7/20/25 - The Mystery of Christ Revealed
Notes
Transcript
I love a good mystery
I used to be the guy that wants to try to figure out the ending
the who did it of the whodunnit
I find the older I get, the harder it is to figure out
It’s almost like authors have gotten smarter
and all the twists and turns don’t make sense
the more mature I get,
the more I can sit back and relax and enjoy the story
Paul uses the word mystery 19 times in all his writings
and seven additional times it’s used in the Gospels and in Revelation
Paul is going to use the word mystery 4 times in chapter 3 alone
so let’s look at this mystery that Paul is talking about
This is how he begins the third chapter
For this reason,
For This Reason
For This Reason
These three words are a recap of the first two chapters
all about theology and who God is
and what He has done for us both individually
and corporately as a church
about where we came from
and where He wants us to go
I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—
Please Hold for This Update
Please Hold for This Update
That little dash in his letter is a pause button
Paul is going to push pause in his letter
and he will unpause after he updates the readers of the letter
He will push pause after verse 1
and pick it back up in verse 14
if you look ahead in your Bible
notice they both start with “for this reason” or something similar
It’s a pause in his thought
Paul is going to recap everything about him
and about the first two chapters
And he is going to condense the information
Paul has been talking about the individuals in the first part of chapter 2
this was all about each individual believer
How each of us were dead in Christ
But God made us alive through His Son Jesus Christ
And recreated us into something for His works
He continues in Chapter 2
about how we all come together as the church
All together in unity in Christ
And how Gentiles and Jews are now together in Christ
And how Christ has made us fellow citizens, family, and worshippers of the one true God
There is no separation between us anymore
No laws to follow
We now live in Christ together in unitY
For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—
Paul says, In case you hadn’t heard
I am in prison
because I’ve been sharing the gospel of Christ Jesus
and making disciples of you all, the Gentiles
That’s where the pause begins
Remember what took place in Ephesus
In Acts Paul was in Ephesus and began a church there
He also upset the people there
There were a group of silver merchants
whose business was being hurt
because Paul was preaching that the people shouldn’t have idols
This started a riot in Ephesus
Paul never made it back to the city of Ephesus
He didn’t want to cause any more harm to the people
He did meet the elders of the church outside of Ephesus
and during the meeting
He encouraged them, warned them,
and told them they would never see him again
because he knew at some point that he was going to go to Jerusalem
and he would be arrested
The letter to the Ephesians is from jail
assuming you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that he gave me for you.
Here’s the reason for the pause
Paul is going to make an assumption
The majority of Chapter three is to explain two things
The mystery from God in verses 3-6 and
The administration of God’s grace in 7-13
The Mystery From God
The Mystery From God
Why a Mystery
Why a Mystery
The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have briefly written above.
By reading this you are able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ.
This was not made known to people in other generations as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
What is the Mystery
What is the Mystery
The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
This is nothing new
Paul has been describing this ad nauseam in great detail
In the first two chapters of his letter
However, remember who this was written to
And who was writing the letter
This is a former Pharisee
This is coming from a future up and coming leader
Of the Sanhedrin council
The one who not too long ago
Was persecuting the church
And holding peoples coats
So they could get a better shot at Stephen
This was the guy that knew the laws of God
and religiously, strictly, legalistically followed them
He would go to the synagogue leaders to get scrolls
That would allow him to arrest and kill
Those members that were against the laws he knew
It’s a true mystery to him because
from the beginning God promised to protect and rule
Over God’s people
There were promises made by God to the Jews
All throughout the history of his people
The Gentiles weren’t part of that promise
Or at least that’s what he understood
It’s a mystery because although all the clues were there
written in the writings of the prophets
And told since Moses even said it would happen
I am making this covenant and this oath not only with you,
but also with those who are standing here with us today in the presence of the Lord our God and with those who are not here today.
The prophets foretold of the Gentiles being a part of God’s Kingdom
but who really wants to believe that?
I mean even today we hear things all the time
That are going to happen
And how many of us really follow those things?
Things like Jesus is coming back
Things like making disciples of all nations
Things like being unified in Christ
And not arguing about inconsequential things to God’s kingdom
So this was a mystery to Paul
not because it wasn’t laid out in God’s Word
But because he believed what he was told
Instead of what God actually said
It was a mystery to the Gentiles as well
these folks have been treated like savages by the Jews
The way of the circumcision was requiring
That they follow the Old Testament laws
Instead of acknowledging the new covenant
They were treated as outcasts by the Jews forever
and now they were supposed to by friends
Family, and worship with these people?
How is that forgivable?
Anyone experience that in their life?
Do you have someone in your life who
Has done something to you so bad
That if they were to come to Christ
You would have serious doubts about forgiving them?
Things that in your mind are unforgivable?
I’d just as soon write them off
Rather than believe that they are forgiven by Christ
This is the mystery
how in the world could God
Connect two diametrically opposed forces
To create the most powerful, most unified, most holiest of people
And movements
To span the history of creation?
That’s a true mystery
And yet He did it.
He put Jews and Gentiles together
He put all races and creeds together
He put southerners and Yankees together
All for the purpose of following His Word
And being His workmanship
God in essence says, I don’t care that you haven’t liked each other in the past
You are no longer your own
You belong to me
IT was a mystery to humans, but not to God
Ephesians 3:6 is a legal statement
The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
God made us coheirs
That means that everything the Jews were going to inherit
Land, promises, eternal life
We, as Gentiles, also get in the end
Members of the same body
there is no longer a separation of Jew and Gentile
We are all in this together
There is now only lost and saved
No other separation of any kind
Partners in the promise of Jesus Christ through the gospel
Ever go into a partnership with someone?
You share equally all the assets
And all the liabilities
You may not agree on everything
But you better all be working towards the same outcome
Paul transitions this into the next explanation of terms
I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power.
So let’s talk about the administration of God’s Grace
The Administration of God’s Grace
The Administration of God’s Grace
Defining the Administration of God’s Grace
Defining the Administration of God’s Grace
What does that mean
that’s a really long fancy terminology that Paul gives
in his second verse of this chapter
Let’s break this down a little to try to understand
God’s Grace
God’s Grace
This is what God offers that we don’t deserve
in the truth, the gospel, of Jesus Christ
God’s grace is that He offers us salvation in Jesus
That we were separated from Christ
From the beginning of the Bible
And now through Jesus Christ
We are given a choice of salvation in Him alone
There’s more to God’s grace than that though
God’s grace is giving us more than we deserve
It’s a concept that we don’t really understand
Because everything we do according to the world
Is based on merit, experience, what we deserve
We earn a living because we work a certain amount of time
or we complete a job
We get paid for our time
The only thing we get for free are gifts at Christmas
And at our birthdays
And the older you get, the less you get
Did you ever notice that?
over time, as you get older
Instead of getting a ton of toys and gifts like a two year old
You get clothes, necessities
And the amount you get is less and less every year
Suddenly you may feel like you are less important
because you get less
Your self esteem may begin to wane
Because you feel like you were slighted
Or maybe you saw one of your siblings get more than you
Instead of appreciating the gifts you received
You begin to compare because
In our mind
Gifts are based on merit
It’s also called coveting
But we’ll cover that in a different message
Maybe towards Christmas time
God is different
another word may be holy, set apart
Because God gives gifts because He wants to
And not because we deserve it
What we deserve is to be punished forever
Because we are totally disobedient to Him
And don’t follow His commands
But God
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us,
made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!
He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,
so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—
not from works, so that no one can boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
So then what does it mean to be an administrator of God’s grace?
Administrating
Administrating
To administer something
is to be a steward of it
Meaning we don’t own it
But we have charge over it
To give it away as we see fit
You can administer salt liberally
or you can administer salt sparingly
You can administer time liberally without a schedule
Or you can administer time prudently with a schedule
We, as followers of Jesus
administer God’s grace
We also have a choice
In that we can administer God’s grace liberally
Meaning, we can give it out to everyone we come in contact with
Or we can hoard God’s grace to ourselves
Remember the parable of the talents?
All the servants, stewards, were given talents
“For it is just like a man about to go on a journey. He called his own servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent, depending on each one’s ability. Then he went on a journey. Immediately
The master gave them these talents
and expected them to do something with them
The story goes that the first two
Used their talents and multiplied them
The last one not so much
He hoarded the talents, and buried them in the ground
He essentially took the grace of God
which by the way is limitless and extravagant
And he said “thank you
But I’m going to keep these under wraps until you come back”
I’m going to bury these so no one knows that I have them
And I’ll just return your grace to you when you return
Not understand in the assignment was to use it
To give it away because
God’s grace is unlimited and will multiply without barely trying
So that brings us to the next part
what are we supposed to do with God’s grace?
How do we know what God wants us to do?
Or the famous question
What is God’s will for our life?
That’s explained by Paul in God’s calling
God’s Calling
God’s Calling
This grace was given to me—the least of all the saints—to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ,
and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.
Paul is saying that the talents of grace that God gave to him
are to be used to preach to the Gentiles
The Gospel of Jesus Christ
And all that they will get from it
And to help them with their own calling in life
To do the same thing
This is Paul’s specific calling
God took one of the most unlikely of characters
A murderer of those Christians
And turned him into
A great church planter for Jesus
Talk about irony
Here’s a guy that was trained in the law of Moses
and trained how to administrate the Old Testament
He was trained how to be part of the temple system
A trained teacher
And God took all his training and experience
And is now using it to train and teach the same things
To those that were once his enemy
Can I tell you that God does this a lot?
He’s taken people that were against God
And made them some of the greatest heralds for His gospel
If you were here when Russell Abraham came
think about his story
He grew up Muslim and a persecute of Christians in Bangladesh
and saved Him
And now he is a great preacher and evangelist to his same people
In New York and around the world
He’s used the talents of so many
that have surrendered their life to Christ
To be used for His kingdom
When they were using those talents for the world
My testimony is one of those
I graduated from University of North Carolina School of the Arts
My dream in High School was to work building scenery on Broadway
I was working my way up the food chain
Working as a technician at Walt Disney World
And God had other plans for me.
I now use my talents of technical theater
to help put in sound systems
Fix audio problems and lighting issues
Build computers
All for the glory of God
And I preach on occasion
Which was not in my wheelhouse growing up
I know I have been called by God
because I am not a public speaker
Nor thought I would ever be a public speaker
I hated reading
Now I read about 25-30 books a year
Outside of the studying that I do for messages I preach
Don’t tell me God doesn’t have a sense of humor
Or a sense of calling
God can do great things
But we have to surrender to that calling
He doesn’t call everyone to be a preacher like Paul
But God’s will is taht everyone should preach the gospel
God’s Will
God’s Will
10 This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens.
11 This is according to his eternal purpose accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 In him we have boldness and confident access through faith in him.
13 So, then, I ask you not to be discouraged over my afflictions on your behalf, for they are your glory.
God’s purpose in making Paul a preacher of the gospel to the Gentiles
was so that His multifaceted wisdom
Could be made known through the church
To everyone, so that heaven is even talking about it
How would you like to be the conversation from the angels in Heaven?
I would love to peek into heaven and hear that.
“Man, did you see what God is doing through
The church at Riley’s Creek?
Are they on fire for God or what?
Look at what God is able to accomplish
Because they are willing and surrendered to the Great Commission
Look at how many people are begin saved and discipled through the church there.
It’s not anything we have done
it’s being surrendered and obedient to God
And allowing Him to accomplish whatever He wants to
Through us that will get the attention of heaven
Everyone has a calling
everyone has the same calling to God’s will
God’s will for everyone is simple
For this is God’s will, your sanctification: that you keep away from sexual immorality,
give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
For it is God’s will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good.
Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
All of these passages talk about God’s will
the bottom line of all of them
Is to do what God commanded us to do
Our sanctification, doing good, giving thanks to God,
Not being conformed to the world
But being transformed by the renewing of your mind
And we will be in God’s will
How do I know what I’m called to?
Let’s start with what has God commanded us to do?
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The specific way you accomplish that
and the specific assignment that God has for each of us
That has to be determined between you and God
Here’s some help though to start
We Are Called to the Church
We Are Called to the Church
Our first calling is to Christ
We are called to further the glory of God
By sharing His gospel
And being part of His body
It starts here first
Next, we are called to family
We Are Called to Family
We Are Called to Family
Whether it’s our earthly family
Or our heavenly family
We are called to relationships
We’re to spend time prioritizing the roles that God has given us
To grow relationships
Next we are called to citizenship
We are Called to Citizenship
We are Called to Citizenship
The Lord has made us for this time and place
He has created us to make a difference in the world around us
And it is our calling to be part of the surroundings
He’s made us citizens of
Finally, we are called to a vocation
We are Called to a Vocation
We are Called to a Vocation
After we understand the other positions in our life
We are able to understand what we’re good at
And how to use that in the work force
For the glory of God
But you don’t start here
I think too many people, especially students
start with what am I going to be when I grow up syndrome
Your calling is more than a job
Your identity is more than what you do for a living
I realize that’s that’s a popular thing to say
Hey, I’m Art and I’m a pastor
But before I am a pastor
I am a citizen of the United States and
A citizen of heaven
I am a father to three wonderful kids
Brother to two incredible siblings
Son to a faithful mother
Husband to the greatest gift of a wife
Member of the body of the body of Christ
At the local location of Riley’s Creek Baptist Church
That’s enough to keep me doing God’s calling
before I ever get to what He has for my vocation
Those are enough people to make disciples of
Until we are accomplishing the general will of God
In the first three areas
You are essentially are digging a hole
And burying God’s gift that He gave to you to use
And dropping it in
Can I tell you what happens to those people?
“The man who had received one talent also approached and said, ‘Master, I know you. You’re a harsh man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed.
So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
“His master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy servant! If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered,
then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and I would have received my money back with interest when I returned.
“ ‘So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents.
For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
And throw this good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Don’t be a talent hoarder
it doesn’t end well
Even though we may not be as followers of Jesus
Thrown into outer darkness
We will be tested based on what we did or did not accomplish
If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw,
each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.
If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward.
If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience loss, but he himself will be saved—but only as through fire.
God expects us to use His talents
and to accomplish His will
Which is to follow His commands
We are to be administrators of God’s grace
but we can’t do all this on our own
so tune in next week
to find out how we need to approach the calling of God on our lives
Spoiler alert, it begins with prayer
