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God’s Parenthesis, Part 2 (Ephesians 3:1:13)
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God's Parenthesis, Part 2 (Ephesians 3:1:13)
Ephesians: Growing in Christ
Sunday Message recorded 29 January 2023
by Pastor Victor Morrison
First Baptist Church
1700 Milam
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
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Transcript
Experiencing God's Goodness
00:00:06
Speaker
You know, sometimes God just overwhelmed you with His goodness, and you realize how good He has been to you in your life. And I sense that there's a gladness in the Lord's house today. You know, He can sense it when it's there, when the Holy Spirit is exalting Christ. And so anyway, I know that you sense it as well. If you don't sense it, I want you to know there's a God in heaven who loves you. He wants you to be on the inside. He doesn't want you to be on the outside.
Apostle Paul's Testimony
00:00:34
Speaker
That's what we're going to look at today from Ephesians chapter 3. This is not a repeat message. It's a part two. There's a difference. You know, Ephesians chapter 3 is perhaps one of the most personalized, personal testimonies of the Apostle Paul. He's just, he's definitely sharing his heart. He's letting us know he spent some time in what could be described as a parenthesis.
Life's Parentheses and Purpose
00:01:03
Speaker
We looked at that last week on what a parenthesis is and why is it that sometimes you're reading an article, you're reading a book, and suddenly the author puts something in this parenthesis and we're tempted, I'm just going to skip over that.
00:01:18
Speaker
It's an interruption for the reader, but there's something important that the author knows we need to know this. And so the author puts it there in the parenthesis so that you will understand on a deeper level. It's put there to clarify, to amplify, to explain, and so it's not wise if we skip over it.
00:01:40
Speaker
You'll recall that God does something very similar through all the pages of scripture.
Listening to God in Pauses
00:01:45
Speaker
You can see it in Abraham and Moses, Joshua and Joseph and David, Elijah, John the Baptist, Jesus, Paul, and there's probably even more.
00:01:55
Speaker
But what God does is he takes people out of the mainstream of working so hard or serving the Lord and being busy and so forth. And suddenly it's like we're placed in a waiting room and it's like there's a parenthesis around our lives. And we're tempted to think, Oh, this is wasted. Why can't I get back out there and make a difference? But it's not wasted. God's got a purpose whenever he places you or me in a parenthesis.
00:02:25
Speaker
He would take people into the wilderness, for example, to develop them. And when they would come out of the wilderness, they were focused. They had vision. They had conviction. They knew the message. They knew the direction. So I just want you to know if right now you feel like, Lord, I feel like my life is on hold. I don't feel like I'm gaining traction. It may be that God wants you to listen. He wants you to listen during this time.
00:02:52
Speaker
You know, Paul was in a parenthesis, and he was given this incredible revelation which
Understanding Ephesians 3:1-13
00:02:58
Speaker
explained a mystery. And you're going to hear as we read from Ephesians 3, verse 1, down through verse 13, you'll hear that there's this mystery, but God revealed something. In the Old Testament, they didn't quite see it as clearly as what the Apostle Paul was given whenever it's in the New Testament days.
00:03:21
Speaker
So I want you, as we read through Ephesians 3 verses 1 to 13, to listen not only to the content of what God said to the Apostle Paul, but also listen to what God's trying to say to you. What is he trying to say to you during your parenthesis?
Songs and Scripture
00:03:41
Speaker
During this time when you feel like, I feel like I'm kind of like on the back burner and I want to go forward. I want to run. And so the Lord's saying, it's not time to run.
00:03:51
Speaker
So, why don't you stand and let me read through Ephesians 3, 1 through 13 again this Sunday, and hopefully, Lord willing, we'll finish this up. And I love that last song. Do you know that last song? It's sort of a combination. I saw the end of Romans 8 in that song. If you liked that last song and it touched you about the Lord's overcoming love, you should read the last half of Romans 8.
00:04:15
Speaker
But I also saw the last part of Ephesians 3. And Lord willing, Josh is going to be bringing our message next Sunday from Ephesians 3 verse 14. And so he'll be talking about the depth and the breadth and all these different things. But let's go to Ephesians 3 1 through 13 for what God wants to say this Sunday and today.
Paul's Ministry and God's Mystery
00:04:38
Speaker
For this reason I Paul
00:04:40
Speaker
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've written briefly.
00:04:58
Speaker
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
00:05:19
Speaker
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,
00:05:44
Speaker
This grace was given to preach to the Gentiles, the unsearchable riches of Christ and to bring to light for everyone.
Church's Role in God's Plan
00:05:54
Speaker
What is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things so that through the church, the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
00:06:13
Speaker
This was according to the eternal purpose that He has 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.
00:06:30
Speaker
over what I'm suffering for you, which is your glory. Let's ask him to speak to each one of us. Lord, we're hungry spiritually. We come into your house to be fed by your word.
Power of God's Word Today
00:06:43
Speaker
So I pray that your Holy Spirit would make this passage applicable to each person.
00:06:49
Speaker
Let us see how your word, even in 2023, it's relevant. It's powerful. It's active. It's living. And so Lord, let it be alive as we look through this passage. Someone in this room may really need to hear what you want to say. So I pray that we could entrust all of our cares and responsibilities to you. And at this time we would be focused to say, what is God trying to say to me?
00:07:19
Speaker
during this time that I'm in this parenthesis. So speak to us what we need to hear, Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you. You may be seated.
Stagnation and Communication with God
00:07:30
Speaker
I want to give you six words. Last week we looked at the first two words. This morning we'll pick up the other four. In case you weren't here last week, I want to review the first two just so you can be on the same page with us.
00:07:45
Speaker
The first word that I gave you that God may speak to you something like this when he's placing you in a parenthesis in your life.
00:07:54
Speaker
That word is the word stagnation. That word means not flowing, not moving, a lack of activity, ceasing to run. That's what it means, stagnation. God may have to slow you down so that he can speak to you. Is your life right now at a screeching halt? Or would you say, well, I'm not completely static and stationary, but I've definitely slowed down.
00:08:21
Speaker
That can be a good thing. God may be trying to speak to you. Definitely, if you look at Ephesians chapter 3 verse 1, you'll see that the Apostle Paul, this guy was busy. This guy for over 20 years was a very active missionary. He started new churches. He would go to new places. He covered 14,000 miles telling people about Christ, teaching the word of God, and helping people to grow as new disciples.
Paul's Imprisonment and Revelations
00:08:48
Speaker
But now here he is. He's in a prison in Rome, falsely accused of some things simply because he wanted to bring a Gentile believer into a place of worship.
00:09:00
Speaker
in Jerusalem. And so now he's in Rome and he's trying to write to a church in Ephesus some of the things that God had taught him when he was in another parenthesis. You know, he was in Arabia. That was one parenthesis in Paul's life. We don't know exactly how long he was there, maybe three years. We don't know how long he was out in that wilderness, but he was out there for a long time in the desert.
00:09:25
Speaker
And God was convincing him, God was revealing to him that it is through Christ that not just Jews, people all over the world, people like you and me, all of us, all the nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, everybody would come to know Christ and then they would know the Father through him. And so even though he's in a parenthesis in prison, he sees it on a higher level, doesn't he?
00:09:53
Speaker
He's not saying, I'm in a prison because of the Romans. He said, no, I'm a prisoner of Christ Jesus. I'm here by divine appointment. And that's why even when it was a parenthesis around his life and he couldn't get out, he couldn't leave the jail cell. Still, he used that place as a place to proclaim the gospel to those guards that were beside him.
00:10:15
Speaker
So God's first word to us
Scriptures for Life's Direction
00:10:18
Speaker
in a parenthesis will most likely be pause, stop, be still. You know Psalm 46 10, Psalm 46 10 says be still and know that I am God. The Lord may have to clip our wings to remind us that He runs things.
00:10:38
Speaker
Isn't it amazing that here he is, a prisoner of Christ Jesus. If you were to go to Acts chapter 9 and verse 1, he wasn't a prisoner of Christ Jesus. He was taking prisoners who were following Christ and putting them in jail because they were following Christ, but not now. Now this man has totally changed. It changed because he was placed in a parenthesis. Listen to what God's trying to say to you. Maybe you thought he wasn't real.
00:11:08
Speaker
Paul learned Jesus is real. He met him on a road to Damascus. But there's a second word that we looked at last week, and that word may be navigation. Navigation. While you're in your parenthesis, God may say, no, you're going in the wrong direction, just like Paul was going in the wrong direction in his life. So he had to be redirected, just like my navigation system in my car when I'm not paying attention to it. You know what it says?
00:11:37
Speaker
recalculating because I just missed the exit. So it's like, okay, recalculating. We're going to get you there, buddy. You're a bonehead, but I'm glad it doesn't say that. I'd start talking to Siri if she started saying that stuff to me. But anyway, guidance comes to us through the word. How would the Ephesians even know what God wanted them to do? They weren't in Arabia. God did not reveal things to them
00:12:03
Speaker
I'll tell you how, because He revealed it to the apostles and the prophets. You know, it says here in verse 2 and 3, assuming that you've 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've written briefly.
00:12:24
Speaker
Do you know that's why God had them write it down? That's why you have a Bible. If you want to know God's direction, if you're saying, you know what, I'm making a lot of mistakes in my life. Listen, we all do. All of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But you know how you'll stop making mistakes and you'll be on the right track when you're in the Word. In the Word every day. That's why God had it written so that we would know which way to go.
00:12:52
Speaker
And so whenever he begins to listen to what God is saying, God's revealing to him and he's saying, Paul, I want you to write this down. So we'll talk more about that in just a moment. But I want you to know that also in there, Paul was told, I'm giving you a grace gift.
00:13:10
Speaker
This is not something you earned, Paul. This is something that's coming out of grace, unmerited favor, unconditional love. I'm giving you this ability to go to the Gentiles. And so at
Faith Journey and Abraham's Altars
00:13:23
Speaker
that point, whenever Paul first heard that in Acts chapter 9, he didn't know where he would be going. He was a lot like Abraham in Hebrews 11, verse 8. Do you know that when God called Abraham, it says he went out not knowing where he was going.
00:13:40
Speaker
Well, if he doesn't know where he's going, how did he stay on track with God?
00:13:44
Speaker
Because everywhere Abraham went, you know what he kept doing? He kept building an altar to God. If you were to look into the book of Genesis in Genesis 12 verse 7, he builds an altar in Shechem when he first gets into the land of Canaan where God was calling him to go. He didn't know where he was supposed to go, but one thing he knew was, Lord, I want to stay in touch with you. So he builds this altar in Shechem. But that wasn't the final place he was supposed to be. So he moves to Bethel.
00:14:14
Speaker
Genesis 13, verse 4. You know what Abraham did? He built an altar to God at Bethel. So you see what he's doing? He's simply saying to God as God's leading him through different segments of his journey. He's saying to God, I want to listen. I want to honor you. That wasn't the only place. He built an altar in Genesis 13, 18 in a place called Hebron.
00:14:40
Speaker
Are you building an altar? Are you staying in touch with God as you're going through life? Because God's gifted you for service. God's placed some gifts in your hand. And so we need to say, Lord, why have you created me? Why am I here? You're in that company. You're in the school. You're
Gospel Clarity and Spiritual Blindness
00:14:58
Speaker
in the neighborhood.
00:14:59
Speaker
You have family and friends for a purpose. God wants to use you. He's actually created you and given you certain gifts and abilities so that you can be His servant. The first word was regarding deceleration. It was the word stagnation. Slow it down. Be still. Take some time each morning to touch base with God. But also, I think we need a word of direction, don't we?
00:15:27
Speaker
You know, the Lord's saying, this is the way, follow me. But there's a third word that we're going to pick up today, and it's a word that relates to definition. You know, have you ever thought, I know that God wants me to come in here. I'm not going to say this happens to me every day, but it's starting to happen to me more frequently. I go into a room and I know I'm going in that room for something. I get in there and I think, now why did I come in this room?
00:15:54
Speaker
I'm 62 years of age. I'm telling you, I'm going to stay with you as long as I can and engage. But anyway, sometimes I forget. Do you ever do that? Well, I think we need clarification. So why don't we say that's the third reason why God may slow it down?
00:16:11
Speaker
And God may say, this is the way, but you need Him to clarify some things, even though you know the direction, you know what He wants, you still need to know, is this the right way? Is this the right message? So we need clarification about the gospel.
00:16:28
Speaker
You know, I was talking about a mystery earlier. You know why we need to declare the gospel? Because a lot of people don't know that they don't know the revelation that's given in scripture. We know it. We know it's through the gospel. So we have that information.
00:16:45
Speaker
But sometimes we don't share it. And so in 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verses 3 through 6, it says that our gospel that we can now read every Sunday, we're reading it right in our worship service in Sunday school. We hear it all in songs and so forth. 2 Corinthians 4, 3 through 6 says that the gospel is veiled to those who are perishing.
00:17:10
Speaker
Do you know that there's people in Columbus, there are people in Colorado County, there are people in your family. And the reason they are not living according to God's standard is they don't know Him. They don't know how to get to know Him. They're perishing and it's like there's blinders over their eyes. And you're saying, can't you see you're bumping all over the place?
00:17:34
Speaker
But that's the problem. And so what is the solution? What caused the problem anyway? What causes blindness spiritually?
Revelation and Sharing the Gospel
00:17:42
Speaker
It says that the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers. So Satan doesn't want them to be able to see the truth. But you know what happens when we share the gospel? This is good.
00:17:55
Speaker
They're in the dark. And when we share the gospel, it lights up down in there. And it may take several times before they can see it. But I guarantee you, every time that we share the gospel, something powerful happens. And that's why the Apostle Paul is trying to help them see
00:18:12
Speaker
What took place? How is it clarified? Some of you may have come today and you're saying, how do I know that the Bible is true? How do I know that it's accurate? How do I know that the gospel is right? Before I step out there and I bring it up at work or I bring it up to my friends, how can I know? Well, I just want to walk you through verses four, five, and six. You see,
00:18:38
Speaker
Verse 5 tells us that there's the revelation of the gospel to the apostles. So God is finished revealing. God's already revealed the complete Word of God. We have exactly what God wants us to have in the Old Testament and New Testament. So all the revelation, it's already come.
00:18:57
Speaker
And so what happened so that we could understand that revelation, so that we could be confident? I'll tell you what happened, inspiration. So the first word to write down is revelation if you're a note taker, but the second word to write down is inspiration. God revealed it to, let's say Paul, let's say Peter.
00:19:17
Speaker
Let's say John. Let's say Mark. Let's say Luke. The Holy Spirit inspired the Bible by the Holy Spirit, and that's mentioned in all through here. I mean, even in verse 3, as I've written briefly, when you read this, verse 4, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ. How are you going to know the truth of the gospel? Well, that's why the Apostle Paul was inspired by the Spirit to write it down.
00:19:46
Speaker
so that we would know. Do you know that over in the Old Testament, in a book that's kind of off the beaten trail, Habakkuk, Habakkuk chapter 2 verses 1 through 3, he says, I'm going to stand up here on my guard post and I'm going to listen. I'm going to watch for what God will say to me.
00:20:05
Speaker
And whenever God starts speaking, you remember the first thing he says in Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 2? He tells the prophet, write the vision, make it plain on tablets so he may run who reads it.
00:20:22
Speaker
That's why men have given their lives so that we could have this right here. Do you know that people were burned at the stake so that we could have this right here? The Holy Spirit inspired the Bible so that you can know the truth and the truth will set us free. The truth will confirm, yes, I am moving in the right direction. And yes, I need to share this message because they're in the dark. And if I don't share what's been inspired,
00:20:50
Speaker
then they're not going to know.
Collective Gospel Sharing
00:20:51
Speaker
But I'd like, verse 4, when it speaks of a third word, there's revelation to all these apostles, to all the prophets. There is inspiration of the Bible by the Spirit. So the Spirit's saying, you better write this down. So they write it down. But then you know what happens thirdly? Illumination. Illumination is like we read what they wrote, what the Holy Spirit inspired. And now suddenly it's like,
00:21:17
Speaker
the lights turn on. You know what it means to illuminate. So we read in scripture and it's like the lights turn on. You see verse four, watch the way he describes it. When you read this,
00:21:30
Speaker
You can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ. You see, that's illumination. When you read this, you're going to start understanding. You're going to start perceiving. And so all of this is the reason why it was written down. But then I thought it was also interesting how often there's the you. You know, he's talking about when you read this, you can perceive. Do you know that that you there is not singular?
00:21:57
Speaker
that you there is plural. It's plural. So what he's saying is the validation, this would be the fourth word, the validation of the gospel through the body of Christ. We'll talk about that more in a moment as well, but what I wanted you to understand is all of this was revealed to the apostle Paul not so he could keep it by himself. He's not like a running back and he's going to tuck the ball and keep it to himself and try to get across the goal line himself.
00:22:26
Speaker
No, this should be passed. This should be shared. This should be handed off to all different members of the team. We're to let everybody know what the gospel message says. And so I thought it was so amazing that they use this word you so often in every single time. He's not talking to one person. He's talking to all of us. He's talking to all of the Ephesians. He's talking to anybody who reads the word of God.
00:22:54
Speaker
There's stagnation and navigation. There's this clarification. But next, I think there's also preparation. There's preparation.
Preparation for Mission and Humility
00:23:05
Speaker
See, even if one knows when the mission will occur, even if one knows where the mission is going and what the objective is,
00:23:14
Speaker
You may think, well, somebody else is supposed to do that, not me. Surely not me. And so you know what God does? He answers the who question. God wants to answer the who question.
00:23:26
Speaker
You know, God took three men in the book of Acts. If you were to read Acts chapter eight, Acts chapter nine, and Acts chapter 10, you know what you would see? You would get a glimpse of God's parenthesis, or why don't we change the metaphor? Let's call it God's boot camp, because God is gonna use some servants named Philip,
00:23:49
Speaker
another servant named Paul, and another servant named Peter. Some of you are saying, hey, this alliteration thing is getting out of hand. I'm just telling you what it says in Acts chapter 8 and 9 and 10. But God took those three men, and you know what he did? He took Philip to a desert road.
00:24:07
Speaker
And on that desert road, he let Philip know there's people beyond Israel and beyond Samaria that need the gospel. People like an Ethiopian eunuch. He took Paul in Acts chapter nine and Paul was in blinding light whenever Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus. But you know what happened after that? He puts him in parenthesis. He takes Paul and puts him in darkness.
00:24:36
Speaker
And in the darkness, the Apostle Paul hears a man speaking to him and saying, I was told by the Lord to come and talk to you about what God is doing.
00:24:46
Speaker
Then there's Peter in Acts chapter 10. When Peter, I mean, he's led up to the rooftop by the coast so that the Lord could talk to him about his diet. He said, because Peter was saying, there's certain things I'm not gonna have on the plate. Well, that was okay for Old Testament times, but this is a new era, the New Testament era. It's not just Jews, Peter. It's also Gentiles. And it's also, this would have been a tough one, Romans.
00:25:16
Speaker
And Peter, can you imagine when God was trying to get him over to the home of a Roman centurion named Cornelius? Oh, I'm telling you, listen, God prepares people. How does He prepare people?
00:25:30
Speaker
It happened in their lives, but also it could happen in your life. So I want you to walk with Paul through verses 7, 8, and 9, and let me tell you something he may try to do during this parenthesis that relates to you being ready for your assignment. The first thing is he may tear down any pride. He may tear down any pride. You know, it says in verse 7, of this gospel I was made a minister.
00:25:56
Speaker
according to my works, according to how devoted I was, according to how committed I was, according to all my education." That's not what Paul says, is it? In the parenthesis, God convinces him, you know what? I'm calling you to serve me, but I'm not calling you because of who you are. He said, I'm calling you out of grace, and I'm giving you a gift
00:26:20
Speaker
which was given to you by the working of my power, and listen to what Paul says in verse 8. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given. Does that sound like a proud man? Does that sound like a humble man?
00:26:38
Speaker
You see, before God's gonna use a servant, he may need to address the pride that's in our heart. So pride has to come down. So what does he do in place of it? He rebuilds with power. That's why he says, by the working of his power.
00:26:56
Speaker
You know, S.M. Lockridge, one of my favorite black preachers from the past, said that God took Moses into the desert 40 years to work on the backside of the desert as a sheep herder, and all the while he was working toward his B.N. degree.
00:27:14
Speaker
And I was thinking, oh, I didn't realize that God was into a Bachelor of Nursing degree. You know, so I'm thinking about this, and it's like he said, you know what the B.N. degree is? And I'm sitting there at Union University listening to this powerful preacher speak, and he said, it's your B.N. degree. And I thought, okay, I got it. So when we learn to be nothing, then we need to learn that he's everything.
00:27:38
Speaker
And so I think about how Jesus came out of the wilderness. In Luke chapter 4, you know, it says the Holy Spirit drove him into the wilderness. He was tempted in the wilderness. But when he came out, don't forget what it says in Luke 4.14. It says that Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit. When you come out of the parenthesis,
00:28:01
Speaker
You're going to have God's power, God's unction. God's going to convince you that He's the strength, not by your power and not by your mind, but by His Spirit. You'll know that that's true when you come out of that, out of that parenthesis. Wow. You know, another pertinent topic for discussion is related to how, how the goals will be reached.
00:28:27
Speaker
What I'm talking about is instrumentation. You know, in my garage, I have a variety of tools, a variety of equipment in there. So whatever kind of project I'm gonna do across the years, I've been collecting what I need to get those things done. For example, if I'm gonna do yard work, you know what I have in my garage? I have a mower, I have a weed eater, I have a blower, all of these things I need when I do yard work. But if I'm gonna work on the car,
00:28:55
Speaker
I don't use my mower and I don't use the weed eater and I don't use the blower. You know what I take if I'm going to work on the car? I'm going to take my toolbox that's got my wrenches and my socket set and those kind of things.
00:29:09
Speaker
But I don't use the socket set when I'm working on the yard. I don't say, well, let's see what size shrub. Let's see what kind of... No, I don't think I got one that big. That won't work. What about when I was doing a building project? One I remember building a long time ago was a treehouse for my girls.
00:29:27
Speaker
When I built the treehouse, I didn't need either one of those two sets of tools and the equipment. I needed a skill saw. I needed a drill. I needed a hammer. I needed nails. I needed screws to put that treehouse together. I didn't need a weed eater. And I didn't need the socket set and all of those other things. What do you need? What are we going to need to win the nations? God's already told us right here.
00:29:56
Speaker
He revealed it to the Apostle Paul in the parentheses. He says, so that through the church.
Church as a Spiritual Guide
00:30:05
Speaker
Isn't that something? Through the church. I mean, it's amazing that we have a copy of God's Word. That's one of the best tools of all, right? But if you go back and read the story of how Philip shared the gospel with the Ethiopian eunuch, the Ethiopian eunuch, he already had a copy of Isaiah.
00:30:23
Speaker
He's in the chariot and the Ethiopian eunuch doesn't understand what he's reading. He needed Philip to explain it. He said, how can I understand? Philip said, you know what you're reading? He said, how can I understand unless someone guides me?
00:30:39
Speaker
Do you know that there are people in our community who need guidance? They need guidance for their children. They need guidance for their students. They need guidance for adults. They need guidance when they get into their retirement years. And they're saying, I don't know what to do now.
00:30:55
Speaker
That's why we have all these different groups covered in our church ministry. There's so many programs and ministries that will help develop you and your family from wherever you are, but it's the methodology is through the church. I'm not talking about the theology now. I'm talking about the methodology. We know that the church can't save.
00:31:21
Speaker
only Jesus can say. And that's what the primary focus of this passage is about. But it also talks about the methodology. How's it all going to happen through the local church? And so I just wanted to remind you that it's the people of God that God will use as his instrumentation. But let me close with one last
00:31:44
Speaker
final word. The sixth and the final word answers the word why.
Motivation and Personal Time with God
00:31:49
Speaker
Why go on this mission? What if you were to say this morning, I don't feel like going on a mission. I don't feel like sharing the gospel. I don't feel like, you know, teaching a class of children. I don't feel like going on the youth summer camp. I don't feel like doing this or that.
00:32:08
Speaker
What you need is this sixth word, and God can give it to you if you'll spend time with Him every day in the parenthesis of a devotional time, of a prayer time, a personal time with God each morning. He can give you motivation. As a matter of fact, when I read verses, what is it, 12 and 13, I saw in there something that helps us not to lose heart. You ever lose heart?
00:32:32
Speaker
Sometimes people look around them and they look at health, they look at finances, they look at their work, they look at school, they look at politics, they look at the nation. They look all around at so many different things and they lose heart. But verse 13, he's saying, so I ask you not to lose heart over what I'm suffering for you. And so how is it that Paul
00:32:56
Speaker
inside a jail cell can still be motivated and can even share the motivation with others who are free. Well, I think that during this time he gives the trifecta of motivation. What is it that keeps people from losing heart? The first thing I noticed was he helps us be motivated beyond fear by giving us boldness in the Lord in whom we have boldness, the fear,
00:33:25
Speaker
You ever get afraid? David was running. David was afraid in the Old Testament. And you know where he went? He couldn't find any other place that was safe. So he went into a cave. Cave is kind of like a parenthesis, isn't it? In the cave of Adulam, or perhaps in the cave of Ngedi, that's where God spoke to David and he wrote Psalm 142.
David's Cave Experience
00:33:51
Speaker
I bet you didn't know David was a caveman. He was.
00:33:55
Speaker
And when he was in that cave, he was writing some, he was etching out some pictographs. How did he make it? Why didn't he give way to fear?
00:34:05
Speaker
David will tell you in Psalm 142, but God gives us boldness because God gives us confidence. That's the second thing. He was motivated despite any doubts. He was motivated by confidence in Christ. It says, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in Him. So it's all going back to Christ, isn't it? Over and over again. Wow.
00:34:33
Speaker
You know, I really believe that God wants to build that confidence in us as we spend time with Him each day. But I believe He was also motivated above suffering by glory.
Endurance and Sharing the Gospel
00:34:45
Speaker
What if you're called to suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ? What if someday it is a matter of you being rejected, you being shunned, or people saying, I don't want to be around you if you're going to be living for Christ.
00:34:59
Speaker
Why would you do it if you're not focused on the glory of God? But he was. He said, so I ask you not to lose heart over what I'm suffering for you, which is your glory. Which is your glory. Are you focused on the glory that's ahead? Our own goal that's now, our own something that's now being approved by the group?
00:35:22
Speaker
I shared this last time, and I want you to really think about what I'm about to say, because it hit me when I was getting ready for the message, and I thought, I've never thought about that aspect before. If Paul didn't declare the gospel, then he wouldn't be sitting in prison. Neither will you. If you want to deny Jesus, if you want to stay silent on the gospel, man, you may never face any rejection. You may never face any persecution your whole life. Just go ahead and stay silent.
00:35:53
Speaker
But let me finish the sentence. If Paul didn't declare the gospel, he would not be in prison. But if he didn't declare the gospel, the Ephesians would not be in Christ. The Ephesians would not be in heaven someday. And so the apostle Paul was so convinced, you know what? I believe I'm gonna keep talking about Jesus even inside this prison.
00:36:17
Speaker
You know, the Lord gave me a little bit of a parenthesis time after Christmas and before New Year's. So I had a little bit of time there and during that time I saw him and I said, Lord, what do you want me to work on as I go through 2023? What is your vision for me and how can I lead the flock? I wanna show you a diagram that I drew in my journal at first because I read this verse, Matthew 4.19. Matthew 4.19.
00:36:47
Speaker
But what it says is that he said to them, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. And I got to thinking about it. So the center of their lives would be the Lord. The center of their lives would be the Lord. So he's at the center. So that's what God's calling me in 2023. Victor, just keep me the very center of your focus, center of your life. But also notice he says, follow me. What does that mean?
00:37:16
Speaker
I don't know all that it means, but I know it means to walk with him. So to walk with the Lord is the first part of the vision for me, but I want to also cast it to you. If you don't do anything else in 2023, I want to encourage you to walk with the Lord. If you don't do anything else, I want to encourage you also to work with the Lord, to work with the Lord, because also he says, follow me and I will make you.
00:37:45
Speaker
He's gonna make something of your life. He's gonna use you, but you do have to stay plugged in to where he's gonna do the work, but then also he's gonna make you fishers and men. So to be a witness for the Lord.
00:38:00
Speaker
It's not hard. I don't think that a vision should be hard. I think a vision ought to be something that's catchy, something you can say, okay, if I don't remember anything else this year, that right there is going to be my target. I'm going to aim for the Lord. I'm going to walk with him. I'm going to work with him, and I'm going to try to witness for him, and I'm going to trust him to do it.
Keeping Christ at the Center
00:38:22
Speaker
So when I close today, I just want to remind you of something that I heard a long time ago. I think it was Elizabeth Elliot that said this first. Elizabeth Elliot who lost her husband down in Ecuador in a terrible thing that happened as a missionary. But she said, never doubt in the dark what God has shown you in the light.
00:38:47
Speaker
Never doubt in the dark what God has shown you in the light. Maybe circumstances are causing you to question everything about your faith, everything about the Lord and about His word and so forth. So maybe it seems awfully dark, but don't doubt in the dark what God's already convinced you of in the light. You know, remember, whenever Paul's writing these words to the Ephesians,
00:39:16
Speaker
Acts 28 verses 23 to 31, if you wanna know what it was like, it'll tell you exactly what it was like when he was writing. Acts 28 verses 23 to 31. And what it says is that people came to him, he was in a, he had a guard, but he's in a rented quarters and they would come and talk to him all day long. He'd just teach him about the Lord. He'd just bear witness to the Lord. And it says that some were convinced, but others disbelieved.
00:39:44
Speaker
You see, whenever they didn't believe, he says, their eyes, they have closed. So I just want to remind you that even Paul, even Jesus, they didn't win them all, right? But you're going to win some, and I'm going to win some as we go through 2023. If we'll just simply say, Lord, these are the things you told me when you clipped my wings, when I was in the parenthesis, I'm convinced of this.
00:40:12
Speaker
So why would you doubt that this year in 2023, no matter if it gets lighter or if it gets darker? Say, God, I know what you want me to do. So let's stand together. I want to give a time of invitation. For some people, it may be you need to
00:40:29
Speaker
Trust Christ. You need to turn and give your life to Him today. Maybe you don't have a personal relationship with Christ. It's possible. Man, we may not even get to talk about it for just a couple of minutes here, but what you could do is come and say, let's meet this week. And I'd like to talk to you further about this or that. I'd love to do that.
Invitation to a Personal Relationship with Christ
00:40:51
Speaker
Let's go to the father in prayer. Lord, I never know. I'm just your servant. I'm just an instrument that you would use. So I don't know all of your plans. And I certainly don't know what's going on in all the people in this room. But this I know you know exactly where they are.
00:41:08
Speaker
You know, if they've already been through a parenthesis and you said some things to them and now they're drifting, you know, if they're about to go into one and they're going to have reduced activity, they needed to hear this message. Or maybe they're in a parenthesis right now and they needed these kinds of words to be placed upon their heart to help them understand. I'm so glad that you inspired the apostle Paul to write down what happened
00:41:38
Speaker
when he was in the parenthesis. You certainly clarified a lot of things for him, and I believe you will for us as well. So speak to us as we go through this time of invitation. I thank you that if we don't have anything else that we leave with today, that we would leave this one thing.
00:41:56
Speaker
He's worthy. He's worthy of me following Him. He's worthy of me readjusting my life to Him. He's worthy of me trusting Him. He's worthy of me turning away from a sin and turning back to Him. So help us to sing this song with all our hearts, but help us to respond if you're drawing us to Christ. I pray that you could help us to talk about that. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
00:42:27
Speaker
This is a ministry of First Baptist Church, located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.