Ephesians: Reframe Our Thinking
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Ephesians 3 is going to reframe our thinking:
Reframe the Mystery
Reframe Our Purpose
Reframe God’s Ability
Have you ever really disliked someone?
Open with story of me not inviting Brandy Ashley to VBS.
This is kind of like the relationship the Jews hand with the Gentiles (non-Jews).
This was never God’s intent, God’s heart was for the world right from the beginning. We see in Genesis 12:
And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
Nevertheless, people tend to grow in self-superiority. People tend to think more highly of themselves than of others.
This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Reframe the Mystery
Reframe the Mystery
Our culture’s idea that everyone should be saved except rapists and murderers shows that we don’t understand the holiness of God.
The question is not, “Why doesn’t God save more people?”
The question is, “Why does God save anyone at all?”
Story of 2 girls in the HUB.
“I don’t think it’s right that murderers and rapist should be able to believe in Jesus and go to Heaven.” At the same time, they were perfectly fine with their level of morality.
To understand the mystery we must understand that:
1. God decides what is good and what is evil.
2. God decides what is just.
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Reframe Our Purpose
Reframe Our Purpose
Our purpose is to worship God.
Nothing will satisfy us more. And God wants nothing more for us because he loves us. Because this is the best for us.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Story of guy saying that God has “little man syndrome” because he created us to worship him.
God is inviting us into the coolest, most beautiful, most satisfying relationship.
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, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Reframe God’s Ability
Reframe God’s Ability
Do you believe that God is at work?
DNA example:
DNA is made up of molecules
DNA resides in each cell’s nucleolus
DNA splits into RNA so the information can be read by Ribosome
Ribosome uses the information from the DNA to create Amino Acids
The very specific and perfect arrangement of Amino Acids produces Proteins
Those proteins go on to produce living cells (37.2 trillion)
Those living cells go on to produce tissue
That tissue goes on to produce organs
Tissue and organs go on to produce you
37,200,000,000,000 cells in 1 person!
Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
God is at work restoring all things. He is making all things new, he is making all things right.
God has the ability to save that person you don’t like.
God has the ability to save that person you don’t like.
God loves him or her and desires that they would repent and enter into a relationship with Him.
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
God has the ability to save the hardest heart.
God has the ability to save the hardest heart.
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
God has the ability to save your heart.
God has the ability to save your heart.
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, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.