Ephesians 1:1-2 and Overview
Hey man, invite you to take your seats, Heavenly Father, we exalt you the great, I am the only one who has never been created always existing totally complete in the father and the Son and the Holy Spirit existing forever in perfect union and relationship creating us in your image to image back. The glory that you have created us in. I need a technology that we walked away from that great design.
Father, we praise you. That we are able in this place today. Come before your throne. That through Christ. You made a way. For all those who run headlong away from you to be redeemed through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, we praise you, we praise you. That you revealed yourself to Moses in and gave Moses instruction for for where, to go in and what to do, and what to say. And Moses, just, just baffled. Who am I to say who sent me? I am sent you. It's a father. We we praise you. We pray that everything that we do in here this morning, the singing the the reading the praying that the communing the conversation would be to the praise of the glory of your grace.
Thank you for this community of Believers that you've brought together. Lord, thank you for the noise of children that we love that you've given to us to train up in the fear in the admonition of the Lord and to build relationship with Father, you've given us so many. Wonderful gifts to describe them all now would not be possible. Who are this? Morning's we look at your word. We ask it to to capture our hearts together that our minds would be drawn into understand the things that we read and and listen to in it and study this morning. But we don't want to just having a cognitive exercise. We don't want you to know what I do without looking at the text, but we're looking at you, you're living word. That's the Lord we pray. That is our our mind that our spiritual Eyes by the power of the spirit. Begin to be open that you would capture our hearts again, but the reality of who we are, who you are. The weirdness of of Who We Are.
And I promise that you threw your grace. Are we dating two people aren't yourself that you have invited us and called us commanded us to be a part of that journey and what a great journey it is. We pray these things in Jesus name, amen. Hey man, we're good morning, church family.
It's so good to be together this morning. I don't know if you have seen Pastor, Larry and Grace, and Dakota are here this morning. So I'm sitting over there, if you haven't gotten a chance to say hello to them, be sure to to say hi and catch them before they leave today. So we are, we have the privilege of diving into a new study this morning. You've heard me talking about it. So I'm cuz I'm incredibly excited about it. We are looking at a fission and doing a study called that one in Christ. And you know what will be in a fusions Lord willing for about you know, six months give or take. And I'm really excited for how the Lord I think. Will I hope continually and large our perspective of who he is and how how wonderful and how great He Is. We were talking in Sunday school just a few minutes ago about one of the realities of what God does in our life is he is he he takes people who are rebellious and who run headlong away from God, bow that are designed and that were born as Adam seed and so we just buy or nature going to do that, but I think we all would know. Heavily. When we say we've also chosen it many times over and in God in his grace redeems people to himself and he takes them and he sets them up on this proverbial Eternal shelf as trophies of God's grace is his God, works in our lives as God works through us as he as he teaches us as he gives us the desire for him, it's never
To stop with us, we're always to be a vessels, are conduits of God's grace through which the that the truth, that the revelation of God flows through to the lives of others. And through that, we say, God we give you all the praise because there's nothing good in me apart from you and so use me. Lord, is atrophy of your grace because it you're not setting me up on this eternal shelf in the sense that I'm wonderful, but because God is wonderful in that. He's called us be a part of building is kind of a man. What a great joy that is what a great privilege that is it Ephesians is a is a small letter by 6 chapters long, 155 vs, it's written by the Apostle Paul and written to the church in Ephesus. The word Ephesians is actually not in all of the manuscripts, but I was probably a circular letter and there's some different theories about how that all pans out. But but but we all agree that it was written to the church in Ephesus and probably a circular letter that that maybe went to Ephesians first but Circle than in Asia Minor, it's a small letter as I mentioned takes about 20 to 30 minutes to read maybe 40 minutes of sound depends on how fast you read or if you get distracted on things right to take me about 5 hours because I'm like a DD poster child. So you know, but but it's not take that long to read it. So that one of the things that I think could be really fruitful for us is is is made maybe you said I'm going to read one chapter per week in Ephesians and then next week I'm going to maybe this one chapter Everyday for a week or you can say I'm going to read chapters 1 through 3 this week and chapters 4 through 6 next week or or you might even say I'm going to read the whole book of Ephesians once per week for the next several months. Like I said, 25 minutes or so and your read through the book of Ephesians and overtime, the Lord will just will begin to feel your heart and hope you remember. The truth is these rich throughs that will become a part of who you are. It's it's very much like Paul's letters in that in the first three chapters. It's kinda divided into two halves on the first three chapters. He he he lays out what would cause some indicted as truthful statements about God and about us and then and then he gives commands in the second-half. How are we to apply? What? We are learning. So the first half describes this narrative picture of what Jesus has accomplished through his cross. So the first three Chapters, he makes these marvellous statement to one of the things I love about Paul, right? He's, he's writing and as he's right, he just like erupts into this, doxology. Write this is, we think of that, the song about the doxology, right, praise God, from whom all blessings flow. Write the doxology song of Praise or prayer of praise and Paul does, it says he's writing, you can just feel it swelling out of a minute just as flowing out of them, if I praise God. And so he does his couple times in Ephesians but he writes sentences that are are long and that we don't always know how to structure but he write sentences that that you can just unpack in one sense, there is a Simplicity to what he writes and in a very other since it, you can unpack it for the rest of your life. It is like the Gospel of Jesus that good at God and came it. God came to the world to save Sinners of whom. I'm the worst And by faith in who God is and what he has done in Christ and a repenting for my sins, I can be saved. It's that simple.
And yet it's not always so simple.
The gospel is simple enough for children to understand and Grandy out grandiose enough that we will devote Our Lives to unpacking the realities of who God is and what he has done for us to the main ideas that God's wisdom and glory and power are displayed in his eternal purpose for the church, made up of both Jews and Gentiles who have been reconciled in Christ. And so he outlined in the first half, the incomparable blessings that come to us because the father chose us and the son, redeemed Us in the Holy Spirit, sealed us all to the praise of his glory. So what went 1-1, Paul discusses the glory of God's grace in Christ, he audibly. Like I said, a few minutes ago, he burst forth in. Praise to the god of that Grace constantly throughout this letter we're seeing this. If it's not this transcended picture of God, these these realities of God that are beyond our capacity to understand. And yet we see The Nearness of God. We we see the words in Christ or or from the Lord Orin, God, some 38 times, or so, in this book. And, and yet, with all of those references, that's 38 times out of about, 155 vs, and get much more frequently. We see how God is talking to you. That doesn't mean it is about us.
What it means is the Transcendent God who is far bigger than our imaginations can ever comprehend. Is also Personal.
He doesn't just call the people unto himself. If you're in Christ, he calls you to himself because these truths are so profound and deep Paul, praise. And you can see it here in verse 15 or verse kind of 16 and following, he prays that He won't that, God will open our minds to comprehend. The Riches of all that God has given us as members of the body Christ and he is a head. Over all my teachers about the power of God in Christ and your deepest need my did. He let you hear how he prays can? I encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ? When you're thinking about someone, the Lord baby, bring somebody to mind. You're driving down the road. What are you shoot him? A text or not while you're driving down the road or maybe you give him a call, if anybody makes phone calls anymore. You know, telling people you're praying for them is wonderful, but we might even consider going one step further and say, I am praying for you today that you would know the love of God, which is real and personal and everlasting in your life. Paul does that for us, he leads us in what that looks like he says. And so I'm praying for you and then he expounds. What that prayer looks like when he gives doctrine that he talks about salvation directly addresses, you were dead. Not just not just Humanity in general was dead in trespasses and sins but you or me. That's what was dead in. The passes and sins. How many speaks about the grace of God that comes to us in Christ? He says by grace
Orsay.
1/8 pounds of theology about how all of the nations are welcome in Christ, Jews and Gentiles and all the nations. He tells his own story first. And then he breaks into this prayer, another prayer. How he he hear about the stewardship of God's grace, that was given to me for you. And so I bow my knees before the father that he would Grant to you in any and then he continues on. You'll hear me mention it again in the end of the service. But, you know, we adjusted to how we're taking communion as at church last week. And one of the reasons for that is to give you opportunity to whether you choose to sit in your seat and pray or the interstice to standing and come forward to go to the back and be served. We want to create an opportunity for movement so that you can one of the reasons God has called us to be together and Hebrews is, is not to give up meeting together or what but encourage one, another, all the more. So we meet together, not just to hear, not just to get something for us. But so that the grace of God flow through us to one another, it so that gives us the opportunity for that to happen. You may see somebody that's good on your heart and just have a brief conversation or brief 20. Second word of encouragement for them and we want to invite you to do that as well. So the second half, Of the letter. Then it begins to move into what feels more, like, practical application. Although all of the fusions is practical, theology begins to say, how do we walk in light of this reality? Transitions with a very clear. Therefore statement, as a result of everything, I've just told you there for walk in a manner, worthy of the calling, what you been called. Makes it crystal clear that the power of the Holy Spirit enables us. Freezes. It expects us to walk in the reality of who we are now in Christ. He writes about ethics and relationships, and he walks about it. He talks about this process of change of putting off the old self and being renewed in the spirit of your mind and putting on the new self, Daisy writes about that. He says, I heard you walk worthy of your calling here. That guy, Paul who was called by God and set apart by God, urge you to walk worthy of the calling that you have been called to how many signs office with a prayer request. This is a very personal the rich letter. It is grounded and rooted in whole Bible theology. If you think about it, several different ways of thinking about it. But, but if you just think about how we know about cross references and citations and different things like that, there are a lot of citations in the book of Ephesians and Paul takes citations, from the, from the, from the Old Testament. Import them into his letter. And put new Flash on them. The Looney Tunes show you how this is lived out in your life. Tucson 104 talks about being angry, not sitting Paul Imports that into what this looks like in our relationships in Ephesians. For example. So this is effusions is is is It's a, it's relational. He is pastoral, it's it's every member Body of Christ Ministry, gospel Ministry, help for us. So if you don't answer this question, what does it mean to be in Christ? And what does this demand of us, right? To be careful right there. We don't like being a man to do anything, right? We don't we don't even strong suggestions, right? Kind of we kind of get defensive and we go get our hair up and we can start to move the other way. The Lord has every right to demand and tell us how we're to live, and but he's also not just demanded that we figure it out. He made it possible. Not just to be safe salvation. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not just for our salvation but for empowering us giving us everything that we need 2nd Peter 1:3 and 3 through 11, right? We we have everything that we need I forgot the first one, my favorite verses Skewness, Hitler in power, has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of him was called by his own glory and excellence. And then he begins to Stack-On traits and virtues that he has equipped us to live in and are efficient is similar, a couple, couple quotes and then we'll we'll look at these first couple verses in Ephesians, Kent Hughes Pastor in the Waiting area said. Ephesians carefully reverently and prayerfully consider will change our lives. It's not so much, a question of what we'll do with this epistle or letter, but what this letter will do with us.
That's why I said it would be a good idea and I would encourage you to read through this book on a regular basis with. You can do it in one week or or divided up however is okay. The, my main point is it God who works through his spirit in his word to transform Our Lives. And God's word. Has more power than the way. I can communicate God's word, though. I pray, I can do it effectively and helpfully. God's perfect inerrant word. Always best. I would encourage you in that start Charles Spurgeon said Divine things are usually better seen by the heart rather than by understanding God has revealed a thousand things which we will never understand. And yet we can know them by a loving and trusting experience the purifying of the heart is the enlightening of the spiritual eyes and a strange. As it may seem. The true eye of the renewed man is seated in the heart. Rather than in the head, holy affections enable us to see. And as far as possible understand Divine things. The posture of you're in my heart as we approached any book of the Bible for that matter. But a book like Fifty Shades, the posture of our heart, our Readiness to put things into practice and to walk in faith, filled, obedience will will in a mysterious way, determined largely, how much are able to understand about it? If you're just looking for head knowledge, it may seem dry to you. If you're just looking to study, you'll see some great truths that will point you to all of the scripture as you look at Ephesians. But but your life may not be transformed. But as your part posture says God, you have saved me that I might be a vessel of your mercy.
Change me. Change me again. Help me to live in such a way that when others look at me and asked me for the reason, for the hope that I have, I can clearly say My Hope Is Only in Jesus.
And how he enables me to face everything. He brings my wife. as I cling to him in faith,
God wants us to know that, because of how we came to be in Christ. We are his vessels of Grace to others. Look with me now at the introduction.
I love Asians. Paul. An apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God.
To the Saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ, Jesus. Grace to you and peace from God. Our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray with me.
Dear, heavenly father. We ask you for understanding that you would give us a spirit of wisdom. That you would help us to focus on the the realities you have for us today.
There are a lot of things that are happening in our lives. Some of us may be weighed down by the concerns of the world that the reality of of other loves or idolatry that we have in our heart things that we are seeking. After that we think will bring us joy and pleasure
Well all the while did I in the reality? That none of that will be found in anyone but you So, where did we learn this morning about how you called Paul? You help us to see what that looks like for our lives as well.
What grade is things in Jesus name? Amen. Your attention to three and a unifying phrases that will convey the structure for this morning by the will of God.
In Christ, Jesus. And grace to you.
In order to get an understanding of the second couple phrases, we need to understand the first phrase by the will of God. And in what Paul intends when he write as an apostle of Jesus, by the will of God. And so we want to help unpack this a little bit more for you and it's important to remember the context of how the Apostle Paul was saved it, so it will look that it. Look at that account and acts in a few minutes, but we begin with Paul. Not because as I said, he's not the star of the letter. As I said, we're trophies of God's grace. We're not the star of the Shelf. It's all about God's mercy and Grace and love. And how God is the the hero of the story. Every time we open our Bibles God, in Christ is the hero of the story. So we do want to focus so much and Paul, but but how God works in the life of Paul is instructive force because God, never changes. Now, he, he works with different people in different ways but the character in the nature of who God is always Remains the Same. So Luke as he recounts the story he recounted on on on three different occasions and acts Alone 1. We'll look at here in a few minutes. Paul recount the story directly and indirectly himself and pause desires that unbelievers and Believers recall his testimony in order to find the hope of Salvation. So let's look at that in Acts chapter 12, will put it up on the screen here for you. Paul says, in this connection I journey to Damascus with the authority and the commission of the chief priests at midday. Okay I saw on the way a light from Heaven brighter than the sun that Shone around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all Fallen to the ground, I Heard a Voice say to me in the Hebrew language, do polish commuting communicating something factual enough to tell us that I'm hearing this in Hebrew, I'm hearing this in my language, I'm hearing this strongly enough, this light is bright enough. It catches us off-guard enough that we all fall to the ground and we hear a voice is not like you're driving down the road and you Father, comes across your mind.
Jesus Christ, The Sovereign of the universe has a Divine appointment with Paul. And he says Saul Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads and I said, who are you? Lord, and the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, but rise, and stand up on your feet. For, I have appeared to you for this purpose.
To appoint you as a servant and a witness to the things which you have seen me. And to those in which I will appear to you.
Delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you. To open their eyes so that they may turn from Darkness to light. And from the power of Satan to God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are Sanctified by faith in me. The Lord says in Paul later, puts it in his own words. And in 1st Timothy 1:6, he said, I should I receive Mercy for this reason that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ, might display his perfect patience. As an example, to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. God says God, has. I mean, Paul says, God is using me as an example of God's page. Got a God is using me. An exact, as an example of Divine, Mercy, brothers and sisters, Would we be careful not to live our lives in such a way that says, I'm leaving this Christian Life the right way and if you want to be a mature Christian, you need to be more like me. That week, we don't say that in order for us to say it quite like that, but aren't there times when our actions might communicate some of that idea?
There is a reality where Paul says, follow me as I follow Christ. We're always in town and we're always in the middle saying, I'm always pursuing Christ. I'm always going after Christ, Paul is an apostle of Jesus Christ and Apostle is $0.01 with authority in Mark, 3:13 215, we see how Jesus called the initial Apostles to him. He says that he went up on the mountain and he called it in those who he desired, and they came to him and he appointed the 12. And he also name them Apostle, so that they might be with him that he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons Galatians 1:1 and in 15, through 17. Paul says, Paul, an apostle, not from men North through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God, the Father who raised him from the dead pause. He's recounting that story. We're on the road to Damascus, a light brighter than the sun Shone on him, and he heard Jesus speak verse 15. But when he who it's sent me about heart apart before I was born. Who called me into his grace was pleased to reveal his son to me in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles did not immediately. I did not immediately consult with anyone nor, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were Apostles before me. But, I went to Arabia and I returned again to Damascus, that his attitude isn't isn't, I'm an apostle to I have the same Authority as you but his attitude is God himself, met me. And in Christ spoke to me and God himself made me an apostle. In fact he says before I was born.
God made me an apostle or destiny. That I would be an apostle. He could have made demands. He says, in 1st Thessalonians 2, we, we could have made demands among you but we didn't. We came humbly
He says, you church are being built on the foundation of the Apostles in the prophets. Prophets Christ, Jesus is the Cornerstone, and we build on this Foundation, the foundation of Christ Jesus, the apostles in the prophet, but Christ is the Cornerstone.
So Paul an apostle by the will of God know what does Paul mean here by the will of God, there's a couple ways we can think about the will of God that we see revealed in the scriptures. I just give them to you in two ways. Number one, there's a will of decree and then there's a will of command I I can I can give a wheel of command, it would be my will for my children to obey me but that doesn't mean I can force it to happen. In that sense there's a will or a command that God gives people and you and I don't obey each and every command of the will of God each and every time and then there's a will of decree which the Bible says that whatever God ultimately decrees will happen? No, no plan of the Lord will ultimate ultimately be frustrated. You think while I want to follow the Lord with my life, I give my life to the Lord Jesus and I want to walk in faith, but if I would have just done this done, these things better in my life before, then I wouldn't be where I am brother and sister, you are not the word and God's Eternal plan. You are not sworn in the internal purposes of God, where you are in your life today you submit to his will and say, what is it? My past is in my past. Thank God I can be redeemed, right? I am redeemed and bye-bye, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I will follow in faith today recognizing In a mysterious way that the Lord we use all of this together.
God is accomplishing, his will in the world, God is accomplishing his purpose. His head. We looked around at the culture as we look around it at what's happening in our society, we not, we need not fear, we don't need to be afraid of what's happening because was wondering wondering that this might actually Thor. God's plan, is God actually still in control. Yes, brothers and sisters key is Ephesians 1:5 said that that he predestined us. According to what the purpose of his will, which can never be forwarded, Ephesians 1:11 having predict been predestined. According to the purpose of him who works, all things according to what the Council of his will or the Council of his decree.
Romans 9:19. Why does he still find fault for who can resist his will? There's a will of God's decree which ultimately can't be resisted. Games for 13 and 16 says we will go and yet you don't know what tomorrow will bring instead you ought to say if the Lord Wills we will live here in and do this or or do that. Isaiah 46 9 through 10. The Lord says my counsel shall stand and I will Compass complish. All my purpose.
In the book of Ephesians. We see that God. Has accomplished and is accomplishing, his decreed will. Not only in Paul's life, but in your life and in mine. I'm going to stand at the front of the line. It's a boy that raises a whole lot of questions that that I'm not smart enough to understand and I acknowledge that but we need to be careful not to do. It's disabled because I don't understand it. I'm going to work my way conversationally around it. I need to read God's word, understand it in its context, in the context of all 66, books of the Bible and say When God says that he decree something to happen. You. And I better believe that God to create something to happen, why? Because God cannot lie. God does not God, made Paul an apostle. Before he was born, God was willed, to be an apostle and he was called by God's grace before he was born, and he was obedient yet, but he was decreed by God, to be an apostle, which is why he says, Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God had any rights to the Saints who are in Christ Jesus and you are faithful in Christ Jesus. So, in the same way that Paul has a pathologist oriti and it expands as a rule of of Christ is supreme it all of the universe. He addresses his letter to the Saints at Ephesus, but remember, this is a circular letter and so this letter would have, would have gone to more than one church. But by extension it expands to everybody, who is a believer in Jesus Christ, that's what that is a huge phrase, I mention, it's meant, it's been As I mentioned before, it is mentioned. Some 38 times in in Ephesians Believers are set apart for Christ. We are the Holy One Of God that sometimes were afraid to call ourselves. Holy because, you know what happened yesterday, you know, how you responded to your spouse this morning? You know, any number of things are the examples could go on and so we hesitate to call ourselves. Holy but we are being made holy but here's the point Brothers and Sisters. You and I Are Holy in Christ. when Christ died on the cross and placed his righteousness on to us, it's always been called The Great Exchange Christ's righteousness is placed on us and our sin is placed on Christ at the cross.
It's the one God the Father looks at us. He looks at us as those who are clothed in Christ's righteousness.
Brothers and sisters, some of you are are hung up because of guilt and shame from from previous sins and and and you're believing the LIE of the enemy that says, will you you, you can actually be a holy one because of what you did yesterday, Satan seeks to steal and kill and destroy. He is The Great Deceiver. Eli to Adam and Eve will continue lying to you. And as long as mankind, as long as mankind exists, he will lie to them. as long as God would allow,
do not believe the lies of the enemy. Believe the truth of God. Do not walk according to the lie that you're not good enough to to be a representation of God to your family, with your friends, or to your work. Those who you work with, believe, the lie of Gianni, believe the truth of Jesus, not a heretic. Leave a truth of Jesus that says I have set you free. I have given you everything that you need for life and godliness. We are set apart for Christ.
We are snatched out of the World by God's loving kindness and the resurrecting power of the Son of God Ephesians 1:4 is as even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world. What that we should be holy and blameless before him?
Brother. Sister. If you repent of your sins that are a trusting Christ for your salvation. Don't miss your me to say. If you prayed a prayer as a child or even an adult and are still living your life, however you want to live without any any regard for the Lord. Put it with you if you genuinely have ever repent of your sins have pulled yourself off of being the, the one sitting on the throne of your heart. And if I trusted Christ for that, the Lord says you are saved, you are in Christ. And that means that we are to be and we are able to be holy before him. If he's is one to Grace to You and peace from God, our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul says, I'm a demonstration of God's grace.
One of the one of the aspects of pastoral Ministry that I last pastoral Ministry but just as a Christian and is as a guy talk about other people.
Is talking to them in, as I begin to unpack some of their life story. I don't often plan a lot of examples for how I might engage in conversation with them. Not because I have some more examples that I could know what to do with. Two ways that I have walked away from the Lord, and God in his kindness, has brought me back to repentance and faith. Over and over and over. And so, Paul says, I the one who, who violently persecuted, prosecute persecuted the church. I the one who, who still hasn't done it right. And depending on the Lord, Jesus for everything. I come to you to get bring you Grace, from God, the Father. In Jesus Christ. I come to you as a vessel of God's grace and mercy to extend to you that which God has freely given to me, I am glad to give to you in fact at the purpose for my life.
What would our lives look like if a purpose of our life was to extend grace and mercy to everyone that we were able to come in contact with. He is a vessel of God's grace Chosen and set apart and appointed as an apostle for this grace.
Grace to you and peace from God, our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
He's not talking about an object called PCS, talking about a person. Codpiece. Jesus Christ, The Prince of Peace. Ephesians 2:14 East explains further for he himself. Jesus is our peace who has made both one in his broken down. In his flesh, the dividing wall of his of hostility. What you'll see is really these. These first three verses are unpacked all the more. If you ever use, I don't know, like Microsoft Word or Pages or some program like that and you're typing something, you know, you can wear on a web site you know, they're there will be a link that you can click on right and Aleve to take you down to further in the page or if you're in word and you can sort of expand or collapse. I know some y'all are like, what are you talking about? You know, but or if you take a piece of corn in the shuck piece of corn and inside of that, one, object of corn, you see many many, many, many, many kernels. And we haven't even gone to talking about how the Seas were, cuz I'm a stop while I'm behind, but the point is that, in these first few verses, I'll make some bold statement, some strong statements that set the tone for unpacking the rest of it. In a sweater.
My prayer is that our eyes would be opened to the Glorious grace of God. and that happens as People who are aware of their sin. Aware of their own Tennessee. To run headlong away from the Lord acknowledge Who We Are. Read what the Lord has given us in the Bible about him. And find ourselves swept up in Praise. Because of who God is.
Rather than trying to formulate an exact path out, the first step is always come to Christ.
Come to Christ and henreid of this Doctrine and theology which those are words that sometimes turn people off for brothers and sisters. I will tell you as you read this and you read this as though you're listening to Paul who wrote this for you, for churches for believers like you and me and it begins to say blessed be the God and father of our Lord. Jesus Christ who has blessed us with Christ in every spiritual blessing. In the Heavenly places and he goes on me, right? This really long sentence that we divided into multiple sentences, but he begins to just pour out his heart and praise and he's not just saying. No, that blessing. God is possible. He's saying blessed. Be God. Now bless him with me. You've been created. You've been called so that you are life. Will sing a life of praise to the Eternal God. Let's not make this about head knowledge but let's allow. The eyes of our hearts to be attuned. To all who God is, as we read this book, God wants us to know that, because of how we came to be in Christ. We are his vessels of Grace to others. Do I need to ask this question? Do you personally know what I'm talking about?
Hey, do you know that you personally have a relationship with Jesus Christ or do you know, religion? Do you know, Mom and Dad's Church? Do you know I got to do something.
What do you know that you have a personal relationship with God? The father that's made possible because of Jesus Christ. And what he has done for you on the cross cuz if you don't none of, this will make sense to you. He won't be able to just take principles and apply them and become a better person. And even if you do
There is no amount of better. The qualifies us. To be in co-heirs with Christ in eternity.
Everyone of us. Needs Jesus. And when we stand before the Lord one day, however, that's going to go down. And he would never really say, why should I let you in with say Cheese's? Is one word on our lips, Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.
Have you been following cries but been stuck in a rut?
Where you begin to look at the situation. You begun to 2 to take your eyes, which were once looking heavenward and point them down, looking at the rut in the Rocks, the the things that are in front of you, the things that are beside you that Satan would want to use it as a distraction and you need someone to come come to you by Paul wood in and just lift your chin to say. Look up. Look up to the father who gave his only son so that whoever would believe in him would have everlasting life.
as we share in the Lord's supper together, we remember, even from last week that we we, we