Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• v13 would not be preached with the [so-called] 'wealth, health and prosperity' gospel
• Paul is in prison, unable to preach the freely gospel
• Paul call's his problems not embarrassing but "glory"
• v21 - Paul glorifies God
• The church is glorified by the uniting of Gentile and Jew
• How does this make sense with Paul in chains (v1)
• The Church is not just to affirm our faith, to share the gospel, to deal with pastoral issues
• v10-11: to display the wisdom of God
• How would we choose to display wisdom?
• Would we choose us?
• God has chosen to display His wisdom in us - to the principalities and powers
• The principalities and powers - chapter 1, 6
• The church is to manifest the wisdom of God
• Example of Job

The church displays God's wisdom by the nations being saved (v2-5)

• Example of film/book
• Once a mystery is revealed - the whole story is understood
• The Old Testament is like this because there is a mystery that is revealed
• This mystery: v6 - "that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body and partakers of the His promise in Christ through the gospel"
• No longer a mystery but would have been mind-blowing at the time
• Gentiles were considered almost as enemies
• In the Old Testament it might have seem that the devil was winning
• Examples
• Then Pentecost happened
• People take the gospel to their communities and start preaching to Gentiles
• God is glorified as the Gentiles are saved
• If you want to glorify God: pray for world mission, share the gospel, get involved with sharing literature, etc

The church displays God's wisdom as people are transformed

• Example of Saul of Tarsus (inc Acts 26:9-11)
  
• v7 - Paul became a minister [and an apostle] of Jesus Christ
• What a transformation of Paul - hard to imagine a more stark transformation
• We too were dead in our trespasses and sins - an enemy of God
• Jesus' is defeating the evil one and our salvation shows His victory
• He is displaying His wisdom in us
• Personal example
• God shows His wisdom as He saves us and builds His kingdom, transforming us into the likeliness of Jesus
• Paul has been transformed - and is now in prison for preaching to the Gentiles
• This brings glory to God
• People can only be transformed through God
• We are transformed into bold worshipers (v12-13)
• We are called to come and worship

How can we be transformed?

Recognise Your Father

• v14 - Paul bows his knee to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ [God]
• God is our Father
• Whatever our childhood, we have a heavenly Father

A Prayer Request

• Pray for us to be transformed (v16-17a)
• Example of rundown house
  
• Paul is asking for power through the Holy Spirit to be transformed, to strength us, to live in our hearts more and more
• Pray to grasp the power of God's love (v17b-19)
• Starts with God's love
• Meditate upon it and glory in it
• The width of God's love - explanation
• The length of God's love - explanation
• The depth of God's love - explanation and example
  
• The height of God's love - explanation

Closing Remarks

• v20 - The gospel will go on forever
• God has called us to glorify Him in the heavenly realms
• Let us display God's glory in the heavenly realms