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A Study in Contrasts: God

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, Ephesians 2:4 (ESV)

Today we finish up our study of contrasts in Scripture, marked by the conjunction ‘but’. We’ll consider perhaps the greatest contrast of all. Ephesians is a rich, deep book, worthy of slow, serious study. Paul left Aquila and Priscilla in Ephesus during his second missionary trip (Acts 18:18-19) and the couple founded the church. Paul pastored the church for three years, his longest tenure anywhere. After Paul, Timothy led the church and the Apostle John also pastored the church some years later. One of Paul’s major themes in the letter he wrote to the church was that they understand what an amazing gift salvation is. It’s in the middle of this discussion that we get to chapter 2.

Ephesians 2:1-3 describes who we were.

There’s not much need for comment or elaboration. Let’s just look at what Paul says.

We were spiritually dead in disobedience and sins, lots of them.
We lived in sin. It was our lifestyle, our frame of reference, our worldview.
We obeyed the devil. In fact, he was actively working in our hearts.
We gave in to whatever desires, inclinations, bad habits we wanted. Self-gratification was our driving force.
We were destined to be on the receiving end of God’s wrath.

Hold up here for a moment. That’s a lot of depravity right there. For many of us, our first reaction to that list is, “Yeah, but I wasn’t that bad.” Be honest. Granted, it is difficult for us, now that we have been redeemed, to re-imagine that mindset that made us enemies of God. But a failure to recognize our utter lostness and hopelessness prevents from grasping the wonder of what God did for us. Paul describes it verses 4-7.

It is into that darkness that the light of the glorious gospel bursts forth.

God, being rich in mercy. His mercy defines Him. He is a mercy-aire
His boundless love motivates moves Him to action. He cannot stand by and watch as we are condemned by our own rebellion. He chooses to get involved.
First, He makes us alive. He reverses the spiritual death that doomed us.
That spiritual life is an eternal thing. We will live forever, and so He made a place for us in heaven, in His dwelling place. See, He wants us with Him, with Christ Jesus. This is possible through the death and atonement of Jesus.
Why does He want us in heaven? So that He could explain to us how much He loves us, how His great mercy is and grace were poured out for us in the death of Christ to save us.

This is where words begin to fail. We rebel. But He redeems. We audaciously turn our backs. But He lovingly opens His heart. We deserve the justice of wrath. But He delivers the grace of reconciliation.

So what do we take away from this?

Embrace the superabundant love of God, His delight and His grace. Do not listen to the whispers of the enemy who would try to convince you that you’re on probation, or it’s all a mirage.

Remember it’s all His work and none of ours. Serving Him now is the response of gratefulness not the obligation of debt. The debt is paid.

Ensure those still in darkness know that there is a way out, but only one way.

Saved to the Uttermost

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Saved to the uttermost: I am the Lord’s
Jesus, my Savior, salvation affords;
Gives me His Spirit, a witness within,
Whisp’ring of pardon, and saving from sin.

Saved to the uttermost: Jesus is near;
Keeping me safely, He casteth out fear;
Trusting His promises, now I am blest;
Leaning upon Him, how sweet is my rest. [Refrain]

Saved to the uttermost: this I can say,
“Once all was darkness, but now it is day;
Beautiful visions of glory I see,
Jesus in brightness revealed unto me.” [Refrain]

Saved to the uttermost: cheerfully sing
Loud halleluias to Jesus, my King;
Ransomed and pardoned, redeemed by His blood,
Cleansed from unrighteousness: glory to God! [Refrain]

Refrain:
Saved, saved, saved to the uttermost,
Saved, saved by power divine;
Saved, saved, saved to the uttermost,
Jesus, the Savior, is mine!

William J. Kirkpatrick, 1875

Read: Hebrews 7:23-28

(The uttermost. Think of it like this– we are as saved as saved can be. Jesus didn’t save us “just enough to qualify” but over, above, and beyond. Cleansed, so cleansed. “Beautiful visions of glory I see, Jesus in brightness revealed unto me.” May you get a glimpse of that glory today.)

Soul

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Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Psalm 103:1

O my soul.
We think soul, as opposed to body.
The intangible and the tangible.
We’re Greek that way.

The Hebrews had a different idea.
Soul is nephesh.
It is the essence of life.
But it is more.

Hebrews believed we have a self that others know–
This includes the body–
And a true self, an inner self
A nephesh.

It is David’s inner self, his true self
That he calls to worship.

We can be seen when we worship.
Other may believe that we worship based on their observations.
But the nephesh tells the truth about it.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

A Study in Contrasts: Greatness

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For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 (ESV)

We are continuing our look at contrasts in Scripture marked by the conjunction “but.” We’re going to finish up with a couple in the New Testament then we’ll turn our attention toward Easter.

In today’s passage, Jesus responds to a request from James and John to be seated on Jesus’s right and left hand in His glory. He deflects their request, but not before it becomes a source of indignation with the other ten disciples. Jesus takes the opportunity to teach His guys a critical lesson they would need, especially after He was gone.

And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. Mark 10:42-44

There are several notable ‘buts’ in those verses as well. Then our focal verse demonstrates Jesus is modeling this for the Twelve. Let’s break down Jesus’s words and see what we can learn from them.

Power may get you ahead in the world, but it does not equal greatness in the kingdom of God.
We are in an election season in the US and day after day, we see candidates who will say anything, spend anything, align themselves with anything and advocate for anything in pursuit of power. Jesus turns that completely on its head. Servanthood is the mark of greatness. Jesus says this in a culture where servants had few, if any, rights. They had very little agency and opportunities for anything else were essentially nonexistent. Jesus raises their status by becoming one Himself.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve
The name Jesus uses for Himself is very telling. The Son of Man. One of us. He identifies with us, with our needs with our helplessness. He came, not to be served, which was His due. Jesus Christ is God Incarnate and all worship and glory and honor is due Him. It is His right. But He voluntarily came to serve. Read the gospels closely. See how many times the crowd pressed Him. See how many times He healed the sick until late at night. Notice when He taught for hours, track Him as He walks miles and miles preaching in every village and town. He surrendered His agenda, His priorities and His energy to accomplish the Father’s purposes which meant serving those He encountered.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am not advocating for exhaustion and burnout in the name of the kingdom. I firmly believe we need rest and refreshing. We are not divine and do not have supernatural stores of energy and endurance. But seeing Christ’s example should cause us to question our priorities. Are we self-centered with our schedules and resources? Have we been ignoring a Holy Spirit nudge to invest ourselves in a ministry or in a person?

Are we humbly serving in our churches? I have watched as a church member who noticed a wad of paper at her feet call for another member to come pick it up. Some members are the type to tell you the toilet is backed up and some are the type to head in with a plunger. If you pick up groceries for an old lady, she can’t return the favor. If you change the oil in a single mom’s car, she can’t pay you back. That’s not the point. Jesus calls us to serve.

But to give His life as a ransom for many
This is the ultimate act of selflessness. Christ did what we could not, cannot do. Nor can we give our lives for the salvation of another. However we can give our lives, our time, our treasure to ensure everyone hears the gospel. That is our singular focus. I love Bible study, but the gospel comes first. I say this as someone who is completely uncomfortable initiating a conversation about the gospel and under full conviction for the words I write, God help me. Jesus purpose was to give His life. Ours is to bring others to Him.

As we reflect on Jesus’s words, let’s resolve to be great in the kingdom, to selflessly serve, to commit to God’s purposes.

O Day of Rest and Gladness

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O day of rest and gladness,
O day of joy and light,
O balm of care and sadness,
Most beautiful, most bright;
On thee the high and lowly,
Bending before the throne,
Sing, “Holy, Holy, Holy,”
To the great Three in One.

On thee at the creation
The light first had its birth;
On thee for our salvation
Christ rose from depths of earth;
On thee, our Lord, victorious,
The Spirit sent from heav’n;
And thus on thee, most glorious,
A threefold light is giv’n.

O day of sweet reflection,
Thou art a day of love;
O day of resurrection
From earth to things above,
When gospel light is glowing
With pure and radiant beams,
And living waters flowing
With soul refreshing streams.

New graces ever gaining
From this our day of rest,
We reach the rest remaining
To spirits of the blest.
To Holy Ghost be praises,
To Father and to Son;
The Church her voice upraises
To Thee, blest Three in One.

Christopher Wordsworth, 1862

Read Psalm 118:24

(So many days. Some are momentous and memorable. Some are average and unremarkable. Others are days of mourning. But no matter the day holds, there are two amazing days that we hold in our hearts. The first is the day of salvation. The other is the day we enter His presence. One past. One future. Both are days of rest and gladness. May your today be filled with that assurance.)

Know

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“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10

Know is the Hebrew word, yada.
Vine’s dictionary says yada means
To know by observing and reflecting
And to know by experiencing.

We can read
And know that God is good.
He is loving.
He is powerful.

We can observe and reflect
When God moves in history
Or in the lives of those around us.

But God invites us to live with Him
To actively experience His presence and His hand.

The Israelites knew.
From the plagues, to the Exodus, to the Law.

The armies of Israel knew.
On the battlefield against the Philitines, the Midianites, the Syrians, the Assyrians.

The patriarchs knew.
The prophets knew.

Hannah and Hagar
Sarah and Eve
Josheba and Esther knew.

Now the question is
Do you know the Lord of hosts?
Have you observed and considered?
Do you know the Holy One of Israel?
Have you experienced His peace?

If not, the invitation stands.

A Study in Contrasts: God

Ephesians 2:1-3 describes who we were.

It is into that darkness that the light of the glorious gospel bursts forth.

So what do we take away from this?

Saved to the Uttermost

Soul

A Study in Contrasts: Greatness

O Day of Rest and Gladness

Know

Encounters Series

Covenant of Trust Series

Foundations Series