Ephesians 1.15-end SERMON
Paul’s Prayer
15 I have heard of your faith
in the Lord Jesus and your love towards
all the saints, and for this reason 16I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you
in my prayers. 17I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come
to know him, 18so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened,
you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the
riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19and what is
the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to
the working of his great power. 20God put this power to work in Christ when he raised
him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly
places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,
and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to
come. 22And he has put all things under his feet and has made him
the head over all things for the church, 23which is his
body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
My text this morning is written in Ephesians 1:15-16:
15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus
and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason 16I do not cease to give
thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.
In this passage we see the essence of the characteristic of the Church: loyalty to Christ and love to others. These two are
inextricable linked together because true loyalty to Christ will always, if it is authentic, lead to
love for others (verse 15).
There can be a loyalty to Christ that does not issue in love for others. Some monastic orders shut themselves
off from the world, and I have to confess that this makes little sense to me,
unless its purpose is to be of service to others. If not, it strikes me almost
as a form of selfishness because the individual concerned might feel closer to
God and have a sense of peace and tranquillity, but this is of little worth
unless it also leads to love for others. At the same time, I have enormous
respect for those monks and nuns who live this way so that they might be of
more use in caring for the needs of others. The Jesuits, Fransiscans and Mother
Teresa’s Sisters of Charity are
notable and wonderful examples as was the case of the Community of the
Resurrection in South Africa with their school, colleges and hostels and a
notable example being Trevor Huddleston. This was true of early Methodism as
well: when people came to Christ and became part of the Church, the society
they lived in was transformed. Loyalty to Christ must issue in love for others or it is meaningless.
Indeed, whatever we do, unless it results in love for others, is
worthless. The Spanish Inquisition and the Pharisees are examples of those who were
guilty of trying to be so right that this led them to do the most hurtful
things to others. I believe Paul here gives us a practical yardstick with which
we can measure if something is truly right; anything that does not issue in
greater love for others should make us seriously question what we do, because it
is only in our loving of others that we show our love for Christ.
In our Gospel reading we are told of the very practical way this love
ought to be demonstrated: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty,
clothing the cold, visiting those in prison. Jesus, in this parable identifies
with each person in need, because on the cross he took their place. We meet
with Jesus when wee minister to those kin need – indeed that person becomes the
presence of Christ for us. De Dietrich, in her commentary on the Parable of the
Sheep and the Goats explains what Jesus is implying here: “How many times will
we have passed by Jesus without recognising him.” She continues:
He comes to us under the figure of the stranger,
the refugee, the person of another race, or the sorry bore. And we turn away, or
treat such persons with humiliating conceit. Ione day he will say to us: “That
was I.” Could he then not say to us: “You pretended to know me, but I did not
know you!”
I am glad to hear that in some cities there has been a revival in attendance
at Cathedral worship. I love Cathedral worship with all its pomp and beauty;
but there is a real danger that this can cover all sorts of dreadful things. We
have all heard of times when Cathedrals have been in the press because of
conflict, strife and general inappropriate behaviour. Sadly, I have also
experienced this first hand, and in fact, it is a major reason why today I am
ordained as a Methodist and not an Anglican! Gladly, most Cathedrals are
beacons of love and hope in Christ in the heart of our cities. Beauty only
really becomes beautiful when it is an ingredient in showing love for others.
This refers to some theological debates as well. The ‘truth’ will become
evident when the theology issues in greater love for others. All too often, in
debates and discussions, Barclay accurately states that ‘... we have just
enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.’
Paul then prays for a Church that he loves and that is doing
well. He prays that they may have wisdom using the word Sophia (which refers to the deep things of God) and so asks that
the Church might be taken deeper into the knowledge of the eternal truths. This
reminds us of an important dimension of our life and ministry. It is necessary
that we are a people of depth – that the Church be a thinking people. We must
beware of dumbing things down; but rather, always strive ourselves to go deeper
and deeper into the depths of truth which issues in love. At the same time,
this is worthless unless we make it a personal discovery as well. Socrates
said: ‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’ Barclay suggests that an
unexamined religion is not worth having and adds: ‘It is an obligation for a
thinking man to think his way to God.’ Lionel Swain adds that knowledge here
also means something else; it is knowledge in the sense of ‘intimate
experience’. Thompson adds that here, Paul is praying for ‘... a deeper
understanding of the ...Gospel and its implications, so that one can move
closer into line with God’s mind and attitude.’
The ministry of the Church must be a teaching ministry. The
exposition of scripture from the pulpit is a vital element, because we know
that the scriptures are God’s primary way of communicating with his people of
every age and generation. The paradigm was set on the road to Emmaus when Jesus
expounded the Word to the disciples and they felt their hearts warmed within
them – as was the case of John Wesley on that important evening in Aldersgate
Street in 1738. As we listen to the scriptures read and the preacher’s
exposition, we should not only be interested in what the preacher thinks but
more importantly we should also asking: “What is God is saying to us as a
Church; and what is God saying to me as an individual within the Church?” We
come seeking knowledge that touches us and moves us, challenges us and blesses
us – we come – as verse 18 explains: to have the eyes of our hearts
enlightened.
But as our Lord reminds us in the Parable of the Sheep and
Goats, unless this enlightenment leads to love, as de Dietrich explains, we may
have the most orthodox of beliefs, but we remain in death.
We are therefore in this passage, challenged to get things
into proportion. So much time is spent in the church discussing mundane matters
and these often result in conflict. How much time do we, as a Church, spend
discussing the ‘... eternal verities of God?’ How many hours do churches spend
discussing ‘problems’ for every one that is spent discussing the depths of
theology? Paul here is praying for the people to be led into a deeper wisdom of
the eternal things of God and this prayer will never be answered unless we give
up time to listen to what God is saying to us; time prayerfully discussing what
this means and then acting on what we feel God is calling us to do.
Paul then prays for a greater realisation of Christian hope.
We live in days of despair. The economy is terrible and the myth that money is
the root of all happiness and security has been destroyed. But many in our
society have nothing to replace it with. We need to offer the world an
alternative – the alternative – the
universal and eternal way. The insight we can offer the world is that even in
the midst of suffering and uncertainty, there is always hope and this hope is sure. We know that God’s cause and ways will
win the day eventually, for this has been the testimony of history – for even
if we do not get to experience it in this life, there is nothing – not even
death – that can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our
Lord (as Paul stresses in Romans 8).
Paul continues in his prayer for a new realisation of the power of God. For Paul, the proof of the
power of God was in the Resurrection of Christ. Sin had done everything in its
power to destroy Christ; people had done everything to get rid of Christ; but
God raised him from the dead. The Resurrection proved that his power is greater
than any human agency and that no human can thwart the power of God. Even
though we can’t fully understand it all the time – God is ultimately in
control. The last verses also make clear that all in the heavenly realm are
also under God’s ultimate control. But even more importantly, this same power
is available to us, to help, to strengthen and encourage those who are
committed to being faithful to God’s call. Our assurance is not based on mere
wishful thinking, but on a fact of history: God did raise Jesus from the dead. Think of Jesus and the disciples at
the time of his death. Everything seemed hopeless, crushed, ended – but God
raised Jesus and he appeared to his disciples and the ministry continued and
still does. As we gather together as a community of faith, Jesus continues to
meet with us, especially in the breaking of the bread, nourishes our
relationship with him, and encourages us to go out into our world giving
expression to his love for others. This is the focus of the Gospel reading
appointed for today where Jesus tells the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats.
The last verse is of great significance for us – because it refers to
the Church in every age as the body of
Christ.
Despite reforms and improvements over the years, the 20th
century was a human catastrophe and disunity still remains throughout the world
between different races, languages and religions, sadly even within
Protestantism. Jesus died to bring unity – but we still seem far from it. This
ideal of unity is expressed in the next chapter where Paul speaks of Christ
breaking down the wall that separates. As Barclay puts it: ‘Jesus Christ was
above all things God’s instrument for reconciliation.’ He uses the analogy of a
doctor finding a cure for a deadly disease: unless that cure is taken to the
different parts of the world where the disease is prevalent, sufferers will not
be cured! Doctors must get to know about it and must be trained as to how to
use it. The cure is there – but it needs
a corps of people to take the message and the technique throughout the world.
The same is true of the Gospel – it is there – but unless it is taken into the
world, it remains ineffective. It is only in Christ that all can come together;
it is only in Christ that there can be unity and peace and flourishing – and
the Church is the agent that is given the task of taking this good news to all
people. The church ought to be the corps of Christ but so often it has become a
corpse!
Christ is the head – the Church is the body – and the wonders of
salvation cannot become real in the world unless the Church takes it to the
peoples of the world. Barclay explains: ‘... God’s plan for the world is in the
hands of the Church ...’ It is God’s plan that the warring elements of the
world be brought together in peace; and to make this possible he sent Jesus and
the Holy Spirit, but this message and this power must be taken out to all
people. The Church is the body, with Christ as the head, and so it is in the
hands of the Church to bring all this to fulfilment.
The Church – we – are called to be a living organism with the ascended
Christ as the head, called to do his work in the world ‘... as once his own
body and flesh and blood had done it.’ This
is the essential nature of the Church, as A M Hunter explains: the Church is‘...
an organism truly responsive to the impulses of the mind and heart of Christ,
an organ sacrificially expendable in the carrying out of his great and gracious
purposes ...’
I know that this circuit is committed to being faithful to this calling
and so, as Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus:
15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus
and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason 16I do not cease to give
thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.
Amen.