Sermon Outline, August 28

Peter J. Leithart, August 23, 2005

INTRODUCTION
In the first chapters of Ephesians, Paul describes God’s eternal plan for the human race and for the world. He has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world, and He has now intervened in the history of death and sin to rescue us, to exalt us with Christ to heavenly places, and to unify the human race in His Son. In the remainder of the letter, Paul teaches the Ephesians about the way of life consistent with this gospel.

THE TEXT
“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 have 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. . . .” (Ephesians 3:1-4:16).

STRUCTURE
At the beginning of chapter 3, Paul begins to apply what he has just taught the Ephesians about the unity of the human race, Jew and Gentile, in the one new man, Jesus. But he interrupts himself in mid-sentence, and doesn’t resume the application until the beginning of chapter 4. This is evident from the repetition in 3:1 and 4:1: “I . . . the prisoner of the Lord.” Paul’s exhortations at the beginning of chapter 4 are based on the description of the church in chapter 2. The “calling with which you have been called” (4:1) is the call to unity as the temple of God (2:11-22).

THE MYSTERY
The “digression” in chapter 3 is concerned with the “mystery” of God, and Paul’s role in revealing the mystery. In Paul’s terminology, a “mystery” is a reality that is kept hidden for a time, but eventually revealed (cf. 3:5). And in this case, the mystery has to do with the role of Gentiles in the New Covenant, as Paul explains in 3:6.

What makes this a “mystery”? Weren’t Gentiles saved in the Old Testament? Didn’t Isaiah and others prophesy of the salvation of the nations? In what sense was this “hidden”? It’s true that the Old Testament always pointed to an eventual conversion of Gentiles, and the gathering of the nations to the Messiah is no surprise. What was surprising is the way that this happened. The Old Testament prophesies of the nations turning to Yahweh picture them coming to Zion (e.g., Isaiah 2:2-4). The prophecies suggest that the nation of Israel will remain central to God’s plans even after the Messiah comes. But Paul’s message is new: Gentiles are “fellow citizens with the saints” (Ephesians 2:19) and in Messiah Jesus there is neither Jew nor Greek (Galatians 3:28). The mystery now revealed is that “the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:6).

Paul sees himself as a steward and agent of this mystery. God revealed the mystery to him (3:3), whether on the Damascus Road or later. Since that revelation, he has been at work as God’s herald to the Gentiles, telling the Gentiles about God’s “unfathomable riches” and letting everyone know about the new economy that has come in Christ.

KEEP THE UNITY
For Paul, the revelation of the mystery has direct practical implications for how the church should live. We are the one people united in the one new man, and Paul refers to seven aspects of that unity (body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, Father, vv. 4-6). That means for Paul that we must live together in peace, unity, and love.

To do this, we have to cultivate humility (v. 2), because proud people are divisive. Harsh people also break the bond of unity, and so we must cultivate gentleness toward one another. Christians can be as exasperating as anyone, and so we have to be patient and forbearing in order to preserve the unity of the Spirit (v. 2). In context, Paul exhorts us to cultivate these virtues as a way of fulfilling our calling as the unified people of God.

ONE BODY, MANY MEMBERS
Paul served the God and Father of Jesus, who has sent His Spirit to dwell in us. That is, he is an apostle of the Triune God. That means that Paul does not think of unity as simple unity. Unity does not mean uniformity. Instead, the unity of the church is a unity-in-diversity. The diversity of the church does not dissolve the unity; on the contrary, the diverse members of the church work to “attain to the unity of the faith” (4:13). Unity is thus both a reality now, and also something we are aspiring to.

What kind of diversity is Paul talking about? Here, he speaks specifically about diverse ministers or rulers of the church, particularly those who teach in the church (4:11). Elsewhere, Paul expands the list of gifts to the church by including gifts of service, help, mercy, giving, administration, healing, etc (Romans 12:3-8;1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 27-31). 1 Corinthians 12:7 emphasizes that “each one” in the church receives some manifestation of the Spirit to be used for the benefit of all the members. Each organ and limb of the body is necessary if the body is going to be healthy and strong.

Though Paul does not name all these gifts in Ephesians 4, his point is the same: Prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are given to equip the members of the church for ministry, and their ministry builds up the body of Christ (v. 12). Pastors and teachers are not the only church members who have a ministry. Each member of the church has gifts from the Spirit, and pastors and teachers are given to the church to equip those members to use their gifts in service to the church and to God. There are no passive members of the church, no one here simply to receive. You are all here both to receive and to give. Look for opportunities to use the gifts God has given you for the edification of the whole church.

NO LONGER CHILDREN
When the church works as it should, the result is maturity (v. 13). Mature Christians are not seduced by every new spiritual fad that comes along (v. 14). Mature Christians speak the truth to one another, and speak the truth in love (v. 15). As a result, the church grows, builds itself in love, and becomes what it in fact is – the new human race, unified in Jesus.