Wednesday, April 16th

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Joshua 23-24, Psalm 76, John 8

Today's scripture focus is Ephesians 4:7-10

Ephesians 4:7-10

English Standard Version (ESV)

7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore it says,

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
    and he gave gifts to men.”

9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

Accompanying John MacArthur sermon: The Gifts of Christ to His Church
Accompanying Mark Driscoll sermon: I am Gifted
Accompanying David Legge sermon: The Bounties of our Conquering Christ

God has given the church gifts and each individual believer a gift in order to edify, unite, and build up the church of Christ.

Paul begins by describing a victory scene that would have been familiar to his readers.  After battle, the conquerorwould return with the spoils of war, including both captives and emancipated captives, citizens throwing rose petals in his path.  To those who had been taken prisoner, the smell of the those roses would be like death, but to those who had been freed from slavery the smell would be one of life.

Legge: the whole point of what Paul is saying in verses 7 to 10 is this: Christ Jesus our Lord, our great Captain, our great General, the Captain of the Lord of hosts, has died, has risen from the dead, has ascended on high - and after His victorious work and battle of salvation, He now is in a position at the right hand of God to dispense and present gifts to His church....What Paul is trying to get to us tonight, is that the unity that he has been speaking about in verses 1 to 6, that unity is the prerequisite for usefulness within the church. There is no use having unity without gifts, for it will bring nothing. There is no use - like the Corinthians - having gifts without unity, because it will bring chaos and turmoil. The two must come together: unity and usefulness.

'Despite what I have said before about the unity of the church, yes we are one body, but we are one body made up of individuals with individual gifts and works to do'. So there is unity, but there is also diversity.

If you were to look up the word 'grace' within the encyclopaedic dictionary you would find ten definitions. I want to give you four of them this evening. Within the word of God the statement and the term 'grace' means, first of all, 'unmerited, but freely given, love and favour' - isn't that lovely? Unmerited, unearned, free gift of salvation to all who will believe! We have believed and, praise God, we have received. The second definition is 'the grace, the work of the Holy Spirit', the divine influence that works within our hearts when we're convicted of our sins, and He regenerates us by the Spirit of God. Then, when we're saved, He begins to sanctify us day by day in the image of Christ - and when we go through trials He strengthens us. That is the grace of God, the work of the Spirit within the soul of the believer.

Thirdly, we read that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, Enoch found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Grace can also describe a state of God being pleased with you - not because of anything you do, but because you believe Him. The fourth definition of grace is the definition of the word 'grace' within our passage.... That grace that Paul is speaking of there is a grace, not a saving grace of salvation, but it is an equipping grace whereby God gives us things that we need to live the Christian life. Someone has defined it like this: 'This grace is an outflow from the heart of God'. Isn't that beautiful?
Spiritual gifts are not the same as natural abilities.  God gifts us with those too, of course, but spiritual gifts are measured out by God individually.

MacArthur points out that we are like spiritual snowflakes.  No two people have been given the exact same combination of gifts.  God has given us each something that only we can fulfill, and if don't, the body is missing that gift.

There are a few different interpretations of the descending spoken of in v8-10.
The first is that Christ descended from heaven in the incarnation.

The second is that, between His death and resurrection, Christ descended into hades.  Hades was the place of the dead before Christ came.  There were two parts to it - one for the righteous and one for the unrighteous.   See 1 Peter 3:18-20 for more on this interpretation.  Now it's not the falsehood that the cults preach, that the Lord Jesus had to be punished and tortured in hell for an atonement for our sins. The work of Calvary, the work of salvation, and the work of the atonement, is finished, is utterly done! Yet many of the ancient church fathers and early writers believed that, between His death and His resurrection, that He descended into Hades, He preached deliverance to the captives - those who trusted in God in the Old Testament, He opened the gates and brought them to heaven - and those demons that defied God in the Old Testament, those who were lost, He preached triumph to them.
This is the interpretation held by MacArthur.

The third interpretation is that He descended by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Legge suggest there may be a fourth interpretation ....
It is speaking, I believe, of every condescension that the Son of God had to make right from His incarnation, coming from glory, coming to earth, through His humiliation of living a life of poverty, living a life of blasphemy, going to the cross, bearing our humiliation, our chastisement - dying and being buried, all that! Surely that is the lower parts of the earth, the great poverty of His battle.
Thankfully, He also ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God.

But what a cost!

MacArthur:  It was Jesus Christ act on the cross that allowed him to be the one who could give us the gift he gave us. And what I'm saying is this. You cannot treat the spiritual gift that you have lightly when you contemplate what price it cost for Christ to grant you that privilege. You see it was by his victory there that he gained the right to rule his own church. To be the one who fills all in all from the bottom of Sheol to the top of heaven. He fills it all and the right he gained at the cross and it was there when he gained that right at the cross that he had the right to also give you the gift....

Jesus Christ died on the cross for you to save you. Secondly he died on the cross to enable you to serve him. And he gives you a gift of love that was purchased at the same price that your redemption was purchased at for it's a corollary.



Tomorrow's scripture focus: Ephesians 4:11-16

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Judges 1-2, Psalm 77, John 9

April 15 - Tuesday - Tiffany

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Joshua 21-22, Psalm 75, John 7

Today's scripture focus is Ephesians 4:1-6

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

I love the statement of "we're all the same" here. Once again, your background does not matter - when you turn to Christ, you are new. You are new, you are brought into a new family with one Father. I appreciate the comfort of that.

But there is more here. "As a prisoner for the Lord.... live the life worthy of the calling you have received."

Do you think Paul expected his calling to be this difficult? Maybe he did. Maybe considering his conversion and the extreme measures God took to reach him, he just knew things wouldn't be easy. And yet, he didn't complain. Instead, he used it his situation to teach, to make disciples as Jesus called us all to do in the great commission passage.

My family has 3 goals (which I may have mentioned before) - Godliness, character, and contentment. These verses speak to our character - of the way we live our life.

I've had people ask me why I try to live worthy of God, as He doesn't exist (their belief). It tripped me up the first time, growing up in a pastoral family, I had a hard time imagining NOT believing in God. Eventually though, I was able to answer this question easily -

Whether or not God exists, the advice on how to live given in the Bible leads to a better world. And I'd rather live in that better world, with the hope of an even BETTER one, than live only for myself, die, and find out I was wrong not to believe in God.

Living at peace with others isn't always easy, people don't make it that way.  On days when I meet difficult people, I remember what my husband says "Be kind anyway, you never know, maybe their cat died that day."

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Ephesians 4:7-10

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Joshua 23-24, Psalm 76, John 8

Monday, April 14th

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Joshua 19-20, Psalm 74, John 6

Today's scripture focus is Ephesians 3:20-21

Ephesians 3:20-21

English Standard Version (ESV)

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Accompanying John MacArthur sermon: The Fullness of God Part 4
Accompanying David Legge sermon: Our Mind-Blowing God

MacArthur:
 in verse 20 comes the great doxology. The great benediction. The great paean of anticipated praise. "Now unto him who is able," listen -­here's the praise, when a believer follows these paths, when you follow these sequences - Now he is able. Listen, do you realize that as powerful as God is you hold the trigger that determines whether He's able or not in your life? To accomplish all that He would through you? Now that you have inner strength, now that you have the indwelling Christ, now that there's incomprehensible love, now that you're filled with internal fullness, the fullness of God, now He is able to do what? "Exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think according to the power that works in us." That power doesn't work in you until now. Not until verses 16 to 19 have been fulfilled. The great doxology of praise. Jesus said in John 14:12, - It's alright when I go away because when I go away you'll do greater things than I did. Not greater in quality, you could never do things greater in quality; greater in quantity is what that text is saying.

I love MacArthur's next point.  Notice the words in the text.
He is able.  That would have been enough right?  But it doesn't stop there.
He is able to do what you ask.  That would be enough, but it doesn't stop there.
He is able to do what you ask and think.  That would be enough, but it doesn't stop there.
He is able to do ALL you ask and think.  Thank would be enough, but it doesn't stop there.
He is able to do exceedingly above all that you ask and think.

He is able to do exceedingly above all that you ask and think, with His power, for His glory.  We have resources beyond our wildest imaginations - we just need to use them for our good and His glory.

what you are is a living advertisement for your God, believe me. And if God is to be glorified in the church it is to be because the church is moving in an expression of the mighty power that He has. Let Him translate this into your manner of living. Listen; don't cheat yourself out of what God can do by thinking you've only got a little bit of resource.

All for His glory.


Tomorrow's scripture focus: Ephesians 4:1-7

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Joshua 21-22, Psalm 75, John 7

Friday, April 11th

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Joshua 13-14; Psalm 73; John 5

Today's scripture focus is Ephesians 3:14-19

Ephesians 3:14-19

English Standard Version (ESV)

Prayer for Spiritual Strength

¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶ that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Accompanying David Legge sermon:  A Prayer for the Church
Accompanying Mark Driscoll sermon:  I am Heard
Accompanying John MacArthur sermons: The Fullness of God Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4

I appreciated MacArthur's point on this passage, and the fact that it's a progression building upon itself.

As we yield to the Holy Spirit, one day at a time, our inner man is strengthened and it becomes easier to say no to sin and yes to the Spirit.

As we yield to the Spirit, Christ settles down at home in our hearts, and He permeates every part of our lives as we submit to the complete lordship of Christ.

And when that happens, we are rooted and grounded in love.  Love is our root system, our foundation, and it becomes natural to love.

This is all building off of each other.  As we yield to the Spirit, Christ dwells within us, filling us with love that pours out on those around us.

The absence of love is sin.  When we fail to love it is because there is sin in our lives, and we are not walking in the Spirit.  Without love we are nothing.   And love is only possible when we are humble.

it can be expressed in every human relationship. If there's ever a family where brothers and sisters and moms and dads and kids ought to get along and have love it's a Christian family because we have a love that passes knowledge. That is unavailable to the world. You know, the world's love says-you're a nice object, I choose to love you, I'm attracted to you. God's love says -- I love by nature, you exist so you get it. The world's love says - I love you until I find something that looks better. God's love says--You look so perfect in Jesus Christ I love you forever. The world's love says -- I love you until you offend me. God's love says - I love you in spite of the fact that you never stop offending Me. And that's the kind of love we bring to a relationship. Any human relationship that the world doesn't know anything about. The world loves for what it can get and we love for what we can give.

How long, how deep, how high is this love?

It's breadth?  It can reach absolutely anybody.
How long?  It reaches from eternity past to eternity future.
How deep? It reaches to the pit of sin.
How high? It takes us into the very presence of God, seated with Christ on the throne.

This is the kind of love we are to build our life on. This is the kind of love we are to comprehend and seize at every moment. This is the kind of love we are to experience and know. The kind of love that reaches to parties that hate each other. The kind of love that runs from one part of our life to the end of our life. The kind of love that reaches to the person in the deepest pit. The kind of love that can lift up a person to the very presence of God. That's the kind of love we are to know.

And so Paul prays that we will have a deep, experiential knowledge of Christ's love. A comprehension of its infiniteness. An expression of that same infiniteness that can only happen because we are rooted and grounded in it. Because Christ is at home in us. Because we are strong in the inner man. Because the Spirit of God is at work there. This is living life at a full throttle

And what happens when we do this?  We are filled with the fulness of God!  It's unfathomable really. We are filled with the Spirit (v16), we are filled with Christ (v17) and we are filled with God (v19).

to be filled with God, the eternal God, the almighty God, the creator God, the sustainer God, the God of the universe, the God who made it all, the God who fills it all can fill me? Incredible.

And it all starts with yielding to the Spirit in the every day.  Oh, it is worth it!


Monday's scripture focus: Ephesians 3:20-21

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Joshua 15-16
Sunday's passage: Joshua 17-18
Monday's passage: Joshua 19-20, Psalm 74, John 6

Thursday, April 10 ~ Miriam

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Joshua 11-12; Psalm 72; John 4

Today's scripture focus is Ephesians 3:1-13

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— 2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; 3 that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. 4 By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; 6 to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, 7 of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. 8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; 10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.

I'm not going to look up the sermons on this passage.  I'm sure they have lots of wonderful insight that I am missing, but I was overwhelmed by two ideas as I read this and I'm going to share those with you instead.

#1 - I am humbled by Paul's attitude.  His attitude about his suffering makes me so ashamed that I, whose "prison" is a warm, comfortable home with three smart, funny, aggravating children to care for, a well-paid position that allows me to work only three days a week outside our home, a kind and loving husband who is now retired and can care for our children while I am at work, and Sunday School and Vacation Bible School to teach, sometimes have a grumpy attitude about what I all have to do for other people and don't have time for other things I'd like to do.  Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles (including us, who have the benefit of his teaching through the Bible), calls himself the very least of all saints, and is thankful and humble about the gift of grace he's received and the revelation that was given to him, enabling him to preach to all of us the unfathomable riches of Christ.  Read the passage again, out loud if you can, and listen to the language.  I know it's kind of big run-on sentences, but can you hear how blessed Paul feels by the fact that he was saved?  Can you hear how thrilled he is to be able to bring that message to all of us?  Can you hear how excited he is that now all people, Gentiles and Jews alike, can be fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel?  He's in prison, but he's still so enthusiastic about any and every opportunity he has to preach and spread the message of the Gospel.

#2 - What a God we serve.  I don't know about any of you, but for me along this journey of Bible study one thing that has become abundantly clear to me is how undeserving I am of the great gifts and blessings God has bestowed upon me, how incredibly generous and forgiving our great God is to give all of us the opportunity to become pure and holy through the blood of Christ Jesus, and then not only that, but to bless us with so many other things in this life as well.  Families, church families, friends, an incredibly beautiful and amazingly intricate planet to live on, intelligence, logic, creativity, and any number of other talents and abilities to use for His glory... the list goes on and on.  How ungrateful am I, to begrudge the services that I can perform for others that He's put in front of me and given me the ability to do?

Paul knows that his imprisonment and everything else he's been through as been to further God's eternal purpose and His kingdom, and he is content in the knowledge that he has the hope of eternity to look forward to.  Jesus said "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."  (John 16:33) 

Lord Jesus, help us to remember that as we serve others, we serve You.  May we keep the hope of eternity in mind, and thankfulness for Your mercy and grace and Your many blessings, as we go through whatever tribulations You have in store for us here on Earth, so that like Paul we can be content in all circumstances.  Amen.

Tomorrow's scripture focus:  Ephesians 3:14-19

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage:  Joshua 13-14; Psalm 73; John 5

Wednesday, April 9th

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Joshua 9-10, Psalm 71, John 3

Today's scripture focus is Ephesians 2:19-22

Ephesians 2:19-22

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²² In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Accompanying David Legge sermon: God's New Home
Accompanying Mark Driscoll sermon: I am Reconciled
Accompanying John MacArthur sermon: Unity of the Body Part 3

This passage, once again, talks about our position in Christ.  In Christ we have peace with God, and peace with each other.  Practically, that is still a work in progress (especially peace with each other, is it not?) due to the reality of sin on this fallen earth.

MacArthur: We don't always manifest this peace and that's where the dichotomy comes.

But aren't you glad that it's there anyway? Aren't you glad ..... that our relationship to God depends upon what He's done, not on what we do? I'm so glad that the Bible teaches position and practice, because if they were the same thing every time you goofed up your practice, you'd lose your position. 

Because we are one with God, and one with each other we are no longer strangers and aliens (better translated outcasts and unknown travellers).  Instead, all believers are fellow citizens in the kingdom of God.  Not only are we fellow citizens, but we are also family - members of God's household.  Not only are we family, but we are being built together as a holy temple, with Christ as our cornerstone, in which the Spirit of God will dwell.

Legge:  the word of God teaches - listen: God dwells in your heart! Isn't that remarkable? If I'm out of Belfast I don't need to worry whether I'm away from God or not, because God's here. I don't care whether I'm in Jerusalem, or Rome, or Timbuktu, because God is in me by His Spirit! This is the miracle, we could go on here, how Peter talks about the lively stones.

I'll leave you with this little thought that blessed me immensely today. Peter talks about how we are built up as lively living stones together, and we make up the body of Christ, and we are built upon the living stone - the Rock who is Christ Jesus. When the first temple was built that was Solomon's temple. It was built on Mount Moriah, but there was something very peculiar about it, unlike other buildings. It was this: that each rock and each boulder that made up that temple had to be made before it was brought up. There was not to be a sound of a hammer, or a chisel, or a workman, around the temple. In fact, if you watched it being built there wasn't a sound. They were just carrying up these rocks to the temple. It was all done at home. It was all hewn away. Isn't that beautiful? That when God saves us, we're added to His temple, and there's nothing more for us to do. It's all done! All the hewing and all the chiselling was done by the Spirit of God when He was chiselling us out of the darkness of the quarry of our sin and our iniquity, and our separation from God.

.......the Lord Jesus is described as our chief cornerstone. Do you know what that was for? They measured all the other stones by the cornerstone. When He is in the right place in His church, all the other stones will fall into place.


Tomorrow's scripture focus: Ephesians 3:1-13

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Joshua 11-12, Psalm 72, John 4

Tuesday - April 8- tiffany

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Joshua 7-8, Psalm 70, John 2

Today's scripture focus is Ephesians 2:11-18

Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ

¹¹ Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— ¹² remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
¹⁴ For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵ by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷ He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

There is one overriding message I hear when I read this - Jesus came for us all. He gives us all peace, He stands in front of God the Father for us all, no matter who we are.

For tonight (today) I'm going to let that one simple message comfort me.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Ephesians 2;19-22

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Joshua 9-10, Psalm 71, John 3

Monday, April 7th

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Joshua 5-6, Psalm 69, John 1

Today's scripture focus is Ephesians 2:8-10

Ephesians 2:8-10

English Standard Version (ESV)

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Accompanying David Legge sermon: Amazing Grace
Accompanying Mark Driscoll sermon: I am Saved
Accompanying John MacArthur sermon: Coming Alive in Christ

This was one of the 40 verses I had to memorize for my Teen Mission trip, and one of my favourites!

Our salvation is only possible because of God's grace towards us - giving us something we don't deserve.

Our salvation is only possible through faith in Christ Jesus.  It's not faith that saves you, it's faith in Jesus that saves you.  We live by faith every single day.  We pop open a can of Pepsi and drink it, having faith that it's actually Pepsi inside.  We sit on a plane having faith that the pilot in the cockpit is sober and skilled at flying planes.  Living by faith is basic to human nature.  And God uses that ability to live by faith to draw us to Him.  To believe Him.  To believe in Him.

Even that faith is a gift from God.  We don't muster up enough faith on our own, He stirs it up in us.  So that we can't boast.

Saving faith does not come from works - so that we can't boast.

He gets the glory - ALL the glory.  He has done it all.

The RESULT of saving faith is good works.  When God saves us He wants to see good works because it manifests His power for His glory.  He has the power to save, and He empowers us to do good works.

We are God's masterpiece - He is shaping and moulding us to become like Christ.  And like all masterpieces, we are a work in progress.  Positionally we are holy and perfect.  But in practice, we're still working on it.  Rather, God is working on it.

Genuine Christians produce good works.  We're not saved by works, we're saved to do good works.  The order makes all the difference.

But it's all God.

Even the good works we do as genuine Christians, we do because God prepared them in advance for us to do.

To Him alone be the glory.


Tomorrow's scripture focus: Ephesians 2:11-18

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Joshua 7-8, Psalm 70, John 2

Friday, April 4th

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Deuteronomy 33-34; Psalm 68; Luke 24.

Today's scripture focus is Ephesians 2:1-7 

Ephesians 2:1-7

English Standard Version (ESV)

By Grace Through Faith

2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Accompanying David Legge sermon: From Death to Life
Accompanying Mark Driscoll sermon: I am Saved
Accompanying John MacArthur sermon: Coming Alive in Christ

Ever since the fall, mankind's default condition is death and depravity.  Total spiritual death.  We have absolutely no capacity to respond to any type of spiritual stimulus in any way.  We are completely, totally dead.  When Adam and Eve sinned, they died spiritually that day.  Yes, there physical bodies began the process of dying, but their souls were immediately dead apart from God.  And ever since that moment, we are all born spiritually dead.

Our trespasses and sins are not the cause of this spiritual death - but rather the evidence of it!  We sin because we are spiritually dead.

Is it possible to revive a corpse? No, of course not!  Is it possible for us to revive a dead soul?  No, of course not, not apart from God.

It is true that not all men/women are equally depraved.  But that is irrelevant.  We have all fallen short of the glory of God.  We have all missed the mark.  We are all depraved.

MacArthur: man is dead. He is dead in his inability to reach God's standard and he falls and slips and stumbles and goes the wrong direction because of his deadness. He is a death walking zombie manifesting a total inability to accomplish God's standard. Even though, from time to time, he manifests some moral goodness. So he's a death walker.

We are spiritually dead men walking according to the moral depravity of our times through the work of Satan in the world around us, and through our own spiritual depravity.

This is a very bleak, but very truthful, outlook.

Thankfully, we come to verse 4.
But God!

What wonderful words!!

Despite our depravity, because of our depravity - God showed us mercy, showered us with love, made us alive in Christ, saved us from sin, showed us grace so undeserving, exalted us in the heavenlies to His right hand in order to be kind to us forever.

Amazing grace!!
You were saved not primarily to keep you out of hell, you were saved primarily so that God could just shower His grace and shower His blessing and shower His riches on you.....

God saved you for the very purpose of unloading on you every rich kind, gracious thing conceivable to the mind of God so that you might be so filled with His riches and filled with His kindness and filled with His grace that you can be held up to the angels and that they can praise Him for being such a loving, gracious, kind and wise God. So His own glory is at stake and He will never diminish His own glory. Therefore if He gets glory by pouring out grace on you He'll do it. That's what he says.



Tomorrow's scripture focus: Ephesians 2:8-10

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Joshua 1-2
Sunday's passage: Joshua 3-4
Monday's passage: Joshua 5-6, Psalm 69, John 1

Thursday, April 3 ~ Miriam

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Deuteronomy 31-32; Psalm 67; Luke 23.

Today's scripture focus is Ephesians 1:19-23

19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

I find these verses speaking about Christ being raised from the dead fitting, as we are moving towards Easter.  I found this portion of Mr. Legge's sermon, Paul's Prayer List for You, Part 2, interesting:

If I were to ask you what you believe the greatest demonstration of God's power was, you might say to me: 'Well, it must be creation. That in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and the universe. He created all the angelic beings, the whole solar systems, everything! Was that not the greatest? In a word it all came into being'. You might say: 'Well, it must be the Red Sea, where God parted the sea for His children to deliver them from Egypt'. You might say it's the plagues that hit Egypt, every one representing one of their false gods, to curse them and to let the people of God go from them. You might even say it's the incarnation - God manifest in flesh, great mystery of godliness: God, contracted to a span, incomprehensibly made man. You might say that is the greatest thing. No! Paul tells us that the greatest demonstration of the power of God is found here: He wrought, He demonstrated His power in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in heavenly places.

Why is that the greatest demonstration? Do you know why? Because all of hell, all the demons, all the devils and principalities and powers were massed, united together to frustrate the plans of almighty God. They wanted to keep Christ in the grave, but God triumphed - Hallelujah! God triumphed and pushed Him, by the power of His almighty being, out of the ground, out of the burying place, and brought Him back to life. Christ's resurrection, Christ's glorification and exultation were a shattering blow to Satan and all his hosts on that glorious day when He rose Him again from the dead. God's victorious power was displayed as never before! As I've said, no one can describe or explain such power, but Paul tries to do it - and he uses several words with the same idea. He uses the words of the vocabulary of dynamics. Look at the verse - verse 19: 'what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead'. According to the working - note that word, 'working', of the 'strength' - the second word - of His might - the third word - which He 'energised' in Christ - the fourth word - when He raised Him from the dead.

He wants to see, incomparably, the great power for us who believe! You see, Paul isn't just demonstrating all this so that we can be theologians, so that we can be 'biblical clever-clogs' and know everything about the power of God. But he is demonstrating to us, through an illustration of this great power in the resurrection of Christ, that this dynamic, dynamite power is available to us who believe. It's available in salvation, isn't it? Isn't that what Romans 1 verse 16 [says]? 'For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power' - the 'dynamus'  - 'of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek'.

Is there a temptation, my friend that you can't get over? Is there a trial? Is there a burden? Is there an obstacle that you feel that you cannot face? Think again, for we have the powerful Christ! Glory to His name!

Tomorrow's scripture focus:  Ephesians 2:1-7

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage:  Deuteronomy 33-34; Psalm 68; Luke 24.