 Well, as you might expect, I'd like you to open up your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 3, Ephesians chapter 3, and it's my privilege here this morning to speak to you from this chapter. As Pastor Brian and Pastor David have detailed so wonderfully in our first two sessions, the first two chapters of Paul's letter to the Ephesians really speak about all that God has done for us in Jesus Christ. And it's remarkable and foundational for us to grab ahold of that and to understand, for us to understand that in some regard what he describes to us in these first two chapters, these things make up our birthright as followers of Jesus Christ. These are things that we have that are promised to us by the living God. And if we put our faith in Jesus, and if we've repented of our sins and renounced sin in self, we can look to Jesus and ask him to fulfill these things in our life because they're given to us in him. Now when we come to chapter 3 of Ephesians, Paul is sort of transitioning. He's still talking about the great things that God has done, but now his eye is a little more heavenward. He's trying to put in perspective what God has done in the life of the individual believer and put it into connection with what God is doing throughout the whole panorama of God's plan of the ages. From ancient times, God had his Jewish people that he worked in and through. From ancient times, God had a heart for the non-Jewish people, the Gentiles, to go and to reach them from his word. And he prophesied about these things in centuries past. How does it all fit together? And how does a man like Paul connect to it? Well, this is what the subject is. I'm just going to start reading beginning now at verse 1 of chapter 3. For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, for you Gentiles, if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation he made known to me the mystery, as I has briefly written already, by which when you read you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets. Paul reminds the Ephesians that there he is the prisoner of Jesus Christ for the Gentiles. Paul had a particular calling, a particular ministry to those people who were not from a Jewish background and it was sort of curious thing that God took this man, this extreme Jewish man, a Pharisee of the Pharisees, a man who was zealous after the law and the customs of Israel in every way. He took that man and made him a minister to the Gentiles. Yet as Paul thinks about this and the way God works out his eternal plan, he says now there's a mystery that God is revealed. It wasn't known in times past but now it is known. It's known having been made known, look at it there at verse five, by his Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets and now in verses six and seven he's going to describe what the mystery is. You ready for this great mystery that God has revealed? Something that was not revealed in the Old Testament but now has been revealed by the new covenant and his work through God's holy apostles and prophets. Here we go verses six and seven of Ephesians three, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ through the gospel of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of his power. This is great mystery that God used the apostle Paul and other apostles in the first century to reveal was that God was doing something completely new, something unannounced in his plan through the ages that he would bring together Jew and Gentile into one new body known as the church. You see throughout the Old Testament there's wonderful promises that God would bring a light to the Gentiles, that God would bring salvation to the Gentiles, that God would rescue the Gentiles from their sin and their darkness. The Old Testament is filled with such promises but in the Jewish mind they believe that those promises would be worked out by the Gentiles becoming Jews. That's how they thought of it and it sort of made sense that they would think that way because God had not announced differently but what God announced in and through these holy apostles of the first century was that God wasn't going to bring the Gentiles to salvation by making them first Jews, no he was going to make one new body known as the church made up of Jew and Gentile, that Christians of the first century would say radical things such as this, they would say we Christians we are a third race, we're not Jews, we're not Gentiles, we're Christians. That's a beautiful unit something that God had not announced, it's sort of a surprise he pulled out at the last minute there in the New Testament times saying this is the work that I'm going to do and what it affects to as it makes and I love this phrase that he uses in verse six, take a look at it now, he uses this phrase partakers of his promise in Christ, this is what we have, no I don't know how many among us are of a Jewish background or not, I don't know myself to be of a Jewish background, though it's interesting if I look back at my family tree I can't trace it back very many generations but I know that on my father's side all my ancestors came from Poland and I know that some people from Poland are actually of Jewish heritage though they converted to Christianity and sometimes it may very well be that I have some Jewish genetics in my blood I don't know, there's actually DNA tests that you can take with us to find out, in one sense it would be interesting to know but in another sense what does it matter because this is the great promise of God that I am not one less a partaker of everything good that is in Jesus Christ just because I do not happen to be of Jewish blood as far as I know it's all there for me I'm a full partaker you're a full partaker doesn't matter what neighborhood you're from doesn't have what background for you from Jesus Christ promises you that you could be a full partaker in every one of his promises this is an amazing thing that God has done and this is what God called the Apostle Paul to present as a great mystery to the world now he continues on with this thought look at it now in verse eight where he says this to me who am less than the least of all the saints by the way that's just not spiritual blah blah blah with the Apostle Paul he felt it he's not just speaking for effect there he was so aware of his prior past where he was responsible for both the murder of Christians and that he forced Christians to renounce Jesus Christ under the threat of violence that weighed so heavily on the Apostle Paul so let me read it again verse eight to me who am less than the least of all the saints this grace was given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to make all see what is the fellowship of this mystery which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ think of it men Paul says here I am I'm less than the least of all the saints yet I've been given a great duty to preach to all the Gentiles that they can be partakers of everything that God has for them in Jesus Christ they're not second-class citizens in the kingdom of God and neither are you we all come together in one body in one place and this is what he's preaching as he says in verse eight the unsearchable riches of Christ this mystery of God bringing together all his people in one new body it's great riches for the Gentiles and now they can come before God in a standing that before they could only dream about it's as if this when he talks about the unsearchable riches of Christ that Paul tried to figure out the greatness of God's grace he started tracking it as one might track out the shore of a lake and so he sees his body of water he figures it's a lake he's tracking it along the shore and so he goes further and further and he discovers as he walks along the shoreline that it's not a lake at all but it's an ocean an immeasurable sea God's riches are unsearchable we'll never figure them out completely this is one of the great things about the Christian life it's inexhaustible for us on this side of eternity but Paul felt burdened by this mission look at it there in verse 10 or verse 9 rather to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery I've been entrusted with these riches it's my passion to let everybody know all that they can have in Jesus Christ this is what Jesus has done for you and it doesn't matter what background you come from you can repent you can believe you can be restored unto God you can be a full partaker of everything that God has for his people now again as he says in verse 9 from the beginning of the ages this has been hidden in God it wasn't known in time past but now through God's holy apostles and prophets in the first century he made it known unto us now look at verse 10 I mean that literally not figuratively look at verse 10 because now this is where it starts getting crazy I mean that in a good way look at verse 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in him then I regard verses 10 11 and 12 some of the most mind-blowing verses of the whole New Testament again understand the lead in Paul's talking about this great mystery that's been entrusted to him this mystery that now God has brought together in one body Jew and Gentile the church together as one unified body and that everybody has a full share in it there's no second-class citizens in the kingdom God and this was his job to go around proclaiming the gospel inviting people to come and have a full share of what God has done and what was the reason why God was doing all this why did God hide it now why did he reveal it look at it again in verse 10 to the intent now Paul's going to speak about the intention the reason the purpose for this great mystery God why did you do it this way you could have done it other ways why did you do it this way looking out verse 10 the next phrase that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known one reason God gave the mystery of the church is to make known his manifold wisdom what is his manifold wisdom and you guys car guys you ever had to deal with the cracked exhaust manifold man I've had to deal with that many times different engines that I've worked with you gotta have resurfaced or sometimes patched to get a new one deal with it here and there you know what a manifold is a manifold is something that takes many things and puts it into one or takes one thing and puts it into many things when he talks about the manifold wisdom of God he's talking about the wisdom of God that has many different facets many different angles many different aspects to it in other words it's not just a one trick pony so to speak it has many different aspects to it God is a being of infinite wisdom and glory and he wants his creatures to know his manifold wisdom and one of God's great purposes in his plan for the ages is to make for known this wisdom now can I say that understanding the character of God this isn't a selfish or a self-glorious motive you know sometimes we see a very smart man in a very proud way showing off his accomplishments go ahead give me any mathematical problem or the square root of this or that and I can solve it in my head you go okay whatever man you're really smart you're showing off your manifold wisdom whatever that would be no no no God isn't like this at all God does this not only for the glory of himself but for the glory of his creatures because the greatness of his work in us his creatures gives glory unto him the Creator and this wisdom is manifold and it must be made known look at it there in verse 10 that now the manifold wisdom of God might be the phrasing in the original Greek is much stronger than that it's not might like well it might be it might not be whatever no it must be made known this is God's purpose this is God's plan God demands that his manifold wisdom be made known there is something that God must make known about his great manifold wisdom okay who's gonna make it known look at verse 10 that it might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers would you just allow your mind to be blown for that by that just for a moment who does God want to reveal his manifold wisdom you to whom does God want that manifold wisdom to be displayed in Ephesians here he describes those beings as principalities and powers John Macca go into a long explanation of this let me just get right to the point in the New Testament in particular in the book of Ephesians principalities and powers is just kind of New Testament terminology for angelic beings it can include faithful angelic beings and fallen angelic beings it can include what we normally call angels and what we normally call demons faithful angelic beings fallen angelic beings but do you get what Paul's saying here I don't know if you've ever thought this before one of God's great purposes and his plan for the ages is to use you the church to display his wisdom to angelic beings you never knew you signed up for that did you now of course God also wants to reveal his wisdom to the church of course he does he wants to reveal his wisdom to you yet in the big picture God doesn't use angels to reveal his wisdom to us but he uses us to reveal his wisdom to angelic beings again both faithful and fallen and do you understand what this means you are called for something far greater than your individual personal salvation and sanctification you are called to be the messenger the means by which God teaches angels eternal lessons I can almost guarantee you that there's not a single man in this room that woke up this morning thinking about that but it's true we are surrounded by invisible spiritual beings and they intently look upon us here just for a moment Paul draws back the curtain that separates the visible world from the invisible world and he lets us see what's behind the curtain in the invisible world it's just like Elisha did at Dothan where he prayed this regarding his servant Lord I pray open his eyes that he may see and instantly the servant saw angelic beings surrounding them on every side this reminds us and I'll repeat it again that we are called for something greater than our own individual salvation and sanctification we are called to be the means by which God teaches the universe a lesson and friends it's a beautiful lesson and we are surrounded by innumerable spiritual beings they intently look upon us and they want to know this means that the battle within every individual Christian is fought for a purpose that's much bigger than what immediately concerns that individual Christian you thought that your battle was all about you or mostly about you but it's much bigger than that let me put it to you this way are you gonna live for self or are you gonna deny self for the glory of Jesus Christ now you might have thought that that question only pretty much affected you know angels are looking on and they want to know are you going to live in compromise or are you gonna live in bold obedience angels are looking in on that question and they want to know what you're gonna do are you gonna be happy with just a Christian image which is having the look of a proper Christian or are you gonna be a real follower of Jesus Christ angels are looking in and God wants to teach them something through your life on that point you see sometimes Christians get this crazy idea that God saved them that God works in their life because there's somehow such great people you know what the angels see right through that foolishness they see you they know who you are and where you're from they look with wonder upon God's love upon you upon God's mercy upon God's grace you see we might believe that our lives are small in insignificant every angel in every demon looks at your life and knows that it matters you might not think it does but God knows that it does in the angelic beings we may doubt our high standing we may doubt the fact that we're seated in the heavenly places but the angels see the spiritual reality with eyes wide open and they wonder why you and I why we don't live up to it it's just like this like this great drama is going on in history well let me just read you this quote from John Stott I think it's a really good way to express it he says it is as if a great drama is being enacted history is the theater the world is the stage and the church members in every land are the actors God himself has written the play and he directs and produces it act by act scene by scene the story continues to unfold but who's the audience they are the cosmic intelligences the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places they are the ones who are instructed and interested in the lives of Christians friends this is one of the reasons why the conduct of the church is so important because angels and demons are looking on and God's intention is to teach something through us to them that's why Paul says in 1st Corinthians 11 for this reason a woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head because of the angels you know one of the reasons why God wants male headship and leadership to be expressed in his church because of the presence of angels it's shocking to me how the church today how this is ignored how men are forfeiting leadership to women and it is an offense to God and it's offense to the lesson he wants to teach angelic beings they're looking in on this and they want to know are you going to obey God are you going to go your own way Peter said this in 1st Peter chapter 1 that the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven things which angels desire to look into we are under angelic observation and we need to take that seriously now notice this verse 11 he says that all of this is according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished you see the mystery reveals and furthers God's eternal purpose in Jesus Christ that in the fullness of time God's going to gather together everything and resolve it to sum it all up in Jesus Christ and this is what God's doing God says at the end of it all I'm going to resolve everything in Jesus Christ I'm either going to resolve it under his love and mercy or I'm going to resolve it under his righteousness and judgment but everything's going to be resolved in Jesus Christ and I'm going to show my ability to do it by the way I work in my people right here right now there's a sense in which you and I as the church we are God's pilot program we're his test run not that God has to test it but he's doing it as a preview display we're his movie trailer before the main attraction he's showing ahead of time what he's going to do to resolve all things in Jesus Christ in the universe by the way that he works amongst his people right now and he's inviting all the angelic beings look in and see how I move among my people and I will teach you through that Francis is not exactly what God did with his servant Job did not God use Job and his life and his experience to teach angelic beings the mayor reminds you job never signed up for that duty and you never signed up for this responsibility that God gives you a man can I just take these verses from Ephesians and lift up your vision you might have thought that your life was small and insignificant are you kidding me God's using you in your life to teach angels don't tell me that's nothing you may have thought that it was all about you or mostly about you no way how you follow Jesus Christ affects what kind of lesson God can use you to teach angelic beings so this is an amazing concept that God gives to us in Ephesians chapter 3 verses 10 11 and 12 now in verse 13 Paul talks about his present participation in the mystery where he simply says this therefore I ask that you do not lose heart in my tribulations for you which is your glory how can anybody be bummed out that I the apostle Paul how can anybody be grieved that I'm in jail that I'm in prison when I've been given such a glorious job to do don't feel sorry for me no Paul's attitude don't lose heart look at the greatness of the calling that God's given me God's given you as well men not only has God given you a calling and a purpose in life but there is a greatness to that calling and purpose if you will only see it there are no small people in God's kingdom we're all together having an essential place on his great work and on his great team and you may feel maybe maybe not I don't know you may feel that you have a relatively small role but your relatively small role is part of a great team and you are part of the team and every part of the team is necessary to work together this is the greatness of the calling that he's given us that's why Paul can say yes I'm in prison yes I'm miserable yes this is no but don't you feel sorry for me not when I have such a great calling when I have such a great purpose and men in some way or another you have a share in that purpose would you lift up your eyes would you lift up your heart stop being consumed with these lesser things of the world but once you trade in your measly meager set of problems for a whole greater set of problems for the advance of God's kingdom in this world as you realize when you go out to whatever it is you do through the week maybe your calling is to work at a job somewhere maybe your calling is to be a student maybe right now in this year calling is to be unemployed and to see God in the midst of that but whatever it is you realize that God has sent me into it to be his messenger to be a part of the team that God has in this world to not only reach this world but even to teach angels lessons that is an important place now in verses 14 starting at verse 14 Paul is going to pray in light of this mystery it's as if he is so overwhelmed his heart is so consumed and so filled with this awareness of the greatness of what God has called him and all of his people to participate in that Paul can hardly contain it this is I got to stop preaching so to speak Paul says although he's peach and preaching through paper but still nevertheless he's preaching somewhat so I got to stop preaching and I got to start praying because there's nothing I can say greater than what I've already said now let's pause and go to the Lord in prayer and see what God will do in the midst of this prayer can I just simply read this prayer to you let's take it a look at it first the first verses verses 14 and 15 for this reason I bow my knees to the father of our Lord Jesus Christ from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named is that a great way to begin the prayer I bow my knees then when's the last time you got down on your knees before God in prayer no I believe it's the posture of the heart that matters far more than the posture of the body that is absolutely true and it is entirely true that a person can kneel and be an utter hypocrite in their heart and in their life is that not true and God is not impressed with your religious shows God is not impressed with your outwards expressions trying to convince other people that you really are a man of God when your heart is far from him you withhold your heart from him doesn't matter how many times you get down on your knees to pray your knees can be calloused doesn't matter if your heart is far from the man isn't it equally true that a heart that is turned towards God will at some time or another kneel before their God and father so we don't want to act at all as if the posture of the body is the only important thing but neither do we want to act as if it were utterly unimportant so Paul said I get down on my knees and I pray I pray to the father of our Lord Jesus Christ from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named in other words he's thinking of you your named in the father your named in the father your named in the father here we all all sons of a great father and this is what he prays beginning now at verse 16 that he would grant you this way means he means you that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory by the way that's that's a lot of riches don't you think is God poor in glory or is he rich in glory he's rich in glory it's like saying according to the riches of Warren Buffett according to the riches of Bill Gates think of a fabulously wealthy man that's a lot of riches that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might through his spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith that you being rooted and grounded and love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height to know the love of Christ with passes knowledge and that you may be filled with all the fullness of God I don't know how you can pray a greater prayer than that God would give unto you everything you need all the strength all the knowledge all the wisdom all the grace that you need to live the life that he has called you to live do you understand that this great calling that God has given you to fulfill this great place he has for you as a son in his kingdom meant here not only to live your life and enjoy your days though there's something good to be said for the good pleasures of God that he gives us in this life but friends what is more than that to truly advance his kingdom and to be a instructor of angelic beings through the way that you live in your faithfulness and honoring the Lord when you take all of that together there is no way that you can live that without the strength and grace of God in your life no way God deliberately designed this life to be impossible to live without a constant reliance on his strength and the presence and the power of his Holy Spirit it just can't happen that's why Paul prayed this prayer for you and for me and then in the last two verses he closes it with a doxology isn't it beautiful now to him who was able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us to him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever amen amen to that now most of Paul's letters he didn't actually write them he dictated them to a scribe who wrote them so when Paul said those words that the scribe wrote down when he said those words to him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations wonder if God gave him a glimpse to look down some 2000 years down the road through hundreds of generations of God's work going on and on being passed from one believer to the next to the next through the generations through the continents over the miles over the people to a place right here on a Saturday morning where he would look at a bunch of men who love Jesus and he say it's God's work in them that I want to see continue men you're in here you're part of those generations you're part of this wonderful chain of God's work and God is using you to teach angels and to further his eternal purpose