Sermon Tone Analysis

“You have a call from an prisoner at ...”

In correspondence from prison, Paul is going to remind, explain about the mystery.

The mystery once hidden, now revealed is to be of great joy.

The mystery a part of God’s grand plan, through the eyes of a prisoner.

(expand on a call from prison- keep it short)

Letter of Ephesians is prison correspondence.

It is a prison of Paul’s choosing and for God’s purpose and glory.

Why?

Because Paul understood.

The mystery revealed to him

The administration given to him

The stewardship charged to him

There have been other people, other famous people in prison who became great assets for the kingdom of God.

From Joseph, to Peter and John, how about John Bunyan, and now today we are looking at Paul.

His imprisonment is not of Rome making, but of God’s choosing.

Paul’s choice as:

Paul the prisoner (Eph4:1)

Paul prisoner with a reason (Eph3:1)

Paul the ambassador in chains (Eph6:20)

You can read more on this, that it was of his choosing in Act25:1-12

He is a prisoner of Christ, not of Rome.

A prisoner of the Lord and an ambassador in chains.

He fully understood what he was going through and accepted his calling, his stewardship.

Parenthetical section

This passage, Eph3:2-13, is really a parenthetical section sandwiched between a prayer (look at Eph3:1, 3:14)

It is like in the middle or the start of a prayer he is overwhelmed by what has been entrusted to him, by what has been revealed to him and he has to stop and share the importance of it.

The mystery is not something scary, it is not eerie or anything like that.

It is a great joy and it is fulfillment of God’s grand plan.

The mystery is the church and Jesus Christ as the head of the Church.

So why was this so important that Paul stops mid prayer to share this?

I. Personally Important

Paul tells why it is important, how it was received, and what was received personally to him by revelation.

Paul, the prisoner of Christ, prisoner of the Lord, why?

Because he believed in God’s new way of uniting.

This way was not by works, but through grace by faith.

A way of uniting man to God as well as man to man (Jew and Gentile).

those previously excluded (Eph2:11-12); without God.

Now united through Christ.

Paul called to be the apostles to the Gentiles (Eph3:7)

Eph2:10-11

God’s gift of grace made him a minister and the working of His power now compelled him to fulfill his mission.

Paul was chosen before he knew, to be set aside for a special purpose.

(Act13:2; Act9:15; Rom11:13; Rom15:15-16)

Set apart for the mission

Set apart as a chosen instrument

RO

Set about to magnify the mission

Set apart with a message, and a purpose.

Paul the apostle to the Gentiles!

knew the believers were to be “one” in Christ.

(Gal3:28)

Paul was not a just a prisoner because of the mystery, he was also a minister given a stewardship of the Gentiles and a uniting of the Jews and the Gentiles into one body, the Church.

Stewardship is a responsibility; He was responsible for sharing the Good News and also in reminding them, the believers, who they are in Christ.

(see Eph4:11; Eph3:2)

The truth about the mystery “the church” had not been revealed in the OT scriptures it was revealed to the NT apostles ad prophets by the Holy Spirit.

Because Paul was a faithful steward of the administration that was given, he is now a prisoner in Rome but not a prisoner of Rome.

Remember Paul is a prisoner by choice, a prisoner of the Lord, a prisoner of Christ.

This is not anything new, he had previously told them this.

Eph3:2

Keep in mind, written to believers, to the church, the mystery revealed “the church” and Jesus Christ.

So here we have the mystery that was important to Paul and he took it all very seriously, it was important to the Gentiles too.

II.

Collectively important to Gentiles

In Eph2:11-22 Paul had laid out plainly the diving wall between the Jews and the Gentiles, how it was broken down The truth of the mystery in this section is to the believing Gentiles who have a new position and a new relationship because of Christ.

Eph3:6

Benefits to the Gentiles (Eph3:6)

Fellow heirs

Fellow members of the Body

Fellow partakers of the promise

May we remember again we are one body (Eph4:4; 1Cor12:12-14; Eph5:22-23; Eph2:12)

Eph4:4

I once read this:

“Our human birth determines our racial distinctions, but our spiritual birth unites us a members of the same body”

One body with many members

One body with One head

One body, who they were once outside the promises of God and the covenant made with Abraham

We are able to share in the spiritual richness in Christ.

The mystery not only puts the Gentiles in a new position but gives them a new power.

(Eph3:7; Eph1:19-21, Eph1:22-23; Eph3:20)

The working of HIS power.

God gave Paul the things necessary to accomplish the ministry, the calling he was given, now that power given to us to accomplish all things for His purpose and glory too!There is mighty power.

Let me add in

Eph1:23-23

His power with a purpose (Eph4:16)

His power, His purpose for the growth of the body, for the building up in love!

Position, power and unfathomable riches (Eph3:8)

All this from Paul who considered himself the least of the saints, and also the least of the apostles (Eph3:8; 1Cor15:9; 1Tim1:15)

1Cor15:9

Paul also considered himself the worst of sinners

Paul is humble because he understood the mystery, he could, as can we now because of his writings, try to grasp the unfathomable (unsearchable, untraceable as it says in some versions).

We cannot discover the end.

What was hidden has now been revealed, what they longed to see in the O.T. what the angels longed to look into (1Pt1:12).

These NT riches are available to all believers today.

May we have the humility of Paul, may we have the understanding like Paul of the truth of the mystery and the glorious riches in the mystery.

May we have a heart like Paul which was for others to come to know.

Makes me think of

Paul knew what he had in Christ, he was poor in spirit without Christ but rich in all things in Christ.

That is how Paul served and it was acceptable to God; may we come and serve the say way.

So the mystery was important to Paul, it was important to the Gentiles, it was also important to the angels too.

III.