Intro to Ephesians

Ephesians  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  41:10
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Intro to Ephesians (sot of)
Turn to Jeremiah 1 and Ephesians 2. We’ll be going through the letter of Ephesians. I say letter because this is a letter. I think sometimes we miss what God wants to say to us through His Word because we fail to recognize what His Word is. His Word is alive, it convicts, it teaches us, corrects us, and sometimes helps us fall asleep.
This is not a textbook. It is the inspired written revelation of Yahweh - of God. This was given to us by the will of God through a partnership between His Spirit and men so that we may know God - that we may know salvation and have eternal life. This is not a textbook - not some ancient manuscripts randomly tossed together. It’s not a Magic 8 Ball. The Bible is not designed so that we can shake it, open it up, and find the answers to all our problems.
The Bible is designed so that we may seek and know our Father in Heaven, have a relationship with Him, know how we ought to live, know His plan of redemption and know our participation in that plan.
Thomas Á Kempis - “… if you would profit from it, therefore, read with humility, simplicity, and faith ….”
So we approach Scripture on its terms, not ours - in humble submission - don’t complicate it - and believe.
Question -
Which one of these three (humility, simplicity, faith) do you need more of when spending time in God’s Word?
Question -
What is one thing you can change this week to add more _______ when reading God’s Word?
Now, we’re all wired differently - so there is not a one size fits all approach to Scripture. I recommend the book -
Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas.
In his book, he highlights 9 different ways to connect with God according to our personality. So, if you’re having trouble connecting with God - great book.
I mentioned that Ephesians is a letter. As a matter of fact, the New Testament is comprised of 27 letters - all written for a purpose and written to a specific person or audience. For example, Matthew was written to the Jews. Mark was written to the Gentiles. Luke and Acts were written to a man named Theophilus - and so on.
So understand,
These are real letters ...
Inspired by a real God ...
Written by real people ...
To real people ...
For real life situations.
The authors and recipients had real everyday life issues just like you and me. They had real struggles, and jobs, layoffs, families, uncertainties. They had animals to take care of and clothes to wash, and bread to put on the table and raise their children. They had bills to pay, weddings and funerals to attend, houses leaked, donkeys broke down and so on. These are real letters and real people and real life.
Let’s talk about the culture for a moment - play a little game. It’s rhetorical …. I'm going to read a word or phrase and you tell me if I'm describing the 1st century culture or the 21st century culture.
A multi-religious society up for grabs -
Relativism
Political scandals, corrupt leadership, police brutality, and civil unrest -
Social injustice, racism, slavery -
Rampant & gross sexual immorality -
Income inequality / economic instability -
Cancel culture -
Animosity, hatred and persecution of Jews and Christians -
1st century culture or the 21st century? Duh …. That’s the world in which the NT was written, and the Church was born. And on top of that, these new believers in Christ we're trying to figure it out. Following the Messiah was a new thing. They were learning how to go from Law of Moses to the law of Christ. How do we follow Christ in a culture that hates Christ? How do we go and make disciples of Jesus where people have never heard about Jesus?
Again, that’s the world in which the NT was written, in which the Church was born. Curious - what’s your world like? With the exception of modern technology - virtually identical.
Tell me - (Bible) relevant or irrelevant? Real letters - written by real people - to real people - who had real life issues.
Why do I say all that? Not only do I want us to understand the realness and applicability of Scripture - but I also want us to understand that the authors and main characters of the Bible were real humans like you and me. Some of us believe these “heroes” of the Bible, these patriarchs, kings, prophets, disciples … had some unfair advantage over us - that they were supernatural - super-spiritual - that, “well, they were just ‘special’ and I’m not …. If I were special like Paul, or Elijah or David then I could do what they did!”
That’s a fallacy. Slight left turn here.
Some of you may not be following God’s call because that’s what you believe.
1 Corinthians 1:26–28 NLT
Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.
Why would God choose people like Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Peter, Paul …? What was so special about them that God said, “You need to be on my team!” Did Moses ever lead people out of Egypt before God called him to lead people out of Egypt? Did Elijah … Peter … Paul … before God called?
What am I saying? The main quality God is looking for? Someone who says, “yes.”
Jeremiah 1:4–5 ESV
Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Some of you might be saying, “See! He's special! I’m not! God chose him even before he was born!” Good point. But guess what? So were you!
Ephesians 1:3–4 ESV
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
Ephesians 2:10 ESV
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Jeremiah 1:6 ESV
Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.”
What’s Jeremiah doing? Doing what you and I do. God calls and we hee-haw.
Jeremiah 1:7–10 ESV
But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
Was Jeremiah a prophet when God called him? No
Who did God call? Normal average Joe
What did God do? God qualified Jeremiah. Why would God touch his mouth?
God does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called.
What does all this mean to you and me? What are you walking away with?
What might God be calling you to do? But like Jeremiah, you’re making excuses?
Gospel
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