| Introduction The writings of Paul are full of divinely inspired rabbit trails, or to put more politely, they are full of digressions. That is what we find in the passage before us today. The core point of this passage is the mystery of the place of the Gentiles in the people of God. As you have noticed, this is an incredibly important subject for Paul. He has mentioned it in every section of this letter so far. What I would like for us to do today is consider three things. First, I want us to consider the reason for the digression in verses 1, 13. Then, I want to give a brief explanation of the mystery that dominates the passage as we consider verses 2-12. Lastly, I want us to have a glimpse of the grace of God and the riches of Christ that drove Paul to serve God in verses 7-8. I. The Reason for the Digression, 1, 13. A. The mentioning of his being a prisoner for the sake of the Gentile makes Paul think that he needs to comfort the Ephesians and explain that he is not complaining about it or blaming them for it. B. Paul was commissioned by Christ at his conversation to focus his ministry on the Gentile (non-Jewish) world. Acts 26:16-18– But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17 I will deliver you from the Jewishpeople, as well as fromthe Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18 to open their eyes, in orderto turn themfrom darkness to light, and fromthe power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.' 1. This was Paul's general commission as a minister of the gospel – bring Christ to the nations. 2. Yet, there was something a little more specific as far as the Ephesians go – his imprisonment was directly related to them. Acts 21: 27-29– Now when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, "Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all meneverywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place." 29 (For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) C. Perhaps Paul remembered a report or their discouragement because of his imprisonment and wanted to encourage them that it was actually a good thing that he was sent to prison (for your glory), 13. II. A Brief Explanation of the Mystery, 2-12. A. For Paul, the ultimate reason he was in prison was the proclamation of the gospel to the Gentiles, 1b-2. 1. God called him to manage/steward (that's what dispensation means) his grace toward the Gentiles. 2. In other words, God called Paul to make his grace known to the Gentiles. B. This proclamation also included of something that hadn't been clear before, but now is abundantly clear – the Gentiles who believe in the gospel are going to be included in the same body as faithful Jews. C. Before we continue, I need to say something about the word mysteryitself. 1. The biblical use of the word differs considerably from how it is used in everyday language. 2. In the Bible, the word mysteryrefers to something that wasn't known before, but now is made abundantly clear. D.What wasn't known before with absolute clarity was that the gospel was for all nations, 5-6. 1. There were glimpses of this throughout the OT: Jonah and Nineveh, prophetic utterances directed to other nations calling them to repentance, etc. 2. The unknown wasn't the gospel of the Messiah itself. a. Sure, revelation is progressive, and we have more details about the gospel than the OT saints (or even the NT saints for that matter) had. b. But salvation has always been by faith in the Messiah (the Christ). Gal. 3:8-9– And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying,"In you all the nations shall be blessed."9 So then those who areof faith are blessed with believing Abraham. 3. The former unknown that is now clearly seen is that the work of the Messiah would result in bringing Gentiles who believe in the Messiah into the same body as faithful Jews, in equal standing as faithful Jews, which body would be a continuation of Israel as far as God's covenantal promises go. 4. This body is called the Church and the means of entrance is the gospel concerning Christ, 6. E. This mystery was revealed to Paul directly by the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus and in the Arabian wilderness – Paul did not make this up. Gal. 1:15-17– But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called methrough His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who wereapostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. F. This mystery is an important part of the reason for the existence of the Church, 10-12. 1. Angelic beings are learning from the Church what God's eternal purpose is: to bring humanity of all looks, colors, languages together in one body through the gospel of Jesus Christ. 2. So, we can see how what we said concerning racial reconciliation in the church is so important. 3. That is part of God's eternal purpose for the church and even angels are learning from the church as saints live in harmony with one another. III. A Glimpse of the Grace of God and the Riches of Christ, 7-8. A. Considering his place in the eternal purpose of God drives Paul to think of God's grace in Jesus Christ, 7. 1. For him, to serve (that's what the word ministermeans) is the result of the grace of God. 2. The service itself is a gracious gift of God and is produced by the power of God working in him. 3. Paul is a servant of the gospel (of which in the beginning of v. 7), and so is everyone who believes that Jesus Christ has saved him/her. B. Considering that God called Paul to serve him humbles Paul, 8. 1. Paul calls himself "less than the least of all the saints" – literally the leastest of the saints (made up word). a. We don't see it here, but it is clearly stated elsewhere. 1 Cor. 15:9-10– For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which waswith me. b. What drove Paul to the grace of God was a keen understanding of his own sin. c. And so it is with us – we will not be deeply humbled and utterly consumed by the grace of God if we don't understand the serious heinousness of our sins (how bad we are and how much we have grieved God by sinning against him). d. The grace of God is only valued in the context of deep conviction of sin. 3. Knowing how sinful we are is a best friend of the grace of God. a. We may be willing to talk about how bad sin is in an abstract way, but we must realize that sin is not something that exists out there apart from us. 1) Sin and sinner are intrinsically and inseparably joined together. 2) One does not exist without the other. b. Paul considers himself the leastest of the saints and of the apostles because of the circumstances of his conversion, 1 Cor. 15:9. 1) In Acts 8:3, Paul is described as making "havoc of the church." 2) In Acts 9:1, he is "breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord." 3) And he was on the way to carry out these threats and murders, the Lord met him and invaded his life with grace. c. The guilt feeling related to this great sin of persecuting the Church of the Lord Jesus seems to have stuck with him, even though he had been forgiven. Eph. 3:8– To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ… 1 Tim. 1:12-15– And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting meinto the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did itignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This isa faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. Gal. 1:13, 23– For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried todestroy it…. But they were hearing only, "He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried todestroy." Phil 3:6– …concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 1) Sometimes we carry the false guilt of sin that we committed long after we have been forgiven. 2) This guilt that shouldn't be there marks all that we do. 3) It could be the guilt of having had premarital sex, abortion, unkind relationship with parents/kids, etc. 4) The Bible has at least two things to say regarding this type of stuff: a) It is easier on you not to commit the sin that to deal with the consequences of the memory of it in your life. b) If you are in Jesus Christ (faith in him), there is no sin that is so great that he does not forgive – past sins do not have to define your life! Ps. 32:1-5– Blessed is he whosetransgression isforgiven, whosesin iscovered. blessed isthe man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there isno deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Ps. 103:11-12– For as the heavens are high above the earth, sogreat is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, sofar has He removed our transgressions from us. 1 Jn. 1:9– If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us oursins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Rom. 8:1– There istherefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…. Ps. 130:3-4– If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? Butthere isforgiveness with You, that You may be feared. Jer. 31:34(New Covenant) – No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more. C. The thought of his own sin immediately drove Paul to the riches of Christ, 8. 1. To use the language of 1 Cor. 15, his sin drove Paul to God and his Grace, 9 Leads to 10! 1 Cor. 15:9-10– For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which waswith me. a. Paul begins with grace – by the grace of God I am what I am. 1) Notice that is not I am who I am. 2) It is I am WHAT I am– an instrument in the hands of God. 3) An instrument to proclaim the unsearchable reaches of Christ. b. He continues by grace – grace leads to labor because it is not in vain. a) Laborin 10b is kopiao= labor to the point of weariness (we get English word copiousfrom it). b) The grace of God equips us to do whatever it is that God calls us to do. c) A right view of the grace of God must lead us to active obedience, not to passive denial of the call of God in our lives. d) Sometimes people actually blame the grace of God for their lack of sanctification, yet Paul says where grace is present a move to sanctification is also present. Phil 2:12-13– Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works [the same as grace is not in vain]in you both to will and to do for Hisgood pleasure. e) Because all the good we do is the result of the grace of God working in us, every act of true obedience makes us more indebted to the cross of Christ. f) Therefore, our obedience to God doesn't cause him to owe anything; rather, we owe more to him for the good he is working in us. Lk. 17:6-10– So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'? But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.'" g) So, grace leaves no room for boasting except for boasting about the cross of Christ! Gal. 6:14– But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. c. Paul returns to grace – not I – life begins, continues, and ends with the grace of God in Jesus Christ. 2. The result of the grace of God because of the riches of Christ: Work + Humility a. We don't have to wait for God to zap us with some sort of divine laser beam that will make us do the things he commands us to do. b. He has already given us all things in Christ Jesus. 2 Pt. 1:2-4– Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertainto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that isin the world through lust. Eph. 3:20– Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us… c. So, we follow him in humility knowing that he is the One working us to will and to do of his good pleasure. Conclusion: The Sufficiency of Grace The grace of God in Jesus Christ is sufficient for us even with no change in our circumstances. We often think that God works through changing our circumstances, but more often than not God works by changing us and leaving our circumstances the same. 2 Cor. 12:7-11– And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
God is gracious to us in Christ Jesus. What an awesome God we have!
http://olympiabp.blogspot.com/2019/05/a-digression-eph-31-13.html
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