LENT 4 – March 14, 2021 – Eph. 2:1-10
“A CHRISTIAN’S PROGRESS”
Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from Ephesians 2. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Sometimes it seems that we have not made much progress. We look at our goals and they seem to be still a long way off. We look at how far we have come and it doesn’t really seem that much. Long distance family trips in the car are like this. Hence, the seemingly incessant questions: Are we there yet? How much further? I suppose this has something to do with our innate impatience.
- The same could be said of our “CHRISTIAN PROGRESS.” I remember thinking about the children of Israel in the wilderness, when they had come out of Egypt but declined to enter the Promised Land and God determined that they would spend the next 40 years in the wilderness. I thought that would be like forever! And yet our lifetime is presented to us in Holy Scripture as a kind of “journeying” through the wilderness of this world, and onward to the Kingdom of Heaven.
- So, how are we progressing as Christian’s? How do we measure how far we’ve come? Merely in years? Is there some way that we should be quantifying and measuring our progress in faith and sanctification? Does it really matter?
- Perhaps not so much for our own personal sake, especially not if it is going to make us arrogant. However, it does mean much for God – Who created us especially to accomplish His good and gracious will. We learn this in our text. But perhaps we should begin with how we come into this world.
I. Consider Where All People Start Out In This Life
Text: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience – among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. . . . dead in our trespasses.”
Statement: This is a rather dismal assessment and description of mankind, including us! We don’t want to think of ourselves in this way, as quite this damaged and evil! Alas, it is where we all start out. The Scripture is completely consistent in this judgment of fallen human nature. In the book of Genesis we read: “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart.” [Gem 6:5,6] Isaiah tells us that even our “righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” [Is. 64:6] The Formula of Concord states: “Original sin in human nature is not only a total lack of good in spiritual, divine things, but that at the same time it replaces the lost image of God in man with a deep, wicked, abominable, bottomless, inscrutable, and inexpressible corruption of his entire nature in all its power, especially of the highest and foremost power; of the soul in mind, heart, and will. As a result, since the Fall man inherits an inborn wicked stamp, and interior uncleanness of the heart and evil desires and inclinations. By nature every one of us inherits from Adam a heart, sensation, and mind-set which, in it highest powers and the light of reason, is by nature diametrically opposed to God and His highest commands and is actually enmity against God, especially in divine and spiritual matters.” [FC, SD Tappert Art. I, p. 511]
Application: If we knew how low we had started out, perhaps we would be astonished at how far we have come. And yet this same fallen sinful nature, this “Old Adam” in us, must daily be put to death and drowned with all sins and evil desires. It is a battle and warfare to this very day, and will be until Christ returns or He calls us out of this world! Still, a lifetime of living in the light and glow of God’s wondrous love, His forgiveness and mercy, His watchful care and protection, His provision for our needs, and grace when we are suffering trials, makes a huge difference within us. His image is being restored in us! And this is Paul’s key point:
II. See What God’s Rich Mercy Brings To Us
A. The Forgiveness Of All Our Sins
Eph. 1:7 “In Him we redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
1 John 1:7 “The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.”
B. Salvation By God’s Gracious Love
Text: “By grace you have been saved.” . . . “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
C. We Have Been Raised To A New Life
Text: “Even when we were dead in our trespasses He made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved.”
D. We Have Been Granted A New And Exalted Place And Status
Text: “He has raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
E. We Have Been Predestined For A Good And Purposeful Life
Text: “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should be walking in them.”
Statement: It all starts with God’s mercy and grace, His forgiveness of our sin and guilt. But considering where we start out, it is truly and astonishing miracle that God works in all of His dear children of faith. New life, salvation, a new and grand status, an eternal place bearing witness to “the immeasurable richs of His grace in kindness toward us.” And an eternally purposeful life of good works – which God has created us for, is working on us for, and has already determined that we are going to do them! It is amazing!
Application: So, yes we still have our times when we lament with the Apostle Paul: “The good that I would do I do not do; the evil that I would not do, that I do. . . . Wretched man that I am.” [Rom. 7:19,24] And yet none of this negates what God has accomplished in us to date, and what He will surely accomplish with us in the future. For “we are His workmanship” and He is still working on us!
Conclusion: So, should we look at and try to quanitfy our “Christian Progress”? Well, that would incredibly complex, almost certainly impossible for us. However, God knows. We are His projects. We’ll know we are there when we get there, and it will be a delightful experience – “with Him in the heavenly places.” So there is nothing to worry about, as we continue in a life of repentance and the joy of His gracious forgiveness and salvation! Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting. Amen.