The Mystery of Christ
Ephesians 3:1-13
Intro: How many of you like a good mystery (and I’m not talking about the location of your missing sock)?
Interestingly enough, the first definition for mystery in Webster’s Dictionary is “a religious truth that one can know only by revelation and cannot fully understand.” That sums up the gospel, the good news about Jesus pretty well! We can know about it, and God can reveal truth to us from His word, but how often can we really say that we fully understand? Why does God love us? That’s a mystery. How can God have had no beginning? He just always was! How can there be one God, but in 3 persons? Why are some people healed when we pray for them, but others suffer long-term illnesses? Even if we study a lifetime we will still be faced with mysteries that our minds cannot fully comprehend.
-Life itself is a mystery. Scientists are making amazing new discoveries each year into how vast and intricate our universe is.
-But as mysterious as everything around us is, there are also absolutes that God has revealed to us. We may not know everything there is to know about these absolutes, but we can through faith know that God has spoken to mankind and has a message He wants us to hear. God’s message to us is expressed in many ways, but the heart of it is this: God says, “I see you. I know you. I love you. I can help you.” And the way God has helped us was by sending His Son Jesus to pay the price for our sins and make us right with Him.
-So Paul talks about the mystery of Christ – a truth known only by revelation & never fully understood, but powerful & effective to bring healing to our lives & hope to our hearts.
-Let’s take a look at some clues that relate to this mystery – the mystery of Christ. My hope is that we will all understand a little more clearly who Jesus is and what He has done for us.
I. The Mystery of Christ is based on a promise (6)
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles-- 2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
-Last week we focused on the fact that Jesus is our peace and has broken down the walls of hostility that we as humans have constructed. We talked about the fact that we are members of the same family when we put our faith in Jesus and accept what He did for us when He died on the cross. Well, the mystery of Christ and what He has done for us is based on God’s promise to help us. How do we know this?
-We can start in the OT, where we find hints or clues that God has a plan to do something about evil and the sinful condition of the human heart. Clear back in the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve sinned, God told Eve that one of her descendents would crush the head of the serpent, the devil. God also told Abraham that through His seed (his descendents) all the nations on earth would be blessed. Notice that even way back then God had Gentiles included in His plan.
-Another expression of God’s promise is found in Jeremiah 31:31-34 31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant …. 33 "This is the covenant I will make … I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ’Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
-God has never broken a promise, and He didn’t break this one. He has provided us with everything we need to come close to Him and allow Him to take care of our sin problem. It’s a mystery why God cares so deeply about us; however, the fact that He does care about us has been made known through His Son Jesus Christ. God’s promise to help us provides the basis of the mystery of Christ. Now let’s look at the availability of this mystery.
II. The Mystery of Christ is accessible to all (6)
6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
-I don’t need to belabor this point, since we focused on it last week. But this is a truth we must never forget. God is interested in people! People matter to God! Regardless of what they look like, act like, think like or anything else, God values every human being. That is why Jesus said, “Whosoever will may come to Me.” Jesus also said that when someone comes to Him, they will not be rejected. “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37). Jew, Gentile, male, female, rich, poor, extrovert, introvert, easygoing, uptight – all are welcome at God’s table because of the mystery of Christ. The Mystery of Christ is a shared commodity. It is not the exclusive property of any single group or sect. Every human has the opportunity to share in God’s promise.
III. The Mystery of Christ is visible through the Church (10-11)
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
-God has a way of using insignificant things and people to do great things.
1 Corinthians 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
-There are some pretty gifted people in this world, some who are living their lives for God and others who are not. All too people with high aptitude and giftedness begin to think more of themselves than they ought to think. However, God wants His people to be humble, giving Him the glory for all good things.
-One of the things God wants to do through His Church – ordinary people like us – is to showcase His amazing wisdom. The idea here is that the Church somehow displays the bright spectrum of God’s wisdom to the angelic beings in heaven. It is as if the mighty angels of God look at what He is doing through His Church and they just stare in jaw-dropping awe, amazed at God’s multi-splendored wisdom. Peter tells us that when it comes to the good news about Jesus changing lives, even angels long to look into these things. It is a mystery to them that such a mighty, matchless Creator would go so far to reach such tiny, insignificant, often ungrateful creatures such as ourselves. Yet, the Church that Jesus is building (you know… the one with the broken down middle wall), Christ’s Church is reflecting His glory to the highest heaven.
-God continues to build His Church because the Church is the tool He is using to carry out His eternal purpose – bringing people into right relationship with Himself through Jesus. You are part of God’s plan! You are a demonstration of God’s wisdom. Some days you may not feel like it, but know that you are and that we have a job to do! People need to know that God cares about them and that rarely happens until they know you care about them. Keep up the good work of reaching out to people in love and showing the love of Jesus to them!
IV. The Mystery of Christ gives us a clear approach to God (12)
12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
-Here again we have this well-known phrase, “In Him.” When we come to Christ in faith and are accepted by Him, He gives us access to the very throne of God. Because of what Jesus did for us when He died and rose again, we have free access to God. Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
-Love dispels fear. That is why we can approach God boldly, the way a child approaches a parent. We know that He loves us and is very interested in hearing from us and helping us.
-Jesus made it possible for us to have a clear shot, immediate access to the Creator of the Universe. That is a mystery! Who are we that God should notice us, let alone invite us into His presence? The only claim we can make is that we are in Christ and we trust Him fully.
-How is your approach to God? Is it clear? Is it uncluttered? Let me probe deeper. Have you been there lately? Have you approached God lately?
-If not, maybe it’s time to clear some of the clutter from your life. Maybe you need to evaluate the priority of your relationship with Jesus so that you are truly “in Him,” and not off somewhere else.
-We have the greatest privilege man can have – freedom to approach the living God! Ask God to help you clear your approach to Him so you can be the person you were meant to be in Christ.
V. The Mystery of Christ brings encouragement (13)
13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
-Paul was no stranger to suffering, just as Jesus was no stranger to it. Jesus is described in Isaiah 53 as “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.” Paul considered it his privilege to share in the sufferings of Christ.
-As Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians (and perhaps to several other churches), he was likely writing to people who knew him and his ministry. He knew they were concerned about him, since he was being held as a prisoner for telling people (esp. Gentiles) the good news about Jesus. Some scholars believe that the readers may have been angry about Paul’s imprisonment, knowing that it was unjust. However, anger or even worry doesn’t help. It can begin to suck the life out of us if we give it a place to stay.
-So Paul reminds them that God is still in control and that He is still using His Church to accomplish His purpose. Paul asks them not to be discouraged, which carries the idea of becoming good for nothing, growing faint or weak. That is not how someone who is in Christ and who has free, unhindered access to God should live. He does not scold them for it, but simply asks them not to become discouraged because he is simply following God’s call on his life, and Christ’s will is still being accomplished in and through him.
-So, in light of the fact that Jesus is leading the way and that as we live in Him and trust Him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence, be encouraged! Don’t lose heart, becoming good for nothing. Keep loving God and loving people! Don’t allow your frustration or anger over a difficult situation rob you of your effectiveness in serving Christ. Instead, keep revealing the mystery of Christ – the fact that He invites us into a loving relationship, the fact that He has taken care of our sin problem – the fact that He has made His promise available to everybody who will receive Him!
Conclusion: As we close, let’s sum up these clues into the mystery of Christ:
I. The Mystery of Christ is based on a promise (6)
II. The Mystery of Christ is accessible to all (6)
III. The Mystery of Christ is visible through the Church (10-11)
IV. The Mystery of Christ gives us a clear approach to God (12)
V. The Mystery of Christ brings encouragement (13)
-My prayer for you today is that you will continue to look into this mystery, continue to trust Jesus with your future as you approach Him often. Don’t let discouragement immobilize you, but remember that God is in control and everything is going to work out according to His eternal purpose.
-If you haven’t yet responded to God’s promise to forgive us and help us, I hope you will see your way clear to do so today. If I can help you get from here to there, I’d sure love to do so.
