Ephesians Talk 3

‘That we may know the love of Christ, and so be filled with the fullness of God’
Intro:
Have you ever been unexpectedly wet (not the depends kind of wet), I mean really drenched, I mean caught in a monsoonal rain storm type wet, I mean standing under a waterfall wet, I mean you got caught in a place where it rained so hard you thought your head would bleed!

To which Edmund Blackadder would of course reply – ‘I guess some sought of hat would be in order then’. But you know what I mean.

On my last beach mission, which was about three years ago at Toowoon Bay on the central coast – I got wet – I mean seriously drenched. One evening as I looked out from under the big marquee which we had erected, I saw coming around the southern headland a storm approaching – the big black ominous clouds (block out the sun) kind of storm. The Kind of storm where you can actually see the rain hitting the water from quite a distance away.

Anyway, at this point the roof of the large tent which is reminiscent of a circus marquee, (which was about 30 feet by 60 feet), was up! but the sides of the tent, which are of course integral to the overall integrity of the structure, (particularly in storms), was not. So we all got to work trying to batten down the hatches, and to tie down the loose ends on the sides of the tent, but this storm was a little too quickly upon us, and it hit us, and I mean HIT us, before the very last section of the sides had been tied.

So I found myself outside in this storm, holding the last section of the sides together as someone else ties the parts together. And this section was right in the middle of the two peaks of the tent. So there was basically a funneling effect and around 25% of the water pouring off this roof was pouring on me. It was literally a down pipe or a water spout about this round, pummeling me on the head… It was quite unbelievable, except it happened to me.. I got seriously drenched… soaked to skin, in fact soaked to your bones kind of wet. When I walked back in my shoes squelched and my shorts pockets bulged because they were full of water.

I was overwhelmed by the intensity and the effect of this water flowing onto me… and it is this kind of overwhelming experience and flowing effect is exactly what Paul is describing in Ephesians. This is the overwhelming experience of what God’s love has done in us, through Christ, in His Spirit.

As we come to our last talk in Ephesians for this series, we can see Paul’s concern that Christian’s, (and in particular the Gentile Christians at Ephesus), would be assured as to the certain fact of God’s love toward them in Christ. Paul is reassuring them that they are absolutely soaked, drenched to their core, through and through, by the mercy, the grace and love of God found in Christ in our hearts by His Spirit.

The book of Ephesians is about assurance.



This assurance of what God is done is the grounds and reason why Paul can pray for other Christians, and in fact it is probably more correct to say Paul really can’t help but pray – like some form of Christian Turrets syndrome, the words of prayer and in particular praise just fall out of his mouth in our passage today.

P1 – Paul prays ‘for this reason..’
3:14 For this reason
I kneel
before the Father,
15 from whom his whole family
in heaven and
on earth
derives its name.

‘For this reason’ Paul says, which begs the question, ‘what reason?’ – but we’ll get back to that in a minute.



Now if you’ve been paying attention, at least within this chapter, but also within the book of Ephesians, you will know that Paul has used his phrase, ‘for this reason’ before. Which is one of the advantages of reading bigger slabs of the Bible on occasions – it can help you pick up the clues the writer gives, which you can miss when you read the Bible in too smaller chunks.

Paul has used this expression before in the letter, once in chapter 3:1 and a very similar phrase commences his prayer in Chapter 1:15.

It V1 of chapter 3 it seems to announce the commencement of a prayer for the Ephesians with the words, ‘for this reason’, which Paul then quickly gets sidetracked from. Paul sidetracks from his prayer to assure the Ephesians about his own situation, and the centrality of them, as Gentile Christians, to God’s plan, in chapter 3 V2-13.

In chapter 1:15, Paul uses an expression similar to ‘for this reason’ to commence his first prayer for the Ephesians.

So the ‘for this reason’ that we are concerned with in v14 caries on the prayer that Paul was starting in V1. And I can hear people thinking ‘Get on with it, what’s the reason!’. Well it seems to me the reason Paul prays is in response to all that God has done for the gentiles in Christ.

The overarching theological truth of God’s purposes that leads Paul to pray is that God in, through, and under Christ, is uniting all things, things in heaven and things on earth, we learn from Ch 1:10. This includes uniting those who were far away – the Gentiles, and those who were close – as the Jews, into one new creation in Christ. This new creation is the temple of God, the dwelling place of God, and we learn all this from Ch 2:12-14.

All this was achieved by Christ’s blood, his death poured out at our hands, and for our benefit, upon that Roman cross.

And because of all these blessings which God has achieved, and then has graciously poured out on us, Paul sees with clarity the right response, he grabs hold of these great riches as the child of God and it is for ‘this reason’ he boldly approaches God in prayer. Ch 3:12 ‘In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.’

Because as Christians we have been seated with Christ in the heavenlies, we have freedom and confidence to approach God in prayer.

Did you ever get a new toy off someone, and you just weren’t sure what to do with it? I once got talked into owing half a motorbike, it was my first bike, I’d never owned or ridden one before, so I thought why not. My mate went out and bought it the day before we went on a holiday to a country property. He bought a 500cc trail bike. Now incase that doesn’t mean much too you, let me assure you that, that is one fair lump of metal. In fact it is a motor probably only mildly smaller than the average European car – well maybe eastern European car anyway.

I can honestly say, the experience of learning to ride on a 500cc bike that wanted to catapult you into the next district at every opportunity, was intimidating. It was a very steep learning curve, but I did learn by having a go, but also learned by watching my mate who did know what he is doing. Sure I fell off lot’s, but I got better at it, the more I did it, and the more I studied people and talked to people who did in fact know what they were doing, things improved!

Bold, free and confident access to the God of all creation – the heavens, the earth, the universe, is an amazing thing, isn’t it? It’s definitely a powerful thing, it’s definitely an intimidating thing, and it is definitely quite often hard to know, how to use it best.

So when you pray, what do you think you should pray for, are you using the great riches of this access to the God of all creation - well? I suspect if we’re all being honest, the answer is ‘probably not’. So instead of just feeling guilty about, why don’t we don’t we look at, and learn from what Paul prays for, because he seems to know what is going on..
P2 – Paul prays with these three goals, that you may: be given strength, be given insight and be given fulfillment.
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.

The First aspect of Paul’s three tiered prayer is that God would give to us strengthening. As you look at the words of verses 16 and 17, he uses a number of words that could be grouped together under the general goal of strengthening, that you would have resolve and power within yourself, within your inner being.

This assurance of our strengthening within our inner being is that Christ himself dwells in our hearts, through faith. This dwelling of Christ picks up the language of Ch 2:21, ‘And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.’

This dwelling means that we have a deep and rich, personal and permanent, relationship with God. We who were foreigners have been given citizenship in Christ, He is a permanent resident in our hearts. That is our assurance and strength.

Paul prays that out of the riches we have received, we would be strengthened, that we would be spiritually mature in Christ. If Christ has taken up residence in our hearts, he is at the centre of our beings, which means he is at the centre of our lives . It means he is to exercise his rule over all we are, and all we do.

If he lives in our hearts, the ruler of the heavens and earth, we know longer need to fear the things of this world, we are no longer slaves to the things of the flesh that we were before, we are now in real ways set free to serve and follow Christ – not the powers of this world.


But in observing this truth, we again see in this verse an important theological truth about the priority of the action of God on our behalf, as we have seen throughout the book of Ephesians, it is only from God’s precious riches we will receive these things. He has the riches, they’re his and ‘no one’ and ‘nothing’, can take them from his grasp. And the only reason we receive these gifts is because of God’s own generosity. In fact in this life, the only thing we have going for us is God’s generosity, we who were ‘dead in our trespasses and sins’ have received God’s grace.

Our God has given to us great blessing, lavishly poured out on us as only he can, and he has done this in Christ. God’s strengthening of us is of course by the same way we have been saved. We are saved through Christ in the power of the Spirit by faith. It is by this means we know the power of Christ’s resurrection Ch1:19-20 to which we have now been in separately tied, a power that secures our salvation and ensures his ongoing work of new creation in us – that we be strengthened in our inner being.

Paul’s prayer is that we would be strengthened. But the second aspect of his three tiered prayer is that he prays we would given insight, a request that builds upon the first request of strengthening.
17 And I pray that you,
being rooted
and
established in love,
18 may have power,
together with all the saints,
to grasp
how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
19 and to know this love
that surpasses knowledge—

Paul prays that we may be given insight, insight that we would see reality as it truly is, and not just as it appears with the naked eye. The reality of our founded and established relationship with God in Christ. Paul wants us to be given insight in order to see the enormity of the gift of the love of God towards us in Christ, and the fullness of the rich hope we have. This unsurpassable knowledge of God found in the foolishness of a crucified Messiah. This enormous gift of love that is the right of all the saints – the benefit & the inheritance of every and all the saints.

This is God’s love that overwhelms us, it saturates our hearts in forgiveness and penetrates to the very core of our being with the reconciliation found only in Christ. This love that brings reconciliation with God, this love that brings reconciliation between Jew and Gentile – a love Paul prays we will be given the insight to grasp and to know!

To which I’m certain at least one smarty pants out there is thinking, how are we supposed to know something that surpasses knowledge, anyway?
Well I’m glad you ask! Because we can know God personally, it means we can know him truly, but not exhaustively. What does that mean?

Well personal knowledge of any kind is kind of like how I know my wife Kath. I can confidently say I know my wife. I know coffee and chocolate are good, and raisins are bad. I know spending time with people is good, and spatial co-ordination maybe isn’t so good. I know that ‘fun things’, including poor jokes - for no real reason are good, and some times when directing, ‘left’ really means Kath’s other ‘left’, which of course means ‘right’.

I can genuinely say, I know my wife, I have a personal knowledge of my wife, I know her truly, and I know her more fully the longer we are married, but I don’t know her exhaustively. What I mean is regularly, I have occasion for good and otherwise to say, that is not the reaction I expected, but the longer I know her, and the more I know her, the fuller my true knowledge of Kath becomes.

And Paul prays that we would grow in understanding of the love of God in Christ, that we would plumb its depths, its width, height and length. That we would be overwhelmed by the extent of his love, as we know it personally and more and more fully. That we would grow into being mature in our understanding of God’s love.


The third thing that Paul prays for is that we may be filled, so he prays firstly that we may be strengthened, secondly that we may have insight and thirdly that we may be fulfilled.
19b that you may be filled
to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now when we say fulfilled, what Paul means is filled to the fullness of love God and in your relationship with God.

What Paul definitely does not mean is fulfilled in the Oprah kind of way, y’know that self actualised, self glorifying way, where you have the adoring husband who worships the ground you walk on and treats you like a princess. You have a house that is more like a perfect castle from the pages of homes beautiful – and it’s even better if it does get in to home beautiful, because then the neighbours will, see it. Fulfilled because your large brood of children are cute, intelligent and highly praised by everyone. Fulfilled because you just dropped two dress sizes, while managing to detox and cancer proof your improbably youthful looking body.

A body which will of course turn to dust one day, much like the house and the rest of Oprah’s apparent treasures for life – how is that fulfilment? – sounds a little more like certain disappointment to me!

Paul prays that we will increasingly comprehend the amazing depths of the love of God towards us, that we will be filled to the full measure. We have a tendency to sip at God’s grace to us and Paul want’s us to drinking from the riches of God like it was water from out of a fire hydrant. This is the enormity of God’s grace to us – that we may be called children of God.

We are to be children that continually grow into his likeness, to become what we already are – if you like.

And this is why we should also pray boldly, like Paul has prayed. To be strengthened, To have insight and to be fulfilled.

And finally in this passage of Ephesians that completes the first half of the book, we see that:
P3 – Paul the prisoner can’t help but acknowledge the power and glory of God.
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.

As Paul considers the wonders of what God has done in his world, and undoubtedly in his own life, Paul bursts out with these spontaneous words of praise as he considers God’s power, that does immeasurably more, or infinitely more if you like, than we are able to conceive of. Now it is not surprising that God can do much more than we can conceive of, he created the universe, on a good day I get the RCA leads in the right holes in the back of the video recorder – we clearly are no on the same intellectual plain, Which is why what Paul says next is SO staggering…
God will perform these great works ‘within us’ v20, which I’m sure means within our beings, but also through us into God’s world, like in chapter 2:10 were we are called to carry out the good works God has prepared in advance for us to do. That is staggering isn’t it!

These works of God in his people, that will express unity in the church, will bring honour and glory through Christ – for generations and all time.

Now when we think great works for God, I suspect we have little bit of a tendency to go all Anthony Robbins at this point – y’know the info-mercial guy, who tells to dream big, and achieve big, and to not let the doubters get you down blah blah blah… But the kingdom of God, is well small an unimpressive – like a mustard seed that grows into the largest of trees.

God is quite capable of doing the big things, we need to be faithful in doing the right things, the things that honour him even if they look unwise to the world. Things that plan for the future and lay foundations for the days to come.
Here’s a couple of questions for you;
Do think when Paul, sitting in a gaol cell, wrote letters to his Christian brother’s and sister’s, he would have ever imagined that they would become arguably the most read literature in all human history?
Do you think that Paul would have imagined a day when Christianity would have spread to the lands beyond his far Eastern horizon?
Do you think Paul wrote knowing that his letter to the Romans would convert so many people, including Martin Luther?
Do you think that Paul would have imagined the part he played in You coming to know, love and serve Jesus?

I’m pretty certain he didn’t know, but like Abraham, by faith, he did what he knew God had called him to do and sought to proclaim Christ to everyone with whom he could win a hearing.


This is a right response to a love that overwhelms, a love that’s depths cannot be sounded. The love of God towards us in Christ, a love that took him to the cross and a love that now pours the knowledge of God into our hearts. A Love that demands a response from us who have received it, a response that lead Paul to be in prison and die for the sake of Christ – and by extension – he died in service of us as well!

This love of Christ demands a response from us, and not a $20 and two hours a week kind of response either. Are you willing to follow Christ if it is going to guarantee your shame?

This great love of God for us in Christ is one that is so overwhelming it demands nothing less than the response of my life, my soul and my all.

Ephesians Talk 2

Remember: ‘In Christ’ the two have become the one temple and household of God!
(Aka: From the outhouse to the penthouse!)
I once went to Silverwater prison and a thought occurred to me immediately, People like me aren’t supposed to be in places like this! Now that feeling probably wasn’t as strong as the time soon after when I found myself in Emu Plains women’s periodic detention centre, NOW there was a place I quite clearly did not belong!

I’m sure you all know the feeling of not belonging, Maybe you got it in a foreign country? We once went to Harlem in NYC, Now there was another place we definitely did not belong!

Maybe you went to an occasion totally overdressed or even worse under-dressed. I had a mate who on the occasion of his graduation from Sydney University thought that the academic gown that you hired, was like the one’s worn in American high school movies – you know the ones they cover over the whole of your clothes underneath.

Now What he failed to realize is that proper academic gowns are open at the front. So on the occasion of his graduation he has a very nice photo of himself with the chancellor of Sydney University, and he is wearing board shorts and a surf t-shirt and an academic gown – he looks ridiculous. He did not belong!

Or maybe you had that feeling in a positive experience.
Maybe you got a invite to a family wedding at a swish location. We once went to a wedding at Royal Sydney Golf club in Rose Bay, and I was talking to very nice fellow who introduced himself – his name was ** Fairfax, as in the ** Fairfax – I thought two things: Don’t tell him you read the telegraph, and what am I doing here, people like me do not belong in places like this!

At some point we all have known that feeling of, what is a person like me doing in a place like this. And this is the question Paul is pointedly asking of you and me today, what are YOU (A GENTILE!) doing, saying you have part of the God of Israel and his messiah.
P1 – Remember: You were once excluded from God’s promises and without hope in the world
Ephesians 2
11 Therefore, remember
that formerly you who are Gentiles
by birth
and called "uncircumcised"
by those who call themselves "the circumcision"
(that done in the body by the hands of men)--
12 remember that at that time you
were separate from Christ,
excluded from citizenship in Israel
and foreigners to the covenants of the promise,
without hope
and without God
in the world.

As we start v11 Paul gives us the only command he gives in the whole passage we are looking at today, and his command is to do one thing, and one thing alone. We are ‘to Remember’, we are to remember just how dire the situation, our situation was before God our judge, before we met Christ our saviour.

V11 of course starts with a ‘therefore’, which would be an odd way to start any sentence, unless you wanted it to relate to what has been written just before.
And in the before in verses 1-10 of chapter 2, Paul has reminded us that we were ‘dead in our trespasses and sins, we were carrying out the desires of the flesh, and we were by nature children of wrath’.

Our situation was absolutely dire, we sinned boldly and compulsively in the sight of God and were unable (and uninclined) to stop, like an addict who has lost all control, we were pathological sinners in our disposition, even if not so excessive in all our moral behaviour.

The only hope for a lost person, was the God of creation, who is the God of salvation and forgiveness, the God who is the God of Israel. A God on whom we (us Gentiles) had absolutely no claim at all.

Paul wants the Gentile readers in Ephesus ‘to Remember’, they are ‘to Remember’ the real and extreme nature of their alienation and their hopelessness prior to their inclusion in Christ.

God gave to the children of Abraham great promises, to the family of Abraham (that became the nation Israel) he promised a messiah who would deliver his people. And Paul want us to feel the weight of this, we gentiles have no word of promise from God like the Jews. We are not the heirs of these promises by our birth.

And physically to the Jews, we bear the signs of this, the sign of circumcision was a clear sign as to the allegiances of the person, a sign that was both distinguishing and alienating at the same time, perhaps like the effect of the berqah or hijab today, it was stark reminder and a clear sign to all about the allegiances of a person – and circumcision was a purposeful exclusion of the gentile from the promises of Israel.

But circumcision was only a sign of the promises. The heart of the issue is that even the well intentioned Gentile couldn’t get access to the temple at Jerusalem. Access in order to make a sacrifice of atonement regarding cleanse their guilt regarding sin.
And if the Bible is clear on at least one thing, it is that if you can’t have your sin dealt with how can you relate to a holy God?

Gentiles had no right or means to access and no claim for a hearing from the God of Israel.

[ILLUS] Now I Imagine it as being much the same as if you or I phoned up and demanded a face to face to meeting with the president of the United States at the white house, (and you want him to pay for the trip!) I mean it’s absurd isn’t it? It Makes NO SENSE

For Starters, You probably don’t even have a current visa to travel to america, much less being a US citizen, and even then you won’t get access unless you happen to be donating an obscene amount of money to an electoral campaign.

We were without God and without hope in the world, alienated from the promises God had made. And we were by our nature objects of God’s wrath.
Paul is saying to us Gentiles, You do not belong in a place like this!

[APPL:] So why does Paul want us to remember this, well it is so we are reminded to be thankful and gracious, for without the light of the Messiah, how would we have been able to see in the dark?

We are to give thanks to God that he is generous upon us, we Gentiles of all people should know the reality that God owed us nothing, we were off playing with the pigs in the mud, and he has been un-mesurably generous to us. And our heart’s should be filled with thankfulness – to borrow from that great hymn!

We are now to be gracious as God is gracious and has been gracious to us. But if I’m being perfectly honest - I often think about people I know and meet as being beyond the reach of the gospel, too far gone.


I interviewed for assistant minister jobs at a number of places – no one ever said, ‘mate this is an easy place to minister, people just want to hear the gospel’, they all seemed to think that their patch was much more immune to the Gospel than anywhere else, ‘we’re too wealthy, we’re too middle class, we’re too poor, we’re too working class.’

I’m sure that they are difficult places, but none are beyond the power and grace of God, and it’s a good thing to remember in case I forget that those people aren’t beyond the pale, because when I say that they are, aren’t I somewhere deep down saying, ‘that I somehow am particularly deserving of God’s grace!’ – Can’t be true can it, it is his mercy. It is humbling isn’t it? But God has done a great work among us – saving you and saving me. We should be gracious with the words of eternal life like our God is.

Remember: You were once excluded from God’s promises and without hope in the world

But Paul goes on to contrast this first idea with his second idea, which he announces with two small words, that when said together are possibly, two of the most profound words you will read in scripture – like a grand fanfare announcing the arrival of royalty – Paul says, BUT NOW!! An expression that carries great weight in purple passages for the Christian like in Romans 3.
P2 – ‘But Now’ both those near and far have been reconciled to God and each other as one new creation ‘In Christ’
13 But now
in Christ Jesus you
who once were far away
have been brought near
through the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace,
who has made the two one
and has
destroyed the barrier,
the dividing wall of hostility,
15 by abolishing
in his flesh the law
with its commandments and regulations.
His purpose was to create
in himself one new man out of the two,
thus making peace,
16 and in this one body
to reconcile both of them
to God through the cross,
by which
he put to death their hostility.
17 He came
and preached
peace to you who were far away
and peace to those who were near.
18 For
through him
we both have access
to the Father by one Spirit.

But now we who were far away have been brought close to God - we have ‘peace’ – a word Paul uses 5 times in this passage, Peace with God and Peace with each other.

We have peace with God and it is bought and brought through the blood of Christ. And again exactly like chapter 1 of Ephesians Paul uses the imagery of Blood of Christ to take us to the foot of the cross and see the starkness and the depths of our own sin. This earthy image of Christ’s death poured out at our very hands. The cross our great assurance that we have seen the great paradox of the justice of God and the love of God in the sacrificial death of Christ, the shedding of the blood of lamb of God, upon the cross. This cross is our assurance that we have peace. Peace with God and Peace with each other.

Christ’s blood was the price of our peace, it is the entry fee that washes away our sin and places us in the house of God our father. Christ’s death poured out is our confidence that we have peace with God, Like surveying the remains of a bloody battlefield, now at peace, ‘It is finished’. PEACE. Peace with God and peace with each other.

V14 points out Christ IS peace, In exactly the same way as in chapter 1 of Ephesians where Christ IS every spiritual blessing – or all God’s spiritual blessing, in the same way in chapter 2:14 where ‘Christ IS peace’, what it means is; Christ alone is peace. All God’s peace is found in Jesus.

[Q] But why is there war in the first place? Why is there enmity between God and man anyway? Well have a quick look at Verses 12-16 and see for yourselves – what do you think it says?


It says it’s the law doesn’t it! The law, the shorthand way of referring to the Old Covenant promises that God gave to Israel, that seem to be particularly embodied by the 10 commandments which God gave to Moses in Exodus 20. In this part of Ephesians Paul is saying that the law causes hostility between both God and man, and the also the Jews and the Gentiles.

The law brings division and enmity, the law is no friend of peace. For Mankind all the Law brought was alienation from God, and alienation from each other.

But this great passage of Ephesians tells us that Christ has dealt with the Law, he has destroyed the hostility between God and man, and between Jew and Gentile. Christ has brought peace, Christ the Messiah of Israel, V15 ‘abolished the law with its commandments and regulations’, in a very literal reading of that verse, he has ‘brought the law to naught’.

Christ has taken the air out of the law’s balloon, he took the jam out of it’s doughnut, he took the sting from the law’s tail, he brought it to naught.

In V16 Christ put to death the hostility that existed - NOW that expression is actually a little to passive sounding, in reality it literally says, ‘he killed’ the enmity between God and Man and Jew and Gentile. He actively killed the enmity, just like a man who actively kills a snake, by crushing it’s head under his heal.

Christ killed enmity, because Christ killed sin. The Law isn’t really the problem is it? Well not in itself anyway, I mean in Romans Paul tells us that the law is good, but all it can do is point out sin in sinful people.

But Christ has killed the power of the law over us, because he killed sin, he put sin to death, in his own death. The final shot of this war, the final shot that brought a real and lasting peace, the final shot of this battle killed sin, when it killed Christ. Christ died as our substitute, and took our punishment for sin upon himself – and this was the extremely high price of our peace. Our peace with God and our peace with each other.
Christ killed the hostility in his own death on the cross

But this view of the law raises a question for us; Do the Jews have a preferential place with God? Well and Yes and no
Yes – Rom 9:4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. 6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but Through Isaac shall your offspring be named. 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

SO yes the Jews had privileges in many ways, but the circumcision they did at the hands of men, to use the words of Ephesians 2:11 cannot fix the problem. The Jews just like everybody else, needed an act of new creation and not just a modified old creation.

Christ has done a new work of creation, to change the hearts of men – his death opened the way for a new creation, not an inclusion of Gentiles into the Jews in that sense, but ONE new man from the two…we read in Ephesians 2:15.

No - Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, The righteous shall live by faith

The Story this passage of Ephesians is the of those who are both near and those who are far away as we read in V17. Well it’s a story of God’s two sons I guess you could say. Kind of like the story Jesus told in Luke 15
Luke 15:11 And [Jesus] said, There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me. And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself, he said, How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants. 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to celebrate. 25 Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound. 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but he answered his father, Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him! 31 And he said to him, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.

You see the Bible is clear and consistent, There is one salvation for all people in the one Christ, the promised messiah of Israel, Yes Israel had a special position with the coming Messiah to point to Him, but ultimately this Messiah was coming to bring Salvation to the nations, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth, to make one new man out of two


It is worth mentioning in passing that From V18 we see an insight into the Trinitarian nature of our redemption and reconciliation. From this passage we see all of God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are active together and yet distinct in their roles related to achieving our salvation.

In our salvation we have access to the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit – a good reason as to why the NT encourages us to pray in the same manner also, to the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit.

APPL: So this passage is exhorting us to remember the unity we share as the church in Christ, sure our church here at MT Riv – which is absolutely and truly the church, but also numerically the wider body of Christ. In essence, What Christ has joined let no man separate! Because Christ has saved all people the same way both Jews and Gentiles.

So we are able to be thankful for God has done a mighty work in all our lives! Once was the blackest darkness (without hope in the world), and now there is a magnificent light (we now have been reconciled to God and each other).

‘But Now’ both those near and far have been reconciled to God and each other as one new creation ‘In Christ’

P3 – The result is that WE (Jews and Gentiles) may be the unified temple and household of God

19 Consequently,
you are no longer foreigners and aliens,
but fellow citizens with God's people
and members of God's household,
20 built
on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
21 In him the whole building
is joined together
and rises to become
a holy temple
in the Lord.
22 And in him you too
are being built together to become
a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Here Paul is stressing to us that we are no longer, to borrow from that great theologian ‘Jimmy Barnes’ we are no longer, ‘standing on the outside looking in..’. We are now family members, we are a treasured part of God’s household, a integral part of the structure, we are really part of temple we he dwells in his Spirit. Paul in Ephesians assures us we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies, and we are integral part of his body and family to do his work here on earth, to do the good works God has prepared in advance for us to do.

We are made for unity in Christ – he is our peace – our peace with God and our peace with each other, and in Christ through the Spirit we share in a great inheritance – together. We each are an important and essential part of the integrity of God’s temple, we are joined together and being built together as God’s dwelling. Now That’s pretty impressive - isn’t it?

We are now one new people in God – not Jews or Gentiles – but all Christians
No one has precedence anymore, not those who near as Jews or those who were far away as gentiles.


APPL: thinking about how this might apply to use today, Dare I say it, maybe it’s time that we No more have the language or the idea of the two – y’know, like you who were far away at Warrimoo, and no more you who were close at Mt Riv. See I think this passage is emphasizing there is just one new people, one unified people, every person integral to the new building of the Body of Christ – the temple of God through his spirit, seated with Christ in the heavenlies and joined together to carry out the good works God has prepared in advance to do!

So when you think of this week, are you excited about finding out what good things God has prepared for you to do, is that what you pray for? Is that what you give thanks for when you pray, the good things that God in his mercy has chosen to use you for.

But then it isn’t just you alone is it? I mean you alone are not the temple of God, but together we share in God’s mercy and unity in the Spirit – to serve and honour God – to the praise of his glorious grace.
AMEN

Ephesians Talk 1

‘In Christ we have an inheritance: Guaranteed’
Introduction
I used to work in a consulting engineering firm, I’ve since repented of that so don’t hold it against me, but one day one of the project managers asked one of the younger engineers if a set of drawings for a particular project was going to get out the door today to meet the contract deadline. The younger engineer, who was fairly new from China replied, ‘I’m not sure!’. To which the project manager responded something along the lines of, ‘well that isn’t good enough, I need a guarantee!’

So the younger engineer went to the slightly jaded, weary and parochially Australian senior drafts person who was preparing the documentation it to find out for sure.

After a quick consultation she returned. The project manager asked, ‘Is it going out today?’. To which the young engineer very eagerly and positively replied, ‘Yes, it is going out today, she said we have TWO chances!

Now what got lost in translation, is that those two chances were buckley’s and none!
Guarantees are hard to find in this world aren’t they, it seems no one always meets their obligations - even when it’s a legal contract.

In this life we all know the overwhelming feeling that uncertainties bring and that is why we want guarantees!

Well What a stark contrast we see in the promises of God found in the Lord Jesus Christ as written in the Letter called Ephesians.
P1 – Paul God’s apostle, writes to the saints
Ephesians 1:1-14

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus
by the will of God,
To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful
in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace and peace to you
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul in Verse 1, as is usual in his letters, emphasizes the authority of the message he is bringing by reminding the readers, or the hearers, that he is Christ’s apostle, one of the few messengers specially chosen by God and most importantly sent by God with a message for the world. A message which is now the Gospel inscripturated in the Bible – a message entrusted to us to continue to proclaim to a lost world.

A Gospel Paul regularly summarizes in the short pithy expression we find in verse 2. As ‘Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.’

A great summary of the Gospel when you think of it, the most important thing anyone needs in life is grace from God, and peace with God. A Grace and Peace only found in Jesus.

Paul writes this letter while a prisoner we learn, from a number of references throughout the letter including 3:1, 4:1. This prisoner for Christ highlights he is not concerned that his liberties are taken away by chains, because his inheritance is with God in heaven, which cannot be taken.

The letter is addressed to the saints, particularly the Gentile saints at Ephesus. A city Paul had been to and caused quite a rucous at if you remember in Acts 19-20, where the city basically rioted because Paul’s Gospel preaching was effecting their income from selling idols.

Now as we work through the book, you may note a particular emphasis that is concerned with the ‘heavenly realms’, which is unusual for us in 21st century western society, but seems to be a concern of the Ephesian Christians who lived in a city dominated by the goddess ‘artemis’. A factor that would have lead to some level of physical and it appears reasonable to say, spiritual, opposition, for the Christian believers. In addition, many of the converted Christians had previously been heavily involved in magic as we learn in Acts 19, which would have no doubt had a significant impact upon their spiritual understanding of the world.

And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. 18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. 21

But Paul starts his overview of his letter to the Ephesians by explaining important Christian truths. Truths that begin from a very important theological premise, they start with looking at the sovereign action of our God and then it’s result on our behalf. In light of God’s action, Paul reminds us of three important truths;
P2 – We are Chosen, Blessed and adopted in Christ
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us
in the heavenly realms
with every spiritual blessing
in Christ.
4 For he chose us
in him
before the creation of the world
to be holy and blameless
in his sight.
In love
5 he predestined us
to be adopted as his sons
through Jesus Christ,
in accordance with his pleasure and will--
6 to the praise of his glorious grace,
which he has freely given us
in the One he loves.
7 In him


As we start chapter one of the letter, Paul outlines his goal for writing in brief – which he will go on to expand throughout the following chapters. Paul wants all the
saints to be assured about what God has done for them, he wants them to be certain of their inheritance. He is giving them a guarantee.

He has this refraining idea of the generosity of God towards us, in v3 we are ‘blessed’, in v4 we are ‘chosen’, and in v5 ‘predestined’, to receive the inheritance he has prepared for us. And verse 5 goes on to say that it is God’s sovereign and free choice to be generous in this way, ‘in accordance with his pleasure and will’.

This, my friends, is magnificent news! And yet I bet at least a couple of us hear these words of ‘chosen’ and ‘predestined’ and feel just a little uncomfortable – maybe a little embarrassed! I mean predestined sounds like a left over idea from the dark ages.


We live in a generation of rights and free choices, we can choose anything these days. We can go to Paris for Sunday lunch and be in Africa for Monday breakfast. We can choose to change careers every couple of years. In our society we even demand the right to choose the gender that we will fall in love with, and we even
believe that we have the right to chose what gender we will be – which is probably more likely when we were living in Newtown than Blaxland I’ll admit, but you get the picture, we are a society obsessed with our free right to chose everything, and want no obligations regarding anything!

How dare God ‘predestine’ ME!
Because, the logic goes, if God predestines me, how am I free to choose God? It seems quite an imposition on my humanity – if you like. But this ‘logic’ owes more to Greek philosophical thought (or call it bush logic if you like), than it does to the Bible. You see the Bible tells us that God is sovereign over everything, ‘he gives the Kingdoms of the earth to whom he chooses’…… the book of kings tells us

And despite this, the Bible also affirms that each person is responsible for their choices before God, the Gospels are full of the call that the Kingdom of God is near repent and believe.

The Bible shows God as sovereign even over and despite mans choices – In the story of Joseph in Genesis, we see the evil intent of his brothers in selling Joseph into slavery. But in the end Joseph acknowledges the sovereign goodness of God over all this situation when he declares, ‘what you intended for evil, God has purposed for good’.

SO the Logic of the Bible, is not some tyrannous God who fickly determines our path’s, but a personal and generous God – one who freely gives in accordance with his good pleasure and will. He has the riches, he is after all God, and he freely bestows them upon us – I mean how exactly can you receive an inheritance, if someone hasn’t decided before hand to give it to you?

A good lawyer maybe? That might help to you get your hands on Aunty Ethel’s money, prior to your cousins, but even an exceptional lawyer is not going to be able to subpoena God. I mean what court would you drag him into?

God has determined himself since before the creation of the world, to bestow on us an inheritance. It his pleasure and will, but most importantly Ephesians tells us, God’s blessing is found exclusively ‘in Christ’. V1, V3, V4, V6, V7, V9, V11 and V13 talks about receiving our blessing and the extent of the blessing ‘in Christ’.


This passage, and in fact the whole letter, is full of the necessity of Christ and what we receive ‘in Christ’. All God’s spiritual blessings are found exclusively ‘in
Christ’. ‘In Christ’ we are adopted as sons and daughters and can genuinely call God ‘Our Father’.

Paul wants us to be assured that God has determined (predetermined if you like) to do us good in Christ Jesus. We have a sure and certain hope and inheritance ‘in Christ’ that any opposition, even evil in the heavenly realms which the book of Ephesians seems to emphasize, cannot take away

Application:
So what does this passage mean for us today? Well two words: Assured and Exclusive
-Assured: We don’t need to feel hopeless and fear life and it’s hardships, but we are able to trust in God’s sovereignty and goodness. We have sure and certain inheritance – where the moth can’t eat and rust can’t spoil

And the second thing this passage means for us today is:
- exclusive: The blessings of God are found in Christ, and in Christ Alone V3. SO logically if every spiritual blessing is found in Christ, there’s none left over, and none to be found anywhere else. So let me ask you, deep down, when no one else is looking are you looking somewhere else for an inheritance and blessing, some where other than in Christ alone?

Christ demands an exclusive life from us – are you playing with the gods of this world?

I know a bloke who was a regular at church and decided to go O/S to ‘clear his head and find some answers about life’. And a concerned mate said to him,’ you won’t find the answers by clearing your head, you’ll find them in hearing God speak in the Bible’. Or as Ephesians put it, you find them ‘in Christ’. That guy went O/S, and cleared his mind, he didn’t really find anything earth shatteringly new on his travels about life, but he did lose something – his Christian faith.

Paul wants us to be assured, We are chosen, blessed and adopted, but it is exclusively in Christ. We are chosen from eternity for eternity. God showers on us the riches of his glorious grace in Christ Jesus, and it’s for this we have been chosen, blessed and adopted.

But in verses 7 and 8 Paul goes on to explain, our third idea for today
P3 – God’s rich grace to us was costly
7 In him
we have redemption
through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins,
in accordance with the riches of God's grace
8 that he lavished
on us
with all wisdom and understanding

Why does God make such a big deal about spiritual blessings being found alone in Christ, well it’s because our inheritance was extremely costly to God. What could be more precious to God the father, than God the Son? What greater thing does the Father have that he could offer instead of the Son? Christ’s life, death and resurrection are a concrete, and in fact the ultimate, expression of God’s love towards us.


Throughout the book of Ephesians, what is surprising is the emphasis of the letter upon the resurrection, as evangelical Christians we are so used to talking about the cross (and rightly so) that we often forget the resurrection – and it’s a theme worth looking for as the letter to the Ephesians develops and in particular as we
see Christ’s exaltation over all things. But in verses 7 and 8, Paul does in fact focus upon Christ and his cross.

Paul calls us redeemed, we have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness, of slavery to our sin. Chapter 2 of Ephesians puts it like this, we were dead in our trespasses and sins. We were the targets of the certain impending judgment of God who is our enemy. But now Chapter 2 goes on to say, we have been redeemed from this scrap heap of certain destruction, and we are now forgiven, we have had our sins removed – we have grace and peace from God to quote verse 2 of chapter 1.

And how has this come about, how have we received the rich grace of God and now been made alive from our trespasses and been raised into heaven itself? Well it is through the blood of Christ v7. This is a stark image that takes us to the foot of the cross to see the sacrifice of Christ, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, upon a cross, as John’s Gospel tells us.

This stark image of the blood of Christ being shed is important reminder to us today about the offensiveness of our sin to God.

Today we are pretty protected from having to take the life of something. I mean lets take a straw poll – who here has ever plucked a chicken before they ate it? Ok – who here has ever had to take the life of the chicken before they ate it?

In western society today, we don’t even pluck a chook, much less have to be the person that wrings it’s neck. And because of our remote life, it seems we forget the earthiness and the vileness of the reality that death is a horrible thing to witness, much less inflict – and yet that is how abhorrent our sin is and how costly the resolution of it was. Jesus had the life drained out of his veins upon the cross, and your sin, and my sin put him there.


I suspect at times our western life protects us from the grossness of the effects of our sin. I suspect we more often think of our sin as white collar crime, without any real victim, or maybe like a parking fine – no one really gets hurt and a rich guy
can pay it for me. Well God is a holy and just God and he is greatly offended by our sin. But such is the great paradox of the cross. In that one action we see the depths of our own selfish and sinfulness, BUT we also see the amazing depths of God’s love.

The cost of buying our freedom, was the sacrifice of this innocent man, a man who is also the son of God the Father, the man who is God himself, God the Son.

Our Freedom was costly to God, and he shared these great riches with us, despite the great cost, because he has generously set his heart upon us, and adopted us as his children, in Christ. If God has gone to such great length’s and cost to save us from death and judgment – how can we now doubt he will see us through to receive all of our great inheritance with all the saints?

God knew the cost to himself beforehand and did it anyway, God in Christ, has determined to do his children good.

So Let me ask you, Have you really accepted the gift of forgiveness found in God’s son? Do you come to God trusting in Christ’s death on your behalf alone? Or do you deep down think somehow, ‘well my sin, just isn’t really that bad’ or ‘I’m a pretty up right person, well at least I’m not like them over there!’

Let me ask you then, Exactly what is it about you, or what you have done, that you think will convince God that it is really more valuable than the death of his only Son? Let me suggest that it is a lost cause – the only response, and the right response, is to say to God, thank you for sending Jesus to die in my place to pay the penalty I can’t pay, I’m sorry for my sin against you and I don’t want to live that way anymore. Please forgive me. Any other approach, is quite frankly madness.

You see, God’s rich grace to us was costly.


In Verses 9 & 10 of chapter 1, Paul gives us our fourth idea for today.
P4 – The mystery of Life and the universe has been revealed by God, that Christ is King
9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will
according to his good pleasure,
which he purposed
in Christ,
10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—
to bring all things
in heaven
and on earth together
under one head,
even Christ.

In the humorous book, The Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy by Douglas Adams, a group are asked to build a computer named Deep Thought in order to calculate the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. When the computer comes back with the answer, the answer being the number 42. They were then told to build a more powerful computer to work out what the Ultimate Question actually was.

To try a postulate as to what the meaning of life is, is surely too greater undertaking for any one mind or life time isn’t it? I mean it is so ridiculously large an undertaking, it deserves at some level to be the subject of mockery. I mean what do the stars, McDonalds and Elvis all have in common?

And yet the Bible, fearlessly and shamelessly proclaims the truth from God the creator – that the meaning of life the universe and everything is found in and exists for Jesus Christ. What a staggering statement that is, when you start to contemplate it.

Jesus is not a solution derived from a riddle, or found by solving a mathematical equation, but the truth about a mystery that can only be revealed by God. This mystery is revealed that Christ is the King of the Universe. Christ’s inauguration as king was seen at his resurrection, (his defeat of death and sin), His Kingship was confirmed at his ascension, (where he now rules at the right hand of God in heaven) – and Christ will be consummated as King of all the universe at his triumphant return.

There will be a great Cosmic reconciliation of all creation to Christ at his return. If you like the world has a common story – like stars traveling across a night sky, that are inescapably pulled into effects of a black hole. In the same way every created thing and person, irrespective of the path the travel now, will be pulled inescapably into the event that will be Christ’s return. Christ will be confirmed a King! A thought Worth contemplating as you read passages like Philipians 2 and Psalm 2.

Application: So that really begs the question, What are you really living for? Like the Psalmist, do you ask God to teach you to number your days? This world is heading for a certain destiny of Christ’s returning rule, that’s your destiny, my destiny and the destiny of all people.

SO don’t get distracted by the riches of this world, the moth will destroy the Armani suit, and rust will eventually deal with the BMW car, don’t get sucked in to what the pagans think are important, but put your trust in Christ for all your life and your future, for that is where your true riches are, that is where your inheritance is placed and kept secure for you.


And finally for today:
P5 – In Christ we have a heavenly inheritance and our redemption awaits – Guaranteed.
11 In him
we were also chosen, having been predestined
according to the plan of him who works out everything
in conformity with the purpose of his will,
12 in order that we, (who were the first to hope in Christ),
might be for the praise of his glory.
13 And you also were included
in Christ
when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.
Having believed, you were marked
in him
with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance
until the redemption of those who are God's possession—
to the praise of his glory.

Christ’s spirit, that has entered us and enables us to truly declare him as Lord, or more correctly, Our Lord, is the spirit that has done a new work of creation in us, it renews us, regenerates us, and importantly assures us of the forgiveness and Grace of God found in Christ. We are in Christ because the Holy Spirit dwells in us and ensures the deposit of our inheritance, an inheritance we will receive in full when Christ returns. We are God’s possession, and that is our guarantee that the best is yet to come.

So, while we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm, we haven’t already been given our inheritance in full, which is good news because there are parts of life that quite frankly suck!

Application: So it is hard now – but better awaits, better is guaranteed

Now just for a moment take a look around at the people near you, what do you think? Impressive? What does the world think?

Well Paul thinks We are all for the praise of God’s glory. Believe it or not, God’s plans that centre on Christ included you since before time began. And that’s something worth being thankful for and excited about isn’t it?

When I was working in the engineering office, one of the draftsmen I worked with regularly was a slightly crazy young Macedonian fella. And when I found myself in the situation of having to get a job out the door that day, I’d ask him, Igor is going to get out the door today, he would always respond the same way, ‘Andrew, I shall do my best, but I cannot guarantee!’.


Thankfully, for us God is not like Igor, Paul has written the letter to the Ephesians to absolutely assure the saints that God has gone to great lengths to secure their inheritance. From before the beginning of the world, God had planned it, and in these last days he has revealed it. He sent his Son to achieve it, at great cost, but
great riches are costly aren’t they? His son achieved it, and now the Holy Spirit has sealed and assured it!

The Ephesians passage we have looked at today answers the question, how can I be sure I am really saved?

And the answer of God is clear in the Gospel of his Son the Lord Jesus. God says ‘Christian, I have done my best, I have done enough, in Christ it is guaranteed’.