Scripture
Today I am starting a new series on Ephesians 3 that I am calling, "Proclaiming the Unsearchable Riches of Christ."
The ESV Study Bible notes: "There are two main themes of Ephesians: (1) Christ has reconciled all creation to himself and to God, and (2) Christ has united people from all nations to himself and to one another in his church. These great deeds were accomplished through the powerful, sovereign, and free working of the triune God-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-and are recognized and received by faith alone through his grace. In light of these great truths, Christians are to lead lives that are a fitting tribute of gratitude to their great Lord."
In the second part of Ephesians 2 the Apostle Paul talked about our new identity in Christ (2:11-22). When Paul began chapter 3, he took up the report of his prayer for the Gentile churches (1:15-2:10). However, having introduced himself as the subject of the sentence, Paul broke off into yet another digression even before he got to the main verb! In today's text, Paul wrote about being called by God.
Let's read about being called by God in Ephesians 3:1-6:
1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles- 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 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. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. (Ephesians 3:1-6)
Introduction
"A boy grows up in a wealthy family in a major city of a sophisticated culture. As a child he is immersed in the orthodox religion of his country and attends one of the most well-known worship centers in the land. In that setting he becomes a disciple under one of the most influential leaders of his traditions. He becomes a zealot for his faith, passionately devouring its teachings and passionately pursuing its enemies. And, then, something amazing happens. Somehow, he becomes convinced that the very persons he has been opposing were right about their faith. And though they are small in number and despised by his religious leaders and culture, this young man joins the ranks of those he had so zealously opposed. He enters into a period of intense study, praying and fasting in order to fulfill a calling he believes he now has to take his new faith to others. In subsequent years, although his convictions and his actions cost him his reputation, his comforts, his freedom, and ultimately his life, this man of faith never wavers from his calling. What was his name?"
You may be thinking that I am describing the apostle Paul before his conversion, but actually "his name was…Jibreel al-Amreekee. He grew up in Atlanta and attended a well-known Baptist church before becoming a Muslim, joining allies of Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda and dying in 1997 while participating in a jihadist attack intended to 'plant a flag for Islam' in Kashmir." This description was given by Bryan Chapell in his commentary on this passage in Ephesians that I am following closely for today's message.
The parallels between the Apostle Paul and Jibreel al-Amreekee are striking. Bryan Chapell says, "Each was from quite a different cultural and religious background than he eventually felt called to promote. Each was willing to study, strive, and sacrifice for the calling he believed his God had placed upon his life. But we also realize that these conflicting callings cannot both be of God. This realization presses us to identify what kind of calling is genuine and what is counterfeit."
Lesson
Ephesians 3:1-6 teaches us that God calls a Christian to die to self and to live for others.
Let's use the following outline:
1. A Christian Dies to Self (3:1-2)
2. A Christian Lives for Others (3:3-6)
I. A Christian Dies to Self (3:1-2)
First, a Christian dies to self.
Paul's description of himself indicates his willingness to die to self. You remember that prior to his conversion-which took place dramatically on the road to Damascus when he had a personal encounter with the risen Lord Jesus Christ-his name was Saul. He was a brilliant Jewish scholar, a fast-rising Pharisee, who was named after Saul, the first king of Israel who was chosen because of his supremacy and stature above everyone else. After his conversion, the Apostle called himself "Paul" rather than "Saul." Do you know what "Paul" means? It means "small." So, he went from "Tall Saul" to "Small Paul," and that name change was very deliberate. For Paul, it was an affirmation that he was dying to self.
Dying to self, then, involves two things.
A. Dying to Self Involves Sacrificing Privilege
First, dying to self involves sacrificing privilege.
Prior to his conversion, Paul was a most remarkable man. He had the equivalent of two Ph.D. degrees. He was a rising star in his religious world. When writing to the Philippians, Paul spoke of his accomplishments when he said, "If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless" (Philippians 3:4-6).
But, after his conversion, everything changed. Indeed, as he wrote to the Philippians, "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Philippians 3:7-8a). Moreover, as he wrote in Ephesians 3:1a, "For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus." Paul was a prisoner in Rome. But he did not consider himself a prisoner of Rome. Neither did he consider himself a prisoner of Israel. No, he considered himself "a prisoner of Jesus Christ." From the moment of his conversion, Paul considered himself as belonging-body and soul-to the Lord Jesus Christ. He was utterly convinced that Jesus Christ had called him to himself in salvation, and he was utterly convinced that Jesus Christ had also called him to himself in service. So, no matter what he did or where he went, he went as one who was "a prisoner of Jesus Christ."
Now, to understand what is going on here we must realize that Paul was not feeling sorry for himself. No. He was glorying in sacrificing privilege for the sake of Christ. There was never any hint of complaint. Never a grumbling word of what he had to endure for his Savior. No! For the sake of Christ, he wrote to the Philippians, "I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him" (Philippians 3:8b-9a).
Bryan Chapell writes, "Genuine calling requires a willingness to forsake personal privilege. This is true whether the Christian is a pastor, a businessman, an athlete, an educator, or a mom. God may not require great sacrifice in our callings, but true devotion is always willing to dispense with privilege if God's glory requires it."
B. Dying to Self Involves Denying Merit
And second, dying to self involves denying merit.
Sometimes, Christians are willing to sacrifice privilege as long as their loss of privilege will earn them something. Yet, Paul's willingness to die to self involved not only a sacrifice of privilege, but also involved denying himself any merit. He wrote to the Ephesians in verse 2 about "the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you."
Paul was always struck by the fact that God did not call him to salvation and service because he was such a great guy. No, he was astonished that God in his grace gave him salvation, and that God in his grace gave him a service to perform.
It is as if Paul was saying to himself, "I cannot believe it! I had been involved in what I thought was pleasing to God. I was a Jew, I was of the tribe of Benjamin, I was a Pharisee, and I was obedient to the law. I was even a persecutor of the Christian Church. And yet, God marvelously humbled me. He gave me faith in Jesus Christ. And he gave me a ministry. None of this was the result of merit; it was all because of God's grace!"
Over and over Paul emphasized God's grace in his salvation and service rather than any supposed merit he might have contributed to his salvation and service. He said that "the mystery was made known to me by revelation" (3:3). He added that this mystery "has now been revealed…by the Spirit" (3:5). And, "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" (3:7).
One of the hardest things for Christians is to believe that our calling to salvation and to service is by grace alone. We want to contribute something in order to receive God's favor and blessing. We say, "If I am a good person, God will save me." Or, "If I work hard, God will use me and bless me." But, dear friend, that is all wrong! Bryan Chapell rightly notes, "Paul denies that what he has done, suffered, and sacrificed earns him anything. He knows that his heaven will not come by the work of his hands." And so it is for each one of us as well.
II. A Christian Lives for Others (3:3-6)
And second, a Christian lives for others.
The Apostle Paul saw himself as prisoner of Jesus Christ "on behalf of you Gentiles" (3:1). He said that "the stewardship of God's grace…was given to me for you" (3:2). In other words, Paul saw himself as a prisoner and as a steward for the sake of others.
Bryan Chapell says that "these words are also the testimony of New Tribes missionary Martin Burnham, who was…killed in the Philippines. Members of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group had held the Burnhams as prisoners for 376 days. During that time Martin was often used as a servant to carry the terrorists' supplies in treacherous terrain. But while bearing their loads he never complained, viewing even his servitude as a calling of God and an opportunity for the gospel. Though the Burnhams were increasingly weak and malnourished, when relief agencies managed to get food packages to them, they shared their food with their captors for their sakes. At one point Martin even repaired a satellite phone for his captors. He said to his wife, 'The Bible says serve the Lord with gladness. Let's go all the way. Let's serve him all the way with gladness.' The evidence of that resolve became apparent even to his captors who would debate about who would chain him every night. Each hated to be the one to chain him, because every night he would thank them. Why would anyone submit to be a prisoner and a servant of others with joy? The answer lies in the fact that over and over in the evenings Martin would patiently explain the gospel to his Muslim captors. He was living for them, and viewed his situation as a calling of God to minister the mysteries of the gospel to these lost souls."
In verse 3, Paul said that "the mystery was made known to me by revelation." God had revealed to Paul the mystery. Now, what did Paul mean by using the word "mystery"? In our day, a mystery is "something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain." However, in ancient times, a mystery was "the secret rites of an ancient or tribal religion, to which only initiates [were] admitted." Paul then explained to the Ephesians what the mystery was in verse 6, "This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." The mystery is that God planned to include Gentiles-non-Jews-into his covenant family.
Now, the church in Ephesus was made up largely of Gentiles, that is, of non-Jews. Imagine how encouraging it was for them to hear that God's plan included them in his covenant of salvation. God planned for saved Jews and saved Gentiles to have equal status before him. Paul, as he so often did, made up a new word to describe this new status of Jews and Gentiles. The word is "together" in Greek, and it is seen most clearly in the New International Version translation of verse 6, where Paul said, "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." Bryan Chapell says that Jews and Gentiles are "heirs together" and "this means they are part of the same family and will get the same blessings of the kingdom in the future. They are also 'members together,' meaning that they are part of the same body now and, finally, they are also 'sharers together' of the eternal covenant that extends from the past into the forever future."
Paul was teaching the Ephesians that the gospel promises salvation to all people. It is not just a promise to one group of people. It is a promise of salvation to anyone who will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. So, he says that both Jew and Gentile may be won by the gospel to Christ, and be together for ever.
This was the gospel promise that Martin Burnham claimed as he spoke to his captors who had abused him and his wife. He believed that when the gospel conquered the hearts of those who thought they were using him, those same men would actually be together with him in the church of Jesus Christ if they were to trust in Christ. All barriers and animosities and prejudices would be gone.
The gospel is for people who are so very different than ourselves, people who have different political views, different religious views, different economic views, different racial views, and so on. Let us be like the Apostle Paul, who said in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law…that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law…that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings."
Conclusion
Therefore, having analyzed being called by God in Ephesians 3:1-6, let us live so as to reflect our calling.
Almost every Christmas season, we watch It's a Wonderful Life. The story is about a man named George Bailey who wanted to travel the world and then do something big with his life so that he would make a difference in the world. However, his dream was dashed when he had to stay in little Bedford Falls to run the family Savings and Loan bank to keep it from falling into the hands of a rich old man named Mr. Potter who wanted to own the whole town. On Christmas Eve money was misplaced, and George Bailey became suicidal. He wished that he had never been born. George's guardian angel, Clarence Odbody, was sent to help him. Clarence showed George what Bedford Falls would have been like had he never been born. It would have been dramatically different-depressed, run-down, and destitute. George was shown that his life really did make a difference.
Friends, the gospel changes lives. The gospel makes us die to self and live for others. The gospel enables us to make a dramatic difference. The gospel enables us to make a dramatic difference in our families. The gospel enables us to make a dramatic difference in our places of work. The gospel enables us to make a dramatic difference in our neighborhoods.
Let us therefore realize God's grace in our lives, and live so as to reflect God's calling in our lives. Amen.
