Why You Shouldn't Feel Bad for Your Pastor
Sermon by Matt Timmons
01/15/2023
01/15/2023
To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
Ephesians 3:8-12
Ephesians 3:8-12
I have entitled this message, “Why you shouldn’t feel bad for your pastor.”
You’ll remember the reason why Paul goes on this digression. He had mentioned that he was a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you gentiles. And of course, that could have the potential to make the Gentiles in Ephesus feel bad. But Paul doesn’t want them to have any sense of false guilt. He wants them to know that he is perfectly fine with the trials that he has been called to undergo.
And really you find that stated quite explicitly in the last verse we read. In verse 13 Paul says, “Don’t lose heart over what I am suffering.” Paul doesn’t want people feeling bad for him. He doesn’t need any extra sympathy.
I actually kind of like this because it is a good reminder to myself and to other people in ministry. I would think that a lot more guys need to hear this kind of thing. It’s a good reminder that the ministry is not for the faint of heart. And those who do go into the ministry not only need to have something of a thick skin, they need the right focus.
Now, over the years, I’ve had people come up to me and say, “I just want you to know that I’m really praying for you. I know the pressures that pastors face and I know that being a pastor can be a tough job. I just want you to know that I’m praying for you.” I just want you to know, that’s the right kind of sympathy. If you are motivated to pray for me, I don’t really mind how bad you may feel. I’ll take all the prayer I can get.
But you understand what Paul is doing here. He’s seeking to alleviate any sense of sorrow that the Gentile believers in Ephesus may feel. There really shouldn’t be an attitude of “pity the pastor.” If I might phrase it a different way, just know that someone who is a minister of the gospel has the best job in the world. Even if he’s in jail, he’s got the best job in the world.
Why do I say that? When you look at our text today, you find that Paul gives fiver reasons why he’s got the best job in the world.
I. He gets to preach the gospel
We talked about verses 8-9 a little last time we were together, but we kind of breezed over it. But notice what Paul says. He says he gets to preach “the unsearchable riches of Christ.” And then it says he gets to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things.”
What’s that mean? It means that God had a plan. From the beginning of the world his plan was to send Christ, his Son, into the world. His Son would bring about redemption through his life and death. And God, who is creator, is now making that known to sinners of all kinds, particularly Gentiles.
Paul’s saying, “Don’t feel bad for me. I have the best job in the world. I get to tell people about all of that.” He gets to tell people about how they can be right with God and how Christ has opened the door so that they can escape the wrath to come.
And can’t think of anything that is better to do than speak of the unsearchable riches of Christ.
I really love that phraseology too. Literally it means “untrackable.” The word comes from sort of the hunting world. You’ve been tracking a deer, but it just goes on and on, and you find that you just can’t keep up the trail anymore.
This is saying that you can’t really keep track of how great Christ really is. When it comes to his grace, you cannot really plum the full depths of it. When you have a real heart for Christ and are really focused on finding your satisfaction in him, it doesn’t matter how bad your job is or what kind of difficulties you are facing in your marriage. If you are focused on Christ and your delight is in him, you will find that you cannot even really fathom how blessed you are.
There’s so much that could be said simply about how grand Christ is as to his person and work. But I briefly mention it simply to highlight the fact that having the opportunity to preach about Christ is truly an unsearchable blessing in and of itself.
You understand that Paul is saying, “Don’t feel bad for me; I have the best job in the world. I get to spend all my days telling people about who Christ is and what he has done for us.”
The second blessing Paul mentions is the fact that he gets to endorse the local church. He not only gets to preach the gospel, he gets to put an accent on the church.
II. He gets to accentuate (endorse) the church
Look at verse 10. Paul is taking about his preaching and bringing to light this mystery of God, and he says, “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known.”
It’s kind of an odd thing to say. You would think that he would say, “So that through my preaching the wisdom of God might now be made known.” but he doesn’t say that. His focus is not on his role, so much as it is on the role of the local church. His preaching is not divorced from the local church, but very much connected to it.
I actually like what one of the commentaries says on this verse. It says that the church is the “theater of God’s wisdom.” It is through the church that the wisdom of God is now made known. And therefore the church is kind of like a cinema, where the drama of God’s love, grace, and power is being made known.
Remember, Paul has been talking about the impossible. How Jews and Gentiles can be one body, living in harmony as a united worshipping community. That went against every bone in their bodies. That was a counter cultural thing.
That’s why Paul could say that the church is like an amphitheater which his highlighting the wisdom of God.
Paul says that, as he preaches, he gets to take part in that drama. He gets to reinforce the beautiful role of the church in the world.
You know, a lot of people have a very low view of the local church today. They dismiss the local church as not really biblical or necessary. They will talk about the church, but it is always the church universal or Church with a capital C. They don’t see any importance of a local church or the need for membership in it.
But Paul has a different view. He loves the local church. To him, that’s where the action really is. That’s where ministry really takes place. It is in the local church that you can see in the most vivid way God at work.
And the truth is, if you want to see the realities of the gospel, that’s where you need to go. God does the unthinkable in a place like this. The church is center stage when it comes to the drama of God’s redeeming power.
Paul’s happy to preach because he gets to reinforce the importance of the local church. He gets to be a part of this grandiose theater.
You might not think much of it when you come together each Lord’s day, but maybe this will change your mind. Every Lord’s day when we gather, we put on a show. We take the stage to show forth the manifold wisdom of God. And the preaching of God’s word is simply accentuating that.
Thirdly, Paul’s happy to preach because he gets to shock celestial beings.
III. He gets to shock the celestial beings
Look at the end of verse 10. This is really kind of neat. It says that through the church the manifold wisdom of God is being made known. But to whom? It’s to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.
We’ve met this kind of language before. Paul has talked about the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. And we’ve seen that this is the way he likes to refer to celestial beings, like angels and demons. And he says here that the wisdom of God’s grace and the wisdom of his bringing people together is being revealed right here in the local church. And it is being revealed to, of all creatures, spiritual beings.
Now, you would think that angels, of all things, would be quite acquainted with God’s gracious nature. They get to be in his presence and they have witnessed history. They’ve seen God be gracious over rand over again. Everyone who enters heaven is a testimony to God’s grace towards sinners.
But here it says that wisdom of God’s reconciling grace is being made known. It’s as if they get to look at the show and marvel at it. They knew of God’s grace, but it is on display in a radically new and vibrant way. So that even they are getting an education in how gracious God is.
And the same goes for demonic forces. Remember that when Paul uses this language of rulers and authorities in the heavenly places, most of the time it refers to the celestial beings that are evil.
And think about what they are witnessing. All up til this point the Gentile nations were under the authority of Satan. They were his and he had a pretty good lock on them. But now the gates of hell are being attacked and they are losing territory. And they get to look at these little churches and they get to see how God’s word has affected these people. And they are crying because they see how our God is demolishing all that they once held dear.
So Paul says, don’t worry about me. My job is great. I get to be a part of this. I get to shock demons and dazzle angels for a living.
There’s a fourth reason why we shouldn’t feel bad for Paul. It’s because he gets to fulfill the decree of God.
IV. He gets to fulfill the decree of God
Remember, Paul’s been talking about his preaching and his getting to declare the unsearchable riches of Christ. And then in verse 11 he says, “This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Now, I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that it’s been several weeks since we’ve talked about predestination. For a while there it seemed like that was the only thing we were talking about. The theme of God’s eternal purpose, eternal counsel, his having predestined, his doing things before time has repeated so much that even I began to wonder if it was overkill.
But here we are once again. Paul simply cannot get away from talking this idea. It’s like everything he talks about somehow leads back to what God was planning before time began.
Now, normally when we talk about predestination, we have in mind who would be saved. We talk about how God has chosen certain individuals to be the special recipients of his grace. But this passage is a little different. It’s talking about the ministry and how Paul’s preaching is a part of God’s decree. So you can say that it isn’t just that God planned who would be saved; He also determined how (and maybe even when) they would be saved.
That’s important for us to understand. When we understand that preaching the gospel is part of God’s decree for the in-gathering of souls, then we will be less likely to discount it or ditch it altogether.
I was in a prayer meeting this past week and someone in that group was praying and she said, “Lord, we know that your message doesn’t change, but we know your methods do. Help us to be open to to those new methods. Help us to tune into what you are doing so that we can reach those who need you.”
As a matter of fact, there have been many people and churches who have done just that. Here’s a snippet from Outreach Magazine, an article which came out in 2016. It is highlighting a fellow by the name of Wes Dupin. He started Daybreak church in one of the suburbs of Grand Rapids Michigan.
Daybreak has grown tremendously. Weekend attendance now averages between 1,200 and 1,400. In an effort to connect with those who are disconnected from church, [Daybreak has] adopted creative evangelism methods by infusing art, drama, live music, and even crazy costumes into weekend services.
Through the years, Dupin has dressed up as Gene Simmons, Elvis Presley and other colorful characters to help illustrate his messages. He’s even done things that have ruffled congregational feathers, like the time he invited porn star Ron Jeremy to speak at church to remind members of Christ’s unwavering love.
It is important for us to realize that a lot of other churches might seem very exciting and full of energy. They may be hip and open to trying new things. But we have to remember that God has ordained in eternity past that there would be one way by which the unsearchable riches of Christ might be made know. It’s always been God’s intention to use the simple and plan preaching of the gospel for building his kingdom.
V. He gets to nurture our faith [12]
Look at verse 12. After mentioning Christ, he says, “In whom we have boldness and access through faith.”
The boldness here is linked to the idea of access. So this is talking about one’s boldness to pray. It’s about how someone understands more the depth of relationship that they have with God. God is not far off, but he’s close at hand to his people. He’s relatable. You can talk to him. You understand he’s with you and near to you at all times.
There is nothing more joyous than seeing people gain that kind of perspective. To understand that God is not some deity far far away. He’s personal. He’s not blocked our communion with him, but he draws near to us and allows us to draw near to him.
Those are wonderful things. And Paul’s saying, I have the opportunity to help people gain that kind of perspective. I get to help people know that God is their friend.
So don’t feel bad for me. What on earth could be better than that?
You’ll remember the reason why Paul goes on this digression. He had mentioned that he was a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you gentiles. And of course, that could have the potential to make the Gentiles in Ephesus feel bad. But Paul doesn’t want them to have any sense of false guilt. He wants them to know that he is perfectly fine with the trials that he has been called to undergo.
And really you find that stated quite explicitly in the last verse we read. In verse 13 Paul says, “Don’t lose heart over what I am suffering.” Paul doesn’t want people feeling bad for him. He doesn’t need any extra sympathy.
I actually kind of like this because it is a good reminder to myself and to other people in ministry. I would think that a lot more guys need to hear this kind of thing. It’s a good reminder that the ministry is not for the faint of heart. And those who do go into the ministry not only need to have something of a thick skin, they need the right focus.
Now, over the years, I’ve had people come up to me and say, “I just want you to know that I’m really praying for you. I know the pressures that pastors face and I know that being a pastor can be a tough job. I just want you to know that I’m praying for you.” I just want you to know, that’s the right kind of sympathy. If you are motivated to pray for me, I don’t really mind how bad you may feel. I’ll take all the prayer I can get.
But you understand what Paul is doing here. He’s seeking to alleviate any sense of sorrow that the Gentile believers in Ephesus may feel. There really shouldn’t be an attitude of “pity the pastor.” If I might phrase it a different way, just know that someone who is a minister of the gospel has the best job in the world. Even if he’s in jail, he’s got the best job in the world.
Why do I say that? When you look at our text today, you find that Paul gives fiver reasons why he’s got the best job in the world.
I. He gets to preach the gospel
We talked about verses 8-9 a little last time we were together, but we kind of breezed over it. But notice what Paul says. He says he gets to preach “the unsearchable riches of Christ.” And then it says he gets to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things.”
What’s that mean? It means that God had a plan. From the beginning of the world his plan was to send Christ, his Son, into the world. His Son would bring about redemption through his life and death. And God, who is creator, is now making that known to sinners of all kinds, particularly Gentiles.
Paul’s saying, “Don’t feel bad for me. I have the best job in the world. I get to tell people about all of that.” He gets to tell people about how they can be right with God and how Christ has opened the door so that they can escape the wrath to come.
And can’t think of anything that is better to do than speak of the unsearchable riches of Christ.
I really love that phraseology too. Literally it means “untrackable.” The word comes from sort of the hunting world. You’ve been tracking a deer, but it just goes on and on, and you find that you just can’t keep up the trail anymore.
This is saying that you can’t really keep track of how great Christ really is. When it comes to his grace, you cannot really plum the full depths of it. When you have a real heart for Christ and are really focused on finding your satisfaction in him, it doesn’t matter how bad your job is or what kind of difficulties you are facing in your marriage. If you are focused on Christ and your delight is in him, you will find that you cannot even really fathom how blessed you are.
There’s so much that could be said simply about how grand Christ is as to his person and work. But I briefly mention it simply to highlight the fact that having the opportunity to preach about Christ is truly an unsearchable blessing in and of itself.
You understand that Paul is saying, “Don’t feel bad for me; I have the best job in the world. I get to spend all my days telling people about who Christ is and what he has done for us.”
The second blessing Paul mentions is the fact that he gets to endorse the local church. He not only gets to preach the gospel, he gets to put an accent on the church.
II. He gets to accentuate (endorse) the church
Look at verse 10. Paul is taking about his preaching and bringing to light this mystery of God, and he says, “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known.”
It’s kind of an odd thing to say. You would think that he would say, “So that through my preaching the wisdom of God might now be made known.” but he doesn’t say that. His focus is not on his role, so much as it is on the role of the local church. His preaching is not divorced from the local church, but very much connected to it.
I actually like what one of the commentaries says on this verse. It says that the church is the “theater of God’s wisdom.” It is through the church that the wisdom of God is now made known. And therefore the church is kind of like a cinema, where the drama of God’s love, grace, and power is being made known.
Remember, Paul has been talking about the impossible. How Jews and Gentiles can be one body, living in harmony as a united worshipping community. That went against every bone in their bodies. That was a counter cultural thing.
That’s why Paul could say that the church is like an amphitheater which his highlighting the wisdom of God.
Paul says that, as he preaches, he gets to take part in that drama. He gets to reinforce the beautiful role of the church in the world.
You know, a lot of people have a very low view of the local church today. They dismiss the local church as not really biblical or necessary. They will talk about the church, but it is always the church universal or Church with a capital C. They don’t see any importance of a local church or the need for membership in it.
But Paul has a different view. He loves the local church. To him, that’s where the action really is. That’s where ministry really takes place. It is in the local church that you can see in the most vivid way God at work.
And the truth is, if you want to see the realities of the gospel, that’s where you need to go. God does the unthinkable in a place like this. The church is center stage when it comes to the drama of God’s redeeming power.
Paul’s happy to preach because he gets to reinforce the importance of the local church. He gets to be a part of this grandiose theater.
You might not think much of it when you come together each Lord’s day, but maybe this will change your mind. Every Lord’s day when we gather, we put on a show. We take the stage to show forth the manifold wisdom of God. And the preaching of God’s word is simply accentuating that.
Thirdly, Paul’s happy to preach because he gets to shock celestial beings.
III. He gets to shock the celestial beings
Look at the end of verse 10. This is really kind of neat. It says that through the church the manifold wisdom of God is being made known. But to whom? It’s to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.
We’ve met this kind of language before. Paul has talked about the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. And we’ve seen that this is the way he likes to refer to celestial beings, like angels and demons. And he says here that the wisdom of God’s grace and the wisdom of his bringing people together is being revealed right here in the local church. And it is being revealed to, of all creatures, spiritual beings.
Now, you would think that angels, of all things, would be quite acquainted with God’s gracious nature. They get to be in his presence and they have witnessed history. They’ve seen God be gracious over rand over again. Everyone who enters heaven is a testimony to God’s grace towards sinners.
But here it says that wisdom of God’s reconciling grace is being made known. It’s as if they get to look at the show and marvel at it. They knew of God’s grace, but it is on display in a radically new and vibrant way. So that even they are getting an education in how gracious God is.
And the same goes for demonic forces. Remember that when Paul uses this language of rulers and authorities in the heavenly places, most of the time it refers to the celestial beings that are evil.
And think about what they are witnessing. All up til this point the Gentile nations were under the authority of Satan. They were his and he had a pretty good lock on them. But now the gates of hell are being attacked and they are losing territory. And they get to look at these little churches and they get to see how God’s word has affected these people. And they are crying because they see how our God is demolishing all that they once held dear.
So Paul says, don’t worry about me. My job is great. I get to be a part of this. I get to shock demons and dazzle angels for a living.
There’s a fourth reason why we shouldn’t feel bad for Paul. It’s because he gets to fulfill the decree of God.
IV. He gets to fulfill the decree of God
Remember, Paul’s been talking about his preaching and his getting to declare the unsearchable riches of Christ. And then in verse 11 he says, “This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Now, I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that it’s been several weeks since we’ve talked about predestination. For a while there it seemed like that was the only thing we were talking about. The theme of God’s eternal purpose, eternal counsel, his having predestined, his doing things before time has repeated so much that even I began to wonder if it was overkill.
But here we are once again. Paul simply cannot get away from talking this idea. It’s like everything he talks about somehow leads back to what God was planning before time began.
Now, normally when we talk about predestination, we have in mind who would be saved. We talk about how God has chosen certain individuals to be the special recipients of his grace. But this passage is a little different. It’s talking about the ministry and how Paul’s preaching is a part of God’s decree. So you can say that it isn’t just that God planned who would be saved; He also determined how (and maybe even when) they would be saved.
That’s important for us to understand. When we understand that preaching the gospel is part of God’s decree for the in-gathering of souls, then we will be less likely to discount it or ditch it altogether.
I was in a prayer meeting this past week and someone in that group was praying and she said, “Lord, we know that your message doesn’t change, but we know your methods do. Help us to be open to to those new methods. Help us to tune into what you are doing so that we can reach those who need you.”
As a matter of fact, there have been many people and churches who have done just that. Here’s a snippet from Outreach Magazine, an article which came out in 2016. It is highlighting a fellow by the name of Wes Dupin. He started Daybreak church in one of the suburbs of Grand Rapids Michigan.
Daybreak has grown tremendously. Weekend attendance now averages between 1,200 and 1,400. In an effort to connect with those who are disconnected from church, [Daybreak has] adopted creative evangelism methods by infusing art, drama, live music, and even crazy costumes into weekend services.
Through the years, Dupin has dressed up as Gene Simmons, Elvis Presley and other colorful characters to help illustrate his messages. He’s even done things that have ruffled congregational feathers, like the time he invited porn star Ron Jeremy to speak at church to remind members of Christ’s unwavering love.
It is important for us to realize that a lot of other churches might seem very exciting and full of energy. They may be hip and open to trying new things. But we have to remember that God has ordained in eternity past that there would be one way by which the unsearchable riches of Christ might be made know. It’s always been God’s intention to use the simple and plan preaching of the gospel for building his kingdom.
V. He gets to nurture our faith [12]
Look at verse 12. After mentioning Christ, he says, “In whom we have boldness and access through faith.”
The boldness here is linked to the idea of access. So this is talking about one’s boldness to pray. It’s about how someone understands more the depth of relationship that they have with God. God is not far off, but he’s close at hand to his people. He’s relatable. You can talk to him. You understand he’s with you and near to you at all times.
There is nothing more joyous than seeing people gain that kind of perspective. To understand that God is not some deity far far away. He’s personal. He’s not blocked our communion with him, but he draws near to us and allows us to draw near to him.
Those are wonderful things. And Paul’s saying, I have the opportunity to help people gain that kind of perspective. I get to help people know that God is their friend.
So don’t feel bad for me. What on earth could be better than that?