Isaiah Pauley
  • Home
  • Bio
  • BLOG
  • Some Sermons
  • Home
  • Bio
  • BLOG
  • Some Sermons

Toss the old labels

1/28/2021

Comments

 
Picture
Some cringe at the question. Others beam with excitement.

“Tell me about your family?”
Maybe there’s a stigma. A bad reputation in the community. A poor support system. And this question makes you insecure.

Maybe there’s a helping hand. A good reputation in the community. A support system allowing you to thrive. And this question makes you prideful.

I’m excited to begin a new series today called “Family of God” through the Book of Ephesians. This week, I’m looking at Ephesians 1:1-2.

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (ESV).

A big part of family is identity. And identity influences how we live. Paul describes himself to his brothers and sisters in Ephesus as an apostle of Christ by the will of God (v. 1). He includes himself among them as he writes “our Father” (v. 2).

But Paul is also known as Saul. Notice what Acts 13:9 says. Luke writes, “But Saul, who was also called Paul …” (ESV). Not only does Paul have two names, he has an interesting background.

In Acts 9, we read about his miraculous conversion. While traveling to Damascus in order to persecute Christians, he is stopped by a bright light from Heaven.

“And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ And he said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do’” (vv. 4-6 ESV).


Paul soon learns that he is God’s “chosen instrument” to share the gospel with the Gentiles (see v. 15).

So, the same man who once persecuted Christians is now identifying with “the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 1:1 ESV). The apostle Paul now recognizes who his true family is. In Philippians 3, he makes this really clear.

He once described himself as “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness under the law, blameless” (vv. 5-6 ESV).

Now, he says, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ” (v. 7 ESV). He views everything else as dung compared to knowing Christ (see v. 8).

Paul has a new family. He has a new identity. And this drastically changes the way he lives.

Regardless of where you come from, what matters most is who you now belong to. Paul is a new creation in Christ, so he tosses away his old labels.

No longer is he a Pharisee. No longer is he a persecutor. No longer is he a legalistic Jew. He belongs to Christ now.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the following statement: “That’s how his [or her] family is. He [or she] will turn out the same way.”

The gospel destroys this thesis. When we come to Christ, we’re no longer defined by our past.

The words and ministry of Paul show this to be true. And it must be true for all of us who know Christ.

In Ephesians, Paul describes who we are in Christ. He describes a community that finds common ground in belonging to God and what it means to walk worthily as a member of that family.

If you’re a follower of Christ, you belong to the family of God. So, no matter how good or bad your earthly family is, you’re loved by the Father. No matter your past, you have a place at His table. And that’s a reason to rejoice.

The family of God is greater than our most disgusting labels. Just ask Paul.
Comments

    Categories

    All
    Calling
    Christmas2019
    Church
    Classics
    Colossians Series
    Confidence
    Direction
    Discipleship
    Discipleship Series
    Doubt
    Ephesians Series
    Esther Series
    Expectations
    Failure
    Faith
    Fear
    Forgiveness
    Grace
    Grief
    Hope
    Identity
    Joy
    Justice
    Life
    Love
    Marriage
    Origins Of Christ
    Passion
    Peace
    Perspective
    Philemon Series
    Prayer
    (Re ) Series
    Rest
    Sacrifice
    Salvation
    Sin
    Student Ministry
    Surrender
    Thanksgiving
    Trust
    Work
    Worry
    Worship

    Archives

    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014

Proclaiming the Word through writing since 2014.

© 2022 Isaiah Pauley