A Fresh Start ~ Ephesians 1:1-3 ~ Carl Crouse

I used to enjoy listening to the stories of Herschel Wiley, long time elder/teacher here.  I can hear him describing winter time back in Missouri, probably in 1930’s before they moved to Whatcom County as a teenager, cars had narrow tires, and not a lot of them in those days.  In winter ruts would be formed in the snow forming a single file trek into town.  Once you got settle in the ruts you barely even needed to steer… all well and good, until you met another car…

We get stuck in ruts… some of the patterns aren’t even that great, the way we treat others, they things we put up with… go through the motions with very little steering even needed, but then crisis comes and you’re rattled…

God wants more for us than to simply make it through the day.  He wants us to thrive, to enjoy, to be passionate, to be his hands and feet, to LIVE.  In Christ you can have a fresh start, the exhilaration of be loved, accepted and forgiven by the Lord Jesus Christ.  To serve him as the purpose and fulfillment of who you are…

Fydor Doestoevsky describes a turning point in his life at age 27. He came from the privileged class of 19th century Russia, but was committed to the liberation of the oppressed working class. He was arrested in April 1849 and put in a maximum security prison. In Oct. the prisoners were lined up and sentenced to be shot. At the last moment a messenger from the Tsar rode in on a horse, with a pardon for Doestoevsky and his fellow prisoners. In a letter to his brother, he describes his new outlook: “When I look back on my past and think how much time I wasted on nothing, how much time has been lost in futilities, errors, laziness, incapacity to live; how little I appreciated it, how many times I sinned against my heart and soul – then my heart bleeds. Life is a gift, life is happiness, every minute can be an eternity of happiness.”

A Fresh Start is an open invitation from God.  This is the message of Ephesians, the book we’ll be looking at this Fall… The author of this letter, the inspired word of God, describes a new life in Christ, a transformation of what it means to give your heart to the Lord: amazed by his love; grow in faith; forgiveness, to really live. 

Jesus Christ is in the business of making us real, to be truly alive in Him.  the offer of a fresh start is always waiting…Are you ready for a fresh start?  One person posted on FB in bold letters a few days ago: “Time for a change!! A whole brand new chapter!!”  To become a disciple of Christ means to draw a line and go forward…
 
Ephesians describes the fresh start.  I read it through 4-5 times this past week.  I recommend that you read the entire book in one sitting, and let the Lord speak to you through the message.  Chad and I are going to miss a ton of details.  Hear the message as a whole….  Consider carefully what Paul writes.  Invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you as you read the words/sentences/paragraphs.  Read in different translations… (Manuscript copies are available to pick up at the church or you can find a free copy at http://manuscriptbiblestudy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Ephesians-Manuscript.pdf) 

This message is an intro … highlights.  The thing I want you to get out of this message is to see the need for a fresh start not only for us, but for others…don’t give up on yourself or others… get out of the rut….  The title, “a fresh start” comes from The Message translation of Eph. 2:15… the topic is people from different backgrounds coming together.  The NIV says READ Eph. 2:15b.  The Message translates “thus making peace” as “A fresh start for everyone” 

How often we need a fresh start, however, a warning: You cannot make lasting and meaningful changes in your own strength.  The only way to thrive is to make a commitment to Jesus Christ and invite Him to change you from the inside out.  Doug Fields says it this way: “Your ability to make real and lasting changes to your life is limited, even when you try your hardest.  Rather than relying just on your own determined resolve to change and your own positive thinking (which may improve your life temporarily…), connect to God in prayer daily and rely on the strength that He will give you to truly change for good.  God loves you too much to let you stay stuck; He wants to help you become the best person and experience the best life possible.  Invite God to give you a fresh start and cooperate with His work in your life by following where He leads you.”

Ephesians is a letter written by the apostle Paul.  Paul is a towering figure in the life of the early church in the decades after the death and resurrection of Christ.  His story is told in Acts.  He was actually dedicated to hunting Christians and murdering them, but then he met Jesus Christ in a vision on the Road to Damascus and his life was never the same.  As dedicated as we was to stamping out Christianity, once he embraced the truth of the way of Christ, he became equally as dedicated to living for Christ. 

Paul describes himself as an apostle.  ~~ a first person to go into a new mission field with the message of Christ.  God used Paul to go out and share the message, plant churches, preach… “by the will of God” is the at the end of Eph. 1:1.  Even if we don’t use the phrase a lot, this ought to be our understanding as well, not in my strength, but to follow in obedience to whatever God desires. It’s not a small throw away phrase, but a new way of thinking ~ to live for Christ and what he is passionate about. 

The 2nd half of Eph. 1:1 has a fascinating detail to help interpret Ephesians….for Bible wonks… The NIV says, “To the saints in Ephesus…” Ephesus is in modern day Turkey… one of the churches Paul founded as described in Acts 19, the beginning of his third missionary journey.  A thrilling story.  The footnote in Eph. 1:1 is most interesting: READ.  As you read the letter of Ephesians, given Paul’s history in Ephesis and the character of all his other letters, there is almost nothing personal.  Most of the letters in the N.T are written for specific people to address specific problems.  Ephesians appears to be a general letter composed to be a foundational intro to Christianity… a universal letter: Many manuscripts read, “To the saints, the faithful in Christ Jesus”.  Paul or one of his disciples decided the saints in Ephesus could benefit from this general letter, so he sent them a copy, they needed a fresh start, they would be edified by a reminder of what it means to be a Christian.  If that is the case, then that means the words are written directly for us as well with no need to put through a filter of what was happening in Ephesus at the time when it was written…

Are you in need of a fresh start?  Do you know people that need to draw a line and begin new?  Then Ephesians is for you! 

Ephesians reads like a prayer… I like the way John Stott describes this character: “More than any other N.T. [letter, Ephesians] has the form and character of prayer.  When somebody argues with us, he may or may not persuade us; but when he prays for us, his relation to us changes.”  Over and over Paul talks the language of prayer in this beautiful letter.  READ Eph. 1:3… 1:17-18… 3:16-19…. Prayer changes the people you pray for and it changes you… for a few months in the aftermath of national tragedy and terrorism, there was a trend for politicians who think they are important to say things like “what good are thoughts and prayer.”  Really??? Prayer changes people, prayer keeps us in tune with God and the Spirit of God, prayer changes us, it is a wonderful attitude of dependence.  Our skeptical world may be critical of Christianity, but I know without a doubt that when crisis hits, many a non-Christians covet genuine heartfelt prayers of Christians… people don’t argue with your prayers.  You are appealing to emotions, a renewed spirit, a fresh beginning, reconciliation.  I don’t mean to make some of you feel left out, but I have so much appreciated the new Prayer Chain texting system… give Sally your cell phone number to be added… the testimonies of how I pray right now….  Ephesians reads like one big prayer…
 
Ephesians is affirming.  It’s encouraging.  Paul writes this letter not to argue or prove to anything.  He does not scold people. He affirms.   Karl Barth said: “Ephesians makes itself welcome and is a charming document just because it dares to let shine nothing else but God’s love and election, Christ’s death and resurrection, and the Spirit’s might and work among men.” 

I have always felt the character of my time spent with people is to affirm as much as possible what people are doing right.  We focus too much on everything that is wrong.  Surely there is a place to affirm what is good and right.  Paul begins this letter by saying “To the faithful saints…” I.e. he intends this letter to be written to people who are Christians, accepted by God, saved….but then in the rest of the letter it’s as if Paul is saying “how much more.” You are believers, the most wonderful decision ever, but how much more to grow in your faith… I could choose almost any paragraph as an example, but here’s a great one.  READ Eph. 2:19-22…

How much more… may that  be our message to the world that there is so much more to life when you accept Christ and commit your life to him… Paul is a cheerleader rooting you on to an amazing life with Christ.  It’s in the last chapter of Ephesians we hear about putting on the armor of God as a way to live in the world… READ Eph. 6:10-13…. i.e. you can do it, you can do it…
 
Finally, even though Eph. is written to the Saints… it is evangelistic.  The message has the potential to change lives for those that have never given their heart to Jesus.   the book speaks of the love of God, the forgiveness of sins, the wisdom of God, READ Eph. 1:13… Eph. 2:1-5 is a gem: READ.  I can’t get enough of Eph. 2:10a…Chapter 3 the revealed mystery, enlightenment by the Holy Spirit… chapter 4 the unity of the body as an important truth of what it means to be a Christian, and to open our eyes to the world wide body of Christ… Eph. 5-6 is about how to live as a Christian, everything new, new relationships, new ways of thinking, spiritual equipment to stand strong…
 
It is time for a fresh start….for those who are Christians, may Ephesians challenge you to experience even more of Christ, to take your discipleship seriously as you ask the Lord Jesus Christ to enlarge your understanding and put into practice your faith.  Christianity is a combination of what you believe, what you do and what you feel. May you see the words of Ephesians to be a prayer for you personally: READ Eph. 1:17… The Lord wants you to stand firm.  “be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power” it says in Eph. 6:10. 

May Ephesians also be a prayer for the people in your life that are struggling.  It appears this is a universal letter to encourage those that are feeling stuck in their faith.  Use Ephesians as a prayer for those that need a fresh start.  Instead of “in Ephesus”, address it to the people you know and love who need affirmation.  “To My Children” might be a good way to focus this letter, to my neighbors, to my friend ________.  Pray through Ephesians for them. With boldness tell the people you are praying for the insight you learn… you want them to be strong, faithful, to grow, to experience the love of Christ….

If you are not a Christian, or are skeptical, or afraid about the things of God, join us as often as you can this Fall and ask the words of Ephesians to speak to you.  Maybe you feel like you are in a rut in your faith and it’s time to be bold and confident in your faith.  When the time is right make a commitment to the Lord.  May you experience that aha moment when the cross of Christ makes sense and you at last understand that the love of Christ is more than you deserve.  May the mystery of grace, that which none of us deserves, impact your life so you can put aside the past, draw a line, and have a fresh start as a follower of Christ.  I dare you to invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you!

Ephesians is a powerful prayer, an amazing word of affirmation, and an invitation for you to invite Jesus Christ to be the living Lord of your life.  The message of Ephesians is that a fresh start is possible.