Ken Armstrong
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Its not always easy to make sense of our world or more importantly what is going on in our own lives. For some that is not a problem because our existence is a matter of chance and so people are not to expect life to contain any pattern or purpose. But for the Christian – what if you are a believer in Orissa forced to flee for your life from Hindu aggression, or part of the church in Iran where the government is determined to pass new laws directed against you.
Ephesians is a letter about the church but in many places life doesn’t appear to be working out too well for those who belong to the church. In Ephasus word has reached them that Paul, the man who founded their church and who has been involved in dozens of church plants throughout the Empire has been imprisoned.
V13 I ask you not to be discouraged because of my sufferings
But they are, deeply discouraged.
The discouragements – those things that hint at Gods absence. Those situations that look as though no one is really in control. Those events that call Gods wisdom into question. They take their toll at the level of our faith, our trust, our readiness to engage in costly service
Eph 3:1-13 is therapy for disengaged church members, that is those who have opted out of the service of the church, who no longer commit enthusiastically to its life and witness.
1. God’s macro plan. (v1-6)
In these first 6 verses we listen to the prisoner speak. He is not demoralised. And in these verses he sets out the unfolding plan of God. But he describes it as a mystery (5) which was not made known to men in other generations.
In the OT in Gen 12 God sets out his intention.
To bless Abram and through him to bless the world.
It doesn’t look promising – an old man, a barren wife and not a square foot of territory between them. The chances of them being able to pull of this international rescue mission for the woes of Gen 3-11 are pretty remote.
And whilst there are encouragements in the rest of the OT the international side of the plan doesn’t appear to be going too well.
Its not a plan that focuses exclusively on Israel, the other nations are on board but just precisely how that will work is not entirely clear.
Gentiles do get blessed but it seems a struggle.
The Queen of Sheba will come but not without considerable effort having to set out on a long and demanding journey from the The Yemen up into Israel.
Ruth will be given a place but not before her mother in law has urged her to return to her own home and her own gods.
Rehab will also find a home for herself in Israel but only after she has taken her life in her hands. And the book of Joshua describes her and her family being brought out of Jericho safely but then it adds: and they put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.
The OT doesn’t issue a warm welcome to Gentiles.
Its summed up in the temple. The court of the Gentiles was the area around the outside of Herods temple where the priests held their bible studies and the traders carried on their business. And on the wall separating that area from the temple proper there was a warming prohibiting the access of foreigners into the temple proper on pain of death.
How do you think you would have faired if you had been born BC and not AD? When I reflect on how much investment had to be made in my life from parents and SS teachers and pastors to bring me to God ,humanly speaking the likelihood of me travelling several 100’s of uncomfortable miles or taking my life in my hands is remote. What a blessing to live on this side of the cross. One of the lessons of Ephesians is to impress upon me just how quickly I forget Gods grace.
And of course its Jesus who removes the mystery.
All through Johns gospel you have that phrase – his hour had not yet come. It serves to arouse your interest – what is this hour and when will it come.
Some Greeks (Gentiles) come to Jesus disciples and ask to see Jesus. When this is relayed to him he doesn’t invite them round for coffee he announces that the hour of his death has come. They will see Jesus but they will see him as John described him: Look the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
And he will go on to say: I when I am lifted up from the earth will draw all men to myself.
John provided us with the last book in the bible.
There he opens to us this vista (Rev 7:9-10)
Picture the Lamb surrounded by this vast international throng.
“And God in the midst of the resounding praises, will turn to Abraham and say, ‘There you are. I kept my promise. Mission accomplished.” (Chris Wright)
To go back to the temple picture what this means is the Gentiles are not merely admitted to the court of the Jews / the Holy Place.
Now we have a new building its called the church – 2:22
This is the place where you can encounter God
Because this is the place where there is free access to him (12)
Gods wise plan is being fulfilled of that we should be absolutely sure.
Implications:
1. If we are not to be discouraged we need to operate by Gods wisdom not mans.
Human wisdom teaches me to assess success on the basis of certain rewards. Is my hard work being appreciated, am I being given the credit I deserve. It might be status or money or influence by which we measure these things. And if we are not getting what we deserve we are foolish not to complain.
That is not the system that is being applied here.
In v7-13 Paul tells us what he was given to do
(8) this grace was given me to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ..
Its fine sounding words but what does it mean? It means he arouses Jewish fury. He writes from prison because he has been offering the Gentiles a law free gospel. (v1) He preaches the gospel and for his trouble Jesus Christ sends him to jail. But he is not dismayed.
How come?
He states in v7 that he is a servant of the gospel and in v8 that he is the least important member of the church.
He really is a servant
He doesn’t demand to be given a certain place.
If Jesus Christ decides to put him in jail it will be because it serves the gospel in some way.
You and I have to make up our minds whether that is stupid or wise.
We have to decide whether we are going to operate by human wisdom or Gods.
You get a little glimpse of this man in prison and what is going on in Phil 1: 12-14
What a scoop for the enemy Pauls imprisonment must have seemed.
And yet as Roman soldiers stand guard over Paul they cant help but notice this is no ordinary criminal. Conversations ensue. Word spreads. After a short while the whole place is talking about Paul and his gospel. And the church gets to hear of it and they in turn are encouraged to serve with greater boldness
This is the wisdom of God. And if we are wise we will operate by it.
2. If we are not to be discouraged we need to remember that we only see half the story.
V10 tells us that the church is the place where God puts his manifold or many coloured wisdom on display. But not for the benefit of society at large. We may feel dismayed that we are not more impressive, that we don’t turn many heads, that belonging to the church is a pretty futile business which whether we opt in or out doesn’t much matter.
The church doesn’t show off Gods wisdom to the world it shows it off to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Here are the hostile cosmic powers being shown that their authority has been decisively broken.
The prophets look forward to the dawning of the Day of the Lord, the arrival of the end of everything when evil is judged and righteousness rewarded. The shock is to discover that this doesn’t happen at the end of time but in the arrival of Jesus.
Jesus returns to Nazareth where he ‘proclaims the year of the Lords favour’ (Luke 4: 19) – in him the final year of Jubilee has come.
* his preaching has authority 4:32
* his word has exorcising and liberating power 4:33-37
* his touch heals all 4:40 Nothing is outside his domain.
The great promises to do with that Day take place in him and not at the end of history. No one is more surprised about this than the demonic powers who ask Jesus: Have you come to torture us before the appointed time? (Matt 8:29)
But the way this is seen now is not in the miracles of Jesus but in the life of the church – Gods many coloured wisdom is demonstrated to these cosmic forces in the bringing together of Jew and Gentile.. The church is the imperfect , visible form of Gods heavenly kingdom It s little preview of that scene in Revelation. The barriers we have erected in our sin – our superiority, our prejudices , our personal likes and dislikes are removed by our shared relationship with Jesus Christ. We all trust him, we all worship him, we all want to serve him. One common goal dominates – to please Christ and so everything else wealth, education, class, race, nationality is of secondary importance.
You can sit and look around the church and just marvel at the different paths people have been brought along to get here:
Some rich, some poor, some wise, some simple, some with one accent, some with another. Some have suffered, some have shown great faith, some have been restored from backsliding, some have great gifts.
Christopher Wrens memorial in St Pauls: if you are looking for his monument look around you. Such is the church its this multicoloured tapestry that witnesses to Gods genius but we only see the back of it – it’s the powers and authorities that see the front.
3. If we are not to be discouraged we need to pray.
The Ephesians discouragement arose from the strength of the opposition. How small and insignificant they felt.
Or it maybe simply the difficulties of living credibly as the people of God – living and serving with your imperfect brothers and sisters can be a struggle.
On both those fronts the problem is the same. Whats the rational for the worlds opposition to the church? Is it logical, is it proportionate – its satanic. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood
And the same can be said of relationships within the church.
Why can it be so hard – do not give the devil a foothold, a landing pad.
Take a moment to reflect on the early church.
They have no friends in high places.
They have no money.
But they do have access.
Confronted by the death threats of the authorities they return to their people : When they heard this they raised their voices together in prayer to God
The supreme achievement of the cross is it tears down the veil. It puts out the fires on the bronze altar where thousands upon thousands of animals have had to be slaughtered and it renders redundant the ministration of the Levitical High Priest.
The ability of the rulers and authorities to deceive the nations is severely restricted and the ability of these same powers to hinder our access to the father is removed.
Here is where God has wisely located grace and power for our witness and fellowship. There is no need to be discouraged either by the strength of the opposition or the challenge of the fellowship.
This is not private prayer – it’s the kind of praying the early church did. – they raised their voices together. And in a sense this is what effects unity – the best medicine for the discouraged and distant is to draw near to God with one another
Sin makes people hide from God and to look for someone to blame
Grace makes them seek him and makes them ready to serve and sacrifice for one another
Satan turns us away – Jesus brings us near.
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