Sermon videos

A Community in Christ (part 2)

Last time I spoke I talked about Ephesians 1:3-7 which is the first half of the topic framing first sentence Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians. Today I will continue with the second half.

I want you to imagine that King Charles decided that having effectively lost one prince from his family he was going to replace him with a new child. No doubt in English legal circles and the royal family it would be a controversial decision but let’s just imagine Charles had the power to do it and went ahead. And I want you to imagine that the letter of invitation to be the next child in Charles’ family came to you, personally. It would mean considerable wealth, fame, power and a lifetime job in the family firm. It is an offer no one would expect to receive unless in some really significant way they had done something to qualify for it. Yet in terms of regal offers, it truly pales in comparison with what God offers us.

As Pau said in

Ephesians 1:3-7 TPT “Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has already been lavished upon us as a love gift from our wonderful heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus—all because he sees us wrapped into Christ. This is why we celebrate him with all our hearts!And in love he chose us before he laid the foundation of the universe!

Because of his great love, he ordained us, so that we would be seen as holy in his eyes with an unstained innocence. For, it was always in his perfect plan to adopt us as his delightful children, through our union with Jesus, the Anointed One, so that his tremendous love that cascades over us would glorify his grace —for the same love he has for the Beloved, Jesus, he has for us. And this unfolding plan brings him great pleasure! Since we are now joined to Christ, we have been given the treasures of redemption by his blood—the total cancellation of our sins—all because of the cascading riches of his grace.”

And that is where we left this passage last time I spoke.

Now, if you were to move from where you are now, into, being the newest Prince or Princess in King Charles’ family there are a lot of changes you would need to make. Coming from here, your home country and your residence would change. But that would be only the start. Expectations, education, occupation, wardrobe, speech in fact almost everything you do would probably have to change.

Similarly becoming a full member of God’s family requires us to change. But as Paul said in the first half of this Ephesians passage, these things were all organised for us before this world was made. It began in God’s decision to adopt us as His children by putting us into Christ; wrapping us in Jesus and uniting us with Him and Him with us. That decision alone put us directly into the powerful eternal love God has for Jesus. In Christ we are made holy and perfect because Jesus holiness and righteousness has filled us and Jesus death frees us from the power of sin and death. Now we are united with Him in His eternal resurrection life. It is our presence in Jesus and Jesus presence in us that equips us with all we need to qualify for and be God’s beloved children. It is a free gift for all who want to accept it: come and be one of Almighty God’s beloved family. But you know, that is not so easy to comprehend, much less live in, and God knows we need help with that too so..

As Paul explains in verse 8

1:8 “This superabundant grace [the same grace which freed us from sin and death] is already powerfully working in us, releasing all forms of wisdom and practical understanding.”

Most, if not all of us here, can remember when we set out to get our driver’s license. We probably had many years of experience as passengers in cars where we could observe driving. And to some extent we learnt something about how a car works. Then we had to do a road rules test to demonstrate we knew the rules. And then we had to have a car and an instructor who would teach us to drive. But even when you have all those things you still have to get behind a wheel in a car and actually drive it. And that is when you find, that it is a far more complex task than it looks. Intellectual knowledge about it is very useful, as is the knowledge and experience of the instructor, but actually doing it, and learning by experience what works and what doesn’t, is needed to make us into real drivers. Good intellectual knowledge has to combine with good practical knowledge to get a good outcome.

And here in verse 8 Paul is saying that having united us with Christ, wrapped us in His love to make us holy and perfect, and having redeemed us from sin, the continuing flow of God’s grace also gifts us with His wisdom and practical understanding for living. We need to understand God and His creation if we are going to take our place in it as His children. But we also need to know how to apply that wisdom and knowledge in the practical world. We need the practical knowledge which enables us to handle and solve the day to day problems of life. In Christ, says Paul, we are given the ability to see the great ultimate truths of eternity and also what we need to solve the problems of each moment in time. And this wisdom and practical knowledge is there for us to access and live in any time we like.

Now you might be wondering how you have received this or even if you have ever received it. And I can confidently assure you, you have. Having been in this church since January, I can testify that in Geoff’s teaching you have heard wisdom from God. Not only that but any time a Bible verse, some spoken words or song, or something you read or see has a powerful and positive impact on you, you are receiving wisdom from God. And any time you unexpectedly get solutions to problems either directly into your mind or through other people, you can know you are receiving practical understanding from God. It can be anything from the simple things like “tarragon would go well in that soup” to the complex and world changing solutions like antibiotics.

God’s solutions are not always the obvious ones. Who would besiege a city using only trumpets like Joshua did? And the outcome is not necessarily what we would expect. Certainly martyrdom would not be my outcome of choice. But the best part is that these occurrences are not just for the occasional moment but a very real invitation to come to God for more; more understanding and more applications and solutions. And God will always be with us. God’s Holy Spirit is the best thinker, teacher, supervisor, skill equipper and partner you can ever do life with. And He loves to do life with you and empower you to be a child of God.

For example, shortly after we moved into our unit in Canberra we became aware that the body corporate manager our unit complex were paying was, at the very least, incompetent. And things came to a head when during a significant renovation at the complex, we were left completely without a manger for 5 weeks without warning or explanation. The Executive Committee agreed that we needed a better manager and as the EC Chairperson I took on the job of finding out how we could legally get out of our contract with them. During my email conversations with the upper management I got frustrated enough to send a long email detailing all the ways they had failed as managers, and pointing out the relevant parts of the act with which they had not complied. I got no response to this email. A few weeks later, when I had a much better understanding of how to fire an incompetent manager, I realised that that detailed email was exactly what I needed to send to formalise the process and they now had a limited amount of time left in which to reply. I recognised then that it was the Holy Spirit who had lead me to do that and I was very grateful. They never did reply so we were able to complete the process, leave that company and engage new, competent body corporate mangers.

So the same exceedingly abundant grace of God that has freed us from sin and wrapped us in love, holiness and perfection, wrapped us in Christ, has also poured out God’s wisdom and practical understanding into us so we can live as His children now. And we can always seek more!

In the Old Testament we read that the Jews were expecting God to send a saviour that would rescue them, but in the New Testament, we see that Jesus was not what anyone was expecting. And the invitation to everyone, not just Jews, to become one with Jesus and live in all of heaven’s blessings was probably about as foreign to them as being invited to join King Charles’ family is to us. But as Paul writes here in verse 9

“through the revelation of the Anointed One [that is Jesus], he [God] unveiled his secret desires to us—the hidden mystery of his long-range plan, which he was delighted to implement from the very beginning of time.”

As people experienced the power of Jesus ministry and then the power of his death and resurrection in their lives, the mystery of God’s long range plan to adopt us as his children, by uniting us with Jesus, was gradually revealed. And the reality of that revelation continues to grow for those of us who have embraced Jesus as our saviour. The Holy Spirit guides us as we grow into the experience and knowledge of living united to Jesus.

“And [continues Paul in verse 10] because of God’s unfailing purpose, this detailed plan will reign supreme through every period of time until the fulfilment of all the ages finally reaches its climax—when God makes all things new in all of heaven and earth through Jesus Christ.”

When the spring bulbs, the daffodils, jonquils, tulips etc in our Canberra gardens start flowering, we recognise that winter is ending and spring is coming. We know we can look forward to longer, warmer days, plants growing and flowering, insects buzzing and the wild birds and animals having offspring. It can feel a bit like the world is being renewed.

But the renewal God has planned for this world is far greater than than anything we have experienced to date. For God’s long range plan is that all of creation, not just people, will be made new, perfect, holy, and united in Christ. All that is wrong and broken, all that is in disharmony in this world will be gone, replaced with the perfect love, beauty and harmony of God’s kingdom. And for those of us who experience the beginning of those changes in our own lives now, by choosing to live from Jesus life in us, the reality of that long term promise becomes clearer.

So

“Through our union with Christ [says Paul in verse 11-13a] we too have been claimed by God as his own inheritance. Before we were even born, he gave us our destiny; that we would fulfil the plan of God who always accomplishes every purpose and plan in his heart. God’s purpose was that we, who were the first to long for the messianic hope, would be the first to believe in the Anointed One and bring great praise and glory to God! And because of him, when you heard the revelation of truth, you believed in the wonderful news of salvation.”

Now we all know an inheritance is something you gain when someone else dies. And that inheritance is normally certified through a will.

In our case it was our union with Jesus in His death and resurrection that brought us home to God. It was a process certified by God’s will and that is how we became God’s inheritance.

It now seems clear that despite all his resources and best efforts, King Charles is unable to convince his youngest son to continue as a member of the British Royal Family.

Similarly there are many ways humans have rejected God and gone their own way, yet God had determined we would be part of His restoration plan. And now, with the revelation of Jesus, we can see how God’s will prevails. For in Jesus God has used our very rejection and crucifixion of His Beloved Son to accomplish His plan of adopting us. God turned humanities worst sin into the means of our salvation! It really is a revelation that only God’s understanding and wisdom can truly impart to us.

To actually be a Prince or Princess in King Charles’ family would obviously require a lot more than an invitation. It would also, no doubt, require the approval of the British Parliament and the rest of the Royal Family and be sealed into law by an act of parliament.

And this is not unlike what Paul says God has done:

Now [says Paul in verses 13b-14] we have been stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit. He is given to us like an engagement ring, as the first instalment of what’s coming! He is our hope-promise of a future inheritance which seals us until we have all of redemption’s promises and experience complete freedom—all for the supreme glory and honor of God!

We know about deposits. We can enter into an agreement to buy something whether it is as big as a house or as small as a garment, by paying a deposit. The deposit is our guarantee that we will complete the payment. Similarly we use engagement rings to symbolise that we have promised to marry someone. And we know how official documents often have a seal stamped on them to verify their authenticity. And it is these symbols of authenticity and promise that Paul is using here, for how the Holy Spirit verifies and guarantees our presence and life in Christ.

God, says Paul, has sealed into Christ those who have accepted salvation through Christ. And that seal is the presence of God’s Holy Spirit in their hearts. The fact that those who put their faith in Jesus are united with Jesus and sealed into His new life with their fellow believers is guaranteed by the presence of God’s Holy Spirit in them as individuals and as a community. The presence of the Holy Spirit marks us out as belonging to God; as His Beloved children. And His Presence guarantees we will receive ALL that is due to our new status as God’s Beloved children.

So at every step our salvation was God’s plan for us, accomplished by Him uniting us into Jesus and certified and sealed through the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit. And because of that all the blessings of heaven are ours. We are wrapped into, made one with Jesus, the consequences of which mean we are freed from sin and death, made holy and perfect, as loved by God as Jesus is, filled with wisdom and practical understanding, united as a community, and sealed as God’s children through the presence of His Holy Spirit in us. All to glorify God.

None of this is earned by us, it is all a free gift of God’s love. Our job is simply to receive, dwell in and learn to live out this magnificent gift. To delight in and share with others all that God has given us. To live His glory in this world.

This is the foundational message Paul wanted all Christians to know and live in and it is the lens and framework we should use to understand the rest of this letter.

Sometimes I think it is useful to have a physical reminder of spiritual realities. So today we are going to mark God’s gift of being wrapped into Christ by wrapping ourselves with a streamer that has reminders of this core message of Ephesians written on it. So who would like to hand out these streamers to everyone for me? As you can see it has the words: In Christ, All Spiritual Blessings, Chosen, Ordained, Holy , Innocent , Adopted. , United with Jesus, Beloved, Redeemed , Wisdom, Practical understanding and Holy Spirit sealed written on it.

Just three verses later in Ephesians 1, Paul describes the prayer for wisdom and understanding he prayed for the Ephesians. And I would like us to finish today by praying this prayer together, not just for us but for all Christians as I think the world could really use more of God’s wisdom and practical understanding. OK?

The words are up on the screen. Let’s pray together.

Father of glory, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray that You would impart to all your children the riches of the Spirit of wisdom and the Spirit of revelation, to know Jesus through deepening our intimacy with him. We ask that Your light, Father God, illuminate the eyes of our imaginations, flooding us with light, until we experience the full revelation of the hope of God’s calling —that is, the wealth of God’s glorious inheritances that he finds in us, his holy ones! We ask that we will continually experience the immeasurable greatness of Your power made available to us through faith. Make our lives an advertisement of this immense power as it works through us! This mighty power that was released when God raised Christ from the dead and exalted him to the place of highest honour and supreme authority in the heavenly realm!

In Jesus Name

Amen

A Community in Christ (pt 1)

https://youtu.be/dWa6iH7-LgY?si=bO2B1E0PyfOs5erT

A sense of community and belonging is a very powerful need for human beings; very important for our mental and physical health. It helps us to build a sound sense of self-identity. In healthy communities people are supported to grow and flourish as human beings, to find and develop their talents and skills and to live in healthy relationships. In healthy communities people feel valued. So we naturally build communities to foster the things that are important to us. Education, health, food production, the arts, politics, culture and religion all have their community support structures to facilitate their activities. And in times of difficulty or uncertainty it is often to our communities that we go for support and guidance.

People were no different in the Apostle Paul’s time and community support structures were just as important, particularly religious ones. But, the Christian church, which was in its infancy, was specifically targeted for persecution as an unacceptable new religion. Christians could, as Paul knew by experience, be beaten and imprisoned for their faith and martyrdom was a real threat. So Paul knew if the church was to not only going survive, but flourish and grow, it needed a very strong foundation, as a community, and for each of its individual believers.

So when we come to the book of Ephesians, which Paul wrote while imprisoned, we find not a letter dealing with sin and salvation, like Romans, or the pastoral issues a particular church was facing, but a letter addressed simply to all devoted believers. These then, are things that Paul thought it important for all Christians and their communities to know, so it follows we would likely benefit from knowing them too.

After his standard greetings Paul writes one really long opening sentence which in our English bibles is cut up into 11 verses and even more sentences. And it is in this one long sentence, which begins in verse 3, that Paul sets out the framework of understanding for the rest of the letter.

The poetic and rhythmic style of this long Greek sentence has lead some commentators to postulate it was an early hymn or creed but as there is no other evidence of this, it is also just as likely that Paul was so wrapped up in the beauty of the things he was describing that it naturally came out in a poetic-hymn style. There is so much in this one sentence that today we will just look at verses 3-7.

And in the Passion Translation verse 3 reads:

1:3 “Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has already been lavished upon us as a love gift from our wonderful heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus—all because he sees us wrapped into Christ. This is why we celebrate him with all our hearts!”

As the commentator FF Bruce says,“Here the keynote of the Epistle to the Ephesians is struck at once. The writer and his readers are ‘in Christ’ – members of Christ, sharers of his resurrection life – and because Christ himself is now exalted in the heavenly realm, those who are ‘in him’ belong to that heavenly realm , too”

When we were living in Germany, in April 1986, we decided to go to Paris for a long weekend. To do so at that time, we required a visa. So we went to the nearest French consulate to get one. While waiting to get ours, we overheard some other people also trying to get visas to enter France. There was a Chinese man who had been invited to speak at a conference in Paris. Despite all the documentation he had that the invitation was real he was not believed and could not get a visa. A German man was also unable to get a visa for his Mexican wife, a permanent German resident, because she was still a Mexican citizen. And a Spanish man was grilled in detail about his intentions before reluctantly being given a 12 hour visa. In contrast, we simply handed over our passports, waited a little while and then were given them back with the standard visa stamped inside. No questions asked.

The more we travelled the clearer became just how much privilege there was attached to being a white Australian citizen. The origins of our birth put us in a very privileged class.

Likewise here in this beginning verse Paul is saying God has put us in an even more privileged class, a truly blessed community for..

“Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has already been lavished upon us as a love gift from our wonderful heavenly Father”

God, our heavenly parent, our maker, has given us a love gift of all that He is and has. It is simply astounding to contemplate. All heaven’s blessing lavished upon us: all God’s love, holiness, righteousness, purity, power, joy, peace, authority and glory residing in us for us to embrace and live in and through. Can you believe it? What an extraordinary privilege! What a firm foundation for any person and community!

But how, you might say, how has God done this? Has it really happened? How could this possibly be achieved?

It is all, says Paul, because God sees us wrapped into Christ. From God’s perspective we are in Christ now. Already glorified residents of heaven. We are as much a part of God’s family as Jesus is, because we are a part of everything Jesus is. All His holiness, righteousness, purity, glory, power, joy and love is wrapped in and around us to make us just like Him, a beloved child of God, created in God’s image. Even as an idea it is probably far greater than anything we would imagine for ourselves, but it is not just an idea, it is a reality. And a reality we can choose to live from daily through the Holy Spirit’s personal ministry.

Is that not something worth celebrating again and again?

Imagine communities of people who are increasingly living ‘in Christ’, living in and from the love, compassion, holiness and integrity of Jesus – is that not what the world most needs now?

Now I am sure it won’t surprise you to know that some have questioned whether these heavenly blessings are ours now or only when we die and go to heaven. But Paul’s language in this passage is quite explicit. This has already happened and is a reality we can begin to experience now. How much can we experience now? It would seem the limits are in only in our beliefs and thinking. For Paul says every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has already been lavished upon us as a love gift because

God has wrapped us into Christ.

And Paul continues in verse 4, explaining:

1:4a “And in love he [God] chose us before he laid the foundation of the universe!”

So the origins of us being ‘in Christ’ began in the love of God before this universe was even made, before we existed. God loved us and chose us in love when we were just an idea. And I can imagine the Trinity deciding it together. Seeing in their mind’s eye an extended family they could create, full of love, joy and and fellowship and choosing to create us in that. They chose us, not because we could earn such love but because they have such deep love and joy they want to share with us for eternity.

So as individual believers and as a Christian community we can rest in the fact that our existence ‘in Christ’ is and always has been God’s loving choice for us.

We are God’s Beloved, chosen in Christ

And verse 4 continues with

1:4b “Because of his great love, he [God] ordained us, so that we would be seen as holy in his eyes with an unstained innocence.”

When our current king was born to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip he was immediately recognised as the person who would inherit the British Throne from Elizabeth. The authority of the English law of succession degreed it and that made it so. By law he was ordained to be King on Elizabeths death, and indeed that is what happened.

Similarly, because of the greatness of His love for us, God established by His authority that we would be holy with an unstained innocence, entirely sanctified.

The word holy carries the meaning of being set apart, consecrated, or sanctified for sacred use. It underscores the moral and spiritual purity associated with holiness. The idea is that what God calls holy must be distinct in purpose and dedicated to His honour. This designation reflects not only a moral standard but also a transformative relationship with the God who is entirely separate from sin and imperfection.

God knew we would need holiness if we were to be in intimate relationship with Him, and He knew we could never be that without His help, so by His authority He gifted it to us. This is not just wishful thinking or future dreaming on God’s part because Paul makes it clear that for God, these things are true for us now.

We are God’s Beloved, chosen and holy in Christ

1:5-6 “For” Paul continues in verse 5 and 6, “it was always in his [God’s] perfect plan to adopt us as his delightful children, through our union with Jesus, the Anointed One, so that his tremendous love that cascades over us would glorify his grace —for the same love he has for the Beloved, Jesus, he has for us. And this unfolding plan brings him great pleasure!”

In the Roman Empire, as Paul and this letter’s recipients were, adoption was a far more formal and serious process than what we have now. In that time and society, fathers had complete control over their children ALL their life. As long as the father was alive, his children and their property were under the father’s complete control, no matter how old or powerful they were. He even had the right to kill them. And when the father died they inherited all his property and any debts. So when a child, normally a son, was adopted by a new family, there was quite an involved ceremony, in which the son was actually sold three times from his current to the new father. And when that sale was complete the new father now had complete control over the adopted son. The son was no longer answerable to his old father, and could no longer inherit either property or debts from his old father. In every sense the transfer of relationship was complete and the adopted son treated the same as a biological son of the new father.

Likewise, as FF Bruce put it in his commentary on Ephesians:“God marked us out in advance as those who were to receive a highly honoured status as His sons (and in this case sons is not meant to refer to a gender but children who fully inherit all the father has). This ‘adoption’ is more than our relationship to God as His children which is ours by the new birth; it embraces all the privileges and responsibilities which belong to those whom God has acknowledged as his freeborn, full grown [heirs]. It is a status which we receive in Christ .. through faith (Galatians 3:26; 4:5)”

When King Charles was first conceived, a potential king was alive. Yet as a newborn baby King Charles had no concept of his royal identity. But as he grew that changed and he learned of and was prepared for his future role as King in the belief it would happen. And now he is king.

Similarly, as believers, we only consciously begin to experience being united with Christ, being God’s beloved, when we believe in and accept God’s gift of salvation. Then the Holy Spirit guides and empowers us into learning to live as God’s children. But from God’s point of view we have always been the people of His eternal choice and that choice is so completely bound up with the person of Christ that we have been ‘in Christ’, in His Beloved, since before this world’s foundation. God put us ‘in Christ’ so our personal journey is one of coming into agreement with God.

And Paul in Romans 8 tell us our status as sons of God will be given full and universal recognition” when Christ returns and all of creation will then be freed from slavery to decay and share in our joy.

Our salvation is so much more that just a ticket to heaven! It is a very real loving community, wrapped in Christ, in unity with God, glorifying Him.

None of this is earned by us, not even when we believed the Gospel, for even that is a gift. It is all a gift of God’s love. For the same depth of love God has for Jesus he has for us! And this tremendous gift of love, poured out on us, glorifies God and the wonder of His grace in choosing us.

In Christ we are God’s Beloved holy heirs, glorifying Him.

But what about our sins? What has God done about all the times we have and will ignore Him, choosing other paths?

1:7 “Since we are now joined to Christ,” continues Paul in verse 7, “we have been given the treasures of redemption by his blood—the total cancellation of our sins—all because of the cascading riches of his grace.”

Travelling abroad as white Australians in the 1980s we found our authenticity, motives and past were never doubted or questioned. We were welcomed wherever we went. It was a great privilege, a gift of birth that in reality we basically took for granted.

But our union with Jesus is a much greater gift and privilege for it releases us from the debt of all our sin and births in us into a life of holiness as God’s Beloved holy children. God has given us freedom from sin to live as His holy children. And for God, the process of adopting us was so intimate and costly it was as if He crucified His very own heart. The cost to God was the life of His Beloved son, Jesus, yet He paid it willingly.

In Christ we are God’s beloved holy heirs, glorifying Him.

Because we are made in God’s image, God knows a sense of community and belonging is very important for our mental, physical and spiritual health. So He built the church in Christ. In Christ we are fully supported to grow and flourish as human beings, to find and develop our talents and skills and to live in healthy relationships. In Christ we can be filled with a sound sense of self-identity as we experience holiness and being deeply and eternally valued by God.

Being ‘in Christ’ is the firm foundation we need.

So let’s just stop here and take time to receive some of the blessings of being in Christ, Paul has mentioned thus far. Things which will help to anchor and secure us in the intimate knowledge that we are full members of God’s family.

Please remember these heavenly treasures are not things to be earned, nor any reflection on your current life situation or feelings, they simply come from a loving God who loves giving gifts.

So let’s pray.

Just make yourself comfortable and close your eyes

And in your mind see that Jesus is here.

Jesus is here, as He promised He would be.

Jesus is here, right now

Jesus is here, in and around you

The light of His Glory fills and surrounds you

Welcome Him

Worship Him

Jesus is here

Jesus is here

Jesus is here right now

Jesus is saying, “My child I love you.

Not as the world loves with conditions and strings attached

But as God loves me, we both love you

Deeply, unconditionally and eternally

I love being part of you

Living in you

Giving you all that I am and have

It was for the joy of being with you like this that I went to the cross

Knowing we were one

Knowing I could die with you and for you

To break the hold of sin and death over you

Erasing all record of your sin

And even better,

Knowing I could rise with you to the powerful new eternal life of Glory

That God planned for both of us

Hold my hands Beloved

See how My Presence

The fullness of who I am

Fills you to overflowing

My Holiness

My righteousness

My purity

My peace

My love

My joy

The very fullness of My glory

Is all yours

Flowing in you till you are overflowing with Me

You are in me as I am in you

Rest in me Beloved

In all I have done for you

Rejoice in me

And all we are together

You are God’s Beloved child

And in you He is WELL pleased.

Receive that now

Live in that today

For all of heaven’s blessings are yours now and forever.

In Me

(Pause)

Remember you can come to me for more of heaven’s blessings any time you like

For it brings me great joy to share them with you

Amen.

Sin: Slavery and Freedom

This mornings lectionary reading is, Romans chapter 7 verses 15 to 25a. In the NIV, an often used translation, these verses read:
“I do not understand what I do.
For what I want to do … I do not do,
but what I hate …I do.
And if I do what I do not want to do,
I agree that the law is good.
As it is,
it is no longer I myself who do it,
but it is sin living in me.
For I know that good itself does not dwell in me,
that is, in my sinful nature.
For I have the desire to do what is good,
but I cannot carry it out.
For I do not do the good I want to do,
but the evil I do not want to do –
this I keep on doing.
Now …if I do what I do not want to do,
it is no longer I who do it,
but it is sin living in me that does it.
So I find this law at work:
although I want to do good,
evil is right there with me.
For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;
but I see another law at work in me,
waging war against the law of my mind
and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.
What a wretched man I am!
Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?
Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

On April 5th, 1968, the day after the assassination of the American Civil Rights Leader and pastor, Rev. Martin Luther King Jnr, Jane Elliot, a primary school teacher in Randall, Iowa, USA designed an exercise to give her 3rd grade all white students an experience of what it was like to live with racism. She divided the class based on eye colour – blue eyed and brown eyed, making sure the brown eyed were identified with arm bands. She managed to convince the children that blue eyed children were better than brown eyed ones with a higher intelligence and learning ability. She also treated the blue eyed children as special and favoured. She then observed that the children who believed they were superior became arrogant and bossy and otherwise unpleasant to their classmates. Also the work of these children improved to the extent that they completed mathematical and reading tasks that had seemed outside of their ability before. In contrast the brown eyed children became timid, socially isolated, scored more poorly on tests and struggled with academic tasks they had previously had no problems with. And her experiment shows very clearly how strongly people are affected by what they believe about themselves, particularly when the opinion is reinforced by a trusted authority figure. Our self- image, the identity we attribute to ourselves, affects how we live our lives on a daily basis.

So this morning I want to ask, how would you describe your life as a Christian? Would you call yourself a sinner or a saint or something in between? How did this mornings Romans reading relate to your experience of being a Christian?

You see I ask these questions because theologians debate the meaning of these verses from Romans and the confusion arises around how in that reading, and in a few of the preceding verses, Paul uses the first person “I” rather than we or they. In English particularly it reads like Paul is talking about himself.

And the theological arguments basically fall into two camps:
The autobiographical view which concludes Paul is talking about his own struggle with sin as a Christian
The dramatic impersonation view which concludes that Paul is not using standard present tense but a well known Greek form of argument, something we today would call a dramatic monologue, to portray how someone else feels about the realities of living under the Old Testament Law.

So the question is which is it? How are we to know? How can we find out?

Firstly we can ask how the church has historically understood this passage.
The earliest church fathers, like Origen a 3rd century native Greek speaker, took the dramatic impersonation view. Paul was dramatising what it was like to live under the law.
The idea that it was Christian Paul speaking of himself appears to have begun to take hold in the 5th century in response to heresies promoting the idea that any person can live a sinless life.
And in the 16th C, the church reformers, particularly Martin Luther and Calvin, promoted the understanding that this passage was a picture of the Christian’s daily battle with sin. So that understanding has spread through Protestant denominations.
And today it is still not hard to find Christians who believe this type of struggle against sin is a normal part of Christian life.
On a number of occasions, when I have tried to encourage Christians I knew, with the knowledge that Jesus righteousness and holiness lives in them, I have received the response, “But you don’t know just how sinful I am!” So I ask if Jesus lives in them and they say “Yes.” And when I ask them if they are saying their sin is more powerful than Jesus forgiveness and righteousness, they don’t know how to respond.
So I was not surprised that in preparation for this sermon, and looking for an on-line copy of the Common Lectionary Readings, the first copy I found listed this passage under the heading: “The struggle of the sinner-saint” implying it is talking about the Christian life. An odd title choice given Scripture itself only ever refers to Christians as saints.
Similarly, in a well known commentary on the book of Romans by Cranfield, he states that the distress reflected in these Romans 7 verses is characteristic of Christian existence and the mark of a mature Christian is how clearly they see and mourn the extent of their captivity to sin. In other words he uses the lens of Christian experience to justify his stance that Paul is talking about the normal Christian life.

In Tasmania , when my mother grew up, you had to pass a spelling exam to progress to high school. Despite being an avid reader my mother was always a very poor speller and she failed the exam. Her father who was the primary school principal, wrote to the head of the education department to explain that she never would be able to spell and she should not be kept in primary school because of that failure. She was allowed to progress to high school but she never forgot that failure and always believed the lie she was not a very clever person. As a result her expectations of herself and her children were quite small. It became a frame of mind that coloured the rest of her life. Yet after her death one of her friends commented to my sister that my mother was the smartest person she had ever known.

Similarly, the problem with adopting the understanding that this passage is a description of Paul’s life as a Christian, is that it can give rise to defeatist Christianity where people believe that persistent defeat in overcoming sin is normal. This creates feelings of powerlessness which colour their self-image and make them doubt their acceptability to God.

So before we decide what understanding of this passage we will adopt, we need to dig further and ask, what light do the verses and chapters surrounding this passage give? How does this passage fit into the rest of Romans and indeed the rest of Paul’s writings? Is this typical of the language Paul uses to describe Christian life?

And if we look at the 14 verses preceding todays reading we find that Paul refers to the OT law and God’s commands 21 times. So all commentators, including Cranfield, conclude that in the first half of chapter 7 Paul is referring to the living under the Old Testament Law given to Israel by God. And the main theme is the inability of the law to empower people to live a righteous life.
And interestingly, the verses in our reading are similarly all about an inability to live a righteous life.

So in the surrounding chapters and the rest of Paul’s writing does he describe Christians as wretched people, slaves to sin in whom no goodness lives?

Let me answer that by quoting some selections:
In Romans 6 we read: “Could it be any clearer that our former [pre-Christian] identity is now and forever deprived of its power? For we were co-crucified with [Jesus] to dismantle the stronghold of sin within us, so that we would not continue to live one moment longer submitted to sin’s power.” (Rom 6:6)“now God’s perfect righteousness holds power over you as his loving servants.” (Rom 6:18b) “now ….- you are brought deeper into the experience of true holiness that ends with eternal life!”” (Rom 6:22)

And in Romans 8 we read:“So now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life-union with Jesus, the Anointed One.” (Romans 8:1) “when the Spirit of Christ empowers your life, you are not dominated by the flesh but by the Spirit. (Rom. 8:9a). “you have received the “Spirit of full acceptance,” encoding you into the family of God. … “You are God’s Beloved child.” …Since we are joined to Christ, we also inherit all that He is and has.” (Rom. 8:15-17)
“He called us to himself and transferred his perfect righteousness to everyone He called.” (Rom. 8:30a)
I can remember the first time I heard that we are credited with all the good things that Jesus has done. I was truly shocked and went home and searched the Bible to check it was true. I realised I had this image of God having this big blackboard on which He recorded all my sins. And when I confessed sins and asked for forgiveness He would erase them from the board. So there was always the suspicion that I had missed some and the feeling that I would only make it into heaven by the skin of my teeth. But now I know that, because of what Jesus has done, not only does that blackboard never record my sins but it is full of descriptions of what Jesus has done that have been credited to me and I am as welcome in God’s Personal Presence as Jesus is. And the same is true for you!

And Paul’s other letters confirm this picture:
In Col 2:11 we read “Through our union with [Jesus} we have experienced circumcision of heart. All of the guilt and power of sin has been cut away and is now extinct because of what Christ …has accomplished for us.”
And in Eph. 4:24 Paul encourages us to “be transformed as you embrace the glorious Christ-within as your new life and live in union with Him! For God has re-created you all over again in His perfect righteousness and you now belong to Him in the realm of true holiness.
And in Col 2:9-10a we read the amazing statement: “For [Jesus] is the complete fullness of deity living in human form. And our own completeness is now found in him. We are completely filled with God as Christ’s fullness overflows with us.”

Everywhere outside Romans 7 that we look in Paul’s writings we see normal Christians described as freed from the record and bondage to sin. Not only that but they are described as filled with Jesus and His righteousness, living a godly life empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit.
In other words everything else Paul writes about being a Christian directly contradicts the picture given in our reading from Romans 7.

Last but not least, we could also ask, what did Jesus teach we should expect of the Christian life?
In Matthew 11:28-30 TPT “Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Come to me. ..you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.””
Then in John 8:36 TPT, Jesus said “So if the Son [of God] sets you free from sin then become a true son and be unquestionably free!”
And in John 17:21-22 Jesus said to God “I pray for them all to be joined together as one, even as you and I, Father, are joined together as one. I pray for them to become one with us … For the very glory you have given to me I have given them.”

For these reasons there are theologians who conclude that all of Romans 7, including today’s reading, is talking about life under the Old Testament Law and the verses using “I” are simply a dramatic dialogue device that Paul used to emphasise the powerlessness of the law to create right action. And I agree with them.

I once had the privilege of teaching a Christian woman, struggling with alcoholism, how to have conversations with Jesus and she grasped it with joy. The next time I saw her she was even more joyful. She had been shopping and had not stopped in the local pub for a drink. She said every other time she had tried to walk past the pub she ended up inside drinking. And no matter how much time she had spent confessing this sin nothing had changed. But this time she was conscious of and focussed on Jesus’ presence with her. As she got near to the pub she asked Jesus what she should do. He said, just keep walking. So she did. And she walked right past it with Jesus.
It is not our efforts but Jesus Presence that sets us free from sin to follow Him.

So, what then do we need to learn from todays Romans reading?
Simply that if this passage ever describes how you feel about your Christian life then you are really missing out on many of the wonderful blessings available to you through Jesus. And the answer lies in Jesus not in studying your sins.

How then can we change direction? How can we become the victorious Christians Paul speaks about?
I would suggest as a community and as individuals we need to act like the passages about Jesus victory over sin and death and his gift of eternal life are true and real now, in us, because they are! And that means we can simply relax and rest in all Jesus has done for us.
It means we can say to Jesus, I am going to stop looking at or for sin in my life and trust that You have erased all record of it. Instead I will simply follow Your Presence in me. And I will trust that Your overflowing Presence in me is powerful enough to direct my thoughts and actions so I live Your right ways. And if my choices take me in the wrong direction I am going to trust that you will let me know and empower me to change and go Your way. I will be honest with myself and you about what I cannot do and trust that You will do the work in and for me. And He will. We can see Him doing exactly that in the book of Acts and it is certainly what He has done for me. It sounds like a great get out of jail free card because it is! God knows we can’t do it but He can, so we actually need to stop trying and trust Him to do it.

One of the other things I love to do is just occasionally pause, even briefly, to welcome Jesus Presence in me, welcome His love, His holiness, His faith, His righteousness, His peace, His purity, indeed the fullness of His glory in me! I even find it a great thing to rest in when going to sleep.

And if our thoughts and feelings take us to a place where we start to feel powerless and controlled by sin like this passage from Romans 7 describes, we can recognise we are actually being lied to. In this case I like respond with the truth, saying, thank you Jesus that your death on the cross has erased all record of my sin and Your Presence and Your righteousness fill me to overflowing! And in my mind, picture Jesus presence in and around me.

And lastly I want to share with you my favourite type of prayer in which you allow the Holy Spirit to use your imagination to experience scripture.
So make yourselves comfortable and close your eyes.
Jesus is here, as He promised He would be.
Jesus is here, right now
Jesus is here
Perhaps you have a favourite picture of Him
Think what He would be like if you could actually see Him
See His hands and feet, the marks of love are there
Welcome Him
Worship Him
Jesus is here
Jesus is here
Jesus is here right now
Jesus is saying, “My child I love you.
Not as the world loves with conditions and strings attached
But as God loves me I love you
Deeply, unconditionally and eternally
I love being part of you
Living in you
Giving you all that I am and have
It was for the joy of being with you that I went to the cross
Knowing we were one
Knowing I could die with you and for you
And break the hold of sin and death over you
Erasing all record of your sin
Then rise with you to the powerful new life
That God planned for both of us
Hold my hand Beloved
See how My Presence
The fullness of who I am
Fills you to overflowing
My Holiness
My righteousness
My purity
My peace
My love
The fullness of My glory
They are all yours
Flowing in you till you are overflowing with them
Rest in me Beloved
In all I have done for you
Rejoice in me
And all we are together
You are God’s Beloved child
And in you He is WELL pleased.

Be Transformed

Ezekiel 36:22-24, 25-27 TPT 
“Therefore, say to the people of Israel what I, Lord Yahweh, say: ‘I will not take action for your sake, people of Israel, but for the sake of the honour of my holy name, which you have caused to be slandered among the nations wherever you have gone. I am going to magnify the holiness of my great name, which you have greatly dishonoured before the eyes of foreign nations. And when I magnify my holiness in you before their eyes, the nations will know that I am Yahweh. I, Lord Yahweh, have spoken.’ I will sprinkle purifying water over you, and you will be cleansed from all the filth of your past. I will wash you clean from the defilement of worshiping false gods. I will graciously give you a new, tender heart and put a new, willing spirit inside you. I will remove your hard heart of stone and give you an obedient, responsive heart instead. I will put my Holy Spirit in you to empower you to keep my laws and to live by them.”

I want you to imagine that just yesterday you got married and you were now having breakfast with your new spouse. And as you finish you say to your new spouse “I am actually finding being with you too intimidating, too scary. Could you please give me book with a summary of your life up to now, your future plans and a list of your expectations of what a spouse of yours should do and be. It should have everything you think I need to know to be your spouse. And if you could post it to my minister’s house he will give it to me. Then we can go our separate ways now because then I will have all I need to know to act as your spouse.”

Can you imagine anyone saying that? Can you imagine a distance marriage relationship like that? Does that not seem crazy?

After God had freed the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, He led them to Mount Sinai. And there the elders of Israel recommitted the nation to follow God. Then God told them through Moses that He was coming to meet with them personally so they could hear Him speaking to Moses.

But when it came to the actual event, the people were so terrified by God’s Presence they said to Moses; “”You speak to us, and we will listen, but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” (Exodus 20:19 NRSVUE) 

The upshot of this was that Israel remained at a distance and God dictated the Old Testament Law to Moses. Israel then committed to following the law.

And if you read the history of Israel in the Old Testament you can see this distanced relationship worked about as well as you might expect. 

Hence in Ezekiel 36:22 God told Israel they had slandered His Name in the way they lived.

And the prophet Isaiah said: “This is what the Lord says about these people: “They come near to me with hollow words and honour me superficially with their lips; all the while their hearts run far away from me! Their worship is nothing more than man-made rules.” Isaiah 29:13 TPT

But, before we are tempted to get critical of Israel, you should know that since the reformation of the Christian church in the mid 17th Century, much of the church has adopted and taught Cessationist theology. This teaching says, that now that Scripture is complete, all the supernatural expressions of God’s Personal Presence, like prophets, apostles, miracles, visions, speaking in tongues, and God speaking personally to people, have ceased. Now, most churches effectively teach that reading the Bible is the only way we can have a relationship with God. 

Hence, shortly after I became a Christian, when I asked one of my youth group leaders, “What happens next? How do you live the Christian life?” He answered, “You read the Bible and do what it says.” And I replied, “That’s it?” And he answered, “Yes”.

I knew my sins had been forgiven by God through Jesus death on the cross, because my church taught that, but living the Christian life was presented as obeying rules set down in the Bible, rules like the 10 Commandments, or women should not speak in Church. 

As for understanding most of the Bible or finding a relationship with God through it, I remained in the dark as to how to do that. There was so much that happened in the Bible that I never saw happening in church and so much that happened in my life for which the Bible seemed to have no answers. By the time I was in my mid thirties I was feeling my worship and my relationship with God had become simply a set of man-made rules. I felt very distant from God and was unhappy with that but could not see a way forward.

That was when God came to me in church and told me He wanted me to go to Bible College. I had no doubt it was Him because I recognised His Presence and I had not ever had the slightest thought of going to Bible college. I had trained as a scientist and that was where I expected to stay. So much so, that I thought I could obey God and yet get out of going to college by being honest with the college principal about where my spiritual life was at. I went to see her and told her how God had told me to come and then explained that I did not read my Bible or pray, except when I had to at Bible study group. I found those occupations to be of no use. And I expected her to tell me come back when I had sorted myself out. But instead she just smiled and said, “We can deal with that.” So I began a Bachelor of Theology. 

One of the first subjects I did was the basics of sermon preparation and our first assignment was to write down the preparatory information we needed for a sermon on Ezekiel chapter 37. And one of the first things we were told to do was read the chapters that went before and after it so I did. 

And in Ezekiel 36 (TPT) as I read verses 25-26: “I will graciously give you a new, tender heart and put a new, willing spirit inside you. I will remove your hard heart of stone and give you an obedient, responsive heart instead. I will put my Holy Spirit in you to empower you to keep my laws and to live by them,” those words were lit up in my mind as though they were displayed in Neon Lights. And I recognised God was making a personal offer to me of a new heart and a new spirit, joined to His Spirit. I knew my heart had hardened to God but recognised that this was the next step I had been looking for for 20 years. So I immediately said, “YES PLEASE!”

So, you might say, what does it actually mean? How does it happen?

The first thing that stands out in this passage is that it is ALL about what God is going to do. God is saying:

I AM going to cleanse you from all sin

I AM going to remove your old hardened heart and give you a new tender responsive heart

I AM going to put a new willing spirit inside you

I AM going to put My Holy Spirit in you to empower you to live as my holy people.

God is saying He will recreate His people from the inside out in a four part process: cleansing from sin, the gift of a new tender heart, the gift of a new responsive spirit and the gift of His Spirit living in us.

Now, if you have spent any time in a Christian church you have probably heard a lot about how Jesus death on the cross has cleansed and freed us from our sin and that is part of what the water baptism we practice represents. “For he  [Christ] died for us, sacrificing himself to make us holy and pure, cleansing us through the showering of the pure water of the Word of God.” Ephesians 5:25b-26 TPT

And this is where I was in terms of understanding when I was told to just read the Bible and do what it says. 

But if that is where we stop how do we become more like Jesus and have an intimate relationship with God? Does the responsibility for change rely solely on my willpower and my understanding of what the Bible teaches? Has Jesus saved me only so I can go on floundering about trying not to sin just like I did before I was a Christian?

Thankfully that is not where God stops in this passage. Just like a telemarketing add, God is promising more, much more than cleansing from sin.

Now when the Bible uses the word heart, it does not mean just our emotions. The word translated as heart is a word that is the name for the seat of the will, everything that goes into our decision making and actions. So it covers thinking, understanding, learning, experience and emotions, the core of who we are as humans. And God knows our hearts become hardened to Him, damaged through our actions and the actions of others which hurt us. 

So as well as cleansing from sin, He is offering to give us a brand new undamaged heart that is responsive to Him. A heart that is free to love God and others just like Jesus did.

Then He is offering to give us a new spiritual self that is also responsive to Him. 

It is an offer to remake us from the inside, to restore the image of God in us that has been broken by sin. 

And finally and most importantly, to seal the deal, to give us a permanent and intimate relationship with Him, and empower us to live His holiness He is offering to put His Holy Spirit in us, just like it is in Jesus. He is offering to seal us into the intimate relationship of the Holy Trinity! You can’t get closer or more empowered than that! This is how God wants to magnify His holiness in us.

And ALL this is His work!

So you might say, what happened next? Was it all done and dusted in the instant I said yes? What difference did it make?

When we went to live in Germany in the 1980s we really had no idea what it would be like, and though Steve had done German at school, I knew no German. It was a steep learning curve in how to live in a foreign country. It had never occurred to me that so many ordinary things in life could be done differently. For example when you rent an apartment there you are literally renting just that space in a building. There is no guarantee that it will contain light bulbs, floor coverings, cupboards or any built in kitchen or bathroom. We were lucky to find one with a kitchen sink, bathroom handbasin and bath. But gradually over time we learnt more of the language and culture and how things worked. And now when we go back there it feels like a second home. 

And learning to live in and use these gifts from God are like that. It is a process of discovering and absorbing God’s culture and God’s way of thinking and doing things.

The most important thing God has taught me since then is how to have conversations with Him and be confident I am hearing His voice. So now I know I can discuss Bible passages with Him and learn directly from Him. And because of this the Bible is no longer a dead book to me but a significant part of God’s communication with me.

Some times God will suggest things that I need to address. In a prayer time one day He told me He wanted me to forgive a person who had hurt me a great deal. I had not even thought about it, was not even aware of the need. And when He said it I replied, “No Way! She should’ve known better; She DID know better. I can’t do that.” And God replied, “I am not asking you to do it in your strength, I am asking you to let me forgive her through you.” And I replied, “OK. You can do that if you want but only if it requires no effort on my part!” And that was where that conversation ended and I thought no more about it. But a few months later I was sitting next to just that person in church when the minister was preaching on how God can restore relationships. And as she preached I felt as if a sword had been run right through the middle of me, releasing something and I knew the work of forgiveness had just been done by God. And not surprisingly it healed my relationship with that person. It also taught me the critical lesson that changing the way I think and act is God’s work and all I have to do is give Him permission to do it. That has been a very real relief and blessing.

So now I know I can ask for that sort of change in advance. For example I once had to confront a church leader about how they had been bullying someone in a public teaching session. And I knew my automatic response would be to just tell them they had been a bully and it was not acceptable. And I knew that that approach was rarely successful. So I asked God for a different approach and what came to mind was how a prophet used stories to confront King David about his adultery and murder. So when I finally spoke to the leader I said I simply wanted to describe how I had seen the meeting unfold. And when I finished she said, “It sounds like you think I was bullying him. No one has ever accused me of that.” “I replied, “That would be one way to describe it.” She then said she would have to think and pray about it and discuss it with the person involved. And we left it at that. There was no anger and nothing else I needed to do or say. And I left amazed and grateful to God at how gentle the process of confrontation could be.

So, yes the Bible is important, a critical tool through which God speaks, as He spoke to me in this passage in Ezekiel, but living as God wants us to, is SO much more than just reading the Bible and following laws. There is a journey God wants to take us on to know Him personally and intimately. To be empowered by Him to live His way. And it is tailored to individual needs so your journey will be different from mine. But it begins with accepting His gifts of cleansing from sin, a new heart and spirit, and His Spirit coming to live in us. His restoration of us from the inside. And then asking Him to teach us how to unpack, understand and live from those astounding gifts. It is our choice and His work. And I can honestly say it is a choice that has blessed me beyond what I ever thought possible. 

The freedom to live in intimate relationship with God and do life His way is an astounding gift of love and grace and it is available to everyone now.

As Paul wrote to the Ephesians 4:24 TPT
“be transformed as you embrace the glorious Christ-within as your new life and live in union with him! For God has re-created you all over again in his perfect righteousness, and you now belong to him in the realm of true holiness.”