Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity (2024)

Ephesians 3:13-21

My brothers and sisters in Christ, to follow up with the sermon from last week that we seek first the Kingdom of God and trust that the Lord knows what it is that we need as we go about our work without panic, anxiety, or worry. St. Paul today writes to comfort the congregation that he had served for 3 years. For he has been thrown in prison and awaits trial. His crime, being a Christian, rather he encourages them and points them to Christ and the hope that we Christians have in the great and glorious love that Jesus has for us that gives us strength to endure all afflictions. For what we have is far greater the love of God that is found in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Imprisoned, but not Discouraged

They should not be ashamed that he’s arrested.

Imagine if the pastor that had founded your church and taught you faithful about the Kingdom of God for 3 years, and then went on a trip to Jerusalem, but ended up being arrested for being a church, and that he was suffering for you.

How is it their glory?

The message that Paul had been given came from Jesus Christ and unlocked a mystery that the Jews had missed in the Old Testament, they had assumed for years that since they had Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and that to them God had revealed His holy word that tGod was going to save their people! They missed the biggest thing

The mystery of salvation includes the Gentiles.

Those outside of Israel are the sheep that the Christ the Good Shepherd came to seek and to save. God wasn’t sending Jesus to just work salvation for one group of people, but accomplish salvation for all of mankind.

Salvation for Jew and Greek

Every family comes from the Father.

In fact the word there for family is patria, and the word for father is pater. The Father is the source of all mankind and all mankind

All mankind is united through Adam.

We are all pinched off from the same bit of clay. We all come from the same father, Adam. That means we are all in the same predicament both Jew and Gentile, we are born into sin and it has been passed down as a condition that every man, woman, and child and were separated from God because of that inborn condition.

Jesus came that we might be adopted.

That we might no longer be separated from God on account of our sin, but that we might be restored to God’s grace by Jesus’ work at the Cross. For Jesus shed his blood not just for the jews, but for all mankind, that he might become a new Adam in which we are united. That we might receive the riches of God’s glory and receive

Strength and Power

He is not speaking physically.

Of being strong in body and being able to force our will upon our neighbor or break free of chains that have been placed upon Paul for proclaiming the Gospel. But rather that we might be strengthened by the Spirit in our inner being

We are jars of clay.

Not much of note, breakble when the world comes against us. That’s why many fall victim to anxiety and worry for the world has enough force to shatter us, but Christ sent the Spirit that we might be strong in the face of all afflictions.

It is how we endure suffering.

It’s not that we are strong, rather the power belongs to God and has been given to us, so we can be afflicted but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, but we carry the hope of the resurrection for when this jar of clay is broken for then the life of Jesus will be manifested in this flesh. So let the world come for by the death and resurrection of Christ we are more than conquerors.

The world seeks to remove it.

It tries to find peace by removing all affliction and suffering from their life. There is a difference between having peace when there is nothing going on, and when you are in the midst of turmoil. What good is it to be at peace when there is no trouble? That doesn’t require strength or power, but the Spirit fills you with the Love that Christ has for you.

Christ’s Love For You

The heart is your entire being.

In our modern day, we think of the heart as the seat of emotion, but for them at that time the seat of emotion was the bowels. That would change a lot of our modern love songs, and especially valentines day. The heart is the seat of your body, mind, and spirit.

Christ dwells through faith.

That is the trust that clings to the promise that Jesus made. Not based upon what we have done, but based upon what Christ has done for us that is why

You aren’t rooted/grounded in your love.

Rather it is in the love of Christ that Paul is speaking about the love that God has for you in Christ Jesus, the love of the Father which caused him to send Jesus to earth this love

The love surpasses everything.

It is this love that is far beyond what we understand or know for it is unlike anything we have in this life. It is a love that can only be grasped by faith for it is not understood by the World which looks to works.

Christ’s Love Saved Us

We start off dead to God because of our sin.

Every man woman and child on this planet inherited the sin of Adam and placed us under the wrath of God as children of disobedience. As enemies of all that is good. For we were

Following the spirit who lied to us.

The same spirit who lied to Adam and Eve, the same spirit that tried to tempt Christ into sin. We are all born spiritual, that’s because we are under the power of satan and enemies of God who reject the only religion that saves.

While we were dead, Christ brought us to life.

Well what does that mean? It means that we did nothing, we offered nothing, we were enemies and opponents of God who were more interested in worshiping ourselves, which is Satan’s message, than worshiping God. Jesus loved us while we were yet hated him. That’s

The Mystery of the Gospel

Why save your enemy?

In a war you don’t lay down your life for those trying to kill you and those you love. You don’t go to suffer for someone who spits in your face, strikes you and calls you names, and don’t save a people who refuse to abide by what is good and right and true and then claim every good thing as though they are gods and have not received them as a gift. Yet there is holy and righteous Son of God is dying for sinners.

Jesus’ love surpasses knowledge.

It’s not because we were good, or because we made a good decision or lived a decent life or because we managed money well, or did everything right, Jesus shed his blood for us that we may be his own and live in His kingdom. It’s that love which fills our hearts and drives out sin and pushes back the darkness of this world allowing us to walk through it in confidence. For the Son of God loves you, the Father loves you, and desires your salvation.

So we give Jesus glory.

For without Christ, there would be no hope for us and we would be tossed to and fro by every breeze and live lives that are tied to a sinful world. Christ has set us free, He has brought us to life and so we fix our eyes on Him who loves us.

So my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, this is why we do not lose heart. Christ loves you whether you are Jew or Gentile. So leave behind the ruler of this world, who will seek to drag you back into sin and death for Satan desires the destruction of the creation, but Jesus has come that you may have life and have it to the fullest. So do not let sin reclaim your heart, but rather cling to the promises given by Jesus Christ our Lord for that is the great treasure Jesus won for us. In Jesus name. Amen.