Outsiders

Today, Paul offers a reminder we don’t want; but all need.

Ephesians 2

11 Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.

12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.

13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.

15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.

16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near.

18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.

20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.

21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.

22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

Outsiders. There are elements of our past that we all want to forget ... decisions, actions and words that we wish we had never made, done or said. As grateful as I am of yesterday’s reminder about God’s love and grace, I also need to be reminded that I was disobedient in God’s eyes. I need to reminded that I was an outsider. I was living without God and without hope. I need that reminder because sometimes I get to prideful of where I am at on my spiritual journey and somehow think I have journeyed here on my own. I need that reminder because there are others still living on the outside ... people that don’t know God. They don’t know about His love and His grace. They need to be invited in so they can experience that same hope and experience that same peace.

Do

I apologize for yesterday’s absence. I was having some technical difficulties. You can reread the story of Jonathan and David’s friendship beginning in 1 Samuel 18. Today, we are going to jump back into Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus where he offers a couple of important reminders.

Ephesians 2

1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.

2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil - the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.

3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,

5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)

6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.

7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.

9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Do. I don’t think you can be reminded enough that God loves us (verse 4) and has saved us (verse 8). I also don’t think we can be reminded enough that that love and grace offered to us should lead to “good things” offered to others. Ask God what “good things” you can do today.

Pray

Today, Paul offers a great guide.

Ephesians 1

15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere,

16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,

17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.

18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called - his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power

20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else - not only in this world but also in the world to come.

22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.

23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

Pray. I pray God will do the same for you ... that He will help you live confidently because you understand His love, that He will help you live peacefully because you understand His power, that He will help you live humbly because you understand His authority. This weekend, Jonathan is talking about our need for a prayer partner in our “Entourage”. This passage offers a great guide for you to use when you pray for your friend.

Plan

Over the past couple of weeks, we have been reading through the letters Paul wrote while he was imprisoned in Rome. Today, we begin the last of these four letters. It was a letter to the community of Jesus followers living in Ephesus. Paul had originally connected with this church on his second missionary journey and then spent a considerable amount of time there on his third journey (check out Acts 18:18-20:1).

Ephesians 1

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.

7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.

8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure.

10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ - everything in heaven and on earth.

11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God.

13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.

14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Plan. There are some days we need to be reminded that God has a plan ... and that “he makes everything work out according to his plan”. Actually, we need to be reminded every day that God has a plan.