Message 2: The Heavenly Perspective of the New Man
Scripture
Verses: Eph 1:22-23; Eph 2:1-6, 10,11-22; Eph 4:22-24; 2Cor 5:17; Col
3:10-11 (Additional Reference verses: Acts 9:4-6, 10-17; 19:21; 22:12-23; 23:11; 26:9-11; Col
1:24-25)
Our
coming to the book of Ephesians following the book of Acts has been both
enlightening and inspiring for me. This is because I realize this time that this
book is not merely a record of the acts of the Apostles, it is a journey of
faith for them, but not for themselves only. It is in parallel with the
establishment, development and the spreading out of the church. So in other
words, this is a book on the journey of faith of the Apostles for the going on
of the church. This is particularly so with the apostle Paul. So I want to take
my time sharing this with you this morning.
The first time Paul's name appeared in the
book of Acts was in chapter 7. He was
a young man named Saul who watched over the garments of those who stoned
Stephen. Then he went on to intensify his persecution of those who called on
the name of the Lord Jesus in the synagogues in Jerusalem and in other cities
as well. Having received authority by the chief priests to persecute Jewish
believers who called on the name of the Lord, he was met by the Lord on his way
to Damascus. I will share with you the progression of Paul's journey of faith:
The
Beginning
Paul's journey of faith began when he was met
by the Lord Jesus on the way to Damascus. On his way, a great light shone from
heaven. He was struck by the light and fell to the ground and heard a voice
saying, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me"? It is extremely important
for us to see the progression of Paul's experience:
And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And He said, I am Jesus whom thou
persecutest: but rise, and enter into the city, and it shall be told thee what
thou must do. (Acts 9:5-6)
We know that Ananias was the disciple whom the
Lord spoke to in Damascus:
Arise, and go to the street
which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one named Saul,
a man of Tarsus: for behold, he prayeth; and he hath seen a man named Ananias
coming in, and laying his hands on him, that he might receive his sight".
(Acts 9:11-12).
This
incident was related twice more in Acts chapter 22 and again in chapter 26. Paul's
realization at that time was that he was persecuting those who called on the
name of the Lord Jesus, not the Lord Jesus Himself.
To
many Bible students, this incident was also when Paul saw the Body of Christ
for the first time. They infer that Paul saw the Body of Christ because as he
was persecuting the members of the Body, the Head spoke up and protested. Furthermore,
the Lord did not instruct him directly what he should do, but said to him
to go into the city and there he
will be told what he must do. The Lord then used another member of His Body,
Ananias, for this. Therefore you can say that this was the first time Paul saw
the vision of Christ and the Church.
When
Paul started his journey of faith, his realization prior to that was that he
was persecuting Jewish believers in Jerusalem, and now having received
authority from the chief priests, he was going to the synagogues in Damascus to
continue his persecution. He went to the synagogues because the authority of
the chief priests had effect there. And besides, what Paul saw was only Jewish
believers. He was limited by his heritage, his background and his commitment.
But this was only the beginning.
Now
when the Lord told Ananias to go to tell Saul (Acts 9:11-12), Ananias was
actually very hesitant. Why?
But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from
many of this man, how much evil he did to Thy saints at Jerusalem: and here he
hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call upon Thy name. (Acts
9:13-14)
To Ananias, those who 'call
upon Thy name' meant only the Jewish believers. But the Lord answered Ananias
and said:
... Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto Me, to
bear My name before the Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel: for I
will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake. (Acts 9:15-16)
However, what Ananias said to Paul was:
... Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, who appeared unto thee in
the way which thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mayest receive thy sight,
and be filled with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 9:17)
In other words,
Ananias did not fully appreciate what the Lord told him concerning Saul. He was
limited by his Jewish background. Ananias was only thinking of how much this
one had persecuted the saints in Jerusalem and now having received authority
from the chief priests he has come to persecute those who called on the Lord's
name here in Damascus. Similarly, Paul at that time thought he was only
persecuting the Jewish believers because he was also limited by his background,
his heritage and his total commitment to Judaism. Although Paul saw the Body at
the time of his conversion, it was only in a limited sense; limited only to the
Jewish believers. This is significant because it was only the beginning of his
journey of faith.
The same thing is true
for us today. As we follow the Lord on our journey of faith, do not think you
know all about Christ and the Church just because you can repeat a few slogans.
You really do not know very much. Paul did not see much, neither did Ananias.
Despite what the Lord
told Ananias, he only said to Paul, "Brother Saul, receive your sight and
be filled with the Holy Spirit". He could not appreciate nor comprehend,
nor communicate to Paul what the
Lord had called him for - to be sent to the Gentiles, to kings and to the
children of Israel. This is why I say the book of Acts is a record of the
journey of faith.
This journey, however,
was not for Paul's own spirituality, it was for the sake of the church. It is
important to see the development in the book of Acts how Paul was prepared for
him to write the book of Ephesians and to 'complete the Word of God' (Col 1:25,
Darby). I can only give you a very brief account of this.
First Paul was in
Jerusalem; then he went to Arabia; and then to Antioch. In Antioch, the
Judaizers from Judea troubled the Gentile believers there and so Paul and
Barnabas had to go back to Jerusalem. That gathering in Jerusalem is generally
known as the Jerusalem Council. My purpose in pointing this out is to show you
that all this was part of Paul's journey of faith.
It was a difficult
mission for Paul and Barnabas to undertake because those in Jerusalem were
strong and steep in their commitment to Judaism and wanted to force it on
everyone else. Paul's heart in returning to Jerusalem was really to try to make
peace and to reconcile (I use this word because Paul used it in Ephesians). It
was to reconcile the almost irreconcilable differences between the two - the
Jews and the Gentiles. However, the resulting resolution in Acts chapter 15 by
the Jerusalem Council was not a very satisfactory one because it did not deal
with the root problem. (This is key for us to see the meaning of the one new man).
Then Paul went on his
three missionary journeys, mainly to preach the gospel in the Gentile lands.
Towards the end of his third missionary journey in Acts chapter 19, he
determined to go to Jerusalem and also expressed his desire to go to Rome:
Now after these things were
ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and
Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see
Rome. (Acts 19:21)
Much
has been debated upon whether Paul should or should not have gone to Jerusalem.
But we must see that Paul's journey of faith parallels that of the spreading
and development of the church. He was deeply concerned with the harmony between
the Jews and the Gentiles. His missionary journeys were mainly to preach the
Gospel to the Gentiles but the Jerusalem Council did not resolve the deep rooted
problem between the two. Therefore he was determined to go to Jerusalem again.
At
that time during the Jerusalem Council, James was the one who gave the final
word. He was deeply affected by his background in Judaism and greatly concerned
for the thousands upon thousands of Jewish believers. So when Paul returned to Jerusalem
again, he almost completed the offerings for those who took the vow of the Nazarite.
You
may ask how could Paul do something like that when in his earlier Epistle to
the Galatians, he wrote that he never tolerated the Judaizers, not even for one
moment? He also mentioned that neither circumcision nor uncircumcision was of any
avail, but a new creation. You may think that Paul had seen a lot up till then.
Yet Paul never saw what was the new man. He never used the term 'new man'
although he referred to 'new lump' (1Cor 5:7), 'new creation' (2 Cor 5:17 &
Gal 6:15 - Darby) and 'new
covenant' (2Cor 3:6). Paul had not seen the new man up to this point. At best
he saw that "if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation:
the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new" (2Cor 5:17
-Darby). And this was only for the individual 'if any man'. Paul only saw this
much before he went to Jerusalem.
The Progression
Even though the Lord
had already said at the beginning that He wanted him to be a minister and a
witness to the Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel, he did not see this
quite so clearly; and neither did Ananias. I want you to see the progression of
Paul's testimony of his experience on his way to Damascus with each mention.
The first time in Acts chapter 9 was the
account of what happened. The second time in Acts 22 was in Jerusalem after
Paul went into the temple and ended up nearly completing the sacrifice. After
rescuing him from the mob, the captain of the Roman guards allowed Paul to
speak to them from the stairs of the barracks. He addressed them in Hebrew and
they listened to him attentively. Up to this point, Paul's view concerning the new
man was still not that clear. His account was somewhat different from Acts
chapter 9.
And one Ananias, a devout man according to the
law, well reported of by all the Jews that dwelt there, came unto me, and
standing by me said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And in that very
hour I looked up on him. And he
said, The God of our fathers hath appointed thee to know His will, and to see
the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth. (Acts 22:12-14)
For thou shalt be a witness for Him unto all men
of what thou hast seen and heard. (Acts 22:15)
'The God of our
fathers' (verse 14) shows Ananias was still very much affected by his
background. Note that Ananias did not mention verse 15 in Acts chapter 9. This
shows Paul's progression in his journey of faith. He continued:
And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be
baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on His name. (Acts 22:16)
If Paul had stopped here at verse 16, there would
not have been the riot. It was what Paul said following this that caused it.:
And it came to pass, that, when I had returned to
Jerusalem, and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance, and saw Him
saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem; because they
will not receive of thee testimony concerning Me. And I said, Lord, they themselves know
that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on Thee: and when the blood of Stephen Thy
witness was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting, and keeping the
garments of them that slew him. (Acts 22:17-20)
And He said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee
forth far hence unto the Gentiles. (Acts 22:21)
Although
there is no specific reference as to when Paul fell into a trance mentioned in
verse 17, the important thing is
that if Paul had only mentioned of his relationship with the Jewish believers
it would not be explosive. If he had not said 'for I will send thee forth far
hence unto the Gentiles' (verse 21), they would not have reacted this way:
And they gave him audience unto this word; and
they lifted up their voice, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth:
for it is not fit that he should live. And as they cried out, and threw off
their garments, and cast dust into the air (Acts 22:22-23)
As soon as Paul mentioned the Gentiles, their reaction was immediate
and explosive. So the captain of the guards had to intervene and take him away:
And the night following the Lord stood by
him, and said, Be of good cheer: for as thou hast testified concerning Me at
Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome. (Acts 23:11)
This confirmed not only what Paul had testified in Jerusalem was fine.
The Lord also added that he will testify for Him in Rome. The Lord did not say,
"You should not have testified in Jerusalem and caused that riot". This
confirmed to Paul what he had had determined in his spirit earlier (Acts 19:21)
was right. Furthermore, it assured Paul that no harm would come to him as he
was still only on his way to Caesarea.
The Heavenly Vision
Now 2 years later, Paul was in Caesarea. In Acts
chapter 26, he appears before king Agrippa. We often quote Acts 26:19 in which
he said to Agrippa that he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. But what
was the heavenly vision?
I
verily thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name
of Jesus of Nazareth. And this I
also did in Jerusalem: and I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having
received authority from the chief priests, and when they were put to death I
gave my vote against them. And punishing them oftentimes in all the synagogues,
I strove to make them blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I
persecuted them even unto foreign cities. (Acts 26:9-11)
What Paul thought to himself to do many things contrary to the name of
Jesus of Nazareth was before Acts chapter 9; before he was met by the Lord. He
shut the saints up in prison, both in Jerusalem and even in foreign cities, and
was enraged at them.
Paul in the early days in his journey of faith,
his focus was limited by his background. Just like in his persecution of the
saints, he was limited by his heritage and his commitment to Judaism. Just as
he directed is persecution only against the Jewish believers, now also in his
ministry did not see what God has planned was much bigger than that. It was not
limited to the Jewish race, it was for the whole mankind - both Jews and
Gentiles.
But arise, and stand upon thy feet: for to this
end have I appeared unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness both
of the things wherein thou hast seen Me, and of the things wherein I will
appear unto thee (Acts 26:16)
What did the Lord appoint him as a minister and
witness to testify to? Firstly, to testify what happened to him in Acts chapter
9. That was
an unforgettable experience; that was 'the things wherein thou hast seen Me'. In
the beginning what he saw, he could not fully appreciate. He could only
appreciate 'why persecutest thou Me' because he was persecuting the Jewish
believers. He did not have anything to do with the Gentiles. The Gentile 'dogs'
had nothing worthy of his attention
But
the Lord also wanted him to be a minister of the things 'I will appear unto
thee'. What were they? They were the things in Acts chapter 9, chapter 15 and
even up until Acts chapter 22. I believe during those two years in Caesarea,
the Lord opened much more to him. So now in Acts 26, Paul could say 'both of the things wherein thou hast seen me, and of the things
wherein I will appear unto thee'. I believe the Lord said all these things to
him when He first met him. But it did not impress him. Just like what the Lord
said to Ananias was complete and comprehensive, but to the listener he was
limited by his background, his 'bottom of the well' perspective. But by the
time Paul gave his testimony in Acts chapter 26, he had gone a lot farther in
his journey of faith. He continued:
Delivering thee from the people, and from the
Gentiles, unto whom I send thee, to open their eyes, that they may turn from
darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive
remission of sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in
me. (Acts 26:17-18)
Now Paul could say, "'from the Gentiles to whom I send thee (not
just only to the children of Israel), to open their eyes, to turn them from
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God; that they may receive
the remission of sins and inheritance among those sanctified by faith in me".
Paul, in his journey of faith had come to appreciate so much more. Now he could
testify, 'Therefore, king Agrippa,
I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision'. After this he went from Caesarea
to Rome.
Paul's Ministry
This was just in the context of Paul's journey of
faith in the book of Acts to show how the Lord opened up the heavenly vision to
him step by step. Now I would like to you to put this in a larger context,
which is regarding Paul's ministry.
Before Paul eventually arrived in Rome from
Caesarea, he had already written six epistles. They are Romans, 1 & 2
Corinthians, Galatians and 1 & 2Thessalonians. He wrote his remaining
epistles after his arrival in Rome. So how was Paul not disobedient to the
heavenly vision in Acts 26:19 after he had already written six epistles and
promised by the Lord that he would also testify for Him in Rome? It was by
going through his journey of faith and seeing God's purpose is with the church
and ministering to that end was that he was not disobedient to the heavenly
vision.
I
am sure that when Paul arrived in Rome, he testified for the Lord during those
two years in his own rented quarters. But much more than that, he was able to
write his 'prison epistles', especially the book of Ephesians and Colossians.
By writing his 'prison epistles' he was able to fulfill, or complete or fill up
the Word of God:
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and
fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my
flesh for his Body's sake, which is the church; whereof I was made a minister,
according to the dispensation of God which was given me to you-ward, to fulfill
(Darby - 'complete') the word of God (Col 1:24-25)
It is clear that we
have no part in the redemptive work of Christ which He alone, the sinless One,
accomplished on the cross. However, for the sake of the church, the Body of
Christ, Paul needed all those suffering experiences to complete, fill up,
fulfill the Word of God, particularly with regard to the writing of his prison epistles.
I
have shared with you this way to impress you that this is the kind of spirit we
need to come to the book of Ephesians. Ephesians was not something Paul could
write in the beginning of his ministry in Acts chapter 9; nor during the time
of the Jerusalem Council in Acts chapter 15; and not even during his defense in
Jerusalem in Acts chapter 22. Ephesians had to be written after his appearance
before Agrippa in Acts chapter 26 and after he got to Rome. This is the
important point I want to make.
The New Man
Paul
in his first six epistles did not use the term 'new man'. This term was first
introduced in Ephesians and Colossians. Paul had seen the new creation in his
earlier epistles, and yes, we all need to be in the new creation, in Christ. But
for the new man, it needed to be seen in the light of what Paul had gone through.
The
'new man ' mentioned in Ephesians and Colossians is especially meaningful in
the light of the various aspects of the church life. However in Ephesians, Paul
first mentions the Body before the new man was first mentioned in Ephesians 2.
In Paul's experience, on his way to Damascus, as he was persecuting those who
called on the name of the Lord, the Head protested and as a result Paul saw the
Body. But that was not the whole picture. It was limited to only the Jewish
believers. We may not be Jews, but we all have our backgrounds and heritage. So
we must not limit the new man or the Body of Christ by our narrow perspectives.
People have used this
saying, 'the east is the east, and the west is the west; and ne'er the twain
shall meet'. To me, I think this is an exaggeration. In fact, this saying
should apply only to the Jews and Gentiles. I cannot think of a more striking
or outstanding example of something more orthogonal, or at right angles, than
the differences between the Jews and the Gentiles. The Jews are the Jews, and
the Gentiles are the Gentiles and 'ne'er the twain shall meet'.
But
by the time Paul wrote the book of Ephesians, he saw from God's point of view.
His view was enlarged and uplifted. In Ephesians chapter 1, he saw from 'before
the foundation of the world'. If you view things only from a time perspective,
your view is pedestrian. Have you seen all there is to see? Have you heard all
there is to hear? No! In his early days, pardon me for saying this, Paul's view
when he was persecuting of the church and was met by the Lord, was also
somewhat pedestrian. He only saw the Jewish believers because his commitment
was totally for Judaism. But now he saw from before the foundation of the world
the Father has predestinated us, the Son has accomplished redemption, and the
Spirit has given us the foretaste. His view was no longer pedestrian.
It
was through his journey of faith in parallel with what God was doing with the
church on the earth, that is fulfilling what the Lord said in Matthew 16:18,
"... upon this rock I will build MY church; and the
gates of Hades shall not prevail against it", that he was not disobedient
to the heavenly vision. To Paul, his realization must have been, "what I
have seen previously was limited, what I have written was insufficient, I need
to fill up what God has revealed to me". It was in this context that Paul mentioned
the Body first.
The Body here was not mentioned in the context of
who was being persecuted, nor where he should have gone to persecute them, whether
in Jerusalem or even to Damascus; but it was now being mentioned as what God had
planned from eternity past, before the foundation of the world. Now Paul's
perspective was "the church which is His Body, the fulness of Him that
filleth all in all" (Eph 1:23). If you see this, you will realize what a
privilege God has brought us into the one new man
In
Ephesians chapter 2, Paul used two pronouns 'you' (or 'ye') and 'we'. The 'you'
refers to the Gentiles and the 'we'
are the Jews. 'You', the Gentiles were once far off, and we the Jews who were
near, both need to be brought together. This is God's 'masterpiece' (NLT) or
'workmanship' - the new man. So all our personal experiences and personal
relationships with the Lord in our journey of faith is for us to see what God
is doing, not only in us personally but for His purpose, that is in the church.
Now you can see why it is so wonderful that the Lord Jesus has made 'you', the
Gentiles, and 'we', the Jews, both into one Body on the cross.
If
we had not gone through the book of Acts, it would have been hard for us to
imagine the incompatibility, the hatred, the explosiveness due to the deep
rooted enmity between the Jews and the Gentiles. But now that middle wall of
partition and the enmity has been removed! The two have been made into one Body,
reconciled and harmonized.
If the Jews and the Gentiles can be harmonized,
created into one new man, any human relationship can be harmonized. This is the
basis of the building up of the church. Without harmony among all the members
in the Body, even a little disharmony will harm the building up of the Body of
Christ. Paul saw on the cross Christ has broken down the middle wall of
partition and removed the enmity; and so in Colossians he wrote in the new man
there is no Jew, no Greek; no circumcision or uncircumcision; no barbarian or
Scythian; no bond or free. There can be no social, cultural, religious or any
other kind of differences. In the new man the unbridgeable has been bridged between
the Jews and the Gentiles!
Be Renewed in the Spirit of Your Mind
Although
we are a new creation in Christ, we are still living in the old heaven and old
earth and the enemy is still active. Hence we get old very quickly. Even those
who were saved last night, are already getting old. The enemy will try to
pollute the new man and so we need to be renewed all the time. When we believed
in the Lord already we took off the old man and we put on the new man
individually. But when we are with others, the enemy will exploit the
differences. So we need to be renewed in the spirit of our mind. The mind is a part
of our soul.
There
is water in the Word to wash away our oldness, the spots and wrinkles, which
are all signs of aging. We need to be in the spirit; touch the Spirit and the
Word so that the water in the Word can wash us. This is just to experience the
salvation of the soul. Alone and isolated, and not with those different from
us, it is difficult to experience the salvation of the soul. There are no two
persons who are the same, so we all
need to meet at the cross. To put on the new man and to live in the new man
means to come to the cross. The enemy will exploit the moment there are any
gaps between us.
I
used to appreciate that we are a new creation in Christ when we first believed.
But now I realize that we are in the new man and we need to be renewed in the
spirit of our mind. We are all going on a journey of faith like the apostles, but
not for ourselves or for our individual spirituality. It is so that we can live
in the reality of the new man.
We
sang a hymn that the Lord is perfecting His new creation. His new creation is
not only individual but also corporate. The way to perfect His new creation is for
us to be willing to have our souls dealt with; to experience the salvation of
the soul. The Body can be built only when we are willing to put off the old man
and put on the new man and be renewed in the spirit of our mind.
May
the Lord be gracious to us to uplift our perspective and enlarge our view in
the book of Ephesians like Paul so that we may cooperate with Him for the
building up of the church.
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