The Revealing of Christ

Ephesians 3:1–12 ESV

1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

As a child growing up, I was always ready for a good mystery. I remember watching shows like “Murder She Wrote” and “Matlock” with my grandparents trying to figure out who did the crime. On Matlock, there was always the “big reveal” at the trial. The accused sitting in the defendant’s chair while Matlock would unravel the alibi and story of the person in the witness stand. Finally, he would present the jury and the witness with evidence that would exonerate his client and lead to the immediate arrest of the person in the witness stand. I would always watch intently waiting to see if I got it right by watching the various clues that were laid out throughout the episode. Some were pretty easy to uncover. Others were a bit surprising. But it provided me with the opportunity to see a mystery be revealed with great anticipation.

As we enter into the season of Epiphany, it is not an episode of Matlock. Andy Griffith isn’t standing before us in a gray suit giving us all the facts and evidence. Instead, we have biblical writers such as Paul laying out for us the evidence of the truth of the claims made about Jesus during the season of Christmas - that he is the divine Word made flesh. Something that seems to be shrouded in mystery is revealed to us layer by layer giving us the full picture of the person and nature of Jesus Christ. Over the next two months of this Epiphany season, we will unravel the testimonies of the witnesses to the work and ministry of Jesus to prove beyond any doubt of who he is and why he has come to us. In the end, we will be able to proclaim boldly that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh and that he has come to reconcile us to God for his glory.

1. The revelation of Christ came through the apostles and the Holy Spirit. (vs. 1-5)

Colossians 1:27 ESV

27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

The apostles were the primary voices through which the message of the gospel was spread to the world. Going back to Acts 2, the apostles were empowered by the Holy Spirit and had a unique authority in their teachings that were foundational in the formation of the church. We read in Acts 2:42 “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” The early church in Jerusalem listened intently as Peter, James, John, and others took from the pages of the Old Testament to point to the person and work of Jesus. They recounted what Jesus said to them in their time together and shared the stories of the miraculous things that Jesus did. All of these things gave opportunity for those first Christians to learn the purpose of Jesus’ coming and how they were to live in the world as his kingdom came to pass. When Paul came onto the scene in Acts 9, he was met by Jesus on the road to Damascus where he was called to go and preach to the Gentiles. Thus, spreading the message even further.

All that Paul and the other apostles taught was given to them by revelation in the power of the Holy Spirit in the same way that we see the Spirit working on the prophets of old. The apostles became the mouthpieces of God in the same way that we see the prophets being used by God in the Old Testament. This is how the riches of the glory was made known to the Gentiles according to Paul in Colossians 1:27. Throughout Paul’s teaching, he differentiates between what is his opinion and what is a word from the Lord. This is especially true throughout 1 Corinthians. But what Paul reveals as coming from the Lord must be understood for exactly what it is - a word from the Lord.

This kind of revelation is something that ended with the apostles. God used them for the specific purpose of bringing the fullness of the message of the gospel into the world by speaking through them. We are unable to have this kind of specific revelation today. There are some who try to make that claim by declaring themselves to be apostles in the same fashion that we see in the New Testament. But this kind of revelation that they claim is just as important as whatever is written in scripture is a dangerous practice. There are some like Bill Johnson at Bethel in Redding, CA that have made this kind of claim and others within the network of churches associated with Bethel. If we try to claim the same inspired revelation for ourselves today over and against the scripture which is the revealed word of God, it can become self-centered and self-serving. This is not to say that prophetic voices have ended or that the Lord cannot reveal things to us about a specific situation. What I am referring to is when we try to say that the words of those who claim to be modern apostles are somehow just as inspired as what we find in scripture. That is dangerous.

2. The mystery of the gospel is that it brings all people together as one by faith. (vs. 6)

Galatians 3:28–29 ESV

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Listen to what Paul says earlier in Ephesians 2:14-16 “14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.”

The great mystery is that God wants to bring all people to himself not just the Jews. In this passage, the word “mystery” is used three times. It is also used three other times in the letter. This mystery was received by revelation from God not just to Paul but also to the other apostles who gathered at the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15. However, Paul has specifically been given this task by Christ. This is all part of God’s plan through Jesus to bring the Gentiles into the fold and become co-heirs in Christ. But this is beyond just a Jew/Gentile redemption. When we go back to Ephesians 1 where Paul talks about the mystery of God’s will, he emphasizes the church as a whole bearing witness to God and his power even to the heavenly powers and principalities of this world.

Including the Gentiles into the household of God is a testimony to the work that God has done through Jesus Christ. That in him there is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female. We are all one in Christ. We are all joined together as Christ’s body, and there is to be no distinction. The oneness of the body of Christ is a revelation of who Christ is to the world. Just to give some context, I think that it is important to look at where Paul talks about this kind of inclusion and oneness in other places in his writings.

Hear what he says in Colossians 3:10-11 “and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” We read this in 21st century America and are not aware of how incredible these words are. This list is a list of people who hated one another. There were wars fought between them. Yet, Paul tells us that in Christ, we are all one.

This kind of attitude is very different from our society today that wants to divide, divide, divide. This kind of woke ideology that has infected our schools, media, and even the church is an anathema to the gospel. Church leaders have taken on the woke language of our day and tried to “Christianize” it by making Jesus sound like them. Twisting scripture out of context to fit their narrative. But the uniqueness of the church is that that gospel message brings us together not divide us. The gospel tells us that no matter your socioeconomic class, your background, your race, every person that knows Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is one body. When the church tries to take on the woke language of today, it loses its uniqueness and promotes the shallowness of today’s humanistic and atheistic worldview. The great mystery of the gospel that has been revealed to Paul and the apostles is that Jesus Christ has come to bring all people together under the banner of his name. We as the church must reclaim this uniqueness if we are going to be the voice of true change in our world and spread the kingdom of God to all. Through Christ, God has broken down the walls of hostility that has existed between humanity and has brought us all under the lordship of Christ.

3. The church is called to bring the revelation of Christ to all of creation. (vs. 7-12)

Romans 8:20–21 ESV

20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

As Paul concludes this very personal section of Ephesians, he focuses on the fact that he is completely unworthy to be the barer of this message to the Gentiles. He has come to them to share the grace that was given to him and the unsearchable riches of Christ that he mentions in chapter 1. There is a light for everyone that they might hear the gospel message of Jesus’ gracious act upon the cross to bring together and reconcile all people to himself. So much so that even the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places know of the gospel. All of this was part of the eternal purposes that have been realized to the fullest in Christ through faith.

Paul’s concluding words show us that all of creation benefits from the revelation of Christ into the world. According to Romans 8:20-21, creation has been groaning to be set free from the bondage of sin. “20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”

We are called by God to continue to bring the light of Christ to all the world so that the world might be enlightened to the message. It is no longer hidden and just for a select few. The message of reconciliation to God is for those who had previously been separated from the message by a wall. Christ has torn down that wall through his death and resurrection so that all of us can know Christ. One of the of the wonderful distinctives of Wesley’s message was that God was going to redeem all of creation one day. It is the call of the Methodist to continue to share that good news so that every person who hears the gospel proclaimed might have the opportunity to be justified and sanctified in the power of the Spirit and to be enlightened in the darkness. He would compare those outside of Christ as people who were blind and in a pit not realizing they are even in the pit because of the darkness. The light of Christ shows the world that it is in darkness and that the only way out is through Christ himself. He will bring us out of the pit, but we must first come to realize we are there. That only happens through the preaching of the gospel - this mystery that has been revealed to us through scripture for the salvation of the world.

Brothers and sisters, we live in a world that is deep in the darkness of sin. Many do not want to admit it because to so would call out the society that so many try to cling to. Sometimes it seems that it easier to live in the darkness rather than brought out into the light because at least we can go on living like we want. But the call of the gospel and of the church is to recognize this darkness. The season of Epiphany is about the revealing of Christ as the light in a world that overcomes the darkness. The mystery has been solved. There is no longer any need to search for the answer. Christ has come to deliver us from sin and lead us into the light of his glory. Now is the time for the church to take hold of this call show forth the uniqueness of being in Christ and what that means in bringing the world together as one.