Our purpose is to love the Lord our God by:

· Being committed to His Word. (Matthew 28:19-20)
· Preaching the Gospel of Salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 22:37-40)
· Making disciples by equipping believers to obey God’s commands (2 Timothy 2:1-2)


First Free Racine

Preached by Pastor John Bodnar on August 7, 2022.

"Regeneration" (part 2) - John 3:3-8

Preached by Pastor John Bodnar on July 31, 2022.

"Regeneration" (part 1) - John 3:3-8

Preached by guest preacher Franco Brits on October 31, 2021.

"The Crushing of Christ" - Isaiah 52:14

Sanctification - Ephesians 4:13-15

Sermon Notes July 21, 2019 “An Appeal To Christian Unity” Ephesians 4:3-4 
 
Introduction 
Having just begun Paul’s practical instruction in this letter, we find that it divides into two main sections. First is an appeal to Christian unity in chapter 4. Second is an exhortation to moral purity. These are the two characteristics of God’s people, the twin effects of the salvation Jesus purchased with his blood: that we should be one and that we should be holy. 
 
SPIRITUAL UNITY 
Paul writes in verse 3 that we must ‘make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.’ Notice that Paul does not tell us to create this unity. Instead, we are to ‘maintain’ it. The church’s true unity is a spiritual one and therefore is a unity based on the revealed truth of God’s Word. The union Paul is talking about is one created by the unifying presence of God’s Holy Spirit. It cannot be legislated or brought about by human organization. 
 
INTERPRETING EPHESIANS 4:4-6 
Some preliminary observations: Paul notes seven ‘ones’: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God. The purpose of these verses is to proclaim the complete unity that characterizes God and his work and which thus demands unity among God’s people. Also noteworthy is that Paul organizes these seven ‘ones’ around the three persons of the Trinity, in keeping with his Trinitarian emphasis all through Ephesians. 
 
ONE BODY: A CALL TO UNITY 
Verse 4 works out the spiritual unity that comes from the presence of the Holy Spirit. This presents the organic union of the church. Because each of us is indwelt by the same spirit, we have an essential unity. This means we have unity, but not uniformity. For this reason, it is a great mistake for churches to insist on or to pressure everyone to dress the same, listen to the same music, make the same educational choices etc. Unity with diversity brings beauty and glorifies God. 
 
ONE SPIRIT: THE SOURCE OF UNITY 
Paul says, ‘There is one body,’ and also ‘one Spirit.’ The reason and the way we are joined together in a body is our union with the Holy Spirit. 
 
ONE HOPE: A CAUSE FOR UNITY 
If we have believed in Jesus Christ, then he has not only paid the debt of our sins but has secured for us a place in eternal glory. Paul says, “Through Him we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2). Whatever our present trials, whatever our present differences, we believers are united by a certain future that we will share in glory, a hope that is ours together in Christ. The presence of the Spirit now is the guarantee and foretaste of all that will be ours (Eph. 1:13-14). 
 
CONCLUSION / THE BOND OF PEACE That is why it is so important that we believers exert ourselves; the idea of having a great sense of passion and urgency in verse 3 to ‘keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.’ The bond of peace is love. Paul said in Col. 3:14. ‘And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.’

Sermon Notes    July 21, 2019    “An Appeal To Christian Unity”    Ephesians 4:3-4

Introduction
Having just begun Paul’s practical instruction in this letter, we find that it divides into two main sections.  First is an appeal to Christian unity in chapter 4.  Second is an exhortation to moral purity.  These are the two characteristics of God’s people, the twin effects of the salvation Jesus purchased with his blood: that we should be one and that we should be holy.

SPIRITUAL UNITY
Paul writes in verse 3 that we must ‘make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.’  Notice that Paul does not tell us to create this unity.  Instead, we are to ‘maintain’ it.  The church’s true unity is a spiritual one and therefore is a unity based on the revealed truth of God’s Word.  The union Paul is talking about is one created by the unifying presence of God’s Holy Spirit.  It cannot be legislated or brought about by human organization.

INTERPRETING EPHESIANS 4:4-6
So

An Appeal To Christian Unity - Ephesians 4:3-4

Introduction 
The Apostle Paul's chief motivation in writing Ephesians was the spiritual maturity of his readers. As a caring pastor, he desired not merely for them to be born again as spiritual infants, but also for them to grow up into spiritual adults. That is specifically the purpose of his prayer, which concludes with a request "that you may be filled with all fullness of God" (v 19) 
Love literally works miracles. This is true not merely for emotionally scarred children, but for all of us who are crippled and twisted by sin -- our own and other's. God takes us into His family as spiritual infants, and it is by comprehending His love that we are filled with fullness. 
 
 
 
The Measure of Christ's Love 
 
 
Comprehending Christ's Love 
 
 
Relying on Christ's Love (1 John 4:16) 
 
 
Conclusion 
Do you know Christ's love for you? When you feel unworthy and distant, do you see His arms stretched wide on the cross? When you feel cast down by sin or discouraged by life in a broken world, do you remember that Jesus came down from Heaven to seek and save the lost like you? When you feel that life has no meaning, do you see how high are Christ's plans for you, a destiny in glory with Him? If you will comprehend the love of Christ - it's breadth and length, its height and depth, -- through the Bible, in a life of obedience, amidst trials and sorrows, and together with all the saints -- Christ's love will give you a future and hope, with strength, peace and joy in the Lord that no one can take away.

Introduction
The Apostle Paul's chief motivation in writing Ephesians was the spiritual maturity of his readers. As a caring pastor, he desired not merely for them to be born again as spiritual infants, but also for them to grow up into spiritual adults. That is specifically the purpose of his prayer, which concludes with a request "that you may be filled with all fullness of God" (v 19)
Love literally works miracles. This is true not merely for emotionally scarred children, but for all of us who are crippled and twisted by sin -- our own and other's. God takes us into His family as spiritual infants, and it is by comprehending His love that we are filled with fullness.



The Measure of Christ's Love


Comprehending Christ's Love


Relying on Christ's Love (1 John 4:16)


Conclusion
Do you know Christ's love for you? When you feel unworthy and distant, do you see His arms stretched wide on the cross? When you feel cast down by sin or discouraged by life in a broken world, do you remem

The Dimensions of Christ's Love - Part 1, Ephesians 3:17-19

Adopted into the Family of God the Father - Ephesians 2:17-18

Sermon Notes December 30, 2018 “Jesus is our Peace” Ephesian 2:14 
 
Introduction 
If there is one thing our world needs, it is peace. In political elections, platforms are dedicated to ‘peace and prosperity.’ Prosperity flows from peace, so a leader who can bring about peace, however temporary, is surely going to be popular and successful. 
The most profound teaching in the Bible on how Jesus Christ gives peace is found in Ephesians 2:14-18, which begins with the great statement: ‘For he himself is our peace.’ 
 
 
SIN RESULTS IN CONFLICT 
 
We lack peace because sin is a violation of God’s law and therefore of the way that God ordered the world for blessing. 
 
Another reason sin causes conflict is that at the heart of sin is selfishness. Sin says to gain for yourself at the expense of others. 
 
Thirdly, sin causes conflict because God curses sin. (Genesis 3:15-17) (Genesis 4) (Genesis 11) 
 
There are three basic levels in which sin destroys peace. (1) Between man and God. (2) Within ourselves (3) In our relationships with others. 
 
SALVATION BRINGS PEACE 
 
This peace from God is only possible when we have peace with God. The theological term for this is reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). 
 
HE HIMSELF IS OUR PEACE 
 
 
 
LIVING THE PEACE OF CHRIST 
 
So here is the question: do you have peace? Are you experiencing and making peace? (1 Peter 2:21-23) 
 
 
THE SONG OF PEACE 
 
We mentioned earlier the song of the angels when Jesus was born, proclaiming peace on earth through Christ. 
 
Conclusion 
That song can be yours if you will come in faith to Christ and receive the gift of peace that God has offered us through Him. If you will be His disciple, trusting him and making His Word the rule for your life, you will have found the path to peace. He will give you peace. He will be your peace. He will use you to bring peace to a hurting world.

Sermon Notes    December 30, 2018    “Jesus is our Peace”    Ephesian 2:14

Introduction
If there is one thing our world needs, it is peace.  In political elections, platforms are dedicated to ‘peace and prosperity.’  Prosperity flows from peace, so a leader who can bring about peace, however temporary, is surely going to be popular and successful.
The most profound teaching in the Bible on how Jesus Christ gives peace is found in Ephesians 2:14-18, which begins with the great statement: ‘For he himself is our peace.’


SIN RESULTS IN CONFLICT

We lack peace because sin is a violation of God’s law and therefore of the way that God ordered the world for blessing.

Another reason sin causes conflict is that at the heart of sin is selfishness.  Sin says to gain for yourself at the expense of others.

Thirdly, sin causes conflict because God curses sin. (Genesis 3:15-17) (Genesis 4) (Genesis 11)

There are three basic levels in which sin destroys peace. (1) Between man and God.  (2) Within

Jesus Is Our Peace - Ephesians 2:14

Sermon Notes December 2, 2018 ‘Without Christ’ Ephesians 2:11-12 
 
Introduction 
‘Remember’! That has been the rallying cry of many a statesman and orator. ‘Remember the Alamo!’ was the motto that led Sam Houston’s Texas Rangers in their war with Mexico. ‘Never forget’ is today written on T-shirts and bumper stickers over photographs of the World Trade Center Towers and the numbers 9-11-01. 
‘Remember’ is also one of the most important commands in the Bible. Jesus spoke from heaven to the churches in the Book of Revelation, commanding, ‘Remember’ then what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent’ (Rev. 3:3). 
Having given some of the clearest and most glorious teaching about salvation Ephesians 2:1-10, Paul commands us in the next verse, ‘Therefore Remember!’ 
 
TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE 
 
 
 
WITHOUT CHRIST 
 
First, Paul says, ‘Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ.’ 
 
Second, Paul points out that the Gentiles were ‘alienated from the commonwealth of Israel’ 
 
Third, Paul says that the Gentiles were ‘strangers to the covenants of promise.’ 
 
 
 
WITHOUT HOPE AND WITHOUT GOD 
 
 
 
NEVER FORGET (Three Applications) 
 
First, the reason for us to remember these blessings is to stir up our gratitude to God. 
 
Second, Unlike the Jews in their contempt for the hopeless, godless Gentiles, we are to look with mercy on those without hope and without God. We are no better, we are objects of God’s mercy! 
 
Third, never give in to despair if you are a Christian. Never let resentment take hold of you when you suffer or have unfulfilled desires. Never let temptations be your master. Never forget the grace of God.

Sermon Notes    December 2, 2018    ‘Without Christ’    Ephesians 2:11-12

Introduction
‘Remember’!  That has been the rallying cry of many a statesman and orator.  ‘Remember the Alamo!’  was the motto that led Sam Houston’s Texas Rangers in their war with Mexico.  ‘Never forget’ is today written on T-shirts and bumper stickers over photographs of the World Trade Center Towers and the numbers 9-11-01.
‘Remember’ is also one of the most important commands in the Bible.  Jesus spoke from heaven to the churches in the Book of Revelation, commanding, ‘Remember’ then what you received and heard.  Keep it, and repent’ (Rev. 3:3).
Having given some of the clearest and most glorious teaching about salvation Ephesians 2:1-10, Paul commands us in the next verse, ‘Therefore Remember!’

TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE



WITHOUT CHRIST

First, Paul says, ‘Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ.’

Second, Paul points out that the Gentiles were ‘alienated from the commonwealth of Israel’

Thi

"Without Christ" - Ephesians 2:11-12

Sermon Notes October 28, 2018 “The Glory of God in Salvation” Ephesians 2:7 
 
Introduction 
One of the most challenging features of modern life is the sense of insignificance that so many people feel. What does it matter, they think, at least in the grand scheme of things, how they live or what they contribute in life? 
In part, this outlook is fueled by our society’s cult of celebrity. We think fame is what determines how significant a person is. Pop-artist Andy Warhol predicted that in the future ‘everyone would be famous for fifteen minutes.’ Since most of us will never be famous for even five minutes, we don’t feel very important. 
Sinclair Ferguson says: The average man . . . has accepted the idea that life is without final purpose, and so he naturally devotes himself to whatever interests him at the moment. By contrast the Christian . . . walks on the path which God has laid; he enjoys the purpose for his life which God has ordained; he looks forward to the destiny which God has planned. 
 
GOD’S GLORY THE REASON FOR SALVATION 
 
Ephesians 2:7 tells us that the reason for our salvation is the glory of God. People hear the gospel and find it hard to believe that God would pardon and renew sinners by the sacrificial death of His Son. It is precisely by saving people like us that God glorifies himself; it is precisely by loving His enemies and transforming us into loving children by His grace that God is glorified in our salvation. 
 
GOD’S GLORY DISPLAYED IN COMING AGES 
 
God saved us and is doing His powerful work of transformation in our lives, so that in eternity to come his handwork might be displayed in glory. This is true in the present. People see the change that has come over us through our faith in Christ, and by our good works God is praised. But it is especially in the ages to come that God will be glorified through our salvation. 
 
GOD’S GLORY DISPLAYED BY HIS GRACE 
 
In creation, God displayed the glory of his power, wisdom, and beauty. But if His grace is to be displayed in glory, then God needed to exercise grace towards us. God glorifies His attributes by exercising them. He glorifies His sovereignty by reigning; he glorifies His justice by judging, and he glorifies his grace by saving undeserving sinners like us. 
 
TO GOD BE THE GLORY 
 
So how do we glorify God? We glorify God, as Jesus said, by doing good works in His name (Matt. 5:16). We glorify God by telling others about His love and the free salvation that comes through faith in Christ. But most of all we glorify God through the holiness He desires in us, by cultivating the fruit of His spirit in our hearts, by no longer being conformed to the world but transformed by the renewing of our minds through His word (Rom. 12:2) 
 
Conclusion 
How much better for you to glorify God for his grace, exercised in His kindness to you in Christ Jesus, if you will turn from your sins, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and offer your life for the praise of the glory of the grace of our loving God.

Sermon Notes     October 28, 2018    “The Glory of God in Salvation”    Ephesians 2:7

Introduction
One of the most challenging features of modern life is the sense of insignificance that so many people feel.  What does it matter, they think, at least in the grand scheme of things, how they live or what they contribute in life?
In part, this outlook is fueled by our society’s cult of celebrity.  We think fame is what determines how significant a person is.  Pop-artist Andy Warhol predicted that in the future ‘everyone would be famous for fifteen minutes.’  Since most of us will never be famous for even five minutes, we don’t feel very important.
Sinclair Ferguson says: The average man . . . has accepted the idea that life is without final purpose, and so he naturally devotes himself to whatever interests him at the moment.  By contrast the Christian . . . walks on the path which God has laid; he enjoys the purpose for his life which God has ordained; he looks forward to the destiny whi

The Glory of God in Salvation -Ephesians 2:7 - Oct 28,2018

Sermon Notes October 14, 2018 “Together With Christ” Ephesians 2:5-6 
 
Introduction 
One of the greatest summaries of Christianity comes from the nineteenth century Scotsman, Hugh Martin. Martin wrote that Christianity can be summed up in two expressions: ‘Christ for Us’, and ‘We with Christ’. This perfectly sums up Paul’s thought in Ephesians Chapters one and two. Chapter one tells what God has done for us in Christ, apart from which we cannot be saved. The New Testament proclaims this over and over. Everything Jesus did, He did for us, that we might be saved: ‘Christ for Us.’ 
But, as Martin points out, ‘Christ for Us’ must be joined to ‘We with Christ.’ We must receive Christ and trust Him for our salvation and become his disciple. Therefore the New Testament says, we were ‘crucified with Christ’ (Gal. 2:20). And as Paul says in Ephesians 2:5-6, ‘we were made alive with Christ, and raised with Christ and seated with Christ in heavenly places.’ Martin explains, ‘If He lived for us, we now live with Him, for as He was, so are we in the world.’ Jesus’ experience has become our experience. Just as he died for our sin, we now die to our sin with Him. Just as He was resurrected to live with God forever, so we now also live a new life in service to God. 
 
UNION WITH CHRIST (made alive together with) (raised up with) (seated with) 
 
Covenant Union: ‘federal headship’ (‘It is finished’ John 19:30) 
 
Spiritual or Experiential Union: The experience of Jesus in His death, resurrection, ascension and heavenly reign sets the pattern for our experience on earth and then in heaven. God’s Son became like us so that we might become like Him. (Galatians 2:19-20). This defines a true Christian! 
 
MADE ALIVE TOGETHER WITH CHRIST 
 
We were ‘dead in trespasses,’ but God has ‘made us alive together with Christ.’ We were not interested in the things of God; now we find them exciting and important. We were unresponsive to God’s promptings and lived as if He did not even exist, or like Adam and Eve, like we were trying to escape from God. But now we not only know He is there, but we trust in Him as our Lord and savior. 
 
RAISED UP WITH CHRIST 
 
We are no longer powerless before the temptations of sinful desires. The Christian’s destination is in eternity, in heaven, and we must live now as those whose hopes have been raised there together with Christ. 
 
SEATED WITH CHRIST 
 
‘seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus’ (Ephesians 2:6). This refers to Christ’s reign in power, seated in heaven at the right hand of God the Father. Believers partake of this and its effects become real in our present experience. Because we rest on Christ’s finished work, safe and secure, Paul concludes. ‘we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us’ (Romans 8:37) 
 
BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED 
 
If you are in Christ through a living faith, then you have been made alive with Him, you have been raised up a citizen of heaven, and you have been seated with Christ in God’s presence, clothed with forgiveness and favor and fellowship with God.

Sermon Notes    October 14, 2018    “Together With Christ”    Ephesians 2:5-6

Introduction
One of the greatest summaries of Christianity comes from the nineteenth century Scotsman, Hugh Martin.  Martin wrote that Christianity can be summed up in two expressions: ‘Christ for Us’, and ‘We with Christ’.  This perfectly sums up Paul’s thought in Ephesians Chapters one and two.  Chapter one tells what God has done for us in Christ, apart from which we cannot be saved.  The New Testament proclaims this over and over.  Everything Jesus did, He did for us, that we might be saved: ‘Christ for Us.’
But, as Martin points out, ‘Christ for Us’ must be joined to ‘We with Christ.’  We must receive Christ and trust Him for our salvation and become his disciple.  Therefore the New Testament says, we were ‘crucified with Christ’ (Gal. 2:20).  And as Paul says in Ephesians 2:5-6, ‘we were made alive with Christ, and raised with Christ and seated with Christ in heavenly places.’  Martin explains, ‘If He 

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