WEBVTT 00:00:01.179 --> 00:00:04.620 Lewis Paul Lehman, who is the composer of that 00:00:04.620 --> 00:00:07.879 hymn, went to glory just about a month ago during 00:00:07.879 --> 00:00:14.980 the Christmas Eve service in their church. Let's 00:00:14.980 --> 00:00:17.359 open our Bibles together, please, to the book 00:00:17.359 --> 00:00:20.120 of Ephesians, where we begin today looking at 00:00:20.120 --> 00:00:31.969 the first 13 verses. Ephesians chapter 3. God 00:00:31.969 --> 00:00:41.469 created mankind to have a purpose in life. People 00:00:41.469 --> 00:00:46.509 need a direction in which to go. People must 00:00:46.509 --> 00:00:51.570 have a goal to strive for. That is innately a 00:00:51.570 --> 00:00:57.070 part of the makeup of the human being. We observe 00:00:57.070 --> 00:00:59.450 in the world around us many different kinds of 00:00:59.450 --> 00:01:02.770 goals and purposes. There are those who live 00:01:02.770 --> 00:01:07.349 for money or politics or philanthropy, even crime. 00:01:08.709 --> 00:01:12.170 There are some who have set as their goal corporate 00:01:12.170 --> 00:01:17.650 power. Others, political revolution. Some, a 00:01:17.650 --> 00:01:22.909 happy family. Others wish to be a star. And there 00:01:22.909 --> 00:01:26.209 are those who sadly have as their goal in life 00:01:26.209 --> 00:01:31.430 getting that next high. Those of us who know 00:01:31.430 --> 00:01:34.430 the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior have an eternal 00:01:34.430 --> 00:01:38.810 purpose in life, not one that is merely for the 00:01:38.810 --> 00:01:42.930 few years that we spend in this world, but one 00:01:42.930 --> 00:01:46.310 that starts now and reaches on into the forever 00:01:46.310 --> 00:01:50.810 that is to come. And we can see that purpose 00:01:50.810 --> 00:01:53.829 realized not for our own sakes, but for the glory 00:01:53.829 --> 00:01:59.560 of God. We are able, by grace, to be willingly 00:01:59.560 --> 00:02:03.420 used of God as his servants, his instruments, 00:02:03.680 --> 00:02:06.900 in carrying out his sovereign and divine purpose 00:02:06.900 --> 00:02:11.520 in human history. And we have before us today 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:14.800 in our text an example of a person like that 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:18.939 too, and that is the Apostle Paul. He says, For 00:02:18.939 --> 00:02:21.939 this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, 00:02:22.159 --> 00:02:25.819 for the sake of you Gentiles, If indeed you have 00:02:25.819 --> 00:02:28.560 heard of the stewardship of God's grace which 00:02:28.560 --> 00:02:33.340 was given to me for you, that by revelation there 00:02:33.340 --> 00:02:36.340 was made known to me the mystery as I wrote before 00:02:36.340 --> 00:02:39.879 in brief. And by referring to this, when you 00:02:39.879 --> 00:02:42.259 read, you can understand my insight into the 00:02:42.259 --> 00:02:46.319 mystery of Christ. Then down to verse 7, where 00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:50.599 he speaks of the gospel of which I was made a 00:02:50.599 --> 00:02:54.090 minister. according to the gift of God's grace 00:02:54.090 --> 00:02:57.449 which was given to me, according to the working 00:02:57.449 --> 00:03:02.550 of his power. The paragraph that we have before 00:03:02.550 --> 00:03:07.490 us in all 13 verses deals with a marvelous mystery 00:03:07.490 --> 00:03:13.289 which God has revealed to mankind. There are 00:03:13.289 --> 00:03:16.750 three aspects of the mystery that are unveiled 00:03:16.750 --> 00:03:19.919 for us in these verses. First, he talks about 00:03:19.919 --> 00:03:23.300 the messenger of the mystery, the Apostle Paul. 00:03:23.740 --> 00:03:26.860 And then he talks about the meaning of the mystery. 00:03:26.979 --> 00:03:30.419 What is this mystery that God has revealed? And 00:03:30.419 --> 00:03:33.139 thirdly, he explains to us something of the mission 00:03:33.139 --> 00:03:37.740 of the mystery. Those three topics will be our 00:03:37.740 --> 00:03:41.219 subjects for this Sunday and the next two that 00:03:41.219 --> 00:03:44.400 we have together. Today we want to talk about 00:03:44.400 --> 00:03:50.759 the messenger. of the mystery of Christ. When 00:03:50.759 --> 00:03:53.639 it came to revealing the heart of his redemptive 00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:58.539 plan, that is, a body of redeemed people made 00:03:58.539 --> 00:04:02.759 up of Jew and Gentile, all united to Jesus Christ, 00:04:03.259 --> 00:04:06.900 when it came to revealing, I say, the heart of 00:04:06.900 --> 00:04:11.500 that plan, God chose to employ a particular vessel, 00:04:12.300 --> 00:04:18.120 Saul of Tarsus. It was a remarkable choice any 00:04:18.120 --> 00:04:22.819 way you look at it. This man was intensely opposed 00:04:22.819 --> 00:04:29.259 to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps 00:04:29.259 --> 00:04:31.740 of all the people in that generation, he was 00:04:31.740 --> 00:04:34.899 the most unlikely person that one might have 00:04:34.899 --> 00:04:38.279 picked to be the preacher and the proclaimer 00:04:38.279 --> 00:04:42.259 of the mystery of Christ. But he was God's choice. 00:04:43.850 --> 00:04:47.149 Paul, as he came to be called, was God's man 00:04:47.149 --> 00:04:53.129 to be, the messenger of the mystery. May I say 00:04:53.129 --> 00:04:58.550 that you today, you are God's person too. You 00:04:58.550 --> 00:05:02.709 have been chosen by God to be one to proclaim 00:05:02.709 --> 00:05:06.149 the glories of him who has called you out of 00:05:06.149 --> 00:05:10.589 darkness into his marvelous light. That is not 00:05:10.589 --> 00:05:14.800 an accident, my friend. any more than Paul's 00:05:14.800 --> 00:05:18.180 conversion and call to ministry was an accident. 00:05:19.980 --> 00:05:23.680 Before you were born, God laid his eyes of love 00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:26.199 and election upon you and chose you for himself. 00:05:27.459 --> 00:05:31.639 And he has called you, as he called Paul in that 00:05:31.639 --> 00:05:35.779 foundational generation, to be a messenger of 00:05:35.779 --> 00:05:40.720 the mystery. Now Paul was a messenger in a unique 00:05:40.720 --> 00:05:45.470 sense. as we shall discover this morning. And 00:05:45.470 --> 00:05:47.870 yet all of us share the joy of being messengers 00:05:47.870 --> 00:05:52.810 too. As we see how Paul viewed himself in both 00:05:52.810 --> 00:05:56.410 his privilege and his role as the messenger of 00:05:56.410 --> 00:06:00.269 the ministry, we can see applications for our 00:06:00.269 --> 00:06:04.110 own lives and our service for Christ. In the 00:06:04.110 --> 00:06:07.069 first place, Paul saw his privilege as a messenger 00:06:07.069 --> 00:06:10.689 of the ministry. as involving a special relationship 00:06:10.689 --> 00:06:15.810 to the Gentiles. And corresponding to that privilege, 00:06:15.970 --> 00:06:21.189 he saw his role as that of a prisoner. So do 00:06:21.189 --> 00:06:25.370 you understand how Paul saw himself first? First 00:06:25.370 --> 00:06:29.329 he saw his privilege as including a special relationship 00:06:29.329 --> 00:06:34.550 to the Gentiles, resulting in his being a prisoner. 00:06:35.610 --> 00:06:39.389 What do we mean by prisoner? Well, obviously 00:06:39.389 --> 00:06:43.649 a prisoner is one whose freedom has been restrained. 00:06:43.889 --> 00:06:47.089 He is one who is in custody or in captivity. 00:06:47.930 --> 00:06:51.730 And that's how Paul saw himself in verse 1 when 00:06:51.730 --> 00:06:56.910 he says, I, Paul, the prisoner. Paul saw his 00:06:56.910 --> 00:07:01.290 liberty as being confined. Now that was true 00:07:01.290 --> 00:07:03.930 literally, of course, because as Paul wrote this 00:07:03.930 --> 00:07:07.870 epistle, he was in prison. that is, under house 00:07:07.870 --> 00:07:11.910 arrest in Rome, waiting to be heard before Caesar. 00:07:13.790 --> 00:07:16.490 A period of time that lasted perhaps two years. 00:07:16.889 --> 00:07:19.629 Most Bible scholars believe that Paul had actually 00:07:19.629 --> 00:07:22.850 two imprisonments, the latter one ending in his 00:07:22.850 --> 00:07:26.610 execution, but this being the former one. He 00:07:26.610 --> 00:07:28.730 was released from this time of imprisonment and 00:07:28.730 --> 00:07:31.769 allowed to minister again before being arrested 00:07:31.769 --> 00:07:36.459 for the final time. As he pens these words to 00:07:36.459 --> 00:07:39.519 the Ephesian believers whom he loves so dearly, 00:07:39.560 --> 00:07:45.779 he writes as a literal prisoner. He is a legal 00:07:45.779 --> 00:07:50.980 prisoner of Rome. But there are other kinds of 00:07:50.980 --> 00:07:56.180 prisoners than legal prisoners. For example, 00:07:56.180 --> 00:08:00.199 there are prisoners of love, and I think here 00:08:00.199 --> 00:08:03.269 of marriage. You say, well, that sort of describes 00:08:03.269 --> 00:08:08.230 my marriage. No, listen. Listen to what I want 00:08:08.230 --> 00:08:11.550 to say about it. God didn't intend for marriage 00:08:11.550 --> 00:08:15.589 to be a miserable prison. If marriage is that 00:08:15.589 --> 00:08:18.709 way, then something needs to happen to make it 00:08:18.709 --> 00:08:22.269 the kind of marriage God wants it to be. And 00:08:22.269 --> 00:08:25.490 something can happen to it if both husband and 00:08:25.490 --> 00:08:27.629 wife give themselves to the Lord and let the 00:08:27.629 --> 00:08:33.629 Lord work in that marriage. But there is something 00:08:33.629 --> 00:08:36.289 imprisoning about marriage because marriage does 00:08:36.289 --> 00:08:41.570 restrict liberty. I have talked to a few young 00:08:41.570 --> 00:08:44.389 men in my time who have failed to realize that 00:08:44.389 --> 00:08:48.149 early enough. They have felt that after marrying 00:08:48.149 --> 00:08:51.070 they could continue their sports four times a 00:08:51.070 --> 00:08:57.399 week. And you can't do that. Because you see, 00:08:57.460 --> 00:08:59.779 when one enters into marriage, there is a certain 00:08:59.779 --> 00:09:02.279 confinement that is involved, a confinement of 00:09:02.279 --> 00:09:06.779 love. One desires to restrict activity so as 00:09:06.779 --> 00:09:09.179 to focus on the object of his love and devotion. 00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:14.039 Someone has said the marriage ring is a tourniquet 00:09:14.039 --> 00:09:18.000 that cuts off circulation. Exactly. Exactly. 00:09:18.100 --> 00:09:21.419 That's the point here. And it doesn't do that 00:09:21.419 --> 00:09:24.820 out of... a legal requirement, but it does it 00:09:24.820 --> 00:09:28.700 rather out of love and devotion to the wife, 00:09:28.720 --> 00:09:33.779 to the husband. Love causes limitations. To be 00:09:33.779 --> 00:09:37.639 a joy, however, a pleasure. And why is that? 00:09:38.259 --> 00:09:42.620 Because those limitations are for the good of 00:09:42.620 --> 00:09:49.059 the one, the benefit of the one who is loved. 00:09:50.059 --> 00:09:53.360 There is a desire to please and not to hurt. 00:09:55.340 --> 00:09:57.980 Now, although Paul was a legal prisoner, to be 00:09:57.980 --> 00:10:00.820 sure, I want you to notice that he did not call 00:10:00.820 --> 00:10:03.940 himself Paul the prisoner of Rome. You see that? 00:10:06.419 --> 00:10:08.840 He doesn't even call himself Paul the prisoner 00:10:08.840 --> 00:10:12.100 of the Gentiles. He says it's for the sake of 00:10:12.100 --> 00:10:15.940 the Gentiles, but he calls himself Paul the prisoner 00:10:15.940 --> 00:10:18.440 of Jesus Christ. I want to tell you that's significant. 00:10:19.789 --> 00:10:22.210 It's important for you and me to get a hold of 00:10:22.210 --> 00:10:25.929 that kind of an imprisonment. It is an imprisonment 00:10:25.929 --> 00:10:28.809 that comes from love and devotion to Jesus Christ. 00:10:29.169 --> 00:10:32.230 As far as Paul was concerned, there was nothing 00:10:32.230 --> 00:10:37.730 that was too much for him to give up for the 00:10:37.730 --> 00:10:42.210 Lord Jesus Christ. He says this another way back 00:10:42.210 --> 00:10:46.730 in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Barry puts it this 00:10:46.730 --> 00:10:52.759 way in verse 14. For the love of Christ controls 00:10:52.759 --> 00:10:59.799 us. The love of Christ constrains us. The love 00:10:59.799 --> 00:11:05.259 of Christ holds us together. Having concluded 00:11:05.259 --> 00:11:08.759 this, that one died for all, therefore all died, 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:11.779 and he died for all, that they who live should 00:11:11.779 --> 00:11:15.460 no longer live for themselves. That is, that 00:11:15.460 --> 00:11:20.679 we who live as his children, we who live because 00:11:20.679 --> 00:11:23.940 of his death, burial, and resurrection, that 00:11:23.940 --> 00:11:26.620 we who live should no longer live for the advantage 00:11:26.620 --> 00:11:31.120 of ourselves, but rather for the advantage of 00:11:31.120 --> 00:11:35.659 him who died and rose again on our behalf. What 00:11:35.659 --> 00:11:38.519 is Paul saying? He is saying that the love of 00:11:38.519 --> 00:11:41.460 Jesus Christ controls us. It becomes a prison 00:11:41.460 --> 00:11:45.669 of love. because of our devotion to him, because 00:11:45.669 --> 00:11:49.409 of his love for us, we are willing to say, Lord, 00:11:49.649 --> 00:11:53.649 whatever the cost, Lord, whatever the confinement, 00:11:53.789 --> 00:11:58.070 Lord, whatever the cell may be, I am willing 00:11:58.070 --> 00:12:01.750 to experience that because I am your prisoner. 00:12:04.149 --> 00:12:06.269 Notice that he was a prisoner, though, for the 00:12:06.269 --> 00:12:08.590 sake of the Gentiles, and that again was literal. 00:12:09.450 --> 00:12:12.809 It was Paul's insistence upon the gospel to the 00:12:12.809 --> 00:12:15.409 Gentiles that got him into the jam in Jerusalem 00:12:15.409 --> 00:12:18.909 that ended up in his being in Rome in this incarceration. 00:12:20.429 --> 00:12:24.149 You can read about that in Acts 20 and 21. It 00:12:24.149 --> 00:12:28.669 was literally for the sake of the Gentiles. Paul 00:12:28.669 --> 00:12:32.210 had another thought that went parallel with this. 00:12:33.429 --> 00:12:36.230 It was his faithful service to Jesus Christ. 00:12:38.029 --> 00:12:41.549 It was his devotion to the will of God that caused 00:12:41.549 --> 00:12:44.289 him to be in this prison for the sake of the 00:12:44.289 --> 00:12:49.450 Gentiles. That was his special commission. You 00:12:49.450 --> 00:12:51.529 can read about it as early as Acts chapter 9. 00:12:52.350 --> 00:12:55.370 When Ananias was told to go and minister to Paul, 00:12:55.590 --> 00:12:58.509 God said to Ananias, it's because he is my chosen 00:12:58.509 --> 00:13:02.309 instrument to minister to the Gentiles. Now there 00:13:02.309 --> 00:13:04.370 in that account of his conversion in Acts 9, 00:13:04.909 --> 00:13:07.350 We have very little said about what Paul heard 00:13:07.350 --> 00:13:11.090 on the road to Damascus. But over in the 26th 00:13:11.090 --> 00:13:13.529 chapter of Acts, he tells us more of what Jesus 00:13:13.529 --> 00:13:16.750 said to him there on the road to Damascus. And 00:13:16.750 --> 00:13:18.929 among the things made clear to Paul right there 00:13:18.929 --> 00:13:21.990 from the very first, the first few minutes of 00:13:21.990 --> 00:13:24.610 his conversion, was that God was going to send 00:13:24.610 --> 00:13:30.289 him to the Gentiles in his service for Christ 00:13:30.289 --> 00:13:35.299 as the messenger of the mystery. Paul saw his 00:13:35.299 --> 00:13:38.379 privilege as involving a special relationship 00:13:38.379 --> 00:13:42.480 to the Gentiles, so much so that he calls himself 00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:47.779 the Apostle of the Gentiles, Romans 11, 13. In 00:13:47.779 --> 00:13:53.320 Galatians 2, verses 7 -9, he says Peter was especially 00:13:53.320 --> 00:13:57.279 sent to the Jews, but he says, I am especially 00:13:57.279 --> 00:14:02.159 sent to the Gentiles. And Paul loved the Gentiles. 00:14:02.759 --> 00:14:07.039 He boasted of his ministry to them. Back in the 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:10.539 15th chapter of the book of Romans, he writes 00:14:10.539 --> 00:14:12.679 to the people in the very city where he was held 00:14:12.679 --> 00:14:14.720 prisoner at the time that he writes Ephesians. 00:14:15.100 --> 00:14:18.460 And he says in verse 15 of Romans 15, I have 00:14:18.460 --> 00:14:20.980 written very boldly to you on some points so 00:14:20.980 --> 00:14:23.919 as to remind you again, because of the grace 00:14:23.919 --> 00:14:26.559 that was given to me from God, to be a minister 00:14:26.559 --> 00:14:31.620 of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. ministering 00:14:31.620 --> 00:14:34.360 as a priest the gospel of God, that my offering 00:14:34.360 --> 00:14:38.279 of the Gentiles might become acceptable, sanctified 00:14:38.279 --> 00:14:41.279 by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, in Christ Jesus 00:14:41.279 --> 00:14:44.220 I found reason for boasting in things pertaining 00:14:44.220 --> 00:14:48.419 to God. Paul is saying, I boast in my special 00:14:48.419 --> 00:14:51.399 relationship to the Gentiles. He has sent me 00:14:51.399 --> 00:14:54.120 to proclaim his gospel to them. And he says, 00:14:54.139 --> 00:14:57.980 now I offer them as a priest unto God. the Holy 00:14:57.980 --> 00:15:01.419 Spirit sanctifying the Gentiles as I offer them 00:15:01.419 --> 00:15:06.659 up, he says. Because of that special relationship 00:15:06.659 --> 00:15:10.360 that he had, he saw himself as well as a prisoner. 00:15:11.740 --> 00:15:14.340 Because of his love and devotion to Christ, Paul 00:15:14.340 --> 00:15:19.720 was content to do the will of Christ, and he 00:15:19.720 --> 00:15:22.379 found in the will of Christ the greatest possible 00:15:22.379 --> 00:15:27.549 fulfillment, even though it meant an earthly 00:15:27.549 --> 00:15:33.490 prison cell. Are you a prisoner of Jesus Christ? 00:15:35.629 --> 00:15:41.330 Every one of us today is a prisoner of something 00:15:41.330 --> 00:15:45.330 or someone if you really stop to think about 00:15:45.330 --> 00:15:50.230 it. Perhaps those who are in the greatest prison 00:15:50.230 --> 00:15:52.950 are those who think that they are complete liberty. 00:15:56.110 --> 00:15:59.450 There are those who are imprisoned to their own 00:15:59.450 --> 00:16:04.710 lusts, to the gratifying of their own selfish 00:16:04.710 --> 00:16:11.250 desires. There are those who are imprisoned to 00:16:11.250 --> 00:16:15.210 the world system. There are those who are imprisoned 00:16:15.210 --> 00:16:18.789 to the peer group pressure around them. They 00:16:18.789 --> 00:16:23.409 easily conform themselves to their friends, even 00:16:23.409 --> 00:16:27.029 though those friends may be ungodly. Because 00:16:27.029 --> 00:16:29.669 they're in prison, you see. They're the prisoner 00:16:29.669 --> 00:16:33.210 of the peer group. The prisoner of their own 00:16:33.210 --> 00:16:38.490 lusts. The prisoner of the world. And so I ask, 00:16:38.529 --> 00:16:46.590 who is it that holds the key to your cell? If 00:16:46.590 --> 00:16:50.629 it is the Lord Jesus Christ, then what are the 00:16:50.629 --> 00:16:55.570 restrictions which you have gladly accepted, 00:16:56.970 --> 00:17:00.649 On your liberty so that you might be as prisoner. 00:17:04.410 --> 00:17:09.630 How has your life been confined as a prisoner? 00:17:09.950 --> 00:17:13.130 You can't be a prisoner without it being confined 00:17:13.130 --> 00:17:17.769 and limited in some way. All of us are prisoners 00:17:17.769 --> 00:17:22.309 of something or someone. I tell you the greatest 00:17:22.309 --> 00:17:25.980 liberty, the greatest fulfillment in life Is 00:17:25.980 --> 00:17:29.740 knowing oneself as a prisoner of Jesus Christ, 00:17:29.940 --> 00:17:34.079 ask the Apostle Paul. But that too brings confinement. 00:17:34.220 --> 00:17:37.220 How has that confinement with him as your Lord 00:17:37.220 --> 00:17:43.500 been expressed, as your liberty has been restricted? 00:17:44.759 --> 00:17:48.880 It's a practical question. Another way that we 00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:51.240 can ask that perhaps with some application is, 00:17:51.339 --> 00:17:56.480 to whom has God especially sent you? As Christ's 00:17:56.480 --> 00:18:01.640 prisoner, Paul was sent to the Gentiles. And 00:18:01.640 --> 00:18:04.099 that had tremendous ramifications in his life. 00:18:05.700 --> 00:18:08.039 Think of the suffering, think of the persecution 00:18:08.039 --> 00:18:11.319 that he went through because he was especially 00:18:11.319 --> 00:18:20.279 sent to that group, us, our ancestors. Then to 00:18:20.279 --> 00:18:22.720 whom have you been sent as the prisoner of Jesus 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:28.130 Christ? Is it to that person that's been on your 00:18:28.130 --> 00:18:30.130 heart for the last few weeks that you want to 00:18:30.130 --> 00:18:32.630 witness to there in the office, in the neighborhood? 00:18:34.089 --> 00:18:37.170 Are you a prisoner of Jesus Christ for your classroom, 00:18:37.490 --> 00:18:40.410 for your classmates in your high school, your 00:18:40.410 --> 00:18:44.690 junior high campus, your college campus? Are 00:18:44.690 --> 00:18:47.250 you a prisoner of Jesus Christ allowing your 00:18:47.250 --> 00:18:50.430 own liberty to be restricted for his sake and 00:18:50.430 --> 00:18:55.910 for the sake of that person, that group? Are 00:18:55.910 --> 00:18:58.470 you willing to allow yourself to be the prisoner 00:18:58.470 --> 00:19:02.490 of Jesus Christ for some tribe in some far -off 00:19:02.490 --> 00:19:04.930 country that has yet to hear the gospel of Christ? 00:19:08.970 --> 00:19:15.089 This is a very practical picture of what we are 00:19:15.089 --> 00:19:22.809 to be, as was Paul, a prisoner. Paul saw that 00:19:22.809 --> 00:19:26.430 his privilege as the messenger of Christ involved 00:19:26.430 --> 00:19:32.130 his having a special relationship to the Gentiles 00:19:32.130 --> 00:19:34.410 and being a prisoner of the Lord. That was the 00:19:34.410 --> 00:19:38.170 role. But secondly, he saw that as the messenger 00:19:38.170 --> 00:19:42.269 of the mystery of Christ, he had the privilege 00:19:42.269 --> 00:19:46.950 of having a special revelation from God. And 00:19:46.950 --> 00:19:49.890 out of that flowed... a sense of his being a 00:19:49.890 --> 00:19:52.390 steward. That's the role, you see. The privilege, 00:19:52.569 --> 00:19:56.490 his having, rather, a special revelation from 00:19:56.490 --> 00:20:00.089 God. And the role that came from that, a steward. 00:20:01.549 --> 00:20:04.750 One who is charged with a responsibility related 00:20:04.750 --> 00:20:08.450 to that revelation. What is a revelation? A revelation 00:20:08.450 --> 00:20:14.009 is an unveiling. It's to take the wraps off of 00:20:14.009 --> 00:20:17.329 something. The creation around us is said to 00:20:17.329 --> 00:20:22.200 be a revelation of God. His eternal deity and 00:20:22.200 --> 00:20:27.359 power are exposed by the facts of nature. Therefore, 00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:32.259 it's called natural revelation. We have in our 00:20:32.259 --> 00:20:35.700 hands or our laps today a special revelation 00:20:35.700 --> 00:20:41.640 from God written in ink on paper. It reveals 00:20:41.640 --> 00:20:46.119 what God is like. It is the Bible. This is revelation 00:20:46.119 --> 00:20:50.750 to us. Now there was other revelation given in 00:20:50.750 --> 00:20:54.849 the early days of this age. We mentioned the 00:20:54.849 --> 00:20:58.009 prophets last week who were given direct revelation 00:20:58.009 --> 00:21:01.150 from God to speak to specific situations, local 00:21:01.150 --> 00:21:04.410 situations in their day. That was revelation 00:21:04.410 --> 00:21:07.349 from God, but it was not intended to be written 00:21:07.349 --> 00:21:14.309 down and recorded for all of time. For that purpose, 00:21:14.349 --> 00:21:17.250 God chose people like Paul and Peter and Luke 00:21:17.250 --> 00:21:22.349 and Matthew and Mark and John so that they might 00:21:22.349 --> 00:21:26.970 write for all of time by the inspiration of the 00:21:26.970 --> 00:21:30.869 Holy Spirit, revelation of God, an unveiling 00:21:30.869 --> 00:21:34.529 of what God is like. That's what we have here. 00:21:35.990 --> 00:21:40.849 Now Paul here in this book writes for us about 00:21:40.849 --> 00:21:45.690 the mystery. The mystery of Christ. It was a 00:21:45.690 --> 00:21:49.890 new truth from God. It was not something which 00:21:49.890 --> 00:21:53.670 he concocted and put together. But it was given 00:21:53.670 --> 00:21:55.789 to him. And that's why he says what he does in 00:21:55.789 --> 00:22:00.210 verse 4. He says, by referring to this, the fact 00:22:00.210 --> 00:22:03.990 that it's a mystery, you can understand my insight. 00:22:05.250 --> 00:22:08.970 He says, it's not that I thought it up, but it 00:22:08.970 --> 00:22:13.509 is that God gave it to me. Now he reiterates 00:22:13.509 --> 00:22:17.569 this in Galatians. I'd like you to turn just 00:22:17.569 --> 00:22:20.430 back a few pages to chapter 1 of Galatians and 00:22:20.430 --> 00:22:23.210 look to see what Paul says in the first chapter 00:22:23.210 --> 00:22:28.750 in the 11th verse. He says, I would have you 00:22:28.750 --> 00:22:31.769 know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached 00:22:31.769 --> 00:22:37.269 by me is not according to man. For I neither 00:22:37.269 --> 00:22:42.079 received it from man nor was I taught it. But 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:45.519 I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 00:22:45.720 --> 00:22:49.259 Now Paul is saying and claiming that the message 00:22:49.259 --> 00:22:53.660 that he preached did not come from him. It did 00:22:53.660 --> 00:22:56.559 not come from any other human being. But he got 00:22:56.559 --> 00:23:00.960 it directly from Christ. He says more about that 00:23:00.960 --> 00:23:03.380 at the end of verse 16. He says, I did not immediately 00:23:03.380 --> 00:23:06.359 consult with flesh and blood. That is after his 00:23:06.359 --> 00:23:09.970 conversion. Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those 00:23:09.970 --> 00:23:12.950 who were apostles before me, Peter and the gang. 00:23:13.970 --> 00:23:16.710 He said, but I went away to Arabia and returned 00:23:16.710 --> 00:23:19.349 once more to Damascus. Then three years later, 00:23:19.410 --> 00:23:23.910 I went up to Jerusalem. You say, when was it 00:23:23.910 --> 00:23:26.930 that Paul got this special new truth from God, 00:23:27.089 --> 00:23:31.730 this mystery? Well, it was sometime, probably, 00:23:31.990 --> 00:23:36.329 while he was in Arabia. As you look at the chronology 00:23:36.329 --> 00:23:39.369 of his life, that seems to be the most logical 00:23:39.369 --> 00:23:42.829 place to fit it in. After he was converted into 00:23:42.829 --> 00:23:46.450 Damascus, Paul went away. He left people. He 00:23:46.450 --> 00:23:51.269 left civilization and went off into Arabia, as 00:23:51.269 --> 00:23:53.609 much as we know, into the desert, into the wilderness, 00:23:53.789 --> 00:23:56.789 and was there for a period of time. And it was 00:23:56.789 --> 00:23:59.970 that during those weeks and months that he was 00:23:59.970 --> 00:24:03.970 there, that the Lord Jesus Christ gave to Paul 00:24:03.970 --> 00:24:08.430 insight and understanding, which he calls here 00:24:08.430 --> 00:24:10.809 the mystery. We'll get more into the meaning 00:24:10.809 --> 00:24:14.730 of it next week. But please understand, he did 00:24:14.730 --> 00:24:17.609 not get this from Peter or any of the other apostles. 00:24:17.970 --> 00:24:20.529 He did not create this message himself. He got 00:24:20.529 --> 00:24:24.430 it from Christ. It is a special revelation from 00:24:24.430 --> 00:24:29.690 God to Paul. and from Paul then to all of us 00:24:29.690 --> 00:24:33.869 in this age. Paul looked upon this mystery given 00:24:33.869 --> 00:24:37.250 to him as a stewardship of God's grace. That's 00:24:37.250 --> 00:24:40.269 what he says in chapter 3 and verse 2 of Ephesians. 00:24:42.650 --> 00:24:45.190 That word stewardship is an interesting word. 00:24:45.269 --> 00:24:50.069 It's oikonomia. It's the putting together of 00:24:50.069 --> 00:24:56.890 two words, oikos and noma, house, law. What it 00:24:56.890 --> 00:25:00.529 was used to refer to was the law or the management 00:25:00.529 --> 00:25:05.750 or the administration of a household. And so 00:25:05.750 --> 00:25:10.490 a man of wealth in that day would hire a faithful 00:25:10.490 --> 00:25:16.390 person to be his steward. What he did was called 00:25:16.390 --> 00:25:19.470 his stewardship. It was his management of that 00:25:19.470 --> 00:25:23.589 household. Now what Paul says here is that God 00:25:23.589 --> 00:25:26.720 gave to him this message. called the mystery, 00:25:26.980 --> 00:25:31.200 so that he might manage it in its distribution. 00:25:32.740 --> 00:25:36.819 He personally was responsible as a steward to 00:25:36.819 --> 00:25:43.660 God for getting this message out. Now, please 00:25:43.660 --> 00:25:45.859 understand that this message was not given solely 00:25:45.859 --> 00:25:48.819 to Paul, but it was given especially to Paul 00:25:48.819 --> 00:25:52.099 and more fully to Paul, that he might make it 00:25:52.099 --> 00:25:55.509 known to the Gentiles. as well as of the Jews, 00:25:55.710 --> 00:25:59.150 and that he might write it by inspiration in 00:25:59.150 --> 00:26:02.190 the book of Ephesians so that on this day in 00:26:02.190 --> 00:26:06.109 1987 you and I might look at this text and understand 00:26:06.109 --> 00:26:10.710 what he heard 2 ,000 years ago from Jesus Christ 00:26:10.710 --> 00:26:16.490 personally. Now as a steward, and that was the 00:26:16.490 --> 00:26:20.009 role that he saw himself in, Paul knew that he 00:26:20.009 --> 00:26:24.680 needed to serve the Lord in a certain way. You 00:26:24.680 --> 00:26:28.779 see, a steward was not just anybody. To be a 00:26:28.779 --> 00:26:34.599 steward meant to have an exalted position. I 00:26:34.599 --> 00:26:37.420 suppose in some sense we might call the CEO today, 00:26:37.579 --> 00:26:42.180 the chief executive officer. That's what Paul 00:26:42.180 --> 00:26:46.599 was regarding the mystery of Christ. Now if we 00:26:46.599 --> 00:26:48.680 go back to the book of 1 Corinthians, we can 00:26:48.680 --> 00:26:51.900 see how Paul understood his responsibility as 00:26:51.900 --> 00:26:57.630 the CEO. or the steward. First in 1 Corinthians 00:26:57.630 --> 00:27:00.950 chapter 4, in verse 1, he says, Let a man regard 00:27:00.950 --> 00:27:05.710 us, himself and his party, he says, in this manner, 00:27:05.730 --> 00:27:10.549 as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries 00:27:10.549 --> 00:27:15.250 of God. Notice that phrase. In this case, moreover, 00:27:15.269 --> 00:27:17.809 it is required of stewards that one be found 00:27:17.809 --> 00:27:23.559 trustworthy. As a steward, Paul sought to serve 00:27:23.559 --> 00:27:27.680 the Lord, first of all, faithfully. What does 00:27:27.680 --> 00:27:32.299 it mean to serve the Lord faithfully? To be faithful 00:27:32.299 --> 00:27:35.519 means to have a right heart attitude toward one's 00:27:35.519 --> 00:27:40.480 assigned duty. That's faithfulness. To have a 00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:42.759 right heart attitude toward one's assignment. 00:27:44.579 --> 00:27:47.480 All of us have been disappointed this week to 00:27:47.480 --> 00:27:50.039 read of the... gentleman from St. Paul who at 00:27:50.039 --> 00:27:52.039 least has been accused of being a spy in the 00:27:52.039 --> 00:27:54.539 Soviet Union, passing on secrets of our government 00:27:54.539 --> 00:28:02.079 to KGB agents. If in fact that is true regarding 00:28:02.079 --> 00:28:05.980 him, and I guess time will tell, then he is a 00:28:05.980 --> 00:28:10.839 man who has been unfaithful. His hard attitude 00:28:10.839 --> 00:28:13.440 was not right regarding our government and regarding 00:28:13.440 --> 00:28:18.180 his duty, and it led to unfaithful actions. So 00:28:18.180 --> 00:28:21.119 faithfulness begins as an attitude. Faithfulness 00:28:21.119 --> 00:28:24.779 is a right heart attitude towards my duty to 00:28:24.779 --> 00:28:28.359 Jesus Christ as his steward. Now in the same 00:28:28.359 --> 00:28:32.720 chapter, in the 21st verse, the apostle gives 00:28:32.720 --> 00:28:35.940 us another word that describes a steward. He 00:28:35.940 --> 00:28:39.079 says, what do you desire? He's writing now, remember, 00:28:39.079 --> 00:28:41.960 to a church that was disobedient, childish, immature, 00:28:42.359 --> 00:28:45.720 carnal. He says, shall I come to you with a rod 00:28:45.720 --> 00:28:50.000 or with love and a spirit of gentleness? So I 00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:53.119 say to you that Paul not only strived for faithfulness, 00:28:53.160 --> 00:28:56.519 but in his stewardship he strived for gentleness. 00:28:56.819 --> 00:29:00.299 What is gentleness? I would like to define it 00:29:00.299 --> 00:29:03.819 today as a right heart attitude toward people. 00:29:05.859 --> 00:29:08.519 Paul did not see himself as an overlord or as 00:29:08.519 --> 00:29:14.269 a bully, as a steward. I think some of the CEOs 00:29:14.269 --> 00:29:17.450 of our land would be better off if they could 00:29:17.450 --> 00:29:19.390 understand the heart of what it means to be a 00:29:19.390 --> 00:29:23.990 CEO biblically. It does not mean to push people 00:29:23.990 --> 00:29:28.369 around, to step on them, crunch them, but it 00:29:28.369 --> 00:29:32.150 means to treat them gently. Paul wrote to the 00:29:32.150 --> 00:29:34.069 Thessalonians and he said, but we were among 00:29:34.069 --> 00:29:40.509 you as gentle as a nursing mother. There is not 00:29:40.509 --> 00:29:43.450 a more beautiful picture of gentleness than that. 00:29:44.809 --> 00:29:49.009 And Paul says, we, as we served the Lord, as 00:29:49.009 --> 00:29:52.450 we were his stewards, we were gentle, as gentle 00:29:52.450 --> 00:29:56.670 as a mother who is nursing her baby. A steward 00:29:56.670 --> 00:30:00.490 must be gentle. And then if you turn with me 00:30:00.490 --> 00:30:02.450 to chapter 9, we see another way that he would 00:30:02.450 --> 00:30:06.069 describe his stewardship. Faithfulness, gentleness, 00:30:06.309 --> 00:30:10.859 thirdly, willingness. He says in verse 16 of 00:30:10.859 --> 00:30:13.500 chapter 9, If I preach the gospel, I have nothing 00:30:13.500 --> 00:30:17.779 to boast of, for I am under compulsion. For woe 00:30:17.779 --> 00:30:20.359 is me if I do not preach the gospel. If I do 00:30:20.359 --> 00:30:23.359 this voluntarily, I have a reward. If against 00:30:23.359 --> 00:30:26.779 my will, I still have a stewardship entrusted 00:30:26.779 --> 00:30:30.359 to me. Paul says I can either serve the Lord 00:30:30.359 --> 00:30:35.200 reluctantly, stubbornly, against my will, and 00:30:35.200 --> 00:30:39.029 just fulfill my duty. or I can do it willingly. 00:30:39.690 --> 00:30:42.190 And he says, if I do it willingly, I get reward. 00:30:43.849 --> 00:30:47.289 So as we serve the Lord today as stewards, it 00:30:47.289 --> 00:30:49.609 means to serve the Lord with faithfulness, with 00:30:49.609 --> 00:30:52.190 gentleness, with willingness. You say, what is 00:30:52.190 --> 00:30:56.589 willingness? I would define that as a right heart 00:30:56.589 --> 00:31:01.769 attitude toward God. Willingness. Say in our 00:31:01.769 --> 00:31:03.730 hearts, Lord, whatever you say, I'll do it. I'm 00:31:03.730 --> 00:31:06.700 your steward. You just tell me. I'll do it, Lord. 00:31:08.099 --> 00:31:11.180 I'll be your man. I'll be your woman. Lord, you've 00:31:11.180 --> 00:31:16.079 entrusted to me a great message. I'm responsible 00:31:16.079 --> 00:31:20.119 for it, Lord, in my day. Lord, I seek to be faithful. 00:31:20.279 --> 00:31:24.480 I seek to be gentle. Faithful to the message. 00:31:26.619 --> 00:31:31.440 Gentle in dealing with people. I seek to be willing. 00:31:32.750 --> 00:31:38.529 wholeheartedly in serving you. You say, well, 00:31:38.549 --> 00:31:41.670 am I really a steward? Yes. Yes, you are. So 00:31:41.670 --> 00:31:46.329 am I. 1 Peter 4 .10 says that all of us are stewards 00:31:46.329 --> 00:31:49.930 of the manifold grace of God, and therefore we 00:31:49.930 --> 00:31:52.450 are to employ our gifts, he says accordingly. 00:31:54.690 --> 00:31:56.549 You see what I'm trying to say this morning? 00:31:58.529 --> 00:32:02.660 As surely as Paul was a prisoner, so are we prisoners 00:32:02.660 --> 00:32:06.420 of something or someone. Would to God it was 00:32:06.420 --> 00:32:12.000 Jesus Christ. Paul saw himself as a steward. 00:32:12.099 --> 00:32:17.400 We are stewards also. Just as Paul was a steward 00:32:17.400 --> 00:32:20.619 of the mysteries of Christ, we too follow in 00:32:20.619 --> 00:32:23.079 his train and have the joy of proclaiming that 00:32:23.079 --> 00:32:28.680 message. We are stewards of the mystery. Thirdly, 00:32:28.680 --> 00:32:33.269 Paul saw... in his role as a messenger of the 00:32:33.269 --> 00:32:37.990 mysteries of Christ. His privilege is that involving 00:32:37.990 --> 00:32:43.089 a special responsibility for the gospel, for 00:32:43.089 --> 00:32:45.829 the gospel message itself. Go back to Ephesians 00:32:45.829 --> 00:32:48.890 with me and look again in chapter 3 at verse 00:32:48.890 --> 00:32:53.829 7. He mentions the gospel in verse 6, and then 00:32:53.829 --> 00:32:58.170 he says, of which I was made a deacon. He's not 00:32:58.170 --> 00:33:00.289 talking here about the office of deacon in the 00:33:00.289 --> 00:33:02.910 church, but he's talking in a more generic, broad 00:33:02.910 --> 00:33:07.470 sense. He says, I am a deacon, a servant of the 00:33:07.470 --> 00:33:12.509 gospel. Paul saw that he had a two -fold responsibility 00:33:12.509 --> 00:33:17.569 as one who was a servant, a deacon of the gospel. 00:33:18.700 --> 00:33:21.640 That was his special responsibility. It's twofold. 00:33:21.700 --> 00:33:25.539 First of all, it is to proclaim the gospel. Secondly, 00:33:25.660 --> 00:33:28.000 it is to protect the gospel. Would you write 00:33:28.000 --> 00:33:30.819 that down in your mind? Because you see, that 00:33:30.819 --> 00:33:34.660 is our responsibility today as the servants of 00:33:34.660 --> 00:33:37.259 the gospel of God. We ought to proclaim it, and 00:33:37.259 --> 00:33:41.640 we ought to protect it. Paul says here in Ephesians 00:33:41.640 --> 00:33:46.000 3, To me the very least of all saints this grace 00:33:46.000 --> 00:33:49.559 was given, to preach. To preach the good news 00:33:49.559 --> 00:33:53.599 to the Gentiles. The unsearchable, unfathomable 00:33:53.599 --> 00:33:57.859 riches of Christ. To bring the light. That's 00:33:57.859 --> 00:34:00.759 what we're about, folks. That's why we're here 00:34:00.759 --> 00:34:04.920 as a church. That's why we witness to people. 00:34:05.579 --> 00:34:08.300 That's why we build bridges into people's lives. 00:34:09.320 --> 00:34:13.219 So that we might proclaim Christ. That's why 00:34:13.219 --> 00:34:15.840 we invest in missionaries and send them overseas. 00:34:18.090 --> 00:34:21.469 We are here to proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:34:21.969 --> 00:34:26.510 That is our responsibility as servants, as servants 00:34:26.510 --> 00:34:31.650 of the gospel. I'd like for you to turn just 00:34:31.650 --> 00:34:34.250 quickly back to 1 Corinthians chapter 9 because 00:34:34.250 --> 00:34:38.429 there's some important principles here that I 00:34:38.429 --> 00:34:44.469 want us to look at. As we proclaim the gospel 00:34:44.469 --> 00:34:50.889 of Christ, Paul tells us how to do it. He tells 00:34:50.889 --> 00:34:56.969 us, for example, here in verses 20 and 21. I'll 00:34:56.969 --> 00:34:59.489 just read verse 20 for time's sake. He says, 00:34:59.570 --> 00:35:02.110 To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win 00:35:02.110 --> 00:35:04.469 the Jews, to those who are under the law as under 00:35:04.469 --> 00:35:07.889 the law. Then verse 21, he says, To those who 00:35:07.889 --> 00:35:11.469 are without the law as without the law, though 00:35:11.469 --> 00:35:14.269 not being without the law of God, but under the 00:35:14.269 --> 00:35:16.869 law of Christ, that I may win those who are without 00:35:16.869 --> 00:35:19.570 law. What is Paul saying here? He is saying, 00:35:19.650 --> 00:35:22.210 I am to proclaim the gospel of Christ without 00:35:22.210 --> 00:35:26.929 respect of persons. Those under the law, the 00:35:26.929 --> 00:35:29.510 Jews. Those without the law, the Gentiles. He 00:35:29.510 --> 00:35:33.230 says it makes no difference. Be it Jew or Gentile, 00:35:33.230 --> 00:35:35.769 the weak or the strong, I am to proclaim the 00:35:35.769 --> 00:35:39.489 gospel of Christ. We may say it today, be it 00:35:39.489 --> 00:35:43.570 rich or poor. Be it English speaking or non -English 00:35:43.570 --> 00:35:47.969 speaking. Be it black or white or yellow. or 00:35:47.969 --> 00:35:51.789 read, without respect of persons, that's the 00:35:51.789 --> 00:35:55.710 key phrase, we are to proclaim the gospel. Secondly, 00:35:55.889 --> 00:35:58.570 he says here in this chapter, in verse 18, we 00:35:58.570 --> 00:36:00.909 are to proclaim the gospel without selfish motives. 00:36:01.469 --> 00:36:04.710 He says, what then is my reward? That when I 00:36:04.710 --> 00:36:07.070 preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without 00:36:07.070 --> 00:36:12.570 charge. Paul had a right to ask of them support, 00:36:12.690 --> 00:36:16.010 financial support, because of his ministry. He 00:36:16.010 --> 00:36:18.289 says, I refuse that because I don't want you 00:36:18.289 --> 00:36:22.369 to be confused. He says, I am preaching the gospel 00:36:22.369 --> 00:36:25.070 to you without any selfish motive whatsoever 00:36:25.070 --> 00:36:28.349 witness to this fact, he says. I've claimed no 00:36:28.349 --> 00:36:32.889 salary, no support from you. As you and I preach 00:36:32.889 --> 00:36:35.550 the gospel of Christ, we must examine our motives. 00:36:35.610 --> 00:36:41.829 Why are we doing what we're doing? Is it to fill 00:36:41.829 --> 00:36:49.199 out some report for an organization? As we share 00:36:49.199 --> 00:36:51.460 our faith, is it so that people will know that 00:36:51.460 --> 00:36:58.639 we're real soul winners? Our own reputation? 00:37:00.260 --> 00:37:03.199 Paul says, I preach the gospel of Christ to you 00:37:03.199 --> 00:37:07.280 and there is no hidden motive. Nothing selfish 00:37:07.280 --> 00:37:12.539 about it. We're to proclaim the gospel without 00:37:12.539 --> 00:37:16.429 respect of persons, without selfish motive. and 00:37:16.429 --> 00:37:20.369 thirdly, with a spirit of accommodation. Look 00:37:20.369 --> 00:37:23.530 at verse 22. He continues to say, To the weak 00:37:23.530 --> 00:37:25.949 I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have 00:37:25.949 --> 00:37:28.789 become all things to all men, that I may by all 00:37:28.789 --> 00:37:35.389 means save some. First of all, Paul is not saying 00:37:35.389 --> 00:37:38.570 there that he was willing to compromise his message. 00:37:40.489 --> 00:37:42.570 That is something that cannot be compromised, 00:37:42.829 --> 00:37:48.400 and Paul would never do that. Nor was Paul saying 00:37:48.400 --> 00:37:54.760 that he was compromising with sin. You don't 00:37:54.760 --> 00:37:56.559 have to read much of Paul's writings to know 00:37:56.559 --> 00:37:59.000 that he was never in a mood for compromise with 00:37:59.000 --> 00:38:02.639 sin. But there were some things that Paul would 00:38:02.639 --> 00:38:06.579 compromise on. That's not always a dirty word. 00:38:08.000 --> 00:38:12.860 Paul was willing to accommodate himself to groups 00:38:12.860 --> 00:38:18.880 of people in his lifestyle. in his approach, 00:38:19.059 --> 00:38:24.659 his methods, so that he might build bridges instead 00:38:24.659 --> 00:38:29.940 of barriers. I want to tell you that's an important 00:38:29.940 --> 00:38:32.420 principle in our proclamation of the gospel as 00:38:32.420 --> 00:38:38.059 a church and as individuals. We are not here 00:38:38.059 --> 00:38:41.260 to build up barriers, to make ourselves a fortress, 00:38:41.340 --> 00:38:45.019 as it were, to keep ourselves away from people. 00:38:46.960 --> 00:38:49.820 We are here to get a job done without respect 00:38:49.820 --> 00:38:53.840 of persons, without selfish purposes, and with 00:38:53.840 --> 00:38:57.860 accommodation. That is, on the non -essentials, 00:38:57.860 --> 00:39:01.579 being willing to accommodate ourselves so that 00:39:01.579 --> 00:39:04.059 we can build bridges into the lives of people 00:39:04.059 --> 00:39:13.050 and proclaim the gospel to them. What I'm saying 00:39:13.050 --> 00:39:15.510 is that we do not want to make issues out of 00:39:15.510 --> 00:39:19.929 non -essentials. Keep the non -essentials on 00:39:19.929 --> 00:39:26.150 the side. And keep the essentials in focus. And 00:39:26.150 --> 00:39:32.150 don't ever compromise on the essentials. Paul 00:39:32.150 --> 00:39:34.230 said, I have a responsibility to the gospel. 00:39:34.250 --> 00:39:36.449 I am a servant. I must proclaim it. He says, 00:39:36.469 --> 00:39:39.610 secondly, I must protect it. That was Paul's 00:39:39.610 --> 00:39:42.489 heart. I'm not going to take the time, but I 00:39:42.489 --> 00:39:44.650 would encourage you to read Galatians 1 and 2 00:39:44.650 --> 00:39:48.369 with that in mind. That's largely autobiographical. 00:39:49.389 --> 00:39:51.869 Paul tells there of his concern, first of all, 00:39:51.889 --> 00:39:54.409 to protect the gospel from being distorted by 00:39:54.409 --> 00:39:58.650 false teaching. He says if somebody comes to 00:39:58.650 --> 00:40:04.309 you and claims to be an angel from God, and they 00:40:04.309 --> 00:40:06.170 deliver to you a message that is different than 00:40:06.170 --> 00:40:12.739 I've delivered to you, let him be cursed. That's 00:40:12.739 --> 00:40:18.920 pretty strong language. Paul was concerned to 00:40:18.920 --> 00:40:21.980 protect the gospel against the infiltration of 00:40:21.980 --> 00:40:25.000 false teaching that is forever a challenge to 00:40:25.000 --> 00:40:28.940 us. We must protect the integrity of the gospel 00:40:28.940 --> 00:40:33.760 and not allow it to be watered down or added 00:40:33.760 --> 00:40:39.599 to, but just kept pure and unadulterated. But 00:40:39.599 --> 00:40:41.880 he was also concerned in chapter 2 of Galatians, 00:40:43.279 --> 00:40:47.659 regarding the danger of the gospel being compromised 00:40:47.659 --> 00:40:52.019 by false living. And lo and behold, his great 00:40:52.019 --> 00:40:58.659 example is none other than Peter. Peter came 00:40:58.659 --> 00:41:00.639 to visit Paul, and everything was just fine, 00:41:00.659 --> 00:41:02.820 and Peter was comfortable eating with the Gentiles 00:41:02.820 --> 00:41:04.500 and partying and having a good time with the 00:41:04.500 --> 00:41:07.199 Gentiles, until some fellows from Jerusalem came 00:41:07.199 --> 00:41:10.800 who knew Peter and who were very strict Jews. 00:41:11.659 --> 00:41:13.420 And all of a sudden, Peter withdrew from the 00:41:13.420 --> 00:41:18.719 Gentiles. And Paul confronted him to his face 00:41:18.719 --> 00:41:24.019 and called him a hypocrite because what Peter 00:41:24.019 --> 00:41:27.519 was doing was compromising the message of the 00:41:27.519 --> 00:41:35.760 gospel by his false living, being two -faced, 00:41:36.000 --> 00:41:39.699 one way with the Gentiles and another way with 00:41:39.699 --> 00:41:42.739 the Jews. I want to tell you, there's nothing 00:41:42.739 --> 00:41:45.300 that's more devastating to the gospel, apart 00:41:45.300 --> 00:41:49.300 from false teaching, than false living. On the 00:41:49.300 --> 00:41:53.739 part of a person who's proclaiming it. If you 00:41:53.739 --> 00:41:56.260 want to see the gospel curdle and sour in the 00:41:56.260 --> 00:42:00.260 mouth of a person, it will do so instantly when 00:42:00.260 --> 00:42:02.340 it's given by a person whose life doesn't back 00:42:02.340 --> 00:42:08.559 it up. Paul says, I have a special responsibility 00:42:08.559 --> 00:42:11.690 to the gospel, I must proclaim it. I must also 00:42:11.690 --> 00:42:16.190 protect it. The mysteries of Christ have messengers 00:42:16.190 --> 00:42:21.949 today. We are those messengers. We who will serve 00:42:21.949 --> 00:42:26.110 the Lord by proclaiming and protecting the integrity 00:42:26.110 --> 00:42:30.929 of the gospel. We who will be faithful, gentle, 00:42:31.050 --> 00:42:35.289 and willing stewards of our gifts, serving the 00:42:35.289 --> 00:42:41.150 Lord as stewards. We who will declare the prisoners 00:42:41.150 --> 00:42:48.130 of love to Jesus Christ. My brother and sister 00:42:48.130 --> 00:42:52.010 in Christ, is your life today possessed by a 00:42:52.010 --> 00:43:00.110 purpose that is bigger than you? So often we 00:43:00.110 --> 00:43:03.610 disguise our life's purpose as being the will 00:43:03.610 --> 00:43:09.369 of God. Well, the Lord is leading. But if actually 00:43:09.369 --> 00:43:12.230 we would strip away the veneer of all of that 00:43:12.230 --> 00:43:17.010 and look at control central, we wouldn't see 00:43:17.010 --> 00:43:24.190 the Lord. We would see a big S for self. We try 00:43:24.190 --> 00:43:28.030 to masquerade that. And we say, well, this is 00:43:28.030 --> 00:43:31.170 the will of God. I've prayed about it. But all 00:43:31.170 --> 00:43:35.949 the time, it's what we want. That's dangerous. 00:43:36.750 --> 00:43:42.730 It's a dangerous way to live. Are you possessed 00:43:42.730 --> 00:43:44.949 by a purpose that's bigger than you, yourself? 00:43:46.429 --> 00:43:49.349 Are you a prisoner of Jesus Christ? Are you plugged 00:43:49.349 --> 00:43:53.130 in to God's design for your being here? He does 00:43:53.130 --> 00:43:57.269 have a design, you know. One that stretches from 00:43:57.269 --> 00:44:00.130 now into eternity to come. Are you plugged into 00:44:00.130 --> 00:44:04.010 that? You say, well, I'm not sure. How can one 00:44:04.010 --> 00:44:07.059 be plugged into that? Four brief answers. Number 00:44:07.059 --> 00:44:10.260 one, be sure you're saved. I don't want you to 00:44:10.260 --> 00:44:12.280 confuse what I'm talking about now with salvation. 00:44:13.480 --> 00:44:15.940 One can never know the will of God, the design 00:44:15.940 --> 00:44:18.579 of God for his life fully without being a Christian. 00:44:19.239 --> 00:44:23.860 Are you truly, genuinely saved? Most important 00:44:23.860 --> 00:44:29.000 question of life. But secondly, if you're saved, 00:44:31.079 --> 00:44:33.539 You can plug into God's purpose for your life 00:44:33.539 --> 00:44:35.820 by presenting yourself as a living sacrifice. 00:44:36.079 --> 00:44:39.900 Romans 12, 1 and 2. And all of your capacities 00:44:39.900 --> 00:44:42.619 and your gifts and your potential, giving it 00:44:42.619 --> 00:44:45.320 to God and say, God, I am a living sacrifice. 00:44:45.559 --> 00:44:52.019 I put myself on the altar. And I'm willing to 00:44:52.019 --> 00:44:55.159 do whatever you want me to do. Whatever you say 00:44:55.159 --> 00:45:00.199 to me. Lord, I'm dying to myself. And I'm living. 00:45:00.699 --> 00:45:06.940 to you. Thirdly, by obeying Christ in every area 00:45:06.940 --> 00:45:09.980 of life as much as you know how to do. Here I'm 00:45:09.980 --> 00:45:15.380 talking about Lordship. By obeying Him in every 00:45:15.380 --> 00:45:21.679 area of life as much as you know how to do. But 00:45:21.679 --> 00:45:26.940 fourthly, by walking in the Spirit. By relying 00:45:26.940 --> 00:45:29.880 on the enablement of the Holy Spirit in all that 00:45:29.880 --> 00:45:35.420 I've talked about above. You can be plugged into 00:45:35.420 --> 00:45:39.159 God's purpose in your life if you will rely upon 00:45:39.159 --> 00:45:45.699 the Holy Spirit, not yourself. God has created 00:45:45.699 --> 00:45:50.000 all people to live with purpose. How sad that 00:45:50.000 --> 00:45:55.590 the unregenerate do not and cannot know. The 00:45:55.590 --> 00:46:02.309 bigger design of God for them. But we know Christ 00:46:02.309 --> 00:46:07.090 can plug into that. Will you today? Are you living 00:46:07.090 --> 00:46:10.710 where God wants you to live? Discovering his 00:46:10.710 --> 00:46:19.630 purpose? Being his prisoner? Let's pray. Lord, 00:46:19.730 --> 00:46:22.849 I pray that you will take these words and the 00:46:22.849 --> 00:46:28.400 word. and apply them to our lives as you alone 00:46:28.400 --> 00:46:34.059 can see how they need to be. And as we see Paul's 00:46:34.059 --> 00:46:37.679 example and his understanding of himself, so 00:46:37.679 --> 00:46:40.500 may we bring into our own lives that example 00:46:40.500 --> 00:46:45.239 and follow him as he followed Christ. So that 00:46:45.239 --> 00:46:48.800 whatever you're saying to us today, we will do 00:46:48.800 --> 00:46:53.400 it. In Jesus' name, amen.