Ephesians 3:1-13 March 23, 2014 Larry Nutbrown

Transcription

1 1 Ephesians 3:1-13 March 23, 2014 Larry Nutbrown (X) We all know how parents affect the lives of children but there is a new book it turns the table and teaches us about how having children affects the lives of parents. Ephesians 2:11-22 The title of the new book is called All Joy No fun. Some may disagree with the title, but many will nod coyly with a measure of agreement. Many parents discover that parenting is all joy and no fun. I think that the title captures what many discover about Christianity as well. 2 Ephesians 3:1 starts this way "I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ." Ephesians 3:13 says, "I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings." Life does not always go the way we planned. When Paul received his call on the road to Damascus I am sure that he never dreamt that his calling to the Lord would lead him right into prison. I imagine that he saw himself going to Rome to stand in the forum preaching to huge crowds. I am sure he thought that he would preach to Caesar and the senators of Rome and see great numbers of Romans converted. (X) But verse one of Ephesians chapter 3 starts this way "I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ." Paul's calling did not play out the way he probably thought it would. But isn't life like that? The path of life never takes us where we think it will. Most things in life never go the way we planned them, do they? Whether it's a relationship, a job, a vacation, or a hobby, there are always changes to the plans we have scripted in our minds. What is sometimes worse than uncertainty is suffering. Sometimes suffering and undesirable circumstances send us on an unwanted detour in our walk of faith. Such seemed to be in the minds of the Ephesians as they followed Paul's experiences. Notice Paul s concern for the Ephesians in Ephesians 3:13: "I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings." What was it that Paul knew about his suffering that the Ephesians needed to understand? Paul understood an amazing truth about Christianity: sometimes being a Christian creates more problems for a believer than one had before they knew Christ. Sometimes Christianity, or faithfulness to Christ, can feel more like being a prisoner then being free. And I may point out as well, sometimes the one suffering is less discouraged by suffering than those who stand by

2 and watch. This was the case with the Ephesians. They saw Paul s imprisonment as a defeat, but Paul says his sufferings epitomize the triumph of God in Christ. Do you feel like a prisoner imprisoned by Christianity? Does your faithfulness to Christ sometimes bind you to decisions or relationships that are difficult for you? Does being a follower of Christ keep you from doing things you would rather do? Tim Keller uses the following illustration to capture the predicament Paul faced. He knew a guy who, after he became a Christian... came and told him, I have a problem. I m a waiter, and I got really convicted after studying the Ten Commandments. Everybody where I work vastly underreports their tips. They only report a very small percentage of their tips; that s why we don t have to pay taxes. I don t think that s right, so I started to report all my tips. I m getting tremendous pressure from everybody. Even the supervisor says, You re going to create a lot of problems if you start to report this many tips and nobody else does. You re in a lot of trouble, so don t do it. He said, I m in a lot of trouble now. What should I do? Keller told him, First of all, psychologically you have to follow your conscience. Secondly, theologically your conscience is absolutely right. Thirdly, just don t act in a condescending, superior way.... Just do not have a superior attitude at all. Okay, he said. But he still lost his job, and he lost some friends in spite of doing everything just right. You see, Jesus fired him. That s what Paul is saying. Paul says, I m not Caesar s prisoner. I m not the constable s prisoner. I m not Rome s prisoner. I m Christ s prisoner. I m here strictly because I ve been obedient to Christ,... I m here for Christ s sake. [Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.] Do you find yourself in similar circumstances being a prisoner of Christ? Literally Paul was a prisoner of Christ in chains. Paul writes this letter, as he is in prison. Paul had taken an offering for the famine stricken believers in Jerusalem. Upon delivering it he was criticized from some outsiders. To quell the criticism he was advised to be involved in taking a vow at the Jewish temple. When some adversaries saw him in the temple, they supposed, wrongly, that Paul had brought a Gentile into the temple court - a right permitted only if you were Jew. I riot broke out. Paul was

3 arrested and he wrote his letter to the Ephesians while he was awaiting trial. (Acts 21:27-29) The news of Paul's imprisonment, and especially the long time it took to be dealt with in the courts discouraged the Ephesians. Paul had been their pastor for well over two years. (Acts 19:10) He had probably spent 3-5 years in prison when he wrote this letter. 3 He got them to get their focus off his circumstances and on to God's grace. Specifically he got them to focus on the plan and the gospel of God's grace. Ephesians 3:2-6 unpack for us the plan of God's grace. Ephesians 3:7-12 unpack for us the gospel of God's grace. (X) Ephesians 3:2-13 tells us what Paul did so that the Ephesians could find all joy despite Paul s no fun circumstances. He got them to get their focus off his circumstances and on to God's grace. Specifically he got them to focus on the plan and the gospel of God's grace. (X) Chapter 3 verses 2 to 6 unpack for us the plan of God's grace. (X) Chapter 3 verses 7 to 12 unpack for us the gospel of God's grace. Let's look at Ephesians 3:2-6. Paul tells us: 4 Ephesians 3:2 3 2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. (X) I. In order to lift the cloud of discouragement, focus on the plan of God's grace. Verse two starts off with "surely you have heard about the plan (administration) of God's grace". Verse three adds, I'm talking about "the mystery... as I have already written". (see 1:9-10) Paul says, "I don't mind being a prisoner because God is doing something BIG through me. He's working His plan and He s providing the grace to do it. One thing we know about God's plan is that we don't know where it will lead us beforehand. Like Joseph, or Moses, or Jonah or like many other personalities in the Bible - the circumstances where God would lead them to get to their destiny was totally unpredictable. Paul knew he would be led to the courts of the kings and magistrates of Caesar, but he probably could not have imagined that it would be in chains to the Roman justice system. God's plan was that Paul would be a prisoner. But being a prisoner had perks. The biggest perk of being a prisoner was the discovery of God's

4 mystery. The mystery that Paul came to understand, that God was making known to the world through Paul, is described in verses Ephesians 3:4 5 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God s holy apostles and prophets. (X) It was not a mystery in that it was puzzling or difficult to understand. It was a mystery in the sense that God had never made known this truth before. This truth was (v.5) not made know to people in other generations. This truth was, however, revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. It was not a new truth, but it had been a truth hidden in the writings of Scripture and was now being unveiled. The mystery was the truth concerning the Christ, the Messiah (3:4). The mystery revealed to Paul was the truth that the Messiah, through his death and resurrection, had accomplished something totally unimaginable in history. It doesn't seem that spectacular to us right now. But if you lived in the days of the apostle Paul and in the times of the Romans and the Jews, it would be mindblowing. Verse 6 describes what unimaginable thing Jesus did. 6 Ephesians 3:6 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. (X) Ephesians 3:6 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. Paul says: "Being a prisoner of Jesus afforded me the opportunity of revealing a mystery." Being a prisoner of Jesus allowed me to discover the wonder of wonders. In Jesus Christ, the two bitterest of enemies can come together and be one. Notice in verse 6 the 3-fold repetition of the word "together." Paul was privileged to be part of something that had never happened before in the history. Prior to Jesus the Messiah, the Jews considered the Gentiles to be unclean. Their law forced them to be enemies. Prior to Jesus the Messiah, the Gentiles wanted nothing to do with the nation of Israel, an arrogant and racist people. Yet, Paul, because God had given him this great privilege of managing God's gift to the Gentiles, was seeing for the first time in history Jews and Gentiles coming together in harmony and oneness in Christ. In Christ they were at peace with one another.

5 Not only did they have peace, they would share an inheritance, they would belong to one body and they would be recipients of the same promise. Jesus Christ broke down all the walls - walls built by the law. Jesus removed the discrimination that existed between the two peoples. Jesus exposed the true heart of God. What Paul is saying to the believers at Ephesus was this. "Are you discouraged because of my imprisonment? I would never trade the "perks" of his plan for the possibility of being free of my suffering. These very perks enable me to endure suffering while at the same time live in the centre of God's will." The plan of God is not always straight forward. When you are involved in God's plan, you don't set the agenda. But though God's plan may be complex and sometimes indiscernible, it is always a grace-filled plan. Though Paul was a prisoner - he was never a prisoner to suffering or to the Roman justice system - he always considered himself to be a prisoner of Christ and therefore a prisoner to grace and it s that grace that gave Paul strength to endure. Grace did something else to Paul. 7 Ephesians 3:7 8 7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord s people, this grace was given me... (X) Ephesians 3:7 8 7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord s people, this grace was given me In order to left the cloud of discouragement, focus on the Gospel of grace (3:7-13). Whenever God calls you to do something for Him, He always provides the grace to accomplish His call. Was not the gospel a major source of Paul's suffering and imprisonment? Indeed it was. But the suffering was tempered by the grace which the gospel provided. Along with being a prisoner of Christ, Paul says that he became a servant of the gospel. This was also a gift of God's grace to apostle Paul. What does it mean that he was a servant of the Gospel? The word used for servant is our English word deacon. Deacon originally expressed the idea of being a table-waiter or as one

6 8 Ephesians 3: Although I am less than the least of all the Lord s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, person described it -- someone who kicks up the dust running back and forth serving others. It is the kind of person who does whatever needs to be done to further the gospel. Serving tables or being a gopher seems to be quite a menial responsibility. Why would Paul value such a menial position? He describes his job as a deacon - as a servant or a gopher - he describes it as a gift of God's grace. He describes this kind of spirit that motivated him to do such menial tasks as the working of God's power in Him. To be able to serve the glorious and wonderful gospel actually creates humility in Paul who declares, "although I am less than the least of all the Lord's people. Charles Spurgeon once said this: The fuller a vessel becomes, the deeper it sinks in the water. Grace produces that humility. [Spurgeon, C. H. (2006). Morning and evening: Daily readings (Complete and unabridged; New modern edition.). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.] How is doing menial work and being penned up like a prisoner while doing it supposed to inspire people to do the work of the Lord? (X) In verses 8-10, Paul describes how grace rewarded him for this menial work. Because of his devotion to the gospel, what 3 insights did Paul gain? Insight #1 - He was rewarded with insight into the unfathomable riches of Christ (8b) 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, Insight #2 - He was rewarded with insight into the hidden plan of the Creator of all things (9) 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord s people, this grace was given me:... 9 to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. There are three stages of revelation in Ephesians 3:1 10. First, Paul receives revelation from God (vv. 1 7). Second, the church receives revelation from Paul (vv. 8, 9). Third, the church makes this known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places (v. 10). (John Piper Eph 3:10 message) So verse 10 reveals the third insight Paul gained. Insight #3 - He was rewarded with insight into the invisible impact

7 of the Church in the heavenly realms (10) 10 His [God s] intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, - the church is the teacher of rulers and authorities in heavenly places - the principalities and powers (of Ephesians 3:10) are supernatural hosts, [many] in league with Satan and have a cosmic influence on the course of this age, its people, inventions, and institutions. These are the beings to whom the church is to demonstrate the manifold wisdom of God (John Piper - altered by me) Imagine a theatre - the audience - row after row of angels watching what s unfolding on the stage - the drama of the church unfolding in history. As God s grace and mercy and love is lived out in our lives - angels - watching what we do learn about God and His plans. Demons shudder and revile - angels rejoice and praise God.... What we do has an effect on what happens in the spiritual realm and in ways we can t even begin to imagine. (Ron Mucherian mucherian.org, eph 3:1-13) The manifold wisdom of God that the church makes known is that the church works -- it actually brings TOGETHER Jews and Gentiles. In our community the church WORKS WHEN it brings together seniors and youth; when it brings together rednecks and the refined; when it brings together the politically left and the politically right; when it brings together the rich and the poor. I think you see what I'm getting at. The church makes known the wisdom of God in the heavenly realms when it breaks down walls and builds bridges between each other by the merits of Jesus Christ. 9 Ephesians 3: His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. (X) Making known the manifold wisdom of God through the church is, according to v. 11, in accordance to the eternal purpose which God carried out in Jesus Christ. I wonder if part of our reward for suffering on earth will be that we have taught the heavenly hosts about the wisdom of God. Often we measure our impact for Christ based on what we see around us - how we have influenced our friends, and family and how many people have come to faith through our witness. BUT I wonder - and I am just wondering - if part of our reward is based on what we have taught the heavenly hosts who watch the saints as they live out the Christian life in a world that is hostile to its comfort and convictions.

8 As a church, this is why we need to get rid of discrimination and prejudice in our midst. We must deal ruthlessly with it. Going against the preferences and biases of our culture will be like a salmon swimming upstream to its spawning grounds. It is no fun, but it is all joy because you know what awaits you when you reach your destiny. Won't we be surprised if some of the suffering and some of the unexplainable things that happened on earth were not primarily for others around us to see but for the angels to see and to teach them how awesome Christ really is. This was the kind of event Job was involved in. He could not make any sense of his suffering. His experience did not seem to help many people around him in his day. But there is one clear message that comes from the book of Job. Job taught Satan a lesson and put him in his place (even though he was not aware that that was what he was doing). Paul concludes his detour with verse Ephesians 3:12 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 2 Timothy 3:12 12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. (X) 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. It may be that the angels, the principalities and rulers don't even have this privilege. That's why Paul is saying that don't feel sorry for me about being imprisoned. Because of my relationship with Jesus, I am freer than you could ever imagine. My relationship with God through Jesus has given me boldness and assurance before God in my suffering. If we find ourselves in the Lord Jesus and having faith in Him, we will become like Paul - prisoners of Jesus and servants of the gospel. This could very well produce suffering for us. Paul says in, 2 Timothy 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. However the very thing that may cause us to suffer, the plan of God and the gospel of his grace, will also give us boldness and confidence in our approach to God. That is what Paul discovered. Therefore he said to the Ephesians in verse 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

9 11 How does your walk with Jesus imprison you? It is a bad marriage that imprisons you? Is it the pressure from a close friend to get you to compromise morally? It is a manipulative person who has authority over you? Is it an financial obligation that keeps you poor? (X) Application: How does your walk with Jesus imprison you? It is a bad marriage that imprisons you? Is it the pressure from a close friend to get you to compromise morally? It is a manipulative person who has authority over you? Is it an financial obligation that keeps you poor? 12 What do you do when your relationship with Christ imprisons you? You look for the grace of God. Don t expect grace to be the key that will release you from your circumstances. However it is the key that will set you free to abide and endure those circumstances. (X) What do you do when your relationship with Christ imprisons you? You look for the grace of God. Don t expect grace to be the key that will release you from your circumstances. However it is the key that will set you free to abide and endure those circumstances. 13 What part of Paul s calling should encourage us in our calling before God? What will encourage you to be faithful to Christ despite being a prisoner of your circumstances? I believe it is the availability of grace. Paul was shown grace in three ways: (a) insight into Christ; (b) impact in heavenly places; (c) intimacy (boldness and assurance) with God (X) What part of Paul s calling should encourage us in our calling before God? What will encourage you to be faithful to Christ despite being a prisoner of your circumstances? I believe it is the availability of grace. Paul was shown grace in three ways: (a) insight into Christ; (b) impact in heavenly places; (c) intimacy (boldness and assurance) with God Is it the insight into Christ that will encourage you? Is it the impact you may have in heavenly places? Is it the intimacy with God that will be your strength? Whichever one may encourage you, rest in His grace. The Christian life was not meant to be fun. However, it was meant to produce JOY.