Misc. Sermons

“Being Thankful Changes How You Think” Romans 1:18-32

Being Thankful Changes How You Think

Romans 1:18-24

Introduction

Prayer

The Revelation of God’s Wrath (vv. 18-20)

“For the wrath of God is (constantly) revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

Wrath is the personal manifestation of God’s holy, moral character in judgment against sin. It is neither an impersonal process nor irrational and fitful like anger. It is in no way a vindictive or malicious. It is holy indignation – God’s anger directed against sin.[1]

All people stand condemned because of their sin. (Romans 3:10-11 “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.” Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” )

God reveals His wrath in two ways: 1) indirectly through the natural consequences of violating His universal moral law. 2) directly through His personal intervention[2]

God has been revealing His wrath for a long time. The first time was in response to Adam and Eve after they disobediently ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and caused themselves and mankind to fall under the curse of sin.

In the centuries that followed, humanity became so sinful that God released His wrath again through the Flood (Gen. 6:7). God also demonstrated His wrath in destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, sending plagues upon the Egyptians, and instituting the sacrificial system.

God hates sin and will not put with it forever. The suffering death of Jesus upon the cross was the ultimate demonstration of the God’s wrath. The Father’s hatred for sin is so intense that for the sake of sinners He poured out His righteous fury on His beloved, sinless Son, who took our place. So now mankind stands with a choice to either take the wrath of God upon himself or accept Jesus’ gift to take the wrath for us.

Some Old Testament words describe God’s holy response to human sin. Some of these meanings include (charah) “to become heated up, to burn with fury,” (charon) “burning, fierce wrath” (Za’am) “furious.”[3]

Why is God angry at sinful people? Because they have substituted the truth about him with a fantasy of their own imagination (1:25). They have stifled the truth God naturally reveals to all people in order to believe anything that supports their own self-centered life-styles.[4]

(v. 18) “Supress the truth” Although the evidence from conscience (1:19; 2:14), creation (1:20), and God’s Word is irrefutable, men choose to resist and oppose God’s truth by holding fast to their sin.[5]

Truth in the NT is not simply something to which one must give mental agreement (assent), it is something to be done. When people act sinfully, rebelling against God’s just rule, they fail to embrace the truth and so suppress it.[6]

When people suppress and distort the truth of God, they run the risk of a darkened heart. As part of the judgment of their sin, God confirms their rebellion by removing his light from their minds. Then their confused thinking becomes a permanent mind-set and they are unable to turn to God.[7] When people suppress God’s will they will believe any lie that comes along to support their personal beliefs.

What can we learn about God from this revelation from nature (v.20)? God is mighty and powerful, intelligence, intricate detail. He is a God of order and beauty.[8]

“without excuse”[9] If a person will respond to the revelation he has, even if it is solely natural revelation, God will provide some means for that person to hear the gospel (Acts 8:26-39; 10:1-48; 17:27).[10]

Rejection of the knowledge of God is repeated in every generation, by every individual. Every person is “without excuse” because every person has been given a knowledge of God and has favored idolatry over this knowledge.

All stand under the awful reality of the wrath of God, and all are in desperate need of the justifying power of the gospel of Christ.

Why then should we be involved in missions or even tell others about Christ?

Although people know that God exists, they suppress that truth by their wickedness and thus deny him. We are to point out their error.
Although people may believe there is a God, they refuse to commit themselves to him. We can help to persuade them.
We can try to convince people who reject God of the dangerous consequences of their actions.
Even if nature reveals there is a God, people need to be told how to have a relationship with Him.
The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19,20).

Mankind has continually and consistently sought to escape accountability to God’s standard (Gen. 3:8). Men and women would prefer that the biblical God not exist, even though there is an essential knowledge of Him placed within each person.

The Rejection of God’s Ways (vv. 21-24)

“21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves. . . ,”

“knew God” Man is conscience of God’s existence, power, and divine nature through general revelation (vv. 19,20). The refusal of people to acknowledge and worship God (v. 21) explains why the revelation of God in nature leads to their being “without excuse.”

(1) “they did not honor him as God” We glorify God through recognizing Him for who He is. And following Him in obedience. Given the opportunity to commune, and fellowship in the glory of God they reject him and turn to a god of their own making.

Adam and Eve when they were in the garden (Gen. 3:8) God would come in the cool of the day and spend time with them. But they rejected his ways and believed the lie of Satan and were cast out of the garden.

(2) “or give thanks to him” Giving thanks to God has always been central to worshipping Him. “This sounds as though God’s wrath comes in response to bad manners: forgetting to say, “than you.” But Paul is saying that we are plagiarists. We take what God has made, and pass it off as our own.”[11]

We celebrate Communion as a way of thanking Him for giving His body (bread) as a sacrifice and the shedding of his blood (wine). Tithing is also a way of thanking and recognizing God for what He has provided.

“they became futile in their thinking” Man’s search for meaning and purpose will produce only vain, meaningless conclusions apart from a biblical understanding of God.

“their foolish hearts were darkened” When man rejects the truth, the darkness of spiritual falsehood replaces it.

John 3:19-20 “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”

When man rationalizes his sin, he proves his utter foolishness by devising and believing his own philosophies about God and himself (Ps. 14:1; 53:1).

“for images” How could intelligent people turn to idolatry? Idolatry begins when people reject what they know about God. Instead of looking to him as the Creator and sustainer of life, they see themselves as the center of the universe.

They soon invent “gods” that are convenient projections of their own selfish plans. Idolaters worship the things God made rather than God himself. Greeks invented gods that had humans sinful flaws. They each had their own weaknesses (jealously, anger, adultery, lust, etc..)

(v. 24) “God gave them up” It has been described as the sinner being in a boat and God lets the boat go to float down stream. But not only does he just let it go, he gives it a good kick and sends it on its way.

Like a judge who hands over a prisoner to the punishment his crime earned, God hands over the sinner to the terrible cycle of ever-increasing sin. This is not because God stops loving man.

It is His desire that the sinner would become aware of his or her situation. His hope is that they will see the waterfall of destruction and cry out for help and forgiveness before they go over the edge.

These people chose to reject God, and God allowed them to do it. God does not usually stop us from making choices against his will. He lets us declare our independence from him, even though he knows in time we will become slaves to our rebellious choices – we will lose our freedom not to sin.

People who have refused to acknowledge God end up with minds that are “disqualified” from being able to understand and acknowledge the will of God.[12]

There is simply no human remedy for the problem of sin. So, man continues to fall deeper and deeper into son. There is a progression that is given here: It all begins with the suppression of the Truth – No glorification of God, No thanks to God – Thinking became futile, hearts darkened – idolatry – sexual impurity – depraved mind – continuation of sin (knowing its wrong) – approving of others who sin.

The only hope for man to avoid the wrath of God is a Savior.

Conclusion

Cletus and Bosco

_____________________________

[1] Ronald Youngblood, General Editor, New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, Tennessee; Nelson Publishing, 1995) 1322.

[2] John MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible (La Habra, California; Word Publishing, 2006) 1660.

[3] John MacArthur, Nothing But the Truth (Wheaton, llinois; Crossway Books, 1999) 58.

[4] Romans. Life Application Bible Studies. Illinois: Tyndale House Publishing. P. 7.

[5] John MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible,1693.

[6] Douglas Moo, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Epistle of Romans (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1996) 102.

[7] Romans. Life Application Bible Studies. Illinois: Tyndale House Publishing. P. 7.

[8] Romans. Life Application Bible Studies. Illinois: Tyndale House Publishing. P. 7.

[9] Ps. 19:1-8; 94:9; Acts 14:15-17; 17:23-28

[10] John MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible, 1693.

[11]Timothy Keller, Romans 1-7 For You (The Good Book Company, 2018) 27.

[12] Douglas Moo. The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Epistle of Romans.

Michigan: Eedmans Publishing. P. 119.

“We Must Never Forget; Remembering What God Has Done For His People” Joshua 4

We Must Never Forget;

Remembering What God Has Done For His People

Joshua 4

Introduction

Picture of Jewish holocaust tattoo survivors.

Prayer

Memorial Stones (vv. 1-14)

When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever. 8 And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the LORD told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there. 9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day. 10 For the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people passed over in haste. 11 And when all the people had finished passing over, the ark of the LORD and the priests passed over before the people. 12 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before the people of Israel, as Moses had told them. 13 About 40,000 ready for war passed over before the LORD for battle, to the plains of Jericho. 14 On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life.”

The whole nation was represented, as a man was selected from each tribe, “Every part of the nation must play its part.”[1] Every part of the nation would leave a memorial for the generations to come – each tribe would speak of what the Lord had done. All of the nation had crossed over the Jordan, therefore all of the nation should proclaim what He had done for them (not just the priests, or the leadership, everyone).

God does not want the past to be forgotten – On 12 different occasions in the OT we see the phrase, “I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob.” These are covenants that God made with His people, special events, special words exchanged, that do not need to be forgotten.

These covenants, people, and events should not be forgotten because they serve as a memorial of God’s power expressed in the past, but it is also a promise to future generations that this same God is for them, and not against them, “Thus this promise was still a present reality for the exiles,”[2]

(v. 6) “When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them. . .” – “God’s acts of salvation on his people’s behalf must be perpetuated in the memory of the coming generations.”[3] There is a redemptive significance to the events (Crossing the Jordan, the Red Sea Crossing, The Plagues of Egypt and eventual Passover). God is keeping His covenant With His people.

Deuteronomy 6:20 says, “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.”

Exodus 12:26 is in reference to the Passover, “And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt. . .”

(v. 7) “So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” For the Hebrew people, to be a memorial means more than simply remember, “It involves remembering with concern; it also implies loving reflection, and where called for, a corresponding degree of action.”[4]

Also, there would only be one time when God’s people crossed the Jordan – God would do this miracle and it would not be repeated, “there is an economy of miracles in Scripture. Remembering was a way for future generations to participate in the great acts God had done for Israel.”[5]

(v. 10) “10 For the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua . . The people passed over in haste.” “As the priests stood in one spot whilst all the people were passing over, it was necessary that the people should hasten over, lest the strength of the priests should be exhausted.”[6]

God is doing His part, the priests are doing their part,

and the people are doing their part – all working together.

(v. 14) “On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life” – There were two results that resulted from the wonder of crossing the Jordan. “That the Lord exalted (lit. made great) Joshua in the sight of all Israel and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses (4:14).”[7]

The Jordan Returns to Normal (vv. 15-18)

15 And the LORD said to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests bearing the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan.” 17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.” 18 And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before.

In this chapter the ark is referred to by several titles, In vv. 5, 11 the ark of the LORD, v. 7, 17 the ark of the covenant of the LORD, v. 9 the ark of the covenant, v. 10 the ark, and here in v. 16 it is, “the ark of the testimony.” – “The ark contained the testimony, the tablets of the covenant”[8] The ark was a symbolic reminder of the promises of God that He had given to His people.

The Hebrew says of v. 18, “and the soles of their feet tore themselves loose upon the dry ground”[9] emphasizing that it was the ark of the covenant that was holding back the water of the Jordan and the water returned to their place “as before.”

God doesn’t work miracles in the Israelite camp every day – eventually the Red Sea will return to normal, and the Jordan will return to normal, the pillar of smoke and fire will disappear, and even in our lives God may do something spectacular, but life will return to normal.

(v. 15) “And the LORD said to Joshua,” . . . (v.17) “So Joshua commanded the priests,” . . . . (v. 19) “The people came up out of the Jordan.” the writer emphasizes that obedience is the prerequisite for God’s blessing.

Gilgal Encampment (vv. 19-24)

19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. 20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. 21 And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.”

(v. 19) “on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho” – on the same day, forty years before, Israel had begun to prepare for going out of Egypt by setting aside the paschal lamb. In Ex. 12 we see God’s instructions for the people to prepare to leave Egypt (preparing a lamb, blood on the doorposts, how they should eat dressed in a certain way, etc. Ex. 12:14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations.”

“Subsequent generations are to be told the story as if the event had happened to them personally so that they could participate in all that God had done for Israel.”[10] This is what God did for His people, those that place their faith in Him are His people.

While they would still memorialize the Passover (meal) in the years to come – the crossing of the Jordan ended 40 years of wandering. There is a God who was the God of a group of freed slaves – their power was not in their might, but in the God who goes before them.

God does not want them to forget – God brought them out of slavery, God split open the Jordan and held back it’s waters. It was the mighty hand of God that was with them. But there will come a day, when they will forget and think that all their success was because of their own strength, wisdom, and ability.

We must never forget that we were once slaves.

The Passover meal where a lamb was slain and it’s blood shed over the doorposts of their homes, was forever linked to their entrance into the promised land. They were slaves, but now they are free. They had no home, but now they dwell in the presence of God. They had no power, but now the power of God goes before them, and he is their God.

“When the crossing has been completed and the people had established their camp, their first act was to erect the alter of the twelve stones which had been carried by the representatives of the twelve tribes.”[11] They must recognize the God who did this, and worship Him. He is worthy to be praised.

(v. 21) “And he said to the people of Israel” – The memorial has to be explained.[12] There was a design and plan to the miracle that the people experienced. God instructs Joshua to teach the people – when people ask, “what do these stones mean” there should be an explanation. God has done a powerful work in their midst – so He explains to them, when you tell the world what happened, tell them this. God expects His people to respond to the questions of the world.

God does His part, the leadership does their part, and the people do their part.

(v. 24) “so that all the peoples of the earth may know” – God’s blessing for this nation, was intended to be shared with all the nations. God’s mighty hand, His works, were to be shared with the nations. God’s memorial stones point the world to Him, they tell what He has done. “. . . the account is written not only for the benefit of Joshua’s contemporaries, but also, has in mind those who at a much later time, and often under much different circumstances, would need this reminder of God’s might acts.”[13]

The ultimate reason for the memorial stones was so, “that you may fear the LORD your God forever.” You here is indicating God’s people, but the context also means the entire world. God did a work among one group of people, but it was for all the people of the earth. Also, the peoples of the earth are to fear the Lord forever. The fear of the Lord was to shared, explained, and transferred from one generation to the next, to the next, forever.

Later at the beginning of chapter five, the enemies of Israel just gave up before they even struck a single blow, “their hearts melted.” “It was useless to try to stop the onward march of a nation who is led by God.”

When Jesus was crucified and laid in the tomb, you can put a massive stone over the entrance, you can double the guard, and you can seal it with the emperor’s signature, but you are not going to stop what God is doing. Matthew 27:65-66 “Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.” Jesus rose from the dead anyway.

In the upcoming chapters in Joshua the reader is introduced to Rahab when spies are sent in. She explains to the spies that “as soon as we heard it, hour hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath” (Joshua 2:11). It was her fear of the Lord and hear the mighty deeds that the Lord had done, that caused her to place her faith in that God.

Everyone who the Lord has saved is a memorial stone, and we are commanded to tell of His mighty works that He has done in our lives. When we do, the people’s hearts of the world will melt before us. God does His part, leadership does their part, and the people do their part – tell of the wonders of God.

_______________________

[1] George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 2 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1982) 568.

[2] J. Alberto Soggin, The Old Testament Library, Joshua A Commentary (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Westminster Press, 1972) 65.

[3] Martin H. Woudstra, The Book of Joshua (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1981) 91.

[4] Woudstra, 92.

[5] Frank E. Gaebelein, General Editor, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 3 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1992) 269.

[6] C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament in Ten Volumes, Volume 2 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William b. Eerdsmans Publishing Co., reprinted 1984) 50.

[7] J. Gordan Harris, New International Biblical Commentary, Joshua, Judges, Ruth (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishers, 2003) 37.

[8] Martin H. Woudstra, 94.

[9] C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, 51.

[10] Frank E. Gaebelein, 272.

[11] Buttrick, 571.

[12] C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, 52.

[13] Martin H. Woudstra, 95.

“Quickly Bring the Best” Ephesians 2:1-10

“Bring Quickly the Best”

Ephesians 2:1-10

Opening

In Luke 15 we see the story of the prodigal son. The boy went to his father and demanded his inheritance, even though his father was still alive (which was a great insult, and potentially hard on the family financially). But the father gives the boy his inheritance and the boy leaves home, travels far away and absolutely wastes the money. Eventually he runs out of money, finds a job taking care of pigs, and is so hungry he wants to eat the slop the pigs are eating. He comes to his senses and decides to ask his father back home if he can work on the family farm as a servant.

Luke 15:20 “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.’3 22 But the father said to his servants,4 ‘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.”

We know that the prodigal son was not physically dead while in the far country, or physically made live when he returned home. The prodigal son was dead because he was away from home, out of touch and out of communion with the father. He is dead in his trespasses and sin against his father.

Prayer

Your Past (vv. 1-3)

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Paul begins our chapter by reminding us of our past. “Scripture uses many metaphors to describe man’s sinful state, such as blindness, deafness, fever, paralysis, leprosy, etc. but not one more forceful in meaning than this one of being dead in sins.”[1]

Man does not become spiritually dead because he sins; he is spiritually dead by his nature, therefore he is sinful. His condition has nothing to do with the way he lives; it has to do with the fact that he is dead even while he is alive. He is spiritually dead while being physically alive.

We are “dead in the trespasses and sins,” – to trespass is a violation of a definitive law, and to sin is to miss the mark (like an archer aiming at a target). We are guilty on both accounts. It is as if there is a giant “no trespassing sign” and we willfully went past it.

“We are sinners because we have taken our own way, and we are trespassers because we have transgressed what we knew to be the revealed word of God; and so we are dead to God in our natural condition.”[2]

And no one will deny that there are degrees of sin. If we compare Hitler who oversaw the killing of millions of Jewish people, and someone who stole a package of gummies at a gas station – are they the same? Both are sin.

If we look at Mark 5:21ff. we see Jairus’ daughter, and by the time Jesus got to her she had only been dead for a very short period of time, yet dead still. And later when we see Jesus coming to Lazarus’s tomb (John 11) – he intentionally stayed away for days, and when it was time to roll away the stone at the entrance when “Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.”[3]

Both Jarius’ daughter and Lazarus are in different stages of corruption, yet they both are dead. You may not be Hitler, but we are all sinners by our nature, Romans 3:23 “. . . for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Man’s common state of sin is like people trying to jump across the Grand Cannon (4 to 18mi.). 10 year old (8 feet), 20 year old Olympic long jump (30 feet), 50 year running from the IRS (50 feet) – all will fall short. We are all, “Sons of disobedience and children of wrath” are parallel verses, meaning the same thing.

(v. 2) “in which you once walked,” – The word walk is often used in the New Testament to describe a way of life. The words transgressions and sin describe the path in which people walk and the boundaries that shape their lives.[4]

Because we were spiritually dead, by nature (v. 3) “in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind” – it is our nature as human beings to live this way, and which always results in God’s Wrath. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

In the gospel of Matthew 11:16-19 we see “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, 17 “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.” John the Baptist and Jesus were both preachers, John’s message was focused on repentance and judgement (like a funeral dirge), and Jesus’ sermons he compares to a flute at a party (good news, joyful) – but the people did not respond to either.

But in the heart of some, there is a quickening.

The Holy Spirit draws some toward Jesus.

Your Present (vv. 4-6)

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

(v. 4) “But God,” – dead people can’t do anything. They can’t breathe, they can’t heal, they can’t take action to please God – all they can do it decay. And since they can do nothing to improve their situation, God chose to do something to make our relationship with Him right again. He made the first move.

1 John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.”

“being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us” – “There is an infinite resources of mercy for the vilest sinner. There is no one for whom there is no mercy” or where the mercy will run out.[5] Not just a little bit of mercy, God is rich in His mercy toward sinners.

In Genesis 1 we see that at the beginning of time, “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” God spoke, God took action, and there was light where there once was darkness.

God saw our condition of sin and spiritual death, and out of compassion and love for His creation He took action, “made us alive together with Christ Jesus.”

Jesus’ death on a cross and his resurrection from the dead is a picture and a promise of us being made alive with Jesus. “There was a time when because of my sins Jesus Christ lay dead in the grave, but having completed the work that saves, God quickened Him from the dead and brought Him back in triumph from the tomb.”[6] We believe in Him and are brought forth from the place of the dead and are brought back to life.

“by grace you have been saved” – grace is God’s action toward us when we do not deserve His favor.

“raised us up with him and seated[7] us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” – Jesus has done all the work (dying on the cross, bearing the weight of our sin, He has done all the things required for our salvation), then we get to go with him to heaven. Jesus bought the ticket, and he turns and hands us one for free, and we get to go with him.

Your Future (vv. 7-10)

7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

(v.8) “Grace is God’s part, faith is our part.”[8]

God loves his creation so much that He sent His Son into the world to be a propitiation for our sins, but He loves His Son so much that he will not permit anyone into heaven who ignores the work of the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished.”[9]

When a person chokes or drowns and stops breathing, there is nothing he can do. If he ever breathes again it will be because someone else starts him breathing. A person who is spiritually dead cannot even make a decision of faith unless God breathes into him the breath of spiritual life. Faith is simply breathing the breath that God’s grace supplies.[10]

Every person lives by faith. When we open a can of food or drink a glass of water we trust that it is not contaminated. When we go across a bridge we trust it to support us. When we put our money in the bank we trust that it will be there when we go to withdraw it. Life is a constant series of acts of faith.

Human effort has nothing to do with it. And thus, no one should boast, as if he had any part of it. All boasting is eliminated in salvation. When we see each other in eternity, we will know that none of us deserve to be there and will bow before Jesus in his glory and grace.

(v. 10) “For we are his workmanship” – Psalm 100:3 “Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”

Colossians 1:16 “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”

(v. 10) “created in Christ Jesus for good works” Not in order to be saved but because we are already saved are we to do good works. As the sun was created to shine, the rose to give forth its delightful fragrance, the bird to fly, so we are created anew to do good works and thus to glorify him who created us as what we are in Christ Jesus.”[11]

(v. 10) “which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”[12] – “What Paul says is not that God prepared us that we should walk in good works (so Luther), but that he prepared the good works.”[13] The believer is saved, but then we don’t look around for just something good to do, God lays out the journey before us. Our job is to stay close to God and His Word, so that “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

“We are saved not by but for good works, and we are saved not just for a beautiful heavenly destiny that God has prepared but for good works here, likewise prepared by God.”[14]

Conclusion – let’s go back to Luke 15, remember when the father sees the son returning home, he says, “Bring quickly the best” – for the farmer it was a robe, a ring, sandals, and a celebration meal. When our heavenly father see us he says, “Bring quickly the best” What is the best that the heavenly father gives us?

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God gave His best so that we may have eternal life – have you received Jesus’ free gift of salvation and new life?

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[1] August Van Ryn, Ephesians The Glories of His Grace (Neptune, New Jersey; Loizeaux Brothers Publishing, 1963) 40.

[2] H. A. Ironside, In the Heavenlies (Neptune, New Jersey; Louizeaux Brothers, 1979) 101

[3] Ironside, 100.

[4] Klyne Snodgrass, The NIV Application Commentary, Ephesians (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing House, 1996) 96.

[5] Ironside, 105.

[6] Ibid, 106.

[7] Seated is given in the past tense (aorist tense) indicating it being so definite that it is as if it has already fully taken place. MacArthur, 60.

[8] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume 4 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1931) 525.

[9] Ironside, 111.

[10] John MacArthur, The John MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Ephesians (Chicago, Illinois; Moody Press, 1986) 61.

[11] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians to the Ephesians and to the Philippians (Minneapolis, Minnesota; Augsburg Publishing House, 1961) 427.

[12] “C. L. Mitton concludes his discussion on this verse with an appropriate comment: “This final phrase about our ‘walking in them’ reminds us that fine phrases or eloquent sermons about love are not what is required, but the actions, costly actions, which express in practical conduct the love which God’s saving power has created in our hearts.” David J. Williams, New International Biblical Commentary, Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishers, 1990) 186.

[13] Lenski, 427.

[14] Walter L. Liefeld, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, Ephesians (Downers Grove, Illinois; Intervarsity Press, 1997) 67.