We've all been hurt. We all carry scars. We can all overcome these things and be
healed through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Let's build that relationship
together right here. Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. Hey everybody
welcome back to the sanctuary. Great to have you with us and for those joining
us for the first time let me just say welcome. First off let me apologize. Last
week we did not get the new episode posted and really it's my fault. You know
I got caught up. I had a lot of stuff going on especially getting ready for
our veterans ministry and I just kind of lost track of time and missed a
check mark on my to-do list. So here we are and we're just gonna
we're gonna pick up right where we left off of course so we're not gonna miss
anything and we're gonna carry on and yeah so like I said we're gonna carry on
we're back we're in the book of Ephesians and specifically we're looking
at chapter 3 and the first part of it we're going to look at God's plan
regarding the Gentiles and the second part really towards the end we're going
to see Paul going back into prayer like we've seen previously. Now on a side note
I love this you know just how we see Paul going back into prayer in this book
it serves as a great example of what prayer is you know not this humdrum
Shakespearean nonsense trying to use a form of vernacular or speech that died
out over a century ago you know or some repetitious lingo like the ancient pagans
used you know or some meter and rhyme like we're a bunch of five-year-olds
learning a lemuric that we have to recite before meals so you know we'll
see more on that here in just a little bit so we're gonna dive in here go
ahead turn with me now into Ephesians chapter 3 and we're gonna start off with
the first three verses the Bible says for this reason I Paul the prisoner of
Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles surely you have heard about
the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you that is the
mystery made known to me by revelation as I have already written briefly so to
start this chapter Paul's reminding us that he's been placed on house arrest in
Rome and for the very specific reason that he was preaching about Jesus he's
preaching about the gospel all right if we go back to Acts 28 in verses 16 through
31 we can see that this was because the religious leaders didn't believe that
Jesus was the Messiah and that Paul was therefore creating dissension and civil
unrest within the Jewish community so and so they had to put pressure they
felt they had to put pressure on the Romans to arrest him on charges of
treason so in return Paul as a citizen exercised his right to appeal to Caesar
and at this point he was waiting for that hearing while under guard at home
all right now this in itself that's something that would bring anyone down
right and you're locked you're jailed you're locked up you're under guard you
can't do anything without permission really you know and as people we get
depressed rather easily for things that aren't even as close to being as
important as this you know for Paul this was literally a matter of life or death
yet here he is remaining cool calm and collected you know most people wouldn't
even respond that way you know instead you know they would flip out you know
when they when they have to repeat things just at the drive-thru you know
or they don't get some discount that they feel that they're entitled to so
it's a great testament to where our faith should be and how it should be
built up and in those times you know when you start to wonder you know
where's God how is he in control of this what's the what in the world is going on
you know when you get to those points you need to step back you know we all
need to step back and we need to remind ourselves you know God's always in
control and he can and does use all of these things to his glory and most
importantly in his time not our time in his he's always with us we just need to
trust in him
now going into verses 2 & 3 we see Paul mention the administration of God's
grace this is referring to the special mission or special trust commitment and
authority that Paul has been entrusted with to take the gospel to the Gentiles
you know as you recall last you know week before last you know last time we
met we were talking about how Christ brought down the barrier to unite the
Jews and Gentiles into one body all right in Ephesians 3 verses 4 through 6
the Bible says in reading this then you will be able to understand my insight
into the mystery of Christ which was not made known to people and other
generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy Apostles and
prophets this mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs
together with Israel members together of one body and sharers together in the
promise of Christ Jesus now at face value it would appear that God had kept
his plan from previous generations you know almost as though he was withholding
you know that critical need to know valuable information right some have
called it a type of spiritual blackmail however this is not the case you know he
had to wait until the perfect moment you know that that that perfect time to
reveal that things so that everyone could see you know again his timing is
always perfect you know if God had revealed it sooner to the Jews then the
Gentiles would have been left out if he you know if he let the Gentiles in on
his plan then the Jews would have been locked out so instead he waited so that
they could be first united as one body as the church all right so everyone
could be brought together as the church this way everyone would be able to hear
of God's intent this was actually revealed all the way back in Isaiah 49
verse 6 and invite in Isaiah 49 verse 6 the Bible says this it is too small a
thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring
back those of Israel I have kept I will also make you a light for the Gentiles
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth alright this in itself
this is telling us that the Gentiles would receive salvation just like the
Jews what wasn't counted on until Jesus came was that all the tribes would
actually be united into one body and receive that salvation equally you know
remember they all had that pride and division that had them all thinking that
they were better and more favored than the other you know that spiritual pride
so now you know with with Christ taking the cross everyone's been put on equal
footing the the playing field has been leveled out completely all right now
continuing back in Ephesians 3 verses 7 through 9 the Bible says I became a
servant of this gospel by the gifts of God's grace given me through the working
of his power although I am less than the least of all the Lord's people this
grace was given to me to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ
and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery for
which ages past was kept hidden in God who created all things so Paul is saying
something important here in verse 7 he became the servant by the gift of God's
grace meaning when Paul became a servant of God the father gave him the ability
to share the gospel all right now now don't take this out of context all
right way way way way too many people too many organizations already do that
all right it doesn't mean you had to be an apostle or a professional evangelist
or a preacher or whatever title you want to insert to be able to share the gospel
okay you don't have to spend countless hours out of school earning a piece of
paper that says you're qualified to share the gospel in your life all right
we're all there what it does mean is that when you humble yourself as God's
servant he will equip you with all that you need to share the gospel remember
God doesn't call the equipped he equips the called you just have to answer the
call all right now before we move on I'd like to call your attention to what Paul
has said about himself here he says I am less than the least of all the Lord's
people all right he's not putting himself down what he is saying is that
without God's help he would never be able to complete the work that was set
out for him by God all right this is this is the same thing that we need to
keep in mind when we hear Philippians 4 13 you know which which says I can do
all things through Christ who gives me strength okay it's not saying that you
can leave it buildings in a single bound or fly or any of that kind of stuff okay
it's not gonna be like oh you know I have faith so I'm a superhero no that's
not what it's saying you know sometimes we feel like what we're doing is very
miniscule all right it's really without any real consequence we don't see how it
fits into the big picture however when God put something on your heart he's
doing it for a reason okay he when he says hey you know I'm putting this on
you what you know I want you to do this he's doing it for a reason all you have
to do is start working on it keep your faith in Christ he will take care of the
rest all right think of it this way those minor details they might not seem
like much but God has entrusted you with the fine print of his plan all right so
moving along Ephesians 3 verses 10 through 13 the Bible says his intent was
that now through the church the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to
the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms according to his eternal
purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord in him and through faith
in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence I ask you therefore not
to be discouraged because of my sufferings which are your glory
there is a huge audience here what what he's talking about what the word is
telling us here is okay the rulers and authority in the heavenly realms this is
specifically talking about the angels who are witnesses to God's work and the
enemy Satan and the fallen angels demons those hostile spiritual forces that are
at work to oppose God and his plans he has everything at work for all of them
to see and it's a pretty big crowd all right and this crowd it's watching it's
not just watching God at work it's watching God's work through us his plan
unfolding through us so no matter how trivial something may seem as
Christians we can rest assured that it is not trivial at all we are all
entrusted with something that no other creation of gods can be trusted with
that is huge think about that he this is we're talking about the creator of
everything everything and he's entrusted us with these things all right not only
that but we have the privilege of being able to go straight to the Father with
anything and everything because of Christ's sacrifice the Father will greet
us with arms wide open our prayer places us an open dialogue with him again our
prayer places us an open dialogue with him you know and you think about it this
is how big this is some of us really many of us can't even talk to a higher
up at work without getting in trouble even when they say hey you know I've got
an open door policy you're welcome to come through at any time you know and
it's garbage yet the creator of everything known and unknown welcomes us
with him it's not even a matter of having an open door because he's
completely removed it all right it is gone and finally here Paul talks about
his suffering which is to God's glory remember he's been jailed for speaking
about the gospel now could he have kept you know I shouldn't even say that he
could have kept his mouth shut and he would have avoided a whole lot of
trouble however that wasn't what God placed on him and it was not the right
thing to do the right thing was to do what God had entrusted him to do and has
entrusted all of us to do you see if Paul hadn't have said anything then
people wouldn't have known about the gospel you know all the people that you
know he'd have heard that would have heard it from him however because he did
speak up people did hear the good news and because they heard the good news
they found their way into a relationship with Jesus they found their way into a
relationship as part of God's family the good far outweighed the bad of being
imprisoned and everything that it entailed remember we're talking life
or death here right however it's also a reminder to us that life as a Christian
won't be without strife we could be facing pain and we could be facing death
however that's exactly what Jesus meant in Matthew 16 verse 24 when he said
whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross
and follow me we need to be willing to die for Jesus just as he was willing to
die for us we need to remember that others have done just that to pave the
way for us to be able to reach others and continue to answer the Great
Commission to be able to continue to share the good news and we need to
remember that through all of this the Lord is with us he hasn't gone anywhere
he is still with us and now to finish the chapter Paul once ago once again
goes into into prayer in Ephesians 3 verses 14 and 15 the Bible says for this
reason I kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth
derives its name all right the Greek word that's used for family here Patriot
comes from the Greek word for father peteer all right notice how it shows the
ownership you know God's family it's very it's it's inclusive all right you
know much like you know let me put it in the turn into terms here that you know
all of us could you know can fathom all right when it comes to God's family much
like our family is here on earth it includes believers of the from the past
all right ancestors present us here and future children and grandchildren right
so with God's family though it includes all believers all right not just blood
believers we tend to think of our family here on earth is just being blood for the
most part you know those you know served you know those of a in certain
upbringings you know those whose parents weren't around you know we all know you
know family goes much further than that but here specifically we are talking
about the family of God which means believers all right and not just those
who say that they are but those who actually are continuing on you know
what that said you know it we need to remember that as believers we are
adopted into his family we are a family with God as our father and he promises
to love his family his family being the church and I've said it time and time
again the church is God's people gathered together it is not a building
it's not an organization you know it's not a denomination you know it's it's
believers coming together that's why it's important for us to get to know
other believers we need to know our family and that's what it means to come
together as the church is to be with other believers all right
continuing on from here Ephesians 3 verses 16 through 19 before I go down
any more bunny trails here the Bible says I pray that out of his glorious
riches he may strengthen you with power through his spirit in your inner being
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith and I pray that you being
rooted and established in love may have power together with all the Lord's holy
people to grasp how wide and long and how excuse me how long and high and deep
is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you
may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God again God's love it's
great he loves us all he loves you his love knows no you know bounds that we
can't even imagine you know that's why we say it knows no bounds you know for
our short existence here to well beyond in his kingdom you know no matter what
you do no matter what you've done God still loves you and welcomes you home
all right let me say it again no matter what you do and no matter what you've
done God still loves you and the only way we can know and understand his love
for us is in Jesus by coming to know him and his spirit within us you know and
that's that right there that's where we find purpose that's where we find
sufficiency that's where we find love this is where we find that that peace
that just you know it can't be explained and we find fulfillment and everything
and that's what he's referring here referring here to when he says you know
love that surpasses knowledge you know it's that peace it can't be explained
it's just there all right join me in our last couple verses here Ephesians 3
verses 20 and 21 the Bible says now to him who is able to do immeasurably more
than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us to
him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations for
ever and ever amen amen right you know this shows just really how timeless the
work of the churches all right for the generations that have been the
generations that are here the generations to come you know that that
work you know it needs to continue you know we need to continue to bend
together and share the good news for all to hear you know we need to continue to
to answer the Great Commission you know the first three chapters of this book
here you know it's if you noticed they set they're set up in the same manner as
other books that Paul Paul's written all right the first part is the doctrine
it's the foundation all right he's laid out the principles here it is all right
and now we can see how it's all been laid out first is the doctrine right and
the next few chapters as we move on we're going to see the practical
application I mean we've already seen you know some of that practical
application I mean right here I mean we're talking about you know sharing the
word of Jesus to reach others and especially in a war in a world that's
you know just as we've been told is more and more so turning its back on him
right believing the traps of the devil so like I said here in the next few
chapters we're going to see the practical application of things that and
how it's being laid out you know being you know that we're in a joyous season
right now this in itself you know this should help many of us to feel even more
festive it really should you know after all this is a season which we celebrate
the birth of the king right and going through this book we're reminded just
how dear we are to him how much he loves us how you know just how meaningful his
sacrifice for us is all right we're loved more than any other creation and
we've been entrusted with duties that no other has been and no other will be you
know you've been given this gift because you are a gift that's right you you are
a gift you've been placed on this earth as a gift for others and that is how
highly God thinks of you and how highly he loves you you are so special that
you have to be shared you know think of it you know as a little kid gets it gets
that you know that new toy he's like oh look look that you know look how great
this is and how excited they are about it that's how God feels about you and
there's going to be those moments in your life where you feel like your light
is just it's getting it's getting dim right you're starting to feel like you're
you're kind of sliding back in this dark into the darkness and those right there
that that's the time to pray pray talk to God like you know hey you know dude
this is what's up come on now right you just take your burden to him and what's
going to happen you'll find is the Lord is going to refill your lamp and your
light is going to get that much brighter just like when Moses came back down the
mountain after speaking with God what happened right he had this glow about
him that was so bright people had a hard time even trying to look at him and that
was just from being in the presence of God the same happens when we go to the
Lord and we let him refill our lamps so we can continue out in the world so that
we continue to be a light remember you are loved you are blessed you are a
blessing so go and be the church thank you all for joining us here today at
healing scars with pastor Burton please like subscribe and share our podcast on
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prayer requests or would like to know more about our ministry you can find us
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message or email we look forward to hearing from you all God bless