From Alienation to Belonging: The Power of Grace

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Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh called the uncircumcision by what is called circumcision which is made in the flesh by hands remember so it repeats this so first remember and then he identifies who they are and then he comes back to it remember and then he says five things that you were at one time separated from Christ and two alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and three strangers for the covenants of promise and four having no hope in the world and five without God in the world having no hope and without God in the world. [00:32:43]

But huge change now in Christ so this now contrasts with at that time at one time now so different from all of this in Christ Jesus you who once were far off that's the point of all this to show how far off they have been far off from God far off from hope far off from promises you who were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ near to God near to hope near to promise. [00:73:60]

God made us alive with Christ we're starting at verse five of chapter two God made us alive together with Christ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so there's a declaration of how grace has made us alive and comes the connector the goal the aim the purpose of making us alive and raising us up is so that in the coming ages we might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [00:145:52]

For or because because he wants he's going to show you immeasurable riches of grace in kindness because by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not your own doing it is the gift of God not a result of works so that's the ground of the enjoyment of the riches of grace forever in kindness from God to us and then comes another so that so here's the first so that second so that so that no one may boast. [00:199:20]

You could say this is this is joy in grace and this is humility no boasting so God has saved us in a way so as to get rid of all boasting and to fill us with eternal joy now let me draw it like this and then show how it's connected to chapter 10 but let me just pause father I want to pray before we finish this and say as we make these links and draw them would you cause people to feel the wonder of how the apostle Paul argued for the greatest most glorious things in the world. [00:312:96]

God made us alive by grace and then support it supports it goes up a logical level to verse seven and what we could call that is eternal joy in grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus and then he comes back down to argue for it again so I'm going to draw it back down to this same level here and we'll put verse 8 through 9 a you can see 9 a is the unit that supports that eternal joy for this word for we're going to enjoy immeasurable riches of grace forever in kindness because by grace you've been saved. [00:373:91]

Joy that we found in self-exaltation shifts over to joy in God's showing off you could say he the immeasurable riches of his grace and then he argues once more because so we're going to get rid of all boasting because we're his workmanship we're created in Christ for good works and God even prepared those beforehand this is not us so he supports I'm going to put it on the same level here this is verse 10 oh I didn't put the verse number up there did I so this is 9 b no boasting and this is 10 and we'll call it God made us his workmanship. [00:465:91]

God made us alive when we were dead God saved us by grace as a free gift even our faith is a gift God is the one who's making us a new workmanship and preparing good works for us all of that is by grace and God did it therefore remember how far off you were when God did all that for you so that and that's what I would put here so that your joy would be intensified and your boasting would be eliminated that's the point of the therefore in verse 11. [00:621:04]

Therefore remember how far you were so how will we draw that I'm going to draw it like this therefore and say so that but therefore but I'm not going to take it all the way up to this level because I think remember how far you were how far from God and hope you were verse 11 remember that memory there is a means to getting rid of boasting and a means to eternal joy and I could finish it by saying something like that and say that the level of joy and the level of no boasting is supported by remember how far from God you were. [00:562:24]

God made us alive back here while we were dead and here I didn't put this saved by grace we're saved by grace and here we're made new by grace and this entire level here five and six eight and nine a and ten is all designed to support these two so that's so that joy forever under grace so that no boasting and then comes verse 11 therefore therefore remember how far you were. [00:522:64]

God made us alive with Christ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so there's a declaration of how grace has made us alive and comes the connector the goal the aim the purpose of making us alive and raising us up is so that in the coming ages we might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [00:145:52]

God made us alive by grace and then support it supports it goes up a logical level to verse seven and what we could call that is eternal joy in grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus and then he comes back down to argue for it again so I'm going to draw it back down to this same level here and we'll put verse 8 through 9 a you can see 9 a is the unit that supports that eternal joy for this word for we're going to enjoy immeasurable riches of grace forever in kindness because by grace you've been saved. [00:373:91]

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