Series: Identity – The Book of Ephesians
Sermon: The Mystery
Bible Passage: Ephesians 3:1-13
Summary of “identity” thus far (chs. 1–2):
a. Saint from a sinner
b. Elected to be holy and blameless
c. Adopted as God’s children
d. Redeemed through Christ
e. God’s inheritance with a seal of ownership
f. God’s masterpiece from a messed-up background
g. Part of one new humanity from Jewish and non-Jewish background
I. Three components of the mystery (verse 6)
1. “Fellow heir,” “fellow inheritor,” “coheir,” “joint heir”
a. “Heir” is someone who receives properties or wealth from parents or grandparents or family members
b. Children or adopted children receive their parents’ wealth and properties, which we call “inheritance”
c. Here in verse 6, the Gentile Christians are called “inheritors”
i. That is, “inheritors” of God’s possessions
ii. What relationship do the Gentile Christians have with God to inherit from?
iii. Through “adoption,” the Gentile believers have become God’s sons and daughters (cf. Eph 1:5)
iv. Gal 3:26 … in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith
v. Gal 3:29 … if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise
vi. “Co-heir” refers to enjoying the inheritance with someone else—i.e., equal sharing with the Jewish believers
d. In Roman world, inheritance might come to someone other than the children when they do something extraordinary to the family, through some kind of accomplishments, or through heroic acts
e. Here, to the Gentile Christians, inheritance of God’s blessings comes through the Gospel
f. What do the Gentile believers inherit?
i. They inherit the benefits or exploits of Christ’s completed work
ii. A lot is gathered/gained by the completed work of Christ (both vertically and horizontally)
iii. In verse 6, the inheritance is the Church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way (cf. 1:23)
2. “Fellow members of the body,” “concorporate,” “the Jews and Gentiles are in the body of Christ”
a. The “body” is that of Christ’s
b. Both Jewish and Gentile believers constitute the body, i.e., the Church (cf. Eph 1:23)
c. The composite of this body is Jesus
d. In this body, there is a close dependent relationship with one another which never existed before!
e. Growth of the members is dependent on the Head and other members of the body
f. For Apostle Paul, to be part of this body, particularly the Gentile Christians becoming part of the body, is a supreme prestigious matter
3. “Fellow participants” or “co-sharers” of promises in Christ
a. Through Jesus, the Gentile believers have access to all the promises of God
b. Gal 3:29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise
c. All the blessings promised to the children of Abraham are made available through the Seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ
II. Let’s recap the last three chapters of the book of Ephesians!
1. List of identity changes: saint, election, adoption, redemption, God’s ownership of the Gentile believers, masterpiece, new nation, coheir, concorporate, and co-participation
2. To Paul, this amazing work of God in the Gentile believers is the “unfathomable” riches—“inexplorable,” “inexhaustible,” “illimitable” (vv. 7-9)
3. This cannot be kept to himself, but he needed to share it with others (vv. 7-9)
4. What is God’s ultimate goal with His work on the Gentiles?
a. The answer is the Church (cf. 3:10, 1:23, and 1:10)
i. Eph 3:10 … through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms
ii. Eph 1:22-23 God put all things under Christ’s feet, and he gave him to the church as head over all things. Now the church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all
iii. Eph 1:9-10 With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ
b. The Church is the “theatre of God’s works”—the manifold wisdom of God (verse 10 )
i. The Gentile and Jewish believers constitute the players/actors
ii. The rulers and the authorities (see the definite articles) are the audience
iii. Both Jewish and Gentile believers approaching God with confidence through Jesus Christ is the eternal plan of God
c. The Church is the mouthpiece of God to announce His works to the rulers and authorities in the heavens
III. Principles—The first section of the book (chs. 1–3) emphasizes the centrality of the Church
1. The Church is central to the Gospel and the purpose of God’s work on believers (verse 11)
2. The Church is central to Christian living
3. The Church is a multiracial, multicolored community
4. The Church must rediscover its thrust for evangelism and announcement of the Good News to the world
5. Without outreach, the Church loses its essential purpose of existence
6. Membership in a local church is not an option, but it is a must to become part of what God is doing
Take Away:
Be fully involved in your local church
1. by not asking what I can get (you already have received much), but
2. by asking how I can comply with the rest of the church
3. for God to proclaim His wisdom to the seen and unseen world