Walking out the Christian life is like taking the dirt roads to a vacation spot instead of taking the highway. We don’t typically choose the roughest roads to travel when heading to our vacation spot. We choose the quickest and smoothest routes because we want to get there quick.

But the Christian journey isn’t the quickest and it’s definitely not the smoothest. And if you became a Christian thinking that life would somehow become easier or that your journey would get smoother I hate to break it to you but you were sold a cheap version of the Christian vacation travel package.

Remember that I said last week that the journey of the Christian life is sometimes similar to a gazelle sprinting up a mountain but most of the time it feels like we are just a bunch of snails barely inching our way along. It’s not the speed that counts for anything. It’s the direction that matters the most.

There will always be potholes behind us and potholes ahead of us and sometimes potholes under us but what counts the most is the direction we are headed in, the person we are becoming and the person we are headed to.

Every one of us remembers when we hit a pothole in the middle of the road. But that pothole in the past doesn’t define who we are or where we are headed.

That pothole in the past, it may have knocked us off course for a moment. It may have knocked the wind out of our sails. It may have knocked the breathe out of us. But that pothole doesn’t dictate or control the long-term direction or the end destination of our journey.

The potholes of the past do not dictate the direction or the destination of our journey. Paul says it this way…

Ephesians 2:11 – 13…

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

The potholes of the past do not dictate the direction or the destination of your journey. Paul begins to explain this in verse 11 with the word therefore. That word is meant to draw our attention to what Paul has previously said over the last 10 verses in regards to the doctrine of salvation.

When a person becomes a Christian that person who once was spiritually dead becomes spiritually alive. Their old heart of stone becomes a new heart of flesh as they are regenerated, animated and empowered by the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God.

A Christian is someone who once was dead in the grave but is now walking by faith amidst the spiritually alive. And this work of salvation is a gift of God that is received by God’s free grace through the pipeline of faith for the glory of God who is the master behind the masterpiece of our lives.

That’s the essence of the first 10 verses of Ephesians chapter 2. And that essence is precisely why Paul uses that word therefore in verse 11. He wants our hearts to be captured by the glorious truth of salvation because the truth is what sets us free to walk like the masterpieces we really are.

This massive doctrine of salvation is meant to help us walk like the free men and free women that we really are. But Paul doesn’t immediately jump to the theme of walking by the Spirit and living by the Spirit. That’s not going to happen until chapter 4.

This theme of walking by the Spirit and living by the Spirit only leaks out in a short phrase in verse 10 where Paul says that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

It’s like Paul is unable to contain himself. He wants to talk about what it looks like to walk in the good works we were created for in Christ Jesus but he knows that we will not be able to walk rightly if we do not first know who and whose we are.

This is what the word therefore is there for. It’s there to remind us of what Paul has said in regards to our identity as saved sons and daughters of God in verses 1-10. And then in verses 11-13 the apostle Paul drills deeper into the identity of a Christian with his use of two, 2-word phrases. Remember When and But Now.

It’s as though the apostle Paul says “Hey, look at the big doctrine of salvation, think about how you’ve been saved and think about what you’ve been saved from and think about who you’ve been saved by and now in light of all that, I want you to remember when…”

Paul Says Remember When… (11-12)

Memories are powerful motivators. The memory of a tasty meal can motivate me to get up and make an awesome dinner and consume it with joy. The memory of a loved one’s death can still motivate me in some very powerful and emotional ways. Memories are powerful motivators.

And that’s why Paul says Remember When. His use of this phrase is meant to cause us to remember when we weren’t Christians so that we can rest assured in our present position as Christians. As Paul draws our attention to the memories of the days when we weren’t Christians, he does it with five distinct memories.

Memory #1: Remember when you were in the flesh… (11)

In the flesh is a catch phrase that paints the picture of separation from God. God is holy and righteous and just and our flesh is dirty and corrupt because of sin. And at one time we all lived according to the dirty and corrupt desires of our flesh.

Remember when you lived according to the dirty thoughts and filthy behaviors and corrupt desires of your flesh. Remember when you were in the shackles of pornography addiction. Remember when you were captivated by greed. Remember when you were dishonest or prideful or lustful or full of rage and hatred or selfish. Do you remember when you were in the flesh?

Memory #2: Remember when you lived in shame… (11)

Paul says remember when you were called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands. This whole phrase reminds the Gentile believers of the way the Jews postured themselves towards the Gentiles.

The Jews believed they were right with God because they were circumcised. Circumcision was a work that was done by the physical hands of doctors at childbirth and it was meant to signify or to be a symbol of that person’s right standing before God.

Circumcision is much like baptism in that it is a work of physical hands that does not make you a Christian but instead points to the truth that you are a Christian. But the Jews had begun to believe that circumcision actually saved them. And the problem by this line of reasoning is that the Gentiles did not practice circumcision therefore they could not be saved.

The same thing happens today when we begin to believe that our good behavior makes us Christians. And then we begin to belittle or shame ourselves and others for not performing or behaving in ways that is holy and righteous. We measure our right standing before God in relation to our actions.

And we feel ashamed because of our low sense of worth or value that we tie to our performance. We devalue and dehumanize ourselves and others to the point that we begin to believe that we and they are worthless. This is what Paul wants us to remember. Do you remember when you lived in a state of shame?

Memory #3: Remember when you were separated from Christ… (12)

When we lived in our flesh we were soaked with shame. And that sinfulness and that shame separated us from Christ. Even though sin and shame became the bridges at the cross for our salvation there was a time in our lives when we had not yet crossed that bridge but instead we were stuck behind the barriers of our sin and our shame and our guilt.

Paul says remember that you were at that time separated from Christ. There was a deep chasm that separated you from your Savior. You were cut off from the benefits of the blood of Christ. You were not right with God. God was your enemy. Do you remember when you were separated from Christ?

Memory #4: Remember when you were alienated from the family of God… (12)

When we lived in our flesh we were soaked in shame and we were separated from Christ and we were orphans without a family to belong to. We actually belonged to the family of our sin and our guilt and our shame. We lived in the orphanage of our sin, our shame and our guilt.

This is the family we belonged to and therefore we were alienated from the family of God. We were strangers to righteousness and God’s love was a foreign object to us. We had no special privileges and we were alone in this world living apart from the family of God. Do you remember when you were alienated from the family of God?

Memory #5: Remember when you had no hope in God… (12)

Our flesh, our shame, our separation from Christ and our lonely state of being without a family left us with no hope. We were hopeless because the promises of God were foreign to us. Paul says we were alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

There was a time when you were alienated from the riches of God’s mercy. There was a time when the fellowship of the saints was unknown to you. There was a time when cleanliness was unknown to you. You were a stranger to the things of God and therefore you had no true hope in God. Do you remember when you had no hope in God?

Remember When Summary…

Paul has instructed us to remember when we were in the flesh, and to remember when we lived in shame, and to remember when we were separated from Christ, and to remember when we were alienated from the promise of God, and to remember when we had no hope in God. Do you remember when you weren’t a Christian?

If you can remember when you weren’t a Christian then the next phrase should bring you great joy. And if you are hearing this message and you are not a Christian then this next phrase becomes an invitation because in this next phrase Paul says: But Now!

Paul Says But Now… (13)

It’s easier to live in the past then it is to live in the present. All of us struggle with living in the past. We become trapped by the past.

We put our big kid boots on and we trudge through the present but the reality is that we all struggle with our past and our past can oftentimes be a debilitating force for destructive sinfulness in the present.

The way that we walk in our present reality is oftentimes controlled by past circumstances. And Paul wants to help us rest assured in the truth of who and whose we are right now in the present. Your past doesn’t define you. Your past doesn’t dictate who you are.

Your past can’t give you a name that God hasn’t given you in the present. We call ourselves all sorts of names based on our past but what Paul wants us to see here is that we’ve been given a new name that trumps the names that our past once gave us.

Your past actions, your past desires, your past thoughts, your past wounds, do not define who you are. They do not give you a name that sticks. Your current name defines who you are and your current position is what your name is rooted in.

Your current position is like a three-legged stool. The place you are seated, the person you are, the new identity you’ve been given, just like a three legged stool, is held up by three unbreakable legs beginning with the words: But Now.

Leg #1: But now you are in Christ Jesus… (13)

You are no longer defined as being in the flesh. You are defined as being in Christ Jesus. You are no longer filthy or rebellious or corrupt. You are in Christ Jesus which means you are now clean, you are now reconciled, you are now restored, you are now redeemed and you are now perfect. All of your sin, all of your guilt and all of your shame were placed on Jesus at the cross.

And the moment you came alive for the first time by God’s grace through the pipeline of faith, at that moment, all of Christ’s perfection was given to you. All of your flesh was transferred to Christ and all of Christ’s perfection was transferred to you. You used to be filthy, rebellious and corrupt but now you are in Christ Jesus.

Leg #2: But now you are close to God… (13)

You are no longer far off from God or separated from God or alienated from God or strangers to the family of God. You are now defined as being brought near to God in Christ Jesus.

Some of us are acutely aware of how alone and unlovable and unwanted we feel. And many of us attach these emotions to who we believe we are and then we begin to walk out our lives in ways that are destructive as we seek to fill the voids and dark spaces of our hearts.

If we could see with fresh Spiritual eyes today and see that we have been brought near to our Father in Heaven I think it could radically transform our lives. You once were far off from God but now you are close to God.

Leg #3: But now you are covered in the blood of Christ… (13)

You are no longer covered by sin. You are no longer covered by guilt. You are no longer covered by shame. Those are no longer your names. You are covered in the blood of Jesus Christ, which means your new name is Christian.

Your new name is rooted in the person who died on a cross to pay the price to purchase you out of the orphanage of sin, guilt and shame. Your new name is child of God and nothing can change that. Your sin, guilt and shame gave you a name but now you have a new name because you are covered in the blood of Jesus Christ.

But Now Summary…

Paul has just taken us on a walk down memory lane. He reminded of when we weren’t saved and then he made the stunning transition from reminding us of way back when to the three legs under the stool of but now. That was then. But now you are in Christ Jesus, now you are close to God and now you are covered in the blood of Christ.

Now you have a new name, a new identity, a new position and a new title. You are a new person in Christ Jesus. Your past doesn’t define you. Your past doesn’t dictate who you are. And your past cannot give you a different name other than the name that God has given you in the present. But now your name is Christian.

Conclusion…

Over the last few months I’ve been reading a book with our family called Pilgrim’s Progress. It’s a story about the journey of a little boy named Christian who is making the slow, oftentimes painful, sometimes scary and other times dangerous journey from the City of Destruction (his old life under the reign and rule of Satan, sin and death) to the Celestial City (the place of Heaven).

It’s a parable of the difficult journey of a Christian who is fighting to walk out the Christian life that’s full of potholes. Over and over again, little Christian faces down beasts and attackers as he fights to stay on the narrow path. Some of those beasts and attackers come under the names of our most common enemies. Discouragement, Sloth, Envy, Deception, Loneliness, Despair, Pride and Unlovable are all enemies of our hearts.

And the only way little Christian is able to walk out his journey towards the Celestial City is to hang on to the truth of who and whose he is. He is a child of the King of the Celestial City and his name is Christian. He remembers when he was a child in the City of Destruction, a child of wrath. But now his name is Christian, a child of God and he’s on a journey to be with the King.

My name is Christian and the direction I’m walking is towards the King. I don’t walk quickly usually. I sometimes fall down and it hurts. My past tries to haunt me and it’s scary. But now I’m a new person in Christ Jesus. I am close to God and I am covered in the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses me from my sinfulness.

The potholes of the past do not dictate the direction or the destination of my journey. I remember when I wasn’t a Christian but now I have a new name that my past and my future cannot dictate or erase. My name is Christian and I’m headed to be with the King. Wanna go with?