Dear Brethren,

MEDITATION

¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Ephesians 2:17-18

 

OBSERVATION AND INTERPRETATION

1. The pronoun “He”

a) This is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ

b) He came

i) He was sent by His Father

ii) He was always conscious of why He came from heaven

iii) This sense of consciousness is well-evidenced in the Gospels (Matthew 9:13; Mark 1:38; Luke 19:10; John 4:34)

2. The Message of the Lord

a) He preached “peace”

b) Features of this “peace”

i) Peace with God

ii) Peace that comes from salvation Romans 5:1

c) Recipients

i) Gentiles

                        Called, “Those who are far off”

ii) Jews

                        Called, “Those who are near”

iii) This was a typical way Jews saw and understood the world.

                        (Jew or Gentile)

3. The Ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ

a) Through Him

b) A number of things may be considered

i) Through His death

ii) Through faith in Him

iii) Through His mediation

iv) Through His authority and power

v) Through His teaching

c) Without the Lord Jesus we would not have access to God

4. The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

a) We are indwelt by Him

b) We are enlightened by His teaching

c) We are empowered by Him

d) We are led by Him

5. Access to God the Father

a) This is too often taken for granted

b) Access to God is impossible

Without the Lord Jesus Christ and Without the Holy Spirit

 

APPLICATION TO LIFE AND MINISTRY

1. Let us thank God afresh
2. Let us make full use of our access to God our Father
3. Let us seek to teach these great truths in our churches faithfully

 

Prayerfully,

Pastor Charles Tan