“The Letter to the Ephiphans - Saved by Grace” Eph 1: 1-14

 Sometimes the most profound truths are the simplest to say, but the hardest to sink in. A few examples: If I said, “Jesus loves you” what comes to your mind? Maybe its the song from childhood. But do you know that Jesus loves you? Do you feel it in your soul? We say the words so quickly because they are deeply true, but all too often we can brush them off and not let them fully sink into who we are.

Another example: “You cannot do anything to make Jesus love you any more or any less.” Sure - that makes sense, but do you believe it? And do you act like it? Because there are a lot of folks out there trying to prove to Jesus that they are worthy of his love when Jesus is saying, ‘just come and let my grace set you free and change you.’

One last example, “Even if you were the only person on earth, Jesus still would have went to the cross to save you.” Yet, how often do we disregard such a precious gift?

I give us these examples because today we are going to start a summer sermon series on the letter to the Ephesians, and I’m not going to lie to you, sometimes the writing in this letter is hard to follow. It has these long, dense sentences and chapters, but I promise you this - underneath all of that are deeply true statements. Statements about who we are as the church. Statements about how we are to act as those who bear the name of Christ. And above all, statements about the love that God has for each and every one of us. 

If you have studied some of the letters in the New Testament before you will notice that there are some ways that this letter is similar and some stark ways that it is different to those that proceed and follow it. That’s because this letter wasn’t written to one specific church with specific issues or in need of personal encouragement. Instead, this was a circular letter - one that would be passed from church to church because its message was so universal. And friends, that message has held up against the test of time.

But it starts out in this familiar way, naming the author and their credentials. Now there’s some speculation if Paul wrote this letter, because it doesn’t sound like his wording from other letters he has written to particular churches. But for the purpose of this sermon series, lets’s assume that it was Paul who wrote this letter since it bears his name. Paul starts out by making two really important statements. First, he is an apostle. An apostle is one who is sent. And second, the one who is sending him is God. He is writing this letter for a purpose - the will of God.

Friends, we could have a whole sermon series just on that half a verse. I wonder how you identify yourself to folks. You probably start with your name. “Hi! My name is ____________.” But what comes next? Maybe your occupation or where you retired from. Maybe you introduce your spouse or children next to you. Maybe you talk about where you live. But how many of you say, “Hi! My name is Michelle and I am a follower of Jesus Christ”? Any takers? Probably not - but that is exactly what Paul says because it is the most important thing to him. That he is sent by God and that he is faithfully following the will of God.

Oh to have that be the desire of all our hearts and lives as well!

And it is because of this central desire of Paul that anything that he says matters. They aren’t words about him or how great he is - this is all about God and connecting other people to God through the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ. 

Then Paul continues, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, this letter is written to you, churches, but let’s not forget who this message is ultimately about - its about God. About who God is and what God has done. This isn’t a letter coming to you because of anything you have done - it is being sent to you by the love of God.

Friends, that is just as difficult for us to swallow today as it was the day this letter is penned. Even if we say that we are saved by grace, we can spend a whole lot of time acting like it is us who does the blessing. Or acting like its us who can tell others if they are blessed by God - as if we are the creator and judge of the universe. No. We like to act as if our work defines us, but it is the love of God that truly defines every single life on this earth - even if they don’t realize it yet. 

It would be really easy to get caught up in the wording of this chapter being used, especially that as being chosen. We love childhood tales of people being chosen. Chosen for some adventure. Chosen for a purpose. Chosen for a team. But what comes to mind when you hear the word “chosen”? That there are some who are not chosen as well. 

Friends, we know that in the Gospel of John we are told that God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever lives and believes in him will never die but have eternal life.

That isn’t some people in the world. Or just a few people. It is for all who live and believe.

So then, what does it mean to be chosen? I think about it in terms of Jesus when he walked this earth. Jesus chose 12 apostles - twelve men who walked with him day after day and then after his death went to go spread the Good News to the very ends of the earth. But were they they only people who believed? The only people who lived as disciples? The only ones who proclaimed the Good News? By no means. Other people walked with Jesus day after day as well. And other people spread the Gospel. Goodness, Paul was one of those people!

So don’t get caught up on the word “chosen” here to the point of thinking that it means that others are not - think of chosen as an invitation. Are you going to be one who follows Christ and shares his light and truth so that others may come to know as well?

But when we accept that we are chosen for a purpose, church, that can change it all. It opens us up to realizing that we are loved by Christ with a love unlike any that we will know on this earth. I want you to think of the person that you love the most. Or maybe the person who loves you the most. Friends, that doesn’t even begin to compare to the love that Christ has for us - the love that claims us and changes us.

The love that says not only “you are mine” but you are family. I chose you to be adopted into this family and you get to share in the inheritance of this Kingdom. Not a kingdom of flesh and blood of this earth, but a kingdom that goes on from age to age in eternity.

And God chose to do all of that for us. For you and for me. Even though we don’t deserve it. Even when the first words out of our mouth may not be “Hi! I’m a follower of Jesus Christ”. Even when we were yet far from God. That my friends is what it means to be blessed by God with a blessing that is beyond anything that we could ever earn or deserve. That my friends is grace.

I just want us to sit with that this morning and let the love of Jesus really sink into you. Maybe this is the first moment you’ve ever truly considered the love of Christ - we would love to pray for you. Maybe you have known about the love of Christ with your head, but it hasn’t had the opportunity to sink into your heart - we would love to pray for you, too! Friends, let us sink into the life-changing love of our Savior - let us be marked by his abundant grace. Amen.