Sermon 2 Kings 5: 1-17

Sermon

2 Kings 5: 1-17

“That’s Not How It’s Suppose To Work”

The church had prayed for weeks that the Spirit of God would fall on the community for the up coming revival. They prayed diligently that God would revive them and save the lost. They had high hopes and went out on a limb bringing in one of the best evangelist in the area. As the time drew near so did the excitement and anticipation for what God was going to do. Then it came revival time, the singing was high energy, the preaching was magnificent, the altar was…empty except for a few Christians seeking a deeper walk.. The next night the singing was even better, the prayer was intense, the scripture was expounded upon better than ever and the altar was…empty. The folks at the church didn’t understand, they had prayed, they had fasted, they had financially committed in faith. So, they prayed harder, the preacher preached longer and the altar was…empty. Finally, on the last night one scrawny teen-age boy went to the altar and was saved. What a disappointment, the community was still lost, the church was disappointed, the evangelist went home with only his expenses paid and a sandwich. Expectations and excitement, this church had asked God to work, begged God to work, prayed with His will, and they were disappointed, angry, discouraged. They knew the routine, they knew how it was suppose to work, pray for the Spirit, make good plans, get the best preacher and invite unsaved friends, people are won to the Lord, a community is won to the Lord. That’s how it’s suppose to work.

She was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Interestingly Her father; was a creative, artistic man who could turn his hand to anything. He owned a flooring business in the city and bought a farm not far away where she became a champion horse rider. She described herself as an "immature and headstrong teenager." It was at that point in her life she came in contact with "Young Life" a religious youth organization that works with high school kids. It was at a camp run by "Young Life" that she understood the Gospel and gave her life to Christ. She prayed, "Lord if you're really there, do something in my life to change me around, I'm begging you....! Her friends and mentor were excited, she was a talented artist and maybe God would use that. Her Dad knew she loved horses and could ride beautifully God could certainly use her in that arena. Everything was going along great. One hot summer day the answer came, friends were everywhere, laughter permeated the air, she took a run toward the water, a beautiful dive, then darkness, broken neck, paraplegic. Expectations and excitement, this young lady had given her life to God, she had a wonderful support group. They had asked God to work, begged God to work, prayed with His will, and they were disappointed, angry, discouraged. They knew the routine, they knew how it was suppose to work, God’s saves girl, girl makes commitment, family and fellow Christians support, girl has good life serving God. That’s how it’s suppose to work.

There he stood, hot, sweaty, humiliated and above all still covered in disease. He had lowered himself to listen to a slave girl; he had gained an audience with two kings; he had traveled with his caravan and regiment of soldiers; suffered illness in silence; been dirty and dusty for weeks; carried with him 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and the best of clothing as a gift. Expectations and excitement, this esteemed, honored general had done everything he was suppose to do, he had a wonderful support group. They had given him everything he needed to make the journey; they had encouraged him to seek the healing; how could he go home now, he was disappointed, angry, discouraged. He knew the routine, he knew how it was suppose to work! Prophet comes out in all pomp and circumstance, maybe sing, dance, perform elaborate rituals, then call on the name of whatever god, wave his hand or a rod or something over you and the problem would be solved. That’s how it’s suppose to work. That’s how it’s suppose to work…

NIV    ¹ Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.  ² Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. ³ She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."  ⁴ Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. ⁵ "By all means, go," the king of Aram replied. "I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. ⁶ The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy."  ⁷ As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!"  ⁸ When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: "Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel." ⁹ So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. ¹⁰ Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."  ¹¹ But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. ¹² Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.  ¹³ Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" ¹⁴ So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. 15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant.” 16 The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused. 17 “If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord.”

This is a pretty straight forward story. Naaman, who is of the rich and famous, has the dreaded disease of leprosy. He is so desperate for a cure he listens to a slave girl, goes to the top people, spends allot of money and makes a long trip to get well. He has covered every base. He knows how the world works, he knows how people respond and think. He knows how to go about this.

 

And that’s where we pick up the story, verse 9. Naaman finds himself standing at the gate of Elisha to be healed of leprosy. This man is a warrior, he is not a Hebrew, he is from a nation north of Israel, a nation that warred with Israel off and on for years. This commander of a victorious army has gone to a defeated nation, a defeated God (at least in his eyes); a defeated king of Israel; on the word of a slave girl; with his troops; his money; his letter of reference; his chariots; his caravan; his power; his expectation of being healed and Elisha doesn’t even come out to greet him. He sends a servant which tells him to go wash in the river of a defeated foe and in a conquered kingdom. This prophet doesn’t even acknowledge who Naaman is, he just tells him to go wash in the Jordan. No singing, no dancing, no ritual, no gift giving or receiving. Naaman’s whole understanding and belief system is challenged. No wonder in verse 11 he is angry!  The Message says," He stomped off, mad as a hornet.” Naaman’s expectations and understanding are unfulfilled. How he envisioned the situation working was not at all what was happening.

 

How many times have I/we expected something out of God and it didn’t work like it was suppose to? I mean in the last ten years we really have jumped into our community with all kinds of ideas and attempts to make a difference. For instance…

 

We prayed about God’s will concerning reaching the un-churched those folks who couldn’t come to worship on Sunday. We also set it up attempting to reach the age 19 to pre-children age group. We planned, we sought God’s will, put tables with candles up, we opened an espresso bar, we wore our jeans/shorts and we started a Saturday night service. But it didn’t work like we thought is should, we never attracted those people who couldn’t come on Sunday or who were in that age group. We had wonderful services but our expectations of ministering to a specific group of people never happened. It didn’t work like it was suppose to.

 

We prayed about God’s will concerning building this building, originally one of the reasons was for more Sunday School space and a gym. But it didn’t work like it was suppose to, we still need Sunday School space. We have a gym but we never met the anticipation of having more classrooms. We never had classrooms like we were suppose to.

 

We prayed about God’s giving us a bus ministry here in this neighborhood behind the church. We got a great deal on the bus, we prayer walked, we made bus repairs, we got riders and drivers then no one, not one child would ride. The bus sat idol it never fulfilled what we thought was the plan, it never worked like it was suppose to.

 

You see Naaman’s expectations were based on his understanding, in terms of his experiences, traditions and beliefs. He expected the prophet of the God of Israel to heal him as he understood the way healings were suppose to happen. And by how prophets were suppose to perform.

 

Our expectations are often based on how we see things, how we understand, our up bringing, our backgrounds, our own belief systems or what we’ve seen in other places. We often have confidence in our finite mental abilities or dreams. Our expectations are there out in front, limiting our understanding of the expanse of God’s vision, of God’s Kingdom, God’s plan.

 

Naaman at the promptings of his traveling servants is finally obedient to what the prophet says then is totally and completely healed. That is a wonderful miracle but I don’t really believe that’s why this story is in the Bible. Could it be we have this story because of what happens in verse 17? The fact that, Naaman doesn’t just get healed, he was expecting that. But he finds a living God, a new faith in God, a new testimony of God, he takes with him worship of God which up until that point was not in Syria. A nation, an entire lost people are introduced to an Almighty God because of what happened to one man. The healing of Naaman is awesome, but taking the worship and knowledge of God to people who have never heard of Him is so much bigger. Naaman could have never dreamed what was happening, God’s Kingdom extending beyond national boundaries, cultures, viewpoints, and language.

 

Are you disappointed, angry, discouraged, because your expectations or your expectations of the church, haven’t been fulfilled like you imagined or believed they would be. Have you prayed, believed and acted upon something you felt was in line with God’s will only to see no or little results. Let me give you some good news. God’s plan is still going on, He is still advancing the Kingdom, far above anything we can envision, no matter how grand.

 

You see we can know that we are to pray, to plan, to seek, to do, to be, but we are not in charge of the outcome. We can’t even fathom what God is up to -- it’s so much bigger than us, our church, our thoughts, our dreams, even our world.

 

If Saturday night service had never happened the Methodist Church would have never began their third service, which is ministering in a mighty way to people we didn’t even know existed. Bruce and Deborah Boydston might never have gotten back into the ministry and Pleasant Hill would not have them as pastors. And they are doing an incredible job! Kingdom extension over and above anything we could have ever dreamed! God is active with His plan, Saturday night service did work just like it was suppose to!

 

If we had filled this building with classrooms instead of the wide open spaces, there would have never been room for Kid Connection or Heritage. But when it seemed we hadn’t done what we had prayed about, God’s plan unfolded and now look around at how His Kingdom has been extended to people and places we could have never foreseen! God’s plan for this building turned out just like it was suppose to.

 

Who would have thought that old idol bus and a failed plan for the neighborhood would be bringing children and adults from miles away and ministering unbelievably to an area we didn’t even know about when we bought that bus. Our expectations so far below the sight of God! That old bus is going just where it was suppose to.

 

Naaman sought healing BUT ended up finding God, then taking the worship and knowledge of God back to the nation of Aram. God’s Kingdom far above anything he could have expected or even knew was possible.

 

And the one scrawny teen-ager saved in that “so called” failed revival was Billy Graham. God’s Kingdom far and above anything that church could have expected. That revival worked just like it was suppose to.

 

And that girl who had gotten saved with hopes of ministry as an artist or in the equestrian community but ended up with a broken neck - Joni Erickson Tada. A woman who has taken the story of victory and hope through suffering worldwide! God’s Kingdom far and above anything she, her family, her mentors could have ever expected. That call worked just like it was suppose to.

 

And today where are we???? Some maybe confused because you’ve prayed, believed and not seen anything turn out like it ought to. Some maybe angry or disappointed because you have worked, given time, effort, money and it’s not like it was “was suppose to.” Could it be there are those here today wondering if we are going in the right direction at all and anticipating some kind of understandable outcome?

 

When in reality what we’re looking for, may not at all be what God has in mind. What we are to do is, like Naaman, to seek and be obedient then let God extend in His own way, His own plan, His Kingdom, which is always bigger, better and higher than ours.

 

And like Naaman he thought something was going to be done for him…healing. God was thinking…I’m going to become friends with Naaman. Namaan is getting allot more than a healing he is about to discover me and take me home, home to Syria, to his family, to his people and where ever he goes I’ll be with him.  

 

Be encouraged today, God is on the move, don’t allow what may look like failure to hinder. Don’t allow your own understandings to consume you or be a block. God’s Kingdom can, will and is advancing far and above anything we could ever expect, imagine or envision. Maybe it is working just like it’s suppose too, maybe while we’re looking for results all the time God is just looking at us and wanting us to look at Him, to trust Him, and to move with Him.

 

I hope you will spend some time in prayer with the Lord about this whole concept of “things working like I think they ought to.” Maybe it’s not suppose to look at all like what I think, maybe the I shouldn’t be there at all. May God help us to see with His eyes and to look to Him.

 

Study 2 Kings 8: 1-17

Study 2 Kings 8: 1- 17

NIV    ¹ Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.  ² Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. ³ She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."  ⁴ Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. ⁵ "By all means, go," the king of Aram replied. "I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. ⁶ The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy."  ⁷ As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!"  ⁸ When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: "Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel." ⁹ So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. ¹⁰ Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."  ¹¹ But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. ¹² Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.  ¹³ Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" ¹⁴ So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. 15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant.” 16 The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused. 17 “If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord.”

There are some incredible women/men of God teaching in seminaries across the world. One of those is a man by the name of Dr. Roger Hahn. He teaches at the Nazarene Seminary in Kansas City. I found an article written by him on this very passage. I have copied it below, it is far better than anything I could have ever done. Enjoy.

Verse 1 introduces the human protagonist of the story. Naaman was apparently a common name in ancient Syria since the name was used in the Ugaritic tablets. The name means "fair" or "gracious," and the very meaning of the name would dispose the ancient reader to think positively about Naaman. He is described as the commander of the army. The Hebrew expression implies that he was the commander-in-chief and reported directly to the king of Syria. That king was probably Ben-Hadad, though he is not mentioned directly in the chapter. Info from Dr. Roger Hahn, NTS

The author of 2 Kings notes that Naaman enjoyed high regard or special favor in the sight of the king because Yahweh had used him to bring victory to the Syrians. Most scholars assume that the incidents of chapter 5 took place at a time when Israel and Syria were at peace. Otherwise the victories would have been at the expense of Israel, and Naaman's visit to Israel in search of healing would have been much less likely. Regardless of who Syria's enemies were, the author regards Yahweh as the source of victory. Info from Dr. Roger Hahn, NTS

The Hebrew word translated leprosy in the Old Testament appears to have described a variety of skin diseases. Leviticus 13 gives the most comprehensive discussion of the kinds of leprosy and the symptoms of the various types. Exact understanding of the modern medical terms for those diseases is not possible from just the symptoms listed in Leviticus 13. However, it is almost certain that the disease now known as leprosy or Hansen's disease was not one of the diseases described in the Old Testament. The Old Testament understood that these leprosies were contagious and stringent quarantine regulations were enforced for certain types of leprosy. Second Kings 7:3-4 provides a case in point. Leprosy was sometimes considered a judgment from God against sin, as Numbers 12:10-15 shows. Info from Dr. Roger Hahn, NTS

The culture of the Ancient East expected that a person would take a gift with them when they visited another. The visit of the Queen of Sheba with Solomon and her gift mentioned in 1 Kings 10:10 is an example of how extravagant such giving could be. The resources carried by Naaman to serve as a gift were also extravagant. Ten talents of silver would be equal to about seven hundred pounds of silver. Six thousand shekels of gold would represent about 145 pounds of gold. With gift and letter in hand Naaman went to the king of Israel. The king is not named, though it is probably Jehoram. Naaman would have assumed that the king was the most powerful man in the land of Israel and that healing would have come through him. The king did not appreciate the compliment. He understood that God is the giver of life and health. That the king of Syria would send his commander in chief to him with such a request struck the Israelite king as an effort to bait or trap him. Several important dynamics are work at this point of the story. Obviously the king should have immediately called upon the prophet of God. The fact that he did not shows how out of touch he was with the theology of his people. It also shows how completely he lacked a relationship with God. There is also irony in that Naaman came to him assuming he was the most powerful man in Israel. The reader of 2 Kings already knows that Elisha is more powerful than the king. That has been demonstrated in previous chapters. The king also knew but would not admit that reality. However, the request of Naaman required access to God that the king did not have. Only Elisha had that access, and the king was not willing to admit his weakness in the face of Elisha's strength. All the king could express was frustration. The king's response is very instructive of what happens to people who refuse to enter into relationship with God themselves, and yet who resent the power with God enjoyed by those who are obedient. Info from Dr. Roger Hahn, NTS

Elisha did not make the king feel any better when he found out about the king's dilemma. Verse 8 specifically describes Elisha as a man of God. He instructed the king to send Naaman to him so that Naaman may know that there is a prophet in Israel. The clear purpose for Naaman's coming to Israel is not healing but understanding the reality of God. Yet when Naaman arrived at Elisha's house and stood ready to greet him, Elisha snubbed the great commander. He refused to come out of the house himself but sent a servant. Info from Dr. Roger Hahn, NTS

The flow of the story thus far has predisposed the reader to want Naaman to be healed. Elisha gave him the "classic" test - do something that appears to be silly. Naaman's response was anger, and he turned his back on the promised healing. It appears that he will fail the test, and there is a sense of disappointment, a desire to reach into the story and grab Naaman to tell him to obey the word from God. There is anxiety from the reader for Naaman, but does that anxiety arise because we know that we have often missed what God would have done for us? It was Naaman's servants who persuaded him to at least try the solution offered to him by the prophet of God. They reminded him of an important truth. His goal in coming to Israel was to be healed, not to have his ego stroked. There is an interesting interplay between the so-called "important" people in this story and the so-called "insignificant" people. The highly respected Naaman has leprosy and is in desperate need. The lowly slave girl points him toward the solution. The high and mighty king of Israel is powerless and paralyzed by Naaman's need. The lowly prophet must step in to rescue the situation. The mighty military man is about to let arrogance slip healing from his hands. His servants speak a word of common sense and obedience. Info from Dr. Roger Hahn, NTS

For many readers the healing of Naaman in verse 14 is the climax to the story. But the real climax of the story is Naaman's confession in verse 15, "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant." Naaman's arrogance of verses 11-12 was gone and he offered Elisha the rich gift he has brought. When Elisha refused the gift, Naaman asked for two mule-loads of dirt from Israel to take with him back home. Two explanations have been given for this request. The first and most likely is that Naaman understood that Yahweh was especially connected to Canaan, to the Promised Land. Since he would have to leave Yahweh's Land to return to his job in Syria, could he take some of Yahweh's land with him as a sign of the relationship he had established with God? A second suggestion is that since altars were made of earth and unhewn stone, Naaman wished to take building materials for an altar back to his home. Info from Dr. Roger Hahn, NTS

 

Ephesians 2: 1-5 Part II

     We begin chapter 2 of Ephesians by having to go back to 1: 19, in which Paul asserts that he prays that they might come to see the exceeding greatness of God’s power. “and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength. (Eph 1: 19 NIV) Christ’s resurrection, exaltation and headship of the Church are ways in which we see that power. Paul declares in this section of Ephesians the spiritual renewal of all people! The theme is verse five itself; “made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.”

    What we find in this short section is the apostle contrasting verses 1-3 and 4-10.

Spiritual death which is separation from God caused by sin (trespass). Understand, Paul isn’t just saying that man apart from God is “subject to death or even under a sentence of death” he’s actually dead. This makes me think of the scene in “Princess Bride” where they take the hero to the magician and say, “help us he’s dead” and Billy Crystal says “no, he’s not dead, he’s mostly dead.” WE ARE DEAD IN OUR SINS/TRESPASSES, actually, completely dead. The reason in this passage that we see the word trespass used here rather than sin (and in the NIV that is significant). It is because in this passage Paul asserts both – trespass (GK paraptoma) and sin (GK hamartiai) to emphasize the total nature of this death. Trespass alludes to “the desires of the flesh, open, gross, and palapable”; sin alludes to “the desires of the mind, sins of thought and ideas, of purpose and inclination” absolutely everything is included in this thought.

     In verse two the idea is that these people conducted their lives in conformity to the thoughts and pursuits of their day. In other words, spiritually dead folk have forsaken the rules of God for the rules of man. Instead of being oriented to the life of the age to come and the heavenly realm, the past lives of the readers had been dominated by the present norms and values of their day wholly hostile to God. Now the phrase the “ruler of the kingdom of the air.” W. Wink in Naming Powers says, “that power of the air is not the locale of demons but the world atmosphere, the spiritual matrix of inauthentic living.  FF Bruce says this means that the devil is the leader of those ‘spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places’ of whom we are told in Ephesians 6: 12. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” The Ephesians once bowed to the god of this world and their rewards were temporary. But Christ brought them liberation from the devil and his powers. If you are interested in a book about spiritual warfare I can recommend an EXCELLENT resource, “What About Spiritual Warfare” by Doug Rumsford. I have this in my library and have given away more copies than I can count. Every person interested in spiritual things really should read it.

    In verse three the thought is that the readers were once under the full control of the flesh. Its desires dominated their lives and had to be fulfilled. Sin was in every part of them, there was no inner place not affected. Their thoughts were corrupt and controlled their actions, senses and impulses. They lived their lives in total absorption with self. They were deserving of wrath and death. This “objects of wrath” phrase not a personal thing with God but His active judgment against all forms of sin and evil, and is evidence of his absolute holiness. This is a Hebrew thought process/understanding, which is given in this verse and used often in the Old Testament. Therefore, “children of wrath/objects of wrath” are those who are doomed to God’s wrath because through their condition of sinful rebellion, they deserve his righteous judgment. The wording in this section is not only directed to the Ephesians but Paul makes it universal, taking in all of humanity.

     These first three verses carry an attitude of hopelessness, but there is good news. Verse 4 begins with BUT and it might be the biggest but in the New Testament. (I just couldn’t help myself J) This little word presents a contrast, showing the situation and expected results are not necessarily final, “God made us alive with Christ.” It is by love and mercy we are saved. This incredible thought and truth comes from God who has done everything on our behalf, and all that He has spared us from, is NOT because of who we are, but in spite of who we are! GRACE, no other word describes God better, grace is undeserved merit. God, by His mercy and love, pardoned us and made us alive through Jesus. It is good to be reminded when we feel ugly and our past haunts us, or if today we feel dirty and empty, we are saved by grace. It’s not based on what we have or have not done, it’s based on who we know - Christ. Now that is good news, which is what the word gospel means. Information obtained from “Ephesians: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition” by Mark A. Holmes; “Word biblical Commentary” by Andrew Lincoln; and Beacon Bible Commentary (Ephesians) by William H. Taylor.

Ephesians 2: 1-5 Part I

Scripture Study – Ephesians 2: 1-5

NIV    ¹As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ²in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. ⁴But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

The Message   ^{1 -6}It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.

     Once again as we look at this scripture we are looking at a piece of a letter. On the positive side it gives us insight into the most personal of writings. We can and will see Paul’s heart every time we read one of his letters. It’s a pastor’s heart, a parent’s heart full of love, pain, and a desire to make his “children” the best followers of Jesus they could be. On the other side there is no writing in the Bible more difficult to understand than a letter. Now, some would think it would be the prophetic books or the poetry but, not really, because when we read a letter and only see one side, it is sooooooooooooooo easy to misinterpret! So when we read the letters of Paul we are often in a difficulty. We don’t have any idea what the letter he was answering said or if he’d had visitors and was addressing something they had told him. It is only from the letter itself we can piece together what was in Paul’s heart.

     It is clear that Paul was the writer of Ephesians, it is also clear he was in jail because of the faith when he wrote it. There is some connection between Colossians and Ephesians because Tychicus was the bearer of both and they are similar in construction. One of the main questions behind Ephesians is to whom was it really written.

     In Paul’s day letters were written on rolls of papyrus. They were rolled and tied with thread, if they were really private or official they were then sealed. But an address was seldom written on them, letters were delivered by hand and there was no postal system. So the titles of the New Testament letters are not part of the original letters at all. They were inserted afterwards when the letters were collected and published for all the Church to read.

    So when we look at Ephesians closely we note some interesting things. This letter is the most impersonal Paul ever wrote, it has none of the intimate greetings or good-byes we note in other letters, this is odd given the fact he was in Ephesus longer that any other city. And in Acts 20: 17-35 there is some real intimacy between Paul and the elders of Ephesus. The other interesting comment is in 1: 15 “because I have heard of your faith” Paul had not just heard of their faith he had been part of it. In 3: 2 he writes “assuming that you have heard”, Paul would know this info if it were Ephesus. Lastly, none of the early manuscripts of the Greek NT contain the words “in Ephesus” they all read “Paul…to the saints who are also faithful in Christ Jesus.” So if not to Ephesus, where? The oldest suggestion is Laodicea. This comes from Paul’s statement in Colossians 4: 16: “And when this letter had been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you read also the letter from Laodicea.” That statement makes it certain that a letter had gone to Laodicea. So how could this have happened? Well, Paul’s letters were well loved, treasured and copied for instruction. It could be as simple as the letter from Laodicea was copied or sent to Ephesus where it survived. Who knows… what we do know is the letter to the Ephesians is one of the most beautiful and instructive letters we have. A holy and inspired work laid down to guide, encourage and direct the Church then and the Church now. Info gathered from “The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians” by William Barclay.