Ephesians 3
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
If you have your Bibles let me invite you to open with me to the book of Ephesians chapter 1.
In 1999, on the screened in porch of a log cabin in the North Georgia mountains…, I was expressing my fear of dying to my mother.
I was afraid that my sins would send me to hell no matter how many times I prayed and asked for forgiveness.
My mother explained simply…, when Jesus died he said, “it is finished.” That means he paid for all your sins at one time. You just have to trust him.
The riches of God’s Grace was poured into my heart that day.
in 2010 on a car ride leaving our small country church,
a pretty blonde girl with a proper southern name, Anne Marie, turned to me after I had taught the Bible study on going through the motions of the Christian life…,
and she said, “aren’t you going through the motions of your life by pursuing law school, rather than giving your life to preaching”
God’s grace fell on me like a hammer that day and the trajectory of my life was changed…. and as a side note that pretty blonde girl with the proper southern name still ruthlessly and wisely calls me out.
In August of 2015, FBC St. Rose closed their doors, donated their property to FBC Kenner, and the pastor of FBC Kenner approached me about pastoring a new church planting team in Saint Rose, Louisiana.
and on good Friday of 2016, in Wayne and Mary Lynn’s living room a group of my closest friends and I signed a church covenant and took the Lord’s Supper for the first time…,
and we tasted the grace of God in a special way that would overflow into his glory shining through his church for years to come.
This morning we will lay hands upon a group of individuals who are being sent out of St. Rose Community Church to plant a new church in the Bridgedale neighborhood in Metairie, Louisiana.
Tonight they will sign a church covenant,
install their first elders,
and take the Lord’s Supper for the first time…
Today is a gift of God’s grace that overflows into his glory being displayed through the church.
That is what God is doing in the world.
This is the eternal purpose of God.
All Things are by his Grace, for His Glory, Through His Church.
We have seen it, we have tasted it, we have lived it…,
but this morning I want you to see it clearly in one particular book of the Bible.
We will read a lot this morning,
but I want to read with an eye for God’s grace being lavished upon his people so that he might be glorified through his church.
I want you to see the unfolding of these three concepts
By His Grace
For His Glory
Displayed Through the Church
We will be reading a lot this morning, and we will move quickly through big concepts in the book of Ephesians.
Beginning with a reading of the word of praise that the letter opens with.
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight
9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ
10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
The letter begins with this long flowing sentence of abounding praise for God’s grace that has been lavished upon us.
In chapter 1:15-22, Paul then prays a prayer
asking God that he would help the reader understand the gospel message.
16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might
20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
Lets Pray what Paul prayed.
Lord,
give us a spirit of wisdom
give us revelation of the knowledge of you
enlighten the eyes of our hearts
by your grace
and for your glory
through your church
in Jesus’ name amen.
Paul’s prayer for understanding is followed by what I think is probably the clearest explanation of the gospel in the Bible.
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
#1 God Saves His People By His Grace and for His Glory
#1 God Saves His People By His Grace and for His Glory
This is the gospel.
We are sinners against God.
dead in our sin.
incapable of saving ourselves.
incapable of appeasing God’s wrath
incapable of escaping the coming judgement.
but
Jesus died for us.
Jesus rose again for us.
and by God’s grace he makes us who were dead in sins, spiritually alive with him.
grace means God gives life we didn’t deserve and could never earn.
v.6 By grace you have been saved.
v.7 In the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace
v.8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; it is a gift of God
As grace is poured into us God’s glory overflows from us through our praise.
That’s why the opening song of praise in chapter 1 moves back and forth from emphasizing grace received to the praise of his glory given.
1:6 “to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us with in the Beloved”
1:12 “so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory”
1:13 “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit…. to the praise of his glory.”
The gospel is God’s message of abundant grace for sinners through Jesus overflowing into glory being given back to god
AND this message of grace is for all sinners everywhere to repent and believe and receive grace to overflow with glory.
chapter 2 transitions to emphasize that this is not just for religious Jews…
this is also good news for the pagan gentiles if they turn to Jesus.
In fact, Paul’s ministry is a ministry of sharing this gospel to Jews and Gentiles.
in chapter 3, the argument pivots again, and Paul emphasizes that his ministry itself is a gift of grace
Turn your attention now to the text I really want to swim in this morning.
7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power.
8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
#1 God Saves His People by His Grace and For His Glory
#1 God Saves His People by His Grace and For His Glory
But Paul’s understanding of God’s lavished grace go beyond just his salvation.
If all God did in Paul’s life was to forgive him of his sin,
it would have been enough to praise God for an eternity.
If all God did in Paul’s life was raise him to spiritual life to sit with Jesus in the heavenly places,
it would be amazing grace, unfathomable grace, unsearchable riches of Christ, grace that is greater than all of our sin.
but thats not the fullness of grace as Paul understands it.
by Grace, God saves Paul,
but also,
by grace, God sends Paul
#2 God Sends His People By His Grace and For His Glory
#2 God Sends His People By His Grace and For His Glory
7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power.
8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things,
Paul recognizes that God’s inclusion of Paul in his plan to get this gospel to the ends of the earth is itself an undeserved gift.
The ability to preach,
to share,
to disciple,
to evangelize,
to bring the light of the riches of Jesus to anyone is itself a gift from God to be stewarded.
Paul believed that God made him a minister by the working of his great power.
Saving him was the first miracle.
making him useful for the kingdom was the second miracle.
In verse 1, Paul describes his own life and his own ministry as a stewardship of God’s grace.
1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—
2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you,
Do you see your life, your opportunities, your gifting, your time left on this earth as a gift of God’s Grace to be stewarded for the mission of the glory of God in the world?
This is exactly how we are to see our lives.
God’s grace received is always to be God’s grace stewarded for God’s Glory.
Grace truly Received always overflows into glory given.
Peter articulates this same dynamic with Crystal clarity in 1 Peter.
10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:
11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
God has given you gifts of his grace to serve and to speak so that you might be sent into the world to steward those gifts for his glory to the ends of the earth.
Today at St. Rose Community Church we have been given much grace to be stewarded, and we are attempting to steward God’s grace by sending our first church plant…….
If you are here this morning and you are on this church planting team… you are being given the gift of being sent.
God has made no mistake.
This is a gift to you.
The opportunity to participate in God’s mission in a unique an important way.
If you are here this morning and you are not going with the church planting team,
you are being given the gift of participating as a sender.
Your praying, and your participating, and your giving to St. Rose Community Church has made this establishment of Bridgedale Community Church possible.
By God’s grace and your stewardship of it, you are participating in the global mission of God!
By Grace God Saves Us
AND
By Grace God Sends Us
but why plant a church?
Why do we understand church planting to be the best stewardship of God’s grace for his glory in the world?
Why strive to be a church planting church?
Why do we give and pray and sacrifice and establish pastoral internships and mobilize our church for sending guys like Stephen Picard to another church to help it revitalize and now some of our closest friends and best leaders to start Bridgedale Community Church?
What’s the eternal purpose in all this?
Isn’t their another strategy?
I am glad you asked.
there is a really important “so that” in Ephesians 3:10 that stopped me in my tracks when I was a bible college student in the spring of 2012.
Paul reflects on the glorious opportunity he has to be sent to preach the riches of Christ all over the world.., but in verse 10 he provides the eternal purpose for which he labors.
we will start in verse 8.
8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things,
10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,
#3 God Establishes His Church by His Grace and for His Glory
#3 God Establishes His Church by His Grace and for His Glory
Until I read these verses, my understanding of the church’s purpose in the world was shallow.
The church is not just a convert making machine.
The church is not just a provider of spiritual goods.
God’s joined together people and their covenant life together primarily exists to put the manifold wisdom of God on display not just to the ends of the earth, and the watching world…,
but even to the spiritual realm.
The creation of God’s people,
the bringing them from spiritual death to spiritual life,
and the bringing them together into churches who then spread God’s glory to the nations…
All of this is astounding even to the angels in the heavens and the demons who plague the earth.
We put God on display to the cosmos through our life together and our mission together in local churches.
When we plant a new church in a new community,
we place an outpost of God’s glory.
this was Paul’s mission.
Paul writes,
11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,
12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.
Paul didn’t say he was suffering for God’s glory, though that would have been true.
He was suffering for the glory of God that was radiating and reflecting off the Ephesian church
and would continue to echo into eternity.
All of this leads Paul to pray for the church to be strengthened, grounded in love, and filled with the fullness of God (Eph 3:14).
Notice the emphasis,
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
That prayer is always being answered.
That prayer is being answered today,
2,000 years later,
6,000 miles away from where Paul wrote those words.
God is being glorified in the church throughout all generations.
The depth of this truth and the breadth of this truth is
massive for our lives
its wonderful
its glorious
its eternally significant
God is displaying his manifold wisdom to the heavenly places through the church…,
but the simplicity of this display may shock you.
Paul unfolds this enormous build up.
He prays with big sweeping abundant language .
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
but now look at the commands that he then immediately gives to the church.
1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
How will the manifold wisdom be displayed through the grace given to the church?
In the bridgedale neighborhood…
there will now be a group of people gathering regularly…
from different age ranges, different races, different backgrounds, different interests…,
and they will walk in
“humility, and gentleness, and patience with one another.”
They will “bear with one another in love.”
they will be eager to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”
They will be:
one body serving one lord,
one faith,
resembled with their one baptism.
And they will serve under pastors who equip them for the work of becoming more like Jesus everyday
together they will make disciples of Jesus
so that the manifold wisdom of God would be increasingly displayed through the members of the church.
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
This church that God is establishing will steward the grace of God given to them to display the glory of God to the world and the heavenly places through their life together.
Today Bridgedale Community Church will join together in a commitment to speak the truth in love to one another that the whole body might grow and build itself up in love.
#1 God Saves His People by His Grace and for His Glory
#2 God Sends His People by His Grace and for His Glory
#3 God Establishes His Church by His Grace and For His Glory
What a beautiful thing we have been invited to participate in.
Despite all of our sins and all of our failures.
God has called us to himself,
to his church,
to his mission
throughout the world by his grace and for his glory.
lets pray
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
16 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.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
