Gifts of Grace: First Comes Peace

This is the beginning of a sermon series on the book of Ephesians. My prayer is the same as Paul’s:

... that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Eph. 1:18-19)

Those who best understand and feel the gift of grace in their own lives will be the ones best equipped to offer grace to others; my desire is that you would feel and know that you are equipped, are called to serve, and indeed are serving God every day.

So what is grace?

Is it something that is said before you eat?

Is it an abstraction—something that you know intellectually that God has done for you, but affecting nothing in your everyday life?

Is it a daily reality—something that drives you against all worldly common sense, but giving meaning to your life?

Is it something else?

Simply put, grace is a gift that we don’t deserve. The rabbis said, "Grace is what you [God] have done because there were no good works on our hands." The words "gift" and "give" appear in Ephesians 17 times in the course of six chapters. The words appear at least once in each chapter. "Grace" appears in Ephesians 11 times.

In pagan literature, grace often referred to favor, or preference, shown by a ruler or a deity. God has favored you. Do you give thanks for God’s favor, or do you take his gifts for granted?

Ephesians 1:1-2

Commentary

v1 Four words of note in this single verse:

We may think of an apostle as a church leader—and certainly Acts uses the word as a title for the 11 disciples in Jerusalem. However, the word means "one sent with a commission," e.g. Mark 3:14, where Jesus sends the disciples out on a specific errand. Paul refers to himself as the apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13) and in a sense Paul’s ongoing feud with the Judaizers can be viewed as an argument over the validity of Paul’s commission: Did Jesus send Paul, or not?

Apostleship—being sent with a commission—implies a sender. One cannot send oneself. Paul steadfastly maintains that he has been sent by God—by the will of God, not by Paul’s own volition.

Saints are literally "the holy ones." We tend to view saints and the faithful as titles that we earn; however, Paul’s letter to the Ephesians will show that both terms refer to what God has done for us, not what we have done for God.

v2 "Grace and peace" is Paul’s typical greeting which he uses 10 times in his letters, in Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, here, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, and Titus.

Application

In almost every one of Paul’s letters, the first words to the church is "grace and peace!" Even when he writes to scold the church in Galatia—and make no mistake, he scolds them (Gal. 1:6-9)—the scolding is preceded by grace and peace. What is the lesson for us?

We are all apostles in this sense: we have been sent by God into the world to make a difference. We are called to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16). We are called to be ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:11-21). When we are peacemakers, we are truly in God’s image—Jesus says that is when we are truly children of God (Matthew 5:9). What kind of peace are we to bring?

For the entirety of human existence, peace has been that state of rest between the ceaseless warfare between humans. According to the Carter Center (emphasis is mine):

There were 118 major armed conflicts in 80 different locations between the end of the Cold War and 2004. The majority of these were civil wars. In 2003 alone, 19 major armed conflicts occurred in 18 locations throughout the world, only two of which were fought between states.

Apparently, most warfare is not between great nations; rather it is internal strife that threatens the unity of nations, states, communities, families, and individuals.

Is most church conflict between Christians and non-Christians, or within the church? [1]

Is most family conflict between families, or within a family?

Peace is much more than the interlude between wars. In the Old Testament, peace was shalom, which meant not only the lack of warfare, but personal and communal security, prosperity, health & healing, wholeness, and integrity. Just as the pagan concept of grace referred to favor shown by a deity or ruler, certainly in shalom we must see God’s intention (and favor!) for us.
God has graced you:

Do you see the possibility of shalom for others in the grace God has shown you?

Do you see the possibility of shalom for yourself in the grace God has shown you?

Or do you think the grace God has shown you is simply supposed to make you happy?

"You are not your own. You have been bought by Jesus at a price. You are to honor God with your life." [2] We are called to be apostles of peace, bringing peace to others: the world, our community, our church, our families, our selves.

Points to Ponder

Warning: If I am preaching on grace and peace throughout Ephesians (and I am) then you will most likely be dealing with trials, i.e. places where peace is needed in your life! Don’t be discouraged! Remember Jesus’ words (John 16:33):

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

Most likely, peace is an outward sign of what’s happening internally. That is, you must be at peace before you can be effective at bringing peace to others. As you deal with family, church, and community and trials arise, ask God to show you where you still need shalom: are you feeling insecure, do you need healing from past hurts, are you struggling with character/integrity issues, do you still need assurance from God? For example:

Do family conflicts reveal insecurities that you have about yourself, or wounds that have not healed?

Do church conflicts reveal areas where you cannot make and honor commitments?

Do community conflicts reveal places where you have trouble trusting authority—either trusting God to be at work in the world, or trusting that the authorities are really ordained by God (Rom. 13:1-2)?

Often, the best way to bring shalom to others will begin by realizing shalom in your own life.

What I am not saying is wait until your life is perfect before working on shalom for others.

What I am saying is search yourself and ask God to reveal himself—his peace—where you need healing even as your are working on shalom for others.

End Notes

1 - Most conflict within the church, I think, starts with something as simple as gossip. We think that church is doing something wrong & we marshal together a group of people who think as we do. Rarely does this end well.

2 - This is a loose paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, which concludes, "Honor God with you body." But I ask you, can you honor God with your body even as you dishonor him with your mind and spirit? I doubt it. More likely your words & actions—what happens with your body—reveals what is happening internally.

3 - Earlier I asked if most conflict was between Christians & non-Christians or within the church and whether most conflict was between the family and outsiders or within the family. Here the question is, "Do the seeds of strife in your life originate within you or between you and the outside world?" Be honest!