A Lover of Souls
Notes
Transcript
Call to worship
Welcome everyone!
EASTER SERVICE
Begin praying now for people, for souls, for people you can invite
This Friday we are meeting at the church at 4:00 to head to Nashville for Winterjam.
SERMON
Introduction
In Ephesians chapter 3 Paul moves back into some detail of his own life in relation to the Ephesian church. Chapter 2 was primarily focused on the Ephesians and their life now in Christ. In chapter 3, we learn much about how God used Paul to build up and strengthen this church and his heart
He begins chapter 3 with this verse: (v 1) “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles…”
No one would argue that Paul was the greatest evangelist ever. No one would argue that Paul was the greatest church planter ever. No one would argue that Paul was one of the greatest teachers for the Kingdom of God who ever lived. But behind all of that is a man who went to great depths and sacrifices for the well-being of others and this chapter captures that well. It gives a deeper look into Paul’s heart.
Paul was an apostle called by God to preach the gospel to the gentiles, and we often think that was his calling not mine! BUT it is our calling, and it is also our burden that carry as God’s redeemed people and make no mistake it is God’s call on your life as well.
The greatest act of love you can do for another human being is lead them to Jesus. You will never make more of a difference is another’s life than that! And I want us to pull out some principles from this chapter About living a life for the sake of others souls.
Turn with me to Eph 3 and lest read it all then we will go back and pull out some principles:
1) Personal Suffering is an inevitable part of soul winning
1) Personal Suffering is an inevitable part of soul winning
Ephesians 3:1–2 (NASB95)
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you
Explanation
“The prisoner of Jesus Christ, for the sake of you Gentiles”
This is a look into the life, into the heart of the apostle Paul
This is not a form of bragging that Paul is doing, but a reality in his life. He has been commissioned by the Lord Jesus to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. And because of this task, he was thrown into prison. This letter was most likely written from the jail cell in Rome.
Why was Paul thrown in prison?
He says in this verse that he that Paul says he is “a prisoner for the sake” of the gentiles. In v 13 he says, “I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf”
In other words, his literal imprisonment was due to his devotion to the preaching of the gospel to the gentile people.
Who put Paul in prison? The Jews were primarily responsible because they said he distorted God’s revelation by proclaiming the grace of God to all people, not just the Jewish race.
Paul went to prison for them. He allowed his life to be put on hold for them!
“A prisoner for the sake of the Gentiles”
A heart for the souls of people to such a degree that he was willing to endure tremendous suffering for people he barely knew.
Principle
Here is the principle from this passage:
You will suffer and experience persecution when you make the gospel your priority
I’m not saying the Jews or Romans are going to throw you into prison
But I am saying when we are serious about others, when we are serious about ministering the grace of God, suffering is inevitable. It will cost us in some way or another. And if we are not willing to pay the price, then we will be ineffective at winning others.
I just heard a testimony yesterday from someone in this church who was out in the public and had one of our “Steps to Peace with God” tracts. He was having a conversation about God to someone in the coffee shop and handed a tract to a lady in there. She took the tract and threw it at him, hitting him in the face FOR NO REASON!
The world is hostile to the gospel! The gospel calls for accountability for sin! It is a direct reflection of human sinfulness and people do not like to hear that!
We also have an enemy, the prince of this world who is hates the gospel! And he knows this is God’s ordained means to save sinners! And so when the people of God get serious about sharing redemption through the cross, Satan persecutes!
And he will will persecute you, and he will slander you, and he will try to humiliate you, and he will go as far as God will allow him to stop you from telling people about the saving grace of God.
Application
And the question we should all ask ourselves is this: To what degree of suffering am I willing to endure for the sake of others?
What would I do if I knew that my gospel witness to a lost world would bring hardships into my life
Are you willing to be treated badly for someone’s else’s soul?
Are you willing to be slandered for someone’s soul?
Are you willing to put yourself on someone’s door steps in an uncomfortable situation and address their personal life for the sake of their soul?
Are you willing to have that difficult conversation with a friend or relative that goes directly against culture for sake of their soul?
THIS IS WHAT IT BOILS DOWN TO: Are you willing to suffer for someone else eternity…?
There is no other way. To be an effective witness will cost us, but it will be worth it!
The people who have darkest past often become the greatest instrument used by God
The people who have darkest past often become the greatest instrument used by God
Ephesians 3:8–10 (NASB95)
To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.
Explanation
Paul says he is, “the very least of all the saints”
Why was he the very least of all the saints?
Paul was one of the apostles.
He did not walk with Jesus during Jesus’ earthly ministry, but encountered Jesus on the Damascus road. It was after this encounter that Jesus appointed him to be an apostle.
Who Paul was before he was an apostle.
Paul was Saul and Saul was a ChristIan hating Jew who persecuted the church.
He not only violently persecuted Christians, he had them killed for following Christ.
He was in total agreement in the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8), He went from house to house throwing Christians in prison, ravaging churches and doing everything in his power to stop the NT church.
In Acts 9 Paul was on his way to Damascus on the hunt for anyone who followed Jesus to drag them back to Jerusalem and have them thrown into prison. It was on this trip that Jesus appeared to him and said, “Saul Saul, why are you persecuting Me”.
When Paul says he is the least of all the saints, he says he is the lowest of any of Christian in existence because he spent his life fighting against Jesus Christ Himself!
And if you look at your own life, surely your own sins could not amount to that? Surely the life we lived prior to Jesus did not sum up to killing Christians!
AND This is who God chose to be a light to the Gentiles. This is who God entrusted with the mystery of the gospel of grace. This is who God gave divine revelation to for the furthering of the kingdom of God, A zealous Pharisee who hated Jesus.
Bridge
If Paul was so bad, why does he do so much for Jesus?
There is a spiritual truth that speaks into this.
Principle
Those who have been forgiven much, love much
“For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
This story found in Luke’s gospel is of a sinful woman who had done much wrong in her life. When she came into the presence of Jesus she fell down and began to weep and kiss his feet. She took her hair and cleaned his feet and then anointed them with perfume. A Pharisee was in the house also, and when Jesus entered his house he did nothing but recline at the table with Him.
And the Pharisee even goes as far as to to question why Jesus is allowing this sinful woman to do this to Him, since she is a sinner.
And Jesus tells him a parable about forgiveness and then gives him this principle: “Those who have been forgiven much, love much”
The apostle Paul had been forgiven much!
His sins compared to that sinful women were far worse! But Jesus forgave him, and because of that great forgiveness, he loved Jesus MUCH!
Paul wrote nearly half of the books of the NT
He traveled over 7,000 miles and planted at least 14 churches
He was beaten, shipwrecked 3 times, thrown in prison at least 3 times, snake bitten, persecuted by his own people, attacked by mobs, ran out of towns, and eventually beheaded because of his great love for Jesus and the gospel.
Application
You may sitting in here today with a dark past, THAT IS NOT A DISADVANTAGE IN CHRISTIANITY!
God loves to take really messed up people and transform them into glorious trophies of his grace!
God will take you, no matter of your past, you may be worthless to society, but highly valuable to God and use you in such a way that the world can only say, “Only God could do that”.
Only God could have done that in that persons life! Only God could change that person’s heart so drastically
So don’t think your past can keep you from being used by God. It seems just the opposite. A terrible past is an advantage in God’s program to reach the world!
Much forgiveness means much love. Little forgiveness means less love.
3) Learn to pray effective Prayers
3) Learn to pray effective Prayers
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Explanation
“For this reason I bow my knees”
This is the second time in this letter that we read of Paul’s praying in this letter
The first time he prayed for spiritual insight
This time he prays for inner strength
Why does Paul tell them this?
Because what they need the most he cannot give them!
What they need is not a 10 step program, or to be nicer people.
What they desperately need is a transformation that happens on the inside and works it way out!
They need “the inner man” to be strengthened because that is where real change takes place!
And how does this happen?
(v 16) “to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man”
The Holy Spirit power is what Paul is praying for!
For the very power of God to take this person and radically change the mind of that person so that everything he sees and knows comes in alignment with God’s truth!
For God to give them new hearts, and new minds, and a new way to live!
And Paul knows that this is outside of his ability! He cannot change hearts! You cannot change hearts! I cannot change hearts! Heart change only comes by the work of the Holy Spirit!
“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.
Bridge
We need so desperately to learn this in the church today
So much time is spent praying for superficial needs.
Lord, please help this one to find a job. Lord please help this one to get off drugs. Lord please straighten this one out so they can live a decent life.
That is not the way we should pray. We should pray that God would bring strength to the inner man and bring transformation.
Do you know what I pray for when I pray for lost souls? God do whatever is necessary to open that persons heart to you! If it takes great hardships then bring them! If it takes great tragedies, then bring them! If it takes someone’s life completely falling apart and humbling them to the point of death then please bring it to pass!
Greater is to be miserable and find life, than to be comfortable and die lost!
Greater is it to pray for tragedy to come in someone’s life than it is for comfort in their sins!
What we need is to learn to pray with spiritual wisdom!
And if you do not want me to that way for your friends or relatives, then don’t ask me to pray.
Application
When is the last time you bowed down to your knees and prayed for the souls of others?
When is the last time you fell down in pain and anguish about the lost state of another’s soul?
We should be coming before God daily, consistently, burdened, knowing that unless God transforms the heart there is no hope for them!
A lover of souls is faithful in prayer for them.
Remember the unlimited possibilities with God
Remember the unlimited possibilities with God
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
When Paul prayed, He prayed with this truth in mind: “To Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think”
Just think about what he is saying.
What we pray for many times is almost unbelievable to us. God change that person who is so far from you. God bring new life into that church or into that community.
And what we think is so difficult or so impossible, God is able to do far more!
Our prayers will never exceed God’s power.
It doesn’t matter how radical, or how impossible, God can do anything! And that power is available to us through prayer!
But we must be people who pray in faith! We do not pray to a powerless God! We pray to a God who speaks and things change! And when we pray, we must pray believing that God will bring it to pass.
The example of Elijah
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.
Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it did not rain and God withheld the rain for 3 1/2 years. He prayed again and the rains came.
When we pray, we must remember we are praying to a God who can do far more than we imagine. And we should make it a habit to not pray such small prayers.
Pray for God to save this city! Pray for God to bring us a building we can call home! Pray for God to save that person whom is so far from God we think they bare beyond hope!
And you might pray big prayers, but they do not come to pass. Well God may answer your big prayers in ways that you do not expect. Prayers and God’s will go hand in hand. If we do not pray according to the will of God, then were not going to bend God’s hand to give us what we want!
But the great news is that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and prays according to God’s will on our behalf
and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
What a great encouragement for us. We may not know what the will of God is, but the Spirit of God does; and He intercedes on our behalf. Praying to God the Father for us according to His will.
Conclusion
Let me say this in closing. You will never have a heart for souls, until your heart belongs to God first. We cannot understand the great need to bring people to Jesus, if we have not come to Him ourselves. And we will never know His great love and care for us, until we have experienced it firsthand.
And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
~PRAYER~
RESPONSE
PUBLIC INVITATION
“What a beautiful Name”
Words and Music by Hillsong
OFFERING
We will now worship the Lord through our tithes and offering.
BENEDICTION
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord cause His face to shine on you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His face to you, And give you peace.’”