1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,200 This morning we're going to embark on some basic training. 2 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:11,000 For many of you who have served in the military, this concept is not a new one. 3 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:19,700 Every branch of our military has some basic form of training that new recruits must complete before they're ready for duty. 4 00:00:19,700 --> 00:00:24,500 It's described like this, officially called initial entry training. 5 00:00:24,500 --> 00:00:28,000 It prepares recruits for all implements of service. 6 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,300 Physical, mental, and emotional. 7 00:00:31,300 --> 00:00:40,000 It gives service people the basic tools necessary to perform the roles that we will be asked of them during the duration of their tour. 8 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:43,000 Well, today we're going to begin our spiritual boot camp. 9 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:47,500 We are, and our purpose is much the same as military training. 10 00:00:47,500 --> 00:00:57,300 It will give us the basic tools necessary to perform the roles that has been asked of us to perform during our tour. 11 00:00:57,300 --> 00:01:07,500 Because just like the men and women of our armed forces and how they must be prepared for battle, we too must be prepared for a spiritual battle. 12 00:01:07,500 --> 00:01:15,800 Our training manual for this process is going to be Paul's letter that he wrote to the church in Ephesians nearly 2,000 years ago. 13 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:23,300 But it's a great training manual because it's still useful today, just as it was when it was first written. 14 00:01:23,300 --> 00:01:31,300 Okay, so Paul wrote this letter from his prison cell to the church in Ephesus in about 62 AD. 15 00:01:31,300 --> 00:01:42,300 As we'll see, he writes primarily there to believers, many of whom had become followers of Jesus Christ as the result of one or more of Paul's missionary trips there. 16 00:01:42,300 --> 00:01:48,800 His first trip to Ephesus was a brief stop on his way to Antioch to Syria. 17 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:53,800 They arrived in Ephesus where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. 18 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:58,300 He himself went into the synagogue and he reasoned with the Jews. 19 00:01:58,300 --> 00:02:01,800 When they asked him to spend more time there, he declined. 20 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:06,800 He declined, but as he left, he promised, I will come back if it's God's will. 21 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:10,300 Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 00:02:10,300 --> 00:02:20,300 After traveling to Antioch, Paul visited some of the churches that had been earlier established in Galatia, in Phrygia, on his way back to Ephesus. 23 00:02:20,300 --> 00:02:28,300 Upon his return, Paul made Ephesus his home base for his missionary activities for two and a half to three years. 24 00:02:28,300 --> 00:02:33,300 Several events from Paul's stay there are recorded in the book of Acts. 25 00:02:33,300 --> 00:02:38,300 Paul's preaching there in Ephesus led to a riot that threatened the local silversmith business 26 00:02:38,300 --> 00:02:47,300 that was dependent on the production of miniature silver replicas for the temple of the Greek goddess Artemis, 27 00:02:47,300 --> 00:02:50,300 one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. 28 00:02:50,300 --> 00:02:59,300 Paul fled the city since Paul had stayed in Ephesus longer than any other place during his missionary journeys. 29 00:02:59,300 --> 00:03:04,300 It's not surprising that once he is imprisoned in Rome, once he's thrown in there, 30 00:03:04,300 --> 00:03:09,300 that he is concerned about the believers there, right? And so he's wanting to encourage him. 31 00:03:09,300 --> 00:03:16,300 So he sits down and he writes this letter that can serve as a basic training manual for the followers of Jesus Christ. 32 00:03:16,300 --> 00:03:20,300 Not just in Ephesus, but here as well in the entire region. 33 00:03:20,300 --> 00:03:28,300 And this letter continues to serve that purpose for believers all over the world nearly 2,000 years later. 34 00:03:28,300 --> 00:03:37,300 So the letter itself contains two distinct sections. The first three chapters primarily contain doctrine. 35 00:03:37,300 --> 00:03:45,300 In these chapters, Paul recounts all the spiritual blessings that we have as a result of God in the work in our lives. 36 00:03:45,300 --> 00:03:49,300 The focus of these chapters is what God has done for us. 37 00:03:49,300 --> 00:03:55,300 And then the second section is chapters 4 through 6 primarily contain practical examples, 38 00:03:55,300 --> 00:04:01,300 practical principles about how we are to live out our faith here on this earth, alright? 39 00:04:01,300 --> 00:04:06,300 And so the focus of these chapters is how we are to serve God in our daily lives. 40 00:04:06,300 --> 00:04:10,300 You can think of Paul's letter in the terms of a spiritual checkbook. 41 00:04:10,300 --> 00:04:16,300 Chapters 1 through 3 describe the great riches that God has deposited into our account. 42 00:04:16,300 --> 00:04:23,300 Now those deposits are infinitely large. They're too large to be counted, but they are simple and they're easy to use. 43 00:04:23,300 --> 00:04:29,300 Chapters 4 through 6 describes how we can withdraw from that checkbook, alright? 44 00:04:29,300 --> 00:04:38,300 So as part of our training, I'm encouraging all of us as we go through the book of Ephesians over the next year and a half. 45 00:04:38,300 --> 00:04:48,300 As we go through the book of Ephesians, I want to challenge us and encourage us to memorize the entire book of Ephesians as we work through this training manual together. 46 00:04:48,300 --> 00:04:55,300 I know that many of us, me included at times, don't really like to memorize. 47 00:04:55,300 --> 00:04:59,300 So we've come up with all kinds of excuses why we can't memorize. 48 00:04:59,300 --> 00:05:03,300 For many of us, our excuse is that we're getting older. 49 00:05:03,300 --> 00:05:07,300 And we don't remember things as well as we used to. 50 00:05:07,300 --> 00:05:17,300 But in spite of our excuses, I'm convinced that memorizing scriptures is one of the most and at the same time most ignored spiritual disciplines. 51 00:05:17,300 --> 00:05:22,300 I know that some of us haven't memorized even a few verses of the scripture. 52 00:05:22,300 --> 00:05:26,300 An entire book of the Bible seems a bit overwhelming to us. 53 00:05:26,300 --> 00:05:34,300 But I was looking at the U.S. Marine Corps site this week and I was amazed that all a Marine recruit is required to memorize. 54 00:05:34,300 --> 00:05:38,300 In Marine Boot Camp, you'll start drill almost immediately. 55 00:05:38,300 --> 00:05:43,300 A few hours studying basic drill and ceremony will help immensely. 56 00:05:43,300 --> 00:05:47,300 As the other services, you should memorize the U.S. Marine Corps ranks. 57 00:05:47,300 --> 00:05:53,300 Additionally, you should have told you to memorize the 11 general orders of a century. 58 00:05:53,300 --> 00:05:57,300 While not mandatory, the Marine Rifle Creed is nice to know. 59 00:05:57,300 --> 00:06:04,300 You should also memorize the Marines hymn, all of it, if possible, but at least the first verse. 60 00:06:04,300 --> 00:06:10,300 You'll need to memorize the U.S. Marine Corps' core values, study Marine Corps history, 61 00:06:10,300 --> 00:06:15,300 and commit the characteristics of the M16A4 rifle to memory. 62 00:06:15,300 --> 00:06:19,300 Round all this and then you still have to memorize the code of conduct. 63 00:06:19,300 --> 00:06:22,300 It seems a bit overwhelming, doesn't it? 64 00:06:22,300 --> 00:06:26,300 So how do we memorize a whole book of the Bible? 65 00:06:26,300 --> 00:06:30,300 Well, we find out and the answer is to a well-known joke. 66 00:06:30,300 --> 00:06:33,300 How do you eat an elephant? 67 00:06:33,300 --> 00:06:35,300 One bite at a time. 68 00:06:35,300 --> 00:06:37,300 That's how we'll tackle the book of Ephesians. 69 00:06:37,300 --> 00:06:39,300 One bite at a time. 70 00:06:39,300 --> 00:06:43,300 Each week, we'll take two to four verses and memorize them, 71 00:06:43,300 --> 00:06:45,300 and we'll keep reviewing the verses that we've already learned. 72 00:06:45,300 --> 00:06:49,300 As a tool, we've got you some scripture... 73 00:06:49,300 --> 00:06:52,300 What are these called? Scripture journals, Scripture notes. 74 00:06:52,300 --> 00:06:55,300 This is the entire book of Ephesians here. 75 00:06:55,300 --> 00:07:00,300 And then as we go, it also provides pages for you to take notes in. 76 00:07:00,300 --> 00:07:04,300 And so you can just carry this around if you don't feel like carrying your Bible around 77 00:07:04,300 --> 00:07:06,300 and go through this, take notes in this, whatever. 78 00:07:06,300 --> 00:07:10,300 So those are on the back table if you'd like to get one, or you can find them on Amazon. 79 00:07:10,300 --> 00:07:12,300 We're asking $6 for them. That's what they cost. 80 00:07:12,300 --> 00:07:16,300 And so if you want to do that with us, please grab one. 81 00:07:16,300 --> 00:07:20,300 If you struggled with what to read... 82 00:07:20,300 --> 00:07:21,300 If you struggle with where to start... 83 00:07:21,300 --> 00:07:24,300 I want to read my Bible. I don't know where to start. 84 00:07:24,300 --> 00:07:26,300 I've just given you the option. 85 00:07:26,300 --> 00:07:28,300 I've just given you this option. 86 00:07:28,300 --> 00:07:33,300 So this week as a church, let's memorize the first three verses of Ephesians. 87 00:07:33,300 --> 00:07:36,300 Now, sometimes it helps to memorize things with a rhythm. 88 00:07:36,300 --> 00:07:39,300 You memorize it in rhythm as you hit your hand. 89 00:07:39,300 --> 00:07:44,300 Paul and Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. 90 00:07:44,300 --> 00:07:45,300 Sometimes that helps to trigger our memory. 91 00:07:45,300 --> 00:07:48,300 Sometimes you can do hand motions. 92 00:07:48,300 --> 00:07:54,300 If you're younger, my kids have memorized a whole slew of stuff just by putting it to song. 93 00:07:54,300 --> 00:07:59,300 Sometimes it helps to memorize it just by reading it a bunch of times over and over and over again. 94 00:07:59,300 --> 00:08:04,300 Whatever it takes, I'm asking us to commit the book of Ephesians to memorize. 95 00:08:04,300 --> 00:08:07,300 You can do it. I believe it. 96 00:08:07,300 --> 00:08:10,300 So with that said, let's start reading Ephesians together. 97 00:08:10,300 --> 00:08:14,300 We're going to read the first three verses together of chapter one. You ready? 98 00:08:14,300 --> 00:08:15,300 Here we go. 99 00:08:15,300 --> 00:08:18,300 Paul and Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. 100 00:08:18,300 --> 00:08:22,300 To the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Jesus Christ, 101 00:08:22,300 --> 00:08:27,300 grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 102 00:08:27,300 --> 00:08:32,300 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ 103 00:08:32,300 --> 00:08:36,300 with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. 104 00:08:36,300 --> 00:08:38,300 All right. Wow. There's a lot in just those three verses. 105 00:08:38,300 --> 00:08:41,300 Now, those tend to be the verses we just like to skip over, right? 106 00:08:41,300 --> 00:08:43,300 Like that's the introduction. 107 00:08:43,300 --> 00:08:45,300 There's not a whole lot in there. 108 00:08:45,300 --> 00:08:48,300 When I first began to look at these verses, 109 00:08:48,300 --> 00:08:56,300 it seemed that I got caught up on all the details that I missed out on the overall message of just these three verses. 110 00:08:56,300 --> 00:09:00,300 But as I looked at this passage over and over and over again this week, 111 00:09:00,300 --> 00:09:06,300 as I meditated on these verses alone this week, as I worked on memorizing them, 112 00:09:06,300 --> 00:09:08,300 the overall theme of these verses became clear. 113 00:09:08,300 --> 00:09:13,300 The clear message of these verses is that as believers in Jesus Christ, 114 00:09:13,300 --> 00:09:20,300 we have been set apart for the purpose of knowing and serving God. 115 00:09:20,300 --> 00:09:28,300 And just as everyone in the country chooses to be set apart to join the military for some basic training, 116 00:09:28,300 --> 00:09:34,300 not everyone heeds the call to join God's kingdom and go through spiritual basic training. 117 00:09:34,300 --> 00:09:39,300 In these three verses, there are three aspects of how we are set apart for God. 118 00:09:39,300 --> 00:09:43,300 The first one, I am set apart for salvation. 119 00:09:43,300 --> 00:09:45,300 You are set apart for salvation. 120 00:09:45,300 --> 00:09:49,300 Today, if we're going to write a letter, we would begin with a greeting, right? 121 00:09:49,300 --> 00:09:52,300 Dear so-and-so, or to whom it may concern. 122 00:09:52,300 --> 00:09:54,300 And then we would end the letter. 123 00:09:54,300 --> 00:10:00,300 We would identify ourselves as the writer, like sincerely or love or whatever, right? 124 00:10:00,300 --> 00:10:07,300 The nature of the greeting and salutation would both reflect the nature and the purpose of the letter. 125 00:10:07,300 --> 00:10:10,300 If I'm writing a personal letter to a friend or a family member, 126 00:10:10,300 --> 00:10:15,300 I would start dear such-and-such, and I would probably end it with love. 127 00:10:15,300 --> 00:10:20,300 If I'm writing a business letter, I would start it off to whom it may concern, and I would end it with sincerely. 128 00:10:20,300 --> 00:10:23,300 During Paul's times, letters were written differently. 129 00:10:23,300 --> 00:10:30,300 The writer would identify him or herself as the writer, as well as the audience in the opening of the letter. 130 00:10:30,300 --> 00:10:33,300 That's what Paul does here, alright? 131 00:10:33,300 --> 00:10:36,300 First, he identifies himself as the writer of the letter. 132 00:10:36,300 --> 00:10:39,300 We're going to come back to that here in just a moment. 133 00:10:39,300 --> 00:10:44,300 And then he identifies the intended audience of his letter in the last part of verses one and two. 134 00:10:44,300 --> 00:10:48,300 To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Jesus Christ, 135 00:10:48,300 --> 00:10:53,300 grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 136 00:10:53,300 --> 00:11:00,300 Okay, a few of the earliest manuscripts that we have of Ephesus don't have the words in Ephesus, 137 00:11:00,300 --> 00:11:08,300 which has actually led to some Bible scholars to suggest that perhaps this actually was a circular letter. 138 00:11:08,300 --> 00:11:12,300 And it was intended to be read in a number of churches in the area around Ephesus. 139 00:11:12,300 --> 00:11:19,300 That position is also supported by the fact that this letter is much less personal than many of Paul's other letters. 140 00:11:19,300 --> 00:11:22,300 He doesn't include any personal notes to many of the people. 141 00:11:22,300 --> 00:11:25,300 He would have certainly known in Ephesus. 142 00:11:25,300 --> 00:11:31,300 As we've already seen, this letter is a careful blend of both doctrine and practical instruction. 143 00:11:31,300 --> 00:11:41,300 And it seems that it would be appropriate to have been circulated amongst many local churches in the area around Ephesus. 144 00:11:41,300 --> 00:11:47,300 But whether or not the letter was circulated strictly for the Church of Ephesus or for several churches, 145 00:11:47,300 --> 00:11:52,300 it's quite clear from Paul here in writing to his followers of Jesus Christ. 146 00:11:52,300 --> 00:11:54,300 He begins with, to the saints. 147 00:11:54,300 --> 00:12:02,300 Now, in our culture today, particularly in this part of the country, with all the Roman Catholic influence, 148 00:12:02,300 --> 00:12:07,300 we see the word saints and we get a wrong picture of what it actually means. 149 00:12:07,300 --> 00:12:13,300 Currently, the Roman Catholic Church as well as some other Orthodox churches practice canonization, 150 00:12:13,300 --> 00:12:21,300 a process in which martyrs and particularly holy and pious humans are recognized by the Church as saints. 151 00:12:21,300 --> 00:12:25,300 Currently, the Roman Catholic Church has many saints. 152 00:12:25,300 --> 00:12:26,300 They pray to these saints. 153 00:12:26,300 --> 00:12:31,300 However, in the New Testament, the word saints is used 44 times. 154 00:12:31,300 --> 00:12:39,300 And in every single instance, the word is used to designate those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. 155 00:12:39,300 --> 00:12:41,300 Saints equals Christians. 156 00:12:41,300 --> 00:12:46,300 So if you are a Christian, if you're a follower of Jesus Christ, you are a saint. 157 00:12:46,300 --> 00:12:51,300 So what exactly does it mean when the Bible calls us saints? 158 00:12:51,300 --> 00:12:54,300 Let's take a moment to look at the word itself. 159 00:12:54,300 --> 00:13:01,300 The Greek word here is the plural form of haegos, which also can be translated as holy. 160 00:13:01,300 --> 00:13:08,300 Holiness describes the fact that God is completely different from all of His creation. 161 00:13:08,300 --> 00:13:09,300 He's set apart. 162 00:13:09,300 --> 00:13:12,300 It describes the fact that He is set apart. 163 00:13:12,300 --> 00:13:17,300 When used to describe His followers, the word has essentially the same meaning. 164 00:13:17,300 --> 00:13:22,300 It means that we are set apart too or by God. 165 00:13:22,300 --> 00:13:24,300 Haegos equals holy. 166 00:13:24,300 --> 00:13:26,300 It means set apart. 167 00:13:26,300 --> 00:13:30,300 Paul is going to use that idea and that thought throughout this letter. 168 00:13:30,300 --> 00:13:35,300 He's going to write about the fact that we are strangers and aliens in a foreign land. 169 00:13:35,300 --> 00:13:37,300 We are aliens on this earth. 170 00:13:37,300 --> 00:13:44,300 And he's going to make it clear that we want to live our lives as set apart from those who are not saints. 171 00:13:44,300 --> 00:13:47,300 He's calling us to be different. 172 00:13:47,300 --> 00:13:50,300 But the key here is not the fact that we have been set apart. 173 00:13:50,300 --> 00:13:57,300 The crucial aspect of Paul's greeting is the means by which we have been set apart. 174 00:13:57,300 --> 00:14:04,300 Paul first describes the saints as those who are faithful in Christ Jesus. 175 00:14:04,300 --> 00:14:11,300 This is the first of about 10 times that Paul is going to use the phrase, in Christ or in Him, 176 00:14:11,300 --> 00:14:14,300 here in the first chapter of Ephesians. 177 00:14:14,300 --> 00:14:23,300 Paul wants there to be no doubt that the source of our being set apart for God is Christ alone through Jesus Christ. 178 00:14:23,300 --> 00:14:25,300 That's imperative that we get that. 179 00:14:25,300 --> 00:14:34,300 The means by which God sets us apart, the way we become saints, is not being canonized based on our own good works. 180 00:14:34,300 --> 00:14:41,300 It is totally and completely dependent on Jesus Christ and what He has already done for us. 181 00:14:41,300 --> 00:14:49,300 And we become saints by placing our faith totally and completely in the finished work on the cross. 182 00:14:49,300 --> 00:14:52,300 That is further emphasized by Paul's greeting in verse 2. 183 00:14:52,300 --> 00:14:57,300 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 184 00:14:57,300 --> 00:15:03,300 We're going to talk about that whole concept of grace and peace in much more depth in coming weeks. 185 00:15:03,300 --> 00:15:12,300 But for right now, it's sufficient for us to see that grace and peace are from God the Father and from His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. 186 00:15:12,300 --> 00:15:22,300 So it is God's grace, His unmerited favor towards us that enables us to be at peace with God. 187 00:15:22,300 --> 00:15:28,300 So first of all, I've been set apart for salvation by the grace of God made available through Jesus Christ. 188 00:15:28,300 --> 00:15:32,300 The second thing, I am set apart for service. 189 00:15:32,300 --> 00:15:35,300 You are set apart for service. 190 00:15:35,300 --> 00:15:37,300 Let's go back to the beginning of verse 1 now. 191 00:15:37,300 --> 00:15:41,300 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus by the will of God. 192 00:15:41,300 --> 00:15:49,300 Apostle equals one who is sent or commissioned, an ambassador, a witness, a messenger. 193 00:15:49,300 --> 00:15:58,300 Paul, so for Paul in the 12 that had been with Jesus, the term described in an office in the early church. 194 00:15:58,300 --> 00:16:05,300 There have been many that believe that the office of apostles ceased with the death of those specific men. 195 00:16:05,300 --> 00:16:07,300 And that may very well be true. 196 00:16:07,300 --> 00:16:12,300 But the function of an apostle certainly continues to exist in the church today. 197 00:16:12,300 --> 00:16:21,300 All of Jesus' followers are commanded to be His ambassadors, to be His witnesses, to be His messengers in this world. 198 00:16:21,300 --> 00:16:26,300 Now, most of us are familiar with Paul's encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. 199 00:16:26,300 --> 00:16:34,300 When Jesus appeared to Paul on the road that day, Paul was certainly set apart for salvation through his faith in Jesus Christ. 200 00:16:34,300 --> 00:16:37,300 But God also had other plans for Paul. 201 00:16:37,300 --> 00:16:43,300 He had other ideas for Paul as Paul himself describes in one of his other letters in Galatians chapter 1. 202 00:16:43,300 --> 00:16:44,300 He says, 203 00:16:44,300 --> 00:17:02,300 And so it's not surprising that Paul would write that he has been set apart to serve God as an apostle by the will of God. 204 00:17:02,300 --> 00:17:06,300 But it's not just Paul who has been set apart for the purpose of serving God. 205 00:17:06,300 --> 00:17:10,300 God has set apart every believer to serve him. 206 00:17:10,300 --> 00:17:16,300 If you are a believer in Jesus in this room, you have been set apart to serve him. 207 00:17:16,300 --> 00:17:17,300 Right? 208 00:17:17,300 --> 00:17:21,300 God has set apart every single one of us to serve him. 209 00:17:21,300 --> 00:17:25,300 That's really the entire message of the second half of Paul's letter. 210 00:17:25,300 --> 00:17:28,300 But we'll get into that when we hit chapter 4. 211 00:17:28,300 --> 00:17:33,300 But for right now, let's just read this first verse of the chapter which introduces that everything is to follow. 212 00:17:33,300 --> 00:17:42,300 So if you have a chapter 4 verse 1 of Ephesians. 213 00:17:42,300 --> 00:17:45,300 So if you think about it, he's gone through three chapters of doctrine. 214 00:17:45,300 --> 00:17:47,300 We get to chapter 4. 215 00:17:47,300 --> 00:17:48,300 First verse says, 216 00:17:57,300 --> 00:17:59,300 That's going to set up the next few verses. 217 00:17:59,300 --> 00:18:04,300 Well Paul is saying that it's not enough that he just set us apart for salvation. 218 00:18:04,300 --> 00:18:11,300 The very moment that we accept Jesus as our forgiver, as our master, as our savior, 219 00:18:11,300 --> 00:18:18,300 we also have a responsibility to serve God not for the purpose of earning favor from God. 220 00:18:18,300 --> 00:18:20,300 That's not what we're earning. 221 00:18:20,300 --> 00:18:25,300 But we do it out of gratitude for what he has already been doing for us. 222 00:18:25,300 --> 00:18:27,300 What he's already done in the cross. 223 00:18:27,300 --> 00:18:29,300 That's why we serve God. 224 00:18:29,300 --> 00:18:38,300 Unfortunately, there seems to be this misconception within the church that only certain people are called to serve God. 225 00:18:38,300 --> 00:18:47,300 We got this idea that it's only people like Paul who have received a special call, who have an obligation to serve God. 226 00:18:47,300 --> 00:18:53,300 And we figure that it's up to the pastors and the elders to serve God, to do all the ministry in the church. 227 00:18:53,300 --> 00:18:57,300 But Paul would certainly not make that case in this text. 228 00:18:57,300 --> 00:18:59,300 Listen to what he writes to the church of Rome. 229 00:18:59,300 --> 00:19:00,300 In chapter 12, 230 00:19:00,300 --> 00:19:06,300 So just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. 231 00:19:06,300 --> 00:19:07,300 That's the church. 232 00:19:07,300 --> 00:19:09,300 We are all parts of his body. 233 00:19:09,300 --> 00:19:11,300 And each one of us has different work to do. 234 00:19:11,300 --> 00:19:14,300 And since we are all one body, we belong to each other. 235 00:19:14,300 --> 00:19:17,300 And each of us needs all the others. 236 00:19:17,300 --> 00:19:23,300 So Paul is going to make this point over and over and over again in the book of Ephesians. 237 00:19:23,300 --> 00:19:27,300 Every believer is set apart to serve God. 238 00:19:27,300 --> 00:19:29,300 It's our goal here at Cornerstone. 239 00:19:29,300 --> 00:19:34,300 That every one of our members is involved in ministry in some way. 240 00:19:34,300 --> 00:19:40,300 Some of those ministry opportunities like teaching and preaching may be more visible than others. 241 00:19:40,300 --> 00:19:47,300 You see me up here each week, but they are no more important or more valuable than those who are working in the nursery. 242 00:19:47,300 --> 00:19:50,300 Or those who make coffee on Sunday mornings. 243 00:19:50,300 --> 00:19:52,300 Or those who serve as greeters. 244 00:19:52,300 --> 00:19:55,300 Or those who are otherwise behind the scenes. 245 00:19:55,300 --> 00:20:08,300 The key thing for us to understand is for each of you to find some place that God can use your talents and your gifts and your abilities to serve him here. 246 00:20:08,300 --> 00:20:12,300 And if you need some help figuring out where to be plugged in, talk to Paul. 247 00:20:12,300 --> 00:20:13,300 Right? 248 00:20:13,300 --> 00:20:14,300 Talk to me. 249 00:20:14,300 --> 00:20:18,300 Talk to any of the staff here and we'll find a place for you to serve. 250 00:20:18,300 --> 00:20:24,300 But serving God goes far beyond what we do within the church, within these walls. 251 00:20:24,300 --> 00:20:28,300 God also wants us to serve him in our everyday lives. 252 00:20:28,300 --> 00:20:33,300 That's why I've always enjoyed Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of Romans 12 in the message. 253 00:20:33,300 --> 00:20:34,300 Here's what it says. 254 00:20:34,300 --> 00:20:36,300 So here's what I want you to do. 255 00:20:36,300 --> 00:20:40,300 God helping you take your everyday ordinary life. 256 00:20:40,300 --> 00:20:47,300 You're sleeping, eating, going to work and walking around life and place it before God as an offering. 257 00:20:47,300 --> 00:21:02,300 Whether you're a school teacher or a stay at home mom, an engineer or a secretary, a missionary or a tax preparer, a pastor or a retiree, you can serve God right where you are each and every day. 258 00:21:02,300 --> 00:21:11,300 So I've been set apart for salvation through the grace of God and I've been set apart out of service because of the gratitude that I have for him. 259 00:21:11,300 --> 00:21:16,300 The third thing, I am set apart for spiritual blessings. 260 00:21:16,300 --> 00:21:20,300 In verse 3, God makes an unbelievable promise to the followers of Jesus Christ. 261 00:21:20,300 --> 00:21:30,300 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. 262 00:21:30,300 --> 00:21:38,300 Verse 3 is actually the beginning of a long run on sentence for you grammar nerds that continues all the way through verse 14. 263 00:21:38,300 --> 00:21:46,300 And for the next several weeks we will dive into those things and we'll examine those verses in detail and explore the spiritual blessings that God has given us. 264 00:21:46,300 --> 00:21:52,300 But let's take a few minutes just to explore this one verse which sets the stage for what is to follow. 265 00:21:52,300 --> 00:21:56,300 The source of spiritual blessings is Jesus Christ. 266 00:21:56,300 --> 00:21:58,300 The source of spiritual blessings is Jesus Christ. 267 00:21:58,300 --> 00:22:06,300 Notice that it is God who sets us apart for the blessings and those blessings flow through his son Jesus. 268 00:22:06,300 --> 00:22:09,300 You tracking that? You following me there? 269 00:22:09,300 --> 00:22:18,300 We live in a culture, we live in a day and age that tries to tell us that we just need to be spiritual. 270 00:22:18,300 --> 00:22:22,300 And that it doesn't really matter how we express that spirituality. 271 00:22:22,300 --> 00:22:25,300 That was certainly true in Ephesus. 272 00:22:25,300 --> 00:22:29,300 The main object of worship was the Greek goddess Artemis. 273 00:22:29,300 --> 00:22:33,300 But the Greek culture of that time was characterized by syncretism. 274 00:22:33,300 --> 00:22:37,300 It was an attempt to weave into their culture. 275 00:22:37,300 --> 00:22:42,300 We've all together these various gods and these various religions into one. 276 00:22:42,300 --> 00:22:44,300 Just a very spiritual people. 277 00:22:44,300 --> 00:22:49,300 But Paul makes it really, really clear that we don't get to pick and choose our gods. 278 00:22:49,300 --> 00:22:52,300 We don't get to pick and choose our path to God. 279 00:22:52,300 --> 00:22:58,300 That Jesus Christ that we receive our spiritual blessings through him and him alone. 280 00:22:58,300 --> 00:23:02,300 Those blessings come not from an earthly source. 281 00:23:02,300 --> 00:23:10,300 But from Jesus who is now risen from the dead and is seated at the right hand of his father in the heavenly realms. 282 00:23:10,300 --> 00:23:14,300 The nature of the blessings is spiritual. 283 00:23:14,300 --> 00:23:17,300 These are spiritual blessings. 284 00:23:17,300 --> 00:23:23,300 Now while it is true that God often bestows material blessings on his children. 285 00:23:23,300 --> 00:23:27,300 Paul is much more focused here on spiritual blessings. 286 00:23:27,300 --> 00:23:33,300 That result from being set apart by God. 287 00:23:33,300 --> 00:23:38,300 The number of the blessings that we receive is every one of them. 288 00:23:38,300 --> 00:23:40,300 Every one of them. 289 00:23:40,300 --> 00:23:43,300 So how many spiritual blessings do we get? All of them. 290 00:23:43,300 --> 00:23:50,300 As Paul goes on to describe these blessings, we're going to see that every believer gets every single one of these blessings. 291 00:23:50,300 --> 00:23:53,300 We're not talking about gifts. We're talking about blessing. 292 00:23:53,300 --> 00:23:54,300 And that's amazing. 293 00:23:54,300 --> 00:24:00,300 So we have been set apart for salvation, for service, and for spiritual blessings. 294 00:24:00,300 --> 00:24:06,300 Most of you are probably familiar with the motto of the United States Marine Corps. 295 00:24:06,300 --> 00:24:08,300 I don't know if we have any ex-marines in here. 296 00:24:08,300 --> 00:24:12,300 But the motto is the few, the proud. 297 00:24:12,300 --> 00:24:17,300 The marine. Oh yeah. Y'all are enthusiastic about that one. 298 00:24:17,300 --> 00:24:24,300 The motto reflects that not everyone is set apart to be a marine. 299 00:24:24,300 --> 00:24:33,300 Not everyone is willing to make the sacrifice and invest the time it takes to complete basic training to become a marine. 300 00:24:33,300 --> 00:24:37,300 The same is true for each and every one of us spiritually. 301 00:24:37,300 --> 00:24:44,300 Although God has made it possible for each and every one of us to be set apart and go through basic training 302 00:24:44,300 --> 00:24:49,300 in order to be able to serve God, not everyone chooses to accept the call. 303 00:24:49,300 --> 00:24:52,300 Alone, complete the training. 304 00:24:52,300 --> 00:25:02,300 My prayer for you this morning, my prayer for our church this morning, is that we will join that process today. 305 00:25:02,300 --> 00:25:06,300 That you will heed the call today. 306 00:25:06,300 --> 00:25:09,300 If you're not a believer in Jesus, today is the opportunity, right? 307 00:25:09,300 --> 00:25:11,300 The invitation is accepted. 308 00:25:11,300 --> 00:25:19,300 If you're living a life where you're walking without peace, today is the invitation. 309 00:25:19,300 --> 00:25:22,300 Jesus offers the peace. 310 00:25:22,300 --> 00:25:26,300 That's the first step you need to take this morning in order to get into boot camp. 311 00:25:26,300 --> 00:25:31,300 And if you've already done that, if you've already accepted Christ as your savior, 312 00:25:31,300 --> 00:25:40,300 I hope that you're ready to report for duty and join me as we complete our basic training so that we are ready for battle. 313 00:25:40,300 --> 00:25:49,300 If you're not aware that we are in a battle each and every day, then we need to have a lot of serious discussions 314 00:25:49,300 --> 00:25:54,300 because you and I are in a battle every single day. 315 00:25:54,300 --> 00:26:00,300 It's in our minds, it's around us, it's in our marriages, it's in how we raise our children. 316 00:26:00,300 --> 00:26:06,300 And this book of Ephesians is going to help us be more prepared to be ready for that battle. 317 00:26:06,300 --> 00:26:09,300 It's going to make us aware of it. 318 00:26:09,300 --> 00:26:16,300 And so you in this room have been set apart to serve. 319 00:26:16,300 --> 00:26:21,300 You in this room have been set apart for salvation. 320 00:26:21,300 --> 00:26:28,300 You in this room have been set apart for the spiritual blessings offered us in Jesus. 321 00:26:28,300 --> 00:26:32,300 Will you report for duty? 322 00:26:32,300 --> 00:26:34,300 Will you take this? 323 00:26:34,300 --> 00:26:41,300 I love what Paul is saying about YouTube. I should have a PhD in the things I've learned on YouTube. 324 00:26:41,300 --> 00:26:50,300 Last night we went to not really a Chinese restaurant, but they gave us chopsticks. 325 00:26:50,300 --> 00:26:54,300 None of us know how to use chopsticks. 326 00:26:54,300 --> 00:26:57,300 So what do we do? What do I do? 327 00:26:57,300 --> 00:27:01,300 Go on to YouTube, how do you use chopsticks? 328 00:27:01,300 --> 00:27:05,300 That's a perfect example, but are we putting it into practice? 329 00:27:05,300 --> 00:27:11,300 Many of you all have come to church for decades and haven't taken the step. 330 00:27:11,300 --> 00:27:16,300 Let's join the training today. Make the commitment today that I'm going to grow in my faith 331 00:27:16,300 --> 00:27:20,300 and I'm going to take this thing seriously. Can we do that? Let me pray for us. 332 00:27:20,300 --> 00:27:26,300 Father, I thank you for this time and I thank you for your word. 333 00:27:26,300 --> 00:27:37,300 I pray God that as we respond to you, that your voice will be heard. 334 00:27:37,300 --> 00:27:43,300 God, above all things, help us understand that you have blessed us abundantly, 335 00:27:43,300 --> 00:27:57,300 that you have set us apart, that you have rescued us and redeemed us. 336 00:27:57,300 --> 00:28:05,300 So God, I pray that you speak. 337 00:28:05,300 --> 00:28:10,300 Convict us where we've been lazy. Convict us where we've put this off till tomorrow. 338 00:28:10,300 --> 00:28:15,300 I pray that you speak to us and encourage us as we make this decision, this dedication today 339 00:28:15,300 --> 00:28:21,300 to dive into your word, to learn more about you, to learn about everything you've offered us in Jesus. 340 00:28:21,300 --> 00:28:41,300 So God, I pray that you speak. We ask all these things in Jesus' name.