3:1-13 THE MYSTERY OF THE GOSPEL REVEALED

Taken from the internet images:

Ch 1 introduced the mystery: Eph 1:9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Ch 3 will define and discuss that mystery. 

Q: What do you think of when you think of a “mystery”? What is the mystery revealed to Paul?

Some classic examples include the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie’s novels about Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, Alex Cross stories by James Patterson, Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum mysteries, and many more. I found this on mysteries of the universe:

Some mysteries of the universe include:

• Dark matter: An invisible form of matter that is thought to make up more than 80% of the universe’s mass, but scientists know very little about it. 
• Black holes: Because nothing can escape a black hole, physicists struggle to understand these objects and what happens when something falls into one. 
• Dark energy: A hypothetical form of energy that is thought to make up around 70% of all content in the universe. 
• The Big Bang: The Big Bang theory describes the origin of the universe as an explosion from an infinitely dense point, but it doesn’t explain what came before this event. 
• Quantum entanglement: A strange phenomenon that connects the entire cosmos into an integrated whole, and is the key to quantum computing and cryptography. 
• The Fermi paradox: The lack of evidence for alien life in our universe despite the seemingly endless opportunities for it to emerge. 
• Gravity: A basic force of nature that shapes the formation, structure, and motion of stars, galaxies, and the cosmos itself. 
• Origin of life: The origin of life on Earth is one of the great mysteries in the universe. 

Greek for mystery: mustérion: a mystery or secret doctrine. In classical Greek a hidden thing, secret, mystery. 

In the NT it is used of the mystery of the kingdom (Mk 4:11), and the mystery of the gospel. It is used 6 times in the book of Ephesians (1:9; 3:3,4,9; 5:32; 6:19). 

The mystery of how God was going to save sinners, both Jew and Gentile believers in Jesus, was hidden all through the OT. The mystery was revealed to Paul and the apostles (Greek for revelation: apokalupsis: an uncovering). Paul would write down what had been revealed to him about the mystery; the readers could understand Paul’s insight (understanding) into the mystery when they read his letter. We can do the same today. 

Q: Why was this mystery hidden all through the OT? 

A great verse: The world was not ready to know the mystery until the fulness of times (Galatians 4:4) in the days of the Roman Empire when things were just right for spreading the gospel (one language, roads, Pax Romana peace, etc.). Many prophetic predictions about the Messiah had to be made and recorded even if the prophets didn’t understand what they were predicting. .

1 Peter 1:10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time[a] the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

Not even the angels or prophets could understand the mystery. It was like putting a puzzle together, piece by piece. You can’t see the full picture until all the pieces come together. Isaiah 53 is the closest prophecy to uncovering the mystery, but still incomplete. 

The apostles did not understand the mystery while Jesus was with them. They were given the miraculous inspiration of the Holy Spirit to understand the mystery. Even after the resurrection, Acts 1: 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. They were still expecting a physical kingdom to be established by Jesus, just like the kingdom of David in the OT.

Another great verse:

1 Corinthians 2:6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
    nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—

10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Romans 16:25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations,

I loved this image off the internet showing the process of revelation.

Romans 16:²⁵ Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages ²⁶ but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— ²⁷ to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Colossians 1:25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Q: According to Eph 3:10,11, what was God’s eternal purpose that he was working out through the ages? What is the church’s responsibility to tell the world about this mystery and bring souls into this church of all ethnic group believers in Jesus? 

A united believing church made up of all ethnic groups shows the result of this great mystery being fulfilled on earth. The death of Jesus for our sins was God’s plan from the beginning.

1 Peter 1:¹⁸ knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. ²⁰ He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you ²¹ who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

But the church was also in God’s plan as part of saving people from sin through Jesus. The church’s main mission is to glorify God by our deeds and words. It should also be vitally concerned with spreading the gospel of this mystery to all nations. Instead, we find churches in the U.S. building multi milliion dollar buildings and spending about 80% of the money they collect (God’s money) on salaries, etc. instead of printing Bibles, supporting organizations that drill wells for clean water and that do humanitarian relief (all of which is followed up by preaching the gospel and establishing churches), helping persecuted believers in foreign countries (Voice of the. Martyrs does this constantly), etc. Eastern European Missions focuses on printing Bibles and children’s story Bibles in many languages to be distributed all over the world, including Arabic translations to try to allow Muslims to read the mystery.

Here is a great image of a puzzle that ends up showing Jesus. The prophets all contributed little pieces of the puzzle over many centuries. When you put a puzzle together you can’t see the full picture until you get it finished (unless you cheat and look at the puzzle picture on the box!) No one could see the Jesus puzzle put together until the 1st century when all the pieces came together.

Q: Have you ever thought about how great it is to be living after the mystery had been revealed? We get to see the finished picture? 

3:14-21 PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL STRENGTH

Q: What does it mean to be “rooted and grounded in love”? (A garden analogy?) 

I came from a church that rooted and grounded me in correct doctrine, but love was not the main potting soil as I matured in Christ. Doctrine is essential but love is the potting soil that allows us to mature in Christ.

Q: What is the idea behind knowing the “breadth, length, height, and depth” of the love of Christ? But that love “surpasses knowledge”? 

How can you know something that can’t be known? That must mean that love of Christ is something that must be experienced and not just a doctrine to be learned. In math, we have problems like how to divide by 0, but you can’t divide by 0, so it it undefined (the answer is basically unknown).

Q: What does it mean to be filled with the fulness of God?

What an image:

Q: What are your thoughts on 3:20-21? Not just what you ask but what you imagine (noeó: to perceive, think)? What power is at work within us? The church is to glorify God. Is that the organized church?

Do these verses help increase your faith and prayer life? You might ask God for things that you think you or others want or need. We might even imagine some great things to ask God for that are pretty much impossible. But God knows our hearts and minds and is able to do more than we can even ask or imagine. Wow!

Q: Give your overall impressions of these first 3 doctrinal chapters. Do they make you feel any more special in God’s eyes? 

What was the favorite topic for you in these chapters?