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Ephesians 3:7-21 7 Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. 8 Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ 9 and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have access in boldness and confidence through faith in him. 13 I pray, therefore, that you may not lose heart over my sufferings for you; they are your glory. Prayer for the Readers 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family[l] in heaven and on earth takes its name. 16 I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. 18 I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Let me begin with a question: “What is our Good News for living?” Life isn’t easy, and so often seems to be plagued with the unknown. It is as if there are unseen forces at work to undo us. Think about it. Financially there are so many things that come up and threaten to break down. Just when we least expect it, the car breaks down. The repairs will be expensive. We just didn’t need this right now! Or, how about the cascade of kitchen appliances reaching the end of their useful lives. My sister was just lamenting how her kitchen seemed to be falling apart in rapid succession. First the refrigerator, then the dish washer, then the stove. They were all expensive replacements. How about physically? The older I get, the more aware I am of the litany of new aches and pains. Illness can come on so quickly and take us by surprise. Even spiritually there are so many things that can go wrong. We struggle with distractions, questions, untimely deaths, accidents … all of these can seem to undo our spiritual life and thus undermine our daily living.
There is a strange image in vs. 10 – heavenly places – cosmic forces (rulers and authorities). What’s that all about? It goes back to the beliefs of Paul’s time. The common belief was that there were evil forces at work to undermine current life. There was a dualistic nature of life. It was the physical versus the spiritual. They were not seen as two parts of the same whole, but rather as opposites. Our task was to live in the spiritual and deny the physical. So, Paul talks about witnessing to those powers and authorities about the wisdom of God. Paul denies that duality, and presents us with the good news. Our Good News is found in verses 11-12. We have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in Him. Real life and spirituality meet in Jesus Christ. Did you notice Paul’s description of the mission of the church? It is in verse 10 again – make the wisdom of God known to all, because we have access to God with all boldness and confidence. How about another question: When was the last time you tried something new - Something truly out of your comfort zone? For me, it was wanting to take our jeep with us when we go camping in our truck camper. Up until now, every morning, when we wanted to god and explore the area around us, we had to put the camper top down, drive off the leveling blocks, and go on our way. At the end of the day, we would have to set up the camper all over again. This is especially annoying when we are spending several nights in the same campground. Why not tow the jeep behind the truck? Then the questions started to pop up. What is the distance between the jeep and the truck camper? Is it great enough to make turns without damaging the jeep or the camper? Where do I start? Procrastination took over! With all the questions, I just kept putting it off. Finally, I took the leap. I ordered the tow bar and Installed it. When I tested it, there was a weird pulling to the side. I realized that when the jeep was not running, the steering wheel lock was engaged. The only way to overcome that was to have the key on. Unfortunately, that would drain the battery and possibly mess up the ignition system. Finally, I discovered the solution - just disconnect the battery and turn the key on! From there the jeep tracked great behind the truck. We just got back from Yellowstone, and thoroughly enjoyed the freedom to explore without breaking down camp. God is calling the church to be bold in its witness to the supremacy of Jesus Christ, and his grace for living. God is calling us to live our faith with boldness. That is so wonderful to say, but often implies that “the church” will do it – meaning someone other than me! The ultimate meaning of the church is YOU and ME. We each need to live boldly for our Lord. But how do we do that, and what will it look like for each of us? Paul points to the “grace given to him to bring the good news” (vs. 8). It is important that we understand that we don’t conjure up that boldness on our own. In fact, boldness on our own is like the recollection of Paul and his persecution of the church before he “met” Jesus. His pride of wisdom and his confidence in his lineage stood in his way. It was broken down by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. From there, Paul was able to truly live for God. His close relationship with God through Jesus Christ transformed Paul’s life, and made him a conduit for the Good News. So what will boldness look like for each of us? Our preacher last week was James. Through the invitation of Nancy Darland, Janna and I had lunch with James and Rebecca. When the waitress had taken our orders, James did something bold. He said to the waitress, “We will be praying for this meal. Is there anything you would like us to pray for you. She told us of her worry about her vehicle breaking down and the uncertain costs for repairing it. Right then and there, James prayed for the waitress and our meal. What an impact! He opened himself to rejection, and yet was met with openness. The Good News was proclaimed in the care and concern he showed. Me … I am a confirmed introvert. Basically, that means it is hard for me to step out with what I am thinking or feeling. I think it, but it is hard for me to say it or do it. When I was in college, one of the requirements was to pass a speech class. I always sat in the very back of the class, and almost always was the last to deliver the speeches I was tasked to prepare. Yet, when I first became a teacher it was OK – I was prepared, and in was in my comfort zone, since I knew for sure that I knew more than my middle school students. Then I was called to be a pastor! Whoa, that was totally out of my comfort zone. But how about more to daily living for me. One of the hardest things I have to do is inviting couples into marriage ministry participation. It is hard for me to ask. My tendency is to answer for them even before I ask. “Oh, they don’t have time to do this marriage class.” Or “They wouldn’t be interested.” To put myself out there is hard. We are called to live more boldly! I am called to live more boldly! In verse. 16, Paul’s prayer for the church is that we are strengthened. Then in verse 18 he prays for our power to comprehend the fullness of the impact of the gospel. In verse 19, he is even so bold as to indicate that we can “be filled with all the fullness of God.” If that were so for each of us, we could and would live more boldly. I want to leave us with what Paul says in verses 20-21 – “Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” What if we let God accomplish this great task of spreading the gospel – the good news – through us? What stands between you and the boldness you are called to have for the gospel – the good news? Ask God to help you overcome those obstacles. Amen
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