Join Dr. John Kyle in a deep exploration of Ephesians as he unravels the profound message of unity between Jews and Gentiles. Discover the transformative revelation given to Paul, which brought peace and inclusivity to the early church. By walking through Paul’s epistles and Peter’s powerful vision, learn how ancient prejudices were shattered by the mighty grace of God, creating one cohesive body in Christ.
Welcome to Expository Truths, where we exalt Christ by bringing clarity of truth through the scriptures with Dr. John Kyle, pastor of Faith Community Church in Vacaville. As Christians, we’re called to know the truth and be able to proclaim it. We can know truth when we know the Word of God, which is precise, without error, and powerful and effective for both salvation and spiritual growth. Enjoy digging deeply with Dr. Kyle as he takes us verse by verse through the powerful book of Ephesians, giving us a marvelous summary of the good news of Christ and its implications for our daily lives.
SPEAKER 02 :
Please turn in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 3, verses 3 through 7. Ephesians 3, 3 through 7. The letter of Ephesians was written by the Apostle Paul to the Christians living in the city of Ephesus. Lately, Paul’s been stressing the amazing fact that both believing Jew and believing Gentile, they now make up the church. And as Paul wanted to begin chapter 3 with another wonderful prayer for these Ephesian Christians, remember what happened to him? He first, before he even got to the prayer, he got sidetracked for 13 verses before he again returned to that prayer. What sidetracked him? Well, let’s look, and we’re going to just start in verse 1 just for context. For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, for you Gentiles, and here’s where Paul gets sidetracked, if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, and now verse 3, How that by revelation he made known to me the mystery, as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages has not been made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ through the gospel.” of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of his power. So look, Paul’s now a prisoner for the Gentiles, for the non-Jews, because Paul’s been faithful to his calling, his dispensation, his stewardship of specifically being the apostle to the non-Jews, being the apostle to the Gentiles. In our passage for today, Paul wants us to take note of three truths. The first is this, that God had revealed the mystery to Paul. that Paul knew of this mystery, which Paul reveals in verse 6, because it came to him, he says, by revelation from God. And so incredibly, the Gentiles would be fellow heirs with the Jews under Christ, and Paul would have the incredible blessing of preaching the gospel message to them. Look at the end of verse 3. Paul says that he has already briefly written about this, which refers back to him mentioning this in chapter 1 and chapter 2. And then Paul says in verse 4, By which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge and the mystery of Christ. So what’s he saying here? That he wants them to understand what he understands. That Paul wants these Christians to grasp the full meaning and the full significance of what he’s saying here. Note a couple of things. Note that this truth, this mystery, was once not made known. That’s what a mystery is, right? I mean, a biblical mystery refers to a previously hidden purpose of God, which, when uncovered, is now understood by the Spirit-taught believer. See, everything God gave us previously in the Old Testament was true. Of course it was true, but it was incomplete. So the progress wasn’t from untruth to truth, no. But it was from less information to more full information. And now, with the New Testament, we have the complete, final, full revelation of God. While it was previously hidden, good news, it has now been revealed. Verse 5. In other ages it wasn’t made known to the sons of men, but now, look, it has been revealed by the Spirit. to his holy apostles and prophets. The apostles being the twelve minus Judas with Matthias replacing him and then the apostle Paul. And the prophets being the New Testament prophets who were specially gifted men who spoke God’s revelation, God’s word to the early church during this very unique time in history. And it was through these called and gifted men of God that the Spirit of God revealed God’s truth to them. And one of the things that God the Spirit revealed and made clear to them which they then made clear to the people, was this mystery in regards to the church. Okay, so, you already know it, but what’s the mystery? This, verse 6. Gentiles are heirs and partakers of the promise. It’s not really much of a mystery. We’ve been talking about it for a while, right? Verse 6. The Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel. We have no idea how revolutionary that was. Remember, before Christ came, the Jews and the Gentiles, they despised one another. They utterly hated one another. I mean, at this time, there had been a centuries-long hostility between the Jews and the Gentiles. And to most of the Jewish people, there were only two races of people, Jews and everybody else. Jewish pride ran deep. The Jews believed that the Gentiles were created to fuel the fires of hell. To the Jews, the Gentiles were dogs. And to the Gentiles, the Jews were a homicidal enemy of the human race. So the hostility ran both ways. They hated each other. And look, even after the church began in Jerusalem, it was only Jews who came to faith in Christ for many years. But then finally, finally, at the right time, God made it clear to Peter that the good news of Christ is for all people, right? Jews and Gentiles. Remember what happened? It was in Acts chapter 10 that God gave Peter the apostle of vision. Right? A revelation. And with this revelation, God’s going to show something truly amazing to Peter. The vision that God gave Peter was an object like a great sheet being lowered down from heaven. Remember? It wasn’t a sheet, but it was a sheet-like container that was bound at four corners. And in this sheet-like container were all kinds of animals and insects and birds, many of which the Old Testament forbade the Jews from eating. A voice then said, Arise, Peter, kill and eat. Ooh. No way. No way. Peter’s shocked by what he was seeing and he was shocked by what he heard. And so he said, no, not so, Lord. I’ve never eaten anything common or unclean. So God then spoke to Peter a second time and said, what God has cleansed, you must not call common. This vision happened three times and then it was taken up into heaven. Why three times? To make it clear, to drive the point home, to make sure that Peter got it. So what’s going on with this vision? Well, in this sheet, this container, this tarp from heaven with its four corners tied, there were all kinds of animals, both clean and unclean, all mingled in together. See, in Leviticus chapter 11, God gave Israel some dietary laws that they were to obey. Certain animals were clean, which they could eat, and certain animals were unclean, which they couldn’t eat. The animals that were acceptable to eat were those that chewed the cud and had a split hoof. Birds and insects were also covered in the list of restrictions, which outlawed eating storks and bats and owls on the one hand, but these laws permitted eating locusts and crickets. Sound like fun? You couldn’t eat camels or pigs. There’s no bacon, see? You couldn’t eat crabs or shrimp or scallops and so on. And look, no self-respecting kosher Jew, no proper Jew would ever eat anything but clean animals. And Peter was that. He never touched anything but the clean because that was the law and that was the tradition. So why did God make this distinction in the first place? First, because there are some animals that are more likely to carry epidemic-type diseases, and so God made these dietary laws to protect Israel. But the major reason for the dietary laws was this, to distinguish them from their pagan people that surrounded them. See, Israel was to be different from the rest of the world. They were God’s people set apart from the surrounding nations, and their lifestyle was to reflect that set-apartedness, that holiness. The point was simple and profound. Be separate, be holy, be different, even in what you eat. And look, as a result of obeying these dietary laws, mingling with Gentiles became difficult, if not impossible. See, Jews and Gentiles didn’t mix socially. They didn’t eat in each other’s company, and they weren’t invited into each other’s homes. Too many differences. See, in the early stages of Israel’s existence, when the need to separate from the social and the religious behavior of the pagan nations around them was vital, these food laws had a way of ensuring that a barrier was made between the two. A parallel might be when we establish a rule for our own children. Never get into a car with a stranger. It’s not that all strangers are evil, but the law ensures protection. In a similar way, God drew lines so that they wouldn’t be able to have a social kind of relationship with the Gentiles who served pagan gods. See, it was a protection. And God drew those lines kindly for His people. And Peter lived his whole life following this. Pigs disgusted him. The thought of eating a shrimp made him sick to his stomach. He wouldn’t do it. Seeing this sheet full of all these clean and unclean animals all mixed up together, that was a horrible thing for Peter to have to look at. Rise, Peter. Kill and eat. And Peter’s like, no way, Lord. No way. I’ve never eaten anything unclean, and I’m not going to do it now either. Now, talking back to God isn’t wise, right? I mean, that’s not wise. Immediate obedience is wise. Note the two words, know and Lord. They contradict each other. Know, Master. What? What? It should always be, yes, Lord. Yes, Master, ruler of my life. And never, no, Lord, because why would we call Jesus Lord and not do what He says? But perhaps Peter thinks this is some kind of test. No way, Lord. I’m not going to compromise my faith, and I’m not going to compromise my values. No way. But whatever the case, this is indeed a vitally important lesson that Peter needs to understand. And so God gave the same vision, and God told him the same thing three times. What God has cleansed, you must not call common. Say what? God cleansed all those animals? Yes. And then the vessel was received up into heaven. Okay, what does it mean? First, God is confirming that the Old Testament Jewish dietary laws have been abolished. Oh yeah, they already were abolished, fulfilled in Christ when He died on the cross. But here, God is confirming that reality again to Peter. See, even though Jesus died and fulfilled the law, Peter’s still bound up in his Jewish tradition. I mean, he didn’t go out the day after Christ rose from the dead and have a pork barbecue, right? No. No. And some of these things would have been very hard to shake. And that’s okay, unless, of course, it keeps you from honoring and loving God and loving others. But now it’s time for God to specifically show this to Peter, who can then reveal this more clearly to those around him. Eat up, Peter. Eat up. Okay, that said, we know the vision had more to do than about what you eat, right? The clean and unclean animals represented Jews and Gentiles. The Jews were represented by the clean animals, and the Gentiles were represented by the unclean animals. The point is very clear. The Jews and the Gentiles are going to be mixed together in the church. And it’s high time to get to it. That sheet, see, represented the church. The church was born in heaven. It came down to earth. And the church includes both the clean and the unclean. Both the Jewish believer and the Gentile believer. And someday in the future, it’s going to be taken up into heaven again, where we will then be with Him forever together in glory. And so… If the church that is mixed of common and uncommon, Jew and Gentile, if that’s acceptable to God, then it ought to be acceptable to us. Right? Therefore, Peter, go out to the unclean. Go to the Gentiles and share the good news with them. So no more barriers on the dietary stuff. Yay! Right? And no more barriers on to who God accepts into His church. Even better! And if God can receive the mixture, then hey, you ought to be able to as well. Right? Right? Well, the next day is when Peter met with the Gentile Cornelius, whom God led to Peter, who then heard the gospel preached by Peter, who believed, who was then saved, along with many other Gentiles. And that’s how it began. And now, the mystery is a mystery no more. How good is that? Look, the gospel is for everyone. How good is that? And the Gentile doesn’t have to become Jew first in order to be saved. No. All he has to do is believe in Christ as Lord and Savior and that’s it. And that’s true for everyone. How are people saved? They’re saved by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. End of story. Jew, Gentile, doesn’t matter. Faith in Christ alone is what matters. But what about the really, really, really bad person? Don’t they have to do more Than just believe. So then they have to go through some extra steps. Because of their past wretched lifestyle of sin and rebellion. What’s the answer? No way. Because we’re all really, really, really, really, really, really, really bad. Right? According to God. None of us deserve what we have in Christ. We’re all in the same boat. And if we’re saved by our own goodness, then none of us would be saved. And that’s what makes the good news of Christ so amazing. And the good news of Christ isn’t for good people. It’s for bad people like us. Jew, Gentile, man, woman, old, young, addict, adulterer, liar, cheater, black, white, the person who grew up in the church, the person who never set foot in the church, the rebel, the person who’s steeped in a false religion, the sinner, everyone. See, the good news of Christ isn’t just for a select few. No, it goes out to all and everyone who truly surrenders to Christ in repentant faith will indeed be saved. Amen? Amen. Amen. So here’s the Gospel as Paul mentions at the end of verse 6. The good news of Jesus Christ. This, you’re a terrible sinner. Without Christ as Lord and Savior, you’re lost and you’re heading for hell. You’ve done some terrible things and so have I. You’ve offended God time and time again in word, thought, and deed. You are morally and spiritually marked and marred and dirty and so am I. So how are you going to be cleaned up and forgiven of all your wretched sin? Not by anything you can do. Because you certainly can’t clean yourself up, spiritually speaking. But guess what? Jesus can do it. And that’s the good news. See, He did all the work to save your undeserving soul. He lived the perfect life. He died and paid the penalty of the wages of sin in the believer’s place. And then He rose up from the dead three days later. And now you can be cleansed and you can go to heaven. You can be forgiven. You can be made white as snow. You can be declared righteous in the sight of God by faith. Repentant faith in Jesus Christ. That’s it. Repentant, saving faith in Christ. And when you truly believe, all your sin that condemns you is placed onto Christ, who took it onto Himself, bled and died, and was punished for all that sin on the cross. And in return, He gives you His perfect righteousness that clothes you and fits you perfectly for heaven. That’s the ultimate trade-off right there, by the way. Your sin… for His righteousness. Result? For everyone who believes, forgiveness. Life? Heaven forever. Come on now. Heaven forever. And look, that’s true for everyone who believes. Jew, Gentile, good, good, bad, all of us. We’re used to this good news today. but it was revolutionary in the early church, especially as it went out to the Gentiles. Paul clearly knows how difficult it was for believing Jew and believing Gentile to understand this, so he plays with the word together in the original language, the Greek. My translation says that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body and partakers of the promise, but the Greek makes it more clear for us. It actually says that the Jews and Gentiles are fellow fellow heirs and they are fellow members of the body and they are fellow partakers of the promise of christ and so paul emphasizing emphasizes the word fellow or together how good is that we’re all united together in Christ, and no one’s better than anyone else. As many commentators observe, Christ creates a new race of humanity that’s not only the joy of the individual Christian, but it’s also meant to be the source of peace between us as we see the true oneness that we have in Him. One said, each Christian is to see the other as holy in Jesus Christ and thus to see the irrelevance of human distinctions that would separate hearts. And that’s right. Look, all true Christians are heirs together. That means that we’re part of the same family, the family of God. We’re also members together, meaning that we’re part of the same body. And guess what? We need each other desperately. And then, look, we’re also partakers together of the amazing promises of Christ that extends on into the forever future. And if that’s the case, and it is, that we are family, and it is, and that we will be together forever, and that’s the case, hey, shouldn’t we try to get along now? Come on. Forgive. Forgive each other. Forgive that. Turn the other cheek. Serve that person. Let it go. Be godly. Help each other. Encourage each other. Do the best you can to be at peace with all people. You can’t always do that. Do the best you can. Get along as much as depends on you. I can hear Paul, we’re all one in Christ since His blood makes us all equally holy and precious to our Father in heaven. I can hear him say to the Jew and Gentile, you think that we are enemies, but when the gospel conquers you both, we will be together. And that’s true for us today, that because Christ truly unites us together, then true race relations are only found in Christ, right? He alone can do it. He alone can do it. And our call is to exalt Him and to share His good news with everyone that we can. The third truth to notice from this passage is that Paul became a minister of this, verse 7. Of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. Now look, after God so graciously saved Paul’s soul, Paul now passionately loves God from the heart, and his only aim is now to please and glorify this God of his. That’s why he calls himself a minister, diakonos in the Greek. The word means servant, and it speaks of a servant in the lowest order. See, a servant is a person who submits to a higher power and who does what he’s told to do. And that’s how Paul saw himself to God as his minister, as his loving servant. Throughout Paul’s writings, he also uses a couple of other words to describe his service to God. In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul calls himself a servant of God, but there the Greek word is huperetos, which means an under rower. An under rower was a person who rode on the lowest level of the galley of a ship. He was a rower at the bottom, the hard worker, the lowly servant. And that’s how Paul saw himself in relation to God. He’s just an under rower in the galley. He considered himself to be a lowly servant whose goal was to seek to honor the one who was over him, his good Lord who saved his soul. Paul also often called himself a doulos, which is a Greek word for a slave, a common slave. Paul understood, see, very clearly that as a Christian, he was a minister of God who was simply called to obey his master. So as a Christian, Paul knew that he was just God’s servant, and then on top of that, Paul knew that he had a special calling by God for him to go to the Gentiles and to give the good news of Christ to them, which he lovingly and willingly did for them, yes, but even more, he did it for God. Because he loved God. Because he served God. Because he was saved by this incredible God of his. So, of course I serve him. Whatever you want, Lord. How could I not? God was his good master. And therefore he was his loving servant. What about you? You’re a loving servant of the Lord your God today? Look, Paul’s single responsibility was to faithfully be a servant according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to him and according to the working of God’s power. So please note that while God saved Paul and while God called Paul to this task, look, God hasn’t left him powerless to do it, not at all. Instead, God has graced Paul with his power to do what Paul is called to do. And that’s what God does for all of us who are in Christ today. He gives us the needed grace and he gives us the needed power to accomplish what he calls us to accomplish. See, God doesn’t save us and then call us to do mighty things and then say, good luck with all that. He doesn’t do that. He saves us and He calls us and He then gives us His Spirit to indwell us and to empower us for victory and for effectiveness more and more and more. And our call is to utilize that power and to not quench it. We utilize it by prayer and the Word and godly fellowship and fighting sin for the glory of God. And our call is to continue to pursue these things that have true value. Pursue these things that have eternal value. Are you doing that? Am I doing that? Paul did. And while he had to eat and sleep and work and live his life, his real aim was clear. Christ. All for Christ. And he pursued Christ with passion. And look, God used him mightily. Why not us? Why not us? We are Christians who all have a call to glorify God with our fading lives, and that is a high and holy calling. And every Christian also has at least one spiritual gift that they are called to use specifically to glorify God and to bless the people of God. Why not give your all to this high and holy calling? What matters? Christ is what matters. What lasts? What you do for His glory is what truly lasts. Lord, help us to give ourselves to the things that truly last. Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, thank You, Lord, so much for Your wonderful word of truth. Thank You for the incredible example that we have of Paul the Apostle. Help us, Lord, to learn… Help us, Lord, to respond accordingly. Help us, O Lord, to be your loving servants and to give your truth out to everyone. To, as much as depend on us, live at peace with all people. Because you save us and you give us a reason to live. And you unite us together. Speak to our hearts. Bless us now. We love you. We thank you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thanks for joining us for today’s exposition from the book of Ephesians on expository truths with Dr. John Kyle. Continue on with us next week at this same time. And to find this sermon in its entirety, as well as other sermons, visit vacavillefaith.org. Faith Community Church seeks to exalt Christ by bringing clarity of truth through the scriptures with a commitment to glorifying God through the pure, deep, and reaching message of the gospel through faithful exposition. Pastor John is the preaching pastor at Faith Community Church of Vacaville. a seminary professor, and a trainer of preaching pastors overseas. Join Faith Community Church for worship Sundays at 9 and 1045 a.m., located at 192 Bella Vista Road, Suite A in Vacaville. To learn more, visit vacavillefaith.org or call 707-451-2026. That’s vacavillefaith.org.
