Getting Nowhere Until Going Somewhere

Ephesians 2:12b-13

Remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

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People on their own are getting nowhere,
I am on the road to see,
If anything is anywhere and waiting, just for me.

"It's a Long Way There" by The Little River Band

Paul sends this letter to the church at Ephesus. This is not a Jewish community, it's a gentile community. These people had no knowledge of the Lord until hearing about Jesus. Some might have actually heard him speak. Some might have seen him in Jerusalem. But it is far more likely that the people of Ephesus heard of him than personally heard him.

They were strangers to Christ, as we were strangers to Christ. We, well, most of us, are alien from the commonwealth of Israel. We are gentiles. We are not the children of the original covenant. We are not members of God's first selected race of people. Salvation to all peoples comes from the Jews, through the person and work of Jesus, and then to the nations. There was no hope for us in the world.

There was no hope until Jesus the Christ invited us to be spliced into his salvation by his blood.

Gentiles were once people on the road and getting nowhere. Gods that were worshiped were worthless pieces of wood and stone. They were myths with feet of clay. Ultimately they had no real power of their own. The same is true today with the idols we still hold dear, things we worship that put us on the long road to nowhere.

Thanks be to God that there is something, someone who is waiting for us. The Lord God welcomes us into his fold by the blood of Christ. We were once far off and are now in the breast of God. It's a long way there, but its a trip worth taking.

Saved by Grace

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Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God--not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

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If I should fall from grace with God
Where no doctor can relieve me
If I'm buried 'neath the sod
But the angels won't receive me

Let me go, boys
Let me go, boys
Let me go down in the mud
Where the rivers all run dry

"If I Should Fall From Grace with God" written by Shane MacGowan, recorded by The Pogues on the album of the same name

The fear of all God fearing people, falling from God's grace. It's the ever present worry that we won't be able to live up to God's standard. When we we fear that, we fear we will lose salvation. We fear we will be buried 'neath the sod but the angels won't receive us.

Fear not! The cry of all scripture from God to the people, fear not! God love us, God loves us. God is so rich in mercy that while we were still living a life ripe with trespasses, life filled with sin, God is so rich in mercy that we were made alive through Christ, saved by grace through faith.

The wonderful thing about grace is that we cannot earn it by our works. Grace is a gift freely given. If we had to work for it then it would no longer be grace, it would no longer be a gift. It was given before we even had the opportunity to try to earn it. Let me say again, the free gift of God's good grace was offered before we had the opportunity to try to earn it.

Our good works aren't like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." If we open enough chocolate we won't find the Wonka Golden Ticket to get us beyond the factory gates. This is salvation by works, we are saved by grace through faith.

Yet we were created to do good works. God has made us in Christ Jesus for good works to become our way of life. So if our good works aren't for our salvation what's the use? Our good works reflect the light of Christ in the world. Our good works show God's light in the world.Our good works aren't for our glory, but project God's love onto a needy world.

Saved by grace through faith shows God's merciful kindness to creation. Merciful kindness, in the words of a famous theologian, God loves us not despite who we are, but because of who we are. Live into God's grace not because it will get us anything, but because we are thankful for everything.

Salvation and the Preacher Man

Ephesians 2:4-7

But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

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Can't no preacher man save my soul

"Barton Hollow" by The Civil Wars from the album "Barton Hollow" written Joy Williams and John Paul White

Here's a fact for people who don't understand Christianity and preachers who are too full of themselves: Can't no preacher man save any soul. I mean any soul. That's all there is to it, it's as easy as that.

The preacher man does no saving. Jesus is the source of salvation. It is by God's grace alone, shown on the cross, that we are saved. Salvation means nothing without faith. Without faith, salvation still means everything to God, but nothing to those without faith.

People expect some sort of magic or some such nonsense, preacher man gonna save (or try) to save a soul. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Sometimes it's the preacher man who thinks something the preacher does is gonna save (or try) to save a soul. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Foolishness or ignorance or arrogance are the only things that give this lyric any sort of traction. There is nothing, nothing, that can separate us from God. But that's not because of our doing, it's because God won't allow it.

So go ahead, enjoy the old expression "God doesn't want me and the devil's scared of me" but know that's a lie and the only person who is fooled by it is the person who says it. No preacher man can talk you into your own salvation, but that's fine. God is still there and God with Christ raises us up and seats us in the heavenly realm, the eternal home of the Triune God. This is God's immeasurable loving kindness, it has nothing to do with us.