your Bibles, vv. 20-21 would be a good passage to circle or underline. Who is it we are praying to? Is he able to answer our prayers? Of course. He is our Father in heaven. He is our Creator, the Maker of heaven and earth. And he is able to do so much more (immeasurably more) than we could even imagine. He’s not even limited to what we pray for. We might be praying too small of prayers compared to what he really wants to do in our lives or in the lives of those we love. But this reality of who God is and what he’s done and doing through his Son and Spirit, and all he has promised to do for us in Christ, lifts Paul up into glory. To him be glory. To God be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! What a triumphant end to this first half of his letter!
As we close today, we usually shift to application. How might we apply this text to our lives today? Well, I’d like to ask you, what normally fills your mind today? What occupies your heart? What lives in your inner world, your imagination? For most people, even Christians, their inner world is a scary place. They’re full of anxiety, self-loathing, shame, and regret. We might know about the love of Christ, but it might not be this bright, shining light and source of power, stability, and nourishment in our lives. So, what would be the best thing for us? This is it! What Paul is praying for them is what would be the very best thing in life for the ones that we love. Of course, we can pray for protection and provision and for God to help us with the day-to-day stuff of life. But the best thing would be if we had a growing knowledge/experience of the love of Christ, if we had the spiritual power that comes from being rooted and established in this love, and if we were filled with all the fullness of God. But you know what? One day, we will have been Christians for ten thousand years. Can you believe that? But even then, I’m not sure we’ll have gotten to the end of the love of Christ. And this, my friends, is why the Christian life is first and foremost a life of worship. When the love of Christ is real to you, all of life becomes a doxology that includes every believer who has ever lived. “to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Let us pray.
The Wisdom of God: If God is all-powerful and perfectly wise, how could he allow suffering to exist? People have always wrestled with this question, many Christians as well. According to the manifold wisdom of God and through the suffering of Christ, we can approach God with freedom and confidence in our time of need. Suffering is not the end of the story. Recorded on May 26, 2024, on Ephesians 3:1-13 by Pastor David Parks.
Our series, Ephesians: The Gospel in Life, serves as an epilogue to Finding Life in Jesus’ Name from John’s gospel. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reveals much about how the life found by faith in Jesus actually works. This series will touch on themes of grace, identity, purpose, family, the church, spiritual warfare, and more. If you’re considering the life of Jesus or if you’re ready to follow him today, this series is for you.
Sermon Transcript
For the last few weeks and for the next few months, we’ll be working through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in a sermon series called The Gospel in Life. And today, as we start chapter 3, we’re going to consider the wisdom of God’s plan, hidden in the past, but now revealed to us in Christ. But there’s a mystery here. The mystery, what was really shocking, was that God’s plan included the immense suffering and humiliation of the cross of Christ. No one expected a dying messiah. Of course, Christians believe that after this suffering and death, on the third day, Jesus rose again from the dead as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. But still, God used the greatest tragedy to accomplish the greatest good. Almost no one would’ve thought this is what God’s plan would’ve looked like. However, even with this story of the suffering of the Son of God at the heart of the gospel, and even though the apostles and many of the first followers of Jesus suffered greatly for their faith, suffering is still shocking for many Christians today. Many Christians wonder if God is all-powerful, and if he is perfectly good, how could he allow suffering to exist? People have wrestled with this question as far back as we have a written record. Have you ever wondered how God could allow something evil or painful to intrude into your life? Have you ever prayed/cried out to God in tears/confusion because of the suffering in your life? What can we do in those dark days? What can we say when those difficult questions creep into our hearts? One of the things we can do is look to the stories of those who suffered in the Bible and learn from them. We might look to the stories of Joseph, Job, Naomi, or David and see how they dealt with suffering. But the Apostle Paul’s story is right up there — he suffered greatly because of his faith. And today, we’ll see how he talks about his experience, including the fact that he was an innocent man writing to the Ephesians from prison. But Paul’s perspective is radically different than the ways of this world. If so, grab a Bible/app and open it to Eph 3:1. We’ll unpack this text as we go.
Ephesians 3:1–3 (NIV), “1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— 2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.” In Chapter 1, Paul spelled out the truly cosmic nature of the gospel — that God was working from eternity to eternity to unite all things in/under Christ. In Chapter 2, Paul went on to remind the Ephesians of the radical unity that God has brought to Jews and Gentiles by grace through faith in Jesus. Now, here, he shares how his personal story relates to the unfolding story of God. And he starts by calling himself “the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles.” It’s interesting that he doesn’t say he’s a prisoner because of Christ Jesus, but he’s the prisoner of Christ Jesus. This phrase could have several possible meanings. First, he’s a prisoner of Christ because of his commitment to preaching the gospel of Jesus. Reading the book of Acts, we see this was historically true. Paul never broke the law, but he made powerful enemies by preaching Christ, and eventually, their opposition to him led to his imprisonment. Second, he’s a prisoner of Christ in the sense that Jesus had captured him on the road to Damascus. He writes, “Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation.” Paul says that he had already written briefly to the Ephesians about his story. Now, we aren’t sure if he’s referring to something earlier in this letter or if he’s referring to another letter that he wrote, such as the letter to the Colossians, which they might’ve had access to, or if he’s referring to another letter that he wrote to the Ephesians that has been lost to history. But no matter what writing Paul’s referring to here, he knows that they know his story. How he was an enemy of Christ and a zealous persecutor of Christians who tried to destroy the church. That is until he had a vision of the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. This revelation changed everything for Paul. He went from being an enemy of Christ to becoming a prisoner of Christ, bound to him as his servant. I think Paul used this language to refer to both his conversion and his current situation in prison, basically his whole life in Christ. But for Paul, prison wasn’t without a purpose. He says he’s a “prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles.” And, he calls his conversion “God’s grace that was given to me for you,” that is, for the Gentiles, as Jesus had commissioned him to be his apostle to the Gentiles.
Ephesians 3:4–6 (NIV), “4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” Paul already mentioned the mystery which was revealed to him by revelation. Here, he says that by knowing his story, then, the Ephesians “will be able to understand [his] insight into the mystery of Christ.” He says that this mystery “was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.” In other words, God has revealed by divine revelation something new. God revealed this mystery to his holy apostles and prophets, then through the apostles and prophets to the rest of the church. But what? What was the content of this mystery? Paul tells us in v. 6, “…that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” This is huge. A few weeks ago, we saw that the Gentiles were on the same sinking ship as the Jews before God. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; all are spiritually dead in their transgressions and sins. But here, Paul says the Gentiles aren’t only in the same condition of spiritual death apart from the person and work of Christ as the Jews. The mystery is that now, in Christ, Gentiles receive the same promises God had given generations earlier to the Jews. You see, all the way back in Genesis 12, when God chose the family of Abraham and Sarah and made a covenant with them, it was a covenant of promise. God promised that their family would become a great nation and that they would live in the land of Canaan. God had promised them a people and a place. We see this in Genesis 12:2–3 (NIV), the Lord said to Abraham, “2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” But even as God chose Abraham’s family from all the families of the world, and from all the peoples of the world to be his chosen people, a key part of this promise was that through their people, through the seed/offspring of Abraham, all the peoples on earth would be blessed. There were hints and clues of God’s heart for all peoples throughout the OT. But Jesus was the turning point. As Paul already said, when the Gentiles were without hope and without God in the world, those “…who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” “He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” (see Eph 2:11-22). So now, the mystery of how God would fulfill his promise to Abraham has been revealed. It was through Jesus, the seed of Abraham, that all people, Jew and Gentile, would be reconciled first to God and then to one another as part of one new body/temple/family/church. So now, “through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the [covenant] promise in Christ Jesus.” From here, Paul goes back to how his story relates to this unfolding story of who God is, what he’s done and is doing by his Son and Spirit, and all he promises for our future in Christ — in other words, how his story relates to the gospel.
Ephesians 3:7-9 (NIV), “7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.” We’ve already mentioned Paul’s conversion from the enemy of Christ to the servant of Christ. This is why he says he’s “…the least of all the Lord’s people.” Paul doesn’t see himself as deserving of any special blessing from God, just the opposite! He was commissioned as the apostle to the Gentiles in an act of pure, unexpected, and undeserved grace. But Paul’s story is just an extreme version of all of our stories. As we’ve already said in this series, we do not become Christians because we’re better, smarter, or more deserving than others. We are Christians because we need Jesus, and we’ve received the gracious gift of Jesus by faith and faith alone. In the same way, Paul didn’t solve this mystery of God because he was so smart he figured it all out on his own. And, he didn’t look within himself and feel it out. He needed something outside himself. He needed God to reveal it to him. But when that happened and when Paul believed, he was given a job to do: “to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.” There are really two parts to that work. First, to preach or literally, to “proclaim good news” to the Gentiles. Now, this can’t refer only to a simple evangelistic message of how to become a Christian, although I’m sure Paul could provide a concise summary of the gospel. But here, he says that he was responsible for communicating the boundless or incalculable riches of Christ. This would include how to become a Christian but also how the cosmic sweep of God’s story relates to and transforms all of life. I see something similar in the Great Commission passage at the end of Matthew’s gospel. After the resurrection, Jesus came to his disciples and sent them out to baptize and to teach. Baptism represents the beginning of the Christian life. But that’s not where Jesus wants us to stop. For the rest of our lives, we’re on a journey of discipleship, of following Jesus, of learning obedience to his word, and of helping others do the same. Maybe some of you kind of gave up after becoming a Christian, thinking you had arrived. But don’t stop. Don’t stop until all the boundless riches of Christ are not only known in your mind but are real to your heart. This was central to Paul’s calling, to preach these things as an apostle to the Gentiles. This is central to my calling, to preach these things to you as your pastor. But this is central to the Christian life for all believers, no matter what your role is in the church: to preach the gospel of the boundless riches of Christ to yourselves and to others as disciples of Jesus. But we must never forget that this mystery and the revelation of this mystery are both God’s prerogative as the one “who created all things” and “through the working of his power.” But what was God’s purpose in this unfolding mysterious plan?
Ephesians 3:10–11 (NIV), “10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God’s intent, his purpose, was that his people, his church (ekklesia, meaning assembly or congregation), would tell the story of his manifold wisdom. Elsewhere, it says that God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. No one expected a dying Messiah. No one expected suffering and death to be at the heart of the way to find eternal life. No one knew how God would fulfill his promise to bless all the peoples on the earth through the family of Abraham and Sarah. But it was not according to chance or by accident, it was by the manifold/multifaceted wisdom of God. The gospel was unfolding exactly according to the plan that started before the creation of the world, “his eternal purpose that [the Father] accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This incredible wisdom is now made known through the church, made up of Jews and Gentiles united in Christ…to whom? Paul says this marvelous plan is now made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. Well, who or what are they? According to the Bible, our reality is both a physical world and a spiritual realm. Just as human beings are both body and soul, so all of creation is both physical and spiritual. And just as God made creatures for our world, so he made creatures for the spiritual realm. Some of these beings are good, and some are not. Paul already mentioned the one known as Satan (which means adversary) or the devil back in Chapter 2, “the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” (Eph 2:2). The people of Ephesus were very familiar with these spiritual forces of evil. We’ll come back to this theme at the end of the letter with the passage on spiritual warfare. But for now, we, the church, are a testimony not only to the world around us as to the manifold wisdom of God and his plan to save people by grace through faith in Christ, but also to the rulers and the authorities of the heavenly realms. But how, then, does this cosmic story relate to our stories? And how does this relate to our suffering?
Ephesians 3:12–13 (NIV), “12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.” This is God’s word. So Paul starts and ends this passage talking about his imprisonment and his sufferings for the Gentiles, which suggests that this whole section speaks to his suffering. How does God’s story relate to our stories when our stories include pain, hardship, prison, or other suffering? The whole Bible gives many helpful answers to this big question. But I’ll close with the two that Paul gives us here. First, because the gospel provides a way, that is, in Christ and through faith in Christ, that we have access to the Father. So now, in all the ups and downs of life, we may approach God with freedom and confidence. We can pray to our Father. We can ask for provision and protection from him. And we can know that he will never reject us or forsake us because of our union with Christ. We’ve already been raised; we’ve already been seated in the heavenly realms in Christ. Second, because the gospel is a story that changes our story. How much did Jesus change Paul’s story? Like, in every way. How much can Jesus change our story? Well, he’s the same Jesus yesterday, today, and forever. He is still risen, he is still seated at the right hand of God the Father in glory, and he will still return one day as he has promised to renew and restore all things in heaven and earth. How could a God who is all-powerful and perfectly good allow pain and suffering? Because he is using it, he’s redeeming it, and through it all, he will be faithful to do what he has promised to do. And one day, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Rev 21:4). Until then, may we be people and may we be a church who make known the manifold wisdom of God in the boundless riches of Christ. Let us pray.
A New Temple: Separation from God and from other people can be hopelessly painful. But the gospel destroys all barriers and puts to death all hostility. Why? Because God is building a new temple, made up of all kinds of people, whose lives are built on Christ and aligned with his word. Recorded on May 19, 2024, on Ephesians 2:11-22 by Justun Hart.
Our series, Ephesians: The Gospel in Life, serves as an epilogue to Finding Life in Jesus’ Name from John’s gospel. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reveals much about how the life found by faith in Jesus actually works. This series will touch on themes of grace, identity, purpose, family, the church, spiritual warfare, and more. If you’re considering the life of Jesus or if you’re ready to follow him today, this series is for you.
Saved By Grace: What does it actually mean to be “saved” in a Christian sense? The Biblical picture of life in this broken world is bleak — that apart from Christ, we are spiritually dead. Is there any hope? Yes! The gospel says that because of God’s love and mercy, salvation is offered as a gracious gift to be received by faith. The gospel changes everything. Recorded on May 12, 2024, on Ephesians 2:1-10 by Pastor David Parks.
Our series, Ephesians: The Gospel in Life, serves as an epilogue to Finding Life in Jesus’ Name from John’s gospel. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reveals much about how the life found by faith in Jesus actually works. This series will touch on themes of grace, identity, purpose, family, the church, spiritual warfare, and more. If you’re considering the life of Jesus or if you’re ready to follow him today, this series is for you.
Sermon Transcript
Well, for the next few months, we’ll be working through a sermon series called The Gospel in Life from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in the Bible. If you missed either of the first few sermons, you can always go back and watch or listen to the podcast to catch up if you’d like. But today, we’re going to try and stare into the sun for the next 30 minutes or so. Today, from one of the most important passages in the whole Bible, we’re going to consider the heart of Christian salvation. What does it actually mean to be “saved” in a Christian sense? Just what is it that God saves us from? How has he saved us? And what has he saved us for? Well, in case you’re thinking, “I don’t really need this message. I’m already a Christian.” just remember, Paul is writing to Christians, to his brothers and sisters in Christ, in Ephesus. They’d already heard and believed the gospel. But today, in Ephesians 2, we’ll see that everybody needs the gospel, even Christians. We never graduate from our need for the gospel. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to Ephesians 2:1.
Ephesians 2:1–2 (NIV), “1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” “As for you” probably refers to the gentile Christians in the church at Ephesus, but he’s not leaving himself or Paul’s fellow Jews from the need for the gospel, as we’ll see shortly. But here, Paul starts with the bad news. “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.” What does this mean? Well, a transgression simply means crossing a line that shouldn’t be crossed. You commit a transgression when you drive your car through a guardrail on the highway — that never ends well. A moral transgression would be crossing a line that God has drawn, breaking a command of God, such as lying, cheating, stealing, coveting what isn’t yours, dishonoring your parents, and so on. These are all transgressions, but sin is very similar. The word for sin was originally an archery term meaning falling short of the mark. In Christian thought, sin means falling short of God’s standard for what is right in thought, word, or deed. Jesus taught that the whole Law could be summed up in two commands: first, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And the second, to love your neighbor as yourself. So sin means falling short in some way in our love for God or our love for others. Now, everyone knows that transgressions and sins are bad. God made human beings with a conscience. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to know right from wrong. But here’s the real problem: Paul says that if you cross a line you shouldn’t cross or if you fall short of what’s right, it’s not just that you’re guilty, and it’s not just that you ought to be ashamed — it’s that you’re dead. You might be physically alive, but you’re spiritually dead. You’re a cut flower. You might even look quite youthful/beautiful on the outside, but you’re separated from the only real source of life in creation. Sin always separates; it’s a disintegrating force. It corrodes and dissolves the bonds of friendship. Sin pushes husbands and wives apart. It ruins Christmas dinner. But far more important than the human impact, sin is cosmic rebellion against God. It’s a rejection of God’s word/will/way. It’s creatures choosing to reject their Creator to follow the ways of this broken “world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” This spirit is known as the adversary, the devil. Now, I don’t think most people would see their lives in such stark terms when they start considering the Christian faith. It’s true that most people have a sense of need or even a sense of guilt that they haven’t lived in a way that honors God before becoming a Christian. But I don’t think most people would check the “spiritually dead” box on the connect card (if we had that box). So, is Paul just trying to make us feel bad here? I don’t think so. The picture Paul is painting here is helpful because it’s true. Whether we fully understood it or not, apart from the person and work of Jesus, we were spiritually dead. We lived (lit. walked) according to the corrupt ways of this broken world, and we were trapped in a satanic system, a kingdom of darkness. But was this just a Gentile problem? Not at all. Paul goes on to include himself and his people in this “walking dead” condition.
Ephesians 2:3 (NIV), “3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.”Here, in switching from “you” to “us,” Paul includes the Jewish believers on the same sinking ship as the Gentiles. In the past, at one time, we were all “gratifying the cravings of our flesh.” That is, we were following any desire/thought, sinful or not, that seemed good to us at the time. Now, it might be obvious, but this is why the modern idea of following your heart doesn’t work. Because our hearts are a mixed bag of good and bad, healthy and helpful motives mixed with self-centered or even self-destructive motives. One moment, we’re trying to love and serve others, and the very next moment, we’re trying to see how much we can take from others. We struggle to do what we know is right. And sometimes, we give in all too easily to what we know it’s wrong. This isn’t a Jew or Gentile problem; it’s a universal problem. “There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Ro 3:22b-23). According to the Bible, this is the main problem in our world. All other problems flow out of this problem. Now, you might think, “If I could just get a handle on my language, or if I could just figure out how not to stop fighting with my spouse or be more patient with my coworkers, or if I could just reign in my drinking/spending/worrying, then I would basically be ok. If God could help me with those problems, then my life would basically be good to go.” But the Bible reveals there’s a far bigger problem under all those other problems. Those problems are symptoms of the disease of spiritual death. As a result, Paul’s prognosis is that “like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.” “But wait!” you might think. “I’m not that bad of a person!” And it might be true. You can almost always find someone whose record (moral performance) is worse than yours. Unfortunately, the reverse is also true. You can almost always find someone whose record is better than yours. How do you know if you’re good enough? But according to Paul, the categories aren’t good and bad, the categories are spiritually alive and spiritually dead. We saw two weeks ago that God’s cosmic goal for the gospel is the renewal and unity of all things in/under Christ. And we said that this means all of history has a direction and a destination in Christ. But the bad news is that apart from Christ, we are spiritually dead, so our direction and destination are judgment, wrath, and separation from the life, light, and love of God going on forever. This is what hell is. But is there any hope? Can anything be done about this condition? The answer of the gospel is a resounding “Yes!” Just watch.
Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV), “4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” Our passage started with “you were” and painted a bleak picture. But…what? But…God! Because of who God is — because of his great love for us and because he’s rich in mercy — we have hope. And because of what God does, because of his wonderful works — we have hope. And what has God done in accordance with his love and mercy? He “made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.” The root of all our problems is spiritual death caused by transgressions and sins. “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ro 6:23). This gift of God is what makes Paul exclaim, “…it is by grace you have been saved.” Grace is the unmerited blessing/favor of God. The new spiritual life that God gives is not a paycheck to be earned; it’s a gift simply to be received. We’ll get to how we receive it in a moment, but for now, I’d like to point out that the grace of God is one aspect of Christian salvation that is totally unique. No other religion or philosophy has anything like this. Every other religion says something like, “Here are the steps you need to follow to get the blessing/favor of God.” Every philosophy says, “Here are the steps you need to follow to live the good life.” But the gospel says, “God loves you. So, here’s what God has done/accomplished for you. Here’s the good life that God has graciously given to you in Christ.” It’s totally upside-down compared to the ways of the world. It’s just as radically different from Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism as it is from secular humanism. No one else has anything like the grace of God. But what has this grace done?
Ephesians 2:6-7 (NIV), “6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” This is a curious way of talking about the work of God. Did you notice it? These actions are all in the past tense. (“God raised us…and [has] seated us…”) But we are not in heaven, are we? And the resurrection of the dead hasn’t happened yet, has it? We’re still in the age of redemption, including the Spirit, the gospel, and the church. We’re still seeing the kingdom of God unfolding/expanding here on the earth. It’s not fully “on earth as it is in heaven” — at least not yet. So why does Paul write as if these things already happened? Well, some scholars think Paul is so confident in the gracious work of God — “that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Php 1:6) — that he speaks of our future as if it’s already happened. Like a coach telling their team, they’ve already won the game when they’re up by twenty points with only 30 seconds left in the game. Technically, they haven’t won yet, but the victory is sure. And that could be. If salvation is a gift of God’s grace, it isn’t dependent on me and my shaky ability to earn God’s blessing/favor. If we’re saved by grace, we’ve already won, right? Now, I do believe this is what God has done in Christ, but I think Paul is doing something a little different with his use of the past tense here. When he says that “God raised us up,” he says, “with Christ.” And when he says that “God seated us…in the heavenly realms,” he says, “with him” and “in Christ Jesus.” Paul is pointing to our union with Christ, one of the great themes of this letter. When God raised Jesus from the dead, we, too, were raised from the dead because of our union with him. When Jesus ascended into heaven and was seated at the right hand of God the Father, we, too, were seated because of our union with him. We were raised and seated and have received all the other aspects of the blessing and favor of God because we are in Christ. But how? How are we united with Christ? How do we receive the gift of God’s grace?
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV), “8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” If you take notes in your Bibles, these verses would be great to highlight/underline/circle. What is the way of salvation? How might we find redemption, forgiveness, and spiritual life? Do you want to know what it means to be saved? We receive the grace/love/mercy of God through faith — by believing in the person and work of Jesus and trusting him in life. We’re not Christians because we are better or smarter or more deserving than others. We’re not Christians because we have our lives all sorted out. We’re not Christians because we’ve obeyed the Ten Commandments or have perfectly loved God and our neighbor. We are not saved by our works — even works done for God. Therefore, no one can boast. Salvation cannot result in believing we’re better than others. Why? Because we are Christians for one reason only: because we need Jesus, we believe in Jesus, and by God’s grace, we have received Jesus and are now united with him. If we boast in anyone, we boast in him. So, the gospel is not “Here are the steps you need to follow to get the blessing/favor of God.” or “Here are the steps you need to follow to live the good life.” The gospel is the good news of who God is, what he’s done in the past, what he’s doing today through his Son and Spirit, and all that he promises for our future in Christ. Because of his love and mercy, God has already accomplished everything we need in Christ. To receive this as the gracious gift it was intended to be, all you need to do is take God at his word. However, by stressing God’s saving work in the gospel, that it is not by our works we are saved, Paul would never want us to think it doesn’t matter how we live. Just the opposite.
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV), “10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” This is God’s word. So, in light of the gospel of grace, where we’re saved by grace through faith, we discover we do have work to do. Not works to earn our salvation, but works to do because we’re saved. The way of salvation is a gift to receive. But the way of the Christian life, of life in Christ, is a job to do. Why? Because we are God’s handiwork. God has worked like an artisan in wisdom and great purpose in creating us. And God has made us to do good works. To love him and to love others; to share good news and help others come to faith and grow in their faith in Jesus; to work hard at work that meets the needs of others in the marketplace, education, government, and elsewhere; to care for the poor and those in need; to work for justice and raise kids who will do the same. Christians don’t do these works to become Christians but because we are Christians. Do you see why it’s so important to get the order right? As we close, what have we learned (or have been reminded of) about what God saves us from? God has saved us from spiritual death caused by our transgressions and sins. How has he saved us? He sent his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to live and die and rise again to conquer sin and death for us. His victory is given to us as a gracious gift that is received by faith. And what has he saved us for? God has saved us in Christ to do the good works that he has prepared in advance for us to do. The gospel isn’t the ABCs of the Christian life; it’s the A-Z of the Christian life. This is why we never graduate from our need for the gospel. It’s the only good news that changes everything. How it changes everything is really the subject of the rest of Paul’s letter. But for now, let us be drawn back into the doxology which is where we started. If this is who God is and this is what God has done and is doing, then all we can do is live to the praise of his glorious grace. Let us pray.
