The Mystery of Christ: God s Power Revealed through the Unified Church Ephesians 3:1-13 November 30, 2014 Aaron Reyes, Lead Pastor Let me begin by asking a question: Do you ever worry about your faith? Do you ever doubt God s power in your life? Do you ever find yourself in fear over the devil and demons? Are you anxious about these matters? I ask this question because worry, doubt, and fear are too common for believers. In fact, for the believers in Ephesus, they wrestled with worry, doubt, and fear. They questioned God s power in their lives and they were anxious about the demonic world. You see, Ephesus and its surrounding region were steeped in magic and demonic manipulation. As a result, Christians in the area were very concerned about whether they were safe from evil spirits and curses. They were worried that God may not be powerful enough to save and protect them. They lived in fear about what non-believers might do to them. The same is true today for us in the Austin metroplex. While our city may not be steeped in magic, we can still doubt God s power in our lives. We can still worry about our place in God s people; we can be afraid of what non-believers think about us and what they might do to us. Our passage confronts our doubts, worries, and fears. So what I want us to take from the sermon is this: the mystery of Christ is God s power revealed through the unified church. The mystery of Christ is God s power revealed through the unified church. We will discover this thesis by unpacking the two sections of the text. I. The Unified Church is the Fruition of God s Plan vv. 1-7 In the first section we learn that the unified church is the fruition of God s plan. What is fascinating about this passage is that Paul acts as if he is going to pray For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles. We can know this because of verses 1 and 14. Look at verse 14; it starts off identically to verse 1. So what happened is that the apostle was intending to write a prayer for the church, but then he immediately pauses to talk about his own ministry. Then he resumes the prayer in verse 14. Paul stopped his prayer in order to assure the Ephesian churches. The Ephesian believers needed assurance about their place in God s new community. They needed affirmation that God was on their side. But they were also worried about the apostle Paul. At the time of this letter, Paul was in prison, most likely in Rome. And this caused the Ephesian believers to worry about him. It could be that they were worrying that Paul s sufferings were a sign of God s absence or that they too might suffer like him. Either way, Paul s imprisonment had incited fear in the Ephesian believers. So as Paul writes that he is a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of the churches, he stops to assure them of his ministry. He wants to remind the Ephesians of why he gladly accepts his imprisonment. So what does Paul say? The apostle makes clear the reason for his imprisonment; he is in prison on account of the stewardship of God s grace 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you. He is imprisoned because he is proclaiming to the Gentiles the
grace of God. This is what Paul means when he mentions stewardship here. The stewardship refers to the carrying out of God s grace, to the proclaiming of God s grace for the Gentiles. And this is a glorious job. Paul describes this stewardship as a gift It has been given to him and he is to give it to others. So Paul is suffering, but that is not his focus. He s acting in obedience and it just so happens that he is imprisoned but he can t imagine doing anything else. Then in verse 3 the apostle elaborates more on this grace 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. The apostle here calls God s grace a mystery. It was a mystery that had been revealed to Paul, and a mystery that Paul has hinted at already. As the Ephesian churches read this letter they will understand what this mystery is. We have to stop and ask: what kind of mystery is this? We have to ask this because when we use the word, mystery, we use it to describe something that is a paradox or unexplainable. That is what mysteries are for us. However, when the apostle uses mystery, he means something completely else. He begins to unwrap what he means by mystery in verse 5 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. As Paul begins to peel back his definition of mystery, we catch a glimpse at the complexity of this plan. This plan has a past, a present and a future. In the past, Paul declares that God s plan was a secret; it was a mystery. God had a plan that He did not tell any human being. Every generation of humanity was kept in the dark on this plan. God s plan was completely inaccessible to human understanding. In fact, God s secret was even unknown to angels. That s how much of a secret this plan was that not even angels knew of it. To further emphasize the hiddenness of God s plan, Paul says in verse 9 the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God. God s plan has been in existence since the beginning of the time; it wasn t just conceived at some random point in the past, but rather in eternity past. But God s plan also has a present. What I mean is that God s plan did not remain hidden forever. It was revealed in history; it was actually disclosed. You see, God kept this plan hidden until after the time of Christ and only then did God reveal it to His apostles and prophets. God chose to reveal His plan to the apostles and prophets. It is in this way that God s plan has a present. But we have to ask: what is this mystery? What was God s secret, hidden plan that has now been revealed? God s mystery pertains to the Gentiles part in salvation 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. God s hidden plan was that the Gentiles are now fellow heirs with Jewish believers. Gentiles are now considered children of God and can have the same hope as the Jews of participating in God s future glory. The same blessings that were given to the Jewish people in the OT are now given to Gentile believers. Moreover, the Gentiles are members of the same body. Gentile Christians have been incorporated into the same body as Jewish believers. There is now no hierarchy; Jewish and Gentiles believers are equal and loved by God. Therefore, they are fellow-members of Christ s body. The apostle also mentions that Gentiles are partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. By this the apostle means that the Gentiles have been given the
same Holy Spirit. Quickly turn your eyes to 1:13. Paul explains that the promise is the Holy Spirit 13 In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. And just as the Jewish believers have the Spirit in them, Gentiles now partake of the same Spirit. Gentiles are included in God s new kingdom through the Spirit. Furthermore: How is all of this possible? How exactly are the Jews and Gentiles now united? The union of both Jews and Gentiles occurred in the person of Jesus. The critical element to this entire plan, and to the establishment of the church as a whole, is the person and work of Jesus Christ. Both groups would be united in the body of Christ. Jesus death on the cross would unite the two parties. This too was part of God s plan from eternity past. The death and resurrection of Jesus, his redemption of humanity from our sins, was planned even from the very creation of the world. Praise God! That we, Gentiles, were once estranged from God and now brought near is only because of what Christ has done! These three realities are the content of God s mystery. Let me put it another way: God s mysterious plan from eternity past was to make all peoples, both Jew and Gentile, His children living in his place under his holy rule through the living work of his son, Christ Jesus. This is the church! This is what it means to be the NT church. We, all of us, are fellow heirs, members of the same body and partakers of the promise of Christ. This is also the future of God s plan: For us as a church to go out and live this boldly, knowing that this is God s sovereign plan for us and that He has enabled us to live in this unified way and in obedience to Him. This was planned by God, enacted by Christ, and empowered by Holy Spirit. This is what it means that the unified church is the fruition of God s plan. One final thought: Before moving on, we have to stop and consider one more thing; we must ask: How was this a mystery? How was this plan of God hidden? You may or may not be wondering about this, but it is an important question to ask. So maybe I can phrase the question another way in order to highlight its significance: How was God going to bring Gentiles into His people? How was God going to rescue the world? When I phrase it that way, the question becomes more pertinent. So again, how was this plan of God hidden? How was it a mystery? I have two comments. First, God s plan was a mystery because OT Scriptures were not overly explicit in saying that Gentiles would occupy a place of equal importance with Jews. You see, the OT prophecies saw Gentiles worshipping Yahweh in some capacity, but never in the same way that Jews did. In this way the OT writers were ignorant to God s plan; they were in the dark. Whereas the OT saw Gentiles praising God in the temple, never did the OT writers fathom that God would turn Gentiles into His temple, that He would embrace them into His kingdom as His people. Never did the OT writers imagine that Gentiles would be entirely equal with Jews. This is one reason why God s plan was a mystery. Second, God s purpose was a mystery because the OT Scriptures never explained how the Jews and Gentiles would be united. In the OT, if Gentiles wanted to be united with Jews, then the Gentiles had to become Jewish. But doing so would mean that the Gentiles would lose their culture and identity. But all of this changed when new knowledge was given, when God revealed His plan. God first revealed this truth to the apostles
and prophets after Christ. Then with this new revelation, the apostles spread the gospel to Gentiles around the world. And, now, because of God s word, because Paul wrote God s revealed plan, we too know of this amazing plan today. II. The Church is a Sign of God s Victory vv. 8-13 In the second section, we find that the church is a sign of God s victory. The existence of the church demonstrates God s victory. The apostle reiterates his point about him simply being a messenger of God 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. From there, Paul moves on to the second point, namely it is not only the churches seeing God s mystery unfold. There are other parties witnessing God s plan come to fruition 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. The purpose of evangelism and mission, the purpose behind Paul s tasks is so that the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places might see the manifold wisdom of God. God expands His gospel throughout the world so that the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places might behold God s unfathomable wisdom. I realize that the statement is a mouthful. So let me define some terms. When Paul speaks of the manifold wisdom of God, he is addressing the richly diversified nature of God s wisdom. This is an elaborate way of saying that God s wisdom has many layers. His wisdom is not basic, elementary, and simply. No, God s wisdom is intricate, profound, complex, and infinite. The next question turns to what exactly is God s wisdom? What did God do that showed Him to be wise? God s wisdom is on display through the church. The existence of the church demonstrates God s profound wisdom. Think of it with me: If you were to ask anyone on planet earth how sinners and traitors can be restored to a holy, loving God, they would not say it is through a Person dying on a cross. Likewise, if you asked anybody in the world as to how people from every ethnicity can be united and live in harmony, not a single person would say that this is accomplished through the death of a Jewish man. You see, God s wisdom is certainly on display. For it is through Christ that these two fundamental problems facing humanity are resolved. Who would think of this? Who would think that a man dying naked on a cross would reconcile people to God and unite people to each other? No one; but this was God s plan and it was His plan from the very beginning of time. This is God s wisdom on display. And it is glorious! It is profound! It is multifaceted! The church, this new multiracial, multicultural community united in Christ, is the product of God s wisdom. This is how the church exhibits God s manifold wisdom. Next, we must understand what the text means by rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Who and what are they? We have seen this phrase appear earlier back in chapter 1. Turn your eyes to 1:20:
20 that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. In both contexts, rulers and authorities refer to the hostile, demonic forces that keep people blinded, enslaved, and ignorant of God. These enemies include Satan, his demons, and all the false gods and idols of the world. In other words, these rulers and authorities are the spiritual enemies of God. As to why they are in the heavenly places, in the world of the NT, it was believed that demonic and evil spirits live in the air. That was their domain. An example that shows this is in 2:2 following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. So it is not that these enemies are in heaven before God s throne, but they are in their domain, their sphere. The last term I want to bring to our attention is the phrase, now be made known. Paul is asserting that God kept His plan hidden so that at the right time He might make it clear. God was waiting for the right moment to unveil His glorious, eternal plan. God was delaying His plan so that at the right moment He might show off His victory. God was allowing His enemies to think that they were actual winning. Have y all ever done that? Have you ever allowed a person to think that they were winning, only to beat them in the end? I remember as a kid this happened to me a lot. I had a neighbor who was several years older than me, which meant that he was taller, faster, and stronger than me. But whenever we played basketball he would hold back his effort so that I could score; my neighbor wanted me to have fun. But then as the game was coming to an end, my neighbor would turn up his effort, score a lot of points, and then decisively win. In the end my neighbor dominated me, but he let on as if I had a chance. In the end, I had no chance of winning. In the same way, God had allowed His enemies to think that they were winning, but then at the right time, God turned up His intensity, as it were, and completely destroyed His enemies. God powerfully gained victory. The rulers and authorities (the devil) had sought to frustrate and sabotage the work of God. They had attempted to destroy God s purpose and His glory. These spiritual enemies aimed to thwart God s plan. And they thought they did this when they conspired against Christ and brought about His crucifixion. By putting Jesus to death, God s enemies had thought they beat God. But unknowingly, these rulers and authorities were nothing more than instruments in God s hands. The death of Jesus was God s plan for uniting and reconciling all things. Satan and his demons were essentially baited into God s plan. And when these rulers and authorities saw the birth of the church after Christ s death, they could now perceive the hidden plan of God. God s manifold wisdom and power could now be seen by His enemies. His enemies now decisively know that they are a defeated enemy. These powers now know that God has won and will eventually destroy them. The demonic forces know of God s victory because of the church. To quote one commentator, The very existence of the church is a reminder that the authority of the powers has been decisively broken, and that their final defeat is
imminent. 1 The unified church is a sign of God s victory over His enemies. Satan and his demons are shown that they have lost and that their power is weak. They cannot stop the growth of the church; they cannot impede the progress of the gospel. This is why God is now showing off His manifold wisdom. He wants to convey that He is the sovereign God and sovereign King of the universe. His power is limitless. The gospel of His grace will advance. His church will grow. Peoples will be reconciled to Him and to each other. This is God s plan! This is His wisdom on display! And guess what, this purpose of God was planned from eternity past 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that He has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord. The creation of the church, this new community of God, was planned from all eternity. From eternity past, God s heart was set on having peoples from every ethnicity and every tribe as part of His treasured possession. What makes this awesome is that God is not just the God of the Jews; He is the God of all. Jesus is not just the Messiah of the Jews; He is the Messiah for the world. And as I have said before, God s wise plan was realized in Christ. Jesus has reconciled people to God by faith, and He has united all believers 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in Him. Jesus work on the cross has brought this glorious reconciliation to God, and His creation of the diverse, multicultural church has united all believers. So after writing down all these profound, glorious truths, Paul ends by saying, 13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. The apostle states that it is his joy to be imprisoned. He is imprisoned because of the spread of the gospel. He is in chains because he wants to declare God s victory through the church. The joy of the gospel and of the church s growth surpasses his trials of imprisonment. Paul is more than willing to face imprisonment because, as we have seen in this section, the church is a sign of God s victory. III. Implications What I have tried to relate to you in this sermon is that the mystery of Christ is God s power revealed through the church. I hope we all have been able to see this. As we conclude, I want to make three final comments that this text forces upon us. The three comments revolve around three words: gratitude, courage, proclamation. First, let us overflow in gratitude to God. Since Thanksgiving was just three days ago, gratitude has been on our minds. Generally, on Thanksgiving we tend to be grateful for health, for our family, and for our resources. And we should give thanks for these. But one area I want to us to be more thankful in is our faith. The texts we have read over the past weeks, and especially this passage, moves us to give thanks to God. Let us give Him thanks for what He has done for us in Christ. He has brought us to Himself and made us His people through the death of Jesus. God has also reconciled us to other believers. We can live in harmony with people of different ethnicities and economic status because of Christ. Moreover, God has given us victory over Satan and the demonic forces. God s power is 1 Peter T. O Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), 247.
operating through the church. Our God deserves praise, adoration, and gratitude. So let us overflow in gratitude to God. Let us give thanks for our family, health, and resources. But even more, let us give thanks for all that God has done for us in Christ. Second, let us be of strong courage. As we have discovered in our passage, the church is a sign of God s victory over His enemies. The existence of the church shows that God is powerful over the demonic world. Therefore, we do not need to fear the demonic forces. They are a defeated enemy; God has already achieved victory over them. We can have courage to live free as God s people. I share this because sometimes Christians can live worried about the devil and his forces. It shocks me how often Christians subtly live scared and concerned about what the devil might do to them. So if you find yourself in that place, be of strong courage. You do not need to worry about the devil s schemes. His power is nothing in comparison to God. In fact, Satan and the demons are worrying about us. Our existence as God s people is constantly telling them that they are losers. They are the ones scared of us. They are the ones who not want to look at us. So be of a good courage. God has already won and we are the sign of it. Third, let us undergo much for the sake of proclamation. The apostle Paul wanted the churches to know of what he has undergone to proclaim the gospel. He did so not to brag, but to show how much the gospel is worth. The message of what God has done in Christ is so great that Paul was willing to suffer much. Paul calls his calling as a missionary and apostle a gift. He refers to it as God s grace. As a result of proclaiming the gospel, Paul is in prison and he calls all that grace. These are astounding comments by Paul! This challenges our American ideals of comfort. The apostle, who faced persecution, famine, and poverty, calls his task a gift. Not many of us would call this a gift; we would not call this God s grace. But Paul does! Paul suffered much for the sake of spreading the gospel. He desired to have as many people hear this glorious message. Let us, likewise, undergo much for the sake of proclaiming the gospel. We have the special privilege of making this gospel known. We get to tell people about all that God has done in Christ. So why are we shy about it? Why are we afraid to tell others of it? One of the reasons why we are going through Ephesians is so that we might see how glorious the gospel is, and then in turn want to tell people about it. So brother and sister in Christ, let us undergo much for the sake of the gospel. Let us be like the apostle Paul who counted it grace to proclaim God s message. Twelve years ago I came across a verse that absolutely shook me. It is a verse that I want to define my life. I hope it defines yours also. 24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:24 May this verse describe our lives. Let us undergo much for the sake of proclamation. We do these three: we overflow in gratitude, we take up courage, and we proclaim because of the mystery of Christ; which is God s power revealed through the unified church. The mystery of Christ is God s power revealed through the church.