Sermon by Pastor Dennis Gleason - August 24, 2003

In his book entitled: "Riches in Christ" Ray Stedman tells of an old Navajo Indian who had become rich because oil had been discovered on his property. He had taken all the money and put it in the bank. His banker was well acquainted with the old man and his habits. Every once in a while, the Indian would show up at the bank, and say to the banker, "Grass all gone, sheep all sick, water holes dry."

The banker wouldn’t say a word. He would simply take the old man inside the vault, and have him sit down. Then he would bring out several bags of silver dollars and say to the Indian, "These are yours." The old man would spend about an hour in the vault. He would take the silver dollars out, stack them up and count them. Then he would come out of the vault and say to the banker, "Grass all green, sheep all well, water holes all full." He was simply reviewing his resources.

Stedman goes on to say that this is where encouragement is found – when you look at the resources which are yours, the riches, the facts that under gird your faith. (P. 7-8).

Our text for today is found in Ephesians 1:1-2

Paul is writing this letter to the Christians at Ephesus in about 61AD. This was during his first imprisonment in Rome. He writes the letter to ordinary people in the various churches of Asia Minor.

There are copies of this letter that exist which are not addressed to the saints at Ephesus. It has been suggested that Paul sent this as a circular letter to the churches of Asia Minor. Paul mentions a letter from Laodicea in his epistle to the Colossians and there are those who believe that this is that letter. It was dictated to Tychicus and delivery by him for Paul who was in prison in Rome at the time.

The letter was passed on from church to church (essentially, the same churches as we find in the Book of Revelation). They were on the great circle route there in Asia Minor and the copy that became part of the canon of the New Testatment was the one that actually was addressed to Ephesus.

Over the next few weeks, we will begin consideration of this letter of Paul to the Christians of the province of Asia Minor. As we begin, we want to look at Paul and his audience. Who is this man and why is he writing as he does to these people.

 Paul’s Credentials:

His first credential: Paul claims to be an apostle.

An apostle was one sent with a message – a messenger. Paul makes it clear that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ. That was his glory. That was his message: Jesus Christ, the hope of glory, Jesus Christ God’s Son who died, was buried and was raised from the dead on the third day.

Acts 9 gives us the account of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. He will later be renamed Paul. What we know about Paul is essentially this: He was present at the stoning of Stephen. Those who stoned Stephen laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. Chapter 8:1 tells us that Saul was in hearty agreement with putting Stephen to death. In chapter 8:3, we learn the Saul began ravaging the church and dragging men and women off to prison because of their faith in Jesus the Nazarene.

Saul goes to the high priest and requests letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any there belonging to the Way, he could bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he traveled from Jerusalem to Damascus, he had an encounter with Jesus.

Acts 9:3 describes the encounter: "And it came about that as he journeyed, he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" And he said, "Who art Thou, Lord?" and He said, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting."

In chapter 9:20 we read that he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues (in Damascus) saying, "He is the Son of God."

Paul provides two statements in his own defense. One is in Acts 22 where he speaks to the Jews in Jerusalem and the second is in his letter to the Galatians. In Galatians 1:11-2:9 Paul tells us that the Lord Jesus appeared to him directly. He learned the gospel first hand as a direct revelation from Jesus Christ. No man taught him That is his authority. That becomes part of his credentials.

Paul then gives a summary of his life from the time when he was a destroyer of the church to his being set apart for the gospel.

Therefore, when you read the letter of the Ephesians or any of the other Pauline Epistles, you are reading the words of an authorized spokesman of Jesus Christ. He speaks with the authority of Jesus Christ and makes that quite clear in all his letters.

From time to time, we will hear some one say something to the effect of, "I don’t agree with Paul." That should make us tremble because what they are saying in reality is that they do not agree with Jesus Christ. Paul speaks as an apostle. An apostle is an authorized spokesman of Jesus Christ. What he says is what he has heard from Jesus Christ Himself.

He was called by the grace of God to be a spokesman of Jesus Christ.

He makes it clear in his letter to the Galatians that he was an apostle not sent from men, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father.

It is clear from his writings that he is amazed that one who had persecuted Christ and His Church should be forgiven and called to represent Jesus. He does not make a claim upon his upbringing and background as a Jew, or a Pharisee or even his training at the feet of the great Rabbi Gamaliel.

He simply says, "I am an apostle by the will of God. That is the ground upon which I write.

His audience

He writes to Christians.

He calls them saints…in this case, who are in Ephesus.

What do we think of when someone says the word saint?

We tend to think of people who are so unlike ordinary human beings, so unreal, so holier than thou, that we could never be like that!

But that is not what Paul has in mind when he calls the Christians in Ephesus saints.

No, they are people like us with all the same kinds of difficulties and problems that we face. In other words, they were normal people, but there is some thing remarkable about them: they are different.

The word saint comes from the word for "holy" in our New Testament.

Holy means distinct, different, whole, belonging to God and therefore living differently.

That is the mark of a saint. It isn’t that the saint does not have problems and difficulties in life. It is that he handles them differently. He approaches them in a different way and has a different lifestyle.

Paul identifies one of the characteristics of the saint in the first verse of his letter to the saints in Ephesus: "…saints who are at Ephesus, and who are faithful in Christ Jesus."

They are faithful people. They are people who come to Christ and can’t quit being a Christian. Paul will tell us later in his letter that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit and the result is that we can’t quit. That is one of the marks of a true believer in Jesus Christ.

Paul then blesses those who are to receive this letter: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

Two of the great heritages of the Christian are grace and peace.

Grace is all God’s power

Everything that Grace offers you…is available to you. Accept it, take advantage of it, and appropriate everything God offers you…Peace is freedom from

It is because Paul understands the riches of God’s grace shown to us that he is at peace…and with that peace comes freedom.

Allow God to give you that peace that passes all understanding and allow it to guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. It is available to you. Faithfulness to Jesus Christ and His Word will produce the peace you need…and the ability you need to rest and trust in Him.Paul, truly is the Apostle of Liberty

Paul’s introduction in his letter to the saints at Ephesus sets the stage for his consideration of our Heavenly Father who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…that belong to us…God intends to bless us! Let Him do it! Trust Him!

When the grass is all gone, the sheep are all sick and the water holes of your life are all dry…look at the resources God has placed at your disposal and the result will be God’s encouragement and peace to bless you.

Now that we have considered the credentials of Paul, the Apostle and his audience…Join us next week as we begin the process of considering those spiritual blessings.

…knowing that the Grace of God will make us at Peace with God. That fact will truly set us free in Christ to be all God wants us to be so that we can do those things God wants us to do in reaching our world for Christ. anxiety, fear and worry. Peace is that sense of security, of trust that we have because of Christ Jesus. Trust is not knowing what is going to happen or take place and being at peace about it., all His love, all His favor available to us that we don’t deserve. This term wraps up all God is and offers it to us. Grace is God at work in our lives.:

 -- Dennis Gleason