By Rev. Dr. Brent Russett – Asbury Free Methodist
October 1st, 2023 – Ephesians 3:1-12
I want to start by telling you the Grand Story. Before the beginning, there was God. God has never changed. He was as He is now, in community with himself – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The three in one.
God was not bored because the community He lived in was beautiful and good, wonderous, and lovely. In fact, it was so good that he decided to share his life. He spoke the word, and creation happened.
Not the creation that you and I see – but before the world was ever called into being, God created the heavenly host. God created the angels of heaven. These were amazing, wonderful, independent, powerful beings who shared the heavenly realm with God.
There were more powerful and less powerful angels. There were higher and lower-rank angels. These angels enjoyed the life of God, but they were not God.
One of these angels, the angel of light, the angel known as Lucifer, decided that he wanted to be God. In his pride, he thought that he was greater than God, and he decided to go to war with God.
He recruited as many angels to his side as he could. Lucifer is a liar and the father of lies. I don’t know what lies he told, but he recruited one-third of the angels to his side, and he led them in rebellion against God.
Now, when a finite angel goes up against an infinite God, the results are preordained. You look at it and, smack your head and ask, what was he thinking. But pride has a way of warping our thinking. Pride goes before a fall.
The rebellion was put down, and Lucifer and the one-third of the angels that followed him in his rebellion were cast out of heaven. Deprived of the light of God and the holiness of heaven – twisted by the pride and the rebellion that festered in their minds they became depraved; they became evil. Lucifer became known by the name Satan. The fallen angels became demons.
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All this happened before the world began. It might have been a hundred years, a million years or a trillion years before the world began – we don’t know.
But we know that God decided to create the world and the universe that it is set in. The stars are God’s. The planets are God’s. The universe is God’s, and, of course, the world is God’s.
On our world, the planet that we know as Earth, God decided to make people. These people would be different from the angels. Angels don’t procreate – they are independent beings – created independently. But God chose to make humanity as a family and give them authority over the rest of creation.
Listen to King David’s wonder,
Psalm 8:1–8 (NLT)
1 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Your glory is higher than the heavens…
3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—
4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?
5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honour.
6 You gave them charge of everything you made,
putting all things under their authority—
7 the flocks and the herds
and all the wild animals,
8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
and everything that swims the ocean currents.
God, having lived in community forever, made us to be relational – with Him – with each other. God made a world that was good. He made people who were good. In fact, he made us in his image. With that, we were given purpose. We were to work and tend the garden. We were given personal freedom – you can eat of any plant in the garden except for this tree. We were given dignity and relationship – because the God of the universe walked and talked with us. – Oh, it was good. Our relationship with God was sweet and pure and wonderful. The love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit flowed towards us, and our love flowed toward Him.
We were living our best life – what we were created for. We were in a relationship with God, reflecting him. Bearing his image.
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But the ones who were deformed by rebellion and warped by pride- the ones who made themselves enemies by God, came into God’s good creation. Satan tempted those first people – by casting doubt on God. Did God really say you shouldn’t eat? The reason why God is saying that is that he is afraid that you will become like him. Go ahead. Eat. And they did.
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With that, sin entered into the human heart. It became part of our spiritual DNA. It entered into the world. Creation itself was tainted by sin. Death became a reality. Disease, sickness, and disasters were all a result of sin entering the world.
Worse than that – our relationship with God was broken. Where we were so spiritually alive that we could walk with God, and talk with God, and listen to God as he talked with us – we became spiritually dead. We could not perceive the spiritual realm any longer. The relationship that we were built for was broken, gone, dissolved.
The people were kicked out of that idyllic garden, but a promise was made. God promised that one of the offspring of those people would give a crushing blow to Satan. One day, God would fix things.
But God never said when this would happen. God never said how this would happen. From the beginning of time, that was the mystery.
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Fast forward thousands of years. There was a man named Abraham. God came to him and made a covenant with him. God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation – and that from this great nation would come a king who would bless all the nations.
Abraham became the father of the Jewish nation. But where would this king come from? Who would bless the nations?
If I had time, we could trace the promises of God through the covenant that God made with Moses. We continue to trace the covenant of God through the promises that God made to David. We could listen to the prophets and hear about how one was going to come to be a blessing to the nations. He was going to crush the head of Satan. He was going to turn people back to God. But the question was always how.
It was a mystery. What was God’s plan? What was God going to do? Even the angels didn’t understand the plans of God.
Can you imagine the angels talking to each other? Gabriel was talking to his friend Michael. How is God going to fix this mess? Even God’s best people are warped by sin. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob – they all lied to those around them. Moses was a murderer. David was a murderer and adulterer. Evil seems to be winning. Look at the people. They are twisted, warped, depraved. Even the religious people, they are trying to do their best. But their righteousness, compared with the holiness of God, is like filthy rags. And that is God’s chosen people. The rest are completely hopeless. How is God going to fix this mess?
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Come with me to our scripture passage this morning. I am going to be using the New Living Translation because this passage is a whole lot easier to understand in this translatioin.
Before we get to our passage, let me remind you of last week’s scripture. Paul was talking about how, before Jesus, the Jews and the Gentiles – that is, non-Jewish people- were separate.
Ephesians 2:12 (NLT)
12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.
We Gentiles were without God and without hope in this world. But God loved us so much that while we were yet sinners, he sent his son. Jesus died, and salvation was offered to everyone – Jews and Gentiles alike. Not only that – for those who would put their faith in Jesus, both Jew and Gentile – God created one new humanity – one new people. There is no longer a dividing wall between us.
Last week, we looked at how Paul was amazed at this. The idea that God would save the Gentiles was not on Paul’s radar screen until he encountered Jesus.
Come with me now to our passage.
Ephesians 3:1–5 (NLT)
When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles … 2 assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles. 3 As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. 4 As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. 5 God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.
Paul says I am a prisoner because of Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles. I have been given a special call on my life by God. My call is to tell Gentiles about the grace of God and the plan of God.
Paul says that God revealed to me the answer to the mystery that people have asked for generations. How would God save his people? How would God step into history? How would God fulfill his promises? How would God crush Satan’s head? Previous generations believed that God had a plan, but they didn’t know what God had planned. But now God’s Spirit has revealed it to the apostles and the prophets.
Ephesians 3:6 (NLT)
6 And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.
I know this is old news to most of you. But to Paul, this was like growing up in a family where he was an only child, and now, he finds out that he has all of these brothers and sisters. It is amazing news. He is revelling in it.
Ephesians 3:7–8 (NLT)
7 By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.
8 Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.
Not only has Paul found new brothers and sisters, but he gets the privilege of spreading the good news. You can be part of this family and our father has unlimited wealth. There are endless treasures available to them in Christ – or as the NIV translates it – “There are boundless riches in Christ.”
I want to circle back to the boundless treasures of Christ next week as we look at the last part of chapter 3. But let’s get the big picture this week.
Paul says,
Ephesians 3:9 (NLT)
9 I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.
Paul says I was chosen to explain this mystery of God’s plan that is now revealed in Jesus.
Paul now reveals a little more about God’s plan. Remember, he had just told us in verse 6 that God’s plan was that Jews and Gentiles share equally in God’s riches. Now, he says,
Ephesians 3:10–11 (NLT)
10 God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.
God’s purpose or that could be translated as God’s plan or God’s intent, was through the church to display his wisdom in all its many facets.
Notice to who he is displaying his wisdom. He is displaying them to the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. He is saying that the church is displaying the wisdom of God – not only to the angels of heaven but to those fallen angels – the demons and devils of hell.
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I have sometimes thought that I should be a good example for my family. I have sometimes even thought that I should be a good example to those who don’t believe what they might come to believe. But being a display of God’s wisdom to the demons and devils of hell – I got to tell you – that isn’t on my radar screen.
Not only that, but it is saying that the church is displaying this multifaceted wisdom. —- I know the church. It is made up of a lot of flawed individuals. I know that because I am part of the church, and I am flawed. I also know a lot of you. There are a lot of wonderful people in this church. Let me say this from the bottom of my heart – I love you people – but you’re not perfect. I had so many jokes that I wanted to make – but I am going to retrain myself.
This motley group of people, the deeply flawed group of people of whom I am a part – is supposed to show the manifold wisdom of God to the demons and devils of hell. – “What?”
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But maybe that is the point. He took those of us who were not God’s people, who were without hope and without God in this world, and he joined us together with the Jews who were God’s people and inheritors of the promises that God had made, and he put us together and made one new people. Or, as the NIV translates it, “on new humanity.”
God takes us where he found us, sinners, spiritually dead, deeply flawed, and he reconciles us to God through the work of Jesus. He forgives our sins and adopts us into his family. He is in the process of transforming us into his likeness. Although we are still deeply flawed, His Spirit is still at work in our lives. The power of the cross is still active. He is showing us how to live in his kingdom and how to live out his kingdom here on earth.
Now catch this –
Ephesians 3:12 (NLT)
12 Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.
Or, as the NIV puts it
Ephesians 3:12 (NIV)
12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
You can come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. Because of Christ and your faith in Christ, you can approach God not being afraid but in freedom and in hope.
Our story started with the people God created walking with him. But sin entered the world and with sin, death. We were unable to walk with God because we were spiritually dead.
But God has made you alive and given you access to Himself. Why? It is all about relationship. God not only wants you to be part of his family. God wants to walk in a relationship with you.
The grand story started with people walking with God. Paul says because of Jesus, we have a way of walking with God again. Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into his presence. You can be who you were made to be. You can reflect what you were made to reflect – because of Jesus.
If you are here today and you have never entered into a personal relationship with God – I’ve got good news for you. Just like Paul was called to share the good news – I want to share the good news – you can know God personally. You can have your sins forgiven. You can walk with the God of the universe. All you have to do is put your faith in Jesus. If you want help doing that, talk to me or someone else today.
I know most of you have the decision to follow Jesus. But some of you have lost the storyline. Some of you have thought the storyline was about becoming better, more moral, less warped. Some of you may even think if I am more religious if I manage my sinfulness well, then that is what I am called to do.
But the story has always been about walking in a relationship with the God of the universe. We live in a secular world that takes very little or no thought of God. What sets you apart is that you live your life with the awareness that God is near. You, boldly and confidently, because of what Christ has done, connect with him. You moved back into the garden spiritually, so you walk and talk with God.
I have got to say, it is easier to live religiously than it is relationally. I can check the boxes on my good deeds. I have attended church, and I’ve read scripture. I have prayed for those in need.
But living relationally means that I come with all of who I am, flaws and all and say, “God, here I am.” You have seen my week. The places where I said things I shouldn’t have said or spent time on things I shouldn’t have spent time on. Forgive me. He is always faithful to answer that prayer. Then you go on to say, Lord, what are the things in my life that I should be grateful. Throughout the day, you remember to be grateful, and you remember to connect with Him. It is out of this kind of relationship that good things happen. You walk into all you are created to be. You live out your purpose.
How about you. I know you hear me talk about a relationship with God. How is it doing? Are you closer to God now than you were a year ago?
I want to urge you. Don’t lose the plotline. It is about relationship. Out of that relationship, God is going to display his wisdom to the universe.
Sermon Questions
October 1st, 2023
1. What are you giving thanks for today?
2. What are you praying about this week?
Digging in
3. Read Ephesians 3:1-12 – what is the overall theme of this passage?
4. Read verses 1-5. What does this passage tell us about the apostle Paul? What does it tell us about the gospel? What mystery is he talking about in vs. 3?
5. Read verse 6. What does this tell us about the plan/intent of God?
6. Read verses 7-8. What does this tell us about Paul? List some of the treasures that are available in Christ.
7. Read verses 9-11. What other purpose of God is talked about here? What does it mean? How did God bring this about?
8. Read verse 12. What does this tell us about our salvation? Why is this amazing news?
Application
9. How do we live out this passage of scripture?