Love Is...

Love Is...

Prayer:Heavenly Father, we only have to look to the church at Ephesus to see how easy it is for Christians, both individually and corporately, to leave our first love and to allow the love that we had for You and for others, to wear thin and to grow cold. Father, forgive us for the way that we have allowed this to happen throughout the whole Body of Christ, which has all too often become a place to criticize our brethren or slander others who do not think exactly as we do.

Revive us Lord, and may the love that so permeated the early church, where we discover that Christians loved in thought word and deed, begin to spread once again throughout the Body of true believers. May we return to a time when love within the Church of God begins to shine forth, as we become salt and light to a needy world.

Forgive us Father, that our love for You and the Lord Jesus has worn so thin. Rekindle a fire of love that sweeps through the Church today, so that in the essentials of our faith we may have unity, in the inessential things we may display liberty, and in all areas of our Christian life may we demonstrate true godly love. In Jesus' name we pray,

Amen.

Ephesians 2:4-10New International Version

4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Introduction

“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” ~ Saint Augustine

God is constantly trying to connect with us.

We are constantly distracted from Him.

Our lives are busy, and we are consistently searching for purpose.

God wants to give our lives direction and meaning.

God loves us unconditionally.

God’s love for us is undeserved, immeasurable, and unconditional!

I. God’s love for us is Undeserved - Ephesians 2:4-5 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

A. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, God is rich in mercy.

Against this bleak backdrop of the hopelessness of the non-Christian, Paul presents heartening news. God’s mercy restrains his wrath. He refrains from punishing us even though we are sinners. Why? This mercy flows out of his great love for us. He desires to do good for those he loves, not evil. As a result he has done three things for us.

B. 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions , We are made alive with Christ.

First, he made us alive with Christ. Our sins had made us spiritually dead. They separated us from God. The resurrected Christ overcame death. God lets us share in Christ’s life. In so doing he caused us no longer to be spiritually alienated from himself. Why give us life when we deserved death? Because we earned it? Surely not! We deserved the death we got.

C. 5b it is by grace you have been saved, Enjoy salvation through grace. We are alive because of God’s grace.

I. God’s love for us is undeserved

II. God’s love for us is Immeasurable - Ephesians 2:6-7

6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

A. God’s love has Heavenly implications. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

Second, he raised us up with Christ. Life in Christ came because we experienced Christ’s resurrection in the spiritual realm. We were raised up from our sin death and given opportunity for new life. Still facing life on earth where Satan reigns, we live with Christ as part of his kingdom.

B. God’s love informs our future expectations.7 in order that in the coming ages.

Third, he seated us with him in the heavenly realms. That is, he has made possible and certain our resurrection from the dead and has mysteriously positioned us in heaven where Christ dwells (see 1:20). To be seated with Christ in the heavenlies is a figure of speech meaning God considers us worthy and destined to be seated with Christ in heaven when we get there. God has decided to do it, and it is as good as done. We just have to wait for a few years until it happens. The significance of being seated with Christ is much the same as being seated at the head table of a banquet where there are many important people. It is a privilege and honor, and it marks you as one of the important people. We will be important in heaven.

How will we be important? We will share with Christ in his rule as king. We will be seated on thrones (see Rev. 3:21). In fact, we already exercise power with Christ over the powers of this age. We can live lives reflecting Christ’s kingdom, not Satan’s. We are no longer dead in trespasses and sin. We are alive in Christ, sharing his power and authority, representing him in the battle with Satan where victory is assured through the resurrection.

C. The extending of grace toward us is a personal invitation. 7 he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 2:7. God’s intention in this, in addition to the natural response of love which he has for us (v. 4), is to show for eternity the magnitude of his grace toward us. The word show actually means “display.” In the same sense that an artist might display his canvasses to reveal his skill, so God displays his redeemed children to the universe to demonstrate his grace. The grace shown in his children seated in heavenly realms is the same grace or kindness shown in the death and resurrection of Christ. Once supremely in Christ, God showed his loving attitude to the world. From now on he continues to show that attitude in the lives of his people whom he has delivered from the ways and ruler of this world and given protection and power in the heavenly realms.

I. God’s love for us is undeserved

II. God’s love for us is Immeasurable

III. God’s love for us is Unconditional - Ephesians 2:8-9

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

A. We are saved through faith. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves,

In verse 5, Paul made the parenthetical statement, it is by grace you have been saved. Now, in verse 8, he picks up that idea and elaborates on it. Grace carries with it the idea of benevolence being bestowed on someone without that person having merited it by his actions. God was not required to offer us salvation. He would be justified in condemning all people to eternal separation from himself. In spite of the fact that our actions bring deserved judgment upon ourselves, God offered us an escape. He didn’t have to, but because he loved us, he wanted to. That is grace, and that is what saved us, or delivered us, from eternal judgment. God’s escape belongs to him and to his initiative alone. No part of it can be credited to you.

B. We enjoy Father’s gift.8b It is the gift of God. The whole of salvation, the grace as well as the faith, is a gift of God.9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

He chose to make salvation possible in this way. He handed salvation to you. You did nothing but stick out a hand and accept the gift. Faith is exactly that. It is trustfully accepting from God what he has provided without totally understanding what you are receiving. Faith is giving up on being able to provide what you need for yourself and letting God give what he alone can provide.

2:9. Paul stressed this point almost redundantly. You have done absolutely nothing to earn salvation by being or doing “good.” God’s plan of salvation by grace places all humans on the same footing. No one may boast or point with pride to personal accomplishments in the realm of salvation. No person has done anything in this arena. God has done it all.

C. And we can now focus on good works. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

2:10. As we, his children, stand on display throughout eternity, we will be recognized as God’s workmanship. “Workmanship” (poiema) is not just a result of effort or labor. It is a result of artistic skill and craftsmanship. If we could earn salvation by our own good works, we would not be a work of God but a work of our own selves. That cannot be and will not be. We were created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God determined before we were ever born. God has prepared a path of good works for Christians which he will bring about in and through them while they walk by faith.

This does not mean that we do a good work for God. It means that God does a good work through us as we are faithful and obedient to him. God is at work. In faith we join him in that work to the praise of his glory (see 1:6, 12, 14).

Conclusion

In summary, we were spiritually dead and the object of God’s wrath. God, motivated by his love, extended mercy to us and allowed us to be delivered from his wrath by grace, through faith. God has accomplished this without our help; therefore, all the good that is done through us will be recognized as his work and not our own.

We might be awed to meet the president of the United States or the queen of England, or a great statesman or scientist or educator. To meet God, however, is so far beyond our imagination that we may not have as great a sense of awe in meeting the Creator as we do in meeting one of his creatures. Not only have we met him, but we have also been spiritually united with him, having been made one of his children. This fact must become the one truth that rivets our attention to heavenly realities while we traffic in earthly affairs.

Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 116.

APPLY IT!/Invitation

God is always with us and He wants our attention. What keeps us too preoccupied at times to experience the fullness of God’s presence?

Have you ever felt like God was far away? What made you feel this way?