The Mystery of Christ

The Mystery of Christ

Introduction

I don’t know about you, but I definitely love a good mystery, the best kind is when the hints are woven throughout the story as a foreshadowing of what is to come.  And when it all comes together it is all the more wonderful as a result. 

Ephesians 3:1-13

Context/Story

Therefore (for this reason) – Ephesians 2(1-7)Personal, Individual, Reconciliation, Vertical Reconciliation, Horizontal reconciliation, Gentiles are fellow citizens, God is bringing a diverse people to Himself.  Previously you had to become a Jew to get to God.  (circumcision, bacon, sabbath, sacrifices – The barriers to entry were high)  No longer!  They won’t all look like you!  (race, nationality, status, wealth, age, gender). 

The Mystery of Salvation

• Explain
  1. What is this mystery? – If you have been here for very long, you may be able to trace this mystery throughout the old testament.  – Adam – Seed of the woman, Seed of Abraham (a great multitude), seed of David (an everlasting kingdom), A better leader than Moses, a better judge than Samson, a better king than David, a better prophet than Isaiah, A prince of peace, A suffering servant, The son of God is coming, and he isn’t just coming for Jews.  But for all mankind. 
     • CHRIST COMES! – We become Abraham’s offspring not by birth but by GRACE THROUGH FAITH!
  2. Not only understanding salvation, not only receiving salvation, Paul’s focus shifts in chapter 3 to sharing Salvation! (evangelism)
     • Stewardship – Paul is our example here, we should recognize his reasons for sharing His story to the Ephesians.  It is so that they may follow his example! First time in the book that mankind is tasked with doing a thing.  Up to this point, God did it all, Jesus did it all. But now, we have a part to play, Not in salvation (that belongs only to the Lord), But in stewarding the grace of God. Sharing it. 
• Prove
  1. Romans 10:13-15,17 – For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”… 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
• Apply
  1. Celebration strives to be a discipleship church.  But, the purpose of the learning is the doing.  Knowledge informs our practice.
     • At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.”
     • Way of the master, Discipleship classes, Celebration groups
     • But we must be disciples who live out what we have learned!
       • Charles Spurgeon – “Every Christian here is either a missionary or an imposter.” 
       •  Less than 5% of Christians share the good news of Jesus with 1 person per year.
         • Seminary evangelism class – Forced to evangelize for a grade. Do not outsource your part in the Great Commission!

The Mystery of the Church

• • Explain
    1. Paul has a high view of the Church of Christ.
    2. Vs 10-11
       • Made the manifold wisdom of God, known to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.
         • What does this mean?
       • Paul adds an amazing piece of theology to the purpose of the church here.  The Church’s actions, YOUR ACTIONS, in relation to the church, reach throughout heaven, and the entire spiritual realm.  The church. “God’s gathered people” are going to be the method He uses to play out His grand story.  
         • And everybody is watching

• Tony Merida – “If you are a part of the church, you are a part of a cosmic sermon that is being preached to spiritual rulers and authorities”

• • 1. • • The forces of the enemy have been working since the fall to dominate our world and bring as many souls to hell as possible.  And when the church is doing what it is called to do, we are not just defending, we are advancing into the enemies domain.  trampling down their strongholds, and dismantling their worldviews.  Simply by living out the commands of God in a faithful church, we are storming the gates of hell, and pushing back the darkness.  And our work reaches throughout the entire spiritual realm.
    2. 2nd Corinthians 10:3-5 – For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ
  • There are 2 Major ways the enemy keeps us from this mission

• Selfishness and Suffering

• But there is a threat to the church in our day and age.  Consumer Christianity
  1. The church exists to please me. Churches have always wanted to be a place to meet people’s desires.  The desire for community, or entertainment, or help with children and marriages. But somewhere along the way, our focus shifted to pleasing people rather than God… and while people consumed the upbeat music, support groups, dramas, and therapeutic sermons, our hope was that they would find God as well, but we failed to realize that the church isn’t a mall.  It isn’t a product to be consumed. It is a people who are to actively work and toil and strive to prepare the way for the kingdom of God!
  2. You cannot hand over the job of evangelism and discipleship to trained professionals. Consumers don’t produce themselves. They just consume…
  3. Cain after murdering his brother Abel, was asked by God where his brother was.  “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  This is the gospel of selfishness in a single line.  “I need to take care of myself, and my interests.  You need to take care of yourself.”  
     • Philippians 2:3-4 – Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
     • We need to remind ourselves that God has called us to care for our brothers, to use our gifts, to make sacrifices, to advance the kingdom
       • This is why we have begun the “Advance the Kingdom Campaign”.  For the next 8 weeks, we want to provide for you some extremely practical ways for you to step in, get connected, and involved in the work that Celebration Church is about.  

The Mystery of Suffering

• • Explain
    1. Our passage is sandwiched in suffering 
       • The apostle Paul is in prison(vs1) Suffering(vs 13)
    2. The Bible is an extremely honest book.  The Bible takes an extremely honest view of suffering.  1⁄3 of all the psalms are psalms of lament.  Almost every old testament prophetic book contains laments.

• Moses, David, Elijah, Jonah, Job, Jeremiah, and even Jesus himself had seasons of serious depression and anxiety.

• 1.  As a pastor with any amount of experience, you learn very quickly that people are hurting, and life is very hard.  “I just learned that I have cancer, My dad just died and he is not a Christian, we just miscarried a baby again, my husband has abandoned me,  I am going bankrupt,  I am losing the house and I don’t know where I am going to live, My children have walked away from the Lord.”
     • I know that some of you are absolutely devastated.  Some of you may just be barely hanging on…  struggling with discouragement, depression and despair.  A lot of WHY questions come up during suffering.  “Why me? Why now? Why this?
• 3 Ways God Uses Suffering

1. For others sake
   1. Suffering causes us to internalize, to curl up in on ourselves and disengage from everyone and everything around us.  To focus on our own needs and disregard the needs of others.
      1. But what Paul is telling us is that He is suffering for the good of others.  He is in prison, writing books of the Bible.  Giving loving instruction to his people.   His life was far from perfect, he had every reason to internalize and disengage…He definitely could have taken all his time wallowing. But instead he says in vs 13 – Don’t lose heart!  He is encouraging others!
         1. God uses us the same way, in order to minister to others. To help others through the pain.
2. For our Growth
   1. It is so easy for suffering to lead to bitterness.  Anger.  But when we remember that our suffering has a purpose it forces the question…
   2. How could your suffering help you to grow? How might it make you appreciate Jesus more? How could it make you more like Him?
   3. Our suffering put’s Christs suffering in perspective
      1. Betrayed, Rejected, Abandoned, Abused, We were the perpetrators.
      2. 1st Peter 4:12-14 – Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
         1. Which brings me to the 3rd way God uses suffering
3. For God’s Glory
   1. Think about this for a moment.  The darker the night, the more wonderful it is when the morning comes.  Your trials, your hardships, your suffering, It all is setting the stage for a great and wonderful glory still to come.
      1. 2nd Corinthians 4:17 – For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison

Don’t Waste Your Suffering (Conclusion)

• Don’t let it drive you to despair, or bitterness.  Remember that God is always working things together for our ultimate good, AND His glory.  Even if it doesn’t feel good right now.  It will be. Even if your life isn’t okay right now, it will be.  The Apostle Paul, died at the hand of Nero.  Did Jesus lose that one? Of course not.  (Tertullian reminds us that, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church”)  They took his life, but Jesus holds his eternity.  The mystery of God will advance, the only question is, will you be a part of it?