Coming to the Still Waters

Sometimes it doesn't seem possible but here they are.

Christmas(time) or Christmas? "We are creative beings and it makes sense because we are created in the image of God.  God is the Creator who created the heavens and the earth and therefore we resemble Him in our ability to create.  (insert theme from Star Wars here)  So let’s take a look at what we have done with Christmas.  I don’t want to shatter your manger scene this evening but let me give you an example of how we can create something from the tiniest detail.  From the Christmas account, '...there was no room for them in the inn.'  That is a phrase in the Christmas account and because of the word 'inn' we deduct that there must be an innkeeper even though he is not mentioned.  I have seen whole Christmas pageants focused on someone not even mentioned in the Christmas account.  I even read one that had the innkeeper who had a son and that son’s name was Barabbas who ended up being the man released at the Passover years later as...

Today's verses are Ephesians 4:25-32, which read,   v.25 - Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Paul has talked about the conversion of the Christian and the transformation that was to happen.  This is what we were but now this is what we are to be.  We had an old self but now we have a new self.  Part of that salvation is also the giving of a gift from the Holy Spirit to have a greater impact on the church as we use it to build up the body of Christ in love.  Paul now gets very practical and lays out what the new self looks like with another list. First is to stop lying and replace it with speaking of the truth.  Stop lying to each other in the church and start speaking the truth of the Word with each other in the church.  I think we sometimes lie to each other in the church when we don't speak the truth of God with each other when we so much need it....

Today's verses are Ephesians 4:20-24, which read,   But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Paul spoke to us previously about the way we were.  The list was given of the actions we were taking as we followed the wide road of Satan rather than the narrow path of God.  Now Paul gives us the contrast because of the transformation that is happening within the life of the believer. Three things have happened in this conversion.  We have learned of Christ through a witness of Him; we have heard from Christ through His calling upon us; and we have been taught in C...

Today's verses are Ephesians 4:17-19, which read,   So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. The book of Ephesians is full of these long sentences and tomorrow brings another long one to show the contrast to this one.  Paul has been speaking to the Christians in the Ephesus church about the transformation that has happened to them.  The transformation is because of Christ and the cross and it brought salvation and also a gift of the Holy Spirit.  Through the equipping gifts given by God we are prepared to use our gifts within the body of Christ to see it built up in the love...

Today's verses are Ephesians 4:14-16, which read,   v.14 - As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;... The question is "As a result" of what?  What is happening that would result in us not being seen as children and not be tossed here and there by waves or carried about by every wind of doctrine or the trickery of men or the craftiness of deceitful scheming?  The picture is someone who is weak minded and grabbing a hold of the next "new" thing that has hit the cyber screen.  The person is thinking one way and then thinking another way in the next moment.  Something is happening that makes us not that way. What is it?  It is the apostles and prophets of old and the evangelists and pastor/teachers of new who are equipping the church with the gospel message and the understanding the doctrines of Go...

Today's verses are Ephesians 4:11-13, which read,   v.11-13 - And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. Paul starts a list of some of the spiritual gifts given by God to His family.  The first four have a direct effect on all the others for they are the equipping gifts to prepare the rest of the saints in their gifts.  Let's look at these individually. Apostles are sent out messengers of Christ to the people with God's gospel of grace through the cross of Christ. Prophets are those who proclaim the revelation of Scripture and the coming of wrath or righteous judgment of God on those who do not follow or do follow its ...

Today's verses are Ephesians 4:7-10, which read,   v.7 -But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Paul has just spoken of the unity of the body of Christ in practice and in doctrine.  We hold the unity of the "ones," one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father.  We walk in daily conduct of humility and gentleness with each other.  Now Paul looks from the group to the individual. Each one of us has received grace and with that grace or salvation came a gift from Christ.  Grace can be used as a one word description of the salvation of Christ through the cross and the grave.  Part of the plan of grace that we receive as a gift is another gift given by Him of service to be used for His glory.  You receive salvation but you also receive a Holy Spirit gift for use within the body.  You can't say, "I'm a Christian and received the gift of salvation but I don't have a s...

Today's verses are Ephesians 4:1-6, which read,   v.1-3 - Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There are a lot of great things to point out in the passage this morning.  First, Paul reminds them of his current position in prison but he is there because of his walk with the Lord.  Your walk with the Lord might take you places you thought you would never be but if you are walking with the Lord, no matter where you are He is with you. Second, the word "walk" is used many times to mean your daily conduct.  Paul is saying, "make sure that your daily conduct" includes these things and then he gives a shortened version of the list of the fruit of the Spirit. Third, they did not have a word for "humi...

Today's verses are Ephesians 3:20, 21, which read,   Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.  Amen. Paul ends his prayer.  He is humbled that he is being used by God to share God's gospel of grace through the cross of Christ with the Gentiles.  In the process of doing this, it is opening up the mystery to the Jews of God's grace to every tribe and nation.  It is explaining in real time and action the fulfillment of those Scriptures that spoke of this.  With the realization of this mystery also comes an acceptance of each other, even those of different nationalities, as brothers and sisters "in Christ."   Christ's church is made up of those who believe He is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and not made up of just one nationally. Paul has been praying that...

Today's verses are Ephesians 3:14-19, which read,   For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. A broken record I am with saying "Here is another long sentence from Paul."   He is the master of these.  Let's take apart the sentence this morning.   "For this reason..." - The reason is the realization of Paul to the fact of God in the process of the gospel and of us hearing the gospel and the faith from God to receive the gospel for ou...

Today's verses are Ephesians 3:8-13, which read,   v.8-10 - To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; 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. Paul has been explaining the marriage of the Jewish believers and the Gentiles believers as all equal in sight of salvation in God's family.  We are all "fellows" together as heirs, members, and partakers if we are "in Christ" through the grace of God given by Him through the cross of Christ.  Paul is now explaining his part in all of this. He can't believe that God would choose him to do this phenomenal task of sharing the gospel with the Gentiles and also participating in unveiling the mystery that...

Today's verses are Ephesians 3:1-7, which read,   v.1-3 - For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles--if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. "For this reason" refers to the unity of the body of Christ because of the cross and the grave rather than any nationality or people group.  Paul came to them who were considered "outsiders" with the gospel message.  He came as a "prisoner of Christ Jesus" under the bondage of Christ with the message of God's grace.  Paul had and will be a prisoner of men and governments but this is a bondage that is very different.  There are no walls or chains to hold him down but something or someone else has him on a forced path to bring them this message. The mystery that is known to Paul that he is now sharing with the ...

Today's verses are Ephesians 2:19-22, which read,   So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. What a great set of verses for a Sunday morning.  Paul gives us another long sentence that he just can't seem to end.  Let's pull apart the sentence for our devotional. In other passages of Scripture we are called "strangers and aliens" of this world but Paul is saying in God's family we are not.  In God's family we are "fellow citizens with the saints."   We are connected to all those who have come before and all those who will come after that trust in the Lord as Jesus, th...

Today's verses are Ephesus 2:14-18, which read,   v.14-16 - For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier, of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. There was a great racial divide between the Jewish and non-Jewish people.  In the last study we saw that they were labeling each other with titles like "the uncircumcision" and "the circumcision."   This was not of God but done with human hands.  Christ came to do something different than what man was trying to accomplish.  God's plan is always greater than man's plans.   Christ came to make one people out of the Jewish and non-Jewish believers.  He came to break down the barrie...

Today's verses are Ephesians 2:11-13, which read,   v.11 - Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands--... Paul has laid out that what they were before Christ and then what they were to be after Christ.  He also established the foundational truth that the transition and transformation is because of God and the giving of His One and only Son, Jesus Christ.  In no way did we "work to" get our salvation rather it was a "work of " God but we do "good works after" salvation for the glory of God who lined up those good works for us to do in His name. Having all that information, Paul now reminds them of this applied to the culture that they were in.  They are Gentiles and not Jews and therefore "second class" in the eyes of the Jews. They were lumped into a group called the ...

Today's verses are Ephesians 2:8-10 which read,   v.8, 9 - For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Paul started by talking about what we were as dead to God and then went on to what we had become through the mercy and love of God as alive together with Christ.  Paul will now share how that came to be. We are saved by grace and the question is who's grace?  The answer is God's grace through faith.  What is the faith in?  Well, not in or of ourselves.  Our salvation comes from outside of ourselves through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is no way to earn our salvation.  It is a gift of God to us that He gave His One and only Son to fulfill the debt for sin and He is the only one who could do this because He was without sin, unlike us. Paul is setting out the foundations of truth that we need to know abo...

Today's verses are Ephesians 2:4-7, which read,   But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, 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 surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Paul again gives us another long sentence to dissect.  Yesterday we covered what we were but today Paul gives us what we have become not because of us but because of God.  We were dead to God and then comes those very important words. Our first phrase is, "But God,.."   The transformation in our lives is not of us but of God.  It is because of God's actions before we reacted to His actions.  God took the initiative to our salvation. God's action comes in mercy and love.  We will receive s...

Today's verses are Ephesians 2:1-3, which read,   v.1, 2 - And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, and which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Paul has completed talking about his prayers for the Christians in the Ephesus church.  He is now going to tell them or remind them of what they used to be.  He will follow it up tomorrow with what they are now.  Let's go through the phrases to understand this transformation better.   "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,..." You were already dead before your trespasses and sin because you and I have a sin nature given to us through the sin nature of Adam and Eve.  We are playing out that sinful nature through our trespasses and sins and we are dead to God at this point.  The word "dead" is a strong word but Paul uses it to demonstrate our...

Today's verses are Ephesians 1:18-23, which read,   v.18-19a - I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. Paul is continuing his prayer for the Christians in the church in Ephesus.  He started with the prayer asking for their wisdom, that is knowledge applied, and revelation, that is spoken witness, to increase through the knowledge of God. Now Paul prays that they would know the hope of God's calling, the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and the surpassing greatness of His power toward those who believe.  He is praying that they will know in their hearts the assurance of God's call on their lives; he is praying that they will know in their hearts the assurance of a heavenly home prepared and sealed by God; and he is praying that they will k...

Today's verses are Ephesians 1:15-17, which read, For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. This is one long sentence coming from Paul to the Christians in the church in Ephesus.  Paul identifies with them as someone who has heard and responded to the faith in the Lord.  The gospel message was given to them and it is evident of its saving faith because they are loving the saints, God's family.  One of the fruits that you have saving faith is that you will have an increasing love for the family of God that you are a part of. Not only is Paul identifying with the Christians in Ephesus in faith in Jesus Christ but also thanking God for them and praying for them....