This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on 21st June 2026, by Navaz. For the audio , please click here. For the worship, please click here. THE GREATEST CALL UPON YOUR LIFE
The Gospel According to Ephesians 1:1–14
Paul, an
apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To God’s holy people in Ephesus,[a] the
faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace and
peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
SALUTATION
This letter, as we heard last Sunday, does not address any
problems, unlike the letters to the Romans, Galatians, and Colossians. The
overall theme of this letter is for everyone to grasp the big picture of who
God is, what He has done, and what He requires of us as followers of Christ.
As we know, in the Greeco-Roman world, people began their
letters by stating who was writing and to whom.
A FUNCTION, NOT A TITLE
You don't wear your calling — you live it.
We know that Paul is the author of this letter.
Notice he does not say "Apostle Paul"-today, people use the words
"Apostle," "Pastor," etc., as titles prefixed to their
names, just like "Dr." These are not titles but functions. How
many of us would go around with the titles Cleaner Paul, DLP Paul,
Announcements Paul?
WRITTEN IN A CONFUSED CITY, FOR A CONFUSED WORLDV.2
Grace & peace, a common salutation Paul uses,
combining the Jewish and Roman greetings.
Ephesus was known for its worship of Diana (her Roman
name) and Artemis (her Greek name). Men became eunuchs, dressed as women,
and worshipped her. So, there was a lot
of confusion amid the revival.
So we see Paul straddle the Greeco- Roman world, and the
Jewish world. And then there is us as well!
While the Bible is not written TO us, it is written FOR us,
which is what makes it relevant and eternal.
And Paul is writing
this letter as a plumbline for understanding your identity and
calling in Christ, your understanding of salvation and God’s big plan
for the church on the earth, and, finally, how we ought to live in view of this
great God and the great calling upon our lives.
WAKE UP
TO WHO & WHOSE YOU ARE
ELEVEN TIMES HE SAYS "IN HIM"
Outside of Him, nothing. Inside of Him, everything.
ONE BREATH, ONE SENTENCE, ONE OVERFLOWING HEART
This is the good news of our salvation.
Blessed in the Heavenly Realms
"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." (v.3)
CHOSEN BEFORE TIME BEGAN
"For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy
and blameless in His sight." (v.4a)
That God is our Father
He has blessed us, and that blessing has a
geography if you like – it's in the heavenly realms. Heaven is where God’s Kingdom is. Heaven and
earth met in Eden, then in the Temple and now in our hearts.
We
have often settled for material blessings, with our physical needs met.
The
blessings are IN CHRIST. We can be in Christ when we acknowledge the
need for him. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of
Heaven (Matt 5:33)
Where
is Jesus right now? At the right hand of God, the Father, in the heavenly
realms. If we are in Christ, then we too are seated in the heavenly realm – in
the Kingdom, living the Kingdom way.
CHOSEN V4a
4 For he chose us in him
before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his
sight
He could have passed you by. He didn't.
Before you were ever
born, you were already chosen.
WHO CHOSE YOU?
Our Salvation Story starts in Christ & is sustained by Him and will continue in Him into eternity. Eternity began the day you were born. Here is something we need to stop and thank God for. Thank God, He chose you. (John 15:16 – you did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit --- fruit that will last) By definition, He could have chosen not to choose you, but He did.
This
means not all are chosen for salvation. This is not a point for us to argue,
shake our fists at God, and say, "Why not them and them?" It is the
arrogance of humans and our individualism that makes us feel we deserve an
answer. What we deserve is punishment.
WHEN WERE WE CHOSEN?
Before the world was created. God
operates outside of time, involves Himself in time, and is not limited by it.
WAKE UP TO WHY YOU ARE CHOSEN?
the glory of God
WHY WERE YOU CHOSEN?
This is the purpose for which we have been chosen—to glorify God.
Verser 4b We have chosen to be holy – set apart and
blameless in His sight. We are blameless only because Jesus took our blame.
The church is the small working model of a new creation (N.T Wright). God chose us for a purpose. It is about restoring the mandate in Genesis 1:28.
FROM ORPHAN TO SON — FROM SON TO HEIR (TO BECOME – TO BELONG)
Before the cross, I was not His child. Now I cry, 'Abba,
Father.'
VERSE 5- In love, he predestined us
for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ in accordance with his
pleasure and will—
Let
us roll back a little.
At creation, God gave Adam & Eve charge of the
earth. They were to title and steward it well. They were supposed to do this in
collaboration with God. It was heaven on earth because His will, design for
humanity and the world, was being worked out through His image bearers.
But we know that soon, sin entered the world and corrupted everything. Humanity lost its identity, which was deeply linked to its relationship with the father. They lost their purpose because they forgot their design. They were created to rulership and dominion. Their image-bearing qualities would help them do that. They also lost their relationship with God as their Father.
This
brings me to the realisation that before Christ’s death on the cross, I was not
a child of God! God is not everyone’s Father. Not everyone can call him Father
Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His
name, He gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:11-12)
We are new creations – we have a new DNA. We are God’s workmanship or poem. Never been created before. We have a Divine Nature Activated in us the day we were born again.
GRACE THAT COSTS EVERYTHING
Free for you. Costly for Him.
V6. PURPOSE
6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in
the One he loves.
This
choosing of God has a purpose: for the praise of His glory, not
yours. Not so that you have fire insurance and can continue to live your
life as you please. If you think that you have misunderstood grace, which is
free for you, but it came at a price.
How Did God Do This?
"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He
lavished on us... He made known to us the mystery of His will... to bring unity
to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ." (vv.7-10)
Jesus came to redeem us from the curse of our sinful nature and to bring us back to Him, and in Him we once again see our purpose: to bring Glory to God on Earth, as it is in heaven. He did this at great cost.
In the Roman world, Grace was clearly understood as a benefactor/patron giving a client something he could never earn nor repay. The patron sets up the client for success and gives him everything he needs. However, the patron would, in turn, expect some services from the client. Imagine the client turning around and telling the benefactor-"Come on, you can't ask me to do that!" You are being unfair and demanding. And yet this is how we treat God.
Jesus has several expectations of us – to be holy (1 Pet 1:16), to obey His commandments (John 14:15), to preach the good news (Matt 28:18-20), to heal the sick, to raise the dead (Lk 9:2), to bring Him glory!!! If you thought being a Christian is only about being saved and not living your life for Jesus, you have probably heard only half the gospel.
Unfortunately, many have heard the salvation story that goes something
like this: Come to Jesus,
and you will be saved from hell; come to Jesus, and all your problems will go
away; come to Jesus, and all your needs will be met. He is gracious and kind,
and you don’t need to do anything to follow Jesus. This is a half-truth, and
half-truth means there is half a lie!!! And that half-truth can send people
to hell. On that day, Jesus, when we say “Lord, Lord”, forbid that He should
say I never knew you!!! (Matt7:21-23)
God has saved us for a purpose far bigger than ourselves. Being a worker in his vineyard is a privilege and does not rob you of your freedom!!
First to Hope, First to Display
"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, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory." (vv.11-12)
MARKED, SEALED, AND GUARANTEED
No one can undo heaven's seal.
"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession — to the praise of His glory." (vv.13-14)
THE TRINITY ON DISPLAY
•
FATHER – blessed us with every spiritual
blessing
•
SON- Chosen, Adopted, redeemed, saved
through Jesus
•
SPIRIT -Marked, sealed and promised an
inheritance.
•
No one can take away what God has given
us. It has heaven’s seal that no one can undo.
Your Mandate
·
Your
identity is received, not invented.
·
Your
worth is grounded in God's love, not public approval.
·
Your
belonging comes from adoption into God's family.
·
Your
future is secure because of God's promises and the Spirit's seal.
WAKE UP TO HOW YOU SHOULD RESPOND
REVELATION 2 To the Church
in Ephesus
2 “To the angel[a] of the church in
Ephesus write:
These are the words of
him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven
golden lampstands. 2 I know your
deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot
tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be
apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You
have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown
weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5
Let your heart overflow — you have done nothing to deserve
this.
FALL IN LOVE WITH JESUS AGAIN!
What is our response to this great truth?
·
We
need to be so grateful to God for our salvation and, like Paul, burst
into incessant praise and thanksgiving.
·
Our
hearts need to overflow with gratitude because we have done nothing to deserve
such rich mercy and grace.
·
We need to live a purposeful life in Christ for the
glory of God.
So, no matter what work
you do, it is for the glory of God.
As mum’s raising your kids
– it's for the glory of God.
Family life – husband, be a
good husband for the glory of God. Wives, be good wives for the glory of God.
Children obey and honour your parents for the glory of God.
As a Christian follower, serve the kingdom through your local church for the glory of God.
PURPOSE IN A NUTSHELL
The fact that God has chosen us, adopted us, elected us, predestined us, sealed us all in His son Jesus Christ & redeemed us by His blood so that the mysteries of God would be revealed to us and that we as new creations become the new working model community called the Church is more than enough reason to give praise to God.
No comments:
Post a Comment