Paul an Apostle: Part 1

Welcome to delight in grace the teaching ministry of Rich Pastor Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. What a Jew that we can open the Bible with eagerness and expectation, knowing that were not reading man's thoughts that God's own self-disclosure to us. God calls us not just to know the truth but to surrender ourselves to those truths. He does not call us only to a mental assent of Christ's work.

He calls us to dwell in Christ to abiding because that is the place in which we will prosper and grow. The gospel is transforming lives in no Paul is writing this treatise to the church at Ephesus encourages beyond to know what is the gospel of Christ to be grounded in it to be established in it to know who you are as followers of Jesus. In Christ we are redeemed loving and free today. Let's continue our study in Ephesians. Let's listen as Pastor Rich unpacks chapter 1 verses one into where in the book of Ephesians now and we studied a little bit of background to the city of Ephesus in the church at Ephesus last time so you would turn with me today to Ephesians chapter 1 were going to still be starting a little bit of background. Here Paul gives us a little bit of introduction in the first couple of verses and actually I need to conclude last Sunday's sermon so that a part of today's message is well there's a little bit of back story here is why Ernie read acts chapter 9 because the book of Ephesians begins. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. So acts chapter 9 is the back story to that statement right there.

That's exactly what happened in Paul's life. So let's look first of all with regard to the book of Ephesians.

Let's look at the writer.

You know we we have a tendency to open the Bible is the Scriptures is the word of God and yet it's a holy book but we need to recognize and understand. Remember that what we're looking at here is a letter this is a letter written by a man. This is a letter written from a person to specific readers.

There's a generality to what he has written and because he's expecting that it's going to be spread around and circulate around to numerous churches, but nevertheless it is a person writing a letter and as the church's witness.

They recognized the truth in it and it was recognized as authoritative by the church for the next several centuries, and that is why we are reading it today and we read it today as the authoritative word of God the Word of God is inspired is God breathed and is like the sales of the wind in the sales of the boat leaving the boat along. But you see in this human personality God speaks through human agency. So, let's remember that as we are looking at this text. Today it is indeed the inspired word of God for the people of God was a letter from a man to his readers a man who was an apostle of Jesus Christ, so the word apostle with the writer is an apostle, and that means a special messenger Apple Stalevo. It's what that means a special messenger who was specifically sent forth. You get that from at night right and we read some more about that in his letter to the church at Galatia we get some history behind their so he is an apostle. In acts nine.

His name was Saul Saul of Tarsus later on. His name was changed to Paul. He is one who is sent forth as a special messenger. Remember as a Lord to speak to Ananias.

He is a chosen vessel to represent my name and I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name.

Think about he is a chosen vessel to represent my name when you revisit that here in a moment, but he's an apostle. So who sent him forth who sent them out.

Who is he representing not his own ideas is an apostle of Jesus Christ is very important that he says that as he begins most of his letter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. In other words, there is a specific message and there is a specific mission that this apostle has. He's not out on his own agenda, just as Jesus came he did not come with his own agenda.

He came to do the father's work. So, as Paul is sent out. Remember when Jesus appeared to the apostles in the upper room. The disciples in the upper Paul wasn't there. Then obviously what he says as the father has sent me, so do I send you. And here is one Paul is Jesus appeared to him. He is now sent out as a chosen vessel to represent his name so he has a specific message with a very specific mission. But the fact that he is specifically sent out by Jesus Christ means that what he says and what he writes carries with it a particular authority, which is why we are reading it today is an authoritative word because it is indeed the word of God.

Paul speaks Paul writes as an ambassador. He is a representative of Jesus Christ, and he speaks with the authority that Christ gave him as an apostle. So he is an apostle of Jesus Christ, let's remember that now as we go through this text that we are reading words that carry authority. What is that mean, these words are to be brought to bear upon our lives. We are called to surrender ourselves to the truth in this letter because it was written by Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ. Now some would say, and some didn't accuse him of just this run-of-the-mill standard itinerant preacher that was so common in the day and there were many of them and they would go around from town to town preaching messages, teaching things, but they would do it for a cost they would do it for a price. Remember last time we study that Paul went to Corinth and he met Achille and Priscilla and they manufactured tents to sell. So Paul worked with them. That was his livelihood. He did not charge his hearers a fee for his preaching. He didn't free of charge because he did not want anybody to think he was just another run-of-the-mill itinerant preacher. He is Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God by the will of God. What is that mean that one phrase by the will of God. It means this this role as an apostle and his place in this role did not originate with him. This wasn't his idea to be an apostle to spread the gospel of grace in Jesus Christ.

This was not his idea. It did not originate with him. That's why we read acts nine this morning. What did Saul begin to do. He was a zealous Pharisee of the religious order of the Pharisees, very scholarly in the Scriptures, very zealous for Judaism for the Old Testament Scriptures, and he saw the way of Jesus Christ. He saw it as a threat to the worship of Jehovah and so he set out with great zeal to arrest Christians that is set in acts nine men and women to arrest them and bring them back to Jerusalem and his reputation was spreading. He was an opponent of Jesus Christ. He wasn't looking for him. He was an opponent of his that we have to remember that and that's why we read in acts chapter 9, it becomes very clear that this role now that Paul has of communicating the gospel of grace is a rule by divine appointment carries with it the authority of God's word. So who are the readers men who are the ones to whom Paul sends this letter and he sends it at the hand of tyke a kiss, take a guess, was a native of Ephesus, and he was taking with him on S&S. The runaway slave taken him back to Philemon and is writing a letter to Philemon Philemon on S&S is now your brother in Christ except him as a brother and so undermining of the whole institution of slavery as an when this is this is what Paul is doing that the gospel is transforming lives and now Paul is writing this treatise to the church at Ephesus and churches beyond to know what is the gospel of Christ to be founded in it to be established in it to know who you are as followers of Jesus. This is who you are. This is what God has done. This is what it means to be Christian. So who are the readers what is the column to the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus.

Oh, so Paul was writing to the upper tier of the spiritual people at the church at Ephesus. No, he was writing to the church, saints, saints means holy ones.

Santo is a Spanish word for holy saints means holy ones, holy ones, in the sense of being dedicated as being set apart to use the illustration before of my wife being a seamstress and she has the special scissors and there on her desk where her sewing machine is and she looked at me and she says rich you see those scissors you don't touch him.

I you scissors for everything from cutting wire cutting paper, cardboard, bacon is rich you don't touch those scissors. They are meant for cloth and cloth only those scissors are dedicated they are holy. In that sense, they are set apart for a specific usage so I stay away from unless I have a threat. I need to cut off my shirt or something like that.

The only time I use him in the classic Greek usage of this word. It meant something that is non-secular, something that is devoted to spiritual activity nonsecular in all religions. You have your holy men right with Paul is writing to the church at Ephesus and he calls all of them saints, you are holy you are nonsecular individuals stop and think about that for a minute your nonsecular you are a spiritual being and you are a spiritual being who is set apart devoted to God's service is true for all Christians. He's not writing to pastors and missionaries here. Okay he's writing to all Christians think about that for him because he says to the saints who are faithful in Christ Jesus. What is he mean by that faithful in Christ Jesus ones who have Jesus Christ as the object of their faith and grace the ministry of rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem to discover how to live by grace. Tune in on weekdays at 10 AM