Intro
Q. Are you familiar with the word “capricious”
- The Greek gods in the days of the Ephesian Church were known to be capricious
- Dictionary definition = “subject to sudden changes in behaviour, mood or opinion, often for no good reason”.
- You never knew where you stood
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- In a Greek legend, Mudusa was one of the 3 Gorgons (which is a terrifying feminine monster). The 3 Gorgons were all sisters and all 3 had a very dangerous power - their gaze turned men to stone
- One version of the story says that Medusa was beautiful at first, with long flowing hair, but she angered Athena the goddess of wisdom & war by violating her temple.
- So true to the capricious nature of the gods, the jealous and angry Athena turned Medusa into a snaky-haired killer with menacing teeth and brass claws.
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- The gods of the ancient world were not only capricious but wilful & needed their egos to be constantly appeased
- They were prone to assuming human form in order to "play" with their human subjects
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Q. Is this the picture we get of the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ?
- The title of the sermon is “God’s goodwill toward us”
- Goodwill means an attitude of kindness, friendliness and benevolence
- It means that God desires a healthy & beneficial relationship with us
- That toward His people flows a river of constant goodwill from God
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Q. How do we know that God has constant goodwill toward us?
- We know it by His actions – they speak louder than words
- In this letter to the Ephesian Church, the apostle Paul not only tells us of what Jesus has done for us, but the benefits that flow from what He has done
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Q. Can we believe that this letter is true to the thoughts & actions of God? I say, absolutely!
- The first thing we need to do, however, is accept the apostles’ authority
- If we don’t accept that the apostle Paul’s words are a true reflection of God’s love towards us, then these words will not have much meaning
1. Paul’s Authority as an Apostle
- Here he not only claims that he is a messenger of Jesus Christ, which is what an apostle is, but that God willed it
- So he is not wanting to give you his opinion on the matter, but God’s
- He hasn’t set himself up as a guru & self-proclaimed expert, but one who is under the authority of Jesus Christ
- This same man was a persecutor of Christians
- He is responsible for the first brutal death of a Christian
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- Steven was one of the leaders in the church at Jerusalem
- He was brought before the supreme court of Israel called the Sanhedrin & there spoke out against their refusal to obey God & accept Jesus as the Messiah
- They became so enraged at him that they immediately ordered his execution
- It was Paul who was the then called Saul who was in charge of his execution
- Once that was completed, Saul made it his ambition to force the church out of existence
- He went on a persecution spree – it became his full-time job to seek out & bring Christians to trial
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- But Jesus had other plans for Saul
- And on the road to Damascus, Saul’s mission of persecution came to an abrupt halt
- It was on this road that Saul, who became Paul, had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ
a. Paul’s personal encounter with Jesus Christ
Ac 9:3-6 ..... 3 As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6 but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.”
- Not only did Jesus save Paul from his sins by granting him forgiveness even for his persecution against His Church, but He assigned him a mission – a task that he was to find out about when he reached Damascus
Ac 22:12-16 ..... 12 “A certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there (in Damscus), 13 came to me, and standing near said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very time I looked up at him. 14 “And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth. 15 ‘For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16 ‘Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.’
- This encounter, more than anything, would have transformed this zealous persecutor into a zealous messenger of Jesus Christ
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- Paul has the credentials to tell us the truth about God the Father & Jesus His Son
- He has the authority of an apostle
b. Apostolic Authority
Q. What was the important things that qualified one as an apostle of Christ?
- 2 things: 1. You have to have seen the risen Jesus & 2. Be sent or commissioned by Him to be a witness of His resurrection
1 Co 9:1 ....(talking about rights & freedoms). Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
Ga 1:11-12 ..... 11 For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
- That revelation was not something that just jumped into his mind
- The revelation was the literal appearing of the risen Jesus to him on the road to Damascus – it’s historical
- That is something you would not forget – neither would your companions who had to guide you for 3 days journey into Damascus because you were blind
- Jesus blinded Paul for 3 days & it was only after he spoke with Ananias in Damascus that the scales fell off his eyes & he could see
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- This is a man who had to admit that what he had done was evil
- This is a man who had to admit to being on the wrong path
- This is a man who faces his old peers that now see him as the enemy
- This man is truly qualified to tell us the truth about God & Jesus Christ
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- And how interesting that the first thing he talks about in this letter is about the...
2. Goodwill from God the Father & the Lord Jesus Christ
- If anyone knew about the goodwill of God it was Paul
- This persecutor of the church experienced first hand the grace & forgiveness of God
- Instead of destroying him he spared him & entrusted him with the important role of making Christ known to the world
- I guess someone who truly realises their horrible sin against God, would be so grateful for his forgiveness as to dedicate his life to His service
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- Paul says that God’s goodwill is expressed by His grace & peace
- Grace & peace are not static as if it were just given at one time in the past
- Grace & peace are ever flowing toward us as God’s people
- God knows our lives, the struggles we face, the tempations & sin & yet He still has goodwill toward us
- That goodwill should not be taken for granted, but should be a means by which we can grow to be more like Christ
a. Grace
“When I get to heaven, I shall see three wonders there: The first wonder will be to see many there whom I did not expect to see; the second wonder will be to miss many people whom I did expect to see; the third and greatest of all will be to find myself there” (John Newton, author of hymn “Amazing Grace”).
- This is the definition of grace: “a beneficent disposition toward someone, favor, grace, gracious care/help, goodwill”
- What we find in God’s grace is a continuous disposition of goodwill, care, love & help
- God knows our weaknesses & feels our pain & in spite of our failures, His disposition is to show patience & grace
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Q. How would He understand our struggles up there in heaven, someone might ask?
- The simple answer is because He came down here to earth & experienced them for Himself
- Jesus, God incarnate, lived life here on earth with all the temptations you & I experience
- You cannot say, Oh but I’m a special case, He has no idea what I’ve experienced – He has no idea what I’ve done
Heb 4:15 ..... 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
- Never let it be said that God doesn’t understand
- This is God’s disposition towards us – the default is always “grace”
- And how important is it to soak up His grace while we can, because one day, grace will no longer be available for those who shun the Lord
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- But do you realise that grace is not something you received in the past
- It is something ever present
- Grace means removal of past sins; Grace means present transformation
- Without God’s grace, we cannot be transformed into the likeness of Christ
- As in Don Carson’s song that we sing: “Pour of your grace again...in this shameful hour”
- It’s a plea for the transforming power of God’s grace into our lives
- So that we will be better wives, better husbands, better Christians
Q. Remember when Paul begged the Lord Jesus to remove that “thorn” from his flesh?
- This was some problem with his circumstances
- Some say it was a sickness, other say it was a person (a false prophet/teacher)
Q. What was the Lord’s response?
2 Co 12:9 ..... 9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”.
- “Forget your circumstances Paul – no matter what your situation, My grace is sufficient for you”
- It is through the grace of God that change happens & through the grace of God we stay in right relationship with our Father in heaven
b. Peace
- In the 1960’s – in the flower-power revolution – was the catch cry “Peace man” & “make love, not war”
- Even today, there is this overwhelming desire to live in the world without trouble & strife
Two American Indians were talking things over in a fox hole between air raids during World War II. "The way I figure it," one said, "is that when they smoked the peace pipe in 1918, nobody inhaled!"
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- The Bible certainly talks about peace as in the absence of strife, but there is another kind of peace which is what the apostle means here
- And no, it is not the mystical new age “inner peace” either
- It shares the same meaning as the Hebrew word for peace – “Shalom”
- If my leg is broken, then I am not functioning as I should – I’m broken
- If I am not right with God – that is, I’m not a Christian – then my soul is broken
- People continuously try to patch up their lives with all kinds of substitutes – they immerse themselves in...
causes / drugs / entertainment / wild living/parties / even their work
- But deep down there are huge voids & they know something’s broken – they know something is not right
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- On the one hand, they don’t want “religion” - to be known to belong to Jesus, but on the other hand, they hate their life
- It’s like a doctor who says you need surgery, but you’d rather go for the band aid & pills
- This person has no peace – they are not whole – they are not what God intended them to be
- Peace means wholeness & God has given us this wholeness in 2 stages:
1. In the 1st coming of Jesus Christ
- When Christ came, He brought us into a right relationship with our Creator God – He made us whole
- The void so many experience deep down has been filled with the One who was meant to fill it – our Creator God
- Christians can know true joy in difficult & almost overwhelming situations because they have this wholeness from God
2. In the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ
- This is when all creation is restored & made whole
- Sickness & death means that physically we are not whole – we are broken
- Jesus & the apostles gave us a taste of this physical wholeness in the great miraculous healings – in Jesus’ victory over sin & death
- But it is not until the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ that we will be made totally whole – in tack, no longer broken
Ro 8:19-23 ..... 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
1 Co 15:53-54 ..... 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory.
- As Christians we have the present reality of wholeness – of true & complete reconciliation with our Creator God & the present expectation/hopes of a future wholeness in body
c. Known as Saints, known as Faithful
Q. Who are saints?
Q. Is there a special class of Christians who are regarded as saints?
- Here the apostle refers to the entire church as “saints”
- Saint means “holy one” - someone who has been set apart for God’s use
- That’s a challenge isn’t it – we like the idea of being considered a saint, but perhaps not so keen on the idea that we are not our own – that we are for the exclusive use of God
1 Co 6:19-20 ..... do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
- You see, if you are a Christian, you are a saint – you belong to God & are for His exclusive use
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- What should naturally flow from being exclusively God’s is that we would be faithful
- Being part of God’s family means living by the norms of that family
- Just as a dog behaves like a dog, a cat like a cat, a monkey like a monkey, a Christian should behave like a Christian
- A Christian shows himself as a Christian when he shows everyone that he belongs to Jesus Christ
- And being faithful to Christ says it all
Old Faithful is not the largest geyser in Yellowstone National Park, nor does it reach the greatest height. But it is by far the most popular one. Why? It is regular and dependable, hence its name, “Old Faithful.”
Old Faithful is constant & predictable in its eruption which are between 20-30 minutes apart
Senator Mark Hatfield who, while visiting Mother Teresa & her work in Calcutta, asked, “How can you bear the load without being crushed by it” She said, “My dear Senator, I am not called to be successful, but faithful”
- This is indicative of what the Church of Jesus Christ should be
Conclusion
- In Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of the “Ugly Duckling” we find a little “duck” who never knew anyone with a good disposition towards him
- He knew of no goodwill from anyone until he grew up & became a worthy, beautiful swan
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- In contrast to this, the Christian has come out of the world as ugly & as scared with sin as anyone could imagine
- We all are unworthy of the benevolence of God
- Yet it is precisely what He gives
Ro 5:8 ..... 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
- God’s goodwill to us is not because of our worthiness or beauty
- But because we belong to Jesus Christ
- Stay close to Jesus & you will know the constant goodwill of God: the grace & peace from God the Father & the Lord Jesus Christ
