Our Location in This Day and Age

Ephesians 1:1-2


Introduction:

One evening two weeks ago, while driving home from Jones Hall in downtown, we got lost. After driving for a while, Cynthia pointed out this is Westheimer. This is good information, but I had no idea if I was facing north or south, and therefore don't know what to do with that information. Without a reference point, just knowing it was Westheimer did not get me anywhere. What I needed was a GSP device that would tell me exactly where I was. Or on second thoughts, all I needed was a $10 compass in my car!

For two weekends in August, speakers like Yeung and Lin spoke to us about the many characteristics of the time we live in. We learned about the desert and postmodern culture.

However, do we have a reference point from which to look at the events and happenings in our world? Do we have a reference point to discern and interpret what we see around us? You see, without a reference point, all we have is information, and we can easily become information junkies.

Beginning this Sunday I will be preaching a series of sermons from the book of Ephesians. This morning we will study the first two verses of chapter 1.

From how Paul introduced himself and the recipients of his letter, we identify the reference point needed to locate ourselves so we can better understand and interpret our time, and moreover, helping us to know how to live in this day and age.

I. God's word provides us with a reference point to discern and evaluate the world around us.

Paul claimed to be "an apostle of Jesus Christ". An apostle was someone chosen and sent by Jesus Christ. Paul was referring to his Damascus experience. Years ago, while he was on his way to Damascus to arrest the believers, he had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. He was given a special mission to preach the gospel message to the gentiles.

Jesus Christ gave the apostles a certain body of truth. John 14:26, "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John 16:13, "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would enable them to remember and understand the truth he taught them. The Holy Spirit would also reveal new truth to them.

Therefore, if Jesus is truly God, then the apostles were his representatives on earth. Their words were his words, carrying the same authority as his. I want to call your attention to two observations:

First, according to the definition that an apostle was someone who has seen, chosen and sent by Jesus, there are therefore no apostles today. When we hear someone claiming to be an apostle, we need to watch out.

Secondly, the words, "an apostle of Jesus Christ" settle the question of how we know. We live in an age of skepticism. We question every thing. Yet at the same time we also yearn for something reliable and authoritative. Do you know what is the most popular phrase in this country in recent months? "The tribe has spoken". It is definitive and authoritative.

We have heard and asked repeatedly, "How do I know the Bible is true and reliable?" Books such as "Verdict that demands an answer", "Are the NT documents reliable?", provide us with abundant external evidences proving the reliability of the NT. However, equally important is what we call the internal evidences. That is, the apostles' writings were the final and definitive answer. Because the apostles were chosen and sent by Jesus, they were his representatives. Their words were the same as his words. Therefore they are reliable, trustworthy and authoritative.

So, when we look at our world, we are not just looking at an ever-exploding quantity of information. We look at the information with a reference point. This reference point is the word of God. When we anchor ourselves in his word, then we can understand, discern and evaluate all the information that come our way. For example, we not only marvel at the breaking of the genetic code and the potential medical breakthrough, we also look at it from a biblical perspective. We can ask is there an ethical boundary in genetic engineering? We don't just accept any scientific information, discovery and application as the final truth. We have a higher authority, God's word, as our ultimate reference point. In this election year, we also need to look at the various candidates' positions and policies from the perspective of God's word. On one hand, we are to know our world well, and on the other, God's word. We learn to see our world through the lens of God's word.

II. God's active involvement in our lives enables us to live a life with direction in this day and age.

"By the will of God." Paul stated that he did not volunteer to become an apostle. Instead, it was God who took the initiative and called him. God had an active plan for Paul's live. God called and Paul obeyed. In vs 3-14, Paul further expanded and explained how he and us fit into God's eternal plan.

Many of us have heard these words, "God has a plan for your life." He doesn't want us to go through life aimlessly, or just go with the flow. He has a plan for us. But what is our role? I want to explain this with the story of the Israelites. God had a wonderful plan for them. He delivered them from Egypt's slavery. He formed them into a nation. He gave them 10 commandments to protect them from the evil influences of the surrounding nations, so they could maintain their purity as God's chosen people. But instead they disobeyed God. They created and worshipped idols. They complained against God and Moses. And then what happened? God punished them and they wondered in the wilderness for 40 years. A journey that under normal circumstances would take about 2 weeks, ended up 40 years in the wilderness. Yes, God had a plan for their future, but they wasted 40 years because of their disobedience. Entire generation was lost before they entered the Promised Land.

How about us? The Christian God is not someone up there, far from us, showing up in our lives once in a while, especially when we are in trouble. The Bible tells us that he is active in our lives. He has a plan for us. He wants us to cooperate with him. He calls all of us to be obedient to his instructions and words as revealed in the scriptures. He wants us to be the salt and light in this world. It is his desire that we become channels of his blessing to those he brings into our lives. He also called some into full time ministry. We don't aimlessly cruise by in life; we have a mission, a direction in this world.

III. Our status as saints provides us with guidelines for living in this age.

Now lets take a look at how Paul addressed the recipients of this letter. He called them saints. A saint is someone who is set apart, a title given to all believers. Saints are not super spiritual Christians. In God's sight, every believer is a saint. We are called saints not because we have kept all the commandments, and excel in good works. We are called saints because of our faith in Jesus Christ.

Therefore the challenge for us is to live like saints. When we study the rest of this book, we'll find it is full of instructions on how to live a life compatible to our sainthood. There are some standards of behavior. Such as getting rid of hatred, sexual immorality and so on. There are also detailed instructions on how to live with family members: husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants.

We also want to take note of the fact that the word "saint' is used in plural form. Meaning that saints never live alone. We always live in the context of a community. We are in relationship with each other. Therefore, this and other books in the Bible constantly encourage us to live in harmony with each other. We are to love one another, accept one another, forgive one another, encourage one another and bear each other's burden. We learn how to live with those God brings into our lives. Being saints, we also are

1. Recipients of grace and peace.

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the lord Jesus Christ." Grace and peace appear in almost every NT epistles. However, both Grace and Peace are dominant themes in this letter to the Ephesians.

Grace means freely receiving what we don't deserve. Paul wrote that our salvation is an act of grace from God. His calling to be an apostle is a grace. The various spiritual gifts are God's grace. You see, whether it is in the first century society or today, people tried to work hard to gain favor from God. There are teachings that in order to be saved, one not only needs to have faith, but good works as well. It is faith plus good works. But in this book he emphatically taught that nothing we do can gain God's favor. His love, provision and salvation are all grace. Being a recipient of God's grace, we learn to be gracious to others.

The other major theme in this book is Peace. It is peace with God and with each other. In chapters 1,2 Paul wrote about personal peace with God. Again, in the first century society, there are all kinds of divisions between men. And beginning in chapter 2, he wrote about peace with one another. Since we are at peace with God, Jesus Christ has already torn down the walls that separated people from one another.

How true this is to us Chinese Christians. We have come here from literally all over the world. Others see us as Chinese. But we often see ourselves as Chinese from Taiwan, China, HK, or Southeast Asia. Moreover, if we are from China, we are from Shanghai, Beijing, Wuhan, Xian, or Anhui. If you are from Taiwan, then you are either local or from mainland. Not to mention we often define others and self in terms of possession, wealth or education. Very often this is how we are divided. In the book of Ephesians, we are reminded, when we come to faith in Jesus Christ, there are no more walls among and between us. In Christ, we are all one, members of one body. .

2. Our unique life style.

Please note that the saints are defined by two locations: in Ephesus and in Christ Jesus. Location has a great influence on how we live. When you are in an airport in another state, you look for the departure gate to return to Houston. What is one give away, besides the LED information, telling you that this is the right gate? If you see cow boy hats, you can be pretty sure that this flight is going to Houston or another Texas city. When we live in Houston, it often affects how we dress, how we talk (ye'all), how we take care of our cars or lawns.

In this verse we see the contrast of two locations: Ephesus and Christ. Living in Ephesus is different from living in Christ. Beginning in chapter 2, Paul pointed out the differences between the two. For example, in Ephesus there were idols, but not in Christ. In Ephesus there were divisions based on social, financial and ethnic status, but not in Christ. In Ephesus, individuals lived as children of darkness, full of bitterness, hatred, rage, slander and every form of malice. But in Christ, there should be none of that. Instead, they were to live as children of light: goodness, righteousness and truth. In Ephesus, they were controlled by alcohol, living in chaos. But in Christ, they were to be under the control of the Holy Spirit, living in an orderly way. In Ephesus, their interpersonal relationships were marked by conflicts, estrangement and exploitation. In Christ, there was harmony between husband and wife, parents and children, masters and servants. The Christians in Ephesus were to let their in-Christ status define how they live in that world.

Isn't this also true with us? Living in Houston, or in the world, is very different from living in Christ. Living in the world, we are often defined by the quality of our living. Several times a year, we received the magazine called FB Lifestyle. Looking at the ads, pictures and articles, one gets the impression that the most important thing in life is where you live, and what kind of house you own. Then there is the perfect smile, perfect body shape and perfect health. Some of the church's' flyers highlight the fun of coming to their church. We pursue fun and happiness in life. We pursue the 3 P's: Possession, Permanent Residence and PH.D. We also pursue wealth, health and success. They have become the modern day gods. But in Christ, it is going to be different. In this book of Ephesus we learn what is important in life is the maturity of our inner life. That we become more and more like Jesus Christ.

Living in the world, our end justifies the means. In order to get what I want, such as wealth, residency, that particular degree, I can sacrifice any and all principles, including friends. In Christ, what is right becomes more important than my personal interest and benefits.

Living in the world, we see individuals as objects to be used. But in Christ, everyone is precious, valuable and to be respected. In the world, we often see marriage as a convenience. Family members each do their own thing, sometimes just tolerating each other. So in many families, we have husbands who won't lead and wives who won't follow. In Christ, the husband is to be head of the family. He is to love and care for his wife as Christ loves the church. He is to bring out that glory of God from his wife's heart. He is responsible for the family's physical and spiritual well being. The wife is to submit to the husband's loving and sacrificial leadership at home.

You see, we all live in this world. But when we become Christians, we also begin to live in Christ. This status of in-Christ, is to define how we are to live in this world.

Conclusion:

It is difficult and confusing living in this day and age. Some of us have tried hard to be modern, but now it is postmodern already. Both inside and outside the Christian church, we see mixed up and confusing value systems.

30 years ago, as we face the changes in the society, we often asked: is it right? Is there truth? But today, it is very different, isn't it. Seldom do we ask: is it right? Is the true? We seem to have accepted what is as what should be. When we see so many people doing it, we wonder: how can it be wrong.

Several weeks ago while coming to church with Yeung, I talked about the impact of our culture. Looking at the breakdown of family system, the sometimes confusing trend of church music, the differences in church growth principles, and the various messages from the Christian ministers. It is confusing. Sometimes I feel like being hit by a huge wave, not able to breathe.

Then he said: this is the reason we must go back to God's word. God's people need to hear God's word. God's ministers need to preach and teach God's word. God's word is our ultimate reference point in this world. As we see our world through the lens of God's revealed truth, it is then we can interpret what is happening around us. With God's word as our reference point, then we also know how to live in this day and age.

Rev. William Hsueh    Sep 10, 2000    Houston Chinese Church,  Houston, Texas