The average person consumes 4.7 hours of television a day. This doesn’t even account for social media use. The average Christian consumes less than an hour of Scripture study, biblical teaching and Christian community every day. The American vision of confidence is in shambles. The American dream that Hollywood force-feeds us every day is a sham. Where does your confidence come from?
Read Ephesians 3:1 – 13. In verse 13 Paul says “don’t lose heart when you see me suffering for you”. Paul definitely wasn’t competing with Hollywood prototypes but he still preached against a false vision of what it looks like to be a confident man or woman. He’s in a prison cell waiting for his trumped up death sentence and he knows that his listeners will be tempted and tried from every side to cave into the pressures of Satan, sin and the world. So where does Paul’s confidence come from?
1 :: Paul knew he was a steward of God’s grace (2)
The grace of God was not something Paul earned. The grace of God was something that was given to him. The grace of God was not something that Paul received only for himself. The grace of God was something that was both personal and communal. Paul experienced God’s grace at a personal level when he became a Christian but he knew that this experience wasn’t meant to be kept to himself. The grace of God was meant to be shared with others. God saved Paul by his grace for the sake of others. And this gave Paul great confidence in the midst of really extreme circumstances.
The only thing that can give us the confidence to become like Paul is the grace of God. The grace of God was not given to each of us so that we could hide out in our own little bubbles. The grace of God was not given to us merely to save us from the fires of hell. The grace of God was not given to us so that God could become our homeboy. The grace of God was given to each of us so that we could move from the camp of being enemies with God to becoming sons and daughters of God who live generously and sacrificially and unselfishly just like Jesus. Our confidence is rooted in understanding that we are stewards of the gift of God’s grace.
2 :: Paul knew he had been given a great revelation (3-5)
Paul’s confidence was rooted in his understanding of the great revelation he had received from God. God had revealed himself to Paul. And he had revealed his heart for others to come to know him through Paul’s revelation of the gospel. And part of this big revelation that Paul had received was the truth that the gospel is for anyone and everyone. This big revelation was especially meant for those whom society and religion had previously written off as helpless and hopeless. The revelation that Paul had been given informed him that he was included in the family of God with other once-upon-a-time enemies of God. His revelation of inclusion gave him confidence. God didn’t save Paul from himself through the revelation of the gospel to leave him alone with himself. He pursued Paul through the community of the church by the power of the Spirit so that he could be reminded and encouraged to live like Christ for the sake of the church and the glory of God. Our confidence is rooted in the revelation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Application Questions and Prayer…
- What caught your attention as you listened to this sermon and read this study guide?
- How are you experiencing the grace of God right now? How has the gospel of the cross of Christ affected you?
- How do you think this experience of God’s grace should change you? What will be different about you tomorrow because of your experience of God’s grace?
- Who do you know right now that needs to hear the same message you’ve heard? What are you going to do about it?
- Spend some time praying for each other.