Bulletins - Rooted Church SWMO

All Creatures of Our God and King
10,000 Reasons
There is a Fountain Filled With Blood
Come Thou Fount
- - Ephesians 1.11-12ESV
- - Ephesians 1.13-14ESV
- - Ephesians 1.15-17ESV
- - Ephesians 1.18-19ESV
- - Ephesians 1.20-22ESV
- - Ephesians 1.23ESV
Intro:

A little less than a century ago Christians in Germany formed what became known as the Confessing Church. They opposed the German Established Christian Church Movement which was sponsored by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945. As Nazi power and influence increased, the Confessing Church was forced into hiding. In 1935 the Confessing Church formed a school called the Preachers Seminary.

The primary teacher of the twenty-five students was a man named Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a 29-year-old pastor and university professor from Berlin. Bonhoeffer discipled these students by modeling rhythms that included daily prayers, meditation, worship, study, recreation, and work.

In September 1937 the seminary was closed by the Nazi police, and in November the students were arrested. That same year Bonhoeffer published a book titled, The Cost of Discipleship, and in September of 1938 the compilation of lessons titled, Life Together. (*Two of the greatest works every written on Christian community*).

In March of 1943 Bonhoeffer participated in an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. He was arrested April 5, and two years later, April 9, 1945, Bonhoeffer was hanged by the Gestapo in the Flossenberg concentration camp at the age of 39.

Bonhoeffer had written of community so beautifully, because perhaps he understood the frailty of life more than most.

One of his former students wrote this about that season under Bonhoeffer’s discipleship at the Seminary:

“ Bonhoeffer wanted a genuine, natural community in the Preacher’s Seminary, and this community was practiced in play, in walks through the richly wooded and beautiful district of Pomerania, during evenings spent in listening to someone reading, . . . in making music and singing, and last not least in worship together and holy communion. He kept entreating us to live together naturally and not to make worship an exception. He rejected all false and hollow sentiment.”

This morning, we are going to discuss discipleship. All too often, the church is prone to desire hollow sentiment at the cost of real power.
And the enemy will sell us all the hollow sentiment we want if we will only agree to forsake being a community that produces disciples.

We buy Hollow sentiment, program and promote it, because it effectively draws a crowd.

But genuine community and gospel discipleship, they call one out of the crowd!

In our text this morning, Paul calls the church to reject hollow sentiment and to take up:

Our Holy Inheritance (Ephesians 1:11-14)

As those:

A. Chosen by God (1:11)

[11] In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

Predestined according to His purpose

Again, Paul reiterates that our salvation was determined long ago. Long before we could do anything to initiate or deserve it, God determined that we might be heirs of grace.

Now, the phrase "we have ... obtained an inheritance" is actually a single compound word in Greek.

And it’s a bit of a tricky word to interpret because it can be interpreted in two ways. It can read as:

”"we were made an inheritance (heritage)"
or
"we have received an inheritance."

The first view suggests that we are God’s possession, His heritage, and this kind of language is found all throughout the OT (e.g., Deut 4:20; Pss 33:12; 135:4).

And then the second interpretation seems to align more with 1 Peter 1:3-4 which says:

1 Peter 1:3–4 ESV
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

In this case, the difference in interpretations is a win/win crossroads for readers, because surely both are true!

We are God’s possession, those set apart by Him for the purpose of His glory. And because this is true, the counter is also!

Both Jews and Gentiles, people from every tribe, tongue and nation, have been brought together and made family. Through Christ, we are truly recipients of a glorious inheritance which we have not earned or purchase, but have OBTAINED! Meaning, it is a gift. (If I ask my kid where they got that candy….I have obtained)

And God is doing this incredible work in His people, through Christ, as He works:

All things according to His will

It is truly the will of the Lord to save!

“The cross of the battered Son of God is the battering ram through the blockade into Eden. It is our key into a better Eden, into the wonders of the new-covenant kingdom, of which the old was just a shadow. The cross is the linchpin in God’s plan to restore all creation. Is it any wonder, then, that the empty tomb opened out into a garden?” - Matt Chandler

All that God has done in the world, the fullness of redemptive history, has been the result of God’s will to save His people, to restore that which was broken:

[12] so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

Notice two things here in vs.12:

First, those whom God has “predestined” are called those “who were the first to hope in Christ”

Though God took action first, and that is the basis for our salvation, His call is followed by our response.
Make no mistake, we have a responsibility to respond to the call of the Lord and to hope in Jesus Christ.

To this end, Charles Spurgeon once wrote one of my favorite quotes regarding the relationship between the reformed and arminian view of salvation:

I admit that, when a Calvinist says that all things happen according to the predestination of God, he speaks the truth, and I am willing to be called a Calvinist; but when an Arminian says that, when a man sins, the sin is his own, and that, if he continues in sin, and perishes, his eternal damnation will lie entirely at his own door, I believe that he also speaks the truth. The fact is, there is some truth in both these systems of theology; the mischief is that, in order to make a human system appear to be complete, men ignore a certain truth, which they do not know how to put into the scheme which they have formed; and very often, that very truth which they ignore proves to be, like the stone which the builders rejected, one of the headstones of the corner, and their building suffers serious damage through its omission. - Charles Spurgeon

To believe that God predestined, is not to omit the reality that every man must make a choice, both of these truths are evident in scripture, and God is not bound by our confusion or capacity to understand. God’s sovereign choice, does not diminish man’s responsibility.

Consider the illustration of Lazarus in the grave:
When Jesus approached Lazarus's grave and said, "Lazarus, come out!" Lazarus couldn't respond to that command until Jesus gave it—because he was dead, and dead men can't respond. However, once Jesus called him, and the blood began to recirculate, air filled his lungs, and he took a deep breath and he regained sight, and at that moment he had to choose to get up and walk out of the tomb toward the Savior who called him by name.

In the same way, it is our choice to hope in Christ, but it is only by His grace that we can do such a holy thing, and it is my deep conviction, that there is a time and day appointed by God to call out to each of His own, and on that day, His sheep will know His voice and will rise up from death and come to the Savior.

Notice Secondly, that our hope in Christ is intended for the “Praise of His glory”

When I wrestle with God’s choice in salvation, I tend to struggle in one of two ways, and often, it just depends on the day as to which one:

Why did God save me?
Why didn’t God save another?

In both instances, I am in equal error. Because both of those questions assume that I, or another, is the primary character in this redemptive story.
The central purpose of the gospel, is not I, but God. His glory is the ultimate purpose for which all creation exists, and for which all creation longs.

Our choice, His sovereignty, and the preeminence of His glory, are divine mysteries we will wrestle until the day of Christ’s return, and I believe that God is intentional in leaving such mysteries unexplained because He is awesome, and majestic, and far above us, and His mysteries reminds us of this.

But what He does not intend to be a mystery, is the assurance of our belonging to Himself, thus He:

C. Sealed Us by the Holy Spirit (1:13-14)

[13] In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, [14] who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

When you heard the gospel, and God opened your eyes, He immediately bestowed on you a gift, the greatest of gifts. He gave you Himself, not only to cover you sin through the Son, but to give you new life and power beyond your wildest imagination, through His Spirit.

Let’s continue on and then we’ll come back to that.

At the end of verse 14, Paul concludes this sonnet of praise. He wrote this through 14 so that in the opening of this profound letter the church might be encouraged by what God has done for us in Christ. Paul gives thanks for the gospel, and now, he speaks of:

A. Thanksgiving for the Church (1:15-18)

[15] For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, [16] I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,

Because of the gospel that Paul just spent 14 verses declaring, because of these truths and the faith they have produced in you, evidenced by your love for the church, I am constantly thanking God.

Notice the pattern of the christian life.

God saves us through the gospel,
We then live lives of faith that demonstrate this transformation,
As people of faith, we are known by our love for the church.
And when this happens, the christian rejoices over the bride of Christ.
And prays constantly on her behalf.

What a beautiful picture of the redeemed life. In fact, this picture is so beautiful, that Jesus told us that it would be the way in which the world would know us as His:

John 13:35 ESV
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Paul surely feels this love for His brothers and sisters, thus he prays for them constantly, praying:

[17] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, [18] having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

This is:

A Prayer for Gospel Discipleship (1:17-23)

Paul’s prayer for this church, is that that the Spirit might do His work in these believers.
And this morning, might that be our prayer.

Christian discipleship is the process of following Jesus Christ, learning from His teachings, and emulating His life, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thomas à Kempis:
"Jesus has many who love his kingdom in heaven, but few who bear his cross. He has many who desire comfort, but few who desire suffering. He finds many to share his feast, but few his fasting. All desire to rejoice with him, but few are willing to suffer for his sake. Many follow Jesus to the breaking of bread, but few to the drinking of the cup of his passion. Many admire his miracles, but few follow him in the humiliation of the cross."

Paul desires this not to be so. His desire for the Ephesians is not Hollow Sentiment, but instead, a deep yearning to live as Christ as one who knows Him!

John 17:3 ESV
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Thus, Paul prays that we would have this kind of knowledge, by the power of the Spirit.

He prays for:

Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of Him

A deep, intimate knowledge of Christ can only be given by the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:10-11 says,
“The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God ... no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”

If Christian discipleship, at it’s core, is the process of growing in our knowledge of Jesus, then the Spirit must be our primary teacher above all men. And the Father, desires to teach us in abundance Luke 11:13 says:
“... how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
It is the will of the Father to enlighten the eyes of you heart that you might know the:

Hope to which He has called you, The Riches of your glorious inheritance

F. F. Bruce says this regarding this text:
Paul prays here that his readers will appreciate the value which God places on them, his plan to accomplish his eternal purpose through them as the first fruits of the reconciled universe of the future, in order that their lives may be in keeping with the high calling and that they may accept in grateful humility the grace and glory thus lavished on them.

God owns all things. This earth, the cosmos, all the stars and planets we cannot see…they are all His. And yet, in God’s eyes, the fullness of these things pales in value when compared to you! You are the apple of His eye, and there is NOTHING that will keep Him from drawing you to Himself.

You are God’s glorious and precious love. And thus, He lavishes you with gifts, and He offers you His power.

Closing

Just before World War II in the town of Itasca, Texas, a school fire took the lives of 263 children. There was scarcely a family in town which was not touched by this horrifying tragedy. During the war Itasca remained without school facilities. But when the war ended, the town, like many others, began to expand and in fact built a new school which featured what was called “the finest sprinkler system in the world.” Civic pride ran high. Honor students were selected to guide citizens and visitors on tours of the new facility to show them the finest, most advanced sprinkler system technology could supply and money could buy. Never again would Itasca be visited by such a tragedy. With the postwar boom the town continued to grow, and seven years later it was necessary to enlarge the school — and in adding the new wing it was discovered that the sprinkler system had never been connected.

This story is haunting, how could such an obvious and tragic error occur?
Yet, is this not an appropriate parable for much of the church in America?
I think Paul would say “yes”

Consider these final verses of Ephesians 1:

[19] and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might [20] that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, [21] far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. [22] And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, [23] which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

In Christ, each of us are offered the very power that raised Christ from the dead, ultimate, true, and holy power, and yet many of us choose not to “connect.”

And only by that power will we be able to engage in the spiritual battle that he will go on to describe in Ephesians 6.

We live in a world that is captivated by story of good versus evil. Our books, our television, our movies, all them always have, and always will capitalize on this reality. Paul declares that we are living in the midst of this battle, good and evil is in our midst and it is the hope of the gospel, deepened through discipleship, by the power of the Holy Spirit, that empowers us to fight.

(My view of idols as a kid versus now…consider this verse)

1 Corinthians 10:20–21 ESV
No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

It is God’s will, that we grow in our dependence in Him, in the midst of spiritual battle. And this is why, the most important aspect of Christian Discipleship, is the gift God has given each of His beloved children.

Consider:

John 14:15–20 ESV
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

These words were spoken just hours before the greatest event in history—the greatest act of love—the death of the incarnate Son of God in place of sinners. Jesus is about to lay down His life for His friends. The apostles, confused and fearful, needed much encouragement because of what they were about to face with the loss of Jesus.

Jesus's message to them was that although He would die, He would live again and send the Holy Spirit. After His resurrection, He told the disciples to “wait” for the Spirit.

God loves the world, but His love for His own is unique, accompanied by an incredible gift meant only for His beloved. Verses 17, 19, and 22 make it clear that this gift of intimacy, help, and love is something the world cannot comprehend. From this text, we learn four things about the world and the Spirit:

1. The world cannot see the Spirit.
2. The world does not know the Spirit.
3. The world is not given the Spirit.
4. The world does not experience the Spirit's work.

What Jesus promises here is something deeply personal and intimate that the world cannot attain—it is a divine gift from Almighty God. Jesus tells the disciples that He and the Father are one, and even though He is leaving, His work will continue because God has chosen to dwell in man.

The Spirit’s blessing is not abstract or out of reach. He shares His life with us, the life of perfect fellowship with the Father and the Son. He doesn’t just drop off power and leave; He stays and dwells in us permanently, growing life within us.

In the Spirit, God literally pours His love into our hearts (Romans 5:5):

“...hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

We can only hear and know the word of God because the Spirit opens our hearts to receive the truth.

This means that this book, the Bible, in tandem with the Spirit within you, is the greatest combination of power in this world, Christian.

The Spirit opens our hearts and leads us to change by allowing us to see the glory of Jesus Christ. Nobody can look upon His glory and not be changed. Our sin-filled hearts are drawn to lesser things, but once we see Jesus, that curse is broken—we are no longer slaves to sin. This is true the day we are saved and every day after.

Open your Bible, call upon and listen to the voice of the Spirit, and gaze at the glory of God until you see it!
- - 1 Peter 1:3–4ESV
- - John 13:35ESV
- - John 17:3ESV
- - 1 Corinthians 10:20–21ESV
- - John 14:15–20ESV
Lord I Need You
- - John 8:12ESV

Ephesians 1.11-12ESV

Ephesians 1.13-14ESV

Ephesians 1.15-17ESV

Ephesians 1.18-19ESV

Ephesians 1.20-22ESV

Ephesians 1.23ESV

Intro:

Our Holy Inheritance (Ephesians 1:11-14)

A. Chosen by God (1:11)

C. Sealed Us by the Holy Spirit (1:13-14)

A. Thanksgiving for the Church (1:15-18)

A Prayer for Gospel Discipleship (1:17-23)

Closing

1 Peter 1:3–4ESV

John 13:35ESV

John 17:3ESV

1 Corinthians 10:20–21ESV

John 14:15–20ESV

John 8:12ESV