Series: Experiencing the Riches of Christ
THE MYSTERIES OF CHRIST
Ephesians 3:1-13
A mystery-lover takes his place in the theater for opening night, but his seat is way back in the theater, far from the stage. The man calls an usher over and whispers, ’’’’I just love a good mystery, and I have been anxiously anticipating the opening of this play. However, in order to carefully follow the clues and fully enjoy the play, I have to watch a mystery close up. Look how far away I am! If you can get me a better seat, I’’ll give you a handsome tip.’’’’
The usher nods and says he will be back shortly. Looking forward to a large tip, the usher speaks with his co-workers in the box office, hoping to find some closer tickets. With just three minutes left until curtain, he finds an unused ticket at the Will Call window and snatches it up. Returning to the man in the back of the theater, he whispers, ’’’’Follow me.’’’’ The usher leads the man down to the second row, and proudly points out the empty seat right in the middle. ’’’’Thanks so much,’’’’ says the theatergoer, ’’’’This seat is perfect.’’’’ He then hands the usher a quarter.
The usher looks down at the quarter, leans over and whispers, ’’’’The butler did it in the parlor with the candlestick.’’’’
Most of us love a good mystery, especially when the revelation of the mystery comes at the appropriate time. The Apostle Paul is about to reveal to the Ephesians the mystery, which had been hidden from them but now, at the appropriate time, God is revealing.
I. THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST’S SALVATION (3:6)
“Christ makes His glorious riches available to all who believe and accepts them into His body.”
1) Gentiles are to be fellow Heirs
- Heirs of Salvation
God desires all men to be saved.
(1 Tim 2:3-4) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
- Heirs of the Promises and Blessings of God
2) Gentiles are to be part of the Body
(McArthur, Ephesians Comm, p91) It is difficult for us to realize how incredibly revolutionary that truth was in Paul’s day. In spite of the fact that the OT teaches that Gentiles will be blessed by God, that Gentiles will bless God (Ps 72), that the Messiah will come to Gentiles (Isa 11:10, 49:6), thtat they will be saved by the Messiah (Hos 1:10), and they will receive the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-29), the idea of including Gentiles into one body with Jews was the spiritual equivalent of saying lepers were no longer to be isolated, that they were now perfectly free to intermingle and associate with everyone else as normal members of society”
3) Gentiles are to be Partakers/Sharers of His Promise
II. THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST’S WORK (3:7-9)
“Christ entrusts His work/stewardship to those who were His former enemies”
1) God Places Specific Calls on Some to the Work of His Ministry
(1 Tim 1:12-15) And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
2) Every Believer is a steward of God’s Grace and Ministry
(Bob Briggs, Sermon: The Mystery Revealed to All Believers, Eph.3:1-13; Sermon Central)
Paul informs us of his condition, he is a prisoner in Rome awaiting trial with the Roman Emperor Nero. No, it didn’’t say all that there, I did some research. He was chained to a Roman guard, what a witnessing opportunity. It is interesting Paul said he was a prisoner of Christ rather than a prisoner of Rome.
Charles Colson in the Book God 0f Stones and Spiders tells of an episode in the life if anti-Communist Nein Cheng who was imprisoned by the Chinese in 1966. She was locked in a small, damp prison cell with a solitary light left on 24 hours a day, left to sleep on a bed caked with dirt. After weeks of imprisonment, Cheng watched a pea sized spider crawl threw the rusty bars into her cell and spin a spider web. She said, ““I had just watched an architectural feat by an extremely skilled artist. My mind was full of questions. Who had taught the spider to make a web? Could it have really acquired the skills through evolution or did God create the spider and endow it with the ability to make a web so that it could catch food and perpetuate its species? ““ She went on to say that it helped her see that God was in control.
What is it in your life that has you out of control? Like Cheng, Paul, imprisoned in Rome, finds hope in the fact that when one puts their life in God’’s hands, the circumstances that swirl around, although of notability, are nothing compared to the circumstances of the heart. When you know that you are held in Christ’’s hands, your life situation is brighter. You can grumble about your circumstances are look for the silver lining of God working through you. Paul chose the latter. What about you?”
Paul used this “imprisonment of Jesus” to fulfill the call upon his life. He wrote to the Philippian church (Php 1:13) that his imprisonment had helped him preach to the entire palace guard and then later to Caesar himself.
III. THE MYSTERY OF THE PURPOSE OF CHRIST’S CHURCH (3:10-12)
“God reveals His Glory in the heavenlies through His diverse and unified Church”
The purpose of the entire universe is to declare the glory of God as Psalm 39:1 states: “The heavens declare the glory of God.” and
(Ps 148:1-2) Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. 2 Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
Principalities and Powers:
Angels (Holy and Fallen)
Angels in General
(Eph 1:20-21) Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Fallen Angels
(Eph 6:11-12) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
1) Holy Angels will witness he Beauty of Christ’s Church and Praise the Glory of God
(McArthur, Ephesians Comm, p96) The supreme purpose of the church, as Paul makes explicit here, is to glorify God by manifesting His wisdom before the angels, who can then offer greater praise to God.”
Jesus said in Luke 15:10, “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”
Can you imagine the joy in the presence of angels everytime...
- former enemies unite hands in brotherhood
- different cultures come together at the table of our Lord
What Satan has set out to destroy through the power of the mystery of Christ God has put back together
2) Fallen Angels will witness the Beauty of Christ’s Church and wiall be tormented by the Power of God and defeated in their work
Through the mystery of Christ....
Satan’s demons of....
- lies have been defeated
- hatred have been defeated
- prejudice have been defeated
- unforgiveness have been defeated
