1. The Mystery of Christ Revealed (Ephesians 3:1-6) 

2. Proclaiming God’s Revealed Plan (Ephesians 3:7-13) 

3. Experiencing the Fullness of Christ’s Love (Ephesians 3:14-21) 

Central Truth: God’s grace makes it possible to know the love of Christ. 

Focus: Study how God in Christ revealed the mystery of grace and confidently proclaim the gospel of grace. 

Evangelism Emphasis: God’s grace makes it possible to know the love of Christ. 

Golden Text: “To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). 

INTRODUCTION 

There has been a knowledge explosion in the last century. Many facts about the universe that have been a mystery are now unraveling as space exploration continues to progress. The laws of thermodynamics have led to many inventions that have brought efficiency, luxury, and perhaps misery to our lives. Computer technology now makes it possible to store billions of information items that can be instantly recalled. However, the changes introduced into our world by science and technology in recent history are not as great and are incomparable to the change effected by Jesus’ coming. 

Christ’s first advent made many things possible—one being the glorious truths of the Church. In His wisdom, God hid these wonderful truths from the previous ages and revealed them through His Son. Paul the apostle was chosen by God to reveal the mystery of the Church to his contemporaries and generations to come. 

In Ephesians 2:11-22, Paul has discussed the union of Jewish and Gentile believers into one new family in Christ. Jews and Gentiles can become one people in the Christian church, the temple of God, through the Holy Spirit. In 3:1 he begins to offer a prayer on their behalf, but stops abruptly in the middle of the sentence and digresses to the subject of the mystery of Christ and the Church, something that he considers as his responsibility to proclaim. He resumes his prayer in verse 14. 

Today’s lesson reminds us the Church is immeasurably more than the physical buildings where believers gather to worship and fellowship. It is a spiritual organism which lives and breathes through Christ’s Spirit and binds all believers together through His love. 

1. THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST REVEALED 

A. Revealed to Paul (Ephesians 3:1-4) 

1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words. 4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ). 

Paul begins the paragraph by linking it with the discussion in 2:11-22, writing “For this cause,” or “for this reason” (3:1). He reintroduces himself, but inserts a new element. He calls himself “the prisoner of Jesus Christ.” There is neither a hint of self-pity nor any idea of victim mentality in the tone of his letter. His imprisonment was for a noble cause—Paul sees himself as a captive of Christ for the cause of the salvation of the Gentiles. As always, Paul sees his imprisonment and sufferings as marks of his apostleship. 

He then elaborated on his commission as a preacher to the Gentiles. Paul refers to his commission as a “dispensation” (v. 2), or literally an “administration,” of divine grace. The term is usually equivalent to “stewardship” or “task.” The idea here is that of the coalescence of responsibility and grace. It is grace that enabled Paul to fulfill his calling as an apostle to the Gentiles. 

Paul came to understand the truth of God’s purpose concerning the universality of the Gospel early in his Christian life “by revelation” (v. 3), an obvious reference to his Damascus-road encounter with Christ. The message he was commissioned to declare is “the mystery of Christ.” The “mystery” which was unknown was that Gentiles were to be incorporated into the one body of the Church (2:16) as equal partners with Israel (3:6). Christianity remains a mystery to many people today. 

A young man from India, Sundar Singh, wrote that after hearing some missionaries preach he felt a great spiritual distress within himself. That night, unable to sleep, he prayed, “Oh God, if there is a God, reveal Yourself to me.” Suddenly a bright light shone in the room where he lay. Expecting Buddha or Krishna to appear before him, instead, Jesus appeared. After this marvelous revelation, Sundar knew God was there and dedicated himself to Christ, becoming a great missionary among his people. 

• In what way should every believer be a “prisoner of Christ”? 

B. Revealed to Us (Ephesians 3:5-6) 

5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel. 

The Holy Spirit has now entrusted to us the same “mystery” (vv. 3-4) entrusted to Paul and “holy apostles and prophets” (v. 5). In verse 6 Paul states the content of the mystery in a summary fashion, using three Greek words that are each prefixed by syn, meaning “together with” or “co.” 

First is co-heirs (“fellowheirs,” synkleronoma). In Romans 8:17, Paul speaks of believers being co-heirs with Christ. Here, as in Galatians 3:29 and 4:7, he stresses the fact that in Christ, Gentiles are co-inheritors of the Kingdom along with the Jews. All who belong to Christ are “Abraham’s seed” (Gal. 3:29), thus heirs of the promise God gave him. 

Second, they are co-members “of the same body” (synsoma), hence they enjoy a corporate relationship. Paul affirms the complete integration and equality of believing Gentiles with Jews. 

Third, they are “partakers of his promise” (synmetocha)—that is, co-partners or "sharers together" (NIV). This term recurs in Ephesians 5:7 in a different context and stands in contrast with 2:12, which says Gentiles had once been “foreigners to the covenants of the promise” (NIV). Because of Christ, Gentiles are fellow partakers of the covenant promise made originally to the Jews. 

Our Business 

God is not saving the world; it is done. Our business is to get men and women to realize it.—Oswald Chambers 

2. PROCLAIMING GOD’S REVEALED PLAN 

A. God’s Multifaceted Wisdom (Ephesians 3:7-10) 

 7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. 8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God. 

This union of Jews and Gentiles in one body, which was so astonishing to all who saw it, is a logical consequence of the central doctrine of the Gospel—that God accepts all who believe. Paul became a servant of the Gospel, not through any ambition or qualification of his own but solely through the gift and calling of God. Paul stresses the origin of his apostolic ministry—it came from God “by the effectual working of his power” (v. 7). He recognizes that the dramatic intervention that transformed him from an enemy into a friend of Christ was an act of divine omnipotence. His apostleship reflects God’s power at work in the Church (1:19-20). 

With all humility, Paul states that he who was “the least of all saints” (3:8) had been made a somebody through God’s power. As such, he was able to proclaim among the Gentiles the “unsearchable,” or untraceable, riches of Christ. Paul’s commission was to announce the good news of Christ to the Gentiles as a continuation of Christ’s own ministry (2:17). Paul was called to “make plain” (3:9 NIV), or to cast light upon, the outworking of God’s mystery. It was not a new action on the part of God or a divergence from His original plans. It was “hid in God, who created all things” (v. 9), but was now available to all. 

God’s “intent” (v. 10) of creation and redemption is the demonstration of His wisdom. In particular, Paul’s commission to proclaim the mystery was designed to promote this purpose as the Church became God’s instrument. As one writer succinctly stated, “The Church becomes a mirror through which the bright ones of heaven see the glory of God. In order to show them this glory, God committed the Gospel to Paul.” Another writer said, “The Church is the ‘theater’ for displaying God’s wisdom” (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary). 

What now becomes clear is that the Church provides hostile cosmic powers with a tangible reminder that their authority has been decisively broken and all things are subject to Christ. The overcoming of the barriers between Jews and Gentiles, as they are united through Christ in the Church, is a pledge of the overcoming of all divisions when the universe will be restored to harmony in Christ (cf. 1:10). In this way, the Church as the focus of God’s wise plan could give the readers an essential clue to the meaning of this world’s history. 

• In verses 8 and 9, how does Paul describe his calling? 
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B. God’s Purpose Accomplished (Ephesians 3:11-13) 

11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: 12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. 13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. 

Paul continues his discussion by making again Christ the central point of the message. In Christ and through faith in Him, “we have boldness and . . . confidence” to approach God (v. 12). Two significant truths must be noted. First, Paul says God’s eternal purpose is “accomplished in Christ” (v. 11 NIV). Christ is central. There is no other means or hope of salvation outside of Jesus. We cannot come to God through any merits of our own. Second, we must come to Him by faith. Such faith is not mere mental assent to some expressed truths, but a willingness to embrace the fact of Christ’s death for our sins and to trust fully in Him. 

There are two expressions of favor enjoyed by all Christians who come to God through Christ: “boldness and access with confidence” (v. 12). Unlike the time of King Ahasuerus when Esther was afraid to enter the presence of the king (Esther 4:10-11), we can boldly come to the King of kings anytime, anywhere, and on any day. 

Paul concludes the section with an exhortation to his readers not to “faint” (v. 13)—or literally, “lose heart” or be discouraged—because of his tribulations or sufferings which he sustained in the fulfillment of his commission. He gives two reasons. First, his sufferings or tribulations were for the Ephesians’ benefit; and second, his sufferings were their glory. What mattered to Paul was the welfare of his readers. If they rightly understood the reason and purpose of his sufferings, they could do nothing but rejoice with him even as he constantly did (Col. 1:24). 

An Open Door 

The Lord is glad to open the gate to every knocking soul. It opens very freely; its hinges are not rusted, no bolts secure it. Have faith and enter at this moment through holy courage.—C. H. Spurgeon 

3. EXPERIENCING THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST’S LOVE 

A.  Confidence Expressed (Ephesians 3:14-15) 

14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. 

Paul resumes his prayer that he broke off in verse 1. Because the Gentile Christians are now incorporated into the body of Christ, Paul prays that they may appropriate their spiritual privileges to the full. 

He begins the prayer with an attitude of deep reverence and confidence. Paul says he kneels (“I bow my knees,” v. 14). Standing was the normal posture of prayer among the Jews and the early Christians. Unto, or literally before, is a face-to-face preposition that suggests an intimate relationship. He addresses God as Father because, through the redemptive act of Christ, access is now made possible to the Father through the Spirit (2:18). The Father is the One after whom “the whole family” is named (3:15). 

• Why did Paul “kneel before the Father” (v. 14 NIV)? 

B. Requests Made (Ephesians 3:16-19) 

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 

As in Ephesians 1:17-18, Paul’s prayer is concerned with the appropriation of God’s provision in Christ through the Spirit. Paul reminds himself and his readers that God’s giving in response to payer is in accord with His “glorious riches” (3:16 NIV; cf. Rom. 9:23)—an inexhaustible wealth of His radiance and power active on behalf of humankind. Paul asks that God will endow his readers with spiritual blessings on an extravagant scale as a result of Christ taking up residence in their hearts. Paul is not praying for an experience unique to Christians in Ephesus, but something that is shared by all God’s people. 

In the prayer, there are three major requests. The first is that the Ephesians will be strengthened through the Spirit in their inner selves, which need to be renewed constantly by the Spirit’s energy (v. 16). The request is then spelled out in different terms as Paul asks that Christ might take up permanent residence (“dwell”) in their hearts, at the center of their personalities, so that through a relationship of faith Christ’s character and the pattern of His death and resurrection increasingly shape their values and their living (v. 17). Paul’s desire is to see the Ephesian believers become vigorous Christians who are effective because of their quality of inner strength derived from the energizing of God’s Spirit. 

Second, Paul prays that, as the Ephesians are strengthened, they will be enabled to “comprehend” or “grasp” (v. 18 NIV) in company with the whole Church the vast dimensions of the all-embracing love of Christ. Despite its ultimate incomprehensibility and mystery, he prays they might know this love of Christ personally and in a way that controls their lives. Paul desires to see Christians who understand their identity and security because they know the all-encompassing love of Christ and therefore sense His acceptance and affirmation. Such knowledge will result in their stability. 

The love of Christ is too large to be confined by any geometrical measurements. It is wide enough to reach the whole world and beyond (see 1:9-10, 20). It is long enough to stretch from eternity to eternity (1:4-6, 18; 3:9). It is high enough to raise both Gentiles and Jews to heavenly places in Christ Jesus (1:13; 2:6). It is deep enough to rescue people from sin’s degradation, and even from the grip of Satan himself (2:1-5; 6:11-12). The love of Christ is the love He has for the Church as a united body (5:25, 29-30) and for those who trust in Him as individuals (3:17). Paul recognizes, however, that he is attempting to measure the immeasurable, so he paradoxically prays the Ephesian Christians may come to know a love that is ultimately unknowable. It “surpasses knowledge” (v. 19 NIV). 

Paul’s third request is that the readers of the letter be “filled with all the fulness of God” (v. 19)—that they experience to their capacity the life and power of God himself. Paul wants to see Christians who, conscious of their significant role, have appropriated all the resources of the fullness of God. The fulfillment God intends for believers is the maturity that is reached through “the fulness of Christ” (4:13). 

God’s Yearning Heart 

God loves to be longed for, He loves to be sought, for He sought us Himself with such longing and love; He died for desire of us, marvelous thought! And He yearns for us now to be with Him above.—William Webster 

C. Praise Given (vv. 20-21) 

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. 

At the end of the prayer, Paul expresses his conviction that he serves a great God. He ascribes glory to the God whose power infinitely transcends all human praying or imagining. This is no mere theoretical statement about the omnipotence of God as an attribute. It is an ascription of praise that springs from Paul’s personal experience. For, as he says, this inexpressible power of God is the same power that believers know to be at work within them. 

Here, Paul rehearses themes already touched on: the abundance of God's gift (1:18-19; 2:7; 3:19), the power made available to the Christian (1:19; 3:7, 16, 18), and the unbreakable link between Christ and the Church (1:22-23; 3:10). 

Glory is due to God in the Church and in Christ Jesus. It belongs to God in the Church as Christ’s body, the one new community of Jew and Gentile, and it belongs to Him in Christ Jesus as the Head, the One through whom this community came into being and on whom it depends for its life. Both the Church and Christ will bring God glory “throughout all generations, for ever and ever!” (v. 21 NIV). 

• How are you bringing glory to Jesus Christ in your daily life? 

TRUTH REVEALED 

The word mystery, “in the New Testament, does not denote the mysterious, but that which, being outside the range of unassisted natural apprehension, can be made known only by divine revelation, and is made known in a manner and at a time appointed by God, and to those only who are illumined by His Spirit. In the ordinary sense a ‘mystery’ implies knowledge withheld; its Scriptural significance is truth revealed” (W. E. Vines). 

The mystery made known to Paul is that the Gentiles were chosen by God to receive the same spiritual blessings as the Jews through Jesus Christ. “The Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers” (Eph. 3:6 NASB) of all the Gospel offers. Every person from every nation and race who puts his or her faith in Christ is an equal partner with every other believer in the inheritance afforded by Christ. 

Daily Devotions  

M.  God Reveals Deep Things (Job 12:13-22) 

T.  Revelation of Hidden Treasures Promised (Isaiah 45:1-7) 

W.  God Reveals Mysteries (Daniel 2:19-25) 

T.  Proclaim Christ Boldly (Acts 4:24-31) 

F.  Declaring Revealed Wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:6-11) 

S.  Revealed Mystery Proclaimed (Colossians 1:24-29)

Adopted from the Evangelical Sunday School Lesson Commentary 2021-2022.