'The Body & the Building' - Ephesians 2:11-22

It is easy for us, 2,000 years later, to take for granted that the good news of Jesus Christ is for everyone. The reality is that the Gentiles were once far from God. We were without Christ, had no hope, and were without God in the world. “But now in Christ Jesus you who were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Jew and Gentile are saved in the same way: through Jesus' death on the cross and His blood poured out for us. Wonderfully, we are united together as the church of God. An important truth of Ephesians 2 is that, individually, we have peace with God because of the Lord Jesus, and collectively, we have peace with other believers because of the cross. We are all “in Christ” and so we are at peace.

 

The church is described in two ways. First, it is the body of Christ. This imagery reminds us that the church is alive. Jesus is the Head, and we are His hands and feet to one another and to the lost world around us. The body also speaks of our unity. Not only are Jews and Gentiles united in Christ, but people from many different backgrounds are brought together as one. Every member is important, and each of us has a part to play, both in ministering to one another and in pointing non-Christians to Christ. Second, the church is God's building, specifically a spiritual temple. This imagery reminds us that we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. We are "a dwelling place for God by the Spirit." What an amazing truth that, although the Gentiles were once on the outside looking in and their access to God was limited, we are now God's temple, and He dwells in us. This temple that God is building is characterised by holiness, and we are called to be a people who are holy and set apart for Him. A key aspect to the temple also is that it is the place from which the praise and worship of God flow.

 

Be reminded this week of your identity in Christ! We are the body, and we are the building of God. So let us live in light of this reality!

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'Saved by Grace, Saved for Works' - Ephesians 2:8-10

These verses are among the clearest in the New Testament concerning the way of salvation: "For by grace you have been saved through faith." Grace is God's way of saving us. When we speak of God's grace, we're talking about how the Father sent the Son to die in our place on the cross. We didn't deserve it, and we couldn't earn it. But we must receive it. That's where faith comes in. Faith is how we lay hold of, appropriate, and access God's saving grace. We are called to place our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and the Bible assures us that all who do so will be saved. This is the message we are called to preach.

 

So, what role do works have? In salvation, none. But once we are saved, good works are incredibly important. We are not saved by works, but we are "created in Christ Jesus for good works". A fruitful life filled with good works is evidence of the genuineness of a person's faith (see James 2). As we serve and minister to others within the body of Christ, our good works become a tremendous blessing. They are also an important witness to the lost people in our lives. As Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). What an amazing truth that you are God's "workmanship" – His poiēma, His masterpiece. God has uniquely gifted you and given you opportunities to serve Him. Therefore, as you walk in relationship with God, walk faithfully in the good works that He has prepared for you to do.

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'From Death to Life' - Ephesians 2:1-7

As Christians, we want the Bible to shape our worldview because, if it does not, we will inevitably be conformed to the world's way of thinking. One foundational worldview issue is the nature of mankind. The world commonly teaches that people are inherently good, or at least morally neutral. It says that we are merely products of our environment, that we are all children of God, and that we are all destined for heaven. The Bible presents a very different picture. In Ephesians 2, Paul describes us as being "dead in trespasses and sins," "sons of disobedience," and "by nature children of wrath". This has been humanity's condition ever since Adam's fall. By nature, we are fallen and spiritually dead. Contrary to what the world says, our greatest needs are not physical or emotional, but spiritual. Our greatest need is to be reconciled to God, saved from the judgment we deserve, born again.

 

Then comes one of the great turning points in all of Scripture: "But God ... made us alive". We were dead in sin, but God, through the Lord Jesus Christ's death or the cross and third-day resurrection, has made us spiritually alive. We focused on God's character and His motivation in saving us. God is merciful. He sees the misery that sin has brought into the world and into our own lives, and He has compassion on us. God is loving. It was because of His great love that He saved us "even when we were dead in trespasses." This reminds us that salvation is entirely God's work and not our own. God is gracious. Not only does He refrain from giving us what we deserve, but He gives us what we do not deserve. In Christ, we have been given a new nature and an exalted position, having been made to "sit together in the heavenly places" with Him. God is kind. We will spend eternity growing in our understanding of the riches of His kindness and grace toward us.

 

We have so much for which to thank God! The Christian life is to be lived from a place of gratitude, responding to all that He has done for us in Christ. So, let’s life that way this week – grateful to God and surrendered to Him.

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'The Remnant of Israel: Past, Present, Future'

In recent years, there has been a marked rise in antisemitism around the world, and much of the church has misunderstood Israel and God’s dealings with His covenant people. In view of this, it is important to know that, throughout history, God has always preserved a faithful remnant of Israel.

 

In the past, after his victory over the prophets of Baal, Elijah believed he was the only faithful follower of Yahweh left. But God assured him, “I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal” (1 Kings 19:18). The remnant was small, but it existed. What an important reminder for us that success in ministry is not measured by numbers or outward appearances, but by faithfulness to God. In the present, both in Paul’s day and in our own, God continues to have a faithful remnant of Jewish people who believe in their Messiah—and ours. The apostles were Jewish, Paul was Jewish, the early church in Jerusalem was Jewish, and the gospel was first proclaimed to the Jews. Today, only a small minority of Jewish people around the world, including in Israel, believe in Jesus. However, praise God, that minority is growing. It is also important to emphasise that there is no separate way of salvation for the Jewish people. Jew and Gentile alike are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Looking ahead to the prophetic future, the current partial spiritual blindness upon Israel will one day give way to glorious light when the nation finally receives its Messiah. Scripture speaks of how difficult days lie ahead for Israel, culminating in “the time of Jacob’s trouble” prophesied by Jeremiah. Zechariah tells us that two-thirds of the nation will perish, while one-third will survive and be refined through the fire. Then, at the end of Daniel’s seventieth week, Jewish people will turn to Jesus, and “so all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:26). The remnant will become the whole. What a glorious day that will be! God’s covenant people – a nation uniquely called by Him and beloved for the sake of the patriarchs – will be reconciled to their God. As Paul says, it will be nothing short of a resurrection: “For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” (Rom. 11:15). The Millennium will be a time of unparalleled joy in earth with Israel, in right relationship to her God, the pre-eminent nation pointing everyone to God.

 

It is important to understand God’s prophetic plans and purposes, including His purposes for the Jewish people. In doing so, we are reminded of one of the great themes of Scripture: God is faithful. Faithful to His promises. Faithful to Israel. Faithful to His church. Faithful to you and me.

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'What Are You Praying For?' - Ephesians 1:15-23​​

Prayer, like oxygen, is essential to the Christian life, and we should all seek to grow as faithful people of prayer. Paul’s prayer in Ephesians provides a wonderful example of the kinds of requests we can pray for ourselves and for others. He prayed for spiritual illumination and understanding, that our eyes would be opened and our hearts softened to the spiritual realities of all that God has done for us in Christ. How we need the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, helping us understand who we are and all that we have in Christ!

 

Paul specifically prayed that believers would grasp three great spiritual realities. First, that we would “know what is the hope of His calling”. Christian hope is not a vague wish or a fingers-crossed ‘I hope so’ kind of hope. It is a sure and certain expectation of what God has promised but has not yet fully brought to completion. This is the hope of our final redemption, the full revelation of our adoption as God’s children, our eternal inheritance, and everlasting joy in God’s presence. What a glorious hope we have in Christ! Second, that we would know “what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints”. If you ever find yourself questioning your value, worth, or purpose, remember that God describes His people as His inheritance. You are precious to Him, and He has demonstrated the value He places on you by sending His Son to redeem you. What an amazing privilege to belong to God and to be treasured by Him! Third, that we would know “what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe”. There is no power shortage with God. The very power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, exalted Him, and seated Him at His right hand is at work in the lives of His people today. Whatever challenges, weaknesses, or needs you face, God has all the strength and power you require, and He invites you to come to Him and depend upon Him for it.

 

May we all learn from Paul’s prayer and be encouraged to pray with greater understanding and confidence, rejoicing in every spiritual blessing that is ours in Christ. And may we come to know these blessings, and the certainty of them, more deeply in our daily lives.

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'To the Praise of His Glory' - Ephesians 1:7-14

The opening ‘word of glory’ in Ephesians is Trinitarian in both structure and emphasis, highlighting the united work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in salvation. We might say that the Father planned it, the Son purchased it, and the Spirit imparts it. Here, I want to focus on one aspect of the Son’s work and one aspect of the Spirit’s work.

 

Concerning Christ the Son, we read that, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” This is the blessing from which all other blessings flow. Everything we have in Christ begins with redemption and the personal reception of God’s forgiveness. The word redemption comes from the language of the slave market. We were slaves to sin, bound by it, chained to it, and utterly unable to purchase our own freedom. But Jesus did for us what we could never do for ourselves. His life was the ransom payment; His blood satisfied God’s righteous anger against sin; and through Him we are forgiven and set free. What grace God has shown us! His grace has been lavishly poured out upon us and “abound[s] toward us.” Concerning the Spirit, we read that we were “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance.” The Spirit’s presence within us assures us that God will complete His redeeming work. Having been sealed with His mark, we belong to God. The Spirit is given as a pledge, a down payment guaranteeing that our inheritance is secure and that Christ will return for His own. What grace God has shown! What assurance we have in Him! How worthy God is of all praise and glory!

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'Every Spiritual Blessing in Christ' - Ephesians 1:3-6

As Christians, we are blessed! Oftentimes we focus on blessings related to this life: blessings of God's provision, protection, good health, and family. And so we should! Every good thing in our lives comes from God. But the blessings spoken of in Ephesians are "spiritual blessings". They originate with God in the heavenlies and are ours because of our connection to Christ. It is so important to appreciate all that we have in Christ and to grasp, even just a little more, just how blessed we are!

 

WE ARE BLESSED not with a few blessings, nor with just some, but with "every spiritual blessing". These blessings are not temporary or potentially transient, as good health may be, but are higher, better, and more secure. WE ARE CHOSEN by God in Christ for salvation "before the foundation of the world". Doesn't this thought take your breath away? WE ARE HOLY. In choosing us, God purposed to call to Himself a people who would be separate, sanctified, holy. He has called us out of darkness and out of the world so that He might reveal Himself to the world through His holy church, in which He delights. WE ARE PREDESTINED specifically to "adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself". If God had only saved us from the power and penalty of sin and the hell we deserve, it would have been enough. But He has done so much more. Our Heavenly Father has adopted us into His family. We are His children, and He has predestined us to bear the family likeness and become more like His Son, Jesus (Rom. 8:29). Finally, WE ARE ACCEPTED. One of the great sorrows of life is to be rejected. God does not do that. Rather, He has "made us accepted in the Beloved". Our acceptance by God is not because of anything we have done or could ever do, but because Jesus, the perfect sacrifice for our sins, is fully acceptable to God, and we are in Him. So whatever blessings in this life you may or may not enjoy, be reminded again of just how blessed you are in Jesus!

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'Sit, Walk, Stand' - Ephesians 1:1-2

The saints at Ephesus were a well-taught church with a great pastoral pedigree. It is perhaps no surprise, then, that some of the richest and deepest theology in the New Testament is found in this book. Our Ephesians theme is SIT, WALK, STAND, and we see this progression throughout the letter.

 

Christ is seated at the Father’s right hand in the heavenly places, and spiritually we SIT there with Him. God the Father “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” How important it is for us to understand our position and all the blessings that we enjoy, even today as Christians, because we are united with Jesus. In response to who we are in Christ, we are to WALK in the way God has called us to. We are to walk worthy of our calling, to walk in love, to walk as children of light, and to walk circumspectly. Theology is wonderful, and we should all be growing in our knowledge of Christ. Right doctrine should lead to right living, and this will be a major focus of our time in Ephesians. Finally, there is a spiritual battle raging in the heavenly realm, and so we must STAND. God has given us everything we need to fight and be victorious in the Christian life, and an important part of this is putting on the whole armour of God. My encouragement to us all is to be praying for one another, that God would pour out His blessings upon us as we study this book together and learn what it means to SIT, WALK, and STAND in Christ.