Ephesians 1:15-23 "God Revealed in Christ"

                What does it mean to know something or to know someone?  I don’t mean to know about them, but if you were to say that you really know someone, what does that mean?  When two people begin a relationship, the entire process is all about getting to know that person on a deeper level.  A man or a woman know instantly whether or not they are physically attracted to one another.  The entire process of dating is for them to truly get to know each other, and then see if they love each other along the way as they get to know them more and more.  You see, we all know about a lot of folks, but we really only truly know a much smaller group of people.  I bet most of you in here can count on your two hands (doubtful you need all 10 fingers) the number of people who actually truly know you, at least beyond a superficial or surface acquaintanceship.  Sure, you may know a lot of facts about someone else (where they grew up, their family, birthday, and things like that), but you probably don’t know what makes them tick, what drives that person, what their true desires are; not like, say for example, your spouse if you have one.  Your spouse can probably predict what you are going to say, how you are going to react, and what you will do in any particular situation without being given any hints.  Maybe you have a few friends who fall into a similar camp, but only a few.  Why is that; how do these folks know you so well?  Well, it’s because you actually really and truly know each other on an intimate level.

                In our text for today, Paul is calling the Ephesians to go beyond knowing God in a factual sense, and to come into a relationship with Him where there is a level of closeness and intimacy that is beyond compare.  Paul wants them to go beyond a mere head-knowledge of God and get to something much greater.  We might could say that he wants them to move from head-knowledge to heart-knowledge.  He starts off by commending them in the first few verses about how well the church is doing and how they seem to be growing rapidly since the time of Paul’s planting of the church.  Paul’s excited by that, but he tells them that there is much more to it than physical and numerical growth.  He tells them that there must be spiritual growth as well.  Paul calls them to grow in their “knowledge of [God], having the eyes of [their] hearts enlightened, that [they] may know what is the hope to which he has called [them].”  You see, it’s great that so many are professing Christ as their Lord and Savior and that such numbers are being added to the church there, but that isn’t the goal.  The goal is to bring them into a relationship with Christ.  The goal is to bring them to a place where instead of simply knowing about Christ, they know Christ, and know him intimately.  You see, that’s one of the problems that we face in the modern church.  For so long, the focus was/has been on simply growing churches in terms of numbers with little thought being paid to really training Christians, or “to equipping the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” as Paul says later on in this epistle.  And all of that led/has led to in Paul’s time and in recent history a group of uninformed and apathetic members of churches who really show no impact of the gospel upon their lives.  That’s not what the Christian faith is to be about.  The Christian faith is to be a relationship, a devotion, and an all-encompassing new way of life.  It’s not just life-altering, but life-changing.

                Paul tells the Ephesians that he wants them to “know what is the hope to which he has called [them], what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.”  In other words, Paul wants them to know about the hope they are to have in God, the inheritance that is to be theirs, and the power that God bestows to those who believe in Him; and all of that is manifested in the work of Jesus Christ.  “According to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.”  Paul’s reminding the Ephesians what a great opportunity we have to know God on such an intimate level because not only has He revealed Himself to us throughout the ages, but He has given us the ultimate revelation of Himself in Jesus.  One of Jesus’ titles, Immanuel, means God with us.  The second person of the Trinity took the form of a servant.  Jesus, i.e. the Son, felt hunger like we do, pain like we do, and temptation like we do (although not succumbing to it).  John 11:35 is a pretty popular verse for a lot of reasons.  Do you know what they are?  Yes, the most obvious is that at only two words, it is the shortest verse in Scripture; Jesus wept.  However, think about the power of those two words.  Jesus wept; he wept even though he knew that in mere moments he was going to raise his friend Lazarus from the dead.  Even though Jesus knew what was to come, the sheer emotion of the death of his friend was enough to drive him to tears.  You see, Jesus is a wonderful chance for us to truly know God beyond head-knowledge and facts and commands and laws.  Now, Jesus is most assuredly much more than a chance for us to get to know God.  Jesus is most importantly the plan of our salvation that had been unfolding since the time of the fall.  One of the just mind-blowing things about the Christian faith (and there are many), is that Jesus became man and died.  In any other religion of the world, the Supreme Being is held in such high regard that you can’t even begin to think about relating to them, and in some cases even imagining or depicting them is a sin or crime.  Yet, when it comes to God, we feel this intimacy and closeness that at times causes us to be too casual with Him.  The fact that Jesus Christ, God Himself, took the form of man and lowered Himself to our level so-to-speak, ought to cause us to be more in awe of God and not create a sense of flippancy within us when it comes to our relationship with Him.

                Paul goes on to talk about Jesus being entrusted with all power and authority and dominion.  He talks about how the Son is eternal, just as the Father is eternal.  He talks about what we’ve already mentioned several times in this letter, that Christ is the head of the Church and that the Church “is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”  One of the main responsibilities of the Church is to help others grow in their faith, i.e. their relationship, their intimacy with God.  We do that by means which have been instituted and commanded by Christ.  We also know that we have access to God through worship, singing, and prayer because of the atoning sacrifice of Christ.  I mentioned earlier that Christ gives us a revelation of God.  I mentioned as well that that revelation is something that is unique to the Christian faith that no worldly religion can claim.  I also mentioned a bit about the failure on the part of the church (for the most part) to adequately help Christians grow in their relationships with the Lord.  So, where am I going with all of this?

                Well, I want to take two seconds and remind you of the purpose of the letter.  Paul is teaching them about the Church.  We said last Sunday, and have it reinforced for us this Sunday, that Christ is the head of the Church.  The Church is built upon Christ.  So, what understanding about the Church can we take from God’s being revealed to us in Christ?  What can we take from Christ’s work that speaks to the Church?  As I’ve pondered that question this week and read countless commentaries, it’s a question that doesn’t have a unified answer.  As I was cleaning off our kitchen table the other day, I noticed a few marks in the wood that weren’t there a few months ago.  You see, I know that table well because I built it.  I took these old canning shelves from Amy’s great-uncle’s house and turned them into a very imperfect table (imperfect by design).  I know every mark on there because I had Amy inspect the thing to tell me whether or not to leave it or sand it out in the making of that table.  These new marks weren’t there originally, but have since been put there by our kids.  At first I got a little upset because I had put a lot of time and work into this table and they were just treating it like no big deal.  And that’s when it hit me that many Christians treat the Church just like my kids treat that table.  Now, for me, it’s just a table and I’ll get over it (and already have to some extent).  However, for God, I can’t imagine what it must feel like when someone neglects or harms His Church, the very thing that is built upon the sacrifice of His Son.  Tim Keller once wrote, “Relationships are costly.  Whatever it will cost you to be with God is nothing compared to what it cost Him to be with you.”

                Paul is trying to tell the Ephesians that Christ died for the Church.  God gave up His only Son for the Church.  The Church is built upon the very one in whom we have our hope for salvation.  The Church is built upon the one who willingly and voluntarily gave himself up for us and bore the price for our sins upon the cross.  Paul is reminding the Ephesians of the price that was paid for them.  They (as well as us today) should want to get to know this God so intimately that we almost feel as if there isn’t anything left to know.  You see, that ought to be our desire as a church.  It’s not about bigger buildings and larger gatherings, but about knowing God.  It’s about knowing God and coming to know Him through the work of Jesus.  It’s about coming to know Jesus through the Church, the body of Christ.  That’s what we’re here to do; that’s our purpose.  And we have to strive to make every effort to see that our true task is accomplished each and every day, no matter the cost.  Even when it’s difficult and even when it causes us hardship, our goal is to know Christ and make him known to others.

Ephesians 1:3-14 "Elected, Redeemed, and Sealed"

                Last Sunday I felt kind of like a guy was about to propose to his girlfriend.  I know that sounds a little strange, but follow me for just a second.  When a guy knows that he’s about to pop the question, he has to muster every ounce of strength he can to not just blurt it out.  Seemingly every sentence could begin with “Will you marry me.”  You see, the anticipation of what he knows is coming (hopefully) is so much that it completely consumes him.  Well, that’s what I was fighting last Sunday.  I wanted so badly to get into the text that we have for today that I was mere seconds away from breaking into a second sermon.  Sure pieces got out, but thankfully I was able to restrain myself somewhat.  However, I did introduce our text for today and I want to remind you of that introduction, as well as a quote that I gave you last Sunday.  The quote came from John Stott, and it talked about the epistle to the Ephesians being a “magnificent combination of Christian doctrine and Christian duty, Christian faith and Christian life, what God has done through Christ and what we must be and do in consequence.”  Well, the first half of each of those three pairs (Christian doctrine, faith, and what God has done through Christ) is where Paul begins this letter.  In other words, Paul begins his letter by stating the position of the Christian before moving on to the desired practice or behavior of the Christian.  It’s the standard Pauline format of theology first, followed by the application of that theology.

                The other thing that I mentioned last Sunday, and what I’m going to spend the rest of our time this morning focusing on, is the work of the Triune God as it’s laid out in vv. 3-14.  I said last Sunday that 3-6 describe the work of the Father, 7-10 the work of the Son, and 11-14 the work of the Holy Spirit.  Well, let me give a little bit more information to those sections in terms of the type of work that we see done.  Vv. 3-6 describes the electing or choosing work of the Father.  Vv. 7-10 describes the redeeming work of the Son.  Vv. 11-14 describes the sealing work of the Holy Spirit.  So, we’ve got chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and sealed by the Holy Spirit.  That’s going to be our working outline for today.  That’s going to be our framework for this passage.

                Now, I know that as I read the first part of today’s text that there might have been some ears cringe as I read the words chose, predestined, and adopted.  Amy and I had some friends who years ago wouldn’t come to church with us because they were convinced that all Presbyterians talked about was predestination and baptizing babies.  You see, they couldn’t even hear the word predestination without getting upset.  My response to them (and others who have made similar comments) is to not blame me, blame God.  After all, God is the author of Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16), and He’s the one that inspired Paul to use those words, not me.  You see, we have to have an understanding of what this word predestination means because it’s a biblical word.  It isn’t something made up by Presbyterians, but a word specifically used here by Paul to describe our relationship with God.  What does it mean to say that “God chose us in him before the foundation of the world” or that “in love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ”?  What does that mean?  Well, this is one of the main texts for the support of the biblical doctrine of election.  Well, what is election, biblically speaking?  Simply put (maybe even overly so), the doctrine of election teaches that God choses those whom He will call to saving faith.  In John 6, we find Jesus telling his disciples that no one can come to him unless the Father who sent him draws that person to him first.  He later says that no one can come to Jesus unless it is granted him by the Father.  Now, for many this concept of election takes different forms.  Some view it as a pre-knowing on God’s part about the choices that the person will make.  Others, myself included, view it as the understanding that God choses whom He will save and bestows upon them the gift of eternal salvation.  Now, I will admit that this is difficult to understand.  Beyond that, many will call it unfair.  How could God choose some and not all?  However, for us to think that it is unfair is to only look at half of the story, and in reality less than half of the story.

                If we start with the position of what is called the total depravity of man, then it seems not unfair, but completely generous and loving.  When Adam ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, how far did we fall?  Did we fall a little, a lot, or none at all?  You see if we didn’t fall or didn’t fall that far, then we could earn our way back to salvation; we could earn our way back into heaven, into a right relationship with God.  However, if we fell completely (which Scripture clearly teaches is the case), then it is impossible for us to get back to good; it’s impossible for us to earn our salvation.  Also, without God choosing to bring us to saving faith, then there is no way for us to earn our salvation, thus no way for Him to foreknow salvation and acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior without Him placing that upon our hearts in the first place.  If there is nothing good in us (from a Godly perspective), then we are incapable of complete obedience.  It is impossible for us to transform ourselves from slaves to sin to worshipers of Jesus Christ without God doing that work in us.  God’s choosing, electing, or whatever other word you want to use of those whom he will bring out of slavery and into the light is the work of the Father.  It’s not an unjust work, but a loving work that He would choose to save any of us at all.  Now, unfortunately I could talk about this topic for hours, but time doesn’t permit and there are still two other persons of the Trinity that are mentioned here as working in us.  If you want to discuss this issue in greater depth just let me know.

                The second person of the Trinity that is mentioned is the Son.  Specifically it is the redeeming work of Jesus Christ that is given attention.  While all three members of the Trinity were at work in Christ’s accomplishing this, the Son was central in this work.  “We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses.”  In other words, we are delivered from a state of slavery to sin to a state of mercy in Christ through the shedding of the blood of Jesus upon the cross which atoned for our sins.  Because of Christ’s death upon the tree at Calvary we are not only delivered from sin to freedom, but ultimately (much through the work of the Holy Spirit that we will get to in a moment), we are ultimately to be delivered into a state of glory.  Paul wrote to Titus in Titus 2:14 that Jesus “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession.”  Peter writes in his first epistle that Christ was ransomed on our behalf, that his precious blood takes away all blemishes, and that all of this was the plan of God before the foundations of the earth.  To redeem something is to compensate for a fault.  To be redeemed means that our faults, our shortcomings, our failures, have been compensated for by something or someone, and that someone is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The shedding of Christ’s blood is what redeems us, sets us right with God.  It’s not our actions or our good deeds, but Christ’s atoning sacrifice that restores us.

                I love the flow of Paul’s teaching here.  Between Father and Son, as a transition, he says that “we are blessed in the Beloved” and then goes on to talk about the Beloved.  In vv. 11-12 he talks about our inheritance, our being chosen in Christ by the Father who is the architect not only of the plan of salvation but all things, and talks about how glorious all of this is for us.  Then, he gives us the guarantee, the Holy Spirit.  What good does vv. 3-12 serve if it’s left up to us?  Time and time again even the most Godly of biblical figures prove that we will mess things up if left to our own doing.  Forgetting Adam and Eve for a second, look at Noah.  Look at Isaac and Jacob.  Look at Moses.  Look at David.  All of these men were very Godly, but all of them committed some type of sin that by definition should have placed them outside of God’s covenant promises and blessings.  I mean, David was God’s anointed, and the most famous thing people know about him aside from his slaying for the giant Goliath is his adultery with Bathsheba.  If the Lord’s anointed failed, that certainly doesn’t give a positive outlook for our chances.  However, God doesn’t elect us, redeem us, and then send us on our way.  Instead, He gives us His Holy Spirit in order to seal our election and redemption.  To seal something means to make it secure, to guarantee it.  When we seal something, we are promising that it is solidified for good.  I’m not talking about some television infomercial lifetime guarantee that’s filled with all kinds of fine print and loopholes.  I’m talking about God’s guarantee.  You see, God’s sealing our salvation is His promising that salvation is a guarantee for those whom He has chosen to be found in Him.  The “Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”  The Holy Spirit is not just a fulfillment of God’s promise to indwell His people, but is a guarantee that He will bring them to their final inheritance.  The Holy Spirit is but a foretaste of the glory of the age to come.  Paul writes about this in Romans 8 about how the frailty, brokenness, corruption, and futility that we experience in this lifetime is no more in the age to come.  God doesn’t just tell us that He’s going to do something; He tells us that He is going to do something in us, to us, and through us, and then He does it.  That is the work of the Holy Spirit.

                So, why all of this?  Why did Paul begin this letter to this church by getting into the work of the Trinity?  Remember, there isn’t a problem here.  Paul isn’t trying to correct some misguided theology or a misunderstanding of the Triune God.  Also, remember that Paul is writing to the Ephesian church about the church, about the body of Christ.  Why, if he’s writing about the church, does he talk about election, redemption, and sealing?  No less than 10x in this one Greek sentence that makes up vv. 3-14 does Paul use the phrase “in Christ” or “in him”.  Some particular translation decisions could give more, but 10 is a conservative number.  Don’t you think that’s kind of a lot of times to use one phrase in a sentence?  If I were to use one phrase 10x in an entire sermon y’all would think that that was all I wanted y’all to take away from it wouldn’t you?  Well, if Paul’s writing about the church here, what role does Christ play in the church?  Jesus Christ is the head of the Church.  It’s a simple thing really, but it’s often forgotten.  Jesus Christ is the head of the Church.  I don’t care what your tradition may be; the pastor isn’t the head of the church, nor the elders, nor the deacons, nor the trustees, nor the priests, nor the bishops, nor the cardinals, nor the pope are the head of the Church.  The one and only true head of the Church is Jesus Christ.  The Church exists in and through Jesus Christ.  Paul, at the time of his writing this epistle, had already written to the church is Colossi and given them these words, “And he [Jesus] is the head of the body, the church.  He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.  For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.  And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.” 

The work of the Triune God as displayed through Christ’s sacrifice is the foundation of the church.  You see, the Church isn’t built on people or preachers or programs or buildings or anything else that we can rattle off.  The Church is built on Jesus Christ and Christ alone, just as our lives should be.  Last Sunday Amy and the kids talked about the story of the 2 houses in Sunday School.  I don’t have time to recount the story, but I’ll just tell you that I asked the kids about it when we got home and Thomas simply told me, “If you’re house ain’t built on Jesus, then it’s gonna fall.”  He’s going be a great preacher one day.  Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Ephesians 1:1-3 "Welcome Saints"

                As we embark upon a study of the book of Ephesians, Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus, today that will take us right up to the Advent season of the church, I want to remind you of the state of affairs in Ephesus leading up to and during Paul’s time of writing this epistle.  I say remind because you already know some of what was prominent in Ephesus from when we walked through the book of Acts during the latter part of this past year.  In fact, almost the entirety of Acts 19 and 20 (towards the end of our journey through Acts) records various encounters that Paul had in Ephesus.  We were told about Paul’s preaching in the synagogue and his grassroots ministry that he began there.  We looked at what is in essence his laboring to plant a church there.  We also saw his encounter with the seven sons of the Jewish high priest Sceva and how the power of the Holy Spirit worked through Paul to completely embarrass these traveling exorcists.  We saw Paul’s tiff with the silversmith Demetrius and the other merchants who relied heavily upon the worship of the goddess Artemis.  You have to understand that to many of the Ephesians, Artemis was the very reason why they enjoyed the prosperity that they did.  The temple of Artemis there in Ephesus is still considered one of the seven great wonders of the world.  The people of the city of Ephesus thought that because of their love for and nurturing of the goddess, that she rewarded them by making them the most glorious city in all of Asia and one of the most glorious in the world.  When Paul came in denouncing this goddess and proclaiming the One True God, it was no wonder that some got upset, especially those whose livelihood depended upon the worship of Artemis.  Finally, we looked at the proclamation of the gospel that Paul gave to the Ephesian elders.  Through all of this, Paul had been used by God to bring many in that community to faith and to really plant a church there in Ephesus that consisted of not just a few people, but a church that was quite substantial and even had numerous key political and social figures as part of their membership.  Paul didn’t just introduce the gospel and then depart, but he introduced it and helped establish a means by which the gospel might flourish in Ephesus and the surrounding area before he moved on to the next location.

As he did with so many of the churches that he planted, Paul wrote a letter, this epistle to the church in Ephesus, to encourage them in their continued faith and to check in on how they were functioning as a body of believers.  However, unlike most of the other epistles, there isn’t some major problem that needs addressing.  There isn’t some divisive issue that if not resolved will destroy the church.  Actually, the church in Ephesus was fairing quite well.  So, Paul, instead of dealing with some particular issue, is able to simply speak to them about any topic that he chooses.  In other words, he’s able to teach instead of correct.  Now, it’s true that correcting someone can and does educate them, but there is something different about getting new information versus going over old information again.  He’s able to give them anything that he feels would be of benefit to their growing in the grace and knowledge of God.  It’s very similar to the book of Romans in that regard.  Also, I want to remind you as well that Paul wrote this epistle while he was sitting in prison.  It would be very easy for him to sound bitter and angry about his current situation, but instead all we find is unbridled joy for the sake of the gospel.  Of all the things that Paul could write to the Ephesians about, he chooses to write to them about the body of Christ, he chooses to write to them about the church.  And not only does he write about the church itself, but he makes sure to point out that we are all a part of the body of Christ and that we all have a role to play in making the bride of Christ operate as she was intended, as God intends for her to operate.  We all have a responsibility to care for the church and her members, to make sure that we are all walking in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called as he writes to begin chapter 4.  Paul makes it very clear in this epistle that the church isn’t just to be something that we do, but an entirely new society and a new way of life.  Your faith shouldn’t just be a descriptor as to who you are, but should be your complete and total identity.  John Stott has what is probably the best summation of Paul’s intentions and focus in this letter when he writes, “The whole letter is thus a magnificent combination of Christian doctrine and Christian duty, Christian faith and Christian life, what God has done through Christ and what we must be and do in consequence.”

                Now, I’ve limited our text for today to mainly just the greeting that Paul gives in this letter primarily because there simply isn’t enough time to give both a proper introduction to this epistle and a full wrestling with the very weighty, heavy, and at times controversial (at least in some circles) matters that are discussed in verses 4-14.  In fact, verses 3-14 of this first chapter of this epistle are actually one sentence in the original Greek.  So, you can see why I would be hesitant to separate too much.  If Paul didn’t end the sentence then it is very likely that he intended for the concepts spoken of in that sentence to be taken as a whole, which we will do next Sunday.  However, I want to at least introduce what Paul is opening this letter with, so I’ve included verse 3 along with the standard Pauline greeting in our text for today.  We see that Paul states his apostleship, states his audience, and wishes them grace and peace.  He could have started with a recounting of what he had done there in Ephesus, but instead he chooses his standard greeting and to remind them of who he is, who they are, and the gifts that God has given to all of us.  You see, Paul doesn’t go into what happened previously with him in Ephesus because that’s not what matters (or at least shouldn’t).  What should matter is that he is an apostle sent by God.  The Greek word translated as apostle literally means a messenger sent from one person to another.  Let’s say that you go to the doctor for an issue that you’ve been dealing with.  After running tests, that doctor then comes back with a diagnosis.  Now, whether or not you have known that doctor or had any prior experience with him/her ought to be irrelevant.  The fact that they graduated medical school and have been licensed as a doctor ought to be all the credentials required for you to take it that they know what they’re talking about.  Now, I realize that some of you disagree with that analogy, but you cannot disagree with the reality of that being the way that it ought to work.  However, I will also remind you that Paul was well-known by this time.  So, this wouldn’t be just any doctor.  If I were to tear up my knee running one morning and Dr. James Andrews at UAB were to do the surgery to repair it, I would feel pretty good about it, even though I have never meet the man or had any interaction with him.  The fact that I have heard so much about him and his work should and would be enough for me to trust his opinion and his expertise.

                Anyways, Paul then goes on to tell them, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…”  Now, I read all of the rest of this one Greek sentence during the reading of our text today simply so you would be familiar with it even though I’m really not going to get into it today.  If you’re a note-taker and want to write this down you can, but I’m going to repeat in next Sunday as well.  Notice that Paul lays out in this order Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit (every spiritual blessing).  Ok, so that last one is a bit of a stretch, but after next Sunday you’ll see why I am attempting such a leap.  Just looking ahead for one second to these verses we see the following pattern:  in verses 3-6 Paul deals with the work of the Father, 7-10 the work of the Son, and 11-14 the work of the Holy Spirit.  As I said, I’m going to deal with this next Sunday because we simply don’t have the time to even scratch the surface of what is going on there today.  However, I want you to remember this in terms of an introduction of sorts.  Paul is starting out by introducing the way in which the persons of the Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, work together in order for us to receive the full blessings of God.  When it comes to salvation for example, the Father is the architect of the plan, the Son is the achiever or accomplisher of that plan, and the Holy Spirit is the applier of the benefits of the accomplishment of that plan.  Well, if we take that analogy of all three members of the Trinity working together and apply it to the theme of this look at Ephesians, then we ought to have the understanding that all parts of the church must work in conjunction with one another if we are to enjoy the full blessings of the bride of Christ and if we are to honor God faithfully in our being part of this Christian community.  You see, one of the beautiful things about the Christian faith is that it isn’t a faith of isolation.  In other words, it isn’t (or at least shouldn’t be) something that is private or done alone.  Instead, it is something that very wonderfully is to be shared with others.  We rely on other Christians, church members, and most importantly our God for strength and encouragement.  I’ll be completely honest with you, my profession has been ranked by many publications as the loneliest of professions.  And honestly, there are times when that feels like the truth.  Why is that the case?  Well, it has to do largely with the nature of the job, but also with the way in which we have individually privatized our faiths.  However, when we are working as we should, both individually and collectively, this feeling of isolation and loneliness isn’t there.  When the body of Christ is functioning as she ought to, then not only is loneliness not present, but there is a sense of community that makes us feel as if isolation isn’t even a real thing.

                As we journey though Ephesians over the next several months, we’re going to look at the community that is the Church.  We’re going to look at the fact that all of us have a part to play.  We’re going to look at the fact that the Church operates at her best when all of her members are operating.  So, as we bring this introduction to a close today, I want to encourage you to think about the way in which you are engaged in the ministry of the Church.  I know that you can’t see it, but in my notes I have the “C” in Church capitalized.  I’m not asking what you do for this congregation.  I already know how that is for many of you, and some of you have given the Session those answer through your surveys as well.  What I’m asking you to think about is what you do for the kingdom.  Do you witness?  Do you financially support a gospel proclaiming organization or church?  Do you teach?  Do you engage in missions?  Do you engage in mercy ministries?  The old adage of the Church is that 20% or the people do 80% of the work (although some studies show it is closer to 10% do 90%).  Can you imagine what the Church, or the world for that matter, would be like if all Christians worked for the gospel?  Maybe one day we will wake up and find out.  Maybe one day Christians will act as if their calling is who they are, and not just a part of their identity.  However, for that to happen, we have to lay aside our own interests, and seek first the righteousness of the kingdom of God.  Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Matthew 28:19-20 "Go, Not Just Gather"

                Do you know what a congregational charge is?  By that, I mean those words printed in your bulletin that I read near the end of the service about going out into the word, enjoying the blessings of God, contending for the faith, and remaining in Christ.  Do you know what the purpose of those words really is?  Or have you just mindlessly said them (some of you your entire lives) without ever giving a thought as to what the purpose for our saying them is at all?  Well, a charge is when the minister charges or challenges the congregation to go out into the world and minister and witness in the name of Christ.  In essence, the charge is where the pastor or worship service leader challenges the hearers of the message for that day to take what they have just heard and to carry it out into the world.  Now, how effective this has been is another question.  Are you even listening to these words or are you telling yourself that now that the service is over it’s time to decide on a place for lunch?  The congregation that I used to work for in Mississippi had the whole congregation say the charge in unison, “We go nowhere by accident.  Wherever we go, God is sending us.  God has a purpose for our being there.  And He has given His Holy Spirit to us.”  Each Sunday as we prepared to leave worship, we were all reminded that no matter where we found ourselves, we were right where God wanted us to be and we were to seek how to minister to the people around us.  Even when we felt unequipped, we needed to remember that the Holy Spirit was there with us, giving us the power that we needed to accomplish God’s good work.

                Why, when our text is on the Great Commission, am I talking to you about charges and worship service ordering?  Well, it’s because I, along with many others, view the Great Commandment to be the somewhat charge of Jesus’ earthly ministry, with the benediction being the words that he gave to his disciples about being his witnesses in Samaria and Judea and all to the ends of the world.  You see, the main message behind a charge is the same message behind that of the Great Commission.  Well, at least the first aspect of them is the same.  Both a charge and the Great Commission start with going.  “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”  All of the commands of the Great Commission are imperatives.  Jesus was charging his disciples to go!  He wasn’t telling them that when the opportunity was right or when the feeling struck them that they ought to go, but he was commanding them to go.  It’s the difference between me or my wife telling our children that their rooms need to be cleaned up before we eat dinner, or simply looking at them and saying that one word, “Clean!”  One of those options provides a bit of choice, while the other is a direct command that is to be carried out that moment.  You see, Jesus tells us that the first step in reaching the lost in order to baptize them, make them disciples, and teach them is to go.  We have to go out into the world in search of the lost, in search of the hurt, and in search of those who are in need of hearing the good news of the gospel.

                The sad fact of the matter is that this is the exact opposite of the way that most of our supposed evangelism is done in the modern church.  We build fences, hire security, have certain protocols, and many other steps to make it difficult for people to get in, much less us go out.  Many Americans view of evangelism has become that they are willing to minister to only a certain type of person (usually someone who looks just like them), but only after that person makes the initial move and comes into the church in the first place.  Look, I’m not throwing grenades at others; we are just as guilty as any other congregation of doing the very same thing.  When was the last time that any of you can honestly say that you reached out to someone who wasn’t a Christian and spoke to them without them coming to you first?  Somehow, we’ve replaced the imperative “Go” with the situational “wait and see if someone comes to you and presents you with an opportunity to possibly share the gospel with them but by all means don’t be too pushy.”  I’ve made no secrets about mine and Amy’s families having some alcohol issues throughout the years.  Sitting back and waiting for someone to on their own come to church and realize that they need Jesus is like sitting back and waiting for the alcoholic to realize on his own that he has a problem.  Sure it may happen every now and then, but it most certainly isn’t the most effective way of dealing with the issue at hand.  We have to go out into the world if we are ever going to shine the light in the darkness as we like to say.

                Secondly, when Jesus tells us to make disciples of all nations, notice the word all.  Do you remember the words of the promise made to Abraham (then Abram) in Genesis 12?  God told Abraham, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.  And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you ALL the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  I mentioned just a moment ago that for many of us our evangelism stops when it comes to people who look different than us, dress different than us, live different than us, and even talk different than us.  Now, I won’t deny that or personalities and our gifts sometimes lend themselves to our being more at ease with certain groups over another.  When I was in youth ministry, I had a much easier time relating to the middle-class white children that I went to church with than the African American kids from the inner-city that I taught.  However, my responsibility to minister and witness to them and to help them see their potential and to strive for success was the same with both groups.  When I have gone to Mexico, Jamaica, or Haiti, my call to share the gospel has been the exact same as it is here in the U.S.  You see, the gospel isn’t for one people group or one nationality, but for all people.  My wife can attest to you that we talked a lot about the state of the church following the shootings in South Carolina.  While the tragedy of what happened was terrible and I’m not trying to diminish it in any way, what we found most disturbing was that the church was constantly described as a black church.  Look, I get it.  I’m from the south; I’ve never lived any further north than Starkville, MS.  I get that things are still referred to (rightly or wrongly) as black and white.  However, and this may be just because of how I see things, a church should never be classified according to race.  After all, all churches (and by this I mean real, Bible-centered, God-fearing churches) are worshipping the same resurrected Lord.  We’re all worshipping Jesus Christ.  And the truth of the matter is that none of us are worthy of what he offers us, but he stills offers.  So, we cannot ever think that the gospel is more for one group of people than any other.

                So, what is it that Jesus is exactly calling us to do it the Great Commission?  What does it mean to make disciples?  What does it mean to baptize people in the name of the Triune God?  What does it mean to teach them to observe all the commands of God?  Well, to try and sum all of this up into as simple a statement as possible, all of this means that we are to help others grow in their relationship with God.  We are to witness to them and help them to see the importance of what God is offering them.  Now, I will clearly state here that only God can turn someone’s heart from stone to a heart that seeks after Him.  Only God can truly change a person from being one who runs from God to one who follows Him.  However, many times it’s people just like you and me that God chooses to work through in order to accomplish these purposes in His children.  When we make disciples, we are teaching people the importance of Christ, but also helping them to incline their hearts to live lives that more honor God.  You can see very easily that this also fits in with the command that we have for teaching others to observe all that God has commanded us.  One of those commands is for all believers to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  When we are baptized, it symbolizes our admittance into the church.  Baptism is a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, of our being united with Christ, of our rebirth, and of our forgiveness of sins.

                One of the other great fallacies to the modern American church (in addition to the poor methods of evangelism that I mentioned earlier), is that many times little thought is given to real Biblical training.  Many times, the majority of energy and effort is placed upon bringing people in.  Even in churches that don’t fit the model I previously mentioned that have good evangelistic ministries, there is a real drop-off when it comes to Christian education.  One of the most frequently asked questions of semi-new Christians is “now what?”  In other words, after someone professes faith in Christ and is baptized; after someone has come to see the deep need that they have for Jesus in their life, they want to know what the next step is.  In essence, they want to grow.  They want to learn more, they want to dig deeper and find out more and more about God who created and sustains all things.  They want to hear more about this Savior named Jesus who was fully God and fully man at the same time who paid the price for their sins.  They want to know more about the Holy Spirit, this third member of the Trinity who dwelt in Jesus then and dwells within us now. 

Have you ever been to a really nice, fancy dinner?  I don’t mean your anniversary dinner to a nice restaurant; I’m talking about a real ornate meal surrounded by a lot of folks that you don’t know.  I know that I don’t give off the refined vibe, but my wife will tell you that I actually can function in this world when required, largely due to my upbringing.  You see, I was taught by my grandmother about table etiquette and which fork goes where and what utensil you use to eat a certain dish.  I’ve got that knowledge and I can use it when the situation requires.  Well, let’s say I didn’t have that knowledge, I would be completely lost.  In other words, just because I am at this nice dinner surrounded by a bunch of people who know what they’re doing (assuming that they actually do), that really wouldn’t be enough for me to correctly go through the steps of the meal.  Sure, I could fake it and probably make my way through the meal unscathed, but should that really be the goal, should that be the goal of our faith?  Should our goal really be about being able to fake it long enough so that we don’t get discovered for how little we know or how shallow our faith truly is?  NO!  Our goal ought to be to grow.  Our goal ought to be to grow so that we may more accurately and faithfully honor and bring glory to God.

Finally, we have to remember the final words of our text.  Jesus told the disciples, “And behold, I am with you always, to the ends of the age.”  Jesus’ name at his birth of Immanuel means God with us.  Friends, the end of the age has not come yet because Jesus has not returned.  Therefore, Jesus is still with us.  No, he may not be physically present with us just as he was with the disciples when he said these words.  In fact, he wasn’t to be with them either after only a few days.  However, he is still with us, sitting at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, serving as our eternal advocate with the Father.  Not only that, but the same Holy Spirit that we have mentioned remains with us, applying the work of Christ to our hearts each and every day.  Our objective is a simple one:  we are to go out into the world.  When we go out into the world, we are to tell everyone about Jesus.  When we find someone who doesn’t know God, then we are to witness to them and help bring them to the Lord.  Have you gone out into the world in search of the lost lately?  Have you sought to help someone grow in their already existent faith lately?  Have you even gone out into the world lately with the message of the Gospel?  The task is clear and concise, as Christians, we ought to be going and not just gathering.  Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.