Unlocking the Mystery of Life

UNLOCKING THE MYSTERY OF LIFE Spring Valley Mennonite; February 7, 2021; Ephesians 3:1-13 One of the greatest scientific advancements in recent history has been the mapping of the human genome. This is the unraveling the genetic code within the DNA molecules which determine how a human being develops. By knowing which genes determine specific areas of development, the hope is that genetically caused problems may be corrected before they occur. For example, it is known that heart disease runs in families. There possibly is a gene which could be altered to eliminate the risk of heart problems. If successful, many of the disorders and diseases which plague mankind may be eliminated. It may be overstatement, but scientists have called the completion of this mapping project "discovering the secret of life." But sadly, the most pressing problems of mankind have little to do with physical health but rather are spiritual in nature and solution. With modern advances in medicine, we are possibly healthier than ever before, the average lifespan has increased substantially, but these advances may have only given us more time to suffer from social and spiritual problems. Mankind has attempted to solve problems like crime, poverty, prejudice, cruelty and evil for millennia with little success. We cannot get along with one another, we selfishly exploit the environment and seem bent on destroying ourselves. If evil is seen as darkness and goodness seen as light, it often seems that darkness is winning. We may be more sophisticated and knowledgeable, but the basic sinful nature of man remains the same. Yet, into this darkness came the Light of Life, as John 1:4 affirms: "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." Recorded in John 10:10, Jesus stated, "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly." Jesus holds the key which unlocks the secret of the abundant life, a secret which is now revealed, although mostly ignored. Paul was made a messenger of the Mystery of Life, and he further reveals the secret in these verses in Ephesians 3. Turn there as we begin our study. Read vv. 1-7. I. PAUL, ONE WITH A RADICAL PERSPECTIVE As I was studying this passage this week, it seemed at first that Paul was being rather redundant. Again, he emphasizes the joining of Jew and Gentile into one entity called the Church. He speaks of the unity of believers in terms of "joint heirs, fellow members, fellow partakers." Paul reemphasizes this truth because of the difficulty his original readers had with prejudice. Proud Jews had to humble themselves as they were taught that being Jewish no longer counted for anything in the church. Proud Gentiles, steeped in the intellectual philosophy of the Greeks, had their pride destroyed by this truth of equality. Slave owners and slaves were on equal basis within the church. This truth needed to be taught over and over again. Prejudice dies hard! This is a lesson for us today also. Fallen human nature is prejudential by nature. But along with the needed emphasis on equality, there are additional lessons that we need to hear. The first is the example we see in Paul's attitude toward circumstances, seen in the first verse. A word on the structure of these verses: As we examine this first verse, Paul begins a thought, then as we often see in his writings, he pursues a related issue before completing his original thought. We must go to verse 13 to find out the completion of his first subject. So, the complete thought is: "For this reason, I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles (then going to v. 13) ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory." Paul was writing this letter from prison in Rome. After spending two years in Caesarea in confinement, he arrived in Rome where he had been imprisoned for perhaps another three years. Five long years in prison; this was an issue of continuing concern and puzzlement to his friends. How do you explain that the premier church planter of his day languished in prison? We would say, "God, what's up with that?" Yet in these words, Paul encourages them that his circumstances are actually bringing glory to God, and difficult as it might seem, his imprisonment is beneficial to them. How could this be? This is part of unlocking the mystery of life, how God takes negative circumstances and turns them around to where they truly benefit us. This is a radical perspective, for rather than viewing ourselves as victims of circumstances, we are to see them as stepping- stones to something positive, for ourselves perhaps, but often for the benefit of others. Notice that Paul does not say he is a prisoner of Caesar, but a prisoner of Jesus Christ. He sees beyond the Emperor of Rome and beyond the mechanizations of the Jews who hated him and his message and who tried to kill him. Paul sees only One Supreme Ruler over heaven and earth, the God of Heaven. He is a prisoner because God wills it, and God's purposes are being served. As believers, we are not victims of the randomness of life. God holds the controls, and we take comfort in that fact, as did Paul. He saw Jesus as did John in Revelation, sitting on His throne, holding the reins of government in His hands, "Who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens..." He sees the One who speaks, and all powers obey. The moment Paul's imprisonment did not serve God's purpose, he would be released. He was a prisoner of Jesus Christ. In truth, at this very moment, we are benefitting from Paul's years in prison. For if he had never spent extended months in a Roman cell, he might never have found the time to write this precious letter to the believers in Ephesus. When Paul was converted on the road to Damascus, he was struck blind and helpless. After being led into the city, he spent three days in darkness before God sent a humble, trembling believer named Ananias to heal his blindness and minister to him. As God was briefing a reluctant Ananias on his mission, He said of Paul, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake." Part of the mystery of life is understanding that suffering in the will of God always has a positive outcome. Only through the suffering of Jesus are we made whole. Isaiah said that "by His stripes we are healed." Paul suffered at the hands of Jews and Gentiles alike, but it produced great fruit. And our own trials and suffering, even the loving yet difficult discipline of God, can produce the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Even our poor choices and mistakes can be used by God to produce growth in our lives. A story appearing in a Voice of the Martyrs newsletter told of a church in Indonesia which demonstrates this truth. I quote from that publication: "Late last November, jihad troops destroyed Calvary Presbyterian Church of Sangginora. Pastor Marson Moganti told visiting VOM workers that God has allowed the church to be burned by the radical Muslims, because 'the hearts of our church members had turned far away from God, and they were in a lukewarm condition. Prior to the church burning, 200 people attended the church regularly. Pastor Moganti said the church has grown to 500 regular attendees since the church burning. "God's revival is now burning in the hearts of the congregation, and we now have more intimate worship with the Lord." We also glean from this passage how-- II. PAUL WAS FAITHFUL TO THE ROLE WHICH HE WAS GIVEN Paul knew his place in God's plan. It is almost humorous in that God took this stiff-necked, Gentile hating Pharisee and called him to be the Apostle to the Gentiles! It certainly was a role he never would have desired on his own! Yet, by grace God had so radically changed him, that God gave him a great love for his non-Jewish churches, and his life was spent preaching and discipling Gentiles. He calls it here "a stewardship of God's grace." This stewardship given was to reveal the mystery of Christ, as noted in verse 4. It is valuable to recall that Paul went through the "University of the Desert", three years spent in the deserts of Arabia, as Galatians 1:17-18 tells us. Then after those three years, he spent several years back in his home in Tarsus before Barnabus brought him to Antioch to help out there. God had great purposes for Paul, but it took years to bring him to the point of maximum usefulness. We can also think of Moses and his 40 years on the backside of the desert, or Joseph being locked in an Egyptian prison for two long years. Part of the mystery of life is that God sometimes places his servants "on the sidelines" as He prepares them for something greater. It might be an illness, or disability. It might be the desert or prison. But we can trust that God is in control and knows what He is doing. At such times, we must trust. We must remain faithful and persevere in the roles God gives us. We can also look further into the mystery of life as we see revealed: III. THE SECRET OF SUCCESSFUL LIVING I realize how lofty such a claim is but follow along as we examine the three-fold mystery seen in verse 6 (read v. 6). If we read this passage to only say that Jew and Gentile are equal, we miss the greater implications of these words. Let's go back to the first mention of this Mystery, found in chapter 1:9-10: "He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth. "The mystery of His will...the summing up of all things in Christ." At the end of this age, when we draw a line at the bottom and add everything up, the end result, the sum, the final answer will be that Jesus Christ will be exalted as Lord. "Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!" The Key to successful living in the mystery of life is found in placing Christ at the center and heart of our lives, making Him Lord of life. Every bit of life, every problem, every aspect of existence for our lives has its meaning and purpose in Jesus Christ. Oftentimes it seems that culture moves from one big crisis to another. Those of us who are older can vouch for that statement. But solutions to such problems will always be elusive because they do not go to the heart of the matter, which is recognizing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and following the principles found in His Word. There will come a point, I believe in the not too distant future, when Christ will again physically intervene in human history and establish His earthly kingdom. But while the world as a whole does not recognize Christ, as individuals we can. And placing Christ at the center of our lives is the key to successful living. Paul was given the glorious task of presenting these truths about complete equality within the Universal Church, and how God works through His Church to bring redemption to individuals. As we continue in this passage, we are given an example of how we are to respond to these facts: IV. WE ARE TO LIVE HUMBLY AND HOPEFULLY Read vv. 8-13. If there was anyone who could stand back and proudly say, "Look what I have done!" it would be the Apostle Paul. In addition to spreading the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire, he wrote the majority of books in the New Testament. His influence in Christianity and in establishing Christian doctrine cannot be overemphasized. Yet, we see him describing himself in such terms as "the least of all saints", "the least of the Apostles," and the "chief of sinners." Paul repeatedly emphasizes grace. He points out that he was an enemy of Christ, actively persecuting believers, moving in the opposite direction from God when in a miraculous way Christ appeared to him and saved his soul. It was all God and nothing of Paul. He had absolutely nothing to commend himself, and realized he was only a sinner saved by grace. No wonder he continually speaks of grace! A very crucial part of living a successful Christian life, a big part of the mystery of life, as well as getting along with others is humility. Our old nature has at its root pride. Every one of us enjoys the praise of others. We like to be recognized for our accomplishments. We like to think of ourselves as superior to others, as the smartest, wisest or most talented, or even-the most humble! Chuck Swindoll tells a story of the great UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. His teams won the national championship for 10 out of 12 years beginning in the 1966-67 season. They also set a NCAA record of 88 consecutive victories. One time when calling on an acquaintance, he said, "Hello. My name is John Wooden. I understand your little school needs a coach, and I have a man in mind I would like to recommend." He continued, "I've had a couple of years coaching basketball and I thought you might like to take a recommendation I have." Swindoll concludes, "A couple of years coaching basketball! The guy writes the book on it. But isn't it refreshing that he doesn't assume the man will know his voice or be impressed with his name?" In a book that Wooden wrote in 2003, They Call Me Coach, he said, "I have always tried to make it clear that basketball is not the ultimate. It is of small importance in comparison to the total life we live. There is only one kind of life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior." God had taken Paul a long way from the proud Pharisee to the humble preacher of grace. God desires the same attitude from us, and that comes from realizing that we are creations of grace, called out of our sinful background to be beloved and useful joint heirs in the Kingdom of God. Moreover, there is nothing we can do after salvation to earn more of God's love and acceptance. God does not love preachers or evangelists, or directors of great Christian ministries more than He does the youngest or weakest of His children. He doesn't love the Apostle Paul more than He loves and cherishes the most timid and fearful secret believer. There is absolutely no reason for pride in the heart and life of any one of us. This truly is important in getting along in and outside the church. We have all met people "full of themselves" who parade their accomplishments or intellect or self-importance around. Such people are not well liked or ever accomplish much in the kingdom of God. A key to usefulness in the Kingdom is humility. We are like beggars telling other beggars where we found food. I find great hope in the truth found in verse 10, that for all eternity, we are to be examples of God's wisdom and plan to all the angels, both holy angels and those that are fallen. God has for all time an eternal purpose in saving us, His creation uniquely made in His image. The salvation of mankind is something the angels puzzle about-why the Creator Himself would take on human flesh, live as one of us, and even more amazing, experience suffering and death by crucifixion-so as to redeem His precious children. Notice one amazing and practical result of God's wonderful eternal purpose in verse 12: We now have boldness and confident access to God as we come clothed with the righteousness of Christ. We humbly bow in thanks. 2