The Eternal Purpose

Good morning, welcome to NHCC, please open your Bibles to Ephesians 3.

New sermon series begins next week.

Life Upside Down- 5 weeks in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5.

Read Ephesians 3:10–13 “…so that through the church 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 ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.”

Pray.

Three massive principles of the gospel that Paul lays out in these verses.

1. God’s eternal plan includes the salvation of His Church to be made known to heavenly rulers and authorities.

Core questions that we are meant to ask.

Why am I here? What am I accomplishing in this life? What difference am I making?

Questions of self-reflection are incredibly important. We likely don’t ask these questions enough.

But lets not limit them to our own individual lives.

What is the Church? Why has God offered salvation? What is His purpose here? Why has He brought down the walls of hostility to create a new people for Himself?

Then maybe bring in the scope a bit. Why does New Horizon exist? Why is NHCC made up of people from various backgrounds, various demographics? Why do we gather each week to worship our God? Why do we work hard to build relationships within the church body?

Do you see the importance of such questions? We are seeking out purpose and reason.

While there are many answers, Paul gives one that we likely don’t often consider.

The Church, both global and local, proclaims the multifaceted wisdom and goodness of God.

Do we recognize the cosmic importance of the church?

Our baptism experience. We often note the excitement of the cosmic powers, who we rightly call angels, upon a person coming to faith and being baptized.

Do we think of the other side of the coin? What does a baptism, or a worship gathering, or a prayer meeting do in the mind of the malevolent rulers and authorities?

Paul says we proclaim God’s wisdom and plan.

Job- Have you seen my servant Job? Surely God doesn’t say such things about us.

Richard Coekin- “Every local church is God’s trophy cabinet.”

What does this do for us gathering today?

Consider being a child receiving the praise of your Father.

Dad- “If thats all the better you can do.”

God puts you on display- shows you to the most powerful beings in the universe. He says, “Look what I have done, and look what they are doing.”

We cannot find the depths of the love of God toward us.

2. The gospel permits believers to approach God’s throne with boldness and confidence.

The text speaks of our approach to God.

Tense of the verb denotes a constant access.

Not how we think of access to God.

Do well, get rewarded with the presence of God.

Only condition listed to the presence of God? Faith in Christ. Trusting in the person and finished work of Jesus.

Hitching your wagon to Jesus.

What is the result?

Boldness- freedom of speech- frankness, openness, concealing nothing. But not presumptuous or arrogant.

Heinrich Schlier- “Without Christ they may shout rashly at him and go unheard but with Christ believers may speak boldly knowing that they will be heard.”

Access- freedom of approach, familiarity without contempt.

Covid relationships. Keep at a distance.

Come closer. Val at the feet of Grandpa.

Faith in Jesus brings us, Jews and Gentiles together as a new people in Christ, into the presence of God.

3. The gospel enables the suffering of some to be applied for the glorification of others.

Paul asks that they not lose heart over his situation.

First, notice Paul’s heart here. While he is in prison, his concern is not over his current circumstances, but instead on the inner turmoil of his readers.

Second, notice that Paul gives the reason for his request.

The difficulty of his life and ministry is leading to something even better.

Namely, the glory of his readers.

Let’s take a moment to figure out what Paul means here.

What I am suffering for you is for your glory.

Consider for a moment the death of Jesus.

Confusing time of the year is Good Friday. We celebrate the death of Jesus, not because He died a gruesome death, but because His death made possible our forgiveness and eternal life.

In the same way, Paul ministered to the Gentiles and sought to end the divisions between Jews and Gentiles.

He brought the gospel where it had not been before. And paid the price because of it.

But he doesn’t desire for them to become discouraged, to feel bad, to lose heart.

Klyne Snodgrass- “Paul viewed his imprisonment as part of his service for Christ, a service that exalted the Gentiles. If he was in prison for preaching to the Gentiles, someone was fighting for them, and their position was being given attention. That he was in prison should not be discouraging. The discouraging thing would be that no one was willing to go to prison for the ministry to the Gentiles.”

4. Where do we go from here?

Live to advance others.

First thirteen verses have been all about Paul’s ministry to the gentiles, and how he has lived and served with them in mind, over and against his own comforts.

Romans 15:1–2- “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”

Do we think of ourselves as empty or full?

Do we need something from others, or do we have plenty to give?

Luke 6:30–31- “Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”

This section of the sermon on the plain deals with showing love and care and concern for one’s enemies.

Notice the requirement- give to the one who begs.

In this, we reflect the provision of God Himself. We come with empty hands, He fills them. We are to do the same.

Not just material possessions.

Give to the one who begs. And then Jesus mentions goods.

Be generous with what you have, put others above yourself and seek out their good and their glory, even at great cost to yourself.

Tear down walls rather than building them.

Paul’s ministry, highlighted in these first 13 verses, speaks of a devotion to those who are very much unlike him.

While Christ is the one who has pulled down the dividing walls of hostility, Paul was a stick of dynamite placed by God to bring about the end of those walls.

It is natural to build walls between us and others.

I recognize this in my own life. In times of stress, shut myself off from the rest of the world.

But Paul thinks differently. It could be argued that the main theme of Ephesians 2 and 3 is the believer’s need for others.

Look back at application 1- Live a life that advances others.

In order to do this, we must tear down walls. We are not called to run away in fear from others, but instead to open our arms to them.

Need a good picture? Matthew 8:1-4. Jesus heals the leper and initiates it all with touch.

Be this sort of person in our world. Seek the good of others, and allow others to get close.

Speak and live Christ as often is as possible, no matter the consequences.

Spend time in the gospels and learn who Jesus is. Who did he gravitate toward? Don’t oversimplify, but see the entirety of who Jesus is.

See what He did, how He did it, what He spoke, and how He spoke it.

Read read read more and more of Jesus. And then close your eyes and ask the Father to do His work in you through His Spirit.

Make me like Jesus. Make me to remember Jesus. Make me to think like Jesus. Make me to speak like Jesus. Make me to live like Jesus. Make me to love like Jesus.