Brought Near

Brought Near

Words of Faith 2-3-2021

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2021

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

www.faithfellowshipweb.com

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Ephesians 2

  [11] Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)— [12] remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.   [13] But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

       When a king "brought near" a person in the ancient world, it was a really big deal.  In fact, in the ancient world, a person could not come into the presence of a king or ruler without invitation, upon penalty of death.  One did not push their way into the presence of a ruler, nor did they come without a considered request for an "audience," which was rare.  A citizen might make such a request, but a response could take years.  How much greater the separation we are born into because God is not an earthly king?

       Paul reminded the Ephesians of their separateness from God. Gentiles did not even have citizenship from which to ask for an audience!  Yet, God, King of all the universe, has called you near! 

       There are few places in scripture where the wonder of God's amazing grace is articulated as clearly as in Ephesians 2:8-10. We just looked at that.  We are saved by grace.  This is a gift from God. We receive that gift by faith.  Then God manifests good works in our lives.  We become the poetry of God as His grace is manifested in us. The effect of this is that we are brought near!

        Gentile, non-Jewish, believers had been separated from God. Without Covenant, they were separated from Christ, excluded from citizenship, without hope, and without God.  But now, Jesus has done this amazing thing! In Christ Jesus, those who were far away have been brought near through the blood of Jesus. 

       It is the blood of Jesus, His atoning sacrifice, that has brought us near. The blood of Jesus, the covering of our sins, has brought us near to Him.  The blood of Jesus, the great personal sacrifice of God, has created the invitation to come near.  The blood of Jesus, the final fulfillment of the Law, has opened the pathway for us to come near to Him.  The blood of Jesus has completed the Covenant of God, grafted us into the Covenant people of God and empowered us with life.

       This is not a cause for irreverent familiarity, but we can come into the throne room unannounced. We can approach the King of kings and the Lord of lords without an appointment.  We can call upon the Name of the Lord at any time necessary and in doing so claim the covering and protection that comes with citizenship in the Kingdom of God.

       Father God, thank You for bringing me near.  Thank You for making the path and opening the door.  Thank You for opening communication through the life You have given me so that I might call upon Your Name.  In Jesus' Name.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2010, 2021

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)       

2820 Business Center Blvd.

Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an E-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an E-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -     

The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.