"The top of the mountain" - Reflections on Ephesians 2 (part 3)

A pastor once likened the book of Ephesians to someone climbing up a mountain; he went to declare that Ephesians 2:8-10 are, what he referred to as “the top of the mountain.”  That is well said.  They are indeed amazing verses.  They are so rich, in fact, that there’s no way I could adequately cover them all in one blog.  The way I plan to do this is to cover verse 8 today, and continue on with the other verses in future blogs.

Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (New King James Version).  What is grace?  Grace is God’s unmerited favor.  Grace is God giving us something that we don’t deserve.

 

Earlier on in this chapter, we’re told that we were dead in sins, but God made us alive (verses 5-6).  A parenthetical statement is made there that is also given in verse 8, “By grace you have been saved.”  We were dead, but God made live.  We needed to be rescued, but God saved us.  Not because of any merit, work, or brownie points we accumulated, just because of God’s incredible grace.  In fact, verse 6 goes on to state that He “made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus”.  This amazing position of honor, once again, is only through God’s grace.

Ephesians 2:8 declares that we are saved “through faith.”  I like one of the definitions that the dictionary gives for faith: “complete trust or confidence.”  We are saved by God’s grace, through faith, or complete trust.  When it comes to the issue of salvation from sin, it is vital that our faith or complete truth be put in the right source.  Jesus the Christ is the only One who is worthy of that trust and faith; only He was sinless, fully God and fully man, and therefore qualified to pay for our sin.  Galatians 3:26 states, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves” (italics added for emphasis).  Amazingly, even the faith given to us to believe in Christ in the first place isn’t something we’ve conjured up on our own; it is a gift from God.  A Bible teacher, evangelist, preacher, and yes even a writer of blogs like me, can declare the truth of the gospel as passionately and clearly as he can, but ultimately it is up to God to illuminate the heart, oil the words, and convict the heart.

Let me conclude with this.  Ephesians 2:8 says the grace and the faith to belief is all a gift from God.  But the question is this: have you taken the gift?  Unfortunately, it is possible for the heart to be convicted of the truth, and for the person to choose to reject the gift of God’s love and favor.  Some people may not like this thought, but the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant teaches us once again that life is fleeting.  We don’t know what tomorrow holds.  If you have been on the fence, or playing games, I pray that today would be the day that you would take the gift; say an irrevocable “yes” to the Lord’s unmerited favor, forgiveness of sins, and an exciting relationship with the God of the universe.

Kevin

The Valentine's Day blog installment - 2020 edition

Even though I briefly mentioned Valentine’s Day, I thought I would interrupt the recent blogs from Ephesians 2 and devote an entire blog to the holiday.  I do this primarily because my heart goes out to a large group of people: those who are single and unattached today.  They know the cultural expectation to have a significant other on this day, and to not have one weighs heavily upon them like a blanket.  How do I know this?  To be transparent with you, I know this because I am currently in that life situation.

I will never forget a TV commercial from years ago.  It began with a woman looking diligently in the greeting card aisle for the perfect Valentine’s Day card for her boyfriend.  She reads the line, “our love is like a beacon” aloud to herself.  After a lot of careful deliberation, she finds the right card.  By contrast, her boyfriend, as he is purchasing his beer at a grocery store, throws in the first Valentine’s Day card he sees in the checkout line.  The scene shifts to the couple reading each other’s cards.  “It’s perfect,” the girl exclaims to her guy.  The commercial (and more specifically the man) always irritated me.  This loving girl deserved more effort than that!

I tell you all that because I came across an article that I will be sharing portions of today.  And as I do, I wanted you to know that this wasn’t some apathetic exercise, without any emotional fervor, on my end.  As if it was just something I thought would be good for others to read for a Valentine’s Day blog; no, I needed this reminder.

Author Stacy Reaoch wrote a helpful article that she titled “Singleness Is Not a Problem to Be Solved”.  At one point, she brings up a quote from Elisabeth Elliot that changed her perspective.  Elisabeth’s quote was this: “If you are single today, the portion assigned to you for today is singleness.  It is God’s gift.  Singleness ought not to be viewed as a problem, nor marriage as a right.  God in his wisdom and love grants you either as a gift.”  Stacy goes on to write, “I was shocked and offended the first time my eyes rolled over those words.  But it was Elisabeth Elliot’s voice, along with the apostle Paul’s (1 Corinthians 7:7), that propelled me to not pine over a missing relationship, but to wholeheartedly pursue Jesus and the life he had give me to live.”

She then lists four ways to make the most of singleness.  I’m not going to list them all here (but the link will be below, and it is well worth your time), however, I am going to cite these words: “In whatever season of waiting God might have you in, choose to bloom where you’re planted.  Embrace the life God has called you to, whether single or married.  Trust that both callings are precious gifts of grace, both with painful and overwhelming hardships.  Happiness is not found through finding a soul mate, but through finding satisfaction in a loving Savior who has called you his own and made you a beloved son or daughter of the King.”

(Source: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/singleness-is-not-a-problem-to-be-solved)

Let me conclude with this: one of my Christmas gifts was a book by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth and Robert Wolgemuth titled “You Can Trust God to Write Your Story”.  It is a wonderful book that I resonate with.  The proper response is always surrendering to the Lord and His ways.  Not that it’s always easy, but we can trust God; He knows best.

Kevin

"Amazing love" - Reflections on Ephesians 2 (part 2)

Children love to ask questions.  This is a good thing, it helps them to learn.  When we look at the beginning verses of Ephesians chapter 2, we see our helpless, hopeless sinful state; but God initiated a plan to rescue us from this condition.  There is a question that emerges: why would He bother to do this?  God doesn’t need friendship and fellowship with mankind.  He is complete in Himself, not lacking anything.  So why bother?  There are several answers given here in Ephesians 2 that I want to look at today.

#1: God is a God of mercy and grace

Look at Ephesians 2:4 again.  The verse says that God is “rich in mercy” (English Standard Version).  Mercy is not getting what we deserve.  If you are stopped by a policeman for speeding, and he (or she) decides to not give you a ticket, just a verbal warning, you have been given mercy.  You were guilty.  But you didn’t get the ticket you deserved.  Similarly, God is a God of mercy.  We have accrued a massive “sin debt”, as a pastor once put it, but God who is “rich in mercy” didn’t give us what we deserved.

Secondly, God is a God of grace.  At the very end of verse 5, after being told that God made us alive in Christ, this parenthetical statement is made: “By grace you have been saved.”  Grace is getting what we don’t deserve.  It’s unmerited favor.  God orchestrated a plan for Jesus Christ, God in human flesh, to die a criminal’s death on a cross to pay for our sin.  One resource puts it this way: “Grace is what God gives to undeserving people, while mercy is what He doesn’t give to deserving people.  We deserve judgment, but God freely pardons, if only we will accept what He freely offers” (From God is Amazing by Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission). 

#2: God is a God of love

How fitting that we would ponder God's staggering love us on the week of Valentine’s Day!  This was God's providence, I assure you.  Ephesians 2:4 reads, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us…made us alive together in Christ (italics added for emphasis).”  A companion passage is in Romans 5; “When we were unable to help ourselves, at the moment of our need, Christ died for us, although we were living against God.  Very few people will die to save the life of someone else…But God shows His great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while were still sinners” (verses 6-8; New Century Version).  The words of a praise chorus state: “Amazing love!  How can it be that You, my King, would die for me?  Amazing love!  I know it’s true.  It’s my joy to honor You.”

Why does God love us?  I submit that we human beings are not able to answer that question.  To quote from another song, the Christian group Avalon has this line in their wonderful song “Everything to me”: “I grew up in Sunday school; I memorized the Golden Rule, and how Jesus came to set the sinner free.  I know the story inside-out; I can tell you all about the path that led Him up the Calvary.  But ask me why He loves me, and I don’t know what to say.  But I’ll never be the same because He changed my life when He became everything to me.”

#3: God is a God of kindness

Ephesians 2:7 says, “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (New King James Version).  God is kind.  Titus 3:4-5 tells us, “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared…He saved us.”  Once again, God didn't need us.  He could have left us in our sinful state, but in His kindness, He didn't.  I don’t know who said it, but I once heard someone declare that the child of God is “a trophy of His grace.”  Isn’t that incredible to contemplate?  God saved us to forever showcase that He is a God of mercy, grace, love, and kindness.

 

Kevin

"But God...made us alive" - Reflections on Ephesians 2 (part 1)

I want to begin with a personal note: I confess that the lack of blog content of late frustrates me.  I feel like I haven’t had the chance to spend time with a friend.  I have lots of things I want to talk about (for one thing, I didn’t even say a word about the Super Bowl), but my life is always so busy.  I’m hoping that I can get back into a rhythm of consistent blog posts.

As I transition to the main part of the blog now, let me share that Ephesians 2 has been on my mind recently.  Over the course of the next few blogs, I want to look at some verses from this chapter.  The beginning verses have a rather grim note: “And you were once dead in the trespasses and sins…following the course of this world” (English Standard Version).  Verse 3: “among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind.”

These verses are difficult to take in and digest, but the assessment is undeniable.  Every man, woman, boy and girl is infected with the curse of sin.  For example, have you ever seen a child emphatically declare that they didn’t eat the doughnut when the chocolate is right on their chin for all to see?  We may laugh at that, but it demonstrates that even a child isn’t perfect or without sin.  The Bible says a child is known by his actions (Proverbs 20:11).  In 1 Kings 8:46 we read, “For there is no one who does not sin” (New King James Version).

The text shifts in verse 4 with these glorious words: “But God”.  Humanity was immersed in sin, carrying out all sorts of sordid passions, guilty before a holy God, and we didn’t even know or care.  “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us…made us alive together in Christ” (verses 4-5).  In her helpful devotional book titled “Contentment: Seeing God’s goodness” Megan Hill writes, “Because of the work of Christ on our behalf – his life of perfect obedience, his death on the cross, his resurrection and ascension – we are no longer dead.  We are wonderfully alive!”

That’s what God did for me.  As a young boy, the Lord, by His Spirit, quickened my heart to show me that I was a sinner in need of a Savior, and that Savior’s name is Jesus Christ.  He shed His blood to atone for my sin.  I just needed to accept what He did by placing my faith, belief, and trust in Jesus.  When I was putting all of this together, I was reminded of a college paper that I wrote back in 2011.  We were instructed to write our own Psalm, like David did all those centuries ago.  In part, this is what I wrote:

“O Lord my God, I praise and thank You for all the marvelous works that You have done in my life.  Were I to try to recount them all it would take me hours upon hours.  I was a dead man and You resurrected me.  I was ill and sickly and You gave me my health back.  I was a guilty [lawbreaker] condemned to execution, because of my repugnant sin, but You took my place.

O Lord, what else is there for me to say in response but thank You?  All the glory goes to You and You alone.  I lift up my voice with a song of celebration to You, O God, because You have been so merciful, gracious, kind and benevolent to me in my life.”  All these years later, I can only add that God has been faithful, even to this very day. 

Kevin

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together in Christ Jesus” – Ephesians 2:4-5  

After 9 years, it is "a new world"

Back in 1995, there was an interesting movie trailer.  It began with these words on the screen: “It’s a new world.  With new enemies, and new threats; but you can still depend…” and then these words: “on one man.”  A person walked in, and began to blast away some of the letters, with his gun, to ultimately reveal “007”.  Pierce Brosnan as James Bond came closer to the screen, and remarked, “You were expecting someone else?”

On this day, back in 2011, I began this blog.  I am amazed at how different my life is now compared to what it was back then.  It really is “a new world” as that trailer put it.  When I say that, I’m not just referring to my dad’s sudden passing in 2015 (although that event was a defining moment that changed the landscape of my life forever), but many other things as well.

For example, as I look back just at this past year, it was undeniably a year of transition and change for me.  Some of the highlights included new friendships, new coworkers, and the launch of a blog back in June.  There were even new sicknesses, including a recent bout with bronchitis!

Despite all of this, I want to testify to the faithfulness of my great God.  In their 2009 album “Across the Earth: Tear Down the Walls” Hillsong United has the track entitled “Desert Song”.  It has a phrase that captures the cry of my heart.  It says, “All of my life, in every season, You are still God.  I have a reason to sing; I have a reason to worship.”  No matter what change occurs in life, God is faithful, dependable, and trustworthy. 

Kevin   

"You shall call His name Jesus" - Christmas 2019

In each Gospel account of the birth of Jesus – Matthew and Luke – both Mary and Joseph are told exactly what to name their miracle baby. In Matthew 1, we read Joseph was told that Mary was going to give birth to a baby that was conceived by the Holy Spirit; “and you shall call His name Jesus” (verse 21).  In his book “Why the Nativity?” Dr. David Jeremiah explains, “Jesus is just the Greek equivalent of Joshua, which means “God saves” ”.  This makes the second half of Matthew 1:21 all the more powerful: “and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

To be saved from sin is a big deal.  A Got questions.org article states, “We are all infected with sin (Romans 3:23).  We are born with sin (Psalm 51:5), and we all personally choose to sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20; 1 John 1:8).  Sin is what makes us unsaved.  Sin is what separates us from God.  Sin is what has us on the path to eternal destruction.” (Source: https://www.gotquestions.org/how-can-I-be-saved.html).

Some people see this sin dilemma, and they pursue works of righteousness to try and fix it.  But this endeavor is doomed to fail.  Interestingly, this is demonstrated in the film “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012).  This movie is something of a mixed bag – in fact, in 2014, I blogged about both the great moments of this film, and the moments that weren’t so great – I was already thinking about this movie for today’s blog, but on this specific point, I must credit author Bruce Green.  He notes,

“One of the storylines is the saving of Selina Kyle…We find out early in the movie that she is pointedly aware that her use, abuse, and stay-one-step-ahead lifestyle will catch up to her someday so she is pursuit of “a clean slate” a program that will erase her record from all databases and allow her to start over.  In her desperation for this new life, she is willing to temporarily push further into the darkness and work for those who are truly evil in exchange for the clean slate.  She is cheated by them (they have no such device)…Her own attempts to clean her slate and begin a new life have come up despairingly empty…It’s not hard to see the gospel parallels…Her pursuit of the new life through her guile is the sinner’s fruitless attempt to save themselves apart from Christ and His grace”  (https://sites.google.com/site/atasteofgracewithbrucegreen/Home/at-the-movies/-there-s-more-to-you-than-that-the-dark-knight-rises).

Maybe you can relate to Selina Kyle’s quest.  I have in mind that someone is going to read this who has been plagued with guilt.  You have done things that you feel are so reprehensible, you feel you are beyond redemption and forgiveness.  Sure, you may go through the motions of this Christmas season, but in your heart and soul, you are bowed down under the weight of your sin and shame.  I hope and pray that today you can see the truth of Christmas: Jesus Christ was born in a manger.  But there’s much more to the story than that.  He grew up, lived a perfect life, and He paid the price for all of your sin.

That same got questions.org article says, “Because the just penalty for sin is infinite and eternal, only God could pay the penalty, because only He is infinite and eternal.  But God, in His divine nature, could not die.  So God became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ.  God took on human flesh, lived among us, and taught us.  When the people rejected Him and His message, and sought to kill Him, He willingly sacrificed Himself for us, allowing Himself to be crucified (John 10:15).  Because Jesus Christ was human, He could die; and because Jesus Christ was God, His death had an eternal and infinite value.  Jesus’ death on the cross was the perfect and complete payment for our sin (1 John 2:2).”

How did the story end for Selina Kyle?  Once again, Bruce Green puts it so well in his description of the film:

“In the end, Wayne gives her the device.  It’s a free gift; she’s done nothing to earn it and she says as much (“You’re going to trust me with that?  After what I did to you?”).  But there’s a call that comes with the gift.  He needs her help.  Later, he repeats it when she suggests she is simply going to go her own way.  He tells her, “There’s more to you than that.”  And there is.”

 

Ultimately, Selina proves him right and fights by Bruce Wayne’s side.  In fact, at the film’s very end, after he had saved the city, we see that Bruce had ran away with Selina to live in solitude and anonymity.  Evidently, she had used the clean slate device after the battle; free of her past sins, but now devoted to Bruce.  Jesus has the same offer for a clean slate for you.  “You shall call His name Jesus,” Joseph was told in Matthew 1:21, “For He shall save His people from their sins.”  My prayer is, if you haven’t accepted the gift of forgiveness of sins and fellowship with Jesus, make today the day. 

Kevin

"Prone to wander"

I want to begin today by stating that this year is the 80th anniversary of the beloved classic The Wizard of Oz.  There are so many memorable quotes, characters, and moments that I could highlight, but let me give this one. When Dorothy was about to conclude her adventure in Oz and return home, she said her tearful goodbyes to her friends.  When she came to the Tin Man – who initially didn’t have a heart – he remarked, “Now I know I have a heart, because it’s breaking.”

Last month, I heard the news that author and speaker, Joshua Harris has essentially disavowed his Christian faith.  Let me quote his words, and give the accompanied link:

“I have undergone a massive shift in my faith in Jesus.  The popular phrase for this is ‘deconstruction,’ the biblical phrase is ‘falling away.’  By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian.”  He went on to say: “I have lived in repentance the past few years – repenting of my self-righteousness, my fear-based approach to life, [and] the teaching of my books.”

(https://www.christiantoday.com/article/joshua-harris-now-says-he-is-no-longer-a-christian/132922.htm)

This made me think of the Tin Man’s statement because this development broke my heart.  I’ve heard Joshua speak.  I have read his books.  Certainly not everyone agreed with his first work I Kissed Dating Goodbye, but it was clear that he had a strong voice for Christ and a desire to please God.  To see where he is now, throwing in the spiritual towel and turning his back on God, fills me with tremendous sadness.  

I thought I would share what I would say to Joshua if I had to opportunity to speak to him.  As I do this, maybe it will help you too.  I would begin by acknowledging that any honest Christian will admit that it is easy to drift away from God, if you aren’t careful.  The old hymn puts it this way: “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.  Prone to leave the God I love.”  If you aren’t vigilant and on guard, it snowballs, and then one day it dawns on you just how far you’ve drifted.

The question is: what do you do at that point?  After a lifetime of espousing the truths of Christianity, you declare, “I’m no longer a Christian.”  Or maybe you are reading this and you’ve suffered a tragedy you never thought possible. A loved one has committed suicide.  You lost a family member in a car accident.  Perhaps you haven't gone as far as Joshua Harris and disavowed your Christianity (although maybe you have).  Maybe you are just holding on by a thread, spiritually speaking.

First of all, I want you to hear my heart on this.  I know very well that life is tough and can be full of heart-breaking pain.  The Bible says, “Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1).  I would never minimize or deny the reality of your pain.  Having said this, I want to submit the words of Rebecca St. James from decades ago.  I think they are just as relevant as the day she said them.  In a TV special that was presented back in the late 90’s she conveyed the message that I would say not only to Joshua Harris, but also to you in your time of struggle and need.  She said this:

“God is the only one that’s not going to let you down.  He is the only one that’s going to be that strong foundation that we need…To the person who is hard, to the person who has given up and said, ‘Yeah, Christianity, whatever.  I’ve seen those televangelists.  I’ve seen them fall; I’ve seen them have affairs.’  [To] the person that is like that I would say: trust again; try again; hope again.  He will not let you down.  He is there.  Soften your heart towards God.”

Kevin