Sermon from Pixley UB

"Ministry By God's Grace"

Ephesians 3:7-13

In Ephesians 3:7-13, Paul continues his discussion of the great mystery of the Christian gospel which he had begun to discuss in the opening verses of chapter 3. But now he does so in a way that is intensely personal and candid.

⁷I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. ⁸Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. ¹⁰His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, ¹¹according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹²In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. ¹³I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

Verse 13 reveals that the reason Paul wrote this section of the letter is that the Ephesian Christians were troubled by his suffering not so much because they felt sorry and fearful for him (though, of course, they did), but because their faith was shaken by his sufferings. They were really troubled that a great apostle—their spiritual father—should appear to be a helpless victim of Caesar's cruelty, chained to a Roman soldier day and night.

Paul writes back, and says, in effect, "You've got it all wrong. You don't understand the true nature and purpose of my troubles. You see, suffering for the cause of Christ is the sure way to victory." This mighty apostle had learned that the cross is always the pathway to a crown. Victory in Christ entails an element of sharing in the sufferings of Christ. So Paul is writing to assure them that everything is exactly as it should be. There is a point and a purpose to his sufferings.

The wonder of God's gift (v. 7)

Notice his sense of amazement as he writes: "I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." Two things that never ceased to amaze him are (1) the immense value of the gift God had given him, especially in view of (2) his own weakness and unworthiness.

This gift of the ministry of the gospel came to him by the grace and power of God. Each of us is born with natural gifts. These natural gifts include such abilities as musical, artistic, organizational, mathematical, leadership, speaking, and writing talents. Everyone has talents. They are part of God's gifts to Adam and his race. But in the new creation, we have been given supernatural gifts, spiritual gifts.

It is one of these spiritual gifts that Paul revels in here in Ephesians 3--the gift of an evangelist. In verse 8 he says that though he is "less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." The word translated "to preach" really means "to evangelize." So Paul had the gift of evangelism among his many spiritual gifts, and this is what drove him to the far corners of the earth, preaching Christ to people who had never heard of Christ before. Paul had a hunger for seeing people come to salvation, which is characteristic of the gift of evangelism.

It is the Lord Jesus' prerogative to assign a ministry to every one of us, and the ministry He assigned Paul was an evangelistic ministry to the Gentiles. Both Peter and Paul had gifts of evangelism, but Peter's ministry was to the Jews and Paul's was to the Gentiles.

If you know Jesus Christ, you have spiritual gifts, and the Lord Jesus wants to lead you into the place where you will minister and utilize that gift. That is your ministry. Every believer ought to have a ministry. This is what makes the church function as God intended it to do.

Your gifts are different than mine and mine are different from yours, but they are all valuable and necessary to the proper functioning of the church.

Paul never got over the wonder of his gift. What a glorious thing it was, he said, that God had given him the gift of preaching this tremendous message to people who had never heard the good news before.

The wonder of Paul's weakness

Paul was continually amazed that God would entrust such a gift and such a ministry to someone as weak as himself. "Although I am less than the least of all God's people," he said, "this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." I don't think this is mere false modesty on Paul's part. He is expressing the depths of his true feelings, his candid self-assessment.

I have heard people say, "Paul is so conceited! He talks about his holiness and his faithfulness and his compassion. He says, 'Imitate me, as I imitate Christ.' Man, what an ego!" That is a complete misreading of Paul's heart. If you really want to know what Paul thought of himself, here it is in Ephesians. Here again, Paul invents a new word, putting a comparative and a superlative together—“leastest”—which the NIV translates “less than the least”. In 2 Timothy, he calls himself "the chief of sinners." This is not the self-appraisal of an egotist, but of a humble, Christlike man.

Paul is following in the footsteps of the One who said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Mathew 11:29). What happened in Paul's life is what we so often see in the lives of the truly great saints, past and present. As they grow older, they grow in an awareness of their own sin and weakness-and this awareness produces true Christlike humility.

As Paul began to understand the full revelation of the mystery which is in Jesus Christ, the clarity of his knowledge gave him an unclouded view of himself and his own weakness. That is why he could say, in all honesty, without false modesty, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out" (Romans 7:18). Though many of us would deny it that is a candid and accurate assessment of our true human state.

Here is the glory of the mystery: Out of weakness comes strength--our weakness and God's strength.

Amazing the angels (vv. 8-10)

When this apostle could say of himself, “I am less than the least of all God's people," he was able to go on and describe a fantastically effective ministry, which he goes on to set forth in beautiful terms:

Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, (3:8-10).

Here, Paul discloses a threefold effect that his ministry has had:

1.   Those to whom he has preached have discovered unsearchable riches in Christ (v. 8). The preaching of Christ enriches the lives of those who hear the gospel--not in some time to come, but right here and right now. Wherever Paul preached, hearts were changed, hurts were healed, families were restored, bad habits of a lifetime were broken, and lives were filled with joy, hope, love, and peace. The unsearchable riches of Christ are a present reality, not just a heavenly hope!

2.   His preaching unlocks the mystery and reveals God's plan for all to see: "and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things" (v. 9). In Isaiah 9, the prophet predicted that those who walk in darkness would see a great light--and he went on to prophesy the coming of the Christ-child: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

Jesus is the light that illuminates the darkness. Paul exulted in the role God had given him--a role of unlocking the mystery, of enlightening men and women with this tremendous secret. Everything good in life and society--good government, world peace, safe neighborhoods, enlightened education, progress in knowledge and technology--is directly proportional to the degree that we in society have ordered our lives by the mystery of the gospel. To reject this mystery is to embrace darkness; to embrace this mystery is to invite God's light into our lives and our society.

Notice that Paul ties everything up with the phrase, "God, who created all things." God has ordained life to be lived in accordance with His truth. The more people act out rebellion against the truth of the gospel, the faster society tilts toward anarchy, lawlessness, and spiritual darkness. When the light of God's truth recedes, the darkness of superstition, occultism, and demonism comes flooding in.

Paul knew this great secret--the secret that true enjoyment of this life, true pleasure and satisfaction in this life, comes only when the gospel has permeated our lives. So he reveled and exulted in the privilege he had been given to spread this brilliant light into the dark and weary pagan world of the first century A.D. This wonderful, illuminating mystery was hidden by God until the world was ready for it. All the ages of history before the coming of Christ were spent preparing the world for the unfolding of the mystery, for the revelation of Jesus Christ. There is nothing in all the world like this great secret--and God had to get us ready for it.

It is not accidental that Christ came when he did—when the Roman Empire ruled the known world. A time, unlike all time before, when the Gospel could be spread throughout the world because of the peace and order imposed by Roman power and the roads built by Roman ingenuity.

This is what Paul meant when he wrote, "But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons" (Galatians 4:4-5). This was the beginning of the unfolding of this mystery, which is the secret of the governing of human lives.

3.   His preaching demonstrates the wisdom of God. In verse 10, Paul writes, "His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms." We are surrounded by an invisible spiritual kingdom made up of both demons and angels--as Paul will explore in greater detail in Ephesians 6. These "rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms" are watching us. It is as if we are on the stage of a great theater, with the angels gathered around in rows, watching us and learning from what is happening here in the lives of believers.

The point here is that the church, which is made up of both Jews and Gentiles, is a jolting evidence of God’s wisdom in the face of the forces of evil. This reconciliation that comes by the blood of Christ, and is realized in the church, is a profound indication that God is at work. And the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places should stand back and watch in awe at what God has done through Christ. A new age has dawned, and the demise of evil has begun.

So the revelation of the mystery is the revelation of the love of God in ways that amaze and instruct the angels. This is why the apostle Peter says in his first letter that our salvation is so tremendous that the angels longed to look into these things (1 Peter 1:12). In other words, God's incredible love is demonstrated by the church in such a way as to startle and amaze the angels, as they see the manifold wisdom of God.

This word manifold is rarely used in the New Testament. What this word suggests is that the wisdom and love of God is manifest in all the hues of life--in our golden moments of glory, our green pastures of contentment, our red hours of anger and passion, our blue days of depression, our black days of grief. His many colors of wisdom are all aspects of His character. We cannot always see the full rainbow of His wisdom and love toward us, but it is always there.

As the angels watch us, they see us learning to turn from our fears, anger, and sin, as we learn to trust God. When the angels, who have seen God, see that weak and faltering humans, who have never seen God, can learn to trust and obey Him, they cannot help but praise Him. When the angels--especially the fallen angels--see that frail humans succeed where angels failed, loving and obeying the same God that the demons rebelled against, then the true wisdom and righteousness of God is demonstrated for all time.

The ordering of the ages (vv. 11-13)

Paul never lets us forget that the source of this great mystery is our Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 11, Paul writes: "according to his eternal purpose [literally, in the original Greek, the ordering of the ages] which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." Jesus is the source. In Him God has ordered the ages to produce the unveiling of this great mystery. This means that all of time and all of history are woven together by the hand of God to bring these great events to pass. Paul and the other apostles proclaimed it. And it is now our privilege to declare it to the world.

Paul goes on to add, verses 12 and 13: "In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory." We, as weak, frail, fumbling human creatures, have access to come boldly and confidently before God to pour out our needs before him. We will always find Him to be a compassionate, tender, loving Father, concerned to bring to bear all His omnipotent power to work out the problems of our lives.

Is there any message greater than this that man could ever hear? What a glorious message! No wonder this apostle was so amazed at the wonder that this message should be committed to him! No wonder he told his Ephesian friends not to be discouraged over his sufferings! From Paul's perspective, the sufferings of one man .didn't amount to a hill of beans compared with the unsearchable riches of Christ, the universal knowledge of the great secret that unravels all human misery and problems, the opportunity to teach the truth about God's love and wisdom to the authorities and powers of the heavenly realms.

This mystery of the ages was first revealed to the world in a stable in Bethlehem. It was further unveiled upon a wooden cross of horror and torture on a hill outside of Jerusalem. That revelation is still going on, and the reverberations are reaching out beyond the walls of our own world, penetrating to the outermost heavenly realms. It is shaking the foundations of the kingdom of Satan. It is illuminating the world and breaking the power of darkness.

It is showering us with unimaginable wealth and blessing—

The wealth and blessing of our unsearchable riches in Christ.



	"Ministry By God's Grace"
	Ephesians 3:7-13
	In Ephesians 3:7-13, Paul continues his discussion of the great mystery of the Christian gospel which he had begun to discuss in the opening verses of chapter 3. But now he does so in a way that is intensely personal and candid. ⁷I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. ⁸Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. ¹⁰His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, ¹¹according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹²In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. ¹³I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory. Verse 13 reveals that the reason Paul wrote this section of the letter is that the Ephesian Christians were troubled by his suffering not so much because they felt sorry and fearful for him (though, of course, they did), but because their faith was shaken by his sufferings. They were really troubled that a great apostle—their spiritual father—should appear to be a helpless victim of Caesar's cruelty, chained to a Roman soldier day and night. Paul writes back, and says, in effect, "You've got it all wrong. You don't understand the true nature and purpose of my troubles. You see, suffering for the cause of Christ is the sure way to victory." This mighty apostle had learned that the cross is always the pathway to a crown. Victory in Christ entails an element of sharing in the sufferings of Christ. So Paul is writing to assure them that everything is exactly as it should be. There is a point and a purpose to his sufferings. The wonder of God's gift (v. 7) Notice his sense of amazement as he writes: "I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." Two things that never ceased to amaze him are (1) the immense value of the gift God had given him, especially in view of (2) his own weakness and unworthiness. This gift of the ministry of the gospel came to him by the grace and power of God. Each of us is born with natural gifts. These natural gifts include such abilities as musical, artistic, organizational, mathematical, leadership, speaking, and writing talents. Everyone has talents. They are part of God's gifts to Adam and his race. But in the new creation, we have been given supernatural gifts, spiritual gifts. It is one of these spiritual gifts that Paul revels in here in Ephesians 3--the gift of an evangelist. In verse 8 he says that though he is "less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." The word translated "to preach" really means "to evangelize." So Paul had the gift of evangelism among his many spiritual gifts, and this is what drove him to the far corners of the earth, preaching Christ to people who had never heard of Christ before. Paul had a hunger for seeing people come to salvation, which is characteristic of the gift of evangelism. It is the Lord Jesus' prerogative to assign a ministry to every one of us, and the ministry He assigned Paul was an evangelistic ministry to the Gentiles. Both Peter and Paul had gifts of evangelism, but Peter's ministry was to the Jews and Paul's was to the Gentiles. If you know Jesus Christ, you have spiritual gifts, and the Lord Jesus wants to lead you into the place where you will minister and utilize that gift. That is your ministry. Every believer ought to have a ministry. This is what makes the church function as God intended it to do. Your gifts are different than mine and mine are different from yours, but they are all valuable and necessary to the proper functioning of the church. Paul never got over the wonder of his gift. What a glorious thing it was, he said, that God had given him the gift of preaching this tremendous message to people who had never heard the good news before. The wonder of Paul's weakness Paul was continually amazed that God would entrust such a gift and such a ministry to someone as weak as himself. "Although I am less than the least of all God's people," he said, "this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." I don't think this is mere false modesty on Paul's part. He is expressing the depths of his true feelings, his candid self-assessment. I have heard people say, "Paul is so conceited! He talks about his holiness and his faithfulness and his compassion. He says, 'Imitate me, as I imitate Christ.' Man, what an ego!" That is a complete misreading of Paul's heart. If you really want to know what Paul thought of himself, here it is in Ephesians. Here again, Paul invents a new word, putting a comparative and a superlative together—“leastest”—which the NIV translates “less than the least”. In 2 Timothy, he calls himself "the chief of sinners." This is not the self-appraisal of an egotist, but of a humble, Christlike man. Paul is following in the footsteps of the One who said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Mathew 11:29). What happened in Paul's life is what we so often see in the lives of the truly great saints, past and present. As they grow older, they grow in an awareness of their own sin and weakness-and this awareness produces true Christlike humility. As Paul began to understand the full revelation of the mystery which is in Jesus Christ, the clarity of his knowledge gave him an unclouded view of himself and his own weakness. That is why he could say, in all honesty, without false modesty, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out" (Romans 7:18). Though many of us would deny it that is a candid and accurate assessment of our true human state. Here is the glory of the mystery: Out of weakness comes strength--our weakness and God's strength. Amazing the angels (vv. 8-10) When this apostle could say of himself, “I am less than the least of all God's people," he was able to go on and describe a fantastically effective ministry, which he goes on to set forth in beautiful terms: Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, (3:8-10). Here, Paul discloses a threefold effect that his ministry has had: 1. Those to whom he has preached have discovered unsearchable riches in Christ (v. 8). The preaching of Christ enriches the lives of those who hear the gospel--not in some time to come, but right here and right now. Wherever Paul preached, hearts were changed, hurts were healed, families were restored, bad habits of a lifetime were broken, and lives were filled with joy, hope, love, and peace. The unsearchable riches of Christ are a present reality, not just a heavenly hope! 2. His preaching unlocks the mystery and reveals God's plan for all to see: "and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things" (v. 9). In Isaiah 9, the prophet predicted that those who walk in darkness would see a great light--and he went on to prophesy the coming of the Christ-child: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus is the light that illuminates the darkness. Paul exulted in the role God had given him--a role of unlocking the mystery, of enlightening men and women with this tremendous secret. Everything good in life and society--good government, world peace, safe neighborhoods, enlightened education, progress in knowledge and technology--is directly proportional to the degree that we in society have ordered our lives by the mystery of the gospel. To reject this mystery is to embrace darkness; to embrace this mystery is to invite God's light into our lives and our society. Notice that Paul ties everything up with the phrase, "God, who created all things." God has ordained life to be lived in accordance with His truth. The more people act out rebellion against the truth of the gospel, the faster society tilts toward anarchy, lawlessness, and spiritual darkness. When the light of God's truth recedes, the darkness of superstition, occultism, and demonism comes flooding in. Paul knew this great secret--the secret that true enjoyment of this life, true pleasure and satisfaction in this life, comes only when the gospel has permeated our lives. So he reveled and exulted in the privilege he had been given to spread this brilliant light into the dark and weary pagan world of the first century A.D. This wonderful, illuminating mystery was hidden by God until the world was ready for it. All the ages of history before the coming of Christ were spent preparing the world for the unfolding of the mystery, for the revelation of Jesus Christ. There is nothing in all the world like this great secret--and God had to get us ready for it. It is not accidental that Christ came when he did—when the Roman Empire ruled the known world. A time, unlike all time before, when the Gospel could be spread throughout the world because of the peace and order imposed by Roman power and the roads built by Roman ingenuity. This is what Paul meant when he wrote, "But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons" (Galatians 4:4-5). This was the beginning of the unfolding of this mystery, which is the secret of the governing of human lives. 3. His preaching demonstrates the wisdom of God. In verse 10, Paul writes, "His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms." We are surrounded by an invisible spiritual kingdom made up of both demons and angels--as Paul will explore in greater detail in Ephesians 6. These "rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms" are watching us. It is as if we are on the stage of a great theater, with the angels gathered around in rows, watching us and learning from what is happening here in the lives of believers. The point here is that the church, which is made up of both Jews and Gentiles, is a jolting evidence of God’s wisdom in the face of the forces of evil. This reconciliation that comes by the blood of Christ, and is realized in the church, is a profound indication that God is at work. And the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places should stand back and watch in awe at what God has done through Christ. A new age has dawned, and the demise of evil has begun. So the revelation of the mystery is the revelation of the love of God in ways that amaze and instruct the angels. This is why the apostle Peter says in his first letter that our salvation is so tremendous that the angels longed to look into these things (1 Peter 1:12). In other words, God's incredible love is demonstrated by the church in such a way as to startle and amaze the angels, as they see the manifold wisdom of God. This word manifold is rarely used in the New Testament. What this word suggests is that the wisdom and love of God is manifest in all the hues of life--in our golden moments of glory, our green pastures of contentment, our red hours of anger and passion, our blue days of depression, our black days of grief. His many colors of wisdom are all aspects of His character. We cannot always see the full rainbow of His wisdom and love toward us, but it is always there. As the angels watch us, they see us learning to turn from our fears, anger, and sin, as we learn to trust God. When the angels, who have seen God, see that weak and faltering humans, who have never seen God, can learn to trust and obey Him, they cannot help but praise Him. When the angels--especially the fallen angels--see that frail humans succeed where angels failed, loving and obeying the same God that the demons rebelled against, then the true wisdom and righteousness of God is demonstrated for all time. The ordering of the ages (vv. 11-13) Paul never lets us forget that the source of this great mystery is our Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 11, Paul writes: "according to his eternal purpose [literally, in the original Greek, the ordering of the ages] which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." Jesus is the source. In Him God has ordered the ages to produce the unveiling of this great mystery. This means that all of time and all of history are woven together by the hand of God to bring these great events to pass. Paul and the other apostles proclaimed it. And it is now our privilege to declare it to the world. Paul goes on to add, verses 12 and 13: "In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory." We, as weak, frail, fumbling human creatures, have access to come boldly and confidently before God to pour out our needs before him. We will always find Him to be a compassionate, tender, loving Father, concerned to bring to bear all His omnipotent power to work out the problems of our lives. Is there any message greater than this that man could ever hear? What a glorious message! No wonder this apostle was so amazed at the wonder that this message should be committed to him! No wonder he told his Ephesian friends not to be discouraged over his sufferings! From Paul's perspective, the sufferings of one man .didn't amount to a hill of beans compared with the unsearchable riches of Christ, the universal knowledge of the great secret that unravels all human misery and problems, the opportunity to teach the truth about God's love and wisdom to the authorities and powers of the heavenly realms. This mystery of the ages was first revealed to the world in a stable in Bethlehem. It was further unveiled upon a wooden cross of horror and torture on a hill outside of Jerusalem. That revelation is still going on, and the reverberations are reaching out beyond the walls of our own world, penetrating to the outermost heavenly realms. It is shaking the foundations of the kingdom of Satan. It is illuminating the world and breaking the power of darkness. It is showering us with unimaginable wealth and blessing— The wealth and blessing of our unsearchable riches in Christ.