Messages from Pleasant City Church

Paul continues his narrative of taking off and putting on. Here in this passage, he starts with what needs to be put on and ends with what needs to be taken off. It appears that Paul is taking us on a journey to find the true meaning of love and its counterfeit sexual sin.

Jesus guaranteed the potential for a transformed life through His death, burial, and resurrection. The Holy Spirit provides what is necessary to live a transformed life—through a process called sanctification. Sanctification is the process of taking off what needs to be taken off and putting on what needs to be put on.

Paul in these verses is challenging those of us who are “in Christ” to live a transformed life which should be radically different from our previous tragic life.

Paul is exhorting us to unity that we may fulfill the calling of our life to minister to others and reach the lost with the gospel with our gifts through the local Church.

The “calling” represents when we trusted Jesus as Savior and Lord. We received by faith through repentance what Jesus provided through the cross. At that time, we are placed “in Christ” with others who have done the same. From this point we then begin to live together (in unity) the life He intends for us to live—not only in Him but also for Him.

Paul concludes the theological chapters of Ephesians (1-3) with a prayer for us who are “in Christ”—that we would fully understand who we are “in Christ.”

Paul shows us in this passage that racism and division have no place in the church. Because of Jesus, the two enemies have become friends.

The new spiritual realities that have been provided for you (1:3-14) can only be realized when you discover the true crisis of your soul and then receive the cure provided by Christ. In the passage today Paul is describing the act and process of salvation or as he puts it being “in Christ.”

Once we understand: 1) that our identity is Christ-based, 2) that we are “in Him” (meaning we are living in the new spiritual realities Christ has provided) then we can begin to pursue the life He has for us.

When we begin to understand who we are “in Christ” then we begin to know our true identity, our privileges, and our purpose.

Most scholars agree that excluding the book of Romans; the letter to the Ephesians is the most detailed written presentation of Christian Theology of all of the epistles.

Many scholars have written that Ephesians 1:3-14 are some of the most powerful verses in the entire Bible. They clearly describe who we are “in Christ” and the new identity in which we can now live.

Christianity in its very essence is a resurrection religion. (Matthew 28:1-10) If there is no resurrection there is no salvation. (1 Corinthians 15:1-7) The resurrection provides forgiveness, freedom and victory for those who follow Jesus.

The brutality of Jesus’ last hours was horrific. It was a scene that was predicted in the OT, recorded in the gospels, and explained in the epistles to bring salvation to mankind.

The last days of Jesus has been described as the week of passion. The word passion not only means strong emotion or strong desire; it also means extreme suffering and distress. Jesus’ anguish would extent into the night before the cross in the garden of Gethsemane.

God’s desire is for your next move to be one of faithful consistency in making disciples.

God’s desire for your Next move is to Spiritually Reproduce.

Every single person, including YOU, begins their spiritual Life as a spiritual Infant, but you don’t have to stay there. God’s desire is for your next move to be one of maturing. Will you stay at What’s Now or move to What’s Next?

Every single person on earth can be found in a Spiritual Stage of life. The forward progression through these stages is called Discipleship. Before you can go to what’s Next you must know where you are Now.

Reasons you do not forgive: the one who hurt you does not deserve forgiveness; the one who hurt you has not suffered enough; and lastly, to forgive them will make you feel vulnerable.

Hurt is hurt; but its impact and depth are determined by the closeness of the relationship with the offender.