June 13, 2021 - The Mercy of God
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Our Call: Grounded in God’s Mercy
Our Message: Grounded in God’s Work
If you’ve been with us for any length of time, you know that as a church we have been walking through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians...
Starting with the 2nd half of chapter 2 and carrying over into last week with chapter 3...
Paul has really been highlighting the Mystery of Jesus Christ...
…BEING - the inclusion of the Gentiles - into the household of God - BY FAITH
We’ve seen Paul really focus in on the RELATIONSHIP between Jew and Greek...
And ALL the TENSIONS that existed between the two groups...
That wall of hostility that existed - DUE to the LAW...
On one side - the Jews adhered to the law...
and on the other side - the believing Greeks - DID NOT adhere to the Jewish laws...
And so TENSIONS arose!!
PAUL now comes and let’s BOTH SIDES know - the wall of hostility has been TORN DOWN by Christ…!
That BY FAITH - the Gentiles and the JEWS have BECOME - ONE - IN CHRIST!!
And so Paul has really been hammering this point home...
And highlighting the - IMPACT that the Gospel has ACROSS people groups...
Today - we will continue our way through chapter 3 of Ephesians…focusing in on verses 7 and 8
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,
When we look at these verses - I want us to REALLY focus in on how TRULY GOD-CENTERED they are...
I think verse 7 may be one of the most God-Centered verses in all the Bible...
And it’s why our first point for today is this...
SLIDE: Our Call to Proclaim: Grounded in the Mercy of God
Our Call to Proclaim
Our Call to Proclaim
back to our verses...
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,
Look at verse 7 and see all the ACTIONS taken by God…and how many actions taken by Paul...
Of this gospel I [WAS MADE]
So Paul was MADE something...
He was made [a MINISTER] - a PROCLAIMER
according to the [GIFT] - a gift is unearned...
a gift of - God’s GRACE = grace is undeserved favor…GOD’S undeserved favor...
Which was given me by [GOD’S POWER] - WORKING!
SO if we INVERT this...
By God’s POWER - WORKING - God’s GRACE was GIVEN to Paul, and it MADE PAUL a MINISTER of the GOSPEL...
well - what’s the GOSPEL?
The Gospel - is the SAVING work of God IN JESUS CHRIST on the cross!
So God POWERFULLY WORKS and GRACIOUSLY MAKES Paul a PROCLAIMER of the SAVING WORK of GOD THRU JESUS CHRIST on the cross!!
HOW MUCH GOD - is in that verse!????
This is ALL of GOD!!
Paul’s MIRACULOUS CALL - to become a MINISTER of the gospel - was ALL of GOD!!
And so Paul is thought to be - the most influential PROCLAIMER of Christ (outside of Christ) to have ever lived...
AND YET EVEN FOR HIM - his call to preach the Gospel - was founded on - MERCY
God MOVED here...
AND YET - we are SO prone to take credit for that which GOD DOES!!!
How many of you have heard this before...
I BEAT cancer...
we so often take credit for GOD’S WORK
I WON the competition...
we so often take credit for GOD’S WORK
I earned the promotion...
we so often take credit for GOD’S WORK
I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and - got it done!
I FOUND A WAY
I persevered through it all
I WASN’T going to LOSE!
we so often take credit for GOD’S WORK
And this PRIDE will find it’s way - EVEN into the pulpit...
How many pastors have stumbled DUE to their pride?? Too many to count no?
They think they DESERVE this or that…and the next thing you know...
they’re LAUNDERING money on the side…or something to that effect...
BUT PAUL KNEW that his call to be a PROCLAIMER was based on God’s MERCY...
12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service,
13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,
14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
We see this phrase OVER and OVER again in this passage...
“But I RECEIVED mercy” - the MERCY of GOD...
And NOTICE v14 here - in how it describes THIS MERCY...
14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
And the grace of our LORD (the UNDESERVED favor of GOD - - His MERCY toward me)…DID WHAT?
It OVERFLOWED - next two words?
FOR ME...
The GRACE of God - The MERCY of God
WORKED FOR ME…it was POURED OUT ONTO ME...
And what came WITH that MERCY?
The FAITH and LOVE that are IN CHRIST JESUS!
The MERCY of God - His GRACE - unites us to - the FAITH and LOVE - OF Jesus Christ!!
It’s CHRIST’S faith on display when we PROCLAIM the gospel!
It’s CHRIST’s LOVE on display when WE proclaim the gospel!!
And THAT’s WHY - v16 says what it says...
16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
Paul says - I received MERCY for this reason....so that IN ME - JESUS CHRIST might display - HIS perfect patience for those who would BELIEVE in HIM
Jesus Christ HIMSELF - IS the mercy of God!
And so Christ - NOW in us…reaching out TO WHO?
TO THOSE WHO WOULD BELIEVE in Him...
And this leads to our next point!
SLIDE: The Mercy We Receive: For Us…For Others
The Mercy We Receive
The Mercy We Receive
We just saw this in 1 Timothy....
We ALSO see this VERY thing - in our text today...
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,
The MERCY Paul received - to become a PROCLAIMER of Christ...
was FOR PAUL...
FOR others...
It came to PAUL - SO THAT it might then FLOW to OTHERS!
That’s what the verse says...
This MERCY....which leads to ETERNAL life…SPREADS thru the proclamation of God’s truth...
Think back to the Abrahamic Covenant...
2 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.
- Abraham was blessed in order to BE a BLESSING!
And SO think thru the implications of that for you...
If you are a BELIEVER in here today...
You have received the MERCY of God...
But has it ENDED with you?
And this has implications for EVERYTHING that we touch in life...
The time you have in life...
A mercy of God given to you....so that you might USE it to proclaim the truth of God
The money you possess...
A mercy of God given to you…so that you might use it to proclaim the WORTH of Christ
Your talents...
Mercies of God given to you....SO THAT you might use them to proclaim the greatness of Christ
Your possessions…
Mercies of God given to you....SO THAT you might use them to proclaim the VALUE of Christ
NOW - let’s get more serious...
Your Illness...
A mercy of God ordained by God…so that you might respond to it in a way that proclaims the faithfulness of Christ
WAIT - my ILLNESS - a MERCY of God??
29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,
So EVERY illness, every disease, every accident - Can and SHOULD be folded UNDERNEATH the banner - FOR THE SAKE OF CHRIST
I will walk thru this illness…this disease.... DISPLAYING the VALUE and Faithfulness of Jesus...
Displaying the LOVE of Jesus...
Showing the world that JESUS - NOT my life - is PREEMINENT in my life...
That His GOSPEL - His SAVING gospel is MOST IMPORTANT...
As I show how GREAT God is IN JESUS - even during my suffering!
Think about the MERCY of Jesus...
The MERCY of Jesus - endured the HORROR of the cross…FOR others
It endured - SO THAT it could SAVE Paul!
You...
Me...
AND NOW - that SAME mercy…if we BELIEVE - is IN US!
FOR US - and FOR OTHERS!...
AS we Proclaim Jesus and His gospel to the world!
Even THRU our suffering for His sake!
And that leads to our last point for today...
Yes...
Our Call to Proclaim: Founded on the Mercy of God
The Mercy we Receive: For Us…For Others
SLIDE: Our Message: Founded on the Mercy of God
Our Message
Our Message
Paul has told us today that (his call) to become a minister was founded on God’s MERCY...
And that his call was to MINISTER - TO the Gentiles...
But what was his message?
Back to our text...
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,
Paul was MERCIED by God to preach - - the Unsearchable Riches of Christ...
In other words… the Unsearchable MERCY of God...
Jesus Christ - IS - the Mercy of God!
And so Paul was called to PREACH the Good News of Jesus - WHO IS the MERCY of God...
When we look at Romans 3:25…we see a familiar text...
25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
Now this is the ESV - English Standard Version
We see God put forward Jesus AS a PROPITIATION…by His blood...
But let’s go to an Interlinear Literal Translation of the Greek New Testament...
SLIDE: PIC
Jesus Christ is the PERSONIFICATION of God’s MERCY!!
He is our MERCY SEAT...
And so when Paul says in our text (v8)
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,
The banner that hangs over the UNSEARCHABLE riches of Christ - is - The MERCY of God
Jesus Christ Himself - the Great Mercy Seat!
The mercy of God ONLY flows through the person of Jesus Christ!!
12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
This truth right here - is TRUE right now - as I speak it.
And so it should cause us to PAUSE - and really think thru who in our circles is impacted by this!
If my closest friend - is without JESUS - then they are - RIGHT NOW - without LIFE...
And so - WHAT’s my MESSAGE to them??
Will my message CONTAIN - the MERCY of God…!??
Will I speak to them in a way so that they can cross over from the LAST half of this verse to the FIRST half of the verse??!
See - the GREAT MERCY of GOD - BRINGS eternal LIFE!
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
The great mercy of God - brings with it LIFE that is imperishable, UNDEFILED, and unfading
AND SO OUR MESSAGE does the SAME!
IF - our message is - OF Jesus Christ!
The world tries to DECEIVE us into thinking it can offer us an UNFADING substitute...
Exercise
Organics
Juicing
And a lot of times we buy in...
And we're ALWAYS looking for the fountain of youth are we not??
We do what we can to STAY YOUNG
We do our best to eat healthy...does it keep us young?
We do our best to exercise....does it keep us young?
We'll even make ourselves LOOK young thru surgery.....does it keep us young?
NO - we're in a CONSTANT state of - FADING ... fading away
*what happens every time we run into someone we haven’t seen in a long time…?
THere’s always that “Double-take” moment...
WHY?
There’s always SOMETHING we’re a bit shocked by...
They’re NOT EXACTLY how we remember them...
We’re in a CONSTANT state of fading!
BUT Jesus Christ - the mercy seat - God’s MERCY...
Is what we OFFER - He’s our PROCLAMATION!!
So that EVEN AS WE physically fade away - we KNOW and are confident that our SOULS are - FOREVER sealed IN HIM!
NEVER FADING away!!
SUMMARY:
Our Call to Proclaim: Grounded in the Mercy of God
The Mercy We Receive: For Us…For Others
Our Message: Founded on the Mercy of God
We can see that EVERYTHING that has to do with our MINISTRY...
our LIVING out our walks of FAITH...
ALL of it - based on the MERCY of God!
And so we might be asking - WHY did God do it this way?
Why is ALL of me - ALL ABOUT God??!!
Here’s why - So that He gets the GLORY!!
11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power,
12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The giver gets the glory.
God gave the power.
God gets the glory.
We have faith;
he gives power.
We get the help;
he gets the glory.
That’s the deal that keeps us humble and happy, and keeps Jesus Christ supreme and glorious.
Let’s Pray
Lord’s Table - GET KIDS
Which brings us now to the Lord's Table...
Lord's Table:
This brings us to the Lord’s Table…a time for each of us to reflect on our lives, to examine ourselves spiritually, and to remember the cost of our faith. We were bought with a price, and these elements remind us of this.
1. Have you experienced the Saving Power of Christ at the cross?
The Bible tells us that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God
That the wages of SIN - is death - AND SO we all deserve death
BUT - that God sent His son - Jesus - to LIVE a perfect life...
to DIE on the cross for sinners
to take upon Himself the wrath due us!
to be RAISED again on the 3rd day - conquering DEATH!
He’s alive today...
The Bible tells us that we if REPENT of our sins and TRUST in Jesus for His work...
Jesus - the MERCY seat...
If we trust in Him - we will BE SAVED!
FREE from death and SEALED IN CHRIST
We can TASTE the MERCY of God - In Jesus Christ
AND IF YOU ARE SAVED?
If you are a child of God - Saved from your sins by the Blood of Christ...then I ask -
Are you RESTING in the Mercy of God…or have you TAKEN credit for God’s work!??
Are you living a life FOUNDED on God’s mercy....proclaiming a Gospel of Mercy?
OR have you been neglecting this?
This is our call - As BELIEVERS!
BUT - IF you are NOT a believer -
If you haven’t SURRENDERED to Jesus...
- ..you should not partake.
The Bible says not to take this lightly. Scripture says – “ whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
Take time now and examine yourself before the Lord.
22 While they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.” 23 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
“do this…in remembrance of me.”
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Amen