TRANSFORMED LIFE Week 1: Brand New

TRANSFORMED LIFE Week 1: Brand new

In this series, looking at the first three chapters of the book of Ephesians,we’re taking a closer look at what this transformed life actually looks like.

Last week weexplored how when someone becomes a Christian God does a deep work in their lives – placing them ‘in Christ’–today we are going to look at the first two verses of the book of Ephesians, where Paul – the author of this great book – says this,‘Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Ephesians 1: 1–2, NIV)

Here Paul introduces us to the three great themes of the transformed life:identity, belonging and purpose.Here Paul is beginning to show us something of the wonder of this transformed life, which he unpacks in more detail later in the book.

Today I want to give you a taster of how Paul answers three of the most important questions in life:

– who am I?

– where do Ibelong?

– what am I living for?

I want to encourage you to really engage with this transformed life seriesand to raise your level of expectation as to what God is going to do in you this week and beyond, whether you are approaching faith,new to faith or have been a Christian for decades.

If I were to ask you the question today – ‘who are you?’ – I wonder what range of answers we would get.For Paul, his answer would be, ‘I amwho god says I am’.

I’m amazed at the things I havetried to build my sense of identity on

– especially before I became a Christian and even after it.

There can be so many things we will draw our sense of identity from

–for some it’s what they own or what they can do

–for others it might be what others have said about us or even what we’ve achieved

– even the most successful of people can find themselves on a roller coaster ride as they gain their sense of identity from their work.

For Paul it was very simple –for those who have experienced the transformed lifeour sense of identity comes not from what we do but from what god has done.Notice what he calls his readers…

‘To the saints who are in Ephesus and faithfulin Christ Jesus’.

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘saint’?

For many people the word saint has become associated with a status that is conferred on people after they die or on the basis of things they have done while alive, with the sense that being a saint is reserved for a very few people – special people – and difficult to attain.

But Paul addresses all his readers as saints! He’s saying that this word saint is not reserved for the few but for everyone who is in Christ – based not on what they have done but on the fact they have been made brand new.When we were placed ‘in Christ’ – we now take on the same status before God that Jesus had!

The implications here are huge.Your identity is not to do with what you have or haven’tdone but with what happened when you became a Christian.When someone becomes a Christianthere is a complete change of identity – you arebrand new.You were a sinner, now you’re a saint!Set apart for God – one of His consecrated people.

Why not say that with me now – ‘I am a saint!’

So often we get things the wrong way round –we think,‘if I could just be a bit more holy andget more things right then I might become a saint’.

No – what the Bible teaches is the other way around – you are a saint – now live like one!

Paulwas very aware of the amazing change that had taken place his own life.From the moment he gave his life to Christ he ceased to be a sinner and became a saint, and as he says here,he ceased to be Saul the persecutor of the Church – and instead became Paul – an apostle of Christ. He makes a choice not to allow his identity to be rooted in his old behaviour but in his brand new identity.

So many of us still allow ourselves to let our sense of identity be shaped by all the wrong things.Maybe you’ve had others put labelson your life – failure – reject – orphan – loner – bored – useless – ugly.Those labels no longer need to identify who you are – because you’re brand new!

When you became a Christian God gave you a whole new set of names – some of which we’ll be looking at in these next few weeks

–saint– beloved – precious child – son/daughter of the King of kings,therefore royalty – princes and princesses.

I want to encourage youduring this series tolet the Word of God show you who you are – make a choice to build your life on who God says you are – it’s time to reject those old labels.Learn the key verse for each week and if you have the devotional book check out the summary section on Day 50 – take some time to meditate on thedeclarations there – speak them over to yourself – learn them – chew on them. As you do, let the wonder of this brand new identity flood your being.

The second great theme Paul introduces here is the sense of belonging. If I were to ask you today,‘where do you belong?’,I wonder what you would say.

Paul would have said,‘I fitin God’s family’.

I wonder if you would agree that there is a fundamental need in all of us to find a place where we belong – I am sure this is some of the reason for the success of TV series like Cheers orFriends.

If your school was anything like mine there was definitely an ‘in’ crowd– maybe you were in the ‘in’ crowd – or, like most of us ordinary mortals, wanted to be in the ‘in’ crowd!

I’ve got great news for you today:when youbecame a Christianyou became part of the greatest place of belonging on earth – the family of God.Why would that be so great?Well, let me give you a few pointers…

First of all – see who the head of this family is. In our key verses for todayPaul writes about ‘our Father’.The head of this family is no less than Father God, in other words, when you got placed in Christ it wasn’t some administrative act but the choice of a loving Father – you were adopted by Him,chosen by name, and you can now come to Him at any time of the day…

‘For through him we both have accessto the Fatherby one Spirit’ Ephesians 2:18.

How amazing this would have seemed to his readers.Before Jesus, the only people who had access to this God were the Jewish nation, and then only one man from the entire nation – the high priest– could enter the part of the Temple where God’s presence dwelt, and then only on one day of the year.

Now, because you have been placed in Christ, all of those barriers have gone – you can come right into the presence of this Father at any time – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for the rest of your life!

And it gets better – when Paul uses the phrase‘our Father’ – he’s referring to the fact that this Father is head of a household that extends right across the nations.

Not only doyou now have a new Father – a wonderful heavenly Father, rich and powerful and full of love – butJesus has become your elder brother.You have fellow brothers and sisters– from all over the world, on every continent and from every kind of background and age imaginable.

In Ephesians 2:19,Paul puts it like this…

‘Therefore you are no longer outsiders (exiles, migrants, and aliens, excluded from the rights of citizens), but you now share citizenship with the saints (God’s own people, consecrated and set apart for Himself); and you belong to God’s [own] household.’

(Amplified Bible)

Focus on those words.If you’re in Christ you are no longer an outsider – you’re a citizen with God’s own people.Why ‘citizen’? Because Paul wants us to understand the amazing truth that we are not a part of this family by passing some exam or trying really hard to be good– no, it’s far better – we are treated as though we were born into this family, withthesame rights as Jesus.

Your birth certificate just got changed! God has written on it,‘citizen of heaven – member of my family – child of birthright!’You belong to God’s own household!

And that’s just a taster of all we’re going to learn over these next seven weeks about the wonder of being in God’s family. During this series I want to encourage you to make the most of being part of the local family of God – enjoying the presence of your Father as you gather together – and expectant for Him to do great things amongst you.If you’re not in a small group, it’s not too late – join today!

Come week by week on a Sunday, full of faith and expectancy that our Father is going to work in you and in others.

The thirdgreat theme Paul introduces here is the critical question, ‘what are you living for?’ To make the most of life we need to know what we’re living for or indeed where we are going.

There’s a story about Albert Einstein taking the train to speak at a meeting. The conductor stopped by to punch his ticket but the great scientist couldn’t find it anywhere. Not in his pockets; not in his briefcase. The conductor said, ‘not to worry, sir.I know who you are, Dr Einstein. I’m sure you bought a ticket.’ As he moved away he looked back to see Einstein scrabbling on the floor still looking for his ticket. When the conductor tried to reassure him, Einstein said, ‘I also know who I am. What I don’t know is where I am going.’

A third aspect of being brand new is not only do we come to know who we are and where we belong, but we also find real sense of purpose… for Paul, ‘I am living for God’s plan for my life’.

Notice how Paul introduces himself in verse 1. ‘Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God’(Ephesians 1:1,NIV).

Paul was acutely aware that he discovered his purpose on earth by being in ‘the will of God’.It was only when he was placed in Christ that he found what he was actually made for.

When we become part of God’s family it is like God switches on the ‘purpose’ buttonin our lives. The eternal Creator of the world – who has plans for all of the earth –connectsus into His plans and has created a part for us to play. This sense of purpose will begin to pervade everything – not just the big things of life, but also the ordinary and mundane.

God wants all of us to know we are made on purpose and for a purpose –just listen to this wonderful promise from later on in the book of Ephesians:

‘Forwe are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesusfor good works,which God prepared beforehand,that we should walk in them’(Ephesians 2:10,ESV).

What an amazing promise –you are God’s workmanship – He is the one who has made you and you’re extraordinary– a masterpiece.

Just rub your hand up the back of your head – feel that? It’s God’s designer label and it says ‘made in heaven – by design’.You are not an accident – you are designed by choice, no matter what the circumstances of your birth – God has chosen you and designed you with purpose in His mind.

Designed to do what?Good works – to co-labour with God to see God’s plansfulfilled on the earth.

Where do we find our purpose? In Christ Jesus. This is incredible – just as Jesus enjoyed intimate friendship with His Father and out of that fulfilled His Father’s plans – so now, because we are in Christ, we too can enjoy the same intimacy with the Father and out of that walk also in the Father’s plans.

Think of it, the all-powerful,all knowing, everywhere-present God has made plans for this world – and He intends that you and I should join Him in making them happen!

What’s more, as we step into those things we find He has gone before us to prepare the way – a perfect fit for the way He designed us!

I don’t know about you – but when I think about the plans God has for me – for us – I want to stay right in the centre of his plan for my life.During this series I want to encourage you to seek God for a greater sense of purpose in your life.

Both in the small and mundane as well as in the specific assignment He has for your life. How many of you would like to so increase your hearing from God in this season that yourratio of ‘aha’ momentsgoes up like never before? Those moments when you know God is speaking to you?

For many,the‘aha’ ratio increases when they not only read but also use a journal. We can’t explain why, but God does something as we stop, think, write or type,and reflect.

If you’ve never used a journal before,give it a go this week – if you’re a world expert, ask God to take you to new depths of ‘aha’.

Pray for greater revelation of who we are in Christ, a sense of belonging and sense of purpose.