Please turn with me to Ephesians 3 - starting at verse 1.  Think with me about times in our lives when we lose heart.  When we’d like to just throw in the towel and give up.

This is discouraging.  “Hi, I’m Bill Gates - I decided I wasn’t rich enough.  I also determined that the only real competition was the government.  That’s why I bought the IRS last week… Windows IRS - It’s intrusive.  It’s unavoidable.  It’s gonna make me Mega-Mega-Wealthy... What’s really great is that you have to buy Windows IRS to file your taxes!”

This could be discouraging.  Coming home to this.

On August 24, 2001 - 293 passengers boarded an Air Transat Airbus 330 - one of these - for a flight from Toronto, Canada to Lisbon, Portugal.  About mid-way over the Atlantic Ocean - more than 1,000 miles from the coast of Portugal - Captain Robert Piche/ and his crew noticed a fuel leak. 

23 minutes later - fuel almost exhausted - Captain Piche issued a mayday emergency distress signal.  40 minutes later the right engine lost power and went dead.  2 minutes later the left engine - the last of the two engines - lost power and died.  Still hundreds of miles from Portugal the airplane was without power and helpless.

As the plane dropped through the sky - depressurized and jerking around - passengers panicked and screamed - the flight crew became hysterical.  Captain Piche/ - with only minimum power - a control stick - and an emergency propeller - for 18 minutes wrestled with the jetliner guiding it to Lajes Airport on Terciera Island in the Azores.   When the plane landed it hit with such force that the tires exploded - bursting into flames.   One of the passengers said, “It was a miracle we survived.” (1)

Do you ever feel like that?  Not that we’re 30,000 feet in the air and falling.  But, like things are out of control and very wrong.  Like being in an airplane fuselage - the tightness of a cylinder that we can’t escape from - helpless in the circumstances around us - being carried along to a destination we don’t want to go to.

Charles Spurgeon - wrote this - see if you can relate:  “Fits of depression come over most of us.  Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down.  The strong are not always vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always courageous, and the joyous not always happy.  There may be here and there men of iron...but surely the rust frets even these.” (2)

As we’ve been looking at Ephesians - we’ve seen that we live in what kind of world?  Humpty Dumpty.   We know this.   The world we live in is fallen - cracked - whatever all the kings horses and all the kings men have tried to do - there is no way Humpty is getting put back together again.  There are times - in Humpty Dumptyland - that it is very easy for us to lose heart.  Yes?  To really get discouraged.

Ephesians 3 - starting at verse 1 - 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; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.

Verses 1 to 3 are Paul’s description of his circumstances.  Let’s say this together, “Paul’s circumstances.”  Circumstances that would make most of us lose heart.

First - in verse 1 - Paul describes himself as a prisoner.

At the end of Paul’s third missionary journey - Paul returns to Jerusalem with an offering for the believers in Jerusalem.  He’s in a hurry - rushing to arrive in Jerusalem by the day of Pentecost - to celebrate and to get the offering to the believers - who are in great need.  In the towns he visits he spends very little time with the believers there.  Other towns - like Ephesus - he bypasses completely.  He’s rushing to Jerusalem.

Along the way a prophet named Agabus prophecies that when Paul reaches Jerusalem he’s going to be imprisoned.  So as Paul travels to Jerusalem believers pray and weep for Paul.  They know - this side of heaven - they’re probably not going to see him again.   In Acts 20, Paul says, “I don’t know what will happen to me in Jerusalem, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.” (Acts 20:22,23)

When Paul gets to Jerusalem.  There’s a riot.  Accusations are made against Paul.  Paul’s arrested - put on trial - not for any crime - but ultimately because of his testimony of the Gospel - because he’s being faithful to Jesus Christ - sharing the Gospel with the Gentiles.  So Paul is arrested.  Then Paul - as a Roman - appeals to Caesar for justice.  Ultimately he sent to Rome.

Think with me about where Paul is at in all this.  He’s given up a promising career - great recognition - standing in the community.  For 16 plus years - ever since the Damascus road encounter with Jesus - for 16 plus years Paul has been obedient to God - faithfully traveling around the Empire - at great hardship - traveling the Empire sharing the gospel with Gentiles and Jews.  

He’s in Jerusalem with an offering for the starving Christians there.  This is a mercenary mission.  At great cost to himself - he’s rushed to Jerusalem for Pentecost - to worship God - to celebrate the birth of the Church and to help the believers there.  He’s done everything God has asked of him regardless of the personal cost.  Certainly God would be pleased with all that.

Then everything just blows up in his face.  He finds himself in the middle of a riot - ends up in prison.  He’s bounced around in the legal system.  Then he’s sent off to Rome.  Finally - one shipwreck - a venomous snake bite - and months of hardship later - Paul is under guard in Rome - a prisoner of the Roman Empire.

The kind of circumstances that would cause most of us to lose heart.  To get a tad discouraged.  “Here I am doing all the right stuff - whatever God’s asked of me - and this is what happens.”  Circumstances that - as the Ephesian Christians heard about what had happened - Paul was concerned that they would lose heart.  That they’d become discouraged in their faith.  “If that can happen to Paul what about us?  Maybe this faith in Jesus thing isn’t such a great deal.”

Its so easy for us to fall into the trap of expecting God to be like Santa Claus.  He knows who’s been naughty or nice.  If we’re good God gives us good stuff - blessing our lives with good health and happiness.  Especially in this country with all that we have.  We come to expect that all this is for us and we deserve it.  This is the way its suppose to be.  Christians are God’s people.  As long as things are going right we think that we’re doing what God wants and God is blessing us.

When God allows adversity we struggle.  We’re tempted to feel like maybe we’ve failed spiritually.  Maybe we’ve done something wrong.  We’re out of God’s favor - out of His will.  In adversity God is against us.  We start to question God.  God is unjust.  We start to loose faith - to get discouraged - to lose heart.

First - Paul describes himself as a prisoner.   Second - in verse 2 - Paul describes himself as a steward of God’s grace.

Usually when we think about stewardship we think about what?  Money.    Tithing.  Time, talent, treasure.  To steward comes from a Greek word that’s two words put together - house and manage.  Managing someone else’s household.

Think Alfred - Bruce Wayne’s butler.  Manages the affairs - the household.  The day-to-day operations of the estate are totally and confidently in Alfred’s hands.

Paul is given stewardship of - what Paul refers to in verse 3 - as a mystery which God has revealed to him.

In Scripture - a mystery is something that only God knows and only God understands.  We can take all the theology classes - earn umpteen degrees - philosophize and analyze and look crosswise - and yet we’ll never figure out what God knows unless God reveals to us what He knows.

Any of you read Charles Dickens?  Dickens is great for having all these plots and sub plots and personalities all moving seemingly random - but somehow related - and at the end of the book it all comes together in one “ah ha!” moment.  It all seems so clear.  Makes perfect sense.

As history unfolds God reveals more of what He’s doing in history.  What was a mystery to us becomes clearer.  We begin to understand more of God’s purposes for history - His plot - and how we fit within God’s plot for history - God drawing us into relationship with Him.  God using us to share His gospel with others.

What God has revealed to Paul is something that we’re going to come to in a bit - down at verse 6 - which is the salvation of the Gentiles.  But also - how Paul fits within God’s plot - God’s plan of reaching the Gentiles with the Gospel. 

If we see stewardship as only time - talent - treasure - we’re missing the core of what stewardship is.  Stewardship - is what God called Paul to - what God calls every believer to - that is - that stewardship is Paul’s life - everything that he is and has - Paul - trusting God regardless of the circumstances - Paul given over 100% to live out whatever God has called him to do.

Even falsely accused - shipwrecked - in prison - Paul is still a steward according to God’s great purposes for Paul - this declaration of God’s grace - the gospel of Jesus Christ.  In fact, a stewardship that may have been even more effective because Paul is a prisoner.  We know from history that because of Paul’s imprisonment many of the guards and some in Caesar's own household came to believe in Jesus.

If we start losing heart - when we get discouraged because were focused on circumstances that can be very discouraging - like Paul we need to hang on to God’s purpose for our lives - what God is doing in us and through us.  That purpose never changes.

Coming to verse 4 - verses 4 to 7 are Paul’s Opportunity.  Let’s try that together.  “Paul’s opportunity.”

Verse 4:  By referring to this - this, meaning what Paul has been writing about in himself and the mystery of God - by referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ - you all will understand what I understand about the this mystery - which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific - here is the exact explanation of what the mystery is - verse 6 - to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.

First - we need to understand what Paul means by the mystery of Christ.

God revealed - way back as far as Abraham - that the Gentiles were going to be blessed through God’s people - the Jews.  All the nations of the earth being blessed because of Abraham’s descendants.

Men like Abraham and Moses and David and Isaiah and Jeremiah and Daniel and others - they understood so much about God - and God’s work in history.  God gave them great insight into what was coming - even events that are still coming in the future even for us today.  Events that are a mystery to us.  But all these Old Testament giants - generations past - didn’t understand the specifics of verse 6 - specifically “how” all the nations of the world would be blessed through Abraham’s descendants.

Not until Jesus - teaching in parables about the kingdom of God - not until Jesus Himself brings God’s kingdom to the Gentiles - not until Jesus’ death and resurrection - not until Pentecost - not until Philip and the Ethiopian official - not until Jesus sends Ananias to Paul - saying, “Go, for he - Paul - is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles…” (Acts 9:15)  Not until we get to the New Testament do we begin to understand just how great this mystery really is.

The Gentiles - that’s us - the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise of Christ Jesus through the gospel.  Speaking as  Gentile.  This is really awesome.

Last Sunday we saw that Jesus - in His work on the cross - had broken down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile. Remember that wall in the Temple?  God creates a new community.  Takes Jews and Gentiles and puts them together - creates something totally radically different - a new international community of Jews and Gentiles - organically the Body of Christ - spiritually without distinction - the Church.

What that means - this is awesome - what that means is that we - the Gentiles - share the promises made to Israel.  We’re not a parenthetical afterthought - a footnote on the text of history - something less than what God has for His people - runner’s up in a spiritual contest.  We are God’s people - with all the rights and privileges and promises and hope and purpose and inheritance and relationship and future that that oneness of God and His people has meant from Adam until today and forever into the future.  In Jesus all that is ours.

What was a mystery to the Old Testament saints is made real - revealed - in us.  That’s awesome.  Isn’t it?

Second - we need to understand what Paul when he writes that he’s a minister of this mystery.

The word for minister in Greek is “deaconos” - which is where we get the English word what?  Deacon.  A servant.  Someone who serves at the will of another.  In the Old Testament the word has the idea of a chief steward of a home.  Stewardship.  Paul - the Jewish Pharisee - serving the Gentiles - according to the will of God. 

Paul writes - verse 7 - Paul writes that to be a minister - a steward of the mystery - is a gift of God’s grace.  God has been gracious to Paul - choosing him - empowering him.  Paul - even in chains in Rome - Paul understands that those chains are a gracious gift - a great privilege.  He’s the executor of a great estate - an amazing truth - a mystery revealed .  God has given him a tremendous opportunity - a great role to live out - to minister - to serve - to care for the other inheritors of the estate - that we would fully receive all that is promised to us.

How incredible it is - in this Humpty Dumpty world - where so many people live in the shadow of hell - wounded - broken - hopeless - searching - empty - without purpose and meaning their lives.  Where marriages and families and communities are coming apart.  Where there is such lostness.  How incredible to be able to steward the mystery of God - to share such an incredible truth as life in Jesus Christ - the promises of God made available for each one of us.

When we find ourselves getting discouraged - losing heart - we need to see that we are a part of something so much greater - so much more awesome - that ourselves or our circumstances.  What a privilege is stewardship.  What a great opportunity to be used by God - to make a huge difference in the lives of those around us.

Coming to verse 8.  Verses 8 to 10 are Paul’s Life.  Let’s say that together.  “Paul’s life.”

Verse 8:  To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable - endless - 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.

Do you know “This Little Light of Mine”?

This little Light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.
This little Light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel, NO!
I’m gonna let it shine
Hide it under a bushel, NO!
I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

That’s Paul’s life.

Isaiah wrote “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.  For a child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”  (Isaiah 9:2,6)

Paul preached the unfathomable - the unending - riches of Christ - the Child born to us - a Son given to us.  Who’s supply of our needs goes on without end. 

Paul brought to light the mystery of what God was doing.  Where people had never heard the gospel - Paul went and explained about Jesus and what it meant to know Him as the Savior - the Wonderful Counselor - the Mighty God - the Eternal Father - the Prince of Peace we all long for.

What was it Jesus said?  “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”  (Matthew 5:16)

In the darkness of this world Paul explained to people what God offers us in Jesus.  Ever where Paul preached and explained about Jesus lives were changed - people were healed - families were restored - people were set free.  Hope - joy - peace - love came into people’s lives.  Congregations of liberated healed people were formed.  The unsearchable riches of Christ - the mystery of the gospel - made real in people’s lives.

There’s another dimension to Paul’s life that we need to grab on to.  In verse 10 - Paul - by the way he lived his life - Paul made known the manifold wisdom of God to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

Imagine a theater - the audience - row after row of angels watching what’s unfolding on the stage - the drama of the church unfolding in history.  As God’s grace and mercy and love is lived out in our lives - angels - watching what we do learn about God and His plans.  Demons shudder and revile - angels rejoice and praise God.

Hold onto that when you’re feeling discouraged.  What we do has an effect on what happens in the spiritual realm and in ways we can’t even begin to imagine.     

We may not see it in our circumstances but its happening.  God is at work involving us in His great purposes - at work in us and through us reaching others with the gospel - changing lives for today and forever - lavishing His love - acting with grace and mercy - bringing glory to Himself such that Heaven takes notice - sits up and cheers.

Then - verses 11 to 13 are Paul’s Encouragement.  Let’s say that together, “Paul’s encouragement.”

Verse 11:  This was - what was?

Jews and Gentiles coming to God through Christ.  Oh my!  The awesomeness of the gospel Paul stewards regardless of his circumstances.

This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.  

From the perspective of how we get tempted to look at things - the Ephesians are looking at Paul in prison - seeing him in serious trouble - his life dangling at the whim of Caesar.

Paul is encouraging them - and us - that all this - God’s gospel - is unfolding according to God’s eternal purposes.  Same God who gives us bold and confident access to Him - Who has called us into an intimate and tight relationship with Him.  That intimacy - God’s purposes - none of that changes because of circumstances.

Verse 13:  Therefore - because God’s got it under control and He’s got us in His hands with great purposes for our lives - therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.

Life isn’t about us.  Its about Who?  God.  Paul hasn’t lost heart because he knows that his circumstances are according to God’s plan - even his imprisonment benefits the Ephesians - testifies to them of who God is.

Three brief thoughts of application…  what strengthens our hearts.

First:  Perspective.  If we’re focused on what benefits us - on how everything effects us - if our lives are all about us - centered around our understanding of life - we’re always going to be losing heart.  When we begin to understand life from God’s perspective - when our understanding of life is aligned with God’s perspective of what life is really about - we gain strength in our hearts.

Second:  Value.  There are times when I have to put down the newspaper - get away from the internet - stop listening to Hannity and Rush.  Floods and famines and war and fires and which way the stock market is going and what’s coming out of Washington.  Getting caught up in all that its easy to lose heart.

We need to understand this.  The world values what’s dying.  But God values life - your life - my life - the lives of those around us - values our living eternally with Him.  When we value what God values - living with the urgency of sharing Jesus - sharing the awesomeness of the gospel - valuing what God values we gain strength in our hearts.

Third:  Motive.  Life isn’t about us.  Its about Who?  God.  God and His purposes.  If our motive is to please God and not man - if our motive is live for God - to bring glory to Him - regardless of the circumstances - we will gain strength in our hearts - and God will be glorified.

____________________________
1. SF Chronicle, 8/25/01 & 8/29/01
2. Quoted by Charles Swindoll, Swindoll’s Ultimate Book of Illustrations & Quotes - Depression

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible®, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission.