"More than Just Words, More than Just God"

Ephesians 1:3–6 ³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

          Mercy is keeping from us those things we deserve.  It is simple, the payment for all sin is death, and we all deserve this death because we all have sinned.  Grace is giving us those things we do not deserve. It also is simple, God forgives us and gives us eternal life and relationship with Him. Together grace and mercy is absolution.  We should know this as every other Sunday we participate in corporate confession and absolution. 

It could be that we might not understand what is actually taking place during confession and absolution in the worship service.  At least in hearing and mouthing the words, we participate, or maybe we actually do confess at this time of the worship service. Confessing leads to repenting and actually receiving absolution.  Actually it is not our part of the participation that brings us absolution.  Rather, it is God’s choice and participation as He listens to our confessions and has acted through our Lord Jesus Christ that we receive absolution.  That is we receive God's mercy and grace.

Everything we do in worship is much more than just words that we repeat in unison every Sunday, they actually have great and deep meaning to God and to us.  God's plan from the beginning was to save us from our sinful nature, in sure hope that we will be believers of His salvation for us and faith in His grace and mercy.  It is not our salvation, rather it really is God's salvation that He graciously gives us.  The good news, giving us salvation is His will.  Hard to believe?  The mystery, why does such a righteous, and perfect God want to save those who prove everyday they are not perfect and are indeed sinners every day?  Why send us one who can and does redeem us?

Ephesians 1:6b–10 Beloved.  ⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ ¹⁰as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

          United we stand, divided we fall, sounds like a good formula to hold one divided side hostage, to do our will rather than to do God's will for us.  We try to interfere with God's plan thinking we need to make it our plan.  The truth is that forgiveness is something that God gives us, it is not something we earn.  But we say we must repent in order to receive God's forgiveness.  Yes this is true, however the Holy Spirit works through the Word of God which works through us and through being sanctified we come to repentance as we hear the Holy Spirit through our conscience and God's Word. 

          God is always working in us, and especially when we have been opened up by God's word.  Let me repeat this, "God is always working in us, and especially when we have been opened up by God's word."  God's word sings a song to us of His great love for us, and it turns our hearts to love Him more.  I experience this every time I study God's Word, I hope you do to, if you don't come and study with me and I will show you.  The more you experience the love someone gives you the more your heart will want to return love.  God's word does this, and especially, and greatly through the Gospel.

Ephesians 1:11–14 ¹¹In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, ¹²so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. ¹³In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

          Do you Love Jesus?  Then feed His sheep.  You are His sheep and God's word is the food we should feed on.

          Matthew 4:4 ESV ⁴ But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

          God's Word as described in the first verses of St. John is Christ, and Christ is our savior, and this bread, blood, and Word is something that sustains life.  Christ suffered pain and humility on the way to the cross and suffered even more pain and humility on the cross, and died a sinner’s death for you and me.  This death was not to be something done in vain but to be carried out through the Father’s love for all people, all nations. 

Jesus came not to condemn but to take the condemnation upon Himself for us so that we might live eternal with our Father in Heaven.  What is great is that God's word says there will be a multitude, which gives us sure hope that God will save all believers, all who have faith in Him great and small.  God the Father has blessed us through Jesus Christ to assure He has an everlasting relationship with His creation and you are that creation first through Adam and Eve and then from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Our Lord Jesus Christ redeemed us from the clutches of eternal death so that we are now adopted into eternal life as the children of God.  Amen.