Ephesians 6:24 - The Mark of a True Believer

Remember, as we were studying the book of Ephesians, we talked about how firstwe need to know that we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. We arein Christ. We are blessed with all the spiritual blessings of heaven right nowin Christ. Then we learned that we need to walk in purity—walk in love—walk ina way that identifies us as true followers of Christ. Third, we need to be ableto stand against the wiles of the devil. In three words: Sit, Walk, Stand. NowPaul concludes this book with this final word by saying to us today that “gracebe to those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen”. It’sfitting that the Apostle Paul ends this letter with the word grace, becausegrace is the foundation of the entire Christian life. In fact, if you remember,Paul began this letter the same way in Ephesians 1:2: “Grace to you andpeace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” As a matter of fact,if you read all of Paul’s epistles, every one of them begins with this wordgrace, and every one ends with this word grace. ExperiencingGod’s grace is very important. Grace is often defined as God’s unmerited favortoward us. It’s grace that saved us when we trusted in Christ. It’s grace thatsustains us throughout life. And it’s grace that one day will bring us safelyinto the presence of God in heaven. I’ve often said that, “Grace is God givingme everything I need to live the Christian life, which includes the desire, thewill, the power, and the ability to always do those things that please Him!  ButPaul adds a very important description here. He says, “This grace belongs tothose who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.” The word translatedsincerity carries the idea of something that is incorruptible—unfading. Itdescribes a love that is genuine, pure, and lasting. In other words, Paul isnot talking about a temporary emotional feeling. True love for Christ is fardeeper than that. It is a sincere devotion that remains steady throughout everyseason of life. Our love for Christ should not be sentimental or shallow. Ourlove should be rooted in truth, grounded in faith, and demonstrated inobedience. Rememberwhen the Lord was restoring Peter in John 21. He asked him three times, “Do youlove me?” And Peter replied, “You know that I love you.” The Lord responded tohim each time with three simple instructions: First Jesus said, “Feed mylambs.” Secondly, “Tend my sheep.” The third time He said, “Feedmy sheep.” He is not asking us to stand in a garden with a sword and fightthe enemies of Jesus. No, He is asking us to feed His lambs—to care for Hischildren—to make sure they are growing. He calls us to join Him in sharing Hislove and caring for the believers around us. Something very simple!!! When wesincerely love the Lord, Jesus said it this way in John 14:21 says, “He thatloves me will keep my commandments.” That’s the proof. We obey Him. We joinHim in what He is doing. AsPaul closes the book, he intentionally uses the full title: our Lord JesusChrist. Each part of that name reminds us who He is. He is Lord—the one who hasthe final authority over our lives. He is Jesus—the Savior who rescued us fromour sins. He is Christ—the promised Messiah of God. Oh, my friend, when wetruly understand who Jesus is, our love for Him should grow stronger and deeperevery day. So, Paul ends this powerful letter by leaving us with our eyes fixedon Jesus. Yes, this grace is for those who love our Lord Jesus Christ withsincerity. TheChristian life really is all about a relationship with Jesus Christ—every daytaking time to spend time with Him in His Word, in prayer, in communion. Beingon mission with Him—feeding and loving His sheep, taking care of others, andsharing the good news with those who do not know Him. My friend, those who loveHim with a sincere, enduring heart will experience the grace of God throughoutthe entire journey of faith. And that grace will lead us all the way home.