Ephesians: In Christ Alone

Selah means to reflect and rejoice in the LORD. God has put certain rhythms in our life to remember His goodness, grace, and gospel. As we close our series through Ephesians, let's pause and remember who we were, who we are, and all we were meant to be in Christ alone.

We are in a battle. We have an adversary who desires to kill, steal, and destroy all that we love. But we have an armor that cannot be destroyed and an Ally who cannot be defeated. Jesus has won the ultimate battle for us and continues to fight on our behalf. Now, we don't fight for victory; we fight from the victory Christ has achieved for us. The Stronger One has come. Our strength for life and victory for eternity is in Christ alone.

We have all been made to create and cultivate the world around us. Work was meant to be a fruitful expression, but it has become a frustrating experience. Jesus enters in and transforms our work to be a ministry, a mission field, and a means to make much of God. He has done the work for us on the cross. Now he does a work in us to transform how we work in Christ alone.

In our culture and our church, marriages and families are under attack. The world is redefining marriage away from God's created intent. Jesus came to restore the right view of the family regarding the roles of husband, wives, parents, and kids. As we all submit ourselves to Christ, He will transform ourselves and our families for our good and His glory.

The greatest blessing to our world is the church fully alive in Christ. As a church, God gives us our job description to walk in sacrificial love, lovingly expose sin, make the best use of our time, and strengthen one another in truth. It is time for the sleeping church to awake and the dead church to become alive. This is only possible when we walk faithfully in Christ alone.

There are only three paths in life: progressive corruption, progressive backsliding, or progressive sanctification. Each of these becomes a spiral that either brings you closer to God or further away. A simple thought can lead to an action, which can become a habit, which shapes your character and destiny. Regardless of where you are in your walk with Jesus, let today be the day where you walk more deeply with Him.

How do you walk out the wealth you have in Christ? Within the body of Christ, God desires you to seek unity by serving others. When you use the gifts Christ purchased for you for Christ, we all reach our full potential in Christ. Jesus came to unite us, not by being served, but by serving. This is our King. Let's be His Church.

What keeps you up at night? A sin you can't overcome? A situation out of your control? These realities are not meant to push us to despair but to desperation, dependence, and devotion to God through prayer. As Paul moves from our wealth in Christ (chapters 1-3) to how to walk in Christ (chapters 4-6), he pauses and prays that we would be strengthened from the inside out. When we come to God in the proper posture of prayer, understanding the purpose of prayer, we begin to see the power of prayer as the love of Christ fills us and transforms every aspect of our lives.

God had revealed to us who He is and what He has done for us in Christ Jesus. Sadly though, many of us have received Christ, but do not respond to Him fully in our day-to-day life. When we truly see this revelation of the gospel, the most natural response is to share the gospel, and ultimately suffer for the gospel. This is how to respond to the revelation of God.

To navigate this life well, God gives us two things to hold onto: Himself and one another. Our peace with God leads us to peace with fellow believers. Jesus stops old conflicts and starts a new community of people united in Him. Where the world sees differences as something to divide over, we are now able to see these differences as strengths when we find our peace in Christ alone.

Tim Keller said it best, “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” Ephesians 2:1-10 shows us what we are by nature and what we could be by grace. God is recreating what has been broken by sin by interjecting himself into the human story. By grace through faith, God makes us alive in order to live our lives, not for ourselves, but in service to others.

As we continue our series through Ephesians, Paul helps us to pray in the riches we have in Christ. Paul shows us the power of prayer and a picture of Jesus as he prays for the Ephesians. Let us likewise grow our quantity and quality of prayer for ourselves and our body at CityBridge.

Everything your heart truly longs for is found in Christ. As we open our series through the book of Ephesians, we see just how much we are blessed in Christ. You have been selected by the Father, saved through the Son, and sealed with the Holy Spirit. When you embrace your wealth in Christ it impacts how you walk in Christ as you discover all you need is in Christ alone.