Transcript

During this time in God’s Word together, we’re going to be looking at verses 7-16 of Ephesians 3 and the ministry of grace that the Apostle Paul was called to carry out, and how we in the Body of Christ have the same things to do for the Lord.

Craig Larson writes the following, “On my desk I like to display, on a bookstand, the kind of gift books you put on the coffee table—those filled with professional photos of nature or tourist destinations.

One I really like is titled, America’s Spectacular National Parks. For several days I had the book open to a photo of the Grand Teton Mountains, an extra-wide photo that filled not only the left page, but crossed the fold and took half of the page on the right.

It is a majestic display of deep blue sky; rugged, gray, snow-capped mountains; and a calm lake in the foreground. One morning I decided to turn the page to the next photo, and as I did I discovered that I had missed something important. The right page of the Grand Tetons photo was an extra-long page folded over, covering part of the Grand Tetons.

So when I opened it up, it not only revealed what was covered, but added another eight inches to the Grand Tetons photo, and then it opened again another 8 inches.

In other words, when I opened the fold, I added some 16 inches to the width of the photo. Wow! The Grand Tetons became even grander.

That’s how it is with revelation of the mystery revealed in Paul’s writings. We get the full picture in God’s Word. We see what was formerly hidden by God but now fully revealed, and this revelation found in the letters of Paul, opens up God’s Word, and is the key to understanding it and is the key to understanding what God is doing today.

When we rightly divide the Word and understand Paul’s gospel, the Bible becomes even grander. And we see the Master plan, God’s whole plan, His plans, purpose and will for the earth and His plans, purpose and will for the heavenlies.

Ephesians 3:7-8 read, “Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of His power.

“Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.”

Paul says, “Whereof [or “of which”] I was made a minister,” and the “whereof” or “of which,” speaks of “the gospel” in v. 6. Paul says to the gospel of the grace of God, I was made, or appointed a minister by God. He was enlisted by God in the service of this gospel.

God saved by Paul by His grace, made him the apostle to the Gentiles, gave him a dispensation, revealed the mystery to him, appointed him a minister of the gospel, and commissioned him to make the mystery and the ministry of reconciliation known.

He had a lot of responsibility! But God enabled him, as God enables us to carry out the work of the ministry. Paul counted it a gift of God’s grace to have been called to and appointed to the gospel ministry.

And Paul served and carried out his ministry “by the effectual working of His power,” serving in Christ’s limitless strength and eternal power.

Paul understood that anything he might have accomplished in his ministry was not due to his ability, but to the grace of God and His power working in & through him.

God wants obedience to Him, and God wants dependence on Him, and He will work through us for His glory.

“The effectual working of His power” speaks to the power already mentioned in Ephesians 1:19,20: “And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead.”

It’s the power of the resurrection that worked in and through Paul to carry out his ministry for the Lord, and that’s the same power that works in and through us too.

Paul was humbled and felt unworthy to have been called into the ministry and to be used by God. In v. 8 Paul says, “unto me” which gives a sense of amazement. You have to be pretty humbled to say you’re “less than the least.” If something is the least, it’s the least.

But Paul said he was “less than the least” of all saints. In I Cor. 15:9, Paul stated that he was “the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle.” The grace of God in using him in His service, humbled Paul, and it should humble us as well.

Paul said that he who is the less than the least of all saints was given the grace and privilege of preaching “among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.”

Paul ministry was to the Gentiles, the nations, and he preached and proclaimed “the unsearchable riches of Christ” to the Gentiles. The word “unsearchable” means “untraceable.” This isn’t speaks of the riches of Christ being measureless, though they are.

Rather this is speaking of the formerly hidden riches of Christ now made known in the revelation of the mystery. These riches of Christ and doctrines of grace were and are untraceable in the prophetic Scriptures.

As Charles Baker says, “The Mystery left no footprints in the Old Testament, so it cannot be traced out.”

The Mystery is only revealed and made known thru Paul and in it the riches we have in Christ as members of Christ’s Body are revealed to us.

Paul was graced with the privilege of making the Gentiles, the nations, know about the riches they have in Christ according to the mystery, and Paul was graced with the privilege and burdened “to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery.”

Ephesians 3:9 reads: “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.”

Paul says this mystery was “hid in God,” not hidden in Scripture. It is untraceable. It is not found in the types and shadows of the Old Testament. No one knew of this mystery, this sacred secret, until God Himself revealed it directly to Paul.

Paul had a great passion to “make all men see,” or to enlighten all men, to shed a flood of light on the mystery, so that no one was in the dark to it.

This message reveals Christ in all His glory and the glory of His Cross and reveals our bright hope and Paul didn’t want anyone to not know about it. And so our commission involves this as members of Christ’s Body.

We, like the apostle Paul, should have a burden to make the fellowship of the mystery clear and plain to all men that they might see, understand, and rejoice in it. And as we do, it will unlock the understanding and right application of God’s Word.

Paul wanted all to see it. This is what we are called to do in our own personal service for the Lord. This is our ministry in Christ too. Along with making known the gospel of grace, this is part of the commission for the Church today.

Joseph Sittler says this: “There is certainly nothing wrong with the church looking ahead, but it is terribly important that it should be done in connection with the look inside, into the church’s own nature and mission, and a look behind at its own history.

“If the church does this, it is less likely to take its cues from the business community, the corporation, or the market place.” We should be mindful of the church’s nature and mission. Ephesians 3 reminds us of what that is.

The nature and mission is to reach people with the gospel of grace, and to strive to make all men see the mystery, and to do it all in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

Paul says the “fellowship” of the mystery from the beginning of the world was “hid in God,” in our God who was there at the beginning of the world, and is all-powerful as He “created all things by Jesus Christ.”

Paul adds force to his argument that the mystery was never before made known, because as it was hid in God, it was hid in the One who is all-powerful, so there was no way that secret could have been known until God’s perfect time and purpose.

Ephesians 3:10-13 says, “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

“Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.”

The mystery was hid in the mind of God so that no man knew of it until it was revealed to Paul. No man knew of it and not even the angels knew of it, fallen or unfallen angels.

1 Cor. 2:7-8, “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”

Paul says that now to the angelic principalities and powers the “manifold,” or varied, many-sided, diverse, broad, multifaceted wisdom of God is made known.

All the angels knew about the kingdom of God on earth and God’s plans and purposes for Israel. But they knew nothing of the mystery and the Body of Christ.

And so God is teaching the angels through us, the Church, as they are learning about His grace and the once hidden, but now revealed wisdom of the mystery thru us. I Cor. 4:9 says that “we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.”

The angels have had a long time now, nearly 2000 yrs, to learn about all the details of this mystery and are still probably learning it, but it seems clear that the area angels are still learning about the splendor of God’s grace and wisdom is by our conduct.

They learn about God’s grace and wisdom and see His glory in how we allow His grace and truth to change and transform us and affect our lives, in how much we allow Him to have of us, and allow His grace to drive us to live and serve the Lord by faith.

Paul says the manifold wisdom of God revealed to the angels by the Church, the mystery, was according to God’s eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And in Christ we have boldness and access, as we can boldly approach God with confidence, knowing with full assurance of our acceptance because of Christ’s faithfulness. Boldness and access to God with confidence was not the case in Old Testament times.

In time past under the Law, only the High Priest, once a year on the Day of Atonement could approach God’s presence in the Holy of Holies.

Even then he had to first make a sacrifice for his own sins and his house before entering God’s presence. He had to wear bells on his garment so he could be heard inside and so the priests would know if he was still alive. He had to come with blood as well.

It wasn’t not boldness and confidence, it was nervousness and fear, that must’ve been almost overwhelming when it came time for him to duck behind that curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple, as any missteps and he would have been struck dead.

It’s nothing like that for us, who are accepted in the Beloved with our sins forgiven.

We have free access. God welcomes us at all times and actually desires us to come boldly to Him with any and all need, or to just spend time in His presence.

In verse 13, Paul picks up from verse one after stating that He was the “prisoner of Jesus Christ” for you Gentiles and tells them of his desire that they not “faint,” or not lose heart or be discouraged about his tribulations for them.

Paul says that his tribulations were for their glory, their gain, their good, resulting in their emboldened service, their praise to God, and their encouragement in seeing one who was willing to suffer for others, out of a burden for souls, and commitment to Christ.

Verse 14, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul says, “for this cause,” again. He said this in verse 1 of chapter 3 and in verse 14 he is picking up his thought again. He broke off this prayer in verse 1 to further enlarge on the truth of the mystery, and now comes back to it in verse 14.

Paul had recorded a prayer that he had for the Ephesians in chapter one. That prayer dealt with light, this prayer with love.

That prayer was about enlightenment, this second of two prayers in Ephesians is about empowerment and enablement. The first prayer is for believers to know their power; this second is for them to use it.

Paul’s prayer involves all three members of the Triune Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. His prayer is focused on the inner person of the believer.

And in the prayer, he is fully engaged in it, praying not just with his mind, but with his heart, with fervency, zeal, and a sense of urgency.

Paul did not pray rehearsed prayers, he prayed intelligently and with care, watching, looking and praying for the spiritual and physical needs of the saints.

In saying “for this cause,” or “for this reason,” Paul is pointing back to what he had said in the book about our spiritual blessings, our salvation by grace thru faith, the ministry of the gospel and the mystery, our access to God, and his tribulations for the Gentiles.

Paul prays his prayer in light of our wealth and the knowledge of who we are in Christ, that we the Body might live in light of these things.

The fervency of his prayer for the Ephesians is seen in how he speaks of the posture of his prayer: “I bow my knees.”

The Bible does not command any special posture for prayer. The Bible does speak of different prayer postures. Paul speaks here of bowing his knee in prayer to God.

Ezra says, in Ezra 9:5, that he: “fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God” and prayed. In Daniel 6:10, it says that Daniel, “kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God.”

But in I Kings 8:22 when Solomon offered his prayer to God to dedicate the Temple, it says, “And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven.”

And in I Chronicles 17:16 as David prayed about the building of the temple, it says he “came and sat before the Lord.”

When our Savior prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, Matthew 26:39 says, “And He…fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt.”

Standing, sitting, bowing, laying with the face to the ground are all postures for prayer spoken of in God’s Word. The physical position and posture is not the important part, the submission and bowing of our hearts and wills to God is what’s most important.

In Matthew 6:5,6 our Lord stated, “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men…

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” God does not want us to be religious; He just wants us to be real.

He wants us to just pray with sincerity and to trust Him, knowing He is able. The position of prayer is not important, the position of the heart is what God looks at.

And so Paul’s posture for his prayer is not done because it is especially sacred, but instead it simply shows us the earnestness of his prayer, the submission of his heart to his God, and his reverence and recognition of God’s divine authority and glory.

Paul says in v. 12, “we have boldness and access with confidence” to God. And in 2:18 he said, “For through [Christ] we…have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”

Because of this, Paul’s prayer is addressed directed boldly and confidently to the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son. We have a bold approach to God, who waits and desires with a Father’s heart of love for us to turn to Him.

The word “unto” in verse 14 means “facing.” And so Paul’s prayer was made facing God not in fear, but within the relationship he enjoyed with God, knowing he could speak directly with his God and that He was listening always as he prayed.

Verse 15 says, “Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.”

Paul says that after the Father, “the whole family in heaven and earth is named.”

Through trusting Christ as Savior, we are regenerated or are born again through the Spirit and we are born into the family of God.

Having been saved by grace through faith, Paul says, in 2:19 that we “are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens, and of the household of God.”

We are in the family of God, and God is the Father of those who believe. What this verse is teaching us is that after the Father, “the whole family [of God] in heaven and earth is named.” From God, the Body of Christ derives its origin, name, and position as sons of God.

We belong wholly to Him, we are God’s and His peculiar people. And our relationship with Him is so close knit, we can come to Him as a child to a father at all times.

Paul is telling us here that some of the family of God is already home in heaven, with the rest are here on earth, representing Christ to this world as God’s ambassadors, and we all are wholly His and called by His name.

Verse 16 says, “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man.”

Paul offers four requests to God on behalf of the Ephesians. One builds upon another. The first request is for the believer to be strengthened and live in God’s power.

“To be strengthened with might” has been translated, “to be made strong with power.” Paul desired that according to God’s infinite wealth and resources the Ephesian believers might be made mightily strong with spiritual, divine power.

Paul had said earlier that we are the habitation of God through the Spirit (2:22); the all-powerful God of the universe resides within us, and Paul desired that we turn to God and use His power for living for Him.

The story is told of a little boy playing in his sand box. As he was digging, he discovered a huge rock in the middle of the sand. He dug till he loosened the stone.

Once loosened, he pushed and shoved, and he even braced himself against the edge of the sandbox and pushed it with his feet. The stone would lift, but no matter how hard he tried, it would just roll back into the sand.

His dad was observing all this from a window and noticed that the little boy became so frustrated that he began to cry. When his father came to the sandbox, he asked, “Why didn’t you use all of your power to remove the stone?”

He replied, “I did. I pushed with hands and feet as hard as I could.” “No son, his father answered, you didn’t call for me.” With that, the father bent over picked up the rock and threw it out of the sandbox.

So many times we try to serve or live for the Lord in our own strength, & we struggle, stumble, fail, & we’re inconsistent. “Without me, you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5).

The secret to the Christian life is to first realize and acknowledge our own weakness and inability to live for Him in our own strength, and then to live and serve by faith in God, through the power of God, in obedience to the Word of God.

N. T. Wright, rightly says, “We live in a world full of people struggling to be, or at least appear to be, strong in order not to be weak. We follow the truth of God’s Word which says that when I am weak, then am I strong.”

We are made strong through the power of God within. God is concerned about the inner man as seen in verse 16. Man works from the outside in, God works from the inside out, and this effects real change and transformation.

At salvation, God imparts a new nature, and this is His base of operations from which He works in, on, and through us.

2 Corinthians 4:16 says, “though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”

The way the inner man is renewed and strengthened with might by His Spirit is through the regular intake of His Word, through learning it, surrendering to it, obeying it, growing in it, being controlled by it, by living it, we have power.

The inner man needs to be fed God’s Word, it needs a strong prayer life, it needs the fellowship and encouragement of other believers, it needs worship of its Maker, and as we do these things, we will be strengthened with might by His Spirit.

And as we are strengthened by His Spirit, we have enablement for living a life which glorifies our God and Savior.

So this prayer by Paul is actually a call to nearness to God, growing in His Word and prayer, so that we might be enabled and strengthened to live for Him. And when we do this we will be transformed by God’s grace.