Title: Open Your Mind to the Unimaginable.
We’re gonna be wrapping up Ephesians 3 just in time for Christmas.
The best Christmas gifts to open are the ones where you’re like, “I have absolutely no idea what this is?”
I don’t go as far as wrapping a watch in a. bushel box.
But I like to leave some mystery to it.
I hope that it doesn’t make me a bad son, but my parents gift wrapping is typically an amazon box as their doorstep.
And it’s usually something they don’t expect.
There’s been plenty of times when my dad will basically tell me, “I did NOT see that coming.”
Like the headset I gave him for the TV audio -I think that saved my parents’ marriage.
He told me that he thought it was a lame gift at first (Yes, my dad is brutally honest.)
But now he loves them.
He told me recently, “I don’t ask for anything for Christmas because what my kids get me is better than I can pick.”
For thousands of years, God’s people, the Jews, thought they knew exactly what they wanted from God.
they thought they understood how His plan worked.
They assumed the boundaries, the membership requirements, the flowchart of salvation.
Then they opened the box.
And inside was something no one imagined:
Gentiles and Jews together as one body…
Fellow heirs…
Partakers of the same promise…
United in Christ…
And given direct access to the Father Himself.
Today, Paul invites us to do something we’re not always great at doing: Open Your Mind to the Unimaginable.
Open your mind to the unimaginable — because God’s plan is bigger, richer, and more gracious than anything you
would have asked.
And we find the unimaginable described in an aside that Paul takes to talk about his journey
1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—… 14 For this reason I bow my
knees before the Father,
Before we read today’s passage, let me explain how it’s a little bit different.
It’s one of Paul’s autobiographical tangents.
Paul begins a prayer as he did in the earlier two chapters, but he gets held up.
He doesn’t restart his prayer until v. 14 where he writes, “For this reason I bow my knees before the
Father”
At this point all he gets out is “For this reason, I.”
Instead of continuing his prayer, the Holy Spirit inspires him to explain his calling in detail.
And that calling is to be the Apostle to the Gentiles.
So, we’re looking at verses 1-13 this morning
1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have
heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known
to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the
mystery of Christ, 5 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.
Paul describes his calling as a stewardship, meaning that it was temporarily put into his hands to manage
He describes the truth that he’s managing as a mystery that he had already written about in this letter.
When it was revealed to the Apostle Paul and the other Apostles, it was ground-breaking information.
For over 2000 years, God had only worked through the Jewish people.
After Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can see the truth spreading that us Gentiles were included in God’s
people.
And Paul lays out once more in verse 6 that -
6 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. 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.
8 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, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for
ages in God, who created all things, 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. 11 This was according to the eternal
purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with
confidence through our faith in him.
Paul gets to his purpose for sharing so much about his experience where he implores his readers.
13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.
It would’ve been easy for the readers of this letter to be discouraged over the fact that Paul was in prison.
It could’ve rocked their ideas of how they expected God to treat His special servant that had brought them
the gospel and taught many of them personally.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary tells us,
“His preaching brought salvation to the Gentiles, but it incurred the wrath of many Jews on him. However,
many others became members of the church, Christ’s body, and this was their glory.”
Paul’s Gentile brothers and sisters could rest assured that the gospel wasn’t being hindered, as many in
Rome would continue to believe in Christ through Paul’s witness there.
This was a price that the Apostle Paul was willing to pay.
And we should all be willing to do the same for the sake of others coming to Christ.
Human beings have a terrible track record at predicting the future.
At one point, people confidently said:
“Cars are just a fad.”
“Television won’t last.”
“No one will ever want a computer in their home.”
And my personal favorite: “The internet will never replace the newspaper.”
We consistently think we know what’s coming next… right up until the moment we’re proven gloriously wrong.
And the same was true in the ancient world.
For centuries, Israel believed they had a pretty solid grasp on how God’s plan would unfold.
The prophets spoke, the covenants were given, the boundaries were clear, and the pattern seemed set.
But behind all of that, God had been quietly writing a story so surprising that when He finally revealed it, Paul didn’t
call it “the update” or “the expansion pack.”
He called it the mystery — something hidden in the heart of God until the time was right.
That mystery was this:
Through Christ, God was forming one new people from every background, giving them equal access to His presence,
and placing them at the center of His eternal purpose.
For this reason, I want to encourage you as Followers of Christ to -
1. CONNECT TO CHRIST & TO ONE ANOTHER (6-7)
6 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. 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.
Before we did into these two verses, I want to point something out.
There’s something that we can miss since we’re not reading this in the original Greek.
2:5-6 - Made alive with, Raised up with, Seated with
2:19-22 - with-citizens together, with-joined together, with-built together
3:6 - with-heirs, with-members, with-partakers of the promise
Ephesians has talked a lot about our being made into something new as God’s people.
The phrases in 2:5-6 and 19-22
Some of them make words in the original language placing the preposition “with” at the beginning of the
words for emphasis.
The idea is how our union with Christ leads to our union with other believers.
And our union with other believers is founded in our union with Christ.
This amazing connection that spans any sort of personal background is much of the mystery that the
gospel revealed.
6 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.
The truth that God revealed to Paul and the other Apostles is not that we Gentiles are able to join the Jews.
Instead, Paul uses a new term that he may have coined by calling us “same body” members.
But how is it that a Jew or a Gentile gains access to this “same body” club?
How is it that we are able to become partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus of a saving relationship with
God from now into eternity?
It is through the gospel.
Gospel –
Quote -TNTC -“That gospel, therefore, is the means and the only means of deep spiritual unity between
people, however diverse their racial, cultural or political backgrounds.”
Certainly, Paul must’ve thought of himself as being pretty important if he was selected to be on the ground
floor of God’s people for the rest of time and eternity. - Nope
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.
He calls himself a minister or servant.
“Dia-konos” is the term, and it describes a table waiter who is always at the bidding of his customers.
In the New Testament, it points to a person who live and works to serve Christ and His church.
But Paul doesn’t see this as a demotion from being a Pharisee.
Rather, he calls it a gift of God’s grace.
I went to a Pacer’s game with a friend of mine who’s a Vice President of a bank.
We were using the bank’s season tickets that are on the eleventh row behind the basket.
We sat so close that I could practically smell the players.
If it tells you anything, I was so close I could recognize Bill Gaither and Tom Wood on the sideline.
For that one night, I was as close as I’m ever going to get to these Indiana royalty.
But even though I had a ticket and was down close to the floor, there was no connection with other people
that came with that night.
It doesn’t matter who you are.
You can be a cheater, a proud boaster, or a rebellious fornicator like I was.
When you trust God’s gospel and the Holy Spirit seals the deal by dwelling in you, you connect to Christ.
And you’re calling starts with connected with one another.
When you’re in Christ, it doesn’t matter what baggage or guilt you carry.
It doesn’t matter if at work you have your name on your desk or on your shirt.
In Christ, we’ve been made a part of God’s one people and will be His redeemed people together for all
eternity.
Do you take it for granted that you can have a relationship with God through simple faith in Jesus as your
Savior?
Are you actively building relationships with other Christians because of the connection we share in Christ?
The gospel doesn’t just save individuals and make us all into a new people.
It acutally makes us a cosmic display of God’s wisdom, grace, and glory.
The second way I want to encourage you to Open Your Mind to the Unimaginable is to -
2. CONNECT WITH THE UNBELIEVABLE PURPOSE OF GOD’S GRACE. (8-12)
8 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, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for
ages in God, who created all things, 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. 11 This was according to the eternal
purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with
confidence through our faith in him.
What was a mystery to everyone, but God for thousands of years has become second nature to us.
But it was a mystery that was God’s eternal purpose for His creation and to be brought to reality in Christ.
It was a mystery that God hid for the ages even from the angels.
And He did so in order that we, the church, might glorify Him by showing His manifold wisdom.
The mystery was that God would choose people from every tribe and language to make up His redeemed
people -the church.
As I said, it’s second nature to us because we’re part of the church from every tribe and nation.
But what I think we don’t appreciate is how a multi-ethnic church is not what was expected.
So, let me see if I can give us some of an appreciation for what was the longest-standing mystery.
Think of how God planned from eternity past or as Paul describes it in verse 11,
“This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord”
And the history of God’s creation began with the creation of mankind in the form of Adam and Eve.
All of mankind were God’s people, worshiping and walking in relationship with Him.
And they were to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth -spreading God’s dominion as they did.
Well, we know this perfect situation didn’t last long because sin entered the world.
And, of course, Adam and Eve were promised that a redeemer would come through their offspring.
This redeemer would undo the destruction of their sin.
But this mystery isn’t about the redeemer but rather about the people He would redeem and make His.
From this original man and woman came the lines of Seth and Cain.
We’re told the descendants of Seth and Cain in the book of Genesis.
The line of Seth and of Cain both still carried God’s original mandate, whether they obeyed it or not.
Unfortunately, the people of the earth grew very corrupt.
The evil that was on the earth was horrible and destructive to the image of God in man.
God’s people became so unrepairably corrupt that God decided to judge the world start over.
This judgement came in the form of The Flood.
This brought an end to all of mankind except for Noah, who had found favor with God.
He and his three sons would survive the flood.
And after the flood, God gave His people (this very small group of people) a “do over.”
He commands them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth with the people of God.
Assumed in this, is the call to spread God’s dominion over the earth as mankind was originally to do.
But if you’re familiar with the story, you know that, over time, man didn’t do so hot in obeying God.
God’s people didn’t spread out over all the earth.
They stayed in one place and became increasingly corrupt.
Over the centuries, they became proud and organized in their rebellion against God.
Their pride and rebellion combined a massive false religion with a governmental structure.
God chose to judge His people again.
And He did so by dividing them and (in a sense) disowning them.
Understand that before the Separation of the people’s at the Tower of Babel, all mankind was united.
They were united in language and culture as one people -God’s people, whether they obeyed or not.
But God made them into many peoples
From that moment forward, mankind was made up of countless languages and people groups.
This is what we’re told in Deuteronomy 32:7–9 - how God separated man into many nations.
7 Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you,
your elders, and they will tell you. 8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he
divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. 9 But the
Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.
So which one of these lines is “Jacob” otherwise known as Israel?
None of them are.
It was God’s plan to call out one man named Abraham, who was too old to have children.
And God would miraculously make him the beginning of a special people - God’s people
God would have a His people on the earth again.
But they would be limited to the descendants of Abraham.
Israel was God’s portion among all the peoples.
And the nation of Isreal is God’s people from Abraham through the rest of the Old Testament.
They were seldom faithful to God, but God was faithful to the covenants that He had made to them.
God’s covenant promises included how He would bring His redeemer into their world
It would be through the nation of Israel that He would come.
And leading up to the coming of Jesus, the Redeemer of the world, it was thought that He would reign from
Jerusalem.
It was thought that Israel would be the center of God’s plan for the earth.
But, as our verses tell us, God kept a mystery hidden for ages in Himself.
God’s plan was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord
And His eternal purpose it was to make new people that was unlike any earthly people group.
And it’s a people that aren’t united by language or customs or background.
We’re united by our common experience of knowing Jesus as our Savior.
You see, God never intended to give up on representatives from all peoples being His people.
He intended to obtain trophies of grace from every people that exist.
This is why we’re told in Revelation 5:9–10 that one day in heaven the most amazing creatures and the 24
elders will praise the Lord singing -
9 “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you
ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them
a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
And it gets even better as the church is elevated to being the platform to display God’s wisdom on a cosmic
scale.
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.
God’s plan for the redemption of a diverse group of people results in showing His multi-facetted wisdom.
The term manifold is pretty cool in how it describes God’s wisdom.
It’s not talking about how a guy puts away his laundry.
Manifold comes from the Greek word -poly-poik-ilos, which is used to describe the intricate beauty of an
embroidered pattern’ or the endless variety of flower colors.
It’s like the many facets of incredible detail of an intricately cut diamond.
And the angelic beings of the unseen world are described as learning of God’s manifold wisdom because of
the church.
Or as the Expositor’s Bible Commentary states, “Through the mirror of the church, the angels of heaven see
the glory of God.”
The miracle of the church is that it was God’s original plan to redeem a diverse people by His grace.
And not even the angels who’ve been watching since it all began could see it coming.
What does it mean to you that, knowing Christ, you’ve joined in God’s eternal plan for glorifying Himself
through a diverse redeemed people?
So, I’m done explaining why what seems to us to be run of the mill is actually God’s eternal plot twist.
Now, let me draw from some statements in our verses to help you to “Connect with the Unbelievable
Purpose of God’s Grace”
The first fact I want to show from our verses that can help you is that
2a. FOLLOWING CHRIST IS UNFATHOMABLY FULFILLING.
8 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, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for
ages in God, who created all things,
Paul describes the riches of Christ as being Unsearchable.
This doesn’t mean that Jesus has some priceless treasury like Smaug the dragon.
No, the grace of the gospel is a treasury which has a border that cannot be discovered.
The riches of God’s grace in Christ are more borderless than our largest ocean.
So, how do we know that the riches of Chrsit are unfathomably?
They can’t be measured.
We’re called to make a step of faith and trust that God can satisfy us more than anything else.
Do you have a hard time believing that the unsearchable riches of Christ can satisfy you better than
anything the world offers?
The second fact I want to show from our verses that can help you is that
2b. FOLLOWING CHRIST COMES WITH AN UNIMAGINABLE ALL-ACCESS PASS.
12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
From God’s exalted, eternal plan, Paul turns to the practical significance for us, the redeemed.
We’re not to shrink back, intimidated by God’s grand plan, feeling like we could never measure up to it.
We won’t ever measure up to it in our power or personal worth.
But we’ve been given direct access to the throne room of God.
And we’ve been given the formal wear of the righteousness of Christ so that we don’t’ ever have to feel
underdressed for God’s presence.
It’s the sacrifice of Christ that should give us boldness/courage/fearlessness because He graciously accepts
those who approach Him through faith in His Son’s sacrifice.
This is similar to what we’re told in -
* Hebrews 4:16 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Do you make use of the unlimited access that you have to God’s throne room as a person who is clothed in
Christ’s righteousness?
Think of all the ways that we try to find fulfillment in.
Connect with the Unbelievable Purpose of God’s Grace.
Following Christ is unfathomably fulfilling.
Following Christ comes with an unimaginable all-access pass.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be the fastest kid in my class.
Maybe you’ve wanted to be the first person in their tree stand on opening day.
Some guys can say they got all the girls they wanted.
Some people can say they got all the degrees they could.
Others can say that they finally bought their dream car.
Many want to earn enough money that they don’t have to worry about money anymore -yeah right!
This makes me think of Mr. Potter when he’s trying to tempt George Bailey to forget the Building and Loan
and work for him.
He tells George, “You wouldn’t mind living in the nicest house in town, buying your wife a lot of fine clothes,
a couple of business trips to New York a year, maybe once in a while Europe. You wouldn’t mind that,
would you, George?”
I have a family member who’s seeking fulfillment seeing a game at every Major League ballpark.
I don’t understand that. I can take a nap at home in a far more comfortable chair.
There have been NFL players who’ve won the Super Bowl and sit in their hotel room that night and wonder
what’s the next thing they need to do to be fulfilled.
Folks, a relationship with Christ comes with the unsearchable riches of Christ
And we’re called to make use of our access to God’s throne room with confidence through our faith in him
I really think that, if we’d scratch the surface of the grace that God has given us to grow in Christ
and if we made use of our access to God to enjoy His presence and seek His will and pleasure in our lives,
Then all the mundane and the sinful enticements that we pursue would fall by the wayside.
It won’t happen overnight.
It does take dying to ourselves and renewing our thinking to make decisions based on God’s truth.
But connecting with the unbelievable purpose of God’s grace is possible.
And God is perfectly willing to help each of us to take steps in that direction when we’re ready to.
