The Good News - Free But Never Cheap!

As for you, how do you feel when you hear that?

Well, as for you, that's how this starts.

Well, in fact, the Greek literally just says, and you,

but it starts a sentence with that.

So you can see how that translation, in order to convey it,

is there, as for you.

See, the thing is, is when you hear, as for you,

you sit up and pay attention.

Usually, it's a sign that good news is not forthcoming,

that you're in trouble.

I kind of think of, as for you, you're fired.

But it might not be.

It could be something else.

It could be something really positive.

And in fact, it is something really positive here.

But the point is, in order to understand the context of what, as for you, is about,

you've got to know what it is that comes immediately beforehand that you is being contrasted with.

So in order to make sense of that, we're going to go back to the words at the end of the preceding chapter of Ephesians 1,

and ask, well, who or what is Paul talking about?

Before he says, but as for you, this is what he says.

He talks about Christ.

Throughout that whole chapter, Paul builds this picture of the majesty, the power of Christ,

what Christ has done for you and me.

And then, as for you.

In other words, everything that Paul says is following the implications of everything that Jesus has done.

He's saying that that's to be the link.

As we try and navigate our way through our lives,

it needs to come back to everything that Jesus has done.

That amazing gift that he has given to us,

it's completely free.

But it's not cheap.

But we need to remember that the reason it's so important,

the reason it matters,

is because of Jesus.

As for you,

it's a pointing back to the one to whom we are connected.

So, in verse, perhaps I have the first slide here.

Here we go.

As for you,

what's the first thing that he says here in chapter 2?

Well, he says,

as for you,

you were dead

in your transgressions

and sins.

You were dead.

years ago,

it became quite commonplace

to talk about death

as a taboo.

You don't talk about it.

I'm not sure that that's actually the case anymore,

but it was,

it kind of had its roots

in some writing in the 1950s.

Somebody called Jeffrey Gora

wrote a book called

The Pornography of Death.

And his basic idea

was that by the 1950s,

in Britain at least,

that you could see a radical contrast

between the way in which people

would talk about death

or not talk about it

in contrast

with the theme of sex.

And he said that for,

in Victorian culture,

the whole theme of sex

was repressed.

But they did public mourning

very openly.

You know,

when somebody died,

people would,

would,

would,

would dress in black

and there was all these kind of

cultural norms

of,

of public mourning.

And he said that by the sort of

middle of the 20th century,

that had reversed.

And,

and actually people talk quite openly

about sex.

It was really,

you know,

it was sort of emerging,

it was very much in your face.

But,

but death was something

that was tabooed.

We don't go there.

About 20 years later

in the 1970s,

and as Becker wrote

a book called

The Denial of Death.

And it pretty much

became accepted

that,

that that's kind of,

you know,

a hallmark of Western,

certainly British culture,

that death is something

that is taboo,

that we deny it,

we don't want to talk about it,

we sort of,

we try and keep it out of,

of,

of,

of everyday life.

It's marginalised.

But you know,

I don't think that's true.

If it was true then,

I don't think it is true now,

that over the last 50 years,

that has changed enormously.

It was as long ago

as 2007

that one particular study

spoke so much about

the amount of death

that is presented

in the media

that,

that by the age of 18,

the average child

would have seen

no fewer than

40,000 deaths

on the screen.

Now that was back in 2007,

and I don't think that

it has actually got any less,

if anything,

it's got much more.

And that was,

when talking about the screen,

that was a reference

to television.

Well,

actually,

we don't watch it,

most of our media these days

isn't through terrestrial TV,

it's,

it's online,

and I don't think

there is any less

by way of images

of,

of violence

and death

now.

But also,

when we look at

wider society,

we can see how things

have changed.

Rewind back to 1997

and think of

the,

the,

the,

the cultural phenomenon

after the death

of Princess Diana

and the way

in which,

as a nation,

we went into

a time of mourning.

And think of

the Queen's funeral

the other year.

And all of those people

sort of,

queuing up

for,

for days

to file past

the Queen's coffin.

think of it.

Think how

today

there,

the,

the public expressions

of grief and mourning

has become very commonplace

every time there is a,

a big scale

tragic event.

Think of the amount

of roadside memorials

and benches,

for example,

that we see now

where grief

is

very openly

expressed.

so I'm not convinced

that it's quite accurate

even though people

will still talk about

death as the last

debut,

I'm not convinced

that that's actually

the case.

What is the case

is,

is,

is how we

handle

the theme of death.

And I would suggest

that for many

there is a sense

of denial

in so far

as that it will be

pushed to one side

because it's something

that we would actually

rather,

rather not really

think too long

and hard about

because it perhaps

seems morbid,

perhaps it just feels

that,

well,

what is there to say?

But the point here,

Paul,

is that saying

that,

yeah,

death is something

that must be faced

but here's the point,

it's not something

that lies ahead of you.

It is a reality

but it's in the past tense.

As for you,

he says,

he doesn't say

you're going to die

or that we're dying

or always be ready

for when you die.

No,

he says,

as for you,

you were dead.

That is to be

the mindset

of the Christian believer.

If you follow Jesus,

you follow Jesus

who has been

through death already.

He is alive

and with his own death

so you have died

and raised with him.

death is to be seen

as a reality

that we need

to be deeply,

deeply aware of

but as a past reality.

It's gone.

That's how you walk

when you follow Jesus.

Death is relegated

not to the front

but to the back.

It's behind you.

It is in the past.

And so he goes on.

Paul says

as it carries on.

Next slide, please.

And God

raised us up

with Christ

and seated us

with him

in the heavenly realms

in Christ Jesus.

You see,

this is where

it becomes

identity.

The reason why

when you put death

behind you

rather than ahead of you,

that becomes

your identity.

identity,

you are in Christ.

We live in a culture

that has just

gone mad

over identity politics

where all sorts

of different things

can identify

who you are.

But you know,

I think

it is a truism

that very often

we would try,

we would end up

defining ourselves

almost by the things

that we do.

I mean,

how do you define

who you are?

So I have to talk about

who are you

as a person.

I'm guessing

instinctively

our thoughts

immediately

go to the things

that we've done

or the things

that we do.

We might think

of our achievements,

we might think

of our non-achievements.

It's a dangerous

thing though

when we think

that way.

It could be

so misleading.

This is why

when suddenly

we can't do

those things

that we once

could,

maybe through

ill health

or whatever

it may be,

then our identity

can feel

like it's going.

The good news

is that

as a Christian

your identity

does not lie

in what you do.

There was

an artist

called

Paul Gustav Dor.

He lived

from 1832

to 1883.

He was travelling

Europe

and he was

at a border

and wanted

to cross

and he couldn't

find his passport

as documentation

that he needed

to prove

who he was.

So the officer

standing at

the border control

told him

who he was

and he recognised

the name

as this famous

artist.

He said,

I can't let you

through if you

haven't got anything

to prove

who you claim

to be.

You're telling

me that you're

Paul Gustav Dor.

Here you go.

He pulled out

a piece of paper

and a pencil

and he said,

if you go over there

and draw a picture

of those people

standing over there

and bring it back.

He came back

a few minutes later

with this

extraordinary picture

and the story

goes,

and I assume

it's true,

but the story

goes that

at border control

they took

that picture

and took it

as evidence

that this

clearly was

this guy

and they let him

through.

So identity

was proved

by what he

could do.

But Paul

says here

that our

identity

is not

to be proved

by what you

do,

but by what

God does.

Your identity,

look here,

God raised us

up with Christ

and seated us

with him

in the heavenly

realms in

Christ Jesus.

Now right now

you might not

think that your

life is one

of sitting

in the heavenly

realms.

realms.

But Paul

says it is.

One day

that will be

a reality

that we

will all

actually see,

lay hold of

and understand

as the kingdom

comes in all

its fullness.

But right now

you are to know

that you are

in Christ

who is in

the heavenly

realms

and that you

are held

in him

and that your

identity

therefore lies

in him.

I've used

this illustration

before and it

doesn't come

from me,

it comes from

somebody else,

but you know,

got a piece

of paper

and imagine

the piece

of paper

is you

and this

Bible is

Christ.

When you

follow Jesus

you are in

Christ,

the piece

of paper

goes into

that book.

Wherever

that book

goes,

you go.

You are

held in

him.

We still

have to face

all the sorts

of realities

every day

of our lives

that probably

make us feel

well,

I don't

exactly feel

like I'm

sat in

the heavenly

realms

right now,

but that's

when we need

to remember

these words

that Paul

urges us

to remember.

Your identity

now is

different.

Death is

not in

front of

you,

it's behind

you.

You are

in Christ

who is

in the

heavenly

realms

who one

day will

return.

This

means

that your

identity

is defined

by nothing

else

and by

nobody

else

except that

you are

in Christ.

Seated with

him.

in the

heavenly

realms.

In

Christ Jesus,

as for you,

that's who

you are.

Remember it.

the thing

is,

is that

everything,

everything,

Paul says,

is to be

worked out

from that

sense of

identity.

As for

you,

it's all

to do

with what

God has

done for

you in

Christ.

Not with

what you

do,

but what

God has

done for

you.

you

see,

he goes

on to

say that

it is

by grace

that you

have been

saved

through

faith,

and this

is not

from

yourselves,

it's not,

it's the

gift of

God,

not by

works,

so that

no one

can boast.

Imagine that

you walk

into a

car showroom

and it's

full of

very,

very nice,

brand new,

shiny,

expensive

cars.

You see

one that

you really

like the

look of,

it's got

a price

tag of

£80,000

on it.

Somebody

you've never

met before

walks up

to you,

has got a

smile on

their face,

and they

say,

you'd really

like this,

wouldn't you?

You laugh

at them.

They say,

tell you

what,

I'll help

you to buy

it.

You laugh

at them.

They say,

seriously,

how much

have you got

on you?

You reach

into your

back pocket,

you've got

fiver.

You say,

it's alright,

you pop that

down on the

table,

I'll make

up the

rest.

So you

put in a

fiver,

and they've

put in

the,

what did

I say,

79,995

quid.

Paperwork's

dealt with,

and they

said,

would you

mind just

giving me

a lift

home?

It's

quite an

expensive

lift,

isn't it?

You're

hardly going

to say

no,

are you?

So you

get in the

car,

and you

go for

a spin.

And you

happen to

pull up

at some

traffic lights

in this

brand new

car that

you've

just put

a fiver

towards.

And you

see somebody,

and you're

waiting on

the lights,

they come

over,

they tap

on,

they say,

nice,

nice car.

And you

say,

thank you,

and you're

pointing to

your new

friend,

we bought

this together.

Now any

analogy breaks

down eventually,

of course it

does.

But when

God calls

you,

and you're

in him,

and you're

given that

gift of

grace,

yeah,

it's free,

but it's

not cheap.

we are

called to

respond.

We're

called to

accept that

gift.

We're

called to

live that

out.

But it's

the gift

from God,

not by

works,

so that

no one

can boast.

As for

you,

death is

behind you.

as for

you,

your

identity

is now

held in

Christ,

who's in

the heavenly

realms.

That's who

you are.

You might

not think

much of

yourself,

but God

thinks

otherwise.

As for

you,

you're the

receiver of

this

extraordinary

gift.

As for

you.

So where

do we go

with it?

Well,

let's move

on to

the last,

towards the

end of

those verses.

Paul says,

for we are

God's

handiwork,

created in

Christ Jesus

to do

good work,

which God

prepared in

advance for

us to

do.

See,

as for

you,

God's

got something

for you

that no

one else

can do

except for

you.

God

prepared it

in advance

for you.

Even before

you were

born,

God knew

ways in

which you

could serve

him that

nobody else

can.

And that's

true right

now.

And that's

quite an

awesome

thought.

That as

free as

this gift

of God

is,

he's got

stuff for

us to do

with that

gift.

that's

an awesome

thought.

That's an

awesome

thought that

nobody can

do what

God wants

you to

do except

for you.

And every

single one

on this

room,

every single

person in

this room

this applies

to,

as for

you,

there are

ways in

which the

kingdom can

come through

you that it

can't come

through anybody

else.

works.

Because only

you are

you.

And that's

not just

some naff

piece of

rhetoric.

Only you

actually will

have the

combination

of skills,

experiences

through life

and network

of friends

and relations

that nobody

else will

have because

they will

be unique

to you.

That's for

you.

God's

handiwork

created in

Christ Jesus

to do good

works.

So what

are you

going to

do?

I just

want you

to imagine

as we

bring this

to a

close,

I just

want you

to think

for a

moment and

ask yourself

the question,

who in

your own

experience

played a

particularly

key role

in leading

you to

Christ?

Now my

guess is,

as I ask

you that

question,

you could

probably think

of quite a

lot of

different

people.

I'm just

asking you

to highlight

one person,

acknowledging

that there

are probably

several.

people.

It might

be a

family

member,

it might

have been

a parent

or a

grandparent,

an uncle,

it might

have been

a friend,

maybe it

was a

preacher who

preached a

message one

day that

you heard,

maybe at a

big festival,

Christian

festival,

you heard

the gospel

preach and

that was

the turning

point for

you.

Maybe it

was someone

that wrote

a Christian

book that

you picked

up once and

it made

you think.

As I say,

my guess is

you can

think of

lots of

different

people but

just hold

one person

in your

mind right

now who

played a

key role

in leading

you to

Jesus Christ

through their

words,

through their

actions,

through the

way they

lived their

life.

Now I

want you to

imagine that

you go to

that person

and you ask

the same

question that

I just put

to you just

then,

to name one

person that

was particularly

instrumental in

leading them to

Christ.

And you

were to go to

them.

And imagine,

you can see

where this is

going,

you go back

along the

chain and

you go back

and ask

them the

same,

that person

the same

question,

and then the

person that

they name

you go to

the same

question,

and then the

person that

they name

you go to

the same

question.

and so you

go back

through the

generations.

There is a

link through

history between

Christ and

his apostles

and you.

You have a

spiritual pedigree

that goes back

some 2,000

years.

Now I want to

put this question

to you now.

Who might it

be 20 years

from now,

10 years

from now,

5 years

from now,

who hypothetically

might be asked

the same

question,

and the

person that

they name

is you.

As for you,

let's pray.

Lord Jesus,

thank you for

this gift

of your

grace,

the gift

of good

news,

the gift

that we

are set

free from

death for

all eternity.

Thank you

that that

is a free

gift that you

give us,

that death

is behind

us,

that our

identity is

now in you,

that is a

free gift

that you

give us,

that we

cannot earn,

but you

freely give

to each

of us.

Thank you.

Lord,

help us

in our

everyday

lives,

not to

keep that

gift to

ourselves,

but through

our words

and through

our actions,

to pass

that on,

to share

that others

may have

it too.

Thank you

that you

call each

and every

one of us

to be part

of this

amazing

movement.

Thank you

that you

call each

and every

one of us

to know

that our

identity

is not

in what

we do,

but in

you.

In

Jesus'

name.

Amen.