Sermon Tone Analysis

Kids, what are you favorite games to play?

The bible is full of stories about people searching for some sort of treasure

Search for riches

Search for comfort, success, security, love, wisdom and understanding

Jesus often told parables about searching for something that was lost

- Lost sheep, coin, and son

God loves the hide and seek game

Jesus has created us with restlessness, a need to search out goodness, truth, and beauty.

It is in our bones, in our DNA to search for these things, and we will live restless lives until we have found this treasure.

Saint Augustine wrote in his confessions (a 340 page prayer to God)

“You stir us so that praising you may bring us joy, because you have made us and drawn us to yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

You see, in Christ our restless hearts finally find rest.

For he is the treasure, he is the source of all goodness, truth, and beauty.

And finally, someone brings you to the the cave you had been looking for.

There is great rest in this discovery, yet the journey of finding the treasure

Paul’s ministry, his vocation, his calling was to bring those who were searching and unable to find it, to the treasure of Christ and the gospel.

And this is exactly what happened in the lives of the Ephesians, God saved these men and women from paganism, from false worship, from slavery and has brought them to the ultimate treasure which is Christ.

And it is because of this glorious reality that Paul in verse one begins a prayer of praise to God for what he has done in their lives

The primary meaning is that Paul was imprisoned because of his ministry on behalf of the Gentiles [AB, Alf, Ba, Cal, Ea, EBC, ECWB, EGT, Ho, ICC, LJ, Lns, MNTC, NCBC, NIC, NTC, Rob, Si-ed, St, TH, TNTC, WeBC].

It was Paul’s preaching to the Gentiles that aroused the jealousy and hostility of the Jews, leading to his imprisonment

Yet as he moves to verse two he begins a paraenthetical discourse 2-13

God is about to bow his knees before the father on behalf of the gentiles.

That the gentiles have found the treasure, that they are no longer wandering, searching, looking for all that is good, true and beautiful.

Paul is referencing what he just said at the end of chapter 2..

The

They are now one people, one body, one household, fused together with saints through one faith and one baptism.

Because of the work that God has done on their behalf, he wants to pray for them…

Look how Paul introduces himself at the beginning of this prayer..

Why does Paul call himself a “prisoner of Christ”?

I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you gentiles

Why does Paul call himself a “prisoner of Christ”?

Paul see the treasure that is Christ as so important, so central to his identity as a person he calls himself a prisoner of Christ.

Though he sits in a roman jail cell, he see’s himself as a prisoner of Christ.

If Paul wrote this letter while he was employed making tents, he would be a tent maker of Christ

If he worked as a fishermen like Peter, James and John he would be a fishermen of Christ

Even when he is in a roman cell, he sees his vocation as being a prisoner of Christ.

Application** This should be a challenge to us..

Do you see yourself, your identity, your vocation as being in Christ to the point that his kingship rules over every aspect of your life?

If you are a mechanic, you are a mechanic of Christ.

If you are a homemaker, you are a homemaker of Christ

If you are a doctor, teacher, engineer, you are first and foremost an engineer of Christ.

If we are living stones, built upon the foundation of Christ, building the city of God how can we see ourselves, our callings, our hobbies, our vocations as anything other than being of Christ.

Paul was not a prisoner of Nero, he was a prisoner of Christ.

So as we have seen, Paul is beginning a prayer here in verse one,

The primary meaning is that Paul was imprisoned because of his ministry on behalf of the Gentiles.

however its like this thought of this mystery of Christ bringing all the nations to himself, causes Paul to want to say a few more things concerning this mystery before he finishes his prayer.

Now notice, that before Paul introduces himself as a prisoner of Christ he says, “for this reason” -

It was Paul’s preaching to the Gentiles that aroused the jealousy and hostility of the Jews, leading to his imprisonment (acts 25)

For what reason?

why is he wanting to pray for these gentiles?

The structure of verse one is actually a beginning of a prayer… yet he digresses from his prayer because he wants to talk more about this great mystery.

The mystery was first introduced in 1:9-10

This mystery, this thing that was seen only as shadows in the OT has now been revealed to the world.

This is such a big deal for Paul he waits to continue his prayer until after he is able to expound upon this mystery some more.

And Paul wants to explain the role God has given him to reveal this mystery.

Well he has just come out of Chapter 2 where we jew and Gentile coming together as one.

Yet as he moves to verse two he begins a parenthetical discourse 2-13

Now the reality of this union of Jew and Gentile into one body, one dwelling place for God is so massive for Paul, that he pauses this prayer (which he will resume in verse 14) to talk more about this great reality of what Christ has done

Look with me at vv.2-3

Look with me at verse 2

Paul says “assuming that you have heard”

When we say assume we often think of it as a misplaced confidence...

“did you turn off the lights before we left?

No, I assumed you did.”

When Paul says he assumes they have heard… what it means is “surely you have heard, or I’m sure you have had heard”

And what have they heard?

That God had given Paul stewardship of God’s grace.

The word stewardship is a combination of two words in the greek

House and Law

you put them together and what it means is a manager of a house

God called Paul to be a steward, or manage God’s house, or God’s city - which is a city of God’s grace.

God had called Paul to himself and gave him the vocation of being the manager, steward, leader of the household of God

And as the leader of God’s house, Paul says in verse three ...

This revelation is recorded in acts 26

This is the mystery, that God’s plan for salvation now includes the gentiles.

That the gentiles have the same access and privilege as God’s holy saints to come into his presence, into his sanctuary.

17-

The mystery is that the gentiles now get come come into the sanctuary of God.

Paul first mentions this idea of mystery in 1:9-10

again, seeing this mystery being that all things in heaven and earth will be united in Christ.

I have mentioned before how it used to be that the Holy of Holies was the only place where heaven and earth were united.

But now, Jesus has torn the curtain, the dividing wall has been broken down, and the holy of Holies now flows like a river to the four corners of the earth so that all things in heaven and on earth would be united to Christ.

Paul continues and we see him expounding this mystery in verse six...

Look with me at 3.4-6

It was revealed to them, but not “as it has now been revealed”

before Christ this treasure, this mystery, was known in part.

It was still mysterious, but now in Christ this mystery has been revealed.

Fellow Heirs

God has promised his people Israel that they will inherit the world (see Romans 4:13); when God renews the whole creation, his people will be kings and lords over it.

Now Gentiles are to share in this inheritance (Romans 5:17).

The blessings and hope given to God’s people in the OT now include, as recipients, the gentile people.

All the promises in the Old Covenant, mainly land seed and blessing, find their themselves flowing in and through the person of Christ.

Jesus is not only the one who fulfills these promises, but he also amplifies them to be far more glorious than they previously thought.

The land promise that God’s people were promised to receive was originally viewed to be the land of Israel.

However in Christ this promise expands to not only include Israel, but to include every square inch of the created order.

And this land promise is for all those who are in Christ, both Jew and Gentile.

The Seed promise was that God would make the sons of Abraham be a numerous as the stars in the sky and the dust of the earth.

However, in Christ this blessing is not only for the Jewish people, but now everyone who is united to Christ, Jews and Gentiles, call Abraham their father.

The Blessing Promise was that God himself would bless the children of Abraham, the people of God.

The blessing is ultimately to be united to God, That God has promised himself to his people, to the children of Abraham.

And now through Christ all people, Jew and gentile, are brought into the very presence of God.