Life Application: Redemption, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Ephesians 1:7, 13-14)

To welcome, accept and appreciate the redemption in Jesus Christ, we must face the objective reality of about the human condition, our condition in captivity without the redemptive work of Jesus.

Consider the Israelites, their life in Egypt before God intervened in Exodus. When God met Moses at Horeb the mountain of God (Exodus 3:1), he revealed to Moses his reason for intervention. Read Exodus 3:7-10:

“I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So, I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey… And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

The captivity of the Israelites illustrates the captivity of the humanity, our captivity apart from the Redeemer. Before the Israelites could turn to God, they had to realize that their lives were in shambles with misery, suffering and oppression needing redemption. Before you can welcome, accept and appreciate the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, there are two things you must do.

• You must believe in God’s objective assessment about your hopeless condition in bondage to sin and its terrible outcome to face God’s holy wrath and his judgment apart from Christ (Read Romans 1:29-32 & 2:5-8).
• You must believe Jesus Christ paid the ransom with his own blood, his suffering and death to break your bondage to sin and deliver you from the guilt and punishment of sin.

People who reject the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, do not realize they are in bondage to sin and that the terrible judgment awaits them. How about you?

How are you different from the majority of people who see no need for Jesus to redeem their lives?

Another aspect of redemption is its future orientation. Redemption began at the cross but it will be completed at the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:13-14). Considering this future orientation of redemption, to fully welcome, accept and appreciate the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, another thing must take place.

• You must let today’s failures and sins drive you to Jesus, your Redeemer. You must look at your current condition honestly without deceiving yourself by explaining away sin as something benign or acceptable or simply ignoring it as though it doesn’t exist; Be brutally honest about your sinful heart, conflicts, failures! But, don’t stay there with self-pity. You must let your failures and sins drive you to Jesus, the only one who can forgive you and perfect you. The complete redemption awaits you tomorrow in Jesus and you need to live today with the living hope and trust in God’s future plan to perfect you in his Son. Let today’s failures and sins drive you to Jesus, your Redeemer.  Redemption means we can now approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

How honestly do you examine the condition of your heart?

When you are confronted with your own inadequacy, failures, and sins, what do you do?

Redemption: Yesterday, today, tomorrow (Ephesians 1:1-14)

Cornerstone Mission Church, Sunday Sermon, May 3 2009

Today, I would like to focus on one of the many facets of the gospel, the good new of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our focus will be on redemption. You find this important term “redemption” twice in Ephesians 1:1-14.

• Ephesians 1:7-8, “In him [in Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”

• Ephesians 1:13-14, “the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession-to the praise of his glory.”

To understand redemption, an important facet of the gospel, let me tell you a story of a baseball hero, Lou Johnson, better known as Sweet Lou Johnson:

Lou Johnson was the hero of the 1965 World Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the seventh game of the series against the Minnesota Twins, Johnson hit a home run that won the game, and the championship, for the Dodgers. That was the last time he was a hero for a long time.

Johnson became a drug addict and alcoholic. Within a few years of hitting the winning home run in the World Series, he had sold or given away his uniform and glove from that season, and the bat he used to hit that home run. In 1971, he gave his World Series ring to drug dealers in exchange for drugs.

Eventually, Johnson straightened out his life. He got clean and sober, and eventually his history with the Dodgers got him a front-office job with the club. But he was never completely free of his past. He had no World Series ring to show his grandchildren, nothing to remind him of his moment of glory. He tried to track it down and recover it, but wasn’t able to. A part of his life was irretrievably lost.[1]

The Major League championship Lou Johnson clinched for Dodgers was the shining moment for his career. All the hard and disciplined practices and countless games finally paid off big time for Sweet Lou; he fulfilled his childhood dream by not only winning the World Series championship, but winning it with his home run. And, his most fulfilling, shiniest moment of his baseball career was all captured in his baseball bat he used to hit a home run, his uniform, gloves, and most of all, his World Series championship ring. He had it all. But, he lost it all.

His shiniest baseball career moment was ever tarnished, irretrievably lost and overshadowed by his struggle with drug and alcoholic addictions. He tried to regain the big part of him he lost, but the captivity in addictions made it hopelessly irretrievable.

1. Redemption presupposes inescapable bondage in sin.

This real life story of Lou Johnson reminds me of the fate of humanity. When God created very first humans, Adam and Eve, he placed them in the Garden of Eden where everything was just right and plentiful. If there was ever a perfect environment, this was it! But, it was short-lived; the eternal perfection they enjoyed was abruptly and woefully interrupted when they decided that God given perfection wasn’t good enough for them. Trust, relationship, blessing, perfection, all were shattered when they fell into the temptation to mistrust God, that God wasn’t enough and all that he provided for them weren’t good enough.

Forsaking God and his gift of perfect world for a temporary fix for a piece of fruit, does it make sense to you? Sin never makes sense; it is illogical to choose flaws and dramas over perfection and peace. Sin of rejecting God and his gift of life in order to gain what we think would make our lives exciting, meaningful, fun, and fulfilling apart from God and his plan imprisons us.

We cannot fully appreciate what redemption means to us unless we face this ugly reality of human condition in captivity to sin, which we are all part of. Redemption presupposes that something has gone terribly wrong with us that even the greatest riches in the world would not be enough of payment or ransom to get us out of trouble.

Death epitomizes the inescapable depth of trouble. According to God’s word, the ultimate result of sin is death. Death came about because of sin, both physical death and spiritual death of separation from God. Romans 3:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death…” It is the powerful reality that even the richest person would not be able to pay his way out of death. Psalm 49:7-8 says, “No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him- the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough.”

Do you feel this way about your life? Are there things about your life that binds you, chokes and suffocates you, things that keep popping up, keep you out of control, seemingly impossible to get rid of? You try your best, but it just is not enough. As Lou Johnson tried his best to recover what his lost, but it only seemed irretrievable, does it seem like you are stuck making no progress at all or worse digressing and feeling trapped with no way out. There is a good reason why solitary confinement is one of the worst punishments for crimes.

As terrible and depressing it may be to feel and think this way about your life as being trapped, confined, out of control, and irretrievable, it is actually far better than having no self-awareness about reality of sin. If you know what it is like to be oppressed by the force of sin, evil, broken and massed up world we live in, if you know what it is like to stare at death and smell the woeful stench of death and crushed by its inescapable weight, you are in better shape than many who march at the drumbeats of self sufficiency and self confidence. If you know what it is like to struggle through the spiritual desert of dryness with little motivation and relief in sight, if you know what it is like to struggle to fight for the faith even though you may find yourself defeated and dejected, you are in better shape than the people with little or no sense of urgency to fight. If you know what it is like to carry the heavy weight of oppressive guilt and shame, you are only few steps away from experiencing redemption.

When you are honest about yourself, your limitation or rather, inability to deal with the oppressive weight of temptations and trials in your life, when you are honest about the damages you sustain from exerting your self will against God’s will, thinking and acting as though you are smarter than God, you be well in your way to experience redemption.

2. Redemption- yesterday

Here are few verses from Isaiah out of many references in the Old Testament where God was known as the Redeemer of Israel.

• Isaiah 41:14, “Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.”
• Isaiah 43:1, “But now, this is what the LORD says-he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”
• Isaiah 44:23, “Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O earth beneath. Burst into son, you mountains, you forests and all you trees, for the LORD has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel.”
• Isaiah 54:5, “For your Maker is your husband-the LORD Almighty is his name-the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.”
• Isaiah 54:8, “In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.”
• Isaiah 59:20, “The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the LORD.”

3. Redemption- today

Redemption speaks to gaining what would be irretrievably lost without a payment of ransom. Going back to Psalm 49:7-8 which says, “No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him- the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough.” It means sins that mar our body, our soul, our spirit, sins that mar our whole being, who we are as a person cannot be dealt with any other mean than the payment of blood. Hebrews 9:22 speaks to this truth, “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

One of the benefits of reading through the books of the Bible that deal with the sin offerings and guilt offerings for atonement of sin is understanding that atonement requires blood sacrifice. No amount of wealth can wipe way sin, only blood would do. Isaiah 1:18 says, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” What can make Isaiah 1:18 a reality?

Only the blood, not any kind of blood, but the blood of Jesus Christ can transform scarlet, crimson stain of sin to white as snow, as wool.

Jesus the ransom for atonement: Jesus said about himself in Matthew 20:28 and Mark 10:45, “… the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom (lytron) for many.” The Old Testament predicted Jesus as the suffering servant who gave himself as a ransom, a guilt offering. Isaiah 53:10-12 speaks of Jesus as the suffering servant, “Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.” Psalm 130:8, “He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.”

Here are more biblical references that speak to the reality of Jesus Christ as one who gave himself to redeem us from our sins. Paul describes Jesus in 1 Timothy 2:6 as, “who gave himself as a ransom (antilytron) for all men.” Galatians 2:20, Jesus Christ is “the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” And in Ephesians 5:2 Paul exhorts us to live a life of love because Jesus giving himself as ransom sacrifice to set us free from our sins. He “gave himself up for us as fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Galatians 1:4, Jesus “gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” Colossians 1:14, “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” which echoes our passage, Ephesians 1:7. Romans 3:24, “and are justified freely by his grace through redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Hebrews 9:15, “Christ is the mediator of a new covenant… he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.”

Redemption of yesterday cannot be envisioned any longer today outside of the realm of Jesus Christ.

Jesus the ransom price: Ransom speaks to buying at a price. Jesus paid the price with his own life. Jesus is the price, the ransom to atone for our sins. 1 Corinthians 6:20 tells about us, “you were bought a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” And, 1 Corinthians 7:23, “You were bought a price; do not become slaves to men.”

Jesus the ransom for reconciliation: Jesus is the ransom that reconciles us to God: 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, “God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ… that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them… God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Jesus the ransom for deliverance from empty life: We are redeemed from the empty way of life and by the blood of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:18-19, “it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

4. Redemption- tomorrow

One of the important aspects of Christian life is that we live in between now and what is yet to come. It is true that we get to experience the redemption today. But, evidently we all know that what we have is not complete yet, because the call to fight for the faith assumes progression, growth and change. This is where faith defined by Hebrews 11:1 is required, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what do not see.”

I may not see the drastic effect and change from redemption today. I may have to struggle and fight for motivation in the climate of spiritual desert. I may fail and fall today. But, what God’s been pressing me lately is that I don’t loose my heart because of what I see today. So, I’ve been praying that I will be able to grab hold of God’s purpose, his plan, his path, his outcome for me, for my family, for our church, for our nation. And, as follow his lead to look to him and to consider his promises for his future kingdom, what I experience is hope rising and strength for today to fight harder. God of redemption for yesterday and today is God of redemption for tomorrow.

• Romans 8:23, “we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”
• Ephesians 1:14, “[the Holy Spirit] a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession- to the praise of his glory.”
• Luke 21:28, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
• Titus 2:13-14, “…we wait for the blessed hope- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem (lytrousthai) us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

The history will be consummated by the return of Jesus Christ and when he establishes his kingdom. Then, full redemption will take place. No more spiritual desert, no more apathy, no more fights, no more struggles, no more temptations, no more trials, no more death… it will be as it should be, our hearts filled with ever deepening gratitude, praise, awe and love of amazing God, his Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is going to take us there. And, the day is drawing near. Your job is to learn to trust his promise, his plan, his leading for tomorrow. Your job is to trust that today God is working in your life although you may have hard time seeing God at work. God was at work yesterday, God is at work today and God will be at work tomorrow. This is the story of redemption. So, dream with me where God’s going to take us tomorrow in his Son. Let’s dream together how God is going to change our character, our relationships, our families, our church, our nation, our world tomorrow.

5. Conclusion

Going back to the story of Lou Johnson:

Sweet Lou had no idea that someone was working behind the scene to recover the irretrievable piece of his identity. He had no idea that his World Series ring had come up for auction on the internet. It is the ring that 30 some years ago he traded in for a quick fix. When Dodger president Bob Graziano learned about the auction of Lou’s ring, he wrote a check for $3,457 and bought the ring before any bids were even posted. When he presented the ring to Lou Johnson, this 66-year-old ex-baseball player broke down and cried. “It felt like a part of me had been reborn,” he said. [2]

This is what redemption is all about. What you and I could not do yesterday, cannot do today, or will be able to do tomorrow, God has done it through his Son paying the ransom with his life on the cross. God has set the history in motion for full redemption in Jesus’ blood. God will accomplish what he has started; nothing can thwart his purpose, his will, his plan. Whether you know it or not, God has redeemed you yesterday, is redeeming you today and will fully and completely redeem you in Christ Jesus.

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[1] http://www.faithsite.com/content.asp?CID=28005

[2] http://www.faithsite.com/content.asp?CID=28005

Life Application: Grace to become a servant of the gospel (Ephesians 3:7-13)

God’s grace that shapes you to become a servant of the gospel

We often think of God’s grace in the sense of being saved (c.f. Ephesians 2:8, “For it is by grace you have saved, through faith…” Grace activates salvation. But, from Ephesians 3:7-13, what we see is that grace not only activates salvation in our lives, but it also shapes us to become a servant of the gospel.

Paul said in Ephesians 3:7, “I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.” Paul received salvation by God’s grace in faith. But, it didn’t stop there. God’s grace that saved him shaped his identity to become a servant of the gospel. This grace that shaped him to become a servant of the gospel was Paul’s focus in Ephesians 3:7-13.

As a servant of the gospel, he was passionate about communicating the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery (Ephesians 3:8-9). Simply, he was passionate about communicating the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ clearly as possible to the people who weren’t Christians.

Andrew Kim in his sermon this past week at our church asked, “What is the gift of God’s grace in your life today?”

Considering the dynamic aspects of God’s grace,

• grace which has activated salvation in your life
• grace which shapes you to become a servant of the gospel

Explore the following questions:

1. How are you experiencing God’s grace to shape you into a servant of the gospel?
2. How are you growing in passion to communicate the gospel clearly to non-Christians? If you don’t think you are growing in this area, what do you think is preventing you from being shaped into a servant of the gospel?
3. Can you explain the gospel clearly to a non-Christian?

Read together “Two ways to live,” which clearly lays out the gospel

Pray

• Ask God to help you experience his saving grace freshly and to experience his grace so that you become a servant of the gospel.
• Ask God to help you learn to clearly communicate the gospel to non-Christians.

Life Application on “You are chosen to speak well of God.” (Ephesians 1:1-14)

Recapture

Gripped, fascinated, inspired, compelled and moved by God, Apostle Paul broke out praising God in Ephesians 1:3 and explains why God was the object of his praise from verse 4-14.

To praise or to bless means to sp_______ well of a person and Paul had many reasons to praise God for the way he has chosen. Here are the seven observations about God’s choice.

• His choice ­­­­lo___ ago (Ephesians 1:4)
• His choice in his cha________ (c.f. Deuteronomy 7:7-8)
• His choice for re____________ (Ephesians 1:5)
• His choice to pre___________ (Ephesians 1:13)
• His choice for co______________ (Ephesians 1:4, 5, 11, 2 Peter 2:9)
• His choice and our res__________ (Ephesians 1:1, 4)
• His choice for his g_________ (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14).

Reflect & apply

• What aspects of God’s choice speak to you and why?
• Praise flows out of being fascinated and captivated by God. Share with each other what has captured your imagination about God this past week.

Pray

• Ask God to capture your heart and mind, to be genuinely fascinated, inspired, compelled, and moved by who he is and what he does.
• Ask God to give you opportunities to speak well of him to non-Christians.

You are chosen to speak well of God. (Ephesians 1:1-14)

Cornerstone Mission Church, Sunday Sermon, April 26 2009

When you think of worship, what comes to your mind? Perhaps, you think of worship in how we praised God this morning together. When we worship God, when we praise God, what are we doing?

Klyne Snodgrass explains that worship is about our opportunity to tell the truth about God.^[1] When you and I take time to worship and praise God, we are taking opportunity to express what is true about God. When you begin to express what is true about God, the reality of who God is, what he has done, and what he will do grips your heart. And, being gripped by God, you cannot help but speak well of him. When you sincerely speak well of a person, it is because you are personally gripped and fascinated, inspired, compelled and moved by this person. If a person makes no life changing impact on you, you won’t feel compelled to speak well of this person. But, if you are deeply touched, inspired and changed by a person, it will be hard for you not to speak well of the person.

What I see in Paul’s letter to Ephesians is a man who had whole lot of good things to say about God. Paul was a true worshiper because his heart was gripped and fascinated by God, inspired, compelled and moved by God. And, experiencing God in this way, it was only natural for him to speak well of God.

This morning did you know that you had an opportunity to tell the truth about God through songs? In that opportunity, were you able to worship, praise, that is speak well of God? If you spoke well of God during the time of praise, what were your reasons to speak well of him? Are you gripped and fascinated by God, inspired, compelled and moved by God? Are you a true worshiper as Paul was?

This morning I want you to understand that true worshipers cannot contain their words to speak well of God. When you are gripped by God’s incredible choice to exercise his power to demonstrate his love, his forgiveness, to transfer you into the kingdom of his Son he loves from the kingdom of darkness, to build eternal relationship with you in and through his Son Jesus Christ, what else can you do, but to speak well of God, to worship God.

1. Worship overflows when you are captivated by what makes God fascinating and compelling.

Let’s dig deeper into God’s word and learn more about worship. You may have noticed that in Ephesians 1:1-14, the word, “worship” does not occur. Instead, you come across “Praise” in verse 3; “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” NIV translates the Greek adjective eujloghtov" as “praise” while other literal translations like ESV as “blessed”. eujloghtov" is a compound word from “eu” meaning well and “log” from word logos meaning word. Together, it literally means to speak well.^[2] You are familiar with the word eulogy in funeral settings. It is also a compound word formed from “eu” and “logos”. In eulogy you expect to hear a speech that speaks well and honors a deceased. So, when you think of worshiping, praising God, think of speaking well of God for all his excellence in his blessings. Paul says in Ephesians 1:3 that God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

Worships is all about blessing God, speaking well of him because of the way he grips and fascinates us, touches, inspires, and moves us. Some of you guys have noticed these days how I like to talk about what God is doing in our lives. When we know that God is active and living, powerfully working in our lives, we can worship him, speak well of him.

Do you want to worship God as Paul did? Your worship will deepen when you are captured by God who grips and fascinates you, inspires, compels and moves you. In Ephesians 1:4-14, what you see is Paul worshiping God, speaking well of God because he was gripped by God’s excellence in his choice to seek and establish eternal relationship with the people like you and me in Christ.

2. Worship God who has chosen you in Christ.

Why is our God captivating and compelling? It is because of his excellence in his eternal choice to build lasting relationship with you and me. Paul says in Ephesians 1:4 that God chose us in him [that is in Christ] before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

His choice long ago: His choice was planned long time ago even before the creation of the world. Can you wrap your head around this? I have hard time planning my weeks in advance, but here was God setting his heart on choosing you and me long ago before anything was created and working out the history to fulfill his purpose to choose us. The fact that he chose us unfathomably long time ago speaks to his serious commitment and determination to pursue us. This is a reason to speak well of God.

His choice in his character: His chose not because he was compelled or influenced by the external force, but out of his nature of mercy and grace. He chose us long ago because he is God of mercy and grace. It means God’s eternal choice does not permit the worldly sense of feeling pride and superiority for being chosen. God made it abundantly clear to the Israelites that he chose them out of his goodness, his kindness, his grace, not because the Israelites deserved to be chosen. It says in Deuteronomy 7:7-8, “The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples [meaning God didn’t choose you because you were special], for [the fact of the matter was] you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand …” And, Deut 4:37, “Because he loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after him, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength.” God has chosen you and me, not because we deserve to be picked and be chosen by him, but because he is loving and kind God. There is no room for pride or sense of superiority in being chosen by God. True worship fully acknowledges this and responds with humble gratitude in speaking well of God. His choice makes our choice possible. And, this is something we can speak well of God.

His choice for relationship: His choice is for building relationship, not any kind of relationship but father and children relationship bound in Christ. Paul says that God predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ in Ephesians 1:5. This echoes God’s prophecy from Malachi 3:17, “They will be mine,” says the LORD Almighty, “in the day when I make up my treasured possession…” His choice creates belonging for us in Christ as God’s children. This is a reason why you can speak well of God.

His choice to preserve: He affirms and preserves you in his choice through the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13 says that when we respond in faith to God’s loving will to choose us, to make us a people belonging to him, he says he marks us with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. Paul likens the Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. The Holy Spirit is a down payment, a first installment that guarantees the complete payment; the Holy Spirit affirms and preserves us to run the race without failing. Can you speak well of God for filling you with his Spirit to convict you, to guide you, to tell you which way you should go? He promised in Isaiah 30:21-22, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Then you will defile your idols… you will throw them away.” God doesn’t choose us only to leave us alone to fend for ourselves. He gives you the Holy Spirit as your abiding helper, your enabler to walk in the right path. This is something you can speak well of God.

His choice for community: His choice is corporate in nature. Verse 4 says, “he chose us in him,” verse 5, “he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ,” verse 11, “In him we were also chosen,” all these verses make it abundantly clear that we cannot envision salvation apart from our corporate identity in the body of Christ. God’s choice was never to create a private religion. He choice was to create a cohesive relationship of his people for himself bound in Christ and through Christ. This is why 1 Peter 2:9 speaks of our identity not as individually chosen persons, but as “a chosen people.” His choice has always been to create a chosen people for himself. To speak well of God means we take our corporate identity seriously and do all that we can to build up the body of Christ. In order to speak well of God, we need to find ways to appreciate the body of Christ, appreciate each other in Christ and speak well of each other. We cannot speak well of God without speaking well of others in whom God is at work.

His choice and our response: His choice calls for responsible response from us. Can God bless us in the sense of speak well of us? When God has chosen us, he has envisioned creating a chosen people who are set apart, “saints” in Christ (v. 1), to be holy and blameless in his sight (v. 4). We are chosen so that we can live as his new creation. Ephesians 5:27 says that Christ works “to present her [the church] to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” Can God bless you and me? Can God speak well of you and me because we will be presented to himself as a radiant church?

When faith is not lived out, when faith is reduced to a sentimental feeling of a spoiled child wanting nothing more than being pampered by God for our own selfishness, then evidence of God’s choice, his election won’t be there. Apostle Peter said in 2 Peter 1:10, “Therefore, my brothers be all the more eater to make your calling and election sure.” And, apostle Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” And, he also said in Titus 1:1, “… the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness.” Can we truly speak well of God, worship him without responsibly responding to his choice, his call, his election? Can we praise God without rejecting godlessness and without thirsting after godliness? To speak well of God sincerely, we need to take God’s “commission to fruit-bearing service, obedience and a God-fearing and God-trusting life.”^[3] Then, God who blesses us with his grace and works in us to will and to act according to his purpose can speak well of us in his delight.

His choice for his glory: His choice is to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:6 says that the purpose of God for choosing relationship with us as our Father in Christ is “to the praise of his glorious grace.” Ephesians 1:12 again Paul repeats that it is “for the praise of his glory” that we were chosen. And, for the third time, Paul explains that the purpose of the seal of the Holy Spirit who guarantees our complete redemption to the end is “to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:14). Less we forget that it is all about God, Paul repeats three times to make it crystal clear to us that God has chosen you and me in Christ to godly life so that we can praise his glory, that is to speak well of his excellence in choosing us in Christ.

3. Conclusion

Do you have the reasons to speak well of God? Do you know that you are chosen to speak well of God? God wants to raise us up as true worshipers. And, we must press on to experience God, to be griped by him, to be fascinated by his character, his goodness, his kindness, his grace, his power, to be inspired by his wisdom, his truth, to be touched by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, to be moved from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the Son God loves.

Remember this week, God has chosen you so that you speak well of him.

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[1] Snodgrass, Klyne. “Contemporary Significance” In NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: Ephesians. By Klyne Snodgrass, 61. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, © 1996.

[2] The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology: Volume 1. 205. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, © 1967, 1969, 1971.

[3] The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology: Volume 1. 542. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, © 1967, 1969, 1971.

Created to give grace with your words (Ephesians 4:25-29)

Cornerstone Mission Church, Sunday Sermon March 29, 2009

In this month, we’ve been exploring the biblical paradigm of putting off the old self and putting on the new self in the language of Paul in Ephesians 4:22-23. “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

“Put off your old self… Put on the new self, created to be like God…” Lest, we reduce and confine Paul’s call to put off and put on as some kind of path to self discovery, self enhancement that only makes difference for me, for you, individually, he spends the rest of the chapter 4 spelling out how you and I must practice putting on and putting off in the context of doing life together. And, today we are going to focus specifically on what it means to be created to impart grace with our words.

James 3:9-12 speaks to irony of inconsistency when we use our words not for imparting grace, but in mean spirit. “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?”

We praise God and we curse others with the same tongue if we don’t practice putting off meanness in speech and putting on speech that gives grace. Putting on speech that gives grace is living consistently in whom God has created us to be.

• Give grace by speaking truthfully for you are created to belong to each other.

Paul says in Ephesians 4:25 we are to give grace to each other by speaking truthfully. He reasons it is because we are members of one body. The image of each of us belonging to members of one body means we are created for relationship in Christ. Christian living embraces the truth, “I cannot do life without you because we belong together in the body of Christ.”

Paul understood the gospel is intensely relational because God is relational. Paul understood that to be griped, touched and claimed by the gospel is to live reconciled relationship with God; and out of this reconciled relationship with God, we are given a ministry of reconciliation, to be “Christ’s ambassadors” according to 2 Corinthians 5:20. How intensely does God feel about relationship? Intense enough to send his Son Jesus Christ to die and to be raised from the dead for sinners, enemies like you and me so that we can be in relationship with him! And, out of enemies like you and me, he has created new people with new identity in Christ as God’s children now belonging to each other as members of Christ’s body.

Klyne Snodgrass says concerning Ephesians 5:1, “Be imitators of God,” “Copying God only means taking seriously who God says we are.” [1] Paul says in Christ we are created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. In Christ we are already given the new identity in the body of Christ that is designed to image God. Taking seriously who God says we are, coping God, or imaging God means to be people who take relationships seriously by giving grace to each other by speaking truth.

Speaking truthfully is being honest about ourselves to each other and being honest about others. Being honest is built on the fact that we all share the same challenge to put off our old self and to put on the new self. I like what Snodgrass has to say about this:

The text calls for a transparency, an openness guided by wisdom as to what is appropriate. Death is not a subject from which we can run, so why should we not discuss death more straightforwardly? Our sexuality often possesses us, so why should we not in the right context discuss it and deal with it? Why can’t we be more forthright about our own egos? We do make ourselves real by telling the truth.[2]

We don’t normally think about speaking truthfully without exaggerations or lies as a way of imparting grace to each other’s life. But, the scripture informs us that indeed speaking truthfully is way of giving grace to each other for it allows us to be real and relationships we build to be genuine.

• Give grace by rejecting rotten words for you are created to yield good fruit.

Paul says in Ephesians 4:29 there are words, talk that is considered unwholesome talk. Unwholesome describes foul spoiled fish/rotten fruit or stones that crumble. Jesus used this word to describe bad fruit in the gospels. Luke 6:43, Jesus said, “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.”

I love wholesale places like Costco where you can get bulk of food for cheaper price. But, the downside in getting fruits in bulk is that inevitably you find some rotten oranges, apples or strawberries. If it is rotten badly, I would end up throwing the whole fruit away, losing any saving I may have buying in bulk.

There are kinds of talk that is unfitting to the new identity God has given us as Christians, Paul calls them rotten. The words that come out of malice and anger either loudly or under our breath, “Shut up!”, “Jerk!” calling names, swears, sarcastic comments. How about uttering God’s name like “Oh, My God!” when you are not praying, but when you are surprised or angry? John Piper likens this to stomping in anger on one’s wedding ring which symbolizes marriage covenant. God’s name stands for who God is, but when we use his name mindless in vain, we treat God’s name without dignity and honor. Criticisms without love are rotten as well.

Paul says when we smell or see the rottenness in our thoughts we are to bury it, kill it, put it aside, and to reject it instead of allowing rotten words to come out of our mouth. This requires us to be thoughtful, to be slow to speak, to give enough time to evaluate and smell our own thoughts for rottenness and deal with it accordingly.

• Give grace by speaking words that build others up for you are created to impart grace.

Paul says that there is better way far more consistent with being created into a new tree to bear new fruit, unspoiled and good fruit. He tells us to get rid of rotten words and to speak good words. How do you know if your words are good words? You know it when you observe the effect of your words on other people who hear you.

Do your words tear down?

What words tear down instead of building up? Words that tear down are words that often come from assumptions without verification. When someone says something to you that makes you feel uneasy, misgiving, or hurt, unless you take the intentional steps to verify what you heard was what the other person meant, you risk speaking to tear the other person down or if you decide not to talk about it, you risk brewing grudge.

Do your words build others up because you speak to their needs?

Speaking words that build others up requires you to first listen to the other person. You listen by asking questions about the other person. By asking question about how the other person is doing and by taking time to hear the person, you learn the person’s needs. Only then, would you able to speak words that can build the other person up. If you are usually the one talking about yourself but you never care to ask how others are doing, you will never learn to speak words that build up others. You will be known as self-centered, narcissistic person, not an encourager.

Do you words impart grace?

Paul says we ought to speak in order to benefit others. To benefit is literally means to “give grace” or to “impart grace”. When people speak to you do they walk away from you feeling like they were touched by God?

Imagine what it would be like if we all practice giving grace to each other. Imagine how it would change the dynamics of our relationship. Imagine how unbelievers would react when they see believers interacting with each other graciously. Imagine how it would change families, friendships. Imagine how it would change our church. Giving grace to each other with words, it is our calling, our privilege, our inheritance. Let’s embrace it wholeheartedly.

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[1] Snodgrass, Klyne. “Bridging Contexts” In NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: Ephesians. By Klyne Snodgrass, 255. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, © 1996.

[2] Snodgrass, Klyne. “Contemporary Significance” In NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: Ephesians. By Klyne Snodgrass, 262. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, © 1996.