MPC, 9th February 2003.Ephesians 1-2 - "Welcome to your Inheritance"
Phil Campbell MPC, 9th February 2003.
Since last Wednesday, the world has had a new billionaire. Because on Wednesday, the grand-daughter of Aristotle Onassis turned 18.
Her name is Athina Onassis, and turning 18 means she inherits just over 1 billion American dollars. And makes her probably the world's richest teenager. And there's more. There's gold. The family art masterpieces. There's property in France, in England, in Switzerland and in Argentina. As well as the private Greek island of Skorpios.
Up til now, Athina's had a pretty much normal childhood. Skating from home to school, or catching the bus. A regular kid. But as of last Wednesday, she's inherited the family fortune.
How would you feel?
As we come to Paul's letter to the Ephesians this morning, there's a similar thought. Welcome to the inheritance.
I wonder if Athina's lawyer dropped in last Wednesday to explain things a little. Here's the bank account number. Here are the keys to your grandfather's yacht. Here's the title deed to the Island. Because here in Ephesians that's exactly what's happening. Which you'll see with a quick glance at chapter 1.
We haven't read it yet. We'll do that a little later. But glance down the page.
Verse 11. In him, we have obtained an inheritance.
Verse 14... the Holy Spirit, he says, is a guarantee of our inheritance.
And again in verse 18.
I pray, says Paul, that you'll know the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.
Welcome... to the inheritance. And as we come to Ephesians 1 and 2 this morning, I'm hoping we can do it with something like the anticipation Athina Onassis must have been feeling as she woke up to the ultimate birthday last Wednesday morning. On what was anything but an ordinary day.
Before we go further though, I want to pause a minute, and put some groundwork in place for reading Ephesians. Because there are some clues we need to pick up before we can put it all together. Press the pause button, and hold the thought. The family solicitor's at the door to explain your inheritance. But we're going to leave him there for a minute.
Because before we can make proper sense of Ephesians it helps to notice it's a letter written to two distinct groups. Who are distinguished by two small words. That are more important than they look. The two words we... and you.
The sort of small words you normally don't notice. Unless it's "we're going to the movies. And you are not invited." Unless it's "we are in the in group. And you... we'll, you're not."
And you'll see as you just run your eye through Ephesians chapter 1, it's we we we we all the way home. Or us, which is the same, isn't it? The words "we", "us", and "our". Which is one group. And "you", and "your". Which is the other.
So notice in verse 2. God our Father. Verse 3. Our Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed us in the heavenly realms. For he chose us, verse 4; in him we have redemption verse 7, in accordance with the grace he lavished on us...
It's all over the place. Verse 11. In him we have obtained an inheritance... In order that we who were the first to hope in Christ, verse 12, might be for the praise of his glory.
And then finally verse 13. In him you also were included.
You were marked in him with a seal.
And verse 15, because I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and your love toward the saints, I keep praying for you.
And the pattern goes on in chapter 2. Verse 1. As for you, you were dead in your transgressions. Verse 5. We were dead in our transgressions too.
And so it goes.
The question is, who's you. And who's we?
Because if you don't notice the difference, you end up missing the point of the argument. Which is what usually happens when we read it. And it's missed by most commentaries too.
I want to suggest, as you'll know if you've done last week's growth group study, I want to suggest the two groups he's talking about are two groups that were absolutely obvious in the Ephesian church.
Because you read about them back in Acts. Paul's in Ephesus. And he's preaching to the Jews for three months in the synagogue. And then for two more years, he preaches to the Greeks... in the hall of Tyranus. And we're told in Acts chapter 19 that by the end of his time there, the end of two years and three months preaching in Ephesus, the metalworkers union in Ephesus has a stop work meeting that turns into a riot... to protest that nobody is buying their idols anymore. Because so many people are becoming Christians.
I guess they ended up making those little silver crosses. And What would Jesus do bracelets like you get at Koorong.
But Christianity in Ephesus takes off. First of all among the Jews. And then among the Gentiles. And we're told in Acts that by the time Paul leaves, and in the few years after when he's writing the letter, everyone in the province, Jew and Greek alike... has heard about Jesus. And so you've got a church there in Ephesus made up of both those groups. former Jews like Paul. Who are the us he's talking about in the letter. As well as non-Jews like you and me. Ex-idolaters. With no Jewish background at all. Who when Paul's talking about, he calls you lot.
Us and you. we in the church who are Jews by birth. You who are Gentiles by birth.
Which you can confirm if you glance down at verse 11 in chapter 2. Where Paul says, "Therefore remember, that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh... and on he goes to sum up the section."
Now maybe I'm labouring the point. Maybe it's obvious. But the interesting thing is, it's a point that's so often been missed. Even by commentaries. Even by bible translators. But there's a logic in what Paul's saying about us Jewish Christians and you Gentile Christians that shouldn't be missed.
And another suggestion you might keep in mind as we're about to read. That Paul tends to use the word saints especially when he's talking about Christian Jews. Other times he'll use it of all Christians. Never in the Roman Catholic sense of super Christians who get the special nod from the pope like Saint Mary and Saint Bernadette and St Christopher and maybe Saint Theresa. But here in Ephesians, if you want to be precise about it, saints are Jews for Jesus. Saints are his word for God's historically set apart people who have accepted their messiah.
And so listen carefully. Listen for the saints. Who for Paul are the Christian Jews like him. Listen for when he says you. Because that's when he really is talking about people like you and me. As we read about the great inheritance we're sharing... in Ephesians chapter 1 and 2. And you might like to follow it through on the sheets. As we read from the new English Standard Version translation.
Ephesians 1
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and (the?) faithful in Christ Jesus:
2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
13In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
15For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 2
1And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-- 3among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved -- 6and raised us together up with him and seated us together with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
11Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands-- 12remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Let's bring things together. We've got Jewish Christians. The Saints. We've got Gentile Christians. Like us. We've got two chapters of tightly packed logic from Paul. To the church in Ephesus made up of all kinds of people.
And Paul wants us to know first and most importantly of all, that we're sharing an inheritance. And for some of his readers, maybe the word sharing is quite a shock.
Because if you want to stick with the picture we started with, imagine when Athina Onassis woke up last Wednesday morning, she didn't just wake up to the worlds biggest inheritance... but to the news her long lost twin sister had just turned up. Who's going to share it.
There's plenty to go round. But how would you feel? Athina, congratulations you're rich. But the sister you never knew... is going to share it with you.
(And naturally, you'd rejoice, wouldn't you? At having a sister again.)
Let's pick it up in verse 3. Because we need to put first things first in a historical sense. And we need to look first at what Paul's saying about the privilege of Jewish Christians. It's the first big us section, where Paul's talking about people like himself.
And he says, as you run your eye down the page from verse 3, we've had an incredible upbringing. God has blessed us, he says, with every spiritual blessing.
God has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world. And it's true. The old testament is full of the idea that Israel is God's chosen people. Chosen among all the nations. Chosen to be holy. Set apart.
Famous passages like Exodus 19 verse 5. Or Leviticus 20 verse 26. Where God says to Israel, "You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord , am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own."
Paul's looking back to a history like that. A history of awesome privilege.
And there's more.
Because God always had a plan. With Jesus right at the centre of it.
In love, says Paul in verse 5, "he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ." Which means he chose the destination right from the start. "And in him we have redemption through his blood," verse 7, "the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us."
Every broken law, every transgression, put right. By the perfect sacrifice.
And there's more.
And in him we've obtained an inheritance, says Paul, verse 11, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be for the praise of his glory."
If you're a Jewish Christian, those words are for you. The nation God chose and set apart and called to be holy. Now made holy. By the blood of Israel's Christ. we who were the first to hope in Christ, says Paul... we've obtained our inheritance. At last.
And the incredible news for you and me as Gentiles... is that we share in it. Follow the turning point in verse 13 to 14. Where Paul's language turns from we... to you. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation and believed in him, in him you also were sealed with the promised holy spirit... which is the proof, which is the guarantee, of sharing in our inheritance... until we finally take possession of it. On that last day.
No matter who you are. You can share it. You can share the hope of Israel in their Messiah. And the forgiveness of sins. That comes from his sacrifice at the cross.
And so it's no surprise Paul goes on to say how he's praying for these new Gentile Christians, he's giving thanks that they're loving the saints, that these two groups in the church are actually loving each other. And praying that they'll know and understand all the better... what he calls in verse 18 in the bold print, that they'll know what is the hope to which he's called them, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.
And the great power that raised Christ from the dead. That's now at work on our behalf.
Now I guess in a way you only ever do appreciate what you're given if you realise that you need it. It's easy to undervalue generosity... if you don't appreciate your problem.
My mum gave me battery powered ear hair clippers for Christmas a couple of years ago. I've got to say I was a bit ungracious about it. Not particularly enthused. But let me tell you, when middle age set in a year or so later, you other blokes over 42 will know they're the best invention in the world. So every time I give my ear hairs a trim, I keep thinking I really need to ring my mum and apologise that I didn't really appreciate what a great present it was. And say thank you all over again. Because I didn't realise at first how much I'd need them.
Look, I wonder if you haven't realised. You've got a problem. And it's a big one.
Without being too blunt about it, if you're not a Christian yet, you're dead in your sins. I'm not sure there's a polite way to put it. Not a small problem. Not a minor skin rash. I mean, things might look okay. But it's a bit like the tragedy with the shuttle. I know there are different theories. But if they're right and it was the damaged tiles on the wing, death set in when they launched. And no matter how things looked in the next 17 days in space... when it came time to re-enter the atmosphere, there was only ever one thing that was going to happen.
And Paul says, realise this. Chapter 2 verse 1. And you Gentiles, he says, you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of the world, he says, following the prince of the power of the air, the devil, the spirit that's now at work in the sons of disobedience... carrying out, he says in verse 3, the passions of our flesh, the desires of our body and mind.
If it feels good... do it. I mean, that's the motto, isn't it? That the world goes by. If it feels good, if it gratifies me, then I'll do it. So life's spent chasing after good feelings. Whether they're from sex where-ever you can find it, or from drinking and drugs, or from absolute hedonism... and whether you know it or not, you're dead. Children of wrath. Facing the inevitable consequences of God's justice.
And Paul says, it's not just you Gentiles either. We Jews were like it as well. The universal condition of mankind. We all once lived like that... chapter 2 verse 3. And the bold print in verse 5. We Jews were dead in our trespasses as well. Until God stepped in and did something about it.
Which you can only really appreciate if you appreciate the problem.
And so together, says Paul, God's made us alive with Christ. Verse 5. Absolutely by grace. Absolutely by God's sheer generosity. Because of his mercy. And nothing else. God's going to treat us how he's treated Jesus. Jesus stands in our place in judgement. And we get to stand in his place... in glory.
And Paul wants to emphasise, there's no distinction here. Whether you're Jew by birth of you're Gentile. He says we're made alive together with Christ. Raised us together with Christ. And together seated us with Christ in the heavenly realms. Side by side in the good seats. Whether you're a Jew who's hoped for it for generations. Or a Johnny come lately Gentile.
Saved, according to verse 10, by grace. God's sheer generosity. And not by earning it in any way at all. Our salvation comes as a generous inheritance. Rather than because we've worked for it.
Paul puts it this way. "For by grace you have been saved... through faith." Just by relying on Jesus.
and this is not your own doing... it's the gift of God. Not the result of works. So that no one may boast.
Athina Onassis is the richest teenager in the world. And what did she do to earn it? Absolutely nothing. So nothing to boast about. It's a gift.
Trust in Jesus and you go from being dead in your sins to the seats of glory. And what did you do to earn it. Absolutely nothing. It's a gift. Same gift for Jew and Gentile alike.
If you were a keen TV watcher back in the early 80s, you'll remember that very tacky TV show called The A-Team. Starring Mr T. Big Black guy who had gold chains and a mohawk haircut. And George Peppard. As the Colonel Hannibal Smith. Now it's not a show that's often remembered. In fact, I don't even remember seeing any re-runs. But it's a show that had one very famous line. Every episode. After the explosions fade, after the bad guys are beaten...George Peppard would light a cigar and say, "I love it... when a plan comes together."
And there it is.
Take a look back for a minute at chapter 1 verse 9 and 10 where Paul spells it out. He says there's a plan behind what's happening. God's plan. It's been a mystery. And now it's finally made known... a plan set forth in Christ... a plan to unite all things under him. Things in heaven. Things on earth. Gentile things and Jewish things. Heavenly things and earthly things. Brought together under the Lord Jesus.
You want to know where the world's heading? Might not look like it sometimes. But that's the picture. Paul says it again verse 22. That God has put all things under his feet and gave hi as head over all things to the church. Which is his body. The fullness of him who fills all... in all.
One church. Made up of all kinds of people. Right at the centre of God's plans.
And so the second half of chapter 2 brings everything together.
And I just want to pick up the words you can see in bold print in the passage.
Where Paul says, therefore remember, you Gentiles in the flesh... therefore remember, you Christians at Mitchelton in 2003... remember that you were at that time separated from Christ. Alienated from the commonwealth of Israel. Strangers to the covenants of promise. Having no hope. And without God in the world.
Remember that time for you?
But now in Christ Jesus, Paul says you who were once far off have been brought near. And the barriers are down. The racial dividing walls, the hostility, the huge barricade that was Israel's law that closed out the Gentiles... all abolished. Verse 15. And so we're reconciled to God together not as Jewish Christian and Gentile Christian. But as one body.
And so people like us, in verse 19, he says are no longer strangers and aliens. No longer without hope. And without God. But fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God's household. And being built together into a dwelling place for God's Spirit.
Co-inheritors. Of Israel's promises. And sharing in the privilege of being called the people of God.
Which of course, we just usually take for granted. And probably think at the back of our minds that we're doing God some sort of favour even bothering to turn up to church on a Sunday. And meet with the people we're being built together with.
But can you see as we gather together as Christians, that Paul's saying right here right now, in the way the barriers come down, in the way strangers become brothers, in the way we're all made alive in Christ... that it's God's master plan for the universe playing itself out.
And our place in it isn't something we earn. But an inheritance we've been so graciously given equal shares in. As together with the very first Christians we move from dead in our sins, to risen with Christ. In this living body that Paul calls the church.
We need to stop there. And if you've been dazzled by detail this morning, can I urge you to take the time to read through the chapters again. And be reflecting on the privilege it is to be a person with sins forgiven... and citizens in the church of God. A church where every kind of person is equally welcome. Equal partners. With equal access to God.
Ever met the sort of person who gives off an air that they're a little bit closer to god than you are? That was happening for sure in Ephesus. Paul says, through Jesus, we both, Jew and Gentile, have access in one Spirit to the Father. Verse 18. Equal access for all. Which includes you, even if you don't feel quite as spiritual as some other Christians make out they are.
Ever get the feeling when you come along that there's a club meeting going on and you're not a member? That was happening in Ephesus for sure. And so Paul says, "You're no longer strangers and aliens." Make yourself at home.
We want to be a church that's reflecting that. Breaking out of club mentality. To be the church of god. And very consciously putting out the welcome mat to anyone - whatever their background - who comes to faith in the same Lord Jesus Christ. Saying welcome to the inheritance. That none of us have earned. And growing together under our one head. In a way that brings glory to God.