Introduction
Do you remember those moments of truth at school when the teacher was handing back marked homework? Do you remember how you felt? Some of you will have looked forward to once again being affirmed with your customary 10/10 mark. But if you were like me, there would be a knot in the stomach before opening the exercise book to see a forest of comments in red ink with the crowning insult of a 2/10 mark awarded.
“Sloppy work, John. You didn’t follow the instructions. You haven’t demonstrated the sums. Were you not paying attention to the lesson?” Cross, cross, cross, tick, cross, cross, cross, cross. “See me after class. Where is your punctuation?” And, whenever I had to write an essay, “Sentence incomplete.”
Well, our passage from Ephesians 3 today starts with an unfinished sentence – and, what is more, almighty God wanted it that way. Here’s the deal: Paul begins chapter three of Ephesians with the words, “For this reason I, Paul, prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles -” and then he goes off on a tangent and does not return to his original sentence until v14.
If only I could have said to my English teacher Mr. Cheeseman, “I know technically that my homework was sloppy and my grammar was careless Sir, but it was 100% inspired by God, and people will be reading it in churches hundreds of years after I’m dead!”
Unfortunately for me, I was not writing holy scripture though. But when Paul gets to Ephesians 3.1 , it seems he is interrupted in mid-flow by Holy Spirit who whispers, “Paul, don’t forget to tell them about the mystery.” And so off goes Paul on a glorious and God-breathed digression. That’s our passage today.
The Holy Spirit really wanted us all to know about a magnificent mystery, a seismic secret, which had been kept strictly under wraps for many centuries, but which God was now suddenly making public.
We’re going to see many great and wonderful things on Paul’s little rabbit trail. Let’s read the passage together. Ephesians 3.1.
For this reason [what reason? He’s referring to the fantastic truth at the end of chapter 2 that, because of the cross, God has made peace between previously bitter enemies. For this reason…] I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus [Paul’s writing this in prison because of relentless opposition to his faith] for the sake of you Gentiles – [and then we get the inspired detour]. Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, [he’s talking here about his special assignment from God to tell all nations about Jesus] that is, the mystery [no longer hidden away and inaccessible and cryptic, but] made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which [listen carefully now, please] was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.
Let’s pause it right there. Paul is saying that there has been an earth-shattering revelation about Jesus and it’s been kept quiet for eons. Question: why do you think God’s great and glorious plan was deliberately hidden away from all previous generations, that is to say everyone who ever lived in what we now call B.C? Why did God not reveal the gospel clearly before?
Is it because God is a bit of a tease and likes keeping secrets from people? No. It’s because the unfathomably wise purpose of God was always to wait for the perfect timing.
Galatians 4.4 says, “when the time had fully come, (or when the fullness of time had arrived, or when the proper time had reached its fulfilment) God sent his Son, born of a woman…”
In the first century A.D., all the stars aligned to give the perfect conditions for the arrival of the Messiah. Jesus was born at a time of unprecedented political stability called the Pax Romana.
In addition, there was a new and extensive Roman road network and safe shipping routes that allowed the early Christians to quickly spread the gospel far and wide to new nations.
Furthermore, from the days of Alexander the Great, there was now a common language throughout the known world which enabled the gospel to be written down and widely communicated and understood.
And finally, Jewish expectation was at fever pitch while, at the same time, spiritual emptiness in the Roman world left a God-shaped void in people’s lives. The gospel message was immensely attractive in these conditions.
So God’s timing was not a matter of chance; his wisdom pinpointed this providential moment to maximize the effective spread of the message of salvation.
Ephesians 3 continues in v6 with a drum roll, and the unveiling of the surprise… This mystery [here it comes, are you listening?] is that through the gospel [get ready…] the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
1) The secret is uncovered (v2-6)
If we’re going to grasp what the Bible is saying here, we need to understand that the ancient world was basically divided into two very distinct groups of people. (Michael very helpfully went over this two weeks ago, but I’ll explain it now for the benefit of those who weren’t here, and for those of you who were and have forgotten already, let me remind you).
The ancient world was divided into two polar-opposite camps. First of all, there were the religiously observant types (otherwise known as the Jews). They liked to observe all the feast days, avoid certain foods, pray all day Saturday and keep all the rules. And they were obsessively strict and particular about all this; so much so that it became very exclusive. Access to their religion was seriously restricted.
Secondly, there were the not at all religious types (that is to say, the Gentiles). They might have been superstitious, but they were irreverent and notoriously immoral. Jews and Gentiles were like oil and water. They did not mix. They did not get on. They did not like each other or tolerate each other.
So the big deal here is that the grace of God has been revealed to a strict and particular Jew called Paul to share with every irreligious Gentile on earth a secret that was kept concealed for many, many years. But now, with the coming of Jesus, the lid has been blown off the box and everything’s out in the open.
Now, because of the gospel, the not-at-all-religious Gentiles and the obsessively pious Jews can become one group, not two, and share together in all God’s promises.
Three times in v6, notice, there is the little word “together.” People did vaguely know from the Old Testament that there was going to be some sort of future plan or provision for the Gentiles. Isaiah for example, said, “I will make you, [Israel], a light to the Gentiles that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” But no one ever imagined in their wildest dreams that this meant that Gentile and Jewish believers would become equal in one family, the Body of Christ.
It is hard for us to get a feel for how incendiary all this was in the first century. It was, to quote Vizzini in The Princess Bride, “absolutely, totally, and in all other ways inconceivable.” It was explosive.
It explains why everywhere Paul went his preaching immediately provoked a city-wide disturbance. It’s why they kept throwing him in jail. His message blew to bits an unchallengeable order that had firmly been in place from the time of Abraham to Jesus; 2,000 long years of history.
In our day, 2,000 years after Christ, we sort of have the opposite issue. It’s common to hear people say, “God’s worldwide family in Christ is big and diverse, but sadly the Jews aren’t really part of it because they don’t believe in Jesus.” That’s not quite right though. Some Jews do recognise Jesus as their Messiah and, excitingly, their number is increasing.
Last week, I was browsing the website of Jews for Jesus, which contains many testimonies from Jewish people who have discovered that Jesus of Nazareth is their long-awaited Messiah. Those faces on the screen are some of them. They’re all ethnic Jews, born and raised in Judaism, and who now bow the knee to Jesus as their Saviour and Lord. I wish I had time to share a few of their stories with you this morning. I don’t, but I recommend you visit the website and take a look for yourself.
2) The news is out (v7-11)
Let’s read on. In the section from v7 to v11 Paul explains that the toothpaste is out of the tube. The news about this secret (or mystery) is now spreading, thanks to his call to preach the good news about Jesus to those who were never bothered about our God before, that is to say the Gentiles. Here’s what it says:
I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. [In other words, God gave me the ability to communicate effectively and powerfully the good news about Jesus to profoundly irreligious people.] Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: [he’s saying, “without God’s help, God’s anointing, I would never have been able to do it] to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery [in other words the way God’s great plan is designed to be executed through the church], which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, [he’s thinking about angels and demons here] according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Here’s the thing; the gospel has to be announced. Paul says he has to preach it (v8) and make it plain (v9). If we don’t speak it out, it will never be heard. News has to be broadcast.
If we all keep the gospel to ourselves, this generation of Christians will be the last. So whenever an opportunity presents itself, make yourself available to God as his servant. Because, as Paul says in v7, the good news of Jesus Christ is powerful stuff. There is nothing else like it.
In one of his conferences, Ed Silvoso told the story about Olmos Prison in La Plata, southeast of Buenos Aires. A few years ago, this establishment of 2,700 inmates, the largest prison in Argentina, was totally unmanageable. There were stories of homosexual rape and prostitution, protection rackets, murders and riots. The building was effectively controlled by the Mafia, drug dealers and gangsters of every type.
There was not one Christian on the site. But if you fancied a bit of religion, there was a satanic cult, which offered animal sacrifices to the devil. The whole place was steeped in evil. Local people didn’t go anywhere near it, it was said to be haunted or possessed. Imagine the reviews on Trip Advisor…
This is how a First Century Jew would have thought of any Gentile, by the way.
Anyway, in a neighbouring town, a local pastor was convicted of a relatively minor financial offence, and he was sentenced to spend some time at Olmos. The man repented in his cell and cried out to God for mercy, “Oh God, give me a second chance,” he said, “don’t abandon me. Don’t throw me away. Fill me with the Holy Spirit.” The Lord had mercy on him, forgave his sin and filled him again with the Spirit. The pastor had nothing to lose. He started to infiltrate the Satan cult, the Mafia and the gangs. He became, in his own words, a kamikaze for Christ.
At about the same time, another Christian applied for an administrative job in that prison. The place was so evil that the interviewers, when they heard he was a Christian, said to him, “Get out of here. We don’t want you here. We hate you. If you take this job, we’re going to kill you.” Apart from that they were really hospitable! But nobody else applied, so he got the job anyway.
Now, the prison had one believer behind bars and another behind a desk. They started to pray. First, they asked God for a slot on the prison radio. In the end, they were granted one and a half hours a week. It’s not much. But, if you forgive the expression, they did have a captive audience, because the broadcasts were relayed by loudspeaker all around the jail. You couldn’t switch it off. The two men prayed and prayed, and little by little they saw men turning to Christ.
That’s when the backlash started. But the believers discovered that they had a constitutional right to be protected. The prison has five floors and is organized in blocks of cells, each holding 42 inmates. So the Christians claimed a block for themselves, so as to be protected from the violence threatened against them.
True, they were given the worst block in the whole building, on the 4th floor. That’s where the Mafia and the black mass people were locked up. The believers formed a church, recognized a pastor and appointed a team of elders. They set up a rota where they prayed each night from 11pm to 5am. Two men read the Bible, two prayed and two others went from cell to cell, laying hands on the sick and praying for healing and blessing for their fellow prisoners and their families. Every two hours, the teams rotated so those who were reading the Bible started to pray, and so on.
Today, 1,500 men are disciples of Jesus Christ in that prison. You see what I mean? When Paul speaks about “the working of his power” in v7, he's not trying to sell you tat on your doorstep that breaks after three days. The gospel is powerful. And it’s not for nothing either that the Apostle writes about the unsearchable riches of Christ (v8).
“It’s unsearchable,” he says. You can’t scan it, you won’t get to the bottom of it, you’ll never really fathom it, it’s immeasurable, it’s like a diamond mine you’ll never exhaust. There are always more jewels, more perfectly faceted, more breathtakingly exquisite than the ones you’ve already pulled out of the ground. It keeps getting better.
A transformation in the heart, like in that Argentine jail, like in my life, like in yours, is priceless. There is no limit to the mercy, and the patience, and the loving kindness and the grace and goodness, the blessing and the faithfulness and favour of our majestic, glorious, resplendent and three-times holy God.
Hang down your bucket in God’s well of grace this morning! God’s supply of blessing has no bottom. There’s always more.
3) Approaching God confidently (v12-13)
Have you ever had the experience of wanting desperately to contact somebody who is impossible to get hold of? He's not at home, his car is gone, and it’s not at the office either. His mobile is on answerphone mode, and at work you keep getting a pre-recorded voicemail message. His P.A. offers you a meeting for Thursday week. You phone and get an engaged signal. Finally, a sign of hope! That means he is on the line. Five minutes later, you call again but there’s no answer! Frustrated?
Look at v12. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
I’m told the Greek work which Paul used, that we have translated as "approach" was used for the permission granted to come into the presence of a sovereign. So without wishing to in any way diminish or even qualify the truth about God (his holiness, his supremacy, his majesty) I want to insist as well that God is more accessible than your boss, your parents, or your spouse.
You’ll never get God’s P.A. keeping you at arm’s length to protect him from you. God is waiting for you. His door is open and the line is free. God is accessible 24/7. He has no day off. He doesn’t even shut down at the weekend or for annual leave!
“In him and through faith in him you may approach God with freedom and confidence.”
I once heard of a stay-at-home mum, whose life was a little mundane and not terribly full of action or surprises. But she said one day, “Whenever I am at the sink, doing the dishes, all I need to do is lift my old apron over my head and I’m in the Holy of Holies, in the satisfying and radiant presence of almighty God. She’s right.
It’s a phenomenal privilege to be granted freedom to approach God with full assurance. Most of us would be a bit nervous about entering the throne room of an omnipotent ruler. But don’t be afraid. By faith, you can enter directly into God’s awesome presence in prayer and in worship.
I think that this verse tells us two very important things about our praise and worship.
First of all, don’t be worried, cringing or anxious in approaching the Lord as we worship him together. He welcomes you gladly because he’s your Father and he loves you as his child.
But secondly, don’t trivialise the enormous privilege of entering God’s presence, as if it were something frivolous or mundane. Confidently doesn’t mean casually.
Come before him with humility and with simplicity. But honour him as God almighty with fear and trembling, for our God is a consuming, holy fire.
Ending
So as I close, as Paul ends his inspired digression and sinks to his knees in prayer, will you draw near to God this morning?
Maybe you never really have drawn near to him before. Will that change today? Is there a burden, or a weight, to drop at his feet? Pour your heart out. He promises to listen. Is there something you know he is calling you to, that you might have been resisting? Is there an area of your life you haven’t yet given over to him? His door is open and no appointment is necessary. Come! This is the time.
Draw near to God and, listen to the Bible’s promise, he’ll draw near to you.
Sermon preached at King's Church Darlington, 8 March 2026.
