Ephesians 2:4-10
Yesterday is gone – Tomorrow may never Come – Today is the accepted time!
Upon believing Jesus for His promise of Life, you are united with Christ, Eph_5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. It is a union that can not be severed because of the Spirit, 2Co 5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit
Because of the truth, that you at this moment have the eternal life that can never be lost, or taken away. And Eternal life and Everlasting life are forever. What should you as a believer do in the light of this wonderful truth?
As a way of renewing our minds about the Gospel Paul wrote in Romans 1:16, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek = to every one that believeth! So it is not a matter of going back in your mind to prove or try to know you were saved some time in the past. Or trying to determine if you had saving faith way back when or whatever the case. It is the message of the gospel right now believed. Again listen to 1 Cor. 1:18, For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. Thus showing salvation is to the believer.
Sharing a Bible truth to a believer to encourage/strengthen them is not the same as witnessing to the unsaved but at the same time it does call on the one who lacks assurance to believe the record of His Word, 1Jn 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 1Jn 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 1Jn 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
The Bible is the Word of God written; Christ is the Word of God revealed in it, and the Spirit is the voice of God in it revealing Christ. God wrote the Bible to be understood. He is not trying to hide the truth from us!
1Jn 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. eternal life, V12 says, He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. According to these verses, God gave us eternal life in Jesus Christ, He gave us His Son. So, you have eternal life if you want to believe His promise, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. That is His record that He gave you His Son.
His Work on the Cross focuses our faith on Him: Without His work on the cross, His death, burial, and resurrection there could be no offer of total forgiveness, no offer of unconditional eternal life. Without His death on the cross, there is no salvation to offer, there is no eternal life, no good news to share apart from the God-Man Jesus Christ the Son of God/The Son of Man and His finished work on the cross.
Because of His finished work on the Cross, He is the only One who can make the offer of unconditional eternal life, John 6:47 [ John 3:15,16 shown eternal life and everlasting life the same]. Again the focus of faith is on Him and His promise.
Supporting verses that focus our faith on the LORD
2 Cor. 5:18-20 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
+We have been reconciled, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ
+God was in Christ reconciling us to Him. who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ
+How? By putting all our sin on Christ while on the cross. not imputing their trespasses unto them; He charged our sins to the account of Jesus Christ. That is what “ imputing” means.
+And then He took the righteousness of Jesus Christ and put to our account, 2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. How did God make Jesus sin for you? By putting [imputing] your sin to Christ.
+He was made sin = by our sin, Isaiah 53:3-11, i.e v6,”….. and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. V10, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin,….” V11, He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
The Suffering of Christ focuses our faith on Him
“He”,[ God,] “Shall see the travail of his, [Jesus,] soul – Travail is the suffering of Jesus Christ on the Cross = Mat 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
From the sixth hour [12 noon] until the ninth hour [3 in the afternoon] there was darkness over all the earth [Luke 23:44]. Jesus was dying alone being made sin for all sin for all, for all time]. You can hear His agony as He cried, “….,.My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? In all of His agony, there is no other suffering to compare with this. This expression is one denoting intense suffering.
Jesus never cried out in agony to the world for His suffering Isa_53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb.
There is the suffering of His scourging, His humiliation, the pain of being nailed to the cross, Psa 22:14 describes His feelings, I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. = poured out like water = His strength was gone - and all my bones are out of joint = His body marred, Isa 52:14 “….. his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
my heart is like wax = His inner strength was melted within Him. And He cried to the Father, “….,.My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? That question mark means He did not know why! As the Son of God, He knew but as the Son of Man, He did not know. As the Son of God, He could have called ten thousand angels but as the Son of Man He could not and did not – He had to die as God’s sacrifice – He had to die to take away the sin of the world. There is no suffering He did that compares to the suffering expressed in His words of “….,.My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
In one verse, John 3:16 captures all the truth we have talked about and more. Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. So, when we read, quote, or share with someone else may we always remember all that the verse encompasses.
What does it mean that he gave his only begotten Son? He is the Only One like Him. There is none like Him in His birth. There is none like Him in His death. And there is none like Him in His resurrection. He was declared to be the Son of God in His resurrection Romans 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: Act 13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. By the resurrection, God, The FATHER, gave His approval, His satisfaction, and His acceptance of the payment of all sin, forever made by Jesus Christ. It is called the Substitutionary Death of Christ: His death and payment of sin are counted for you.
Rev_1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, He is the only one to ever die and be raised from the dead to never die again.
He ever lives, Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Conclusion: There will never be another sacrifice given for us, Hebrews 9:24-26. Jesus is the end of all sacrifices, Hebrews 10:10,12, 14,
How do you receive Jesus Christ?
John 1:12-13 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
You receive the power/ right to become a child of God by believing in His name which is the same thing as believing in Him. [Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.] Believe in Jesus (the Person) for His promise of eternal life, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And when you do believe in His name you are “born…of God”: Born Again. Jesus, the One who did the work for you He is the one who guarantees you eternal life.
Do you know Him? “……by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:11. The many He justifies are all those who believe in Him as The Son of God who promised them eternal life. 1Jn 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know [knows means to be sure] that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
The One who believes in His Name, The Son of God, for the promise of Eternal Life is now a product of His Workmanship.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
we are his workmanship = something made. Only used here and in Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
If One died for all then all are dead - 2Co 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead. The words “…We thus judge…” means to decide, to reach a sound decision based on the teaching of the Word of God.
When Christ died you died with Him, 2 Cor. 5:15, And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
2 Cor. 5:14-15 are teaching the truth that is taught in Romans 6:2-11, i.e.2, 3,4 {not speaking of water baptism =water baptism cannot give you life! It is the Spirit of God, see John 3:6]. God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
So what is the sound decision we reach? When Christ died on the Cross with the iniquity of us all, we died with Him = His death is counted for our death. It is by the Spirit you are crucified, Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. And walk in newness of life, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
You the believer are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus, Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Eph 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Eph 4:27 Neither give place to the devil. Eph 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Eph 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
God has prepared good works beforehand so we could walk in them. The work for you is not in yesterday but today. Yesterday is gone but today is the day of opportunity, of faith. 2Co_6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) Here is a verse that is packed with, truth and grace. It states the nearness of the LORD to you. You can’t sort out things from yesterday! If you question where to start? May I say to you start from where you are, where life has brought you.
Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation. Now is the time to live for Him in the path He chose for you.
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