Ephesians: Life in God's Diverse FamilySample

So I’ve got two kids. Well, they’re adults now. I don’t know how in the world that took place. I’ve got a daughter who is 24 and my son is 20. I know what you’re thinking. You’re going, “But, Derwin, you look far too young.” Thank you very much. Black don’t crack, okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So, no seriously. One of the things that I learned early on about being a dad is my children wanted to impress me, they wanted my approval. So I learned how to walk alongside of them to hopefully take the pressure off, telling them, “Listen, I love you because you are you.”

I started going on dates with my daughter when she was about two. One of the things we’d do is go to this all-you-can-eat Chinese food restaurant called Tintin, and we’d have crab legs and butter sauce everywhere. It’d be awesome. With my son, we’d do football training together. But one of the things that I learned was to speak life over them, to tell them who they are, because the pressure of the world, and particularly when you have a dad that played in the NFL, there’s always this pressure. It’s like, “No, no. You are my children and I love you because you are a part of me.”

Well, if you look at the book of Ephesians, you’ll see what God the Abba does in Christ by the Holy Spirit’s power through Paul. In the first three chapters, there is not one command. Paul tells us that we have spiritual blessings in Christ. It’s like God is telling us who we are in Christ. We didn’t achieve it. It’s a gift that we receive. It’s not based on worth. It’s because of our new birth in Christ. So God gives us different identities as this new race of grace, and he just pours into us "this is who you are. This is who you are. This is who you are in Christ. Everything that’s true of him is true of me".

Then, when you get to Ephesians, chapters four through six, God gives like 30-something commands. It’s like one every six verses. Why? Because God establishes grace in us, and then God establishes grace to us. God will never require us to do something that he doesn’t first give us the grace to do. 

I’m not sure who I’m speaking to right now, but some of you come from homes where you came home with all A’s except for one C, and your parents automatically go, “Why’d you get a C?” and you start getting beat up for why you got a C, and you always felt like you had to perform for them.

I want you to know that God the Father says, “No, you don’t have to perform for me. As a matter of fact, your performance could never be good enough. You are not good enough.” But because of grace, that includes us in this new race, Jesus is our "good enough", and the one who was good enough is the one who lives a good enough life through us, as we cling to him by faith.

Maybe you were that kid who, when it was time for sports, you got picked last and you never felt like you were good enough. You never felt like you were worthy enough. You never felt like you could actually do it. Well, I’ve got some good, good news. You’re not good enough, you’re not worthy, and neither am I, but you are loved. God loved you enough to send Jesus to the cross for you. The world may not choose you, but God does. He loves to use those who are deemed unusable. Why? Because he gets the most glory.

Respond

Who are you in Christ?

Make a list of people you know who need to hear about God’s unconditional love.

Prayer 

Lord, thank You for loving me, choosing me, and using me. I give you all the glory!