WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.000 Welcome to the sermon podcast of Exodus Church, located in Belmont, North Carolina. 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:12.000 For more information about our church and the many ways you can be involved, you can go to our website at exoduschurch.com. 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:19.000 My name is Tyler, I'm one of the pastors here and I'm really excited to be able to bring God's word to you this morning. 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:22.000 And so if you have your Bibles, go ahead and open to Ephesians 3. 00:00:22.000 --> 00:00:25.000 We're going to be continuing in our series called Design. 00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:31.000 Throughout this series, we've seen God's design in humanity and God's design in our world. 00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:36.000 We saw in this series close to the beginning that God's good design was marred by sin. 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:42.000 That the sin of humanity broke God's good design, marred God's good design. 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:50.000 And now here in the past few weeks, we've looked at how in Christ, we've kind of taken this turn, God has redesigned in Christ. 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:58.000 Brian talked about last week, how in Christ we are redesigned as a people sent out on mission. 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:02.000 And today we're going to get to talk about that we are redesigned as a people of God. 00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:08.000 God's redesign, his redesign for community. 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:19.000 In Genesis 1 and 2, we see Adam and Eve walking in the garden, walking with God face to face, talking with him face to face. 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:22.000 We see their marriage has no conflict. 00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:27.000 We see even the animals living together in perfect harmony. 00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:29.000 As far as community goes, this was perfect. 00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:35.000 Genesis 1 and 2, we see just this perfect design and picture of community. 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:42.000 And that doesn't last long because in Genesis 3, the fall happens and humanity is plunged into sin. 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:46.000 And we see that that immediately has effect on community. 00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:51.000 Adam and Eve are put out of the garden. They're no longer walking and talking freely with God like they used to. 00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:54.000 We see their marriage faces conflict immediately. 00:01:54.000 --> 00:01:59.000 When they become parents, we see one of their kids kills the other kid out of jealousy. 00:01:59.000 --> 00:02:04.000 This is not perfect community by any stretch. 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:06.000 But what we see today is that God had another plan. 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:09.000 God had an eternal plan for his people. 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:13.000 What community would look like for the people of God. 00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:16.000 And God's plan for community is the church. 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:24.000 God's picture of his gathered people, which would be fully realized in Christ was his church. 00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:28.000 The church was God's plan for restored community. 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:35.000 We also see that God's, that the church is God's plan for bringing his glory to those that are far off. 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:39.000 And the church is God's plan for making his love known to us. 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:41.000 But we see that the church is God's plan. 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:43.000 I hope in the passage today, that's what you're gonna see. 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:45.000 That's what you're gonna walk away with. 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:48.000 And to us, that might seem obvious that the church is God's plan. 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:53.000 If you're here, it's probably because you value the church in some way. 00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:59.000 But to say that the church is God's plan, it goes against what many would understand. 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:08.000 Many in the culture and maybe even goes against what some of us as professing Christians might even believe in our own hearts. 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:13.000 Often I meet people, maybe it's at like my kid's soccer game or like on a flight or something. 00:03:13.000 --> 00:03:18.000 And after a few minutes of small talk, they'll ask me what I do for a living and I'll tell them I'm a pastor. 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:24.000 And often it's at that point that they'll like apologize for any curse word they said in the conversation or something. 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:30.000 And the other thing that people just feel this need to apologize for is whatever their church attendance has looked like. 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:35.000 They don't even go to my church, but they're just like, they just feel like I'm a pastor. 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:42.000 They need to apologize for their church attendance and they need to justify why they haven't been in church for six months or six years or whatever. 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:47.000 And often when I'm having a conversation like this, they'll say something like, well, I love God in my heart. 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:50.000 I just don't see a need to go to a church. 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:59.000 Well, I think what happens in my heart is more important than just showing up to some building, than just putting my name on a membership role. 00:03:59.000 --> 00:04:02.000 I think what I have with God is more important to that. 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:07.000 Anyways, they'll explain the church is just some man-made structure anyways. 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:09.000 It's just some man-made thing. 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:13.000 And I don't need to be a part of that because I have a special thing with God. 00:04:13.000 --> 00:04:18.000 And now usually when I'm at my kid's soccer game, I don't have that person's undivided attention for 30 minutes. 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:25.000 But since I have y'all here, I think I'll maybe tell you what I would love to tell them, which is the church is God's plan. 00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:27.000 The church is God's plan. 00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:30.000 It's more than some man-made structure. 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:35.000 It's not something that the apostles just came up with and it was a great idea. 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:38.000 The church is God's plan, eternally so. 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:41.000 And it was fully realized in Christ. 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:44.000 And maybe you're here and you're like that person. 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:49.000 Maybe you think something in your heart like, I love God, but just not the church. 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:54.000 And maybe you think that because you've seen a poor reflection of what a church should be. 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:58.000 Maybe you've seen a poor reflection of what Christian leadership should be. 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:03.000 And so over time you've grown to just say, well, the church must be the problem. 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:06.000 The idea of church must be the problem. 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:10.000 And if that's you, well, then I'm begging you to listen to the rest of the sermon. 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:12.000 And I just want to thank you for being here. 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:19.000 Thank you for trusting us enough to give us a chance to show you what the church should be. 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:25.000 And that's not letting any church or Christian leader off the hook, if they have been a poor reflection of God's design. 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:29.000 But that is to say that churches are not perfect. 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:37.000 And churches being filled with sinners and even being led by sinners is not an excuse for us to throw the idea of church away. 00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:43.000 Pastors are not perfect, even at this church, as surprising as that may seem. 00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:47.000 But the church is God's idea. 00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:49.000 The church is God's plan. 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:54.000 And so I want to look at Ephesians three, starting in verse seven. 00:05:54.000 --> 00:05:59.000 Ephesians three, seven. 00:05:59.000 --> 00:06:06.000 Of this gospel, I was made a minister according to the gifts of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:21.000 To me, though, I'm 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. 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:28.000 So that through the church, the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:40.000 This was according to the eternal purpose that has been realized in Christ Jesus, our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in him. 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:45.000 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. 00:06:45.000 --> 00:07:20.000 For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, for whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory, he might grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, might have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with the fullness of God. 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:35.000 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power that's at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. 00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:37.000 Amen. Would you pray with me? 00:07:37.000 --> 00:07:47.000 Father God, I thank you this morning for passages like this, passages that show us the ideal of what we should be as a church. 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:54.000 God, make us a people that live up to the kind of community that you have called us to be. 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:59.000 Speak to us through your word this morning, I pray, in Jesus' name, amen. 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:02.000 What we're gonna see this morning is that the church is God's plan. 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:08.000 The church is God's plan to bring his glory to those that are far off, and the church is God's plan to show us his love. 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:11.000 Take a look at verse 11. 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:19.000 Paul says, this was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus, our Lord. 00:08:19.000 --> 00:08:21.000 This eternal purpose. 00:08:21.000 --> 00:08:23.000 What is the this that Paul is talking about? 00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:25.000 It's the church. 00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:33.000 Paul tells the Ephesian church that the church was God's eternal purpose, and it was realized in Christ Jesus. 00:08:33.000 --> 00:08:36.000 Many today have a wrong view of church. 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:41.000 One of the views is what I just said, that the church is just a man-made structure. 00:08:41.000 --> 00:08:43.000 It's just something that some people came up with. 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:47.000 And so to reject the church would be just to reject an idea that some people had. 00:08:47.000 --> 00:08:53.000 Well, this passage corrects that thinking, but there are other wrong views of the church. 00:08:53.000 --> 00:08:57.000 And honestly, there are probably views that would be easier for maybe us to believe. 00:08:57.000 --> 00:09:03.000 Even sitting in these chairs, we could be led to believe some of these other things about the church. 00:09:03.000 --> 00:09:07.000 Well, the church is not just an optional add-on. 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:10.000 The church is not just an extra resource. 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:13.000 The church is not a convenient social club. 00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:17.000 The church is not merely educational for your personal betterment. 00:09:17.000 --> 00:09:21.000 The church is not a place for you to show up to and just show how good of a person you are. 00:09:21.000 --> 00:09:25.000 Our hearts might be tempted to believe some of those things. 00:09:25.000 --> 00:09:30.000 And if the church is none of those things, well, then what is it? 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:32.000 And this passage shows us what the church is to be. 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:38.000 The church is God's plan to make his glory known to those that are far off and show us his love. 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:40.000 That's what the church is. 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:44.000 That is how the church has been designed in Christ. 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:49.000 Through the church, God's love and glory are put on display. 00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:57.000 And so we can't see the church as some social club or as some supplemental good that we get to add on to our life whenever we're feeling it. 00:09:57.000 --> 00:10:02.000 Participation in his church and as his church is essential for the life of the believer. 00:10:03.000 --> 00:10:05.000 The church is God's plan. 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:12.000 The first thing we're gonna look at this morning is that the church is God's plan to bring his glory to those that are far off. 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:19.000 Sometimes when we think about the church, we start to think, we make the mistake of thinking a little too highly of ourselves. 00:10:19.000 --> 00:10:22.000 We start thinking, man, we must really have it together. 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:24.000 We must be really good people. 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:29.000 All the people out there, they don't have it figured out, but we've got it figured out. 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:31.000 We're good people. 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:34.000 And when we do that, we make two mistakes. 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:36.000 We mistake what the church is for two reasons. 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:39.000 One, because then we make the church about our own glory. 00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:45.000 I show up to this place to show how good of a person I am so that everyone can pat me on the back and tell me I'm a good person. 00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:47.000 And we make the church about our own glory. 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:56.000 Or two, when we do this, we miss the point of church because the church is not for those who are perfect. 00:10:56.000 --> 00:10:57.000 We think, man, we've got it all together. 00:10:57.000 --> 00:11:05.000 And that's why we're here in this church, but that's not who the church, the church is for those who are far off from God, who have been brought near. 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:13.000 Jesus himself, when he was on earth in Mark 2 said, those who are well are in no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 00:11:13.000 --> 00:11:18.000 I came to call not the righteous, but sinners. 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:21.000 The church is not a social club of all the best people. 00:11:21.000 --> 00:11:25.000 It's a place for God to gather those who were once very far from him. 00:11:25.000 --> 00:11:31.000 The theologian, Augustine said, the church is not a museum for saints, but a hospital for sinners. 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:34.000 That's what we are to be as a church. 00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:40.000 Paul begins in verse seven and eight by illustrating this fact in his own life. 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:41.000 This is what he says. 00:11:41.000 --> 00:11:47.000 He says, 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. 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:57.000 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. 00:11:57.000 --> 00:12:02.000 Paul says he was made a minister of the gospel by a gift. 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:07.000 Though he was the very least of sinners, he was called in and he was called to preach. 00:12:07.000 --> 00:12:09.000 Paul says, there's no reason I should have been called. 00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:10.000 It was a gift. 00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:17.000 It was grace that I was brought in near and called to preach the gospel. 00:12:17.000 --> 00:12:18.000 This is what God does. 00:12:18.000 --> 00:12:23.000 He gathers those in who are far off and look at who Paul was called to preach to. 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:25.000 To those who are far off, the Gentiles. 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:28.000 He's not called to preach to those who almost get it. 00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:30.000 He's called to those that are far off. 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:37.000 Here in chapter three, Paul continues this idea, but he had introduced it back in chapter two. 00:12:37.000 --> 00:12:38.000 So we're gonna take a look at that. 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:43.000 So flip over, it's probably just one page over, in chapter two, verse 11. 00:12:43.000 --> 00:12:46.000 Chapter two, verse 11 and 12. 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:57.000 He says, therefore, remember that at one time, you Gentiles in the flesh called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands. 00:12:57.000 --> 00:13:09.000 Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:12.000 He says, this is who you used to be, church. 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:23.000 You used to be strangers and aliens with no hope, separated from the people of God and separated from God. 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:25.000 You were far away. 00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:28.000 And all of us in the room can say, amen. 00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:29.000 That was us. 00:13:29.000 --> 00:13:32.000 We were strangers and aliens. 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:37.000 This was us before we met Christ. 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:39.000 But then look at 2.13. 00:13:39.000 --> 00:13:45.000 But now in Christ Jesus, you who are once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 00:13:45.000 --> 00:13:48.000 Praise be to God that we have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:50.000 This is the good news of the gospel. 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:54.000 Those who were far away get brought in close. 00:13:54.000 --> 00:14:05.000 Looking back at chapter three, verse 11, Paul continues this idea of those far off being brought in near. 00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:06.000 Look at verse 11 of chapter three. 00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:16.000 He says, this was according to the eternal purpose that he realized in Christ Jesus, our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:18.000 This is the good news of the gospel. 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:21.000 We have access to God. 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:26.000 I love thinking about this aspect of the gospel kind of in like human terms. 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:31.000 We've all seen the movies, like the medieval movies with a king sitting on a big stone throne. 00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:39.000 He's in a great hall lined with guards that have spears and in the back are huge kind of wooden devil doors. 00:14:39.000 --> 00:14:41.000 Are you guys there mentally with me? 00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:45.000 And if we're picturing this scene, the king is sitting on his throne. 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:58.000 There's all these guards lining the hall and the doors fly open in the back and in steps the enemy of the king and he looks mad and he's drooling and he draws his sword and he sprints at the king. 00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:01.000 I think all of you can imagine how that scene would go. 00:15:01.000 --> 00:15:04.000 And I don't think that person would make it very far. 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:07.000 He doesn't have access to the king. 00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:09.000 He's trying to hurt and kill the king. 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:12.000 And I think he'd be struck down very quickly by the guards. 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:13.000 I would hope. 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:19.000 Imagine the same scene, the same king in the same hall with all the same guards lining and the doors fly open. 00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:23.000 It's not a warrior, but it's the king's five-year-old daughter. 00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:32.000 And she steps in and she sprints at the king and she dives at him and he grabs her and embraces her. 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:34.000 Why did that go completely differently? 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:36.000 It's because she has access to the throne. 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:38.000 She has access to the king. 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:45.000 She can approach the king with boldness because she's in his family. 00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:47.000 She's allowed to be there. 00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:49.000 That's what we get in the gospel. 00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:53.000 We get access with boldness to the king. 00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:57.000 In Christ, we are his child. 00:15:57.000 --> 00:16:01.000 We're brought near. 00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:03.000 This is the beauty of the gospel. 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:05.000 This is the beauty of the church. 00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:13.000 We, as those who used to be real far off, are brought in near and given access with boldness. 00:16:13.000 --> 00:16:18.000 The church is God's plan to bring his glory to those that are far off. 00:16:18.000 --> 00:16:22.000 The church is not just a man-made structure. 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:23.000 It's God's plan. 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:28.000 The church is God's plan to bring his glory to those that are far off. 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:30.000 He didn't choose the best of the best. 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:35.000 He got us and he brought us in near. 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:40.000 And then the church is God's plan for us to know his love. 00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:43.000 So he takes those far away and he brings them in near. 00:16:43.000 --> 00:16:49.000 And now we get to know his love more fully through the church. 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:57.000 There is something unique about the manifold wisdom and love of God that we more fully understand in community. 00:16:57.000 --> 00:17:05.000 There are aspects of God that we cannot and will not fully understand until we've seen it lived out in his people. 00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:13.000 In verses 14 through 21, Paul transitions from talking about the church to then praying for the church. 00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:19.000 He says in verse 14, for this reason, I bow my knees before my father. 00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:21.000 And here's what he prays. 00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:33.000 He prays that through the faith and the indwelling of Jesus in the spirit, that the Ephesian church would be rooted in love and that they would more fully understand and comprehend the love of God. 00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:38.000 In verse 16, he prays that the Ephesian church would be strengthened in their inner being through the spirit. 00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:41.000 In verse 17, he prays that they would be rooted in the love of Christ. 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:47.000 In verse 18, he prays that they would more fully comprehend the love of God. 00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:55.000 And he's praying for these things for this church because he knows these can be experienced more fully in community. 00:17:55.000 --> 00:18:00.000 Only in community can the people of God see these things lived out. 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:04.000 Paul prays for them to be strengthened by the power of God. 00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:10.000 He calls for the presence of God in their life and the presence of God can do amazing things in our life. 00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:13.000 But here he's not praying for these like supernatural miracles. 00:18:13.000 --> 00:18:16.000 What he's praying for is that they'll be grounded in love. 00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:22.000 That through the indwelling of the spirit, that they will love and more fully understand the love of God. 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:26.000 Love others and more fully understand the love of God. 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:29.000 Look at verse 18. 00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:46.000 He says that through faith, he prays that they may have the strength to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge that you will be filled with all the fullness of God. 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:51.000 What I love here is that he's calling them to know the love of God, but he's saying you can't do that alone. 00:18:51.000 --> 00:19:03.000 You can't understand the fullness and the bigness and the height and the depth and all of the aspects of God's love without seeing it lived out amongst his people. 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:08.000 He says that we need each other for that. 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:10.000 And this is what the church does. 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:19.000 The church displays God's love through the church, through other believers, we get to experience the love of God more fully. 00:19:19.000 --> 00:19:25.000 Now it's possible to gain an incredible understanding about God through reading his word. 00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:27.000 His word is such a gift to us. 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:31.000 And we get to read it and we get to know his heart by reading his words. 00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:37.000 But there's something so unique and special that happens when you gather with other believers. 00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:44.000 There is something so unique that happens when we see the love of God lived out in his people. 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:50.000 And what Paul says is that that helps us more fully understand and comprehend. 00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:56.000 When we see it in the church, we more fully understand who God is and we understand his love. 00:19:56.000 --> 00:20:07.000 When I was 17 years old, I joined the army straight out of high school and leading up to me going away for training, I did everything I could to prepare. 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:12.000 I read like army manuals to try to be like, how does a soldier think or whatever? 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:16.000 I watched military movies because those are like always really accurate, right? 00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:22.000 So I like watched all the movies I could watch and I like ran in the heat and I did pushups until my arms fell off. 00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:25.000 Like I did everything I could do to prepare. 00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:32.000 But the reality was, I didn't really know what it meant to be a soldier until I was there at training side by side with other soldiers, right? 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:33.000 Right? 00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:47.000 Until I was there with my brothers in arms, until I was there being trained by drill sergeants who knew what they were talking about, like until I was actually there, shoulder to shoulder, living it out every day, I didn't really understand what it meant. 00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:51.000 Something like that happens in the church. 00:20:51.000 --> 00:21:00.000 There's a great wealth of knowledge and maturity that we can gain by our individual relationship to God, by reading His word, by praying. 00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:05.000 There's a great wealth of maturity that we can get through that. 00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:07.000 But y'all, there's something special when we get together. 00:21:07.000 --> 00:21:14.000 There's something special when we get to rub shoulders with each other and see the love of God tangibly lived out. 00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:20.000 We get to see it through our brothers and sisters. 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:24.000 Exodus Church does this as well as any church I've ever seen. 00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:33.000 Exodus Church lives out what the love of God looks like in community better than any people I've ever known. 00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:36.000 I see it all the time through community groups. 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:44.000 Someone has a baby and the group gathers around them and celebrates and has a meal train and throws a shower and does all these things. 00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:46.000 That's the love of God. 00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:49.000 That's the love of God put on display through His church. 00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:58.000 Or maybe it's an inconvenience like a flat tire and someone in your group drops everything and shows up to change your tire and get you where you need to go. 00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:00.000 That's the love of God put on display. 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:04.000 That's you tangibly getting to see and experience the love of God. 00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:13.000 Or maybe it's in moments of grief, confusion and darkness when it'd be really easy to doubt or question the love of God. 00:22:13.000 --> 00:22:18.000 And then one of His people comes and shows you what His love looks like in your life. 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:21.000 And we get to experience the love of God. 00:22:21.000 --> 00:22:26.000 Now, that person who experiences the love of God in that moment, they knew the love of God before that. 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:37.000 But I promise you after they've experienced God's people in that way they will more fully understand the height and the depth and the width of God's, just this incredible love of God. 00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:39.000 They more fully understand it because they've seen it lived out. 00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:42.000 They felt it in their life. 00:22:43.000 --> 00:22:49.000 That's what it looks like to put the love of God on display as the church. 00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:51.000 And we get the opportunity to do that for each other. 00:22:51.000 --> 00:22:59.000 Every Sunday, every week, every day we get the opportunity to be Christ's ambassador to put God's love on display. 00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:05.000 And when we do that, we help one another fully understand more fully understand the love of God. 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:09.000 What is the breadth and the length and the height and the depth of the love of God? 00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:11.000 We do this for each other. 00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:19.000 Paul is developing this idea of this togetherness of the church, but he started illustrating it back in chapter two. 00:23:19.000 --> 00:23:21.000 So we're gonna flip back over to chapter two. 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:23.000 Look at verse 219. 00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:30.000 In 219, he gives three communal word pictures, three communal word pictures of what the church is to be. 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:40.000 219, so you are no longer strangers and aliens, but your fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:48.000 Christ Jesus being the cornerstone in whom the whole structure being joined together grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:55.000 In him, you are also being built together into a dwelling place of God by the Spirit. 00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:56.000 He gives three communal word pictures. 00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:59.000 He says that we are a nation, right? 00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:03.000 A kingdom, that we are a family and that we are a temple. 00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:08.000 And what I love about these three word pictures is that you can't be those alone. 00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:11.000 There's no such thing as a citizen apart from a nation. 00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:17.000 And there's no such thing as a member of a family apart from a family or a stone of a temple apart from a temple. 00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:27.000 We are to be citizens in a kingdom, members of a family and temples of a stone, stones of a temple rather. 00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:32.000 In the same way, Christians are not meant to be separate from the church. 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:38.000 There's this growing idea that we can have this kind of lone wolf Christian mentality disconnected from any kind of local church. 00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:40.000 That is not how we were designed to be. 00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:44.000 We were designed to be in community with other believers. 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:53.000 God designed us to manifest his love, to show his love to one another. 00:24:53.000 --> 00:24:59.000 So the first word picture, we're citizens in a kingdom. 00:24:59.000 --> 00:25:01.000 This is a higher kingdom, higher than any earthly kingdom. 00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:08.000 This kingdom Jesus talked about when he was on earth, this kingdom that was spreading throughout the earth was that, but that was bigger than anything that happened on earth. 00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:12.000 And he's the ruler, he's the king of the kingdom. 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:15.000 And we get to be a part of that. 00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:23.000 We get to be a part of this inevitable spread of the kingdom of God, this kingdom that will never end. 00:25:23.000 --> 00:25:27.000 We get to be a citizen in that kingdom. 00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:31.000 Our citizenship is with a higher kingdom. 00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:36.000 We're also called to be members of a family. 00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:39.000 This is a metaphor that we see throughout the New Testament for the church. 00:25:39.000 --> 00:25:40.000 We're a family. 00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:44.000 And just like in a family, everyone plays their unique roles in a family. 00:25:44.000 --> 00:25:47.000 I'm the middle child, so that tells you probably everything you didn't know about me. 00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:53.000 In a family, everyone has their unique role to play. 00:25:53.000 --> 00:25:56.000 I'll pick on my wife for a minute. 00:25:56.000 --> 00:25:58.000 In her family, she plays a really unique role. 00:25:58.000 --> 00:25:59.000 She's the favorite. 00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:04.000 And if you ask any of her siblings, they'll tell you she's the favorite. 00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:11.000 And instead of being jealous of that, all growing up, her siblings used that knowledge to their own advantage. 00:26:11.000 --> 00:26:15.000 And whenever they needed something from their dad, they would send Christy. 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:22.000 If it was like, let's go out to dinner, or like, man, we want like an extra Christmas present or something, they would send Christy to go talk to their dad. 00:26:22.000 --> 00:26:25.000 And their dad would always say yes, because she's the favorite. 00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:26.000 That was her role. 00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:28.000 That's the role she played in her family. 00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:31.000 And we have a role to play. 00:26:31.000 --> 00:26:34.000 And I don't know who's the favorite of this family. 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:35.000 I don't know. 00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:36.000 You'll have to decide for yourself. 00:26:36.000 --> 00:26:39.000 But we all have a role to play within the family. 00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:44.000 And when we play our role, we're a blessing to our brothers and sisters. 00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:51.000 When we play our specific part within the family, we put the love of God on display. 00:26:51.000 --> 00:26:56.000 I wanna talk about a couple different people that you'll see if you show up here on a Sunday morning. 00:26:56.000 --> 00:27:00.000 One is all the people who rock babies and take care of kids back in the back. 00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:04.000 There's like something like 80 volunteers that we need to make Exodus kids happen every week. 00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:10.000 And it happens every week because of these volunteers, these people who are using their gifts. 00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:15.000 And what's amazing is we often think about how that's a blessing to our kids, and it is. 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:18.000 But what a blessing that is to us. 00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:21.000 That for me, they're putting the love of God on display. 00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:26.000 When I see them serving in these ways, it reminds me of the God who loves the least. 00:27:26.000 --> 00:27:31.000 It reminds me of the love of God, the love of Jesus who said, let the little children come to me. 00:27:31.000 --> 00:27:37.000 When I see our people serving in that way, it reminds me of what the love of God looks like. 00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:42.000 Or the people who stand at the doors and greet you with a smile, our greeter team. 00:27:42.000 --> 00:27:50.000 When I'm welcomed by them, when they use their gifts to welcome me in, it reminds me of the God who welcomes in the outsider. 00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:56.000 It reminds me of the God who found people far away and brought him near with hospitality. 00:27:57.000 --> 00:27:59.000 And we get to display that. 00:27:59.000 --> 00:28:01.000 We get to serve one another with our gifts. 00:28:01.000 --> 00:28:05.000 And in so doing, we display the love of God. 00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:10.000 What an amazing responsibility we have. 00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:16.000 We're members of a family. 00:28:16.000 --> 00:28:20.000 And then finally, we are stones in a temple. 00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:24.000 Throughout the Bible, we see this idea of the temple being the dwelling place of God. 00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:29.000 If you wanted to commune with God, you would go to a temple made by man. 00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:31.000 But then we see something incredible happen in Christ. 00:28:31.000 --> 00:28:35.000 No longer is God housed in a structure. 00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:38.000 No, now God's dwelling is his people. 00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:41.000 We become his temple. 00:28:41.000 --> 00:28:47.000 And so now we are these stones of a temple being built up together, housing the very presence of God. 00:28:47.000 --> 00:28:53.000 What a unique and amazing responsibility we have. 00:28:53.000 --> 00:28:55.000 And yet we still kind of can get this twisted. 00:28:55.000 --> 00:29:01.000 We still say things like, oh, I'm going to church, as if like these walls are the church. 00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:04.000 My kids will say, hey, are you going to church today? 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:07.000 As if this is the church, but this isn't the church. 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:09.000 This is the church. 00:29:09.000 --> 00:29:14.000 You might remember if you grew up a Christian like me, you might remember the cute little rhyme we all learned. 00:29:14.000 --> 00:29:15.000 Do you guys remember this? 00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:18.000 Here's the church, here's the steeple. 00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:22.000 Open the door and see all the people. 00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:25.000 Y'all learned it too from your Sunday school, right? 00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:27.000 And that's really precious and that's great. 00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:30.000 And that's so sweet, but it's backwards, isn't it? 00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:32.000 Like this isn't the church. 00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:34.000 This isn't the church. 00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:36.000 This is the church. 00:29:36.000 --> 00:29:40.000 This is, you are the church, right? 00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:44.000 It's so easy to think about the building and the walls, but you're the church. 00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:49.000 We are stones of a temple being built up together and Christ is our cornerstone. 00:29:49.000 --> 00:29:53.000 Christ is the head of this structure. 00:29:53.000 --> 00:29:56.000 We are the church. 00:29:56.000 --> 00:30:03.000 The church is God's plan. 00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:06.000 It's God's plan to bring his glory to those that are far off. 00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:09.000 It's God's plan to make us know his love. 00:30:09.000 --> 00:30:12.000 And so to wrap up here, I just want to ask one question. 00:30:12.000 --> 00:30:17.000 If the church is God's plan and we say that it is, how are you playing your part? 00:30:17.000 --> 00:30:20.000 How are you playing your part as the church in your family? 00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:24.000 How are you playing your part as the church in your workplace? 00:30:24.000 --> 00:30:28.000 How are you playing your part as the church in your school? 00:30:28.000 --> 00:30:34.000 How are you playing your part as the church to those that are far from God? 00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:40.000 I want to encourage each of you to think about how you might apply this sermon today. 00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:49.000 How might you apply this idea that we are the church, this idea that God brings in those that are far off. 00:30:49.000 --> 00:30:54.000 Maybe you need to pray about displaying the love of God through a community group. 00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:58.000 Maybe you're in a group and you think, man, here are some ways that I can display God's love. 00:30:58.000 --> 00:31:00.000 Maybe you're not in a group yet. 00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:05.000 I know it sounds probably cheesy coming from the community groups guy that I'm like, you should be in a group, but you should. 00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:07.000 You should be in a group. 00:31:07.000 --> 00:31:20.000 Why? Because this is God's plan to gather his people for us to remind one another and show the love of God and that happens in community groups every week. 00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:23.000 We get to display, we get to serve one another. 00:31:23.000 --> 00:31:33.000 Or maybe, maybe how you need to apply the sermon this morning is you need to reach out to someone who's far from God. 00:31:33.000 --> 00:31:38.000 You know someone who is what you used to be, very far from God. 00:31:38.000 --> 00:31:39.000 Maybe it's someone you work with. 00:31:39.000 --> 00:31:40.000 Maybe it's someone in your family. 00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:44.000 Maybe it's someone that you're going to run into this week at the park. 00:31:44.000 --> 00:31:48.000 Maybe the way that you need to apply this is you need to reach out to someone who's far from God. 00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:54.000 You need to be the tangible love, the hands and feet of God, reaching out and drawing in those that are far from him. 00:31:54.000 --> 00:32:01.000 Because in Christ, we get that access and you get to extend that access out to other people and say, in Christ, you get to come. 00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:05.000 Maybe you need to reach out to someone this week. 00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:10.000 Maybe your part to play this week is to join as a member. 00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:16.000 Some of you have been here for months or years and you haven't yet joined as a member. 00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:21.000 And I just want to ask you, why are you holding God's church at arm's length? 00:32:21.000 --> 00:32:24.000 What are you waiting for? 00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:28.000 In our membership, we get to do all the things that this passage has talked about. 00:32:28.000 --> 00:32:36.000 In membership, we get to display to one another the love of God through gathered worship, through community groups. 00:32:36.000 --> 00:32:41.000 In membership, we serve one another with our gifts, putting on display the love of God. 00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:47.000 In membership, we give to the mission in a way that reaches out to those that are far from God. 00:32:47.000 --> 00:32:49.000 What are you waiting for? 00:32:49.000 --> 00:32:53.000 Maybe today, your call to action is to become a member. 00:32:53.000 --> 00:33:00.000 Maybe what you're waiting for is you're waiting to see if we're a perfect church and we're not. 00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:02.000 We're not a perfect church. 00:33:02.000 --> 00:33:05.000 The people sitting around you are not perfect people. 00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:11.000 The members of this church are not perfect, but this is what Charles Spurgeon had to say about joining a church. 00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:12.000 The quote's gonna be on the screen. 00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:15.000 I'm gonna read the line leading up to the quote as well. 00:33:15.000 --> 00:33:17.000 He says, give yourself to the church. 00:33:17.000 --> 00:33:21.000 You that are members of the church have not found it perfect. 00:33:21.000 --> 00:33:24.000 And I hope that you almost feel glad that you have not. 00:33:24.000 --> 00:33:29.000 If I had never joined a church till I found one that was perfect, I would have never joined one at all. 00:33:29.000 --> 00:33:36.000 In the moment I did join it, if I had found one, I should have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect church after I had become a member of it. 00:33:36.000 --> 00:33:41.000 Still imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth to us. 00:33:41.000 --> 00:33:44.000 Y'all, the church is not a perfect place. 00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:48.000 This church is not a perfect place, but the church is God's plan. 00:33:48.000 --> 00:33:51.000 It's the dearest place on earth for us. 00:33:51.000 --> 00:33:53.000 Why? 00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:59.000 Because through his church, we get to see and display the love and glory of God. 00:33:59.000 --> 00:34:03.000 And so maybe your step of obedience is to join what we're doing. 00:34:03.000 --> 00:34:04.000 Join the church. 00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:09.000 It's by God's design that his people would be gathered in his name. 00:34:09.000 --> 00:34:11.000 This is God's design. 00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:12.000 This is God's plan. 00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:16.000 So how are you playing your part? 00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:22.000 Paul ends this chapter with, and his prayer for the Ephesians, with this beautiful word, this beautiful benediction. 00:34:22.000 --> 00:34:24.000 And it's where I wanna end as well. 00:34:24.000 --> 00:34:28.000 I want to pray these words over our church here. 00:34:28.000 --> 00:34:31.000 So take a look at verse 20 of chapter three with me. 00:34:31.000 --> 00:34:45.000 And he says, now to him who was able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. 00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:46.000 Amen. 00:34:46.000 --> 00:34:48.000 Y'all, this is not a perfect church. 00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:56.000 And yet through his power in us, through his presence, we get to put his glory and his love on display. 00:34:56.000 --> 00:35:00.000 His power within us allows us to make his name great throughout all generations. 00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:03.000 This is not his plan for one generation. 00:35:03.000 --> 00:35:05.000 It's not his plan for some past generation. 00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:12.000 The church is God's plan for all generations to make his glory known throughout all the world. 00:35:12.000 --> 00:35:17.000 May his power work through us more abundantly than we could ever ask or think. 00:35:17.000 --> 00:35:20.000 I pray that that will be true here at Exodus. 00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:21.000 Would you pray with me? 00:35:21.000 --> 00:35:32.000 Father God, I thank you for passages like this that remind us of your love, that remind us of your goodness in providing a people, a church. 00:35:32.000 --> 00:35:50.000 God, I pray that you will make us a people that live up to these ideals, that you'll make us a people, though not perfect, a people that seek to put your love and glory on display, that seek to reach out to the outsider and bring those far off from you, close to you. 00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:54.000 God, I thank you for the access that we have in Christ to your throne. 00:35:55.000 --> 00:36:00.000 God, I thank you that as your people, we will get to do this forever. 00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:07.000 Forever, we will get to worship and praise you in this life and in the next. 00:36:07.000 --> 00:36:09.000 God, I'm so thankful to you. 00:36:09.000 --> 00:36:11.000 And I pray this in Jesus' name, amen.