I want to speak to you for a few minutes on Ephesians chapter 3 and the first 13 verses. Ephesians 3 from verse 1 to verse 13. You will notice that the apostle starts in verse 1 but breaks off. For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles and then he breaks off it doesn't continue there he has another thought, you see and he puts down what he's going to say there and he'll take it up again later because he must develop he wants to develop what's in his mind he wants to say what he knows must be explained before he goes on with this thought. For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, for the sake of you Gentiles, and he takes up again, possibly at verse 7, I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace, given me through the working of God's power, His power, although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me to preach to the Gentiles, you see, Gentiles, in verse 1, or it could be that it takes up again in verse 13, I ask you therefore not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you which are for your glory, and then again in verse 14, for this reason, you see, very similar start there, the same words for this reason I pour verse 14 for this reason I the first thing we must do therefore is find out what it was that Paul broke off and went into if you see what I mean he went into this thought that he had he must develop it and what is that? that is from verse 2 shall we say to verse 12 And what is this thought? Well, it takes up very much and very largely the theme that we looked at yesterday, Trinitarian oneness or Trinitarian unity. God taking Jew and Gentile, taking his elect out of Jews and Gentiles and forming them into one holy temple, one holy building, breaking down the barrier, the wall of hostility, the law, taking it out of the way through Christ and by His Spirit bringing through faith in Christ bringing these elect together in one forming one holy habitation in which God dwells by His Spirit Paul in verse 2 of our passage chapter 3 says surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you that is the mystery made known to me by revelation now he's talking about something he calls here the mystery that comes in verse 3 that is the mystery made known to me verse 6 this mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together verse 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery Now what is a mystery? This is what Paul means by it. There is a truth, he says, a whole body of truth that has been largely secret in the past, but is now, through revelation by God to Paul, opened up and made plain for all to see. There is a system of truth, a whole experience of truth, a whole system of gospel administration. It's hard to find the words to explain. The plan of God, the purpose of God, that which we saw in the very first of these talks, God's eternal decree to save his elect, out of all nations but even more Paul is going on to show that this mystery is that out of all nations Jew and Gentile he would form one great body one great holy temple and particularly this mystery is that the Gentiles would be in this now he had dealt largely exclusively with the Gentiles in the old covenant but now in the new covenant the mystery is now opened out that God will call the Gentiles and bring the Gentiles in with the Jews the elect amongst both by faith into this one holy building for God it was not known in the past in verse 5, it was not known to men in other generations but not entirely unknown, for he goes on to say, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets, the New Testament prophets. So it was known in shadow form, in obscure form, it was seen there in the Old Covenant and in the Old Testament in general, and we looking back can see it. for example the promise to Abraham that in Abraham all the nations Gentiles included of the earth would be blessed and there are passages in the prophets which looking back we can see show that God had always intended and was always going to bring from eternity past the Gentiles in with the Jew the elect amongst both into one body the Isles are waiting for my law There are many prophecies which speak of the spread of the gospel of Christ throughout the world and out of all nations, kindred, tongues and people, God would bring in the elect with the Jew and the Gentile. These two great divisions, this great division in the human race make one holy habitation for God. But now it's been revealed. Now how has it been revealed? God has taken this man, Paul. He says here, verse 3, the mystery made known to me by revelation. God has shown me this. Now, this is a stupendous claim. An amazing claim. Far-reaching claim. This man is claiming to have been given revelation by God to make clear to all men this gospel purpose of God now I can't prove it my friend nor can any man you either believe it or you don't believe it I have evidence within myself in the sense that I have verified this by experience but ultimately it's a question of belief this man claims to be the apostle who has been given by revelation by God given this insight into the glorious plan and purpose of God and he's made it plain and clear and known as he says in verse 3 he'd written briefly he's made it plain to everyone in verse 9 by writing it out and by preaching it I can't prove the creation nor can any man and I think he's very foolish of Christians to try and prove these things we state them, we assert them And men are believers or unbelievers. Now what is this mystery? As I've said, it is that God has made known to us now. He's opened up this mystery. What is it? That by verse 6, the gospel, through the gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. God's promise to Abraham, His gospel promise, His purpose and plan is accomplished by Christ being now made effective and worked out by the Holy Spirit and that is God will form this one great temple for His glory and Paul says verse 7, I'm a servant of this of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of His power, the Spirit's power of course So, I'm going to call this Trinitarian Mystery. God the Father planning it, God the Son accomplishing it, and God the Spirit working it out and bringing it to fulfilment. And Paul felt the privilege of it in verse 8, that though I'm the least of God's people, of all the saints, I have the privilege of having had this revelation and preaching it to making the mystery known to everyone. And that is which he accomplished in verse 11 his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord and it's in and through faith in him that we approach God with freedom and confidence and this is what the Apostle has been given this revelation to make known to us and he has set it out for us. Now why should God do this? Well, his purpose is, in verse 11, according to his eternal purpose, and verse 10, what is that purpose? His intent was that now, even in this age, but coming in glory particularly, but now, even now at this present time, through the church, God would make his manifold wisdom, like a diamond cut, many faces, many facets, God's wisdom, his power, his love, his kindness, his goodness, his mercy, his grace, his generosity, his willingness to save, His unspeakable love on the kindness and mercy of God, the wisdom of God to be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, the angels, the heavenly beings, the seraphim and cherubim. I believe even in eternity it will be to all men, as it were, in the day of judgment, God will show His glory, His wisdom in the church. We know that the angels watch over and what's going on here below. We know the angels pry into and peer into these scriptures. I'm thinking of 1 Peter chapter 1. They look into these things. They want to know about these things. And we know that angels rejoice when sinners repent and so on. So angels are intimately interested in what is going on here. God is saying to them, look at these people, Jews and Gentiles, sinners as they are. Look what I'm doing with them. Look what I'm doing for them. Look what will become of them. and is all for the glory of God. I'm sure the angels are spellbound, amazed at God's wisdom and His glory and His power revealed in the formation of this glorious church. One day it will be completely and utterly sinless. Even now in justification we are without spot or wrinkle or stain. But one day the saints shall be entirely My friend, I'm speaking to you now. Are you a believer? You have come to Christ Jesus by faith. Well, I think in this age we are very individualistic, aren't we? I mean, there's a right place for it, too. We must come one by one. We must come individually, yes. But the purpose of this talk is to bring it to your attention this passage here, do you see, believer, that we are part and parcel, we're a stone in this building, we're part and parcel of this glorious body, this administration. We are small specks of time and humanity and nothingness, as it were, but we are part of this eternal plan of God which he decreed in the heavenly realms in the past and the heavenly realms are made uh are mentioned here in verse 10 the heavenly realms in the past God decreed all this Christ came and accomplished it the spirit is working out and one day in the heavenly realms and in the new heaven and the new earth it will all be made plain now we are just tiny specks but we are part and parcel of this huge and massive this glorious body, this administration of the mystery of God. Think of the privilege that belongs to us. It puts into context our small lives, our small afflictions and trials and difficulties. The privilege of being a Christian where we are saved from our sins. We have everlasting joy and happiness, that's true. We have access to God, yes. We have freedom, yes, and confidence, assurance and so on. But the glory is that we are part and parcel of this huge work of God that's impossible for us to grasp here and now. Do I speak to an unbeliever? Well, you look upon believers, don't you? And you often deride us and deride the churches and you've got much cause for laughing at us and dismissing us. We are poor samples. I am, I confess it, my friend. But have a think about this. This is what's really going on, and one day you will see it. You will see what God can do with poor sinners like me, and like the rest of us who are Christians. We are poor samples, but look at Christ, my friend. He is perfection. Look at what He's accomplished. You see, you're seeing it now if you will look at it, but one day you will see it, and every knee, even yours, will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. He has accomplished all this, and it will be to the glory of God the Father. i've asked before where do you see law here and commands and duties i say that because we live in an age when men are law preachers rather than christ preachers there's no law here there's no duty here duties are going to come four five and six standing in the conflicts going to come all those things are going to come but what do we have here what is he saying uh in in this passage what does paul preach He says in verse 8, to preach to the Gentiles what? The unsearchable riches of Christ. Now they tell me you've got to preach the law to bring sinners to Christ. Paul says, no, I am determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ. And what does he say here? I'm going to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. Do I address a preacher listening to me? You preach the law to sinners. Preach Christ to them, my brother. Preach Christ to them. If you preach the law to saints. Preach Christ to them, my friend. That's what Paul did. The unsearchable riches of Christ. The riches of Christ. In verse 10 he speaks about the purpose which God accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord in and through Him. Preach Him, my friend. It's because it's only in and through Christ that sinners will come to this joy and this blessing and this salvation. I notice he has the word here about freedom and confidence in verse 12. Many believers are in bondage today because they're under law teachers and they're trying to keep rules and regulations. They lack confidence and assurance because they're under law teachers who make them look at themselves. What does Paul do? I preach Christ he says. This brings freedom. This brings liberty. This brings glory. This brings assurance. I always say again duties are going to come. Standing against the devil is going to come. Fighting for Christ is going to come, spiritually speaking. But does he preach law? He does not. Does he preach works? As I say again, duties are coming. But does he preach works here now? He preaches Christ. And when he comes to speak about duties, as we shall see if we get there in 4, 5 and 6, see how closely he links Christ with his commandments to be obeyed. It's Christ, Christ, Christ. Does he preach sacraments? He doesn't. The Bible knows nothing of sacraments in the New Covenant. That's an invention of man. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are not sacraments, they're ordinances. Does he preach them? There is a place for that, my friend. But what's he doing here? He's preaching Christ. And I say again, when you come to practice the ordinances, baptism and the Lord's Supper, When you come to speak about them, make sure you bring Christ at the very center of them. Preach the unsearchable riches of Christ in everything. That's what Paul does here. Is there an unbeliever listening to me? You're outside of all this, my friend, aren't you? This is foreign to you. You have no concept of it. Although I think you see some Christians and you envy, you covet what they have. This is what they've got, my friend. They've got, in verse 12, in and through Christ. By their trusting in Him, they have come to experience the freedom to approach God, boldness to come to God. You ought to be terrified if you're an unbeliever of coming to God. You ought to be running away. In fact, you are running away from Him. But one day you'll run no further because God will call you. And he's appointed a day in which he will judge the world by Jesus Christ. And he's given evidence and proof of it in that he's raised him from the dead. It is appointed unto men once to die and after this the judgment. That's you, my friend. That's us all. But the believer has confidence and freedom to approach God because he's in Christ. You're outside of Christ. The only way to have boldness and confidence in that day the only way to have boldness and confidence and assurance now and peace now and joy now is to be part of this glorious administration this glorious church, this glorious holy temple and what is that? this building made for God and how is it you get into that? it is access in and through verse 12 faith in Jesus Christ so come to Christ, trust Him, believe upon Him, call upon Him and you too will be a part of this glorious building and it will all be for your everlasting good and the glory of God. I can do no better but close by reading the passage. You remember he opens in verse 1, For this reason I pour the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles, and then he breaks off. Let me just read the thought that was in his mind that he develops here. Trinitarian mystery. Believer, this is true of you. Rejoice in it. Sing about it. Talk about it. Think about it. Live it out for the glory of God. Unbeliever, it can be true of you. Lord, make this true of me now. Call upon the name of the Lord and you will be saved. Let me read it to you. Surely, says Paul, you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation. as I've already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations, but is now being revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that, through the gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of His power. Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery. 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, according to His eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 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 for your glory. For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom His whole family and heaven and on earth derives His name. But let me just finish with verse 12. In Christ and through faith in Christ we may approach God with freedom and confidence.