If you think the title for this post was long, get ready for some seriously beyond-the-normal word count đ
Up until this Sunday evening, I had never preached a sermon or taught the Bible straight from a manuscript. This was the first time.
The only reason I did this was because a shut-in lady requested that I send her written transcripts so that she could take the time to read what I was preaching and be able to make notes and take her time through it. She said that she was really interested in Ephesians and wanted to do more than just listen on Facebook.
So, it took a little while to write it up, but the process, as I expected, was not only refreshing and fun (yes, fun), but it did cause me to hone my focus and build a better foundation for other doctrines yet to be discussed.
So, what I’m going to do for you guys is post the written text of the sermon. However, should you want to actually watch the video on Facebook, you can go to our church’s Facebook page and watch it there. It is @BethlehemBaptistWarthen. Or, I guess I could just go ahead and post the link. Why make it difficult, right?
Just don’t make fun of my singing, OK?
Sunday Evening, Feb. 28, 2021
Bethlehem Baptist, Warthen, GA
Pastor Anthony Baker
Ephesians 2, Pt. 1
I have not preached a sermon from this passage, yet. However, since I will be preaching it this coming Sunday night, I might as well do my best to write it down for you. I pray that it is a blessing and an encouragement.
As we begin looking at chapter two of Ephesians, note that it can be divided up into three or more, maybe even five different word pictures. In other words, the Apostle Paul uses words, he uses illustrations, he draws pictures in our minds with words to help us understand, a little better, at least, the deep mysteries of salvation and the work of the power of Christ in us.
The first section can be seen in verses 1-10. In these verses Paul paints the picture of dead bodies being raised to life, not of their own power, nor by anything good they could do, but by the grace of God.
The second section can be seen in verses 11 and 12, followed by a third in verses 13-18. The second section illustrates the division that Gentiles once had with the Jews and the covenants of God. He does this as he brings up the issue of circumcision. In the third section, Paul mixes metaphors as he illustrates the bringing in of Gentiles through the picture of the âmiddle wallâ being torn down and the making of one body out of two which led to peace with God. We will get to these things in more detail in time.
Then, in a fourth section, Paul references citizenship, followed by comparing us to building blocks in a holy temple built on top of the foundations laid by the holy prophets, Jesus Christ being the Chief Cornerstone.
In a sort of humorous kind of way we can almost laugh at the words of Paul in the beginning verses of chapter three when he says that because of all these previous descriptions of such a great mystery, previously hidden from those in other ages (3:5), he has become a âministerâ (3:7) to us of the âunsearchable riches of Christâ! Well, hallelujah! Iâm glad, Paul! Because a lot of us are already confused. Amen?
But it was important for you to know these things â what Paul is doing with his words â so that you donât single out one illustration or metaphor and build a false doctrine around it. Again, this is why I always stress context, context, context! Without studying Scripture in the context of the whole connecting passage â in this case, from verse one of chapter two to verse seven of chapter three â we might miss the whole point that the author is trying to make and possibly make a major mountain out of a minor metaphor.
So, letâs now go to the first verse in chapter two:
Ephesians 2:1 KJV – And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Before we do any further reading, it will be very helpful to once again look at some words. If we misunderstand the words that are written here by Paul, but translated into English â and old English, at that â then we could easily misunderstand the meaning of the text and even fall prey to bad theology.
The first word we should look at is the word âquickened.â
Now, what is interesting is that if you are looking at a King James Version you will see that this word, actually several words, is in italics. The reason, as we have discussed before, is that the word is not in the original text, but the translators added it to help clarify the original text. What IS there is simply the Greek word ᜀΜ (spelled âonâ in English). All it means is that the âYouâ being spoken to âare.â
Yes, the Greek word on implies being, existence, and such. So, what Paul was really saying has been better translated in other versions such as the NIV, ESV, and CSB. The NIV reads: âAs for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.â
Of course, this is not changing the Bible; this is what the Bible originally said. What the translators of the King James Version did was try to clue us in to a truth that is mentioned farther down in Paulâs description of those who are saved. It is all the way down in verse 5 where he finally uses the word that is rightfully translated as âquicken.â
Ephesians 2:5 KJV – Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Back to the first verse, now. Paul, as we have already seen, is speaking to Christians. He is speaking to those who are âin Christ.â He is speaking to those who had been lost and now are saved. But it is in these verses where he describes what being lost is really like. What it really is.
The next word we will look at is the word âdead.â
Paul said that âyouâ (you could even apply that to us and say âweâ) were DEAD in trespasses and sins. Yet, when we look at verse 2 we see something interesting. He says, that while we were dead, we âwalked.â What? Dead people walk? Thatâs what he said!
Could it be that when Paul was talking about being dead, he didnât mean it the same way we understand the word to mean, at least when we talk about dead people in the grave? I think itâs important that we think about this, for it makes a huge difference in how we look at other teachings of Paul, especially in the book of Romans, chapters eight and nine.
The Greek word Paul uses in verse two that is translated in English as âdeadâ is the word ΜΔÎșÏÏÏ (nekros). Have you ever heard of the word ânecromancyâ? Well, thatâs what people do when they try to talk to the dead. Halloween kind of stuff. However, if you notice, necromancy comes from the word nekro, which means âcorpse.â A necromancer is one who uses witchcraft to reanimate the dead, that is, to bring a dead corpse back to life as a zombie, or something, or to talk with them to discover the future. Paul is telling us that when we were still in sin, before we were saved, we were corpses â dead people â dead bodies. That is why it took the power of God to give us new life, to bring life to these dead bodies, and thatâs what he meant when he said that we are âquickenedâ to new life.
And, by the way, God doesnât need witchcraft to raise the dead. And I highly, highly doubt any necromancer ever pulled off a genuine Lazarus story.
But that brings me back to verse two, and even verse three⊠if we were nothing but lifeless corpses, how then did we âwalk according to the course of this worldâ and have a âconversation in times pastâ?
What we need to understand before we go any further, which is why I bring up these words, is that Paul was using figurative speech. Paul was not trying to say that we were literally dead and lifeless like a dead body in a casket. Yes, he used the term, but it was meant to be a picture of a larger truth: that we were incapable of living the Christian life, the life of the Christ through the power of the Spirit, if we were âdead,â slaves to sin, full of the worldâs filth, wanting nothing of the things of God.
Dead people donât talk, walk, have conversations, or anything like that. A dead body just lies there and rots. Gross, isnât it? Yet, still, it is only a picture. You and I werenât dead bodies. However, we were âdeadâ in that we had not been transformed by the life of Jesus. And as dead people canât do anything, not even dig themselves out of the ground, neither can the sinner who is âdead in trespasses and sinsâ work his way out of death into life.
But God⊠Ephesians 2:4 starts with two of the most beautiful words in all the Bible â âBut God.â You see, we were lost and on our way to hell⊠but God! We were dead in our trespasses and sins⊠but God! We were rotting away in the filth of the world⊠BUT GOD, who is RICH IN MERCY, for His GREAT LOVE wherewith He loved us, QUICKENED us together with Christ (verse 5)!
Do you know the song âLove Lifted Meâ?
I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore. Buried deeply, stained within, sinking to rise no more. But⊠But the Master of the Sea⊠But GOD!… heard my despairing cry! From the waters lifted me, now safe am I!
Love lifted me! Love lifted me! !When nothing else could help, Love lifted me!
Love lifted me! Love lifted me! When nothing else could help⊠when my works, my deadness, my lifeless separation from God, my sin, my dirty, dead self couldnât helpâŠLove! Grace! Mercy! Lifted me up to sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus!
Love lifted me!
Before we close tonightâs study, I want to quickly move on to verses 8 and 9, some of the more famous verses we know.
Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV – For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Do you understand what these verses are saying? It amazes me that they can be so clear, so understandable, yet so many people in Christian churches teach that you have to earn, you have work for your salvation. In reality, thatâs NOT Christian. Thatâs like every other religion in the world. If being saved had any need of us âdoingâ any work of any kind, other than simply placing our faith in Jesus and accepting the free gift of salvation which He bought with His blood, then we might as well say we could have been there with Jesus on the first day of Creation and said, God, let me help out the Word, because He is not sufficient to bring everything into existence by Himself, you know. He needs my help! What can I do? Do you want me to sell something? Do you want me to visit something? Do you want me to join something? Do you want me to help the Logos, the Word, Jesus with his faith in His own words?
Câmon, God, you know the Word canât create the universe out of nothing and bring into being what isnât unless I help! You do know that, donât you?
Yes, I know that sounds silly, but please bear with me and consider just one more word for tonight: ÏÎżÎŻÎ·ÎŒÎ± (poiÄma), pronounced poy’-ay-mah.
Notice in verse 10, âFor we are his WORKMANSHIPâŠâ That is the word poy’-ay-mah.
Paul only uses this word twice in all of his letters; here, and in Romans 1:20.
Romans 1:20 KJV â âFor the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,[G4161] [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:â
Can I share with you one more passage?
John 1:1-3 KJV – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
God didnât need us to create the universe and all that is in it. Neither does He need us to save ourselves â lest we boast. Amen!
And, OH, what God has done for us! He has set us up with Jesus in the heavenlies so we can have a high enough seat in the stands to view the entire display of Godâs grace! But that parade alone will take ages! Hallelujah!
Dear Father, thank you for your grace! Amen!
A Response, or Not a Response: That Is the Question
Not long ago I was involved in a back-and-forth comment thread with a subscriber named Stephen. Maybe youâve read the comments. If not, they are still there and available for your viewing.
At one point I decided to end the back-and-forth commenting and commit to a post in which I would address the plethora of accusations and mischaracterizations Stephen was making. I even backed off from writing a great deal in order to focus on this piece. To be specific, 2 weeks ago I wrote:
However, after reviewing eleven (11) pages of comments, and after being advised by several friends and relatives to stand down, I think it wise to keep my response “limited.”
The reason for keeping things confined to maybe just one blog post is that spreading out the discussion would risk the potential of getting off track. It would also potentially fuel a long-running debate that would prove worthless.
The Sermon
On Sunday morning, January 10, 2021, I preached a sermon from the seventh chapter of Matthew. Jesus said in the 24th verse: âTherefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:â Note, the wise man whose house will stand through the strongest storm is one who not only hears the words of Jesus, but does them.
And what were the “sayings” to which Jesus was referring? They go all the way back to Matthew 7:1. From verses 1-21 there are seven (7) main points, the âsayingsâ of Jesus. You can find them in verses 1,5,6,7,13,15, and 21.
However, it was verse 6 that the Holy Spirit used to speak to my heart (and other social media users in the congregation). It was also this verse that was often quoted by those advising me to stand down:
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. – Matthew 7:6 KJV
Now, before anyone â including Stephen â gets offended, I am NOT calling anyone a dog or pig! Neither was Jesus.
The meaning of this verse has to do with giving things of great value to those who by nature will see no use for them and in turn, instead of thanking you, will continue with their attacks.
You see, swine cannot deduce the value of a shiny, costly, and rare pearl; all they see is something to munch on like a nut. It is not in their nature to appreciate rarity and beauty. Likewise, the one who is hostile to the Word of God, who refers to it as a âdead bookâ written by âfallible and evil menâ is hardly going to appreciate any explanation heâs already deemed valueless and tasteless.
Therefore, Iâm torn. Do I respond or not? Do I defend the Bible, the organized Church, pastors, paid ministers, even myself? Do I respond to Stephenâs over-generalized accusations?
Another question: Will it matter? When it is unlikely that Stephen will (if heâs still reading at this point) take the time to respond in a calm, respectful, rational, non-hateful, non-smart alec, humble way, what’s the point of investing hours of my valuable time into writing the likes of multiple research papers?
If the 11 pages of comments tell us anything, Stephenâs likely response will be to belittle my hard work and say as many atheists do when offered evidence of Intelligent Design: âThatâs not evidence.â
Itâs a tough, tough decision to make.
Who Is Stephen?
So, who is this Stephen person? Why take all this time to address his comments? What makes his arguments and accusations worthy of rebuttal? Why not simply say âwhateverâ and ignore or block him? After all, I normally block comments from people who are so disrespectful that they call me a “POS.”
I guess itâs because I know that others are reading the comments, too. I know that there are those who will never write anything but read what we write when we go back and forth. I know this because several have told me through email and in person.
Itâs also a fact that Stephen is a real human being with real emotions, feelings, and a soul. Stephen also lives in a world where his actions and beliefs will ultimately affect others and possibly generations to come. And it would also be good to remember that Stephen is not alone in his beliefs; there are many, many others who think and feel the way he does.
Where there is one Stephen, there are others. Therefore, by taking the time to rebut false assumptions and dangerous theologies, we may or may not be able to affect a change in Stephen, but others may come to know the Truth.
My Observations
I guess it would be good at this point to offer some observations that Iâve made as I have reviewed Stephenâs comments from last year. Since you may have not read them all, the following summary will give you a better understanding of the tone and substance of Stephenâs comments, along with a better understanding as to why I feel addressing all his arguments might be fruitless.
Again, the following bullet points contain Stephen’s actual comments and are contextually accurate. In no way have I cut and pasted his words in order to frame him in a negative light. His comments can speak for themselves.
Perhaps your time would be better spent pontificating to your flock Mel. I donât have much patience for manipulators.â
So, what do I do?
Does Stephen sound like a guy whoâs going to respond with grace to someone who gets paid to preach and pastor a church which is linked to an organized religious organization?
If Stephen doesnât care for the writings of Paul, what good is it to discuss the revelations Jesus made to him as described in the book of Acts and elsewhere in Paulâs letters?
If God has not stopped revealing Himself to men, and if the Bible (I capitalize it because it is a proper noun) is just a compilation of individual and subjective experiences, then to what Authority do I appeal?
If Stephen has already determined that all pastors aside from the âGood Pastorâ are hirelings, manipulators, abusers, controllers, practicians of âwitchcraft,â and âPOS,â what makes me think anything I say, especially if I appeal to a âdead bookâ written by âfallible and evil men,â will have any affect? Will I only be casting my pearls before someone who cannot appreciate the value?
Personally, I donât think anything thing I write, whether it be based solidly on the words of Jesus or not, would have any effect on Stephen. After re-reading his comments, itâs hard to imagine he will ever yield the possibility that anything I say could be correct.
HOWEVER, if you would like for me to offer a reasoned response to any of Stephenâs accusations or assumptions, please let me know in the comment section.
In Conclusion
I feel Iâd be remiss if I didnât leave you (and Stephen) with something positive. Iâve talked a lot about Stephen and his beliefs but let me close with a few things I believe.
Anything specific I missed? Anything specific youâd like me to address?
If not, I guess I’m done with this project.
Stephen, I do pray that you will grow in a sincere and biblical relationship with Jesus Christ and grow deeper in your understanding and appreciation for the Bible, for it was Jesus Himself who said: “‘O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?‘ And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” – Luke 24:25-27
8 Comments
Filed under Bible, Bible Study, Church, God
Tagged as bible study, blogging, comments, debate, Jesus, Scripture