Oh, what a change from the past to the present! Other nations might be governed by democracy or aristocracy; Israel was a theocracy. On the other hand, for the Gentile history was going nowhere. But up to this the saints are contemplated as such. The tendency is ever to set aside what is personal for that which is corporate. Observed, 1. Accordingly, when all was complete in the communication of God's plans in the Bible, there was one subject that was left a blank. Man." I allowed pleasure to dominate me. It is the mystery of Christ; and this is what secures the blessing in its fulness and purity for the church of God. Contextually, the writer is stating that the Gentiles were spiritually dead to God because of their own "trespasses and sins.". It was true that the Gentile was without hope because he was without God. They are dead because of sinful acts that they themselves have committed (cf. After he has paid the fine and served the imprisonment, as far as the law is concerned, the whole matter is over. He is one who does not subject himself to any authority and, therefore, practices "lawlessness." Of course, this does not mean that they were in all respects dead. I do not deny but that a Christian may slip elsewhere. And the Lord said, "Gideon." To illustrate, one may shoot an arrow and fail to hit the mark, or shoot an arrow and have it fall beside the mark. [Note: Wiersbe, 2:17. Heres a call to worship based on Ephesians 2: 11-22. Than these nothing less becomes those so blessed. Such an one is the openly profligate, to whom we give wide quarters, lest we touch him. according to the prince of the power of the air, that even now works in the children of disobedience ( Ephesians 2:2 ): Now, there may have been a time in the history of the world that a person would challenge the fact that Satan is behind the course or the flow of the world. Death In Life ( Ephesians 2:1-3 Continued). "Sir," answered the engineer, "I've got a glory." Blessed be God! All rights reserved worldwide. HOMER: I do know you would. Oh, be aware of his devices; seek to "keep the heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." First he explains what God has done for all sinners in general; then he explains what God did for the Gentiles in particular." Put away your previous way of life, your old self, corrupted and deluded as it was, and be renewed in every aspect of your thinking. They are in Christ; Christ died, and therefore they died. Friends, as we gather our thoughts into quietness. How everything is connected with Christ! I knew that no man but a Christian ever could or would cry out against sin with that bitter wail; and that, if the grace of God was not with him, he would rest satisfied and contented; but that, if he felt that sin was a horrible thing, and he was a wretched man because of it, and must be delivered from it, then he surely must be a child of God, especially if he could add, "Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.". He wrote in few words no doubt, but he has written with divine perfection, and clearly enough for those by God's grace made competent to understand, let the words be ever so few. One of the tokens that life is coming back to him is, that he wakes up out of a pleasant sleep, and feels pain. VII, p. 23. There was a moral necessity for a nature suitable to God, if we were to be in His presence at all; but there was none for this special relationship. Nothing short of this suffices. the Christian's dynamic is the desire to serve. If but two acted accordingly, they ought to be and would be an expression of the unity of the Spirit. That is not worship which consists in doing as Hodge did, when he said, "I like Sunday, for then I can go to church, and put my legs up, and think of nothing at all." For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves ( Ephesians 2:8 ): What not of yourselves? The words he uses are interesting. They are not a part of the original text. The devil seems to have some power (by God's permission) in the lower region of the air; there he is at hand to tempt men, and to do as much mischief to the world as he can: but it is the comfort and joy of God's people that he who is head over all things to the church has conquered the devil and has him in his chain. Paul goes on to say that we are recreated by God for good works. Paul had begun by saying that, as we are, we are dead in sins and trespasses; now he says that God in his love and mercy has made us alive in Jesus Christ. Finally, "receive the helmet of salvation, [there the head is lifted up, not in presumption, but with none the less joy and courage,] and the sword of the Spirit," which is expressly said to be the word of God. It was not a question of the flesh: how could this be trusted? He's just sort of wandering, meandering. But now appeared something altogether new. To keep the men from glorying or boasting in what God was going to do. And every believer is where his Head is; and if we are members of Christ's body, we are in heaven. Besides, there is love, the activity, as well as, the moral qualities, of His being. The whole work is thus presented in its completeness from first to last; nevertheless, it is only "through faith" as yet. That reality will lead to despair, therefore you cannot face reality. The effect of a great love is always a cleansing thing. Paul uses an even more vivid picture. Ephesians 4:18; John 17:3). It is "to the praise of the glory of his grace." The world's motive is profit. If the latter enquired how God had interfered most conspicuously for them, no doubt they were reminded of the power that brought them out of the land of Egypt. who were dead -- Another demonstration of Gods power illustrated (Ephesians 1:19) is illustrated in the resurrection of the Ephesians from the dead! In another description he says of the second court of the Temple: "This was encompassed by a stone wall for a partition, with an inscription which forbade any foreigner to go in under pain of death" (The Antiquities of the Jews, 15, 11, 5). I cannot help stopping a minute to know whether it is so with you, my dear hearers, and praying that what I might have to say may act as a kind of sieve, separating between the really living and those who only think that they are alive, so that, if you have not been quickened, if you are only "a child of nature, finely dressed," but not spiritually alive, you may be made aware of it. Ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Sort of concluding, you might as well bomb out and stay drunk, there is nothing else, too much pain to try to face reality.Sort of the philosophy that a lot of people have taken today. Their lust is one which can only be perpetrated at midnight; a deed which can only be done when shrouded by the astonished curtains of darkness. L: Come into this time of peace and In nowise: even now He has abounded toward them "in all wisdom and prudence." Love is God's nature, but it is a sovereign prerogative in Him. I thought I was going to die. The wrestling is not with flesh and blood, "but against principalities, against powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places." Because if you face reality, truth doesn't exist, and thus you will only end in despair. The air is represented as the seat of his kingdom: and it was the opinion of both Jews and heathens that the air is full of spirits, and that there they exercise and exert themselves. (v) The Gentiles were without hope and without God. Reader 1 In his own flesh Jesus broke down the hostility between us. The grace of Jesus Christ rekindles the ideals which repeated failing to sin has extinguished. Oh, the thrill of joy that has sometimes gone through our spirits! I know the people, I even like most of them! Hallelujah! For it is by grace appropriated by faith that you have been saved. WebCalling Adapted from 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 God says, If my people, Who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, And seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and heal their land. They had a distinguished place before the Son became man. He wished to sing of Cadmus; but his harp resounded love alone; and so the harp of Paul resounds with Christ alone, Christ alone. He rules the universe from His heavenly throne The most vital form of Greek religion was the Mystery Religions, and from many of them the barbarian was excluded. To forgive another's wrongs is not enough for a Christian. "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints; and for me [as the apostle blessedly adds], that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel" (what a gracious way of encouraging and strengthening saints, giving them a feeling of the value of their prayers, both in the sight of God, and in fellowship with the most blessed apostle that God ever gave the church!) Numbers are of small account here. Sin kills the will; the thing so grips a man that he cannot break free. It needs a Milton to conceive of the walk of God; but he that hath the divine life walks with God; and sometimes he seems to step from Alp to Alp, from sea and ocean, accomplishing what, unaided, he would never even attempt. There is not even the gloss of life left. As Christ fills the whole body of Christian believers with his fulness, (Ephesians 1:23,) so had he dealt with the converted Ephesians, who before were dead in trespasses, and dead in sins. Realize that; believe in it; rejoice in it; triumph in it. The holiness which he delights in we aspire after. I think that, usually, when the divine life comes, the first consciousness that we get of a quickening is a sense of pain. What a mystic union there is between the believer and his Lord! Paul cannot do without Christ, you see. There was a time, more than four hundred years before this, when Greece was threatened with invasion by the Persians. He is holy in nature, and blameless in His ways. He means far more than sexual sins. In its place he put love to God and love to men. That is the way we are to God. The priest told them gently that he was bound to ask if their comrade had been a baptized adherent of the Roman Catholic Church. The gospel of God's grace proclaims the very reverse. And what had God done now? Were ripping off the crops from the children of Israel, they were hiding their food in caves and all. He was a sinner. But wicked men are slaves to Satan, for they walk according to him; they conform their lives and actions to the will and pleasure of this great usurper. "To be dead in trespasses and sins does not mean unconsciousness or non-existence. Some kind of life, I acknowledge, does remain in us, while we are still at a distance from Christ; for unbelief does not altogether destroy the outward senses, or the will, or the other faculties of the soul. The church follows; and as it belongs to Christ, so it is a part of Him. We did not have it, nor did we earn it. Grace alone would not suffice, glory alone would not serve, but both. The enmity, even the law of commandments containeth in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he. At bottom, all the wanderings from the faith at the present day amount to this, salvation by works instead of salvation by grace. I may have some here. It is not Jesus' purpose, however, that we should turn all men into one nation, but that there should be Christian Indians and Christian Africans whose unity lies in their Christianity. ~ survey response When a man tells you that his creed is a dead thing, do not deny it for a minute; there is no doubt of the fact. It is used for a man losing the way and straying from the right road; it is used for a man failing to grasp and slipping away from the truth. But in Jesus, the Son of God, there was this character of Son in His own title and being from everlasting. All the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: There is no church without Christ, no temple without him as its cornerstone, its priest, its glory. The priest said that he was very sorry but in that case he could not permit burial in his churchyard. We come to prayer too rarely, and we ask of you too sparingly. The subject of this sentence is God (Ephesians 2:4). When the moon has become black as sackcloth of hair, the life that is within us shall be as bright as when God first gave it to us. [2] Francis W. Beare, The Interpreter's Bible (New York: Abingdon Press, 1953), Vol. Now, what was the purpose of God? my sister, that thou who in thine outward carriage art so good, should yet have sins in the chamber of thine heart, and death in the secresy of thy being, which is as true a death as that of the grossest sinner, though not so thoroughly manifested. The Jews believed that only by keeping the Jewish law was a man good and able to attain to the friendship and fellowship of God. It is the confident trust of the heart in the favour of God in which we stand, not the remembrance of our first subjection to the gospel. We never can go astray, if we follow the path of the Lord Jesus. How did Christ destroy them? This is the great want simple, genuine faith in the Holy Ghost. Dear God, we like people who look like us. Our world belongs to him! Please note: If you use material from this blog, please be careful to credit the original author and source. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things ("sins" Ephesians 2:20) you are now ashamed of? He would have something more. The lark sings for the joy of singing. Hence "one baptism" follows, which the context shows to be the plain initiatory rite of Christian profession, and nothing else. Those things result in death! Its tougher than titanium and softer than a feather, more electric than lightning, more vast than the universe. 11Therefore, remember that formerly(X) you who are Gentiles by birth and called uncircumcised by those who call themselves the circumcision (which is done in the body by human hands)(Y) 12remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners(Z) to the covenants of the promise,(AA) without hope(AB) and without God in the world. Those who had been far from God were brought near, and the door was shut to no one. But God who is rich in His mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead has made us alive. And so, looking from the outside in, they can't understand, but once we are on the inside walking in fellowship with God, experiencing His presence and His joy, we understand what it is all about. We were once strangers to each other and strangers to God. ", 20, 21 Upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom, You see, it is always that, in him, in Christ: "in whom". He may shed abroad the love of God therein; but He is rather said to dwell in us, making the body God's temple. The boogieman will get you, you know." ib;. Now, as life comes thus with strange surprises, and mingled with pain, so, dear friends, it comes often with many questions. There can be peace only in Jesus Christ. He says that the middle wall of the barrier between has been torn down. Life is usually capable of pleasure, but the new life is capable of the highest conceivable pleasure. He does so by conscience, the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking within us; he does so by giving to men the wisdom and the commandments of his book; he does so through the advice of good and godly men. Could I just be me? There was in fact at the Persian royal court an official called the prosagogeus whose function was to introduce people who desired an audience with the king. Not so the young man; he is put on the bier; no man will touch him any more, or else he will be utterly defiled. The work of Jesus is to show all men that God is their friend and that, therefore, they must be friends with each other. This is his purpose, his ordinance, to which he will always stand. He is far less concerned with your tunefulness than your integrity. When I say Christ is our peace. He may be a converted person; and God may be truly dealing with him in the way of gracious action. The Jew had an immense contempt for the Gentile. And I really appreciate all that you have given to me, Dad, and all that you have done for me. "Youth's beauty fades, and manhood's glory fades. The sound of music, and the voice of friendship and of alarm, do not arouse it. . He was not constrained to enter into a full or long explanation. Let me put out a fleece of wool. The door was shut in her face; but now the door was open. 14. Who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; There is no longer the division between Jews and Gentiles. Here we come to what is universal. (i) Paul says of Jesus, "He is our peace." We are not always alike. When a person really and truly falls in love, his love compels him to goodness. He that descended is the same also that ascended." It was "but now" a little while ago; now he has another "now." The barrier between Jew and Gentile was absolute. Looking for something? Then the apostle introduces us to another topic. First, let us talk a little about OUR QUICKENING. "I will take you for my people, and I will be your God" ( Exodus 6:7). Psalm 111: Praise the Lord, now and forever! For "if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ." Are we as good sons and daughters as we might be? God would have us set thoroughly clear and intelligently appreciating our individual place and relation to Himself. And he said, "Who are you? Beloved brethren and sisters in Christ, I think that you and I can say, that to us the surest fact in all the world is that there is a God. There is his habit of swearing; how often will an oath come into his mouth, and he will have as hard work as he can to thrust it down again! Even though we may be trying our best to hit the mark, we've come short of the glory of God. 5. Thou hast the dew of thy youth, O child of God; and thou shalt have yet more of it, and be like thy Lord, when he shall take thee away from every trace of death, and the corrupt atmosphere of this poor world, and thou shalt dwell with the living God in the land of the living, for ever and for ever! But now, founded on this, the apostle prays thus for them, that the Holy Ghost would so act in the inner man that there might be no hindrance to Christ, and that they might know, not the Holy Ghost (for this they did not doubt), but Christ dwelling there by His power constantly. Not the law, but Christ. That is to say, it is life lived on the world's standards and with the world's values. Forgive us when we create barriers rather than tear them down. So the soldiers took their comrade sadly and buried him just outside the fence. He is equal to all, and, would have us count on His presence and power answering to the name of Christ. He always comes back to that theme. When persons are only learning the elements of truth, the grace of God provides precept on precept, line on line, for those who want it. The only thing which can restore his relationship to her is an act of free forgiveness on her part. How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! When I tried to hide my guilt I was miserable. Sin, then, is a failure to comply with the will of God through choice or disregard. Hold on to your thumb. They are both the cause of death and the evidence of death. Chrysostom, famous preacher of the early Church, says that it is as if one should melt down a statue of silver and a statue of lead, and the two should come out gold. what Paul does in this passage is to paint a vivid contrast between what man is by nature and what he can become by grace." Now you have become also sympathetic with similar life in others. It is in vain to look for the church's prosperity, if saints individually do not grow up unto Christ. As the Father is everlasting, so is the Son. Here he prays to the Father of our Lord Jesus, not simply to the God that had raised up the Christ from the dead, and was glorifying Him on high. (ISAIAH 1:18, ALT.) He that sitteth upon the throne saith, "Behold, I make all things new;" and the renewed man says, "My Lord, it is even so." Looking for something? He sought to get Jesus to worship him during His wilderness temptations ( Matthew 4:9 ). We don't want trouble, we dont do conflict here! What We Are - v. 4-7 (Alive with Christ), III. If there be a spiritual death, and you are dead, be startled; for within a little while God will say, "Bury my dead out of my sight." (E) 3All of us also lived among them at one time,(F) gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a](G) and following its desires and thoughts. Jesus is never called a child in the sense in which I am now speaking He has His own relationship to the Father eternally. And mark; as in the case of the maiden the sin was in the chamber, secret; in the next case it was in the open streets, public; but in this case it is secret again. Amen. -(c)2020, Nathan Decker, worshipswake.wodpress.com. He could condescend. Forgive the poverty of our accomplishing. If it be illustrated in Christ, if it be bound up with Him, fear not to trust simply and to believe implicitly. I ended in horrible disgrace.". What does it matter about times, persons, or circumstances, if the Spirit abide to enable us, according to Scripture, diligently to keep His own unity? After some months of Matheson's ministry, communion time came round. (AE), 14For he himself is our peace,(AF) who has made the two groups one(AG) and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15by setting aside in his flesh(AH) the law with its commands and regulations. And now this spiritual birth, my spirit is now alive, and with my spirit alive I now have fellowship with God. Friends, our God has poured out grace upon grace. children of God, citizens of the Kingdom. The design of the apostle in this and some following verses, is to show the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and to set forth the sad estate and condition of man by nature, and to magnify the riches of the grace of God, and represent the exceeding greatness of his power in conversion: the phrase. God himself has had dealings with us. (J) 6And God raised us up with Christ(K) and seated us with him(L) in the heavenly realms(M) in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace,(N) expressed in his kindness(O) to us in Christ Jesus. released into hope to live for praise and for glory. That awareness of God, that communion with God, or that fellowship and oneness that God intended that man should have with God. The apostle accordingly is now led at the sight of the mystery of Christ into another prayer, in which he asks "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ [for now he takes up the other relationship,], of whom the whole [rather, every] family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; being rooted and grounded in love, that ye may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled with all the fulness of God.". I have in my congregation some blessed beings, fair to look upon; fair, I mean, in their character, as well as their outward appearance; they have about them everything that is good and lovely; but mark this, if they are unregenerate they are dead still. He will make it good. 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