Title "Heavenly Men" (Ephesians 2:1-10)
Content (Ephesians 2:1-10) Those who belong to heaven
Winter has begun. Winter will be terrible for the homeless and the poor. I hope it will be a winter in which we and our church think and practice what we should do for such a person.
The secret to staying warm in winter is embracing and caring for each other. There are many people around us that we need to embrace and care for. We should not turn away from them and share the warm love of Christ with them. Then winter will be a good season too.
When you think about it this way, there is no bad season for spring, summer, autumn, or winter. There are plenty of good reasons for each season. Then you can enjoy all seasons.
November is still autumn on the calendar, so it is now the end of autumn. Look back last fall. how have you been? Did you have fun? Or have you been too busy to be crazy? Have you ever lost your will to live and have been without strength?
Still, fall is a wonderful season. Why is autumn wonderful? Among many reasons, autumn is wonderful because of the sky. When did you see the blue high autumn sky?
I came up with a sermon on the sky and went to a place to see the autumn sky. It was a warm and clean morning like spring a few days ago. My wife and I climbed up to the wonderful Haneul Park. Haneul Park is located next to the World Cup Stadium in Sangam-dong. Originally, it was Nanjido, where Seoul's garbage was disposed of. But it was turned into a park. It has now become a tourist attraction. It is a place where people come to see flowers in spring and pampas grass in autumn. The view is also good. It overlooks the Han River. Best of all, you can see the sky up close. The sky was really blue that day. There was not a single cloud. I really enjoyed the autumn sky. I thank God for giving me such a sky.
Guys, it's a silly question, but why is there a sky? It sounds like a trivial answer, but the sky is what you are looking for. Imagine there is no sky! Can we really live without heaven? How terrible would it be if the heavens and the earth were blocked by walls? Hell wouldn't be any different. It's like a prison with walls all over it, and it's a place where fire is blazing, but once you enter it, isn't it hell?
Therefore, it is a blessing that there is an endless sky and that we can see the sky and live. However, city dwellers have become people who have forgotten the sky. They became people who were confined to the building. I live by looking at the land This is the city's problem. So they narrow their hearts and compete with each other, fight and hate each other.
Today I would like to talk about the sky in the Bible. The Bible speaks of three types of ‘heavens’.
1) Sky in the physical (Great Nature) realm: outer space with the sun, moon, and stars beyond the atmosphere and atmosphere
(Mt 16:2-4) 『[2] Jesus answered and said to them, ‘If the sky is red in the evening, you say it will be a good day; [3] If the sky is red and cloudy in the morning, you say that today will be a bad day. Do you know how to discern the signs of the times? [4] An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, but there is no sign to show except the sign of Jonah, and he departs from them.”
(Luke 17:24) “As lightning flashed under the heavens from one side and shone under the sky to the other side, so will the Son of Man in his own day.
2) Heaven as the scope or place of activity of evil spirits or the headquarters for manipulating evil spirits: This heavenly realm is also under God's control
Note: (Eph 2:2, 6:12) The air as the realm affected by the evil spirits, the realm of the evil spirits
3) Heaven as the highest heaven where God dwells, where the saints sit now (Ephesians 2:6), and where the saints will ultimately dwell
(Matthew 6:9-10) “[9] Therefore pray this way, our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, [10] Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
(2 Corinthians 12:2-4) 『[2] I know a man in Christ, who was taken up to the third heaven fourteen years ago (whether he was in the body or out of the body I do not know, but God knows) [2 Corinthians 12:2-4] [3] I know such a man (whether he was in the body or out of the body, I do not know, but God knows) [4] he was taken away into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, words that no man can utter.
But what does it mean that we are sitting in the sky now? Our identity now is that we are the people of heaven. And it means the one who will enter heaven on the last day.
In Ephesians 1:20-23, Jesus is now in heaven. But Jesus is said to be the head of the church. Then the church is the body of Jesus. Think logically. If Jesus, the head, is in heaven, then his body, the church, must also be in heaven. Therefore, we must understand that each member of the church is also seated in heaven. Of course, the church and the saints are living on the earth now, but that is living as heavenly people who rule the earth.
So what kind of people were we before we sat in heaven? (verses 1-3)
1) Those who died in trespasses and sins
2) Those who lived in trespasses and sins
3) Those who lived according to the fallen culture of the world
4) Those who followed the ruler of the air (the devil)
5) Those who lived according to their own desires
6) Those who were under God's wrath (judgment)
But how did we get to sit in heaven? (Verses 4-6, 8)
1) Because of God's great love
2) Because Christ died on the cross for us (Grace)
3) By allowing us to understand this fact and to believe (verse 8)
This is the gospel. How can we become God's people in heaven? You just need to realize God's love and give thanks to that person. When you see the cross of Jesus' atonement, you are moved by His grace and believe in Jesus as your only savior, you become the people of heaven. Not only will you escape God's judgment, but you will become a person who has eternal life.
One more important thing remains. The question is, ‘How should we, the people of heaven, who are temporarily living on this earth, live?’
1) We must look to the sky, our hometown, and live.
The book of Revelation contains seven heavenly stories. The Triune God dwells there. The four living creatures (representatives of the angels) and numerous angels, the 24 elders (representing the Old and New Testament saints) and the holy crowd in white robes (the brides of the Lamb, all the saints) were also there to worship and praise God. Raise it.
The important thing is why is the story of heaven recorded seven times in the Book of Revelation. It is natural to think that in a turbulent world and in the midst of spiritual warfare, a glimpse of heaven to the saints and churches is to give us the prospect of victory. Ladies and gentlemen, heaven is a sure place for us who believe in the Lord. Therefore, isn't the greatest message of comfort and hope for God's people that we are already a people seated in heaven?
2) What we who are seated in heaven should do here is to live like the people of heaven. Then, what is life like a heavenly citizen? (Verses 7, 9-10)
It is to testify and share the grace we received from the Lord to more people for a longer period of time (verse 7). And we should not boast in ourselves, but in the Lord (verse 9). Finally, to do the good that the Lord has commanded us to do (verse 10).
The good work is to build up the church in good health (Ephesians 2:11-4:16) and to make the world new (4:17-6:9).
However, the problem is that we cannot live like the people of heaven by our will or strength alone. So what we need is the grace of the Lord. Without the Lord's constant grace, we cannot live like the people of heaven. So, the apostle Paul begins the book of Ephesians with grace and ends it with grace. (Note, Ephesians 1:1-2, 6:10-11, 6:24)
Today we are going to partake of the sacrament. The Lord's Supper is heavenly food. In other words, it is the heavenly food that the Lord gives to the people of heaven to do good. It is heavenly food given to the workers in heaven, and it is the heavenly food that is given to the workers who attend to the work of expanding the kingdom of God so that they can do the work well. That is, it is a form of grace.
Therefore, as we partake of this sacrament, we should once again ask for the Lord's lasting grace. I believe that He will give great grace to those who participate in the Lord's Supper with faith so that they can live like heavenly people. Receive the Eucharist, the food of grace, with thanksgiving!