I WILL LIVE WITH PURPOSE Ephesians 3:1-13

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1 Dr JD Harless Tri-County Christian Church October 9,2016 Resources: Commentaries I WILL LIVE WITH PURPOSE Ephesians 3:1-13 What is there in your life that you would be willing to go to prison for or maybe even die for? Your family? Your reputation? Your friends? Complete strangers? What about your faith? That is not an easy question to answer is it? When we think of the things in our lives that we would be willing to give it all up for the list gets pretty small. According to ChristianPost.com The Christian persecution watchdog group Open Doors has released its annual list of countries where Christians face the greatest persecution and found that it has reached unprecedented levels worldwide as over 7,000 Christians were killed for their faith between Nov. 1, 2014, and Oct. 31, Open Doors found that over 3,000 more Christians were killed for faith-related reasons during its reporting period for the 2016 World Watch List than it found during the reporting period for the 2015 report. Whatever is important enough for you to go to prison for or to die for that is what you have chosen as your purpose in life. You may not realize it but that has become your purpose. Turn with me to EPHESIANS 3:1-13 this morning and let s see what the Apostle Paul tells us ought to be our purpose in life. It is important to remember that the Apostle Paul is in prison when he writes this letter to the Ephesians. Why was he there? Was it because of a DUI? He got caught driving his mustang while drunk? Was it because he knocked off his wife because she would not become a Christian when he did? I WILL LIVE WITH PURPOSE 1

2 Maybe it was because he got caught stealing a hubcap off of someone s chariot It was nothing like that! He was in prison because he was sharing the mystery of God to everyone he came in contact with. And that made some people very angry. It made the Romans angry because it undercut Emperor worship and Roman Mythology. It made the Jews angry because the mystery included the Gentiles into the family of God. Paul s purpose in life sharing the mystery of God ended him up in prison and eventually losing his head literally. And again I have to ask all of us is sharing our faith worth enough to us that we would be willing to go to prison or maybe even die for? If truth be known for some of us our faith is not even worth enough to us to get us up out of bed on Sunday morning right? We get a sniffle so we stay home. What really is our purpose in life? Is it living and sharing our faith? Or is it something far less important? Let me share with you three conditions of our purpose according to the Apostle Paul in today s passage 1 THE FOCUS OF OUR PURPOSE Just a couple of weeks ago a great golf legend passed away Arnold Palmer. Carol Mann in her book titled The 19 th Hole quotes a statement made by Palmer about focus It was the final hole of the 1961 Masters tournament, and I had a one-stroke lead and had just hit a very satisfying tee shot. I felt I was in pretty good shape. As I approached my ball, I saw an old friend standing at the edge of the gallery. He motioned me over, stuck out his hand and said, "Congratulations." I took his hand and shook it, but as soon as I did, I knew I had lost my focus. On my next two shots, I hit the ball into a sand trop, then put it over the edge of the green. I missed a putt and lost the Masters. You don't forget a mistake like that; you just learn from it and become determined that you will never do that again. I haven't in the 30 years since. Carol Mann, The 19th Hole, (Longmeadow), quoted in Reader's Digest. Losing focus can be devastating! Paul talks about his focus in VERSES 1-3 of our passage today READ VERSES 1-3 I WILL LIVE WITH PURPOSE 2

3 Paul s focus is a mystery that has been given to him by God. It has become the very purpose for his living. And notice that Paul understands that it is because of God s grace that he is given the opportunity to receive this mystery. This is not something that Paul deserved it is grace. And remember sharing this mystery is what caused Paul to end up in prison. And yet in the face of that Paul calls it a gift from God. Would we see something like that as a gift from God? If God gave us something that landed us in prison or if we lost our head over it would we see it as a gift would we see it as God s grace? Paul did. Jesus tells us in MATTHEW 5: Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. We have been given a gift just like Paul that may very well cost us our freedom or even our lives are we willing to make that gift the focus of our lives? Will it become our purpose? I guess before we can answer that we really need to know what that mystery is before we answer that right? READ VERSES 4-6 The mystery that has to become our focus our purpose is the mystery that God kept a secret until he reveals it to Paul. In ACTS 10 we see that God does reveal it to Peter earlier but Peter does not really get it. God lowers a sheet filled with un-koshered animals three times and tells Peter to eat of it. And Peter finally figures it out that the old covenant has passed and there is a new covenant that God has introduced. He even shares the Gospel with Cornelius a Gentile and baptizes him into Christ. But later when some Jewish Christians come around Peter has nothing to do with the Gentiles. Paul gets it! He understands that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile in the Christian faith. They are all one we talked about that last week remember GALATIANS 3:28 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. I WILL LIVE WITH PURPOSE 3

4 This is really great news for you and me because we are Gentiles! None of us were first Jews before we became Christian. BUT it also reminds us that this mystery that Christ died for everyone not just one nation or a select few that we are to share that mystery with every nationality as well native American Afro American Hispanic Indian Asian. You name it God includes them in this great mystery. I don t know why God graced Paul with this great mystery and I certainly don t know why he has graced you and me with that same mystery but He has and it has to become the focus of our purpose in life. 2 THE POSITION OF OUR PURPOSE C.S. Lewis wrote in an article titled Equality Mankind is so fallen that no man can be trusted with unchecked power over his fellows. Aristotle said that some people were only fit to be slaves. I do not contradict him. But I reject slavery because I see no men fit to be masters. C.S. Lewis in "Equality" from Present Concerns, quoted in Christianity Today, February 3, 1989, p. 31. I must agree with Lewis there are no men who are fit to be masters over other people s lives. And that is probably why we have such an objection to the idea of being a slave to anyone. BUT what if the master was not a mere man what if the master was Jesus Christ? Does that change anything? It should! Continually the Bible speaks of us who are Christians as slaves or servants. And if we reject that idea then we reject the Lordship of Christ. Listen to what Paul has to say in READ VERSES 7-9 Paul had no problem calling himself a slave or servant. He understood that he was commissioned to the sharing of the mystery of God not only to the Gentiles in particular but with everyone he could possibly share it with. He understood that the God of that mystery was the one in control and not Paul himself. That meant that God called the shots. That meant that he was a slave to whatever God told him to do and it was his job to do it. No if and or buts. And he was to do it no matter the outcome even if it landed him in prison. Which it had. I WILL LIVE WITH PURPOSE 4

5 Let me ask you fellow Christians do you see yourself as a slave to the mystery of God? Do you understand that when you came under the Lordship of Christ that you became a slave bound to do whatever Christ told you to do? And do you understand that one of the tasks that he has given you is to share the mystery of how Christ has opened the door to people of every nation so that they may be a part of the family of God? BUT Paul not only understood that he was to be a slave to the mystery of God he also understood that he was probably not the best choice for that position at least in the eyes of man. He was the one of those who had been tracking down Christians and delivering them to Jerusalem to be persecuted and even killed. If it were Paul doing the picking he would not have picked himself. BUT listen God does not choose who will serve him based on who they are or even who they think they are but he chooses them on what he knows they can become! You might take a good long look at yourself and think that God could never use you! You have done some really bad things in your life You have not always been faithful to God You don t think you are smart enough Or you think you are too old Here is a secret we all need to be reminded of when God calls us to be his servant he gives us whatever it takes to get the job done! If God has called you to be a servant of his gospel and he has then he will give you what it takes to do the job! Let me state it as plainly as I can our position in life is to be a slave to Christ and his mystery! That is our position of purpose. 3 THE INTENT OF OUR PURPOSE There is a word that toddlers use a lot that drives most parents crazy. Anyone have an idea what that word is? It is the word why right? I WILL LIVE WITH PURPOSE 5

6 Even though that is an irritating question it is a good question to ask here Why? Why does God want us to dedicate our lives to focusing on and positioning ourselves for the sake of his mystery the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let s READ VERSES Several years ago Steve Brunson had a special for the morning worship that was a Carmen song titled The Champion. It actually came out in 1985 so many of you may have never heard of it. It told the story of a boxing match between Satan and Christ. Listen to the final lyrics Forty days and nights they fought, and Satan couldn't touch Him. Now the final blow saved for the final round. Prophetically Christ's hands came down And Satan struck in vengeance! The blow of death felled Jesus to the ground. The devils roared in victory! The saints shocked and perplexed as wounds appeared upon His hands and feet. Then Satan kicked Him in His side, and blood and water flowed. And they waited for the 10 count of defeat. God the Father turned His head, His tears announcing Christ was dead! The 10 count would proclaim the battle's end. Then Satan trembled through his sweat in unexpected horror, yet... As God started to count by saying, " " "Hey wait a minute, God..." " " "Stop! You're counting wrong..." " " His eyes are moving... " " His fingers are twitching... " " "Where's all this Light coming from?" " " "He's alive!" " " I WILL LIVE WITH PURPOSE 6

7 "Oh - nooooo!" " " "And yet," " " "Oh...Yessssss! " " He's alive forevermore! He is risen, He is Lord, He's alive forevermore, He is risen! He is Lord! And then the song finishes out with this Proclaim the news in every tongue, Through endless ages and beyond Let it be voiced from mountains loud and strong Captivity has been set free, salvation bought for you and me 'Cause Satan is defeated, And Jesus is The Champion I tell you that because that is exactly the intent of God for us to let the world know that God s mystery has come to light through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. All who choose may now be a part or the family of God! We can now approach God with freedom and confidence through faith. CONCLUSION Understand what Paul is telling us? Understand why it is so important to be willing to make God s mystery our focus and to position ourselves as slaves to that mystery and to go to prison or lose our lives for it because it is the most liberating message ever! Christ has won He has broken the chains of evil and he has given us the purpose of sharing that great news! I WILL LIVE WITH PURPOSE 7