Jesus Is Working In His Church.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] All right, have a seat. Welcome to Village Church. If this is your first time here, [0:03] my name’s Steve, one of the pastors here at Village Church. And as always, I am thankful [0:07] and grateful to see each and every one of you. If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them to [0:12] Ephesians chapter three. We’re going to cover much, if not all, of the chapter of Ephesians [0:18] three this morning, but we’re going to start in verse eight. So over the last two weeks, [0:24] we’ve been making our way through the entire book. And in chapter one, what we see is that

[0:31] what God has done through the cross and through the resurrection is God’s eternal plan for all [0:37] time. That God did not, at a specific point in history, see our need for redemption and then [0:44] react in order to save us in Christ, but instead, before the foundations of the earth, God planned [0:52] the gospel. And then in Ephesians two, what we see is really a zoomed-in view of just what God [0:58] did in the gospel, that he found us in our sin and he made us alive in Christ. So we were dead [1:06] in our sins and he’s given us life in Jesus Christ. So much life that he has changed the

[1:12] trajectory of our entire lives. It says that God has created works beforehand and so in what he [1:19] did before the foundations of the earth, God not just made a plan for the gospel, he made a plan [1:25] for me. He made a life for me to walk into with works that he planned beforehand because I am his [1:32] workmanship using his power to build the life that he has designed for me to build. And when you do [1:40] that, what you will understand is that the work that God desires to do through every single one [1:44] of our lives is a work in which he is building his church. That’s what the end of Ephesians two

[1:50] tells us. And so what Ephesians three does is it zooms in on really one phrase that you see in [1:57] chapter one, the mystery of God’s purpose. And he’s going to say this a few times through the [2:04] thread of Ephesians chapter three, but what he’s really trying to do is connect chapter two to the [2:11] I am intended to live in Jesus Christ. You ever considered what it is that you will be [2:19] remembered for in your life? I think that’s an important question to ask is what will you [2:25] be known for and what do you want to be known for? And some of you want to be known for a lot of

[2:31] really stupid things and I really hope that you’ll change that. And some of you aren’t [2:37] thinking it through at all. And so you’ll be known for even stupider things because you haven’t [2:42] thought about it at all. But the greatest question that you need to ask this morning, the biggest [2:47] thing that you need to think through is what does God want you to be known for? And here’s the key [2:53] that I think Ephesians three really lets us in on is that God wants us to make disciples [3:01] through the church. It’s a very simple thing, but it’s what the Bible reveals to us that God

[3:08] wants us to make disciples through the church. That is his plan. That is his wisdom. And that [3:15] is what his power is for in my life. But what many of us should think about is the fact that so [3:22] many people go through so many years, even decades of their life, claiming faith in Jesus Christ [3:31] and never making any disciples. Ever wondered how that is possible? I believe that if it is one [3:40] thing that a person who claims faith in Jesus Christ should be known for, it is making disciples. [3:46] That if you are going to be known for anything in your life that is of any eternal value

[3:51] whatsoever, it is to make disciples. And the great tragedy of life, the great tragedy that I want [4:01] to keep you from and the great tragedy that the book of Ephesians really exists to keep us from [4:08] is the tragedy of going through life and not making a single disciple in your lifetime. Because if [4:17] one thing you need to be known for, it is discipleship. And if you do not make disciples, [4:22] then you cannot be known for that. And if you cannot be known for that, then did you have faith [4:28] in Jesus Christ? So I want you to really hone in on what is it that you are investing your life

[4:39] into and at the end of it, will any of it matter? Because my fear is that much of it won’t.

[4:49] And so my hope is that we will commit to understanding that what he is saying in Ephesians [4:55] 3 is that the church is the avenue through which God will build us as disciples. He will use us [5:03] to make disciples and he will bring himself glory. And here’s why I think that starting in verse 8. [5:09] To me, the apostle Paul writes, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given [5:16] to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. I love the language he uses. [5:23] And to bring to life for everything, here it is, that, excuse me, what is the plan of the

[5:30] mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things? And I want to pause there because [5:35] what’s important is that when he says this phrase that you were tempted to pass over because it’s [5:40] kind of something you already know, who created all things, you have to ask yourself, why did he [5:45] insert that phrase there? Because it doesn’t fit. It has nothing to do with anything he’s saying. [5:51] Because what you will be tempted to do is question God’s plan. What you will be tempted to do is say [5:56] the plan of the mystery hidden for ages and think, that’s cool, and think, well, what’s the big deal,

[6:02] and think, well, that’s a plan. No, what he’s doing when he says who created all things is he’s [6:09] actually noting the authority of God in his plan. And what he’s saying is God’s plan trumps all [6:18] plans. He’s saying this is not just a plan among many plans that you can concoct, that you can go [6:25] to someone else to, that you can form for yourselves. He’s saying that this plan, since it is from [6:30] the one who created all things, it is the only plan that matters. And it’s a very interesting way [6:39] of Paul telling us that it is not about us. This is about God. Verse 10, so that through the church

[6:49] the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly [6:55] places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, [7:02] in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose [7:10] heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. I want to say three simple things [7:16] today. And the first one is that the church is the plan of God. The church is the plan of God. [7:22] You know, when I was a kid and I grew up in the 80s, I was born in 1980, and one of the most

[7:28] popular shows in the 80s and one of my favorites, if not my favorite, was this show called The A Team. [7:35] And I’m not talking about the one they made into a movie a few years ago. I’m talking about Mr. T. [7:39] All right, I’m talking about that A Team. I’m talking about the original A Team. Loved that [7:44] show. It was about this elite group of soldiers for hire. And it’s very interesting. It’s like [7:51] they put out a classified ad. So this is kind of like, how did they always get hired? And so [7:54] it’s this elite group of soldiers, and they always get hired by the good guy who’s always

[7:59] under threat of some really negative force. The bad guys are coming to get them and they’re going [8:05] to ruin them, take all their money, you ruin their livelihood, just do terrible, terrible things. And [8:12] in almost every episode, you would get about halfway through the episode and it looked like [8:18] The A Team was sunk. It’s like all hope is lost. The bad guys are better, the bad guys are smarter, [8:25] the bad guys are going to win. And then in the second half of the episode, you begin to see how, [8:32] even when it looked like they were down and out and everything was really muddy and you couldn’t

[8:36] see what was happening, everything was happening according to plan. And by the end of almost every [8:42] episode, unless it was one of those amazing arcs where at the end it’s like to be continued. Loved [8:46] those weeks because those were issues that took two weeks to conquer. The end of almost every [8:52] episode, The A Team would win, the good guys would triumph over the bad guys, and Colonel [8:58] Hannibal Smith, the leader of The A Team, would stick a stogie in his mouth and he would say [9:05] that phrase, I love it when a plan comes together every week. And I loved it. But you see,

[9:16] so much of history when it comes to God is like that. It’s almost like the scriptures. You can see [9:23] it a little muddy and you’re looking through the Old Testament and you’re like, I don’t understand [9:27] what is going on. It’s like, I can’t quite see what God is doing. What the apostle Paul is telling [9:32] us in this section of scripture is that God always had a plan. And that plan was that he was working [9:40] human history towards the person and work of Jesus Christ. That’s why in verse eight, he writes that [9:47] God had given him this mission to show the plan of God to people that didn’t think that they could

[9:54] have access to the love of God. He says that I was given the mystery to reveal it to the gentiles [10:00] who were a people who didn’t think that they could be the people of God. But through Jesus, [10:06] it is revealed that they are going to be the people of God because God never intended for one [10:12] nation to be his people. But he intended that through those people of Israel, that Jesus would [10:18] be born and that the work of Jesus that would conquer every other work was this work where God [10:24] wanted the entire world to have faith in him, not just one people. And it was always God’s plan.

[10:32] And in Jesus, his plan comes together. But it really helps us to understand that if we go back [10:41] to verse one. Here’s what Paul writes about the plan. He says for this reason, for what reason? [10:48] It’s vital that you always note that. The reason is the building of the church because in 2 10, [10:54] he said, I am God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to walk into good works that God has [10:59] prepared beforehand for me to live in. And then throughout the rest of that chapter, [11:04] he builds up to the structure of the church being built on a foundation of faith in Jesus Christ.

[11:12] And that was God’s plan. So then Paul writes for that reason, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus [11:20] on behalf of you gentiles. And I love sometimes if you read Paul’s letters, he always says [11:27] something like this somewhere in the letter. A lot of times he’ll call himself a servant, [11:31] which is a term that actually means a slave or a bond servant. He has bonded to his master who [11:38] is Jesus Christ. Here he uses a different phrase for effect. And that phrase is that he is a [11:44] prisoner of Jesus. And it is a term that literally means he is in shackles to Jesus. He is constrained

[11:51] to Christ. There’s nowhere else that he can go. And it’s not just some cute aside as we normally [11:57] see it. It’s not just one of those things that we should look at and say, well, you know, [12:00] Paul had a wonderful attitude. That’s really humble. Good for him. That’s usually what we do. [12:06] But what he’s actually doing is deeper than that here. He’s saying that that is the reason [12:12] that I am to live and I am imprisoned by the building of the church because that is the [12:18] plan to live for because that is God’s plan. There isn’t another plan. I’m constrained to it.

[12:26] All that matters is what God thinks and what I think isn’t what matters. He says in verse two, [12:34] assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you. [12:38] Here’s a phrase again, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation as I have written [12:44] briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was made [12:50] known to the sons of men and other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and [12:56] prophets by the spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same

[13:03] body and partakers of the promise of Christ Jesus through the gospel. The apostle is honing in on [13:10] the plan for which the people of the church are to live for, which is the calling that we are all to [13:17] have. You know, there is not a lot of things that I necessarily know that all of you share in common, [13:23] but there is one thing that I know you share in common if you are a person who has faith in Jesus [13:30] Christ. If you are a person who has faith in Jesus Christ, God’s plan for your life is for you to be [13:38] a disciple and make disciples through the church of Jesus Christ, because that is the mystery that was

[13:46] hidden for ages in Christ Jesus. But so often, the reason that we treat the will of God as though it is [13:55] something that is muddy, as though it is something that we can’t understand, as though it is some [14:00] mystical reality that we are condemned to live our lives searching for and not quite finding, not all [14:07] who wander are lost. Yes, they are. And someone needs to find them, bring them back. God has a singular [14:17] focus for those who would have faith in Jesus Christ, and that singular focus is that you follow [14:22] Christ. And Christ is only going in one direction because he is only one man, in the direction of

[14:29] building the church. And so often, when we are reading through the scriptures and we read it [14:35] through the muddy lens, is that we will look through passages and we will say, I don’t quite understand [14:41] what it’s trying to say. I don’t quite understand what it wants from me. I don’t quite understand what [14:45] God is doing in my life. I mean, what was he doing in Leviticus? What was he doing in 1 Chronicles? [14:49] We are treating as muddy what the cross of Jesus Christ has been a Britta filter for and made the [14:55] water completely clear, is that all of God’s purposes, all of God’s timing, all of God’s planning

[15:03] has been fulfilled and seen through Jesus Christ. And we are to build our life on what Jesus [15:10] says matters at the sacrifice of what we say matters. Because that is the plan of God and [15:20] there isn’t another one. I am always amazed at how many people look for the purpose of their lives [15:27] outside of the church. If you are a person who claims faith in Jesus Christ, there is one thing [15:33] I can promise you. If you look for it outside of the church, you will never find it. And the reason [15:39] so many of you are in such a state of disarray where your faith in Jesus Christ is concerned

[15:46] and it is not satisfying you and it is not building you and you do not feel spiritually nourished, [15:51] it is because you are looking for God’s will for your life away from what God clearly says his will [15:57] for your life is. He has told you he wants you to make disciples through the church and if you will [16:04] not be and make disciples you will not find what God has for your life. And you say, but no no no [16:11] you don’t understand. I’m fine with that. I’m talking about other things. Career, I’m talking [16:16] about spouse, I’m talking about family, I’m talking about geography of where I should live.

[16:21] Those are the things that I really want to know because those are the things that matter to you [16:25] more than making disciples because you are an idolater. Because you don’t care as much about [16:33] making disciples as you do your paycheck. You don’t care as much about making disciples as you do [16:40] about finding a career that satisfies you. When people talk to me about that I’m like dude just [16:45] work. Work, pay your bills, make disciples. That’s what life is for.

[16:54] The life of a follower of Jesus, if it does not begin at the point of being made into a disciple, [17:03] which is an issue that many of you run into because you’re too proud to admit that other [17:08] people can teach you anything. If it does not begin at the point where you need to be made a disciple [17:15] and in doing that make disciples you will never be satisfied that you found God’s will because [17:25] you ran past it after other gods just like Israel did in the Old Testament.

[17:32] You cannot be satisfied if you will not eat the food that God offers. It’s like a child at the [17:43] table who won’t eat his vegetables. You can’t be filled if you won’t eat what’s available. [17:53] You want to treat God like a golden corral where he’s got all these options but let’s be honest [18:01] none of them really satisfy. God is not golden corral. God is Ruth’s Chris. He has a filet [18:09] of his will but for some reason you are treating it like a cheeseburger that’s been run over by a [18:15] car. You say that’s not good enough for me. I got to find something else to get my purpose in.

[18:22] One promise I can make to you. You might find a purpose but you will never find God’s purpose [18:28] until you commit to God’s plan because here’s the biggest key that I believe is the factor that [18:36] leads into you getting point two but I got to do it in point one because you won’t see its wisdom [18:41] until you put your faith in it. What you believe is more vital to your life than how you feel. [18:48] What you believe is more vital to your life than how you feel because most of you are treating [18:55] discipleship as though how you feel dictates how you are discipled and unless discipleship makes you

[19:03] feel a certain way you are not satisfied with the way that it works.

[19:10] And here’s the question I always ask parents and it’s parents that get this the most [19:15] and if you’re a good parent you won’t do this but when it comes to education [19:21] I’ve never looked at my son and said how do you feel about spelling?

[19:28] Oh I hate it. Oh well then let’s not do that. You’ll just grow up illiterate because how you [19:36] feel is such a core value. Son how do you feel about math? Oh no. My guess you’ll never know how [19:44] to add. I know I want my children to know science to know history to know math to know grammar to [19:53] know literature to know spelling especially spelling. I want them to have a full education [20:01] but I’ve never once asked myself should I base it on how they feel? No because how they feel is a [20:10] video game but what they need is an education but what’s funny is that as an adult you don’t get

[20:20] your discipleship isn’t about how you feel your discipleship is about what you believe and the [20:26] reason that so many of you look over the last year two years three years five years ten years [20:32] maybe 20 years and you say I don’t feel like I’ve grown all that much in my faith in Jesus [20:41] and that is exactly the problem is that you are more interested in what you feel than what God has [20:46] revealed discipleship is what you believe trumping how you feel I mean let’s be honest [20:57] when you are used to the weather being about 85 degrees and you wake up and the high is 62

[21:05] and it’s that disgusting misty not rain but like it’s just a thousand percent humidity [21:14] and so it’s just wet I don’t know what that is that’s happening and and you wake up and you [21:20] just like oh it’s a little chilly I’m a little sleepy I’m a little sinacy and I just I’m not [21:28] I don’t feel like gathering with God’s people today I mean let’s be honest and then you come [21:37] and you leave and you’re like Steve was a little horse and sinacy and he looked a little sleepy [21:43] and I just didn’t feel like I met the spirit today

[21:54] and one of the interesting things that I experience is I you know I’m part of a [21:58] community group here and I host a community group I don’t lead it I host it and when you host a [22:03] community group you can never not go I didn’t quite think that through because some of you [22:11] your life is if it’s an hour till community group oh I’ve got a headache I think I’ll stay [22:15] home tonight an hour before community group I’m like I’ve got a headache I think I’ll stay home [22:19] tonight oh wait oh well they’re coming no matter what and on and on and these are like simple

[22:29] things but they compound and eventually how you feel on any given day is what is based is what [22:36] God gets out of you but that’s not the way that God designs you to live your life the way that God [22:43] designs you to live your life is fully based on how you believe trumping how you feel and that way [22:50] when Sunday comes and I am horse and I’m a little sinacy and I’ll be honest I’m a little sleepy [22:57] I can still preach the word of God because it is truth and I believe that it is effective and how [23:04] I believe about the Bible trumps how I feel about myself that is what endures you through

[23:12] discipleship and that is what will grow you because we have to be discipled the way that God [23:18] intends for us to be discipled and you will not grow past where you are right now if you will not [23:26] get over how you feel

[23:29] believe Trump’s experience every time and those are people that grow in their faith [23:36] number two the church displays the wisdom of God

[23:40] you have to believe in God’s plan before it’s ever wisdom for your life [23:45] because it’s not just a plan it’s the best plan look in verse 10 here’s where he says this is the [23:53] most amazing thing that can be said about the church in the Bible says in verse 10 so that [23:59] through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities [24:05] in the heavenly places you can’t say anything bigger than that what he’s saying is that what [24:14] happens with the church what happens when the plan of God comes together and a people are gathered

[24:22] around the truth of God’s gospel for the discipleship of God’s people and a mission [24:28] of bringing new people into the church something so amazing takes place that the spiritual realm [24:36] takes notice and is in all that’s what he’s saying there and that’s vital because what that means is [24:45] on those days where you’re not feeling it [24:50] on those days where your love languages just aren’t being spoken and you may think I’m making [24:55] fun of you and it’s true but when you’re not feeling it and you go to a group and the word

[25:04] of God is opened and the prayer requests are being shared and people are being prayed over [25:10] and people are answering questions or at least trying to answer questions and make you know some [25:14] sense what Paul is saying there is that is such a spectacular activity that even if you with your [25:26] physical eyes because all that we can see is God’s physical creation we cannot see the spiritual [25:33] creation and he’s specifically talking at least about the angelic realm he’s saying angels peer [25:40] into the activity of the church and they don’t ask how we feel they just step back and they are

[25:47] amazed because they look and they say look at this group of people these are sinners who were [25:55] condemned in their sin look this person has a different education than that person this person [26:01] is a different race than that person this person has a different culture than that person this [26:06] person at one time offended that person this person at one time hurt that person feeling really [26:12] bad this person discouraged that person and look they are still coming together for one purpose [26:19] to gather around the truth of God’s gospel only God could do a work so spectacular

[26:30] what I want you to understand is that even when you can’t see the work of God what he’s promising [26:39] us there is that the angels in heaven can see it and it causes them to worship the creator of all [26:48] things because his plan is the best plan and the activity of discipleship in the local church is [26:57] astounding because that is where discipleship happens that is where discipleship happens [27:05] you see what can you see in the church that you can’t see anywhere else

[27:14] it’s a plan of God friend your career value it I’m telling you to walk away

[27:26] from your family value it invest in it your spouse love that person value that person [27:37] invest in that person what I want you to understand is that in those spheres you do not see the plan [27:48] of God like you do through the church and God wants those spheres of your life [27:56] to reflect his work of discipleship in your life for the up building of the church [28:04] through your career through your family through your education through your spouse through [28:09] absolutely everything that you do you need to take into it the intentionality of being and

[28:16] making disciples and you might say but I don’t know how to do that and that’s why you need [28:24] discipleship because so often in our lives when we don’t initially know how to do something [28:30] we treat the plan as though it is the problem friends the plan isn’t the problem I’m the problem [28:36] the plan doesn’t need to change I need to change and the reason that you aren’t growing in your [28:44] isn’t because God’s plan is faulty it’s because you won’t repent is because you don’t want to [28:51] change you can never have the life of God the way that he intends for you to have it if you yourself

[28:59] won’t change you see the Bible isn’t silent about these issues it is full of stories and prescriptions [29:08] about the corruption of man but as Ephesians 3 5 notes it is through the generations that God [29:14] showed through the apostles and prophets by his spirit just exactly what he is doing it is through [29:20] the Bible that we see the law of God showing the righteousness of God and then we see the sin of [29:26] man and their inability to obey the law of God bringing the judgment of God so that we will see [29:31] that we’ve got to throw ourselves before the justice of God and hope for mercy from God and

[29:36] in the gospel of Jesus Christ through the resurrection we see the justice of God meet the [29:41] mercy of God and the grace of forgiveness given into our lives so that we who do not deserve to [29:46] be brought into the people of God become the church of Jesus Christ there is no more magnificent [29:54] plan than you can commit your life to than that and so why are you spending your life trying to [30:02] fulfill in just the little trinkets of this world when the ultimate eternal plan throughout [30:09] all of history is available for you to invest in and the reason is is because you struggle with

[30:15] the focus being on God rather than being on you God has never asked you for advice in his plan [30:25] how dare he doesn’t he know that your personality is unique [30:31] doesn’t he know that you have more experience being you than anyone else [30:37] doesn’t he know that you know your preferences and your style and your relationship techniques [30:44] and and your loves and your likes and your dislikes and all of these things they add up [30:49] and you’re just a really unique person who isn’t going to be reached the same way everyone’s going

[30:54] to be reached and isn’t going to grow in the same way that everybody else is going to grow and God’s [30:59] response is I created you I designed you I’m God do my plan I mean God has never looked from heaven [31:11] and said to any person any human being ever took note and said you know you’re pretty sharp [31:20] can I have your advice on something I made this plan before the creation of the world [31:25] but I didn’t see a lot of the stuff that’s actually happening in the world taking place [31:30] and it’s made me rethink a few things can you be in a survey group that I’m forming

[31:37] no no God doesn’t need to change I do God’s plan is wise the angels take notice of God’s [31:49] purpose and he says in verse 11 he says this was according to the eternal purpose that he has [31:53] realized in Christ Jesus our Lord it’s all about Jesus and until I am all about Jesus I will not [32:03] experience the joy of God’s plan in verse 14 this is Paul’s response he says for this reason [32:13] I bow my knees before the father from whom every family in heaven and on earth has been named [32:19] that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with his power

[32:26] through his spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith [32:31] that you being rooted and grounded in what love I want to pause there

[32:40] do you know what that means that means that the plan of God is not something you can accomplish [32:45] by yourself because this isn’t about I’m going to root myself and ground myself in love for myself [32:56] no one would look at that and say you know that’s a lot like what Jesus did

[33:03] the reason that you cannot grow as a disciple outside of the vehicle and the environments of [33:10] the local church is because you cannot love alone you cannot determine even where your love [33:19] is pointed in the right direction only God can do that and he does that for you here as the [33:25] apostle Paul looks the manifold wisdom of God on display for the spiritual realm for the church [33:31] and then he prays that we will grow in spiritual power and he says that that spiritual power will [33:36] root us and ground us in love

[33:41] and then he says in verse 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth [33:48] and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge that you [33:57] may be filled with all the fullness of God second place he talks about the fullness of God the first [34:04] one was to say that Jesus Christ is filled with the church he’s the fullness of him who fills all [34:10] in all that’s the church and here he says that the church can be filled with the fullness of God [34:16] by rooting in the love of Christ so that we would know the height the breadth the depth the length

[34:22] of the love of God and you cannot do that if you yourself are the captain of your own ship doing [34:30] what you want to on your timetable whenever it is convenient for you according to your tastes [34:36] according to your styles according to your wisdom according to your knowledge according [34:40] to your understanding because it is not about understanding your love it is about understanding [34:44] God’s love there are so many reasons to not engage in discipleship in the local church [34:56] I’ve heard them all and I’ve experienced most of them I mean here’s just some of you you have

[35:03] scheduling conflicts and your schedule is crazy your schedule is hectic and and you just you just [35:08] can’t find a time to be a part of committed rhythmic discipleship where you are on a regular [35:15] basis entering into the same environments with the same people in order to be discipled and make [35:22] some of you you are a person who has been hurt in the past by other people so trusting people [35:27] is not really a strength of yours it is not a forte of yours and so you just kind of back away [35:33] from the table when people get too close and you’re like I’ll you know I’ll check it off the list

[35:37] I’ll enter the environments when I have to but I’m not really going to enter the environments [35:41] with my personhood you know how that is and there’s some of you and let’s just be frank [35:46] you’re apathetic you just don’t care about anything you just don’t understand that you just [35:51] care and so when somebody asks you to care your response is well that’s asking a lot [35:57] kind of like e-york let’s say people don’t care are typically yours

[36:03] and so what I want you to understand is that all of the reasons that you do not enter into [36:11] committed environments of discipleship show what you really value in life [36:18] and sometimes if we’re very honest or if we’ll be really smart and ask someone else to be honest [36:23] with us about who we really are because you do not know you better than other people that’s a lie [36:28] you tell yourself because you’re an egomaniac when you will ask somebody to be that honest with you [36:36] what you will find is is that you are a person that is addicted to a bunch of affections that

[36:41] you have for things outside of the church and you don’t love discipleship you don’t love Jesus [36:46] you love your job you love your money you love your fame you love your hobbies and you just [36:51] refuse to change your schedule in order to commit to Jesus that does not bode well for your faith [36:57] I’ll be frank if you won’t change your schedule in order to engage in discipleship you do not [37:03] believe the gospel of Jesus Christ point blank if something is always coming up that prevents you [37:12] committing to discipleship it is a faith problem and for those of you that are hurt

[37:19] I do not discount that I’ve been in the church of Jesus Christ my entire life no joke almost [37:27] four decades I have been discouraged by many a people many a people I’ve been betrayed I’ve been [37:35] hurt I’ve been stabbed in the back I’ve been stabbed in the front somebody I’m trying to stab [37:39] inside but I’m pretty limber so I just moved a little bit I’m just kidding but I have experienced [37:44] almost every negative thing that you can experience from other people and here’s what I want to tell [37:48] you it’s real I get it I’m not downplaying it people are brutal sometimes but here’s the key

[37:55] the cross of Jesus Christ is still true and you will not experience relief from that baggage that [38:02] is on your shoulders until you believe that justice and forgiveness for that hurt is found [38:10] in the cross of Jesus Christ and you will never find it or heal from it until your faith is [38:17] strong enough to believe that point blank and for those of you that are apathetic I just have one [38:23] thing to say start caring because God cares and God wants you to be more like himself than like the [38:29] devil who would convince you that there’s nothing greater to care about than the person you look at

[38:33] in the mirror at the end of the day apathetic people are simply selfish

[38:41] every single reason that we give for not really bearing in to making disciples just shows a great [38:50] need that we have in realigning our affections for Jesus Christ [38:58] the only way to cure that is for your beliefs to trump your experience to trump your feelings [39:05] and for you to literally say regardless of how I feel in the environment I will show up I will [39:19] show up to community group worship I will find a group of people to meet with every single week [39:25] for breakfast lunch dinner coffee drinks donuts candy bars at food line something and we will just

[39:33] get together and we will talk about the Bible because I believe God’s plan is greater than my [39:43] plan believe that and you will actually commit to being in the same place for a minute number [39:51] three the church is the power of God the church is the power of God verse 12 shows us that the [39:59] avenue through which you will experience the greatest growth in a relationship with God [40:05] is the means of the local church talks about three things in that passage talks about boldness [40:10] talks about confidence and he talks about life or excuse me faith

[40:14] boldness confidence and faith and he says these are three things that you get through Jesus but [40:21] note the avenue through which he says they grow it’s not that you have to go through a person or [40:27] a pope or a priest to get to God no that access is yours Jesus has purchased it for you you have [40:35] access to a relationship with God you and him through Jesus but the key is is that God has given [40:43] us means in this life to grow that relationship and so you will experience more boldness you will [40:51] experience more confidence and you will grow faith to understand more about your access to God if

[40:57] you are taking part in the means by which God has provided for you in the local church to know [41:05] those things about God but note what the apostle Paul writes in verse 20 and jumps off of that idea [41:15] speaking of boldness confidence faith what verse 16 calls power in your inner being through the [41:23] he says now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think according [41:30] to the power at work within us to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all [41:38] generations forever and ever amen it’s an amazing statement here’s what he says God can do more

[41:46] and will do more than you even know you should ask him to do more than you even [41:54] think about in your life God has so much untapped potential for you that you are not experiencing [42:04] because you will not commit to life in him and the apostle wants to talk to us I think about [42:10] two things right here because verse 16 is very clear he writes in verse 16 that God wants us to [42:18] grow in power in our inner being through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and what he means [42:24] by that is is that he wants you to experience more of God than you are currently experiencing

[42:30] this is about the potential that your life has through Jesus most of us have barely tapped into [42:37] the power of God for our lives I know that so often you may get frustrated because you like you [42:44] may feel like the preacher is trying to correct you all the time but what you don’t realize is [42:49] that that correction is really about empowerment where the power of God is concerned friend if you [42:56] aren’t seeking every day to tap into the unimaginable power of what God can do through your life then you [43:03] are wasting it you need to begin to build your life towards believing that God has the power to

[43:12] change you that he has the power to change others and that he has the power to do amazing work in [43:19] your life but you are so addicted to what comes natural that you aren’t experiencing any of it [43:25] you know what I mean when I say that right well that’s just what comes natural to me I hear that [43:30] so many people sometimes I hear it in ways that I’m just like that person just straight up needs [43:35] to be confronting no person will just be a total jerk and they’ll be like well that’s just what [43:39] comes natural to me no I don’t think that’s right I don’t think that’s a good way to be

[43:44] but you are so committed to just doing what comes natural that you don’t leave any margin in your [43:52] life for the fact that God may want to do something supernatural in your life because you at the end [43:58] of the day you always take the path of least resistance many of us are committed to doing the [44:04] easiest thing that we can find and we don’t want to do anything that’s difficult we don’t want to [44:08] do hard things because let’s be honest they’re difficult and they’re hard why would we want to [44:12] do them it’s been my experience that only the things that are difficult and hard are the things

[44:16] that are worth committing my life into and that when I commit myself into things that I don’t [44:22] even think that I can pull off but I know that that’s how God’s going to grow his church I know [44:27] that’s how God’s going to grow my faith I know that that’s how God’s going to make me a disciple [44:31] and I know that that’s how God’s going to get glory through the building of the church I say [44:37] to myself I’ve got to do that because God is able to do more than I can ask or think so I want what [44:44] I can ask and think about God doing grows more and more in my life as I grow older and older but

[44:52] some of you are so not needing God to do anything that what you ask and think about God are shrinking

[45:01] and you your soul has shrunk to the base level of what you are concerned about [45:08] so the only time that you pray is when you need to be healed because you’re sick [45:12] the only time that you pray the only time that you ask God to do anything is when you need more [45:15] money the only time that you pray is when you need God to change somebody’s personality in [45:20] office place and so your vision of what God is capable of doing in your life [45:30] it’s not growing he wants it to but there’s a second thing that he’s talking about there

[45:34] note what the apostle says about himself in verse 13 he says I ask you not to lose heart [45:41] over what I am suffering for you which is your glory there is something that can take place [45:49] in the life of the church of Jesus Christ that cannot take place anywhere else because that [45:57] verse almost doesn’t seem like it fits in the section does it it’s like wisdom manifold wisdom [46:02] of God’s power then he goes to you know God’s incapable do all these things and I’m saying [46:06] which right in the middle there’s got and Paul’s like I’m suffering don’t get discouraged because

[46:10] of it but it’s what Paul says about his suffering that is fascinating in verse 13 here’s what he [46:16] says about his suffering he says don’t lose heart over what I am suffering for you which is your [46:24] glory here’s what I want you to understand about the power of God and the suffering of Paul [46:28] because in the church of Jesus Christ you have the opportunity to commit yourself to environments [46:36] where over many years you can watch people live real lives and in doing that you will watch people [46:47] go through unimaginable difficulties you will watch people go through unimaginable suffering

[46:55] unimaginable hardships unimaginable discouragements and the apostle Paul in verse 13 he is saying [47:03] don’t get discouraged from my suffering watch it and take note of what I’m doing because what I am [47:12] enduring is for your discipleship so that when you have to suffer when unimaginable difficulty [47:20] comes your way you will remember Paul endured suffering and he didn’t lose faith in the power [47:28] of God to build his church

[47:33] most fascinating thing to me is I’ve never had anybody come to me [47:39] enduring the darkest season of their lives and I’ve seen many do this but none of them have come [47:47] to me and said it’s cool I saw it coming suffering doesn’t work that way

[47:58] every single person that has ever come to me and I’ve seen people go through things I can’t imagine

[48:06] they said it just hit out of nowhere like a train mowing me over I don’t get super discouraged in [48:16] my life and some of that is the way that I’m wired I’m just always moving on to something else [48:22] but part of God’s grace in my life is that for almost four decades almost 40 years [48:31] I have had the grace of watching other people go through unimaginable situations and when [48:41] unimaginable situations come into my life and they have I remember their faith

[48:52] and it gets me through the hard times you don’t know when you’re gonna need boldness

[49:03] you don’t know when you’re gonna need confidence [49:07] you don’t know when you’re gonna need faith in Jesus like you have never needed it before [49:15] and my fear for many of you who refuse to commit who won’t get into the rhythm of discipleship you [49:23] won’t change your schedule you won’t get past your hang-ups you won’t make yourself care through [49:30] faith is that when it hits you you will never have been in a relationship with someone else [49:36] who’s been through suffering with someone else who’s been through a hard time with someone else

[49:40] who’s been through a really difficult situation who could minister to you in the moments before [49:46] it happened for when it happened because you don’t know when it’s coming I’ve often said [49:53] nobody needs a friend until they need a friend nobody needs a community until they need a community [50:02] nobody needs faith until the moment you really need faith and nobody needs a church until the [50:08] moment you need a church do not get lulled into sleep in the good times so that your faith becomes [50:16] shipwrecked in the hard times it’s only through watching real discipleship happen in real time

[50:24] that verse 20 and 21 make any sense god is able to do more than you can even think or ask [50:35] in good times and especially in the bad times so I make one request and it’s the same request [50:43] every single one of you commit to being and making disciples through the local church [50:53] for the glory of god in jesus christ

[50:58] the ephesians three is so filled with wisdom that there’s no way I can get through it in one [51:07] but as we transition into a time of communion when we eat and drink we eat the bread because [51:15] it represents the broken body of christ we drink the cup because it represents his shed blood [51:22] but we do that to profess to everyone in here I believe the gospel of jesus christ [51:30] and so the key in that is that when you profess that you walk out into this world and you live [51:37] as a disciple of christ friends you need the church you may not know it but you do

[51:46] it may not always feel like it it may not feel like it right now but god says you do therefore [51:53] it’s true and this morning if you are a disciple of christ and the tables in the front the tables [51:59] back are open to you and you come you eat and drink but then you go be and make disciples