Studies in the Book of Ephesians: Solus Christus (Christ Alone) –Our Call & Riches in Christ
PastorChristopher Manivannan
"For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you,” (Ephesians 3: 1-2)
“I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ,”(Ephesians 3: 7-8)
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”(Ephesians 3: 16-17)
BIG IDEA:
Called to Live according to the Riches of Christ
The big idea is we are all called to live according to the riches of Christ. This is a specific call; for every one of us, there is a call.
Introduction
When God calls, we will be challenged to gladly embrace His call no matter what price we have to pay.
The call of God involves a cost.
What was Paul’s crime?His crime was sharing the Gospel with the Gentiles.The Jews and the Gentiles do not see eye to eye.The Jews do not understand why the Gospel must go to the Gentiles, as they feel that the Gospel belongs to the Jews.When it comes to Christ, there is no barrier at all; it is broken down by the love of Christ.For Paul, it was a great privilege for obeying God’s call, even though he went through persecution.We may feel unworthy and unqualified and may even have to give up our ambitions.But because of God’s grace in our lives, it is more than sufficient to overcome these.
The call of God involves a cost.
1The Call
(a)When there is a call, there must be a caller.God is the caller.Biblical idea of God’s calling is
“God summoning us by His Word and laying hold of us by His power.”
God calls us by His Word.
(b)God called Paul to be a prisoner for the sake of the Gentiles.
“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles.” (Ephesians 3:1)
(c)What is the call?
The call is to “play a part in and enjoy the benefits of His gracious redemptive purposes.”
The effectual call will only come when you have received Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.Because we are Christians, there is a call to do His will in our lives, and that is a benefit for us, as we are saved by grace and not of works.We cannot earn salvation; we are given salvation and out of that gratitude for God, we are called to do something for Him.
The call for Paul was to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.
“Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you.” (Ephesians 3:2)
The call to take the Gospel to the Gentiles got Paul into hardship.When you obey God’s call in your life, you will go through hardship.Paul went through all kinds of trouble, both with the Jews and the Gentiles, including the Roman authorities.
“The God of our fathers has chosen you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from His mouth.You will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.” (Acts 22: 14-15)
This was a prophetic word by Ananias over Paul’s life.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian, was hanged for his part in plotting to assassinate Adolf Hitler.The call upon his life was not only to be a pastor and theologian, but also a martyr.A famous quote from him is as follows: “When Christcalls a man, He bids him come and die.”The context in which the quote was made is this: “The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death—we give over our lives to death. Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”
Not all of us have the privilege like Pastor Bonhoeffer and Paul had, to partner with Christ to suffer unto death.But whatever our call is, we become a new person by His grace. The old has died, the new has come alive.As a new person, we are called by God to do His will.
2The Core (inner being)
(a)What is the core?
According to the Bible (2 Corinthians 4:16), core is the seat and substance of who we are, and it needs constant strengthening.
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”(Ephesians 3: 16-17)
Paul did not pray persecution to not come to His church.Paul was praying for your call, for your inner being.If your core is strong, then you are able to withstand persecution.Christ is able to dwell in our hearts through faith.God wants to strengthen our hearts.We will face persecution, temptations and all sorts of challenges.If your inner being is strong, then you will not be afraid of the outer attacks that come to you.
All of us are made in the image of God.We have a soul and a spiritual core to our personality. The inner core is the most important part of being a Christian.
2-S
- Substance of who we are!
The substance is not the form; the form is only a façade. The substance, inner being of who we are, is the same, as all of us are Christians.But we need to strengthen our substance.
- Strength to the substance!
The Christian life is a transformed life i.e. the inner being!
The transformed life can only take place from the inside out. It can never come from the outside.You cannot become a born-again Christian by wearing good clothes on the outside, speaking good words, or doing good works.It must flow out from the inside.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16)
We can only be transformed through the experience of God.If we do not experience God, we can never be transformed.The actual test is when we go through life challenges, temptations, difficulties and sufferings.God wants us to experience Him, the compassion and love of the Father.And then, our inner being will be strengthened.
(b)How can the Holy Spirit strengthen our core (inner being)?
- Through labouring in Prayer.
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”(Ephesians 3: 16-17)
- Through abiding in God’s word.
“The Word of God empowers us to do the righteous works God called us to do.To be empowered by the Spirit we must live according to the Word of God.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
We will know our God when we labour in prayer.When we seek Him earnestly, He is there.In fact, He is waiting for us every day, just to connect with Him.When we live according to His Word, we will be able to experience and understand Him.Not only must we feed our minds, we must also feed our hearts.Our inner beings will thus be strengthened.
Conclusion:
BIG IDEA:
Called to Live according to the Riches of Christ
Remember, “Nothing is impossible to God”.He can “do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” (Ephesians 3:20)
When we feel a sense of alarm because of all that is happening around us, it is not a time to panic.Simply get down on our knees, lay our concerns before the Lord as an act of worship.Strengthen our inner man by praying to God.Out of His glorious riches He has strengthened us through the power of the Holy Spirit.Even though we may feel that God is far away, He is still working in us.
Challenge:
Strengthen your inner being by knowing and experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer and His Word.
Sermon summary contributed by May.
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