"Prisoners of the Lord bound by the love of God - Eph 4:1

Here at Dillingham Moravian Church, our goal is to help us all to learn the Word

of God so that we can grow as disciples of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ together.

My name is Pastor Simon, and welcome to the preaching ministry of Dillingham Rabian Church.

One of the modern heroes of the faith, and one of my personal heroes,

was Richard Wurmbrand, who spent 14 years in prison for Christ in communist Romania.

And as the communist grip on Romania tightened, the churches came under the

control of the government.

Many churches and pastors chose to stay either silent or support the government,

but Wurmbrand courageously refused and began to work on creating an underground

church answerable only to Christ.

The underground church's resistance to the state influence made it a target.

And in 1948, Wurmbrand was arrested.

A dreadful eight-year period of imprisonment, brainwashing, and torture began.

Tortured for Christ, the account of Wurmbrand later wrote of his sufferings

is a harrowing but powerful report of what happened to both him and the Romanian

church in these dark years.

With his existence concealed by the authorities, Wurmbrand in effect disappeared

from the world. His wife, Sabina, who served three years in prison herself,

was told her husband was dead.

During this period, Wurmbrand passed through a variety of prisons and spent

three years in solitary confinement in a tiny cell.

Somehow, despite repeated torture and being forced to observe the execution

of other believers, he stayed sane and upheld his faith.

Wurmbrand was released in 1956, but despite warnings, immediately continued with open evangelism.

He was arrested again in 1959 and sentenced for 25 years imprisonment.

New abuse and suffering began.

By the 1960s, the plight of Christians in Eastern Europe became well known in

the West, and pressure was applied for the persecution to stop.

In 1964, a frail Wurmbrand was released under amnesty.

And after his release, Richard and Sabina went on to found the voice of the

martyrs, write books, and be the ministry's representatives around the world.

I'm sharing this story because Richard and Sabina were not ashamed of the gospel,

and they knew, as well as the Apostle Paul did, that their only Lord and Master

is Jesus Christ. Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, we come before you and we praise you and thank you for the

wonderful privilege that we have to be serving you.

Lord, we thank you that you are our master, you are our Lord,

and forgive us when we forget that or put ourselves more important than you are.

Lord, we pray, Lord, as we look at your word this morning, may it be you that is teaching us.

May you teach us with your Holy Spirit, your full conviction,

Lord. Lord, demonstrate and show us your love and help us to believe in You and in Your word.

In Your precious Son's name, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Over the last couple of weeks in Ephesians chapter 3,

Ephesians 3 · chapter mention

we have been studying Paul's prayer for the Ephesians where we learned that

God grants his people gifts out of his unfathomable riches that come from his glory.

It is essential for us to remember that the focus of Paul's prayer for the Ephesians

was for the believers to be filled with all the fullness of God.

But to be fulfilled to the overflowing fullness of God, a person must know and

learn the infinite love of Christ.

And to know and learn the unfathomable love of Christ, one must be saved by

God, have Christ living in us by the incalculable power of God.

Be rooted and founded in the love of Christ, and be strengthened with power

as we live within godly Christian community.

We have also been taught by God through Paul's prayer that God has the power

to answer not only what we ask for in prayer, but also what we cannot even imagine to ask for.

Additionally, God's almighty and immeasurable power is at work within us as

part of Christ's church.

Moreover, the reason for God's power being displayed through answering prayer

and Christ working in us is so that God may be glorified through His church and through Christ.

Today we're going to continue on in our teaching series in Ephesians 4,

Ephesians 4:1–3

verses 1-3, where Paul wrote to the Ephesians,

"Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy

of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness,

with patience, showing tolerance for one another,

in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Today we're going to focus on just verse 1 of Ephesians 4, but I wanted to give

you the context of the entire verse.

There are two foundational truths that I want to show you in verse 1.

The first timeless truth that I see God teaching us today is that as Christ's

disciples, we are prisoners of the Lord bound by the love of God.

Paul communicated, therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord.

As we study Ephesians 4, the very first thing we need to establish is what did

Paul mean by beginning this verse and chapter with therefore,

and then I, the prisoner of the Lord.

What Paul was getting at was that him being a prisoner of the Lord and the content

of the next verses was contingent upon the theme that was taught from either

the previous verses in Ephesians chapter 3 or from the entire letter previously.

Ephesians 3 · chapter mention

So what was this context that Paul was a prisoner of the Lord of?

To figure this out, we need to read Ephesians 3, verse 14 to 21,

Ephesians 3:14–21

where Paul prayed for the Ephesian Christ believers,

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,

from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,

that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory,

to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.

So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and that you,

being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints

what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of

Christ, which surpasses knowledge,

that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think,

according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and Christ Jesus.

To all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

The focus of Paul's prayer for the Ephesians was for the Christ-believers to

be filled with all the fullness of God.

But to be filled with the overflowing fullness of God, a person must know and

learn the infinite love of Christ.

And to know and learn the infinite love of Christ,

one must be saved by God, have Christ living in them by the incalculable power of God,

being rooted and founded in the love of Christ and be strengthened with power

as we live within biblical fellowship in the body of Christ.

Paul continued in chapter 4 with the understanding that as disciples of Christ,

we have been beyond blessed to be allowed to have Christ Jesus,

the Almighty and ever-living God of everything, living in us,

and strengthening us with power so that we can know the infinite and unknowable

love of God by the power of God.

Back in Ephesians 4, verse 1, Paul saw himself as the prisoner of Christ

Ephesians 4:1

because it was the love of God that kept him bound to his gracious master, Jesus,

and compelled Paul to obey Jesus in all things.

The word that Paul used in Ephesians 4, verse 1 for prisoner meant a person

Ephesians 4:1

who was confined, especially in regards to crimes or as a prisoner of war.

Now, this is important for us to understand because from an earthly and Roman

legal perspective, Paul being a prisoner of Rome did not need to happen.

Previous to his writing of this letter from prison in Rome,

Paul was in prison for over two years in Caesarea in Judea and was about to

be sent to Jerusalem for trial because Governor Festus, who wanted to please

the Jews, desired to bring Paul to Jerusalem for trial.

Paul knew that if he stood trial in Jerusalem, he would be found guilty and

executed under numerous false charges.

Now, Paul had no problem with dying for Christ, but he would not die for lies if he could help it.

And so Paul appealed, as was his right as a Roman citizen, to be tried by Caesar in Rome.

Now, right after Paul appealed to Caesar, King Festus judged Paul and was going

to let Paul go free, except that Paul already made the appeal to go to Caesar.

At this point, Paul, as a Roman citizen, could have changed his appeal and been set free.

Yet Paul was also under the orders from the Lord Jesus Christ himself,

Paul's highest authority, to go to Rome as a prisoner and bear witness in Rome.

Acts 23, verse 11, previous to Paul making his appeal to go to Rome,

Acts 23:11

recorded Christ's instructions to Paul. Verse 11.

But on that very night, the Lord stood at his side and said,

Take courage, for as you have solemnly borne witness to my cause at Jerusalem,

so you must bear witness at Rome also.

How did Paul bear witness to Jesus in Jerusalem? Mostly on trial and in prison.

And thus Paul was commanded to go and bear the same type of witness in Rome

that he had in Jerusalem.

Later on, when the ship that was transporting Paul to Rome was about to be wrecked

in a storm, Paul promised God's protection to the Roman soldiers and sailors on the transport ship.

Let's look at Acts chapter 27, verse 23 to 24.

Acts 27:23–24

"For this very night an angel of God, to whom I belong and whom I serve,

stood before me, saying, Do not be afraid, Paul.

You must stand before Caesar, and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you."

I share this bit of Paul's history to you to demonstrate that although Paul

was in Roman custody, from a human standpoint, he didn't need to be.

Paul had always been, whether he was free or imprisoned or tortured,

He was always a prisoner of the one who truly controlled him,

his divine master, Jesus Christ.

Paul in Philemon 1 proclaimed this about his identity and who his real master was.

"Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus."

Again, in 2 Timothy 1, verse 7-9,

2 Timothy 1:7–9

Paul not only explained that he was a prisoner of and in Christ,

but also where he got his power and purpose from to be Christ's prisoner and

slave, no matter the circumstances.

This is verse 7. "For God has not given us the spirit of timidity or fear,

but of power, love, and discipline.

Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me,

this is what I want you to see, his prisoner, but join with me in suffering

for the gospel according to {what?}

the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling,

not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace,

which granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity."

Back in Ephesians 3, verse 1, Paul declared to the Ephesians that although he

Ephesians 3:1

was in a Roman prison, he was under the mastery of his beloved Lord Christ Jesus.

Basically, under the orders of Jesus, Paul sent himself to prison so that God

could reach more people from the nations through him in Rome.

And this is what Paul was getting at in Ephesians 4, verse 1,

Ephesians 4:1

when he stated that he was a prisoner of the Lord, that he was bound to Jesus

by the miraculous love of God.

What can we learn from this concept of being a prisoner of the Lord?

As slaves of Christ, the Lord through Paul is calling all of us to the same

kind of abandon of our personal comforts, rights and even desire to rule ourselves, as Paul had,

in order to reach the people around him with the gospel of Christ.

Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand were great examples of risking all for the sake of their precious Lord.

Our extended family, members, neighbors, co-workers, villages,

community, regions, and state all need Jesus.

They need the saving gospel of Christ communicated with them.

Our children and spouses need discipleship in the sanctifying gospel of God's Word.

Everyone, including our families, need to be able to know the infinite love of God for them.

And yet they cannot know God's love unless they are saved by the grace of God

through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

This is so important.

People cannot come to the saving knowledge of the love of God without Jesus'

loving abandon to God in us.

All of this calls for surrendering to Christ's control and power over our lives

as we continually deny ourselves and joyfully, in the love of God,

take up the cross of carrying the gospel of Christ to those around us.

God, through Paul, is asking us, including me, who is our master?

Do our own desires, our wants, and comforts rule us? Or is our good and faithful

Lord Jesus Christ truly our master?

Listen to what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 14 to 15.

2 Corinthians 5:14–15

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for

all, therefore all died, meaning to ourselves. And he died for all,

so that they who would live would do what?

No longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again on their behalf.

Paul also taught in 1 Corinthians 7, verse 22, "For he who was called in the

1 Corinthians 7:22

Lord while a slave is the Lord's freedman.

Likewise, he who was called while free is Christ's slave."

So far, God, through Paul, was teaching the Ephesians that as a result of being

the recipients of incalculable and gracious love of God,

believers are called to live in and according to God's love as we're being filled

with the fullness of Christ.

And that is why in the second part of Ephesians chapter 4:1,

the Ephesians were, and us now, are called to live in a manner worthy of our calling.

Through the long process of becoming a citizen of the United States,

I have received a number of summons by the USCIS or the United States Customs

and Immigration Services to

come to their offices for interviews at the various stages of the process.

Now, I have never been given a choice of when I wanted to go or which office I was called to go.

And it didn't matter whether it was an inconvenient time or the city where the

office was in was expensive or difficult to get to.

No, I was summoned, and thus I was to go when called.

And this is very similar to when the court calls us as jurors.

Although the courts can approve requests and defer our summons,

the courts are under no obligation to grant our request.

Rather, we are commanded to show up when called.

And this concept of being urgently summoned by an authority that we cannot refuse

is what Paul was getting at in the last part of Ephesians 4,

except that the one who calls us is God Almighty

and we are called to live in accordance with His summons.

Ephesians 4.1.

Paul continued on, Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, {and here is what we're

studying now,} implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called."

There are three words that I want to bring to your attention that will help

us understand what it is that Paul was teaching the Ephesian house churches.

The first word that I want you to see is the word exhort, to earnestly support

and encourage a response or action.

Meaning that this command was not just something that Paul thought that the

Ephesians should know and that they could obey if they wanted to.

No, this exhortation was one of extreme emergency, which demanded a response

of action from Christ's believers.

The question is, what was so urgent that Paul had to exhort the believers in

Ephesus? And consequently, us as well.

To understand the answer to this

question, we need to look at the next two words that I want to show you.

The word to walk meant to be a follower or a disciple of someone in the sense

of adhering to the teachings or instructions of a leader and promoting the cause of such leader.

Additionally, Paul used the word calling or state, which referred to the condition

one enters upon the acceptance of a summons,

especially all that is expected of a person who accepts God's summons to the

hope of salvation in Jesus.

Meaning that the believer of Christ would be a disciple of Jesus Christ who

adheres or lives according to

the teachings of Christ and lives focused on promoting Christ's kingdom.

I want you to also notice that this calling that we have been called to is a

summons by the Almighty King and Master Jesus Christ to demonstrate that we

are truly living in the saving love of God as a disciple of Christ ought to.

This concept of a summons is the idea of being summoned by the king or the master

to do what he has commanded and promoted us to do.

There is a modern concept of calling that gives a meaning that the calling is

solely based upon the acceptance of the one who is called.

And the one who is called can give as much to his or her calling that they want to.

As Paul said over and over, may God forbid,

no, we who have been saved by the awe-inspiring love of God,

as we have responded to God's grace, we have been honored by being made into

disciples and bond slaves of our infinite Master,

the great I Am, Jesus Christ, and is completely expected of us by our glorious

Lord and Master that we live in the love of Christ, following the ways of Jesus,

our Master and promoting His kingdom,

even unto death.

I need to impress upon us, including myself, that God's exhortation through

Paul is not a request, but it is an extremely urgent command,

one we are now privileged in Christ to receive.

In his prayer for the Colossians, Paul prayed in Colossians 1,

Colossians 1:9

verse 9, For this reason also, since the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you.

And to ask that you may be filled with the fullness or the full knowledge of

His will, in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Here it is, verse 10, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,

to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and multiplying

in the full knowledge of God.

The key takeaway for us as Christians from the last part of Ephesians 4,

Ephesians 4:1

verse 1 is that we are urgently summoned by the Lord and master of the universe

to live worthy of the calling of God's love that we've been called to.

In the next couple of verses, in Ephesians chapter 4, which we will hopefully

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

start studying next week.

Paul will teach us how to live in a manner worthy of the immediate summons by God.

But for now, God through Paul wants us to understand the immediacy and urgency

of Christ's summons to us to live according to His love.

This is not something we can put off till tomorrow or whenever we feel like it.

No, For you and me and all Christ's bond slaves, God's command through Paul

is for us to start now and to continue to live according to the love of God.

However, I want to stress to you that to live in the love of God and to express

the love of God means verbally sharing the gospel with kindness and respect.

Even when people may not want to hear the truth or wish to harm us for the work

of Christ like Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand experienced.

What I mean is that there is a saying that has circulated cultures for thousands

of years that we should love by action and not by words.

And very famous Christians have quoted this.

Now, don't get me wrong. We must absolutely love with self-sacrificial actions

that display the love of Christ.

But we must also self-sacrificially speak the truth of the gospel to others.

Or else, as Paul in Romans 10 explained, that without a preacher, no one will be saved.

We have learned two overarching truths that God, through Paul,

has been teaching us in our passage today.

The first principle that we have learned is that as a result of being the recipients

of the incalculable and glorious love of God, we, as believers in Christ,

are to consider ourselves as prisoners of Christ Jesus,

our only Lord and true Master.

As we live in our true identity as slaves and prisoners of the Lord,

we will boldly share the love of Christ with our actions and words.

Secondly, God, through Paul, taught the Ephesians and us that in the magnificent

love of God, we are urgently summoned by the Lord and Master of the universe

to live worthy of the calling of God's love that we have been called to.

I want to encourage us today that we not be afraid of the cost of truly sharing the love of God,

but to boldly and with intentional kindness verbally share the gospel with others

and self-sacrificially love others with our action. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. Thank you for your truth that you

have bestowed upon us in Jesus Christ through your word, the Bible. Thank you, Lord.

May we abide in you, O Lord, as we trust in your love and believe you, and as we obey your word.

Help us to live into the identity of being recipients of the most gracious love

of God and live at the manner worthy of your calling to us. Thank you, Father.

In your precious Son's name, Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, I pray. Amen.

I'll leave you with this blessing from 1 Corinthians 15, verse 58.

1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in

the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Have a wonderful Sunday. May the Lord bless you.