Christ and Creation

Unit 3: The Fruits of New Life

(Lessons 10-14)

NEW MESSAGE FROM GOD

LESSON 12

INTRODUCTION DEVOTIONAL READING:

A. WHAT'S THE SECRET PASSWORD? ISAIAH 40: 1-11
When you hear the word mystery, what comes to mind? Sherlock Holmes? BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE:
Masterpiece Theater? When biblical writers speak of mystery, they do not refer EPHESIANS 3:1-13
to a fictional story. Rather, they use the word mystery much the same way we PRINTED TEXT:
would use the word secret. Thus when they speak of revealing a mystery, they EPHESIANS 3:1-13
intend to reveal a secret to you.
In New Testament times, the Greeks were known for their mystCly reli­
gions. These were pagan cults that claimed to have secret knowledge of the
spirit world. The initiation rites were bizarre. Like kids in a tree house say­ LESSON AIMS
ing, "You can't come in unless you tell us the secret password," members of After participating in this
the cult were those who had the secret knowledge that (supposedly) gained lesson, each student will be
a person the best kind of afterlife. In our passage today, Paul uses the termi:­ able to:
nology of those cults to highlight God's mystery-the revealed secret-that 1. Summwize the content
Paul was called to preach. But unlike those mystery religions, God's revealed ofwhat Paul calls the mystery
secret is available to all, not just to a select few. Also unlike those mystery made known to him by rev­
religions, mere possession of certain knowledge isn't enough; it has to be put elation.
into practice. 2. Identify how Paul uses
I the term mystery.
B. LESSON BACKGROUND I 3. Plan a class activity that
We take for granted the fact that a person can become a Christian without will demonstrate "one body"
converting to Judaism. But that fact wasn't always so clear In the very earliest unity.
days of the church, most Christians were Jews first. The common thought in
those earliest days was that Christianity was a variation ofjudaism or was a
Jewish sect (Acts 24:5, 14).
After all, didn'tJesus Christ come to be the Jewish Messiah, to save
God's people from their sins? Jesus made it clear that his message was to
go "to the ends of the earth," but many assumed that those wanting to
become Christians would have to become Jews first, toeing the line with
regard to the Law of Moses. To think of becoming a Christian without be­ KEY VERSES
coming aJew was like wanting to become a Kentuckian without becoming Although I am less than
an American citizen. . the least ofall God's peo­
In a vision to Peter in Acts 10, God revealed that Gentiles were not to I pie, this grace was given

be considered "unclean." The gospel was open to the Gentiles without me: to preach to the
their having to convert to Judaism. But many in the early church objected Gentiles the unsearch­
to this radical idea. The issue was so hotly debated that the Jerusalem able riches of Christ, and
church held a special council just to resolve this issue (Acts 15; compare . to make plain to everyone the
Galatians 2). , administration of this mys­
After a long discussion, the apostles confirmed that a Gentile did not tay, which for ages past was
have to become aJew in order to become a Christian. The intervention of kept hidda1 in God, who cre­
the Holy Spirit and the courage of the apostles to be obedient to God's call ated all things.
ensured that Christianity would not be a mere sect ofjudaism. -Ephesians 3:8,9

""""--------­
MAY 17, 2009 _ 348 NEW MESSAGE FROM Goo

LESSON 12 NOTES By the time that Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians (about AD 63), the
famous Jerusalem Council was more than a decade in the past. The thinking
of the church had matured on the issue discussed there. Even so, there was
. more yet to be said!

I. GOOD NEWS (EPHESIANS 3:1-6)

A. PAUL'S CHAINS (v. 1)
1. For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner ofChristJesus for the sake ofyou Gentiles­
Paul is in prison because of his commitment to take Christ to the Gen­
tiles. The details of this imprisonment can be found beginning in Acts 21:27
through the end of that book. Acts 22:21,22 especially reveals the ire of
Paul's opponents regarding his mission to the Gentiles. Yet Paul calls himself
a prisoner of Chl1st Jesus. Does Paul believe that his prison warden is Jesus? In
essence, yes! (See also Ephesians 4: 1.)
We might be more likely to see Paul's prison warden as the devil, not
Jesus. But Paul consistently submits to the situations in his life as if God has
put him there. Paul sees that even this "evil" of imprisonment can be used
(and is being used) by God for good.
Perhaps Paul meditates on Joseph's imprisonment (Genesis 39,40) and
WHAT Do You THINK? how that turned out. "God never wastes a hurt," someone has said. Paul's
How can Paul's under­ imprisonment means he must write letters to his churches since he cannot
standing ofbeing a prisoner , visit in person. Since we have those letters to study, Paul's jail time certainly
of Christ Jesus be lived out has resulted in good things for us!
today?
B. GOD'S GRACE (w. 2, 3)

2.... Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was

given to me for you,

When we hear the word administration, we may think of something being

WHAT Do You THINK?
What irifonnation in the
Bible do you believe you are
especially responsible for
sharing with others?
dispensed or managed. Paul is saying, "You know about this particular assign­
ment that God, by his grace, gave me to manage." This thought can cause us
to reflect on the things God has entrusted to our own stewardship. The word
things may bring to mind material objects such as food, clothing, and money.
But have you ever thought that you have irifonnation that God wants you to
manage?
Mature Christians understand God's grace, God's truth, and God's prom­
ises in ways that others don't understand. God has given you that informa­
tion not just for your own benefit but for the benefit of others: perhaps your
children, your coworker, or your neighbor. We have information that has been
revealed to us through God's Word, and God eX"pects us to be good stewards
, of what we knOw.
For Paul, the administration of God's grace is clear and dramatic. There is no
question regarding what he is a steward of: it is that God's salvation is avail­
able to Gentile as well asJew.
3.... that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already
written briefly.
Paul is about to tell more specifically what he has been given to administer.
He refers to this as the mysteJy. He got this mystery by revelation.
God reveals himself to humanity in two ways: by general revelation and by
special revelation. General revelation is knowledge about God that is available
i merely by looking around at creation (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:20). Special rev­
 LESSON 12 342 _ MAY 17,2009
elation includes God's messages to the prophets, apostles, etc., that end up as
written Scripture. What Paul is talking about is special revelation. Such messages
come directly from God (see Acts 9:5-7; 22:21), Paul notes that he has written
bliej/y about this already This may refer to Ephesians 1:9, 10 or 2: 11-22.

C. EPHESIANS' UNDERSTANDING (w. 4, 5)

4, 5. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the

mystery ofChrist, which was not made known to men in other generations as

it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets.

For the Ephesians to understand this mystery ofChrist is Paul's goal. Part
of this understanding includes the realization that the mystery has not been
revealed only to Paul, but it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy
apostles and prophets. We may review Acts 10:9-20, where God first reveals DAILY BIBLE READINGS
the secret of the inclusion of the Gentiles to Peter. Paul repeats his argument Monday, May 11-God's
in Colossians 1:25-27. Dominion over All Gob 12:
13-25)
D. GENTILES' STATUS (v. 6) Tuesday, May 12­
6. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Mysteries of the Kingdom
Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in (Matthew 13: 10-17)
ChristJesus. Wednesday, May 13­
The revealed mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles can be equal God Reveals Mysteries
with Jews. The two can be united together to make up the church. Gentiles (Daniel 2:25-30)
are fellow heirs with Israel, lnembers of the same body, and beneficiaries of the Thursday, May 14­
same promise-without having to become Jews first! Everything available to God's Secret Revealed (Amos
Jews in Christ is available to Gentiles too. The Gentiles are not second-class 3: 1-8)
citizens of the church. Jews and Gentiles should be treating one another as Friday, May 15-The Son
brothers and sisters in Christ (see Galatians 3:26-29). Reveals the Father (Matthew
To recognize that we are all one in Christ is vital. This does not mean that 11:25-30)
we promote tolerance to the point of accepting sinful behavior Being one Saturday, May 16­
in Christ means, rather, that distinctions with regard to race, culture, and Stewards of God's Mysteries
economic status are irrelevant. The church should be leading the charge in (I Corinthians 4: 1-5)
genuine racial reconciliation in the way she models the interactions of her Sunday, May 17­
members. Christians are all one in Christ. Sharing the Promise in Christ
Are you seeking to love members of the body of Christ no matter what their (Ephesians 3: I-B)
racial background? Consider the language that you use in describing those
of another race: Do you stereotype or demean others by your labels? Look at
a list of your friends: Does it include people from other races and socioeco­
nomic backgrounds?

A DIVIDED HOUSE?
Chana and Simon Taub shared the same $1 million house for 18 years. Then
something went wrong in their 21-year marriage. The result was called "one of
New York's strangest divorce batdes." Each accused the other of exaggerated lies
to bolster his or her case.
Feelings were so intense that neither would give up the house, so the judge
ordered interior walls to be built, dividing the house. Chana got possession of
the garage, front door, three bathrooms, four bedrooms, the second-floor kitch­
en, the third-floor nursery, and a spiral staircase to reach them. Simon got a side
entrance, the living room and bathroom on the first floor, and the dining room on
the second floor

..

MAY 17->.-2009_____________________
WHAT Do You THINK?
In what ways do you
consideryourself to be an
unlikely servant of the gospel? will empower us to do what he has called us to do. Think about all that Paul
How does this speak of God's endured! (See 2 Corinthians 11:23-28.) Yet he trusts in God's power to carry
grace toward yOU?
How TO SAY IT
Corinthians. Ko-RIN-thee-
unz (th as in thin).
Ephesians. Ee-FEE-zhunz.
Gentiles. JEN-tiles.
Hebrews. HEE-brews.
Isaiah. Eye-ZAY-uh.
Judaism. JOO-duh-izz-um or modity to be valuable beyond measure is a contradiction in terms, because
JOO-day-izz-um.
Manoah. Muh-NO-uh.
Messiah. Meh-SIGH-uh.
omniscient. ahm-NISH-unt.
Philippians. Fih-LIP-ee-unz.
Thessalonians.
THESS-uh-LO-nee-unz
(th as in thin).
350 NEW MESSAGE FROM GOD
Some in the first-century church were in danger of dividing "the house of God"
in a way equally ridiculous. But Paul reminded his readers that both]ewish and
Gentile Christians were equally entitled to inherit the blessings of the gospel of
Christ. When we see how the twenty-first century church has divided and segre­
gated herself, Paul's words should come to mind. -co R. B.
II. ETERNAL PURPOSE (EPHESIANS 3:7-13)
· A. PAUL'S TASK (w. 7-9)
7. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift ofGod's grace given me through
· the working ofhis power.
Paul says that he is a servant of the now-revealed gospel secret: both]ews
and Gentiles have equal parts in the body of Christ and are one in him. Paul
feels privileged that this is what he's been commanded by God to do. Paul is
a servant, but he is glad to be one.
Notice how Paul became a servant of the gospel: it was by God's grace. He
knows he doesn't deserve it, especially given his track record of persecut­
ing the church (l Corinthians 15:9). The very fact that he is the primary
preacher to the Gentiles is an illustration of God's grace.
Paul notes that he has received the gift through the working of God's power.
Have you ever been asked to do something and thought, "Why in the world
did they ask me, of all people? I'm the least likely person to be able to do
this!" It is the realization of our inadequacies that forces us to trust that God
him through. He considers himself blessed to be called by God to do this job.
8. Although I am less than the least ofall God's people, this grace was given
me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
In 1 Corinthians 15:9, just noted above, Paul calls himself "the least of
the apostles." In 1 Timothy 1: 15, he refers to himself as the worst of sinners.
Here he creates a superlative, saying he's less than the least ofall God's people.
You can't get much lower than that!
Again, Paul is emphasizing how unlikely he is to be the one chosen to
carry this message to the Gentiles. Consider some of the reasons he may
· think this way First of all, he is a]ew-a "Hebrew of Hebrews" (Philippians
3:5)-not a Gentile. Second, he had persecuted Christians, even to their
• deaths. Third, he had been legalistic, not one naturally to understand grace.
But Paul now has the assignment to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable
riches ofChrist. What a startling phrase! Unsearchable conveys the idea of "un­
traceable" or "unmeasurable." In other words, you can't measure how abun­
dant the riches of God are.
I An economics professor may tell you that the idea of an abundant com-
I
what usually makes something valuable is its rarity. For example, a flawless
diamond is difficult to find and thus is very valuable. If the world had as many
flawless diamonds as grains of sand on the seashore, then diamonds would
not be valuable. But God's gifts have great value not because they are rare but
because of the way they meet our deepest needs. God's riches are etemallove,
joy, grace, inner peace, and so on. And he never runs out of these. He can give
you more and more of these blessings, and in Heaven they will be in abun­
dance even though they will be the most treasured of all possessions.
LESSON 12 351 MAY 1L 2009
9.... and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which
for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
Not only is Paul to preach these things to the Gentiles, Paul also has been
sent to explain to Jew and Gentile alike that we are all one in Christ. That's
the idea of everyone. Even though Paul is the preeminent messenger to the
Gentiles, he also speaks to Jews as often as he can. Even while writing to the
Gentile believers back in Ephesus, Paul speaks to Jews about Christ during
his imprisonment in Rome (Acts 28:17-31).

B. GOD'S INTENT (w. 10, 11)

10. His intent was that nmv, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God
should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
The phrase rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms refers to the angelic Visual for Lesson 12.
hierarchy. Evidence for the existence of a hierarchy among angels is seen in Point to this visual as you
the term archangel in 1 Thessalonians 4: 16 and Jude 9. The fact that angels ask, "What hinders your
now have information that they did not have before indicates that angels are message's signal strength?"
not all-knowing (omniscient).
This mystery-that the Gentiles are to have equal access to the eternal
God-has been kept hidden even from the angels. When the secret was re­
vealed, the angels learned something about God's manifold wisdom. The an­
gels already knew of God's power and beauty: they had seen God create the
universe Gob 38:4-7). They knew of God's intelligence and character: they
have watched him create people and deal with those stiffnecked humans for
thousands of years. But they had not understood this part of the extent of his
wisdom until his plan of grace and redemption unfolded (see Romans 11:33).
11.... according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in ChristJesus
our Lord.
God has had this plan from the beginning of time-it has been an eter­
nal purpose. Some have claimed that the church is a sort of "parentheses" in PRAYER
God's salvation-history timeline. Under this idea, the church became God's
Father, we confess that at
Plan B, since Jesus was rejected during his first coming. The truth is that God
has had this plan from the beginning. It is the way that God chooses to make
times we have been proud.
his glory known and understood. This story of God's grace gives us the great­
Sometimes we have consid­
est possible glimpse into the character of God. ered ourfellow human beings
who are created in your image
as less valuable because of
PLANS AND PURPOSES various reasons. Please forgive
A few years ago, Sunroad Enterprises built a ISO-foot tall office tower near us and ranind us to love oth­
Montgomery Field in San Diego. It was so near, in fact, that it violated Federal Avi­ ers as you have loved us. We
ation Administration (FAA) rules that limit buildings within a certain distance of prayfor the opportunity and
airports to 160 feet in height. Even though warned of the violation by the FAA, the courage to express your love
developer finished the superstructure, claiming the right to build according to the to others and to tell than of
architect's plans because the city had approved those plans. the free gift ofyour grace that
City officials got into a name-calling political batde over the matter. The city filed is available to all people who
suit against Sunroad; the developer filed a countersuit for $40 million. Finally, on will put theirfaith in your Son
June 26,2007, an "unrepentant" Sunroad (as the San Diego newspaper called the Jesus Christ. In his name we
finn) agreed to lower the building to legal height, even while proceeding at full speed
pray. Amen.
with the lawsuit. "The city approved the plans" was the company's reasoning as to
why it resisted for months the calls to conform its plans to FAA regulations.
Human plans can be illegal, selfish, foolish, changeable, and contradictory
to other human plans. However, God's plans are never self-contradictory. The
MAY 17, 2009 352 _ _ _ _~N~E\_'_'7. MESSAGE FROM GOD

question is, do our plans match his plans? If there's a mismatch, guess whose
plans need to be changed! -CO R. B.

C. READERS' REACTION (w. 12, 13)

12. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and
confidence.
The revealed mystery means that God's plan is to make peace with all hu­
manity,]ew and Gentile alike. We no longer need fear his judgment. Because
of our faith in Christ, we can approach God boldly, with confidence (Romans
5:2; Hebrews 4:16; 10:19).
This confidence to approach God should not result in undue familiarity,
WHAT Do You THINK? however People have been heard to say, "I can't wait to get to Heaven and
What benefits do we enjoy give]esus a big hug!" But according to the Bible, what reallywiU happen
in being able to boldly draw when we get to Heaven is that "every knee [will] bow" (Philippians 2:10).
near to God? What responsi­ Think about how people in the Bible react when they realize they are in the
bilities are there? presence of God. Manoah says, "We are doomed to die! ... We have seen
God!" Qudges 13:22); Isaiah says, "Woe to me! ... I am ruined!" (Isaiah
6:5); Peter says, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" (Luke 5:8).
Nevertheless, Paul says that those who have faith in]esus Christ can ap­
, proach God with freedom and confidence. How different would our prayer
. lives be if we really believed this?
i 13. 1 ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because ofmy sufferings for you,
. which are your glory.
If the Ephesian Christians are discouraged about Paul's situation, they
i should not be. His trials and sufferings are for their glory. What a great per­
, spective on suffering! Paul is not bitter or angry about all the pain he is
enduring. The fact that he is willing to undergo his persecutions shows the
Ephesians how much he believes what he preaches.
We humans will try to avoid even brief periods of minor irritation. Suffer­
ing often surprises us. We take pills to try to wipe out pain as quickly as pos­
sible. When we can't see any point to our pain, we get angry.
Yet Paul embraces his suffering as glorious because he trusts God to make
good out of it-not necessarily for Paul, but for others. If we adopt the values
of a self-absorbed culture, we may ignore the benefits to others or glory to
WHAT Do You THINK? God that our suffering can bring. When you understand what God is calling
In what WlryS have you you to do and are submissive to it, you can withstand great suffering. You can
personally benifited from suf­ see the glory in it even when it doesn't seem to benefit you personally.
fering? God called Paul to suffer greatly (Acts 9: 16). God may not call us to suf­
fer in just the same way Paul did, but we do have our crosses to bear (Mark
8:34). Suffering for Christ will come to each of us in some way. Paul's suf­
fering is for the glory of his beloved Ephesians. When that happens, God
ultimately is the one glorified. When we understand our calling, we can with­
stand great suffering and see the glory in it-not for ourselves, but for those
we try to reach and ultimately for God himself.

CONCLUSION
Paul was willing to go to great lengths---even endure great suffering-so
that as many people as possible could be told the secret: God's grace is avail­
able to everyone. It doesn't matter what country you were born in, what race
I you are, how poor you are, whether you are tall or short, fat or skinny, male
 LESSON 12 __~ ~~ ~ ~ ~3_ _~ MAY 17, 2009
or female. The God of the universe sent his Son,jesus Christ, to die for your THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
sins, and he wants to have a relationship with you. Are you willing to do Make sure God's revealed
what may be awkward or uncomfortable, to suffer a little or a lot, in order to secret remains revealed.
communicate to those who may be different from you thatjesus loves them?

Discovery Learning

The following is an alternative lesson plan emphasizing learning activities.

Classes desiring such student involvement will find these suggestions helpful. At the

back of this book are reproducible student pages to further enhance activity learning.

INTO THE LESSON
Place in chairs copies of the reproducible activity
"A Mystery in the Puzzle" on page 382 for students
to work on as they arrive. If you wish, hand this out
at the end of the lesson as take-home work instead.
Option # 1: Playa word-association game. Ask
students to jot down the very first thing that comes
to their minds as you recite the following three
words: secret, password, mystery. Allow a few mo­
ments of silence for students to write, then have
them share some of their responses. Make the tran­
sition to Bible study by saying, "The word mystery
is often used to imply a surprise ending to a great
story. Buried in the story is a secret that will be re­
vealed at the end. Paul uses the word mystery to re­
veal]esus in a wonderful way. Let's investigate this
mystery in our study today. "
Option #2: Have one student write down five
activities he or she enjoys or would enjoy dOing.
At the same time, have all the other class members
write down five activities that they think this stu­
dent enjoys or would enjoy. Then have the first stu­
dent read his or her list aloud so that everyone else
can see what they did and didn't get right.
Make the transition to Bible study by saying,
"For most of you, this was a guessing game based
on partial knowledge of [person's name]. Only
one of you knew the whole truth about [person's
name] 's preferences for activities. This is a bit of
a snapshot of today's study about a great mystery
hidden for centuries, hinted at, but finally revealed
to all."
i our community. How will we do that?"
INTO THE WORD
Start with a brief lecture consisting of a sum­
mary of the Lesson Background. This will give
your students a perspective on the first-century
use of the word myste1y. Then divide the class into
seven study teams of two or three students each. A
smaller class may either double up on the assign­
ments or make assignments to individuals rather
than teams. The task of the teams is to examine,
interpret, and apply words and phrases that come
from today's printed text. Give each team a pho­
tocopy of the lesson commentary for their assign­
ments as needed.
Display the following prepared instructions on
the board or (better) on handouts: "Your tasks
are to (1) give the background or interpretation
of your assigned word or phrase, (2) draw out the
implications for the Ephesians, and (3) set forth the
implications for us today. The seven assignments
are 1. "the prisoner of Christjesus" (v. 1); 2. "the
administration of God's grace" (v. 2); 3. "mystery"
(w. 3-6); 4. "servant" and "less than the least" (Vv.
7,8); 5. "unsearchable riches" (v. 8); 6. "rulers and
authorities in the heavenlv realms" (v. 10); 7. "eter­
nal purpose" (v. 11). /
Allow each team to report its findings.
INTO LIFE
Activity # 1: Central Theme. Ask the study teams
to define the central theme they think arises from
today's text, writing it into one sentence or phrase.
Allow each team to report its conclusions. Make
the transition to the next activity by saying, "The
commentary writer says an important lesson from
this text is that 'we are all one in Christ.' Our chal­
lenge is applying that principle to everyday life in
Activity #2: Brainstorming! Prepare two post­
ers. One poster's heading should read People
Groups in Our Community. The other poster's
heading is Strategies and Ideas. Display the first

 MAY 17, 2009
poster. Ask students to identify different people
groups in the community. People groups may
refer to ethnic backgrounds, educational or so­
cial status, youth subcultures, etc. List these on
the poster board.
Then say, "Let's evaluate our effectiveness in
reaching these groups with the gospel." After
discussion, check mark each group that is being
touched by your church. Put a circle around the
groups that are not being reached satisfactorily
by your church.
11.......--. _
354 NEW MESSAGE mOM GOD
Say, "Churches are usually not effective in
reaching every people group in the community.
However, most churches can improve their out­
reach." Ask the class to discuss ideas and strat­
egies to reach different groups on the list. Jot
the ideas on the second poster. Discuss which
people group may be your church's greatest op­
portunity to reach. Finally, appoint a team to
continue to explore this outreach and develop a
plan. The team will make a recommendation for
action at an appropriate time in the future.