Ephesians 3:1-13
THe circumstances that Paul was in when he wrote his letter to the Ephesians were enough to curtail nearly anyone's enthusiasm, for he was in prison in Rome awaiting trial. Yet, in our text, Ephesians 3:1-13, you will not find one word of complaint. The passage is upbeat. There is, if anything, a note of exultation and triumph.
What was it that gave him this enthusiasm in the midst of difficulty? Answer: His joyous wonder at the privilege entrusted to him. In verse 2 and again in verse 7 he refers to the grace of God that was given him. He is saying, in effect, "I am the most privileged man on earth" It is no exaggeration, because, as he sees it, no man deserved this privilege less. He writes in verse 8, "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given."
Super riches. What is "this grace" to which he refers? Verse 8 continues, "that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ" The idea is that those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ are given so great a spiritual wealth that it cannot be fully comprehended.
This is what I call believers' second greatest privilege. The first, of course, is the privilege of knowing Christ personally, of being assured that He has forgiven our sins and has given us eternal life. But the second greatest privilege is that of being entrusted with the responsibility of making Him known to others.
I. A messenger in all circumstances
Paul calls himself in verse 1 "the prisoner of Jesus Christ". From the human viewpoint, he is the prisoner of the Romans. But when Paul writes as he is moved by the Holy Spirit, he doesn't see things from the human viewpoint. He knows that God is sovereign over all things, and is convinced that all of his life, including his imprisonment, was under the lordship of Jesus. So he calls himself Christ's prisoner.
In this regard, do you remember what he says in Philippians 1? From his jail cell in Rome he writes, "I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places"
Special situation. There were places of power and influence that Paul could never have reached by ordinary means. So, the Lord did something extraordinary. He put the apostle in prison in Rome where he was guarded around the clock by imperial guards.
Instead of wasting time feeling sorry for himself, Paul turned his prison into a pulpit. Day after day, he witnessed to his guards, and soon a little church grew up in Caesar's own household. And when those soldiers were later transferred to other parts of the vast Roman Empire, they took the gospel to places where Paul could never have gone.
II. A gospel from God Himself
We next read in verses 2-4:
If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ).
In the Bible, the word "mystery" applies to spiritual truths that hitherto had been hidden, but have since been revealed by God.
From these verses, we see that Paul learned the gospel by revelation directly from God, and that the information was revealed to him not so much for himself as for him to proclaim to others. In this instance, the word "you-ward" refers to the Ephesians. But elsewhere in the Bible, we learn that Paul was called especially to witness to the Gentiles.
Incidentally, the Bible was completed once the Book of Revelation was written. Since then, God no longer reveals truths directly to individuals. Truth comes to us now in Scripture.
Harden hearts. Nevertheless, it still requires the work of God in a person's heart to enable that person to really appreciate and personally respond to the gospel message. There is something about the human nature that stumbles over the idea of salvation by grace. Without God giving us a new heart, we can struggle and struggle with it and still don't get it. That's because we like to think that our salvation depends upon ourselves, how good we are, or how sincere and how hard we try.
But if we are one of God's elect, the Holy Spirit will at some point in our life give us a new heart and a new spirit, together with ears to hear and eyes to see. Then, we begin to understand the gospel and we say to ourselves, "How did I ever miss it? It's so simple!"
Has it therefore ever entered your mind what a tremendous privilege it is to receive and understand a message that comes directly from God, a message that brings eternal life to all those who believe in it? But like Paul, every one of us should keep in mind that the gospel is "given me to you-ward". We have the responsibility as well as the privilege to pass it on to others.
III. A gospel for all peoples
Elaborating on the mystery, verses 5 and 6 state:
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.
We see here that the mystery was revealed not only to Paul, but to other apostles and prophets as well.
In the Old Testament there were hints, fore-gleams of God's intention to bless the Gentiles. But they were sketchy and incomplete. The Israelites thought that blessing would come to only those Gentiles who would become Jews. The new thing revealed to the apostles is that in Christ both Gentile and Jew are on an equal footing.
Oneness. Note that verse 6 uses three different terms, "fellowheirs", "same body" and "partakers", to convey the meaning of togetherness. The point is: All who put their faith in Jesus Christ, regardless of their background, share jointly and equally in all the blessings of salvation.
To Paul, zealous Pharisee that he was, that is a revolutionary idea. It means, on the one hand, that no one is included automatically among the people of God; and, on the other hand, that no one is excluded from the blessings of God because of background or heritage.
IV. A gospel with supernal significance
As Christ builds His eternal church, using believers to witness to and pray for others, it is as if a great drama is being enacted. History is the theater, the world is the stage, and believers in every land are the actors. God Himself is the author, director, and producer of the play. Act by act, scene by scene, the story unfolds. But who is the audience? We read in verses 10 and 11:
To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Exactly who the principalities and powers are is not clear. Our knowledge of beings in heavenly places is limited, so we must be careful not to go beyond what Scripture teaches. Conceivably, they include angels. Although angels, according to Hebrews 1:14, are "ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation", they do have much supernatural power.
What do the principalities and powers in heavenly places learn as they watch? "The manifold wisdom of God," verse 10 says. They see His wisdom first in the way He solved the problem of sin. God is holy, and His justice demands that all sinners be punished. Yet, God is also compassionate and merciful, and He desires to save a group of chosen sinners. How can He be true to His holiness and justice and also to His love and mercy? By His wisdom.
He purposed to give His only begotten son, having the Lord Jesus Christ become a human being and pay in full the penalty of the sins of the Elect. With Christ having endured hell for the chosen sinners at the Cross, God's holy justice was satisfied, and as a result, He can justly and freely display His love and mercy to those sinners.
Heavenly joy. In a parable in Luke 15, Jesus speaks of a man, after having looked for and then found his lost sheep, celebrated with his friends. We read in verse 7: "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repentethÉ" The principalities and powers there rejoice whenever they see how wisely God turns a wicked sinner into an obedient follower.
They also learn the wisdom of God by what the church does. This refers to the eternal church, the body of born-again believers, because only the latter are commissioned to send forth the gospel. As they faithfully bring the Good News, more and more sinners repent and come into the Kingdom of God.
V. A messenger filled with joy
All this comes back to our original observationÑthat is, the Apostle Paul was able to write a note of exultation and triumph to the Ephesians even though he himself was in prison in Rome awaiting trial. Instead of his physical circumstances, he was enjoying the unsearchable riches of Christ, especially the privilege of being used by God to send forth the gospel to all nations.
So, he concludes this passage by saying in verse 13, "Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory"
When we carry out the Great Commission, we are liable to be maligned and persecuted. But here, God is telling us not to be discouraged by such tribulations, but to rejoice instead in knowing that when our message is used by God to cause sinners to repent, many will eventually come to glory.