Ephesians 3:1-13

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
Series: Ephesians

Rusty's Notes

• Jewish population in the world (2021)
• Just over 15 million Jews worldwide
• 7.3 million Jews in America (48.1%)
• Just under 7 million Jews in Israel (46.1%)
• 7,637,261,000 world population
• .2% - Jewish population

 
PAUL’S MINISTRY TO THE GENTILES
EPHESIANS 3:1-13
1 For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles--

• After discussing the union of Jewish and Gentile believers in the church (Ephesians 2:11–22), Paul began to offer a prayer on their behalf.
• However, he stopped unexpectedly in the middle of the sentence and digressed on the subject of the divine mystery.
• He explained the meaning of the mystery and returned to his prayer in v. 14.
• Verse 1 is tied in with verse 13.
• Put 2-12 in parenthesis.

 

• Rome controlled the world and Caesar was the emperor.
• Paul does not say he is the prisoner of Caesar.
• He realized all authority is established by God - Romans 13:1 - Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God.[1]
• Just as Pilate had no authority over Jesus - John 19:10-11 - So Pilate said to Him, “You’re not talking to me? Don’t You know that I have the authority to release You and the authority to crucify You?” 11 “You would have no authority over Me at all,” Jesus answered him, “if it hadn’t been given you from above. This is why the one who handed Me over to you has the greater sin.”
• Paul was sent to the Gentiles as Peter was sent to the Jews - Galatians 2:8 - since the one at work in Peter for an apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in me for the Gentiles.[2]

2 assuming you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that he gave me for you.

• You have heard, haven't you?" - (Ephesians 2:11-22)
• You were here last week?
• Remember that Paul spent 3 years in Ephesus as well. ‎
• The word “dispensation” is oikonomia, made up of oikos, “a house” and nomos, “law,” thus, “the law of the house.”
• The word speaks in general of the stewardship, oversight, management, or administration one has over something. ‎
• Our English word “economy” is derived directly from the Greek oikonomia, “the law of the house,” or “a stewardship, a management.”
• God gave him a “dispensation” (stewardship) that he might go to the Gentiles, not only with the Good News of salvation through Christ, but also with the message that Jews and Gentiles are now one in Christ.
• God has different ways of managing His program from age to age, and these different “stewardships” Bible students sometimes call “dispensations” (Ephesians 1:9–10).
• God’s principles do not change, but His methods of dealing with mankind do change over the course of history.
• “Distinguish the ages,” wrote St. Augustine, “and the Scriptures harmonize.”

3 The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have briefly written above.

• Galatians 1:11-12 - For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. 12 For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation of Jesus Christ.[3]
• Paul went away to Arabia for 3 years.
• It was 14 years after that when he met with the Apostles.
• He was able to describe in detail what happened in the upper room at the last supper.
• Can you imagine the shock on Peter, James & John's faces?
• "As I have written above/before" - Ephesians 2:11-22.

4 By reading this you are able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ.

• Insight - "critical understanding"
• A mystery is something previously concealed but now made known in the Gospel. ‎
• ‎“Mystery”, a sacred secret purpose of God which when uncovered is understood by the Spirit-taught believer.
• The unredeemed are incapable of comprehending this mystery for it is revealed through Jesus.
• ‎That the Gentiles were to be saved was no mystery (Romans 9:24–33; 10:19–21).
• The mystery ‘hid in God’ was the divine purpose to make of Jew and Gentile a wholly new thing— ‘the Church, which is His (Christ’s) body, formed by the baptism with the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:12, 13) and in which the earthly distinction of Jew and Gentile disappears (Ephesians 2:14, 15; Colossians 3:10, 11).

5 This was not made known to people in other generations as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:

• Abraham, Moses, Joshua, King David, Isaiah, Daniel or any OT prophet did not know what Paul knew... nor did they have the capabilities.
• They knew that a Savior was to come for the purpose of dying for the sin of man.
• But they had no idea about the church age...
• "I had no idea..."
• It is insight that could only be attained through the Spirit.

6 The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

• It wasn't that the Jews had a problem believing the Gentiles could be saved.
• They believed that ever since Genesis 12:3.
• But becoming one in Christ with no racial distinction was incomprehensible for the Jew.
• The mystery is therefore, "Christ Himself", in whom both Jew and Gentile believers have everything.

7 I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power.

• "made" = God ordained
• Minister = Servant
• "working" = God's energizing
• "His power" = everything needed to complete the task
• It is God who calls, sustains and empowers ministers.
• If this were not true, then both you and I suffer.

8 This grace was given to me—the least of all the saints—to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ,

• and he later calls himself the “chief of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).
• This has to be in light of the way he previously persecuted the church before his conversion.
• What/who are the incalculable riches of the Jesus? We are!

9 and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.

• Paul wanted all Jews and Gentiles to know that they could be one in Christ.
• Even though Paul's ministry was to the Gentiles, he made it a priority to visit the Jewish synagogues first when entering a new city.
• He did so because he understood that the Gospel was to be presented "to the Jews first and also to the Greek" Romans 1:16.

10 This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens.

• Ephesians 6:12 - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.[4]
• Nowhere in the Old Testament would Satan find any prophecies concerning the church, “the mystery” of Jews and Gentiles united in one body!
• Satan could see unbelieving Jews rejecting their Messiah, and he could see Gentiles trusting the Messiah, but he could not see both believing Jews and Gentiles united in one body, seated with Christ in the heavenlies, and completely victorious over Satan!
• Had Satan known the far-reaching results of the Cross, no doubt he would have altered his plans accordingly.

11 This is according to his eternal purpose accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• God’s program today is not “the headship of Israel” (Deuteronomy 28:1–13), but the headship of Christ over His church.
• We today are under a different “stewardship” from that of Moses and the prophets, and we must be careful not to confuse what God has clarified.
• God's ultimate goal is that everything in the created realm glorify Him.
• Acts 17:25 - Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives everyone life and breath and all things.[5]
• God requires that we worship Him, not for His benefit, but for ours.
• It is through beholding His glory and majesty that we latch on to God's perspective of life and enter into true joy and peace.

12 In him we have boldness and confident access through faith in him.

• Many saints are deficient in the area of worship because they feel they are unworthy to enter God's presence.

13 So, then, I ask you not to be discouraged over my afflictions on your behalf, for they are your glory.[6]

• You could either be upset about Paul's situation or get fired up about it!
• Warren Wiersbe - The reason many churches are weak and ineffective is because they do not understand what they have in Christ. And the cause of this is often spiritual leaders who are not good “stewards of the mystery.” Because they do not “rightly divide the Word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), they confuse their people concerning their spiritual position in Christ, and they rob their people of the spiritual wealth in Christ.
• Paul made it clear that physical, material blessings are not always the experience of the dedicated Christian (2 Corinthians 4:7–12; 11:23–12:10).[7]
• ‎When you know what God is doing in the world, and you work with Him, you can be sure that He will work in you and for you.
• All of His divine resources are available to those who sincerely want to do His will and help Him accomplish His purposes on earth.
• ‎But an understanding of God’s program in this present age not only gives the believer confidence toward God.
• It also gives him courage in the difficult circumstances of life.
• Paul’s sufferings for the Gentiles would mean glory for the Gentiles.
• In the Old Testament age, when God’s people obeyed, God blessed them materially, nationally, and physically (Deuteronomy 28); and if they disobeyed, He withdrew these blessings.
• This is not the way He deals with the church today. Our blessings are spiritual, not material (Ephesians 1:3); they have all been given to us completely in Christ.
• We appropriate them by faith; but if we disobey God, He does not revoke them.
• We simply lose the enjoyment and the enrichment of them.
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[1] Christian Standard Bible (Ro 13:1). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Ga 2:8). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Ga 1:11–12). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Eph 6:12). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible (Ac 17:25). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Christian Standard Bible (Eph 3:1–13). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 30). Victor Books.