Ephesians 3:1-13 - The Mystery Revealed

Well, church, this morning we will be in Ephesians chapter 3.

Ephesians 3 · chapter mention

Ephesians chapter 3, and today we will be looking at verses 1 through 13, which is Paul explaining to the Ephesians why his suffering is worth it.

Ephesians 3 · chapter mention

Just to give us a short recap to catch up to this point, in Ephesians chapter 1, Paul starts this letter by giving us reason after reason on why God should be blessed.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

Then, at the end of chapter 1, Paul prays a powerful prayer to the church in Ephesus.

Then in chapter 2, Paul talks about the nature of our salvation and he expounds on the doctrine of the Gentiles, how they have been brought near to God through the blood of Christ.

But now, here in chapter 3, Paul is going to comfort the Ephesians by explaining why his suffering is worthwhile.

So imagine for a moment if I gave you an offer to work for me for 30 years, but working for me includes starvation, potential suffering, the government trying to arrest you, and you might die.

You could get your head cut off.

Would you still work for me?

Even if you really, really liked me as a boss, and let's say I gave you a very generous paycheck, would you still take the job?

I don't think so.

I would say, of course not.

Or I'd hope not.

The job is not worth the risks involved.

The negatives outweigh the positives.

And so we've reached a point here in Ephesians where Paul explains why his imprisonment is worth it.

And he does this because he knew that the believers in Ephesus were very concerned about his well-being.

Remember, Paul is writing to them from jail.

He planted this church.

He knew them personally.

He influenced them so much.

But now he's in prison.

And the Ephesians are thinking: will he stay there forever?

Will he die?

Is he okay?

Will the church thrive without him?

And I believe that is what our passage is all about this morning.

Paul is going to explain to them why his imprisonment, why him being a prisoner for their sake is worth it.

So what we see in our text is Paul giving these Christians five reasons on why they shouldn't be discouraged.

In verse 13, why they shouldn't be faint-hearted about his current condition.

So Paul begins in verse 1 saying, For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, on behalf of you Gentiles.

Let's stop there.

Paul begins by saying, For this reason.

For what reason?

For the reasons mentioned at the end of chapter 2, that Christ in the new covenant has created one new man.

Both Jew and Gentile are heirs, sons, citizens of God, who dwell together in this new structure called the church.

For this reason, says Paul, I am a prisoner, being held captive, sitting in a Roman jail cell.

Then, I want to get technical here for a moment, but I think it's worth it.

Then, grammatically, Paul just stops.

He pauses dramatically.

Look at the whole passage.

There should be a parentheses, if you will, for talking about modern English, starting at verse 2, all the way to verse 12.

He's now going to explain why his imprisonment is worth it.

He begins this long discourse, this long explanation on why the Ephesians shouldn't be overly disturbed, perplexed, or faint-hearted at what he is suffering.

It's as if Paul says to himself, as he's writing this, I just can't refer to myself as a prisoner for their sake without explanation.

They will feel so discouraged and defeated.

I must explain this.

I must prove to them that my persecution is actually a benefit, not a tragedy.

And so he starts in verse 2 through 6.

Assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.

When you read this, you can perceive my insight into 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.

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 why was Paul's suffering worth it?

Reason number one the message of God's grace was given to Paul for them.

He says, Have you not heard?

He's assuming, have you not heard that Saul of Tarsus, he who once persecuted Christians, was struck blind by Jesus himself and given a revelation and a commission.

He assumes they already know this.

In Acts 22, verse 15, Paul says that Jesus specifically told him that you are my chosen instrument to bring my gospel to the Gentiles.

Acts 22:15

God, in his sovereign plan, called Paul to be his chosen vessel to make his message known.

The Lord of creation implemented a salvation plan, a plan of grace, and Paul was appointed to be the steward of that message.

He was called to be the spearhead person delivering it to the Gentiles.

And so Paul's not in prison because he was a criminal or he's acting like a jerk.

He's in prison because he was delivering a message that God gave him.

Paul says, if you remember in Philippians chapter 1, Paul says, Everyone knows that I am in chains for Christ.

Philippians 1 · chapter mention

Paul was saved by grace.

He was given a message of grace and privileged to share that grace.

And that's worth going to jail for.

And that brings us to reason number two.

Look at verse 3.

A mystery from God has been made known.

Now, a question remains.

The word mystery used here is not how we might understand it.

Most people define mystery as something that cannot be fully comprehended or fully grasped.

If something is mysterious, it means that we cannot fully know or explain it.

But that's not how the Bible uses the word mystery.

The word mystery means something that was previously concealed but has now been revealed.

Okay, in context, a mystery is something that God kept hidden for a time until he uncovered it and made it known.

And so that is what mystery means here.

So what was concealed in the Old Testament that has now been revealed in the New Covenant?

Well, Paul actually answers this in verse 6.

He says, the mystery is that Gentiles are now fellow heirs, members of the same body, partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

So in the Old Testament, you only had theocratic Israel.

You had the revelation of God's law, you had promises of a future Messiah.

But here's what you didn't have: you didn't have Gentiles together with Israel, serving God all over the world together, in union, worshiping God together in spirit and in truth.

You will not find that in the Old Testament, because it wasn't there.

Obviously, the Jews did understand that through them all nations would be blessed, but they didn't know how, they didn't know when.

You don't see the age of grace, the age of the Gentiles, the church in the Old Testament.

You will only see theocratic, national, ethnic Israel.

So this is why Paul says in verses four and five, when you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men and other generations, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.

This was something previously unknown.

God kept this revelation hidden until the coming of Christ, and after Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, this mystery of the church age was made known first to the holy apostles and to the prophets.

And through them God began to reveal this new covenant.

If you remember, the Apostle Peter got this revelation in Acts chapter 10.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

Peter says in verse 34, I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.

This was obviously new information for Peter.

He knew nothing about this until God showed him, and God had to show him three times.

Paul was living during a time when God was revealing a mystery.

Christ came, he ushered in this new covenant, in this whole mystery of how in the world will Gentiles be blessed by Israel has now been answered.

The mystery is now known, the gospel is now understood, and all nations everywhere can partake in what Christ has established.

The church.

Paul felt that this revelation was worth suffering for.

And Paul doesn't stop there in giving them reasons why his imprisonment is worth it.

He now reminds them of this unique personal calling in this matter.

He goes on in verses 7 through 10.

He says, Of this gospel, I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given to me by the working of his power.

To me, though I am the least of all the saints, this grace was given to me, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is 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 the heavenly places.

So why was Paul's suffering worth it?

Reason number three.

Because Paul was commissioned by God himself to this task.

Paul starts by reminding them in verse 7, of this good news, I, Paul, was made a minister.

This came from God's gift of grace.

In other words, Paul didn't wake up one day and then say to himself, I think I want to go and share good news with pagans and get stoned along the way.

Okay, I don't think Paul just woke up and it was his creative idea.

God gave him this commission.

Paul is just following orders.

Look at the words.

Paul was made a minister.

He didn't sign up for ordination.

He didn't win the lottery.

God made him a minister of this gospel.

And it was the working of God's power that made Paul who he was.

And Paul reminds him in verse 8 Grace was given to me by God for this calling because I am the very least of all the saints.

He did not deserve this calling.

That's the way Paul viewed it.

In fact, before his conversion, he hated Christ.

He was participating in killing Christians.

He was aggressively attacking the body of Christ.

There was only one reason Paul received this unique ministry and one reason only, it was because of God's grace.

God didn't choose Paul because Paul had his life together.

If it was based on human merit or performance, Paul actually would be the last person you would choose, because if you had to choose someone to go and save people, you don't choose a murderer, right?

Yet God chose Paul on purpose.

That people would look at Paul and see nothing but God's abundant mercy and grace on display.

In 1 Timothy chapter 1, Paul says this even though, listen to this, even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.

1 Timothy 1 · chapter mention

The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and the love that are in Christ Jesus.

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.

But for this very reason, I was shown mercy so that in me, says Paul, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus, might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.

Paul was a minister, a missionary for Jesus, because of God's transforming grace.

And this brings us to reason number four on why Paul's suffering was worth it.

The nature of the message he preached.

He says at the end of verse 8, into verse 9, that the message he gets to share with the Gentiles is this you can have unsearchable riches in Christ.

You can come out of darkness and live in light, and you can know the mystery that God has revealed to me.

This is not merely a message that improves someone's life.

This is a message that can recreate someone and save them from the flames of hell.

This is a message that can bring someone from death to life.

This is a message that can transform someone so much so that they can literally be reconciled to God and dwell with him forever as a child of God.

A message of unsearchable riches, life eternal, a message that, if it's received, will set a sinner free from the penalty of sin, from the power of sin, and eventually from the very presence of sin.

Unsearchable riches, by the way, means infinite and boundless spiritual blessings.

It's blessings that cannot be exhausted.

They never run out.

This message had been revealed to me, says Paul, and I must share it with you.

Because the God who created all things has made it known.

To Paul, sharing this message was worth the risks.

Bring the chains, bring the stones, bring the bullets, bring the accusations, chop my head off, but this message must be shared, because it's the greatest news ever given to humanity.

And this brings us then to reason number four on why Paul's suffering is worth it.

Look at verse 10.

Through the church, by carrying and proclaiming this message and being transformed by it, the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

He doesn't just have a message that will change a person's life in real time.

He has a message that will not only grow the church, but it will display God's manifold wisdom on a universal level.

And the question is to whom?

Like what's Paul talking about here?

To this world?

To the kings around the globe?

Well, that's certainly expected and implied, and the church will do well to do that, but that's not what Paul's referring to here.

He says, this message is so weighty, it's so massive, it's so glorious, the church through this message will display God's wisdom to heavenly rulers and authorities who exist and dwell in heavenly places.

Angels who stand before God's throne, dwelling in the permeating glory of God, will look down on this fallen, sinful, broken world, and they will see the church.

And as they observe all of the different local churches around the globe who are faithfully gathering and worshiping God, they who stand in the very presence of God, they who have more knowledge about God than we do, will be informed by us about God's wisdom and his glory.

Like whoa.

I don't know about you, but that is crazy that angelic beings who oversee nations, who know every inch of heaven, who are commissioned by God to oversee armies, will look at the church here on earth and be informed and awestruck about the wisdom that we are sharing about God.

We who are not yet fully with God, meaning in his manifest presence, will inform angels who have never left his side.

We will inform them about God's character, his nature, and his beauty, because we are recipients of his grace.

This, says Paul, is worth going to prison over.

And lastly, we come to reason number five on why Paul's suffering was worth it.

Look at verses eleven and twelve.

This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, and in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

To put simply, Paul says all of this, the age of the Gentiles, the manifold wisdom of God being displayed through the church, the message of salvation, the commission given to me, even my imprisonment, all of this was according to the eternal purpose of God that he realized in Christ Jesus our Lord.

All of this was not God's backup plan.

Do you understand that?

This wasn't God's plan B.

They didn't arrest Paul, and God said, Oh no, they got my guy.

What do I do?

God doesn't make mistakes.

According to my Bible, God is in complete sovereign control.

And if there's anything that we should say, hey, this we know absolutely he's 100% in control over, it's that God is in control of his salvation plan and he is in complete control over the care of his people.

No man, no demon, no earthly catastrophe, no AI can thwart God's redemption plan for his people.

Therefore, if this is true, look at verse 12.

We can have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

If we believe that God is in control of his salvation, his purpose, his plan, and if we believe that God cares for his people, that his promises towards us are true and they're faithful, then we can have confidence through our faith in him.

We can trust him, no matter what comes our way, church.

Even if we're arrested for our faith, if we're persecuted for his name, or whether we're tied to a pole, about to be burned at the stake, we can have confidence in Christ because he is our King who knows all, he sees all, and he works all things together for his glory.

And because Paul had a profound sense of this reality, he was not undone by his adversity.

He was not puzzled that he's sitting in jail.

He was not crushed when people hurt him.

He didn't lose his faith after he found out that some of his closest Christian friends were killed for Christ.

Why?

Because he believed that God was in total control of his life and his ministry.

He had a profound sense that nothing happens apart from God's good and perfect will.

Paul, by God's enabling grace, viewed all of the horror of sin and pain through the lens of God's amazing mercy and grace, which weaves through it all.

Yes, Paul is in prison on behalf of preaching to Gentiles.

That stinks.

Yes, Paul's suffering greatly for it.

That's a bummer.

But one, God gave him this message.

Two, the mystery of the church age has been made known and it must be shared.

Three, God made him a minister of this good news.

Four, the message itself is salvific.

It literally saves lives.

And five, through this message, the church will display God's manifest wisdom to angelic beings.

And six, everything that happens in our Christian life is according to the sovereign plan of God.

Paul's situation could be viewed in two totally contrast ways.

Either one, Paul's has been abandoned by God.

Maybe that's why he's in prison.

His message is going to perish with him because man is somehow stronger than God.

Maybe the devil won the battle, which is why Paul is helpless and hopeless, ineffective, wasting away on a concrete floor.

Or maybe Paul's in jail because he messed up.

You know, maybe he sinned.

And then God's like, never mind, I'm not going to use you, and puts him in jail.

Maybe this is God punishing him.

Or maybe God's up in heaven saying, oh no, they got one of my guys.

How do I get him out?

The sky's the limit here.

Without biblical lens, we could interpret Paul's condition in a million different ways that make us hopeless.

Or his situation could be viewed the biblical way.

His imprisonment was worth it because he carried a life-saving message from God.

His arrest was actually on purpose.

God allowed it, in fact, so that he could reach those in Rome.

And through Paul's suffering and his perseverance, the gospel message would strengthen.

Because his faith in Christ, the message of Christ, was more important to him, more valuable to him than a torturous death, causing even the angels in heaven to be mesmerized.

So what's the conclusion here for the Ephesians?

They're really disturbed, they're distressed, they're concerned about his well-being.

Well, in light of these reasons that Paul just gave, there's only one conclusion in verse 13.

Paul says, So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is for your glory.

Paul knows they love them.

He knows that.

He knows they're concerned.

But the risks involved are worth the suffering.

Paul was willing to give his life to the one who gave his life for him.

And so he tells them, don't lose heart.

Don't become faint-hearted, overly upset at what I am suffering for you.

It is for your glory.

It's for your benefit.

Church, this is the martyr's cry as you read the Fox's Book of Martyrs, or you read the articles of Voice of the Martyrs.

Yes, we grieve at their loss, but don't say in discouragement, poor them.

This is all just so hopeless.

No, no, no, says Paul.

Why would you lose heart?

The Messiah's been revealed.

He ushered in a new age.

The church age has begun.

God saved me from attacking his church.

He turned me around, and I'm privileged to be the one called to share this message to the Gentiles.

The mystery has been made known.

Our forefathers for generations knew nothing about this, but it's here.

We have the message, and it must be shared because it reconciles people to God through Christ.

So in that through the church, God's manifold wisdom will be made known to angels.

Therefore, therefore, beloved Ephesians, lift your chin.

Strengthen your heart.

It's okay.

My suffering for you is okay.

It's for your glory.

Be inspired by God, not defeated by my circumstances.

What we see here, church, is Paul's pastoral heart.

To take the time to write a theology on his personal suffering, to give them deep insights regarding this matter shows that he cared about their feelings.

He comforts them by zooming out, looking at the grand narrative of God's character and plan.

We can become so fixiated on the small problems in our life or big ones, so hyper-focused on the bad, the suffering, the pain, the horror of sin, and we forget to zoom out and look at the big picture of God's master plan.

Paul zooms the Ephesians out.

He broadens their perspective by reminding them of God's grand plan and how it relates to his suffering.

And how his suffering is actually for their benefit.

It's for the glory of God and it's for the good of the church.

So proclamation church.

What is our application in all of this?

We see this deep relational connection between Paul and the Ephesians.

But what is our application today, living in the 21st century?

First, I think it's important to note that we must realize the great blessings and privileges that God has lavished on us in the new covenant as Gentiles.

We forget these things.

We take our generation for granted.

Even worse, we even look at the Old Testament and we're like, man, they had it better than us.

They actually had a cloud that they could see that followed them by day and a fire at night that they could see.

Friends, do you realize how blessed we are living in this day and age?

We complain about how evil the world might be, yearning that things would go back to the good old days.

Friends, biblically speaking, we are currently in the good old days.

We are living in the age of grace where anyone, anywhere, at any time can repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and become a member of his body.

Appreciate what our Lord has ushered in and give God praise that you're allowed to live in this age and that he's caused you to be a part of it.

Our second application is this suffering for the sake of Christ, church, is worth it.

Paul teaches that here.

As James 1 tells us, we can consider it a pure joy when we face trials of many kinds.

Why?

Because God transforms our miserable tragedies into blessed testimonies.

He uses our suffering for his glory.

We can suffer well because God is in control, and he will use our pain to sanctify us, to encourage others, to bring fame to his name.

For the people of God, not one ounce of adversity goes to waste.

God will use our tragedies, adversities, obstacles for our good and for the benefit of others.

And lastly, putting ourselves in the shoes of the Ephesians, whatever Christian in your life that your heart is aching over, remember that you do not own them.

They are God's.