The Church: God s Plan for His Glory Ephesians 3:1-13 Introduction

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1 The Church: God s Plan for His Glory Ephesians 3:1-13 Introduction God has a plan for His glory. What is the glory of God? The glory of God is the holiness of God revealed. It is the manifestation of God s holy character to the world. When we say that God is glorious, we are saying that God s goodness, love, kindness, patience, wisdom, justice, and authority are not only right, but they exist in abundance. God does not simply possess a little goodness. No! He is full of goodness. God is not simply loving at times. No! God is love. Love derives its definition from God Himself. And these attributes, these characteristics have been made known to us, they have been revealed to us in Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:3 describes Jesus as the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature. Thus, we wonder about God, and ask, What is God like?, we are able by faith to look at Christ and behold the radiance of the glory of God. In 1 Timothy 1:11, Paul even describes the gospel that he preached, that is, the message of salvation regarding Jesus life, death, and resurrection for our sins according to the scripture, Paul calls that gospel message the gospel of the glory of the blessed God. God has a plan for His glory, and that plan is wrapped up in Jesus Christ, which made complete sense while Jesus was still on earth, but what now? How is God revealing His glory on earth now? One could answer, He is displaying His glory through creation. For, Psalm 19 tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God. Furthermore, Romans 1 tells us that God s invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. And this answer would be correct. God is certainly displaying aspects of His character through creation, but what about the aspects of His character that were displayed in Jesus while He was still on earth? Where should we find the glory of God s mercy, the glory of God s grace, the glory of God s kindness, the glory of God s patience, the glory of God s reconciliation, the glory of God s love, and the glory of God s justice and impartiality on earth? There was a time when people would have answered that question with geo-politically. They would have echoed the words of John Winthrop from the 17 th century who described Massachusetts Bay as a city on the hill. The hope of this earliest colonist was that England would look upon the newly-established colonies and see the blessing of God and aspire to be like the governments in the New World. Winthrop s language of a city on a hill, of course, comes from Matthew 5, where Jesus is teaching his disciples that they are the light of the world. A city set on a hill that cannot be hidden. And while I have no doubts that God can use a country at times to reveal his glory, I believe that God has something better, some more ancient, something more eternal, something more global for His glory. It is not a country that God has in mind to continue the work that Christ began when He was on the earth. No. It is not a country, but the church, the body of Christ, that God has purposed to display His glory through for all the eyes of the world to see and marvel at. God s plan for His glory in Christ is the church. And that is what our passage in the book of Ephesians is all about this morning. The church of Jesus Christ is God s plan for His glory in the world, and my aim over the course of the next few minutes will be to compel you to see the importance of the church in God s plan for His glory

2 Ephesians 3: 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. 13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. Exposition I. The Church fulfills the Old Testament prophecies regarding the unification of Jews and Gentiles into the One People of God through Christ Jesus (Vss. 1-6) Verse 1 represents Paul s conclusion from the end of chapter two, where he described the church as being built up into the dwelling place of God by the Holy Spirit. Paul, therefore, in verse, writes, For this reason, which mean, because the church is being built up into the dwelling place of God, I Paul, am praying for you, but before Paul can even get started with his prayer, he digresses to talk about his own calling. Paul is the apostle to the nation, that is, the Gentiles, or the whole non-jewish world in Paul s day. So, why would a Jew like Paul be serving the nations? What was the reason for this cross-cultural ministry? Paul tells us in verses 2-6. The risen Christ appeared to Paul and revealed the gospel to him, which resulted not only in Paul s conversion, but also His calling. Specifically, Paul was converted and called to take the message of Jesus salvation to the nations. For, according to Paul, the nations were going to become a part of the people of God through the gospel of Jesus Christ. And the People of God would be known as the Church of Jesus Christ, which is made up of Jews and Gentiles alike. As you read verses 5-6, you encounter Paul speaking of the mystery of Christ, 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. Some have thought that the mystery is concerned with the inclusion of the Gentiles into the People of God, but the Old Testament prophecies had already clearly taught that in the last days, the Gentiles, that is, the nations, would become part of God s people. It would no longer be Jews only. One example of this prophecy can be found in Zechariah 2:11, which states, And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. Isaiah 2:2 also indicates that in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the

3 highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it. Furthermore, Micah 4:1-3 states, It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, 2 and many nations shall come, and say: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3 He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. Clearly, the Old Testament anticipated a day when the nations would turn to the LORD and they would come to the House of the LORD. Now, let me ask you, do people dwell in their house? Yes. Houses are for dwelling. They are for inhabiting. And how has Paul just described the church in Ephesians 2:22? Paul wrote, In Christ you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. What, then according to Paul, is the church? It is a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. It is the house of the LORD. And who, according to Ephesians 2, is gathered, is assembled in that house? Jews and Gentiles. The Jews and the Nation. Where? Together in the church! How is this possible? Herein lies the mystery that was hidden from previous generations: Verse 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. So, what is the mystery? It is not that the Jews and nations are now assembled together in the house of the LORD. No, the mystery is concerned with the means of their unity. The mystery that was hidden was that the unification of the Jews and the nations into one people would come by means of the gospel of Jesus Christ! The Gentiles did not become a part of the People of God by keeping the Law of Moses. They didn t become Jews through circumcision, adherence to certain food laws, or by keeping the Sabbath. The Gentiles became partakers of the People of God by faith in Jesus Christ! You see, the Jews knew that one day the nations would flock to the LORD, but they believed that the nations would have to become Jewish in order to be a part of God s people. In other words, the nations would have to take on the identity of the Jews in order to be considered members of the people of God. But God s plan was greater! The Gentile wouldn t become a Jew in order to be a part of God s people. Instead, the Gentile would come to Jesus. And the unifying identity of the One People of God would forever be Jesus Christ! And that One People of God is the House of the LORD, which is also known as the church of Jesus Christ. The church is the fulfillment the Old Testament prophecies regarding the unification of Jews and Gentiles into the One People of God through Jesus Christ. Jesus has established and is building His church as the unified People of God for the sake of the glory of God, which we will see more fully in verses 7-10

4 II. The Church serves to make known the wisdom of God as part of His plan for His glory in Christ Jesus (Vss. 7-10) As I just mentioned, verses 1-6 revealed that the church fulfills the Old Testament s prophecies regarding the unification of Jews and Gentiles into the One People of God through Jesus Christ. Now, in verses 7-10, we see the purpose that this unified, One People of God serves for the glory of God. In verse 7, Paul revisits the gospel, that is, the mystery of Christ that resulted in the unification of the Jews and Gentiles into the One People of God. Paul is a minister of this gospel. What is this gospel? Well, we have already seen it to some degree in Ephesians 2. This gospel is the message that it is by grace that you are saved through faith and this is not of yourself, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. The gospel that Paul preached excludes all grounds for boasting because all of its benefits are based on grace, not your performance. Someone might even be here today wondering about God s forgiveness, and thinking, Could God ever forgive me? I, along with the apostle Paul, can tell you, Yes! God s forgiveness is not based upon your performance. It is not concerned with your baggage or your brokenness. God s forgiveness is based upon God s grace. All you must do to receive it is recognize your need for His grace, turn away from your sin, and believe that God sent His Son Jesus to rescue you from the penalty that your sin deserves. The gospel spoken of in verse 7 does not require you to clean your life up before you receive the good news. It only beckons you to come, just as you are and be accepted by God on the basis of what Jesus has already done for you. This is the gospel that Paul preached, and he preached it to those who thought that in order to be a part of the people of God that they would have to become like the Jews and keep the law in order to please God and remain in His favor. But Paul taught that God s favor is not unearned through obedience through the law. It is given powerfully and freely in Jesus Christ. When Paul preached the unsearchable riches of Christ to the Gentiles, the result was that God s plan to save the world was revealed. God would not save the world by telling everyone to try harder or get better. God would save the world by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to die in the place of sinners so that they might belong to Him as sons and daughter. And as sinners heard this good news, they would be baptized into the life of the church of Jesus Christ, where they would be taught to make disciples of others as well in obedience to the Great Commission. As baptized believers began to assemble daily with other believers, they grew in their faith and knowledge of God. And as they grew in their knowledge of God s grace, mercy, love, kindness, patience, justice, impartiality, and holiness, the Holy Spirit caused them to become more like Jesus. Paul talks about this in Romans 8, where he writes, that believers have been predestined to be conformed to the image of the Son of God. This means that God intends for every believer to grow in their likeness to Jesus. To become more godly. To take on Christ s attributes of grace, mercy, love, kindness, patience, justice, impartiality, and holiness. And why does God want believers in the church to become more like Jesus? We find the answer in verse 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.

5 Do you remember what I said at the beginning about how God s plan for His glory was all wrapped up in Jesus, who is the radiance of the glory of God? Well then, why would God want us to be become more like Jesus? So that we too might radiate and reveal the glory of God to the world through our words and deeds! And where has God ordained for this to take place? In the church! It is in the church that believers grow and fulfill their purpose as followers of Christ so that they might make known the manifold wisdom of God to the ruler and authorities in the heavenly places! As believers in the church become more and more like Jesus by the work of the Holy Spirit, the glory of God s wisdom is manifested in the world. It is in the church that God has ordained that His glory would be made known to the angelic authorities in the heavens. And it has always been God s intention for this to be so, as we will see in verses III. God always intended for the church to be the plan for His glory in Christ Jesus (Vss ) In the 19 th century, there were some popular theologians that described the church as the great parenthesis. That is, because the Jews had rejected Jesus as Messiah and crucified Him, God had turned his attention to the Gentiles in the church. In other words, these theologians taught that the church was Plan B for God. But the church of Jesus Christ was never Plan B. Instead, the church was a part of God s plan for His glory in Christ Jesus from all eternity. Notice what Paul says in verses 11-12, This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. What does the this in verse 11 refer to? It refers to the God s ordering of the church for the sake of His glory, the manifestation of His wisdom to the heavenly authorities, through Jesus Christ. In other words, the church, that is, the assemblage of God s One People who consists only of those who have trusted in Jesus Christ, Jew and Gentile alike, this church was God s plan from the beginning. God the Father s goal was always to assemble a bride from every kindred, tongue, tribe, and nations for Jesus Christ, the Son of God. But it is not only Paul who taught that the church was always a part of God s plan for His glory. The apostle James also teaches that this multi-ethnic people was God s intention. Acts 15 tells us that as Barnabas and Paul were recounting the grace of God among the Gentiles that James replied to them and said, Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. That is, a people for His glory. But James continues, saying, And with this the word of the prophet agree, just as it is written, After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.

6 And James speech is perfectly in keeping with what we learn in Romans 11 regarding how Paul magnifies his ministry to the Gentiles in order somehow to make his fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. For, the inclusion of the Gentiles into the people of God does not mean that they have replaced the Jews in God s plan. But rather, that through the Gentiles inclusion into the people of God through Christ Jesus, the Jews might be provoked to jealousy and be saved through Christ Jesus. And how does God intend for this to happen? Through the church of Jesus Christ according to His eternal plan for the redemption of the world. Conclusion As we have worked through Ephesians 3:1-13 this morning, we have clearly seen that the church of Jesus Christ is God s plan for His glory in the world. For, through the Church, the Old Testament prophecies regarding the unification of Jews and Gentiles into the One People of God is fulfilled. Through the Church, the manifold wisdom of God is made known through the redemption of Jews and Gentiles alike in Jesus Christ. And, through the Church, God carries out His eternal plan to glorify Himself in Jesus. Application Paul wrote this to the believers in Ephesus so that they might understand the depth of their salvation and the privilege of their membership in the people of God through Jesus Christ. Furthermore, Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus so that they might live in light of the truth that they received regarding God s plan for His glory in the church of Jesus Christ. And because God had a plan for the church in Ephesus, the members of that church had a purpose in this life. They had a role to play. A role of eternal importance. Paul wanted the church in Ephesus to see their importance in the church as part of God s plan for His glory. And this is my desire as well. I want you to know the importance of the church in God s plan for His glory. I want you to see the vital role that you play in the glorification of God through the life of the church of Jesus Christ. For some of you, this will mean making the commitment to join a church and begin growing to be more like Jesus and fulfill your calling to glorify God. (Give instructions regarding First Things Luncheon) For some, this will mean repenting of a casual attitude toward the church and renewing your commitment to be active through worship, giving, evangelism, learning, and even teaching. (Church life is not optional or about convenience) For some, this will mean going out and finding church members that are no longer attending because you sinned against them and being reconciled to one another for the sake of the glory of God. (Reconciliation is a key to a healthy church) For some, this will mean learning to humble yourself for the sake of unity in the church. (Outdo one another in showing love and honor) For others, this will mean trusting in Jesus for the first time, being baptized into the membership of the church, and starting to grow as a new believer.