Ephesians: God Wants You in the Know (3:1-13)

Hello, friends.

This is Pastor Creighton.

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The second lesson is from Ephesians chapter 3, verses 1 to 13.

Ephesians 3:1–13

For this reason, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, on behalf of you Gentiles, 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.

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

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 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.

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.

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

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

The mystery of Christ, Paul writes, is that the is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promised in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

So let's pray.

Show us your mercy, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.

We pray, Lord, send out your light and your truth.

Let them lead us.

Father, I pray that you would illumine these truths to our hearts in such a way that we would behold Christ, that we would be renewed.

All this we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Please be seated.

So, friends, God wants you to be in the know.

He wants you to be in the know.

If you've heard this expression before, I used to use this expression when I was well younger than I am now, I suppose.

In the know meant that, well, you were you were a part of uh of of well, you had inside information, so to speak.

You knew what was known, what was to be known.

You were perhaps an influencer.

You had an in-track with popular culture.

Those who weren't in the know, of course, couldn't track along.

I turned 30 not too long ago and started to catch myself saying things like, Do kids still say that?

Suddenly I discovered I'm less and less in the know.

And you know what?

I'm kind of at peace with that.

Social media influencers and popular culture seem to pass me by.

It doesn't bother me too much.

In fact, it seems pretty enigmatic and obscure more and more.

But when it comes to the purpose of history, God's eternal purpose being worked out in real time, God does not want you and I to feel like we are not in the know.

In fact, God wants us to be in the know.

He wants us to know what he is making known.

He wants us to know the mystery of Christ.

When we hear this word mystery, or at least when I hear this word mystery, my brain goes to like the mystery section in a bookstore, which is, you know, it's it's about who done it, right?

It's about figuring out, um, it's about figuring out who's at fault.

It's obscure, it's shady.

It's not really what this Greek word for mystery, mysterion means.

It's a it's a disclosure, it's an unfolding, it's an unveiling, and it's a very purposeful thing that God has accomplished in Christ.

This mystery of Christ, Paul writes in verse 6, is that the Gentiles, non-Jews, are fellow heirs with the Jews, members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

And maybe this verse reminds us of where we've been camping in Ephesians these days.

Just last week in Ephesians chapter 2, we looked at what it means to be made one body in Christ.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

Distinctions between Jew and Gentile, which were causing these walls of hostility in this first century church, are being broken down.

And God's heart for his people, even his people gathered right here at New Song, is that we would be one, that we would belong to his one body, and we would show forth that union we share in Christ with one another.

The mystery of Christ is that God, by his saving grace, is forming us to be one people.

Fellow heirs, partakers of the same promise in Christ Jesus.

This is a reconciliatory mystery that God is making known.

He's showing forth his very heart for you and I, that we should be one with him just as we are one with one another in Christ.

The question in front of us, the question of this passage in Ephesians chapter 3, is how does God make this mystery known?

Ephesians 3 · chapter mention

How is it that God is making known to us this good news that we share in one body, one promise, partakers in our one Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

How does God disclose this mystery to us?

And there's two things I think Paul wants us to catch.

How is it that we catch a glimpse of this eternal purpose of God in Christ?

Well, we glimpse it number one through Paul's apostolic ministry, and we glimpse it through the apostles, broadly speaking.

That's number one.

Number two, how does God disclose this mystery of God in Christ to us?

It's through the church's proclamation.

Paul's apostolic ministry and the church's proclamatory ministry show forth the mystery of what God has been up to in Christ, his eternal purpose, the goal for all of history.

And it's important that we understand not just the mystery, but how God discloses the mystery.

Otherwise, we risk missing it altogether.

So, friends, God wants us to be in the know.

Let's catch how God is making this mystery known to us this morning.

Let's look at Paul's apostolic ministry, verses one to seven here.

If you've got your order of service, you've got your Bible in front of you, I encourage you to turn with me to Ephesians chapter 3.

Ephesians 3 · chapter mention

Paul begins a thought and then kind of interrupts himself here, and we're going to track with his interruption.

For this reason, Paul writes, verse 1, for this reason, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, on behalf of you Gentiles, this is where he interrupts himself, assuming that you've heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you.

How this 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 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations, as it is now being revealed to his holy apostles and the prophets by the Spirit.

Paul understands that this mystery of God in Christ, this making us one with God in Christ, and one with one another as his church, is being disclosed through the apostles.

And it's important that we consider that Paul identifies himself as an apostle in chapter 1, verse 1.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.

Paul's ministry is an apostolic ministry.

So probably the question in front of us is well, what's an apostle?

That's a good question to ask.

I'm glad you did.

An apostle, literally speaking, is one who has been sent out, commissioned, sent on a mission.

And in the New Testament term, use of the term, an apostle is someone who has been uniquely and authoritatively commissioned for gospel ministry by Christ himself.

Christ has personally sent Paul and other apostles on this gospel proclaiming ministry to make known the truth of his gospel to all the world.

And for Paul specifically, that looks like a proclamation to the Gentiles.

He's been sent specifically to make known the good news of Christ to the Gentiles.

We can read about Paul's own Paul's own description of his commissioning in Acts chapter 26, verses 12 to 18.

Acts 26:12–18

Something to check out for yourself for later.

But Paul understands something about his ministry.

He understands that the mystery of Christ has now been revealed to his holy apostles, which includes himself and the prophets by the Spirit.

So Paul's ministry is tied up together with the mystery of Christ.

And his job is to make this mystery known, to disclose this mystery to God's people.

His understanding of what an apostle is is important.

And he tells us what it is in verse 2.

Paul says, Paul assumes that this church, which he's spent at least two years with, the church that has since grown and certainly heard of Paul's reputation, he assumes that you, the Ephesian church, have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given me, given to me for you.

So Paul describes himself, his apostolic ministry, as a stewardship.

Paul is a steward, a manager, a caretaker of sorts.

When I hear the word steward, I get two images that come to mind.

I wonder if one or both of these come to mind.

I think of an airline steward.

I think of someone who cares for the passengers and comes by and asks to refill your drink or whatever it is.

I also think of Denethor in Lord of the Rings.

Denethor is the steward of Gondor, and I'm getting some blank stares, but let me explain to you.

Thank you.

Someone's tracking with me.

So, you know, the idea of being a steward in the Lord of the Rings is that the king's throne has been vacant and the king is in exile, as is his lineage.

So the steward is taking care of the kingdom while the king is away.

The idea is this a steward cares for something very precious, though it doesn't originate or belong to the steward.

Denethor is not the king, but he cares for the kingdom.

Just like an airline steward cares for the passengers, though the plane isn't theirs, so to speak.

Something precious has been entrusted to their care, but it doesn't belong to them.

And this is important for us to consider.

Because if Paul is describing himself as a steward of the mystery of God, he's saying that this mystery doesn't originate or belong to him.

He's been put in charge of it.

He's put in charge of taking care of it, being faithful to it, of communicating it.

Paul is saying he didn't make up the gospel.

He doesn't have permission to modify the gospel.

He's been put in charge, commissioned to communicate the gospel.

He's been commissioned to give away this gift that he's received from God Himself.

And we know he's received this gift from God Himself because he says he's received this by revelation.

This mystery was made known to me by revelation, verse 3.

And we can read about the revelation of God to Paul in Acts 9 and again in Acts 26.

Revelation is God's own divine self-disclosure.

It's God speaking to us from without.

This isn't about Paul's intellectual ascent to God, as though Paul is a religious genius, and he wants us to, you know, to all sit down, be my students, and I'm going to tell you what I think about God.

No, he's saying God has spoken to me uniquely, authoritatively, directly.

Let me tell you what God has given to me to pass along.

That's Paul's office as an apostle.

That's his stewardship.

What's being revealed to me as a holy apostle by the Spirit, I'm passing along to you.

That's why Paul calls himself a minister.

Do you catch that in verse 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.

This word for minister is the Greek word diakonos, and you can more directly translate that as a servant or an attendant, or we get the word deacon.

Paul understands that he doesn't, he's not a lord over the gospel, he's a caretaker for the gospel under the gospel.

So the bottom line is this God has appointed apostles, like Paul, to be faithful stewards of his good news, so that you and I, God's people, could be in the know.

God has given this gift of his revelation, of the mystery of Christ, of the gospel to the apostles, and said, give this away to God's people.

And because they're caretakers of the gospel, faithful to it, we God's people can say with confidence that we know the gospel for ourselves.

So what does this matter?

I think it matters because what we believe must accord with what the apostles taught.

If we modify or change or kind of rework the gospel in accordance with our own reason or intuition, then we risk losing the gospel itself.

As Christians, we always come back to the teaching of the apostles, not because Paul or the other apostles are just such geniuses with PhDs on the wall, but because God has uniquely and freely and authoritatively chosen them to be those who proclaim his good news.

So whatever intuition we might have about the gospel, we come and measure that against what the apostles have taught.

So we can't consult with Paul or Peter or any of the other apostles personally, can we?

Paul's not here teaching us at church.

I haven't seen Paul recently.

It's been probably about 2,000 years since anyone has.

So how is it that we measure what we're being taught against what the apostles taught?

Well, it's because the same spirit who inspired the teaching of the apostles to the first century church is the same spirit who inspired their teaching in Scripture.

The spirit who preserved their teaching, the spirit who illumines their teaching to us.

We might not be able to go to Paul personally, but we know what Paul has taught and what the apostles and prophets have taught right here in Scripture.

Therefore, because we are a Bible church, a church that goes to Scripture and measures the gospel according to Scripture, we can call ourselves one holy, Catholic, and apostolic church because we hold faithfully to the teaching of the apostles, that teaching that God has made known to them, and that teaching that they have made known to God's people.

See, it's because God wants you and I to be in the know that he's commissioned his holy apostles like Paul to proclaim the good news to us.

And so we ought to be about knowing the good news that Paul has given us.

Paul wants us to be in the, or pardon me, God wants us to be in the know, so he's commissioned holy apostles like Paul, and God wants us to be in the know, so he has commissioned the church to make the good news known.

Paul continues talking about this ministry that he's been given by the Spirit in verses eight and nine.

He says, To me, though I am given, though I am the very least of the saints, this grace was given 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 Paul is saying, a special grace has been given me to proclaim this good news, this mystery of Christ to all people, but for what purpose?

Why was he commissioned to do this?

Here's 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.

Apostles teach and equip the church so that the church can proclaim, the church can make known these holy mysteries that define the church and bind the church.

Simply by being the church, we put the gospel, the mystery of Christ, on display.

How do we do that?

So bear in mind the mystery of God that Paul is talking about here is that Jews and Gentiles, all peoples are made one body together, partakers together in one Lord, one new life in Jesus Christ.

Such is the manifold wisdom of God, this multifaceted, brilliant beauty of the gospel.

Sinners are being made one with their holy God.

Strangers like us are being made one body together in Christ.

This was a mystery hidden for ages because no one could anticipate the incredible work of God in Christ, making us one body.

So when the church comes together, like we do here at New Song, we as the church are a proclamation of the gospel, an exhibition of God's everlasting wisdom, that he is bringing together a people in Christ to be his own.

And this is true not just in part, but in the whole of who we are.

So imagine for a second we took a trip and we went to the Sistine Chapel together.

And maybe some of you have been to the Sistine Chapel.

I've never been to the Sistine Chapel, and I would really like to go someday.

But I can imagine the Sistine Chapel, and maybe together we can imagine the Sistine Chapel, and we can think of the overwhelming beauty and brilliance of this work of Michelangelo.

And so as we're taking this in, this manifold beauty, you say to me, isn't this incredible?

Isn't this beautiful?

And I say, Yeah.

Where is the beauty located here?

I mean, probably I'd get a raised eyebrow from you, right?

That's a strange question to ask.

What do you mean, where's the beauty located?

Well, you know, it is beautiful.

But where is the beauty?

Is it over there with Adam and Eve?

Is it over there with the angels?

Does it have something to do with the colors?

Because I think I just kind of want to camp out where the beauty is found.

I want to locate that beauty somewhere in here, some part of this that's truly beautiful.

And I just want to camp out there.

That's where I want to live.

I mean, you'd want to say, no, this, this is beautiful.

All together.

The way it comes together, it's more than just the sum of its parts.

It's all meant to manifest an overwhelming beauty.

And so too with the church's relationship with the gospel.

Sometimes I wonder if Christians come to the church or folks come to the church and want to know where the gospel is located.

I think it's a good instinct that Christians, especially evangelical Christians, have.

I want to know where the gospel is because I want to be about the gospel.

And sometimes I wonder if we have a mindset that says, when I come to church, I want to find the gospel and I want to be about where that is.

I just want to live right here in this little section called the gospel.

Because maybe the gospel is located in the teaching or in the preaching of the church.

And if that's the case, well then maybe rather than go to church, I need to find a really good podcast that communicates the gospel.

Or maybe the gospel is located in our singing.

And if that's the case, well, maybe I don't so much need to go to church.

Maybe I need to find a really good worship album.

Or a really good worship playlist.

Or maybe the gospel is located in the fellowship.

Maybe that's where the gospel is located.

And if that's true, then maybe I need a small group, or maybe I need to meet together with some Christian friends.

All of those things are true of the gospel.

All of those things manifest the gospel, but it's the whole life of the church.

What brings all of those things together that shows forth the manifold wisdom of God?

It is through the church that God is making known his gospel, his manifold wisdom, the whole life of the church.

In our worshiping, in our growing, in our serving, in our shared life together, God wants to put the gospel on display.

That's what we're about.

I think that's as fine a purpose statement for the church as you're gonna find.

The church, in being the church, makes the gospel known.

Its very existence radiates this gospel, God making us one in Him and one with one another.

But what's remarkable is considering to whom the manifold wisdom of God is being made known.

Notice who this mystery is being revealed to in verse 10.

Through the church, the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

Isn't that a remarkable thought?

Angels and spiritual beings peek in at the life of the church to catch a glimpse of God's eternal purpose, making us one, bringing us to Himself out of love for us.

When we gather together, new song, angels look at us and see something of the eternal purpose of God being worked out in real time.

Not just out of common interest, but through Christ manifesting his eternal wisdom.

We participate today in God's purpose for history.

To make us one with him and one body together in him.

And when we gather together as the church, we anticipate that glorious day when at our Savior's return this reality will be made most fully known in heaven and on earth.

So what a rush.

I bet you we all have an adrenaline rush every Sunday morning thinking about these things, don't we?

Oh man, I can't believe that.

I mean, it is remarkable.

But the honest truth is, if I were speaking honestly, which I'm going to speak honestly, it feels pretty ordinary, doesn't it?

You get up, you brush your teeth, maybe you set your alarm a little earlier than you would on any other morning to come to church.

But the remarkable thing is as ordinary as the church seems, perhaps as ordinary as bread and wine seem, as ordinary as speaking a word seems, God uses what seems ordinary to us to communicate his eternal purposes, to reveal to us his everlasting mysteries.

This has been true of how God's worked throughout Scripture.

From manger to the cross, God makes himself known through ordinary means.

See, it's at the Lord's table, it's in the proclamation of the word that God discloses to us his manifold wisdom and makes known to us the mystery of the gospel.

It's through an ordinary means like the church, ordinary people, getting together in an otherwise ordinary place that God is revealing to all of creation, even heavenly beings, his purpose for history, making us one with him and one with one another in Christ.

So God wants you and I to be in the know.

He's formed the church to proclaim by its very existence, by its ministry, by our shared life together, his manifold wisdom and eternal purpose, that we would be one together in Christ.

And so that means the gospel can't be divorced from the church, through which God has purposed the gospel be made known.

From time to time I'll hear something like maybe I'll read a blog online or something like that, I'm a Christian, but I don't really need the church.

And sometimes that's coming from a place of pained history.

I get that.

But if it's true that the manifold wisdom of God in finding and forming one people in Christ is being made known through the church, then we need to flip that around.

You might not feel like you need the church, but the church needs you.

The church needs you to be a part of this manifold wisdom that God wants to show forth in making us one people and proclaiming the glory of our Savior.

It needs you to worship, grow, and serve together in a shared life because that's God's purpose for us.

And it will be true for all eternity.

God has purposed the church with putting the gospel on display for the whole world to see and for his heavenly host to peek in at and see something that's true of God's wondrous heart.

So, friends, God wants you and I to be in the know.

He's commissioned his apostles to proclaim his word, and he's purposed his church to put the gospel on display.

Let me close with a quick thought.

Paul begins this portion of his letter by reintroducing himself in a certain way.

He says, I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, on behalf of you Gentiles.

Paul's writing this, not as someone who's on cloud nine and experiencing all the successes of an excellent ministry.

He's under house arrest for proclaiming this gospel.

And he tells us the purpose in writing this, why he's kind of interrupted his flow of thought to tell us about his apostolic ministry and the witness of the church.

He says this in verse 13.

Here's his purpose.

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

See, friends, it's easy to lose heart in suffering and in times of trial, isn't it?

It's easy to question our purpose, question our mission, question what it is that we're supposed to be up to, question whether or not this Christian life is worth it.

But the manifold wisdom of God, the glory of the gospel, Paul wants known is not challenged or hindered by suffering.

In fact, it's just the opposite.

The glory of God's wisdom is put on display in suffering, such as the logic of the cross, where the path to glory is taken not around suffering, but through it.

Even in suffering, challenge, trial, and difficulty, God's glorious gospel is being put on display even among us, right here is his church.

So being in the know as you are, don't lose heart.

For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal glory that is far beyond comparison.

Amen.

Thank you for listening today.

We worship a generous God who calls us to follow Him in giving willfully, cheerfully, and sacrificially.

Newsong Church's mission and ministry is one hundred percent funded by the generous gifts of those worshiping and journeying with us.

If you'd like to offer a gift towards Newsong's ministry, please visit Newsongportperry.ca slash giving for more information on how to do that.

May God bless you and keep you today and every day.