You Are Saints

This picture provides a snapshot back into where I found my identity back in my 20’s

[Insert picture of Rod at Periscope]

I know I have talked about the Navy in the past, but let me let you behind the curtain for these early years…

There had never really been any question in my own mind if I would be accepted into the Submarine program…after all, they were the one chasing after me and all of that was decided right about the time I met Kathy and well before we were engaged to be married.

While I was in the training pipeline, they asked me to stay an extra year as an instructor – in my mind – they got it about right. They only picked one, and it was me.

My early tours on Pennsylvania and Los Angeles, awards recognizing my contribution to every major event.

The picture you are looking at is actually a South Korean submarine…because when they needed training before they would come to Hawaii, they called my boss, and he took me with on the trip with VIP treatment.

I was a pretty big deal…I was the obvious choice to be put right out front, the face of the submarine force…or at least, that was the way that I saw things.

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About this time, I began to see some of the truth around me…I might have looked like the hot shot at work, but I was leaving all the heavy lifting at home to Kathy while I was golfing or travelling for the Navy…

Only now can I truly say, Thank You Lord for opening my eyes…these were the years that the Lord grabbed Kathy’s heart first and then mine. I would be happy to share the rest of my testimony of Christ’s work with you another time, but for this morning, this is the time that Christ began to show me that my identity was not all I thought it was…

About two years later, the Navy selection board was meeting to decide who would go on to be Commanding Officers…Now if you know the end of my story, you might think this was just another step like the ones before…Wouldn’t Rod be the first selected like every time before?

The short answer is No. You see, all those earlier times, I was simply the lucky guy who happened to be in the right place, and the earlier promotions, just meant I had not failed…Now for the first time, the selection boards had to choose the best qualified…and guess what…I was below the cut line…I was not going to be a Submarine CO.

Well, again, Praise the Lord, because if He had not captured my heart, made me a new creation, and given me a new identity…I would have been crushed, because I needed the submarine force to affirm my identity…

I know that my story is unique to me, but it is not unique in this world…

Our identity, our sense of who we are in this world is cultivated over time…as we seek significance…as we try to prove that we are somebody…

We all do it…

But what happens when that sense of self, I am a somebody, runs into a bigger somebody…smarter, stronger, more successful…

Even some of the biggest personas of our time…

Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in any sport, 28 medals, dealing with these same questions asked - “Who was I outside the swimming pool?”

Or Robin Williams…I’ll admit, my sides split laughing at some of his work…who could forget Mrs. Doubtfire…but after his suicide, his wife revealed that Robin was a stimulus junkie and often viewed himself only as good as his last comedic performance.

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From the day we are born, we are trying to prove ourselves…We think of it like climbing a mountain, but it is more like George Jetson on the treadmill…

Each time we achieve something, the treadmill speed picks up and it is harder and harder to keep up…at any moment,

[Insert Jetson 2 pic]

Our identity becomes a crisis, and we feel like we are being thrown off the treadmill over and over again.

But what if our identity, did not depend on us?

How quiet and restful would it be if we did not feel like we

• - Needed to achieve the next milestone.

• - Outdo our last performance.

• - Set new world records.

• - If we didn’t find envy and jealousy in our hearts when we run into that person show is just better than you and what you are trying to do…

Can we find hope that we could actually get off of this crazy thing?

To find that hope – turn with me to two places…Acts 19 on page 108 in the back of the bibles, and then also mark Ephesians 1, on page 150.

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Today we are launching our new series called “Building on our Heritage.”

As Pastor Viars mentioned last week, we have chosen this because of our 60^th anniversary for Faith church.

Throughout this year, we will primarily be walking through the book of Ephesians verse by verse, sometimes even slowing down to focus on a single word and concept.

We have chosen this series because the book's theme is primarily all about one thing – the church.

John MacArthur says,

Ephesians focuses on the basic doctrine of the church—what it is and how believers function within it. —John F. MacArthur Jr., Ephesians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986), viii.

So, our heritage, our identity, and building upon that must all be focused on God’s plan for the church.

Before we dig into our verses today, because we are just starting the book, I want to start with a bit deeper dive into why this church, why this city was a big deal that God would build His church in Ephesus.

To give credit where credit is due, this is one of the reasons I love preaching as part of a team, Pastor Brent did a lot of the work of bringing this information together.

So Ephesus – just another city in Asia Minor…not really…the city of Ephesus was a big deal in the first century…

When people travel the world, they look for the cultural focal points, Washington DC, London, Paris, Tokyo, and Hong Kong. 2000 years ago, that was Ephesus.

Thinks of them like New York City –

• - Center for Culture

• - Hub for finances

• - A city bustling with the Arts, sports, and entertainment.

This was a place a person would go to make a name for themselves, find their identity…

If I can make it there…I can make it anywhere…Ephesus…

They had some of the greatest thinkers and they were a central focus of religion.

As for influence, Ephesus was really only second to Rome and a key to the Roman empire…

Ephesus is located on the west coast of modern Turkey, the perfect bridge between the Western Roman Empire and the East…

So. the apostle Paul goes to Ephesus, to this big deal of a city.

I am going to start us with a video representation to help get the picture in our minds…

Video Link

https://faithministries-my.sha...

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Now with that visual - Join me as we look at Acts chapter 19…I will be skipping over some for the sake of time…

1 It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples…

verse7 There were in all about twelve men. 8 And he entered the synagogue

(Paul always started with the Jews)

and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus

(Paul withdrew from the Jews and went to the Gentiles, and you will notice the learning center).

10 This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks….

(How was it that all heard?—Only if Ephesus was a hub…things that happen there spread to the rest of the country—like NYC/LA)

VERSE18 Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. 19 And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.

(Notice the book emphasis (learning) center and the finances and notice the identity changes)

20 So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing….

VERSE 23 About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen; 25 these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business. 26 “You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all.

(Let me just say, if you have to make your god with your hands…your god is not a god)

27 “Not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.”

(Ephesus was known for one of the seven wonders of the world—the Temple of Artemis).

An ancient Greek poet said of the temple of Artemis

I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon …and the statue of Zeus … and the hanging gardens, and the Colossus of the Sun, and the … the high pyramids, …; but when I saw the house of Artemis …, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, ….

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...,to%20the%20clouds%2C%20those%20othe

Talk about a big deal…Ephesus was a big deal….

28 When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater,

(The mob rushed Paul into the theater…notice what happens you’re your identity is bound up in something that is threatened..your god…your identity wrapped up in your livelihood is dethroned)……

VERSE .35 After quieting the crowd, the town clerk said, “Men of Ephesus, what man is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image which fell down from heaven? 36 “So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash….VERSE38 “So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against any man, the courts are in session and proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another. 39 … VERSE41 After saying this he dismissed the assembly.

Now with all of that as the backdrop, turn with me to our key passage for today

Ephesians Chapter 1…We will be reading just 2 verses

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This short, 2 verse introduction to the letter is simply loaded with theological significance

They set the stage for seeing God’s plan for this age…It would be easy to blow right past here and “get to the good stuff, and believe it or not we will actually go even slower over the coming verses, but for today, let’s just let these truths begin opening this beautiful revelation.

God has one plan…and it is not to establish a religious center with a grand temple, or even the best theological seminary where one could go to make a name for themselves…

He is calling each of us to himself though the message of the gospel, calling us into His church…

The church at Ephesus was represents a picture of that plan for God to work through the nations…

Paul is writing to a church filled with Jews and Gentiles, together, scandalous, yet here it is in the middle of Ephesus…and he starts by greeting them and reminding them of who they are…their identity

Not an identity they made for themselves, but a lasting identity for those who are in Christ.

God would build his church…and from the church in Ephesus, after rocking their worldview, the truth and knowledge of the One True God would spread through the region.

By the 2^nd and 3^rd century, all of Asia Minor was majority Christian – they had turned from their pagan identity.

Now today, the city of Ephesus is gone, but the church of Jesus Christ and the number of people who find their identity in Christ continues to grow…

So today we launch our annual series to build the church…Building in Our Heritage

And for a look at how God sees our identity, the first part of our study…

Remembering our Identity as One in Christ

And specifically, for today, from Paul’s introductory greeting, we can stand upon the truth that

We are Saints

And from these greetings, we are reminded of the

3 unchangeable parts of God’s plan upon which to build your lasting and stable identity.

Now if we are looking for something lasting and stable, we are not just going to buy our building supplies with whatever we can find at the Speedway, we are going to go to the best place…

That is why the first unchangeable part of god’s plan is that there is

I. One authoritative foundation upon which to build

What foundation am I trying to build my life on…through my training, my accomplishments, my rank as a Naval officer?

What foundation did Michael Phelps build on – swimming…without the medals, he was a failure.

What about Robin Williams? – laughter…without the approval and the ratings, he was nothing…

Paul is pointing us in this short intro to the only authoritative foundation on which to build our life and identity.

Two statements show us Paul’s authoritative foundation.

An Apostle—“Sent One”

What does that really mean? At major times in the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan, God sent Human messengers to share His authoritative message, and not just because they said so, God gave them confirmation through signs and wonders.

When God revealed His name to His people, he sent Moses, confirming Moses and ultimately proving that He alone is the One true God through the miracles and plagues of Egypt. He proved this was not just some form of trickery.

I know I am simplifying things for time, but God’s same practice carried forward to the apostles.

Think about the gospels where Jesus prayerfully selected a small number of men to accompany Him, witnessing all that he said and did.

Then when Jesus was finished with His work on this Earth, for this time, He commissioned these men for the authoritative work of the gospel…

Matt 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

This command still carries authority for you and I today, but that does not make us today’s apostles.

Here at Faith Church, we believe that after the death of the original apostles, and the completion of the work they were sent to do, that there are no more apostles today…

They carried a unique authority…take a look at these verses

2 Cor 10:8 For even if I should boast somewhat further about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up….

2 Cor 13: 10 For this reason I am writing these things, … in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me, for building up and not for tearing down.

1 Thess 2:5 For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, … 6 nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority.

2 Cor 12 :12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles. (cf. Rom 15:18)

And being a sent one was not an identity they built for themselves, they were, including Paul, chosen…

By the Will of God

He is my point, there is no other work of man that has the authority and foundation behind it than what God has done according to His will through the prophets and apostles…

If you want a stable and lasting identity – you build on the heritage of what the apostles built.

In comparison, my resume, any award citations, even the picture that is shown through my family…all of that is secondary.

Looking forward in Ephesians, we will study this verse…

Eph 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone.

So, what is that foundation?

If you are reading along in your Bible…hold it up…even if that is on your cell phone…hold it up

Here’s truth…the prophets and the apostles recorded the very Words of God, in the OT and the NT.

2 Timothy 3:16 tells us All Scripture, every word, is inspired by God.

This is the foundation laid by the prophets and the apostles…

Keep holding it up and say it with me “This is the foundation laid the apostles and prophets…

The more time I spend in the Word, the more I see the reliable foundation…

I still have much to learn, but I can confidently say that on this foundation…

• - God has changed me.

• - And I have witnessed God’s word transforming others.

• - I have personally witnessed and lived the difference between a life built on my own identity, and one built on this foundation.

Ephesus may be in ruins, but the church built on this foundation will stand forever.

There is only one authoritative foundation upon which to build your life and identity, and that leads us to the second unchangeable part of God’s plan…what will be built on the foundation, and that is

II. One People of God that is being built

As I said back in the intro – every one of us is seeking an identity, our sense of meaning and purpose for this life…

For years – I loved answering the question – “What do you do?” which I interpreted as “Who are you?” and I would simply answer “I drive submarines.” It just sounded cool, and it always resulted in more questions so I could talk about me…

But did you notice…I can’t do that anymore…I am too old, too slow, too stuck in the past…my identity could not last…I could try and live a life of sea stories…but you know you would eventually lose interest and move on…and my identity loses all meaning…

But Paul is writing to a group that God has established with an identity that will last…take a look at how Paul describes God’s people…

“Saints,” “faithful” or “believers” —those “set apart” referring to the church

The term saint is not meant to be a title, but like Saint David, and Saint Alfonso, but more as a descriptor…it means “holy ones,” referring to the “set apart” nature, having been set apart by God to become what He has designed them to be…

And when Paul refers to the “faithful,” he is not speaking of our consistency in our actions, but in the faith or belief in Jesus Christ…

Later in our letter, Paul will show Christ’s intention…

Eph 5:27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.

Folks, when we hear the word saints, I don’t want us to think of moral perfection and righteousness, even though that is a part of how God is shaping us, I want us to think of so much more…

Holy or set apart takes us to something far more precious…and it is buried in our identity struggles…

When we struggle with identity, is there a distorted pride that says,

• - We want to matter…

• - We want to be recognized, to be the next big deal.

But the term Holy One helps us to see there is more…

In Exodus 19, God, through his prophet Moses, declares…

Ex 19:5 ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 6and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’

You see, to God, a holy nation is a special possession.

And compared to God, what we would call a special possession, pales in comparison. To God, this is the crown jewel of treasures…

Consider how the British monarchy treats the Crown jewels…they are stored in the most secure vault they might create. And When the King wants to truly stand out…He brings out the crown jewels…

Now stop and look at the person next to you…Our heavenly Father treasures His saints as the crown jewels of His kingdom…

Your brother or sister in Christ, sitting right next to you is part of God’s crown jewel treasure…

Let me ask –

• - Do you want to be part of a big deal?

• - Do you want to be part of something permanent, something that will last, that is considered a treasure?

How about being a part of the crown jewels of God, the crown that His Son, Jesus Christ, the King of Kings will bring out on display when His kingdom comes…

• - It won’t be your academic diplomas.

• - It won’t be the medals you won in High School.

• - It won’t be the nameplate on your door at work.

• - It won’t be the amazing life and identity that you have built up in a role-playing game online

You who are in Christ are the biggest deal, the greatest accomplishment of the only One who truly matters.

One people of God are being built through the saints, the holy one, those who are set apart, but we must also recognize that it is not happening in the expected places…

Where did Paul find this group?

“In Ephesus” – Worldwide mission

God did not look only back to his beginnings in Israel, but rather in Ephesus. A city second only to Rome, a city with every other worldly influence bearing down…and God’s power is calling his special possession out of the most unlikely place.

Think about it…Lafayette is really one of the most unlikely places…or more personally…my home, my life was one of the most unlikely places…

But if you want to build an identity that matters to the only one who matters…look to be built on the authoritative foundation and to be built around God’s plan – the church.

And let’s be honest, God’s crown jewels may not be displaying their greatest brilliance with you and me in the mix today, because God still has some work left to do in polishing this jewel…

But what I can know – Philippians 1:6 assures that I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you, adding you to his treasure, will perfect it, the continued polishing, until the day of Christ Jesus…That’s when the crown Jewels will shine the brightest…

And how do we display and life and identity that reveals that we are one of God’s Saints?

Thank You for being here today, for recognizing and responding to God’s call to be a part of His people, set apart, a holy people – the church. And I want to encourage you to commit to remaining a part of the church…

Members – commit to being here each week and choose to serve the body with the gifts which God has granted you…it could be hospitality on the greeting team or it could be through loving the kids in our children’s ministry…and so much more…If you are not serving in some way, come ask one of the Pastors and we can help you to try something new.

Not a member – choose to attend the Intro to Faith class starting Feb 21^st to learn more about God’s church, ask any questions you have, and prayerfully consider…is this the place, however unlikely, that God is calling you to be a part of?

Now – we have established that there is only one authoritative foundation on which to build a lasting identity…

And there is one group that God is building on that foundation.

And the third unchanging truth that makes it possible for every one of us to be a part of God’s plan…

The great equalizer in it all…there is

III. One Way to God – Grace

In greeting the church, Paul reminds the Ephesians how they were brought into the group and how they can continue in it…

Eph 1:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

Let me ask you a question…explain this one to me.

Why is God doing this? Why does he transform his people into a treasure? Why is it that He is making us a big deal? Why is it that He wants His people’s name to be made great?

Is it because we are amazing? Because we bring anything He doesn’t already have? Is it simply because we are so polished and brilliant?

The simple answer - No.

In fact…it is the opposite

While we were still sinners… unrefined, polarizing, and turning away from Him.

In His love – He sent His Son, that One who truly is a big deal, with the name above all other names in heaven. He sent Him in a way that we would never expect…

His son took everything about His identity, the Son of God, and humbled himself, setting it all aside and coming to this earth as Isaiah 53 described that He had no form or majesty that we should look upon Him or appearance that we should be attracted to Him, in fact…he was despised and forsaken of men…a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their face…and we did not esteem Him.

Can we really understand what God did? On earth, Jesus did not come to build His name and identity…He did not set himself up to be the big deal.

Just the opposite – he came as one with no reputation…Nothing good could come out of Nazareth…and then he did not seek those who were seen as the big deal to try and outdo them…instead, he chose to do what the rulers and leaders would despise…he associated with sinners, he chose to seek out those who were unclean…his reputation was that he associated with the disreputable and we see that even in his death, a death on the cross, surrounded by criminals.

He was numbered and named with the transgressors – That was his identity.

Why would He bear the name and identity that we deserve – a transgressor, a blasphemer, a sinner…

Because of grace, because of God’s abundant grace and love for His people, He knew there was no other way.

There was no other way that His people could be redeemed and reconciled to the Father. The costs for their sin, the penalty for their transgression was more than they could ever pay…

Left as it was, there was only one result – that God’s creation, those made in His image would have to be condemned and pay the debt they owed. In God’s holiness and perfect justice…the debt had to be paid…

And there was only one who could do so…

For God so loved the World that he gave his only Son (yes God had to give up that which he treasured most) that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life

God’s plan, since before creation, was to pour out His grace, a grace for which only Christ is deserving, yet there was no other way – He poured out His grace upon His people that we might become his treasure possession.

• - Christ’s life for mine

• - Christ’s identity for mine

• - God’s grace poured out upon the undeserving

So that one day, when God’s most precious possession His Son shines for all eternity, it might even all the more glorious because of the work that He has done to increase the treasure

By building His church, Building His people, and redeeming them through grace alone so that one day we might be named, and identified with Jesus.

Folks – Jesus Christ was named as one of us, humbling himself to take the identity that we deserve, though he had not sinned, he became sin on our behalf to be named a transgressor so that one day we can be named with Him.

Gospel appeal –

Believer Appeal – Having received His grace, we must choose as He does not to set ourselves above, but to humble ourselves and love others, the rebels and the sinners that they might also be drawn to become a part of God’s special possession.

As we get ready to close – I simply want to thank God for all that He has shown us today…

That we are Saints, if we are a part of his unchangeable plan, living on the authoritative foundation of His word, choosing to be a part of God’s people, his church that He is building, and live humbly knowing that we are not here based on our identity or our achievements, but only through the beautiful grace of our Holy God…