Note that I preached on our Core Values in 2010 - four of the six messages were very different to what was preached then, but this one is very similar. As such I have removed the older sermon and just updated it.
Message
Praying and Worshipping
A sermon on Ephesians 3:14-21
Do you have days when you are thinking about something important.
… then you get distracted by something equally important.
… then after that you come back to what was previously important.
It happens. When it does we might be tempted to think, “I shouldn’t be so distracted.”
So I want to give you some encouragement today through our Scripture reading.
The encouragement is that it is ok to let important matters be distracted by other important matters.
In fact it is so ok that it happens in the Bible.
Ephesians 3:1
For this reason … goes back to 2:11-22
… Gentiles becoming part of the family of God.
… unity in the body with the dividing wall of hostility broken.
… the power of being fellow citizens built on the foundation of Christ.
Back to Ephesians 3:1 For this reason
… read verse 3:2
then Paul goes on to talk about the mystery of Christ, and preaching grace, and the heavenlies, and not to be discouraged.
Now let’s keep reading
Ephesians 3:14
So what is the reason he kneels?
All of these reasons … 2:11-3:13.
It is this powerful kneeling prayer based on all these reasons.
It is all important.
It is what drives Paul to his knees.
Let’s read the prayer Ephesians 3:14-21
The Amplified Version of the Bible translates Ephesians 3:20 as:-
Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us
Is that how we expect God to work?
Far above all that we dare to ask and think. Beyond our desires, hopes and dreams.
Or are our expectations of the way God works limited?
It is a good issue to think about because the “Law of Expectations” basically says that we only get out of life what we expect to get out of life.
In Job 3:25 Job says,
What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.
He focused on what he didn’t want and he got what he expected.
Paul on the other hand says in Philippians 1:20,
I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
He expected God to make a difference even when life couldn’t be perfect.
We will see what we expect to see. We will achieve what we expect to achieve. It is our expectations which mostly influence our happiness, our attitude in life, and our relationships.
So what Paul is trying to tell us in this text is that our limited expectations can stop us from tapping into the tremendous resources that God has made available to us.
God works far above all that we dare to ask and think.
God achieves far beyond our desires, hopes and dreams.
No matter how big we think – God is bigger than that. When you hear that in the context of speaking about the core values of the church you can see how that opens up a whole world of opportunity.
Our current circumstances should never stop us from expecting God to work in powerful and unimaginable ways.
The picture on the screen is an aerial photograph of a prayer meeting being held in South Korea. I suspect that there are more people in this photograph then there are at an NRL grand final. That is amazing isn’t it … especially when you realise that In 1900, only 1% of the country’s population was Christian. In 2010 three-in-ten South Koreans were Christian.
Not only that South Korea—with a population of 59 million—has 27,000 Korean missionaries ministering all over the world. They are bringing the Gospel to 140 countries … including Australia.
God is able to do superabundantly above what we dare ask or think.
1. São Tomé and Príncipe 11.50%
2. Bhutan 10.21%
3. Niger 7.14%
4. Singapore 5.66%
5. Iran 5.51%
6. Benin 5.40%
7. Azerbaijan 5.31%
8. Senegal 5.13%
9. Honduras 5.13%
10. Laos 5.07%
This is a list of the places where Protestant Christianity grew at the fastest rate between 2005-2015
God is able to work beyond our hopes, desires and dreams.
What about the area around our church? What about our field of influence?
Do we expect God to work like this here? Do we expect God to work like this through our own church? From a practical point of view it feels like the events taking place all over the world won’t happen in Australia.
But Christians are not called to be practical.
We are called to have faith in a mighty God.
Our current circumstances should never stop us from expecting God to work in powerful and unimaginable ways.
So what is it going to take to live in such a way that we never stop expecting God to work in unimaginable ways? The answer to that question is found in our text. It starts here:-
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. (Ephesians 3:16-17a)
Expectations are a heart issue. If we are going to change our expectations we need to start at the heart. We will keep expecting God to work in unimaginable ways when we keep on praying that Christ will dwell in our hearts.
So perhaps we need to stop being so busy with our Western World problems.
And give time to God so that we can dwell in Christ.
Taking the time to allow Jesus to make the transformations which are needed.
Quite a number of us have moved at some point in our lives. If you are one of these people who has moved into an old home you probably will find that you were not completely satisfied with how it was set-up. So you start to renovate.
It might only be a coat of paint.
Perhaps you get some new carpet.
You may even go to the extent of ripping out a wall or two.
Slowly but surely you put your own stamp onto the place. Your presence in that home characterises what that home eventually looks like.
When Christ is in your heart … the same thing happens. The presence of Christ will characterise us, change us and shape us. How is it going to happen? Colossians 3 gives some helpful answers.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
(Colossians 3:5)
8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other …
(Colossians 3:8-9a)
12 Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
(Colossians 3:12-13)
That is the renovation process … when Jesus is in us it changes us.
All our feelings – sadness and joy, lows and highs, a generous spirit and a vindictive spirit – are given to Jesus so that He can channel them into holy directions.
All of the thoughts that roll around our head are handed over to Jesus so that He can erase them, edit them or enhance them.
All of our calendars – our social calendar, our work calendar, our family calendar – have an open invitation for Jesus to come into them and move through them.
It’s not just about knowing that Jesus died for your sin. It’s about letting the death of Jesus for you direct every aspect of your being. When this happens our expectations of what God can do just grow and grow.
That is one part of the prayer … but the pray continues.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
(Ephesians 3:17b-19)
Knowing love … the love of Christ … is central for having the right perspective. We will keep expecting God to work in unimaginable ways when we keep praying to have the power to grasp the significance of Christ’s love for us.
In any relationship love is a very significant factor. If love is missing a relationship will either lead by obligation or lead by domination. And Jesus does not want to have a relationship of obligation or domination with us. Instead Jesus wants us continue being overwhelmed by the significance of His sacrifice for us on the cross.
It is through the cross that Jesus most clearly reveals His desire for us to be renewed and restored.
He wants to see the damaged parts of our lives healed up.
He wants us to know that we have been set free to enjoy life.
He wants a personal intimate relationship of fellowship and hope.
That is what the cross is all about. To bring those who are fractured, broken and at a loss back into the loving and caring arms of God.
That’s the cross … and that is where love is found.
Love which allows us to make mistakes, and stumble in our faith, and sin … yet love which still sees us as precious.
It’s this love which gives us a real incentive to move forward to greater maturity … even when our actions have not always been so mature.
This is the love of Jesus. It means we can turn the page of our calendar, or go to a fresh sheet in our dairy, or start a new day at work, without having to be concerned about the impact of what we did yesterday and the day before.
When this happens our faith will be able to stand even against the strongest winds because we will be standing on a firm foundation of forgiveness. When we are standing in this place our expectations of what God can do will grow and grow and grow.
That is the prayer.
A prayer that Christ will dwell in us.
A prayer that we will see Christ’s love to us.
It’s the road that enables us to have unimaginable expectations about what God can do. Basically it all comes down to body language doesn’t it.
You see, even if you cannot hear what someone is saying with their lips, you can often read their body language. Body language is posture, gesturing, facial expressions, the way you present yourself to others. And that may speak volumes, even though your voice is saying nothing.
What’s our body language as a Church … as the people of God? We have been focussing on our core values in these past weeks. We have said that we want to be people who are:-
Word Focussed
Mission Minded
Equipped as Disciples
Strengthened in our Gifts
A Supporting Community
That is who we are.
That is who we want to keep being.
But …
… if our posture is not right … because we are not getting down on our knees
… and if our body language is sending mixed signals … because we keep going in our own strength.
Nothing of real significance is going to happen.
That is why we need this core value.
PRAYING AND WORSHIPING
To rely on the power of God by being a community which glorifies God in all that we do.
God is able to do in this community immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.
Despite what has happened in the past.
Despite what is happening around us in our society.
Despite what we have seen so far.
All we need to do is ask.
Prayer
Father, You are able to accomplish immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine. Make us grasp fully the breadth, and the length, and the height and the depth of Christ’s love. We recognise that this s a love which surpasses all knowledge in order that we may be completely filled with the fullness of Christ.
Father, from the abundance of Your grace to us grant us the strengthening of Your Spirit so that we may have the desire to renovate our lives as Jesus dwells in us. May we in all our lives be grounded in the love and grace of a Saviour who was willing to give everything to make us a precious part of Your family.
We ask this in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen
