We Were Lost and Didn’t Even Know It

There are times in our lives when we look back on our life and think to ourselves man if I had only known better.  If I knew that what I was doing was going to cause so much pain, trouble, problems…  I would go back and change it.  The problem is we cannot go and change it, we are not able to travel through time and we cannot see into the future.  But at some point in our live we have or may still be living in the darkness.  Paul tells us, “Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.”(Eph 2:1-2)  Not some of us, but all of us at some point in our lives lived to please ourselves, we didn’t live for God we didn’t care about God.  No we lived in the darkness we were doomed we had no chance some may still be living that life.  Some may have heard of God may even go to church but they are not following God, instead they are living for themselves.  Some believe that it’s much more enjoyable living in the darkness they do not want to  see the light, for the light reveals too much of the truth about them.  This is what Christ tells us about those who choose to live the darkness; “There is no judgment awaiting those who trust him. But those who do not trust him have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God.  Their judgment is based on this fact: The light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.  They hate the light because they want to sin in the darkness. They stay away from the light for fear their sins will be exposed and they will be punished.  But those who do what is right come to the light gladly, so everyone can see that they are doing what God wants.”(Jn 3:18-21)

Paul tells us that once we were dead had no hope, lived in the darkness.  Now we see that Christ is telling us that we have a choice we can come to Him and live for God and be in the light and share the light or we can reject Him and live in the darkness.  What does it look like to live in the darkness, it is when we decide that we want to live for ourselves we want to do what makes us feel good no matter the cost to others.  We desire the physical things of this world. Paul describes it in verse three for us; “among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”(eph2:3)  Paul doesn’t mess around he is telling us we all have lived this lifestyle before coming to Christ and giving our lives up to God we all went around wanting what made feel good.  Whatever built up our ego or give physical pleasure, we did it because we lived in the dark we didn’t know  better.  I warn you there are some who claim and may even think they are living in the light and yet there is still a darkness in them that they do want to give up, they are ashamed of it but they hold on to for dare life.  I’m telling you we must move out of the darkness and into the loving arms of God, we must go out and live our lives not for ourselves but for God and His Kingdom.

Take note in the following verses Paul tells us this, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ^even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)”(Eph 2:4-5)  Notice that there is nothing we do on our own but it is all God doing the work in us.  We must allow God to come into our lives and open up our eyes so we can the see evil we are doing.  Through God’s Grace and power we are able to see Him conquer the evil in our lives and bring us into the light.  We must come to realization that if we truly want to see God working in our lives, our church, our family we must surrender all to Him and give Him the glory.

What Do Our Prayers Reflect On?

I wonder how many of pray to God only when times are bad for us or when we think of a friend who is in need.   How many of take time to praise God and pray to when things are good, when we see the best in human kind.  You never hear someone say I know things are going great for you I well pray to God for you and give thinks for all He doing for you.  We come to a place in the church where we think of prayer only in times of need.  Do not mistake me God wants us to pray for those in need and desires for to come to Him in our own time of need, but is that the only time we come to Him?  Listen to what Paul prays for the church Ephesus; “ Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for Christians everywhere,  I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people.   I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power  that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.  Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else in this world or in the world to come.  And God has put all things under the authority of Christ, and he gave him this authority for the benefit of the church.  And the church is his body; it is filled by Christ, who fills everything everywhere with his presence.”(Eps 1:15-23)

Did you notice that Paul says when he prays for the church he give God praise for their faith and love they have in Christ.  He then prays that God continues to give them understanding and wisdom.  How many times do we pray for someone to come to know God and then once they come to know God we stop praying for their growth in God but go down the list of unsaved friends that we have and start praying for who is next.  The other question we have to ask are we really asking God to reveal Himself to us, do we want to grow deeper in our relationship with God?  May we need to start looking at how we pray for ourselves for just a second?  What does you prayer life look, are you studying really studying Gods word daily, asking God to reveal His power and strength in your life?  I sometimes stop and wonder what would happen if we really started to really pray and study Gods word?  What would happen in our lives if we really came to God and prayed to Him as the God of the universe and not the God who gives us what we want.  

What Is This Predestined Stuff Mean?

Twice in the opening paragraph Paul uses the word predestined in verse 5 and again in verse 11.  I know when we hear the word predestined we are thinking that’s  not good, what if I am not predestined to be saved.  does what Paul is saying mean that we have no choice in the matter, God has already decided who gets saved and who doesn’t?  No, by no means is that what Paul is saying, quite the opposite in fact, Paul is saying all mankind has been chosen to be saved.  I think the real problem we have is not with the idea of predestination but the real problem is we don’t get to make the rules.  I am a person who is good at finding loopholes in the rules; I get a certain satisfaction out it.  When I was in college I would find loopholes in the rule book in order to receive what I wanted.  I believe if we were all honest we all want to be able to make the rules.  The problem here is that  Paul is saying  there are no loopholes if you want to be saved it is only through Christ, truly giving your entire self over to God, and playing by His rules. 

“having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”(Eph 1:5-6)  What Paul is saying here is that all mankind has been chosen to be a part of Gods family, but that a price had to be paid.  We do not just get to say I believe in God and Christ and therefore gain entrance into Heaven.  No we must go through Christ, we must allow God to rule our lives.  Romans 8:28-30 tells us: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. ^ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family.^ And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.”  Notice here in Romans where Paul is talking about those who are saved, he says they have “been conformed to the image of His Son.”  We like to think that as long as we live a somewhat good life, go to church and make sure our kids read the bible and go to church we are going to make to Heaven, but that is not what the bible teaches at all.

We are told that we must become like Christ, we are to obey the word of God.  God has set perimeters for us to live under, we may not like that but that doesn’t change it.  God reminded Job of this in Job 39 through 40.  God is the great creator and Judge not us, God make the rules not us.  But for those of who decided to give our lives to God, to accept the grace He has to offer, Paul has this to say to us; “^In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace^ which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, ^having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, ^that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. ^In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, ^that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.”(Eph 1:7-12)