One Changed Life | Ephesians 3:1-13 | April 7 | Derek Neider

Speaker [00:00:06] But won't you stand with me? Today we're in Ephesians chapter three. All right. Well, the Bible says starting in verse one, for this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, on behalf of you Gentiles. He drops into a parenthetical here, 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. The mystery is. And by the way, when the Bible uses the word mystery, it simply means something that has been hidden for the ages but now has been revealed. And and we've talked about this, to some extent. Right. Paul is going to explain what the mystery is. The mystery is that the Gentiles, that's non-Jewish nations. How many Gentiles do we have in the house of God today? All right. Just curious. This is you go. This is you. All right. Our fellow heirs. I'm just giving you a chance. People like you know if you're happy about it. Members of the same body. Okay. And partakers of the promise of Christ Jesus through the gospel. Amen. 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. 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. Watch this, and to bring to light say the words, yeah, say the words that come after that.

Speaker [00:02:00] Yeah. And to bring to light for everyone. 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. 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 over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. Let's pray together, father, our hearts do say our hearts do you say Amen to your word? God, your word is good. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Father, you have set us free. You have revealed Jesus, your son, to us. You have forgiven us of our sins. You have pulled us out of the kingdom of darkness, God out of some crazy deep pits, and you've set our feet upon the rock of your son. You've put a new song in our voice. God, you've given us a calling for our lives and a purpose that we can live too. Father, I pray today, get your almighty arms around this church. God, get your almighty arms around this church. And. And, father, gather us to yourself. That we would shine brightly in these dark days for the glory of Jesus. In Jesus name, Amen. You can have a seat today, somebody once said. The light shines the brightest in the deepest darkness. Like you've heard that or you've heard some version of it. I like that version. The light shines the brightest in the deepest darkness. And you know, when we look at the universe that God has made, certainly we see that that is the case.

Speaker [00:04:03] Interesting to note. I don't know if you know this, but 95% of the universe is comprised of dark matter and dark energy, and then only 5% of the universe is comprised of visible material. I mean, that's a pretty astounding fact. So 95% of the universe is made up of the unseen dark energy, dark matter, and then only 5% of the universe is comprised of visible matter. And an even smaller percentage of that 5% is, comprised of light generating stars. And so so I'm just saying, like, you have a very small percentage of the visible material world that is actually producing light in an otherwise absolutely dark and empty void. And it just does remind us that there is power. There is power when one single light is shining in the midst of the darkness, there is power. When there is one single light that shines in the midst of darkness. Don't underestimate donut. And obviously, like there are spiritual implications to the to the metaphor or illustration I'm giving you today. Don't underestimate the power of one single light to shine. I think Paul is an example of one light that was shining in the the deepest darkness. Of course, you know the story of Paul. His life was transformed. He was transformed out of his own darkness. We're going to talk about that in just a minute. And he was made a child of light. That was his testimony. And then not only was that his testimony and by the way, that happened through gospel power, they say the phrase gospel power. Today, gospel power can transform and change any life to. Exactly. I mean, inevitably there are some. And we live in a crazy city, so there are some who roll into church and they think, man, you have no idea.

Speaker [00:06:08] Pastor, my life is so my life is so whacked. I am, I am so lost. My life is so dark. There's no way, like there's no way that God could even ever help me. And I just want to tell you today, gospel power. Gospel power is able to take the darkest, the darkest circumstances, the darkest situations, the darkest soul, and transform that soul into a child of light, which is precisely what God did in Paul's life. And not only did God do that in Paul's life, but God gave Paul a calling and sent him into the vast darkness of the Gentile nations to be as not not a single solitary light. Because, you know, the Apostle Paul never traveled alone. He was with Barnabas. He was with Silas. He was with John. Mark. You know, there was Doctor Luke that was part of the team. But they were individuals, emissaries, ambassadors that were given a calling to bring the light of the glory of the gospel to very, very dark places. I want to encourage you today to not underestimate the power of the gospel, to change a life, and for that life to change the world. Don't underestimate, and let me just say a different way. Don't disqualify yourself from that being you. Don't disqualify yourself from that being you. Don't underestimate the power of the gospel to change a single life. And then for that life in turn, do you have a radical impact on the world in the midst of the darkness that it has been placed in? In the book of acts, Paul three times relays his personal story about how he met Jesus. And in different ways, you know, one time, obviously acts chapter nine, we have that that account, that initial account that is given by Doctor Luke about Paul meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus.

Speaker [00:08:07] And then, at the end of the book of acts, Paul recounts again when he is in Jerusalem and he is celebrating one of the festivals, he has an opportunity to share his testimony to the multitudes that were gathered on the Temple Mount that particular day. And then in acts chapter 26, Paul is standing before King Agrippa. Now Paul has been under arrest. In this particular, incident. Paul has been under arrest, arrest, accessory by the sea for two years, and he's brought to King Agrippa. He has an opportunity to defend themselves, to defend himself from the religious leaders. And in his self-defense, he relays what it was that Jesus did in his life. And this is what he says in verse 12 of chapter 26. It's up on the screen for you. If your eyes are good enough to read that, it says, in this connection, I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priest at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven brighter than the sun that's shown around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language. I said to the first service, I know a lot of my Spanish speaking friends are like, hey, the first language in heaven is going to be Spanish. And, you know, I mean, it might be Hebrew. I'm just saying, okay, listening to me in the Hebrew language. Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads. And I said, who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, but rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant, and witness to the things in which you have seen me, and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

Speaker [00:10:27] So, Paul, he conveys this story and in convey conveying his own personal story, he lays out what I believe to be a formula that is true for every true follower of Jesus Christ. Paul lays out his testimony. We're going to describe and define these things in a minute. He lays out his testimony, he lays out his calling, and then he expresses his purpose. He gives his testimony, his calling, and then his purpose, his testimony, his calling, and then his purpose with. Me today. All right. His testimony, his calling and his purpose. Now, like this is a fuller service in the 11:00 service, and I just want or 9:00. And I just want to tell you guys, that was pathetic, even compared to to the older generation that gathered at 9 a.m. today. Okay. So so there are three things. And listen, this is why it's important for you. Because Paul had a testimony, Paul had a calling and Paul had a purpose. And you know what you have today. You have a testimony, you have a calling, and you have a purpose. So let's let's just do it one more time, nice and loud today. Testimony, calling and purpose. So back to Ephesians chapter three. Paul says this. He says. Not completely lost my place. See what you guys do. I'm just joking. He says for this reason, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, on behalf of you Gentiles, assuming that you've heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, Paul says, hey, you've probably heard. Y'all have probably heard. The word is out what has happened in my life. And Paul, Paul's really referring here to the first piece of the story that he had relayed to King Agrippa.

Speaker [00:12:14] You know, the the transformation, you know the change. You know who I used to be and you know who God has now made me to be. You know that I was a I was a killer of Christians, you know that that was the story that I was on the road to Damascus, and I had letters from the Sanhedrin, and I had this intent in my heart. I thought I was doing God a favor by wiping out the heresy of the way. And I was headed up to Damascus to to gather those men, women, children who ever had chosen to follow Yeshua as Messiah and to bring them back to stand before the Sanhedrin. You know, Paul was Paul was an individual who was hell bent on destroying Christianity, like in in ancient terms, you know, he was a persecutor in modern terms, you might even consider Saul in his waywardness, a terrorist. And then as he's on his way, hell bent to destroy, the Christian people, he has a Jesus intervention. He has a Jesus intervention. You know anybody today who needs a Jesus intervention? I'm sure you've got, like, I'm sure you got a couple people in your life and you're like, oh, God, please. Like, just get in their path. Get in their path in an unmistakable way. I just pray, Lord, please, like you would do that. And and so Paul, who was Saul of Tarsus at the time, you know, he's on his way and he recounts the story. The bright light is shining, everyone has fallen. And then he hears the word, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads. And so, in other words, there had been there had been a work of God happening in Saul's life.

Speaker [00:14:05] Over the course of time. There had been a convicting of the spirit. There had been revelation that God had given. There were people in Saul's life that were that were lights to the gospel. There was a work. I'm just saying to you today that this moment, this Jesus intervention, this moment that he has was it had already been being prepared in the heart of Saul over the course of time. Many people believe that what Jesus is referring to was when he was standing at the martyrdom of Stephen, you know, Saul was standing there and they came, those who were going to throw stones, they came and they laid their garments at Saul's feet, expressing that he was giving some type of religious affirmation to the capital execution of Stephen. And it may have been there that God was tugging on the heart of Saul. Listen, I just want to remind all of us today that coming to Jesus and making that decision once and for all to follow him is a journey. It is a process. It takes time for your heart to thaw out from its evil and wickedness, so that you can respond to the spiritual epiphany that God is bringing to you. I know sometimes, you know, we're ministering to people for a long time. It's like God up and sharing the gospel with this guy for seven days. And I don't know why this idiot just won't believe. And God's like, guess what, man? It took you seven years, fool. Now he doesn't talk like that. But, you know, I'm just saying, sometimes we forget. Sometimes we forget. And then sometimes we become impatient. And sometimes, you know, in our impatience, we give up on people. Don't give up on God's ministry to those around you who need a Jesus intervention.

Speaker [00:15:56] You know what God did? God gave Saul. God gave Saul his own testimony. Of course, we call him Paul because his ministry was to the Gentiles. And so he chose the the Gentile version of the Hebrew name Saul, which is Paul. And so, you know, God gave him. God gave Paul his own testimony. I wanted to find testimony to to you today. It's a word that gets kicked around a lot in our Christian circles. The word testimony simply means your story of meeting Jesus and discovering life in him through a personal encounter and experience. It means your story, your story, not your wife's story. Not your husband's story. Not your parents story. They all have their own story. So you're not. When I talk about testimony, we're not saying that you're talking about someone else's story. You're talking about your own story. You're talking about how you met Jesus and how you encountered him and experienced him personally. That life transforming moment of time where you responded to his revelation that that he is the way, that he is, the truth, that he is the life, that there's one made mediator between man and God, and that is the man Christ Jesus. And once and for all, you chose to humble yourself and say yes to him and become a Christ follower. Paul was commending the church at Thessalonica for how they had received his testimony, and and he was remarking about how they were looking forward to and anticipating the coming of Jesus Christ. And he says these words. He says, when he comes on that day to be glorified in the saints and to be marveled at among all who have believed. Because, because our testimony to you was believed. Paul is saying, hey, listen, there's an anticipation, a joy at the soon return of Jesus Christ.

Speaker [00:17:56] And by the way, he's coming quickly. Brothers and sisters, I pray. I pray that you're anticipating his coming. But he's just remarking. He's like, hey, listen, there's this anticipation and joy, this expectation that he's coming quickly because you received our testimony, because the story that we conveyed to you was received with your whole hearts. John says in first John chapter five, verse 11, just drilling down a little deeper on this concept of testimony, he says, and this is the testimony that God gave us eternal life. And this life is in His Son. Whoever has the son has life. Whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. John says, this is the testimony. This is the story that we're telling. God gave us eternal life. Where is eternal life? This life, John says, is in his son. And so whoever has the son has life. Whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. Hey, do you have the son today? Do you have the son today? Have you experienced? Because that's your testimony like that. Is that is your story. Your story is about all of the life that you have discovered in the person of Jesus Christ. And you have your own unique journey. Like, if we had the time today and everyone could share their their own personal testimony about that transformation, the transforming work that Christ did in their lives, you know, you would discover that if there's a couple of thousand people gathered this morning here at Awaken Las Vegas and more, including those online, there are a couple thousand plus all those online, various diverse stories about how we have met the Lord and how the Lord has graciously met us. You know, he is gracious to meet us right where we are at.

Speaker [00:19:54] And I'm saying this to you today so that you understand all testimonies are good testimonies. All testimonies are good testimonies. Sometimes what happens in our church circles is that we highlight especially the sordid lifestyles we highlight, especially those who are like the darkest and most messed up and most sinful among us, those who were on drugs, those who were on, those who were in jail, those who were addicted to alcohol. And of course, that's my story. But the danger is sometimes we elevate those stories and they seem like the only real stories worth telling. And so then I get Christian kids who are growing up in Christian families coming to me and saying, pastor, I need a testimony, I need a testimony. I think I need to go out and sin so that Jesus has something to rescue me from. And I'm like, like, no, you don't. Hey, no, that's that's not that's not true. And you, you have your own beautiful testimony. You have your own beautiful story about how God loved you so much that he allowed you to be raised in the context of a loving Christian family, to be exposed to the gospel at such an early age, and then to have him protect you over the course of time. What an amazing testimony that is. And, you know, as you look at the Scripture, the people that we admire the most have the diversity of testimonies. Yeah, you have you have Paul, who was Saul of Tarsus. You have the guy who was trying to stamp out those who were of the way incarcerating Christians, even consenting to some of their deaths. And. And then you have John the Apostle. You know, John was the youngest of all the disciples.

Speaker [00:21:43] He was a good young Jewish boy. He was fastidious in his observance of the Jewish faith, and he was even connected to the high priest. His gospel account tells us. And both of their testimonies are equally amazing, and both were used powerfully by God to pen a good portion of the New Testament. I think about Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany. Mary Magdalene, of course, she was a woman of of, notorious reputation. She had been possessed, the Bible says, by seven demons. That means her demonic possession was as thorough as it could possibly be. You couldn't be more lost. You couldn't be in a darker place than Mary Magdalene. And yet, you know, she was touched by Jesus in a powerful way. And B became one of his ardent early followers. And then you have Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus and Martha. And she grew up in a wealthy home just outside of Jerusalem. And and by all accounts, she also was observant to the Jewish faith. And yet both of them were powerfully used. One was the first to see the resurrected Jesus Christ of all of the disciples. And then the other was the one who pulled that, lid off of the oil of spikenard and poured it over the head and feet of Jesus. So the fragrance of worship filled the room. I'm just saying to you today that every testimony is a good testimony. The greatness of the story is that Jesus meets us right where we're at and gives us life while we were living in death. Jesus is the one who makes the difference. And there was a point in time, right? There was a point in time where you made that decision maybe as, as as, Tim Keller says they're little, miny decisions over the course of time that were made, or it was one big step of faith that you chose to take no matter what.

Speaker [00:23:50] There was a point in time where you decided to be all in for Jesus, and I'm sure there's someone here today who needs to take that step of faith. The second thing that we see in this formula, or the framework of the Apostle Paul's life after testimony, is calling, and Paul, kind of implies this here in verse seven he says 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. 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 ages in God who created all things? So the second thing Paul says, and certainly we see this in acts chapter 26, after he goes through that, that testimony, the transformation, the humbling of his life, the willingness to follow Jesus, he also expresses his calling that not only was he going to be forgiven of his sins, but there was a powerful calling that Christ had placed on his life, that there was a mission that Paul was going to be on, that he was entrusted with a very unique plan, kind of in a way. Jesus says to Paul in Acts chapter 26, Paul, I've got a plan for your life. I've got a plan customized just for you. You are going to be my ambassador. I'm going to send you into the darkness of the Gentile nations to bring the light of my gospel. And this is what I love about the Apostle Paul. And I know you love this too. I love how whole heartedly Paul took that calling and he ran after it relentlessly.

Speaker [00:25:36] Like Paul. Paul. For Paul, the volume was on ten, right? For for Paul, the light was all the way up. For Paul, the last thing that he was going to do was, was somehow come up short of the calling that Christ had placed on his life for the listen to me. For the Apostle Paul, radical was normal. I just want you to let that sink in for a second. For the Apostle Paul. Radical was normal because, listen, sometimes we have all these hierarchies in the church. It's like, well, that person, man, they're on fire and they're radical. And it's like, well, wait a minute. All of us are supposed to be like that. All of us are supposed to be like that. All of us are supposed to be 100 in. All of us are supposed to be sold out. All of us are supposed to be on fire. I'm not saying to you today that it's always. It's always top of the mountain. Our Christian experience. I'm not saying to you today, that we always find ourselves in a place where, you know, we are just hitting on all cylinders spiritually, and we're able to maintain that over the course of life. We all have ups and downs. We all have successes and failures. We all have times where it's like, man, we know we're moving forward and then we're struggling within our own self because we sense within our own self, like like a wilderness, you know, or a lack of motivation and drive. But I'm saying to you, even when that is the case, you can be all in in your relationship with the Lord. I love how Paul was relentless. The phrase I would use is he was recklessly abandoned. He was recklessly abandoned.

Speaker [00:27:18] He knew the calling of God on his life, and he went after it with everything that he had. He said to this church, he's like, God made me a minister. God made me a minister. He said, I've been given the stewardship of grace. God gave me the stewardship of grace for you. And so, of course, you know Paul. Paul was uniquely gifted by God to understand this mystery. God revealed to him how his intention all along was to bring the gospel to Gentile nations and to graph them in to this beautiful work that he had done among the Jewish nation over the course of centuries. And you know what Paul did? Paul had the responsibility, and he carried it out to deliver that message. Calling. Are you guys with me today? Call. Stick with me. Calling can be defined as God's purpose. God's purpose for his children to fulfill his mission through a unique plan that he has for each of them. Calling can be defined as God's purpose for his children to fulfill his mission through a unique plan that he listen to me, he has for each of them. Okay, how many of you are a child of God today? Raise your hand and come on. Participate with me. All right. Keep it up. Keep it up. All right, now you can put it down. You guys know you not only have a testimony, but you have a calling, right? You know that you not only have a testimony. The totality of Christ's work in your life isn't just, isn't just the moment that you met him and your sins were forgiven. He also has a calling. Like the way that we say does this. He has a very unique plan for you.

Speaker [00:29:10] He has a unique plan for your life. And you know, that was true for the Apostle Paul. And guaranteed there are some people today, your framework of the Christian faith is like, yeah, well, God's got that for the leaders of the church. God's got that for Paul. God's got that for John. God's got that for Peter. God's got that for Mary Magdalene. God's got that for Mary of Bethany. God's got that for Mary, the mother of Jesus. But I'm just a normal Christian. Well, guess what, normal Christian, you have a calling on your life. You have a calling on your life. God is a very unique and beautiful. Listen to me. God has a unique and beautiful plan for you. It is customized. It is handcrafted. It is God given he entrusted to you. This is what we learn from what the Apostle Paul says. It is God given right. God hands it to you and he empowers you for it. I'm not making some disconnect between the living out of your calling and God giving it to you. God gives it to you and he entrusts it to you. It is a stewardship. It is a blessing to receive. It is your responsibility to discover this calling of God on your life. I remember years ago driving Hanna to church and and, we were having a conversation. She was in high school, and we're talking about her future. And I told her I'm like, hey, babe, the beautiful thing is this you don't have to create your future. You don't have to come up with it. All you have to do is discover it because God already has the plan for you. Now, what he wants you to do is he wants you to pray.

Speaker [00:30:47] He wants you to lean into him, be in his word. He wants you to walk in obedience. Be a person of faith. And as you do that, the progressive revelation of God, his purpose will be revealed to you over the course of time. And God has done that faithfully in her life. I'm so thankful for it. I'm saying to you today, don't ever make an appointment with me and then say to me, hey, pastor, I made this appointment because I need you to tell me the what the calling of God for my life is because I will say to you, hey man, I'll pray for you. I'll pray for you. But that is something you have to discover yourself. It is God entrusted. It is also sometimes unlikely so. And by that I simply mean sometimes the calling of God isn't altogether going to make perfect sense to you. Because you look at Paul's life and you think, man, Paul would have been perfect as the apostle to the Jews. Paul would have been perfect man. He was a Pharisee, a Pharisees. He had the first five books of the Bible, the Torah memorized. He if anybody would have been perfectly suited to be the apostle to the Jews, that would have been Paul. But God didn't pick Paul for that. God pick Peter for that. And Peter, you look at Peter and you're like, man, dude, this guy's blue collar, rugged, Harley driven, riding, you know, person that does not seem to be well suited for the sophistication of Judaism. But but you know what? God doesn't always do things the way that we expect. He's like, no, I'm taking Paul for the Gentiles, and I'm taking Peter for the Jews. And so I'm saying to you, when you are trying to discover the the calling of God on your life, you got to come to him like this, right? You got to come to him like this.

Speaker [00:32:34] You don't come to him like, hey, God, this is my plan. This is what I want. These are my expectations. And you know, now get in line. Get in line, Buba. Get in line. Because this is how it's going to roll, right? I mean, no wrong. That's not how. That's not how it's going to roll. What we do is we come humbly and we say, God, you rescued me and transformed me and changed me like, like I know what I did with my life. I ruined it. And so I don't want to be in control anymore. My hands are open. God, do something that blows my mind. You know, do something that doesn't make sense because that's when Christianity is really exciting and fun. And then and then he also the final piece of this, you know, calling for Paul was that it really wasn't for him. It was for others. It really wasn't for him. It was for others. Your calling is not just for your fulfillment, your advancement, your identity, or your or your flourishing. Your primarily. Your calling is not for your fulfillment, your advancement, your identity, or your flourishing. God will bring those things. God will bring those things. But primarily your calling is for the sake of other people. And that's important because I'm telling you, we live in a Christian culture that is oriented everything around yourself, everything around yourself. And if you're living your calling out for yourself the second it starts to cost you something, you're out. Like you'll be out. Now, what we do is we live out our calling for the sake of other people. Your calling is given to you by God, not for your sake, but for the sake of others. And so.

Speaker [00:34:19] So we. I've shared this with you before. We believe in something called a theology of work. And that simply means that all callings are equal in value in the eyes of God. In man, all callings are equal in value in the eyes of God and man. Stick with me on this one, okay? If you're a nurse, if you're a construction worker, if you're a student, if you're in the real estate business, if you are in hospitality, in this strip on the strip serving, not stripping, but on the strip serving, serving people, okay. Because that's there's there's no theology to work there. Okay. And if you're confused about that, well, we can help you. Okay. Sales pastor, worship leader, missionary, owner of a UFC gym. I'm saying to you today, all of that, all of that is equal in value in the eyes of God and man. All of that. If you today. And you better be. You better be empowered by this. Because if you today are like, well, pastor, you've got the calling. Like you're in church, you're preaching the Bible, you're planting churches. I'm just a business person. I just own a business. I say to you, you have totally misconstrued the concept of calling. God gives us each a very unique calling by which we live out the purpose that he has. And the purpose is the same for all of us. And the point is that you and I are living in, in obedience so that Christ can be glorified in our lives. There can be no disconnect between your eternal salvation and the purpose God intends for you to live out in this life. The final thing is that purpose. And that's what Paul hits on in these final verses.

Speaker [00:36:10] He says in verse nine, let me just reread a couple of them and to bring to light for everyone 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 be, might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places. The final thing, okay, you've got testimony, you've got calling, and now you've got purpose. Your testimony is unique. It's handcrafted, your calling is unique. It's handcrafted. The purpose that we have is the same for all of us. It is the same for all of us. And what Paul says for himself was also true for us. Paul says the purpose of this was to bring to light for everyone, to bring to light, for everyone that all people might understand. Like there's been a new era that's been ushered in, where now we see that Jesus, the Son of God, was sent to die on the cross and to rise again from the dead so that everyone to the far reaches of the ends of the earth would know that forgiveness and redemption can be discovered through him and through him alone. Everyone includes everyone in your neighborhood. It includes everyone in your family. Everyone includes everyone who's working in your workspace. It includes the strip. It includes our nation. It includes every country in this world. This is why we are so driven to fulfill the Great Commission that God has given to us. And you know what? The power of the gospel can reach any heart. You might have somebody in your life today. You say, well, no, pastor, you know what? You don't know this God. You don't know this character. You don't know this bomb.

Speaker [00:37:56] You know, this guy's like he is. He is so far beyond the gospel. And I say, man, you know what? If God can save me, he can save anybody. If God can save Saul, he can save anybody. Know the truth is, this gospel power knows no limitation except the unwillingness to believe. Gospel power knows no limitations except the unwillingness to believe the only. In other words, the only thing that restricts gospel power in your life is your unwillingness to humble yourself and to say yes to the Lord Jesus Christ. And you know when you say yes, when you do, humble yourself. The power of heaven is unleashed in your life. The power of you know, some people think, well, you know, you Christians, you're just religious. You follow a set of rules. It's like, no, we follow a person, a person who is the most powerful person in the universe. And and Paul's point here is this. All of that light, all of that light is intended by God to shine. And these are his words through the church, through the church, not just through the pastor, not just through the worship leaders, not just through the missionaries, not just through the people on staff, not just through the people who really give themselves as volunteers. He is talking about everybody. I mean, the church is powerful when we don't just shine as individual lives, but when we shine collectively. Paul says it like this in Corinthians he says, For God who said, let light shine out of darkness, has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And Paul says, this isn't just for everyone to know. This is also designed that the rulers and the authorities would know as well.

Speaker [00:39:48] And so you guys know, I've told you that when Paul refers to rulers and authorities, he's talking about demonic principles, principles, powers, dominions, mights, rulers, authorities. Primarily. Paul is talking about all of those angels led by Lucifer himself, a third of them coming against God, seeking to disturb the throne of God, and were cast from heaven to earth. Fallen angels now. And what Paul is saying is this the work of God is so powerful in your life, and collectively you shine so brightly that even the darkness in the heavenly places, even the demonic principalities and powers, they see the manifold wisdom of God's grace shining through your life, and they cannot overcome it. I want to remind you today because, you know, sometimes we're overwhelmed with a deluge of bad news, and there's this happening and that happening and, and all of these culture wars and issues. And pretty soon we find ourselves discouraged and beat down, and we're not living as conquerors anymore. I want to remind you today that the manifold wisdom of God's grace in your life shines brightly, even to those demonic principalities and powers. And yeah. And and as the light of the church shines, the darkness can not overcome it. When the light of the church shines, the darkness, the demonic darkness can not overcome it. God wants all demonic powers to know exactly how majestic he is like. Back to that picture of that single light shining. For sure, when you see a single light shining in the void of darkness. You're focused. Your attention is focused on that one single light. But when many stars are shining, when it's not just a single star, but many stars are shining, pretty soon you don't see the darkness at all.

Speaker [00:41:52] Pretty soon that void of darkness is consumed. Because the light is shining so brightly, the light of Christ shining through you in your calling as a nurse, as a construction worker, as a student in real estate, someone working in hospitality, in sales, as a pastor or a worship leader, whatever the case may be. Ephesians five eight says it like this. For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true. So that's when the light becomes brighter than the deepest darkness. That is when we fulfill the words of Daniel, when he said, and those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars for forever and ever.