Untitled Sermon (6)

Happy Father’s day.

Pleasure and honor to be here and for the opportunity to teach.

Intro:

There are a few core moments in my life that really brought me to a sense of awe in the Lord. One of these moments was in the summer of 2005. A recent graduate from NC State and a member of First Baptist Church Kings Mountain had moved to Indonesia to help build a facility that would produce water filters. A team of 12 from the church flew halfway around the world to help with the construction of a kiln. The addition of this kiln would allow Indonesian believers to access parts of the region that were previously inaccessible with the hope of clean water and the hope of the Gospel.

This was a multi-faceted awe-inspiring moment. For the previous 2 years, my newfound faith had just been the typical evangelical experience but in Indonesia, I encountered people who were so passionate about the gospel that they were willing to help meet people’s physical and spiritual needs. People who were not only against them because of social or economic division, but also who strongly opposed the good news of the gospel that they were bringing. A decision that could ultimately land them in jail or in death.

The other part of the trip that jumped out at me was on Sunday morning when our team made its way to an underground church. Our bibles tucked away in backpacks, no religious decoration or garments to bring attention to ourselves, at least not any more than a group of American’s walking around would bring. When we arrived, we were met with some of the warmest people who were on fire for the Lord. I had no idea what was being sang, taught, or discussed during the service but in that moment, for the first time, I feel like I saw a small glimpse of what heaven would be like. We didn’t have a lot in common, but we had the most important thing in common.

Although, in that moment I didn’t fall to my knees and thank God, it created an alter point in my life that I periodically think back on.

This morning, I feel like we are going to see the apostle Paul in a similar moment. We are going to be in Eph. 3:14-21, but to get there we must remember what Paul has reminded the church in Ephesus, and ultimately us today, through the first two chapters.

In chapter one Paul gives a look into the spiritual blessings that are found in Christ. That through Christ’s work on the cross and his resurrection, we are adopted sons and daughters into God’s family and given an inheritance. We are then sealed with the Holy spirit which is the guarantee of that inheritance and adoption.

In chapter two Paul reminds us of our situation before Christ. That we were dead in trespasses and sin, having no choice but to follow the prince of the power of the air, carrying out the desires of our flesh. BUT GOD, made a way through Christ, for us to come back into the fold because of the great love with which he loved us. The redemptive work not only places us in right standing before God but gives us the tools and desires to work towards right standing with everyone both Jew and Gentile. And because of that work, we can now have right standing with others.

In the first half of chapter three Paul tells us that he has been made a minister of the gospel for that purpose. To go and proclaim the good news to the Gentiles and that brings us to our passage this morning.

Our main idea:

God’s people grow in faith because of the Father’s love.

As Christian’s, our only hope in becoming more like Christ is to continually press into and remind ourselves of the Father’s love for us. As we are reminded throughout scripture that this isn’t our natural bent. Our natural tendency is to look inside ourselves, or to books and social media pages that offer tips and tricks and “silver bullet” remedies to our current condition. However, you don’t have to live long to know that this can and does lead to a few different outcomes including exhaustion, anxiety, depression, or despair.

With our time this morning, we are going to look at three ways that Paul demonstrates how we can grow in our faith.

God’s people are marked by prayer and Thanksgiving

Eph 3:14-15

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named

Paul opens his letter to the Ephesian church with a gospel reminder. A reminder of God’s faithfulness to his people. In Chapter 1 he reminds them that they were chosen in him before the foundation of the world and because of that, they are to be holy and blameless before him. This is because of his love for them.

From there, Paul rejoices in their salvation and gives thanks for them. Paul is quick to remind the church that this salvation was not a thing of their doing, reminding them of their plight before Christ. Paul uses strong language like “DEAD in trespasses and sin.”

The right response to the gospel call is prayer and thanksgiving. He has spoken the truths of the gospel to the Ephesian church, and it has no doubt reminded him of his salvation and commissioning. Paul has quite the interesting testimony. That he persecuted the church and had no desire for things of God and his church. Paul knew that it took something extraordinary, outside of himself, to bring him to saving faith. And this is why Paul takes such a submissive stance when he thinks about these things. It isn’t that he prays, it’s that he bows his knee in remembrance of God’s kindness towards him.

This is no different for us today. Sure, we may not have been persecutors of the church, but we are reminded in chapter 2 that we were only able to carry out the desires of our flesh.

The idea here is that we were self-serving with inclination towards the things of God. There was nothing in us that could muster up the idea to follow and submit to God and his goodness. In fact, our flesh desired to run as far away from this as possible. Isn’t this exactly what we see happen in the garden? The moment that Adam and Eve sinned, they became overwhelmed with guilt and hid in shame. But, even in all of this, we hear the two sweetest words in all of scripture “BUT GOD” being rich in mercy reaches into our world and brings dead people back to life. This is why the Christian faith is so different than any other religion. It isn’t about working towards a better version of you because you will never get there. The focus is on an external savior because we could never measure up. God enters our mess, the mess that we created back in the beginning that still plagues humanity today and brings us back to himself because of his love for us, not something that’s we’ve done to deserve it.

Prayer is a crucial act that serves as a constant reminder that we are dependent on something apart from ourselves. When we pray, we are practicing a form of remembrance that we are not in control of our lives. That apart from God, we are still dead.

Prayer and thanksgiving are one of the vertical components of our faith. Meaning that it is a constant communication that happens between us and God. When we begin to pray and give thanks it helps orient our hearts and minds on God and his and we start to notice that we are becoming more like Christ and more emboldened in Christ. This is happening through the power of the spirit dwelling in our inner being.

Which leads us to our next point:

God’s people are strengthened by the spirit

Eph 3:16-19

that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Paul knows that the only thing that can penetrate our dead hearts is the gospel and that we must find our rooting in that. One of the promises we are given when our hearts are transformed is that we gain the holy spirit. The holy spirit takes up residence in us. Paul says that he “dwells in our inner being.” This is an important phrasing because we were reminded previously that our inner being was dead in trespasses and sin. However, once we come to saving faith in Christ, we are sealed with the holy spirit. The holy spirit replaces our fleshly desires and sets our hearts on the things of God. The purpose of this transplant is that we may be rooted and grounded in love. No longer separated from God yes, but also seeing those around us as God sees them.

If your house is anything like mine, you are in the heart of gardening season. This is a big time at our house. Fresh vegetables, new life, and a lot of work. Gardening is so serious at our house that we purchased honeybees. Now, most people have no desire to be around a bee, but at the Lowery household they are one of my wife’s most cherished possessions. I’m always amazed by our garden. That you can take a tiny seed, throw it in the dirt, and with a lot of work and a little luck, you can grow fresh food. One plant that always does well in our garden are the squash plants. I don’t know what it is about them, but they flourish every year. One interesting characteristic of the squash root system is that it typically doesn’t grow very deep, but it spreads wide. This allows for it to not only be strong but to gain crucial nutrients for its growth.

This is the same idea for the Christian life. Paul points out to us that God will strengthen us to our inner being. As we are being strengthened from the work of the spirit, we notice that we are being rooted and grounded in our faith through his work.

What does this look like in everyday life? In a culture today that doesn’t really have any solid ground, where everything is fluid and we are told to “chase our own truths” or “you follow your truth but don’t impose it on me as I follow mine,” Paul tells us that we can know truth and that when we are feeling tossed to and fro all we have to do is ask and strength will be given. This is an important part of a believer’s life. A transformation from “my will be done,” to “your will be done.”

The second part that comes from being strengthened by the spirit is that it the focus is no longer on us. When we move from death to life, we are not only receiving right standing with God, but right standing with others. Being rooted and grounded in love, frees us to love others, even those that aren’t like us, or are not our first choice to love. Is this not what the father has done for us?

Christians are to be marked by their love. John 13:34-35

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

What influence will we have in our lives and on our culture if we don’t act differently or provide different solutions? As believers we are to be holy, set apart, just as God is holy. How easy it is to fall in line because it’s comfortable, and to not do any different is hard. It’s hard to love those that aren’t like us. It’s hard to love when we don’t feel like it. But as believers, through the work of the spirit, we can do this. Apart from love that comes from the father, we have nothing different to offer the world. Yes, there are talented individuals that do good things, but as Adam mentioned the first week of our summer series, you can’t argue with a changed life.

Art Azurdia talks about Christian love this way:

“Let’s suppose that a kite could come to life and develop its own personality; On the one hand, it would feel the exhilaration that comes from the surges of wind that direct it through the sky. On the other hand, it would almost immediately take notice of something annoying. The tugging of the string at its center; a feeling of constraint; resistance. And soon the kite begins to think to itself, “If only I could detach, then I could really fly.” To the kite you see, its seems that the string is limiting its full experience of freedom. But as any boy or girl who has ever flown a kite knows were that string to suddenly snap, the kite wouldn’t soar freely for very long. It would dart to and fro for a minute; maybe two; but very soon thereafter it would end up on the ground in a pile of broken sticks and torn paper never ever to fly again. It is the taut line between the kite and the one holding it that enables the kite to fly and achieve its full purpose. Christian love performs the very same function as a kite string. You take away the stabilizing force of Christian love and every towering gift, every supernatural power, every sacrificial act; you name it friends; it all ends up on the ash heap of eternal insignificance without love.”

Division is the currency that drives the culture today. People will divide over anything: Political lines, economic status, even what type of cell phone you use. The world doesn’t need another morally good person, or “wise” teacher with self-help wisdom and pull yourself up by your bootstrap tropes. The world needs a message that contradicts those things. The gospel accomplishes that and as we grow in faith, our hearts become more and more loving towards those who need that message. We’ve learned that God’s love is not a prohibitive love like the world thinks. It’s not a list of do’s and don’ts to be cruel or withhold good things from us. The purpose of God’s commands is to lead us to joy and freedom. Once we find that, out of love we take it to the nations.

Pastor Matt Chandler puts it like this:

“There is not a single command in the bible that is meant to make you miserable. How would God be glorified in your begrudging submission? “I better say yes, or he will send me to hell” That’s nonsensical. We believe the “thou shalts and shall nots” are about pleasure forevermore, not less pleasure, more pleasure, not less joy, more joy, not less life, more life. God is not trying to rob people of joy and pleasure; he’s trying to lead people into. I AM LIFE, life is found in me.”

Once we understand that God’s commands are ultimately for our joy, we understand that we are being led into the fullness of God. The commandments of the bible serve as a way for God to revel his perfect design for all things to us. And in that, it shows us his love towards us.

We should begin to realize that as we see the Father’s love for us, and realize that he is only after our joy, we are compelled to go and proclaim this to a dying world.

3) God’s people proclaim the good news.

Paul ends his prayer in a way that he does in many other places. With intense praise and adoration.

vs 20-21

Paul begins his prayer with a plea for God to strengthen his people. Paul ends his prayer with a proclamation of knowing that he can and will do this for his people. Not only is he confident that he will do it, but he is also confident that he will do exceedingly more than we can ask or imagine.

The gospel that Paul proclaims to the Ephesians displays God’s sovereign power over all things. Even though the first sin in the garden brought sin and death into the world, God was still in control. His rescue plan was put into full effect.

The idea that God can do far more than we can think or imagine should bring comfort to us today. If I’m honest, my prayer life can be selfish. Other times, I will pray and not get the response I want or not feel like I get a response at all. Sometimes I act like my children when I give them an answer that they don’t like or want. However, I must remember that God, the perfect designer, knows best. As I mentioned previously, his commands, and his answer to prayer are for my joy and his glory.

If we can grasp on to the truth that Paul is saying here, we can find comfort in these situations. We can trust that God not only has our best interests at heart, but that the plan will be revealed to us in the right timing. If God is the perfect designer, and God loves us enough to draw a rebellious and wicked people back to him, how much more is he willing to give us exactly what we need, when we need it, whether we ask for it or not, or if we ask for the wrong thing?

Luke 11:11-13 states:

What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

There is nothing in the world that I wouldn’t do for my children when they ask. However, there will be some “no’s” or “not yets” when they ask for certain things. I love my kids. I cannot in good conscience give into every one of their desires. If I did, our dinner menu would be a steady rotation of pizza, fried chicken, cheeseburgers, and ice cream. Despite their best efforts and pleas, I know that that diet is not beneficial for them, whether they agree or not.

Paul is reminding us that the Father is good. That is news that our world needs today. And just as Paul was made a minister of the gospel, we are reminded that there is work still to be done today. As believers we get to take part in that rescue plan. Not that we can do, or add anything to the plan, but we are called to spread the good news of the gospel. Paul concludes his prayer by stating that God is deserving of all glory in the church and throughout all generations forever.

How is this accomplished?. In the Old Testament, we see how God’s spirit dwelling in the temple was what set the Jews apart from all other people groups. God made it a point to dwell with his people as a reminder that he loved them and to remind them that he was with them. In the New Testament we see a shift. This shift is a move away from God dwelling in a physical structure and a move into a bodily temple. The gospel has made it possible for all to come to God through the death and resurrection. Jesus commissioned us in the end of Matthew to go and make disciples. This is another “knee bowing” revelation to Paul and us. God would call rebellious people not only to himself but to be the primary carriers of his message into the world. And this is how God will get his glory in the church from generation to generation forever and ever.

Conclusion:

I would venture to guess that there are two main questions this morning that you may have:

I hear you talking about the father’s goodness and love towards his people, but you don’t know my experience with a father figure, or I’ve never had a father figure, how can I trust that he is good?

Hebrews 1:3

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature”

We know that the father is good because of the work of the son. God did not hold back his own son out of his love for his creation.

That sounds good, but Jake, you don’t know my past, you don’t know the pain and hurt that I’ve caused. Could this be for me?

I don’t know your past, but I know mine and what I’ve been rescued from. Gospel explanation

Prayer.