Ephesians Bible Study Spring 2009

Chapter 3

If we were invited to a free exhibit of the world's finest diamond, with excellent lighting and showcase to reveal it's perfect beauty, would you come and stare at it with me? Would you draw close and linger? Would you stand in one place, or would you rather move around it, pausing to catch the fire of it's flawless faces? Would you secretly want to hold it, and even more ridiculously, desire it for yourself?

This is God's opulent invitation to us in Christ every time we make time to desire Him, by faith, in His Word, in worship, in prayer, in service to Him. He offers Himself, holy, firey-faced, lovely, perfect. He is ours for the keeping as we gaze upon His glory today in His flawless Word.

We left brother Paul off as he sketched with colorful word pencils for us the new, living tabernacle of God. His new family. His one new man. His peace. This bringing the Jews and Gentiles together in unity and peace with God in Christ proved a precious and pertinent truth in Chapter 2. It was a big deal! How big? Big enough for Paul to continue illustrating it's grandeur from a different angle. The now-human temple of God made alive in Christ had become his divine passion, and he desired their comfort on his behalf.

1For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—

This is tricky. Paul begins to tell them what is on his heart. He seems headed for his prayer closet. As a prisoner(in Rome) he doesn't want them to.... then he pauses to encourage them that his current condition is not of man, but of God,

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.

Paul identifies himself as prisoner of Christ Jesus. Nobody really held Paul but Jesus. Spiritually as a prisoner of Christ, he was enchained to the very gracious and precise will of God to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Physically as His prisoner, he was enchained many times and ultimately at home under house arrest for preaching the Gospel to the, guess who? The Gentiles. This passionate herald of hope once said,'to live is Christ', expressing the totality of his devotion to God and His dear Son. He lives to fulfill this call by being it's prisoner. Paul's first whisper of the secretive nature of this revelation in this letter is in Chapter 1:9-10, of how God had lavished the apostles and prophets with grace, wisdom and insight in

9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Along with the 'us', the apostles and prophets, Paul had the best secret ever, the secret will of God. God had not revealed this mystery until now. Paul is replete with words regarding Gentile grace because it's the big deal and he assured the saints he had been made God's unassuming ambassador of it, as stated to King Agrippa in Acts 26: 14-18:

14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles— to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

He expresses his desire for their intimate grasp of these truths, that

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. 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.

That's the mystery, yet stating and restating for clarity and confidence, Paul continues

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,

Wait! The least? Was Paul too hard on himself? Is this a bad case of low self-esteem? No. Never feeling self-worthy of his calling, he was humbly aware of and frequently mentioned his prior state of depraved zeal, which continued in contrasting tandem throughout his glowing ministry. He counted the gift and power from God to preach this mystery a privilege of grace. What a kind employment for the God persecutor! What a model for all servants.

this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

This ultimate mystery of the Gentiles' inclusion in the inheritance of grace remains the subject here. These inherited riches of Christ, as mentioned in chapters 1 and 2 are unsearchable, untraceable. They are super secret. They can't be conveniently calculated or tracked by human intellect. Though we, as David said, might see that goodness and mercy have followed us all the days of our lives, no one gets their mind around the eternal weight of glory in Christ on this side of heaven, and yet, by faith, in all due respect to God, we can seek to do so. The things God grants those who believe can't be grasped by the finite mind. Just as the disciples watched as Jesus was taken up in a cloud in Acts1, His kindness, grace and joy in the Lord, etc. fills and then fades from our mortal perspective. So much to praise Him for. So much to look forward to with Him.

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.

The creation-wide display of God's wisdom in the church is here described with the word manifold, meaning variegated; multifarious. In gardening terms, this refers to plant leaves with many different color shades and hues. In textiles, it is a skillful weaving of color and texture, making a tapestry or fine embroidery. Here, God's wisdom is so many-faced, or multi-faceted. Like a diamond, each lovely face of each believer in the church will forever reflect the wisdom of God in Christ; so pure, so brilliant, so perfect. As both good and evil entities in high, heavenly places of authority and power observe with all humanity the unified church of Christ Jesus, they behold the crown jewel of God's wisdom! Mystery revealed.

Why all of this wonder?

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.

The God of the universe eternally purposed to form in Christ this new, unified humanity of Jew and Gentile believers. He fully and always intended to do just what He did at the cross. God made a secret plan, though He hinted at it in the Old Testament. It remained covert and was perfectly executed at the cross,( 'It is finished', said Jesus) to the praise of His wisdom, and the glory of His grace. Our faith in Christ provides us with bold (frank, open, plain) access(admission) to God, just as He so wisely and graciously and lovingly planned for us to have all along. Hallelujah!

And now, this rolling river of God's grace settles down like a quiet stream for a moment to ask them for something

13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

'In light of this mystery revealed, and in the grand scheme of God's will and sovereign plan for your inclusion in the household of God in Christ, don't worry about me', Paul, in essence, says. He had been set apart from day one to do things for Jesus the hard way, through suffering. This is first for the glory of the Lord in Paul, as well as the glory of God to be shone within them forever.To look through the obvious and into the glorious by faith in Christ requires super eyes of enlightenment, by the Spirit. The broader our perspective and understanding of the true nature and desire of God, the less apt we are to worry about things. Jesus tells us not to worry! O, it may have seemed noble to be concerned for this dear man of God, but inappropriate concern for even good things is a robber of our peace, our prayer and God's praise. Paul gently directs their attention, as always, back to the Lord's purpose in everything. Glory. It's really all about Him.

Now onto the prayer of Paul. The river is risin' again!

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

Paul asks the Father(how tender, we're family)for super strength for them. Folding to the ground he stretches way up in faith and frank request for power from on high, the promise for believers from the Spirit of promise Himself. Dynamic, dynamite, dynamo- these are members of the word family of power. Back to the raging waters! Simply reading these words is stirring. But reading them mixed with sincere faith...staggering! Why this prayer for power?

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

That's absolutely why! We, as their prayer becomes our own, need Jesus living large in our hearts by faith, that our mutual love might take full hold and be firmly established, and that we will, by His dynamic strength, comprehend with every saint the immeasurable, unknowable dimensions of HIS GREAT LOVE, filling all with all of God. Nothing happens without it. Hum, dimensions of His love. Dimensions like 78 billion light years across? No, that's our current measurement of the span of the universe, though, it's probably bigger yet. But it's still smaller than God's love, because the universe is measurable.

20 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, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

There he goes again! Paul proverbially dips his toe in the water of prayer, and Whoops! He's swept up in the high river of praise! Doxology. Praising God and proclaiming just how exceedingly big, and wonderful, and wise, and powerful He is and desires to be in us in Christ. Let's join him in chorus.Yay for God forever in Christ Jesus our Lord! Amen. Let's pray.

Possible Group Discussion Questions-

- How does this great mystery revealed effect us personally?

- Is there anything we might be inappropriately concerned over?

- How has this aspect of the greatness of God's wise plan of grace strengthened you?

Please reserve time for prayer for one another :)