Sermon Tone Analysis

(Read Ehp 2:14-18)

A common problem.

A common problem.

Last week I had a conversation with a man, in his 60’s, who I believe is a very good teacher.

And as we were talking, I was surprised to hear him tell about how he never took school seriously.

He said he did just enough to get by, and how in high school and college he graduated by the skin of his teeth.

So, I asked him – at what point did you take being a student seriously, because there is no way you could teach like you teach, and not be a devoted student.

This is what he said – “Joel, I was given a book by a brother of mine who worked as the dean of students in a college, and my brother told me – ‘you need to read this book.’”

He said that at the time he was in his early 40’s and well established in his career, and that his children were already off to college.

But when he read the book, given to him by his brother entitled, “The Calling” by Oz Guinness, he realized that he was living his entire life with the wrong view.

And as a believer, he was terribly convicted.

“The crux of the book” he said, “was to show us that the goal of life is not to live for the future, but rather, the goal of life is to live in the journey.”

For example, we live life at our jobs - looking to retirement - and seeing the end of our career as the future event that we are striving for.

“In education,” he said, “he lived his life with the end of the year and graduating as the purpose for going to class each day” – it was the “end” that he was striving for – it was the finish that he held in sight as a reason to come to class each day.

And he said that what he learned, was that – when we spend our whole life living for the conclusion – or living for the ending - then we have missed out on living in the journey!

So, let me put this in the context of what Paul is telling us in verse 18.

We are not called to live life as a Christian hoping that someday we will die and go to heaven.

If we live with that view, then we tragically miss two essential points of the believer’s life.

1) We do not live as a witness in the here and now, because

2) We have not lived our life as it has been empowered to be lived!

Let me share with you three verses of Scripture that I have used many times in the past to bring this full circle:

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.

Whoever rejects the Son will not see life.

Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.

Whoever rejects the Son will not see life.

Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.

Whoever rejects the Son will not see life.

Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.

Whoever rejects the Son will not see life.

Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.

Whoever rejects the Son will not see life.

Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

:24Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment.

Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.

24Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment.

Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.

:13I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

13I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Paul is making it clear here in verse 18 that we who have received the Good News of Jesus Christ and have believed, have already received the goal of salvation.

WE need to understand, that like my friend, many of us believe that if we have Jesus in our hearts – then we look forward to the coming day when we will enter into the glory of Heaven.

And we excuse many of the things we do, because we say - we still live in a fallen world.

But because we are looking ahead – to the end – to the coming day.

We are missing the entire point of salvation that is given in the here and now.

And we miss out on all that God has to offer us in this life as we live among the other lost and dying people who are under Gods wrath!

I say all of that to say this:

We must not live life as if the goal of our salvation is to die, and not go to hell.

Or to put it another way – we must not live our life of salvation as if the goal is to die and go to heaven!

We must live our life of salvation with the proper view – the correct Biblical view that should be held by those who profess to know the Gospel –

And that view is simply this:

The goal of salvation is for me and you to live our lives in the presence of God, to know Him and to experience Him.

To commune with Him and to be loved by Him, while we continue in this journey, we call life.

IN THE NOW.

This is where our power comes from.

This is where our hope is lived out.

This is where you and I can find peace in our jobs, peace in our neighborhoods, peace with other believers, and peace with other members of our families!

So, lets tear this verse down today and see all that is offered to us.

Not in the future to come, but in the here and NOW as followers of Christ.

First, we will see how this access is obtained in the here and now.

(RECONCILIATION)

Secondly, we will look at what it means when Paul says “we both have access to the Father.”

(PROSAGOGE)

Third we will see the relationship that is before us as we walk in this world, (father) and how that relationship is known (By Spirit).

POINT #1

So to begin.

Paul says to those who live in the fallen world – in Ephesus – in the midst of a culture that is saturated with the worship of the goddess Diana – “Remember”, he says – “you who believe in the work of Christ – by faith – by God’s grace – you were reconciled.”

We need to remember a couple of wonderful points to this word in the Greek so that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds – so I bring this before you so that you can stand on the Gospel, the Good News, and no longer live your life looking at yourself, and condemning yourself with the lies of the devil.

To be reconciled – or as Paul put it to the Ephesians in the Greek – to be (apokatallassein) is to know that there was once a relationship that existed.

This is not the coming together of two parties who never knew one another – but rather this is two parties who once lived in harmony, but at some point and time, they became separated.

Something caused a divide and the relationship was severed.

There was no longer peace – but there was only enmity and strife.

We know that this separation happened when sin came.

And the Bible says that we all have sinned, and that in Adam we all die.

But Paul uses this word for reconciliation here that is different from other places where the word is used.

And this is a wonderful thing to know because by using this particular word, Paul highlights that the issue that brought separation is not only dealt with, but it is completely and entirely dead!

It no longer exists!

It is gone.

This reconciliation is to be FULLY restored!

(APO prefix)

The second point of this word apokatallassein is unique because it does not mean that the two parties who have a had a disagreement, and who are now reconciled, have both made the way to come together.

But rather, this word implies that only one of the parties does what is necessary to bring the two together, and that this is understood because in the Greek there is a part in this word that literally means “an action from above – it is the greek word “Kata”.

It is something that “comes down from above.”

It isn’t both sides moving to making something right – or to meet in the middle – but it is One making a way to have both parties overcome their difference.

(Martin Lloyd Jones)

Remember says Paul – you who were once dead in sin and deserved Gods wrath and were separated from Him, you have been brought into a right relationship while you were still a helpless sinner – because God gave you grace!

You did nothing to deserve it – and that should give the Christian an amazing since of security – because it is In Christ I stand.

It is in Christ that I have my salvation – not the work of Joel Mason!

This is how you and I can know God now – because His one and only Son – came down from above and did everything that was needed to bring us into a right relationship with a Holy God!

By Going to the cross – the Holiness of God is shown through His Justice, and the love of God is poured out on a people who were once strangers and enemies.

Those who were far off and those who were near!

It was this act of reconciliation.

This act of God bringing man to Himself as His Son bought us with the price of blood at Calvary, so those who believe have been set them free from hell, sin, and death, that we have access to God.

So point number one – we have access to God because Christ reconciled us to the Lord from our fallen state and made us righteous in Gods sight.

Not when we die – but now!

And this needs to be understood if we are going to enjoy our fellowship of the Lord in the day in which we live – and not just in the future.

Point #2

Hold your place in Ephesians two, but turn with me now to 1 Peter chapter 3, as we go on to the second point for today.