Partakers of Promise: The Mystery, Ministry, and Measure of the Gospel
Ephesians 3
Mysteries of Life
A mystery is something which we observe, but the meaning or conclusion of the matter is difficult to explain. We have some pieces of the puzzle, but we don’t quite have them all yet. There is just one more piece, one more perspective that we need in order to understand what it is we are looking at and without that piece, without that perspective, the answer remains a secret to us.
Another good example of this would be a riddle which gives some information towards an answer, but requires a certain perspective in order to understand. An example from Greek Mythology is, what has four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs at night? The answer: Man. At the beginning of life, we go about crawling on all fours, then we walk on two legs, then we walk on three legs with the aid of a cane. Or, “The more you take, the more you leave behind, what am I?” Answer: footsteps.
But do you ever think that there may be more to life than what we see going on around us, or even that there might be more than what we choose to do with our lives? That perhaps life is like a riddle that you haven’t quite figured out the answer to yet? That the need for discovery, hobbies, friendships and learning new things comes from a desire to find an answer in something other than what we already know? That just behind the surface of what we currently realize, there is some piece of the puzzle yet to be discovered? And if we could just find that thing that would give us fulfillment, then we would be content, happy, and satisfied; having found the answer to the mystery?
Every day we are surrounded by things which are hidden and mysterious to us; thoughts and activities that we know little to nothing about. Some things it is because we have little to no desire to discover the inner workings of them. Something hidden and mysterious for me would be something like coding on a computer, I have great respect for those who can, but have no desire to do it myself.
Yet there are subjects which we, for whatever reason, are inherently drawn to. And when we discover them, there is a brief moment of excitement where we subconsciously think to ourselves, “Maybe this will be the thing I’ve been missing.” We may observe other people and think to ourselves, “They seem to have found what I’m lacking,” or “I’ve got more figured out than they do!”
Well, if you have thought or felt this way, this is something which Paul talked about in his letter to the Ephesian church. Paul let in by the Holy Spirit on a mystery and was charged with the ministry of that mystery. Paul ministered this mystery to us so that we may know the measure of the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that we may be filled. In order that the answer to the riddle of our life may be grasped, for the glory of God.
The Mystery of the Gospel
"For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 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. 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."
Ephesians 3:1-6
The mystery of the Gospel is what Paul was talking about previously in chapter two verses 11-22, that the non-Hebrew people who were formerly separated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, are now being brought in, to be fellow citizens with them. And this is something that no one in the Jewish nation saw coming, the prophets who spoke the words of God in the Old Testament understood the message that they gave to their generation, but did not fully understand how the word of God spoken through them would be fulfilled in the future. In fact it isn’t until the 10th chapter of the book of Acts that the true extent of the Gospel is actually realized.
After the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, after the Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost and just after Saul is converted, the apostle Peter is on his roof praying and receives a vision of a great sheet descending from heaven with all kinds of animals declared unclean in the law and a voice tells him to kill and eat. Well Peter, being a good Jewish man, protests. But the voice tells him, “What God has made clean, do not defile.”
After this, he is approached by messengers who represent a Roman centurion (a Gentile) and is asked to come see them. Peter agrees to go and when he arrives, many people are gathered there and Peter says this, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean…” (v. 28).
Afterwards Peter explains to them the good news of Jesus, concluding that, “To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in his receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (v. 43). And once they heard the word from Peter, the Holy Spirit came upon the Gentiles who were there and the circumcised people with Peter were amazed because of it. And Peter took some heat because of it and had to explain himself to some other leaders because of what happened, but in the end, they realized that God was doing something unique among the Gentiles (Acts 11).
This account demonstrates what a radical change happened when the mystery of the Gospel was revealed to Peter and to Paul. The mystery is so profound that these men had to be told by a revelation of the Father in order to even see it and then they re-read and examined the Scriptures to understand them in light of what God had done in Christ. They received the answer to the riddle of the Gospel going out to the Gentiles.
We look at the great divide that existed between the Hebrew people and the Gentile nations; that we were cut off from the chosen people, without hope and without God in the world. God’s chosen people were to be a light to the nations as a royal priesthood and a holy nation that would point other nations to God, but this they failed to do. And instead the nations were blaspheming God because of the faithless actions of the chosen nation. What they needed was a perfect representative, a perfect ruler, a perfect king who would be the Messiah, the Anointed One and this is Christ. Christ is the one who brought us near by his blood because he not only brought peace, but Jesus is our peace; who broke down the dividing wall of hostility between Hebrew and Gentile. That we may be partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.
Anyone who becomes a partaker of the promise of Jesus Christ, has forgiveness of their sins and is able to draw near to God, to enter into the very presence of God, the holy place, by the blood of Jesus and find acceptance and eternal life. In this, we also are to have peace with one another since we are all partakers together of the mystery which came through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
A.W. Tozer uses an analogy of a thousand pianos being tuned to one tuning fork that are all in unity with one another, not because they tuned to one another, but to one source. As each one of us turns our gaze on Christ in worship, we become attuned to one another. This unity is far greater than any that could be achieved if we were to fix our gaze on one another to become more unity conscious.
As partakers of the mystery of the Gospel, we have peace with God, and peace with one another because Jesus himself is our peace. And along with becoming partakers of the promise of the Mystery of the Gospel, we are to be partakers of the Ministry of the Gospel.
The Ministry of the Gospel
"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. 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, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory."
Ephesians 3:7-13
Preaching the Unsearchable Riches of Christ
This is the focal point of Paul’s message, the fact that though God had chosen the Hebrew people as his inheritance, the generosity of his riches would spill over to all the nations. At the same time, this speaks again to the surpassing worth of Christ that his sacrifice would not be only for one nation, but for all the nations of the world.
The blood of the Son of God is of too great a value, and the generosity of Christ is too great, to redeem only one nation. Do we, as people of the nations, think of Christ as generous, One with unsearchable riches? Or do we think of him as stingy? When we come to the King of Kings in prayer, do we always receive what we have asked for? Sometimes, the Father says no to our requests. But if, because of this, we think of Christ as stingy, then we are searching for the wrong kind of generosity from him.
Christ himself said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you… which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:7-11). But we must also contend with what the Spirit says in James, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:3).
Each one of us must examine ourselves, examine our own hearts to see if we ask for good things from God, things that help us to love Him more and to love others more, or do we ask for selfish things for our own material comforts? Do we desire to be partakers of the promise, or do we desire to partakers of the benefits that we can gain for ourselves from the promise?
Be sure of this, that as we desire Christ’s riches more and more, as we desire that which is useful for the building up of His body, the nature of his riches will become more and more clear. He says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28), and, “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28).
Bringing the Mystery to Light
The purpose of the church, this gathering of people redeemed by Christ, is much more far reaching than we sometimes realize. The church is the physical representation of a spiritual reality, the Body of Christ joined together by the Spirit. But that representation is not only a statement to our community, to our country, or to our world. It is that, and far grander. It is also a statement of God’s wisdom to the powers that be in the heavenly places, both good and evil.
Paul sees his imprisonment as a price he is willing to pay in order to bring this message of the Gospel and the riches of Christ to the Gentiles. Paul testifies by his imprisonment that the riches of Christ stand firm in the face of material poverty and the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. Paul is partaker of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel and the rest, peace, and confidence that are found in Him in any circumstance. When you find the answer to a riddle, you don’t keep searching for another answer; we have Christ in us through the Holy Spirit by faith.
So when we suffer, do we see it as an opportunity to demonstrate to a broken world the peace and rest that Christ brings? The message of the surpassing riches of Christ is our Ministry of the Gospel. When hardship and trials come, we show our true colors by how we interpret those trials and how we respond to them. Now I am not saying that we should pretend that something is pleasant when it isn’t, Paul knew that he was suffering.
If trials and hardship cause us to question God’s generosity, then we are after the wrong kind of generosity. But if we ask God to give us this eternal perspective, that we actually have a ministry in demonstrating to our community, to our country, to our world, and to the heavenly places that Christ’s riches are sufficient in the midst of hardship and trial.
When the riddles of life inevitably come to pass, and you don’t know the answer; Christ is the answer. That sounds cliché, but it doesn’t make it any less true. The fact of the matter is that, though "why" is a right question to ask, we tend to get really hung up on the question of why, but we can also lose focus on the who. The answer to the who is Jesus and with that answer, the riddle of life is answered. There isn’t any need to keep looking for something else once you’ve found Him.
The Measure of the Gospel
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:14-21
In the Ministry of the Mystery of the Gospel, we are sustained by the immense Measure of the Gospel of Christ. This is the source of our strength through his Spirit.
The purpose of this strength is not only for the sake of dispensing our heavenly calling as ministers of the mystery in the world, but this strengthening is for the purpose of further comprehension of the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge. God strengthens us by his Spirit in order that we would comprehend Him more!