Live-Exist
Just existing isn't enough when we live with Jesus in our lives
I don’t know what God’s plan is. He has one. Of that, I am sure. I just don’t know what it is. I sometimes think it’s a good thing I don’t know because I’d likely get in the way or screw it up. Whatever the case, I am trying to be obedient to what I think He has for me. I struggle with that one, as I suspect everyone does. I bet some don’t, and those people are amazing beacons of light to behold I imagine.
That has nothing to do with the Sunday sermon. It is just me grousing about how much work I have to do today. All I really want to do is nothing, but I don’t think that’s wise or an option. Here we go.
Ephesians is a fun little book in the Bible. It was also a part of the Sunday lesson in a way. The Sunday lesson, which you can find HERE, used scripture from the Book of Revelation to John and the letter to the church in Ephesus. I’ve said it before, and I’ll likely say it again, I have no contact with Pastor Lee or Pastor Palmer concerning their sermons or series. Let’s look at the passage Pastor Lee selected.
1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
2in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
4But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Ephesians 2:1–10 (NASB95)
I have a lot of words I want to look up in the Greek. I’m not posting all of them. I will discuss most of them, if not mention them all. However, the first one is in verse 1, quickened. It is that way in the KJV, but it doesn’t appear in the NASB. Given it is in italics in the King James Version, that indicates it wasn’t a part of the Greek manuscripts in verse 1 and it is not. However, verse 5 has this same word, which seems to relate to verse 1 in the same way, saying the same things. The NASB uses “made alive together,” which is interesting considering the Greek is to reanimate conjointly, meaning it cannot happen alone. That’s appropriate, seeing as we cannot receive salvation apart from faith in Jesus Christ, so “quicken” is appropriate, as is the more wordy “made us alive together.” We are released from the bonds of the flesh to pursue the more desirable spirit.
5For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.
6But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
Romans 7:5–6 (NASB95)
Let’s jump to the end of Verse 2 and look at “the prince of the power of the air.” This is Satan. Unequivocally, evil. In the ancient world, the sky was the realm of the divine. Christians of that era were taught God is over all, meaning He ruled over the sky, not in it. As such, Satan rules that which opposes God. The Hebrew word for Satan means adversary or one who opposes. Satan opposes God in all things. That’s why the scripture tells us there are only two camps, with God or against Him. We either support the things of God or we oppose the things of God. Period.
24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”
25And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.
26“If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?
27“If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges.
28“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29“Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
30“He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
Matthew 12:24–30 (NASB95)
At the end of Verse 2, we have the word “disobedience” in reference to the “children of disobedience. The NASB has sons of disobedience, but children is more accurate, in my opinion. The Greek behind “disobedience” is really unbelief. The children of disobedience are the ones who do not believe. Thus, they are not “with Me” which puts them “against Me.” They are scattering and should be avoided in that respect.
Verse 3 should be convicting to everyone. It places us squarely in the group of the children of disbelief or disobedience to God, which means “against Me.” I don’t want to be against God. Further, Verse 3 tags us as “by nature,” meaning we cannot avoid it. That’s just the human condition in that we cannot help but make mistakes relating to God’s ways and His plan. Fortunately, the scripture goes into Verse 4.
Before I get to Verse 4, let’s look at the word “flesh” in verse 3. In class, I make a big deal of the separation of the flesh and the spirit. Let’s make sure we understand what the Greek words used meant back then when they wrote the word “flesh.”
Greek Strong’s Number: 4561
Greek Word: σάρξ
Transliteration: sarx
Phonetic Pronunciation: sarx
Root: probably from the base of <G4563>
Cross Reference: TDNT - 7:98,1000
Part of Speech: n f
Vine’s Words: Flesh
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
flesh 147
carnal 2
carnally minded + <G5427> 1
fleshly 1
[Total Count: 151]
Probably from the base of <G4563> (saroo); flesh (as stripped of the skin), i.e. (strictly) the meat of an animal (as food), or (by extension) the body (as opposed to the soul [or spirit], or as the symbol of what is external, or as the means of kindred), or (by implication) human nature (with its frailties [physical or moral] and passions), or (special) a human being (as such):- carnal (-ly, + -ly minded), flesh ([-ly]).
James Strong, “Σάρξ,” Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
The Greek word meant everything we say about the Human Condition. We are weak choosing the easy path, which is not the path of God. It is everything the soul, the spirit is not. In scripture, when the word “flesh” is used, it is intended to encompass everything that is human nature or what we understand about being human with our frailties and passions.
Going into Verse 4, we now have God being kind to us through His “mercy,” which is His love for us through His compassion for our condition as fallen human beings.
Verse 5 tells us what He has done for us because of His compassion for the condition in which we find ourselves and it relates as I said at the opening to Verse 1. He has brought us alive through Jesus Christ by His grace. Grace. His Grace. Let’s look at this one in the Greek.
Greek Strong’s Number: 5485
Greek Word: χάρις
Transliteration: charis
Phonetic Pronunciation: khar’-ece
Root: from <G5463>
Cross Reference: TDNT - 9:372,1298
Part of Speech: n f
Vine’s Words: Accept, Accepted, Acceptable, Benefit, Benefactor, Favor, Favored, Grace, Liberal, Liberality, Liberally, Thank, Thanks, Thankful, Thankfulness, Thanksgiving, Thankworthy
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
grace 130
favour 6
thanks 4
thank 4
thank + <G2192> 3
pleasure 2
miscellaneous translations 7
[Total Count: 156]
from <G5463> (chairo); graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude):- acceptable, benefit, favour, gift, grace (-ious), joy, liberality, pleasure, thank (-s, -worthy).
James Strong, “Χάρις,” Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
“…and its reflection in the life; including gratitude.” This is how we identify people who understand what God did for them. This is how we tell those in God’s camp versus those in Satan’s camp. We will know them by their fruits.
15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?
17“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.
19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.
Matthew 7:15–20 (NASB95)
Verse 6 and 7 I moved right through as the spiritual reward received in the Kingdom of Heaven for our faith in Jesus. That faith becomes gratitude as we internalize that we don’t deserve it. It manifests externally in the flesh through works to say thank you by serving others. They, in turn, wonder why we would do something like that, given it is not in human nature to be kind, and we then get to tell them about the Gospel of Jesus and why it is so important. That’s also the point of Verse 8, but it has an admonishment about those works that they are not the way we get to Heaven, to that spiritual realm. They are the thanks we manifest for realizing our faith in Jesus got us there when we didn’t deserve to go.
Let’s look a minute at Verse 10. I tend to avoid this verse because it opens up the predestination discussion. However, let’s do that here for a bit.
The KJV uses “before ordained,” while the NASB translates it as “prepared beforehand.” The Greek word is very simple. It has both ordain before and prepare afore. From a free will perspective, you can read this to mean that God set up the rules and laws of how the flesh lives. That means the consequences of our actions are predetermined. If you drop a rock, it will fall to earth because gravity is real. If we stop our day to help someone who needs help, their life will be improved because that assistance is real. Those rules are “before ordained” or “prepared beforehand” because that’s how God created all things and set them in motion. God’s rules are unchangeable. Man may see them as changing, but only because we don’t fully understand how the Divine set things up. Consequences are there for all actions, both good actions and bad actions. Those consequences are real and do not change unless human beings intervene to change them. Some things are unchangeable, like needing air to breathe, gravity attracting things with mass, and the changing of the seasons. We simply cannot affect or change those.
However, there are some things we can change. Give a child with no toys a new toy and watch them smile. Give a person who is hungry a meal, and they will stop being hungry for a time. Pay the light bill for a family struggling to make ends meet and they will have one less thing to worry about. These rules, these causes and effects, these actions with consequences were prepared afore or ordained before by God, and we cannot change that no matter what we think or do because that’s His plan.
The Sermon
I fully admit I do not grasp the connection between the word Live, and the word Exist as it relates to this scripture and the sermon delivered. Perhaps the message wasn’t for me Sunday. That’s fine. I still took a bunch of notes and have things to say relating to it. There’s a shocker, right?
Pastor Kristen Lee opened with a Greek word about being “in God” which I missed as I was out of the sanctuary. I wish I had caught that one. Her point was that we are “God’s accomplishment.” She referenced Genesis for that but didn’t give a scripture. Pastor Lee didn’t read any of Genesis, but the scripture that keeps coming up is the following:
26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:26–28 (NASB95)
If you want to carry the idea that there are more genders than just male and female, you are free to do so but know that you are explicitly going against scripture on that one. God didn’t make more than two genders. He made them male and female. To try and insist it is other is to step away from God’s word, which puts you outside of His camp, unfortunately. I am startled to say that is a controversial statement, but I can make no other considering the content of God’s Word.
None of that was in Pastor Lee’s sermon. Those are my thoughts and my words. I won’t speculate on where she, or anyone else, stands on that subject. I simply relate what my opinion is given what God wrote in His Bible (and that statement is an entirely other controversy I won’t get into here.)
Continuing, we are God’s accomplishment. He made us. Pastor Lee harped on that thought for a bit, but not in a bad way. She wanted us all to internalize the idea that God made each of us on purpose. She wished she could place mirrors in our path throughout the day with the words “You are God’s accomplishment” around the frame. It was her hope that we would consider ourselves as something God “accomplished.”
Accomplishment
[ uh-kom-plish-muhnt ]”
noun
an act or instance of carrying into effect; fulfillment:
the accomplishment of our desires.
Synonyms: execution, completion
Antonyms: failure
something done admirably or creditably:
Space exploration is a major accomplishment of science.
anything accomplished; deed; achievement:
a career measured in a series of small accomplishments.
Synonyms: consummation
Often accomplishments.
a grace, skill, or knowledge expected in polite society.
any acquired ability or knowledge.
Synonyms: proficiency, acquisition
We are something “done admirably” we are an “achievement.” In God’s words, we are something else. Remember, God created us along with everything else in creation before the following scripture.
31God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Genesis 1:31 (NASB95)
Knowing that Adam and Eve would make the first bad decision to eat the apple, break God’s commandments, and get cast out, He still pronounced everything He had made “good.” That is not to say we are righteous people. Not at all.
10as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one;
11There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God;
12All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.”
Romans 3:10–12 (NASB95)
Psalm 14:1-3
Psalm 53:1-3
What I just said isn’t a contradiction. God pronounced what He had made as well made, good in the sense that He fashioned it exactly as He intended it to be fashioned. God did not make men and women inherently acting good, which I will readily admit I do not understand, but it is scriptural.
The point is that each of us, you and I, are God’s accomplishments that He considers to have been well-made fashioned as intended. Pastor Lee wanted us to be reminded that God thinks highly of each of us and hoped we would see that sentiment when we look at ourselves in the mirror.
The danger of that sentiment, she went on about, is that we take the credit for who we are instead of giving God the credit. That road leads to pride. We should never forget that we are God’s handiwork, not our own. We are the sum of the experiences in life based on the consequences of our decisions, but those consequences are according to the rules God setup when He created all things “in the beginning.”
The sermon took a somewhat dark turn as Pastor Lee went into a discussion of depression and how it is on the rise in the world. I have very specific opinions on depression. My wife has been diagnosed with depression for as long as I have known her. It is treated through medication and under control, but this is not like a broken bone that heals and then is done. It is an ongoing struggle that must be managed every day.
Pastor Lee cited Johann Hari’s book Lost Connections about depression and anxiety as she discussed the level of depression in the world and its causes. In my personal opinion, we have a media system that sells fear as their chief product. That fear ends up being presented in such a way that people feel powerless to do anything about it, which begins driving the seeds of their depression. When people live too much in the world and not enough in God, the seeds of that depression find fertile soil in which to grow.
Fear is not a spirit of God.
6Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:6–7 (KJV 1900)
The Greek word used for “fear” gets translated as timidity in the NASB. However, the point is that God is not about being fearful. God is about love, and there is no fear in love.
17Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19We love him, because he first loved us.
20If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
1 John 4:17–21 (KJV 1900)
Where is fear in that? Fear is in us when we don’t want to love the people we don’t like. I struggle with that. The people I don’t like don’t like me, and they aren’t Christians, so they won’t understand. God isn’t calling me to understand that, though. We are called to serve and, at times serve those who will react badly to our service. I struggle with that a lot.
Bringing it back to the sermon, pastor Lee talked about a man in Cambodia, a rice farmer. This farmer loved to work in the field. One day he was working in his rice paddy when he stepped on a forgotten landmine. He lost his leg and could no longer work in the fields. The village watched him waste away as he fell into depression, so they decided to try and help. The village decided there were other ways to farm, so they bought the man a cow. The man learned to “farm” with the cow, and rediscovered his love of farming coming out of his depression. The village declared the cow was an “anti-depressant” to a western journalist researching the subject.
We laughed, but the point wasn’t to laugh at the cow being considered a pill. The point pastor Lee was trying to make was that we can find our joy in other ways in our existence. My experience with depression demonstrates that approach trying to help depressed people find joy in existence is not the right approach.
If merely doing something fun removes your “depression,” then you aren’t actually depressed. You are down, bored, or something else. Depression is not a thing that just doing something fun fixes.
Depression is a struggle in that even those things that are fun, or were considered fun, no longer bring joy to the life of the person suffering from depression. It is a chemical imbalance in the brain causing the problem. I won’t get into the three receptors, uptake inhibitors, and deficiencies here. I’m not a doctor. I’ve just lived through what I’ve lived through. Understand this, though, it is treatable. It takes time over months to take effect, and those in support of people with depression cannot make it better, but we can make it worse.
If you are suffering from depression, seek medical help because it can be fixed. It just takes time. Hang in there.
Pastor Lee’s point was that getting near to God helps us be reminded that we are His accomplishments. We are important to Him. He takes joy in our lives because He considers us successfully completed.
Pastor Lee moved away from depression here and suggested that God sent Jesus not just to save us but to ensure that we live life abundantly, not just for survival.
7Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
8All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
11I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
12But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
14I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
John 10:7–14 (KJV 1900)
Our life doesn’t have to be dictated to us, our perception of that life, and how we go about it. If we live nearer to God, with Him, and in Him, we can exist outside our circumstances by seeing the world as He sees it. Pastor Lee reiterated that God walked the world with us but that His crucifixion was not the end of that journey by our side. When we open our hearts to Jesus each day, we invite Him into our journey at the moment, and He is with us to the end of the age.
18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18–20 (NASB95)