Taught 10/26/2008
Ephesians 3:1-13
The Mystery of the Church
Open your Bible to…
Eph. 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
Pray
Intro
√ The mystery of the Church
In our previous study Paul shared the wonderful truth that Jesus has made peace between God and Man, and between Jews and Gentiles.
In our text this morning Paul builds on the work of reconciliation that Jesus brought between Jews and Gentiles by sharing a divine secret with us…
…that is, that Jesus has placed believing Jews and Gentiles into a new entity called the Church.
We might think that there’s nothing mysterious about the Church, but to the believers in the 1st Century it was a new and radical idea!
Ap. Jesus loves His Church
The Church in the world today has a lot of problems!
Too often people inside and outside of the Church fail to see the beauty of the Bride of Christ.
This section reminds us that Jesus is madly, passionately, in love with His Church…
…and so should we!
The Prayer (vs. 1)
Eph. 3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—
√ The prayer
This section of Paul’s letter is actually kind of comical in that he begins with a prayer for his friends in Ephesus here in vs. 1…
…but then runs off on a divine rabbit trail for the next 13 verses and doesn’t pick up his prayer until vs. 14-21!
Ap. Doesn’t that sound like your prayer time!
You start praying for your kids and in the middle of your prayer you remember a friend from junior high school that you haven’t seen or heard from in 35 years…
…and you end up praying for them instead!
I’m not encouraging an ADD attitude in prayer, but I do want to encourage you that sometimes it may be the Spirit who leads you on a divine rabbit trail because He wants you to intercede for that long lost friend!
Maybe search for them on anywho.com and send them a note, or give them a call that may lead to an opportunity to share your faith.
So, Paul begins his prayer by reminding his friends that he is in jail for the cause of Christ.
√ Paul the prisoner
Remember that Paul is writing this letter while he is waiting for trail before Caesar.
He had been arrested a few years earlier in Jerusalem where he’d been accused by the Jews of violating the Temple laws.
Specifically they accused him of bringing a Gentile into the courtyard of the Temple.
The charges were false but the reason the Jews pressed the case forward was that they were violently opposed to Paul’s ministry to take the Gospel to the Gentiles.
Ex. The riot in Jerusalem ~ Acts 22
Paul was beaten by a crowd of Jews and dragged out of the Temple court where they planned to kill him.
However, he was rescued by the Roman garrison stationed in the Praetorian at the north end of the Temple mount.
He gained permission from the Roman Centurion to address the crowd that had just tried to kill him and they calmed down when he spoke to them in Hebrew.
They listened to his testimony quietly until he said that God told him to…
“Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.” ~ Acts 22:21
When they heard the word “Gentiles” they rioted again and called for Paul’s death!
He was then transported to Caesarea where he sat in jail for a couple of years before appealing his case to Caesar and was sent to Rome.
That’s were we find him at the time of the writing of this letter, sitting under house arrest in Rome waiting to present his case to Caesar.
The point is that Paul took his ministry seriously.
The Lord gave him a mission and he was going to do it to the best of his ability whether it meant prison or death!
He was in jail because of his love for Jesus and the Gentiles to whom he preached, that made him a…
“…prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles” ~ vs. 1
Wow!
Ap. How serious are you about your faith?
Are you willing to be uncomfortable for Christ? To be imprisoned for your faith? To face mocking, lose of employment or even death?
The Mystery (vs. 2-6)
Eph. 3:2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you,
Eph. 3:3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,
Eph. 3:4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),
Eph. 3:5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:
Eph. 3:6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,
√ The mystery
The word “mystery” doesn’t mean a Sherlock Holmes novel, rather it means a previously hidden truth that is made clear by new revelation from God, as Paul describes in vs. 5…
“which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets.” ~ Vs. 5
There are many mysteries in the Old Testament that the New Testament makes clear but the one Paul writes of here is the mystery of the Church in which Gentiles are made…
“heirs together” of the kingdom ~ vs. 6
Members of the “same body” ~ vs. 6
“partakers” of the promises of God ~ vs. 6
That is, the living organism called the “Body of Christ”, or the “Church”, will be made up of both Jewish and Gentile believers!
A radical concept to both Jews and Gentiles!
It was a mystery because while the Old Testament prophets like Isaiah speak of the salvation of the Gentiles…
…there isn’t any hint that Jews and Gentiles who trust in Christ would be united into one Body!
Ex. The Church
The Church was born on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples.
Thus began the Church Age, sometimes called the Age of Grace, in which the Holy Spirit is working to take a Bride out of the world for Jesus.
That Bride is called the “Church” and is made up of all believers, both Jews and Gentiles.
The Church Age closes when the Church is removed from the earth at the Rapture and taken to heaven to be united with her “husband” the Lord Jesus.
After the Rapture God turns His attention back to the nation of Israel and the Jewish people who have not yet trusted in Messiah Jesus.
That time is called the “time of Jacobs trouble”, the “Tribulation” and the “70th week of Daniel.”
So, through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God is winning both Jews and Gentiles to Himself and knitting them together in His Church.
Ap. The Church
When we first moved to NW Arkansas and people discovered that I was a pastor they would ask me…
“What are you?
To which I’d reply…
“I’m a Christian”
On too many occasions I found that my answer wasn’t sufficient for the person asking, they wanted to know what kind of Christian I was!
Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodist, etc.
While they claimed that it made no difference to them the reality is that it did and still does!
Too many people in our community who claim to be Christian are way too concerned with their unique church affiliation…
…when they should be concerned about the unity of the Body of Christ!
I think that’s one of the main reasons that the Church in NW Arkansas has trouble getting anything done, too many people aren’t willing to recognize the unity we have in Christ.
Ex. I appreciate Ronnie Floyd
Who often challenges the people in his congregation to…
“Stop thinking like Baptists and start thinking like Christians!”
We need that attitude in all the different buildings where the “Church” meets because we’re all part of the same Body…
…that’s the mystery of the Church!
The Ministry (vs. 7-12)
Eph. 3:7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.
Eph. 3:8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
Eph. 3:9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;
Eph. 3:10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,
Eph. 3:11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Eph. 3:12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.
√ The ministry
Now that we know what the mystery is, Paul tells us about the ministry given to him by God to share the mystery of the Gospel.
The ministry of the minister ~ vs. 7
In vs. 7 Paul tells us that he was called to be a “minister” of the Gospel.
Today most people think of the word “minister” with the same esteem as the title “engineer”, or “doctor”.
In our society it’s a professional title with unique privileges and social standing.
But, the actual word “minister” that Paul uses to describe his duty is anything but special! It literally means a…
“servant”
And it always carries the idea of being subject to someone else!
It is used to describe a household servant and a waiter…
…not a title that would impress anyone!
But Paul saw himself and his calling as the highest privilege because he recognized that nothing in life is more important that serving the Lord and bringing the life-changing Gospel to men and woman!
Ap. We’re all servants!
The reality is that whatever your title and occupation is, as Christians we’re all servants!
We have a King and we’ve all been given a task to do as part of His great plan of Redemption.
Since we’re all servants of the King there’s really no cause for boasting in our calling as our station in life is granted to us by Him!
So, whatever it is He’s given you to do recognize that it’s an honor and privilege to serve the King!
The ministry ~ vs. 8-9
Paul says that his ministry was…
“that I should preach among the Gentile…” vs. 8”
That’s not to say that Paul didn’t preach the Gospel to Jews, he did, but the main focus of his ministry was to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles.
Ex. Set apart by the Holy Spirit
From the very first when Paul was converted he was called by God to go to the Gentiles…
“Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.” ~ Acts 9:15
Then in Acts 13 we find the record of Paul’s commission to take the Gospel to the Gentiles…
“Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” ~ Acts 13:2
Thus began the 1st of 3 missionary journeys in which Paul preached to Gentiles from Asia Minor to Rome!
Ap. God has sense of humor!
His selection of Paul, a hyper-conservative Pharisee to take the Gospel to Gentiles is so contrary to human wisdom!
Before he met Jesus he despised Gentile!
The doctrine he’d been taught as a Pharisee was that Gentiles were less holy than dogs!
Now Jesus sends Paul to tell the Gentiles that the hidden mystery of God is that Jews and Gentiles are united in Christ’s Church!
The reality is that if you or I were responsible for directing the work of the church we’d have sent Paul to Jerusalem where he could use his great knowledge of Scripture and Jewish tradition to win the Jews to Christ!
Instead God sends Peter, an uneducated fisherman from Galilee to preach to the sophisticated Jews in Jerusalem…
…and the brilliant Rabbi Paul to the Gentiles!
Reminds us that God knows how best to utilize us for His work and that it doesn’t always line up with human wisdom!
The message of the ministry ~ vs. 8
The message that Paul preached was that of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, but it also included…
“…the unsearchable riches of Christ” ~ vs. 8
That is, the riches of God’s grace and mercy, which He has bestowed upon those who trust in Christ are so great that they cannot be fully comprehended!
Not only are we saved from the punishment that our sin deserves…
…but God has also prepared for an eternity with Him that is so awesome that we can’t even comprehend it!
As Paul described that future…
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” ~ I Cor. 2:9
And, God has had all this planned for us since before even Created the universe!
Ex. The best gifts are those you don’t expect and can’t imagine!
One of my favorite gifts is a boutique that I brought back from Uganda.
It just sat in my closet because I didn’t know what to do with it.
Well for my birthday one year I found this ginormous wrapped gift…it was the boutique I’d brought back from Uganda that Cindy and the kids had framed for me!
I would have never thought of framing it, or if I did I wouldn’t have spent the money on myself, so when my family presented me with the gift it was beyond my expectations!
That’s a tiny comparison to communicate how great the plans are that God has for us in eternity…
…it will be beyond our expectations and imagination!
The mystery of the ministry ~ vs. 10
The purpose of Paul’s ministry was that…
“the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.”
Vs. 10
The word translated “manifold” actually refers to the multi-faceted beauty of an embroidered pattern, or multi-colored garden of flowers.
Paul uses it here to describe the wisdom of God demonstrated by the beauty of the new relationship God has created between Jew and Gentile in the Church.
That is, he’s woven together the lives of different peoples…
Many different colors, cultures, languages, dress, and song into an awe-inspiring work of art that testifies to God’s glory!
The Church as God has designed it, and now working to make it, is a thing of un-surpassing beauty!
Those who are now able to see the beauty of the Church are the angels, both holy and fallen, here called…
“principalities and powers” (see Eph. 6:12)
Paul’s point is that when the angels look at the Church and the wonderful work of unity and love that He has woven together…
…they will have to testify that God’s wisdom is great and unsearchable!
Ap. The Church is beautiful!
If you’ve been around the Church for any length of time you know that it’s got its blemishes!
You probably didn’t notice them when you first got saved, but after you’ve been around for a while the excitement and newness of the Church wears off and at some point we stop seeing the beauty of Jesus’ Bride.
After a while all you see are the blemishes, the friction between people, the failures of the saints, the lack of Christ-likeness.
Many believers today have simply stopped participating in the Church.
That’s a tragedy because while we’re focused on the blemishes and problems in the Church…
…the angels in heaven and the Lord Himself sees the beauty of His Bride and longs to bring her to heaven.
Ex. Marilyn Monroe
One of the most distinguishing features of her face was mole!
Not a very attractive feature, most would call it a blemish.
Yet she is still thought of as one of the most beautiful woman whose ever lived even with the mole!
Why? Because people focused their attention on the beauty of her face and ignored the mole.
Christians today spend way too much time focused on the “moles” on the Church and miss the beauty of what God is doing.
Ap. Jesus loves His Church
Do you?
The Mandate (vs. 13)
Eph. 3:13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
√ The mandate
Paul closes his thoughts by exhorting his friends in Ephesus not to be discouraged by, or afraid of, his imprisonment.
Rather, he wanted them to look at the big picture and see that more good came out of his obedience to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles…
…than what they might consider bad.
That is, he was in jail because he faithfully preached the mystery of Christ to the Gentiles.
While it was unfortunate that he was in jail, none the less it was worth it to Paul because many Gentiles had been won to Christ by his preaching.
If he had not preached the Gospel he would not be in jail, but neither would the Gentiles have been saved!
Further more, as Paul wrote to his friends in Philippi even his time in jail proved beneficial to the spread of the Gospel to the Gentiles as the entire body guard of Caesar came to faith because of Paul’s testimony in jail!
So, Paul’s suffering was worthwhile because it brought his friends in Ephesus into the glorious mystery of the Church!
Close
√ The mystery of the Church
The Church is supposed to be the greatest social group on earth!
A place where people of all nationalities, colors, cultures, languages, and dress find a common bond of love through faith in Jesus.
A place where everyone is equal!
A place where everyone is loved!
To a great extent the Church universal, and this particular local church will be the place I just described to the extent that we make it so…
…let’s make sure we love the Church as Jesus does!