Introduction
A company Director tells the story about a day when he and his wife stopped off at a petrol station. It was a run down station, with only one pump. It was an old fashioned petrol station and he asked the attendant to fill the tank and check the oil. Meanwhile he went for a little walk around the station to stretch his legs. As he was returning to the car, he noticed that the attendant and his wife were engaged in an animated conversation. The conversation stopped as he paid the attendant. But as they drove off he saw the attendant wave and heard him say, “It was great talking to you.” The company Director asked his wife if she knew the man. She admitted she did. They had gone to school together and had gone out together for about a year. “Boy, were you lucky that I came along,” said the Director. “If you had married him, you’d be the wife of a petrol attendant instead of the wife of a company director!” “My dear,” replied his wife, “if I had married him, he’d be the Director and you’d be the petrol attendant.”
You see, it’s all about perspective!
And we saw a few weeks ago that Paul had this bigger perspective. And again tonight, we are challenged to learn from Paul’s perspective, which in fact is a God-given perspective of what God is doing in this world and in his life.
Transition
Bearing in mind all he has been saying, Paul is about to burst into prayer for the Ephesians (we can see that from where he regains his train of thought in verse 14). For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles – And then he stops. What stopped him? Look at his words: prisoner of Christ Jesus. Remember Paul is under house arrest in Rome. He is the prisoner of the Caesar Nero, really. But he knows that his life is not held by Nero, but Jesus Christ. for the sake of you Gentiles – he continues. And as he says those words, he suddenly realizes he’s going to need to explain something. And he explains that something until v12. Then in verse 13 says, (read).
If someone as famous as a young Billy Graham were arrested, many would be discouraged. Many would wonder why it had happened. In the same way many were shocked at all Paul was going through.
So vv2-12 are Paul’s digression. They are an explanation of why the believers must not be discouraged about his arrest.
Main Body
And as Paul writes, it all becomes clear. As he writes, we realize Paul can see the bigger picture of what God is doing in his life. Paul writes of a God-revealed mystery and a God-given ministry.
1. They must not be discouraged because Paul has received a God-revealed Mystery, 2-6
Paul wants them to recall the revelation of a mystery that he has received. Surely you have heard about this responsibility God has given me? He asks. That’s a very funny thing to say to a group of people you spent 3 solid years with (Acts 20:31). And it shows us again that this letter is not just to the Ephesians, but is a circular letter to all in that area.
The Damascus Road experience in Acts 9 was when Paul first heard this revelation from God. It was a call to be God’s chosen instrument to the Gentiles.
He calls this revelation, the mystery of Christ. In Greek language mystery doesn’t just mean a secret that we can’t understand. It means a secret that has been revealed. He says, v5, that the mystery of Christ wasn’t made known before as it is now. You see, Moses spoke of the blessing of all nations through Abraham. David spoke of the Messiah owning the nations as his inheritance. Isaiah spoke of Israel being a light to the nations, and of all nations flowing up like a river to Jerusalem. The nations were always part of God’s plan. The Gentiles were always going to be blessed. But what was NOT known to Moses, David and Isaiah was the extent of that blessing.
Paul goes on in verse 5 to say that it’s not only him that’s heard this from God, it’s, “been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.” Perhaps Paul is talking about what happened in Acts 15 at the Jerusalem Council. The whole Church met to decide what to do about all the Gentiles that were getting saved. They concluded, Acts 15:28, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us...” that the Gentiles should be freely incorporated into the Church without becoming Jewish.
So God revealed this mystery to Paul, and then to all the Church. But what exactly is this great revelation? V6 spells it out clearly for us (read)...
Through faith in Christ Gentiles will be co-heirs. In other words, Israel’s glorious future was now also the Gentiles’ glorious future. Through faith in Christ Gentiles will be co-members (to prove his point, this is a new word that Paul has just made up –it doesn’t appear anywhere else). In other words, the body of Israel and the body of Gentiles is abolished. There is now one people of God. Through faith in Christ Gentiles will be co-sharers of in the promise in Christ Jesus. In other words, all the blessings of chapter 1 & 2. All the eternal life, Sonship, redemption, forgiveness; and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. One hope, one community, one blessing.
The mystery that has been revealed for us all to see is this: The blessing is not just for Israel! It’s for every nation that will trust in Jesus Christ. God is making something new. One, equal, unified body. One. Not two! For a patriotic Jew like Paul, this was a revelation indeed! Van you imagine telling our Jewish friends here in Hendon that things have changed? That if they trust in Jesus Christ they and us will be God’s one body? A God-revealed Mystery.
2. They must not be discouraged because Paul has received a God-given Ministry, 7-12
Having spoken of the revelation he received, Paul now speaks of the ministry God has given him. Paul says four things about this ministry.
First the ministry is a gift of God’s grace, v7. You see, Paul considers himself less than the least. Just like he considers himself the least of the apostles (1 Cor 15:9), and the worst of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). Paul knew it wasn’t about how good he was, but about how good God was. It wasn’t about Paul’s ability, but God’s. It wasn’t about Paul’s ambitions, but God’s plans. This ministry wasn’t Paul’s idea. It was a gift of God’s grace.
God has given each of us a ministry to do for him. It’s not a burden he places on our shoulders. It’s not a reward because he thinks we are good enough. It’s a gift of love, a gift of his grace. In fact that is the connotation of the Greek word charismata. God gives us a gift to serve him as a sign of his grace. What grace that we can join in with God as a partner with him! How he trusts us! How he respects us! Paul’s sense that he was least or the worst never stops him from carrying out his ministry. I can tell you, I’m in ministry not because I think I’m good enough, but because I say God take my 5 loaves and 2 shrimps, and multiply them for your glory!
Secondly, the ministry for Paul was “to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ”. How we could spend many months of Sundays preaching on that topic!
And just look at the trouble Bible translators have with the word unsearchable:
NASB: Unfathomable riches; Message: Inexhaustible riches; Amplified: Unending riches; NLT: The endless treasures; NCV: The riches too great to understand fully; YLT: The untraceable riches; Holman: Incalculable riches...
The riches of Christ are the riches of who he is in himself. Have you ever read or heard the sermon by Dr. S.M. Lockridge? My King is a seven-way King... (read some sections...)
The riches of Christ are also the riches he gives to us. Some of those riches are mentioned in chapters 1&2. But they are endless.
Note that it’s Paul’s job to preach this Christ to the Gentiles. We need to make much of Christ. A church we talks only vaguely of God, or a church that preaches simply the riches of human potential, has missed the point. We CAN be enriched beyond measure. But only as we glory in Jesus Christ and trust him and throw ourselves wholeheartedly into his care and his service. Verse 12, it’s in him and him alone that we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Thirdly, and briefly, Paul’s ministry is also to, v9, make plain this revealed mystery. In other words, his God-given job was to make sure that everyone understood the new thing God was doing. His job was to help them receive the grace of God; to make it plain for them. The fog of spiritual darkness must be dispelled by the light of the Gospel. God’s grace must be clearly presented. Jesus took profound truth and explained it simply. Often we preachers take simple truth and make it sound profound. May God help us to make the truth plain to people!
Fourthly, Paul was given this ministry so that the manifold wisdom of God would be made known, v10. And look at this word manifold. The Greek word Paul uses here originally meant multi-coloured.
Now, Paul says it was God’s intent to show off his multi-coloured wisdom. God wants to show off his wisdom to the heavenly realms. And he is going to use the Church for this very purpose – v10, not in the future, but NOW! It’s as if God wants to say to all his holy angels and to Satan and all the fallen angels – Look! Look at my Church! A new multi-coloured people from all of time and all over the earth! They come to me freely! They love me! They worship me! They want to be with me! This creation which was so ruined and spoiled by sin and rebellion, I have re-created!
As humans we look up at the stars and the sun and we say wow! The heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1)! And in the same way, supernatural beings look at the Church with their mouths hanging open, and say wow! The church declares the multicoloured wisdom of God!
And what a privilege it is to be here at HBC. We are a body of more than 20 nations. We are a body of many characters and of many colours! And each of us is a sign of God’s wisdom. Each of us is a mirror showing off the grace and goodness and wisdom of God in Christ Jesus... Which brings us to the challenge of this passage. It brings us too, to what I think is its chief application to us.
Application
What is the perspective we have of the Church? And of this church? Do we think the Church is 100 miles away from reaching this purpose of God? Do we see the failures and half-heartedness? Do we see the going to Sunday ritual but rest of the week selfish lifestyle? Do we see the smiles and handshakes and chit-chat but not the real unity and sacrificial love for one another? Do we see the singing of songs without the thrill of sincere worship? Do we see suspicion of each other and rigidity instead of embracing and rejoicing together? Yes, maybe some of these things are true, even of us at HBC. But God and those in the heavenly realms see more. They see what he is making us through the working of his power. They see that we are on a journey to becoming ‘Revelation chapter 7 people’, from every nation standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb, wearing white robes and worshipping in one loud voice…
Let’s not despise the church. Let’s not despise our neighbour’s churches ___________________ Let us not despise our own church. But let’s love it and work towards the fulfilment of God’s great purpose for us. And let the people around us see this truth in our multicoloured worship, let them see it in our multicoloured fellowship, let them see the variety of people and colours in our leadership. In a country that has become a country of internationals, let us show them what it really means to live in loving harmony together.
This is not a cheap vision. It’s costly. In fact, it’s the reason Paul was arrested. It’s the reason Paul is in chains. It’s the reason he will die. Is church that important to you?
Practical steps?
1. When you’re tempted to despair, remember the bigger picture of what God is doing.
2. Give all the time, prayer, love, money and effort you can, to see God’s church built and others come to know Christ.
3. Learn to revel in the unsearchable riches that are yours in Christ. Amen!
