Title: Rich Kindness
Reading from Ephesians 1:3-10
from Pastor Ken Armstrong
Imagine a man, we’ll call him Gerard. He is presently in one of Turkeys more notorious prisons. He is inside not because he has done anything wrong but because his views have upset powerful people. They have tried on a number of occasions to have him murdered, so far though they have been unsuccessful. He has been there for about a year, there has been no charge and no trial date. Conditions are not great and his friends are very worried about him. They have though just received a letter from him. At first glance they thought it must contain news of his release – the tone was so enthusiastic and positive. But no, he is still chained up and has no prospect of being freed. Its hard to believe someone in prison could be so positive and grateful and bubbly.
That’s Ephesians 1. Written by a man from prison, surrounded by ruthless enemies and facing the prospect of being stuck in the Roman penal system for some time to come and yet just overflowing with praise to his God. Verses 3-14 are one long sentence, it just flows out of him. So what makes a man like this tick?
1. Paul praises God for the rich blessing of belonging to Jesus Christ.
Blessing is not a small word in the bible.
Sometimes you hear of people finding priceless masterpieces in Charity shops. So and so discovered a long lost Titian worth millions of pounds in some junk shop in Leeds. Have you ever thought about the people who disposed of it as some old fashioned bit of tat? Imagine if they realise what they did?
The bible mentions Esau who sells his birth right to the blessing of God for a plate of stew.
Afterwards when he wanted to inherit this blessing he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind though he sought the blessing with tears (Heb 12:17)
On the surface this blessing is to do with territory and its to do with belonging to a big family, being part of a thriving nation. Strangely Esau got those things. But there was something he couldn’t have – he couldn’t have a lasting future.
There was a time when the sign that you were a British traveller was you didn’t have a passport. If you were British you didn’t need a passport because most of the world was part of your Empire. That isn’t true today. Globally we are no longer a major player. All the signs point to decline and a lessening of our influence.
So where should you go if you want to be part of the future. America, China, India? Is blessing heading out to the Far East, or should you emigrate to the US?
Paul writes that if its future you are looking for look no further than Jesus Christ. The big idea these verses present is the benefit of being united to Jesus Christ. (v3,4,5,6,7,9) If its future you are looking for you will find it in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
I don’t think many of us would want to be the Prime Minister just now. He is under pressure from his opponents and his so called friends. He is dissected daily in the newspapers and the stuff of endless cartoons. Maybe what sustains him is having another centre to his life – there is his wife and children and family back in Scotland. And this provides so stability.
Paul has another centre to his life – its called the heavenly realms.
1:20 speaks of it as the location of the risen Lord Jesus.
Paul is opposed and despised but he knows he has a future because his life is united to the one who sits on the throne of the universe having conquered death. The Jews might be out to murder him and the Romans to subject him to their penal system but God is out to bless him.
We have a built in aversion to doing things Gods way. It is Jesus Christ who overcomes our resistance, but not by force. It wasn’t force that made Paul a Christian it was mercy. He is the King of Love, the Good Shepherd, the Resurrection and the Life, the Friend of Sinners.
He makes holiness attractive, not just right but good.
2. Paul praises God for willingly paying a high price to make him one of his children
V5-7
There are 2 processes described here: one is adoption and the other is redemption.
We tend to think of redemption as a religious word, in the 1st century it was an everyday expression that belonged to the slave market. It was the price paid to secure the release of a slave.
Paul praises God that he had a plan to adopt him into his family but before he could do that he had to liberate him from slavery.
Paul – a slave?
BBC: Who do you think you are?
Celebrities invited to trace their family tree. Ainslie Harriet
His journey took him back to the Caribbean.
To his horror he discovered that his great, great, great grandfather had not only been white but a slave owner.
We imagine ourselves and our line in one way and discover something completely different.
This man – Paul or as he was Saul would like to think of himself as a first rate law keeper. He kept the commandments – except No 10.
The 10th commandments addresses your desires and ambitions. Paul couldn’t control this area of his life, he just couldn’t content himself with where he was and what he had. He was driven along by this thing, it affected his moods and shaped his attitudes. It was his slave driver. That’s how the bible describes sin – sin is not doing bad things, it is a power, a force that has the whip hand. (Habits and attitudes we cant break)
These verses talk about the forgiveness of our sins (7)
Christopher Ash: Near where I live their were advertisements recently appealing to me to buy a Kit Kat so that I may’ win a chance to be a housemate’ that is to enter the Big Brother house. Personally I can think of nothing worse and am avoiding Kit Kats for the present and sticking to Twix. The prospect of all my ways being open to millions of viewers all voting to have me expelled is not an appealing one.
This is a man who knows that all his ways are open to God
How can he have any confidence about the future?
The answer is because of the forgiveness that he has discovered.
Notice the language that is used of this: in accordance with the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.
There is nothing reluctant or temporary about this forgiveness.
It also refers to this being effected through his blood.
Blood = sacrificial death.
Its taking our attention to the death of Jesus and its wanting to impress upon us that in those events there was nothing reluctant.
You get the impression that given half a chance the coalition forces would be out of Iraq. Its too high a price and we really would like to leave but we better stay because we caused it.
The Father sends his son enthusiastically into this world.
John writes the introduction to the events of the cross: Having loved his own who were in the world he now showed them the full extent of his love.
This is about being brought from the realm of the people traffickers and slave owners and adopted into Gods family.
* we don’t get an occasional visit from the social work department to make sure we are not being too badly abused.
* Our ‘parents’ don’t get sent on anger management courses
* We get given a place in the royal family.
3. Paul praises God for graciously informing him of his plan for the universe.
V9,10
This week we have had ‘Big Bang’ day as this particle accelerator under the Jura mountains is switched on and scientists are planning to study the origins of the universe.
This is not about the start, its about the end, its about the destiny of the whole thing: to bring all things in heaven and earth under one head even Christ.
Sin brings conflict, division, separation.
It happens at international level but it also happens in marriages and families and places of work. God is in the business of bringing a warring world to peace under the rule of Jesus Christ. And the church is called to be the preview of that. This church is not made up of natural friends, its made up of Jews and Gentiles people who historically were at one another’s throats. It was made up of people with different gifts of the Holy Spirit. Its made up of awkward people and difficult people. Sure you could pursue your groups interests to the exclusion of others but it’s a futile pursuit because its never going to last. Because we know how its going to end we can live like this now – under the authority of the Lord Jesus.
Here is the goal to pursue. In the life of the church (chap 4) in marriage (chap 5) in family life and at work (chap 6)
How do you enjoy unity in your marriage: you submit to Jesus. (5:22,25) How do you work at harmony at home (6:1,4) and what about the work place – obey your masters as you would obey Christ.
These things are never going to make us look cool and the church is never going to seem sophisticated and desirable. But such behaviour asks questions. Why is there a man in a prison cell singing praise songs? Why is that Christian wife battling away at submission in that difficult marriage, why is that young man sticking with that difficult work situations. Its not because he hasn’t worked out his boss is unjust its because he answers to someone higher up the organisational ladder, its because he lives to the praise of the glorious grace of his Father.
Filed under: Talks
