4 actions that enable us to steward the gospel
I. Trust in God’s Revelation
Ephesians 3:1-5 - For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles – if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit…
Isaiah 45:15a - Truly, You are a God who hides Himself…
A. God delights in talking to His people
Deuteronomy 29:29 - The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.
B. God’s Spirit is the ultimate author
Ephesians 3:5b - …[this mystery] has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit.
Galatians 1:6-9 - I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
II. Understand the Power of the Gospel
A. The gospel creates a new family
B. The gospel joins together an unlikely body
C. The gospel extends God’s promises to everyone
III. Proclaim the Unfathomable Riches of Christ
A. Christ’s riches were meant to be shared
Ephesians 3:8-9 - To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things.
B. Christ’s church was meant to grow
Ephesians 3:10 - …[this mystery was brought to light] so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.
IV. Rest in God for the Results
1 Corinthians 4:1-2 - Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.
1 Corinthians 3:6-7 - I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
A. Christ emboldens us to proclaim the gospel
Ephesians 3:11-13 - This [revealed mystery] was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.
B. Christ comforts us by giving us access to Him
Hebrews 4:14-16 - Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
This morning, we’re continuing our annual series where we are Building on Our Heritage
If you would, please open up to Ephesians chapter 3 (pg. 1170)
While you’re turning there, I want to invite you into a story…
The central character of this narrative is a high school version of you
Allow me to set the scene…
You’re an only child—your father is an accomplished physician, and your mother is one of the leading philologists in the world—she has a familiarity with over a dozen languages, she’s an expert in more than half of them
Your life is like a dream—you live right on the coast in a home that is the envy of every teenager
You travel the world over breaks, and your parents are helping you start a business of your own that’s really taking off
Home life is similarly incredible—you can’t imagine a closer-knit family than the one you have, characterized by love and grace
You’re involved in your church, serving in the community, and making a global impact
There’s only one problem with your life: high school…
More specifically, a particular person in your high school… Bruce…
He’s earned the nickname, “Bruce the Bruiser”—he’s the terror of every late-bloomer that has the misfortune of being enrolled in your school
PS—if you’re a gal, sub “Bruce the Bruiser” with “Swirly Shirley”—guess how she obtained that title…
It’s almost every school day that Bruce terrorizes you and your friends, inventing new ways to torment and cut you down
What’s worse, he’s threatened to come to your house if you ever tell any authority of his accolades
“Everyone knows where you live,” he has told you, “I even know where you sleep…”
Bruce has given you every reason to believe this bit of insight; and also believe he’s a man of his word, in the threat department…
You come home miserable, day after day, vaguely telling parents about the misery that certain people cause for you almost every school day
One of those days, your dad takes you aside and says to you…
“Tell you what, bud—your mom and I feel pretty awful over what you’ve been enduring at school. We want to surprise you with something that we’ve never done before…”
Your thoughts begin to spin—you feel like you’ve been everywhere and done everything—what could your parent’s offer you that hasn’t already been done?
Your dad continues, “We’ll tell you what the surprise is towards the beginning of your next school year—September 5th, to be specific…”
‘Wow,’ you think—'I just have to make it through one more month of school, then a few weeks into the first quarter’
That summer was awesome—your family traveled the globe on your private yacht, stopping at various locations to do mission work
Your dad would provide medical help, your mom would quickly familiarize herself with the language, and you’d serve right alongside them
And then… it all came to a close, and you were back to the terrible grind of school once more
Bruce seemed to grow even meaner over the summer, as though he’d spent his time refining his craft at bully camp
…but September 5th was coming
That day proved to be a beacon of hope that gave you strength to carry on
Though the weeks dragged on, eventually that great day came around
And it started off pretty well at school—there was no Bruce to be seen!
Perhaps he was home, icing his knuckles from his most recent pounding
Whatever the cause, you were free to spend the day in your head, thinking about what could possibly be waiting for you at home
The final bell rang, and you bolt out of the school, riding your bike home faster than you thought possible
After throwing open the front door, you make a beeline for the living room where you hear your parents chatting
When you get to the room, you stop dead in your tracks and your jaw drops, due to what you see in front of you
There, sitting across from your father, is none other than… Bruce the Bruiser
He looks up at you and gives you a wink, as your mom sits up and asks to speak with you in the other room
Dumbfounded, you follow her out and she begins to tell you, “Honey, your father and I have some incredibly exciting news to share with you…
“We know how hard school has been for you lately, and that got us thinking—what would cheer him up?
“Since this past Spring, we’ve been working with a local orphanage with the hope of adopting someone—and wouldn’t you know it, they had someone that was your age!
“So as of 2pm today, the young man in that other room is officially… your BROTHER!”
With a single word (“brother”), your entire world comes crashing down around you
As awful as high school has been, you’ve always known that home is safe, loving, fun, purposeful
Now, everything that was awful about life has just creeped its way into the most sacred spaces of your existence
Bruce will be there when you come home, he’ll be there when you sleep, he’ll be right alongside you on your summer vacations—he’ll even have an equal share in your family inheritance!
But allow me to interject, and add one final twist to our little story:
According to our passage this morning… you and I, are actually… BRUCE
Please follow along with me as I read our passage…
Text
Ephesians 3:1-13 – For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— 2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; 3 that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. 4 By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; 6 to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, 7 of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. 8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; 10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.
In a shocking turn of events, you and I have been welcomed into God’s family as a…
You are a Steward of the Gospel Mystery
We’re a part of a far more surprising and scandalous drama than any human could conjure up—the simple, yet simultaneously incomprehensible gospel of Jesus Christ
So from our passage, let’s consider…
4 actions that enable us to steward the gospel
First, we’re called to…
I. Trust in God’s Revelation
Our passage begins by building the drama of this mystery…
Ephesians 3:1-5 – For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;
Three times, our passage uses the Greek word “μυστήριον” (*explain)
But don’t let that overshadow the great amount of revelation that is discussed here
If He wanted to, God HIMSELF could have remained a mystery to us; after all, Isaiah 45 says of Him…
Isaiah 45:15a – Truly, You are a God who hides Himself…
But instead, our passaged is peppered with evidence that…
A. God delights in talking to His people
Looking at verses 2-5, we see words and phrases like: “heard,” “revelation,” “made known,” “understand,” “insight,” and “revealed”
Each of them point to a considerate Creator who engages with His creation
God. Talks. To. Us.
He does so, according to our passage, through “His holy apostles and prophets”
Respectfully, we know this today as the New Testament (apostles) and the Old Testament (prophets)
It’s often said: if you want to heard God talk to you, read His Word… if you want to hear Him audibly talk to you… read it out loud
Much of God and His creation remain a mystery—we know this to be intentional:
Deuteronomy 29:29 – The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law
God has told us everything He has intended to make known about Him—by way of the special revelation of His Word through the prophets and apostles as well as the general revelation of all that He has made
But don’t miss this: He’s also held back precisely what He intended to remain hidden… secret… a mystery
Often, I find this to be true: the very people who covet additional special revelation (i.e., demanding that God directly talk to them) are the very ones that neglect His written Word!
He delights in talking to His people—do we delight in listening?
This is vital, because we know that…
B. God’s Spirit is the ultimate Author
It wasn’t just a bunch of holy apostles and prophets that got together and penned the book sitting in your lap
According to our passage…
Ephesians 3:5b – [this mystery] has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit
Why is this important to the overall argument?
Remember, we’re talking about what it takes to be a good steward of the mysteries of the gospel
The question could be asked: what gospel?
There needs to be an authority that all people can look to for absolute truth
If each person is relying upon their own perception, interpretation, word of knowledge, or so forth, we run into the same problem Paul warned the Galatians about…
Galatians 1:6-9 – I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
It’s important to discuss this point, because, selfishly, I don’t want to be accursed!!
So I’ll stick to the Word according the Spirit of God directing the apostles and prophets—and I’d recommend you do the same
And let’s make it clear—any alteration you or I would make to the gospel would be the opposite of an improvement…
(*Sookie cutting her own hair—far from “making things better”)
Instead, we need to…
II. Understand the Power of the Gospel
First, I think it would be necessary to explain that word: “gospel”
*”good news”
Think back on our opening illustration (*reminder of Bruce the Bruiser)
This gospel would have been dumbfounding to its first hearers—especially to the Jews who had accepted Christ
“This ‘good news’ is available to the Gentiles?!”
Because what do the Jews and Gentiles have in common? Not much!
The one thing they did share is that they hated each other…
But that’s part of the power of the gospel…
A. The gospel creates a new family
When discussing chapter 1, we spent an entire message talking about the adoption we receive when God saves a person and places His Spirit in them
Here, our passage calls Gentiles “fellow heirs” along with the people of God—the Jewish nation
This would have been far more scandalous than your parents adopting Bruce the Bruiser into your own family, and it would have created far more issues
Think of the various pieces here, through the lens of our illustration:
1) You would need to learn how to get along with Bruce
2) Bruce would need to learn about your family and get along with you
3) Your parents would expect that both of you would more than tolerate each other—they expect that you would be brothers
But remember, in this equation (unless you happen to be a direct descendant of Abraham)—you and I are BRUCE
We were the ones outside of the family who have been “grafted in,” as Paul states the matter in Romans 11
Though we were once spiritual orphans, living at odds with God and His people, we came into an eternal family with an inheritance that’s unfathomable
Understandably, this upset the “only child” in our illustration—and we have to talk about that, or else the whole passage doesn’t make sense!
Paul was facing terrible tribulations (v 13) due to the adoption of “Bruce” and his role in inviting all of his gang to be adopted into the family!
What hope is there for such disfunction?
The only hope is the unsurpassable power of the gospel of Jesus Christ
He alone is able to take two warring people-groups and make them more than amicable—he’s able to make them family
But the mystery of the gospel doesn’t end there…
B. The gospel joins together an unlikely body
Are you thankful for your hand?
How about your eyes?
Our passage says that the Gentiles are “fellow members of the body”
What the people of God needed to recognize is that the Gentiles were to be more than tolerated—they were to be seen as vital—like a body in need of a hand, eye, or heart
But, since you and I are Bruce, what does that look like for us?
Bruce has a whole lot of changing to do, if he wants to contribute to his new family!
He needs to learn to love his enemy, submit to his new authority, be a giver and not a taker, a builder and not a destroyer
In other words, He needed to submit to the Head of the body, which is Christ
When you take this illustration and think of the “body” that would be produced out of men and women who were so opposed to one another, visions of Frankenstein’s creature come to mind
Sure, it’s technically a ‘body,’ but it isn’t a pretty one…
But that’s one of the powerful mysteries of the gospel—God knits together one body made up of mis-matched parts, but He makes it beautiful…
And what’s more…
C. The gospel extends God’s promises to everyone
The Gentiles are now “fellow partakers of the promise…”
The good news extends to every Bruce and Shirley in all the corners of the world: “come join the family of God through the sacrifice of the Son!”
Because the gospel promise is even more powerful than our opening story
Christ, the only Son of God, did more than tolerate His enemy—He did more than love His enemy…
He DIED for His enemy, in order to make him family
And since, according to Romans 5, each of us falls into that category, that means the promise of forgiveness in Jesus extends to you and to me
*gospel appeal (come into the family, be a part of the body, accept the promise)
Fellow Bruces and Shirleys—what do we need to do with our newfound hope?
III. Proclaim the Unfathomable Riches of Christ
“Hide it under a bushel, NO!
“…I’m gonna let it shine”
One of my favorite lines from the greatest of all Christmas movies (I’m talking, of course, about Jim Cary’s rendition of The Grinch), is when he’s reading off his agenda for the day: “solve world hunger, tell nobody…”
Why is that so preposterous?
Because the greatest of all news is meant to be proclaimed!
I tell guys who are planning on getting engaged that once the ring is purchased, it’s one of the hardest things to keep it to yourself
You want to take that thing, march right over to her apartment, and drop down on one knee right there!
Similalrly…
A. Christ’s riches were meant to be shared
Now that the mystery of the gospel—specifically it’s invitation to every man, woman, and child—has been revealed, Paul wants to tell everyone
Ephesians 3:8-9 – To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things
Don’t buy the ring and leave it to rust in your closet!
Don’t solve world hunger and tell no one!
Don’t hide the light of the gospel under a bushel!
The truth is, there are a lot of temptations that lead us to re-conceal the revealed mystery of the gospel
Selfishness: “I want Christ’s riches all to myself—if someone else is welcomed into the family, that means less for me!”
Fear: “what if I tell Bruce about Jesus and he beats me up?” or worse, “what if he doesn’t like me…”
Complacency: “I’ve never even thought of sharing the good news with anyone”
Priorities: “I’m too busy to tell anyone about Christ”
What does Paul the gospel, here?
“the unfathomable riches of Christ”
Here’s my argument: one of the main reasons why we don’t share this good news is not due to selfishness, nor fear, nor complacency, nor priorities…
It’s because we don’t see the gospel as unfathomable riches…
If you and I really understood that we have unlimited spiritual wealth in Jesus, what would prevent us from sharing that with everyone??
(*if time, talk about how I so often fail in this as well and miss opportunities to share Christ’s wealth OR talk about PBF’s E-Team)
We must proclaim the unfathomable riches of Jesus, because…
B. Christ’s church was meant to grow
The sounds of a healthy church include babies squawking and baptismal water sloshing
In other words, the unadulterated gospel is being proclaimed to all the Bruces and Shirleys, and they’re being adopted into the family of God
Paul puts it much more eloquently…
Ephesians 3:10 – [this mystery was brought to light] so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.
What is going to proclaim this mystery most effectively?
Maybe when Kanye West professes Christ as King
Maybe when the winner of the Masters places his victory in the cross
Maybe when Tim Tebow takes a knee in the end zone…
As profound as all these gestures my prove to be, part of the mystery of the gospel is revealed in the unlikely conduit for its proclamation: the church
This body of Christ; this family of God; these inheritors of the unfathomable riches of Christ!
A bunch of redeemed Bruces and Shirleys!!
I hope this simultaneously humbles you and fires you up!
The fact that God would choose little ‘ol you and I—not some Christian rockstars—to steward the mystery of the gospel ought to humble us
It reminds me of Moses’s calling (*“Oh, my Lord, please send someone else…”)
But it ought to fire us up for the mission as well—we’ve been selected by the God of the universe to unveil this mystery to the world
We’re simply called to proclaim the message and…
IV. Rest in God for the Results
As stewards of the gospel mystery, it’s not for us to determine the results of our ministry, instead…
1 Corinthians 4:1-2 – Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.
We’re simply called towards faithfulness
As you explain the unfathomable riches of Christ to someone outside of God’s family, it’s not our duty to ensure they agree to accept Jesus as Savior and walk in a manner pleasing to Him
Our role is to plant the seed of the gospel and cultivate its development, after all…
1 Corinthians 3:6-7 – I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
This fact ought to…
A. Christ emboldens us proclaim the gospel
Our passages closes with what proves to be our foundation in stewarding the gospel mystery:
Ephesians 3:11-13 – This [revealed mystery] was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.
How was Paul able to keep ministering to all the Bruces and Shirleys of the known world while facing severe persecution from all sides?
He was resting in Christ for the requisite boldness
Likewise, He alone must be our motivation for gospel proclamation
When we focus on ourselves, we very quickly shrink away from opportunities
When it comes to sharing the gospel with someone, I’ve flaked more times than a box of Wheaties – each time can be boiled down to one simple cause:
I was thinking about ME
If I’m thinking about CHRIST and His unfathomable riches, it will fire me up to please Him and consider others
The focus comes off of me and I’m freed up to love those around me
And what better way of loving someone than sharing the greatest news!
But when things don’t go well; when the good news is received as bad news; when we face tribulation in our stewardship of the gospel…
B. Christ comforts us by giving us access to Him
In our opening illustration, what made home such a safe place for you?
Mom and dad were there, and they cared for you—no matter how awful high school proved to be
Sometimes this world can feel like that: one day after another of facing the high school bully
But “home” for the Christian is much closer than a bike ride away
Even in the most dire of circumstances, one of the amazing revealed mysteries of the gospel is that Christ has given us access to His presence at all times…
Hebrews 4:14-16 – Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hope is just a prayer away for the Christian
Conclusion
So what does it look like for you to be a steward of the gospel mystery in your setting?
For you, it may begin with trusting in God’s revelation
You’ve been relying on your own authority and have neglected God’s Word
Make sure you have the one true gospel, according to the Holy-Spirit-inspired Word of God, resting in your heart
Or stewardship of this mystery for you may mean you need to better understand the gospel’s implications on your own life
In many ways, you’re still acting like our friend Bruce the Bruiser before he was welcomed into his new family
Take some serious time to understand how the power of the gospel needs to change you to look more like it’s Author—Jesus
That may mean involving others—please don’t hesitate to reach out to one of your pastors if that’s the case
I know each of us needs this: stewardship of the gospel mysteries must involve a better understanding of the unfathomable riches of Christ
I can say with confidence—you and I don’t see Jesus as He truly is … but hopefully that’s changing every day
There’s always room to grow in our love for Christ, and it’s going to take the hard work of mining the depths of His riches to extract the inexhaustible wealth of His glory
There’s always more to learn about our infinite God and always a greater height of worship available to the one who seeks Him
Lastly, as we proclaim these riches to others, let’s rest in our good Father for the results: He is capable of amazing feats
Remember who wrote this letter: the apostle Paul
But before he was Paul the Apostle, he was Saul of Tarsus: the widely feared persecutor of the body of Christ
He put Bruce and Shirley to shame in his torment of Christians
And yet, God took this schoolyard bully, adopted him into His family, and made him a fellow steward of the gospel mystery…
Authors
