Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Walking Dead Men Bro't to Life



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This is a sermon that is based on Ephesians 2:1-10. It emphasizes the transformation that takes place in a person's life when they are saved by grace.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction:
Ephesus was the most considerable city of the [Asia Minor] (Modern-day Turkey) [located across the Aegean Sea, east of Italy & Rome]; famous, first for sin, witchcraft, Ac 19:19, idolatry (especially the worship of Diana, Ac 19:24), and persecution, 1Co 15:32; 16:9; then for piety, having received the gospel by Paul's preaching, Ac 18:1-28, and showed great zeal, Ac 19:17-18, &c.; Re 2:2-3; but, lastly, it was noted for coolness and declining, Re 2:4, leaving her first love. The apostle seems to have foreseen this as likely to come to pass among them by means of false teachers, grievous wolves that would not spare the flock, Ac 20:29, and some that would arise from among themselves speaking perverse things, Ac 20:30. (Matthew Poole, Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible)

Many scholars believe that this was a circular letter (one that was passed around to different congregations), and perhaps ended up at Ephesus, which explains why it is named Ephesians. Paul writes to the Christians in the region to address some potential errors. In doing so, he describes their place in the church and their relation to Christ who is the head of the body.
The passage we are looking at today begins with a conjunction, which connects it to the closing verses of the previous chapter.
He had been talking about the magnitude of God’s power toward believers as exhibited in the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1:19-20). He begins to explain now that the same power has been applied to them.
In this particular passage (2:1-10) we will discover that Paul describes the contrast between their former walk in sin and their present life in Christ.
The choice of words that Paul uses provided the idea for my sermon title: Walking Dead Men Brought to Life.
I.   The walk of death is described (vv. 1-3).
“Once you were dead” – spiritually (in trespasses and sins), because of separation from God.
“Walked” – the way one lives out his life.
A.  Their walk was controlled and dictated by:
1.  The “course of this world” (v. 2a) – lit. “age of this world”; that is, they were controlled by the spirit of the world around them.
Defined by some scholars as the ideas, aspirations, motivations, and goals of all those who are apart from Christ.
2.  The “prince of the power of the air” (v. 2b) – referring to Satan, who is the first over the “power” or “authority” (i.e. demons) of the air, the realm in which spirits move.
The grammatical structure of the sentence emphasizes that Satan is also prince over the spirit that exists in the “children of disobedience” (v. 2c).
Those who turn away from Christ and the will of God because “they want to run their own life or do their own thing” are truly deceived. In reality they are following after the desires and wishes of Satan.
B. Their walk (and ours too [“we” v.3a]) was characterized as:
1.  Participating with other disobedient “children.”
“Among whom (i.e. children of disobedience), we also all had our conversation…”
2. Following the “lusts of the flesh” (v. 3) – physical passions and desires. Includes the satisfaction of physical desires as well as the desires of life in general apart from God.
“and of the mind” – human knowledge and understanding apart from divine revelation, or evil thoughts.
Cf. 1 John 2:16  For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.  (pleasure; possessions; position/power)
3.  By nature under the wrath of God (v. 3) – The sin nature that is innate in every human being put us in the position of being in subjection to the wrath of God.
II.  The transformation to life is described (vv. 4-7).
A.  The basis for the transformation is:
1.  God’s mercy – “rich in mercy” (v. 4a).  Mercy is that quality of God’s nature that prompts Him to refrain from giving us the judgment we deserve.
2.  God’s love – “great love wherewith he loved us” (v. 4b). Love is the underlying reason for God’s mercy and grace.
B.  The cause of the transformation is:
1.  We have been saved by grace. (v. 5b)
“Saved” – perfect participle, meaning something that has taken place in the past with the results continuing into the present.
“Grace” – God’s love demonstrated in gifts and favors that we do not deserve.
2.  It was accomplished by Him not us. “Even when we were dead in sins.” (v. 5a)
C.  The result of the transformation is:
1.  We have joined in Christ’s resurrection, “raised together with” (v. 6a).
2.  We have joined in Christ’s exaltation, “made to sit together in heavenly places” (v. 6b). This is not just for the future, but is now a present spiritual reality by virtue of being “in” Christ.
D.  The purpose of their transformation is:
1.  To demonstrate God’s extreme wealth of grace.
2.  That is displayed in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
3.  Throughout all eternity. “in the ages to come” (v. 7a)
(Wuest) “God will exhibit His kindness to the saints for His own glory, in order that He may be glorified. And the spectators will be the angels. We saints [have been and] will be the objects of His kindness. We will be on display before the angelic world, basking in the sunshine of God’s smile, enjoying the riches of His blessings, all, in order that He might be glorified by the angelic hosts.”
III. The resurrected life is summarized. (vv. 8-10)
The next three verses seem to recap some of the points the author has already made in the preceding verses. In these three verses he summarizes what the resurrected life really means. One word captures the entire concept = “saved.”
A. It is accomplished by God’s grace. (8a, 9)
No part of salvation is through our own efforts or our own doing. It is all because of God’s amazing grace.
B. It is appropriated by our faith. (8b)
It is received and accepted by the exercise of our faith.
It is ours (i.e. free will to accept or reject), but..
It is faith that is enabled by grace.
It is a complete trust in the plan that God has made, i.e. the blood sacrifice of His Son, Jesus.
C. It is applied unto good works. (10)
We are His workmanship. Our performance of godly works of righteousness that we never would have done before due to our selfish, sinful nature; are a testimony of God’s workmanship on us.
When God saves us it makes a difference in us. The good works testify to the reality of salvation that has taken place within us.
We are not saved because of our works, but we do works because we are saved.
Conclusion:
Paul has vividly described what has taken place in the lives of the believers in and around Ephesus. His description applies to every person that has been saved from sin throughout the entire world for all time.
I too was spiritually dead because I was living without Christ. I was living a life of disobedience. It was a life controlled by the enemy of my soul, and a life spent seeking to satisfy my own selfish nature and fleshly desires.
But, by the grace and mercy of God I have been transformed! I have been given life in the Spirit! And, one of these days I will be joining millions of other believers as we are put on display for the angels and heavenly hosts to witness the great wealth of God’s marvelous grace!
This is not a blessing reserved for the elite, but it is available for every person.
 

After the Suffering



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This is a sermon based on 1 Peter 5:10 concerning the topic of suffering and the coming glory after this life is over.

Written Excerpts:

1 Peter 5:10 (KJV) But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Introduction:
There are a couple of other verses of Scripture that I would like to read as part of the introduction to this message.
1 Peter 4:12 (NKJV) Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
John 16:33 (NKJV) These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Both of these references highlight the point that it’s not a question of IF we will suffer and experience tribulation, but WHEN we do.
Our Grove City Ministerium met this past Wednesday and during our Bible study discussion, the subject of suffering came up.
One of the pastors talked about seeing an interview on TV between an American reporter and a man from another part of the world who had recently lost his legs in an act of violence.
Although, I don’t remember the details about who it was, where or why it happened, etc. I recall that the pastor told how the reporter asked the man if he ever “wondered where God was when this tragedy happened to him.”
The man gave the obvious appearance that he wasn’t sure what to say, because he didn’t really understand the question.
“What do you mean, where was God?”
If I recall correctly, it was stated that the man then asked the reporter if he was from America. It dawned on him that westerners have this concept that “if God is really in control, then bad things shouldn’t be happening to me.”
One of the other pastors in our meeting spoke up in confirmation. He had served one or more terms as a missionary in Africa and possibly other countries. He affirmed that Christians in other parts of the world take for granted that suffering is part of normal life experiences. It doesn’t really occur to them that being a Christian means I should be exempt from suffering.
In our culture, where we often enjoy such ease and comfort, (especially when compared to the conditions of people in Third World countries), we often fall prey to the idea that as long as God is with us and in control, then we shouldn’t be experiencing tragedy, tribulation or suffering.
We must never forget, friends, that we live in a world that is under the curse of sin. That means that tribulation, adversity, and suffering is a common experience all through life, whether that comes through “natural disasters,” “violence by depraved individuals, or disease and sickness.
The Apostle Peter is writing to Christian believers in the region of Asia Minor that is now part of modern-day Turkey.
He is probably writing around 62-64 AD, and he is writing to people that either have already suffered persecution, or they will likely face persecution in the future.
Cf. 1 Peter 1:6 (NKJV) In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
1 Peter 3:14 (NKJV) But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled."  See also, 4:12-19, mentioned above.
(Persecution was already a common experience of the Christians in Rome, and it was probably spreading to their region as well.)
I felt directed to this passage of scripture because of the difficult circumstances that many of you have recently experienced or may still be experiencing.
I want to take a brief look at this text in 1 Peter as a way to encourage us for the journey ahead.
There are some important concepts about life and about suffering that are implied in this verse which we should take into consideration as we try to make sense of our common experiences.
I. There is a heavenly Father in control.
II. There is a temporary and an eternal perspective.
III. There is a plan with a goal.

I. There is a heavenly Father in control.
“The God of all grace;” “has called us”
Peter makes reference to God several times as a way of helping his readers keep in mind that we’re not in this life alone, but God is walking by our side.
A. Grace is His “commodity.”
In the immediate context (vv. 6-9) Peter has discussed various issues like being humble before God and exalted by God; our arch-enemy, the devil, and his design to destroy and ruin us; and our common sufferings with other believers around the world.
He wants us to know that God is out there and more importantly, He has all the grace we need for every situation we face.
“My grace is sufficient for thee.” (2 Cor. 12:9)
“He giveth more grace.” (Jas. 4:6)
B. He “calls us.”
In other words, He is directing our lives and our circumstances.
There may be times when we face situations when it feels as though God must be a million miles away and doesn’t know or care about us.
But, Peter certainly implies here that God is calling us to an ultimate and final goal (which we’ll talk more about in a moment), and that calling leads us along various paths and through various situations. Nothing is accidental; nothing is unredeemable.
II. There is both a temporary and eternal perspective.
In this verse there are two words in the Greek that have reference to “time.” The first one is translated “eternal,” and the second word is translated “little while.”
In the original Greek it seems even more likely that Peter meant for us to notice the contrast because of the way that the words sound in Greek. One is the word “αιωνιον” (similar to our English word, “eon”) and the other is “ολιγον.”
One stresses the permanent; the other stresses the temporary.
Another passage that expresses a similar truth is… 2 Cor. 4:17
2 Corinthians 4:17 (NKJV) For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
The problem with us in our humanity is that the temporary, which is now, seems to overshadow the permanent, which is sometime in the future.
I’m convinced that the Devil deliberately tries to get every one of us to place higher priority on the temporary over the permanent.
This is not only true with regard to suffering, but it is also true and perhaps especially true with good times and blessings.
But, dear friends, we must always remember that this life is only temporary, regardless of whether we are going through tribulations or experiencing joy and happiness.
Peter clearly wants his readers to understand that in spite of the trials they may face in this world, they are only temporary, but glory is eternal!
In comparison to what God has in store for His children, the suffering in this world is only “for a little while.”
(That’s a whole lot easier to talk about than it is to practice.)
III. There is a plan with a goal.
Finally, I want to point out that this verse shows that Peter understands the fact that God is definitely leading each of us to an ultimate goal, and that involves a tailor-made plan for us to get there.
We already mentioned earlier the words, “hath called us unto his eternal glory…”
That is the goal.
But, what is the plan? What is involved between now and then?
 It is to “make you perfect, establish, strengthen, [and] settle you.”
“make you perfect” - The fundamental meaning is to put a thing in its appropriate condition, mend…. (Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary)
“establish” - To set fast, to fix firmly…. (Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary); set a solid foundation (Wuest)
“strengthen” – Only used here in NT. More commonly used with the prefix which means “NOT strong,” i.e. sick, infirm (Zodhiates). Thus, to be healthy, or able to endure.
“settle” - Cause all to rest so evenly and firmly upon the best and surest foundation…. (Adam Clarke's Commentary)
Hebrews 13:21 (NKJV) 21  make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Which brings us back again to the goal… the end result is: “his eternal glory”
Over and over throughout the NT, we are reminded that there is GLORY awaiting each of us who trust in Christ and live out our faith in obedience; letting Him develop his plan within us.
Paul said in Romans 8:18 (NKJV) For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
It almost seems like he is intending to stress – the greater the suffering is, the greater the glory will be.
I’ve have used this text for some funerals in the past and I have stated that these words were written by a man that had experienced tremendous suffering for Christ, and he had also seen glimpses of heaven (caught up to the third heaven), so he knew what he was talking about.
God has indescribable glory awaiting us! Let us be faithful.
Conclusion:
I’ve decided not to close with the song that is listed in the bulletin.
I want to read the words of another familiar song that isn’t in our hymnals, then I think we can sing the chorus together.

WHEN WE SEE CHRIST
Oft times the day seems long, our trials hard to bear,
We’re tempted to complain, to murmur and despair;
But Christ will son appear to catch His Bride away,
All tears forever over in God’s eternal day.
Sometimes the sky looks dark with not a ray of light,
We’re tossed and driven on, no human help in sight;
But there is One in heaven who knows our deepest care,
Let Jesus solve your problem just go to Him in prayer.
Life’s day will soon be o’er, all storms forever past,
We’ll cross the great divide to glory, safe at last.
We’ll share the joys of heaven a harp, a home, a crown,
The tempter will be banished, we’ll lay our burden down.
Chorus:
It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race ‘til we see Christ.