161016 The Gift of God's Grace

Ephesians 3:7-13 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. ⁸ 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, ⁹ and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, ¹⁰ so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. ¹¹ This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹² in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. ¹³ So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

Paul’s ministry was begun on the road to Damascus when he was stopped in his tracks by the risen Lord Jesus (Acts 9). He could not have been persuaded by anything less. Paul, then known as Saul, was convinced he was serving God when he arrested the followers of Jesus and brought them to trial, and even execution. God had a different plan for his life. Saul’s attention was soon focused on Jesus as he was blinded so that he could think about the encounter.

Having been blessed with the grace of God being obedient to God became the most important goal in Paul’s life. When he was confronted by his fellow believers saying that he would be arrested and turned over to the Gentiles in Jerusalem if he went there he could say with confidence, “I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13). In his last meeting with the elders from Ephesus Paul poured out his heart of concern for them. He wanted them to know that he was ready to die for the one who has given him so much grace. For Paul, the gospel is not just four Spiritual laws, or three or four verses of Scripture, the gospel was a testimony of God’s grace. Paul wanted them to understand that…

Paul’s ministry was a gift from God. Look with me to Acts 20:24. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

His goal was to finish the course with honor. Later he would write to Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness…” (2 Timothy 4:7-8a). Clearly, having received the ministry of grace from Christ, Paul was willing to lay down his life in victory!

The gospel of God’s grace is not just a course of study. The gospel is, without question, “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,” (Romans 1:16). The gift of that grace, and the gospel that goes with it, depends upon God and not us! Apart from the power of God we are just clay pots without any strength. The gift that God gave to Paul, and to us, is secure because…

God’s power enabled that gift. Let’s look at 2 Corinthians 4:7-9. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. ⁸ We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

Paul went on to say that even though we are persecuted we are never abandoned. We may be struck down but we will never be destroyed.

Remember Gideon? You can read his story in Judges Chapter 6. He had been hiding from the Midianites beating out grain in a winepress so that he could feed his family. Suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” This was an amazing thing for Gideon to hear. He could not believe that he would be used by God to defeat the Midianites. We don’t have time to look at the whole story today but suffice it to say that God gathered a large army around Gideon. And then God pointed out that the large army was too large! Any victory won would be attributed to the size of the army and not to God. So God went through a process of eliminating 32,000 men from the army.

This left Gideon with 300. And they were chosen because of the way they drank water! They did not have to be mighty men of valor! God was with them. In the same way, if God is for us who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

When the grace of God is released in us we are useful to God even though we are only clay pots. It doesn’t matter what our outside is it matters what is inside. It is very easy for us to fall into the same pattern Gideon was in — hiding from our enemy! When we really need to stand out and proclaim victory in Jesus!

Paul saw himself as the least likely tool. Look with me to 1 Corinthians 15:8-9. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. ⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Paul began the fifteenth chapter of the letter to the Corinthians by laying out the basic gospel! Christ had died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures. He was buried and raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He revealed Himself to His disciples and later to 500+ brothers at one time. Jesus appeared to James, His brother in the flesh. In the opinion of Paul all of these deserved being singled out by Christ. They had been faithful followers of Jesus. However, Paul was the least of the apostles! He was unworthy! He had persecuted the church! Now, Paul became a tool of God planting churches all over the Roman Empire. He was able to do this because God revealed to him the mystery, hidden for ages that the gospel was going to go out around the world and that…

Part of the mystery was the church. Let’s look at Colossians 1:26-27. The mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. ²⁷ To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Paul could rejoice in his suffering for the sake of the church. The mystery, as revealed to Paul, did not require Paul to be an eloquent speaker or a powerful champion of the church. Paul, like us, could be just a clay pot yet that pot is filled with Jesus. God’s wise plan, hidden as a mystery for hundreds of generations, was that He would save the Gentiles as well as the Jews. Without concern for race or culture God’s grace is, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27b)

We should remember daily — perhaps on an hourly basis — that there is a real dwelling of Christ in us. Not just that we agree with Christ about religion but instead we have a relationship with Christ who is IN US! The fact that we are only clay pots does away with all pride and arrogance. We are nothing until Christ comes to live in us and we become the children of God. We are totally dependent upon Him for any possibility of victorious living in this evil world.

The secret that God had kept was kept from all of his creation. When he established the church it became a tool through which…

Angels and demons both learned from the church. Look with me to 1 Corinthians 2:8. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

This was the secret hidden wisdom from God. Something that the principalities and powers did not understand. We need to remember that the “rulers of this age” only appear to be the humans. Their humanity is lost in the driving force of the prince of the power of the air the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience (1 John 5:19). Our real enemy is Satan, not people, and we can rejoice in the fact that he did not understand the significance of the cross, the tomb and Jesus’ resurrection!

When Jesus died for the sins of all those who would believe in Him He took these sins to the grave and left them there! On the third day after Jesus’ death on the cross when His body was renewed and restored He defeated death and took the evidence of His sacrifice into the throne room in heaven. Once for all, Jesus’ sacrifice became a victory over Satan!

Jesus’ victory gave Paul boldness. Look with me at 2 Corinthians 3:11-12. For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. ¹² Since we have such a hope, we are very bold

Paul picked up on the victory that Jesus gave and became very bold in the proclamation of that gospel. This same experience had occurred with Peter. On the night of Jesus’ trial Peter, along with the others, hid from the authorities and even denied that he knew Jesus! Then Peter and the other disciples barred the doors locked the gates and trembled in fear until Mary came and told them that Jesus had risen from the dead. Still they did not believe until Jesus actually entered their presence. However, after he proved to them that he had conquered death they came out of their fear and boldly proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, they were so bold that it was said that they turned the world upside down from the perspective of the Roman authorities (Acts 17:6).

Peter, who denied his Lord in front of a serving girl, later went boldly into Jerusalem after the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit and preached Jesus, crucified and resurrected. He willingly endured imprisonment and ultimately was crucified upside down in Rome.

Paul, being convinced of what he had seen on the road to Damascus, went on to face many trials. By his own testimony he was imprisoned, beaten so many times he lost count. Five times he said that the Jews had beaten him with 40 lashes less one. Three times he was beaten with rods and once he was stoned! Three times he was shipwrecked and he constantly faced danger for his Lord Jesus! Paul’s full account can be found in 2 Corinthians 11:16-29.

Paul’s faith strengthened his confidence. Look with me to 2 Corinthians 3:4-6. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. ⁵ Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, ⁶ who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Paul did not have confidence because of his great education he had confidence because Christ had come to live in him providing him with all the strength he needed. Paul realized that he did not have anything in himself that made him able to live a godly life. He had to have the ability given by God.

Today, the situation remains the same. We do not have sufficient strength to face all the confusion going on in the world today. We simply do the best we can, as far as we understand it and God makes up the difference.

It is the gift of God’s grace that sustains us and enables us to love others into the kingdom of God.

The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest message that has ever been released on earth. When Adam and Eve sinned God would have been perfectly right in destroying them along with the rest of the creation. However, God had prepared a way to deal with man’s freedom which led to mankind’s rebellion. God’s grace was revealed in that first sin. God made a way to cover their sin. The substitutes that died in the Garden of Eden provided their bloody skin to cover the nakedness of our first ancestors. From that time forward mankind’s sin was covered by the blood of innocent sacrifices. Until finally God Himself provided the sacrifice in Jesus’ death on the cross. And therefore, by God’s grace, we are privileged to be able to confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead and therefore we are saved!

All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.