Title Then, Now/Ephesians 2:11-19
then, now
☞Text:11 Consider, therefore, that ye were at that time Gentiles in the flesh, who were called uncircumcised by those who called them Circumcision made in the flesh with hands. 12 At that time you were outside Christ, and you were outside the kingdom of Israel. Outsiders, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 Now you, who were afar off, have been drawn near by the blood of Christ in Christ Jesus. 14 He is our peace, who made the two one, the enemy He broke down the middle wall in his body, 15 and abolished the law of commandments, which was written in ordinances, that he might make peace from the two by forming in himself one new man, 16 and to reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross. He destroyed enmity on the cross, 17 and came to bring peace to you who were far off, and peace to those who were near, 18 so that we may both have access to the Father in one Spirit through him. 19 So now you are no strangers and no strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints,
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On a TV program, I saw a comedian laughing when he said that he could know his identity in a previous life by watching him sleep. Those who slept on their backs were turtles in their past lives, those who slept on their backs were lords in their past lives, and those who slept crouched were diligent but no money in their pockets.
Sakyamuni said, "If you want to know the past life of a soul, observe the present life carefully! Then you will be able to know the previous life of that soul."
Occasionally, TV shows a program in which it is as if the person were putting face on a person to find out what they were in a previous life as if they had a previous life. This is based on the theory of reincarnation in Buddhism and paganism.
I heard it a long time ago, when a monk visited a Shinto's house, it was like there was a small dog in the house, and there was a white line in the middle of the dog's head. that he was reincarnated as The white line on her hair was her grandmother's part.
Sometimes humans cannot act as human beings, so there are people who act like animals, and there are animals that behave like humans, but that doesn't mean that a person can die and be reincarnated as a beast, or an animal can die and be reincarnated as a human.
God created, governed, and governed the heavens and the earth. When God first created man, he molded it out of clay and breathed into his nostrils to become a living soul. God breathes life into man, an attribute of God. He breathed in him and his character so that he might know, fear, and praise God. And, when a person who was born in the body expires on this earth, the body dies and returns to the dust, and the soul goes to the place God has appointed.
Because man sinned, all souls had no choice but to go to the place of punishment called Hell, but through the love of God, all sins were forgiven through the shedding of the blood of his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, whoever believes in Christ who died on the cross for our sins My soul was saved and I went to the eternal kingdom of God.
All people die. And the body returns to the dust. And the soul goes to eternal life for believers and eternal punishment for unbelievers, but there is no reincarnation. This is Satan's deception. It's just a manipulation by the crowds that follow Satan. Never be deceived.
Of course, the doctrine of reincarnation, if you think of it as a positive aspect, 'If you do good things, you will be born into a world of good, if you do evil things, you will be born into a world of evil.' However, there is a risk of falling into the spirit of delusion.
The reason why I speak of past lives and reincarnation in today's introduction is that many people say that they do not exist because they improve the quality of life, which is causing confusion. I want to tell you that you can believe and live a true life in the truth of God.
Instead of looking at our past life and striving for happiness in the next life, we can live the highest quality of life if we live according to our present status by comparing our past, that is, our status before we believed in Jesus and our status after we believed in Jesus.
If you look at Ephesians 2, you will see that the sentences in the past tense of "then" (2,11,12) or "before" (2) and the sentences in the present tense of "now" and "from now on" (13,19) are divided. can.
“At that time” and “Before” refer to before believing in Jesus, and “now” refers to the present life that believes in Jesus. If a person who believes in Jesus compares these two parts, our dignity and our words and actions will inevitably change.
Before we believe, let's look at our identity.
Verse 1 “You were dead in your trespasses and sins.” He said he was dead, no! Before I believed in Jesus, I lived with my eyes wide open! will do Death here refers to a state in which relationship with God is cut off. It means that the supply of life has already ceased from the life line. To put it more concretely, in verse 2, it was “a life that follows the world’s winds” and “a life that follows those who hold the power of the air.”
To follow the trends of the world means to live in a culture that has nothing to do with God, and to live according to the ruler of the air means to live under the control of Satan, who disobeys God's Word.
Not only that. Verse 3 says, “In the midst of it, we all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, doing what the flesh and mind wanted, and were by nature children of wrath, like others.”
Living according to the lusts of the flesh is the easiest way to describe life as a pig. Humans cannot live like pigs.
In verses 11-12 we read that at that time we were Gentiles in the flesh. Uncircumcised. It is saying that he was outside of Christ, he was a man outside the nation of Israel, he was an outsider, he had no hope and had no God in the world. In a word, this verse refers to a life without hope at all.
Then, after believing, let's look at our present identity.
Verse 5 He made us alive together with Christ, who were dead in our trespasses; What do you mean? It says that you have been saved from the dead.
Verse 12 “Now you, who were afar off, have been drawn near by the blood of Christ in Christ Jesus.”
Verse 19 From now on, you are no longer strangers or strangers, but only saints, fellow citizens, and members of God's family.
Let's tidy it up.
Today you and I
Previously, he was completely cut off from God, who is life, and he died, but now he is alive and has eternal life through Christ.
Previously, I followed only the world culture that had nothing to do with God, and now I am living in the world and living in the culture of heaven.
Previously, he followed Satan, the ruler of the power of the air, who disobeyed God, and now he has become a follower of God, the master of heaven and earth, and of water.
I used to live according to the lusts of the flesh like pigs, but now I am living under the control and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
I used to be a child of wrath, and now I have eternal life and become a child of God's blessing.
He used to be hopeless, and now he is full of hope.
I was a foreigner before. I used to be a stranger, and now I am a saint and a citizen of God. became God's family,
In the past, a wall was blocked between God and I, and God and I were cut off. Now, that wall has been torn down, and God and I are connected and reconciliation is achieved.
How high and quality have you and I turned into people?
However, there are some Christians who do not live a high quality or quality life.
If we know what our past was like, and if we believe in Jesus Christ and know what happened to us, then we don't live in vain.
A life that is dignified in words and actions, is not stingy, lives with sharing, becomes a life of service rather than a desire to be served, and a life that considers others better than oneself.
I hope you, saints, compare those days with the present, judge how you will live, and live a life that is worthy of your current level.