The Body in Christ: The Mystery Revealed

Psalm 147:12-20

Psalm 147:12–20 NIV

Extol the Lord, Jerusalem; praise your God, Zion. He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you. He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat. He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast? He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow. He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws. Praise the Lord.

Jeremiah 31:7–17 NIV

This is what the Lord says: “Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations. Make your praises heard, and say, ‘Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel.’ See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return. They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son. “Hear the word of the Lord, you nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’ For the Lord will deliver Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they. They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord— the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty,” declares the Lord. This is what the Lord says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” This is what the Lord says: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord. “They will return from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your descendants,” declares the Lord. “Your children will return to their own land.

Colossians 1:15–20 NIV

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

The Mystery Revealed

Introduction:

I love a good mystery. It often takes a really good mystery or a lot of fast moving drama to keep my head in a book until I have completed it. I will admit that there is a long line of books started but never completed in my library because they just didn’t fit this criteria of mystery, intrigue, or fast drama.

I would love to be in the role of some detective piecing pictures and details to a bulletin board to try to decipher a mystery. Or to be a cipher with a note, where they search the missive for clues underlining, and circling anything that may help to reveal the mystery the missive is concealing.

I think that is why I enjoy Bible Study. I do much the same things a detective or professional cipher would do. I read it carefully over and over again. I highlight, underline, and circle what appear to be key clues to the messages from God.

Last year, I talked about the “mystery” of who Christ was. We kicked off the Season of Epiphany looking at various stories in the life of Jesus that revealed who He was.

This year, I want to tie that together with our role in it all. That is, the role of the Body of Christ, which is the real church. What we call the Church triumphant.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, allow me to explain a little church tradition. The church year begins with the season of Advent followed by the season of Christmas. Advent comprises the 4 Sunday’s prior to the celebration of Jesus birth. We have just recently completed that and I spoke of Christ’s coming as a baby and His later coming to restore all things.

Then we entered into the season of Christmas which comprises Christmas day and the 12 Days of Christmas (yes, it is related to the song). This season effectively closes on the Day of Epiphany held January 6 which celebrates the arrival of the Wise men and the revelation of the baby as the Savior. Epiphany in the Greek literally means “revelation.” We stay in this season of Epiphany, or the Sundays following Epiphany until we enter the Season of Lent.

With that said, allow me to come back to Epiphany. Epiphany not only has to do with revelation, but with discovery. That is how we get the saying, “an ah-ha moment.”

For thousands of years, there was a mystery surrounding God and His people. God chose the family of Abraham to be His chosen people. However, there was a problem. They were to be God’s representatives to the world, but they were not very good at it. How could they introduce the world to God when they were not very good at following God themselves.

God would rescue them, they would sin and be under house arrest by heathen neighbors. God would rescue them, they would obey for a short time and the cycle would repeat itself. Eventually, the house arrest ended and they were literally hauled away into exile.

Through all of this, God promised a time of final deliverance, which brings us to the mystery; Just how was God going to achieve this deliverance for such a finicky, unholy people and even more so, everyone else?

Well, the mystery was solved when Jesus was born, lived among mankind, then died for our sins, and conquered death by rising again three day’s later. However, many people are still unaware of this event.

Now, here is the clincher. You and I have an important role to play in the revelation of this mystery.

Stand with me for the reading of today’s text as we begin to uncover the role we are to play in this mystery.

Ephesians 1:1–14 NIV

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.

Pray

Sermon:

Ephesians 1:2 NIV

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have you ever thought about that statement? That grace and peace is yours because of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, accomplished while He walked this earth as a man. It draws all those faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ into a common and unique bond.

The early manuscripts of Paul’s letter do not include the phrase “in Ephesus” and it was believed that was added later when the letter was being transferred there. It was one of three letters that Paul wrote to be distributed and traded among the churches in general. Why? Because the message is the same for all within the church. We are all part of a whole.

When I first came to Elgin, I was elated over the relationship between the various churches here in town. We call it the Elgin Ministerial Association. It is languishing now and it breaks my heart, because the EMA represented in a positive manner the very essence of this letter to the Ephesians and her sister churches. We are not different groups, but just smaller nucleus’ of the same group, God’s family or also known as “The Body of Christ.”

We all have the Lord, the same directive, and the same blessings. We are meant to work together to achieve the common purpose of revealing God to a world dying from sin so they too, can be saved.

Paul opens this letter with a poem/song of praise that spells out these common blessings. He gives praise to God in all three forms, but also acknowledges that these blessings can only be ours through the actions of Jesus Christ. Our relationship with Christ is essential to receive these blessings.

Ephesians 1:3 (NIV)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

How did Christ provide for us? By dying and making us His heirs.

One of the funniest cartoons I ever saw showed a pompous lawyer reading a client’s last will and testament to a group of greedy relatives. The caption read, “I, John Jones, being of sound mind and body, spent it all!”

However, when Jesus Christ wrote His last will and testament for His church, He made it possible for us to share His spiritual riches. Instead of spending it all, Jesus Christ paid it all. His death on the cross and His resurrection make possible our salvation.

He wrote us into His will, then He died so the will would be in force. Then He arose again that He might become the heavenly Advocate (lawyer) to make sure the terms of the will were correctly followed!

So, let us walk through these blessings and the promises that are ours in Christ. Paul begins with...

A. Blessings from God the Father (1:4-6)

Lets look at that 3rd verse again. Ephesians 1:3

Ephesians 1:3 NIV

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Paul raises his voice in praise to God the Father and then he describes what the Father has done for us.

1. God has chosen us v. 4

Ephesians 1:4 (NIV)

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight...

During Advent and Christmas, I spoke of God’s plans and God’s timelines. We find a specific plan and timeline revealed throughout scripture. We see it in this passage again. In this particular verse, we find that God chose us before the creation of the world.

Think back to Genesis. God created everything. The universe & angels, the earth/world, the plants and animals. Yet mankind was the created being created in God’s own image. Humankind was intended to rule God’s creation.

Genesis 1:26 NIV

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

When one is chosen, there is a responsibility, an expectation of proper action. Responsibility suggests trust. You place your trust in someone when you give them responsibility. Man was to walk in holiness and be blameless.

When we failed to do so, God did not walk out on us. He had a plan to redeem us and still fulfill His plan, which was far greater than we would have understood. For not only are we chosen to rule over God’s creation, but we are predestined to be adopted as His sons and daughters. But such an opportunity is not forced upon us. It is something we choose to accept. We do so when we put our trust in Jesus Christ and follow His lead. When we do so, the second blessing that Paul celebrates is ours and we find that knot only has God chosen us, but...

2. He has adopted us. v. 5

Ephesians 1:4–5 (NIV)

In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—

This is not saying that certain people were predestined to be saved and others were predestined to hell. That would be totally inconsistent with God’s nature. God’s nature is one of love. His desire is that we be saved and that is God’s wish for all mankind. However, men and women who refuse to place their trust in God are condemned not by God, but by their own action of denying God.

But let us return to God’s initial purpose. He created us in His likeness to rule His creation. He had predestined mankind to live like sons and now He has provided the means for us to be adopted as sons. This was done through the sacrifice of His own Son, who was in full agreement with the plan. Look at the last part of that verse. It was “in accordance with his (Jesus Christ’s) pleasure and will. This was not just some dream of the Father’s, but was a shared dream with the Son.

This brings me to the doctrine of the Trinity. That is God as three-in-One. The Nazarene church believes these each have their own identity and their own personages, yet they are still one. How can this be? I will tell you what I have come to believe. Maybe it is too simple, but it works for me. They are three separate entities, yet their minds and beings are in complete unison. There is never any conflict or division on anything. They act and function as one even in three separate forms. They have different jobs but they function always in unison for a common goal.

We cannot understand this as there is no one we completely agree with 100% of the time. The lack of conflict or division, is completely foreign to us. This is because of sin that is within us and our world. We cannot understand that kind of unity. (This is a really rudimentary explanation and I am sure it is far more complicated than my explanation, but it is probably the best we can comprehend it.)

God, Jesus, and the Spirit were in unison in creating the world and universe. They are in unity in their plan that mankind become Children of God.

Now, allow me to clear something up. We are not adopted into God’s family. We are born into the family of God through regeneration. That is when we are spiritually birthed by believing in and trusting Jesus Christ.

Adoption is the means by which we claim our inheritance now. We are birthed (regenerated) and adopted at the same time, in that moment when we believe and are saved.

In the moment of our salvation, we have access to the power and authority of God as His children. Of course, it is not to be used for earthly desires, but to be used by means of a common desire for the will of God, just as Christ would do. Remember the WWJD slogan. This is exactly what is meant by that. We act out of a desire to do the will of the Father just as Christ did. When we do so, we have all power and authority of God on our side.

Matthew 17:20 NIV

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

This is the inheritance we have here and now.

But there is one more thing I wish you to see that is a blessing from the Father and time is getting away from us.

It is that...

3. God has accepted us v. 6

Ephesians 1:6 NIV

to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

We cannot make ourselves acceptable to God, but by God’s grace, we are made acceptable through Jesus Christ. God accepts the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf making us acceptable to God.

No greater gift could ever be given us or accepted on our behalf.

Now Paul transitions his praise to Christ, the Son.

B. Blessings from God the Son 1:7-12

So, let us look at what is bestowed upon us by “the One for Whom God loves” (v. 6).

1. The Son has redeemed us v. 7a

Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

Redeem is a word we hear a lot of in the Christian church, but what exactly does it mean. The word redeem means, “to purchase and set free by paying a price.”

There were folks who did not agree with the slavery in the south. Sometimes someone would purchase a slave and then set them free. They were said to “redeem” them. They paid the purchase price and then gave them their emancipation papers to declare they were free.

This is the blessing we have from the Son. He died on the cross and spilled his own blood to purchase our freedom. We are set free from the Law, from sin, and from the power of Satan in the world.

2. The Son has forgiven us v. 7b-8a

Ephesians 1:7b–8 a(NIV)

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us...

Jesus action of dying on the cross offers us the means to be forgiven of our sins. His blood declares us clean before God the Father that we may become children of the Father and co-heirs with Jesus the Son.

Romans 8:17 NIV

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Once again we find this union between God the Father and God the Son. The Son made the sacrifice but it in in accord with the riches of God’s grace. Jesus sacrifice opens to us the riches of God’s grace which are lavished on us.

Lavished denotes generosity and pleasure in doing something. God is pleased and generous toward us.

And now we come to the mystery part, for we find that...

3. Jesus reveals to us the mystery of God’s will vv 8-10

Ephesians 1:8–10 (NIV)

...With all wisdom and understanding,

he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,

to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

We are no longer strangers, but God’s children. We are now part of the inner circle of God and therefore are made privy to God’s plan. This plan was purposed in Christ and will be put in full effect when? “When the times reach their fulfillment.” There is that time thing again. What has been the mystery? What God was doing. How God was going to save humankind. But now we know and are given understanding into it and into what will happen when the time is right. All things will be put in place in their proper order under the head of Christ and we are a part of this plan, which brings us to #4.

4. Jesus has made us an inheritance vv. 11-13

Ephesians 1:11–13 (NASB95)

also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,

to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,

Who receives this inheritance? Who are the predestined? Those who believe! The Jews who believed Jesus when He came as well as the Jew and Gentile that have believed since that time. That includes you and me.

This inheritance works two ways.

a) First, in Christ we have a wonderful inheritance, but also...

b) In Christ, we are an inheritance. Christ paid a huge price that we may be His. (See John 17) We will develop this idea more in the next few weeks.

And now Paul sings his praise for the...

C. Blessings from God the Holy Spirit vv. 13-14

In verses 4-6, Paul is acknowledging eternity past and God’s plan for mankind even before creation. Then we find history past in vv 7-12 as we celebrate what Christ has accomplished. But now we come to the immediate experience we each have through our relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:13–14 NIV

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

At that moment when we believe and put our trust in Christ, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within us. He becomes our roommate if you will, but this roommate is with you 24/7/365. Our body is now a temple equivalent to the Holy of Holies because God resides within us. And what He does in amazing.

1. The Holy Spirit becomes our seal v 13

This is very important because it marks us as God’s property. That means Satan cannot touch us in any way without God’s approval. (The Door Within if time). This seal brings security and protection. We are sealed against permanent death. The Holy Spirit is a precious gift from Jesus. Not only does He seal us, but...

2. The Holy Spirit is the first fruits of our inheritance.

He literally is a deposit, the earnest money if you will, guaranteeing our inheritance. We may be separated from God’s physical presence for the time being, but God is literally living within us until that day when we can be with Him physically once again. The Holy Spirit is with us at all times providing what we need; comfort, counsel, guidance, wisdom, power (we will talk more on this next week), etc...

Conclusion:

Now Paul is sharing all of these blessings, praising and giving glory to God. This is literally a song of worship and praise to God for all these wonderful things.

We see this celebration fest of praise in vv 3, 6, 12, & 14, as Paul continually reiterates the phrase, “for the praise of His glory.”

But this worship fest is not just Paul’s but should be the response of each of us.

Have you ever been to a football game and heard the excited chants and foot stomping in the grand stands when a victorious play is executed? Well this kind of excitement and enthusiasm is a mark of the people of God. It is what draws attention from other people to wonder and ask, what is different about us, because we live in victory even in the deepest moments of any struggle.

Now when Paul refers to the we and you who are benefiting from all these blessings. He also makes it clear distinction of who these benefits are for. Those who are “in Christ.”

There are many people who declare themselves Christian, who are not necessarily “in Christ.” Just yesterday I heard a gentleman on Tucker Carlson talk about this. He said people often think, who am I on a religious level. Well I am not Buddhist, Muslim or Atheist, so I much be “Christian.” So, what is the distinction between “Christian” and someone “in Christ.”

Kent Hughes has this to say on the subject.

From my perspective, “in Christ” far outstrips the term “Christian” in describing Christianity. Aside from the fact that “Christian” is only used three times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28; and 1 Peter 4:16), that title allows for an ambiguous interpretation. It can mean one who has a specific cultural affinity, or the “western tradition,” or one who lives on one side of barbed wire and is killing those on the other side. But “in Christ” invites no such abuse, because it demands reflection on a dynamic, living relationship.

Being “in Christ” is living in full relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord. With the aid of the Holy Spirit, they live the holy blameless life we were called to live. This doens’t mean we are perfect, but we are not practicing sin. We seek to do the will of the Father. A person living in this kind of relationship with Christ, has a more comfortable sense of God as Father and a sense of family with others who are in Christ. Kent Hughes also says,

...the fact remains that those truly in Christ really do have profound sharing and true ecumenicity. Those truly in Christ can experience a friendship which surpasses all others in its understanding, commitment, and comfort. And that ought to be the norm for the Church, as Jesus prayed in his High Priestly prayer on the eve of his death: “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name — the name you gave me — so that they may be one as we are one” (John 17:11). What a balm to the soul this spiritual unity is!

When you live in this sense of unity of God’s family, there is nothing else that seems so important. This is often the difference between people who feel church attendance is important while others do not value it. Those “in Christ” have a desire to be with the family of Christ.

It is in Christ, and in Christ only, that lasting fulfillment, deep human satisfaction, is found. “Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty’” (John 6:35).

Shortly after Malcolm Muggeridge became a Christian he delivered a sermon in Queen’s Cross Church, Aberdeen (Sunday, May 26, 1968) in which he made this confession:

I may, I suppose, regard myself, or pass for being, a relatively successful man. People occasionally stare at me in the streets — that’s fame. I can fairly easily earn enough to qualify for admission to the higher slopes of the Inland Revenue — that’s success. Furnished with money and a little fame even the elderly, if they care to, may partake of trendy diversions — that’s pleasure. It might happen once in a while that something I said or wrote was sufficiently heeded for me to persuade myself that it represented a serious impact on our time — that’s fulfillment. Yet I say to you, and I beg you to believe me, multiply these tiny triumphs by a million, add them all together, and they are nothing — less than nothing — a positive impediment — measured against one draught of that living water Christ offers to the spiritually thirsty — irrespective of who or what they are. What, I ask myself, does life hold, what is there in the works of time, in the past, now and to come, which could possibly be put in the balance against the refreshment of drinking that water?

When you are with others that feel this same way, you can feel it. There is a special relationship with them that is not found with others. These are the folks who make up the body of Christ. They are not Nazarene, Baptist, Methodist, etc…They are the Body of Christ. The adopted sons and daughters of God.

This next few week’s as we work our way through the book of Ephesians, I pray you will learn more about this special family of God. It is grounded “in Christ”, sealed with the Holy Spirit, and all to the glory of God the Father.

Pray