All right, so Sam and Kaylee didn't think they were prepared to share. So thankful that they were able to go on this trip and come back and share with us. So thankful that Todd was able to go to India. I'd like you to open up to Ephesians chapter 3 this morning. So we're going to be in Ephesians chapter 3 as our main text. I'm going to be in a number of other passages as well. Some of what I share at the end of the message, I'm going to ask you not to turn to those passages. When we get there, I'll explain.
So, About, I don't know, 10 or 15 years ago, we had an evangelistic outreach through our church called Alpha. And some of you may have heard of Alpha, some of you may have not heard of Alpha, but Alpha is a powerfully anointed evangelistic program that started back in the '90s over in England, and it has spread around the world, literally around the world, through many denominations, and the Lord has used it to bring people to him. It's an incredibly powerful yet simple ministry, and here's how it works. We're going to start this here again in our church in the middle of January. So as I share, and we'll share a little bit more next week as well, If the Lord puts this on your heart and you would like to be a part of the team, we'd like you to go back to the information table and sign up. Here's how Alpha works. You won't believe how simple it is. For about 10 weeks straight, people come who have a desire to talk about religion. It doesn't even have to be people who are interested in Jesus, but it's just people who have a desire to talk about God. I look at Neil down here and I remember his folks came to it. I think what, twice maybe? And it changed their hearts, changed their lives. So you come together. Each week is the same pattern. You come together for a meal together, and then there's a short, very direct teaching on the Word of God based around who Jesus is. Like the first one is, who is Jesus? The next one is, why did Jesus die? Very simple, short, teachings for about 25 minutes. So about half an hour of food, half an hour of Bible teaching, and then another half an hour of wide open discussion where people can ask any question they want to about religion, about God. And as team members for the first few weeks, we do not give answers to their questions. Which is a kind of a weird dynamic because they're making statements, they're asking questions, and we're just going, "Well, that's an interesting question, Neil. John, what do you think about it?" And the idea is to let them know that they can ask any question, they can voice any comment, any position without being corrected. And there's something in that dynamic of eating together, hearing a very direct teaching from God's Word, And being able to ask any question without being corrected, that starts to help them drop the barrier in their heart to God. I can't explain it any simpler than that. It just works. The Lord is there. And these barriers, you can just almost physically see the spiritual bondage dropping from people's hearts. When they're able just to talk and fellowship and meet people and hear the word simply proclaimed. At the end of 10 weeks— well, throughout the whole class, people are given an opportunity to receive Jesus. But this simple little structure has been used by the Lord to bring tens of thousands, probably hundreds of thousands of people to the Lord. The Lord. So we're going to start it up again in the middle of January. So I would encourage you to pray about being a part of that team, but I would also encourage you to take a look at your life. This is a perfect vehicle where if you've been witnessing to a family member, or a co-worker, or someone in your neighborhood, and you've just kind of hit a wall, and they're not listening to you anymore, and you can't think of anything else to say, You've said everything that the Lord's given you to say, and that person is still not interested. It's a perfect ministry to bring that person to and sit with them and just enjoy good people, good food, some humor in the teaching, and then this discussion time that just helps them to express where they're at in their search with the Lord. So I'm super jazzed about it because I was a part of that team years ago. and I get to be a part of it this time as well. So if that's something that's speaking to your heart, either to be a part of the team or if you've got someone like that in your life that you'd like to bring with you to Alpha, be praying about that, be thinking about that. We'll have signups at the back table between now and when we start in January. All right, great.
Okay, Ephesians chapter 3. I'm pretty emotional, I think, after Sam and Kaylee shared because I was privileged to go with Ricky and Todd and my grandson Evan and Todd's son Braden, and I can't remember who all else went. To Guatemala from our church. There were 6 or 7 of us. Went to Guatemala and El Salvador with Charlie's Lunch. We got to take the gospel to people who were very, very poor, to talk to pastors who have very little support. And just spend a week or so with them. So when Sam and Kaylee were talking about their experience, you know, folks, we are so blessed in this country. We're so blessed. And there's so many people that don't know Jesus.
You know, we're going to read today out of Ephesians 3, and we're going to talk a little bit about the life of The Apostle Paul, who gave his life to serve his Lord, who gave his life to build the church, who gave his life to see the gospel go to people who had not been open to the gospel before, the Gentiles, which most of us are. A Gentile is a a non-Jewish person. So let's read in Ephesians 3 together. This is the Lord's Word. And this is a remarkable passage of Scripture that Paul kind of inserts right in the midst of this letter to the Ephesians.
Verse 1, Ephesians chapter 3. For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, On behalf of you Gentiles, assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ. Which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that— now, so he defines the mystery. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Jesus Christ through the gospel. 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. 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, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden from the ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom We have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.
So just a little bit about the structure of these 13 verses. I want you to look at the first verse. Look at the first phrase: "For this reason I, Paul," And then look over to verse 14, which is not part of today's message. John Vogan will be speaking next week on verses 14 through the end of the chapter. But it appears that Paul is wanting to go from verse 1, in his mind, in his heart, to go from verse 1 to verse 14. So he says in verse 1, for this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ on behalf of you Gentiles, And then there's a pause. In my Bible, there's a long dash, like a pause. So then look over at verse 14. He says, "For this reason," he begins again, "for this reason I bow my knees before the Father from whom every family in heaven and earth is named." But in the middle of that, there's verses 2 through 13 where he takes this excursion off on a completely different thought. And he ends this thought with verse 13. So take a look at verse 13. He gives this amazing account and recounting of his call and his mission and the stewardship of his call. And at the end of that, in verse 13, he says, "So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory." So he identifies himself as Paul, a prisoner of Christ, and he ends with, I don't want you to lose heart because of my suffering. So there seems to be something in Paul's heart, a concern in his heart that the Ephesians, these people that he knows dearly, he was with them for 3 years, and I would encourage you to read Paul's history, and like Luke, 20 through the end of— not Luke, but in Acts chapter 20 through the end of the book of Acts, verse 28, and get a little heart. As we're going through Ephesians, read about Paul's history with the Ephesians. He spent 3 years with them teaching them regularly, week after week, probably day after day.
6 · The pastor recounts Paul's pre-conversion persecution of Christians and his dramatic conversion on the Damascus road, emphasizing that from the moment of Paul's calling, God declared that suffering would be central to his apostolic ministry to the Gentiles
So when he says in verse— let's just read the first few verses again. For this reason, I, Paul, a minister of Jesus Christ on behalf of you Gentiles, Assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. That's almost like a tongue-in-cheek comment. He's assuming that they know about him. He's saying he has written briefly. He spent 3 years with these folks. They know him intimately. They know about his call. Think about this, Matt. He was so committed to God that when this new sect of Christianity arose, he started persecuting Christians. He started imprisoning them. In the 8th chapter of Acts, it says that the people that stoned Stephen gave their coats and their cloaks to Paul as they were stoning Stephen. So Saul, his name was Saul before he came to be known Paul, Saul was with his whole heart serving God in the best way that he knew. To the Jewish people, there were always new cults and sects that were arising, trying to take people away from the true teachings of the Old Testament. Remember, then the Old Testament was the only Bible people had. So when new teachings came up that steered people away from the Scriptures, the Jewish leaders gave their hearts to putting down these sects, to squelching them. So Paul was doing that. This new sect called Christianity, this new sect of people following Jesus, he was commissioned and with his whole heart, He was imprisoning and overseeing the death of Christians. And then in Acts chapter 9, the Lord apprehends him. And let me just read to you out of Acts chapter 9. You don't have to turn to it. But the Lord apprehends Paul, and he says to Paul, whose name was Saul, he says, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Saul's on his donkey, on his horse, on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians. And on the way, the Lord interrupts his life and says, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Notice how the Lord identifies himself with his people. And Saul asks the Lord, Lord, who are you? And the Lord said, I am Jesus who you are persecuting. And in that instance, Saul is blinded. He's led away into Damascus, and the Lord appears to a man named Ananias, who is a Christian, in chapter 9. And to Ananias, he says this, to Ananias, He says, go and find this guy named Saul and give him a message for me. And Ananias probably says what you and I would have said. I know about this guy. I know how he's been persecuting Christians and how he's come to Damascus to do more of it. So basically Ananias was saying, I'm not going. That's what I would have said. I mean, I guess if we're talking to the Lord, maybe we wouldn't have said that. But look what the Lord says to Ananias. I think we've got this maybe on the slide, maybe not. But in Luke 9, "Go," he's telling Ananias, "Go, for he," Saul, "is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and to kings and the children of Israel." 'For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.'
7 · The pastor states the sermon's thesis and three-point structure (Paul's calling, Paul's suffering, Paul's stewardship), then draws a direct application to the congregation by asserting that though their conversions may differ from Paul's, they share the same reality of being called from death to life and given a mission through the local church
So here's the main idea today. We want to look at Paul, who was faithful to his calling through a lifetime of suffering, all for the glory of God in the local church. So we want to look at Paul's calling. We want to look at his intense suffering that he went through. And number 3, we want to see his stewardship of his calling towards the local church. And as we do this, I want you to think about God's calling in your life. Now, most of us have not had a conversion experience like Saul had, but I'll tell you this, each one of us has had an experience with God that is equally as powerful. Equally as powerful where God called you out of a life of sin. Paul writes to the Ephesians, we covered this a few weeks ago, we were dead in our trespasses and sins, but God in his great mercy made us alive in Jesus. That's what happened to Paul on the road to Damascus. He was dead in his sins, thinking he was serving God, but dead in his sins. And the Lord appeared to him and changed his heart and raised him up and gave him a whole new life in Jesus and a whole new calling. Same thing is true of us. He has called us and he has given us a mission to fulfill within the church to the people that don't know Jesus, to the people outside, outside of the promises of God. So as we go through Paul's history, I want you to think about your history. I want you to think about what the Lord has done in your heart and what he's currently doing in his heart, and how he wants to continue doing this in your heart through this local church, or whatever local church you're a part of. You may be visiting here from out of town. You may be in a few years being transferred away from El Paso, and you'll be a part of another local church, but I want you to see see today what the Lord was speaking to the church at Ephesus through Paul about the priority of our walk with the Lord through the local church, and doing that until the day that God calls us home. Okay?
8 · The pastor traces the theme of suffering through Paul's life, showing that Paul moved from inflicting suffering on Christians to suffering himself for Christ, and that God declared suffering integral to Paul's calling from the moment of conversion
So let's think about Paul a little bit. This man's life was marked with suffering. Before he came to the Lord, he was inflicting suffering on Christians. Inflicting suffering, believing he was following the Lord. When God called him in the passage that we just read about, the Lord tells Ananias, go to this guy Saul and tell him that he must preach the gospel to the Gentiles and I am going to show him how much suffering he is going to endure. So from the very beginning of Paul's call, suffering was going to be a part of his life. His own suffering. His own suffering.
9 · The pastor recounts Paul's catalog of sufferings from 2 Corinthians 11 to demonstrate the extreme physical and relational cost Paul paid in his apostolic ministry, establishing the depth of suffering referenced in Ephesians 3:13
Paul makes this statement in 2 Corinthians. He's talking about— he's defending his call. On his life. There have been some false apostles came into the church at Corinth and were saying that Paul was not a true apostle. So Paul was put in a position to defend his calling. And one of the ways that he defended his calling was to list the type of suffering that he had gone through for the gospel's sake. And I'm not going to read the whole thing, but just a few things that he said about his suffering. That he had received 39 lashes from the Jews 5 times, that he had been beaten with rods 3 times, that he had been stoned once, that he had been shipwrecked, that he had gone without food, that he had been abandoned. This man knew suffering in his life.
10 · The pastor returns to Ephesians 3:13 and situates Paul's statement within its historical context of imprisonment in Rome, emphasizing that Paul's concern was not to minimize his suffering but to prevent it from causing the Ephesians to stumble in their faith
And so when we think back, look at verse 13 in chapter 3 again. He says, "So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory." Paul was in prison at this time. He was in Rome towards the end of his life waiting to be heard, waiting for his case to be heard by Caesar. He was a Roman citizen, and he had appealed his arrest that happened earlier in Jerusalem. He had appealed to Caesar. He was now in Rome in chains, Having survived a shipwreck, having survived a venomous bite by a snake, you can read about that in the last chapters of the book of Acts, and he's writing to these people in Ephesians saying, I don't want my suffering to be a stumbling block to you, causing you to lose heart.
11 · The pastor pivots to direct application, asking the congregation to consider whether suffering in their own lives or in others' lives is causing them to lose heart, mirroring Paul's pastoral concern for the Ephesians
Let me ask you this question. Is there suffering that you're going on, going through in your life that's causing you to lose heart? Just put that in your mind. We'll come back to it in a little bit. But is there suffering that you're going through or that someone you know is going through that's causing you to lose heart? Maybe you've been praying, and the Lord seemingly hasn't answered your prayer, and you're losing heart, you're growing weary. This was Paul's concern. These people knew him, they heard about him. He had given his life, 3 years of his life, to help them, and his concern was, I don't want you to lose heart and give up in your walk in following Jesus.
12 · The pastor exposits Ephesians 3:7-9 and poses the interpretive question of how Paul, the chief apostle to the Gentiles and author of much of the New Testament, could identify himself as the very least of all saints, suggesting Paul's past persecution of the church as a partial explanation
Let's look at this aspect of him being faithful to his call. In verse 7, this is back in Ephesians here, verse 7. Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given to me by the working of his power. 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, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for the ages in God, who created all things. How can Paul say he is the least? I am the very least of all the saints. And to me this grace was given. How can he say that? He was a man who through him much of the New Testament was written. He was the chief apostle to the Gentiles, but he identifies himself as the least of all sinners. Why is that? How can he say that? I think in part it was because of the fact that he persecuted the church.
13 · The pastor articulates a theological principle distinguishing complete forgiveness from the enduring memory of sin, arguing that believers carry scars not in condemnation but as reminders of grace, and that deeper awareness of forgiven sin produces deeper appreciation of God's grace
Even though he was forgiven, and obviously God restored him and gave him a ministry for the Lord to the church, I think the fact that he persecuted the church was something that he bore with him his whole life. Listen, folks, God forgives us of our sin completely. The Bible says if we confess our sin, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He cleanses us completely. But we carry some of the scars of our sin with us, not in condemnation, but to remind us of how great the grace of God is in our lives. That he has forgiven us of so much. So Paul will regularly, as you read through his letters, he will regularly identify himself as the chief of all sinners, as the least of all the saints, because he knows how deep his sin was and how great God's grace was to restore him to a place of forgiveness and usefulness in the kingdom. The same is true of us. The more that we realize how much God has forgiven us of, the more we'll realize how great His grace is, how amazing His grace is, how incredible His grace is.
14 · The pastor exposits Ephesians 3:9-10, defining the mystery as the inclusion of Gentiles in God's covenant promises, contextualizing how scandalous this would have been to first-century Jewish Christians who despised Gentiles, and explaining that this mystery is displayed through the church to spiritual powers in the heavenly realms
Look at this next verse. This is in— look at verse 9. And to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things. Now look at verse 10, so that through the church— and think about this, through our church, through local churches around the world, through the church— the manifold wisdom of God might be made known. Now look at this, to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places. To rulers and authorities. In heavenly places. What does that mean? The manifold wisdom of God through the church being made known to rulers and authorities in heavenly places. Let's go back and talk about what this mystery is. Today it's not so much a mystery, but when the Lord revealed it to Paul 2,000 years ago, 2,000 years ago, 500 years ago, Columbus discovered what we call America. 500 years ago. 1,500 years ago before that, this mystery was revealed to Paul, and he says that the mystery is that God's promises would go to the Gentiles. That's not a mystery to us anymore. It hasn't been a mystery for 2,000 years. Most of us in here are Gentiles, non-Jewish people. So we appreciate the fact that this mystery was revealed, that God's promises were not only for the nation of Israel, for Jewish people, but through God's love and amazing providence, He extended salvation to Gentiles, non-Jewish people. So that's not a mystery to us. We live in the goodness of that. But can you imagine how the Jewish people received this news? The Gentiles were looked down upon, despised, hated even. They were considered a people without the promises of God. And the Jews in religious pride elevated themselves above the Gentiles. So when Paul was making known the mystery of Christ, that the deep riches of the gospel would be spread to the Gentiles. Can you imagine how the Jews received that? How the Jewish Christians received that? Not easily. Not easily.
15 · The pastor applies the scandal of Gentile inclusion to contemporary barriers between believers, challenging the congregation to identify their own equivalent prejudices—racial, political, or social—that would make them uncomfortable welcoming certain people into the church
It's not a problem to us today. Let me ask you the question. Since it's not a problem to us, how does it apply to us today? Let me just ask you this personally. Is there a type of person or a race of person or a person of a certain political persuasion— 10 days away from the election, if you haven't noticed, it's a time where we might be having some disagreement in our community groups if we focused on politics, which we're not. Is there a type of person? Is there a race of person? Is there a political party that's influenced someone other than your political party? Is that person someone that if they came into your community group, if the Lord drew them to this church, you would have a hard time with them coming to the Lord and coming to your community group? Think about it. We're not immune from these things. There are all kinds of things that can separate us from God and from one another. But the mystery is that God has broken down the wall of separation between all of us.
16 · The pastor exposits Ephesians 3:10 using the Amplified Version and Brian Chappell's commentary to establish that the church's unity across racial, political, and social barriers serves as a cosmic display of God's wisdom to angelic and demonic powers, illustrating this with a personal story of denominational conflict resolved through gospel witness
And he has displayed his manifold wisdom. Let me read this to you out of the Amplified Version. This is verse 10 out of the Amplified Version. So that through the church, the manifold, complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might be made known even to angelic rulers and authorities, principalities and powers in heavenly spheres. This gospel that has saved us not only is meant to be a demonstration to those who watch us in our neighborhoods and our families. Hopefully there's been some people in your lives who have noticed that Jesus has changed your life. That you're different. I remember when Judy and I were young, we had just come to the Lord, and we had been given the label of, you know, Jesus people, Jesus freaks. And Judy came from a history of a very legalistic background, and she had an aunt— I think it was two aunts and maybe an aunt and a cousin— who traveled across Texas to sit down and talk with us because they thought we had lost our our salvation because we weren't going to the right denomination. They believed that only the people who went to their denomination were saved. And when they heard that Judy and I had left the denominations that we were part of and now we're serving the Lord in a new way, they were very concerned for our salvation. So they traveled all the way across Texas to sit down and spend an afternoon with us. And so Judy and I just sat, and they were like in their 70s probably. We were in our 20s, early 20s, maybe teens. To us they were really old. They were our age now. Anyway, they sat down with us, and very concerned, very sincere, you guys have lost your salvation because you're not going. To the church anymore. And so we explained to them what had happened in our hearts, how Jesus had come and changed us, and that while we were going to the church, even though we were going to the church, we were living a life of sin. We were deceiving ourselves and deceiving our family. And so we shared with them what had happened in our hearts. And by the end of like 2 hours of just talking to them and sharing our story, They were able to see that we love Jesus as much as they did. And it didn't matter what church we were attending. It mattered what happened in our hearts. So I trust that something like that has happened in your life. Not that you've got a 70-year-old aunt that's traveled across Texas, but that someone in your life has noticed that there's been a change in your heart. That's the manifold wisdom of God that's being displayed through the church. That I can worship next to you. That you can worship next to the person 4 rows in back of you. That we can be in the same home group together. That Republicans and Democrats can be really close friends. That it doesn't matter what race we are. It doesn't matter what background we are. The Bible says that at that day, at the end of time, when we're before the Lord, there'll be people from every race, every tribe, every people. The folks that Sam and Kaylee were sharing with in the Amazon area, the folks that we went to see in Guatemala and El Salvador, the people here in this— we'll all be together because of the power of the gospel. And that's not only a demonstration to our friends and neighbors. Paul says it's a demonstration to the angelic realm in the heavenlies. Now, I want you to think about that. You know, the angels and demons are not omniscient. They don't know everything. Paul writes and says, If the enemies of God knew what was going to happen on the cross, they wouldn't have sent Jesus to the cross. The demons didn't know that killing Jesus would bring redemption to the whole world. Angels are not omniscient. Demons are not omniscient. Only God knows everything. So there is a sense Paul is saying here that as we walk out our Christianity, as we love one another in the church, that the power of the gospel is on display and giving testimony to a great cloud of witnesses in the heavens, in the angelic realm. I want to read something to you. This is from Brian Chappell's commentary on Ephesians. This engrafting of the redeemed, this saving and bringing us all together as one body in the church, this engrafting of the redeemed is so amazing that it was God's intent to use it to display His wisdom to the heavenly beings. Our witness should not simply be about Jesus and me or about gaining approval or even about my living for the glory of God. It is about seeing the glory of bringing many people together of different and distasteful and even antagonistic backgrounds and having them together come freely and confidently before the Father to glory in the grace of the Savior. By loving the unlovely, showing grace to the angry, being forgiven towards the hurtful, being bold without bitterness in the face of attack, we show the glory of the wisdom of God to men and to angels. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that amazing how God will change our hearts towards him? The beauty of the gospel is that God redeems us and breaks down the wall, the barrier of separation between us and him. And between one another, and that gives testimony to men and to angels.
17 · The pastor shifts into direct pastoral concern, addressing the contemporary phenomenon of faith deconstruction among mature believers who fall away after tragedy or disappointment, connecting this to Paul's concern that his suffering not cause the Ephesians to lose heart
As I read this, here's my heart this morning. A few months ago, Ricky was— and I think this is back maybe when we were in Mark, I'm not sure. But Ricky made mention of the fact that there are some throughout the body of Christ who have been serving the Lord for years and now have fallen away and decided they're not going to follow Jesus anymore. And these are just not new Christians who've gotten confused. These are sometimes leaders in the church who have served the Lord faithfully for years, but they've somehow taken a look back and they have decided that what they believed about Jesus and about the church is no longer true, and so they pulled out of a relationship with God and the church. It's a falling away from the faith. It's called deconstructing your faith. And Ricky's comment was something like this. I don't want to misquote you, but it was something like this, that his observation was as he's read about some of these folks, and even known someone personally who this has happened to, that many times it's because of a tragedy in someone's life, a disappointment in their life that's caused them to doubt God's love, to doubt God's faithfulness, to doubt what they believed about the goodness of God. And they've been ruminating on that. Sometimes for years, thinking about it. Like a seed of doubt creeps in, and you think about it. And then something else happened. Another type of suffering happens, and you think about it for a little bit more. And that disappointment gains a foothold in a person's heart, and you start to lose heart. You start to wonder about God's character, about his goodness. And I think that's what Paul was concerned about. I think that's why he took this diversion away from what he was going to pray, starting in verse 14, that John's gonna cover next week. And he started talking to the Ephesians about his ministry, and about how his ministry was filled with suffering. And he didn't want his friends in Ephesus to lose heart because he was suffering. He didn't want them to lose faith in God.
18 · The pastor transitions to direct application, naming specific members suffering chronic illness and inviting the congregation to identify areas where suffering has caused doubt, framing continued faithfulness as spiritual warfare against demonic forces seeking to undermine faith through suffering
So I want to give you some words of application. I don't want you to try to turn to these scriptures because there's too many of them. But I'd like maybe if you could just close your eyes and listen to me read these scriptures. Because if you're facing discouragement because of suffering, if you're facing discouragement because of unanswered prayers, if there's been something in your heart that's caused you to doubt the goodness of the Lord, then these next 5 minutes are for you. I know they're for me. We have situations in our family's life that have been extended for many, many years. And there's times when Judy and I wonder, Lord, do you hear our prayers? I think about Nell Long. You all know Uncle Bobby. His wife Nell suffered for years with chronic, chronic pain. I think about people that can't attend on Sunday. I think about Rudy. I think about Sylvia who are— wish they could be with us, but they're still suffering and asking the Lord to help them. Think about your life. Is there anything in your heart that's causing you to doubt the goodness of the Lord? Because we have an enemy, and part of this display to the heavens is to the demonic realm who hate us, who hate Jesus and so hate us. And anything the enemy can do to spread doubt and sow doubt in our heart about the goodness of God, God, they'll continue to do, continue, continue. There's a battle going on, and we're going to be getting into that later in Ephesians when we hit Ephesians 6. So when we walk together as a church and encourage one another and continue walking strong in the Lord, it's not only a demonstration to the angelic spiritual forces on the Lord's side, but it's also a demonstration to the demons. As they're trying to throw stuff at us, as we trust the grace of God and the blood of Jesus, we're saying, we're going to follow you, Lord, to the end of our days. Until you call us home, we're going to follow you, come what may. Whatever suffering comes. Think about Paul. Beaten, shipwrecked, whipped, flogged, criticized, abandoned, and yet he continued to follow the one who called him.
19 · The pastor transitions to the sermon's climax by instructing the congregation to close their eyes and listen to a series of scriptures without visual aids, creating an immersive auditory experience focused on God's Word
Alright, so close your eyes and listen to these scriptures. Don't look at the screen. In fact, Mia, don't put anything up on the screen. Just listen to these scriptures and to the admonition.
20 · The pastor establishes the first principle of application: suffering in the Christian life is not an anomaly but a divine guarantee
So this is our application. Statement of fact: there will be suffering and tribulation in our lives. It's guaranteed by the Lord.
21 · The pastor cites two sayings of Jesus to establish that suffering is an explicit part of Christian discipleship—cross-bearing is the condition of following Christ, and tribulation is the guaranteed context of earthly existence
Mark 8:34, Jesus says, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." John 16, Jesus said, "I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world."
22 · The pastor cites apostolic exhortations calling believers to active confirmation of their calling, pressing on to lay hold of what Christ has laid hold of them for, and knowing the hope of their calling and the security of their inheritance
In 2 Peter, Peter writes, "Make your calling and election sure. Confirm it and steward it in your heart." Paul writes to the Philippians, "Lay hold on that for which also you were laid hold on by Christ Jesus." Another translation says, "Press on to make it your own because Jesus has made you his own. Ephesians 1:18 says, know what is the hope to which he has called you. 1 Peter 1, 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. To an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
23 · The pastor establishes the local church as the divinely ordained context for walking out the Christian calling, citing Paul's instruction to Timothy that the church is the household of God and the pillar and ground of truth
Walk out your calling in and through a local church. Paul writes to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3 and said, these things I write to you that you might know how to conduct yourself in the household of God, which is the church, a pillar and buttress of the truth.
24 · The pastor delivers the climactic exhortation not to lose heart, marshaling a rapid succession of five passages that establish trials as productive of faith, present afflictions as light compared to eternal glory, and Christ's endurance of the cross as the pattern for perseverance
And then finally, the exhortation. I've got about 4 scriptures here. Do not lose heart because of your sufferings, or the sufferings and trials of others that you're aware of. Do not lose heart. Listen to these scriptures. James 1: Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. 'For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.' 1 Peter 1: 'In this you rejoice, though now for a little while it is necessary that you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Listen to this, church. 1 Peter: Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him. And rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, as you attain the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 2 Corinthians 4: For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. Hebrews 12: 1 through 3. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which easily clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
25 · The pastor transitions from the exhortation to the conclusion by calling the congregation to stand and requesting that Ephesians 4:1 be displayed
I'd like you to stand with me. Amy, if you could put up that last verse from Ephesians 4.
26 · The pastor concludes by situating Ephesians 3 within the letter's overall structure, showing that Paul's concern about suffering not causing believers to lose heart leads directly to the exhortation to walk worthy of their calling in Ephesians 4:1
So we've been in Ephesians 3 this week and next week, and there might be something that you're thinking like, well, why did Paul write Ephesians 3? He spent Ephesians 1 and 2 talking about our position in Christ, our union in Christ, and the rest of the book he's going to be giving us very specific instructions on how to walk out the Christian life. But right in the middle of all that is Ephesians chapter 3. And so you might be asking, Well, why did Paul write this? Well, Paul tells us in the first verse of Ephesians 4. He says this: "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called." So church, that's his exhortation to us, is to walk in a manner worthy Worthy.
27 · The pastor issues a direct pastoral invitation for those experiencing discouragement from suffering or unanswered prayer to identify themselves by raising their hands so he can pray specifically for them
So I want you to close your eyes again just while you're standing. And I want to ask if there's suffering in your life or in the life of others that has discouraged you, that's caused a root of doubt in God's character to creep into your heart. You're struggling with maybe chronic pain or a family member, a child who hasn't come to the Lord. Or any type of situation where you've been trusting the Lord. Maybe there's family members who haven't come to the Lord, and you've been praying and praying and praying, and nothing's happened, and you've grown discouraged. If that's you, would you just raise your hand? Just lift up your hand. I want to pray with you.
28 · The pastor prays for the congregation, especially those who raised their hands, asking God to reveal his love and power through Christ and to strengthen them by the Holy Spirit to persevere without losing heart
Father, I pray for every person in this room, Lord, especially those with their hands up, that you would come and reveal your amazing love and power through the death and resurrection of your Son. Lord, help us to remain strong for you, to not be discouraged through suffering, to not lose heart, to not become weary, but Lord, to daily draw strength through the Holy Spirit from our amazing Savior. Father, thank you for your mercy and grace in our lives, for our time together this morning. In Jesus' name, amen. The Lord bless you all. Amen.
29 · A closing pastor (likely not Chuck Mosely) synthesizes the sermon's message by reiterating that Paul does not promise exemption from suffering but declares it worthwhile because of the gospel's global advance and God's glory displayed through the church's unity, then gives announcements and dismisses the congregation with Ephesians 4:1
Church, as we leave today, I want us to leave with the words of Paul ringing in our ears where he says, "I ask you not to lose heart over what I'm suffering for you, which is your glory." And I really felt like the Lord is speaking in that moment where Chuck was addressing folks that have seen suffering or experienced suffering and as a result are like, "Well, I guess I'm out." on Christianity, I'm getting wobbly on this. And what Paul does, he doesn't encourage people and say, hey, well, don't worry, you won't suffer the way I did. He basically says, no, no, no, this is the Christian life. But two things Chuck said make it worth it. One, the glory of what God is doing through the Christian life to proclaim the gospel to people all around the world, which advances through suffering, is worth it. And the glory of God shining out into the universe through the church, through suffering, following Jesus is worth it. And one day, on that last day, when we sing "Every tribe, tongue, and nation," and the people from Brazil and Guatemala and all around the world stand gathered, none of us will think it wasn't worth it. This is the path of Christ. As we go today, a couple quick announcements. There's no Grief Share or youth group today or tomorrow. Parents, we know there's a path there. Please help us keep the kids off the playground. We're almost there. And last, we have an upcoming Bowling for Teens tournament supporting the Cormells' nonprofit to help mentor teens. I would encourage you to grab a few folks that like to bowl and form a team. You can get flyers on the back table. Now the words of the Apostle Paul sends us into our week. Ephesians 4:1, I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. That great calling to follow Christ even through suffering, to proclaim the gospel through the church, that's our charge, Cross of Grace. And with that, Cross of Grace, you are sent.