Ephesians - Our Identity in Christ

 

    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.

This letter was written from prison in Rome around 60-62AD. We know that Paul stayed in Ephesus for 3 years. Towards the end of his stay, there was a revival, and a riot broke out, and Paul had to leave the city.

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.

 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

A Preamble for worship

During our time in Mumbai with the family over the Christmas break, I made a wonderful discovery as I was rummaging through my old boxes of treasures looking for certain items of the past- from decades  long gone. Neatly tucked away in a box of books was an old red Hymnal that belonged to my father (who had passed on 23 years ago). I was ecstatic with joy as I thought it had gotten lost in our moving from one city to another. It’s a hymn book I have always loved and cherished. A special touch is that it has his signature in his own beautiful handwriting !

What caught my attention this time is the Preface, (much to my shame, I admit) that I have never read before. I was stunned by the clarity of intent and purpose and the clarity about what the content ought to be and why. I thought to myself as one who does not have a casual interest in worship but had devoted a large portion of my life to, that this is a great Preamble for any worship leader.  This has provoked me to pen my thoughts on what I believe the shape and structure of worship ought to be. 

We all have many ideas about worship but at the end of the day we need to ask a fundamental question – did it please the heart of God, was it scriptural, was it Trinitarian , did it exalt Jesus above all? I have at times been in Church meetings where one is not certain who is being worshipped. What do I mean by this? Often I have found the focus has been on man and his needs and his desire – even the desire to worship but worship is not actually given to God Almighty. Song after song is sung about a desire to worship and love God but it is not done. Or the focus has been on how much we love Him and not on how much God has loved us by sending His son to die on a cruel cross. The focus almost exalts man feelings and emotions more than the exalting the different attributes of God and worshipping Him for who He is. Sometimes you never hear the Cross being mentioned at all and the Holy Spirit is almost totally ignored. Most of us do this unintentionally, I know.  Maybe this will help us to be more alert and focused when we decide what songs our congregation will sing. Let’s look at our lists and see whether they are well rounded in content. A good question to ask you when preparing for a meeting is,”if an unbeliever attended only the worship in a meeting, would he hear the gospel come through the lyrics of the songs?”

So what should our songbooks and Set lists look like? Here are my thoughts: ( These points have been taken  from the Preface of the Redemption Hymnal and adapted  for our purpose)

•   Songs that  emphasize the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ and the glory of His cross as central in the redemption , his blood , of sinful men.

•         They provide for the worship of the Father in spirit and in truth and express the aspirations of those who long to be Holy as He is holy. Their basis of doctrine is belief that the Bible is the Word of God that lives and abides forever, by which men are born again and through which they grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour.

•       All these truths have glowed with new and deeper power and beauty through the baptism of the Holy Spirit received as a definite experience with scriptural evidence.

•         The Songbook should combine rich devotional songs in abundance with stirring revival songs that present the Gospel in all its depth, winsomeness and simplicity. It should be equally suitable for regular life and work of the local church, for large gatherings and evangelistic outreaches.

When our set lists begin to reflect these features I have no doubt that we will begin to experience a Pentecostal revival among those who worship and they will leave our meetings with thoughts of “were not our hearts burning when sang His praise?”  And the unbeliever’s involuntary response will be “surely God is in this place”.

This is my desire for 2012 – for me, the band members in my church. I am passionate about seeking His presence, His outpouring and anointing so that Jesus may be lifted up high above all.

Navaz D'Cruz

Jan2011

( Navaz is the Band and worship leader at Word of Grace Church. She has been  a musician committed to worship  for over 3 decades  and even serves at city , and national worship Events.)

God or Idol?

This is a summary of the sermon preached on the 11th of September by Colin D Cruz the pastor of Word of Grace Church .

John1 :1-2

Who is God? What is He like? Different people have a different understanding of who He is. Our belief must correspond with truth.

Eg) 5 Blind men feeling an elephant – One feels the tails and says the elephant is like a rope, the other feels the trunk and says the Elephant is like a tree, the other feels the ears  and says the elephant is like a fan and so on. Which one is right? You may say all of them. They are all right when put together but not in isolation.

In the same way there are many facets to God and we need to try and understand Him in all His glory.

When we have just one pet idea about God, we no longer worship God we worship an image of Him and  it becomes idolatry. Some people believe that God is too kind and loving to send people to hell. Does this image of God correspond with the truth?  Even as Christians we can be in the danger of having a partial understanding or selective understanding of who God is. We must worship God in spirit and in truth.

In the Bible we are introduced to many facets of God. Viz:

2Thes 1:8 – “He will punish...” The Judge

Jn14 – He calls us friends

Rev1:17 -John was the disciple closest to Jesus and the one Jesus loved yet here what is John’s response? He feel face down as though dead when he encountered the glorified Jesus.

•          One of the qualities of God is that he is Eternal – without beginning and end. “In the beginning ...” The same words are used in Genesis 1:1. Jesus the Word of God existed before matter, time and space.

John 17:5 – with the glory I had with you before the world began”

Some people think that Jesus came into existence only 2000yrs ago. They are in error.

Jn 1:14 “The word became flesh and made his dwelling amongst us

The difference between us and the creator is the difference between the sun and a candle. The essential nature of God is that he is infinite but we are finite.

THE WORD – why is He called the word?  Everything God wants to communicate is through His Son.

Jn14:6- “the way, the truth and the life”

Heb1:1-2 in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. The recorded word is the Bible

This is of extreme importance but man does not live by bread alone but by every WORD

If you want to be built up spiritually feed on the Word. That is why we have introduced the “Getting started “series of daily devotionals to strengthen you in the Word.

•      John1:2 “And the word was with God”.They were close, there was unity. The word and God were one. It speaks of a close relationship and fellowship. These are attributes of the Godhead.

What does this imply for us?

God wants to have fellowship with us not because He needs us. We need him. Set aside a time to communicate with God.  Stay in fellowship with him. Brother Lawrence used to wash dishes in the monastery and he used that time to fellowship with God.

When we become Christians God becomes our father and other Christians become our brothers and sisters. There was mutual submission and partnership in the Trinity. In the same way it is vital to build a relationship with one another. This is vital for the growth of the church. Invite people to your home and have a meal with them – make new friends.

Our salvation is personal but not private.

•       John1:2 And the Word was with God

He is co equal with God – not a little lower. Jesus is Coequal. Submitting does not mean being inferior. It’s a different role.

Col1:15 Image of the invisible God

Heb1:3 Jesus is the exact representation of his being

Heb1:3b Jesus is the radiance of Go’s glory

Jn1:3 through Jesus all things were made

Jn1:10 the world was made through Him.

Here are some more attributes of God – He is Eternal, omnipresent (Matt18:20), omniscient, omnipotent, sinless, unchanging ( Heb15:5), Sovereign (Matt28:18-20).

As you study the Bible you will discover many more attributes of God and grow in your understanding of Him and this will  deepen your worship of Him.