God’s great gifts to Humanity: Answers to our spiritual questions 12-13-2020

Over course of last several months, I’ve experienced great frustration with the varying “scientific” evidence regarding the Covid virus, treatments, and the effectiveness of mask wearing. I had one discussion with a good friend, trained in the science, explain it to me: “Science is never really finished; what we may know one day is only what we know that day; as we learn and study, our understandings may change.” That didn’t help my level of frustration at all – I wanted to know the facts – period – not just today’s understandings.

 

Most of us don’t want to hear that kind of talk – we don’t want today’s understandings - we just want to know the truth. It is this way in so many areas of life – even in the spiritual realm!

 

God understands! It can give great comfort when we understand that there are answers to some of our greatest questions in life, and they are the answers that have been with us for centuries, and they will never change, or evolve!

 

Ephesians 2:1-10

 

One of God’s gifts in Jesus is the gift of unchanging spiritual truth.

There are times when it is almost impossible to determine the truth of a situation – and the more important it is, sometimes the more difficult it may be to determine the truth! To make matters worse, in our current culture anyone with a smart phone and internet hook-up can spout off some craziness, and claim to be an expert – and they will get a following!

 

God knows what we need, and what has the ability to bring us joy and comfort and strength – and He demonstrates that by teaching us of those things that never change.

 

God gives us a foundation for life that is unchanging – eternal truth from the mind of God. We see that in the passage we read:

 

God’s Gift of Spiritual Truth

 

To the question: “What about God and the spirits?”

 

Godly and Ungodly forces: “the course of this world,” and “the prince of the power of the air,” and “the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience,” (v.2), and we all lived “in the lusts of our flesh, including the desires of the flesh,” and “were by nature children of wrath.” (v.3) Paul was describing the world without Christ, full of evil forces and characters; and then he contrasted those spiritual truths with the assertion that there is good to counter the evil that is present! “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us . . . made us alive together with “Christ.” (v.5)

 

So this is the acknowledgement of the evil that is at work on this earth, and the assertion that God is at work, challenging the work of the Evil One, and ultimately conquering evil through His son, Jesus. Evil will not just “go away,” nor can we depend upon the wonders of the educational process or progressive ideologies - it is a part of this world that is forever with us, and will only, and ultimately, be defeated through God’s work on the cross. This enables us to maintain a sense of humility, and a healthy sense of skepticism of anything, or anyone, that promises to “fix” our problems!

 

To the question: “What happens when we die?”

 

Spiritual life and death: “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,” (v.5), contrasts with vv. 4- 5 where we are told that “God made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved.” There is a spiritual life and death, determined by God’s work in your life, through Jesus.

The eternal truths here are clear: there is good and evil in this world that will always be here. And the only way to overcome the evils of this life are through Jesus – not by good works and intellect or “family,” but through God’s grace. God’s grace strips away the powers of evil, and of religious leadership!

 

This life is experienced in a spiritual realm! Things of a spiritual nature are very real, even though they cannot be seen, and seem to defy rational thought and testing. In other words, that which we cannot see or control or fully explain is very real, and affects our lives. This will always be the case, regardless of income or educational level, or chosen lifestyle. To ignore or deny this truth will always take something from your life!

 

There is one other tremendous truth that never changes:

 

God calls us to a life of service.

 

Let’s look at v. 10 again, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.”

 

To the question: What am I supposed to do with my life?

 

A life of service: In Christ, we are created by God for a purpose – to serve others in Jesus’ name!

 

One of the primary reasons God makes us “New creatures” in Christ is so that He can use us to serve those in need – regardless of what that need might be!

 

This is what can give our lives both meaning, and purpose. We are to do much more with our lives that just live as we choose and enjoy. The One who created us from the beginning, who completely understands what “makes us tick,” and what we truly need to be happy and fulfilled in this life, has always intended for us to serve others.

 

As Jesus “re-creates” us and makes us new, not only does he provide work for us (there will always be people in need); he equips us for good works, and then he blesses us when we do those good works. God has always had these things to do for Him, “which God prepared beforehand,” v.10; it is no afterthought, but rather God’s plan for meeting the needs of humanity from the very beginning of time!

 

A lifestyle of service gives meaning and purpose in life; enables others to love and experience joy and love; brings God’s blessings to you in the form of meaningful experiences and relationships.

 

God’s answers to our deepest questions provide a foundation for living. His truth is unchanging, and provides an unshakeable foundation for our lives.

 

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Thank you for listening. We will see you next week.