Freedom For Today

“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.”

Paul shifts his focus from the authority of Christ to the sinfulness of mankind. Having established that Jesus is in a position of power over all things, Paul begins to describe the desperation of humanity. We are “subject to God’s anger” — except for the fact that God has chosen to love us. We were as good as dead, and God could have let humanity simply destroy itself. But just as Jesus overcame death, so we can find life once again through him.

Notice the shift that begins to take place in verse 6: “For he raised us from the dead along with Christ…” Remember the powerful throne Jesus occupies that was described in chapter 1? We are seated with him! As followers of Jesus, we are examples of his “incredible wealth.” And in the kingdom of God, grace and kindness are the most valuable currencies.

Here’s your freedom for today: God is lavishing grace and kindness on you. He has made unity with Christ possible through his mercy. He has given us power through our unity with Christ. He simply wants to do it this way. Grace is his favorite design. What does it mean for you today that God wants to be kind to you simply to show off his wealth? Be careful not to measure this in circumstances — God’s kindness doesn’t mean that he makes our circumstances “work out,” but rather that he embraces the deepest parts of who we are and cherishes us.

“I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.”

God’s power matters. If he is not all-powerful, then he has nothing great to offer us. If he is not mighty, then Jesus couldn’t overcome death. If Jesus is not seated on the most powerful throne right at this moment, then we have no hope of salvation. Every other authority is beneath him.

God worked in these powerful ways so that the church (all of the followers of Jesus) can be his body. He is the head — coming up with the ideas, plans, and telling the body what to do. He has given us power to operate as his body. The body executes his plan, which is the role of the church. We as followers of Jesus are given the power to act on the mind of God.

Here’s your freedom for today: you are part of the plan to save the world. For some reason, that can only be slightly understood by acknowledging God’s choice to love, he gave us a role in his global intervention. He’s leading the way, creating the plan, thinking through the details. And you and I and the worldwide body of Jesus-followers are the ones getting the message out to the world. We are filled with the Holy Spirit and we are able to bring this to others. Who can you tell about the love of God today?

“Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.”

Have you ever met someone who just knew exactly how to encourage you? That person who knows how to pray for you before you even ask? As Paul writes to the Ephesians, we see his heart for them as he reveals his deepest prayers. He knows how to pray, and there are a lot of big statements — “constantly,” “flooded,” and “glorious.” Is Paul just dramatic? Or does he have a reason for using such significant language?

Let’s look at what Paul’s prayers are for the Ephesians. He begins with thankfulness. He asks God to give them supernatural wisdom and knowledge. He prays that God would give them divine understanding in order to increase their hope and faith. Do those prayers sound like ones you’ve prayed lately?

Here’s your freedom for today: God is waiting for your supernatural prayers. Sure, we can all start the morning with, “Dear Jesus, help me to have a good day today…” But that kind of prayer just isn’t in the Bible. We see Jesus and his disciples praying for healing and miracles. Paul is praying for divine encounters to help expand and grow the church. There is a constant thankfulness about the eternal reality that is so much bigger than anything we will face in our earthly day. Today, take a look at your prayer life. What is one thing you could ask God to do supernaturally that would have eternal value?

“God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.”

In some Christian circles, the Holy Spirit is a touchy subject. There is a lot of uncertainty about how he works today versus how he worked in the early church. Regardless of your theology, it is unarguable that the Holy Spirit marks us as belonging to God. The Jewish people previously had a symbol of circumcision that marked them as God’s chosen ones, but the Holy Spirit is given to both Jews and Gentiles when we believe in Jesus.

What does it mean that the Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee of our inheritance? It means that we fundamentally change when we receive the forgiveness that Jesus offers us and invite him to lead our lives. The Holy Spirit is the first way that God responds to that prayer — we open our hearts and the Holy Spirit moves right in. He is our direct line to God, causing us to praise and glorify him.

Here’s your freedom for today: the Holy Spirit sets you free. You have probably figured out by now that “freedom” is kind of my thing. I want to experience emotional and spiritual freedom throughout my life and keep growing in deeper ways. I want to help other people experience freedom too. The Holy Spirit makes freedom possible in an entirely supernatural way. There is nothing quite like a relationship like that. Once the Holy Spirit moves in, you are eternally untouchable. Satan can mess with your earthly life, but he can’t rob your eternal inheritance. That reality is what true freedom is all about.

“God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.”

Paul invites us into a team huddle with today’s verses — I imagine a coach whispering to his players, “Ok everyone, here’s the plan…” What is not so secret (because God has made it known to the world) is that Jesus Christ holds all the authority and power. It’s all about him! God is bringing everything together, restoring heaven and earth, under the kingship of Jesus.

When we are connected to Jesus, we get a whole lot of royal privileges. God grants us an inheritance because we are his family (as we read about yesterday when he loved us and adopted us just because he wanted to). The big reveal in these verses? God makes everything work out.

Here’s your freedom for today: we can trust God because his plans work out. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a plan or two fail in my lifetime. Even the best of ideas and intentions can go wrong because we live in a fallen world and we are sinful people. But God is working his plan out and everything is right on schedule. He chose us in advance — he is making sure our salvation is secure. This does not mean that he makes all of our life circumstances happen the way we want them to. God is not working stuff out for you. He is working stuff out for himself. It pleases him to love us and save us, so he will do it. We can trust that no matter what happens to us on this earth, God will accomplish your eternal salvation if you grab hold of Jesus.