They were dead in sins, but now alive in Christ. He found her in an attic room. Find Related Songs (Not this year) Second Sunday after Christmas Day: But then he adds a third point, which was not given in the previous part of the chapter; namely, that they might know "what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead.". Come, friends, let us confess our sins to the Lord. And Christ appears now so glorious to him; he had heard of Christ before, and had some apprehensions of him; but now he is surprised to find that the One who he said had no form nor comliness is, after all, altogether lovely. ! She was very poor and there were no luxuries, but the attic was as light and airy and clean as the cellar had been dark and dismal and dirty. "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." Ephesians 2:5- :. It is "to the praise of the glory of his grace." The experience of sin had left a kind of tarnishing film on his mind and things could never be quite the same again. She confessed that she was a sinner and asked to be admitted to the Jewish faith. No preacher, however earnest, can make one hearer to live. The mark of the pierced hand is on everything: "We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.". They are put into the grave, in order that all may be hidden. Let no man think that, because he has escaped the grosser sins of the body, he has avoided the sins of the flesh. I was a natural man, dominated by my fleshly needs. Do you not hear the noise of the infernal bellows when "the children of disobedience: swear, and use unclean language? Ephesians 2:2). Not so Lazarus; the Jews came to weep at his tomb. Such is the truth, if indeed we have learnt the Christ as God teaches Him. When the life begins to come to him, he feels as he never felt before; sin that was pleasant becomes a horror to him. The dead that lie on the battle-field, torn of dogs or kites, rotting, corrupting in the sun, what a horrible sight! In point of fact, He looks for the expression and exercise of it, be assured, from all of us, though no doubt according to our measure. Amen. The next thing is that we take "the whole armour of God, that we may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. Note, too, that in the case of this maiden, whom we have introduced to you, the daughter of Jairus, she is yet caressed ; she has only been dead a moment or two, and the mother still presses her cheek with kisses. Who wants to see you enriched in all things in Christ.Now on the other hand, Jesus said concerning Satan, "That he is come to rob and to kill and to destroy." Any dead fish can float down the stream, it takes a live fish to swim against the current." Aren't they perfect? We need, but we have, the Holy Spirit who is surely all-sufficient, if looked to. In its place he put love to God and love to men. Modern progress has made the world a neighbourhood: God has given us the task of making it a brotherhood. I would say, "Why, Mom? Now, the text tells us that, though we were dead, yet Christ has come, and by his Spirit he has raised us out of the grave. Whatever was the current fad, here I am, flowing with it, you know. * CALL TO WORSHIP From Ephesians 2 Leader: We were once dead through our trespasses and sins when we followed the course of this world. It comes to us with pain; it gives us many surprises; and it suggests a large number of questions. (i) Paul insists that it is by grace that we are saved. Dress in your new self, which is being re-formed into the image of God, in true righteousness and holiness.. And sometimes if they didn't feed me when I wanted to be fed, I would flail and kick and scream and holler. These demons were not all bad, but many were, out to propagate evil, to frustrate the purposes of God and to ruin the souls of men. He gave Himself for us. You can refer to the answers below. "[3] However, such a distinction is not corroborated by other New Testament use of the terms. You had nothing to do with this. That is what Christ does. The ancient world believed strenuously in demons. It was entirely unconnected with the world. He came so as to be left absolutely free to occupy Himself in love for God's glory and our desperate need. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, Your justice like the great deep. Here are some indexes that might be helpful: INDEXES: For a complete list of all the indexes on this blog, click here. (Note also Romans 5:12; Romans 5:21; James 1:15; James 5:20; Romans 7:5; Romans 7:10; Romans 7:13; Romans 7:24; John 5:24.). Have I any such here? Not the law, but Christ. What a solemn sight is presented to us by a dead body! We were dead, all of us; and yet we were not all like one another. What does that mean) The name for the people of Israel was ho hagios laos ( G2992) , the holy people. Spurgeon's Verse Expositions of the Bible. Walls of prejudice still exist and barriers of racism still hold people back from reaching their true potential. At the same time there is no exclusion of Gentile believers, but the reverse. . Even the behavior of a -- Ephesians 2:1-10 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - B -- 2003 The mark that God has established for you is perfection. (ISAIAH 1:18, ALT.) We don't want trouble, we dont do conflict here! But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, God loved us even when we were dead in sins. When we realize what sin is, we come to see that it is not something which theologians have invented. We had no sense with which to comprehend spiritual things. It is a divine spark, a light from the great central Sun of light, the great Father of Lights. ", Do you think this devotedness too much? God grant you to know the joy of that condition! my dear friends, my much loved friends, how many there are among you, I repeat, that are all that the heart could wish, except that one thing that you love not my Master. "The unity of the Spirit" seems to be the general name for that great fact which is now established that unity of which Christ is the chief, and to which we all belong. (118) To bring home more effectually to the Ephesians the general doctrine of Divine grace, he reminds them of their former condition. You notice places is italicized.So it's far more than just saving me from my sins, it is making me alive unto God and then raising me up into the heavenly levels. He might have been pleased to choose none; but if we are to be brought into His presence at all, it is impossible to be there without having the divine nature, in a moral sense (and, of course, one only speaks of this). And Gideon was in a cave as he was threshing the wheat to hide from the Midianites, and the angel of the Lord came to him and said, "Gideon, go and deliver the children of Israel from the oppression of the Midianites." I do. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.". There is not even the gloss of life left. But Paul is not talking about the life to come; he is talking about this present life. DEATH is often used by all writers, and in all nations, to express a state of extreme misery. Intended for Reading on Lord's-day, July 31st, 1892, At the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, OUR TRANSLATORS, as you observe, have put in the words "hath he quickened", because Paul had thrown the sense a little farther on, and it was possible for the reader not to catch it. The miserable condition of the Ephesians by nature is here in part described. I live in him. Who would demand of God to make the objects of His mercy like Christ the Son? It has its heavenly association as the one body of Christ; it has its earthly place and responsibility as the "habitation of God through the Spirit." He hath "quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised us up together." Hence, being "Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; [the apostle bids such remember] that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." There has been the full unfolding of God's love, and the answer to it in the saints here below in their nature, and in the ways that manifest the new nature. And what then is the truth as it is in Jesus? Even as far back as Homer that is so. Observe, therefore, that what was the first in counsel is the last in revelation. The statement of the father reflects the spiritual impasse of the father/son relationship while the son is in sin. More than this; for "no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church." The Papists, who are eager to seize every opportunity of undervaluing the grace of God, say, that while we are out of Christ, we are half dead. He is just as dead; they are both dead, and death really knows of no degrees. All the enmity of natural men is against that truth. Oh how good it is to have God's forgiveness. WebWe were living. Our standing is quite another matter, which itself could not avail here. Nothing touches these. That accounts for everything: "together with Christ." It is only his love in Christ which has forgiven men who deserved nothing but punishment from him, men who had grieved his love and broken his law. Clearly life was going to be completely different for any nation which had a consciousness of destiny like that. The Son would be a creature not self-subsisting, not therefore truly God. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), Vol. The children of disobedience are such as choose to disobey God, and to serve the devil; in these he works very powerfully and effectually. Scripturally-based resources for worship planners and leaders. Many wonder that such truths as these should not have more words used in communicating them. The first was the young maiden, the daughter of Jairus , who, when she lay on her bed dead, rose up to life at the single utterance of Christ, " Talitha cumi !" But then I confessed my sin and God forgave me my sin completely. That is precisely why sin is so universal. Matthew 12:35; Matthew 15:18-19), and not because of sins of other (Ezekiel 18:20). It sees not, and hears not, and feels not. The moral order of this is exceedingly beautiful. He Himself is the beginning, He Himself the end, He Himself all the way through. have been brought near by the death of Jesus on the cross. That is, it may not be sincere, nor even doctrinally the truth that is held; but we hear of lone faith" in contrast with Judaism on one hand, and with Paganism on the other. 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 contrast is with Adam, who had a knowledge that was suited to his own place and relationship. 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." That awareness of God, that communion with God, or that fellowship and oneness that God intended that man should have with God. Our world belongs to God! In point of fact, from his conversion right through, the revelation of the mystery was involved. In Christ we belong in the family, adopted. Rather is the very gospel to the sinner free and full, that, having the certainty of the divine fulness of our blessing, our hearts may be now open to enjoy Christ, and be occupied with His love. So Paul goes on to say that in Christ these barriers are down. You! To the Gentile life was not worth living; to the Jew it was the way to greater life. Here the prayer is not, as in the first chapter, that they might know the power that had wrought toward them; it is now that their hearts might be in the secret of His grace according to the power that works in them. If everybody is jumping in the fire, are you going to jump in the fire? . It is told that when Pericles, the greatest of the Athenians, was walking forward to address the Athenian assembly, he used to say to himself: "Pericles, remember that you are an Athenian and that you talk to Athenians." If you're interested in reading the results, visit here: https://pandemicworshipsurvey.blogspot.com/. They were a comedy team who specialized in country music parodies and That is what the Church should be like. Throughout the epistle all the secret is just this God would associate us with Christ (that is, of course, in everything that is consistent with the maintenance of the divine glory). We all benefit from your creativity and generosity. Friends, as we gather our thoughts into quietness. Following the crowd, following the course of the world. , . Thanks to those of you who took time to answer questions and offer comments about how your congregation navigated worship during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Eternity isn't long enough. It is not a question of rendering a testimony of the power of God working in man and dealing with the first creation. In all these he feels no more concern, and sees no more beauty, than a dead man does in the world around him. It is a time of asking, a time of enquiring. He says that those who were far off have been brought near. I would like to just commit to You." You are peers of the court of heaven: "and the household of God. "Be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ hath forgiven you." Paul's point of view is undeniably true; and for two reasons. We have had the gospel thus in all the epistles that have gone before. 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. A religion based on love can at once be a universal religion. They are clearly identified in each blog post. Paul closes this passage with a great exposition of that paradox which always lies at the heart of his view of the gospel. I might be stumbling onto a phenomena of nature that I don't understand. The meaning of "the flesh" will vary from person to person. At first a man regards some wrong thing with horror; the second stage comes when he is tempted into doing it, but even as he does it, he is still unhappy and ill at ease and very conscious that it is wrong; the third stage is when he has done the thing so often that he does it without a qualm. After some months of Matheson's ministry, communion time came round. Tell a fish in the sea there is no water. The priest told them gently that he was bound to ask if their comrade had been a baptized adherent of the Roman Catholic Church. ], "Having described our spiritual possessions in Christ, Paul turns to a complementary truth: our spiritual position in Christ. That is to say, it is life lived on the world's standards and with the world's values. They might otherwise think themselves more or less superior. The Lord might be where there are only two gathered together unto His name. 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