Straight From The Heart Radio

Breaking down walls- We were all once alienated from God in our sins. The church should be the place where every wall of prejudice and separation should be broken down. Unfortunately, that's not always the case.

But God- We were hopelessly dead in our sins, but God, through Jesus Christ, saved us. He made us alive with Him, He raised us up with Him, and made us sit together with Him in "heavenly places."

Walking dead- Before Christ, Paul said that we were wandering aimlessly in darkness. We were dead in our sins, and the world, the flesh, and the devil determined the direction of our lives.

Paul's prayer (Part 2)- Taking a closer look at Paul's three prayer requests for the Ephesians at the end of chapter 1.

Paul's prayer- After considering all the blessings we have through the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Paul prays three things for the Ephesians: to grow in knowledge, hope, and the immeasurable greatness of God's power.

The work of the Spirit- The Father's plan of salvation was set in eternity passed, the Son stepped into time and made it a reality, and the Holy Spirit secures those things in us. The Spirit is our guarantee that we will be preserved until we receive our heavenly inheritance.

The work of Christ- According to His will, and His "superabounding grace," Christ has revealed to us God's plan of salvation. He has redeemed us and forgiven us, and therefore, we have a glorious inheritance waiting for us.

He chose us- God's sovereignty and man's responsibility: an honest study of the bible will find both. So how do they go together? Did God choose us, or did we choose Him? Paul said these truths are not meant to confuse us, but that we might praise God for His love and grace.

To the Ephesians- Graham Scroggie said, "In Ephesians church truth blazes forth in fullness of glory." Written to the saints at Ephesus, this letter from Paul can be viewed as a general encouragement to all churches.

False motives- Paul's final plea to the Galatians was to consider the motives of the legalists trying to sway them to believe in a false doctrine. Some saw it as a badge of honor, while others just wanted to avoid the persecution that would come with defending the true gospel.

The household of faith- One way the fruit of walking in the Spirit will be evident is by the way we treat others. Paul gives special attention to how we should be treating others in the body of Christ, including what it looks like to restore someone who has fallen into sin.

Walk in the Spirit- Some accused Paul of giving believers license to live in sin by saying they were saved by grace and not the works of the law. Paul responded to this by reminding his critics that we are called to walk in the Spirit, bearing fruit, and not according to our flesh.

Who hindered you?- Paul was not writing to the Galatians because they were backsliding into sin. He wrote to them because they were "frontsliding" into legalism, and exhorted the church to continue walking in the truth they were once saved in.

Law and grace- Paul referenced Isaac and Ishmael to demonstrate how law and grace can't coexist in our lives. Ishmael was born because of Abraham's fleshly efforts. Isaac was born because of faith and trust in God's promise.

The Spirit of His Son- Sometimes we act more like slaves than sons in our relationship with God. We can still live under the weight of sin and condemnation. Since "the Spirit of His Son" now lives in us, we can choose to live in freedom, not bondage.

The purpose of the law- God's covenant with Abraham was not reversed by the law. The law was meant to show us our sin and lead us to Christ like a "schoolteacher." We can never find favor with God through our own works.

The just shall live by faith- The line between faith and works was becoming blurred for some of the Galatians. With that in mind, Paul asked a simple question: "Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?"

The exchanged life- When we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, it is His life that lives through us. We "exchange" our own righteousness for His. This is an important reminder because, like Peter, we sometimes fall into the trap of pleasing man rather than pleasing God.

When Paul rebuked Peter- Receiving correction from others can be hard. Paul publicly rebuked Peter when he saw his belief did not match up with his behavior. It's not always easy, but there are times when we need to confront other believers who are in the wrong.

Unity in the gospel- Unfortunately, there are many people in the modern church who have sacrificed truth for the sake of unity. Peter, James, and John, affirmed to the church at Jerusalem that Paul was preaching the same message and gospel of grace.

Defending the gospel- Fourteen years after his first visit to Jerusalem, Paul returned to bear witness to how the gospel was reaching the Gentiles. Paul exhorted the church leaders in Jerusalem to resist the "false brethren" who were saying circumcision was required to be saved.

Called to relationship- On the road to Damascus, Jesus revealed Himself to Paul. What Paul found was not religion. It was a relationship with the living God. Jesus calls His followers to walk with Him and to know Him first, above everything else.

The source of the gospel- There are other gospels out there being preached in the world. Like the Galatians, some are tempted to believe in a "Jesus-and" gospel, adding to the true gospel of grace that Paul knew, directly revealed to him by Christ.

To the Galatians- Paul's wrote this letter as a defense against the legalistic teaching of the Judaizers. There are many examples of modern day "Judaizers" who threaten the true gospel with an unhealthy emphasis on religious ceremony and self-righteousness.

The way of praise- We can all struggle at times with the content of our speech. When God's word is filling your heart, the right words will come out of your mouth: words of praise, grace, and edification.