Ephesians 6:23-24
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Introduction
Introduction
[PRAYER]
When I was growing up I learned that we are supposed to end letters with “Sincerely Yours.” Those words communicate genuine concern.
This is what Paul felt as he closed his letter to the Ephesians—genuine concern.
Because he was genuinely concerned he took the time while in prison to write this letter to them, and he sent Tychicus to not only deliver this letter but to express his heart to them.
And it’s Paul genuine concern that he communicates in Ephesians 6:23-24—His “Sincerely Yours” at the end of His letter to the church in Ephesus.
[READING Ephesians 6:23-24]
23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.
If you had to pick four ideas to be on the Mt. Rushmore of the NT, you couldn’t do much better than peace, love, faith,and grace.
It’s these ideas that Paul hopes will characterize the Christian church in Ephesus.
It’s the ideas that ought to characterize the Christian church in every location.
Major Ideas
Major Ideas
Peace (Eph. 6:23a)
Peace (Eph. 6:23a)
23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
[EXP] Paul began his letter with peace and calls back to it hear at the end. In both Eph. 1:2 and Eph 6:23 he says that this peace is from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Peace has also been a topic throughout Paul’s letter. He has talked about being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3) and putting on the readiness to share the Gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15).
But most poignantly, Paul says that Jesus is our peace. He writes in Ephesians 2:14-17…
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;
The Law of God condemned us all—Jews and Gentiles alike—as law-breakers, and breaking God’s law made us all enemies of God.
But Jesus is our peace who has erased our enemy status with God by paying the price for our law-breaking on the cross.
The Son of God died like an enemy of God so that we enemies of God could be made children of God.
This is true for Jewish people and for Gentiles (i.e., non-Jewish people). In other words, this is true for all people, and it’s only true in Jesus Christ.
[ILLUS] In the OT, Jacob tricked his brother Esau out of his birthright. Esau was angry then, and Jacob was worried that Esau was still angry years later.
When the reunion between the two brothers neared, Jacob sent gifts that he hoped would make peace, but he also prepared his people to be attacked.
When the two brothers were finally reunited, Jacob discovered that Esau was no longer angry.
He had been worried and living in fear for no reason.
[APP] Many of us do the same thing with God. We worry and live in fear thinking that He is still angry with us about our sin. But Jesus has endured the holy and just anger of God in our place. God unleashed the righteous wrath that we deserved on Jesus, and then because our sins were paid for and Jesus had no sins of His own death could not hold him—Jesus was raised from the dead.
There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
The enmity with God is erased.
The war is over.
The division between us and God has been bridged.
This peace is ultimate, perfect rest.
When we get to Heaven I think we will feel how tired we were in that old body, but the Gospel tells us that we can experience relief in our souls now.
You no longer have to let not being good enough wear you out.
Jesus is good enough for you.
You no longer have to carry the fatigue of guilt.
Jesus has removed all your guilt both now and forever.
That inner critical voice can save its breath because there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus…
…not from God,
…not from others,
…not even from yourself.
This peace is rest, and this peace is the gift of God in Jesus Christ—and in Him alone.
[TS] But now notice in the second part of Eph. 6:23 the phrase…
Love with Faith (Eph. 6:23b)
Love with Faith (Eph. 6:23b)
23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
[EXP] Paul has mentioned love and faith separately many times in his letter to the Ephesians, but as far as I could tell he only brought the two ideas together like he did here in Ephesians 6:23 in two other places.
In Ephesians 1:15 he says that has heard of the faith of the Ephesians and the love they have for all the saints—their brothers and sisters in Christ.
In Ephesians 3:17 he says that he prays that the Spirit of Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith and that would be rooted and grounded in love.
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul writes..
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.
Or as the NIV puts it, “…faith expressing itself through love.”
The Ephesians had faith. Paul said they need to be sure to add love to that faith.
[ILLUS] There seems to be a growing group of Christian men who consider themselves to be bold prophets for God in our day. They call people out, criticize everyone for nearly everything, and assure themselves that they are getting it right. They’re the holy ones, the faithful ones, and the only ones in their minds who are willing to contend for the faith.
But do you know what no one will say about them? “Those brothers are so loving.”
[APP] True faith in Jesus Christ produces love for God and others. We must add love to our faith.
Faith is from God (Eph. 2:8), and we love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19).
Faith is the gift that enables us to experience God’s love and express it to others.
If our faith isn’t producing love, we should check to see if its real faith in Jesus because He said His disciples would be known by their love.
[TS] But let’s think about grace in Eph. 6:24 before we’re done…
Grace (Eph. 6:24)
Grace (Eph. 6:24)
24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.
[EXP] Now, grace—like peace, love, and faith—has also figured largely in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. There are many mentions of grace but a few sum up Paul’s use of it in relation to salvation.
The first is Ephesians 1:7…
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
The others come from Ephesians 2:5-8…
5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Grace is the reason for salvation.
It’s the only foundation of peace with God.
It’s the only way we have faith and experience the love of God.
[APP] Grace is the favor of God that is poured out on us in Jesus Chris. It is was not earned by us in the slightest sense.
Grace is rooted in the perfect character and holy purposes of God and not in our merit, our goodness, or good works.
This grace is for our good, but it’s root is not our good because there is no good in us apart from God’s grace.
This grace is for our good, but it is aimed at aimed at God’s glory.
This grace is with us always; not just at the beginning of salvation but always—all throughout eternity.
Grace manifests itself in our hearts as an incorruptible love for Jesus; an undying, unfailing, unending, genuine love for Jesus.
A little footnote in your Bible may tell you that the last three words of v. 24—“with incorruptible love”—would be more literally translated as “in incorruption” (i.e., Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruption.”)
Or as the NASB says it, “Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.”
The Greek word for “incorruptible” is actually related to the idea of not decaying.
This is a love that doesn’t rot over time or fail when circumstances are not ideal.
This is a love for Jesus that perseveres to the end, and it’s source is God’s grace.
Only those who have experienced the grace of God love the Lord Jesus with incorruptible love.
Have you experienced the grace of God in Jesus Christ?
Do you love Him with incorruptible love?
[TS] …
Conclusion
Conclusion
Whereas I have taken 3-4 sermons to wrap up the end of Ephesians, James Montgomery Boice—a former Presbyterian pastor in Philadelphia who is now with the Lord—he wisely wrapped it all up in point on prayer.
Paul called the Ephesians to pray at all times, to pray for all the saints, and to pray for him specifically.
He sent Tychicus so the Ephesians would know even better how they should pray for Paul.
And concerning these last two verses that we’ve been looking at this morning on peace, love with faith, and grace—and their connection with prayer, James Montgomery Boice writes…
“Do we need peace of mind to live as God wants us to live in this ungodly world? Of course, we do. The way to have it is by asking God for it. Do we need love? Yes. Fuller and fuller measures of the grace of God? Yes, those too. The way to have them is by asking God for them.”
Jesus said In Matthew 7:7...
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
James say in James 4:2…
2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.
Today, if we…
…do not have peace with God, let us ask Him for it in the Name of Jesus.
…do not have love with faith, let us ask God for it in the Name of Jesus.
…have not experienced the grace of God in Jesus Christ, let us beg Him for it.
[PRAYER]