The Moody Church Sunday Morning Podcast

During Missions Week 2023, guest speaker Rev. Michael Allen challenged us with two passages from Matthew 22:35–39 and Matthew 28:16–20. Pastor Michael Allen currently serves as the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Together Chicago, an organization that catalyzes faith, business, community, and government leaders to inspire hope and affect peace and justice in Chicago communities. Together Chicago (TC) seeks to reduce gun violence and increase thriving communities in our city through five key areas: economic development, educational achievement, violence reduction, gospel justice, and faith-community mobilization. Originally from Jamaica, Pastor Allen immigrated to the USA in 1977 and earned a BA in Biblical Studies and an MDiv with a focus in urban ministry from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Previously, he pastored at The Moody Church (1997-2002), Sagemont Church in Texas (2002-2005), and most recently as the Senior Pastor at Uptown Baptist Church in Chicago (2005-2020). He and his wife Marilza have been blessed with four children.

For many, the deepest WHY of missions is lacking. The early church understood that EVERYTHING spirals out of our understanding of God—the triune God of the Bible. “...As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you. And with that, he breathed [on them] and said, Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:19–22) As Missio Dei is the expression of God Himself, so Missio Dei is the essential expression of faith in the life of the believer. Historically, what does the phrase Missio Dei describe? 1) Missio Dei is grounded in the Holy Trinity: The Father sends the Son and the Spirit into the world. 2) The triune God’s mission is our mission. He has come, we are called. 3) Missio Dei is a deeply personal invitation: It is the essential expression of faith in the life of the believer. Missio Dei is the intimate, existential divine calling; we are free to say yes or no. Yet obedience to our Lord in self-giving is essential to our being filled with God’s Life. In the end, understanding who God is will define WHY you and I exist, WHO we are as persons, and HOW we may most be fulfilled individually and in relationship to other persons, and above all else to our Creator. John 20:19–22

The Apostle Paul has been leading us through a grand celebration of the Gospel: in Christ, by grace and through faith, we have been reconciled with God and with one another. We are alive as God’s sons and daughters. We are unified as God’s family, Jews and Gentiles together in this multi-ethnic family of God. All of this is—as Paul puts it in Ephesians 3:11-12—through “Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.” And now, having celebrated our bold, confident, access to God through Christ, Paul decides to show us the way as he launches into one of the most powerful prayers recorded in all the Bible. In this sermon, we look at three key points about the power of prayer. 1) The Basis of Prayer: There are two images at the start of the prayer. First, “I bow my knees” is throne room imagery. Second, what’s interesting is Paul says we are bowing before the Father, which is family imagery. This imagery reiterates that now, in Jesus, the blessings of God’s promise to all the nations has come true: God brings salvation to Jews and Gentiles together as one new family by grace through faith in Christ. Our Father loves His multi-ethnic family. So come to Him like you’re wanted, because you are! 2) The Grace of Prayer: In the middle of the prayer, Paul articulates three prayer requests drawing on the imagery of hospitality, botany, and maturation. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are cultivating their abiding life in us. God gives us Himself, to make us like Himself, so he can give us even more of Himself, so we become just like Him! 3) The Confidence of Prayer: How do we know we’re not just wasting our breath? How can we have confidence in our prayers? Our triune God is our hope, now and forever.The Father’s grace. The Spirit’s power. The Son’s love. Our God is doing it all, to the praise of His glory! Takeaway: Pray like your life depends on it—because it does! Prayer is our lifeline to God and our abundant life in Him. Only the Father, Son, and Spirit can take us, this multi-ethnic family, and cultivate their abiding life in us so that we become glorious children of God. Ephesians 3:14-21

The Apostle Paul is writing the letter to the Ephesians from a Roman prison because the Jews in Jerusalem accused him of fraternizing with Gentiles. And here in Ephesians 3:1-13, Paul tells us it’s worth it! All the sufferings for the Gospel, all the hardship, pain, loss, and imprisonment, every bit of it is worthwhile…because of the wonder of the Gospel. The Gospel story is worth it all! How can this be? We’ll explore three ways that this passage encourages us that the wonder of the Gospel makes it all worthwhile. 1) Spirit’s Mysterious Revelation: The Gospel is God’s plot twist. It’s the mystery hidden in plain sight that one day, in Jesus Christ, the true Son of Abraham, all the families of the earth would be blessed: Gentiles and Jews alike, one new family in Jesus, by grace and through faith. No one saw that coming! 2) Christ’s Unsearchable Riches: What God planned in secret from the dawn of creation and kept hidden until just the right moment, when in Jesus Christ God brought all the loose ends of history together in the greatest “aha” moment of all time! The French call it the dénouement, the part of a story when everything finally makes sense, and all the loose ends are tied off and the plot comes to resolution. The Gospel is God’s dénouement. All the mystery and questions and loose ends come together in perfect resolution as Jesus Christ takes the stage and the Good News is proclaimed to the nations! The hope of Israel, the light to the Gentiles, was always Jesus all along. 3) God’s Cosmic Purpose: There’s a cascade of revelation in this passage. The Spirit revealed this Gospel to Paul the good news that in Christ the Gentiles are included in God’s people. Paul revealed that Good News to the Ephesians of as he preached to them the unsearchable riches of Christ. And as Ephesian Jews and Gentiles believed that Good News and placed their trust in Jesus, this multi-ethnic church came into being. And now through the church God is revealing, making known his manifold wisdom “to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” Now, who are these rulers and authorities? God is making His manifold wisdom known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places—the supernatural cosmic powers (angels and demons)—through His church. The Gospel is God’s triumph.Now here’s what’s amazing: this passage is like a grand crescendo, ending with the cosmic triumph of God before the hosts of heaven. But where does it start? With the Spirit’s revelation of the Gospel to “the very least of all the saints.” God’s cosmic triumph comes through the least of all the saints. God took an ordinary sinner saved by grace to preach the Gospel of Jesus, to form His multi-ethnic church, and to narrate God’s cosmic triumph in the universe!Takeaway: We are enacting God’s wonderous Gospel story!You’ve been invited into the greatest story the world has ever known. You get to be a part of this Good News!Ephesians 3:1-13

In this sermon from Ephesians 2:11-22, we’re going to see the glorious truth of what that salvation means for our relationships with one another. Salvation works on both a vertical and a horizontal axis (like a cross). Salvation reconciles us with God, and it reconciles us with one another. Salvation isn’t just about “I and me…” It’s about “us and we.” Three key points from this passage:1) AlienationThe Gentiles were strangers to God’s covenant blessings, despised by God’s covenant people. In other words, the Jews were “in,” the Gentiles were “out.” Paul says that at one time, those fleshly distinctives mattered, but no longer. 2) Reconciliation Because of what Christ has done, those fleshly distinctions no longer matter. In the wonder of God’s grace, the Gentiles have been welcomed into the new covenant that is in Jesus’ blood! In Christ, God has reconciled Jews and Gentiles to Himself and with one another. 3) Incorporation The same grace that reconciles us with God also reconciles us with one another. And this reconciliation is far more than a ceasefire, it’s a cessation of hostilities, and the beginning of a interdependent and loving multi-ethnic family. We are the Temple of God’s Holy Spirit! And as this multi-ethnic temple is being built up, joined together, Jews and Gentiles are incorporated together. As one Temple, we display the glory of God! God’s glory is revealed through His multi-ethnic church. Takeaway: God has adopted us; now we must adopt one another.Friends, Jesus paid an infinite price to make us family! Don’t let human tribalism destroy the family that God has brought together. God has adopted us; now we must adopt one another. We must learn to love God’s family beyond our natural tribal boundaries. Ephesians 2:11-22

A few years back a friend of mine in Washington State had a near death experience. In God’s mercy, he survived. And I asked him how it had changed his perspective, and this is what he told me: “When you’re a dead man, and God gives you your life back, it means He’s got a purpose for you.” And that’s what Ephesians 2:1-10 is all about: we were dead, but God made us alive, which gives our lives new purpose. 1) Dead The Bible offers a robust understanding for the origin of sin and evil. It arises from three things: human choices, cultural influences, and supernatural oppression. All three are simultaneously at work in a way that doesn’t negate the others.Spiritual death is ravaging our lives, our families, our neighborhoods, our cities, our nation, and out world. And all that brokenness arises from human choice, cultural influences, and supernatural oppression. We need a solution that addresses all three sources of evil at once. But we can’t do it on our own. Apart from grace, we are hopelessly dead. 2) Alive Only God can provide the solution we need: when we were hopelessly dead, God made us alive together with Christ. In God’s mercy, love, and grace, He made us alive together—Jews and Gentiles—with Christ, one new man in Him. And not only that, He raised us to newness of life and seated us in the Heavenly places. Because of grace, we are gloriously alive. 3) Purpose For what purpose has God shown us his mercy, love, and grace in making us alive together with Christ? God made us alive by grace, in order that he might show us more grace! We’re saved by grace and for grace. Grace is the means of our salvation; and grace is the end of our salvation. God’s purpose all along was to make you a new creation in Christ Jesus. And as a new creation we are to walk in newness of life in the good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Through grace, we have transforming purpose.Takeaway: Grace grows godliness. Friends, God has purposed that you will one day stand before Him holy, blameless, and glorious. You will one day see Jesus face-to-face and be transformed into His glorious likeness. Even now, your Father has prepared good works that you might walk in them. And every step of the way is by grace. Ephesians 2:1-10

Did you know that as a follower of Jesus Christ you have a secret identity? By grace, through faith, in Jesus, you are a son or daughter of God! You are royalty incognito. You are an eternal being hidden in time. You are a Titan in this everyday world. You say, “But I don’t feel or look very much like a Titan…” We think that Titans are supposed to be mighty, skillful, beautiful, and glorious. But, we feel like none of that’s true of us in the moment. Oh, but one day it will be! When we see Jesus face-to-face, we shall be transformed into His likeness: splendid, beautiful, radiant, and glorious. We’ve been given a secret identity! Sons and Daughters of God! To the praise of His glory! How is this even possible? How can it ever come to pass? How do we know our secret identity isn’t just wishful thinking? In Ephesians 1:15-23, Paul shares three ways we can be confident that this secret identity will one day be revealed in glory: 1) Prayer Our growth is grace. Our growth is dependent on the living God who gives generously to His children when they call upon Him in prayer. So, we must pray. We ask, we seek, and we knock, for without grace, there is no growth. 2) Perspectives Our future is glorious. We need the Spirit to reveal the glories of our Father and what those glories mean for us, His sons and daughters. We have so much to look forward to, it’s that eternal perspective that we need to keep in mind. 3) Power Our destiny is grounded. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead, and seated Him at the Father’s right hand, and enthroned Him above all, and exalted Him before all, and subjected all things to Him, beginning with the Church and ending with the universe; that same immeasurably great power, God is working toward us who believe. This means that our destiny is grounded. The immeasurably great power of God that defeated sin, that same resurrection power is working your glorious future as well. So, we too have resurrection, ascension, enthronement, and exaltation! Takeaway: We will be our true selves. One day, our secret identity will be revealed for all to see. And we will finally be our true selves: Children of God. Ephesians 1:15-23

To be alive in Christ is nothing short of a miracle! And it didn’t just happen; there was a purpose, a plan, and a promise. In fact, as the Apostle Paul is about to tell us in Ephesians 1 all three Persons of the One Triune God—Father, Son, and Spirit—have been collaborating from eternity past to eternity future on this very project of Salvation which is now ours by grace through faith in Christ. It took all of Heaven to work this miracle to make us alive in Christ! And as the Apostle Paul begins his letter to the church in Ephesus, he breaks forth in one of the most beautiful and transcendent choruses of worship to the Triune God who has saved us and made us alive in Christ. And it’s all to the praise of His glory! Paul begins Ephesians 1 with a prayer of blessing that will saturate their minds with the truth of the Gospel and stir up their hearts in the worship of God. In so doing, Paul reminds them (and us) of three things: that we are chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and sealed by the Spirit. 1) Chosen by the Father The Father has chosen you for adoption. He chose you! He picked you! He wanted you! And in making you His son, He’s called you “Beloved.” He’s drawn you to Himself. He’s destined you to be well-pleasing in His sight. You are His from before the dawn of time until beyond the ending of the world and every moment in-between. You are His forever and always. 2) Redeemed by the Son The Son has redeemed you for union. God’s plan all along was to unite you to Christ. So that His life might become your own, and that you might come alive in Him. 3) Sealed by the Spirit The Spirit has sealed you for inheritance. You are branded as God’s very own. You bear His image and likeness. You are adopted as a son. You are sealed by the Spirit.Takeaway: Our Salvation is to the praise of His glory. All God’s saving work is for your good and His glory. Before time began God knew you, loved you, and chose you. He set His affections upon you, and purposed that you would be his child, that you would be with Him, holy and blameless. It’s why He sent you Jesus as your Substitute, your Redeemer, your Savior, your Lord, and your King. It’s why He sealed you with the Spirit—to be his very own possession—as a guarantee of all the glory to come, so that in the end He might share all that He is and all that He has with you. It’s the procurement of your good to the praise of His glory! Ephesians 1:3-14

The letter Paul wrote to the Ephesians is all about what it means to be “Alive in Christ.”Have you ever wondered what it would take to come truly alive? To be alive in Christ is to be abundantly alive forevermore. In this series through Ephesians, we’ll be exploring this topic in detail. The Book of Ephesians begins with a salutation that’s typical of 1st century correspondence. The author, Paul, is identified as writing to the church of Ephesus, the recipients. Paul starts the letter with a greeting: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” And that’s how the letter simply begins. But before we get any further into the letter, we need to first understand a bit of the setting and context of this letter. These are real people, corresponding in the real world, in light of real challenges. 1) Splendid Beginning: The Ephesian church began with Gospel power and transformed lives. They had transitioned from death to life, from darkness to light, from magic arts to following Jesus. Their conversion was dramatic, radical, and decisive. The truth of the Gospel had won their minds, and the love of Jesus had won their hearts. 2) Sobering Warning: The Ephesian church was in danger of losing the truth of the Gospel and the Love of their lives. Paul warns that the church is going to come under attack from fierce wolves from without and from twisted teachers from within who will lead people astray. He implores them to be alert and to pay attention to the direction of the flock. How are they to do this? By holding fast to “the word of his grace.” And so, Paul writes a letter that will turn out to be their sustaining grace. 3) Sustaining Grace: The Ephesian church must hold fast to the truth of the Gospel with all their heart as if their lives depend on it. What’s their secret weapon? The Word of His grace in action: “Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” Friends, this is our secret weapon, our only weapon; this is our only and all sufficient guide for faith and godliness. Takeaway: God’s Word is grace. The Scriptures are the nutrients you need to grow healthy, strong, and tall in Christ. The Bible is your secret weapon against false teaching, growing cultural pressures, and with suffering coming for you. Read it. Meditate upon it. Study it. Wrestle with it. Memorize it. Surrender to it. Abide in it. Live in it. Those nutrients will ensure your flourishing. So, take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. It’s your only weapon after all. Ephesians 1:1-2

The resurrection changes everything. But for many people, the resurrection is just a fact until we get the call with the goodness that changes our lives. In this Easter Sunday sermon, we explore 3 vignettes of people when they first discovered the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. The resurrection had already taken place, but these are the three moments when they found out it was real, and it would change their lives forever. 1) Mary’s Encounter: She suffered from severe demonic possession for many years. And it was Jesus who set her free. No one understood her like Jesus; He understood her trauma and pain. He was the one person in the whole world who’d seen her at her worst and lover her just the same. So, when He was crucified and buried, her lifeline to freedom and healing was severed. On resurrection morning, she was weeping and felt alone. But on that morning, she found the tomb empty, and when she met the resurrected Lord, something deep changed inside, and a joy welled up inside her that she couldn’t stop talking about. The resurrection turns sorrow into joy. If the resurrection can turn a Friday crucifixion into the glory of Easter morning, just imagine what Jesus’ resurrection can do for you, your sorrows, your story, and your life? 2) Thomas’ Encounter: Thomas was one of Jesus’ 12 disciples. He had a lot of hopes and dreams of what Jesus might be and do, like restoring Israel to the glory days as her Messiah and King. But all of that came crashing down when Jesus was crucified. On Friday, Thomas’ dreams had died. After the resurrection, Jesus had come and appeared to his disciples in person and shown Himself to them, but Thomas wasn’t there that day. And when the others told him Jesus was alive, he didn’t believe them. But then Jesus shows Himself to Thomas and shows the nail holes and the scars. And, just like that, Thomas goes from someone too afraid to hope to making the boldest statement of worship contained in the Gospel of John: “My Lord and my God!” The resurrection turns fear into faith. If the resurrection can turn Thomas’ fearful skepticism into worshipful faith, if the resurrection can turn the fear of death into the wonder of eternal life, just imagine what Jesus’ resurrection can do for you, for your fears, for your future, and for your life? 3) Peter’s Encounter: Peter was another of Jesus’ disciples. And on the night before Jesus was betrayed, arrested and crucified he’d made some bold pronouncements. He’d told Jesus that he’d never disown Him, that he’d stand by His side no matter what, that he’d die for Jesus. But when the chips were down, Peter faltered. He denied Jesus three times. And Peter, realizing how badly he’d failed, went out into the night and wept bitterly. Then on resurrection Sunday, Jesus restored Peter, saying “you once thought you were strong enough to die for me, and you discovered your own weakness. Follow me, and I will give you the unflinching courage to both live and die for me.” The resurrection turns shame into courage. If the resurrection can turn Peter’s cowardly shame into bold courage, if the resurrection can turn the shame of sin into the forgiveness, freedom, and courage, just imagine what Jesus’ resurrection can do for you, for your shame, for your sin, and for your life? Takeaway: The resurrection is only a fact until Jesus calls your name. The resurrection is full of the life-changing power of Jesus. But it’s only a fact until Jesus calls your name. And when you hear His voice, and realize He’s come for you, and you turn to Him, it’ll change your life. Is His Holy Spirit stirring in your heart? Do you yearn to be alive in Christ this day? John 20-21