09202020 Eph 6:23-24 Final Words - Good Words
Notes
Transcript
Recap
Recap
Last week we considered the Bearer of this letter to the Ephesian Church and the instructions he had given Tychicus, the message bearer.
This beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord was to pass on information about Paul’s circumstances, how we was doing, so that recipients might know the things going on with Paul and those who were with him as he was chained and under house arrest in Rome.
But there was a second purpose for sending the letter by way of Tychicus....
“so that he may comfort your hearts.”
In Colossians, often referred to as a sister letter to Ephesians, this same word is translated “encourage” In Colossians 4:8, it is, "that he may encourage your hearts."
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7 Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts,
The word used is the same in both places - translated differently - but means...
"to come alongside to help."
Paul knew that the Ephesians were prone to lose heart over his trials. So he sent Tychicus with this letter for two primary purposes. He wanted to provide more information about himself and his present ministry.
But he also wanted to encourage - to comfort the Ephesians.
The news reported by Tychicus would have comforted them and encouraged the hearts of Paul's readers and diminish any anxiety (worry) about Paul’s situation. But it wasn’t just the presence of a beloved brother in Christ sharing encouraging news about Paul's courageous faith that would be an encouragement to them.
The reason Tychicus could be a comfort is grounded in the source of all comfort, peace and rest found in these Final Words - the benediction - good words.
The Apostle Paul sends with the Bearer of this letter a BLESSING as he closes this letter.
Paul gives through these FINAL WORDS - these GOOD WORDS - a benediction with 4 words of blessing:
Peace > Love > Faith > Grace
READ Ephesians 6:23-24
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23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.
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The First Blessing Is Peace (6:23a)
The First Blessing Is Peace (6:23a)
Kent Hughes writes that many years ago a retired couple, alarmed by the threat of nuclear war, began a serious study of all the inhabited places on the globe. Their purpose was to determine where in the world would be the place to be least likely affected by nuclear war—a place of ultimate security. They studied and traveled and traveled and studied. Finally they found the place. And at Christmas they sent a card from their new home to their friends in the States.
The place they had found was the Falkland Islands off the eastern coast of South America—the soon-to-be battleground between Britain and Argentina!
People want peace in their lives, but they don’t really know what true peace is or where that peace is found - looking for peace in all the wrong places....
Where do we go to find out about peace? Bible our only rule for faith and practice...
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Peace WITH God
Peace WITH God
Sin separates us from God.
“All mankind, by Adam’s fall - his disobedience, has lost communion with God. We are under God’s wrath and curse. We experience all the miseries in this life, death itself and the pain of hell forever.” (SC Qu. #19)
All people are born alienated from God and live in rebellion against him. When, by God’s grace, we are effectually called and God regenerates us by through the power of His Spirit - when we profess with out mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead - we are saved.
At that moment of conversion we are enabled by God’s grace to give our wholehearted trust in the one who came to save his people from their sin - Jesus Christ.
We are brought back into a right relationship with our Creator God. This is what we call reconciliation.
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
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Peace OF God.
Peace OF God.
Now that we are in a right relationship with God, we are able to enjoy being in the presence of God and experience the peace of God that “surpasses all comprehension” (Phil 4:7).
3 “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You.
The blessing of this kind of peace is captured in the Aaronic benediction in
24 The Lord bless you, and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; 26 The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’
This PEACE is not the absence of trouble - it is the presence of God.
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Peace with one another.
Peace with one another.
Paul had written earlier how Jesus came to reconcile us to one another.
He writes in Ephesians 2:14–15,
14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,
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This idea of peace is so important that He begins this letter with these words:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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"Peace" Εἰρήνη
"Peace" Εἰρήνη
Peace is a concept that is often difficult to define - some might even say impossible to grasp because peace is an abstract word. Similar to grace, truth, and love. We can define these terms, but we can’t physically hold on to them in a physical way like we can with words like pew - church - pulpit - people
In the world of Art - we can talk about abstract painting and realism. Visited the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York.
Abstract art lacks concrete form. It is simply a series of shapes, or lack of shape, that really has no visible meaning or composition. Realism represents real people, places and things. The artists attempts to make objects, people and animals look real.
Jackson Pollock is a completely abstract artist. His pieces consist of paint splattered are large canvases. Even though his paintings are completely organic, they still portray a theme with color, composition, and movement.
show slide of Jackson Pollock’s work
In contrast, artist Leonardo Da Vinci creates hyper realistic art based on life. Da Vinci trained as a painter during the Renaissance era, and became a true master of the craft. During the Renaissance, European artists began to study nature more closely with the goal of painting realistic images of the world.
One of is most popular pieces of work includes the “Mona Lisa”. This painting offers a life-like feeling of the woman. Da Vinci’s painting, “The Last Supper,” expresses almost spotless realism.
Peace may be an abstract word in English. But that doesn’t mean we can’t grasp what it means.
To really understand what this peace is that the Holy Spirit writes here through the Apostle Paul, we have to consider the word it is drawn from.
In order to do that we have to go all the way back to the Old Testament the same word used 367 times in 340 verses.
It is a term used in every book of our English Bibles except 6 (Ruth, Nehemiah, Hosea, Joel, Jonah, Habbakuk)
PEACE is שָׁלֽוֹם׃ shalom.
PEACE is שָׁלֽוֹם׃ shalom.
In the Old Testament (Hebrews) this word is shalom. This word is used most often of restitution, which means: "to make someone whole."
It literally means: "to make one whole and complete."
One writer I came across described the word this way...
In the ancient Hebrew, the word shalom was made up of four letters. The "shin," which looked like our capital W. It represented teeth, and meant: "to consume or destroy." The next letter is the "lamed" and it looked like a shepherd's staff. It stood for: "control or authority." Then you have the "vav," which is the nail. It has the idea of: "connecting or attaching." The final letter is a "mem," which pictures water. It means: "chaos or mighty."
So peace means: "to destroy that authority attached to chaos." When you destroy what is bringing chaos, you will have peace.
Whether or not this writer is correct in his observations about this word...
What is it that has brought chaos into our lives? It is sin.
What is it that brings peace into our lives? It is not living in a place where we think there might not be trouble…It is resting in the one who is our peace Jesus, the Christ, the son of God, who brings us peace - reconciliation, peace with God, peace within our selves and peace with one another.
Jesus, the Prince of Peace
Jesus, the Prince of Peace
"He Himself is our peace"—"He only is our peace."
He alone has accomplished something that no other could do.
Not only does Jesus make peace between Jews and Gentiles, but He Himself is that peace.
So what we have here in Ephesians in this FINAL WORDS - this BENEDICTION - These GOOD WORDS is "more than a farewell greeting; it is a prayer for reconciliation.
Paul longs to see the whole brotherhood of believers in Ephesus and its surrounding areas—Jews and Gentiles, slave and free, male & female—at peace with each other in the one body of Christ."
One of the main thrusts in Ephesians is that through the cross of Jesus the Christ, we have peace with God and peace with those from whom we formerly were alienated (2:11-22).
We have peace with God because the blood of Jesus has paid the penalty for our sins.
This is the place where Ephesians begins:
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2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near;
3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
What is the message of Ephesians?
What is the message of Ephesians?
It is that we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places—how do we get there from here? Through our union with Christ. How are we united with Him? Through faith. Where does that faith come from? It is a gift of God, not a result of our doing anything, lest we try to take credit for it.
Our salvation is a gift of God. It is given to us through faith alone in Christ alone through God’s grace alone…
He has come to make this abstract concept ever so real.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5:1 NASB
So we can grasp it. Know it. Experience it. Live it.
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6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
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PEACE
PEACE
This question was once asked, "If you could choose what you want most in life, what would you ask for?" The most common answer was "Peace."
People want peace in their marriages, families, workplaces, country and world. Our country has some of the best medical and marriage and counseling centers, highest educational institutions and worldwide communication abilities.
Yet with all of these things, most people are still without true inner peace. The results are devastating... broken marriages, split families, hatred, rebellion, financial anxiety, a country unsettled.
The world offers peace through many forms of escapism... drugs, alcohol, immoral relationships, constant entertainment. It is sought through all forms of pleasure, self-satisfaction and positive thinking.
Many believe that peace is defined as the absence of trouble. They refuse to face the problems in their lives believing that this is finding peace. The world, however, has never held the answer to true peace.
Like the prophet Jeremiah (6:14) saying, “peace, peace, but there is no peace.” because people - even God’s people - were looking for that PEACE in all the wrong places...
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True PEACE comes not from man but from God.
True PEACE comes not from man but from God.
This peace is the fruit of the Holy Spirit spoken of in Galatians 5: 22.
This peace means to be in harmony with God, to be bound, joined and woven together with God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
It also means being assured of, confident of and secure in the love and care of that God has for his people in Jesus Christ.
It means having a consciousness and a sure trust that God will provide, guide, strengthen, sustain, encourage, deliver and save completely those who seek Him with all their hearts.
This supernatural peace comes first and foremost from receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord.
It comes from a knowledge of God's Word.
The Apostle Paul knew this peace. He suffered greatly because of his love for the Lord, love for God's truth and because of his commitment to the commission given to him by Jesus Christ.
Yet in all this, his heart was kept in perfect peace.
He had been imprisoned, stoned, left for dead and scourged by the Romans, and yet he said in Romans 8:28,
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28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
Most reject God's peace because they give in to their own selfishness and their lust for the pleasures of this world.
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27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
So Paul writes in these FINAL WORDS, this BENEDICTION - these GOOD WORDS and the first of those good words is
PEACE.