Sermon Tone Analysis

Making It Known

Paul is continuing to explain the at salvation is for the Jews and that is his calling to get this message he has recieved from God out into the arena.

It my job to disperse the truth.

This message is a a shock to both the gentiles and the Jews.

It flies in the face of everything they had been told or taught.

Illustration - my mother was raise in a small southern town in SW Ga.

She had been in a culture that made it very clear that association with blacks was forbidden.

Then when we were raised she taught us that all we equal in God’s sight and we should treat black people the same as white people.

This message was new and quite different.

Paul was going primarily to the gentiles in Ephesus and telling them that Salvation id not just for the Jews but for all.

the God of Israel can be theirs as well.

This was a shocking statement ......

This was Paul's calling he recieved directly from God.

I Explaining the Truth

8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Humbleness of Paul - Paul was stating why me? he was not with Jesus during his ministry, he was not one of the leaders of the Jerusalem Church.

Why me

“who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach” -

Surely this should be left to someone more informed

Surely someone on the inner circle

Why me ?

Why should I be the pastor of Walnut Creek Baptist?

Why should you have the responsibility of being a father?

In Paul’s case there was the added memory that he had persecuted the Lord Jesus (Acts 9:4) by persecuting the church of God (Gal.

1:13; Phil.

3:6).

In spite of this, the Lord had commissioned him in a special way to take the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; 13:47; 22:21; Gal.

2:2, 8).

Moses -When God told Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, his first response was, "But who am I to appear before Pharaoh?

How can you expect me to lead the Israelites out of Egypt?" ()

Overcoming the fear of inadequacy requires changing our thinking patterns.

Admitting our fear is another step toward freedom.

The Old Testament tells the story of King Jehoshaphat feeling afraid as war approached.

He admitted his feelings and dependency upon God: "We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us.

We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help" ().

In Paul’s case there was the added memory that he had persecuted the Lord Jesus () by persecuting the church of God (; ).

In spite of this, the Lord had commissioned him in a special way to take the gospel to the Gentiles (; ; ; , ).

vs 9 - fellowship of the mystery

The second part of Paul’s ministry was to make all see what is “the administration of the mystery” (JND), in other words, to enlighten them as to how the mystery is being worked out in practice.

God’s plan for this present age is to call out of the Gentiles a people for His name (Acts 15:14), a Bride for His Son.

All that is involved in this plan is the administration (stewardship, NKJV margin19) of the mystery.

All here must mean all believers.

Unsaved people could not be expected to understand the deep truths of the mystery (1 Cor.

2:14).

Paul therefore is referring to all in the sense of saved people of all kinds—Jews and Gentiles, slave and free.

This mystery had from the beginning of the ages been hidden in God.

The plan was itself in the mind of God eternally, but here the thought is that He kept it a secret throughout the ages of human history.

Once again we notice the care the Holy Spirit takes to impress us with the fact that the assembly, or church universal is something new, unique, unprecedented.

It was not known before to anyone but God.

The secret was hidden in God who created all things.

He created the material universe, He created the ages, and He created the church—but in His wisdom He decided to withhold any knowledge of this new creation until the First Advent of Christ.

The second part of Paul’s ministry to enlighten them as to how the mystery is being worked out in practice.

God’s plan for this present age is to call out of the Gentiles a people for His name (), a Bride for His Son.

The second part of Paul’s ministry was to make all see what is “the administration of the mystery” (JND), in other words, to enlighten them as to how the mystery is being worked out in practice.

God’s plan for this present age is to call out of the Gentiles a people for His name (), a Bride for His Son.

All that is involved in this plan is the administration (stewardship, NKJV margin19) of the mystery.

All here must mean all believers.

Unsaved people could not be expected to understand the deep truths of the mystery ().

Paul therefore is referring to all in the sense of saved people of all kinds—Jews and Gentiles, slave and free.

What a secret it was!

God was going to create a church.

He would baptize Jews and Gentiles into it, making no difference between them.

That church would be the mystical body of Christ.

He would raise it higher than angels.

He would seat it with Himself in the heavenlies.

It would share fully and forever all that Christ has.

That church would be His crowning masterpiece.

Creation itself, the showpiece of God’s eternal power and godhead, would pale before the everlasting splendors of the church.

What a secret it was!

God was going to create a church.

He would baptize Jews and Gentiles into it, making no difference between them.

That church would be the mystical body of Christ.

He would raise it higher than angels.

He would seat it with Himself in the heavenlies.

It would share fully and forever all that Christ has.

That church would be His crowning masterpiece.

Creation itself, the showpiece of God’s eternal power and godhead, would pale before the everlasting splendors of the church.

What a secret it was!

God was going to create a church.

He would baptize Jews and Gentiles into it, making no difference between them.

That church would be the mystical body of Christ.

He would raise it higher than angels.

He would seat it with Himself in the heavenlies.

It would share fully and forever all that Christ has.

That church would be His crowning masterpiece.

Creation itself, the showpiece of God’s eternal power and godhead, would pale before the everlasting splendors of the church.

Paul had been given this task and was pouring out his hear what God wanted him to do.

II Exploring the Truth

10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: 12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

The Greek word that Paul used here to describe God’s wisdom occurs nowhere else in the Bible.

It means “infinitely diversified” or more poetically, “many-colored.”

From whichever way you view God’s wisdom, new flashes of truth blaze forth.

His wisdom is inexhaustible, as has been displayed in creation.

The more we study medicine or astronomy or physics or microbiology, the more complex each facet of nature seems.

vs 10 - wisdom

The Greek word that Paul used here to describe God’s wisdom occurs nowhere else in the Bible.

It means “infinitely diversified” or more poetically, “many-colored.”

From whichever way you view God’s wisdom, new flashes of truth blaze forth.

His wisdom is inexhaustible, as has been displayed in creation.

The more we study medicine or astronomy or physics or microbiology, the more complex each facet of nature seems.

For instance, the ancient Greeks invented the word we translate “atom” to describe the ultimate, uncuttable, building blocks of the universe.