Thru Ephesians: a sermon series
Ephesians 2:11-22; Jeremiah 23:1-6
We are now in our third week into our sermon series through the book of Ephesians. So far, we talked about discovering God's Plan and Purpose in our redemption, our union in Christ; and finding life through dying to self, as Christ exemplified by his death and resurrection.  
   Last Sunday, we concluded our sermon with Scripture exhortation to live our new life as we are called; a life filled with conscious understanding of the love of God. The life that discerns the love of God as his fullness fills in us.  We were reminded of our secret co-existent nature with Christ. In that, through God's unyielding love, believers have constant fillings and never run out of hope, strength, and gratitude even in their state of fragility. We are called to experience and exercise "True love" like those in the Kingdom of Arendelle where everyone was giving space to exercise their true selves including Olaf the Snowman (Frozen).
   Picking up from where we left off last Sunday, we will now move on to the last passage of chapter two and the beginning of chapter three. In this chapter, Paul makes a dramatic turn of discourse. In chapter one and half of chapter two, Paul's emphasis has been to layout the relationship between God and humankind. He spoke of redemption and God's love that is beyond comprehension. He states that believers have received the immense blessings and God's gracious richness of heaven (1:3, 17). Paul maintains a better description of the vertical actions of God and expectations of believers to praise and glorify him. 
   Now Paul turns the table to the horizontal trend as the outcome and the fruits of the vertical actions of God. It is to say that after God had finished the first chapter and created relationship through adoption, he has now come to express the purpose of such actions.  Paul reminded Ephesians once again; that they were dead and were far away from the knowledge of God's promise. However, through Christ, they were brought near and called children of God. “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 3:6
  The promise of the physical sign of covenant through circumcision has now ceased and been replaced. And in this later day, God makes universal Covenant through the Cross, fulfilled in Christ, and effective only through faith. The work of the cross was accomplished in the blood of Jesus Christ and has brought oneness and formed a new humanity in Christ. This was the divine plan! God's eternal purpose was to "create in himself one new humanity" through the blood of Christ (v.14-15)
   God's initiative has brought down the wall of hostility. In this new assembly, the old humanity has no place. God himself has desired to create a renewed assembly in the body of Jesus Christ. Thus, "it is Jesus' death that brings down the "dividing wall, that is, the hostility between Jew and Gentile" and that enables the creation of "one new humanity."
   This passage describes ways in which the new life of believers differs from their old life (Richard Cousar):

1. Their identity has radically changed—to new self and new life in Christ.
2. Their alignments and loyalties are new—of God through Christ but not of the dividing world and worldly manners.
3. The destruction of the dividing wall has created a new era—where God becomes One and present in all and every one of us.
4. The death of Christ brought about a new situation for humankind—of peace, mutual understanding, and unity.

   We discover our unity and treasure our diversity as we reflect on what Christ has done on the cross. In his three years' ministry on earth, Christ preached peace, salvation, and unity as the essence and attributes of the Kingdom of God. Christ formed the church where he remains solely the head and the foundation. This also has been demonstrated in the Holy Communion where countless grains are made into one bread and many grapes are mingled into a cup. As Paul states, " though we are many, we’ve all been mingled into one body in Christ. This means that we are all vitally joined to one another, with each contributing to the others" (Romans 12:15). The bread and grape juice represent our oneness and seamless unity as one body despite the color of our skins or geographical divides.
   What unites us is bigger and more real than whatever divides us. We are divided over who makes Good Pizza. Between the giant New York Pizza with no topping and Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. We are divided over how we call soft drinks whether it is Soda or popes (as BodoJwok would always refer to diet Pepsi as white Soda). We are divided between the coasts. We treat ourselves as the left and the right, republicans, and democrats or maybe those in between. But at the end of the day, we are all members of God's family. We all showed up on funerals and experience sympathy over indecent treatment of others.   
   Today as Presbyterians, we are observing this Sunday as Mathew 25 and Criminal Justice Sunday and in the Spirit of MLK's Birthday, the social justice icon. Today many Presbyterian pastors will be preaching on dismantling racism, encouraging Race Relations and justice to enhance our efforts toward a shared identity. The words of MLK are now alive and remain truthful to what he had preached and predicted many years past.  He believed that there will be a time in America where racial divides are no more and America will see "the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of [Unity] brotherhood." Even if this is partially fulfilled in our lifetime, we are encouraged to work consciously until we see the church and human beings cherish their unity over diverse differences.   We are growing to the realization of our oneness and are exhorted to exercise such unity Now on earth. We find the meaning of life when we discover the deep meaning of our unity in Christ. Christians are encouraged to strive to do good work as the fruits of their faith and stay strong in faith. We are built in the house of the New Humanity whose cornerstone is Christ Jesus. "In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God" (vv. 21-22). 
   We are called to peace, to care for one another as it is preached by Christ (Matthew 25:35). That horizontally all of us can treat one another as ONE and vertically come to the Father in praises through the "same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us" (17-18)"
   As Paul urges the Ephesians, this message speaks to us today to remind us of our unity; "I urge you to behave with all humility, and gentleness, and patience. I urge you to bear with one another in love. I urge you eagerly to preserve that unity which the Holy Spirit can bring by binding things together in peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called with one hope of your calling. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all. " Eph 4:2-6
   I leave you with Paul's calling to the Romans when he exhorts them how to exercise their love and said, "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not rise. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position" (Romans 12:9-16) 
   As the humanitarian icon, Audrey Hepburn says, “The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.”  Therefore, friends let us hold on to what is "Good" as God continues to renew us unto eternal sanctification. We are one, voyaging to one destination and Christ is our best friend who springs strength in our weary paths. He promises, to keep us united until he comes again! Amen

Thru Ephesians: a sermon series
Ephesians 2:1-10; Luke3:10-18  

Today we are continuing with our exploration and discovery to learn the many important aspects of our reunion with Christ. We are not, however, on a "Bear Hunt" 😊 nor on an adventure to discovering a fairytale of the frozen girls when the gift of snow magic went wrong in the kingdom of Arendelle (Frozen Movie).  
Rather we are trying to understand and be reminded of the Divine plan in our redemption; the will of God to bring us to life from our dead-selves.  It is about God’s love and how privilege us with the gift of adoption makes us equal with Christ. Lastly, this sermon series reminds us of our spiritual endeavor to discern the transcendence power of God invested in the church and in the believers. How do we know? God himself has made known to us this mystery by the "wisdom and insight" that he "lavished" on us through Christ Jesus.
In chapter one and in our introduction last Sunday, Paul talked about our union with Christ and the great blessings that come because of our adoption to God’s family. That, in his gracious love, God has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world to make us holy and blameless. And God has fulfilled his own good plan during the right time (v.4) Today, in chapter two, Paul assures the Ephesians, that our union with Christ is perfected through dying to Sin and making conscience disjunction with self trespasses.
"You were dead through the trespasses and sins…" (NRSV), Paul said.  Paul used a Greek verb that literally means being dead, ("νεκροὺς— nekrous") when he compares the state Ephesians before they were believers. Paul's assertion and exhortation are inclusive by nature. When he talks about "You," he refers to the Ephesians (the Gentiles), and when he says "Us," he means his fellow Jews. For Paul, every ethnic group, and everyone etc., whether slave, the free, or the masters, the rich and the poor etc., were all dead spiritually and needed God's salvation. Everyone has sinned, has trespassed, has fallen short and does not meet the demands of God (Romans 3).
Paul reminded the Ephesians that they were spiritually dead before they were called and included into God's family. God has willed to rescue them from the state of destruction and disobedience. Now, Ephesians are alive through the power of God at work in them. The same power that has raised Christ from the dead, has resurrected them from their Spiritual death.
This Spiritual resurrection comes a result of conversion and believers are able to discover the new life in Christ apart from the past life. Paul said that now of conversion, a believer becomes a new creation, the old self is gone, and things becomes new (2 Cor. 5:16-17). Yet, the journey to perfection continues in Christian living unto sanctification.    
But what is sin and trespasses that Paul keeps mentioning in this chapter and in most of his letters?  Sin is missing the point, the mark, and the intended core of divine purpose. It is an offense against God. For Paul, Ephesians were living in the state of conformity to the worldly manner before they became Christians. They were against God, missing the intended divine law. They were slaves to Satan and sin of the world.
Trespasses in another hand, (Hebrew—"asham"), means willful debt by going beyond the required limit. This means willfully and consciously choosing "to pass beyond a limit or boundary. To go too far; to put any one to inconvenience by demand or importunity; to intrude; … to trespass upon the time or patience of another. " Easton's Bible Dictionary
In our corrupt state, scripture describes unbelieving soul as:

1. Blind— "the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe. They can’t see the light of the good news that makes Christ’s glory clear. "(2 Corinthians 4: 3-4).
2. Slave to sin— You used to be slaves of sin. But now your obedience is heart deep, and your life is being molded by truth through the teaching you are devoted to! (Romans 6:17).
3. Lover of and under darkness—"But those who love the truth will come out into the Light and welcome its exposure, for the Light will reveal that their fruitful works were produced by God" (John 3: 19-20; Colossians 1:13).
4. Sick— "I have not come to call the ‘righteous,’ but to call those who are sinners and bring them to repentance.” (Mark 2:17).
5. Lost— the father says comes my child, you are home now, Let’s prepare and celebrate, it's being bound (Luke 15).
6. Alien and stranger— you are no longer strangers, foreigners, or guests, "but rather you are the children of the city of the holy ones, with all the rights as family members of the household of God" (Ephesians 2:19)
7. Rebellious and children of Wrath— " But God still loved us with such great love. He is so rich in compassion and mercy. Even when we were dead and doomed in our many sins, he united us into the very life of Christ and saved us by his wonderful grace!" (Ephesians 2: 3-5).

Scripture views human sinful nature as equal as physical death. My people of the Anyuwa have one saying, and "patha dhaanhnhø" when they refer to a person who, for any reason other than disability, fails to exercise self, knowledge, and ability. The Anyuwaa would say, Patha dhaanhnhø—meaning, he/she is not a person.  They are right. A person can be dead yet still living and that is the essential reference to our spiritual death--walking dead.    
Paul said Ephesians were once departed from God and went too far and beyond God's boundary to the worshiping of Artemis. They were lost and needed help. They were like all of us because we had gone too far in our disobedience and suppress the truth about God (Romans 1:18-19). Like them, we went out of God's presence and from God's circle and died of spiritual death like Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:17).
Isaiah said "All of us are like sheep. We have wandered away from God. All of us have turned to our own ways. And the Lord has placed on his servant, Christ the Messiah, the sins of all of us" (Isaiah 53:6) Peter echoed Isaiah and said all of us have trespassed like sheep that continually wandered away, but through Christ Jesus, now we have returned to the true Shepherd of our lives— to the “kind Guardian who lovingly watches over your souls” (1 Peter 2:25).
Paul exhorts Ephesians and all of us that, though we are now alive in Christ, we must therefore be dead to sin, to the need of the body, and to the will of trespassing. This is because you are no longer spiritually "Nekus", nor in the period of apnea, or have bradycardia, neither experiencing asphyxia (please allow me to use my medical terminology lesson😊). In Christ you are not unconscious, but dead to sin. Yet fully alive, with full heartbeat, sufficient of oxygen and breathing normally. God did this by grace through faith when we believed—"Nothing we did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the gracious gift from God that brought us to Christ!” (vv. 8-9)
Paul's message to the Ephesians and to us today is clear. He believes that through the saving power, God has expelled death that has occupied Christians before our conversion. Now God has instilled in us the undying life of Christ. Thus, Christians are alive because the fullness of God's grace is an unyielding stream of mercy flowing and keeps streaming in Christian's living daily.
Friends, it's true that the corruption was in us from birth and we expressed our disobedience through our actions and desires of our hearts. We have "lived by whatever natural cravings and thoughts our minds dictated, living as rebellious children subject to God’s wrath like everyone else."
However, God the father of love has shown us mercy despite of our degradation and deprivation, falling short of God demands. God did this through Christ, in Christ, by Christ and with Christ as he himself is filled with grace and mercy. You are made alive with Christ grace been saved through faith as a gift from and of God   and " not the result of works, so that no one may boast (v 9).
Some may ask how a renewed person continues living in the newness state with Christ. In another place, Paul presented his rhetorical question to the baptized Roman Christians how to exercise their Christian freedom. He asked, should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore, we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life"(Romans 6:1-4).  This is Paul's best answer to the question of our Christian freedom to all believes in centuries.  
Christians must never forget where we had come from, who we are, our present state and where we are going. The person who is in Christ is rightfully child of God and is dead to sin and are free from punishment because of the death of Christ (Romans 6:23). We discover life through death; dying spiritually to the desires of the world and obtains personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Therefore, in our new life in Christ, comes an extended lists of God's heavenly blessings to sustain us (Eph 1-2): 

1. The secret of the Adoption and the gift of redemption Jesus Christ
2. The power of knowledge—knowing the mystery of God and the uniting power in church—unity in Diversity. 
3. The privilege to obtain an inheritance in heavenly realms and obtaining the transcendence peace of God.
4. The filling with his fullness (grace) and
5. The gift of praises and glorify God.

The scripture exhorted us today to live new life as we are called; a life filled with conscious understanding of the love of God. The life that decerns the fullness of God and that his fullness fills in us.  Today we are reminded of our Christians life and the secret of our co-existence with Christ.  We live because of Christ, are filled with Strength, even in our state of fragility. This is the "True love" of Elsa, Anna and Olaf, where a Perpetual snow, keeps Olaf alive even in that tormenting summer in the Kingdom of Arendelle (Frozen).
Therefore, let us remain determined to our calling and committed to our journey to perfection. Let us be reminded that we have been raised with Christ and spiritually “ascended with him into the glorious perfection and authority of the heavenly realm, for we are now co-seated as one with Christ!" God's plan is to fill us with grace, because "He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things" (Ephesians 4:10).
We are all like Olaf the snowman, but with God's grace pouring from above, we are made strong and surviving. The snow/cloud of mercy is following and covering us our spiritual paths. The kingdom of Arendelle was a place for everyone and represents the Kingdom of God and the Church universal. We Christ raised on high, we will not runout of hopes, faith, joy, and strength, because the almighty Father, brings unyielding filling through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Amen!