EMMDEV 2011-09-30 [Ephesians] Horizontal Beam 3: Level Ground

He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Ephesians2:17-18

When we stand at the foot of the cross, the ground is level.

Jesus preached peace to those "far away" and "near."
(I like the way Paul starts with "far" and then comes to "near.")
For Paul this meant "Gentile" and "Jew."
For us this could mean "Out" and "In."
Or "not like us" and "like us."
Or "those-we-thought-were-unworthy" and "those-we-thought-were-worthy."

Jesus brought us peace:
- Peace with God.
- Peace with ourselves.
- Peace with one-another.

Although Paul wrote in Greek, being a Jew I imagine he was thinking of the Hebrew word "Shalom" which was how Hebrews greeted and blessed one-another. "Shalom li cha" - "peace be with you." Peace in Hebrew culture meant harmony, wholeness, reconciliation, restoration in the most holistic sense of the word."

How does this peace work?
We have access to God.
We can become God's children.
And this is made real to us by the amazing work of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit re-assures us that we are God's children.
He fills us with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control.

I wanted to say that we were once "far" but now we are "near", but actually it is better than that: We were "far" but now we have peace.
Shalom li cha!!!

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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/

EMMDEV 2011-09-29 [Ephesians] Horizontal Beam 2: Peacemaker

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. Ephesians2:14-16

Adam blamed Eve...
Cain killed Abel...
Jacob cheated Isaac out of what was rightfully his...
Rachael and Leah fought over their husband...
Joseph's brothers plotted murder and sold him as a slave...
The disciples bickered about who was greatest...
Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss...

Since sin entered our world we have been in conflict - brother against brother, sister against sister, war, violence, vendettas and bitterness.

Jesus came to bring us peace.
How did He do it?
He abolished the law in His flesh i.e. He lived a perfect life, satisfying the law and then died to pay for our breaking of the same law - thus reconciling us with God.
This means that we can have peace within.
The French Mathematician, Blaise Pascal, said that there is a God-shaped vacuum in all of us.

When we try to fill the vacuum with anything else, we are filled with disharmony, greed and self-centeredness and we are in conflict with the world around us.

When Christ died on the cross, He made a way for us to be filled by God. The peace that results from our restored relationship with God has the power to enable us to love one another.

Jesus' supreme act of love also overcomes all hatred and hostility and enables us to embrace one another. This is where the vertical beam of the cross (our relationship with God) and the horizontal beam (our relationship with others) come together.

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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/

EMMDEV 2011-09-28 [Ephesians] Horizontal Beam 1: Far, now near

Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)-- 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. Ephesians2:11-13

According to traditional Jewish belief and practice, there was no way for a Gentile to be acceptable to God unless he became Jewish. By this I mean that he had to adopt Jewish faith, culture and lifestyle. A convert to Jewish faith would have to be "proselytised." This would involve circumcision for the men and then proselyte baptism (symbolising that the person was being "born into" Judaism.) They would be given a new name, a new set of clothes and be considered a Jew one day old.

But even then they were still considered Proselytes. Not the real deal...

Paul describes the fate of Non-Jews as follows:
- Separate from Christ (He was not in their genealogy)
- Excluded from citizenship (It wasn't in their genes!)
- Excluded from the covenants (They weren't descendants of Abraham)
- Without hope and without God (They weren't the "chosen" race)

The Jews misunderstood - they were not meant to be "chosen" while everyone else was "not chosen" - they were "chosen to be a light to the Gentiles," (Isa42:6) but they failed.

It was an issue of blood - They believed that if you did not have Jewish blood, you were really a second-class citizen.

Jesus changed all of that.
In a sense we could say that by laying down His life for us, Jesus has made us all His blood brothers.

We who were far have been brought near. It is still a blood issue, but not our blood. We are all saved by the blood of Jesus and not our own, and so we are all equal in the eyes of Christ.

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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/

EMMDEV 2011-09-27 [Ephesians] Vertical Beam 4: A Future

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians2:8-10

We are not here by accident and our lives are not random or circumstantial: God has a plan for our lives - this is why He made us and this is why He saved us.

In the original Greek Paul uses an important word for "workmanship" ('poiema') It means we are the work of His hands. We are God's "handiwork." Some translations even translate "We are God's masterpieces."

Not only has God created us as His Masterpieces, but He has also prepared "good works" in advance for us to "do" (the Greek implies a pathway to walk along).

So, each of us is born a masterpiece and God has offered us a pathway to walk along - a destiny. Our choice to sin marred the masterpiece and caused us to lose the path. Jesus offers us GRACE (forgiveness and restoration at His expense) so that we can find the pathway again and become masterpieces again as we follow Christ.

I am not only saved from my past, but I have been saved for a future. There is a life of purpose and meaning that is part of my created DNA. Through Christ, I once again have access to the plans God has for me.

Ultimate joy is doing what I was created to do! When I am forgiven by Christ and draw near to Him, I can reconnect to the big picture purpose for my life. For me personally, I know that the work I do brings a smile to the face of God and contentment to my soul.

YOU are not only saved from your past - YOU are saved for your future! Drawing near to Jesus will allow you to "walk in the pathway" of that great plan. Will you do it?

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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/

EMMDEV 2011-09-23 [Ephesians] Vertical Beam 3: ...where credit is due

6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians2:6-9

Yesterday we defined GRACE as God's Riches At Christ's Expense.
In today's passage Paul gives us another way of seeing grace: It is UNMERITED FAVOUR. God has shown His incredible "kindness" and the "incomparable riches" of His grace. This grace is the "gift of God" - it cannot be earned and none of us can claim to have deserved it.

This idea that our salvation is unearned, undeserved and unmerited is vitally important:

1. It means that we are completely dependent on God.

2. It highlights His goodness!

3. It prepares the way for the next section that deals with the Horizontal Beam of the cross - our human relationships. Unmerited grace means that we are all equal before God, all of us are saved by His goodness alone and none of us deserved to be saved more than another.

Somebody described it like this: "Sharing our faith is one beggar telling another where he found bread!"

In 2Corinthians10:17 Paul says "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

Let's lift our hearts in praise to the God who saved us even though He didn't have to! Let's boast about a God who gave us everything even when we had nothing!

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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/

EMMDEV 2011-09-22 [Ephesians] Vertical Beam 2: BUT

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus Ephesians2:4-6

There are two pictures in this passage: Of God and what He has done for us.

Here's what we learn about God.
"But because of His great love for us..."
This is the turning point in the story. The world was broken and infected by the "me, me, me" philosophy but is rescued for no other reason than that God is love.

We have no "right" to be saved - we've blown all our chances!
We have no "claim" on God - we've broken all our promises!

"But ... God who is rich in mercy..."
Mercy is to be spared the consequences we deserve. Mercy means that the one offering it walks away from the justice or vengeance that is rightfully theirs.

This God has great love and rich mercy.

And here's what He did:
"He made us alive with Christ _and_ raised us up in the heavenly realms."
We were spiritually dead because of our guilt and failure.
- Jesus entered into our death on the cross.
- He defeated death by the resurrection.
- He ascended into heaven, opening up eternal life.

So Jesus represented us on the cross, He represented us when He rose from the dead and He represents us in heaven.
He did this all "because of His great love for us!"
"It is by GRACE you have been saved."
G_od's
R_iches
A_t
C_hrist's
E_xpense!

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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/

EMMDEV 2011-09-21 [Ephesians] Vertical Beam 1: Dead

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 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. Ephesians2:1-3

Ephesians 2 really boils down to being a summary of the gospel. The first ten verses describe what I call the "vertical beam" of the cross: the relationship between us and God. The next eight verses describe the "horizontal beam" of the cross: our relationships with one another. The remaining four verses describe the "building" on which the cross is mounted: the church.

Paul starts off the summary of the gospel by describing the basic state that every human being finds themselves in:
- Spiritually Dead,
- Following the ways of Satan (the ruler of the kingdom of the air)
- Slaves to satisfying the desires of our brokenness
- and Destined for Judgement.

The Matrix Movie Trilogy, illustrates this quite powerfully. The Matrix is a virtual world where humans and computer programs reside as entities in a system. One of the programs "Agent Smith" goes rogue and begins to infect all the entities in the matrix with his basic philosophy which is "me, me, me!" In the closing scene the hero character, Neo, returns to the matrix which was once a nicely functioning 1980's American City with parks and sunrises but now is a ruined slum with pouring rain and dirty slosh in the streets and Agent Smith gloats "Do you like what I have done to the place?"

When we look at the world around us, we can see the effects of the rogue angel, Satan, and what his philosophy of "me, me, me" has done to us and to the world...

The only hope we have is to stop following Satan but we find it hard. We need a Saviour and Paul shows us that it is Christ alone who can save us!
More tomorrow...

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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/

EMMDEV 2011-09-20 [Ephesians] Best Prayers 3 - DOXOLOGY

... and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Ephesians1:20-23

Ephesians is a letter where we will see Paul's "train of thought" being frequently "hijacked" by his sense of the greatness and glory of God.

In this prayer, Paul has been thinking of the power of the Spirit that is at work in believers and he identifies it as the "power that raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him in at God's right hand in the heavenly realms."

Today there are many who are sceptical about the resurrection. But for Paul, the resurrection is a non-negotiable and it is the trigger that sets off an explosion of praise in him. The moment Paul thinks of the resurrection he thinks of the glorious and exalted position of Christ! Here's what he sees:

1. Jesus is above all powers, dominions and titles - past, present and future!

2. EVERYTHING has been placed beneath His feet. Even death and suffering because He has been to the cross and has triumphed.

3. Jesus is the head of the church. The church can never exist without Christ, just as the body cannot exist without a head.

4. The church is "His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way." The best analogy I can think of is when my son Caleb started walking, he used to love putting his feet into my sheepskin slippers and "plopping" around the house. For Brenda and I there was an awareness that one day he would grow into those slippers (he's more than halfway there!!!) As the church we growing into all that Christ has done for us!

Paul was easily brought back from the sidetracks of life to the "maintrack" of praise... shouldn't we be the same?

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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/

EMMDEV 2011-09-16 [Ephesians] Best Prayers 2

18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead... Ephesians1:18-20

We saw yesterday that Paul's heart's desire is that the Ephesians may know God better. We realised that this is the best prayer that we can pray for anyone! But Paul helps us further by explaining that nature of the "knowing God" that he is praying for:

Paul is praying that the "eyes of the heart" are enlightened. In Hebrew culture (and the Greek culture to a certain extent) the heart was not the seat of emotions, but the control centre of the soul. The heart was the foundation of one's values and principles.

Paul prays for three key values to be clearly seen and understood:

1. The hope to which we have been called. Hope is the fuel of life. It gives us the "chutzpah" to get us out of bed in the mornings. It keeps us going through adversity and provides purpose for life. Our hope is in Christ.

2. The riches of our glorious inheritance in the saints. Understanding what Christ has done for us and that we are inheritors of eternal life means that we serve God out of incredible gratitude. Because of His goodness to us it is easy for us to offer ourselves as an _oblation_ (a solemn offering of our lives to the glory of God.)

3. His incomparably great power for us who believe. His power is at work in us to guide us, teach us, empower and transform us. This power is resurrection power - it raised Christ from the dead and raises us from our deadness. We become resurrection agents - called and empowered to bring life wherever we go.

So Paul wants us to know God and to know that we have hope in Him, an inheritance that is _glorious_ and that there is phenomenal power lurking to be unleashed in our lives.

Wow! Imagine praying this for those you love!

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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/

EMMDEV 2011-09-15 [Ephesians] Best Prayers 1

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better Ephesians1:15-17

What is the best thing we can possibly pray for others?
Paul really cared about and loved the Ephesian church elders - we saw this in Acts when Paul made a special stop to say goodbye to them when he was headed for Jerusalem.

Before we look at what he prayed for them, lets also note that he prayed for them often!

So what did he pray for them? For health, wealth and prosperity?
No! He prayed fervently and urgently that they may know God better. This was Paul's hungry heart's desire. (He will pray this prayer again in ch.3.)

And, once again, Paul is aware that the only way for us to know God better is if we have the help of the Holy Spirit. We need God's Spirit working in us, through us, inspiring us and waking us up to the enormity and beauty of God's everlasting love for us!

This is Paul's greatest desire: That through heartache or joy, sorrow or blessing, bad times or good they would know and experience more of God's great love!!!

This is a cage rattler for me. How often do I pray this simple prayer for the the people I love? "Dear Lord, please help Brenda and Caleb know you better!"

This is the very best and most important thing that could EVER happen to them!

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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/