Ephesians 3:1-9 - The "Sacred Secret"

Todaywe're going to be looking at “the sacred secret” in Ephesians 3. It is what theScripture calls the mystery. The mystery of the church. A plan that God had inages past that was hidden in the Old Testament but is now being revealed in theNew Testament. How that Gentiles can be a part of the family of God. How thatthe church can have unity with both Jews, Gentiles, and anyone and everyone whoby faith receives Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. A sacred secret thatwas before hidden but now made known to believers to enjoy and to look forwardto. Which is the fellowship that we can have in Christ Jesus with anyone andeveryone who receives Jesus as Christ and Lord of their lives. Nowwith that in mind, I believe as you read this passage and think about it, theseverses will pop out to you. In these first 13 verses, Paul is trying to answerthe question of why he's a prisoner in Rome. He begins by actually saying, “Forthis reason I” and then it seems like he has a parenthesis here because inverse 14 He seems to pick up where he left off and again repeats, “For thisreason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” So, itappears He was going to say, "I'm going to pray for you to know the loveof Jesus Christ." But then He says, "I need to explain first why I'min prison and what my ministry is and this wonderful sacred secret that you asGentiles and Jews can have unity in your church." Remember chapter 2 endedon the subject of the unity that we should have in the church. Pleaseread again these first nine verses. “For this reason, I Paul the prisoner ofChrist Jesus for you Gentiles. If indeed you have heard of the dispensation ofthe grace of God which was given to me for you”. A dispensation was aspecial period of time where God did a special work amongst people. There aredifferent dispensations of times where God works and uses different methods.But His truth never changes. His principles never change. But His methods, theydo change from time to time. Hesays, "Was given to me for you, how? That by revelation He made knownto me the mystery as I have briefly written already. By which when you read youmay understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages wasnot made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit toHis holy apostles and prophets." What was that mystery? “That theGentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body and partakers of His promisein Christ through the gospel of which I became a minister according to the giftof the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. To me,though I'm the least of all the saints, this grace was given that I shouldpreach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make allsee what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the ageshas been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ.” Itwas important to Paul for people to understand and know that God had given hima special ministry, a special calling at his salvation. Remember in Acts 9, hewas told that he would be a light to the Gentiles. He'd bring the gospel to theGentiles. The Jews did not understand this initially. Paul had this calling,and he knew that he was going to be used of God for this specific purpose.Everywhere he went as he founded churches, those churches were made up of bothJews and Gentiles. The mystery was they could have fellowship in Christ. Theycould be joined together in unity because of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Myfriend, this “sacred secret” was something hidden in the Old Testament,revealed in the New Testament, and today has great implications for us in ourmodern churches teaching us that we can have unity despite so many preferencesand differences. Our unity is in the fellowship of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Godbless!