THE RETURN: BE AT PEACE - Part 2 (Glory In The Church) - 03/20/2022

Grace Place Atlanta COGBF 4700 Mitchell Street Forest Park, GA 30297 Website: atlantacogbf.org Email: info@atlantacogbf.org Phone: (404) 241-6781 Wayne D. Mack, Pastor Pastor Wayne D. Mack Sermon Notes March 20, 2022 The Return: Glory in the Church! The Return: BE AT PEACE! Ephesians 3:20 & 21 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. GM Grace Place! As we prepare to corporately celebrate God for allowing us to return to corporate worship and fellowship (aka: “Return to Church), as your pastor, I want to wisely alert the GP family and friends of GP to “how” we are expected to return to the church house after a two-year absence. Did you know that “How We Return” is critically important? It is important because it will determine how richly blessed of the Lord we will be in terms of experiencing peace, prosperity, turn-a-round, joy, contentment, spiritual fulfillment, wholeness, healing, and completion in our life with Christ. There’s no way we can just show back up and pick up where left off before the pandemic. That is to say “God had nothing to do with the pandemic” or that the pandemic carried no significant message or clear motivating message for the church. It also arrogantly suggests that pandemic was an ungodly aggravation and anything but a tool used by God to minister to His people. If we land there and stay, we are destined to miss God. For churches that are now returning, our ears should be wide open and burning. Considering what the Spirit has been saying to churches over the past 24 months, plus those God would have us to know as we stand on the threshold of reentering HIS CHURCH two years later, it would behoove us to pause and give our ears to God. I believe He has something to remind us of about His Church and Our Conduct in the church. So, as we hold the party hats and confetti for yet another week, I believe its to our advantage to hear the rest of what God has to say to us before we enter in. This approach is likened to the Children of Israel receiving a word of wise instruction from Moses [in Deuteronomy] within weeks of entering the Promised Land. Moses’ job was to prepare the Israelites’ hearts for how to serve God in the land, and to instruct them on how to possess the Land based on God’s expectations -- not their own. The church is in the same position after two years of disconnect. We need a refresher and a reminder of what God expects of us and His church “post-pandemic”. Understanding it will make us all the better by and by. And, that’s worth celebrating for years and years to come. Last week, in this mini-series, I’ve entitled: The Return, we talked about “Be At Peace” whereas when we have the peace of God in our hearts, then it is certain there will be Peace in the Church. This morning, the focus of the message, entitled: The Return: Glory in the Church – is an opportunity to learn about a single attribute God desires to see in His church and who He uses to achieve it. That attribute is GLORY – as in Glory in the church. Coupled with that, I believe that God has used the pandemic-pause of two years to present the church a fresh opportunity to bring back and rekindle glory in the church. While thinking about GLORY . . . let’s define it: What is Glory? Glory by man’s definition is: • high renown or honor won by notable achievements. magnificence or great beauty; take great pride or pleasure in; the Bible portrays glorying in yourself or in nature as sinful. The Biblical definition of Glory is: • The most common use of the word "glory" in the Bible is to describe the splendor, holiness and majesty of God. Glory, in this sense, is often associated with a person experiencing God's presence in a tangible way. When used this way, the word glory conveys a sense of heavy dignity. The glory of man is about himself – including his pride, conceit, self-importance, pretense, hypocrisy, arrogance, and egotism. Man’s glory is about me, me, me, . . . my, my, my, … and I, I, I! Now, Our Scripture text is Ephesians, Chapter 3, Verses 20 and 21 (NKJV): Listen to how it reads: 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Traditionally, this passage is often used as a benediction or a hype verse. But it is that and much more. These two verses are the Apostle Paul’s close to a prayer he prayed for the Saints at the Ephesus church and future believers. It is soul stirring and soul inspiring. In the prayer, Paul asked God for some bold and seemingly impossible requests like: • Praying that out of the great and glorious riches of God’s resources, God Himself would enable the saints to know the power of the spirit’s indwelling —that Christ might actually live in our hearts by faith. Paul prayed that each one of us be firmly fixed in love so much so that we be enabled to grasp (with all Christians) how wide and deep and long and high is the love of Christ— and to know for ourselves Christ’s love which goes far beyond our comprehension. And, finally that we as God’s children might be filled through all our being with God himself! The hope of Paul’s prayer is that all believers would be emptied of themselves to allow God to fully indwell them [each one of us] to the brim. Why? So, everything about us would be about God and not about us. Psalm 115:1 says: Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth. But the BIGGER “WHY” is so that only God is seen dominating our lives in love and in connection with all saints -- wherever we go and wherever we are – especially as professing Jesus followers in the church. Paul is saying everything about every believer should represent God. Ephesians – Chapter 3 – Verses 14-19 bears repeating again . . . Paul is praying . . . 14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. The FULLNESS of God is to be so strong spiritually, so compelled by divine love, that you are totally dominated by the Lord with nothing left of self. Although to be constantly dominated by the Lord would be an impossibility, still Paul is saying this should be the believer’s everyday pursuit. Everyday we should strive to grasp God’s attributes and characteristics – His power, majesty, wisdom, love, mercy, patience, kindness, and every thing about Him. We as God’s children can experience the greatness of God in our lives as a result of total devotion to Him. But know this, that achieving this feat is not done in the power of our natural might, but rather the power of His might. Ephesians 3 verse 20 says: 20 Now to Him who is able to do When the conditions of verses 16-19 are met, God’s power at work in and through us is unlimited and far beyond our comprehension. Ephesians 3:16-19 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. That’s because according to Ephesians 3:20b Christ is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, Paul is proof positive of this. He is praying and asking that God’s fulness fill every believer to overflowing. He is sparing no confidence that God is able to answer his prayer. His prayer is signaling to the church that God will far exceed our every petition when we pray according to His will. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, The means by which God answers prayer is given in the expression, according to the power that works in us. This refers to the Holy Spirit, Who is constantly at work in our lives, seeking to produce the fruit of a Christlike character – rebuking us because of sin, guiding us in worship, directing us in service. The more we are yielded to Him, the greater will be His effectiveness in conforming us to Christ. 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. The more we align ourselves with God, and the more He dwells in our hearts by faith -- the more we are filled unto all the fulness of Him – it is here that we are the manifestation of GLORY in the church. We have been entrusted with a sacred charge. Do you look like the glory of God? Is it to God you are determined to bring glory to – or are you determined to have things your way – especially in the church. I believe the pandemic-pause experienced over the two years has presented the church a fresh opportunity to be the church. I pray that while not at church, we have learned something about being the church. When God is fully at work in charge of our lives and when we are fully engulfed by Him and submitted – then the only personality and spirit that is seen in the church is God. That then is the first sign of GLORY in the Church. It’s God that is seen and pictured and not man; not church people; not titles; not pride. Paul’s focus is on the GLORY of God and it reigning in the church. [In our case, it’s about bringing God’s glory back into the church.] Paul understands that there can appear to be two glories in the church: God’s Glory and Man’s glory. But only one glory glorifies God. It is that one that He has empowered us to portray thus bringing to Him glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. The Return: Glory in the Church!