Saints
Church: Hospital or Museum? 11 June 2017
Church: Hospital or Museum?
Series— Mark’s Gospel: The Real Jesus
Mark 2:13-17
Series Big Idea: The shortest gospel is filled with good news about Jesus!
Big Idea: We are to welcome sinners, recognizing we are sinners ourselves.
Good morning saints! Good morning sinners!
My name is Kirk and we’re studying Mark’s biography of The Real Jesus. In chapter 2, he has been baptized, begun his preaching ministry, and done some healings. Word is spreading and while he is attracting crowds, he’s also drawing the envy and wrath of religious leaders. This will be a common theme, so significant the religious leaders will eventually kill him.
Jesus has at least four followers—four fishermen. Now he continues his recruiting trip.
Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. (Mark 2:13-14)
Levi is also likely called Matthew, though it is possible he was not one of the Twelve, making this invitation even more compelling. He works at a toll booth, but it’s not automated like the ones on the Turnpike. These collectors were known for extortion and dishonesty.
Levi likely worked for Herod Antipas. His father’s kingdom was divided among his three sons. Tolls suddenly had to be paid to cross from one part of the old kingdom to another. Levi did not have a popular job!
Jesus comes by, and instead of complaining or swearing at Levi, he says, “Follow me.” What an invitation! Instead of working for a man who thought of himself as king of the Jews, he is invited to follow the true King of the Jews, the Messiah.
Can you imagine someone walks into your office, says, “Follow me,” and you walk out on your job? Levi takes a huge risk in following Jesus. The fishermen can always return to fishing, but a government job? They’re not always available, especially after suddenly leaving without giving your two weeks notice!
Jesus’ identity as King was not yet revealed, though. Instead, he was known as a preaching doctor who loved to throw parties…for sinners, outcasts, the marginalized.
While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. (Mark 2:15)
Jesus continues to attract crowds, even at dinnertime. But he did not just attract the educated and elite, the righteous and religious. Jesus was a friend of sinners.
The best scholarship seems to suggest Jesus was the host, throwing a party at Levi’s house. Jesus doesn’t just preach to sinners; he befriends them. He loves them. He offends the religious establishment who have rejected these “sinners.”
When we are invited to dinner, the polite thing to do is say…yes. Who doesn’t like a free meal, right? But in the first century, table fellowship implied friendship—even approval. If you and I share a meal together, it tells the world we are close friends. Does Jesus approve of these greedy, dishonest tax collectors and sinners? Doesn’t he care about holiness? It makes sense for Levi to gather with fellow sinners, but why is Jesus present?
When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Mark 2:16)
They’re afraid to ask Jesus! They go to his disciples and criticize him.
Now the Pharisees get a bad rap. It’s deserved, but they were devout. They wanted to honor God by carefully following the Jewish law. They made two mistakes, however. First, they were prideful, also satan’s downfall. Second, they focused on every minute detail of the law without understanding the purpose and spirit of the law. They could no longer see the forest for the trees. They were so concerned about staying clean and pure that they missed opportunities to love their neighbor, to extend forgiveness, and to see reconciliation and repentance. They wanted to exercise control rather than compassion.
But make no mistake, Jesus did not endorse sin.
In John chapter 8, a woman is caught in the act of adultery. A group of Pharisees condemns her. Jesus famously says, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” One by one, the Pharisees walk away, leaving only Jesus and the woman. He says he does not condemn her. He offers grace and compassion. But the story doesn’t end there. He tells her, “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Jesus welcomed sinners. Jesus loved sinners. But because Jesus loved them, he urged them to repent, to turn, to change…not because he doesn’t want them to have fun, but instead because he knows there’s a better way to live.
Sin always leads to death. It might not be instant physical death, but it will kill relationships—with others, with God. Sin will destroy our ability to experience the abundant life Jesus taught and modeled. Greed. Pride. Adultery. Envy. Gossip. The list goes on.
Can people live in sin and survive. Sure! But I’ve discovered following Jesus and his Word are the path to true satisfaction, true peace, and true joy. We need to welcome sinners
We need to welcome sinners, but we also need to encourage them to experience Jesus, grow in their faith, and love God and their neighbor.
David Garland notes,
“to follow Jesus in the full sense of the word requires repentance and obedience. His goal in reaching out to the sick is to bring about healing and transformation in their lives, not to gather them together for a fun time. Instead of sorting people into classifications, holy and unholy, clean and unclean, righteous and sinner, Jesus gathers them under the wings of God’s grace and love.”
It breaks my heart to see people make poor choices. But what shall I do? It depends upon the relationship. If it’s someone I know and love, tolerance might be the most hateful thing I can do, standing by watching them self-destruct. On the other hand, getting in their face about their behavior may cause our relationship to be destroyed. Obviously, this calls for wisdom…and it matters greatly if the person claims to follow Jesus or not.
If you are my brother or sister in Christ, I owe it to you to encourage you to pursue Jesus. This doesn’t mean I point out all of your sins, but it does mean I might love you enough to confront.
This week I received a short e-mail which simply said, “If I'm openly gay, would I be accepted at your church?”
Would they, church?
If they are seeking to know God, I hope and pray we would welcome them with open arms. I replied:
All are welcome at First Alliance Church. We exist to help people know and experience Jesus, our example of what it means to be truly human. I hope to meet you soon.
When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Mark 2:16)
Why was Jesus a friend to tax collectors and sinners?
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)
We are not a museum for saints. There’s a museum next door if you want a museum!
We are a hospital for sinners. And we’re all sinners! It might get messy. It might get uncomfortable. But the reason we’re still on this planet is because of the mission Dei, the mission of God, to seek and save the lost, to call sinners, to heal the sick, to make disciples, to serve the least of these, to love the unlovable. If all you care about is your own comfort, it’s not Jesus you’re following. Jesus lived to die and that’s what he calls his followers to do—die to ourselves and love and serve others.
You would think after 2000 years we would understand this, but religion persists. Self-righteous people insist on pointing fingers.
Love the sinner, hate the sin? How about love the sinner, hate your own sin?
Brothers and sisters, I can summarize this message in three words. Many Christians have had the attitude the if you behave and believe, you can belong.
Behave – Believe – Belong
We must reverse it. Jesus did! He said you belong. As you are loved and accepted, belief often follows naturally. And don’t miss this: when you believe in Jesus and make him King and LORD, you are also given the Holy Spirit who gives you power to behave. You can’t just change your behavior because someone tells you to do so. You need power. You can’t just walk up to a guy with a brown bag on the streets and say, “Stop drinking” and expect him to never take another drink. He needs power to quit his addiction.
And we’re all addicted to sin of one sort or another.
Belong – Believe - Behave
You belong here. All of you. Everyone. Young or old. Gay or straight. Black or white. Christian or atheist. Citizen or immigrant. Republican or Democrat. You belong here. You were created in the image of God with dignity, value and worth. Jesus died for you. Come as you are.
But we don’t want you to stay that way. Jesus doesn’t want you to stay as you are. He tells all of us to “go and sin no more,” not because he’s a scolding, condemning God but because he knows sin will always harm us. He wants what’s best for us.
You belong here. We would love for you to experience Jesus and believe in him, surrendering your life to him. It’s not that we are trying to manipulate you or sell you anything, but we’ve discovered the source of real life, real peace, real joy and it’s not in religion but it’s in a person, Jesus!
If you welcome Jesus into your life, you will want to change, you will want to follow Him, and you’ll be given the Holy Spirit’s power to do so.
"God judges, the Holy Spirit convicts, we are to love." -Billy Graham
Credits: some ideas from NT Wright, J. Vernon McGee, and David Garland.
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
Series— Mark’s Gospel: The Real Jesus
Mark 2:13-17
Series Big Idea: The shortest gospel is filled with good news about Jesus!
Big Idea: We are to welcome sinners, recognizing we are sinners ourselves.
Good morning saints! Good morning sinners!
My name is Kirk and we’re studying Mark’s biography of The Real Jesus. In chapter 2, he has been baptized, begun his preaching ministry, and done some healings. Word is spreading and while he is attracting crowds, he’s also drawing the envy and wrath of religious leaders. This will be a common theme, so significant the religious leaders will eventually kill him.
Jesus has at least four followers—four fishermen. Now he continues his recruiting trip.
Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. (Mark 2:13-14)
Levi is also likely called Matthew, though it is possible he was not one of the Twelve, making this invitation even more compelling. He works at a toll booth, but it’s not automated like the ones on the Turnpike. These collectors were known for extortion and dishonesty.
Levi likely worked for Herod Antipas. His father’s kingdom was divided among his three sons. Tolls suddenly had to be paid to cross from one part of the old kingdom to another. Levi did not have a popular job!
Jesus comes by, and instead of complaining or swearing at Levi, he says, “Follow me.” What an invitation! Instead of working for a man who thought of himself as king of the Jews, he is invited to follow the true King of the Jews, the Messiah.
Can you imagine someone walks into your office, says, “Follow me,” and you walk out on your job? Levi takes a huge risk in following Jesus. The fishermen can always return to fishing, but a government job? They’re not always available, especially after suddenly leaving without giving your two weeks notice!
Jesus’ identity as King was not yet revealed, though. Instead, he was known as a preaching doctor who loved to throw parties…for sinners, outcasts, the marginalized.
While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. (Mark 2:15)
Jesus continues to attract crowds, even at dinnertime. But he did not just attract the educated and elite, the righteous and religious. Jesus was a friend of sinners.
The best scholarship seems to suggest Jesus was the host, throwing a party at Levi’s house. Jesus doesn’t just preach to sinners; he befriends them. He loves them. He offends the religious establishment who have rejected these “sinners.”
When we are invited to dinner, the polite thing to do is say…yes. Who doesn’t like a free meal, right? But in the first century, table fellowship implied friendship—even approval. If you and I share a meal together, it tells the world we are close friends. Does Jesus approve of these greedy, dishonest tax collectors and sinners? Doesn’t he care about holiness? It makes sense for Levi to gather with fellow sinners, but why is Jesus present?
When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Mark 2:16)
They’re afraid to ask Jesus! They go to his disciples and criticize him.
Now the Pharisees get a bad rap. It’s deserved, but they were devout. They wanted to honor God by carefully following the Jewish law. They made two mistakes, however. First, they were prideful, also satan’s downfall. Second, they focused on every minute detail of the law without understanding the purpose and spirit of the law. They could no longer see the forest for the trees. They were so concerned about staying clean and pure that they missed opportunities to love their neighbor, to extend forgiveness, and to see reconciliation and repentance. They wanted to exercise control rather than compassion.
But make no mistake, Jesus did not endorse sin.
In John chapter 8, a woman is caught in the act of adultery. A group of Pharisees condemns her. Jesus famously says, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” One by one, the Pharisees walk away, leaving only Jesus and the woman. He says he does not condemn her. He offers grace and compassion. But the story doesn’t end there. He tells her, “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Jesus welcomed sinners. Jesus loved sinners. But because Jesus loved them, he urged them to repent, to turn, to change…not because he doesn’t want them to have fun, but instead because he knows there’s a better way to live.
Sin always leads to death. It might not be instant physical death, but it will kill relationships—with others, with God. Sin will destroy our ability to experience the abundant life Jesus taught and modeled. Greed. Pride. Adultery. Envy. Gossip. The list goes on.
Can people live in sin and survive. Sure! But I’ve discovered following Jesus and his Word are the path to true satisfaction, true peace, and true joy. We need to welcome sinners
We need to welcome sinners, but we also need to encourage them to experience Jesus, grow in their faith, and love God and their neighbor.
David Garland notes,
“to follow Jesus in the full sense of the word requires repentance and obedience. His goal in reaching out to the sick is to bring about healing and transformation in their lives, not to gather them together for a fun time. Instead of sorting people into classifications, holy and unholy, clean and unclean, righteous and sinner, Jesus gathers them under the wings of God’s grace and love.”
It breaks my heart to see people make poor choices. But what shall I do? It depends upon the relationship. If it’s someone I know and love, tolerance might be the most hateful thing I can do, standing by watching them self-destruct. On the other hand, getting in their face about their behavior may cause our relationship to be destroyed. Obviously, this calls for wisdom…and it matters greatly if the person claims to follow Jesus or not.
If you are my brother or sister in Christ, I owe it to you to encourage you to pursue Jesus. This doesn’t mean I point out all of your sins, but it does mean I might love you enough to confront.
This week I received a short e-mail which simply said, “If I'm openly gay, would I be accepted at your church?”
Would they, church?
If they are seeking to know God, I hope and pray we would welcome them with open arms. I replied:
All are welcome at First Alliance Church. We exist to help people know and experience Jesus, our example of what it means to be truly human. I hope to meet you soon.
When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Mark 2:16)
Why was Jesus a friend to tax collectors and sinners?
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)
We are not a museum for saints. There’s a museum next door if you want a museum!
We are a hospital for sinners. And we’re all sinners! It might get messy. It might get uncomfortable. But the reason we’re still on this planet is because of the mission Dei, the mission of God, to seek and save the lost, to call sinners, to heal the sick, to make disciples, to serve the least of these, to love the unlovable. If all you care about is your own comfort, it’s not Jesus you’re following. Jesus lived to die and that’s what he calls his followers to do—die to ourselves and love and serve others.
You would think after 2000 years we would understand this, but religion persists. Self-righteous people insist on pointing fingers.
Love the sinner, hate the sin? How about love the sinner, hate your own sin?
Brothers and sisters, I can summarize this message in three words. Many Christians have had the attitude the if you behave and believe, you can belong.
Behave – Believe – Belong
We must reverse it. Jesus did! He said you belong. As you are loved and accepted, belief often follows naturally. And don’t miss this: when you believe in Jesus and make him King and LORD, you are also given the Holy Spirit who gives you power to behave. You can’t just change your behavior because someone tells you to do so. You need power. You can’t just walk up to a guy with a brown bag on the streets and say, “Stop drinking” and expect him to never take another drink. He needs power to quit his addiction.
And we’re all addicted to sin of one sort or another.
Belong – Believe - Behave
You belong here. All of you. Everyone. Young or old. Gay or straight. Black or white. Christian or atheist. Citizen or immigrant. Republican or Democrat. You belong here. You were created in the image of God with dignity, value and worth. Jesus died for you. Come as you are.
But we don’t want you to stay that way. Jesus doesn’t want you to stay as you are. He tells all of us to “go and sin no more,” not because he’s a scolding, condemning God but because he knows sin will always harm us. He wants what’s best for us.
You belong here. We would love for you to experience Jesus and believe in him, surrendering your life to him. It’s not that we are trying to manipulate you or sell you anything, but we’ve discovered the source of real life, real peace, real joy and it’s not in religion but it’s in a person, Jesus!
If you welcome Jesus into your life, you will want to change, you will want to follow Him, and you’ll be given the Holy Spirit’s power to do so.
"God judges, the Holy Spirit convicts, we are to love." -Billy Graham
Credits: some ideas from NT Wright, J. Vernon McGee, and David Garland.
We Are Saints, 12 January 2014
Big Idea: We are saints, God’s people set apart for His purposes, blessed with grace and peace.
Ephesians 1:1-2
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Introduction
Good morning, saints! Good morning, sinners!
Today we continue our new series, Who Do You Think You Are? It is a series about identity, and identity is one of the most important aspects of life. I believe theology and anthropology—understanding God and humans—are the two most important fields of study, for the more we understand God and ourselves, the more we will flourish.
Who are you? Who are we? These are the primary questions we will seek to answer throughout our study of the book of Ephesians.
As a review for those who braved the snow last week and a summary for those who didn’t, we noted that Ephesians…
I want to note a few additional things about this book.
Ephesians 1 begins…
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
This is a letter written by Paul from a Roman prison. Paul was once a religious zealot named Saul.
Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. (Acts 8:2-3)
His conversion may be the most remarkable in history, an encounter with the risen Christ (Acts 9). Later he goes by the name of Paul (Acts 13:9).
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
The word “apostle” is interesting. The Greek word means “messenger” or “envoy.” I like to say there are two types—Apostle and apostle. An Apostle is the highest office of the Church. They received their commission directly from Jesus. Even though Paul did not know Jesus during His earthly ministry, the glorified Jesus commissioned Paul. They also saw Jesus after His resurrection, often wrote scripture, and performed signs, wonders, and miracles (2 Cor. 12:112). They also started churches.
Today there are people that are called apostles. I consider myself an apostle. I have been involved in starting or planting churches. I’m a spiritual entrepreneur.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
As we said last week, the core message of Ephesians is that our identity is in Christ. Paul is a messenger of Jesus. He has no personal agenda. The messenger only delivers—they don’t create—the message. As he was repeatedly arrested and beaten, he must’ve thought, “Don’t shoot the messenger!”
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
It was clearly God’s will that Paul become an apostle. He was called for a very special purpose, specifically to write much of the New Testament and be the most prominent figure in it after Christ.
Note that God does the calling. He still calls people today. He calls people to start churches, to travel to foreign countries, and to become pastors. He calls people to be beacons of light amidst the darkness at factories, schools, offices, and homes across our county. Be ready for His call. Be ready to respond. Be ready to obey.
Jonah received a calling, did not obey, spent three nights in a fish, and eventually got on board with God’s will!
You may be waiting—patiently or impatiently—for His call. I had a friend who spent years asking God to show him what to do. Silence meant to continue to be faithful to his current assignment until the time was right for something new, something that eventually came. He now leads a church God called him to plant in Chicagoland.
You might not like your calling. Take it up with God!
To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
I began with the greeting, “Good morning saints.” When you think of saints, perhaps you think of a New Orleans football team or a bunch of dead guys that have churches named after them!
A saint is a holy person.
The word “sinner” is used about 300 times in the Bible, often in conjunction with the 600 references to God’s wrath. It occurs no more than three times in reference to believers. God sees us as saints. Why don’t we? When we begin following Jesus as Lord, we become genuinely new creations, though not totally new. We are given a new nature, the nature of Jesus Christ when we identify with Him. That’s incredible!
Paul writes to the church…
To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
…in Ephesus and to those in the region and calls them “God’s holy people” or saints.
A saint is not a perfect person. Saints (haggais) means separated or set aside for the sole use of God, holy vessels like those in the tabernacle.
J. Vernon McGee used to say there are two types of people today: saints and ain’ts!
We have been set apart for God’s use. Isn’t that incredible?!
We are saints and sinners. Notice what is next…
To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
We are not saints because of how we act but because we are “in Christ.” Last week we briefly looked at nine uses of this phrase “in Christ” in the first thirteen verses of Ephesians. We are saints or God’s holy people “in Christ.” We are the faithful “in Christ.” We are full of faith.
You might be thinking, “I’m not always faithful.” True. This is where the faithfulness of Jesus kicks in. Paul wrote to Timothy an incredible truth.
Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him,
we will also live with him;
if we endure,
we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
he will also disown us;
if we are faithless,
he remains faithful,
for he cannot disown himself. (2 Timothy 2:11-13)
Because we are in Christ, we are faithful. It’s not about what we do, but what He has done.
Imagine that your name was chosen in a radio contest and you’ve been given a backstage pass to a rock concert. You go backstage, someone asks your name and then asks you to leave. When you flash them your backstage pass, everything changes. You’re “with the band!” You are on their team. You didn’t sing or play an instrument or even setup the stage, but you’re with them. You have special privileges not because of who you are or what you’ve done but who you know.
Being in Christ is so much more. It’s having a backstage pass to heaven, not because of anything you’ve done, but because you’re with Jesus.
It’s actually much more.
The bird is in the air and the air is in the bird.
The fish is in the water and the water is in the fish.
The believer is in Christ and Christ is in the believer.
That’s radical!!!
Paul continues this idea when he says…
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace. These are two of my favorite words.
What is grace?
It is unmerited favor.
Grace was the Gentile form of greeting.
Grace is the means by which God saves us. You must know God’s grace in order to have peace. The world can never know true peace until it knows God’s grace.
Outside the church we see “love” and “peace” but rarely “grace.” It is that amazing!
Peace was the religious word, shalom in Hebrew.
Peace means peace with God, to have our sins forgiven. It is more than the absence of war. Shalom means “to complete, to make sound.” It was used to describe the temple when it was finished (1 Kings 7:51). It is used to describe tranquility. The word was also used as a greeting, as it is here.
Last year our daughter, Kailey, talked about how she was going to focus on a word in 2013. I decided to follow her lead and have declared “peace” as my word for 2014. I have far more self-inflicted anxiety and fear and I’m choosing to embrace peace. Jesus is the Prince of peace. Paul blessed us with peace. I’m declaring peace on my life and I want to do the same for yours.
Grace and peace are two things you can have regardless of life’s circumstances. They’re yours if you accept them, much like salvation and God’s love.
Paul is greeting his friends and blessing them with grace and peace, not from Himself, but…
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit was already present in Ephesus. Now Paul ensures that the Father and Son are recognized.
Notice how often Christ Jesus is mentioned in this short section.
Christ is the title. Jesus was His human name. That’s why they’re used interchangeably. You can call me Pastor Kirk or Kirk the pastor. You can call Him Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus. Paul goes a step further and acknowledges Jesus as LORD. All glory and honor and praise is due Him for He is God, He deserves our praise, He is worthy of our worship.
Conclusion
We’ve spent a great deal of time on two short verses, just the greeting. If you’re reading through Ephesians with us, perhaps you blew past this passage, anxious to get to “the good stuff.” It’s here! In Christ we are saints. In Christ we are declared faithful. In Christ we are blessed with grace and peace.
This week I had this thought of Jesus talking to me. I didn’t have a vision or hear an audible voice, but I simply had the realization that Jesus truly loves me. He knows me. He is my friend. He’s God, but I’m on His team. He has given me His identity. I am in Christ and Christ is in me. Wow!
Every day we have a choice—to be saints or aints! We can choose to be lord of our lives or surrender to the LORD Jesus Christ. We can we His badge or risk it going alone, doing it our way. I urge you to embrace Jesus and the identity that is offered to you in Christ. It is truly a joy to say “Your will, Your way!”
Credits:
Some ideas from
J.I. Packer, Ephesians (sermon series audio)
Mark Driscoll, Who Do You Think You Are (book and podcast series)
GLO Bible
J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible, http://thruthebible.ca
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
Ephesians 1:1-2
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Introduction
Good morning, saints! Good morning, sinners!
Today we continue our new series, Who Do You Think You Are? It is a series about identity, and identity is one of the most important aspects of life. I believe theology and anthropology—understanding God and humans—are the two most important fields of study, for the more we understand God and ourselves, the more we will flourish.
Who are you? Who are we? These are the primary questions we will seek to answer throughout our study of the book of Ephesians.
As a review for those who braved the snow last week and a summary for those who didn’t, we noted that Ephesians…
- - was written by Paul in prison in Rome
- - to the church in the city of Ephesus, a cosmopolitan city not unlike Ann Arbor
- - it was written not only to the church at Ephesus but to all in the region
- - it is, therefore, one of the most universal books of the Bible, filled with timeless truths
- - frequently speaks of what it means to be “in Christ,” our primary, true identity
I want to note a few additional things about this book.
- - It is about “the Church which is His body,” of which Christ is the head
- - Paul founded the church in Ephesus during his second missionary journey
- - Paul stayed in Ephesus for three years during his third missionary journey (Acts 19:8-10; 20:31)
- - This may be the epistle referred to in Colossians 4:16
- - Like many New Testament books, Ephesians has an Old Testament parallel—Joshua
- - The church in Ephesus had many great preachers including Paul, Apollos, John and Timothy; what a legacy!
Ephesians 1 begins…
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
This is a letter written by Paul from a Roman prison. Paul was once a religious zealot named Saul.
Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. (Acts 8:2-3)
His conversion may be the most remarkable in history, an encounter with the risen Christ (Acts 9). Later he goes by the name of Paul (Acts 13:9).
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
The word “apostle” is interesting. The Greek word means “messenger” or “envoy.” I like to say there are two types—Apostle and apostle. An Apostle is the highest office of the Church. They received their commission directly from Jesus. Even though Paul did not know Jesus during His earthly ministry, the glorified Jesus commissioned Paul. They also saw Jesus after His resurrection, often wrote scripture, and performed signs, wonders, and miracles (2 Cor. 12:112). They also started churches.
Today there are people that are called apostles. I consider myself an apostle. I have been involved in starting or planting churches. I’m a spiritual entrepreneur.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
As we said last week, the core message of Ephesians is that our identity is in Christ. Paul is a messenger of Jesus. He has no personal agenda. The messenger only delivers—they don’t create—the message. As he was repeatedly arrested and beaten, he must’ve thought, “Don’t shoot the messenger!”
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
It was clearly God’s will that Paul become an apostle. He was called for a very special purpose, specifically to write much of the New Testament and be the most prominent figure in it after Christ.
Note that God does the calling. He still calls people today. He calls people to start churches, to travel to foreign countries, and to become pastors. He calls people to be beacons of light amidst the darkness at factories, schools, offices, and homes across our county. Be ready for His call. Be ready to respond. Be ready to obey.
Jonah received a calling, did not obey, spent three nights in a fish, and eventually got on board with God’s will!
You may be waiting—patiently or impatiently—for His call. I had a friend who spent years asking God to show him what to do. Silence meant to continue to be faithful to his current assignment until the time was right for something new, something that eventually came. He now leads a church God called him to plant in Chicagoland.
You might not like your calling. Take it up with God!
To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
I began with the greeting, “Good morning saints.” When you think of saints, perhaps you think of a New Orleans football team or a bunch of dead guys that have churches named after them!
A saint is a holy person.
The word “sinner” is used about 300 times in the Bible, often in conjunction with the 600 references to God’s wrath. It occurs no more than three times in reference to believers. God sees us as saints. Why don’t we? When we begin following Jesus as Lord, we become genuinely new creations, though not totally new. We are given a new nature, the nature of Jesus Christ when we identify with Him. That’s incredible!
Paul writes to the church…
To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
…in Ephesus and to those in the region and calls them “God’s holy people” or saints.
A saint is not a perfect person. Saints (haggais) means separated or set aside for the sole use of God, holy vessels like those in the tabernacle.
J. Vernon McGee used to say there are two types of people today: saints and ain’ts!
We have been set apart for God’s use. Isn’t that incredible?!
We are saints and sinners. Notice what is next…
To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
We are not saints because of how we act but because we are “in Christ.” Last week we briefly looked at nine uses of this phrase “in Christ” in the first thirteen verses of Ephesians. We are saints or God’s holy people “in Christ.” We are the faithful “in Christ.” We are full of faith.
You might be thinking, “I’m not always faithful.” True. This is where the faithfulness of Jesus kicks in. Paul wrote to Timothy an incredible truth.
Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him,
we will also live with him;
if we endure,
we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
he will also disown us;
if we are faithless,
he remains faithful,
for he cannot disown himself. (2 Timothy 2:11-13)
Because we are in Christ, we are faithful. It’s not about what we do, but what He has done.
Imagine that your name was chosen in a radio contest and you’ve been given a backstage pass to a rock concert. You go backstage, someone asks your name and then asks you to leave. When you flash them your backstage pass, everything changes. You’re “with the band!” You are on their team. You didn’t sing or play an instrument or even setup the stage, but you’re with them. You have special privileges not because of who you are or what you’ve done but who you know.
Being in Christ is so much more. It’s having a backstage pass to heaven, not because of anything you’ve done, but because you’re with Jesus.
It’s actually much more.
The bird is in the air and the air is in the bird.
The fish is in the water and the water is in the fish.
The believer is in Christ and Christ is in the believer.
That’s radical!!!
Paul continues this idea when he says…
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace. These are two of my favorite words.
What is grace?
It is unmerited favor.
Grace was the Gentile form of greeting.
Grace is the means by which God saves us. You must know God’s grace in order to have peace. The world can never know true peace until it knows God’s grace.
Outside the church we see “love” and “peace” but rarely “grace.” It is that amazing!
Peace was the religious word, shalom in Hebrew.
Peace means peace with God, to have our sins forgiven. It is more than the absence of war. Shalom means “to complete, to make sound.” It was used to describe the temple when it was finished (1 Kings 7:51). It is used to describe tranquility. The word was also used as a greeting, as it is here.
Last year our daughter, Kailey, talked about how she was going to focus on a word in 2013. I decided to follow her lead and have declared “peace” as my word for 2014. I have far more self-inflicted anxiety and fear and I’m choosing to embrace peace. Jesus is the Prince of peace. Paul blessed us with peace. I’m declaring peace on my life and I want to do the same for yours.
Grace and peace are two things you can have regardless of life’s circumstances. They’re yours if you accept them, much like salvation and God’s love.
Paul is greeting his friends and blessing them with grace and peace, not from Himself, but…
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit was already present in Ephesus. Now Paul ensures that the Father and Son are recognized.
Notice how often Christ Jesus is mentioned in this short section.
Christ is the title. Jesus was His human name. That’s why they’re used interchangeably. You can call me Pastor Kirk or Kirk the pastor. You can call Him Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus. Paul goes a step further and acknowledges Jesus as LORD. All glory and honor and praise is due Him for He is God, He deserves our praise, He is worthy of our worship.
Conclusion
We’ve spent a great deal of time on two short verses, just the greeting. If you’re reading through Ephesians with us, perhaps you blew past this passage, anxious to get to “the good stuff.” It’s here! In Christ we are saints. In Christ we are declared faithful. In Christ we are blessed with grace and peace.
This week I had this thought of Jesus talking to me. I didn’t have a vision or hear an audible voice, but I simply had the realization that Jesus truly loves me. He knows me. He is my friend. He’s God, but I’m on His team. He has given me His identity. I am in Christ and Christ is in me. Wow!
Every day we have a choice—to be saints or aints! We can choose to be lord of our lives or surrender to the LORD Jesus Christ. We can we His badge or risk it going alone, doing it our way. I urge you to embrace Jesus and the identity that is offered to you in Christ. It is truly a joy to say “Your will, Your way!”
Credits:
Some ideas from
J.I. Packer, Ephesians (sermon series audio)
Mark Driscoll, Who Do You Think You Are (book and podcast series)
GLO Bible
J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible, http://thruthebible.ca
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
Saints & Sinners, John 8:1-11, 2 September 2012
Big Idea: Are you a saint or a sinner?
This text is one of the most famous stories of Jesus. It has been the subject of countless studies and sermons, both for its context and content. By context I mean it is not included in all of the early Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. The Bible was not given to us by God leather-bound with gold page edges! The process is a fascinating one and the subject for another time. However, we have very reliable copies of the original documents, but virtually all of the originals are long gone.
You might wonder why these verses are included in our Bible. The overwhelming consensus among Bible scholars is that the account is authentic, though it may not have been written immediately after the seventh chapter of John.
While we’re on the subject of John’s writing, he wrote three letters in addition to this Gospel. The first of his letters offers a fascinating declaration that Pastor Judah Smith of The City Church in Seattle pointed out. John begins
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. (1 John 2:1a)
Here’s his purpose. We all sin (Romans 3:23). We all know sin is not good for us or our world. John is going to tell us how to avoid sin. Surprisingly, he doesn’t judge, condemn, yell, or shame. He doesn’t go postal on a megaphone. Instead, he takes a completely different approach. He points to Jesus...
But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1b-2)
John 8:1-11
At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. (John 8:2)
Jesus is teaching early in the morning, seated as was the custom. We know He had become incredibly popular—and controversial.
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” (John 8:3-5)
The teachers and Pharisees were two different groups of people. The teachers or scribes were experts in interpreting the Old Testament. The Pharisees were a party, a movement of conservative religious practice. Pharisee actually means “separated one.”
These verses raise all sorts of questions that are never answered.
Who caught her? What were they doing? Where was the man? We can come up with a variety of theories, but they are actually incidental to the text because they really weren’t trying to stone her. They were trying to stone Jesus!
They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. (John 8:6a)
If Jesus said to stone her, He would be in trouble with the Romans who had the authority to execute, not the religious leaders (which is why Caiaphas the high priest sent Jesus to Pilate).
If Jesus said to let her go, He would be accused of denying the law of Moses.
As is typical for Jesus, His response is unconventional and surprising.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. (John 8:6b)
This is the only biblical account of Jesus writing. He bends down and writes in the dirt.
What did He write? Nobody knows for sure, but many commentators relate this action to Jeremiah 17:13
O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water. (Jeremiah 17:13)
He doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t look at them. He doesn’t look at the woman. He just writes in the dust.
It is thought by many that He started writing down their sins.
Rabbi Joe, greed.
Rabbi Sam, gossip.
Rabbi Frank, envy.
He knew their hearts and secret sins. He knew their stories.
When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. (John 8:7-8)
Jesus says very little in this story, but every word is choice!
Did this woman sin? Yes. Jesus makes it very clear in a moment.
Did these leaders sin? Yes. Jesus knew their wicked hearts.
The next verse fascinates me.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. (John 8:9)
This is why many believe He was writing out their sins. The elders left first, either because they were wiser or Jesus began with their sins!
Now Jesus and this desperate housewife are the only ones left. He finally looks at her. How did she feel? Scared? Relieved? Grateful? Preparing for Him to personally read her the riot act? Was He going to grab a stone?
Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” (John 8:10)
Sometimes we like it when others sin because it makes us feel better about ourselves. We like to accuse, to criticize, to condemn, whether it be toward a movie star or neighbor or another Christian. The problem is we have all sinned. We are all broken. We are all messed up and desperately in need of the grace of Jesus, the Cross.
Jesus has a sense of humor!
The accusers are gone. In Revelation 12:10 satan is called the accuser. He lays on the guilt and shame.
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:11)
Honestly, I don’t think He needed to tell her to leave her life of sin. First, it probably made her miserable. We don’t know the circumstances, but it’s hard to sleep at night when you are living a life of sin.
Second, she didn’t need a lecture. She probably knew the law, or at least knew that what she was doing was unacceptable, both to God and society.
Third, condemnation is not a good motivator. How many of you like to be judged?
As we noted earlier, John himself said the way to avoid sin is to look to Jesus.
The more we recognize how much He loves us, the more we want to honor and bless and obey Him. This is one reason we gather—to be reminded of how high and deep and wide is the love of Jesus Christ.
Jesus was not an accuser but an advocate, an intercessor, a consoler, a defender.
This woman did some terrible things. She was a sinner. So are we!
Jesus did not embrace her sin. He called a sin a sin! He embraced her, though.
I pray that we are an advocate for everyone in our communities.
We’re so blinded by our own sin. We accuse others but we condemn ourselves in the process with legalism. How did they find her?!
An advocate is slow to speak. Jesus is. God, make us slow to speak...and quick to pray.
Jesus is the great leveler. He sits, then He gets down in the dirt while the leaders stand with rocks. We need churches filled with people in the dirt with the broken, not standing in judgment. All of us have sin and fall short of God’s glory.
Is our Gospel big enough to welcome sinners?
I want to pastor the church in the dirt!
We need compassion and grace and love.
Grace sets people from sin, not traditions or laws or judgment.
Where are your accusers, Ann Arbor? Not in this church!
There’s a common expression I’ve heard many Christians say, love the sinner and hate the sin.
Brothers and sisters, we are all sinners. We are saints because of what Jesus has done for us, but we are sinners.
Love the sinner, hate your own sin!!!
You can listen to the podcast here.
This text is one of the most famous stories of Jesus. It has been the subject of countless studies and sermons, both for its context and content. By context I mean it is not included in all of the early Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. The Bible was not given to us by God leather-bound with gold page edges! The process is a fascinating one and the subject for another time. However, we have very reliable copies of the original documents, but virtually all of the originals are long gone.
You might wonder why these verses are included in our Bible. The overwhelming consensus among Bible scholars is that the account is authentic, though it may not have been written immediately after the seventh chapter of John.
While we’re on the subject of John’s writing, he wrote three letters in addition to this Gospel. The first of his letters offers a fascinating declaration that Pastor Judah Smith of The City Church in Seattle pointed out. John begins
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. (1 John 2:1a)
Here’s his purpose. We all sin (Romans 3:23). We all know sin is not good for us or our world. John is going to tell us how to avoid sin. Surprisingly, he doesn’t judge, condemn, yell, or shame. He doesn’t go postal on a megaphone. Instead, he takes a completely different approach. He points to Jesus...
But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1b-2)
John 8:1-11
At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. (John 8:2)
Jesus is teaching early in the morning, seated as was the custom. We know He had become incredibly popular—and controversial.
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” (John 8:3-5)
The teachers and Pharisees were two different groups of people. The teachers or scribes were experts in interpreting the Old Testament. The Pharisees were a party, a movement of conservative religious practice. Pharisee actually means “separated one.”
These verses raise all sorts of questions that are never answered.
Who caught her? What were they doing? Where was the man? We can come up with a variety of theories, but they are actually incidental to the text because they really weren’t trying to stone her. They were trying to stone Jesus!
They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. (John 8:6a)
If Jesus said to stone her, He would be in trouble with the Romans who had the authority to execute, not the religious leaders (which is why Caiaphas the high priest sent Jesus to Pilate).
If Jesus said to let her go, He would be accused of denying the law of Moses.
As is typical for Jesus, His response is unconventional and surprising.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. (John 8:6b)
This is the only biblical account of Jesus writing. He bends down and writes in the dirt.
What did He write? Nobody knows for sure, but many commentators relate this action to Jeremiah 17:13
O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water. (Jeremiah 17:13)
He doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t look at them. He doesn’t look at the woman. He just writes in the dust.
It is thought by many that He started writing down their sins.
Rabbi Joe, greed.
Rabbi Sam, gossip.
Rabbi Frank, envy.
He knew their hearts and secret sins. He knew their stories.
When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. (John 8:7-8)
Jesus says very little in this story, but every word is choice!
Did this woman sin? Yes. Jesus makes it very clear in a moment.
Did these leaders sin? Yes. Jesus knew their wicked hearts.
The next verse fascinates me.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. (John 8:9)
This is why many believe He was writing out their sins. The elders left first, either because they were wiser or Jesus began with their sins!
Now Jesus and this desperate housewife are the only ones left. He finally looks at her. How did she feel? Scared? Relieved? Grateful? Preparing for Him to personally read her the riot act? Was He going to grab a stone?
Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” (John 8:10)
Sometimes we like it when others sin because it makes us feel better about ourselves. We like to accuse, to criticize, to condemn, whether it be toward a movie star or neighbor or another Christian. The problem is we have all sinned. We are all broken. We are all messed up and desperately in need of the grace of Jesus, the Cross.
Jesus has a sense of humor!
The accusers are gone. In Revelation 12:10 satan is called the accuser. He lays on the guilt and shame.
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:11)
Honestly, I don’t think He needed to tell her to leave her life of sin. First, it probably made her miserable. We don’t know the circumstances, but it’s hard to sleep at night when you are living a life of sin.
Second, she didn’t need a lecture. She probably knew the law, or at least knew that what she was doing was unacceptable, both to God and society.
Third, condemnation is not a good motivator. How many of you like to be judged?
As we noted earlier, John himself said the way to avoid sin is to look to Jesus.
The more we recognize how much He loves us, the more we want to honor and bless and obey Him. This is one reason we gather—to be reminded of how high and deep and wide is the love of Jesus Christ.
Jesus was not an accuser but an advocate, an intercessor, a consoler, a defender.
This woman did some terrible things. She was a sinner. So are we!
Jesus did not embrace her sin. He called a sin a sin! He embraced her, though.
I pray that we are an advocate for everyone in our communities.
We’re so blinded by our own sin. We accuse others but we condemn ourselves in the process with legalism. How did they find her?!
An advocate is slow to speak. Jesus is. God, make us slow to speak...and quick to pray.
Jesus is the great leveler. He sits, then He gets down in the dirt while the leaders stand with rocks. We need churches filled with people in the dirt with the broken, not standing in judgment. All of us have sin and fall short of God’s glory.
Is our Gospel big enough to welcome sinners?
I want to pastor the church in the dirt!
We need compassion and grace and love.
Grace sets people from sin, not traditions or laws or judgment.
Where are your accusers, Ann Arbor? Not in this church!
There’s a common expression I’ve heard many Christians say, love the sinner and hate the sin.
Brothers and sisters, we are all sinners. We are saints because of what Jesus has done for us, but we are sinners.
Love the sinner, hate your own sin!!!
You can listen to the podcast here.