1 Corinthians 3:10-15 - According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
3 responses to Paul’s petitions for Christ’s church
I. Understand the Foundation of Paul’s Prayer - 3:14-16a
A. A prayerful apostle during a time of personal suffering
Ephesians 3:14 - For this reason I bow my knees before the Father…
Ephesians 6:19-20 - …and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
B. Amazed by the nature of the church
“For this reason picks up after the parenthesis of 3:2–13, and begins by repeating the words of verse one. The reason about which Paul speaks is therefore found in chapter 2. Christ makes us spiritually alive in Him (2:5), we are “His workmanship” (v. 10), “no longer strangers and aliens, but … fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household” (v. 19), “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets” (v. 20), and “are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit” (v. 22). For this reason, therefore (that our new identity makes us the dwelling place of God), Paul prays for the Ephesians to use the power that their great status in Christ provides. Because God’s power is in those believers, Paul prays that God would enable them to employ the fullness of that power. Because believers are the habitation of the triune, all-powerful God of the universe, Paul prays that their unlimited energy from Him would be manifested.” (John MacArthur, Ephesians, p. 100)
C. Focused on the diversity of the body
Ephesians 3:15 - …from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name…
Matthew 16:18 - I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
Acts 1:8 - …but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.
Acts 2:1-4 - When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
Acts 2:5-13 - Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs – we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.”
D. Based on our Father’s endless and glorious resources
Ephesians 3:16 - …that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory…
II. Pursue the Content of Paul’s Prayer – 3:16b-19
A. That we would be strengthened with power
Ephesians 3:16 - …to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man…
B. That we would be indwelt by the Savior
Ephesians 3:17a - …so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…
Psalm 34:4 - I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:6-7 - This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.
Psalm 34:8 - O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
Psalm 34:18-19 - The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
C. That our understanding of God’s love would be ever increasing
Ephesians 3:17b-19a - …and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge.
D. That we would be filled with the fullness of God
Ephesians 3:19b - …that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
III. Celebrate the Implications of Paul’s Prayer
A. Our God wishes to do more than we can ever imagine
Ephesians 3:20a - Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think…
B. Our God wants to powerfully work in us
Ephesians 3:20b - …according to the power that works within us…
C. Our God can be glorified by us
Ephesians 3:21a - …to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus…
D. Our God’s work can have generational impact
Ephesians 3:21b - …to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21 - Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
This morning we will be in Ephesians chapter 3 which his on page 1171 of the Bible under the chair in front of you.
- When we read our Bibles, it doesn’t take long for us to find people whom God blessed tremendously even though they were people that most certainly did not deserve His blessing
- one example of this is in the book of Genesis with the person of Jacob.
- Jacob was a man who was the son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham
- He had been promised like his father and his grandfather that God would multiply his descendants and that He would bless them exceedingly
- you would think a person that had received this kind of blessing back multiple generations would have lived a life that was honorable in every way. A life that was lived with dignity and wisdom.
- However, we find that Jacob is not that kind of person throughout his life. If there is anyone who throughout Scripture lived out a soap opera, Jacob would almost certainly be in first or second place.
- His whole life is characterized by drama.
-Conflict with his brother beginning the day he was born
-He deceived his father and his brother to steal a birthright blessing
-collusion with his mother to commit deception against his father and his brother in order to steal a blessing
-he goes to find a wife from one of his relatives but instead ends up with two wives
-he then gets two concubines and he has children with all four of these women
-almost all of his children are a mess and are committing all sorts of wickedness like murder and adultery
-10 of his children hate the other one and throw him into a pit and eventually he is sold to slave traders and ends up in Egypt. And that child just happened to be his favorite because he was born to his favorite wife. I wonder why the other brothers sold him.
-Then he has another son with his favorite wife, and he does everything he can to protect this one.
-After years go by his family is experiencing a famine so he sends his sons to Egypt to buy food.
-While they are there the youngest son, the new favorite one, is falsely accused of stealing gold from the most powerful nation in the world and is then thrown in prison.
-When all of the other sons try to persuade the prime minister of Egypt to not destroy this young man, it comes to light that the prime minister of Egypt is actually the first favorite son that they threw in a pit and sold to slave traders years ago.
-And so, Jacob who thought he had lost his most favorite son now has him back and the whole family is able to move to Egypt and is freely given the best real estate on the market.
-Listen, if anyone here writes tv shows for a living, I’ve got like 4 seasons here at least.
-So, Jacob is a guy whose life is characterized by drama and conflict. He just can’t seem to get away from it.
-However, Jacob is a person who learns throughout his life and in particular he learns to see how God has worked in his own life and in the lives of his ancestors and children.
-Jacob’s family has always been shepherds. His grandfather was a shepherd, his father was a shepherd, and now his children have become shepherds.
-And at the end of the book of Genesis, it’s almost like God gives Jacob the knowledge of what has actually happened in his life.
-Before Jacob dies, he blesses his descendants and this is one of the first things that come out of his mouth.
Genesis 48:15–16
15 He blessed Joseph, and said,
“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
16 The angel who has redeemed me from all evil,
Bless the lads;
And may my name live on in them,
And the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
And may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
-You see Jacob might shepherd sheep in a pasture, but who is the real shepherd in the book of Genesis?
-Jacob sees that just how he needs to steer sheep here and there to feed them, to protect them, and to care for them, so God does for him.
-Jacob and his family need to be steered, led, and shepherded for their own good.
-God did something through Jacob that was far beyond Jacob’s imagination or desires. Jacob wanted the blessing from his earthly father but little did he know that his heavenly Father had blessings in store for him and his family that were far greater than the blessings he could long for and try to obtain.
-This is how it has always been for God’s people.
God has always been a God that surprises His people because of how generous and how gracious he is to them.
- With that in mind, please open your Bible to Ephesians chapter 3 (page 151 of the back section of the Bible under the chair in front of you)…
- our theme this year is Building on our Heritage…we’re having a lot of fun thinking through the way the Lord has chosen to bless us over the last 60 years…it’s quite a story of God’s faithfulness and a delightful group of men and women who have served Him sacrificially and served Him well…
- there was a very specific reason why we didn’t chose the words “celebrating our heritage”…there would have been nothing wrong with that of course but this theme helps us focus on the future…
- on what the Lord wants to do in and through us in the days ahead…
- we’re thankful for our founders…for the people who have gone before us …it’s a tremendous heritage…but now we’re called to build on it…
- and we understand that some day we will give an account for this matter of how we built on our heritage…
- 1 Corinthians 3:10–15 - According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
- the verses we have before us this morning go a long way to answering that question…and there’s no doubt this is exactly what the Lord has chosen to do here in our midst…
- read Ephesians 3:14-21
-like other believers throughout history, people like Jacob all the way back to Genesis and here in Ephesians with Paul, God has blessed us and is continuing to bless us according to His riches beyond what we could imagine or dream of.
- We’re talking this morning about…Learning from an Apostle’s Prayer for Us
- in the time we have remaining, let’s look for 3 responses to Paul’s petitions for Christ’s church.
I. Understand the Foundation of Paul’s Prayer – 3:14-16a
A. A prayerful apostle during a time of personal suffering
- Ephesians 3:14 - For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
- this is the second time in the book that Paul has told us about the content of his prayers for the church…
- when you think about the fact that Paul is in prison…this is one of the prison epistles…yet what is he praying for?
- and how different is that then the way many of us would have been praying?...
- right, if we had been praying at all…it would been something for ourselves…
- the food in here is terrible…my treatment is unjust…this is taking forever and on and on…
- and yet Paul is praying for his brothers and sisters…and we don’t know exactly what the conditions were and it would appear that they were different during his various imprisonments…
- but it is not too much of a stretch to picture this dear apostle praying for men and women just like you and me…
- and I realize you might say – he eventually does get around to requesting prayer for himself…
- that’s true, but what is the content of those prayers?...it wasn’t for enhanced creature comforts to make his life better…
- Ephesians 6:19–20 - and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
- so even when he did get around to praying for himself, he wasn’t really praying for himself, was he?
- and that leads to a question that I think all of us could consider…how often do we pray for our church?...to we pray for one another?...do we pray for the ministries that have been entrusted to us?...
- when we think about the concept of building on our heritage…what could be a more important building block than that?
- another aspect of understanding this foundation is seeing how Paul was…
B. Amazed by the nature of the church
- and I realize you might say – well, where are we getting that?...
- Ephesians 3:14 - For this reason
- here’s what that means…verses 2-12 is a parenthetical…Paul begins a topic, then he brings in something else…then he goes back to the original topic…
- so if you’re following this – the question would be – what is the “this reason” in chapter 3 verse 1 referring to?...in other words – what reason?...
- John MacArthur explained it like this…For this reason picks up after the parenthesis of 3:2–13, and begins by repeating the words of verse one. The reason about which Paul speaks is therefore found in chapter 2. Christ makes us spiritually alive in Him (2:5), we are “His workmanship” (v. 10), “no longer strangers and aliens, but … fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household” (v. 19), “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets” (v. 20), and “are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit” (v. 22). For this reason, therefore (that our new identity makes us the dwelling place of God), Paul prays for the Ephesians to use the power that their great status in Christ provides. Because God’s power is in those believers, Paul prays that God would enable them to employ the fullness of that power. Because believers are the habitation of the triune, all-powerful God of the universe, Paul prays that their unlimited energy from Him would be manifested (John MacArthur, Ephesians, p. 100).
- no wonder Paul would pray for the church…if that’s what we are…”being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit..”…Paul was amazed by that, and I hope you are too…
- see, what’s been going on around here the last 60 years?...God has been building us into a place where He dwells….
- then Paul says…
C. Focused on the diversity of the body
- Ephesians 3:15 - from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,
- that too hearkens back to chapter 2…the incredible mystery that Jews and Gentiles are going to be brought together in one church…
- every redeemed family will be united together because of our common bond in Jesus Christ…
- Abraham is our father…Mary is our sister…we’re related to the Philippian jailer and his family…to the woman at the well…to Rahab the prostitute…to Philemon and his runaway slave Onesimus…
- this goes all the way back to the way the church was born…
- remember Jesus had predicted the birth of the church after the Jewish nation had officially rejected Christ as Messiah…and then Peter made that marvelous profession in Caesarea Philippi that Jesus was the Christ – the Son of the Living God…
- Matthew 16:18 - I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
- Jesus picked up that theme after His death, burial, and resurrection in the beginning of the book of Acts when He said…Acts 1:8 - but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
- that was in part an ethnic statement…where every family in heaven and on earth would derive its name…
- and what happened ten days later on the day of Pentecost?... Acts 2:1–4 - When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
- and if you say – what did that mean?...all we have to do is to keep reading…Acts 2:5-13 - Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? “And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? “Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.”
- what was all of that?...a clear indication that the church was going to be multi-ethnic…
- please consider all the ethnic tension occurring in the media east right now…
- who could possibly bring peace and reconciliation and oneness to a situation like that?...the Prince of Peace – the Lord Jesus Christ…
- and here’s what this means – when people watch this church family…in spite of all of our differences…all of our quirks and foibles…worship and serve the same Lord together…
- the logical conclusion?...God is dwelling among them…from whom every family in heaven and on earth is deriving it’s name…
- and how is that possible?...
D. Based on our Father’s endless and glorious resources
- Ephesians 3:16 - that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory…
- Paul loved the church…[could talk about your response during the Lord’s table]…and I hope you do too…because that becomes the foundation of our prayer…
- so, understand the foundation of Paul’s prayer…
II. Pursue the Content of Paul’s Prayer – 3:16b – 19
- these requests are timeless…the first century church needed this…and the 21st century church needs it every bit as much…
- and I hope we would say – and wants it every bit as much…and depends on it every bit as much…
A. That we would be strengthened with power
- Ephesians 3:16 - …to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man…
- when you look at what the Lord has chosen to entrust to our church family in terms of ministry responsibilities, it can feel somewhat overwhelming if we’re thinking about it through the lens of human resources alone…
- that’s one of the reasons Paul was praying for his brothers and sisters…and why we should pray for our brothers and sisters…and desire to be an answer to this prayer…
- on numerous occasions over the years…we’ve been presented with a ministry opportunity that was only attainable…if God is who He is…
- let’s take Him at His Word…
- which has often put us at the tip of the spear when it comes to concentration of need and even amount of risk and sometimes even danger…
- why?...we want to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man…
- let me mention 2 ministry divisions that I would especially encourage you to pray for regularly…
- one is our CDC…
- the Mayor and the city asked us to consider working in the north end…it’s a wonderful part of our town but there are also a fair number of needs there…
- one of the issues was and is affordable housing…and there is a federal program that addresses that challenge but it has to be led by a non-profit…
- and those funds were being left on the table because no one at the time was able or willing to do the work…
- that’s certainly not good for our city so we accepted that responsibility…
- and we’ve been able to successfully complete a number of projects and help a number of families and make some modest improvements…and we’re glad for all of that…
- Lori Walters did a wonderful job helping us launce the CDC and now I have the privilege of getting to lead the ministry
- but there are 2 significant challenges with all of that…many of the houses that might be in serious need of renovation…far more than a private investor would want to take on because he/she would have to spend more money than they could recover…
- those houses are considered by the government to be of historic significance…so you can’t just remove windows or doors or trim, etc –
- the other issue is lead based paint – which almost all of the homes we would potentially work on contain…you used to be able to paint over that with a kind of sealing product and be fine…but now we’re not allowed to do that…it has to be professionally removed and there are practically no companies or people in the state who are willing to do that kind of work…
- so CDC’s around the country are facing the issue of – what is required to receive the funding costs much more than is offset by the funding…
- so the question is – should we be looking at ways to serve our friends in the northend that don’t include this particular program?...
- what should people like you and me do?...pray that we would be Ephesians 3:16 - …to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man…
- another ministry is Vision of Hope…
- if you’ve ever attended one of their graduation ceremonies or special programs…you know how precious and meaningful so many of these stories are…
- we’ve had a great group of directors and staff and volunteers over our 17 year history…Dr. Charlie Hodges just recently retired and Pastor Rod Hutton is now leading that effort along with our counseling ministry
- that ministry too has very unique challenges because we want to make the care as affordable as possible but it’s a very expensive ministry to operate…
- so, do people like us run away from that?...is that what the church does?...is that what our church has done over the last 60 years?...
- we pray…- Ephesians 3:16 - …to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man…
B. That we would be indwelt by the Savior
- Ephesians 3:17a - so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…
- what I just shared about a couple of ministry divisions might make you a bit concerned or even nervous…
- would it bother you if I told you that there’s plenty of other challenges in any direction you look?...
- we are sin-cursed people called to minister in a sin-cursed world…
- so we did a complete analysis today of all our ministries and all the current problems and potential problems and associated risks…here’s what I think we would conclude…
- we are in big trouble…unless…what?...unless God is who He is…
- because if Christ is dwelling in our hearts through faith…then what doesn’t that leave room in our hearts for?...worry, anxiety, fear, apathy, and selfishness…
- Psalm 34:4 - I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.
- Psalm 34:6–7 - This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.
- Psalm 34:8 - O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
- Psalm 34:18–19 - The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
- then we prayed for one another…that He is where we would seek our refuge…and express amazement that a holy God would allow us to do so…
- that’s part of Paul’s prayer for us…
C. That our understanding of God’s love would be ever increasing
- Ephesians 3:17b –19a - …and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge
- another entirely different level of this conversation is that so much of what actually gets done in and by a church has nothing to do with pastors, programs, facilities…
- it’s just the informal body life of brothers and sisters as we grow and serve together…
- so often when I call someone after a death in their family or some other kind of significant mercy ministry need…what I hear is…OH, my ABF has already done _____, or my small group has done that…or so-and-so has been here and…
- what is all of that?...brothers and sisters who know the love of Christ and are living answers to this very prayer in ways that benefit others practically and powerfully…and…
D. That we would be filled with the fullness of God
- Ephesians 3:19b - …that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
- this goes back to the issue we’ve had to wrestle with constantly over the years…how much risk should we take?...how many responsibilities should we accept?...
- there’s no doubt that a church can become foolhardy…and not carefully count the cost…
- but it’s also possible to live so comfortably, and so safe, and so insulated and insured…that we don’t need to rely on the fullness of God because we’ve organized ourselves around the fullness of us…
- an important question for us to consider this year is – are we building on our heritage or are we resting on our laurels?...
- the first option will lead us to be people of dependent prayer…and I believe and I hope that’s where all of us want to be…
- so if so, where does that leave us?...
III. Celebrate the Implications of Paul’s Prayer
A. Our God wishes to do more than we can ever imagine
- Ephesians 3:20a - Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think…
- by God’s grace, we’ve been given 5 “ministry platforms”…
- I suppose that needs to be qualified…by “platform” – we don’t mean to showcase us, we mean to showcase the glory of God…
- and we shouldn’t overstate this because there’s a sense in which each follower of Jesus Christ is a ministry platform wherever you go 24/7…
- but here’s a suggested field trip you might want to go on with some friends and family…go for a drive…to each of these 5 campuses…get out and pray for the respective ministries that take place at each location…and stop and marvel at what the Lord has given us…
- how could we, of all people, ever doubt the truth of Ephesians 3:20?...
- and how does that effect the way we think about the future…
B. Our God wants to powerfully work in us
- Ephesians 3:20b - …according to the power that works within us,
- we are so much more than the collective human strength of all our church members…this isn’t a matter of – there’s strength in numbers…no, there’s strength in the Lord…
- which is why we long for this to be true…
C. Our God can be glorified by us
- Ephesians 3:21a - to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus…
- believing that all of this can have…
D. Our God’s work can have generational impact
- Ephesians 3:21b - to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
- one of the enjoyable dynamics is watching alumni of our school sending their children to Faith Christian…
- we were just talking about this the other day…what will these kids think when they step on that track…or step on that field…
- and hear the story of the Free to Dream Strategic Ministry Plan…
- hopefully in their minds they will quote Ephesians 3:2-21…Ephesians 3:20–21 - Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
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