[English Sermon 영어 설교]
Sunday, March 9, 2025 - Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn
A Life Enjoying Grace and Peace (Ephesians 1:1-2)
2025. 3. 9. 주일예배 설교- 에베소서 강해 1
본문: 에베소서 1:1-2
제목: 은혜와 평강을 누리는 삶
설교자: 손진국 목사
20250309 Sunday - A Life Enjoying Grace and Peace (Eph 1:1-2)
Ephecians Series 1st
Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn (Hope of Heaven Baptist Church)
Greet the person next to you – "I wish you grace and peace."
Starting today, we will go through the book of Ephesians. The theme of Ephesians is the church. While Paul's other epistles were pastoral letters written to address specific issues within individual churches, Ephesians is not a letter written to resolve a problem in Ephesus. Instead, it is a precious book that reveals how God's kingdom is established and how the mystery of redemptive history unfolds through the church.
The Ephesian church was founded by Paul during his second missionary journey. After spending 18 months in Corinth, he visited Ephesus with Priscilla and Aquila, as recorded in Acts 18. Paul stayed there only briefly, but Priscilla and Aquila remained and taught God's word more accurately to Apollos, who was preaching there. During his third missionary journey, Paul returned to Ephesus and stayed for over two years, teaching the word at the school of Tyrannus.
After completing his third missionary journey, Paul went to Jerusalem, where he was arrested and imprisoned in Caesarea for two years. Later, he was taken to Rome and remained in prison from AD 60 to 62. The letters he wrote during this time are called the Prison Epistles—Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.
Today's passage, [Ephesians 1:1-2] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
As Paul greets the believers in Ephesus, he expresses his desire and blessing for them to have grace and peace. As we begin our study of Ephesians, I also pray that all the members of Hope in Heaven Church may have grace and peace. Paul greets them this way because he himself is experiencing this grace and peace and understands what an incredible blessing it is.
Through today’s message, I want us to reflect on what is needed for us to live a life enjoying grace and peace.
1. Remember that God has called and sent you.
Paul begins his letter by clearly stating his identity and calling. [Ephesians 1:1] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: His identity is that he is an apostle of Christ Jesus. And he declares that he did not become an apostle by his own will or the will of others, but by the will of God.
Paul’s burning passion and dedication to the gospel come from this conviction—that his identity and mission are established by God's will. This is also the secret to how he was able to experience God’s grace and peace. He was certain that he was called and appointed by God as an apostle to the Gentiles.
Why do so many people today struggle, stumble, and give up? It is because they lack this certainty. They do not have the assurance that where they stand and what they do is in accordance with God’s will.
We need this assurance as well. Like Paul, we need a clear sense of identity and confidence in our calling.
Paul calls himself an apostle. The word "apostle" comes from the Greek word apostolos (ἀπόστολος), which means "one who is sent." But before one is sent, they must first be called. Jesus called His disciples and then sent them as apostles into the world. Being sent means having a purpose. What is that purpose? Apostles are called to build the body of Christ, fulfill God's mission to fill all things through the church, and establish God's dwelling place.
We do not call ourselves apostles, but as believers called according to God’s will, we all have an apostolic mission. We have been sent into this world to build the body of Christ, fulfill God’s mission through the church, and establish God’s dwelling place.
Let’s greet one another: "God has called you." "And God has sent you."
To those who are called as believers and sent into the world, God gives grace and peace.
[Ephesians 1:2] Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you have grace and peace within you? Or do you have worries, fears, and anger? Today's passage tells us where grace and peace come from. They come from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. God is the almighty Creator of the universe. He is our Father, not a distant being, but a loving Father who comes near to protect us.
Who can call God "Father"? The saints. Grace and peace are not given to just anyone. True grace and true peace, as stated in verse 1, are given only to those who believe in Christ Jesus and have become children of God.
[Application] Do you believe that God has called and sent you? Where is God sending you today, and what does He want you to do there?
2. Believe that God is your Father.
By believing in Jesus Christ, God has become our Father. Therefore, we should be free from worries and fears about our needs. If we confess that God is our Father but continue to live in fear of lack, what is the issue?
Last Monday’s dawn prayer meeting covered Luke 12:22-34. In this passage, Jesus tells His disciples, [Luke 12:22] Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Then, in verse 28, He says, [Luke 12:28] You of little faith!
This shows that worrying about our needs is directly related to faith. When our faith is small, our worries and fears about life’s necessities grow. But as our faith grows, our worries and fears diminish and disappear. May God grant us great faith. Repeat after me: "Lord, give me great faith."
What is faith? Faith is believing that our loving God is our Father. In other words, faith is trusting that God, as our Father, loves His children. This is explained in [1 John 4:16] And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
Notice how the NIV translates "believed" as "rely on." Faith is about entrusting ourselves to God. It means relying on Him completely, surrendering our entire lives to Him. When we fully entrust our lives to Him, our worries, fears, and anxieties about life’s needs disappear. That is great faith.
May we all have such great faith. Let’s declare and bless the person next to us: "May you have great faith." "May all your worries and fears disappear."
Why can we make such a declaration? Because our loving God is our Father. Declare it to yourself: "My loving God is my Father." Do you believe this?
[Application] What are the worries and fears in your life? Even though you know that your loving God is your Father, is there something you are struggling to entrust to Him?
3. Beware of the Spirit of Poverty
Jesus said that God knows our needs and that if we seek His kingdom first, He will provide for us. Yet, what thoughts often come to our minds? We think, "I don't have money, so I can't give to God, I can't build the church, I can't help others, and it's hard to survive with what I have now. If I'm not careful, I might go bankrupt." Why do we think this way?
When discussing spirituality, especially discerning spirits, we call this mindset the "spirit of poverty." Those who are bound by the spirit of poverty go beyond being frugal and cautious—they believe they are poor and fear that if they lose what they have, they will face disaster. This fear keeps them from giving to God or sharing with others. Paul describes this as "the love of money" in 1 Timothy 6:10.
[1 Timothy 6:7-10] For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
In Matthew 19, a rich young man asked Jesus what good thing he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to sell his possessions and give to the poor, but the man went away sad because he had great wealth. Why? Because he was bound by the spirit of materialism and the spirit of poverty.
We must understand what true blessing is. True blessing is the ability to give and share. In Genesis 12, God calls Abraham to be the source of blessing. In other words, a person who receives blessings from God and shares them with others becomes the source and channel of blessings.
If we do not experience material blessings, we should reflect on whether we are failing to fulfill our role as a source of blessing due to the spirit of poverty. Those who share their material wealth will be replenished by God.
[Luke 6:38] Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.
Does this mean that those who give generously must all become rich? No. We may remain materially poor. Think of the widow who gave two small coins—though poor, Jesus praised her for giving more than anyone else. Having little can be a blessing.
Being poor is different from being bound by the spirit of poverty. We may be poor, but we must not be enslaved by a poverty mindset.
True wealth is in the heart. A truly wealthy person is one who has a heart to give and share. On the other hand, no matter how much someone possesses, if they cannot give, they are truly poor.
Dear believers, Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that the poor in spirit are blessed. This means longing to know God more, to be with Him, and to desire His grace. However, when it comes to material wealth, we should be spiritually rich—generous and willing to share. This is the mark of a truly wealthy person. How? By believing that the Almighty God is our Father.
Do you long to encounter the living Lord? There was a shoemaker who had the same desire. His greatest wish was to meet Jesus, even just once. One night, Jesus appeared to him in a dream and promised to visit his home the next day. Overjoyed, the shoemaker prepared a feast and eagerly waited, but Jesus never came. Instead, a beggar arrived, then an old street sweeper, and later, a poor apple seller. The shoemaker felt pity for them and shared his prepared meal with each one. That night, Jesus appeared in his dream again. The shoemaker asked, "Why didn’t You come?" Jesus replied, "I visited you three times today, and each time, you welcomed Me. You truly love Me, for whatever you did for the least of these, you did for Me."
This story, from Leo Tolstoy’s Shoemaker Martin, reminds us of the final judgment scene in Matthew 25. In that passage, Jesus praises the righteous for feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming strangers, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting prisoners. The righteous, surprised, ask when they did these things for the Lord. Jesus replies:
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)
Proverbs also teaches that helping the poor is lending to the Lord.
[Proverbs 19:17] Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done.
[Proverbs 28:27] Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.
[Application] How am I using my material resources? Who am I sharing and giving to with God’s heart?
Dear believers, we are God’s children through faith in Jesus Christ. God desires for us to receive and enjoy His grace and peace from heaven. But if we are not experiencing His grace and peace, we should examine why. Is it because we do not understand our identity and mission given by God? Is it because we do not truly believe that the Almighty, loving God is our Father? Have we become enslaved to materialism under the temptation of the spirit of poverty? Let us reflect on ourselves.
May we all confess as the psalmist did:
[Psalm 23:1] The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
I bless all members of our Heavenly Hope Church to know their identity and calling given by God, to share and give by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and to enjoy the grace and peace that come from heaven. Amen.
하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.
Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.