Living on Mission

Ephesians 3:1-13

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MAIN IDEA: Jesus saves us by his grace and sends us to make him known.

INTRODUCTION — WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?

Imagine your coach puts you into a basketball game. You run onto the court, wave at your family, admire your jersey, and stand there.

Your teammate passes you the ball, and you let it bounce past you.

The coach yells, “What are you doing?”

You respond, “I’m just happy to be on the team!”

Being on the team is exciting. But being part of the team means participating in what the team is doing.

Sometimes we approach the Christian life that way.

We’re thankful Jesus saves us. We enjoy seeing our friends at church. We like being part of the group. But we may never ask, “How does Jesus want me to participate in his mission?”

Last time in Ephesians, we learned that through Jesus, people who were far away have been brought near. Jesus brings believing Jews and Gentiles into one family.

You belong here because of Jesus.

Now Paul helps us see what it looks like to serve the Savior who brought us into that family.

Paul had a unique calling as an apostle. We don’t take over his position or receive new revelation like he did. But his example teaches us how to live faithfully and make Jesus known.

You don’t have to wait until you graduate to begin. You can follow Jesus and speak about him at your school, in your home, and among your friends.

Read Ephesians 3:1–13, CSB.

1. FOLLOW JESUS EVEN WHEN IT COSTS YOU Ephesians 3:1, 13

EXPOSITION

Paul begins by identifying himself as a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of the Gentiles.

He is experiencing real confinement because of his service to Christ and his ministry among the nations.

Yet he understands his circumstances through his relationship with Jesus. Even in prison, Paul belongs to Christ.

At the end of this section, he asks the believers not to become discouraged because of his suffering for them.

Think about that: the man suffering is encouraging the people worried about him.

Paul understands that his suffering has come through bringing the gospel to others. They have received something eternally valuable through a ministry that has been costly.

We sometimes assume that if we obey God, everything should become easier.

But obedience can bring difficulty. Telling the truth might cost you something. Refusing to participate in sin might strain a friendship. Speaking about Jesus might lead someone to reject you.

The difficulty of obedience does not erase the worth of the One we obey.

ILLUSTRATION

Imagine you’re using your phone’s directions to reach a destination.

The route takes you up a steep hill.

You wouldn’t automatically say, “This must be the wrong road. My car has to work harder here.”

A difficult stretch can still be part of the right route.

Difficulty alone doesn’t prove that you’re following Jesus, either. Scripture determines what obedience looks like. But when you are obeying Scripture, difficulty isn’t a reason to abandon that obedience.

APPLICATION

Where are you tempted to disobey Jesus because obedience might cost you approval?

Maybe it’s joining in a cruel conversation, hiding your faith around certain friends, or laughing at something you know dishonors God.

Decide now that Jesus is worth following when it becomes uncomfortable.

We should speak with kindness and respect. If someone disagrees with us, we don’t need to become argumentative. Faithfulness includes both the truth we speak and the way we treat people.

TRANSITION: To live on mission, we also need to understand the message we carry.

2. UNDERSTAND THE MESSAGE JESUS HAS REVEALED Ephesians 3:2–6

EXPOSITION

Paul describes a responsibility God entrusted to him by grace.

He repeatedly refers to a mystery.

Here, a mystery is a truth that depended on God revealing it. Paul didn’t discover it through cleverness or invent it himself.

God made it known through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets.

Verse 6 explains the mystery. Through the gospel, Gentile believers share the inheritance, belong to the same body, and participate in the promise in Christ Jesus alongside Jewish believers.

God’s intention to bless the nations appears throughout the Old Testament. What is now made clear is how believing Jews and Gentiles share fully in one body through Christ.

They stand together on the same ground: the grace of God.

This connects directly to what we learned in chapter 2. Jesus died to reconcile sinners to God and to bring formerly divided people together.

ILLUSTRATION

Imagine a group project where one person has the instructions.

Everyone else starts guessing.

One student makes a poster. Another prepares a speech. Someone builds something out of cardboard.

They work hard, but they’re working from different ideas about the assignment.

Before you can explain a message accurately, you need to understand it.

APPLICATION

Could you explain the gospel to a friend in a few sentences?

Start here:

God made us to know him and live under his good rule.

We have sinned against him and cannot repair that relationship through our own goodness.

Jesus, God’s Son, lived without sin, died for our sins, and rose again.

Everyone who turns from sin and trusts in Jesus receives forgiveness and new life.

You don’t have to answer every question someone could possibly ask. But keep learning the message you’re called to share.

TRANSITION: Understanding this message should make us deeply aware of the grace we have received.

3. DEPEND ON THE GRACE JESUS PROVIDES Ephesians 3:7–8a

EXPOSITION

Paul describes becoming a servant of the gospel through God’s grace and power.

He also speaks with deep humility about himself.

This is a man who once persecuted the church. His past gave him no reason to boast about deserving his calling.

His service is evidence of God’s generosity.

Paul’s example helps us hold two truths together:

We have no basis for pride, and we have every reason to depend on God.

Some people think, “God should be glad to have someone like me.”

Others think, “God could never use someone like me.”

Paul directs our attention to what God gives and what God can do.

The grace that brought Paul into service was accompanied by the power that enabled him to serve.

ILLUSTRATION

Imagine you need to ask a teacher for help, but you think, “I’ll go after I understand everything.”

That defeats the purpose of asking for help.

You go because you need what the teacher can provide.

In a much greater way, we come to God with our weakness. We can acknowledge our need and ask him to help us obey.

APPLICATION

What makes you hesitate to speak about Jesus?

“I’m nervous.” “I don’t know enough.” “What if I mess up?”

Take those concerns to God. Keep learning. Ask a mature believer to help you practice. Then take one faithful step.

Depending on God can look like a nervous student praying for courage and beginning an honest conversation.

TRANSITION: As God enables us to speak, we need to keep Jesus at the center of what we say.

4. MAKE THE RICHES OF JESUS KNOWN Ephesians 3:8b–9

EXPOSITION

Paul was given grace to proclaim the riches of Christ among the Gentiles.

These riches are beyond our ability to exhaust.

Think about what Ephesians has already shown us: redemption, forgiveness, adoption, hope, and belonging in God’s family.

Every one of these blessings directs us to Jesus and what he has accomplished.

Paul also helps people understand God’s saving plan. His ministry involves both announcing Christ and explaining what God is doing through him.

Our message should give people a clear view of Jesus: who he is, what he has done, and why they need him.

ILLUSTRATION

Think about a movie you love.

When someone asks about it, you naturally begin talking. You remember the characters, the story, and your favorite scene.

You may even need someone to stop you before you spoil the ending.

We tend to speak about what has captured our attention.

That gives us a question to consider: Are we regularly paying attention to the goodness of Jesus?

APPLICATION

Inviting a friend to church is a good step. Build on that invitation.

You might say:

“Church has helped me understand what Jesus has done for me. Have you ever had anyone explain what Christians mean by the gospel?”

Or:

“You know how I’ve talked about my faith? Could I tell you why I trust Jesus?”

Listen to their response. Treat their questions seriously. You can admit when you don’t know an answer and offer to find out together.

Your friend needs to hear about a Savior they can trust.

TRANSITION: Jesus also brings those who trust him into a people whose life together displays God’s wisdom.

5. VALUE THE CHURCH JESUS HAS UNITED Ephesians 3:10–11

EXPOSITION

Paul says God makes his multifaceted wisdom known through the church to rulers and authorities in the heavens.

The significance of the church reaches beyond what we can see.

God takes people divided by sin and hostility and unites them through Jesus.

This belongs to his eternal purpose accomplished in Christ.

Look around the room. We have different personalities, interests, families, and experiences.

Those differences can become reasons to separate ourselves from each other. But when people who would otherwise remain divided love one another because of Jesus, their shared life displays something about God’s saving work.

Our relationships matter.

The way we welcome, forgive, serve, and care for one another should reflect the gospel we proclaim.

ILLUSTRATION

Picture two students who have spent months refusing to speak to each other.

Then one admits their sin and asks for forgiveness. The other extends forgiveness.

Over time, they begin treating each other with genuine care.

Other people notice. They want to know what changed.

Reconciliation can make the effects of the gospel visible.

The unity Paul describes between Jews and Gentiles is greater than a disagreement between students, but the same Savior also reshapes our everyday relationships.

APPLICATION

Take your part in this church seriously.

Start with one concrete action:

Welcome someone outside your usual friend group.

Ask forgiveness from someone you have wronged.

Find a way to serve someone who cannot repay you.

When you walk into youth group, ask, “Who can I care for tonight?”

TRANSITION: Living this way requires help. Through Jesus, we have access to the Father who supplies it.

6. APPROACH GOD CONFIDENTLY THROUGH JESUS Ephesians 3:12

EXPOSITION

Paul says that in Christ, through faith in him, we have boldness and confident access to God.

Our confidence rests in Jesus and his work.

We can approach God because Christ has opened the way.

Think about where Paul is as he writes. His physical freedom is restricted, but his access to God remains secure.

The same Savior who sends us to make him known also brings us near to the Father.

We can pray for courage, wisdom, strength, and opportunities. We can bring our failures to him in repentance. We can ask him to work in people whose hearts we cannot change.

ILLUSTRATION

Imagine standing outside a locked building while someone inside calls, “Come on in!”

You would still need a way through the door.

Now imagine that person comes to the entrance, opens it, and welcomes you personally.

Your confidence to enter comes from the welcome they have given.

Jesus has done everything necessary for believers to approach God. We can come trusting his finished work.

APPLICATION

Think of one friend who needs Jesus.

Pray specifically:

“Father, help them understand the gospel. Give me love for them, an opportunity to speak, and courage to be faithful.”

Then keep praying and pay attention to opportunities.

You cannot force someone to believe. You can love them, speak truthfully, and ask God to work.

CONCLUSION — WHO NEEDS TO HEAR?

We began with a player standing on the court, happy to belong but unsure what to do.

Paul gives us a picture of active participation in Christ’s mission:

Follow Jesus when obedience is costly.

Understand the gospel.

Depend on his grace.

Speak about his riches.

Love his church.

Draw near to God in prayer.

These responses grow out of what Jesus has already done for us.

Remember Ephesians 2: we are saved by grace through faith. Serving, praying, and sharing the gospel do not purchase our salvation. They are responses to the Savior who gave himself for us.

Jesus entered our broken world. He lived the sinless life we have failed to live. He died for our sins and rose from the grave. He offers forgiveness and new life to everyone who turns to him in faith.

If you have never trusted Jesus, that is where you begin. You can turn from your sin and trust him today.

If you belong to Jesus, think about the people already in your life.

Who sits beside you in class? Who rides home with you? Who talks with you at practice? Who in your family needs to hear the gospel?

Who has God placed in your life that needs to hear about Jesus?

Choose one person. Pray for them. Look for an opportunity to talk. Take a faithful step this week.

Jesus saves us by his grace and sends us to make him known.

According to verse 6, what do Jewish and Gentile believers share through Jesus? How should that affect the way we treat people who are different from us?

Imagine a friend asks, “What does it mean to be saved?” How would you answer? Work together to explain the gospel clearly.

Paul recognized that God’s grace and power enabled him to serve. What makes you feel unqualified to talk about Jesus? What difference does depending on God make?

What is something you have received through Jesus that you are thankful for? How could you use that to begin a conversation about him?

What gives Christians confidence to approach God? When you feel ashamed, nervous, or inadequate, how can this verse shape the way you pray?

Who is one person you can pray for and intentionally care for this week? What specific step could you take toward having a conversation about Jesus?