©2003 Larry Huntsperger Peninsula Bible Fellowship

01/04/04

Hope For The Future Pt. 2

Ephesians 3:20-4:1

1/4/04 Hope For The Future Pt. 2

 

We left some things unfinished last week,

      and I want us to pick up our study where we left off.

 

We are studying Paul’s letter to the Ephesians,

      and our study has brought us to chapter 4.

 

But last week we backed up a few verses

      and spent our time talking about the necessity

            of seeing the first verse of chapter 4

                  in the context of the last two verses of chapter 3.

 

I know that may sound a little academic,

      like some sort of schoolroom examination of a section of Biblical text,

            and I assure you that is definitely not what we’re after here,

                  so let me see if I can help bring this back into where we live again.

 

The 4th chapter of Ephesians begins with Paul offering us a specific call to action,

      a call in which he says,

EPH 4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called...

 

And even without reading any farther in the text,

      it is obvious that Paul is not talking with us

            about some kind of an academic exercise.

 

He’s talking with us

      about all the stuff that takes place in our lives each day,

            all those choices we make in virtually every area of our lives.

 

He is calling us to bring our conduct in line

      with our true identity in Christ.

 

I’ve always been fascinated by those police shows

      in which a policeman or FBI agent goes undercover

            and enters into the world of corruption he is secretly trying to destroy.

 

When those plots are done well,

      there are always times when the one who has gone undercover

            faces tremendous tension between his true identity as a policeman

                  and the corrupt pressures of the world in which he is living.

 

Now, of course, that parallel doesn’t work perfectly with us in our calling to walk in a manner worthy of our calling

      because, unlike that policeman,

            we do not have a clear understanding of our true identity as sons and daughters of the King.

 

But, even though our minds and emotions are frequently filled with confusion,

      our spirits do know the truth,

            creating deep within us a hunger and a thirst for a life pleasing to our Lord.

 

And, when that hunger collides with the corruption around us,

      or even more, with the corruption still imbedded within our own minds and emotions,

the result is a tremendous tension between the two.

 

About 10:00 o’clock New Years morning

      Sandee and I grabbed our refillable coffee cups

            and headed down town for a coffee break together.

 

We live up on the top of Skyline Drive,

      and there is one point at the top of that hill

            where, on a clear day, you can look off to the left as you’re heading down

                  and see the most incredible view of Mt. Redoubt.

 

That particular morning the view of the mountain was a beautiful as I’d ever seen it

      with the morning sun bathing the top of the mountain in brilliant shades of red.

 

I stopped the car for a minute or two

      and we sat and looked at that mountain standing there,

            doing so perfectly what it was designed to do -

praising, and glorifying, and magnifying it’s Creator.

 

It did it so flawlessly,

      so effortlessly,

            so powerfully.

 

And I wanted so much to be like that mountain,

      to have my life, my very existence proclaim the majesty of my King with such clarity.

 

But then I took my foot off the brake and we drove on down the hill

      and my mind once again plunged back into the little pile of frets,

            and concerns,

                  and trivial pursuits I had allotted myself for the day,

                        and my tiny glimpse of reality was gone,

and from that point on

      the degree to which what my spirit hoped for as I looked at that mountain

            became a reality in my life

                  was directly dependant upon the degree to which I once again chose to remember

                        who I now am in Christ,

                              and who my God is,

                                    and then made choices that were consistent with those truths.

For with us,

      unlike with that mountain,

            the course and quality of our lives

                  are profoundly impacted by the degree to which we choose each day

                        to aline ourselves with the truth.

 

And it is that tension that Paul is addressing

      when he calls us... to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which (we) have been called...

 

But as we looked at this calling last week

      we realized how crucial it is

            that we keep this calling within the context in which it was written,

and especially within the context of the two verses that precede it.

 

The really difficult sin battles we face,

      and those areas in which we are clearly not walking in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

            exist within us not simply because we have failed to make the right choices here and there,

but rather they exist because they are being driven by a belief system within us

      that is deeply rooted in the assumption

            that our needs can only be met

                  or our pain can only be quieted

                        by living outside of God’s moral framework.

And once those lies are in place,

      they result in powerful, addictive sin patterns.

 

And where those patterns exist,

      any attempt to,

            by sheer strength of will,

                  and self-discipline,

                        and determination,

create for ourselves a walk worthy of the calling with which we have been called

      is destined for failure.

 

Only when we keep Paul’s comments locked into the context in which they were written,

      and realize that 4:1 is not the beginning of the letter,

            or even the beginning of the thought,

but recognize that it is directly linked to the two verses that come before it,

      only then will his call to us in 4:1 become both a reasonable calling

            and an achievable reality in our lives.

 

And we saw last week

      that the correct context for this call to walk in a manner worthy

            must include the last two verses of chapter 3.

EPH 3:20-4:1  Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called... 

 

In other words,

      any attempt at true Christian living

            that is not built upon the clear understanding of the recreative work of Christ within us

                  is destined to fail.

 

Now, that is about as far as we got last week,

      but, of course we can’t stop there.

 

It’s great to proclaim that it is only the life of Christ within us

      that can bring true, enduring transformation into our lives.

 

It’s great to know that

      the way we can recognize when that is taking place

      is through our hearts overflowing with praise and gratitude to our God

                  for what He has chosen to do in our lives.

 

But the real question we long to have answered

      is to know just exactly how He goes about doing that.

 

How does Christ make those changes within us?

 

And what is our part in that process?

 

What is it we can do

      to bring about that kind of healing?

 

I have been wrestling with these questions

      first in my own life personally,

            and then, as a Bible teacher,

                  from a teaching point of view

for more than 35 years now.

 

And the three biggest surprises I have encountered in this whole process

      are first, how simple the transforming truths really are,

            second, how difficult they are for us to grasp,

                  and, third, how easy they are for us to forget.

 

After all these years

      I have finally made a grudging peace with the realization

            that, nearly every day of my life,

                  when I close my eyes in sleep at night

                        I will once again forget those truths upon which my life with Christ is built,

and when I wake again each morning

      I must consciously remind myself of them once again

            and continually choose to operate upon them for the next 18 hours.

 

I certainly do not mean for that to be a discouraging statement.

 

I say it simply because

      I know that, if we do not make peace with that process in our lives,

            we can easily set ourselves up for a highly destructive self-condemnation

                  that God never intended as part of our life with Him.

 

If we buy into the belief that truths about our God,

      and about the nature of His grace,

            and about our identity as His children

can be learned as we once learned the multiplication tables as children,

      we can quickly spiral into endless conversations with ourselves

            in which we are forever pounding ourselves over the head

                  because we have once again forgotten this truth or that truth

                        and must discover it all over again.

 

Those of you who have listened to my approach to teaching for any length of time

      know that I do not teach nor do I support the “law of daily devotions”

            that seems to be so prevalent in much of the church world today.

 

It’s not usually presented as a “law” as such, of course,

      but it might as well be,

            given the force with which it is often presented.

 

Good Christians have daily devotions.

      Good Christians read their Bibles every day.

     

If you’ve had your devotions then God is pleased with you,

      and if you miss your “devotions” or your “quiet time” then He’s displeased.

 

I have never taught that and I never will for a number of reasons.

 

First of all,

      I don’t teach it because our Lord didn’t teach it.

 

He did not say,

“A new commandment I give to you, that you have daily devotions.”

 

Second, I don’t teach it

      because I believe the whole daily devotion concept as it is commonly taught in the church world

            is rooted not in the life of Christ in us and through us,

                  but rather in that old religious nature within us that longs to believe

                        that there is something we can do that will improve our standing with God.

 

And third,

      I don’t teach it because I know that if we are to have a truly productive relationship with the Word of God,

            that relationship must be under the direct jurisdiction of His Spirit within us,

                  and only He can govern that relationship in the way

                        that is perfectly matched to our needs and His work within us at any given time.

 

Nothing is potentially more devastating to that ongoing process of the Spirit within us

      than the introduction into our lives

            of a religious law that tells us we must meet some daily devotional requirement

                  in order to maintain solid footing with our God.

 

Once that law is in place within us

      our relationship to the written Word of God

            will quickly degenerate into an endless cycle in which we feel good about ourselves if we have “had our devotions”

                  and we feel guilty if we have not.

 

If our heart is truly open to our Lord,

      if we are not fighting Him or resisting Him at some point in our lives,

I guarantee that one of the many things His Spirit will do

      is to create within us a hunger for

            and a submission to His Word

                  that is perfectly matched to His ongoing work in our lives.

 

And if that trust, and hunger, and submission to the voice of our God is not present within us,

      the last thing we need

            is the perpetuation of some sort of daily religious routine

                  that allows us to hide from the real underlying unresolved issues in our relationship with our God.

 

But, having expressed my frustration with that whole religious “have-you-had-your-devotions-today?” mentality,

      I need to go on to say that I have found it to be an essential part of my survival as God’s child

            to consciously remind myself of the basics of my walk with Christ every single day.

 

I am willing to admit that this may be somewhat of a temperament thing with me,

      because I do have a tremendous amount of melancholy in me,

            but many mornings when I get up,

                  in fact, most mornings when I get out of bed

                        my mind and emotions have once again reverted back to my default melancholy outlook

                              in which everything and everyone looks rather bleak and hopeless.

 

I use to hate this about myself,

      and wondered why the Lord had cursed me with such a morbid streak,

            (we nearly always blame the Lord for those things we don’t like in our lives, don’t we?... GEN 3:12 The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate."...)

but in recent years I have come to recognize it

      as yet another tremendous affirmation of His kindness to me and His love for me

            because every day it has made it essential that I once again choose to reaffirm the truth to myself.

 

Frequently that process begins with my quoting to myself Romans 5:1-2,

Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand...

 

Peace with God...

      this grace in which I stand...

 

Just the basics -

      this day, once again, I stand before my Lord in peace,

            knowing His grace is sufficient for me,

knowing His love is certain,

      knowing...

LAM 3:22-25 The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is His faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him.

 

OK, I can handle that.

      I can face the next 18 hours on that basis.

 

Now, I know it may sound as if I’m sort of wandering around here,

      avoiding the real “how-to” questions

            that I promised I’d address today,

but the truth is

      I’m not wandering nearly as much as it may seem.

 

I mentioned to you a few minutes ago

      that my three greatest surprises in this whole area of the way in which our Lord brings about enduring changes into our lives

            are first, how simple the transforming truths really are,

                  second, how difficult they are for us to grasp,

                        and, third, how easy they are for us to forget.

 

And let’s start with the first one,

      and state it in a way that will very likely frustrate you to death.

 

All true life change within the believer

      takes place not through God accomplishing a great work in our lives,

            but rather through our recognizing and believing the great work He has already accomplished.

 

Shall I make it even more confusing?

 

All true change takes place

      not through our successfully becoming who we need to be,

but rather through our discovering who we already are.

 

And maybe I can illustrate this best

      by returning to some of those examples I shared with you last week.

 

A man feels insecure about himself as a man

      and he desperately wants to find some way of proving to himself and to others

            that he has value and importance in the male world.

 

What does he do?

 

First he selects his target audience,

      perhaps a father who never gave him approval,

            or some other man or group of men he thinks he can impress,

                  or possibly he simply selects his own mental image of what a “real man” should do or be.

 

From there

      he then plunges into his desperate attempt to achieve the success he thinks he needs

            in order to impress those he wants to impress

                  so that he can then, hopefully, find peace with himself.

 

If he thinks his target audience will be impressed with financial success,

      he does whatever he has to do

            to try to bring that about.

 

And if a little dishonesty,

      or deception,

            or outright theft seems like it will help the process,

then so be it!

 

OK now, on the surface we appear to have a man

      who simply has a little problem with his business ethics.

 

But the truth is

      the external conduct is simply a symptom

            of the far greater issues of his own perception of himself.

 

Our actions,

      our behavior is always ultimately simply an external expression

            of our own self-perception.

 

I will act in a way that is consistent

      with who I really believe I am.

 

So, how does God accomplish His healing program within us?

 

How does He go about bringing real, enduring change into our lives?

 

The first thing He does is to literally recreate us into new people at the deepest level of our being.

 

Scripture uses all sorts of language and images to communicate this to us.

 

You have been born again.

      You are a new creation.

            You have died and risen to new life in Christ.

                  You have been raised up with Christ and seated with Him in heavenly places.

                        Your are now the holy ones of God.

                              Your are now a royal priesthood, a chosen nation, a people for God’s own possession.

                                    Your are His ambassadors.

                                          Your are a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

And on and on and on.

 

But underlying all the terms and phrases is the single purpose

      of God seeking to communicate to us the truth,

that when we turned to Him through simple faith in Christ’s death for our sins,

      although all we were hoping for was God’s forgiveness,

            what we were granted was a total recreation of our being at the spirit level.

 

It is the existence of that recreated spirit within you

      that gives you that longing to reach out to God right now.

 

Then, once that recreative work has been accomplished within us,

      the next thing God does

            is to seek to reshape our minds,

                  to reshape the way we think about ourselves into conformity with the truth.

 

That’s what Paul is talking about

      when he says,

ROM 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

 

With that corrupt Christian business man in our example,

      the real healing he needs in his life

            will come as he is able to hear his God saying to him,

“My son, do not cling to those around you in a futile attempt to find some human voice who will give you proof of your value, your worth.

      The voice you need to hear is Mine.

I formed you exactly the way I wanted you to be from the instant of your conception.

      You are my precious son, unique in all the world,

            and I love you with an everlasting love.

I have equipped you for exactly the roles I have for you to fulfill in this world,

      and I have designed for you your own special kingdom over which you will have jurisdiction.

 

Listen carefully to Me

      and let Me alone tell you who you are,

            and why you are here,

                  and where you will find the significance and fulfillment you long for.”

 

You see,

      the healing begins first by the recreative work

            that God has already accomplished within us.

 

But it begins to be a living reality

      only as we listen carefully to Him about the truth of what has already taken place in our lives.

 

And the only way we will ever be able to walk in a manner worthy of our calling

      is when that walk grows out of a clear and growing knowledge

            of who we have already become in Christ.

 

We are out of time and still only part way through what I want to share with you

      so we’ll pick it up here again next week.

 

I think we’ll spend at least some of our time next week

      looking at those things that prevent this healing process

            from becoming a growing reality in our lives.

 

Obviously, it is in no way an automatic result of our union with Christ,

      and it is not at all uncommon for Christians to live their entire lives

            finding very little freedom.

 

I think it will be helpful to spend some time looking at what causes that to happen.