Over the past couple of weeks, I have been working through Paul's Letter to the Ephesians for the adults of our church on Sunday morning.
In doing so, my Spirit feels so refreshed and renewed from studying this letter and crafting sermons to share the Gospel for our community. The first 2 chapters in particular address the Good News of Jesus Christ - the work of the Father for every person through his son.
As I thought about what to post this week, I kept returning to the idea of sharing an excerpt from my sermon. I believe this letter - short of what we observe from the actual act of Jesus himself in the cross and resurrection, as recorded in the Gospels - offers the most robust treatment of the why Jesus matters for our world and what to do about it.
Read how Paul opens his letter to the church in Ephesus, beginning with chapter 1, verses 3-14:
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.
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
This entire one sentence in the Greek highlights just how much Paul cannot overstate the centrality of Jesus for our faith.
The Father blessed us in Jesus - verse 3
The Father chose us in Jesus - verse 4
The Father predestined us in Jesus - verse 5
The Father poured grace on us in Jesus, the one whom he loves - verse 6
The Father gave us redemption through Jesus - verse 7
The Father lavished grace on us through Jesus - verse 8
The Father made known to us the mystery of his will as he purposed in Jesus - verse 9
The Father intends to bring everything into unity under Jesus - verse 10
The Father provided us with an inheritance through Jesus - verse 11
The Father gave us hope in Jesus - verse 12
The Father marked you in Jesus with the seal of salvation - verse 13
The Father guarantees the redemption of all his people through Jesus - verse 14
In these 12 verses contain the entire Gospel.
Every single every clause of Paul’s lengthy sentence aims to keep Jesus at the very center of everything. I would surmise that Paul would say any picture of God that does not show Jesus Christ at the very center is a distortion of the truth.
The structure of these twelve verses break down into four unique groupings that make up the cornerstone for this letter.
The first grouping is contained in verse 3, and it is the THESIS for the entire letter:
"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."
This is the key to the entire letter. By the second sentence of his letter, Paul lays his cards on the table and states that Jesus Christ, the son of the Father, is everything. Everything flows from Jesus, and everything will return to Jesus. Everything in heaven, the entirety of the glory of God, the complete character and nature of God is found in the real life human being of Jesus Christ, as recorded in each one of the four Gospels.
He is the beginning of all things and will be the end of all things. Everything we could ever know about the Father - the nature and essence of God - has been revealed to us in Jesus Christ. Paul would say look to the person of Jesus for your questions about our Heavenly Father. If you question a characteristic about God, then look to Jesus for the solution.
The next 3 groupings each support this central thesis statement and reveal to us the lengths to which God desires to chase us.
Verses 4-6 address the second grouping: THE CHOICE of the Father for us in Jesus Christ:
"4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves."
In Jesus Christ, every single person in the history of our world was chosen in love for the pleasure of the Father… Period. This is the potential and will for every human being - to bring joy and adoration to the Father because the Father first chose us long before the world even began.
Let that bake your noodle!
What greater joy can one possess than the knowledge and realization that in Christ before the Father ever created anything - before Genesis 1:1 - as the universe sat formless and void, you had already been chosen?!
Certainly, sin and brokenness now distort our perception of this choice, but Paul simply wants you to first know this one fact before you move onto anything else: you have been chosen by the Father in Christ! Your life and story is contained within a greater, unfolding narrative that has been in motion since before time began!
Paul needs you to see this first before he discusses anything else because as you get caught up in the minutia of life, the momentary ridicule, embarrassment, and rejection of your faith, Paul wants you to know that it means nothing compared to the choice that God made for you in Jesus!
Verses 7-10 address the third grouping: THE PLAN of the Father for us in Jesus Christ:
"7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ."
Here, just as in verses 4-6, our faith in Jesus resides in a much larger story outside of our own. It is a story of redemption and forgiveness - for the purpose - of participating in bringing unity to all things in Heaven and on Earth under Jesus.
For the first century readers of this letter, the word “redemption” here would have harkened them back to the Passover story that took place long ago, as recorded in the book of Exodus. It was the time when God showed up in Egypt and ‘bought back’ for himself his people who had been enslaved there. Paul declares that Jesus is the fulfillment of that initial act of redemption. As Paul states, forgiveness of sin is the true redemption from the real slave master, and that plan has been accomplished through the death of Jesus on the cross and proclaimed to the world through his resurrection.
And finally verses 11-14 address THE INHERITANCE given to us by the Father through Jesus Christ:
"11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory."
As in the Exodus story, the promised inheritance of the passover was the land flowing with milk and honey. In Christ, what is the inherited promised land? The standard answer for most Christians would be Heaven. Heaven is certainly part of this, but the promised inheritance that we discover from this chapter also includes the whole world upon it’s renewal by a fresh act of God’s power and love.
Paul stated in verse 10 that God’s plan in Jesus is to sum up everything in Heaven and on Earth. God, after all, is the creator; he has no interest in leaving Earth to rot and making do for all eternity with only one half of the original creation. God created the heavens and the Earth, and God intends to flood the whole cosmos, heaven and earth together, with his presence and grace in which Jesus himself will be the central figure and the complete inheritance for which Jesus’ people - you and I - are longing.
Therefore, to bring together all that we have discussed thus far, what does this mean for you in the here and now?
Your role as a follower of Christ is to be a signpost and witness to the rest of the world that this glorious presence is here and now and the future is on the way! Equally, the guarantor of this promised inheritance is the Holy Spirit who is with you in all things, just as the pillar of fire was with the first wanderers amidst all things in the desert.
This ought to be the best news ever, for your role as a Christian is not to oppose culture as the minority, but to bear witness to all of those with whom you know that they have been chosen by the Father in Jesus Christ long before the world began.
Is there any greater news than that?
I can recall the season of my life when this good news began to take root, and for me, it changed everything. The realization of the Father choosing me before time began moved me to change my entire trajectory of life, which ultimately led me to become a Pastor.
This reminds me of what hip hop artist Lecrae says in his song, “Fear.” In the song, he says, “Will I hear that you cared too much about all of this stuff that really doesn’t matter? You chased the wind and all you got was the top of a two foot ladder.”
I know so many people climbing a two foot ladder, claiming to attain the kind of satisfaction for which all of us long, but few ever receive.
You and I know a different story now. Paul declares in his letter that a new way of life exists for every single one of us by the Father through Christ! You know where to find true satisfaction that very few ever receive. It resides in the story of Jesus Christ alone, not on a ladder… not in a possession… not in a dream…
Rather, it resides in a real story that involves a choice, a plan, and an inheritance.
So now may you go forth and share this great story!
QUESTION: What are you doing with this good news?