Being a Family on Mission | Ephesians 3-1-13
-
Good morning again, church. Good morning again. Well, like I said, Pastor Charlie had a sermon prepared, he's going to continue on in the Sermon on the Mount series. And then I got that text this morning that he and his wife were sick all night. And so the text and the sermon points are going to be a little bit different on screens as they are in the bullets. And because I'm going to pivot to a different topic this morning, Pastor Charlie was going to preach in the next passage through the Sermon on the Mount series, it was going to be on the topic of anger, and forgiveness. And apparently, God thought that no one at First Baptist struggled with anger or forgiveness at all. And so we're going to pivot instead to a different topic, I'm going to let pastor Charlie, cover that because he's researched it in depth all week long, I'm gonna let him return to that next Sunday. Instead, we're going to be in Ephesians chapter three, this morning, Ephesians chapter three, I'm going to be reading verses one through 13. And God laid this passage on my heart this morning, because we're recognizing our graduates at both services. And so this passage talks a lot about being a family on mission. This Sunday, for parents is one of both excitement and dread, when they send off their graduates, as they send them off into the world. We're filled with excitement to see what they do, how they bear fruit for the Kingdom. We're also feared, and anxiety can hold us back as well. And so this morning, no matter what life stage your family is, in, I believe God wants to speak to us through this passage and remind us that our family, no matter what it may look like today, is a family that is supposed to be living on mission according to God's mission and not our own smaller missions. So let me read this passage for us. And then we'll dive into says in Ephesians, chapter three verse one. For this reason, I Paul, the prisoner for 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 and other generations as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 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. verse seven says this, of the of this gospel, I was made a minister, according to the gift of God's grace, which is 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 ages and God, who created all things, so that through the church, the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the rulers, and authorities and the 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. final verse here in verse 13. So I ask you not to lose heart, over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory, which pray with me, and then we'll dive into it. Lord, we thank You for this passage. We thank you for your words, that is perfect. It's inherent. Laurie asked that you would speak to us now that your spirit would be here in this place, that you would reveal to us exactly the goodness of the gospel, and the application of living on mission no matter what stage our family might be in love, we pray for our graduates, for our children as we're discipling them that they grow up walking in the ways of the Lord and be sent out as salt and light. For you. We pray this all in Christ's name, Amen. So the first point I have for us this morning, is that families on mission submit to Christ families on mission submit to Christ. When Jesus rises from the dead, He gathers His disciples and He proclaims to them all authority on heaven and on earth belongs to me. Paul knows this truth. And so he writes in verse one for this reason, I Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles. He says that we are prisoners to Christ. Paul had literally been a prisoner multiple times in his life. He is currently now sitting in a Roman prison writing this to the church at Ephesus. And yet he does not see himself as a prisoner to Rome, but as a prisoner to Christ. He's sitting there in a prison with Roman chains on and yet he does not give in and say I am a prisoner to Rome. No, he says instead, that he is a prisoner to Christ. In other words, he recognizes that he belongs to Jesus, His life, his dreams, his career, his every waking moment belongs to Christ, he lives under the authority of The risen King, Jesus. And it's the same for you and I today that if we are a Christian, if we're a follower of Jesus, then we are also a prisoner to Christ. Often when we think of being a prisoner that has a negative connotation, but if you know that this Christ to whom you are a prisoner is Lord of all, and He is all powerful and all good at the same time, then it's not a bad thing to be a prisoner to this Christ. If we are followers of Jesus, then we must submit to Christ if we're to have Kingdom focused families, we need to submit to Christ and to his mission. You know, every organization has a mission, and a mission statement. Right. And in the same way, we, as families, have our various missions. So often, we get distracted with other insignificant goals and missions and we lose sight of Christ, and God's mission for us and for our families. In just a couple of weeks, I'm going to be celebrating 10 years of serving here at First Baptist and I've been privileged to disciple so many different students and interact with so many different families. And it's been a blessing and a joy to our family. But over the same 10 years, I've seen families struggle with keeping God's mission as their family's mission. So often, we see young people get distracted with lesser, more insignificant missions. And so what are some examples of that? Well, one, maybe the mission of one family could be, let's make our kids as happy as possible. Let's give them whatever they asked for let's go wherever they want to go. Let's live according to their schedule. Because the mission of our family is trying to make our children as happy as possible. That may not be the best mission for your family. Another mission for a family may be let's be as successful as possible. Let's always try to have the newest car, the newest boat, the newest shoes, the newest iPhone, success is not an evil thing. And signif success is not a bad thing. But when set set, when success becomes the main thing, and the main mission of your family, you get derailed. From God's mission, a mission that can make you so much more joyful and happy than the things of this world can make you. I've seen some families get distracted with the mission of let's try to help our children get a sports scholarship or become a professional athlete. And that drives your calendar directs your resources. And they may even determine your level of involvement at your local church. Again, it's not a bad thing. And if your children have the talents, go ahead and push them. Let's take it as far as as we can, so that they can glorify God through their God given talents, that may be a good thing. But that cannot be the main mission of your family. One day, when we're standing before Christ, a billion years from now, it's not going to matter about how successful we were about what scholarships our children got, are about how happy they were all the time. What's going to matter. A billion years from now when we're standing before Christ was whether or not we were faithful to him and to his mission. You see, God gives us a more significant mission, a mission to reach the world for Christ, a mission to follow after Jesus and to not only be disciples but to make disciples and when you live according to that mission, God's mission, you'll find so much more joy than any of these other worldly pursuits, can offer. So the first thing for us this morning is that families on mission submit to Christ, families on mission submit to Christ. The second is this is a family's on mission. Abandon comfort, abandon, comfort. One pastor said it like this if you want to follow Jesus in this world, comfort and safety are no longer your concern. Paul goes on in verse four, and he says, when you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ. And then he says in verse five, which was not made known to the sons of Men and other generations, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. And verse six this mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. You see, in Christ, we belong to a diverse kingdom, the mystery that he talks about here in verse four, the mystery of Christ is this is that the kingdom of God is not just for Jews anymore, because of Christ's now the kingdom of God is for all types of people that missed the mystery of Christ is that now that the gates of heaven are open to every nation, and tribe, and tongue. And so if that's true, then we must as followers of Jesus pursue those who are different from us. According to tradition, Jewish men would often pray this prayer in the morning when they got up in Jesus's time Jewish men would say something along these lines, God, I thank you, that I am not a Gentile, I'm not a woman and not a slave. You see, they did not have a heart to pursue those who were different from them. But if we belong to Christ, then our heart beats for the same things that God's heart beats for, and that is people from every nation, and tribe, and tongue. Paul says that he was the Jew of Jews, and yet he was transformed by the gospel and is now a missionary to the Gentiles. And in the same way, if we are followers of Jesus, we must pursue those who are different from us. In order to do that, our families must abandon comfort, we must abandon comfort. You see, Paul, he endured shipwreck, he endured prison. He endured beatings in order to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. And if we're going to bring this same gospel of good news of great joy about Jesus Christ, to those who are different from us, it's going to be uncomfortable. At times, it may require sacrifice from you and from your family. If we're going to serve people who are a different race from us, reach out to those who are from a different social class, even share with those who belong to a different religious background, it's going to require sacrifice, and it's going to be uncomfortable. I was so proud of her spring break, to watch our students live this out in action as they served in Clarkston, and interacted with people from over 15 different countries, many of them practicing other religions. And they were so faithful to God's mission that week. And you know what it required it required them abandoning comfort, they had to sleep in different beds that they were not used to, they had to stay in different place where they were used to they had to endure hot temperatures during the day, sharing the gospel playing games with kids. And because of that, we were able to share the gospel with multiple children who had never heard about Jesus before. And when our students finished sharing with them, they asked them Have you ever heard this good news about Jesus before they said, No. These were children from other countries who have been persecuted by other groups in their own country. And so they've fled to the US and found safety here. And yet they've still have not heard about Jesus. If we're going to live according to God's mission. It's going to a bit we're going to have to abandon comfort. And yet at the same time, we're going to find great joy. The third point for us this morning is that families on mission, expand the kingdom families on mission expand the kingdom, verse seven says this 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. See, in verse seven, Paul embraces the responsibility of being a minister for Christ. When he uses that word, Minister, he's literally talking about an official who was given a particular area of responsibility. If you were to draw a circle in your life of particular area of responsibility, who would be in that circle? If you thought about your personal circle of accountability? Who would be in that circle of influence? What people at work? Students, if you still go to go to school, university, which peers are in that circle? What about people from your neighborhood, people on your sports team, people in your family? Who is in your circle of influence? And then once you draw that circle in your life, you can think who is in the circle of influence that does not have a relationship with Jesus Christ? What if all of us saw ourselves as ministers of the gospel those who had been given a particular area of responsibility and we took responsibility for sharing and reaching out to the people We're all in our circle of accountability. I think that we would see God do a mighty work here in moncks corner. Paul goes on to say in verse eight to me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. When you receive God's grace, Paul says, Here it humbles you. Paul received the gift, the gift of God's grace, and immediately God's grace will make you humble. He says that I am the very least of all the saints. And another thing that happens when you receive God's grace is that you become not only humble but you become a grace giver. He says to those who receive grace, we now give grace. He says in verse eight, these, this grace was given to me to print preach to the Gentiles, the unsearchable riches of Christ. I love that phrase. If you have different translation of your Bible, reading this morning, you may see the phrase the unsearchable riches of Christ, the incalculable riches of Christ, or the incomprehensible riches of Christ, whatever it is, I love this phrase here. Because basically, what this means is that, as we tell others about Jesus, it is impossible to overstate the greatness of our God. It is impossible to exaggerate about the grace and love and glory of our God. His riches are on searchable, says in verse nine and to bring to light for everyone, what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. And so Paul talks about this light shining in the darkness, we, as followers of Jesus are now called to shine this light. And to spread this Good News of grace to those around us. Paul stayed in the city of Ephesus for three years, the people that he's writing to, had seen him, preaching, serving, sharing for three years. And often what he would do while he was in Ephesus, would be to go up to the synagogue during their lunch break, during their siesta in the middle of the day, and he would go up to the synagogue during this break in between services, and he would stand up in the lecture hall, a teach from the Old Testament about how Christ was the fulfillment of all things, how he is the Messiah, the yes and amen to all of God's promises. You see, he found the available time, in the schedule to be able to shine the light of Christ. What if you and I lived like Paul, and thought creatively about what types of time and places can I shine the light of Christ? If you're a student, still in school or in university, maybe you like Paul, can use your lunch break creatively. Maybe you can use your lunch break creatively at work to start a Bible study, to ask people how I can pray for you. To read the Bible with someone to share what you've been learning at church or in Sunday school. Maybe we can use our lunch after church on Sundays, to reach out to those who may not come to church regularly, or to follow up and disciple, the young people in our church. We're called to shine our light and to use our creativity, to find ways to reach out to those around us. Paul says in verse 10, so that through the church, the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This word manifold or multifaceted wisdom of God is the same Greek word that was related to the Hebrew Old Testament word that describes Josef's multicolored coat that he received from his father. Do you remember that story? When Joseph receives this coat from his father, I had all types of different colors on this coat. Paul now says that the wisdom of God is like this multi colored coat there's layers to the wisdom of God. And Paul saying that God's wisdom is best displayed to the world through his church, through his multi cultural, multi generational multi ethnic church. We distribute the multifaceted wisdom of God to the world. see God's glory and God's grace has to be put on display by his diverse people. So question for us this morning is how are you individually and how are you it together as a family, expanding the kingdom of God? How can you live according to God's great mission and expand his kingdom work together as a family We live with creativity and boldness to be light to those around you. Our passage ends in verses 11 to 13. And this is the last point I have for us this morning. Point number four is that our family is on mission we remember our identity in Christ. As families on mission, we remember our identity. In verse 11, it says this was according to the eternal purpose that He has realized in Christ Jesus, our Lord, in whom we have boldness. Paul loves this phrase in Christ. And in this book of Ephesians, he uses this same phrase of in Christ 36 times. It's like he is trying to underline it, and bold it and italicize it for all of his readers. He wants us to take away from this book, though, if we are followers of Jesus, we are found in Christ. Young people today, sometimes when we're on trips, sometimes, if I need to know where they are, sometimes they'll share their location with me through their iPhone, they'll send me their location. And I'll know exactly where they are on what street they are. We're at Ridgecrest, what part of campus they are. Paul says here that if you were to share your spiritual location with somebody, it would be found in Christ, that your life is hidden in Christ, your identity is in Christ. And so if this is true for us, as as individuals and as families that our most important thing about us as a family is that our identity is one of being found in Christ, then you will live with boldness, and you will live according to God's mission. It says, In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in Him. So not only do we have boldness in this word, to proclaim Christ, we have boldness before God our Father. He says, We have boldness to preach Christ to the world. And we have boldness and confidence when we come to God, through faith and in prayer that we can stand before God, not in fear of our sin, not in shame or guilt. But knowing that we are loved and accepted through Christ, because we are found in Christ, we have Christ's perfect righteousness covering over us. And now when God looks down at us, He no longer sees our sin, or shame or guilt, he sees his son's perfect righteousness, we can have confidence when we come before Christ. There's a pastor and author who lives in New York City he recently passed away in the late Tim Keller, he wrote this, he said, The only person who dares wake up a king at 3am, simply for a glass of water is a child of the King. And as Christians, we have that same type of access to the King of kings, that we can wake up our Heavenly Father metaphorically at 3am and talk to him about our deepest needs. Because we have access to him. And we know that he is a good and loving king. And he is our Father who cares about every single thing that we're going through. The last verse says this, so I asked you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. See, we can have confidence despite suffering just like Paul here in this passage. Even though Paul is sitting in a prison writing this, he is confident that God is in control and that he is using all things for his good and God's glory. So what he tells the church at Ephesus is don't lose heart. Don't be discouraged that I am in prison. Don't be discouraged that you yourself are going through hardship, instead have confidence in the face of suffering. Why? Because your identity is in Christ. And if your identity is in Christ, then you can face whatever this world throws at you and have confidence, knowing that God's sovereignty and God's goodness will always rain in your life. So these are our points this morning that families on mission submit to Christ. Families on mission abandoned comfort. Families on mission expands the kingdom and families on mission. Remember their identity. Maybe you're here this morning, you're visiting, maybe you have somebody in your family who's graduating, and you're hearing about this for the first time. And you're saying you know what I've been living according to my own selfish mission and not according to God's mission today. I'd invite you to give your life to Christ to turn and repent from your sin to put your faith in Jesus and find the in Christ. You will have everything that your heart desires. Pray with me. Lord, we thank you. For Jesus, we thank you for His goodness and His grace. We thank You that You have come to rescue us from our own selfishness to call us to a greater life and to a greater mission. And so God we asked this morning that you would help our individual lives and our families collectively to realign ourselves with what truly matters to you in this world are to help us not to get distracted by the trials and temptations of this world or to get distracted by our own pursuits. Help us to remain focused on Christ and the mission that he has for us. Though we pray for these graduates, as they're sent out, that they would be salt and light to the world, that you would guide them that your presence would be near them, that you would give their parents and their grandparents peace as they transition over the next couple of months to their new stage of life. Laurie, thank you for all the families that they represent this morning and we pray that you would be glorified as we close this service. We thank you for Christ, we pray this on his name, amen.