Message Title: “Gathering for Encouragement”
Text: Ephesians 3; Hebrews 10
Since the beginning of time, God has expressed His sovereign will through the action of putting-things together. And it’s good.
• Gen. 1:9, And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.
• God made man and put him in the garden together with the animals He had made.
• He brought the woman He had made to the garden and put her together with the man, Adom. Gen. 2
• In Gen. 3, Eve and the Serpent got together, and sin entered the world, that’s when both mankind and the Creation God had put together, they Fell Apart. (Man, and God suffered broken relationship)
• Later, Adam and Eve put 2 and 2 together and multiplied…
• Eventually, Jesus, as the promised messiah, possessing the natures of both God and man, together within his body, by way of his perfect sacrifice as the unblemished lamb of God; made way for man to be together again with his heavenly Father. 2 Cor. 5:19
Jesus having the same nature as His Father, he too was a Gatherer:
• Days before Jesus was crucified, he wept, and his disciples heard him say that he longed to gather the people of Jerusalem together like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings: Luke 13:34
• The Prophet Ezekiel, speaking of Jesus when he said, God would also, as shepherd, gather his sheep: Ezekiel 34:11-12
• And before Jesus ascended to His Father he told his disciples that he would come back for them and receive them unto himself so that where is there they would be together with him again. John 14:3
Now I want you to consider something obvious: In order to gather something, in order to bring something together, it entails separating too, whatever it may be, you must separate it from other things in order to gather it together.
Speaking of the future, Jesus said He will gather and separate when judging the nations. Matthew 25:31-32 “But when the son of man comes in his glory, And all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him; and he will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
ILL: (Story about my dog Kona – the herder breed) rounds up the family into one room of the home. By nature, he wants to put us together;)
1. BE AWARE.
Let’s look together at our main passage, Ephesians 3.
Paul is about to revel two important things God wants everyone to know. He was given the responsibility to bring the news and he tells the believers in Ephesus that God didn’t reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets. The message he brings will be a blessing to everyone, both Jews and Gentiles.
6 And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus. 7 By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.
(Now notice where Paul mentions where a treasure is stored for them)
8 Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.
(now jump to vs. 10 to see God’s purpose)
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. 11 This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Okay so, he’s told us that God’s plan was to bring all people together through Jesus to glorify God in front of all unseen rulers and authorities in heavenly places! Man, talk about a show! We’re all a part of the biggest show in town!
12 Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.
So when we put them together, the PLAN and God’s PURPOSE tells us that, based on the finished work of Jesus, we can be put back together with God!
What Paul wants most for the believers in Ephesus is this. He wants them to tap into the provision of God.
He wants them to connect to all God has provided for them on a day-to-day basis, through Christ.
ILL: (Power ball winner who was unaware he had won.) Store owner sells winning ticket from his store and himself wins a $1,000,000. He takes a trip on a plane and doesn’t know he’s won! His family becomes awar and lets him know when he reached his destination. Such good news!
The people of God have won the lottery yet live like they don’t know it.
God wants us to Be aware fall we have been awarded in Christ.
Look at his prayer for them beginning in vs. 16.…he wants his spiritual children to be growing…
2. BE GROWING.
This is his prayer for the believers in Ephesus…
16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.
(What will happen if he does?)
17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Two things he wants them to have: Strength through God’s Spirit, and greater understanding of God’s love.
That’s kind of funny when you think about it: He’s saying that he wants them/us to have a personal Understanding of God’s love in Christ that is so great, it’s not even understandable. Doesn’t that sound impossible?
Here’s what we can take from that: Paul knows if they will grow in strength through the Spirit and gain greater understanding of God’s love they will experience the result.
What is the result of Spiritual strength and greater understanding?
Answer: Being affected by a love that goes beyond understanding it impacts my life beyond explanation!
Be Aware, Be Growing....
3. BE GATHERED.
There is a way God wants us to live with Him. He wants us to live our life near Him by living in Christ. Living in Christ happens as we do life together in the Christian community, which we know as the body of Christ. Maybe you’re an arm, maybe you’re a kneecap or an arm pit, whatever you are? Whatever body part you may be, the entire body, and that includes everybody, is better off with you connected to it, in your proper place.
And here’s the cool thing about the body of Christ being together. Jesus is the head of the body and we get to make up the rest. But a body part disconnected from the body leaves the body dismembered and the body is handicapped.Let me show you how important it is that you stay connected to the people of God in corporate worship, look at verse 19.(And keep in mind what we just talked about)
Hebrews 10:19-25, 19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
(Who is allowed through the curtain? The High Priest.
Who is our High Priest forever? Jesus.
Who is the body of Christ Jesus? We are!
This is why we are now allowed to enter the very presence of God.
We have full access to the Holy of Holies.
21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
Now this will sound silly to you but I call the nest three directives “the 3 heads of lettuce…”
(I know that's silly but it's the way my mind works;)
22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings,…
You see an insincere person is insincere because they haven’t any faith. It's a lack of faith that makes a person in sincerity towards God. Let me put it another way, an insincere heart is (in-sin-and seared by the sin-it’s-in)
Repeat that a couple of times and let it sink it.
…having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience.
By the way, we can only receive a -clear- conscience from Jesus. He performs this for those who've repented of sin and placed faith in Jesus and his finished work on the cross. He's the only one who can give us a clear conscience and we feel and live the difference when we've been washed by his blood. That's REAL freedom!
..and having our bodies washed with pure water.
That’s water baptism - putting the old you to death with Christ so the new you can take over in Him and his power.
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Over in the previous chapter, Ch. 9, Paul says the promise of God to us is an eternal inheritance in Christ.
So, the people of God can now live free, unlike the carnal who live for fleshly desires and sinful lifestyles, we are free unto God. That's part of the inheritance we receive now on earth, and it is a life that professes hope.
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,
25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing....
Being here today you’ve made a good start. If you've been one who has given up meeting together, then you should seek to produce a good work in line with repentance and make church a priority again. You’ll be both blessed and a blessing.
It's important for us to be encouraged in church; however, if you want to take this to a deeper level then you can rise up in Spiritual maturity by realizing the benefit others around you receive when you take your part in the public worship of the Lord. You become a blessing to us! We need you.
....but encouraging one another—and all the more, as you see the Day approaching.
The Lord is coming sooner than we realize. Look at the state of the world and be aware. Let's be intentional in our Growth. Paul is saying Be together more, not less! PRIORITIZE BEING GATHERED
All the more means, we should meet together with the body of Christ more often, not less.
(Invite worship team forward)
I want you to know that I think and pray about ways of spurring you on towards love and good deeds, all week long.
I am constantly considering how to get you to move from where you are to where God would like you to be.
That’s what the bible says we should all be doing, right?
So if you ever wonder what I’m doing with my time, it’s that, right there.
And today we see clearly that a major KEY to being closer together with God, in the most practical way, is being gathered-together in corporate worship. If we will join together with all our hearts, we will see the presence of God among us even more. He is the God who Gathers us.
Optional: Prayer / Question to ask yourself today is, Holy Spirit, what are you saying to me today?
