"What's The Big Deal?"
Notes
Transcript
Intro: The mystery of what happens to our bodies when we go to bed after the age of 40.
I love good mysteries. You know the kind that you have to take the time to try to figure out what’s going on?
There have been some good movies over the years that fall into this category, but the ones that are the best are the ones that have you guessing clear till the end scene.
The ones that have you on the edge of your seat clear until the end before it all makes sense. Now we are going to read a passage today that we will hear Paul use the term mystery.
But Paul’s use of the word mystery is not like that of a great movie that ends so dramatically.
Paul’s use was centered around the idea of expressing something beyond our natural knowledge but has been opened to us by divine revelation through the Holy Spirit.
Something that humans could never figure out or understand on their own. Only through God revealing it to us can we see it. Read: Col. 1:24-27
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,
25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,
26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.
27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
This verse helps us get a handle on the meaning Paul had in mind. There is something unknowable apart from God showing us and it’s this very thing Paul, as an Apostle, is making known.
Chapter 2 of Ephesians has shown us what God has done for the church. He has made us citizens and household members. God brought Jew and Gentile together to form a new people called the church.
Notice that the church is called people. That’s a big deal because I have been asked by more than a handful of people why the church is such a big deal.
The simplest answer is this, we, the church, are the instrument in which God is going to continue to make Himself known.
The mysteries of God are going to be revealed to the church and through the church. Let’s go ahead and look at our text this morning. Read: Ephesians 3:1-13
1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—
2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you,
3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.
4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ,
5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.
6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power.
8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things,
10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,
12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.
If we accept that this passage has application for our lives, then it is appropriate to see this passage as a “missional text.”
Like the parallel text in Colossians 1:24-29, this passage contains missional language, meaning to take the gospel to other people.
While not everyone will serve the nations in the same way, every Christian should assume the posture of a missionary and testify to the grace of Jesus.
Believing this to be true, and with this missionary passage in view, We are going to unravel what we are to do with this mystery. Paul begins by telling us we are to ...
1. Reveal the mystery (1-6)
So we are going to pick up at verse 3 again with Paul focusing on the understanding of this mystery.
He begins with the responsibility that lies on him to properly communicate this message, but also the desire for the church to understand this message. Read: Ephesians 3:3-6
3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.
4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ,
5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.
6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Now each week here we read the great commission together. We know it well I believe, but that first word is a key word, “Go”.
Now we know that we are all called to go with this message of Christ, but the last thing you want to do is to go with the wrong message.
Many false religious groups have missionaries and people who carry their mantra, but we are not like them. What sets us apart is the base and truth of our message. No other religion carries this message.
The message is about the crucified, risen, forever reigning, and soon to be returning King. This message withstands all others.
We want to make sure that we are not deficient in our understanding of it. What Paul is saying and what I am saying is, it is essential that we understand the real Gospel.
And then in turn, as we understand, we bring others to understand it as well. We need sound doctrine and understanding. Without it brings about chaos and disorder.
Illus: Several passages being read at once. We cannot learn from that kind of chaos.
The word revelation in verse 3 means an unveiling. It means to lift the curtain and allow someone to see what had been hidden. The Book of Revelation is an unveiling of what will take place.
Here in this text Paul explains that God had revealed something secret to him and this was the only way he would have ever known it.
Have you ever had the experience of reading along in your Bible and it happens…you see something you’ve never seen before?
It’s as if God raises the blinds and allows you to see a divine truth or a new way to apply the text to your life.
What God revealed to Paul was that there is a new group of people called the church. In one sense, the church has always been in existence. God has always had a people set apart and called out.
Throughout the OT we see this. Throughout various events there were gatherings, assemblies, and congregations in the OT referring to God’s people. Today, that church continues with one major shift.
We don’t become Israelites, we become Christians. This is the amazing part of God’s plan to join together former enemies into a new people…the Church.
Verse five clearly states that before this time, the mystery had been hidden. No one ever knew anything about it until Paul.
The Old Testament prophets new many things but they didn’t know this. This news is so groundbreaking that we’ll see in a minute that it even amazes the angels.
The Church is no small matter. It is something modern believers for the most part do not understand rightly, and we must take the church very seriously.
We have received this mystery and have been given a clear purpose, to make God known throughout the world. Paul then explains that we are to
2. Minister the Mystery (3:7-9)
The Apostle Paul was chosen by God and then gifted by God to be an Apostle. His job was to take what God had shown him and make it known to everyone.
As he reflects on his past, he remembers that he was only deserving of God’s wrath. He believes that if you took all the people of God and ranked them from the lowest to the highest, he would be the lowest. Read: Ephesians 3:7-9
7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power.
8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things,
God’s grace has a very humbling effect on those who love Him and have been rescued by Him. Grace has this empowering effect on us.
What Paul simply shared in these few verses is that one, God’s grace should at the very least, humble us. Two, it is the grace of God that gives us power.
The Lord powerfully called Paul on the Damascus Road, and the Lord’s power continued to sustain Paul for ministry (Rom 1: 5; 12: 3; 15: 5; 1 Cor 3: 10; 2 Cor 12: 9; Col 1: 29).
Look, you may be weak, in a fragile state, or as ordinary as they come, but those who trust in the Lord will be provided sufficient power and strength.
Paul also made it clear God’s purpose in enabling grace in us is so that we proclaim Christ, so that we desire to explain the plan of salvation to others.
And then lastly, and it leads us to our third and final point and that is we are called to ...
3. Live out the mystery (3:10-13)
This really answers the question of why the church is a big deal. If you have a high view of Christ, then without question you should have a high view of the church.
Ephesians contains a very high view of the church and so does Heaven. Let’s read again what Paul had to say... Read: Ephesians 3:10-13
10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,
12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.
When we are living out the mystery we are teaching, not only the people of this world, but also Paul points out that we the church, have implications in the Heavens above as well.
We are making known the wisdom of God to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. One commentator said this group of rulers and authorities is probably both good and bad.
He said, “rulers and authorities” are probably both bad and good heavenly beings, “although the apostle’s particular concern is obviously with hostile forces.”
It seems to me that the angels look on at grace and marvel while demonic forces look on in fear and tremble.
The evil forces have already been defeated at the cross, and they await their final defeat and takeover.
The existence of the church is announcing that their rule is coming to an end once and for all. This should make us all consider how well we are conducting ourselves as a church then.
As intense as that may seem, God’s plan is to make Himself known through the church.
Kent Hughes says, “The inescapable conclusion is that the angels watch us because we are part of the mystery! . . . We have a far bigger and more observant viewing audience than any of us realize!”
To be clear, the emphasis here is not on us preaching to unseen powers and principalities. The point is that God is revealing His plan to the powers through the existence of the church.
This wisdom is so great that God uses it to proclaim to heavenly beings. His grace and glory are displayed in a diverse people, a many-colored fellowship, a multi-cultural and multiethnic fellowship.
We are a people who have been called, redeemed, forgiven, made alive, and united in Christ. So, the question is what do they see from us?
What does the world see from us? Paul concludes by reminding that we are not alone, that we have confidence and boldness because of our faith in God.
This is best conducted through prayer. When we are Christ centered, we will take advantage of the privilege it is to pray to Him, draw near to Him, and ask for help in our time of need.
So, to bring this to a close this morning we must recognize that the church is a big deal. We have a chance to make known the wisdom, goodness, and grace of God. He chose us to do so.
That should make you stop and think this morning. Through Christ we are reconciled to God and have been made messengers on mission.
When the gospel isn’t expressed in and through our life and the message of redemption terminates at you and I, it will create a vacuum of life.
When we do not understand the full picture, an full understanding of the gospel, we are led to a stagnant, complacent Christianity and we become life-sucking church community rather than life-giving church community.
Our society is saturated with lies that everything is about you. The church is a place where this paradigm can be transformed.
It is a place where we can be redeemed with a full, accurate and fluid picture of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We must ask ourselves, are we presenting that picture, or just something else that we do in this life?