 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
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