Leviticus in Paul's Second Letter to Corinth

 

Read 2 Corinthians 6   

 Anyone remember the message of Leviticus?  Don’t do anything that will get you stoned. That’s one way to say it, but let’s go with: Be holy became I am holy.

Be holy. That’s our model.  Why is it our model? Because we model our lives after God and his standards.

Christ changed a lot, but he didn’t change that. We are still to be holy as God is holy.

We are set apart by God for God’s hands to do the work of the potter and for us to return to the lost world with good news. We are set apart.

Paul’s words should not surprise us. He took some of them from the prophet Isaiah.

For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“I will live with them

    and walk among them,

and I will be their God,

    and they will be my people.”

Therefore,

“Come out from them

    and be separate,

says the Lord.

Touch no unclean thing,

    and I will receive you.”

And,

“I will be a Father to you,

    and you will be my sons and daughters,

says the Lord Almighty.”

 

The church—the ekklésia—is called out of the world by God, set apart by God for his work, and sent back into the world to do that work.

We don’t go to church. We are the church and the church is to be holy as God is holy.

In the midst of our searching for answers to what’s happening in our lives, we sometimes forget the mission. We are to bring the lost to Christ and to bring glory to God.

We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Our eternal life resides in a relationship with God through Christ.

We are on a mission from God.

Why does the preacher keep on preaching this?  We can’t say “Mission Accomplished” just yet.  There is still much to be done and we are the ones God chose to do it.

I will conclude both services this way. Please stand and receive you commission anew.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

You have been set apart, made holy by God, and sent back into this world as the commissioned of the Lord.  We’ve got work to do.

Amen.

In Christ

  Read Ephesians 1

The church in Ephesus received a lot of first-century attention.  They were trying to stay the course and press on towards the goal.  They were trying to grow in grace.  Part of that growth would come through Paul’s long-distance counsel.

It’s interesting to note that this church was also the recipient of one of the letters in Revelation, noting they had lost their first love. They were counseled to consider how far they had fallen and repent. The church to whom Paul wrote, still seemed to be living in the love of Christ and seeking his kingdom.

In its original form, the first half of this letter to the Ephesians, after the salutation, might have been one long run-on sentence. The language is more formal, yet softer than what Paul wrote to the Galatians. Listen to this first part as Paul expounds on the richness of blessings that we have in Christ—in Him.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Let’s go from the narrative to the Kiplinger style as we delve into these blessings.

In Christ, we:

Are blessed with spiritual blessings

Are chosen before the beginning of the world to be holy and blameless

Are predestined to be adopted as sons

Are to live according to his will and bring glory to God

Are given grace

Are redeemed through his blood

Are forgiven of our sins

Are granted wisdom and understanding

Have eyes to see the mystery of God’s will revealed

Are part of the plan

Are marked in him

Are sealed with the Holy Spirit

Have the guarantee of an inheritance

Are part of God’s perfect timing

We are blessed because God gave us life and he loves us.  He loved us so much that he gave his Son for our redemption and fullness of life.

In Christ we are blessed beyond measure.

Amen.