River Church NOLA
Wed May 14
  • Rest On Us
  • God So Loved
  • Evidence
  • Build My Life
  • Welcome to River Church. We are going to do a few messages out of the book of Ephesians. We will learn some things about God’s character.
    Ephesians was written by Paul and there are two big ideas in this book that we will look at.
    God’s love is bigger than anything you can imagine.
    Look what Paul said…
    Ephesians 3:19 NLT
    19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
    God’s love is infinite and human reasoning cannot understand it… it has to be experienced in both personal and communal ways. God’s love is less a doctrine to understand than it is something to experience.
    2. God is his love is going to bring all things in heaven and earth together under Christ.
    Ephesians 1:10 NLT
    10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.
    God’s Math works different than our math. We are good at dividing. We are a divided people. We divide ourselves into different entities. Protestants, Catholics, Republicans, Democrat, Conservative, Woke, Atheists, Christians, Jews, Muslims, gay and straight, and on and on…
    We divide ourselves and fight each other no matter what the different groups… it’s gone crazy in our culture today, especially here in the US.
    The book of Ephesians teaches us that in the midst of all of this division, dissension, and hate, God is going to unify us. All of us under Christ. God will break down the petty differences and unify us under Christ. That’s good news.
    Let’s dive into the word.
    Main Teaching
    In many ways the book of Ephesians follows the structure of typical letter writing in the Romans world. Remember, Paul was a Roman citizen and very educated. There is a salutation to the recipients in Eph 1:1
    Ephesians 1:1 NLT
    1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.
    Then it’s followed by a greeting. Eph 1:2
    Ephesians 1:2 NLT
    2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
    Then in the Roman world there would be a section of thanksgiving and prayer. Eph 1:3-8
    Ephesians 1:3–8 GNB
    3 Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! For in our union with Christ he has blessed us by giving us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world. 4 Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him. Because of his love 5 God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his sons and daughters—this was his pleasure and purpose. 6 Let us praise God for his glorious grace, for the free gift he gave us in his dear Son! 7 For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God, 8 which he gave to us in such large measure! In all his wisdom and insight

    1. Identity Check: God sees us as His sons and daughters.

    A lot of things stand out in this passage, but I want you to look at verse 5 where he says, Eph 1:5
    Ephesians 1:5 GNB
    5 God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his sons and daughters—this was his pleasure and purpose.
    God adopted you and I into His family. We are his children. Why would God do this? Paul says he did it because he loves us. Because of His love… God adopting us has little to nothing to do with you and very much to do with Him. God’s core nature is self giving love, and one of the best ways God shows that love is by adopting us into His family.
    God sees you as a son or daughter. He doesn’t see you as a servant… as a sinner… as a big sinner… a failure … nor as a disappointment. He doesn’t see you in your self created identity as a teacher, a manager, realtor, a homemaker, administrator, entrepreneur… He doesn’t see you according to your job… that’s not who you are. You may get your identity from work, but God doesn’’t see you that way.
    God sees you as His son or daughter… End of story.

    You are a son or daughter, not an orphan.

    If you are a son or daughter, that means you are no longer an orphan. You are not alone because now you have a Father who will look out for you and provide for you.
    Orphans are vulnerable in two ways. They lack provision and they lack protection. If you don’t walk in an identity of son or daughter, you may be walking in an orphan spirit. This means that you carry the concerns and fears that orphans carry.

    The Orphan Spirit worries about provision.

    But if you walk as a son or daughter, these verses relate to you.
    Philippians 4:19 NLT
    19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
    Matthew 6:31–33 NLT
    31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
    2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT
    8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
    Psalm 34:10 NLT
    10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.
    James 1:17 NLT
    17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

    The Orphan Spirit worries about protection.

    As you learn to walk in the spirit of sonship or daughter ship, these verses will also become real in your life.
    Psalm 23:4 NLT
    4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
    Psalm 46:1 NLT
    1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
    Psalm 91:4 NLT
    4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
    Psalm 121:7–8 NLT
    7 The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. 8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.
    2 Thessalonians 3:3 NLT
    3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.
    You are not an orphan!!!

    2. God’s plan is to unify us under Christ.

    Paul continues.
    Ephesians 1:9–10 NLT
    9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.
    Have you ever wondered what God’s will is for your life? or maybe what God is doing? Paul answers this question for us.

    God is bringing all things in heaven and on earth together under Jesus Christ.

    I said earlier that God’s math is different from ours. God doesn’t do division. As a matter of fact, I think he hates division. Look at the scriptures to see what God tinks about division.
    1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT
    10 I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.
    Ephesians 4:3 NLT
    3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
    Proverbs 6:16–19 NLT
    16 There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, 18 a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, 19 a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.
    John 17:20–23 NLT
    20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. 22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.
    Romans 16:17 NLT
    17 And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them.
    God’s plan is to bring everything under the Lordship of Jesus.
    That foulmouthed boss… God will bring him under the Lordship of Jesus.
    That gossipy friend who always talks about you behind your back? God will bring them under the Lordship of Jesus.
    That child of yours who has walked away … God will bring them under the Lordship of Jesus. Maybe they left church long time ago, don’t worry… God is working in ways you can’t see.
    He will bring them back under the Lordship of Jesus.

    If God is working, maybe we should get to work as well.

    Here is a new mindset we can take as a church. Since God’s love is so encompassing and transformative, maybe we can adopt a God honoring mindset that honors God’s intentions.
    It’s easy to get an “us vs them” mindset. In this mindset, we see ourselves as part of one group while viewing others as completely separate and inferior or even as our enemy. The us vs them mindset creates division, conflict, and competition.
    On the other hand, an “Us for Them” mindset is about seeing all people as created in the image of Gos and worthy of loves and forgiveness. Many people who are rude, hurtful, annoying, of even dangerous simply don’t know they have a Father who loves them and wants to adopt them into His family as a son or daughter. An us for them mindset causes us to share God’s transformative and all encompassing love with people consistently, over time even when it hurts. We are for them and not against them, regardless of how they treat us in return. Look at Romans 8:31
    Romans 8:31 NLT
    31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
    God will bring everything in heaven and on earth under the Lordship of Jesus. And we can partner with Him with an Us for Them approach to loving those around us.
    There are churches that become us vs them churches and that’s not what God wants. Those churches focus on sin and what you are doing wrong. They are not welcoming. I see our church as a hospital. We are all sick with something that needs Jesus’s touch.

    We have been given the Holy Spirit as a deposit.

    Ephesians 1:11–14 NLT
    11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. 12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.
    Paul says we have been given the Holy Spirit as a deposit or guarantee that we have an inheritance as a son or daughter of God. I want to say two things about the Holy Spirit here.

    The Holy Spirit is not a feeling.

    Just because you may not feel the Holy Spirit, that doesn’t mean the Holy Spirit is not there. It’s nice when you feel His presence, but it’s ok not to feel anything, because the Holy Spirit is not a feeling.
    You most likely don’t feel your liver or your gallbladder, but they are there. They are inside of you.
    The Holy Spirit is not a feeling or abstract force, but a distinctive Person abiding within you! The Holy Spirit provides a constant presence and connection with God the Father and Jesus the Son. This presence within you helps guide, comfort, and support you.
    The Holy Spirit teaches and reminds us of Jesus’ teachings, guiding us in truth, and helping us to understand and apply God’s word.
    The Holy Spirit empowers you to live out your faith, giving you strength to overcome challenges, resist temptation and witness to others about the love of God found in Jesus Christ.
    The Holy Spirit gives various spiritual gifts, enabling you to serve the church and those in your life effectively and fruitfully.
    The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, helping us recognize our need to repent and lead us back into the loving arms of the Father who adopted us.
    The Holy Spirit is an active presence in your life, working in all sorts of ways to fulfill God's purposes. Sometimes the experience of the Holy Spirit will elicit feelings of peace, joy, or conviction, but remember the Holy Spirit is much more than just a feeling—it's a vital, living part of our relationship with God.

    You have not been given a “demo version” of the Holy Spirit.

    You have not been given a partial version of the Holy Spirit with limited functionalities. You have the Spirit of Christ living in you and you can draw upon His presence and strength right now. We walk in the Spirit by faith not by feelings. We read the truths from the Word of God and we walk in those truths regardless of how we feel.
    When we walk in the Spirit, the tings that Jesus did will show up in our lives. Walking in the Spirit means that we are walking by faith, in courage, and with love and humility.
    Let the Holy Spirit lead you today.
    Conclusion
    First, God’s love is all-encompasing and surpasses our understanding. I pray that you encounter that love tonight.
    2nd, because God loves you, He has adopted you into his family as His son or daughter. As a sign of this adoption, He has marked you with the promised Holy Spirit that abides in you right now, whether you feel him or not. I pray that you become more aware of His presence this evening.
    3rd, God is working to bring all things in heaven and on earth under the Lordship of Jesus. We can partner with Him by living an us for them mindset when it comes to loving and serving those around us. I pray that you have a chance to live for someone else this evening.
    Pray

      • Ephesians 3:19NKJV

      • Ephesians 1:10NKJV

      • Ephesians 1:1NKJV

      • Ephesians 1:2NKJV

      • Ephesians 1:3–8NKJV

      • Ephesians 1:5NKJV

      • Philippians 4:19NKJV

      • Matthew 6:31–33NKJV

      • 2 Corinthians 9:8NKJV

      • Psalm 34:10NKJV

      • James 1:17NKJV

      • Psalm 23:4NKJV

      • Psalm 46:1NKJV

      • Psalm 91:4NKJV

      • Psalm 121:7–8NKJV

      • 2 Thessalonians 3:3NKJV

      • Ephesians 1:9–10NKJV

      • 1 Corinthians 1:10NKJV

      • Ephesians 4:3NKJV

      • Proverbs 6:16–19NKJV

      • John 17:20–23NKJV

      • Romans 16:17NKJV

      • Romans 8:31NKJV

      • Ephesians 1:11–14NKJV

River Church NOLA
robert@riverchurchnola.com
504-578-8317
https://riverchurchnola.com
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