The surprise, scandal, and significance of being together in Christ. Ephesians 3:1-6

The surprise, scandal, and significance of being together in Christ.

Ephesians 3:1-6

Ephesians 3:1–6 (ESV)

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.

The message of Ephesians is surprising, scandalous, and significant. So, what’s so surprising, scandalous, and significant? It’s the mystery that Paul keeps mentioning in the letter. He mentions the mystery 3 times in 3:1-6 alone… but it’s mentioned throughout the letter.

At the beginning of Ephesians Paul mentions the mystery of God’s will. Ephesians 1:7–10 (ESV) says, “7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

So, what’s the mystery? Well, it would be possible to read the word mystery in our English translations and think that Paul is using it the way we often use it, referring to something unknown or obscure. A mystery for most of us is something to be solved… it’s the answer to a question or problem that hasn’t been solved.

But, the Greek word translated in Ephesians as “mystery” does not refer to something unknown, instead it refers to something that is known, but it’s only known to those to whom it has been revealed.

One of the big truths that this letter reveals to us is that the mystery Paul refers to cannot be discovered, it can only be known through revelation.

The mystery cannot be discovered, it can only be revealed.

Why is this important? Well, as Paul has already written about in the letter it anchors the gospel in the sovereign will and grace of God. What I mean by that is that salvation is not the result of discovery.

The gospel is not a truth that can be found, it’s a truth that has been revealed. Ephesians 1:3–9 (ESV) says, 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ

God has lavished the truth of the gospel upon us in all wisdom and insight by making known to us the mystery of his will. And God’s will is according to His purpose, which he set forth in Christ… and the mystery, according to God’s will, that has been made known to us in Christ is this-

The mystery is Gods plan to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth. This mystery is a surprise because it’s not what the Jews, or the Gentiles were expecting.

The surprise is that God has created one new man in place of two.

Ephesians 2:13–16 (ESV)

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

Now, if you weren’t here three Sunday’s ago, I want to encourage you to go back online and listen to Clay Anthony’s wonderful message and exposition of these verses.

This is a surprise because up until now there was a hierarchy of sorts in the temple and the kingdom. It’s not that the Gentiles couldn’t worship God. It was that they had to worship him from further away that the Jewish women, who had to worship from further away than the Jewish men, who had to worship further away than the priests, who worshipped further away than the one who entered the Holy of Holies.

The surprise to the Jews is that Christ has brought together what was once separated. There are no more divisions, there are no more walls, and there are no more hostilities. According to the gospel in Christ there is reconciliation and there is peace.

So, you see The surprise is also the scandal.

The Jews were not looking for equality with the Gentiles to be a part of the work of the Messiah. God’s plan to save sinners through a crucified Jesus was scandalous to the disciples because they couldn’t conceive that God would accomplish their freedom through the death of His one and only Son.

Additionally the impact of the cross furthered the scandal when God, through Christ brings the Gentiles and the Jews to a place of equal footing.

Look again at what Paul writes in our sermon passage, Ephesians 3:4-6 (ESV),

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.

The surprising and scandalous mystery is that that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Paul writes in Galatians 3:26–29 (ESV), 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

The scandal of the gospel to the Jews was unity Paul was preaching with the Gentiles. This was a lot to work through for the early Jewish Christians. Bringing Jews and Gentiles together, on equal footing required some effort on the part of the apostles and early church leaders.

The gospel of Jesus Christ was a new covenant, and as a result everyone who is in Christ receives the promises made through the old. But, the old is not the way in which the church lives, for the old has been fulfilled… Paul said, 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two…

The law has been fulfilled, therefore the ordinances and temple practices like circumcision and sacrifices are no longer binding. The moral law of God is always binding, but the ceremonial law has been fulfilled and now there is a unified church where there used to be a division of Jew and Gentile.

Gentiles don’t become Jews, and the Jews didn’t have to become Gentiles. Everyone becomes a Christian. And, as Christians the old identity and ways are passing away in favor for the way of Christ.

The truth that both Jews and Gentiles are reconciled through Christ is the building block of something new.

The significance of the mystery is that Christ is the cornerstone of God’s kingdom (not Abraham).

And if this is true, then it means the Jews and the Gentiles both have to look at one another, their way of life, and the world around them in completely different ways.

Ephesians 3:6 (ESV) says,

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.

Everyone in Christ receives the same blessing

The blessing that God promised to Abraham is received through Christ. Paul didn’t make this truth up on his own, this is the truth that Jesus himself taught in his ministry.

For instance, Jesus told the Pharisees that they were children of the devil because they didn’t accept Him for who He really is. Now, the Jews considered themselves all children of Abraham… but Jesus clarified that, and Paul continues to explain it for us. To be in Christ is to be a child or heir of the promise that God made to Abraham.

There isn’t a different blessing for the Gentiles, they receive the same share of God’s blessing and riches as the Jews. Which means, we all receive the same blessing… there aren’t levels of redemption and salvation in the kingdom of God.

As Wayne Barber says "Gentiles are not in the body because of the courtesy of the Jews. The Jews didn’t stop and say, "Well, okay guys, we will let you in." They had nothing to do with it. The Jews are not in by the courtesy of the Gentiles. Both of them are in solely by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have been allowed in. (Ephesians 3:1-9 God's Divine Mystery - 2)

In Jesus Christ we are made fellow members of one body, and all the middle walls that separate us are removed. This has been demonstrated clearly again and again when people of different backgrounds and cultures and classes, different outlooks, different races, have come together in Christ and found that all the differences which once seemed to be so tremendous are reduced to nothing, and they are able to overleap them and be healed in their fellowship together.

This means that the poor, the rich, the dirty, the clean, the outwardly sinful, the inwardly sinful, the prominent, the unknown, the man, the woman, the student, the child, the single mom, the single dad, the widow, the widower, the family of 10, the one who has never had a child, the adulterer, the faithful, the murderer, the giver, the liar, the truth teller, the gossiper, the encourager… everyone in God’s kingdom receives their blessing according to Jesus- not their works.

Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV), 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Everyone in Christ has the same level of membership in the body, there is no place for pride.

As JB pointed out last week, no one has a boring testimony because every testimony is the same… I was dead in my sin, and now I am alive in Christ.

The stories are different, the sins are different, the struggles are different, but the story is the same. There is one story and it’s that God saves sinners by reconciling them to Himself through Christ.

And since our salvation is not our own doing, it’s not the result of our works, none of us have a place for boasting and pride toward one another.

There are responsibilities and callings that God gives to those in the church, and we will talk more about that in the future… but no one is in a position worth or value over another. But, we are all called to follow Christ, which leads me to our next point

Everyone in Christ has been called to the same way of life, there is no place for comparison.

In the absence of a hierarchy of worth and value in the church we are left with equal footing, equal holiness, equal goodness, etc.

Each person in the body is called to live according to the same way, and that way is Jesus Christ.

As Paul writes later in Ephesians 4:1–7 (ESV), “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”

Each one of us is saved by the grace of God and called to live in a manner worthy of the name of Christ.

The togetherness of the church is one of the greatest displays of God’s power and glory in the world today.

The significance of the togetherness in the church is that it glorifies Jesus and not us.

This summer we are spending our time different on Sunday mornings. We are spending it together. There really isn’t a time during the week that Harrisburg is together, at least not in person. We are always together in Christ and through the unity of the Spirit. But, we can say that about Christians in other churches and even around the world. I hope our summer together serves to remind us of the glorious truth that people who like different kinds of music are together in Christ. Members from the Silent Generation (1925-1945) all the way to Gen Alpha (2013-2025) are together in Christ. Again, we are always together through the unity we have in the gospel, but the gathering and fellowshipping of people that would’t be together except for Christ tells a powerful story… it tells the story of a God who has reconciled us to himself. It tells a story of God who has broken down the walls of hostility and pride and created one person where there used to be two.

So, as you go through today and through the summer I want to encourage you to focus on the aspect of our togetherness.

There is enough attention on where we differ, but in Christ we are together and we become the same.

So, what keeps you from expressing the reality and glory of our togetherness?

There is no place for pride (what do you look down on?)

There is no place for comparison (what are you feeling better than others about?)

The truth is we are all sinners who have been saved by the grace of God.

The gospel is both exclusive and inclusive… apart from Christ you are not in the kingdom of God. But, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, and that is true of each person that God reconciles.