Saved to Serve

the one who came not to be served, but to serve.

And so over the next six weeks,

we're going to be dipping into Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus.

And this letter is about the church and it's about who the church is.

And it's time for us to pick it up again.

We've done it before, time for us to pick it up again

and get an idea of what God says the church is

as we look ahead to the next year and closing of Vision 2020

and to seek what he has in store for us

as we plan to move forward in our life together in this city.

Paul shows us here in this letter

the incredible scope of God's plan for the universe,

his agenda for the universe

through time and eternity through the Lord Jesus

and therefore his agenda for the church,

his agenda for this church.

So if you're lucky to follow me today,

you hopefully receive one of these on the way in,

a bit of an outline,

which you'll have the passage in front of you

and also my three extensive points.

And from there,

also if you haven't got this,

you can also use the St. Paul's app.

It's in front of you as well.

But let me just launch into it.

First of all,

I want to pick up verse three

because verse three in chapter one

is an astonishing claim,

but it's also the summary verse

of the entire chapter of chapter one.

What does it mean to be blessed?

Every spiritual blessing in Christ.

What a statement that is.

The rest of chapter one just simply unpacks

what it means to be blessed.

And this statement says there's nothing lacking.

There's nothing overlooked.

There's nothing held back.

Now, when we use the word blessing today,

it doesn't carry the same force

that's meant here in this verse.

You know, I mostly sign off my emails

and text messages with the word blessing from Steve,

you know, blessing Steve.

And it means that I wish you well,

even if the text doesn't necessarily indicate that

of what I've just sent you,

I'm wishing you well.

In verse three,

it means something far more profound.

Its meaning is very similar

to the Old Testament word shalom.

Every blessing carries the meaning

to have every joy and every benefit

that your heart and your soul needs and longs for.

That's what it means to have every blessing.

That's what the word blessing means.

To have every joy and every benefit

that your heart and your soul needs and longs for.

And the declaration here in verse three

is that if you are a Christian,

if you're a disciple of the Lord Jesus,

you're a member of God's family,

then you've got it already.

You have every spiritual blessing now.

It's a past tense in the original language.

The blessings that are ours are listed

in verses three to 14,

which in the original text

is one long, complex sentence.

It's a sentence which is meant to overwhelm us

with every blessing.

And each one of them has many,

many applications.

Each one could fill a library with its applications.

And I think that Paul deliberately wants us

to be overwhelmed

with this massive cosmic list

of what God has done for us in Jesus.

Now, I just want to unpack just briefly two of them,

adoption and redemption.

Have a look at the end of,

and when I say briefly unpack,

I mean really briefly unpack.

Verse four,

in love,

he predestined us for adoption

to sonship through Jesus Christ.

Now, adoption has multiple aspects to it.

Adoption means that through Jesus Christ,

that God is not just our King and our Savior,

but he is our Father.

Jesus brings us into the ultimate family,

the eternal family.

One implication is that we have access to him

as his much-loved children.

One very famous photo of John F. Kennedy

when he was President of the United States

is his young son, John Jr.,

playing under his desk in the Oval Office

while he is having a meeting with other officials

and getting on with being the most powerful person

in the world.

Anyone else try to get that kind of access

to the President

would be stopped.

You know, I just can't walk into the Oval Office

and play at Donald Trump's feet.

Doesn't work.

Not that I want to, but doesn't work.

Or if you decide to rush the President,

you'd be shot.

As a child of God,

we can access him without appointments,

without fear.

We can boldly run into his arms.

Adoption also means inheritance.

This is why the emphasis here

is on us being adopted,

whether you're male or female,

as sons of God.

In the first century Palestine,

only sons could be heirs

and inherit the property of the Father

when this was first written.

And as adopted sons,

we are co-heirs with Jesus

of the future.

We inherit the future.

We don't know completely what that means,

but Jesus says,

the meek will inherit the earth.

Adoption also means security.

If you're an employee,

how long does your employer put up

with your bad behavior

and your failures?

It varies, I suppose.

But everyone has their limits.

But how long does a parent

put up with the waywardness

of a child?

It's kind of forever.

God is our Father

and we are secure in his love.

But the prior to place here

in chapter one

is redemption.

Verse seven.

We are told,

in him we have redemption.

Now redemption,

again,

is a loaded word

with multiple implications.

It's actually the word

for ransom,

which is a bit more

than simply paying a debt.

Ransom carries the meaning

which is a bit more

than just paying a debt.

It is, in fact,

in the first century,

the word that's used

to set a prisoner free.

For instance,

in New York,

when,

if you ever get your car

towed away by authorities

because you're parked

in the wrong spot,

they put it in a

car prison,

a sort of a holding yard.

And those holding yards

are called redemption centers.

When you pay the fine,

they release your car to you.

When you pay the fine

and they do not stamp

on the fine

paid,

they stamp on the fine

redeemed.

And when you pay the fine,

you get stamped

redeem

on your fine

and you release

your car

from captivity.

Redemption means

paying a debt

that we owe,

but it also means

being liberated

from slavery.

Indian lawyer

and activist

Mahatma Gandhi

said that

both Eastern

and Western

religions

all agree

that human beings

are not free.

We are all

slaves,

in his words,

to selfishness

and the ego.

And I reckon

he was pretty right.

We are always,

every single human being,

always grasping

at things

because our egos

are constantly

needing to be fed.

And of course,

we are constantly

grasping

at power

of money,

of beauty,

of status,

of popularity,

of recognition.

It puts us

at the center.

We push everyone

else away

so that my ego

can be fed.

And Gandhi

went on to say

that Christianity

helps.

And he was a student

of Christianity

even though he was

a Hindu.

He got most

of his theological

formation about

Christianity from

Tolstoy,

which I would

never recommend.

but,

so that's where

you can see

his failure here.

He went on to say

that Christianity

helps because

in Jesus,

we have a way

to be really free

from the selfishness

and the egocentricity

that enslaves us

through his example.

He said Jesus

was the ultimate

example of nonviolence,

the ultimate example

of giving up power

and wealth

and influence,

the ultimate example

of sacrificial service.

So he says,

look to Jesus

forgiving,

loving and serving,

dying for others

and when you see him,

you will be moved

and it will liberate you

from selfishness

and ego

to go and do likewise

following his footsteps.

Now with all due respect

to Gandhi's

massive achievements,

he missed a crucial point

of Christianity.

If we look to the amazing life

and service of Jesus

for others

and try to live

like he lived,

to follow in his footsteps

in order to be fully free,

it will crush you,

it will kill you.

There is no egocentricity

in his life whatsoever.

Even a secularist

would declare that.

It is a perfect life.

He is not driven

by the need for security

and approval and power.

To try to be like him

would end up crushing us

under the weight

of expectations

that cannot be met.

We would be cursed,

not blessed,

if we followed

in Gandhi's way.

We don't need someone

to live up to.

We need someone

to liberate us,

to set us free

from slavery.

If I see Jesus Christ

loving,

forgiving,

serving,

and dying,

not for others,

but for me,

for me,

doing all that for me

in my place,

oh,

that's different.

That is very different.

And this is how

we can be truly blessed.

I'm up to my second point

if you're following me on.

The big and the repeated

statements

in chapter one

is

every blessing

comes to us

in Christ.

Not being like Christ,

but in Christ.

Verse three again,

praise the God and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ

who has blessed us

in the heavenly realms

with every spiritual blessing

in Christ.

It's also verse four,

verse five,

verse seven,

verse nine,

verse 11.

When you become a Christian,

you are not just given

an example to follow

in Jesus.

He is that.

You are not just given

a king to obey.

He is that.

Nor simply given

a savior to appreciate.

He is that.

When you become a Christian,

you are put

in

him.

everything

that is his,

he departs

to us.

Everything he has,

all of his accomplishments

are yours.

Every blessing

comes from being

connected to Jesus.

We have no

spiritual blessing

unless we are

connected to Jesus.

These blessings

are not something

that we earn

by our religious

or our moral effort.

In fact,

the very first few

verses of chapter two

help us to see

that to get

every blessing

cannot be achieved

by trying harder.

Have a look at it.

Ephesians two,

verses one to three,

we get the diagnosis

of the human condition

and why our efforts

cannot achieve anything.

As for you,

you are dead

in your transgressions

and sins

in which you used

to live

when you followed

the ways of this world

and the rule of the kingdom

of the air,

the spirit

who is now at work

in those who are disobedient.

All of us

also lived among them

at one time,

gratifying the cravings

of our sinful nature

and following its desires

and thoughts.

Like the rest,

we were by nature

objects

of wrath.

Paul is not saying

here,

like Gandhi,

that we are in danger

of death,

but that we are

in a state

of real

and present death.

And it would appear

that God's got it wrong

because there are people

all around us

living day by day

in the city

whose bodies

are active,

whose minds

are sharp

and personalities

brimming.

Has he got it wrong

that we are dead

even though

we are present?

The philosopher

Jerry Bentham

died on the 6th of June.

I've told you about

this guy in the past.

Died on the 6th of June,

1832

and in his will

he requested

that he had his body

preserved

and put in a wooden

cabinet.

He left his entire

estate,

which was quite an estate,

to the University College

Hospital in London

on the condition

that his body

be placed

in attendance

at all hospital

board meetings.

And this duty

is carried out

to this day.

That's not his

original head.

They had to come up

with another one

because it was pretty

creepy.

it's carried out

every day.

The cabinet

is wheeled

into the room

to the board table

and the chairman

says,

Jeremy Bentham

present

but not voting.

It's astounding

but it's amazing

when you want

someone's estate

you'll do

whatever it takes.

He will never

raise a hand

in response

to a motion.

He will never

submit a motion

although he's

been there

in body

for 175

years,

he's been

dead

the entire

time.

Dead

people are

dead.

They cannot

do anything

for themselves

and what

Ephesians 2

says

is that

every

human

being

is in that

position

spiritually

left to

their own

devices.

In the area

that matters

the most

the soul

there is

no life

left to

our own

devices

we are all

blind to

the reality

the demands

and the glory

of the Lord

Jesus Christ.

Verses 2

and 3

says that

that's our

natural state

all of us

are dominated

by the world

from without

the devil

from beyond

and our

own sinful

desires

from within.

We are

helpless

hopeless

and in

great peril

unless something

is done

to save

us

to bring

us back

to life

we are

dead

in our

transgressions

and sins

and the

good news

is that

from the

deep depths

of helplessness

death

and despair

we now

move to

the astounding

contrast

of verse 4

but because

of his

great love

for us

God

who is

rich

in mercy

made us

alive

with Christ

even when

we were

dead

in transgressions

it is by

grace

that you

have been

saved.

In our

state of

spiritual

death

God

through the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

has come

along

and breathed

life

into us

and not

until we

get that

life do we

realise that

we were

even dead

in the

first place.

We are

dead in

our

transgressions

but God

intervened

we're in

bondage to

sin but

God

intervened

we're

objects of

wrath but

God

intervened

God

intervened

by redeeming

us

releasing us

from captivity

to sin

and death

through

the blood

of Jesus

you see that

in chapter 1

verse 7

in him

that's Jesus

we have

redemption

through

his blood

Jesus

has

objectively

taken

away

from me

everything

that's

wrong

with me

and

everything

that's

wrong

with you

he has

stood

in our

place

he has

taken

our

sin

he has

paid

our

debt

he has

given

us

life

and he

has

set

us

free

from

selfishness

and the

ego

God

himself

enters

our

world

and

upholds

his

justice

by

becoming

cursed

for us

so that

we might

receive

every

spiritual

blessing

all our

guilt

and our

shame

is taken

away

so if

you're a

Christian

then you

are in

the valley

of death

but through

the death

and resurrection

of the

Lord

Jesus

you have

been

redeemed

you have

been

resurrected

and been

raised to

the highest

of heights

and it's

all for

free

free

did you

get that

in verses

8 and

9

for it

is by

grace

that you've

been

saved

through

faith

this is

not from

yourself

it is a

gift of

God

not by

works

so that

no human

being

can ever

go

look at

me

salvation

is by

God's

grace

grace

it's

why

for the

Christian

humility

must be

the first

thing that

grows in

your life

it is

the unmerited

favor coming

to us

the utterly

deserved

it's a

free gift

Paul is

so keen

that we

understand

that we

don't work

for it

that any

service that

we do

in the name

of Christ

is not

paying him

back

he says

it's not

by work

so that

no one

can boast

we can

try all

we like

but all

of our

good works

are no

more beneficial

than rearranging

the deck

chairs on

the Titanic

there is

no room

for boasting

in human

effort

we deserve

nothing

we were

owed

nothing

it is not

as if

God could

see our

potential

we were

dead

and yet

we have

every

spiritual

blessing

through

Jesus

the

spiritually

bankrupt

have had

their debt

wiped

clean

been set

free

from bondage

to selfishness

and sin

and ego

and death

and verse

10

is a

wonderful

description

of who

you are

in Jesus

if you're

a Christian

you've been

taken from

being a

corpse

to now

we are

God's

workmanship

literally

we are

God's

masterpiece

we are

his

work of

art

on display

full of

life

for eternity

the ultimate

workmanship

of God

is a person

who's been

dating

transgressions

and sin

and been

made alive

in Christ

and the

awesome news

is that

this is

available to

everyone

as it says

in verse

8

through

faith

act

16

says

believe

and have

faith

in

the Lord

Jesus

Christ

and you

will

be

saved

and that's

a decision

that some

of you

need to

make

today

do not

waste

this

opportunity

come to

life

in Jesus

today

and believe

in him

stop

trusting

in your

own

effort

stop

trusting

in your

own

intellect

and submit

yourself

to the

will

of

Christ

God's

eternal

plan

as

has

just

been

unfolded

to you

in

Ephesians

1 and

2

there is

no faith

in Jesus

there is

no grace

there is

no salvation

no one

has sins

forgiven

no one

goes to

heaven

no one

has

peace

until

there is

faith

in the

Lord

Jesus

receiving

every

spiritual

blessing

by

God's

grace

has a

profound

impact

on your

life

you spend

the rest

of your

life

realizing

this

blessing

by

working

it

into

your

heart

until

it

shapes

every

air

of

your

being

there

are

at

least

two

evidences

in

these

chapters

that reveal

that we

have in

fact

received

every

spiritual

blessing

in

Jesus

we see

the first

is in

chapter 1

verse 6

to the

praise

of his

glorious

grace

and again

at the

end of

verse 12

for the

praise

of his

glory

and once

more in

verse 14

to the

praise

of his

glory

when you

have every

spiritual

blessing

through

Jesus

you don't

just believe

in your

mind

it

becomes

glorious

to you

it

is

beautiful

to you

it

captures

you

it

captures

your

imagination

it

captures

your

heart

you

praise

God's

grace

you

lift

your

voice

and you

sing

it

you

declare

it

this

is not

just

evidence

of having

received

every

spiritual

blessing

but the

way

these

blessings

work

their

way

into

your

life

there

is

no

more

powerful

story

for

change

no

more

moving

moral

narrative

than

someone

giving

their

life

for

others

for

instance

on the

13th

of

January

1982

Air

Florida

Flight

90

crashed

into

the

icy

waters

of

a

river

in

Washington

D.C.

just

like

after

takeoff

because of

faulty

de-icing

on the

wings

of the

plane

dozens

of people

were killed

most people

were killed

in fact

on the

flight

except

there

were six

that were

initially

survived

the crash

and they

clung

to the

only part

of the

plane

that was

hanging out

of the

icy

waters

and that

was the

tail

of the

plane

and the

waters

were so

icy

they

hampered

the rescue

effort

they tried

launching

boats

boats

couldn't

get to

the

plane

people

couldn't

survive

swimming

in the

water

a

very

well

strong

human

being

could

last

a

maximum

of

30

minutes

in that

kind

of

temperature

before

succumbing

to

hypothermia

and so

a

helicopter

was

called

in

they

couldn't

bring

a

rescuer

it's

like

anyone

got

a

helicopter

they

brought

in

a

helicopter

the

first

passenger

they

rescue

was

already

floating

in the

water

and

starting

to

nod

off

to

sleep

and

they

managed

to

get

this

person

attached

to

a

cable

and

drag

them

out

of

the

water

to

the

river

bank

helicopter

came

back

and threw

a

and by

that time

he had

submerged

below

the icy

waters

there are

scholarships

all over

the United

States

in his

honour

bridges

and roads

are named

after this

guy

he gave

his life

to save

five people

there is

no

more

powerful

narrative

structure

or moral

beauty

than

sacrificial

love

Jesus

Christ

did

that

for

you

and

you

were

his

enemy

dead

in

sin

it

changes

the

driving

centre

of your

life

it

will

move

you

so

that

the

things

that

you

used

to

find

captivating

selfishness

and

ego

no

longer

drive

you

his

glorious

grace

will

capture

you

and

lift

your

heart

in

praise

his

glorious

grace

will

change

you

and

we

see

that

in

the

apostle

Paul

from

verses

15

onwards

in

chapter

one

Paul

just

cannot

control

himself

he

overflows

in

praise

and

prayer

he's

essentially

praying

here

in

these

verses

that

this

Ephesian

church

would

come

to

fully

understand

the

magnitude

of

receiving

every

spiritual

blessing

in

Christ

it

will

motivate

us

to live

lives

that

praise

him

but

also

lives

that

don't

put

me

at

the

center

verse

10

for

we

are

God's

workmanship

created

in

Christ

Jesus

to

do

good

works

which

God

prepared

in

advance

for

us

to

do

a

life

of

good

works

a

life

of

service

of

others

is

indispensable

to

salvation

it's

the

life

of

service

we

have

been

saved

to

praise

and

serve

as

Martin

Luther

famously

said

justification

is by

faith

alone

but

not

by

faith

that

is

alone

for

where

there

is

faith

there

are

always

works

each

one

of

us

has

an

eternally

designed

job

description

which

includes

the

tasks

the

abilities

and

the

place

to

serve

whatever

the

job

description

he

has

called

you

into

he

will

equip

you

fully

for

it

and

in

fulfilling

the

service

that

he's

called

you

to

do

by

his

grace

you

will

be

both

more

and

more

his

workmanship

and

more

and

more

your

true

self

and

more

and

more

you'll

discover

joy

in

the

service

of

others

rather

than

the

pursuit

of

selfishness

and

the

ego

there

is

nothing

more

beautiful

than

his

workmanship

praising

and

serving

for

his

glory

and

our

vision

for

this

series

over

the

next

coming

weeks

and

for

this

year

ahead

for

us

as

a

church

is

to

call

as

many

as

possible

into

that

beauty

into

that

joy

we

have

been

blessed

with

every

spiritual

blessing

to

serve

blessed

that

we

might

be

a

blessing

called

Hashem

.