Rev. Dr. Niveen Sarras

Ephesians

January 5, 2020

The church has called the letter to Ephesians, “God’s love letter to the church.” Imagine that this letter is directed to us, Immanuel Lutheran Church in Wausau. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Immanuel Lutheran Church in Wausau, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul wrote this letter while he was in prison. He summarizes the whole gospel story and shows how it should reshape of our life’s story. The letter is divided into two sections: God’s story and our story. He explores how all the history came to its climax and Jesus in his creation of the multi-ethnic church.

The apostle Paul opens his letter with a typical Jewish poem where he praises God for the amazing things that God has done in Jesus Christ. From the beginning, God chose to bless the Jews. Now through Jesus, everyone can be adopted into the family of Jesus Christ. In Christ alone, we find forgiveness of sins and receive God’s grace.

God’s plan was always to have a big family of restored human beings who are unified in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit brought Jews and non-Jews into one family in Jesus. Paul says that the Ephesians and we would be energized by the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and placed him as the exalted head of the whole world. You have the same power that Jesus bestowed on the Ephesians. You are called Saints. You are members of Christ’s family. You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in your baptism. You are unique and special in the eyes of the Lord.

The apostle Paul explains that before they knew Christ,  non-Jews were alive but spiritually dead. Through believing in Jesus, they received forgiveness and Jesus brought them back to life. You are now like new human beings. You have the joy of discovering all the unique calling and purposes that God has set before you. Before believing in Christ, the non-Jews were cut off the covenant people. They were strangers. The law was a barrier, but Jesus fulfilled the law and the barrier fell down. You are no longer strangers but adopted into the family of Jesus Christ. The Jews and non-Jews—the two ethnic groups have become new unified humanity that can live together in peace.

After talking about God’s story, the apostle Paul shifts to talk about our story in the last chapters. He demonstrates that the church is a big family, but we are one body that is unified by one Spirit. We have one Lord with one faith. We have one baptism, and we believe in one God. Paul goes on to explore how unity does not mean uniformity. Immanuel Lutheran Church has many people with different vocations but all of us are one. And we are empowered by one Spirit.

We form new humanity in Jesus Christ. Consequently, the apostle Paul challenges the Ephesians\ Immanuel Lutheran Church and every Christian to take off their old humanity as a set of old clothes and to put on their new humanity in which the image of God is being restored. He gives examples:[1]

1. Instead of lying, new humans speak the truth.
2. Instead of harboring anger, they peacefully resolve their conflicts.
3. Instead of stealing, they need to work and be generous.
4. Instead of gossiping, they encourage people with their words.
5. Instead of getting revenge, they forgive.
6. Instead of gratifying every sexual impulse, they cultivate self-control of their bodily desires.
7. Instead of becoming under the influence of alcohol, the new humans come under the influence of God’s Spirit.

The apostle Paul spells out what that influence looks like in four different ways:

1. Singing together.
2. Singing alone. We can say that Immanuel Lutheran Church is under the influence of the Holy Spirit every time they sing.
3. Being thankful for everything.
4. The spirit will compel Christians to consider their neighbors are more important than themselves.

How does that work? The apostle Paul explains this point by showing how it works in Christian marriage. A Christian wife is called to respect and allow her husband to become responsible for her, and the husband is called to love his wife and use his responsibility to lay down his selfishness to prioritize his wife’s well-being above his own. Paul teaches it is this kind of marriage that is reenacting the gospel story.

The husband’s action mimics Jesus in his love and self-sacrifice. The wife's action mimics the church which allows Jesus to love her and to make her new. Paul then applies the same idea to children and parents as well as slaves and masters.[2] Our relationship with one another is reenacting the gospel story. God’s story is your story. Your story is part of God’s story. See how valuable you are. Your story is important to God.

But life is hard. Sometimes we fail to reenact the gospel story. For this reason, the apostle Paul concludes his letter by warning the Ephesians and us of the reality of spiritual evil. Paul teaches that these beings and forces of darkness will try to undermine the unity of the church and to compromise her new humanity. So, the apostle Paul metaphorically encourages us to protect our new humanity by wearing the body armor of God. The body armor is made of truth, righteousness, peace, salvation, and the word of God. God's body armor will help you and I grow and mature as Christians.

You cannot defeat evil without Christ and without the word of God. Jesus Christ will help you because you are unique. God chose you in Christ before the foundation of the world, that you should be holy and blameless before God. You are honorable because, in love, God predestined you for adoption to Godself as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of God’s will. You belong to God and what is to God, Satan cannot take.