"To Him be glory forever": Ephesians

Showing posts with label Ephesians. Show all posts

Monday, October 5, 2015

Who?

I am spending a few weeks preaching on the Bible, asking questions about it so we might better understand how God speaks through it and grow in our love of Him. Last week we asked questions of "What?" This past Sunday we turned our attention to "Who?" Specifically, the questions raised were:

· Who wrote the Bible?

· Who should read the Bible?

· Who is the Bible about?

· Who is the Bible for?

· Who perfectly shows God's love to God's children?

Broadly speaking, the questions addressed the author of the Bible and the audience. And while the Bible itself identifies human authors for most of its books, it also teaches that the Holy Spirit is ultimately at work through each human author, so that God Himself is the true Author of the Bible.

And the audience? The Bible contains things that would be beneficial for anyone to read, ponder and follow, such as the second section of the Ten Commandments. People may not believe in God but nearly everyone would agree that instructions not to steal or murder make sense.

But just as there is an Author at work behind the other authors, so too is there a more specific audience for the Bible, and that is the people who believe in God and believe that He is speaking through His written word. These are the people who find life in things such as the first section of the Ten Commandments. These are the people who, as they read the Bible, find more than common wisdom. They find words of peace, of hope, of encouragement, to name but a few of the kinds of things they read. These things are precious to them because they are written in God's word, and intended for God's people.

And, perhaps best of all, the Bible shows one person in whom these two groups, Author and audience, meet. In Ephesians 1:7-10, Paul writes:

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth."

That is a long and rich sentence about the work of Jesus Christ, and the two things I want to note here are these: First, in the work of Christ on the cross there is redemption for God's children, so that the debt their sin against God demands is paid for in the blood of Jesus, and second, that this work of Christ is a part of God's plan to unite His children with Himself.

Who perfectly shows God's love to God's children? Christ Jesus, that’s who.

May you know the presence of His love in your life today, and give to Him the praise that only He deserves.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

More than dust

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, and I led worship for our congregation in the evening. Lent is a 40-day period of reflection, repentance and penitence in preparation for Easter. Some churches gather for worship on Ash Wednesday and some don't. We gathered for a short service of prayer and reflection.

Most Christians who gather for Ash Wednesday receive the mark of the cross in ashes on their forehead during the worship service, as an outward marker of an inward attitude of repentance. The pastor often says something like "From dust you were created and to dust you shall return" when applying the ashes. The words are derived from Genesis 3:19 and Ecclesiastes 3:20 and are meant to remind one of the transient nature of life on earth. Yesterday, as I was looking at a number of things online related to Ash Wednesday, I read some interesting thoughts about Lent, in general, and Ash Wednesday, in particular. I also saw some pastors make somewhat inevitable links to the song by Kansas, Dust in the Wind.

I suppose it could be as simple as that, to recall our place before God as sinners, living for a brief time on this earth and then passing off into dust. Even the song by Kansas recognizes that. It could be that simple, but for this particular pastor, that would be selling my congregation short.

One of my favorite passages of scripture is Ephesians 1:3-14. Paul writes:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."

Powerful stuff. God's sure and certain promise to everyone who calls on Christ in faith.

Here are the last two verses, broken into their phrases and words.

"In him…you also…when…you heard…the word…of truth…the gospel of your salvation…and believed…in him…were sealed…with…the promised…Holy Spirit…who is…the guarantee…of our inheritance…until…we…acquire…possession…of it…to the praise..of…his glory."

Read the words slowly. Chew them over. Taste their goodness.

From dust…to dust…I suppose, but why, even during a moment of community repentance remain, with that thought?

Why not also look towards the glorious end, an end that will be more beautiful than anything I can imagine?

So these are the words that I spoke as I used ashes to place the sign of the cross on the foreheads of those gathered from our congregation:

"Remember that you are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."

This is the gift of all whom to Christ in faith. Dead to sin, forever, and eternally alive in Christ Jesus, to the praise of his glory. Amen.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Facebook theology, part 1

I was on Facebook the other day and saw something shared by someone that I have seen before. The message was this:

"God has seen you struggling with something. God says it's over! A blessing is coming your way. If you believe in God, send/post this message on and please don't ignore it, you are being tested. God is going to fix two big things tonight in your favor. If you believe in God, drop everything and pass this on."

Wow! What a message! God not only knows I am struggling with one thing but He is going to fix two things…for me…tonight!

I'll confess that there is much I love about Facebook. I love staying in touch with people near and far, friends from years ago and people I have only come to know recently. I enjoy the somewhat random things people post that tickle my funny bone. I enjoy sharing little bits about myself and my family. And I enjoy the encouragement I find in unexpected places.

The message above could be considered one of that type, as a message of encouragement, but unfortunately it is one of many messages floating around Facebook that may sound good but which is really empty and meaningless.

This kind of message is basically self-centered, and mostly about the person who wrote it and not really about God at all. I am working on a sermon based on Ephesians 1:11-14, where Paul writes this in verses 13-14:

" In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."

The writer of the Facebook message may mean well but God says something much more powerful in his word.

He knows I struggle, because I am a sinner living in a fallen world. He has sent the word of truth in his Son. In his mercy he has sent a Savior, one in whom my salvation is guaranteed. He has sealed me with his very Spirit.

If I believe in God then message of salvation is the one I should drop everything for and share with others.

And, as Paul notes, I should share it to the praise of his glory. Amen!

Friday, March 8, 2013

"Did God actually say..."

Yesterday I got involved in an online discussion with some pastors about an issue one of them was dealing with within their congregation. The question that was asked had already had some responses, none of which I read before putting in my two-cents. My answer was simple and to the point.

My answer received a bit of ‘push back,’ which gave me the opportunity to add a bit of depth to my first thoughts. Which, again, generated some response. All of this was very civil and respectful, which is not always the case online and I appreciated the grace that was shared among the conversation partners.

The initial question had to do with a matter of behavior, one that I think the Bible speaks clearly about. The other side of the conversation had to do with situations and circumstances in which the behavioral choice being considered would be acceptable, perhaps even encouraged. While agreeing that there are many situations which are personally challenging, and where we would wish to create a space for acceptable exceptions, as Christians we read our Bibles and seek God’s strength to live in the ways He leads us.

Thinking about this again as I was running this morning I believe that where we often stumble is when we wrestle, consciously or not, with the question asked in Genesis 3:1,

“Did God actually say…”

That question, which unfortunately was not asked last night, lies at the heart of the discussion. It is a question that is relevant time and again for each of us each day, as we confront choice after choice with the option of believing what God says and acting accordingly, or not.

Paul is absolutely correct when he wrote to the Ephesians and said in 6:12:

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Sin, our active rebellion against God, is an ever-present reality, driven by a relentless, but, in an eternal sense, an ultimately futile cosmic force.

We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but we do wrestle in situations that are palpably real in their physical and emotional dimensions. And as Paul writes on, in verses 13- 18, God has equipped us for the struggle:

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.”

The next time we find ourselves asking “Did God actually say…” let’s remember that He did, and also that he has equipped us to follow Him in obedience, to His glory.