1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,000 Three weeks ago we embarked on a spiritual journey, right? A spiritual basic training, which is taking us through the training manual, the Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus. 2 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:22,000 One of the things that I have encouraged us to do as part of our spiritual basic training is to work on memorizing the entire book of Ephesians as I mentioned earlier. 3 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:36,000 So we've approached that challenging goal the same way one approaches eating an elephant, one bite at a time. So we've bitten off some bite-sized pieces of that goal versus one through ten. 4 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:44,000 Now, when I challenged us to memorize the book of Ephesians, I knew that not all of us would even make an attempt to do that. 5 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:58,000 But I think that it's important to set some goals that are going to challenge us. Even if we don't reach those goals, our efforts will get us to a place we never would have reached if we hadn't at least given a little bit of effort. 6 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:10,000 I really like what Michelangelo wrote about aiming high. He says, the greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it's too low and we reach it. 7 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:22,000 Or perhaps maybe you can relate more to the words of the great philosopher, Yogi Berra. You've got to be careful if you don't know where you're going because you might not get there. 8 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:30,000 I'm convinced that scripture memory is one of the most important spiritual disciplines that you can make part of your life. 9 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:47,000 And I'm not alone in that opinion. Here's what Chuck Swindall wrote. He wrote, I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking than memorizing scripture. 10 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:58,000 No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends. Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. 11 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:09,000 Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced. Your faith will be solidified. 12 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:20,000 So even if you haven't started memorizing Ephesians yet, I want to encourage you to start now. I know there might be a lot of reasons why many of you haven't even made the effort. 13 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:30,000 Maybe a whole book is just more than you can bite off. It may very well be the case with many of us, including me, before we get to the end of the book, that this was a little much. 14 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:39,000 But I do know this. I have memorized 10 verses of the Bible, of God's word, 10 verses I didn't know at the beginning of the year. 15 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:53,000 So why not just start now and see how far you can get? Or if you can't memorize the whole book, maybe for whatever reason, at least pick out a few key passages from each chapter to memorize. 16 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:59,000 Or at least memorize one sentence, Ephesians 1, 3 through 14, that's one sentence, long sentence in the Bible. 17 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:07,000 That sentence contains a ton of spiritual riches, including almost every key doctrine of the Bible. 18 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:15,000 So now that we've started talking about spiritual scripture memory, let's look at verses 11 through 12. 19 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:21,000 We have your Bible Ephesians 1. 20 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:31,000 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. 21 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:38,000 So that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be the praise of his glory. 22 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:48,000 When I first began to work on my so-called book report, they call this, 23 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:54,000 my first impression was that Paul was pretty much saying the exact same thing he said already in verses 4 and 5. 24 00:03:54,000 --> 00:04:04,000 In verse 4 he says, 25 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:12,000 Now it certainly wouldn't be the first time in Paul's writings or even in the entire Bible that repetition is used to create emphasis. 26 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:21,000 And the doctrines of election and the doctrines of predestination, as we've already seen, would certainly be important enough to warrant additional emphasis. 27 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:27,000 But in looking at this passage more closely, I believe Paul has something else in mind for us here. 28 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:40,000 The first observation that leads me to that conclusion is that the word chosen there in verse 11 is a different Greek word than the one that's translated chosen back in verse 4. 29 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:58,000 We'll look at that more in here just a moment. But even more important to me is that the us in verses 4 through 5 appears to refer to a different group of people than its reference in 11 and 12 when he says we. 30 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:06,000 In fact you'll notice that Paul gives us a further definition of who comprises the we in these verses. 31 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:12,000 He further identifies this group of people as we who were the first to hope in Christ. 32 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:24,000 Now although we're not going to look at verse 13 until next week, we need to take a brief look at it as part of this verse this morning because it will help us identify the we in verses 11 and 12. 33 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:29,000 And so 113 starts off in him, you also. 34 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:39,000 So there's very clearly a contrast between the we in verses 11 and 12 and the you in verses 13. 35 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:50,000 So as we continue to go through the book of Ephesians in coming weeks, the identification of the we and the you is going to become even more apparent than it is right now. 36 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:58,000 We can pretty get some pretty good clues this morning as to who compromises both of these groups. 37 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:08,000 So you have to remember that Paul is writing to a group of is writing to the church in Ephesus that consists primarily of Gentile Christians. 38 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:14,000 Okay, and then Paul and the other apostles are all Jewish Christians. 39 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:26,000 And certainly there are ones who at first they were the ones who had first believed in Christ and thus their hope was in him before the before the orders were brought forth. 40 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:41,000 And so they had the hope in him and then they were given the challenge to bring the gospel message to Ephesus and the surrounding areas to so these so that these Gentiles had the opportunity to enter into that hope themselves. 41 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:43,000 So in verse 11. 42 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:46,000 When Paul writes about being chosen. 43 00:06:46,000 --> 00:07:00,000 He is clearly referring not to all Christians in general, but to those Jewish Christians who had been chosen by God to be used as his instruments to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. 44 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,000 It was God's plan. 45 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:14,000 And it was God's will that these Jewish Christians would be praise and glory to God by the means being the means by by which the Gentiles were exposed to the good news of Jesus Christ. 46 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:17,000 So that they had the opportunity to believe in him. 47 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:24,000 So but then on the other hand of verses four through five, as we've already seen that applies to all believers. 48 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:26,000 All believers have been chosen. 49 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:33,000 Every person who is accepted Jesus as the personal Lord and savior has been chosen. 50 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,000 God has drawn them into his family. 51 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:38,000 He's made them a part of his family. 52 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:45,000 And he does that through his grace, which he has poured out on us through his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. 53 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:54,000 A couple of weeks ago when we looked at verses four through five, we learned that every believer is chosen or elected by God. 54 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:58,000 And it gives God pleasure to bring us into his family. 55 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:01,000 This morning, we're still chosen by God. 56 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:05,000 But today we've I've taught it we're chosen for his purpose. 57 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:18,000 Because in this passage, we learned that when God chooses us to be a part of his family, he also chose us to be a part of carrying out his purposes here on the face of the earth. 58 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:23,000 After the message a couple of weeks ago, someone asked me a really great question. 59 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:26,000 It's a question I get asked often. 60 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:29,000 And the essence of that question was this. 61 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:33,000 If God has already decided who is going to be saved. 62 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:36,000 If God has already decided who's going to be elected. 63 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:42,000 If he's already decided who's going to be brought into his kingdom, then why should I pray for unbelievers? 64 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:46,000 Why should I pray share my faith with others? 65 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:48,000 Now that's a really great question. 66 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:55,000 The person that asked that question was really listening and really thinking about what I shared in that message. 67 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:59,000 And frankly, it's probably a question many of us have been wondering about. 68 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:07,000 But the good news is the passage that we're in this morning that we're looking at helps us greatly in trying to answer that question. 69 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:11,000 There's at least three reasons we find here in this passage. 70 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:17,000 And then the rest of the scriptures that we we are to pray for and share our faith with others. 71 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:20,000 The first one is it is God's plan. 72 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:22,000 It's God's plan. 73 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:32,000 The word translated chosen in verse 11 carries the idea that Paul and the other apostles had been claimed by God as his portion or inheritance. 74 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:44,000 So taken together with the rest of the verse in the context of this passage, Paul makes it clear that he and the other apostles had been chosen by God as part of a larger overall plan. 75 00:09:44,000 --> 00:10:03,000 And that plan was that those men, those Jewish Christians who were the first to hope in Christ would be the means by which God would spread the gospel to the elect so that they could respond to that message through faith and then be a part of God's family. 76 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:11,000 Now, it really shouldn't surprise us because from cover to cover, the Bible is clear that God chose the Jews. 77 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:19,000 It's his chosen people and he chose them to be the means in which you would bless all the peoples of the earth. 78 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:23,000 And here's what he says in Genesis 12 verse 2. 79 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:30,000 He says, And I will make you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. 80 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:38,000 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. 81 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:44,000 So we said a couple of weeks ago when we were talking about Abraham, God didn't choose Abraham. 82 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:48,000 He didn't choose the nation of Israel because they deserved it. 83 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:56,000 He didn't choose Abraham or Israel because they were more talented or more wealthy or more righteous or holy than all the other people around them. 84 00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:02,000 But God chose them because they were part of his plan to redeem people to himself. 85 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:13,000 Notice that even back in Genesis, even back in the beginning, it was God's plan to use Abraham and his descendants to be a blessing to all the peoples of the earth. 86 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:18,000 And that was the plan that was carried out by Paul. 87 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:24,000 It was the plan that was carried out by the other apostles and other Jewish believers there in Ephesus and in the surrounding area. 88 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:33,000 Jesus confirmed this plan of God as he spoke to the disciples as they walked through the vineyard the night before his death on the cross. 89 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:43,000 And John 15.16. He says, you did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide. 90 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:47,000 What was the fruit that they were to bear? 91 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:55,000 Taking the gospel to others so that they would come to faith in Jesus Christ and become a part of God's family. 92 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:56,000 That's the fruit. 93 00:11:56,000 --> 00:12:12,000 Because God is sovereign, he not only chooses those who will become part of his family, he also chooses the means and the methods or the plan by which people are redeemed and made fit to have a personal relationship with him. 94 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:17,000 And as I've said before, God could have chosen any plan he wanted to. 95 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:20,000 He could have chosen any means he wanted to. 96 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:28,000 But in his infinite wisdom, he made the death and resurrection of his son to be the means of our redemption. 97 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:41,000 And in order for people to be able to place their faith in Jesus Christ and his finished work on the cross, God's plan is that his followers share the gospel message with the rest of the unbelieving world. 98 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:48,000 When Paul and his companions had gone to Ephesus, that responsibility was theirs. 99 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:50,000 They had that weight on their shoulders. 100 00:12:50,000 --> 00:13:01,000 As those who had been the first to place their trust in Jesus, God had called them to share the gospel with others, particularly the Gentiles in Ephesus. 101 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:12,000 And what Paul is implying here, and he will make even clear later in this letter, is that responsibility is now being passed on to the Gentile believers in Ephesus. 102 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:27,000 And as the beneficiaries of those who have passed the gospel message on to generation after generation over the past 2,000 years, that responsibility is now ours. 103 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:29,000 It's yours and mine. 104 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:37,000 So the first reason we share the gospel and pray with others is that it is God's plan. 105 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:40,000 In a sense, it seems illogical to us. 106 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:51,000 If God had already decided before the creation of the world who would become part of his family, then what difference does it make if I share my faith? 107 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:55,000 What difference does it make if I pray or not? 108 00:13:55,000 --> 00:14:02,000 In Romans 7 through 8, Paul confirms the principles of God's election and our redemption through the blood of Jesus. 109 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:07,000 When he gets to Romans 10, he very clearly writes about our responsibility. 110 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:13,000 In Romans 10, 14, he says, how then will they call on him and whom they have not believed? 111 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:17,000 And how are they to believe in him of whom they have not heard? 112 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:20,000 And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 113 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:27,000 Later on in verse 17, he says, so faith comes from hearing and hearing from the word of Christ. 114 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:43,000 So even though God is God in his sovereignty, chooses whomever he wishes, it is God's plan that those in whom he will choose will come to have faith in him as we share the gospel message, as we pray for them. 115 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:54,000 In fact, praying for others, praying for their salvation, praying for their needs is probably the best way that we can even acknowledge the sovereignty of God in the process of salvation. 116 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:57,000 Because he's the one that does the work. 117 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:07,000 Since only God can be the one to change hearts and draw people into himself, prayer is an essential element in sharing the gospel with others. 118 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:10,000 There's a second reason that we pray and share the good news. 119 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:14,000 It's God's command. He commands us to do it. 120 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:27,000 One of the things that has become really apparent as we've embarked on our basic training is that because God is God, there are just some things that are just too far out of our understanding. 121 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:29,000 We just can't wrap our minds around it. 122 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:37,000 We've seen that we have discussed the relationship between God's election and sovereignty and man's responsibility. 123 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:45,000 Now, although those two concepts seem contradictory to our human mind, they are both clearly taught in the Scriptures. 124 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:51,000 Just because we can't figure out how these things go together doesn't mean they aren't both true. 125 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:54,000 It just means that we aren't God. 126 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:56,000 Thank goodness I'm not. 127 00:15:56,000 --> 00:16:02,000 But it's also true that God has chosen to reveal some things very clearly to us. 128 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:11,000 And when He does that, it is our responsibility. It's your responsibility to obey what God has revealed. 129 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:15,000 God made that very clear to Moses in Deuteronomy 29. 130 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:27,000 He says, the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. 131 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:41,000 In other words, God chooses to reveal Himself, His purposes and His ways to us, and we are responsible for being obedient to the instructions and commands that He gives us. 132 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:47,000 So He reveals Himself, He reveals a command, and then our responsibility kicks in and we have to obey those. 133 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:50,000 Even though we don't understand all the reasons behind them. 134 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:53,000 Right? And if you have children, you know this to be true. 135 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:57,000 If you are a parent and you're raising children, you know this to be true. 136 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:03,000 When our kids are young, we give them all kinds of commands, right? 137 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,000 Do this, don't do that. 138 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,000 Do this, don't do that. Go here, don't go there. 139 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:15,000 And if they don't understand why they're to look above ways before they cross the street, 140 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:25,000 or don't touch the stove because it's hot, or it's really not pleasant for you to be eating your meal with your mouth wide open looking at me, right? 141 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:36,000 If we don't tell them these things, they might not understand the reasoning behind those commands, but in the meantime, hopefully they will just obey the commands, right? 142 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:42,000 Paul and the other Jewish apostles shared the gospel messages, not only because they were part of God's plan, 143 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:46,000 but also God had commanded them to do it. 144 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:52,000 Right before he ascended into heaven, Jesus shared this familiar command with his followers in Matthew 28. 145 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:54,000 Verse 18, he says, 146 00:17:54,000 --> 00:18:16,000 That is a command. It's not a suggestion, it's a command. 147 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:22,000 And that command obviously applies to all of us who are followers of Jesus Christ. 148 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:31,000 Even those, even though only those of us that have been chosen by God are capable of placing our faith and trust in Jesus, 149 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:37,000 we are commanded to take the gospel to the entire unbelieving world. 150 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:43,000 It'd be easier if everybody that was chosen wore a big letter E or something on their shirt, right? 151 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:49,000 Like, I'm elected. I'm one of the elect. That makes life easier, but that's not how it works. 152 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:58,000 So we share the message and we pray for all unbelievers and trust in God that he will use us to be a part of his plan 153 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:01,000 and draw some people to himself. 154 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:07,000 So rather than discouraging us from obeying God's command to be witnesses for Jesus Christ, 155 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:12,000 the doctrine of election should be a great encouragement for us. 156 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:22,000 Dr. Michael Horton noted, without divine election, evangelism would be like a salesman trying to sell his products in a graveyard. 157 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:28,000 As we'll see later in chapter 2, all mankind is dead in their sin. 158 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:30,000 All of us, every single one of us. 159 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:39,000 And we're not capable, you're not capable, I'm not capable of convincing a dead person to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. 160 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:42,000 Only God can do that. 161 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:48,000 Because that takes all kinds of pressure off of us when we're sharing the gospel, 162 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:54,000 knowing that the results of our conversation, of how we do it, knowing the results of anything we do, 163 00:19:54,000 --> 00:20:00,000 are not the result of our own efforts, but they are the result of God working through us. 164 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:03,000 The results are totally up to God. 165 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:07,000 In fact, the doctrine of election practically guarantees it. 166 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:13,000 In spite of our inacquaticities, in spite of our weaknesses, in spite of our stuttering, 167 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:18,000 in spite of our not having all the right answers, God can still work, right? 168 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:21,000 It doesn't stop our evangelism efforts. 169 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:30,000 If we share the gospel and pray for many people, we can pretty well be assured that at least some of those people have been chosen by God 170 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:36,000 and that God will use us as part of his plan to bring them into his family. 171 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:41,000 So we share our faith and pray for unbelievers because that is God's plan and it's because God's command, 172 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:46,000 but it's also because it gives God glory. 173 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:52,000 This is the second time in this long run-on sentence of Ephesians 1-3-14 that we've seen the phrase, 174 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,000 praise the praise of his glory. 175 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:59,000 We saw it in verse 6 in the process of pouring out spiritual blessings in our lives. 176 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:05,000 We see it again here in verse 12 at the end of this section that's focusing on the role of God, 177 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:07,000 the Son, in that process. 178 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:15,000 We'll see it again next week in verse 14 at the end of the section that focuses on the role of the Holy Spirit in that process. 179 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:22,000 The third reason that we share our faith and we pray for unbelievers is that because when we do those things, 180 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:24,000 God gets the glory. 181 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:26,000 You don't get the glory. 182 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:27,000 God gets the glory. 183 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:34,000 You'll remember earlier that we looked at a verse in John 15 where Jesus told his disciples that he had chosen them to bear fruit. 184 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:38,000 He had chosen them to share their faith with others. 185 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:43,000 In that same discourse, Jesus also said to his followers in John 15-8, 186 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:51,000 by this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 187 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:58,000 So since salvation is 100% based on the sovereignty of God, 188 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:05,000 when I share my faith with others and I pray for them and they come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, 189 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:08,000 it is God, not me, that should get the glory. 190 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:10,000 I don't get the glory. 191 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:16,000 It's all God in sporting events, baseball, basketball, football, whatever. 192 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:22,000 There's some sort of official on site to make sure people are following the rules. 193 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:26,000 They sometimes have black and white stripes, sometimes they're whatever. 194 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:28,000 You know what I'm talking about, right? 195 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,000 Referees, officials, whatever. 196 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:36,000 I learned this from the First Service because in the First Service nobody comes to watch the referee. 197 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:42,000 Apparently that's not true because your family comes to watch ref games, whatever. 198 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:50,000 But for the most part, none of us are buying tickets to a sporting event or turning on the TV based on who's refing that game. 199 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:52,000 I don't think we do that. 200 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:59,000 So the spectators, the fans, the watchers are there to see the players compete against each other. 201 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:07,000 In fact, the best officiated games and matches are those in which nobody remembers the referees after the game. 202 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:11,000 Probably the best compliment a referee can get after a game would be, 203 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:15,000 it's almost as if you weren't even on the court. 204 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:20,000 That's how it should be when it comes to sharing our faith with others. 205 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:29,000 Because God planned it that way, we are an essential part of the process of someone coming to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. 206 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:34,000 But when that happens, it is God who should receive the glory. 207 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:36,000 It's as if you're not even there. 208 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:40,000 In other words, we don't want people to remember us. 209 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:44,000 We don't want people to remember how eloquent we were, how we answered all the questions. 210 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:54,000 But we want them to remember the great and awesome God who has given us the opportunity and the privilege of being involved in the process. 211 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:59,000 We live in a culture today that is obsessed with statistics. 212 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:04,000 We measure the ability of our athletes with batting averages and shooting percentages. 213 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:06,000 We measure our politicians by poll numbers. 214 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:10,000 We gauge our economy based on the rate of inflation or how the Dow is doing. 215 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:14,000 And unfortunately, that obsession has rolled over into the church. 216 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:29,000 We measure success of a church based on how many people attend, or the size of their budget, or how big their building is, or how many people they baptized last year. 217 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:37,000 And while some of those measures may have some benefit in helping us to see how we might be more effective in being witnesses for Jesus Christ, 218 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:48,000 the problem is that they are used on the glory or lack of glory of the local church instead of focusing all the glory on God. 219 00:24:48,000 --> 00:25:04,000 For those of you who are believers, this passage of Scripture, Ephesians 1-11-12 should be a great encouragement for you to renew your efforts to pray for others and to share the gospel with them. 220 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:16,000 You should read this passage and understand, I have as a follower of Jesus, I have a responsibility to make sure I'm praying for those lost people around me, that I'm sharing the gospel with them. 221 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:24,000 It should also cause you to fall down on your knees and thank God that you get to be a part of His plan and salvation. 222 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:30,000 For the ability to carry out the command. For the ability to bring glory to Him because of the plan. 223 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:39,000 And if you're here this morning and you've never made Jesus your Savior, I would encourage you to make that decision today. 224 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:45,000 Maybe you're here this morning because somebody has been praying for you. 225 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:55,000 Or maybe you're here this morning because someone has talked to you about what Jesus has done in his life or her life, and you're like, I'd like to have that part of my life. 226 00:25:55,000 --> 00:26:01,000 And God wants to get the glory as you commit your life to Him. 227 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:07,000 Maybe you have no idea why you're here. You came out of obligation. 228 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:12,000 You came because you wanted to keep the peace in your home. 229 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:17,000 You came because you're single and you're on the prowl for a spouse. 230 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:20,000 I don't know. 231 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:26,000 It's a great place to meet women, I think. 232 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:30,000 You might not know the reason you're here. 233 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:32,000 But I do. 234 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:38,000 God in His sovereignty is drawing you close to Him. 235 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:41,000 He's wooing you too. 236 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:45,000 And you're here today because of God's sovereign plan. 237 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:47,000 Don't ignore the call. 238 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,000 Don't ignore it. 239 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:58,000 I'm going to pray for us and we're going to have time to respond and sing one more song. 240 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:02,000 Here's how I encourage us today. 241 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:06,000 Challenge us today. 242 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:11,000 When I think about my life before Christ, 243 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:21,000 and I think about how He has changed my life over the years, 244 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:25,000 it makes me wonder if I would even still be alive if it wasn't for Him. 245 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:29,000 I was making some pretty stupid decisions. 246 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:32,000 If you think about your life prior to Jesus and now, 247 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:35,000 what sort of miracles has He done in your life? 248 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:39,000 Where would you be without Him today? 249 00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:44,000 I think it's important to have that in mind because when we really think about all that God has done for us, 250 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:47,000 why would we not want to share that with somebody else? 251 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:50,000 Why would we not want to share that with somebody that's on the verge, 252 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:54,000 it's at the end of their rope with no hope whatsoever? 253 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:57,000 Why would we not want to offer that hope to them? 254 00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:03,000 Why would we not want to offer that life-changing reality of who Jesus is? 255 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:07,000 If it wasn't for Jesus, I can honestly say, I think Saint Louis confirmed that, 256 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:10,000 our marriage would be over. 257 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:12,000 That's a miracle. 258 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:15,000 You put two sinners in a house, particularly one like Sina. 259 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,000 Things don't... 260 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:21,000 Things could go badly, right? 261 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:25,000 And so when I see people struggle in marriage, I want to encourage them. 262 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:29,000 Let me tell you what God has done in us, how He's changed us. 263 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:31,000 That's sharing our faith. 264 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:33,000 That's what we're being part of the plan. 265 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:37,000 So as we sing and as we respond, 266 00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:41,000 we just ask the Lord how He wants to help you be a part of His plan. 267 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:44,000 We be obedient to do it. 268 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:51,000 We have a responsibility to a lost and dying world out there to offer them hope and grace. 269 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:53,000 Let me pray for us. 270 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:58,000 God, as we close, as we sing, 271 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:01,000 just as you were faithful in the first service, I pray that you will be faithful now. 272 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:05,000 Your spirit will just dwell in our midst. 273 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:11,000 I pray God that you will just speak to our hearts. 274 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:18,000 I pray that your voice will be heard louder above all the noise in your... 275 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:21,000 that you will free us from distraction. 276 00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:27,000 I pray for salvation to come to this place. 277 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:31,000 I pray that you will speak. 278 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:34,000 So God, I look at this time. 279 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:38,000 I pray that your spirit will follow us and will hear your voice. 280 00:29:38,000 --> 00:30:02,000 It's called the Savior's name. Amen.