So, as John mentioned in his prayer, I just got back last night from our Denomination's yearly gathering in St. Louis,
and I know many of you are curious and interested in what happened.
I'll just give you a brief summary, which is that lots of good things happened.
I'm encouraged about the future of our denomination, and I'm happy to talk about it more with you one-on-one if you'd like.
Many of you know, of course, we're celebrating Independence Day, our independence from Britain,
but now, of course, we also have a special relationship with Britain.
Our church, in a similar way, has a special relationship with Westside PCA, our sister church here in town,
and it's our pleasure to welcome Davis Morgan, who's their pastor, to bring God's Word to us today.
So, Davis, welcome.
Greetings, Cheyenne Mountain.
It is so great to be with you on this Lord's Day, on this Independence Day,
to come together and to bring God's Word from Ephesians chapter 3.
And so I want to invite you, if you have your bulletin there, I see the text is there for you,
or if you would like to open your Bible to Ephesians 3.
We, as a church, have been going through the book of Ephesians.
We just wrapped up chapter 3 about a month ago or so,
and we were studying the book of Ephesians to learn, as a church,
just what we are called to be as a church.
As Christians, our identity in Christ,
our identity as being part of the body of Christ in the troubling days in which we find ourselves,
the book of Ephesians was a timely word from Scripture for us,
and so I pray and hope that it will be timely for you as well.
So draw your attention to the reading and to the preaching of God's holy,
His inspired Word that He has preserved for us as people.
Ephesians 3, 1 through 13.
For this reason, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,
assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you,
how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.
When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ,
which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations,
as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.
This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body,
and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Of this gospel, I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace,
which was given to me by the working of His power.
To me, though I am the very least of all the saints,
this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for the ages in God,
who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God
might be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
This was according to the eternal purpose that He realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,
in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in Him.
So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you,
which is your glory.
This is the Word of God.
Thanks be to Him.
Let us pray for our time in His Word.
Lord God, we do thank You for this time.
We thank You for this Word from Ephesians 3.
We thank You that we have the privilege as Your people to hear this Word.
And I pray that for every one of us in this room,
we would not overlook that fact,
that it is a privilege to hear Your Word proclaimed.
And so we ask that You would give us humble hearts, Lord.
We ask that You would give us ears to hear and to understand,
eyes to see and to savor the glory of Jesus,
Lord, and a spirit, a spirit to respond with faith,
with repentance, with joy, with comfort,
Lord, with adoration and worship of You,
the King of kings, the Lord of lords.
And Heavenly Father, we also pray for our little theologians
that are in here, Lord,
our covenant children,
those little ears that will be listening as well.
We pray that You would give them the gift of understanding Your Word,
illumination by Your spirits.
You say in John 3 that,
Lord, we cannot understand a single thing from heaven
unless You give it to us, You grant it to us.
And so we ask that You would do that by Your grace.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Amen.
Fifty-six men signed it.
Their conviction resulted in untold sufferings
for themselves and for their families.
Of the fifty-six men,
five were captured by the British
and tortured before they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army.
Another had two sons captured.
Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or the hardships of war.
And yet if you were to ask them,
was it worth it?
Was the Declaration of Independence made on July 4, 1776,
245 years ago,
and the years of war and hardship that followed,
was it all worth it in the end?
Their answer would have been, unequivocally, to quote Patrick Henry,
give me liberty or give me death.
Without question, it was the fortitude,
the resolve of those patriots
that eventually led to the founding of this great nation.
Indeed, that is because all things,
all things in life of lasting value
require great endurance.
They require fortitude and resilience
that comes before seeing the desired outcome.
You know what that is called?
The Bible calls that faith.
Faith.
But it is not a blind faith,
as the common misconception goes.
Biblical faith, friends,
is not a leap into the darkness.
But it is a step into the light of God's revealed will
and his acts in history.
And it is being swept up by that astounding story.
One man who knew this perhaps better than anyone else
who has ever lived on the planet
was the Apostle Paul.
Paul, who at one time had been Saul of Tarsus,
a Pharisee, a vehement opponent,
persecutor of the church,
as he says in Philippians 3.
It was his mission to wipe the church out from existence.
And sometimes we forget that not only had Paul arrested Christians,
but Paul was complicit in the murder of Christians.
We know about the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7,
but he says later on when he's recounting his testimony
that those that were brought into Jerusalem
on the charges of being traitors to the nation of Israel,
Paul signed off on their execution as well.
It was to this man,
this man that the exalted Christ
had gloriously appeared to,
and he appeared to Paul
to become,
Paul to become Christ's chosen instrument
of bringing the gospel
to all of the non-Jews in the world.
No matter the ethnicity,
no matter the region of the known world,
the Old Testament promises
to the faithful descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
were now being fulfilled.
The nations of the earth
were indeed coming under the blessing of God
through the seed of Abraham,
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Those who were once considered unfit
and outside of the kingdom of God,
God has now brought near
by the blood of his son,
Ephesians chapter 2.
In this sense,
Christianity is the most inclusive religion
in the world.
What I mean by that
is that there is no one who is forbidden.
Outwardly, there is no one who is forbidden
from embracing Jesus Christ.
The good news of what God has done for sinners
goes out to all who were here.
There is no longer Jew nor Greek, Paul says.
There is no longer slave nor free,
male, female, Greek, barbarian, Scythian, Roman.
All are one in Christ Jesus, Galatians chapter 3.
Christianity is unique in this regard
in that from beginning to end,
the emphasis in Christianity is on God's work.
It is on his invitation to all without discrimination.
God has done this.
It is his work.
And he graciously calls
and he applies it to whomever he freely will apply it to.
This is what the Apostle Paul had given his life to.
And you know what it cost him?
It cost him essentially everything.
In the face of intense hardship and affliction,
persecution,
you know the list from 2 Corinthians chapter 10
where he goes through.
The Corinthians have the gall,
they have the audacity to question
the ministry of this man.
They have the gall,
the audacity to question his authority as an apostle.
And Paul says there in 2 Corinthians 10,
do you not know what I have been through?
Do you not know about the beatings?
Do you not know about the lashings?
Do you not know about the stoning?
Do you not know that I have been in danger from robbers,
danger from my own countrymen,
danger from the Gentiles,
danger from robbers?
I have spent a sleepless night at sea,
he says there.
And more than that, Paul says,
you really want to know what keeps me up at night?
It is not knowing where the other blow is coming from.
You know what kept Paul up at night?
It was his anxiety for the church.
It was his anxiety for the churches that he had planted
that they were going to go astray,
that they were going to essentially deny the faith
that had saved them.
Paul gave his life for this.
Finally, Roman imprisonment even,
that will eventually lead to his martyrdom
for the faith under the Roman Emperor Nero
in the year 65 AD.
Why do I share all that with you?
The reason I share all that with you
is because I have a question for you today.
It is important to be reminded of these things
by the Apostle Paul,
and of course we could go on and on
down through the ages
of the voice of the martyrs of the faith,
the suffering, the affliction
that the church has undergone.
It's important, brothers and sisters,
to remember that,
especially on this 4th of July independence in our country
where we still enjoy the freedom to worship,
freedom to gather in the name of Jesus Christ to worship.
It's important for us to be reminded of this
because eventually, eventually,
the question will come for you.
The question, is it worth it?
Is it worth it?
Christianity, the Bible, church,
living as a Christian
in an increasingly hostile and strange world
that we live in now,
strange and hostile to the teachings,
to the beliefs of our faith.
Is it worth it in the end?
In the age of social media,
it's become quite the public spectacle
when a well-known professing Christian
in the realm of pop Christianity
renounces the faith
and makes it known that they are
on a process of deconstruction.
That's how it's phrased in our day.
That they are renouncing the faith.
Perhaps we personally know someone
who has walked away from the faith,
and we are confronted with questions
and doubts at the time,
and we're wondering,
is being a Christian really worth it?
The tension is especially strong
when social issues are brought up
and the church's position
seems completely out of step
with the modern world.
And the pressure to conform,
the pressure to give in
can leave us wondering,
is it really worth it?
Is it really worth being openly ridiculed
in a college classroom?
Is it worth being maligned
and misrepresented at work?
Is it worth being demonized
and slandered about?
Is it worth being rejected
and feeling as though
you are completely alone,
you are isolated in your conviction?
Is it worth it?
The good news is that Scripture
does not leave this most pressing question
for us unanswered.
As we'll see,
we will all face adversary
and trials in our lives as Christians.
The question about the worthiness
of the Christian faith
is one that the New Testament
wants us to be sure about.
And that is why we have
the testimony here
of the Apostle Paul
and the reason he says
that he's willing to suffer.
Paul's reason that he is willing to suffer,
that is his answer
to the question of,
is it worth it
when facing difficulties
as a Christian?
Now, little theologians,
I see a few kids with us.
Kids, if you want to follow along,
I have an assignment for you kids,
if it's okay with your parents.
One assignment, kids,
is to draw a picture
of something you really love
or value in your life.
It could be your family,
it could be your church family,
it could be a favorite hobby
or stuffed animal,
something like that.
And then here's the question,
kids,
that I want you to listen for.
What does Paul say
that we as Christians have
that is beyond valuable?
What are the riches
that he says
that we have, kids?
Now, as I said earlier
for the rest of us,
the big question
that we are attempting
to answer today
is the worthiness
of our faith
in the face of suffering
and adversity.
Is it worth it?
I want you to keep
that question in mind
as we go
and see if you can answer it
the way that Paul does.
First, I want you to look with me
at verse 7 of Ephesians 3
and the grace
that was given to Paul.
Of this gospel,
he says,
I was made a minister
according to the gift
of God's grace,
which was given to me
by the working of his power.
To me,
though I am the very least
of all the saints,
this grace was given.
If you read the book
of Ephesians,
you'll notice
that one thing
that stands out
about the apostle Paul
is how deeply rooted
his theology is
in the grace of God.
Understanding the gracious nature,
the gift of God's favor
towards him,
the very least
of all the saints.
This was the foundation
of Paul's theology.
He knew that he did not deserve
what he had gotten.
If anything,
he had gotten
the exact opposite
of what he deserved.
And that's what grace is.
Grace,
we commonly hear it referred
to as unmerited favor.
But technically,
what grace is
is demerited favor.
Meaning that all we have earned
from God
are demerits
or penalties
for our sinful condition.
And yet,
God still moves
toward us
and he acts
on our behalf
so that we can be forgiven,
so that we can be loved,
we can be redeemed,
we can be reconciled
to him.
And while he's at it,
God's grace
begins to change us
from within.
It begins to change
or transform
our nature
so that we become
what we are in Christ,
which is holy
and blameless.
Grace,
church,
brothers and sisters,
grace is the only hope
for you and I.
As a matter of fact,
grace is the only hope
for our world.
Did you know that?
We see that
in what Paul goes on
to say
about the wisdom
of God
being revealed
in the eternal purpose
or plan
in Christ Jesus,
our Lord.
The reason that God
has revealed that
is what Paul says there
to bring light
to everyone,
to bring this truth
about God's grace
to everyone,
the plan of the mystery
hidden for ages
in God
who created all things.
So here's what we have
to understand
about grace.
Grace not only
saves us from sin,
but it also saves us
from futility.
It saves us
from deception.
It saves us
from nihilism
and despair
in terms of
our outlook on life,
our worldview.
It is through
the mystery of Christ
that we come to know
the true God
and what His purpose
and His plan
is for the ages
and that He has
included us
in that plan.
You know,
it's quite telling.
It's quite telling
about our society.
Whereas,
as a society,
we've never been
more affluent.
We've never had
more technology
and capabilities
at our fingertips.
We've never had
more freedom
and pleasure.
And yet,
the percentage
of adults
identifying as lonely
has never been higher
in the history
of our country.
Did you know that?
Over 50%
of adults
between ages
18 and 49
identify as being lonely.
The number
of prescriptions
for anxiety-related
stresses
has also never been higher.
They estimate
one out of
every three Americans
are on medication
for anxiety.
Even in the age
of social media,
where it would seem,
at least on the surface,
that connecting
and socializing
are part of the purpose
of being plugged in,
studies have actually
shown the opposite.
That the more time
you spend
on social media,
the more unhappy
you are, actually.
In her book,
The Happiness Effect,
how social media
is driving a generation
to appear perfect
at any cost,
author Donna Freitas,
she writes,
she writes this,
that while sexting,
cyberbullying,
and narcissism
are very real
and present threats online,
she says that
the overall
greatest danger
for young people
is that they always
have to appear happy.
Here's what she writes,
quote,
young people face
enormous pressure
to appear
to look perfect online,
not just happy,
but blissful,
ecstatic,
and fabulously successful.
Unable to achieve
this impossible standard,
they are anxious
about letting
the less-than-perfect
parts of themselves
become public knowledge.
Far from wanting
to share everything,
they are brutally selective
when it comes to curating
their personal profiles
and worry obsessively
that they might unwittingly
post something
that could come back
to haunt them
the rest of their lives.
That is the current state
of our culture.
And over against this,
friends,
stands the mystery
of Jesus Christ.
The mystery of Christ
as the watershed moment
of human history
and the universe.
This mystery,
this mystery,
mystery there meaning
that unless God
revealing it to us,
unless God revealing
the meaning of the incarnation,
the purpose of the incarnation,
it would remain hidden to us.
This mystery has been revealed
to you, church.
It has been revealed,
the purpose,
the plan in Jesus Christ.
It is so that you would be filled
with the grace and truth
that are found
in Jesus Christ.
And what we must see,
brothers and sisters,
is that this grace,
this truth,
you know what they are?
They are the sure footing
in a world of uncertainty
and speculation,
in a world of suffering
and turmoil,
of death and despair,
of injustice and oppression,
of war and tyranny,
the grace,
the knowledge revealed
in Jesus Christ
that penetrates
the hopelessness
of nihilism
that our culture
cannot escape from.
It radiates the purpose
and the end
for which everything exists,
the glory of the triune God.
This mystery stands beneath
as the foundation
of our society,
of America itself.
It stands as the foundation
of the modern world.
Because it gave
the modern world
the preconditions
that are necessary
for you and I
making sense of anything.
It stands above
as the transcendent authority
that post-modernism
and moral relativism,
again,
these are the philosophies
of our culture,
of our day and age.
They cannot escape
from the inconsistency
and the contradictions
that they are.
But Christianity
stands above
and gives transcendent meaning
to everything, friends.
These are the most common
secular worldviews
that are raised up
against the knowledge
of Christ and His gospel.
And they are everywhere
in our day and age,
from pop culture references
and TV, film, music,
to our current state
of politics
and the university classrooms,
to the forementioned
social media platforms.
The point that I'm making
is that we are confronted
with these destructive
belief systems
and they have direct consequences
for how people think
and live.
And that leaves us
as a society
ultimately without God
and without hope.
The Christian worldview,
however,
as here described by Paul,
leaves us with boldness
and access
to God directly.
And we see how it provides
a certain confidence
in the midst of suffering
that he mentions
at the end of verse 12
and verse 13.
He says there,
so I ask you
not to lose heart
over what I am suffering
for you,
which is your glory.
Why, Paul?
Why should the Ephesian church
not lose heart?
How can you say that?
As he says in verse 1,
you're in prison.
He is a prisoner.
And he is unjustly in prison,
we might add.
Why shouldn't they lose heart?
And why shouldn't we here
in 2021
not lose heart?
What is the basis
for so bold a claim?
How do we know
that everything
you have been through,
Paul,
for the sake of the gospel
is worth it?
His answer is in verse 8
and following.
His answer is in verse 8
and following.
In spite of his unworthiness,
Paul was declared worthy
by grace.
And it's the same
for you and I today.
Even though we may feel unworthy,
we are declared worthy.
Even though we may be plagued
with guilt and shame,
his mercy is more
and his grace covers us.
His spirit makes us alive
and unites us to Jesus.
And you know how it comes
to you and I.
It all comes to us
through the unsearchable riches
of Jesus.
It comes to us
through union
with Christ.
Our identity,
our identity
is not found
out there.
Our identity
is found
in Jesus Christ.
We are holy
and blameless
in him.
Our comfort,
our comfort,
what did we confess
earlier?
That we belong
body and soul
in life
and in death
to our faithful savior,
Jesus Christ,
who has paid
for our salvation
with his precious blood.
God,
our hope,
our destiny,
all of these
are the questions
that the world
is searching
for answers to.
Christ,
Christ in us,
he is the hope
of glory,
the promise
of future glory.
Our destiny,
it's the unsearchable riches
of Jesus Christ,
friends,
so that in the coming ages,
as Paul says
in chapter 2,
God might show
you and I
the immeasurable riches
of his kindness
toward us
in Jesus Christ.
There is no one
like Jesus.
There is no one
like this God,
friends.
Paul says in verse 8,
to me,
this grace was given
to the Gentiles
to preach
the unsearchable riches
of Christ.
The word translated
unsearchable
means unfathomable,
incomprehensible,
meaning that it is
something so inscrutable
and infinite
that you cannot
possibly fully understand
or exhaust its meaning.
The image is of one
trying to track something
back to its source
but cannot be found.
Another commentator said
that the picture
is that of a reservoir
that is so deep
that you cannot reach
the bottom of it.
Therefore,
there's no limit
that can be placed upon it.
Brothers and sisters,
church,
we have these riches.
You and I
have these riches,
these unfathomable,
unsearchable riches
in Jesus.
And it's so that
in the coming ages
he might show
the immeasurable riches
of his grace toward us
and kindness
in Jesus Christ.
Paul is saying
that not only
is our future
defined by these
unsearchable riches,
but our present
is also defined
by them.
Because Christianity,
friends,
it's not about escapism.
It's not about
retreating
and living in a cave
until that day arrives.
No,
Paul's whole
preaching ministry,
indeed,
every minister
who is faithful
to that tradition,
to the apostolic tradition
in the New Testament,
our preaching ministry
for you
is that you would know
these unsearchable riches.
You would know them.
They are yours.
They are yours
here and now
to face,
to face
the certain suffering
that you will undergo
in this life.
The pain
and the sorrow
that will all come upon us
at some point.
The loneliness
and the despair,
the anxiety
that fills our hearts
and lives.
Consider these
unsearchable riches
that are yours.
That your heavenly Father
has graciously provided
for you.
That your blessed,
one of a kind,
faithful,
and merciful
high priest,
his ministry
through the word
every Lord's day,
he proclaims
these riches to you.
That your patient
and preserving Holy Spirit
reminds you of
and lifts your hearts
to heaven
even if it is just
for a moment
because of the spiritual struggle
that you are facing
and that I face.
Consider these
unfathomable riches
now.
Because of the Father,
you are in Christ Jesus
who became for us
wisdom from God,
righteousness,
sanctification,
and redemption
so that it is written,
let him who boasts
boast in the Lord.
Christ is our wisdom.
He is our wisdom
as opposed
to the world's
futile speculation
and their leap of faith
into the unknown.
Christ is our righteousness
as opposed
to the unrighteousness
and the ungodliness
that lies
not only out there
but also lies in here.
He is our sanctification.
In comparison
with our perversion
and our uncleanness,
Jesus makes us clean
rather than us
making him unclean.
He is our redemption.
He is the remedy
to slavery,
to sin,
to bondage,
to sin and unbelief.
Christ is our knowledge,
the answer
to our ignorance
about the nature
of who God is
and what he is like.
He is our peace.
He is our sufficiency.
He is the answer
to the old song,
I can't get no satisfaction.
Jesus is our peace.
Jesus is our sufficiency.
He is our reconciliation
that stands in contrast
to our propensity
for conflict and division.
For sin,
he is our high priest
that alone stands
between us and God.
He is able to save us
to the uttermost
because he alone
atones for sin.
For authority,
Jesus is our prophet
who is the final revelation
from God,
Hebrews chapter 1.
For politics
and social issues,
he is our king
that stands above
our corruption
and our hypocrisy.
In every conceivable way,
friends,
Jesus answers the dilemma
of human suffering,
of human corruption,
of human injustice,
of human weakness.
We live in a dog-eat-dog world,
a world that is defined
by strength,
not weakness,
pride,
not humility,
power,
and privilege,
not service,
and self-sacrifice.
Only the strong survive,
they tell us.
Look out only for you
because you're the only one
who will.
You must perform
and you must perform well.
Don't let them see you struggling.
Otherwise,
they will take advantage of you
and they will exploit you
while doing so.
If you don't perform,
you're out,
fired,
let go,
unfriended,
canceled.
The gospel that the world
has to offer,
friends,
really isn't gospel.
It's law.
Perform or else.
Agree with us or else.
Be on the right side or else.
Vote this way or else.
Believe the right way or else.
On and on it goes.
The never-ending cycle
of law-keeping
and gracelessness,
it's a world without God
and without hope,
friends.
But this gospel,
this gospel,
little theologians,
this book,
this God,
this Father,
Paul says,
he has brought
the ministry
of the apostles
for the purpose
to preach to you and I
these unsearchable riches.
So as a testimony
to the rulers
and authorities
and the heavenly places,
it has cosmic,
cosmic ramifications.
What we're doing right now,
cosmic ramifications.
That's ultimately
the purpose,
the reason
undergirding Paul's ministry
and the church's ministry,
friends.
What you are doing here
week in and week out,
it is to preach
the unsearchable riches
of Jesus Christ.
It is to bring to light
to everyone
what God has done.
The plan for the ages,
the God who created all things,
he is redeeming
and he is reconciling
all things to himself.
And this is what the church
is to testify to.
We are to testify to it.
The church's faithful ministry
in proclaiming these riches
in Jesus,
which God has now revealed
for the world.
It testifies to the wisdom
of God's plan.
And incredibly,
the ministry of Paul then
and the continued ministry
of the church
in preaching this gospel,
these unsearchable riches
that are part of the eternal purpose
and plan of God,
it all comes down to,
back to that question,
is it worth it?
Is it worth it?
Is the value
of the Christian faith worth it?
Paul's answer,
you better believe it.
Don't lose heart
over what I am suffering for you,
which is your glory.
I am suffering on behalf of you.
I am the prisoner for the Lord.
And I do it
to bring to you
the unsearchable,
the unfathomable riches
of the gospel of grace
in Jesus Christ.
In the end, friends,
it really does boil down to this.
Christ
or chaos?
Which one are you going to choose?
So that when dearest friends depart
and all is darkened
in a veil of tears,
then you shall better know
his love,
his heart,
who come to soothe
your sorrow and your fears.
Be still, my soul.
Your Jesus can repay
from his fullness
all that he takes away.
Be still, my soul.
The hour is hastening on
when we shall forever
be with the Lord,
when disappointment,
grief, and fear are gone.
Sorrow for God
loves purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul,
when change and tears are past.
All is safe
and blessed
we shall meet at last.
This Jesus,
he is offered to you
today.
These riches
are offered to you
today.
Let's pray.
Lord,
we thank you.
We thank you for the
unsearchable riches
of your son
that every question
that we might have,
every dilemma
that we have caused,
he is the answer.
Lord,
we love you
and we love your son
and we thank you
for all that you have
done for us in him.
And we pray
that you would,
Lord,
you would calm
our fears,
you would calm
our anxiety,
our worry
as we look around us.
Lord,
maybe there are
perhaps marriages
in this room
that are struggling.
There are kids
in this room
who are struggling.
Lord,
you know us
better than we know
ourselves
and you still
call us,
you call us by faith
to embrace
what you have done
for us.
I pray that that would be
a source of comfort,
a source of encouragement
for all of us
in this room.
Lord,
that we would go
forth from here
ever more
convinced
and confident
of the riches
we have in you.
And it's in your son
we pray.
Amen.