When we think about our salvation

When we think about our salvation, we must not think about it as our own achievement. We must, always, remember to come to God, with humility. We must, always, remember to give all the glory to God. Before God's Word speaks to us about our faith, it speaks to us about God's grace: "By grace, …

Fulfil your vows – in the strength of the Lord.

Nahum 1:1-3:19; Ephesians 6:1-24; Psalm 114:1-8 “Fulfil your vows” (Nahum 1:15). “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). In all the vows we have promised to keep, we must remember the strength of the Lord: “Be strong in the Lord” (Ephesians 6:10). …

The good news for sinners: our Saviour is greater than our sin.

 "Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless (or unsearchable) riches of Christ" (Ephesians 3:8). This post continues on from an earlier post, which contrasts Paul and Jesus. You may find it helpful to read that post before reading this one. …

God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

"At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do" (Matthew 11:25-26). "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, …

Grace, faith and works – in that order

"I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received" (Ephesians 4:1). How are we to live a life worthy of our high calling? Let's go back from Ephesians 4:1, back to Ephesians 2:8-10. There, we learn about grace, faith and works - in that order. We begin with grace. We …

Ephesians 4-6

In these chapters, the emphasis shifts from God's provision of salvation to our calling to grow in our experience of salvation: "lead a life worthy of your calloing" (4:1). The kind of life we live is what marks us out as the people of God, walking in fellowship with him: "be very careful about the …

Ephesians 1-3

These chapters proclaim the great salvation that God has given to us "in Christ." It is a salvation in which "we are blessed with every spiritual blessing" (1:3). This salvation may be summed up in this way: "By grace, you have been saved through faith" (2:8). Through this salvation, we are brought into fellowship of …

The deep things of God – and the deep love of Christ

"'What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived' — the things God has prepared for those who love him — 10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).  "I pray …

Not by works… for good works

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). We look back - and we remember. What do we remember about Jesus? We …

The apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers… and Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord

"Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no …

All glory to the Lord – the God of eternal love, the God of our eternal salvation.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight" (Ephesians 1:3-4). We sing praise to the Lord. He has blessed us so much - …

What does it mean to be blessed?

"Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord" (Jeremiah 17:7). What does it mean to be "blessed"? Sometimes, the words, "happy" and "blessed", are taken to mean the same thing. Is there a difference between being "happy" and being "blessed"? The word, "blessed", makes us think about the question, "Where does the blessing come from. It invites …

When we are honest about ourselves

If we to think big thoughts about the love of God for us, we must learn to be honest about ourselves. When we are honest about ourselves, we will learn to appreciate how wonderful the Lord's love really is. In Ephesians 2:1, Paul gives us a devastating description of ourselves - "As for you, you …

Where do God’s peace and joy come from?

They come from his love. It's the greatest love of all (Ephesians 3:18). There's nothing like the love of God. His peace is great. His joy is great. His love is even greater. This is where his blessing comes from him. He loves us. He loves us with "an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3). It's a …

The promise of God’s blessing

Isaiah 63:1-65:16; Ephesians 4:17-5:7; Psalm 112:1-10 The cry of God’s people: “Oh that You would rend the heavens and come down … to make Your Name known to your enemies” (Isaiah 64:1). The promise of God’s blessing: “I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did …

Always seeking, never finding

"The word is very near you" (Deuteronomy 30:14). Some people are always searching - but never finding. They look here, there and everywhere ... and, then, they start again ... and so, the search continues ... always searching, never finding. They tell us, "It's all about the search." Jesus tells us something very different. He …

The Kingdom Of God: The Prison Letters – Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon

Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon: These letters are known, collectively, as the prison letters. They were written by Paul during his time of imprisonment in Rome. In Philippians, we see God's kingdom as a kingdom as a kingdom of joy: "Rejoice in the Lord always, and, again, I say, rejoice" (Philippians 4:4). When the Lord …

What power there is in the written Word of God!

"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It …

Never to be forgotten

In 1996, Willie McDonald died at the age of ninety. I had only known him for a short time. I will always remember him as a man who loved the Lord deeply. He was small of stature, but he was a man of “strength”: real, spiritual strength (Psalm 90:10). He was “strong in the Lord”, …

God’s salvation – for us, in us, through us

For us: "In Him we have redemption through His blood" (Ephesians 1:7). "Through His blood": Never forget this. In our salvation, everything comes from this: Jesus died for us. In us: "I pray... that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." Our salvation is more than remembering that Jesus died for us. Paul prayed …

Follow God’s example… walk in the way of love.

"Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:1-2). God's love for us always comes before our love for Him. His love is eternal. It has no beginning. It has no …

Our great privilege and our great responsibility

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). These verses speak to us of our great privilege …

Great things can happen.

Great things can happen when ‘earnest prayer’ is ‘made to God by the church.’ God ‘is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think’ (Acts 12:5-7; Ephesians 3:20).

Draw back the curtain.

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18). In these words, Paul is encouraging us to draw back the curtain and catch a glimpse of a bigger and better world than this world, which …

Eternal Love

The love of God is eternal love. It's the love of the eternal God. His love comes to us from before the beginning of time (Ephesians 1:4). It takes us on to beyond the end. Sometimes, when our heads go down, we think, "This the end. I can go on no longer." When, in love, …

We were “far off.” Now, we have been “brought near.”

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13). We were "far off." Now, we have been "brought near." "This is the Lord's doing; and it is marvelous in our eyes" (Psalm 118:23). Each and every one of us were like the prodigal son - …

Where do we start?

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:8-10). Where do we start? We start with grace. …

Awake… Awakened…

The gospel comes to us as an urgent call for conversion - "Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you" (Ephesians 5:14), but it does not suggest to us that we can do this in our own strength. Before we read the alarm call - "Wake up ... ", we …

Learning from the prophets and apostles… Saved by Jesus Christ, our Saviour

"You are ... 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone" (Ephesians 2:19-20).  We give thanks to God for the prophets and the apostles. In their own day, they were faithful servants of the Lord. In our day, their words continue to speak to us with power and love. We …

From above

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). Real change comes to us, from above, from God. We're not to look inside of ourselves, and say, "I will change myself. I will make myself a better person." …

By grace you have been saved.

"In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry" (Jonah 2:2). "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins ... But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us …

A revelation of love… A revolution of love…

The gospel begins with a revelation of love - "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us" (Ephesians 1:7-8), and it leads to a revolution of love - "When you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth …

Waiting On The Lord, We Renew Our Strength.

Luke 11:13, 24:49, Acts 1:1–14, Ephesians 5:18 Waiting On The Lord, We Renew Our Strength. Jesus tells His apostles, ‘the Holy Spirit’ will ‘come upon you’ (Acts 1:11, 8). He gives them His Word of promise: ‘I send the promise of my Father upon you’. He gives them His Word of command: ‘stay in the …

Don’t blame me! It’s not my fault!

Don't blame me! It's not my fault! These words take us back a long way, to the Garden of Eden, back to the beginning of sin (Genesis 3). It's not just a story from a long, long time ago. It's our story. It's the story of every one of us. We don't confess our sin. …

I will build my church.

"I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). It is Christ who speaks these words. This is important. When we put the emphasis on ourselves, we're setting ourselves up for a great fall. The truth about everyone of us is this: the gates of hell do prevail …

Giving Thanks To God

"I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers"  (Ephesians 1:16).Prayer isn't all about asking. We must not forget to give thanks to the Lord.

Salvation, Sanctification And Service

Ephesians 2:11-4:6By the grace of God,  we are called to salvation: ‘saved through faith.' By the grace of God, we are called to sanctification: ‘for good works.’ We are called to service: ‘according to the gift of God’s grace… by the working of His power’, we are enabled ‘to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ’ (Ephesians …

Saved By Grace, Called To Holiness

Ephesians 1:1-2:10 ‘By grace you have been saved through faith… for good works’ (2:8-10).God calls us to live a ‘holy’ life. We cannot make ourselves holy. We are spiritually ‘dead’. We need to be ‘made alive’ - by God. Holiness does not come from ourselves. It comes from the Lord.Long before we ever thought of …

“Sit, Walk, Stand” in Ephesians and Psalm 1

"Sit, Walk, Stand" - This is a useful summary of the message of Ephesians: "And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (2:6); "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called" (4:1); "Put on …

The Christian In Complete Armour

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might" (Ephesians 6:10). As we consider the war which is going on in our lives - between God and Satan, we will see that this is the greatest war of all. The most cruel war ever fought by men is child's play compared …

Praying Through God’s Word: Ephesians

Ephesians 1:1-2:10 Lord, You call us to live a holy life. We cannot do this in our own strength. True holiness does not come from ourselves. It comes from You. It comes from Your love. Your love reaches us. Your love changes us. Your love is stronger than our sin. May Your love inspire us …

The grace of God reaches us and changes us.

"I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy" (Leviticus 11:45). Where does holiness come from? How are we to become holy? Before we read about God's holiness, we read about his love. God says, "I am holy" - but, first, he says, "I ... …

Notice what comes first, and what comes second.

"See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you" (Deuteronomy 1:21). Notice what comes first - "the Lord your God has given you the land", and what comes second - "Go up and take possession of it." By grace, God …

Changed by the love of Jesus

"You have learned the truth that is in Jesus" (Ephesians 4:21). The truth that is in Jesus - this is what changes everything. Jesus changes us. He changes our way of thinking. He changes our way of living. At the heart of this change, there is love. His love reaches us - and changes us: …

Every Spiritual Blessing In Christ

“Every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3) Through Christ, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). Every spiritual blessing – in Christ: Come to Him and receive His blessing.

More than New Year Resolutions…

The old year is almost over. Soon - it will be the New Year. Will the New Year really change anything? Sadly - we need more than New Year Resolutions. We need new life. "Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you" (Ephesians 5:14). Here - the emphasis is placed …

Under the influence …

Many lives have been ruined by drugs and alcohol. God's Word speaks to us about being under another influence, a better influence - the influence of the Holy Spirit: "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). We are all influenced by something of someone. …

But God …

"Once you were dead ... but God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead" (Ephesians 2:1,4-5). Our salvation is a miracle of God 's grace. In ourselves, there was no …

Grace comes first…

Before we come to “the Ten Commandments”, we have these great words, “ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (Exodus 20:2).  Grace comes first. Holiness follows on from grace. We see the same pattern in the New Testament – in the teaching of Jesus, in …

Where does our life of faith begin? …

Where does our life of faith begin? Does it begin with our decision? or Does it begin with God's grace? "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4-5). We were dead. The …

Sing to the Lord … and listen to His voice …

"Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!" (Psalm 95:1) - what a great call to worship! "Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts" (Psalm 95:7-8) - a much-needed word of warning! We're called to worship, but, sometimes, our hearts are far from …

Everlasting love

Isaiah 51:17-54:17; Ephesians 1:1-23; Psalm 109:21-31 ’“With everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,’ says the Lord your Redeemer” (Isaiah 54:8). “In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:5). This loving kindness has its origin in the heart of the eternal God. It continues for all …

Here am I …

Isaiah 57:14-59:21; Ephesians 3:1-21; Psalm 111:1-10# “’Here am I,’ says the Lord” (Isaiah 58:9). “Here am I”, says Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8). Our “Here am I” only has meaning within the context of God’s “Here am I.” It is because He is ‘the God who is there’ (Francis Schaeffer) that we can draw near to Him – …

God’s grace is so great.

Isaiah 55:1-57:13; Ephesians 2:1-22; Psalm 110:1-7 Following the promise of grace (Isaiah 55:7), we have this great declaration by the Lord, “’For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My …

Don’t settle for “second-best.”

Fourth Sunday in Lent: 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41 Don’t settle for “second-best”. ‘Samuel did what the Lord commanded’ (1 Samuel 16:4). Real obedience comes from ‘the heart’. It is more than just ‘keeping up appearances’ (1 Samuel 16:7). ‘The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart’- This …

The Redeemed of the Lord …

Isaiah 60:1-62:12; Ephesians 4:1-16; Proverbs 23:19-28 The grace of God is very great and very precious. Through His grace, we are “called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord” (Isaiah 62:12). We are “urged ... to live a life worthy of this high calling” (Ephesians 4:1). Following “the right path” is always a matter of the …

The unsearchable riches of Christ

"Though I did nothing to deserve it, and though I am the least deserving Christian there is, I was chosen for this special joy of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ" (Ephesians 3:8). What a great privilege it is to be saved by the Lord! What a great privilege …

The overflowing abundance of God …

Isaiah 65:17-66:24; Ephesians 5:8-33; Psalm 113:1-9 We are to “drink deeply” from the “overflowing abundance” of God (Isaiah 66:11). We are to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). This fullness of the Spirit leads to praise. “Praise the Lord” (Psalm 113:1,9). As “servants of the Lord”, we are called to praise His Name “both …

They devoted themselves …

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers" (Acts 2:42). "They devoted themselves ... " This is what they did. This is what we are called to do. Let's think about something else - not about what they did, not about what we are called to do. Let's …

Learning from Ephesians and the 23rd Psalm (Part One)

"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1). -- * What does it mean to say, "I shall not want"? Are we to think in terms of overconfidence in our own ability - I shall not fail, I shall succeed? "I, I, I" - this is man's way of thinking. It's not …