Mysteriously Unified

And we want you to take a seat.

We have to be off.

I only have to be off of it for another 4 weeks off of weight bearing. So I appreciate your care. But just for expediency was kind of throw that out there as a general announcement pray for my sleep if you will last week, I think people started asking God to pray that my extreme pain would go away and last Sunday morning. I went for my gun at 8 or 9 all the time. To almost zero. Time in a day and so God definitely works through prayer, which is a mystery to us, but we are thankful for it something that I've been praying for.

Very fervently this last couple of weeks and I know many of you have as well as Austin Stowell and his wife and family pray for Austin continue to pray for him. He woke up two days ago. He was intubated and in a lot of different forms of life support he woke up. He is by no means Out of the Woods down at Barnes-Jewish. So continue to pray for Austin and for saying he's pretty much been by his side for the last I think five weeks with just a few days off in between. So let's continue to pray for them as well. And I will you pray with me. We just turned to you now and we are in need of your grace. here at Grace Church not something that's just in our name but part of our identity that we embody that we cannot work hard enough to earn your favor. But for those of us who are in Christ, we need not work at all to be fully in your favor because when you look it up you do not see us alone. You see We have been United in so you are more pleased with us than we could possibly imagine cuz you are completely pleased with. So we rejoice in that reality today. We want to live in the newness of life. We want to not just allow our brains to be expanded with knowledge or puffed up, but we want our lives to being rich. Newness of life that we can walk in. That we pray for a church. We pray you'll continue to lead and guide us into the future as you have in the past God. We lift up Austin examine the kids to you. We pray that you will touch Austin's body that you will allow him to come home.

Allow him many years.

Pray for wisdom for the doctor's pray specifically for his white blood count to go up. All of that the major systems in his body to work function function properly, especially as long as a kid.

Got for the pains that are here, but that are unknown to most we pray that you will meet each other point of need summer psychological physical emotional. relational got to pray that you will be.

Somebody is talking to you enough for your few weeks ago and are they said only cried a couple times during your sermon?

So we've seen Halloween costumes, right? You seen Halloween costumes where someone looks like themselves anybody do Halloween this year?

Well, excuse me while I rewrite my introduction here. Do you know that they look like themselves but someone else so I might dress up as a ninja but I still look like myself just more Ninja. You don't like ninja or maybe I would shave my head the top of my head for of course Reformation day and witches Halloween and I might pretend to be a Martin Luther and I can walk around and nailing things to people's door saying trick or treat news 95 reason that you should you should give me some tree or house, but I would still look like Pastor been just a little bit more of a reformed version. okay, couple people. But then there are those costumes, you know that are entirely that do entirely conceal the identity of the where You know I'm talking about right? I think if I if I think if I said everybody close your eyes and think about that costume that you seen that no Halloween Gathering or at least large Gathering is complete without this costume. I've seen it every year for the last seven eight years that I've gone and done anything in a community setting, you know, that's right. You have absolutely no idea who is inside because they're their head is like here, maybe it's so they might be a foot or two shorter. You think they're taller and they're humped over and maybe they're even not talking to so there's no way whatsoever to identify who is beyond who was underneath the costume. Unless it's revealed to you by an outside Source really? It's a mystery.

It was a mystery that Jews and Gentiles together could become could form a new person in Christ. Jesus has no way to know the truth is truth of the Gospel unless it was revealed to you by a source outside of yourself.

That source for us today is the text of scripture and the historic teachings of the church. So I invite you to stand now for the reading of God's word is read Ephesians 3. 1313 You standoff SWAT? For this reason I Paul a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you gentiles. Assuming that you've heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you how the mystery was made known to me by Revelation as I have written briefly when you read this. You can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ. Which was not be known to the sons of man another generation as it has now been revealed to His Holy Apostles and Prophets by the spirit that the Gentiles our fellow heirs members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ. Jesus Through The Gospel. Of this gospel how it's made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power to me though. I'm the very least of all the saints. This brace was given to preach to the Gentiles be unsearchable Riches of Christ in to bring to life for everyone. What is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God created all things so that threw the church this the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the Heavenly places. This was according to the Eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our lord in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I asked you not to lose heart over what I'm suffering for you which is your glory. This is God's word reason and we can look back there in chapters 2 verses 11 through 22. We're Paul teaches that Jews and Gentiles can all be one new person in Christ. Jesus Remember That therefore remember that one time you Gentiles in the flesh called the uncircumcision by what it's called the uncircumcision and and following that you were separated from Christ. And you also would have had to come into an ethnic national identity as a Jew to become saved before Jesus Christ. That's the Old Testament the old Covenant law. And then here is this mystery this thing that is previously unrevealed like walking up to a child and a Tyrannosaurus Rex costume. You have no idea the underneath unless somebody outside tells you it's all is revealing this mystery something previously unknown to the Ephesians. Not that this is the only place in the text of scripture that teaches on it. But before this generation before this era before this church Aid begins it was an unthought-of concept that you could not have discovered no matter how much ink worried or thinking or philosophy you worked out. They would have come to this reality. So for this reason because of this mystery because Jews and Gentiles both can be one person in Jesus Christ for this reason, I Paul a prisoner of Jesus Christ on behalf of you Gentiles. It's actually a prayer. The beginning of a prayer for this reason I Paul a prisoner of Jesus Christ on behalf of you gentiles. I bow my knees before the father. From whom every family in heaven and on Earth is named, but he doesn't go there yet. So he's about to pray this beautiful prayer for for Unity and for Spiritual strength over the Ephesians and then he stops for 12. A little bit of an Excursion Around The Prayer so we have the beginning of the prayer for this reason. I Paula prisoner of Jesus Christ on behalf of you Gentile and then there's a dash in our English translations. Let's just cut to the chase with a lot of good Greek translating work has been done to get that Dash in the English. Okay. So then we start and this is the beginning of the Excursion if you will around the prayer, he'll come back to it later and verse 14 and he wants the Ephesian Believers to know

he starts out by saying assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you.

Birth to their presupposes right presupposing that you've heard of the stewardship. So we first want to tackle that word presupposing or assuming we could we could look at different parts of scripture. We could go look at fusions 421 we could look at 2nd Corinthians 5:2 presupposing being close with immortality. Will you look at Galatians 3 4 where is assuming that their suffering is not in vain? And so it's it's not an assumption. Like I might say I assume every one of you has seen a Tyrannosaurus Rex costume. Well, that's an assumption and it's it's not really a very good assumption because I don't have anything except my own experience to back up that quote on quote reality is just an assumption. This might be more of an assumption like if we all went to Halloweentown together, for example, and Grace Church just showed up and took up like five hundred feet of the line. You know what I mean? And we are all together and we all passed by the Tyrannosaurus Rex in each one of us signed our names on the costume, but it's assuming a reality that I expect to be true because of a shared experience and so here Polly say I have confidence he assumed that you have heard of the stewardship of God's Great how What all live with the Ephesians for a significant amount of time probably years prior to this if it least month, but probably three to six years prior to the writing of the book of Ephesians Paul lived in Ephesus with many of the people in who he was writing to it. So you think I know that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me.

What does stewardship mean? Well, this is a great word that has dispensationalist. You're not a dispensationalist. Okay, but the dust dispensationalist love because it's essentially the word dispensation right its Administration. It's stewardship. It's it's the hair taking and so Paul had been given the caretaking. of God's grace given to him For the Ephesians, it's not for him. It's for others. And so really what this is is it's a responsibility that God has given to Paul to not just keep the secret but to share the secret to share the mystery with everyone that he comes across these cold to be the Apostle the missionary to the Gentiles to the world outside of those that know the one true God got way. And so this call I would say can be a little bit extrapolated to you and to me that we are all in our own ways. Supposed to be stewards of the grace of God. We have a responsibility to share what you see and experience like a witness called to the witness stand doesn't really have an option for coming and presenting what they know when they have been served. Given a piece of document anywhere legally required to show up to court and to witness that what you have seen and likewise. We are obligated to share the good news this mystery of the Gospel, which is anyone can come to Jesus Christ as you are. We don't have to shave our heads. We don't have to cut off parts of our body which men would have had to do in ancient times to become a Jew we don't have to ask Nick Lee change our identity. We don't have to pledge allegiance to a new flag. We don't have to enroll in the new military. You don't have to submit to a new Earthly King all that we have to do is come to Jesus and surrender to him and that is a wonderful message that you and I not only get to live out but we are obligated to share with those who are around us. How the mystery first three was made known to me by revelation. This mystery is not something that Paul came up with right much of the New Testament much of our Doctrine in the New Testament is written by the hand of Paul the Apostle. But this is not something that Paul dreamed up or conceived or you don't think he had a good philosophy and so he just decided to come up with it. He is claiming that it was given to him divine. Look at that in first three how the mystery was made known to me by Revelation is I have written briefly. Now. There's a couple things at that could refer to some people think it's referring to one of his other books like in Colossians, maybe the book of Romans probably it's just right there. In the free in that sense how the mystery was made known to be my Revelations. I just said and then he's going to extrapolate he's going to talk more about it in the coming versus so introducing this idea of the mystery of the Gospel the mystery of Christ.

but then first four it's where I think it just My mind look at this. It was our first of the day for the fusion 3 when you read this. You can perceive my Insite. into the mystery

Let's read that again. When you read this you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ that word perceive convey the idea conveyed the idea of two tributaries running together and forming a new River a river that is Flowing along. Obviously a shared Shoreline towards a shared a common destination no longer to separate tributaries, but one New River Impala saying when you read this my perception of the reality of the mystery of Christ has been revealed to me by God himself is now given to you. How amazing is it to have what amounts to a first-person pawline perspective on the mystery of the gospel because we simply read it in the text of scripture. This is what the Holy Spirit does. He hopes to join with Believers as they read scripture and helps our thoughts. To be joined with like two rivers coming together the thoughts convey to us through scripture and then we get to perceive about the topic that the scripture introduces the same thought about that scripture as the author proceed about the topic.

We get to think the thoughts of the writers of the Bible when we read the scriptures because the holy spirit is at work in the reading of the Believers. That doesn't mean you just get to read.

I got it has wearied as we study diligently as we sharpen each other with talks of what the Bible says as we perceive what others have thought throughout history about the same topics. We begin to be able to think the same thoughts as Paul the same thoughts as the writer to the Hebrews the same thoughts as Matthew and Mark and Luke and Sean what an incredible Insight that we get into the reading and study of scriptures through this one small verse when you read this you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ. That's the promise from Paul to the Ephesian Church. So the application to us not the direct application, but the extrapolation of that application to us as Believers is when we read the scriptures we get to think the thoughts.

thoughts about ourselves opposition are old condition thoughts about who God is thoughts about what God's plan is for you and for me and specifically what the Plan of Salvation is for all which is in Christ you or Gentile by grace

Isaiah 55:11 says so shall my word that goes out from my mouth. It shall not return to me empty but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and shall succeed in the thing for which I said to God has a plan and a purpose for every word of scripture. That was written. handed down to us Translated for us available to us so freely like it has not been for it. We get to Simply studying we get to easily memorize it anymore. So, you're welcome.

Wert Thou Art welcome to

and then we have these promises that God is going to do a work that which he set out to accomplish it again. Let me read Isaiah 55:11. So shall my word that goes out from my mouth. It shall not return to me empty but it shall accomplish that which I purposed and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. I hope that is encouraging to you as it is to me. So the upshot for you read our Bibles. Let's be people of the book Let's know the scriptures study the scriptures and worship The God Who authored

When you read this you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ verse 5, which was not made known to the sons of man another generation as it has now been revealed to His Holy Apostles and Prophets by the spirit. Do you see that? There is a change in administration of how God is working out salvation for his people. A change in theater ministration in the oversight in and how it gets worked out any Old Testament. It's essentially become a Jew right become a technically physically and religiously become a Jewish person and through the promise that God gave to the promises that God gave to Abraham Isaac and Jacob you can be saved by the grace of God, but that's the that's the administration over his to be saved through the be coming through the changing of ethnicities. But the administration here changes, it's no longer become a Jew it is simply have faith in Jesus Christ.

What an astounding truth?

Which has been made known to the sons of men has not been made known to the sons of man. In other Generations contrasting the sons of man with a course of talking about those in the Heavenly places here in a couple of verses and so this is not something that any human has known previously in other Generations at his has now been revealed to who to Paul. This is kind of further proof showing that this is not a pole line gospel. This is the one true Gospel of Jesus Christ because it has been revealed to His Holy Apostles and Prophets pal by the Spirit by the involving the Holy Spirit he came and he revealed to the people who get called to be prophets and called to the apostles and made known this common mystery that anyone can be redeemed in Christ. No matter their ethnicity. And it's now been revealed commonly by the spirit 46 this mystery is that Gentiles our fellow heirs members of the same body. If you don't, you know, I kind of think you're reaching on the whole for this reason and then assuming that it's versus, you know, 11 through 22 of the previous passage. How are you sure what the mystery is?

It would be a fair question. But verse 6 is the explicit answer this mystery. Is that the Gentiles our fellow heirs?

Receiving the full inheritance that is there is in Christ Jesus. But Jesus Christ as God the son is the full are of God the father that he receives all the rights and privileges that the father has but we are fellow heirs with Christ as Believers, Jew and Gentile that we get to receive all of the complete privileges as fellow are members of the same body. And that's where talk about the church that body is we if you and me acting as members of the one body of Jesus Christ together

And partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus Through The Gospel when we come in we celebrate communion each month. We are partaking together. It's a it's a community meal a celebration of unity that we are together one in Christ. We are unified. We are reconciled together in Christ. 47 of this gospel. I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace which was given to me by the working of this powered you seen it continued emphasis here on race. Not on the works of righteousness.

Not on religious. or soccer doodle Duty put on the grace of God.

poured out to all of us who believe

Impala wants us to know one of the Ephesians to know that the gift of God's grace. What about Paul? This is the most humble Passage. That I can think of in Scripture.

Aside from Moses calling himself the homeless man that walked.

Office gospel I was made a minister according to the games of God's grace.

Which was given to me by the working of his power. He actually kind of did his own Greek work. He kind of made it up in this next first to me. So I am the very least of all the saints again. It reads easily the English to write but in the Greek it is the idea of I'm the least gift.

I'm the least of the least. And it's not him just putting it on for show. He recognizes in a in a beautiful theological sense that there is no reason humanly speaking that Paul should be an apostle that Paul should be allowed what later becomes the scriptures that Paul is able to write this beautiful letter to the Ephesians and strolling in your unfailing The Mystery of the gospel because he is a worm like everyone of us who was a sinner saved by grace.

And he recognizes that it's a privilege of God's grace for him to minister. And on a personal note. I recognize that is a privilege. It is a Ministry of God's Grace by which all of us are able to minister to each other. the priesthood of all believers one of the key points of the Reformation right that you don't need me to be the intermediary between you and God. That's Jesus Christ. Use the great high priest. But as a gift of Grace each of us gets to minister to each other as a minister of the gospel and a census our own administrative small administrators of the gift of God's grace that we get to Port to each other. And so when we make meals for people who can't walk when we share the gospel with our neighbors. With whom whose lives are life might be the only Bible they ever read when we encourage one another with a handshake or a hug. Or words of affirmation that is US ministering the gospel to each other and that is a privilege that we have that in previous ages. They did not have

because they did not have the church age that we have now. Where we have a common priesthood of all believers again on a personal note is a privilege of mine and my family's to be a pastor and a family ministering amongst families with you. Echoing the Pastor John Mark said thank you so much for the encouragement for from pastors appreciation month. It's been a hard month for us. I suspect that I know from any of you it's been a hard month, but it's extra hard. Honestly transparently when you're trying to carry some heavy burden, but other people have And I know many of you have been bearing some of those burdens as well, and it's just so welcome. For those of you who broke cards and gave Gifts of just appreciation kind of just saying I see you. So thank you for that. I think that Paul would have a similar sentiment in writing this first. So these two verses according to the gift of God's grace. It's not something that he expects or thinks is his by right it was given to me by the working of God's power. God called it in to it and empowered into do it, but then he recognizes that I'm the very least of all the things the disgrace was given to preach to the Gentiles. Unsearchable Riches of Christ you ever feel like the riches of Christ are super searchable in the age of let's be honest. We're well into the age of just Googling everything or anything right we can do anything. like that

reasonable amount of it for sure. It's that it's somewhat accurate in years past especially 30 40 50 years ago if you wanted to know something that was unknown.

Kind of hard to even think about trying to figure it out.

Do you read the encyclopedia?

But unless you happen to come across it and somebody to talk to or happened to read it in the cyclopedia might be aware of unknown facts from the furthest reaches of the world or the greatest depths of scientific inquiry, but now they're available at the at the reaches of our fingertips or even our thumbs on her phone, but the riches that are ours in Christ Jesus Remember that Paul spoke about in the very first chapter blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ was blessings and Christ with every spiritual blessing. And then again in chapter 3 we have that the riches that are ours in Christ Jesus. We can't even know that we wouldn't begin to know where to look to find the riches that are ours in Christ Jesus. You can't just Google it riches in Christ and it might come up with a whole bunch of verses are probably a little bit of Bologna in in a lot of good feel on Jekyll a Blog that have been written on the subject. But it's what the true depths of the riches of Christ through unsearchable. We can go and discover them. They're still failed us there still mysterious and I look forward to the day when we will see Christ face-to-face flesh and flesh and we will perceive him as he is. That is going to be the work of our lifetime together, be able to know the answer chable riches that are ours in Christ, but now we get to preach each one of us.

the gospel Everyone we come into contact. That starts with yourself. Preach the gospel of grace to yourself. That's you are enough. Because Christ is Enough. Because you and love yourself or not. You ended up yourself needed of myself. All we have to do is read through the first couple of chapters again, right we can discover that we are not enough that we are insufficient that we are worms that we are sinners in the hands of a desperate and Angry God is what it would appear to be except. She's not desperate or angry at all. In fact when he looks on you he sees Jesus Christ if you have believed in Jesus Christ, if you are in Christ, and that allows us to live in Freedom, so start by preaching the gospel to yourself and then continue by preaching the gospel to Those whom you come in contact. Little words are in the entire sermon. It depends on the context in the relationship you have with me. Ephesians 3:9 and to bring to light for everyone. What is the plan of the mystery hidden forgot for ages in God who created all things the one who empowers you to do? It is the one who made all things. So if you get a little bit discouraged if you're a little bit intimidated or tongue-tied there's training for that and I'm not kidding. I'm not trying to be fancy there's trainings for that. But really the power is coming from the creator of all things the one who called you is faithful and he will do it. He will give you the words to say when you reach out in faith and obedience and say I will preach Christ. My co-workers to my friends to my neighbors sometimes even to strangers. 310 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the Heavenly places those powers and principalities that are at war with and against our souls as well as those that are aligned with The plan of God we as the church.

Are making known to them.

the wisdom of God the wisdom of man is like Folly to God, but sometimes the wisdom of God is like Folly to man. And my guess is that the sum of the authorities in the Heavenly places, probably primarily the enemies of God, the wisdom of God is not something they would anticipate.

But as we preach the gospel as we are making known the gospel to those around us as we are living out the gospel as a community of Grace towards each other. Then we are preaching even to the powers and authorities in the Heavenly places, according to the Eternal purpose verse 11 that he has realized in Christ. Jesus our lord. This is not something that God dividend towards well, you know, I don't know what I'm going to do in about, you know, 68.

Have the church preach the gospel and let's allow that to be seen as the wisdom of God to the authorities in the Heavenly places. No going back to chapter 1 and 2 where this is before the foundations of the earth that God has planned out his plan and we get to live it out. First 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. Is Faith important.

As we look forward to our future as individuals. Is Faith important? It is somebody texted me this week. How do I know the difference between something that I'm planning? And something that God. Is planning for me to walk in? in the short answer is there's not a definitive answer for every question. But they're good principles of it again, right make sure it isn't contrary to the scriptures first and foremost. Talk to fellow Believers that you trust people that are ahead of you in life a little bit or a lot. If it lines up with their wisdom my undergraduate and graduate degrees don't lend itself towards that right. It's it's not probably a circumstantially Acura thing to do. I think I'm going to go to 8.

But then you have to move forward. A my Metro always said something to me. He always said there's a fine line between faith and stupidity.

And that's saying something is a missionary whose full financial support comes from other people. When you mortgage your house to buy building to do ministry and see if there's something theoretical leaving the Christian walk in faith and risk are closely aligned. Both have the potential of turning out to be the opposite of what you hope right you invest in the stock market you hope it goes up. But it could go down you move forward in faith. Hoping that God will bless you or answer your prayer in a specific way, right? funnymike and so there's a there's a potential that it's going to turn out differently than you were hoping. But the difference is is one is in Earthly institutions. And the other is in the God who created all things we should have boldness, especially when it comes to sharing the gospel with people around us. That's our mission helping people to come to Christ to grow in Christ in to serve Christ. The first of that is to help people come to Christ. So we must be Christ. To them to the people around us.

All risked it all to me. Guess what ended him up in prison? First 13th, so I asked you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you which is your glory these suffering for you here is not referring to the whole Ministry like on the things I've ever suffered over my whole Ministry but rather specifically his imprisonment in Rome on behalf of them because Paul preached the gospel. To the Gentiles as well as to the Jews. Remember the Jews kind of got him in trouble basically had the Roman Sun of the prison Paul appealed to Caesar as a Roman citizen and so because of his faithful preaching revealing of the mystery of the Gospel that Jews and Gentiles alike can access the father as a new person Jesus Christ. He was in prison in Center room.

That Faith doesn't seem like the kind of faith I want. And yet it is because I want to risk anything for the gospel no matter the result. You know can be easy to get discouraged when a servant of Christ doesn't seem to have it as easy as we were. Why does that person go through suffering?

Chris asked me earlier. He said what's your closing point so I can know when to come back in? And then I said, well, you know, I told him that.

Jefferson Pointe Star war with me. Why did I care about you?

There's a lot of reasons for that. The reality is is it's it's so much bigger than that. We can go with me. But when we look at people outside of ourselves, when we look at our brothers and sisters all across the world for suffering for the sake of Christ.

Why as we look at our own dear brother who is sitting laying in a bed in a hospital in St. Louis? And he's struggling for his very life. Do the cancer that he got because he served his country.

Why?

impose encouragement to all of us is to not lose heart to keep the bigger perspective to put in the words that you wrote in 2nd Corinthians for this light momentary Affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of Glory beyond all comparison as we look not to the things that are seen But to the things that are unseen for the things that are seen or transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal So as we go through life, let us hold on to the promise that this life for those which were in Christ and the sufferings that we suffer whether they be great or small are creating for us. an eternal weight of Glory beyond all comparison

Heavenly Father we look to you

has the one the author of all things all truth all of creation.

We look to you knowing that you are the Creator as well as the sustainer of all life and we worship you. We thank you that you have called us to yourself and you called us together in Christ. And as we celebrate that as we partake of that together now, we pray that you will go before us we pray that you will bless us and obedience as we share this meal together in Jesus name.