Scripture: Ephesians 3:1-13
Today’s sermon is Sermon Number Five of our sermon series on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. By the time I’m finished with this sermon, I want us to feel encouraged… for the same reasons that Paul wants his readers to feel encouraged. And I hope to encourage you by examining the meaning of three phrases that Paul uses in this scripture, which I hope will help unlock the passage for us: Number One: The first phrase is, “For the Benefit of You Gentiles.” Number Two: The second phrase, “A Prisoner of Christ Jesus.” And Number Three, the final phrase, from verse 13: “So Please Don’t Lose Heart.”
For the last seven or eight years, I’ve been reading fiction books before I go to sleep each night. I read all of the Sherlock Holmes short stories, for instance. I’ve read many novels by John le Carré and Stephen King, among others. Whatever books I read, though, they’re usually mysteries of one kind or another: you know, there’s a puzzle at the center of the story that needs to be solved… and by the end of the novel, finally, everything falls into place and becomes clear. And the ending always contains a surprise… something the reader doesn’t expect. I especially like the last chapter of these novels… because in the last chapter, the author answers all the unanswered questions… He shows you all the clues that you might have missed along the way… The last chapter ties things up nicely.
And that’s sort of what the apostle Paul is doing in today’s scripture: He’s writing the last chapter of a mystery. Three times, in fact, Paul uses the Greek word translated as “mystery” or, as the NLT puts it, “mysterious plan.” When Paul talks about this “mystery,” he is referring to God’s plan of salvation for the world through Christ.
You may have heard this expression before? “The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed. The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.” I like that. I’ve said before that the Old Testament is all about Jesus and his gospel. You saw that in the past year, I hope, with our Journey Through the Bible. After all, you heard me preach about 38 sermons in the Old Testament in the past year, yet wasn’t I always ultimately preaching about Jesus and the gospel? I hope so!
The Old Testament is all about Jesus; it’s just that many of the clues pointing to Christ didn’t become clear until after God became incarnate in Christ. And Paul calls this plan of salvation a “mystery” because—like any good mystery—many of the clues don’t become apparent until the end… many of the questions don’t get answered until the end… and there’s an element of surprise at the end.
The main surprise for the former Saul of Tarsus, just after he met the resurrected Lord on the road to Damascus… the main surprise was that God’s plan of salvation no longer included obedience to the Law of Moses… The Bible says that the Law’s main purpose was to show us how sinful we humans really are, how impossible it is to keep the law, and to prove to us that we need a Savior, and this Savior is God’s only begotten Son Jesus. Only he could keep the Law and fulfill the Law on our behalf… and only he could then suffer the penalty under the law, for our sins, on the cross.
We are justified by faith alone… not by obedience to the Law… but this truth didn’t become completely clear until Christ—and the apostles through whom his Spirit was at work—revealed this mystery to the world.
And Paul was suffering in prison because of his stubborn insistence that both Jews and Gentiles have equal access to God through faith in Christ. That’s why religious leaders in Jerusalem wanted to kill him. And because of the trouble that Paul’s message stirred up in Jerusalem, that’s why the Romans intervened to arrest him—and ultimately they would put him on trial in Rome… You can read about this beginning in Acts chapter 21.
So that’s why Paul says he was suffering was “for the benefit of you Gentiles,” in verse 1.
But we have to notice something important about verse 1…
Verse 1 is an incomplete sentence. That’s why the NLT reads, “When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles . . .” [dot, dot, dot]… In other words, Paul realizes that he’s just said something in verse 1 that requires more explanation than he imagined when he began writing out that thought. So he has to take a detour in verses 2 through 13. In fact, Paul doesn’t come back to his original thought in verse 1 until verse 14: “When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father…” Originally, in verse 1, therefore, Paul intended to say something about prayer—which we’ll talk about in next week’s sermon—but Paul first needs to say more about God’s plan of salvation and Paul’s specific role in it.
Why did he have to say more?
Because, if Paul is in prison “for the benefit of you Gentiles,” he’s concerned that these Gentiles to whom he’s writing might “lose heart,” they might feel discouraged—they might even feel guilty—to hear that Paul is in prison for their benefit. They don’t want Paul to be suffering in prison for them. None of us would! So Paul is worried they might feel sad, or depressed, or guilty, or discouraged… And by the way, that’s why he writes, in verse 13, “So please don’t lose heart because of my trials here.”
So those words, “for the benefit of you Gentiles,” causes Paul to take this detour in verses 2 through 13…
And that’s Point Number One…
Surely the first thing that Paul would say about his suffering is, “What choice do I have? I’m doing all that I’m doing for one reason only:I am a prisoner of Christ Jesus.”
And this is Point Number Two… “A Prisoner of Christ Jesus.”
On the first Beatles album, from 1963, they do a cover version of a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, the same duo that wrote, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” But this one’s called “Chains.” It includes these words: “Chains/ My baby’s got me locked up in chains/ And they ain’t the kind/ That you can see/ Whoa-oh, these chains of lo-oo-oove/ Got a hold on me, yeah.”
Do you know about those kinds of invisible chains?
Of course you do… at least if you’ve ever been in love you do!
Because when we’re in love it feels like the person we’re in love with has a hold over us… We can’t stop thinking about them. We won’t make plans that don’t include them, if we can help it. We won’t stop trying to please them, to make them happy, to make them love us more! We won’t stop trying to live for them… because we’re in love. And even if we wanted to be free of these invisible chains, we can’t be…
Again… not that we want to be free… Because we’re in love. And being in love is the best! So we gladly take the “chains” that always come with it!
When I fell in love with Lisa—which, truthfully, happened long before we started dating; in fact, she was dating someone else at the time… “As if that loser was going to stand in my way!” But no… We were both in college… Lisa was at Auburn. I was at Tech. Lisa’s parents lived in Snellville. And that’s where Lisa was one weekend—because she had just had her tonsils taken out, and she was recuperating at home.
So I used this occasion as an opportunity to buy her a gift… a “get well” present… Maybe it was just a card or a balloon… I can’t remember. Probably not flowers; that would have been too bold. But I drove out of my way to deliver this gift and to see her. And I remember I had to play it cool—she was dating someone, after all. But it’s not like he was there; he was out of town; he didn’t come to see her that weekend. Like I said, [make sign of “L” on forehead] Loser! But I wanted to play it cool… So I took my friend Keith with me. I’m such a dummy, I know. But I felt like I had to hide my feelings a little bit. Lisa couldn’t know that not only did I like her, I liked–liked her, if you know what I mean.
But anyway… on the car ride back home I told Keith something my parents told me when I was leaving the house. They said, “Why are you bringing your friend along? You like her. You should go alone!” They told me that!
When I told Keith they said that, he said, “I think your parents were right!”
But the point is, because I was in love, I would given her much, much more than a card or a balloon… or even flowers. I would have driven much, much farther to show her how much I loved her… No expense, no time, no trouble would have been too much.
Lisa already had me “locked up in chains,” and they weren’t the kind anyone could see. I would have felt embarrassed if anyone did see those chains!
And this brings us back to verse 1… Paul writes, “I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus…”
Notice what Paul doesn’t say. He doesn’t say, “I’m a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus”… or “for the sake of my faith in Christ Jesus.” No, here he means something much stronger: “I’m a prisoner of Christ Jesus.”
And at this point we may be tempted to say, “No, Paul… You’re a prisoner of Nero Caesar”… Or… “You’re a prisoner of the Roman Empire”… Or… “You’re a prisoner of local Roman governors and magistrates. You’re not a prisoner of Christ Jesus. He isn’t the One who’s put you in these chains.”
But from Paul’s perspective, Christ has put Paul in chains… Only much stronger chains than the iron chains that the Romans used. These are chains made out of Paul’s love for Jesus Christ. And those chains had a hold on Paul, and he wouldn’t let go.
One of my main tasks as a pastor who’s trying to disciple you, my flock, is to “lock you up” in these “chains of love.” To make us all “prisoners of Christ,” like Paul. He’s a “prisoner of Christ,” but those invisible chains that tether him to the Lord are not forced on him… against his will. They are there because of Paul’s love for Christ. And those chains of love have a hold on Paul.
We Methodists sometimes pray a prayer together called the Wesley Covenant Prayer. It includes words like these:
I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
to thy pleasure and disposal.
Do you hear those words of total surrender to Christ? Wesley may as well have added, “Let me live as a free person for thee, or let me be put in prison for thee.”
That’s how Paul feels: “Whatever you want, Lord… If you decide that I can best love and serve and glorify you in prison, I will be your prisoner.” Whatever you want, I’m yours. Your chains of love have a hold on me, so I’ll do anything for you. “I am no longer my own, but thine.”
And that’s Point Number Two: “A Prisoner of Christ Jesus.”
Point Number Three: “So Please Don’t Lose Heart.”
These words come from verse 13. They are for a church that is tempted to feel discouraged. And Paul believes, in verses 2 through 12, he’s given them sufficient reasons not to feel discouraged… not to lose heart… not to feel depressed. But to feel encouraged. So let’s spend a few minutes looking at an encouraging—and maybe even surprising principle—that emerges from today’s scripture.
And when I say “surprising,” I mean it. Look at verse 10: “God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”
As one commentator points out, it’s as if Paul were saying that “the church,” including even our little church right here in Toccoa Georgia, is the equivalent of a trophy cabinet… a trophy display case… and you and I—and all the good work that we do in our lives and in our church—are on display… for the purpose of showing forth God’s glory… We’re like “trophies of God’s grace.” Trophies that announce to everyone, “Look at what God has done in us and through us.”
Okay, well maybe that doesn’t sound too surprising.
After all, I said in my sermon last week that people in our community are desperate to see God’s people at Toccoa First living out their Christian faith, not merely saying the right words… but to live in such a way that makes people want the fruit of the Spirit for themselves: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. By doing so, we bear witness to Christ in the most powerful way.
I said that last week, and I suppose, if we’re not paying close attention, we might think Paul is making a similar point here. But he’s not…
In this case, we’re not “trophies on display” for the sake of our neighbors in this community… No, no… we’re trophies on display for the sake of—get this—“all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”
What?
Paul is talking here about displaying God’s glory for the sake of “angelic beings,” both angels and even demons, whom we cannot see… but who surround us in the spiritual realm that we cannot see… And when we get to chapter 6, we’re going to talk about how these angels and demons are fighting… over us… and that we’re engaged in that fight, too!
But it shouldn’t surprise us that even angels are watching what we do. In 1 Peter 1:12, when describing the salvation that God is working in the world through the gospel, Peter says, “It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.”
So listen… Here’s why this should encourage us…
It doesn’t matter whether anyone else in the world sees even the small steps of faith that we take… or the small ways in which we’ve become more Christlike in our character… or the small actions we take to live out our Christian faith… Remember in Matthew 14, Peter puts his faith into action and walks on water? 1 At least for a matter of seconds, Peter has the faith to take bold, dramatic steps of faith and do something that no one in history besides Jesus had ever done: he walks on water for everyone to see, including the eleven other disciples on the boat… some of whom may even have been jealous of Peter… may have envied him and his faith… at least until he started to sink and failed in such a spectacular way.
But my point is, Peter’s bold steps of faith were in public for all to see.
Truthfully, that’s what I usually want… Even as a pastor: I want numbers… I want numerical growth… I want everyone—including my clergy colleagues—to admire the good work that they see me doing for God’s kingdom right here at Toccoa First… and the numbers prove that, right?
I told Admin Board last week that in a year over year comparison, between last year and this year, we have grown numerically. We have! Our worship attendance is up… on average… by five people.
I wish it were higher. I’m not satisfied with growth of five. And I wish it were higher, in part because of my sinful pride… Of course the only legitimate reason I shouldn’t be satisfied is because “the fields are white for harvest,” 2and there are thousands upon thousands in Stephens County who haven’t yet received the gospel of Christ…
Still, as I also pointed out last week, something big happened last year that affects our numbers: We disaffiliated from the UMC. And every one of us knows people and families who are no longer here anymore because of that… Which I hate, by the way… I wish they’d all chosen to stay. But the good news is, if we’ve grown by five, numerically—which includes all the people who left—that means there really are signs of new life and new growth. Look around: we can see it!
But my point is, even when other people can’t see the small ways we grow, day by day, moment by moment, into more faithful, more loving children of God, we can still be encouraged: Because even if no other human being in the world can see evidence of growth in our lives, guess who can see it?
Angels can see it… and so can their counterparts… and when they see, Paul says, that too glorifies God! And that pleases God because wants to be glorified above all! So we please God when we take even these small, often invisible or unseen steps of faith.
No one saw, for instance, how hard it was for an alcoholic in this congregation last week to resist the temptation to drink…
(By the way, you know I’m not referring to anyone in particular: I’m likely describing multiple people…)
But I feel confident someone in this congregation last week, who is a recovering alcoholic, fought hard to resist the temptation to drink. But you prayed—and you fought against the devil himself—and you found the grace you needed to stay on the wagon. One day at a time… One moment at a time! But no one saw your private, invisible battle on that particular day… or so you thought… In fact, scripture says that the “unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” saw it… and when they saw you last week, you were shining like a trophy in God’s display case!
And it was glorious!
Similarly, no one knows how hard a husband and wife in this congregation have fought to keep their marriage intact under incredibly trying circumstances. (Again, not referring to any couple in particular… I’m surely describing many…) But this couple has had to overcome a lot of childhood trauma in their own families of origin, which contributed to their marriage problems. They’ve had to overcome conflict; they’ve have to forgive infidelity; they’ve faced temptation again and again to throw in the towel. That would have been, at times, the easier choice. But they’ve said, “No, by God’s grace I’m going to love this difficult person and fight for this marriage.” And by God’s grace, as they’ve prayed hard; they’ve fought a spiritual battle; they’ve seen a marriage that’s slowly but surely getting a little better… No one else has seen it… It’s too embarrassing for them to talk about… But you know who does see it? The “unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” And when they see it, they see that you are shining like a trophy in God’s display case!
And it is glorious!
These are just two examples… You can furnish your own from your own life. We all can!
So be encouraged: Every one of us has an opportunity in this week ahead to shine like a trophy in God’s display case, before the “unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” And when we do, it will be glorious! So don’t lose heart…