STAND STRONG
STAND STRONG
8.6 - The Mystery Revealed
As we begin Ephesians 3, we see Paul continue to write about Jews and Gentiles being united in Jesus. Join us as we consider the "mystery of Christ" regarding the church and what it means for our lives today.
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Paul and Noah both preach and teach with the Cedar Park church of Christ in Cedar Park, TX. You can visit our site at: https://www.cedarparkchurchofchrist.org/
Well, happy Monday to those who are staying with us on a Monday schedule and our journey through the book of Ephesians, our calling and our conduct. We're in season eight, Noah. We have opened up chapters one and two. I think we've gone through the first two chapters that takes us up to chapter three.
Noah:Mm-hmm.
Paul:In Ephesians. And Paul is just continually continuing his thought. That has to do with our calling. And some of the things that he had already mentioned in chapters one and two. So we're gonna see some more of that in chapter three. So good day today. To those who are listening, Noah, welcome today into the studio.
Noah:Oh, glad to, glad to be a part of this discussion. As always, I enjoy these, these chats in these studies. And you're right that Paul's just chugging along here in chapter three. I mean there's, it's sometimes it's hard. I, I pity the people that had to. Find places to put chapter breaks in Paul's letters sometimes. Mm-hmm. Because there are some times where Paul has clear transitions of thought. But a lot of times he's building, building, building, stacking up one upon the other. Mm-hmm. And I mean, we get to chapter three verse one and he says, for this reason, well, well for what reason Paul, we're back in chapter two. But so it's very important as we come into chapter three that he's still on the same thought like you said. About the Gentiles and the Jews being one in Christ, they're united in Christ. Gentiles have equal access to God through Christ on the same, in the same way, on the same level, to the same degree I. That Jews do. Yeah. And that's the context for what he's gonna be getting into here in chapter three.
Paul:Yeah. I thought it was interesting that you started with that chapter three verse one. For this reason, I Paul interestingly enough, we're gonna find out in chapter three for those who've already read ahead, you kind of know some language that we'll see in chapter three, he's gonna bring up this word mystery. This isn't the first time he's brought up this word mystery. This concept. Mm-hmm. But go back to chapter one because I think this is a fair, a good link between what we're seeing or gonna see here in chapter three. Paul's continuing his thoughts. So back in chapter one of Ephesians, I'm reading verses nine and 10, Noah, but Paul said this Ephesians one, nine and 10, and he, that is the Lord. He made known to us the mystery. There you go. Of his will, according to his. Good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ. Now notice verse 10, to be put into effect when the times will have reached our fulfillment. And here's his point, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together. Under one head, even Christ. Mm-hmm. What's a part of the mystery? What's been, what is what's been accomplished here? He's, he talked about that in chapter two, mentions it in chapter one. This is the bringing of all things together in heaven and earth. It under one head, even Christ. Yeah. So when we were dealing in chapter two about the first 10 verses or so, this concept of God's grace, what are we talking about? Our unity with God. Vertical fellowship with God. What is it? The result of grace Through faith. I have unity with God in heaven, but it's also on earth. So the rest of chapter two is this. Oh, this unity of believers. See we, we've got unity one with another, and specifically in Paul's day, Paul's time when he is writing this letter, it had to do with the reconciling of Jew and Gentile
Noah:right
Paul:into one body, thus making what peace.
Noah:Yes.
Paul:So that, that's kind of where we are. And so it's just now for this reason, I Paul, right. So he, he's not, he's not shifting gears, he's just going a little bit
Noah:deeper. Yes. And this is, this is one of the downsides I, anytime that we talk about one of Paul's letters. Even one that's not, as, you know, Romans is pretty long, but even one that's not very long, like Ephesians for good reason, we want to slow down and take in the text and, and we ought to wanna slow down and take in the text. But one downside to that approach is if, if we never sit down and just read it mm-hmm. From, from front to end, you know, from beginning to end, front to back cover as intimidating as that sometimes may, may be. We start to miss those kinds of connections, that what we start to segment the letter in a way that Paul wasn't segmenting the letter thematically. He's still in the same place. Yeah. He's making the same points. And, and my encouragement, this is a side note from what we're, what we're talking about in Ephesians three today, but my encouragement to those listening would be, it may seem intimidating because there's so much information in the letters. But when you, when you take the time to sit down and read through a letter straight through, don't expect to be able to understand every little detail because that's not the purpose of reading it from beginning to end. Right.
Paul:Right.
Noah:The purpose of reading it in one sitting from beginning to end, as long as that might take. And the book of Ephesians probably would take somewhere around 25 minutes, I think, to read, beginning to end maybe 30. The, the goal in that kind of an instance and that kind of an exercise is to get these kinds of. Big picture. Oh, he's talking about the mystery of unity in Christ, right? He's talking about the what grace does in, in our lives in reconciling us to God and reconciling us to one another. You get some of those big picture themes, which then allows you to get to the more detailed things that come with a, a verse by verse, chapter by chapter, section by section study. Yeah, so there's my unsolicited advice for,
Paul:no, I'm locking it. Y'all did hear what Noah was saying without directly saying it. Chapter divisions can be unfortunate at times.
Noah:Yeah.
Paul:Read it like you would a letter. Don't become overwhelmed by the content. What's the overall message? So, a good, good advice. No, I mean, I I love that. I love that. So this reason Paul refers to himself, Noah, in chapter three, as a prisoner of the Lord Jesus.
Noah:Yes. Yes, he does. Wait a minute. I
Paul:thought he was a prisoner of Rome, but he's, and he and he blames it on the gen. No, I say that's not fair for me to say. He blames it on the Gentiles, but he says On behalf of you, Gentiles.
Noah:Yes.
Paul:Luke kind of gives us a, a story of that in the Book of Acts, what was going on in Ephesus and how the Jews felt about Paul and treated Paul because of all things Paul is. Preaching to the Gentiles and giving attention to Gentiles, and that was not acceptable in the first century.
Noah:Right. Right. The, and he actually is gonna get into that a little bit here in this chapter as far as what it means on their behalf. Right. And, and that brings up another I think, valuable word that shows up repeatedly in the book of Ephesians. And that is grace. Mm-hmm. Paul refers to his. Opportunity to teach the Gentiles and minister to the Gentiles as a, a demonstration of God's grace toward him. So maybe we should, maybe we should kind of try to work through this you know, starting in verse one moving forward, and I think we'll kind of see how this works together. That why Paul is saying he's a prisoner of Jesus Christ on behalf of you, Gentiles. Even though yes, we could say he's a prisoner. Of Rome. Yes. For the sake of Christ. Right. That, that would be maybe how we'd put it. But Paul is making a point here. He's, he's putting that as the framework because he is, he, as we can see in verses two and, and moving forward, he's saying, you know you know, the work that I've been doing. In Christ for you, and that I have been sharing knowledge of the mystery of Christ that wasn't known to previous generations. There's a really interesting concept right there in in verse, what is that? Verse four, verse five. That he's he's saying, you know, my insight into the mystery of Christ, this was not made known to the sons of men and other generations, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets and the mystery I I, I like that Paul just says in verse six, the mystery is, and then he says,
Paul:yes.
Noah:The mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs. But he doesn't stop there. He says, fellow heirs, members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. He leaves no wiggle room here, right? Right. He says the The Gentiles are accepted more than accepted. They are approved more than approved. They are fellow heirs. They partake in every way in the same way the Jews do in Christ. That's the mystery of the gospel, and that is what loops back to. Paul being a prisoner on their behalf. This is his teaching that's gotten him here, his teaching of the Gentiles, his sharing of the mystery of Christ with the Gentiles.
Paul:Yeah, so I mean, great job Noah. Y'all know if we, if we haven't said this before, going through season eight, as we're going through Ephesians, I. I asked Noah to get in the text, tell us what the text is saying, and that's exactly what Noah did. I'm trying to look at something now that Noah says, okay, we're reading somebody else's nail mail. This is what Paul was saying when he was writing to the Ephesians, and this is the point he's making here. Early on in chapter three. Well said, Noah. So here's the, so what I mean, if you look at Paul, Paul doesn't make it about himself. So when he refers to the preaching of the gospel, the mystery now being revealed God through his spirit, revealed it to us. I'm an apostle. He refers to it as a stewardship. Mm-hmm. Dispensation. And he always bring, or almost always he brings up grace. Okay. God has shown me favor. God put me into the ministry. This is all about God. Why is Paul doing that? He wants his audience to appreciate that the gospel was given to him by God. This is God's message. He's already said it was God's eternal purpose. He accomplished it in Christ Jesus. Look. Take it up with the Lord. So he was reconciling Jew and Gentile together in one body, the death of Christ on the cross, thus making peace. So Paul says two things I. This is, this is a dispensation or a stewardship that's been given to me by God. And this message I have is a result of God's grace. I am the least of the apostles. Mm-hmm. Blessed. And and maybe that's not just a message for preachers. Maybe that's the message for all of us. Get out of the way and let the gospel do what God intended for it to do. Mm-hmm. That's the power. The power is not in us.
Noah:Yes. Amen. And I think that Paul's consistent way of referring to the work that he does in the kingdom and the spreading of the gospel and the teaching that he does as a, a sign of God's grace toward him. Also helps us see that I, I think we talked about this somewhat in chapter two when we were in the first part of it, when we were talking about how we've been saved by grace through faith. That grace isn't some disembodied forcelike power. Mm-hmm. That just saves. It is, it is the disposition of God, his gracious character that we, by his gracious character, we are saved. And part of the reason that making sure we think of it in those terms is so enriching is that allows us to think like Paul thinks because Paul doesn't see God's grace simply as something that justifies him. It is also something that empowers him to do God's work. God is gracious in giving him this work to do in assigning this work to him. Now, we're not apostles like Paul was. We didn't have Jesus meet, meet us on the road to Damascus. Right. You know, in a blinding light. So we don't have that same definitive calling that Paul does, but. When we are, when we remember that God's grace is a character trait of God and it's not relegated to justification that helps us think like Paul and go, oh, so maybe the opportunities that God puts in my life to serve and to teach and to, to seek the good of others and to honor others, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, that is God showing me grace. To allow me to do those things, to provide those opportunities and those skills and to, to participate in that is to enjoy God's graciousness in our lives.
Paul:Yeah. I love it. So he's already, no, he's already told us what the mystery is. Mm-hmm. You know, and again, Paul brings this up when he writes to the Colossians about the mystery now being revealed, manifested to the saints, the riches of this mystery Christ in you, the hope of glory. I love that. Colossians 1 27. Mm-hmm. Christ in you, the hope of glory, but he's talking about the, the mystery. And he refers to it again in verse eight, as the unsearchable riches of Christ. Mm-hmm. It's the gospel. It's been revealed by the Holy Spirit through the apostles and prophets. What is that mystery? You said it. It is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, fellow protectors of the promise in Christ. Now what's the purpose of the mystery?
Noah:Yes. So I'm really glad that you said that. What's
Paul:the purpose?
Noah:You phrase the mystery phrase that question that way, because. Paul is not saying here, Hey, Gentiles, look, look at how special you are that God is including you in this, right? I mean, that's a fair point. Yes. God values the Gentiles, he cares about them, and he wants them to be a part of his kingdom. But Paul's point is that the reconciliation of the Gentiles and the Jews into one body is actually a demonstration of God's wisdom. That's what we get to in verse nine and verse 10, Paul says that part of his his ministry is to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery. Mm-hmm. There's the, what's the purpose? What's the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things so that through the church. The manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places. Now talk about a verse that's gonna raise some questions.
Paul:Oh, wow. Well, go ahead. Because I was, man, I was going, I was gonna preach it. Woo. Okay. Well, I,
Noah:I, I remember I think it was last year I was, I was teaching a class on Ephesians, with another member here at Cedar Park and, and there's all sorts of questions. What does it mean that, that the manifold wisdom of God is gonna be made known to rulers and authorities in heavenly places? I. I can't answer all those questions, so don't if, if you got excited a minute ago when I said,
Paul:eh, you just heard a preacher say he can't answer all the ques. Well, good for you, Noah. Well go
Noah:ahead. Okay. But I, I, I do think there's some extent to which we can take this at face value. And here's, here's what I mean by taking it at phase value in the context when he talks about. The, the purpose and the plan of the mystery of the gospel. He's talking about the mystery being Jews and Gentiles reconciled into one body, two otherwise irreconcilable groups united through Christ. Right? That's the mystery. And if the plan of the mystery, if the purpose of the mystery is to make known the wisdom of God to, to rulers and authorities in heavenly places, the, the, the plainest reading of that is. In the church, in the unity that we have in Jesus, in the fact that people from different disparate backgrounds can come together and be united in Christ. It demonstrates something about God's wisdom to powers that we are not even conscious of, aware of, able to comprehend necessarily. Yet we. Get to be a demonstration of God's wisdom to those powers, to those authorities. That's pretty humbling.
Paul:Yes.
Noah:But it's also powerful that this is something we get to be a part of in Jesus.
Paul:Yeah. I love it. I love it. You know, my, my application point, you know, he says verse 10, his intent was now, okay. What's the purpose of his, of, of the mystery? Well, he says his intent. Is now through the church manifold wisdom of God is made known. It's interesting in verse 10, you've got language made known in verse nine. You've got language make all see.
Noah:Hmm.
Paul:Okay. So I, I'm with you. I do share questions about the audience being. Rulers in the heavenly places. Right. The authorities in a realm that's unseen to our naked eye. Right. Okay. I've got some questions about that too, but when I say I'm gonna preach this, I, I think this is what needs to be preached in the 21st century, as well as was the first century, the importance of the church.
Noah:Mm.
Paul:Now it's a demonstration. It's on display. To show the multifaceted wisdom. You like that? Don't the manifold? I, I was waiting
Noah:for a sentiment. Synonym for manifold there. Yeah.
Paul:Yeah. Okay. Wisdom of God. Why is it that in the unseen realm, God's wisdom is being proclaimed and made known? Through the church and we struggle to people who have eyes and sit in pews every week, we struggle to get them see, to get them to see the wisdom of God through the church.
Noah:Mm-hmm.
Paul:I don't need the church. The church is this. No. Wait. The church is that what's central to the gospel? Paul has already said, and I don't have, I don't struggle. It's not'cause I'm a great communicator or some great preacher. I can tell you I do not struggle getting audiences, people to see the power of the gospel demonstrated through the cross. Jesus died for you. He shed his blood. You can be saved by grace through faith. I don't struggle getting people to see that.
Noah:Right.
Paul:We wanna see that. We don't want to see the church. Mm-hmm. We can't see the gospel and then say no to the church. Ooh. Ooh.
Noah:To quote you. Say that again.
Paul:We can't see the gospel and then say no to the church.
Noah:Hmm.
Paul:When you see the gospel, you see Christ. When you see the church, you see Christ. You can't see the gospel and say no to the church. Why? Because what Paul is doing, this is our calling, if we erase chapter divisions, folks, the church is in chapter three, and it's just as important as the gospel and grace in chapters one and two. God's eternal purpose. He has accomplished what is, what is God still saying? He said it in the first century. So loudly and clearly, and he sang it in 21st century. The gates of Haiti shall not prevail against it. Why? Because the church wasn't an afterthought. It was according to the eternal purpose of God. I accomplished it in just the way I wanted to, when I wanted to. Why I'm God. Hmm. And that makes hell cackle. They can't do anything about it, but the one thing they still try to do is convince saved people. That the church is unimportant. And I think Paul is saying without saying you can't see the gospel and not see the church because the church is central to the gospel and it's also central to Christian living.
Noah:Hmm, man, that was some really good stuff. Anyone listening right now, I would encourage you pause and rewind about two and a half minutes. And re-listen to what Paul just said that is worth chewing on, ruminating over. There is a lie that is becoming more and more accepted that the church is not important, and even when. It is promoted as positive or good or likable or worth some time. It is not promoted as central or essential.
Paul:Mm-hmm.
Noah:And it's not enough just to say that the church is, ah, probably a pretty good thing. The church is important, and specifically in this context, Paul is saying unity in the church is important.
Paul:Amen. Yeah, that was my next
Noah:point. I'll say that for another time. Yes.
Paul:Unity.
Noah:Yeah. Reconciling Jew and Gentile. I think we have some trouble understanding just how big. A feat that was yes to accomplish. And the fact that there would've been people looking at these churches that were a mixture of Jew and Gentile, all proclaiming the name of Jesus, and people would be saying, what in the world happened to those people? This is unheard of. This is unthinkable. And yet, that's what happened through Christ. It was a recognizable difference of these people being united. Do we have to spell it out for ourselves? Our unity is a question worth asking. Are we united in this recognizable way? When people look at us, they go, these are people that they don't just get along because they happen to share a lot of interests or because they come from common backgrounds, but they are united. Because of Jesus. That's what brings them together.
Paul:Yeah. Yeah. I mean, somebody could walk into Cedar Park and say man, these people have a lot of differences, just just by appearance and just by other things that I've been made aware of through visiting and talking, these are radically different people. How do you explain all these people coming together and wanting to be together and functioning together as a unit under the lordship of Jesus Christ? What, who did this? Oh, God did.
Noah:Mm-hmm.
Paul:Why did he do this? Oh, I get it now. Mm-hmm. And our lives have to be radically altered for fellowship and love for each other, and that's what God can do, not something we do. I. Mm. That's what God does. And how is he doing it? He's doing it through the message of the cross and the finished work of Christ to a people who truly have faith. That's why I think he's ending up this section when he says, here, look. Look, we can have now boldness and access with confidence through faith in him. I love this translation in him and through faith in him, we can approach God with freedom and confidence.
Noah:Mm-hmm.
Paul:That that's a beautiful thing. And when we get that, because we first get him Christ, then we can understand something about God's wisdom. And he says, I did it. I did it. And it's not putting you on display. It's putting me on display.
Noah:Yeah. Yeah. And in the end, it all, it all is pointing back to God through. Christ. It's what Christ has done. This purpose that's eternal for, for God's church. This eternal purpose, it was accomplished in Christ. And we can now, like you mentioned, that boldness, that confidence that we have through faith. Well, where's that faith? It's faith. In Christ.
Paul:Mm-hmm.
Noah:And then what he gets to at the end, when, when he says there in verse 13 I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. That he has this enduring faith, this endurance in the face of suffering. Why? Because he's in Christ. This is, this is all pointing back to Christ. It's pointing back to what he's accomplished. It's pointing back to the glory of God. God is on display in his church and. Yeah. That's the way it ought to be. Yeah. That's the way it ought to be. I love it. I love it. All right. Well, I, I think we're, we're probably already over time. I can't even see the clock from here. So I guess we'll find out on the other end of this recording how long we ended up going.
Paul:24 25. That's not bad for two preachers. And to be fair, we're it's, look at the material. Yeah, this is good stuff. Yeah, I didn't write it. I'm not that smart.
Noah:Well, neither am I. Neither am I. So for those who are listening, thank you for joining in here in Ephesians three. Next episode, we'll, we'll plan on trying to wrap up. Chapter three verses, you know, verses 14 through. Maybe we might cheat a little bit into chapter four. We'll have to see again.'cause sometimes those chapter breaks aren't particularly helpful. But thank you for joining us on this journey. Our prayer is that as we continue to work through these writings, we can not only understand what the Ephesians were we're supposed to understand from Paul's writing, but we can begin to see how important it is that we understand our calling and our conduct as we try to walk. In the way that we have been called. So thank you for joining us on this on this journey through Ephesians. We pray that you'll come back next week and until then, we pray that you continue to stand strong.
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