The Riches of Christ Revealed through the Church
The Riches of Christ Revealed through the Church
Ephesians 1:1-13
People love mysteries. Some of the most beloved books are mysteries by Agatha Christie or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. We have a plethora of television shows like Dateline or 20/20 which document real life mysteries. Mystery movies are always a big hit. In each of these examples, there is a riddle of some kind that must be unraveled by finding clues or evidence which leads to the resolution of the mystery.
In our text today, the idea of mystery is front and center. But we will be mislead if we think of mystery in the normal sense in which we use it – like the examples I just gave. The Greek word musterion used three times in this paragraph has a very different connotation. It is not something confusing that must be unraveled. Rather, it is something hidden which must be revealed or disclosed.
Paul: Minister of a Mystery
In 3:1, Paul sets out to offer a prayer for the Ephesians. As soon as he gets started, he digresses beginning in v. 2 all the way through v. 13. He doesn’t pick up his original thought until v. 14. In vv. 2-13, Paul speaks about his ministry. He tells us that his ministry is all about a mystery. Paul is the minister of a mystery. That is, his ministry revolved around something that was once hidden but has now been revealed. This mystery was the focal point of his ministry. As we work our way through these verses, there are two major sections we note. In vv. 2-7, we see the description of the mystery. In vv. 8-13, we see the declaration of the mystery.
I. The Description of the Mystery (vv. 2-7).
A. It is related to a stewardship of grace given to Paul.
1. Paul is a prisoner of Christ for the sake of Gentiles.
a. His imprisonment is directly related to his
ministry among the Gentiles (Acts 21:17).
b. So, this connection sets Paul thinking about
the mystery.
2. God gave to Paul a stewardship of grace related to
the Gentiles – “for you” v. 2.
B. The stewardship of grace is the revelation of the mystery.
1. The mystery was revealed to Paul (v. 3).
2. Paul had already mentioned it in 1:9-10.
3. It was a mystery hidden for ages but revealed by
the Holy Spirit to the apostles and prophets.
C. The mystery is the inclusion of both Jew and Gentile in one
body of Christ.
1. Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the
body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ.
2. It is not the idea that Gentiles would be part of God’s
saving work. This has always been known from the
earliest times.
a. Genesis 12:3 – all the families of the earth
will be blessed.
b. Psalm 2:8 – God tells the Son, “I will surely
give the nations as your inheritance…”
c. Isaiah 2:2 – all the nations will stream to the
mountain of the house of the Lord.
d. Isaiah 42:6 – the servant of Yahweh would be
a light to the nations.
3. It is not the idea that the Gentiles would be part of
God’s saving activity. It is the manner in which this
would happen.
a. That the Gentiles would be incorporated into
the same body with the Jews.
b. This was unfolded in Acts. It was a major
point of tension (Acts 15). Yet, the Spirit
made it clear that this was the pattern. For
example Peter’s experience with Cornelius.
c. The gospel brought both Jews and Gentiles
into one body by faith in Christ.
D. Paul was made a minister of that gospel by God’s grace.
1. This again was the primary focus of Paul’s ministry.
2. Paul declares this as the charge of the Lord Jesus on
his life (Acts 22:21) – “Go, for I will send you far
away to the Gentiles.”
APP: No one saw this coming. The very idea that the great gulf between Jew and Gentile would be spanned by making both Jews and Gentiles into one body was absolutely revolutionary. It was a mystery!
APPLICATION: This mystery is both an invitation and a commission. It is an invitation to all those who might think that they are excluded from the call of the gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ invites everyone everywhere to turn from their sin and find salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. The gospel is not confined to any particular culture. It is not bound by geographical constraints. It is not specific to any one language. None are excluded because of race or color or custom.
Someone here today might be thinking, “The gospel is not for me. I don’t fit the profile. I am beyond the scope of the invitation to come to Christ for salvation.” Dear friend, the mystery is that everyone is invited to come to Jesus Christ and be saved, not just a certain type of person, every type of person. That means you. Christ invites you to turn from your sins and trust in Him and receive eternal life.
But the gospel mystery is also a commission. The fact that both Jews and Gentiles are incorporated into the church means that we must take the good news of the gospel to every nation. Jesus says to the lost, “Come to me.” At the same time, He says to the saved, “Go to them.” The book of Acts tells the story of how God’s people spread throughout the world telling everyone everywhere the good news that God saves sinners who come to Jesus Christ.
TS – Here we have the description of the mystery. Now, in vv. 8-13, we see…
II. The Declaration of the Mystery (vv. 8-13).
A. Called to preach the unfathomable riches of Christ.
1. With the mention of his being made a minister of the
gospel in v. 7, Paul now expands the thought in v. 8.
2. He has been given grace to preach the riches of
Christ.
a. Note his humility at this honor. He sees
himself as the very least of all the saints. Paul
uses a phrase which literally means “less than
the least” of all the saints.
b. He views his ministry as a stewardship of
grace.
c. His ministry is to preach the unfathomable
riches of Christ.
1) Unfathomable means beyond our
Ability to trace out or comprehend.
2) The riches of Christ refers to the grace
and glory which Christ possesses in
Himself and which he lavishes on the
ones who are in Him.
B. In the preaching of the riches of Christ, there is a
revelation of the wisdom of God.
1. The mystery is brought to light through the preaching
of the gospel.
2. The revelation of the mystery reveals the manifold
(word used to describe a coat of many colors or a
garland of flowers) wisdom of God. God’s wisdom is
like a precious diamond with many glistening facets.
3. The wisdom of God in the gospel is seen through the
church. That is, in the bringing together in Christ the
Jews and the Gentiles.
4. This wisdom is being revealed through the church to
the angelic powers in the heavenly realms. That is, to
the angels and demons.
John Stott describes it this way, “It is as if a great drama is being enacted. History is the theatre, the world is the stage, and church members in every land are the actors. God himself has written the play, and he directs and produces it. Act by act, scene by scene, the story continues to unfold. But who are the audience? They are the cosmic intelligences, the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. We are to think of them as spectators of the drama of salvation. Thus, ‘the history of the Christian church becomes a graduate school for angels.”
APPLICATION: I’m compelled to remind us all again of the absolute importance of the church in God’s plan. God’s eternal and manifold wisdom is being displayed to men and angels through the church. Not through the government. Not through industry. Not through technology. But only through the church.
And we must remember that the specific aspect of the church in view here is the fact that God brings together two previously hostile factions (Jew/Gentile) through Christ into the church. So, one of the hallmarks of the church must be spiritual unity in the midst of ethnic and social diversity. In other words, the church lives up to its design when people love and accept one another because of spiritual bonds in the face of temporal differences.
C. The declaration of this mystery is an encouragement for
the church.
1. It is the outworking of God’s eternal purpose in
Christ.
2. It reminds us of our confident access to God the
Father through Jesus Christ. Note carefully the
“we” in v. 12. Both Jew and Gentile, we have
bold access to God because of our union with
Jesus Christ.
3. It reminds us that suffering for the gospel is both
meaningful and glorious.
a. Paul suffers in the discharge of the ministry
which is given to him by God.
b. The suffering of Paul leads to glory for the
Gentiles.
Suffering is always a prelude to glory. It is a privilege when our suffering can be used of God to lead to glory for someone else. Think of being able to say it! My suffering in the course of proclaiming the gospel can lead to your glory. It is even more astounding when you look at it in terms of Paul, a Jew, suffering for the glory of the Ephesians, Gentiles.
CONCLUSION: Dear people, the riches of Christ are revealed through the church. But you can only be part of the church by faith in Jesus Christ. You don’t become part of the church through baptism. You don’t become part of the church through walking an aisle and signing a card. You don’t become part of the church by simply repeating a prayer.
You become part of the church when you forsake sin and self and turn to Jesus Christ by faith. You trust in Him alone to save you from your sin and its consequences. You believe the gospel and cast yourself on Christ to save you. You trust in Jesus Christ because He alone suffered on the cross for sinners and then rose from the dead in eternal victory over sin and death. The moment you do this, you become part of the church.
Are you really part of the church? I don’t mean the organization. I don’t mean the institution. I mean the body of Jesus Christ composed of those who have been forgiven and redeemed by His blood. Christ invites you to come to Him for salvation. Trust in Him today!