This evening, we're going to, once again, turn to the book of Ephesians and read chapter 3, verses 1 through 13. Ephesians 3, 1 through 13. Again, this is a letter from Paul. You've heard a couple sermons from seminary students the last couple months. So we're continuing in that regard. For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, for the sake of you Gentiles, 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, as I have 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 as it has now been 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 your glory. It's an intriguing passage. Mysteries and treasure, these are things that get us excited, that keep us on the edge of our chairs. They're things that grab our attention and keep us wondering what's going to happen next. Where are these treasures coming from? They motivate us. They intrigue us. Well, this passage is talking about a mystery and about great riches. And these are things that are revealed by God, through Paul, in Christ Jesus, to the church. So we're going to look at some of these things. As we consider the power of God's grace, we'll see how it is first, through Christ and in Christ, and that this grace is for Paul and for the church. Well, undoubtedly, many of you throughout your life have made some puzzles. Typically, You open the box out, you dump the pieces on the table, set the box cover up so you can look at what you're making and sort through the pieces. But have you ever tried to make a puzzle without looking at the box cover? It adds a whole new challenge to making a puzzle, doesn't it? Now take away some of those pieces so you only have some of them. Making a puzzle daunting makes it very mysterious. Well, in effect, this is the state in which the prophets and the saints in the Old Testament were in. As they contemplated redemption, it's as if they were making a puzzle. But they didn't have the box cover. They didn't have the full picture. They were only working with some of the pieces. But as God revealed those pieces, as he worked throughout history to reveal more and more of his plan of salvation, That picture came into focus. And Paul tells us that it is with him particularly that the full picture was shown. It's as if he has seen the box cover now. He knows what the whole picture is about. And he is now, therefore, telling people about this great redemption. This redemption that was hidden for ages past. Well, it is in Christ that this great mystery was accomplished. And it's in Christ that this mystery is fulfilled. You see, it's a divine drama in which redemption is now shown to all people, all nations. Well, in our passage this evening, Paul links this revelation of redemption to creation so that the same God who created all things is the God who has now redeemed his people. He's the God who has redeemed the people for himself. Verse 9 shows us this. It says, And to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, the mystery that the Gentiles are now brought into the church through Christ. This mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. See, this redemption and this creation are combined. Not combined, but shown that they are both from God. But what's more is that this redemption is shown to be an eternal decree of God. Verse 11 shows us this. According to his great, excuse me, according to his eternal purpose, which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. You see, this is God's eternal plan for redemption. It's his eternal decree. Boys and girls, some of you who have studied the Catechism know this as the covenant of redemption. God's eternal plan in which he covenanted with Christ to bring about a people for himself for whom Christ would lay down his life. And we know that this redemption comes only by grace. This mystery, the benefits of it, are only by grace. And many of you have learned the definition of grace by this acronym, G-R-A-C-E, God's Riches at Christ's Expense. Now later on this evening, We're going to look at some of these riches. But consider with me for a moment the expense which Christ had to pay. You see, for us, for the church, salvation is free because Christ has paid the price in full. Think of this. Think of his life. Christ, the God-man, came down from heaven, emptied himself of all his glory, took on flesh. That's humiliating himself. You know what we have to go through every day. For God, to take that upon Himself is humiliation. Furthermore, Christ completely fulfilled the law of God. He fulfilled the covenant of Moses. But as His life went on, the sufferings and the trials that He endured greatly grew. He was insulted. He was beaten, spit upon, cursed. He was crucified on a tree, a curse to death. He was killed and buried. All this for believers. He bore the eternal wrath of God so that salvation might be free for us. This is true grace. This is the grace that's been given to us. But as I said, it's at the expense that Christ paid in full. Well, this grace, the power of God's grace that came through Christ and was displayed in Christ was for Paul as well. See, Paul, you know the story of Paul. You know his life and his history. And it's a life and a history that foreshadows, or excuse me, that portrays the full grace of God. You see, for Paul even to be appointed, to be called to be an apostle, was the outworking of God's grace. And in God's providence, in his plan, he greatly used Paul to further the kingdom. So in Paul's life, salvation was preached. Not just to the Jews, not just to Israel, but particularly as Paul was called to spread the message of salvation to the Gentiles. It went forth to every nation, far, far outside of Israel. And the Gentiles were welcomed in to the body of Christ. They were not given a second status, but they were united to Christ, just as all believers are. And most of us here are Gentiles. We don't have Jewish descent. We don't have the patriarchal lineage. So as Gentiles, we ought to really consider that it's the ministry of Paul, particularly, that has made this possible for us to enjoy the benefits of God's grace. Well, in Paul's ministry, the mystery of this gospel, which was hidden in God for past ages, has now come to light. As I said, he's referring to the eternal decree of God in which he plans salvation for all his people. A redemptive plan that's come to fruition in Christ Jesus. But why Paul? Why is Paul exalted? In fact, he considers himself to be the least of the saints and the chief or the foremost of sinners. In verse 8 of our passage here this evening, he says, Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given to me. And in 1 Timothy 1, 15, he shows that he thinks of himself as the greatest of sinners. Now, in these passages, it's not just that Paul thinks he's the lowest of the apostles or the lowest of the disciples, but of all the saints and the greatest of all sinners. We could think of his past life as a Pharisee, persecuting the church. Perhaps these are what's in mind here. Or even the sin that still clings to him, against which he is warring. These are the things, perhaps, that even we can sympathize with and think that, no, it's not Paul who's the greatest of sinners, it's me. I know my sin, I know the law, and I know I should conform to it. But I love my sin. So Paul recognizes his sinfulness and he recognizes where is God's grace that's at work in his life. So we ask the question again, why Paul? Why is he the focus, the center of the gospel going forth to the Gentiles? Why Paul? Well, Paul himself realizes that it's not himself. It's nothing that he has done. But it's only the grace of God. Turn with me, if you will, to 1 Corinthians 15. This is Paul's testimony of himself as an apostle and the lowly view of himself that he has, which only exalts the grace of God. 1 Corinthians 15, and we'll read verses 9 and 10. It says, For I am the least of the apostles, and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, Because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them. Yet, not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Here again, Paul highlights the grace of God. It's the power of God's grace in his life that has enabled him to be the apostle, that is bringing this revelation of the mystery to the Gentiles, to bring them into the body of Christ. Paul was not only appointed to this position, but he's equipped by the grace of God also to carry out this commission. As an apostle, he suffers. He's in prison even when he writes this letter. And so he knows that it's upon God's grace that he must rely. It's upon God's grace that he must trust in every day, to get him to the next day. And even in his sufferings, even in his perhaps physical sufferings, he knows and he relies on God's grace. You're very familiar, I'm sure, with the story of the thorn in his flesh. In 2 Corinthians 12, verse 9, he says, verse 8, I'll start. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me. Paul realizes that both his appointment as an apostle and his equipping as an apostle is only by the power of God's grace. Brothers and sisters, Paul's suffering and Paul's ministry was not in vain. The gospel went forth. Gentiles were brought into the kingdom of God. They were grafted into the body of Christ, united as one people. And in fact, God is still using the letters of Paul, inspired by his spirit, to bring Gentiles, to bring you and I, our neighbors, into the kingdom of God. It's in a ministry that's still in work. And we are to make use of these letters. We are to make use of the ministry of Paul. We have these letters before us. As a church, we need to be presenting them to the world that they may see that this great mystery is revealed in Christ Jesus and that they too, by faith, may be brought in to the family of God. They may be the people of God. Well, this passage this evening, Ephesians chapter 3, doesn't just speak of the power of God's grace through Christ or the power in the ministry of Paul. but it highlights, as does the whole book of the Ephesians, it highlights the church and the grace, the power of God's grace, that is effective for the church. So our last point this evening, this is what we will focus on. Well, as the Gentiles, as you and I are grafted into the church, we are indeed one body, one church, the church universal. The mystery revealed shows that we are partakers of Christ. But as such, the church plays a cosmic role in God's plan of redemption. Now you're thinking, cosmic role. Think broadly here. The church plays a cosmic role. I'll flesh that out a little bit here. Look at verse 10. Paul says, God's 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. That's what I mean by cosmic. The church is the means by which God is making known in the heavenly realms the mystery which he had revealed in Christ. Now, first, your thoughts may be about angels. You know, God's showing us that the church is a testimony to the angels because they long to look into this mystery, right? 1 Peter 1, verses 10 and 12 talk about this. You don't have to turn there if you don't like, but I'll read it for you. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who spoke of the grace that was to come to you searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you, by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. The angels desire to look into the mystery of salvation, the mystery of redemption. But in Ephesians, I think this cosmic role of the church is not so much in terms of revealing the plan of redemption to the angels, but in showing Satan and his minions that their rule and their reign over the Gentiles has come to an end. That their power over these people who used to be called God's people was coming to a close. Think of the first century. It's not very different from now. Pagan gods, other spiritual, other spiritualities. Boys and girls, you can think of it this way. You can think of a battle scene in which two armies are at war. And on one side is a great king. On the other side is Satan and his minions. Now, what would happen? What would it show, Satan, if people, if his warriors, if his army went over to the other side and fought against him. It would be a testimony to him that his reign was about to end, that his rule over the earth was coming to a close because God's plan of redemption was coming to fruition. Brings new meaning to the phrase if you can't beat him, join him, doesn't it? Well, in this cosmic role of the church, it's a pilot scheme for all of redemption. You see, this is the initial demonstration. The church demonstrates at first God's plan of redemption. We as the body of Christ are testimony to Satan and even to the angels about what God had in plan to bring to himself a people who he would call his own. As you are sitting here today, you are those people. You are the body of Christ. You are his church. You have received grace from him. And even now, as a church, as a part of the church universal, we are witness to Satan that his rule is coming to a close. That when Christ comes again, he will finally snuff Satan out. Satan knows that as well. But like a chicken with his head cut off, he is striving to make a bloody mess as long as he can. He knows his end is near, But he's striving with all his might to make one final effort. And he is at work. And that's why that battle rages. It continues. But we have the Spirit of God. And the battle has already been won. But there are still conflicts to be fought. Well, for the church, the grace of God continues. And now we have benefits of this grace. This grace continues in the outworking of our lives. As I said before, grace is God's riches at Christ's expense. Let's think about those riches for a moment. In verse 8, Paul alludes to them. He says, 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. The unsearchable riches of Christ. It's an idea that we may gloss over because it's hard to think about. What does that mean, the riches of Christ? The unsearchable riches. It's an idea that's hard to get your hands around. There's a lot of descriptive words that are used. These riches are boundless. They're immeasurable, incomprehensible. Now, typically when we think of things that are valuable or precious, they're in small quantities. Ladies, you can think of that diamond on your finger. You don't have many of them. And it's because of that that it's precious, it's valuable. But here, precious, valuable riches are combined with the words of immeasurable, countless, boundless. These are the riches that God's grace has bestowed upon His church. These are the riches that we enjoy, not only in the future, but now, even as we have Christ Jesus as our Lord. we enjoy these riches these riches that Christ is ours that he is our head and that we have access to the throne of God through him we don't have to go through any other means but Christ our savior that is riches enough but then to add to that to flush that out even more we do look forward to the eternal inheritance that we have the eternal inheritance in Christ Jesus by which we will spend eternity with Christ in glory, in the presence of God, in the New Jerusalem, a city that's described in Revelation as beyond what we can even think of. These are the riches that Christians look forward to. But even, we must remember that, we realize them now as we have Christ. But also, another benefit that we enjoy as a church is that God's grace through Christ gives us the freedom, the boldness and the confidence to come to God now, to approach His throne fearlessly. We can bring our prayers to Him as we did before. We can approach Him at any time asking for things that we need, praising Him for who He is. How can we have such freedom, such confidence Again, it's only by the grace of Christ. To highlight this even more, let's make a contrast. Think of Adam and Eve in the garden. Once they sinned, they knew that they could not stand before a holy and righteous God. They knew that their sin was so great that they could not be in the presence of God. So they hid themselves. Jumping across to the end of the Bible, Revelation chapter 6 also highlights for us the typical reaction of those who do not enjoy God's grace. Revelation 6, 15 to 16. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. This is the response of those who do not know the grace of God. They'd rather have the rocks fall on them and crush them and cover them, for they know they cannot stand in the presence of God. And so we, with confidence, knowing that the grace we have is in Christ Jesus, can boldly come to the throne of God, We enjoy that grace and the benefits of it. Well, this mystery and these riches, they seem sometimes not to do it for us. The mystery fails to excite us. It fails to keep us on the edge of our seat. Sometimes it's become so familiar that its grandeur and its intricate details have no effect on our lives. Like a movie that we've seen several times. We can either take it or leave it. And the riches too. Sometimes we think of them only in the future. Only as something that we will someday enjoy. That we will someday experience. And so we spend our time on this earth pursuing wealth and riches here and now. But the reality is that this mystery this mystery is the mystery in which God, the God Almighty has made himself accessible through Christ his Son and that the riches he has promised are ours today through Christ Jesus boundless, immeasurable free to us by faith this is the reality that as his people we enjoy this is the mystery that we ought not to let get old and stale but that we must plumb its depths making it new and fresh each and every day for us contemplating the grace of God in Christ Jesus for this is a wonderful mystery and his treasures are greater than all the treasures of the earth and this is what we look forward to in Christ Jesus our Lord Amen let us pray our dear lord god and holy father we come to you having heard your word having understood the riches that are in christ jesus even as as it is through him whom you have revealed the mystery of redemption revealed it fully in the church so that we may comprehend that you have won people that you have brought us together by your grace through Christ Jesus. That this grace is free to us and that by faith we respond in repentance and turn away from our sin. Father, we pray that this mystery may never get old in our lives. That we may continue to put the pieces of the puzzle together. That we may continue to find new things, new details that perhaps we have passed over before. Lord, may the riches that come by your grace impress us that we have an immeasurable gift in Christ. We have a life in Christ that we enjoy even now, but that we will one day more fully realize. Father, we ask that we may not lose sight of these things, but that daily we may wrestle with them. That we may come to a greater understanding of your grace. And that we may be quick to share that with others. That we may have an answer for those who ask of us. The hope that we have. That our speech may be seasoned with salt. Father, we pray that this mystery this grace these riches may never be out of our sight but that we may dwell on them and that they may give us the hope and the motivation to live for you each and every day by the power of your grace through Christ Jesus in Jesus Christ's name we pray Amen Thank you.