![\"Ephesians](\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Projector-slide-570x288.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhen I first preached this passage years ago, I followed the view that Ephesians 1:1-13 is a parenthesis in Paul\u2019s thought, and that he starts a thought in verse 1, and only picks it up in verse 14 (the repeated phrase \u201cFor this reason\u201d provides the primary evidence for this). This approach, I believe, contributes somewhat to missing Paul\u2019s entire point.<\/p>\n
Paul\u2019s primary point in Ephesians can be summarized in one word: \u201cPeace!\u201d Through Jesus, there is peace with God, peace with one another, and together, all of us are working toward universal peace (which includes bringing the principalities and powers back into their proper place).<\/p>\n
So Paul\u2019s point in Ephesians 3 is that he wants the Ephesian Christians to live at peace with each other.<\/p>\n
Why? Well, not only because this is the best way to live and because everybody wants peace, but because the world doesn\u2019t know how to attain peace, and if we live at peace with each other, the world will learn how to do so as well. Your life is a sermon to a watching world. By watching us, we show them how to live at peace with each other. (The \u201cwatching world\u201d doesn\u2019t just include people, but also the principalities and powers.)<\/p>\n
Great! But how do we do this? It is impossible to just \u201cget along\u201d with some people. It begins by knowing the love of Christ for you (3:19). That is the first step toward peace. Only once you know that you are loved can you begin to love. And love is the first (and last \u2026 and only) step toward peace.<\/p>\n
When we approach Ephesians 3 this way, we see that all <\/i>of Ephesians 3 follows perfectly and logically from the truths we have seen from Ephesians 2. Ephesians 2:1-13 is not a tangent, a rabbit trail, or an aside from Paul. It is an answer to an objection that Paul knows his readers are thinking.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
So far in this letter, Paul has told the Ephesians that we are all heirs of God, and that through Jesus, God has brought peace to the world.<\/p>\n
Yet Paul knows exactly what his Ephesians readers are thinking. They are looking around at the world, and at their own situation, and at Paul\u2019s situation, and they are thinking, \u201cWe are spiritually rich? We are heirs of God? There is peace through Christ? It certainly doesn\u2019t look like it from our perspective. And it certainly doesn\u2019t look like it from your perspective either, Paul. After all, you are sitting in prison. That sure looks like you an heir of God and that there is peace in the world. NOT!\u201d<\/p>\n
So beginning in Ephesians 3:1, Paul seeks to address this issue. He first of all admits that he is a prisoner. But he immediately shows that he is not a prisoner of Rome, but is a prisoner of Jesus Christ. He is exactly where Jesus wants him to be. Following Jesus leads to some strange places, and sometimes, Jesus wants his followers in prison.<\/p>\n
Paul goes on to say that he is a prisoner \u201cfor you Gentiles.\u201d There are two ways of reading this. Remember, of course, that Paul is a Jew, and remember as well that one of the reasons Paul is in prison in the first place is because of the Ephesians. He almost got arrested in Acts 19 when a riot started in Ephesians because of his preaching, but then when Paul went to Jerusalem in Acts 21, he was initially put in prison because the Jewish leaders thought he had brought Trophimus the Ephesians into the Temple where only Jewish men could go (Acts 21:29).<\/p>\n
That entire incident of Acts 19\u201324 is behind everything Paul wrote in Ephesians 2. Paul has written \u201cThe dividing wall of separation has come down. There is now peace between Jews and Gentiles. We are all one family in Jesus Christ.\u201d And the Ephesian Christians are saying, \u201cOh really? Well, when you tried that here, and when you tried that in Jerusalem, it got you arrested and almost killed, and now you are sitting in prison. Are you sure you didn\u2019t get thumped in the head one too many times, Paul?\u201d<\/p>\n
So in Ephesians 3:1, Paul says, \u201cYes, that is right. I am a prisoner. But I right where Jesus wants me to be. I am in prison for Jesus. And I am also in prison because of you.\u201d But this is not a slam on the Ephesians. This is not blaming them. While Paul is saying, \u201cI\u2019m in prison because of you,\u201d he is not blaming them. He is saying, \u201cI\u2019m in prison for your sake, to help you, to show you how this whole thing works.\u201d<\/p>\n
And how does it work for Paul? How can Paul say that he is in prison for Jesus Christ and that Jesus has brought peace to the world even though Paul looks around and sees nothing but stone walls, iron chains, and Roman guards? Paul explain how in Ephesians 3:2-13.<\/p>\n
Here are some basic notes on what he says:<\/p>\n
Ephesians 3:2. Paul was given a dispensation from God. This is oikonomia, <\/i>a special set of \u201chouse rules.\u201d These are specific guidelines from God by which Paul lives and functions.<\/p>\n
Ephesians 3:3-4. What are these house rules? Well, it\u2019s this mystery Paul has already written about. Where? In Ephesians 2. That God has introduced peace to the entire world through Jesus Christ, and Paul is a messenger to the Gentiles about this peace.<\/p>\n
Ephesians 3:5. In previous ages, humans have always operated under the \u201cus vs. them\u201d principle, which was a principle of rivalry, violence, and death (cf. 2:1-3). But now we have a new revelation by the Spirit through the prophets and apostles, that all of us are one, and our struggle is not against each other (cf. Eph 6:12).<\/p>\n
Ephesians 3:6. Instead of division, strife, and rivalry, we are all one family, fellow heirs of God, recipients of the promises (1:3-14; 2:11-22).<\/p>\n
Ephesians 3:7. It is this message that Paul has been proclaiming through his words and works by the power of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n
Ephesians 3:8. Paul was sent to proclaim these truths to the Gentiles.<\/p>\n
Ephesians 3:9. This fellowship of all people has been God\u2019s plan and goal from the very beginning of creation.<\/p>\n
Ephesians 3:10. God is now making this unity visible through the church! And the principalities and powers are taking notice. They are watching and learning. [But they do not like it, because it means they will lose some of their stolen power. Cf. 1:21-22; 6:10-20). This makes a bit more sense when we realize that \u201cprincipalities and powers\u201d doesn\u2019t refer primarily to angels and demons, but to \u201cthe powers that be.\u201d That is, to the rules, power structures, and domination system of this world. The world system is set up in a way that abuses its power, but God wants all powers to be restored to their proper place, and the first seeds of this are found within the church.]<\/p>\n
Ephesians 3:11. This restoration of all things is the eternal purpose of God (cf. 3:9).<\/p>\n
Ephesians 3:12. Since this is God\u2019s purpose and the goal of Jesus Christ, and is empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can move forward in this purpose with boldness and faith.<\/p>\n
Ephesians 3:13. Which explains why Paul is in prison. He is in prison because the powers that be were threatened by him, but ironically, by putting him in prison, Paul now has the opportunity to speak truth to power and present his case before Caesar himself, the ultimate \u201cpower\u201d at that time. By Paul\u2019s actions, even the prison guards were learning the truths of the gospel. Paul in prison for the gentiles was not a blow to the gospel, but an opportunity for the gospel to shine in the face of the principalities and powers of this world.<\/p>\n
Ephesians 3:14-21. Now, therefore, you go and do the same. How? It begins with knowing you are completely loved by God.<\/p>\n
Below is the original sermon manuscript from when I first taught this text many years ago… By reading it, and comparing it with the notes above, you can see how my thinking has changed about Paul’s message in Ephesians 3. <\/p>\n
(The following Outline was borrowed from John MacArthur)<\/p>\n
Everybody loves a good mystery.<\/p>\n
They love mystery novels. When I was little, many people my age were reading The Boxcar Children, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, and the Bobsy Twins. Of course, those were for children. Today, people are reading books written by Tom Clancy and others.<\/p>\n
Even many jobs deal in searching out mysteries. Scientists try to unravel the mysteries of the universe\u2014like how light can be both a wave and a particle. Doctors try to discover the mysteries of the body\u2014like why we have tonsils and how babies die of SIDS. Historians try to uncover the mysteries of history\u2014like what happened to the settlers at Roanoke Island and was there really a city of Atlantis.<\/p>\n
Parents, even you try to figure out mysteries at home\u2014although maybe you don\u2019t enjoy doing it\u2014like who broke the lamp, and who left the freezer door open so everything melted, and who left your electric drill out in the rain.<\/p>\n
We all love mysteries\u2014we like the suspense and the excitement and we get curious about the answers.<\/p>\n
Pastors, Bible teachers and theologians have mysteries too. Actually, all Christians are budding theologians, and at one time or another, in trying to understand the Bible, we all ask one very interesting question. We wonder why God, since he knows everything, why God didn\u2019t make the Bible easier to understand!<\/p>\n
Right? Have you ever wondered that? Have you ever set out to read through the Bible\u2014as I know some of you are doing this year\u2014or have you ever set out to study through a certain book of the Bible or a certain passage\u2014and after struggling with it a bit, you throw up your hands in frustration and give up?<\/p>\n
I know you have. I have talked with several of you who have expressed this exact emotion to me. Why didn\u2019t God make it clearer?<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve all felt this way at times. If you have not, either you are much more gifted than any other Christian in the world, or you have not seriously studied the Bible. I\u2019ll let you decided which it is.<\/p>\n
It has been a mystery for me why God made some of the Bible so difficult to understand. This has mystified me for years, and not until recently have I uncovered the answer to why God didn\u2019t make Scripture clearer.<\/p>\n
You say, \u201cWhat is it? What is it?\u201d Well, I\u2019ll tell you, but I don\u2019t want to spoil the answer about\u2014I want to leave it a mystery\u2014and just like all good mysteries, you have to wait until the end to hear the solution.<\/p>\n
The reason I\u2019ve begun talking about mysteries today, is because Paul spends the first 13 verses of Ephesians 3 talking about one of the mysteries that has been revealed to him. There was a mystery in the Old Testament which no one understood, but which was revealed by God to Paul, and he is not explaining it to us. That is what he spends 13 verses doing.<\/p>\n
Today, we only have time to look at the first 6 verses of Ephesians 3. These verses introduce us to a mystery.<\/p>\n
Paul is a wonderful writer and thinker, but sometimes he gets off on a tangent which throws everything off. Ephesians 3:2-13 are one of these tangents\u2014these rabbit trails that Paul does so often.<\/p>\n
Let me show you. Verse 1 begins a prayer for the believers to understand the purpose of their position in Christ, but then Paul decides to talk about something else for a while. He doesn\u2019t get back to his prayer until verse 14\u2014where he repeats the phrase \u201cFor this reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
So the real purpose of our spiritual position will not be explained until Ephesians 3:14-21. Ephesians 3:2-13 are Paul\u2019s Parenthesis; his tangent; his rabbit trail.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s see how he gets onto this parenthesis by looking at Ephesians 3:1.<\/p>\n
Ephesians 3:1. For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles<\/strong><\/p>\n In Ephesians 3:1, Paul calls himself a prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles. That is what gets him sidetracked. He decides to elaborate on why he is a prisoner of Jesus Christ for the Gentiles.<\/p>\n The reason, as we will soon see, is because of the mystery that was revealed to him. So, in the outline, Ephesians 3:1-5 are about Paul as the Prisoner of the Mystery.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s talk about Paul being a prisoner first\u2014as we see in Ephesians 3:1. This was not a figure of speech. We sometimes say, \u201cI am tied to my job\u201d or \u201cI am a prisoner at home.\u201d Some men, I hope none of you today, but some men refer to their wives as a \u201cball and chain\u201d implying that they are chained to their wife and can\u2019t do anything fun.<\/p>\n These are all figures of speech. Paul is not using a figure of speech here. He literally is <\/i>a prisoner. You remember that he was arrested in Jerusalem under false charges. He was almost put to death, but was delivered and was put in prison instead. So he really was a prisoner.<\/p>\n But although he is a prisoner, he literally is a prisoner of Caesar; <\/i>of emperor Nero in Rome. At the time of writing, he had been in a Roman prison for about 3 years, and in Caesaria before that for 2 years. So while he literally is a prisoner, he is a prisoner of Caesar.<\/p>\n But here, he says he is a prisoner of Christ Jesus.<\/b> Why does he say it this way? This is typical of Paul and is typical of all saints in Scripture. When bad things happen, they focus on the good that can come from it. Paul could have complained and argued and become bitter about his unjust arrest and the false accusations being made against him. Instead, he realized that he was right where God wanted him, and rather than being a prisoner of Caesar, he was a prisoner for Christ.<\/p>\n Because of this, we know from Scripture that he led many of the guards and many of Caesar\u2019s own household to personal faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, even 2000 years later, we can be thankful he was in prison, because it is from prison that Paul wrote most of his letters that we now have in our Bibles. Paul did not let a bad situation get him down, he used the bad situation to glorify God.<\/p>\n Next in Ephesians 3:1, Paul says that he is a prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles. <\/b>Paul is saying that the reason he is prison is because of the Gentiles.<\/p>\n Some of you are thinking, \u201cPastor Jeremy, What does that mean? How is Paul a prisoner because of the Gentiles?\u201d Well, if that\u2019s your question, then you\u2019re in luck. That is what Paul goes off on a tangent about. In fact, he spends the next 12 verses explaining how he became a prisoner for the Gentiles.<\/p>\n Ephesians 3:2. if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you,<\/strong><\/p>\n Take the words, If indeed you have heard<\/b> first. Another way of translating these would be, \u201cSurely you have heard,\u201d or \u201cI know you have heard. \u201c Paul had lived with them for almost three years, and remember, it was because a Gentile member from the Ephesian church was traveling with Paul that he was arrested in the first place. So of course they had heard. Paul is simply reminding them about his calling.<\/p>\n The word dispensation<\/b> is a word we don\u2019t use very much anymore. We saw it previously though in 1:10. The Greek word is oikonomia. Oiko<\/i> means house, and nomia<\/i> means law, so oikonomia<\/i> means \u201claw of the house.\u201d It is the rules by which a house or business is governed. Synonyms could be \u201cmanagement, stewardship, or an orderly arrangement.\u201d<\/p>\n In Ephesians 3:2, Paul says that a dispensation was given to him, and so we could say, as some of your translations do, that he was given a stewardship\u2014he was made a steward<\/i> or a manager<\/i> over a certain task or responsibility.<\/p>\n What was this task? Well, the verse says that he was a steward of the grace of God which was given to me for you. <\/b>Paul was sent by God to declare salvation to the Gentiles. We know from the rest of Scripture that Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles. He was the person God chose to take the good news of salvation to all those who were not Jews.<\/p>\n If you are here today, and you are not a Jew, then you are a Gentile, and since you are Gentile, Paul is writing to you. Though he lived and wrote almost 2000 years ago, Paul\u2019s message is still for you and still applies to you. This was Paul\u2019s task\u2014his dispensation\u2014what he was made a steward of, and which, he diligently carried out. Paul understood that when God placed him here, He was given a purpose; a task to carry out. When he discovered what that task was, he performed it as completely as he knew how.<\/p>\n He was given a task by God, and he faithfully carried it out. He talks more about it in Ephesians 3:3-4.<\/p>\n Ephesians 3:3-4. how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),<\/strong><\/p>\n Here is the first mention of them mystery God revealed to Paul!<\/p>\n A mystery in Scripture is not exactly like a mystery in a novel or a mystery movie. A Biblical mystery is a truth that was always present within the pages of Scripture, but was just hidden. We could call them \u201csacred secrets.\u201d They are truths known by God, and most likely mentioned in Scripture, but they are nevertheless hidden from our understanding. God will reveal them in His time, when He wants us to learn them.<\/p>\n Many people today talk about receiving special revelations from God and understanding hidden mysteries. I talked with a man who thought he had a revelation. He was doing some construction, and in the process had left some board lying on his lawn for a week. When the construction was done, he went to clean up the boards, and he noticed that the grass underneath them had turned white. It looked dead.<\/p>\n But as he let the sun touch the grass over the next few days, the grass grew back healthy and green. He realized that this is like some Christians. We have things in our lives which impede our growth. If we remove them, we will continue to grow. This was his \u201crevelation.\u201d<\/p>\n But that is not a revelation. A revelation is divine truth not previously known. He didn\u2019t have a revelation\u2014he had a good illustration for a truth already known\u2014a picture for a truth everybody knows.<\/p>\n Paul did received a revelation. He was studying the Old Testament (revelation always comes from Scripture), and God revealed to him a mystery. What was this mystery that God revealed to Him?<\/p>\n In Ephesians 3:3-4, Paul mentions that he already wrote to them about this mystery. Where did he do that? He did it in two places already, in Ephesians 1:9-10 and Ephesians 2:11-22. He continues to explain that this mystery was not previously known.<\/p>\n Ephesians 3:5. which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:<\/strong><\/p>\n In other words, this mystery was hidden in times past, but is now clearly seen. In theological terms, this is called progressive revelation. Progressive revelation is when God takes something he has previously said, and elaborates on it. He makes it clearer. He sheds more light on it. He reveals more.<\/p>\n Paul is saying in Ephesians 3:5, \u201cIt has always been there within the pages of Scripture, but somehow, we did not see it until recently, when God revealed it by the Holy Spirit to His apostles and prophets.\u201d Paul says here in Ephesians 3:4-5 that this is the mystery was shown to him. It was hidden in Scripture, but now it has been revealed.<\/p>\n Other mysteries in Scripture that have been revealed are the fact that Christ has two comings. He came once as a servant; He is coming again as a king and a judge. People in OT times did not know this. The Trinity was a mystery. OT saints did not know about the trinity. The fact that Jesus came as a lowly carpenter, and came as Savior of the whole world is another mystery. The Jews in the OT thought He would come as a king and only for the Jews.<\/p>\n But none of these are the mystery that was revealed to Paul. The mystery that was revealed to Paul is explained in Ephesians 3:6.<\/p>\n Ephesians 3:6. that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,<\/strong><\/p>\n This is what the mystery was. To us, it seems pretty clear. We say, \u201cThat\u2019s not much of a mystery.\u201d But for the average Jew in Paul\u2019s day, this was an amazing and controversial idea (Acts 10-15; Galatians). The mystery which was revealed to Paul was that the<\/b> Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise<\/b>!<\/p>\n Previously, only the Jews were heirs. Only the Jews had promises and covenants from God. Only the Jews were allowed near to God. Only the Jews had forgiveness of sins from God.<\/p>\n But now they are being allowed in. Now they are being grafted into the body. Now they can partake\u2014or share\u2014in the promise of God! This is the mystery. It seems clear to us, but that is because it has been revealed to us.<\/p>\n Jews who lived prior to Paul did not see this clearly. \u201cNo one knew the full meaning of God\u2019s promise to Abraham that \u201cin you all the families of the earth shall be blessed\u201d (Gen 12:3) until Paul wrote, \u201cAnd the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, \u2018All the nations shall be blessed in you\u2019\u201d (Gal 3:8).<\/p>\n![\"Ephesians](\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/ephesians-3-pic-570x440.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Ephesians](\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/ephesians-570x321.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Plan of the Mystery (Ephesians 3:6)<\/h2>\n