Confidence in Christ
Text: Ephesians 3:1-13
By: Ken McKinley
(Read Text)
Last time we started discussing this passage and we talked about how a person introduces themselves says something about them. I also would say that the songs a church sings say something about it. I got this in an email.
Slight Modifications to Traditional Church Songs that reflect the uncertainty and lack of commitment in our day.¡¨
1.My Hope is Built on Nothing Much (as opposed to My Faith is Built on Nothing Less).
2.Oh How I Like Jesus (as opposed to, Oh How I Love Jesus).
3.Joyful, Joyful, We Endure Thee (as opposed to, Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee.)
4.Ok is Thy Faithfulness (as opposed to, Great is Thy Faithfulness).
5.I Surrender Some (as opposed to, I Surrender All).
While we might smile at some of those, but Im glad that the email I got was only a joke. But I really do think that the songs a church sings, says something about it, so does the preaching of a church, and so does the entire worship service.
Now last time we looked at this passage and we saw how Paul was involved in sacrificial service. We also saw that his suffering was a direct result of his service and so the question we should ask is: How can we be like Paul and serve like he did, not only doing the works we've been called to do, but having the confidence that Paul had to do them. You see; I think that a lot of our problem, when it comes to stepping out in boldness for the Lord, is that we have very little confidence.
Well when we look at our text, we see that Paul emphasized that the Gospel message was and is a gift. In verse 2 he says that it was given to him for his readers; in verse 3 he says that God made it know to him by a revelation, in verse 5 he writes that it was revealed by the Holy Spirit, in verse 7 he says that he has become a minister according to this gift of grace, in verse 8, again he says that grace had been given. And so Paul is saying that the origin of this message is not from him, but rather it is from God. And we are not the owners of the Gospel either, we are stewards of the Message, and it is our privilege to tell others about the Good News.
You see, the Gospel is true whether the people we share it with, believe it or not. It is true whether the people who ARE SHARING it believe it or not. A lot of people are like Pontius Pilate, they are relativists; they think there is no definite truth. To them something is only true when they believe it themselves, but if they dont believe it, then it must not be true. The problem with people like that is that they have no certainty in their lives. When truth becomes relative, absolutes slip away.
But as Christians, our confidence does not rest in us, in our ability, in our education, in our position, in our circumstances; it rests in the fact that the Word of God is absolute, unchanging truth.
Paul says that God has given him the grace so that he might proclaim the truth of His word so that Gentiles will be fellow heirs, part of the same body of Christ, and partakers of God's promises in Christ, through the Gospel. And notice that Paul says that prior to this revelation from God, all of this was a mystery.
The Greek word for mystery is the word mysterion, it doesn't mean that it is unknowable, it means that it is only known to those it has been revealed to, to everyone else it remains unknown. You see, before Christ came it wasn't quite clear how God would save fallen humanity. Thats why so many thought that Jesus would set up an earthly kingdom, and they missed it when He instead set up His spiritual kingdom first, and the new heavens and earth won't come until later. People knew that a Messiah was coming:
In Genesis He was the ram that God provided so that Isaac would not die.
In Exodus, He was the One who delivered His people.
In Leviticus He was the scapegoat offered for the people¡¦s sins.
In Numbers He is the rock promised to provide living water.
In Deuteronomy He is the prophet who is to come and must be heard.
In Joshua He is the man with a drawn sword, the Lord of Hosts.
In Judges He is faithful and just, and gives complete deliverance.
In Ruth He is the kinsmen redeemer.
In 1st Samuel He is the anointed King.
In 2nd Samuel He is the promised Son of David.
In Kings and Chronicles He is the King who sits on David¡¦s throne.
In Ezra He is the great High Priest.
In Nehemiah He is the wall of protection.
In Esther and Job He is the protector of His people, the One whose providence decides all things and our advocate..
In Psalms He is the Shepherd.
In Proverbs He is Wisdom.
In Ecclesiastes He is the true Teacher who gives meaning.
In the Song of Solomon He is the lover.
In Isaiah He is the suffering Servant.
In Jeremiah He is the one who makes a new covenant with His people.
In Lamentations He is the one whose compassion never fails.
In Ezekiel He is the wheel that¡¦s within the wheel.
In Daniel He is the rock that comes from heaven and destroys the idol.
In Hosea He is the forgiving husband.
In Joel He is the reason for the Spirit¡¦s outpouring.
In Amos He is the restoration of David¡¦s fallen tent.
In Obadiah He is the destroyer of the proud.
In Jonah He is the one brought up after three days and nights.
In Micah He is the Shepherd from Bethlehem.
In Nahum He is the refuge in the time of trouble.
In Habakkuk He is the only one is righteous.
In Zephaniah He is the one who rejoices over you.
In Haggai He is the promised greater glory.
In Zechariah He is the Lord who rebukes Satan and
In Malachi He is the refiners¡¦ fire.
I said all that to make a point. We sometimes forget that the entire Bible is about Christ. The saints in the Old Testament knew a Savior was coming; they just got mixed up on all the details.
And so, what the Holy Spirit has revealed through the teaching of the apostles rightly interpreted the Old Testament, and gives us the full revelation of God's plan of redemption; that even the Gentiles who were outside of the promises of God, can also be redeemed and saved. Thats what Galatians 3:14 says, "That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
And so we can have confidence because we have the Holy Spirit residing within us. The promise has been fulfilled and we are now partakers of the blessings of God through faith.
In verses 6, 7, 8, and 9 Paul talks about this new relationship we who were not Jews by birth now have with God. He talks about how we have become fellow heirs, how we¡¦ve become part of the Body of Christ, how we are now partakers of the promise through the Gospel, and we are in fellowship with other members of the church. And then in verse 10 Paul says that this manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the Church. So again we can have confidence because we read here that Gods chosen means of telling others about the good news is none other than the Church. That means us who are His... we who belong to Christ.
We are to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. We are to be doing the Great Commission.
I once heard it put this way; History concentrates its attention on kings and presidents, on politicians and generals, but Christianity concentrates on a group it calls the Church, who are often the unimportant people in world affairs, they are unknown to the world, and yet well known to God. History concentrates on wars, battles and peace treaties, followed by yet more wars, battles and peace treaties. The Bible concentrates on THE war between good and evil and on the victory won by Jesus Christ over the power of sin and Satan, and on the peace that was won by His blood, and the peace that was offered by a sovereign God to His enemies who will repent and believe. History looks at the ever changing map of the world as one nation defeats another, and on the rise and fall of empires. The Bible concentrates on a multi-national community called the Church, which has no territorial boundaries but it claims nothing less that the entire world for Jesus Christ, whose rule and reign will never end.
So we can have confidence because God has determined to use us to demonstrate His purposes in this world. That is what Paul tells us in verse 11 and 12 (Read).
We can be confident in what we believe and proclaim because our confidence isn¡¦t based on our ability, but is instead based on the work of Jesus Christ for us. We can have confidence in what we proclaim because the message isn't from man. its not from us; its from God almighty to us and for us.
The focus of our faith should be on Christ alone, for He is the Author and Finisher of our faith.
CLOSING AND INVITAITON
