Written By: David Hicks                                   New King James Version

"God's Eternal Purpose!"

The Apostle Paul, writing from prison in Rome ; wrote to the Christians in Ephesus . This letter is very unique among the letters to the churches. There are no references to specific problems that exist in Ephesus . Instead it is a general treatise, a kind of template, a kind of general Christian systematic essay.

The letter could easily be entitled, “The Church of Christ”, since it was given to establish the importance of the church. It was written to establish permanent foundations that were designed to be as easily followed today as then.

In the third chapter of the letter, the Apostle to the Gentiles spends an entire chapter in discussion of the mystery! The mystery, as Paul would often refer to it, was simply the Gospel (good news about Jesus Christ – vs.6 ). He refers to this Gospel of salvation and doctrine as a mystery because it is in the process of being delivered. It has been revealed to the Apostles and then to New Testament prophets ( Vs.5 ), and in turn they are now revealing it to the world (their commission).

 

Text #1:

Ephesians 3:8 “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,”

Paul would often refer to himself as the least, or the most unworthy because he had previously persecuted the church, note:

1 Corinthians 15:9 “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God .”

In spite of this feeling of inadequacy, he recognized that he had been blessed with the very privilege to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches that exist within that very thing which he originally persecuted.

Many people today struggle with the idea of blessings in Christ that are unsearchable or may never be realized.

I own a cell phone! Not being of the information generation, I struggle to know what all the functions of my phone can do or how to use them. However, even though I cannot tell you all the things it does, I fully realize that it has blessings in convenience that I have come to appreciate. Likewise, we may never fully realize all that exists for us as children of God; however, we should have no trouble recognizing that “In Christ” is blessings that surpass our understanding and that we should desire them.

 

Text #2:

Ephesians 3:9 “and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;”

 

A preacher is, “one who heralds or proclaims”. One responsible for dispensing the word of God. Since this is what Paul was called to do, he gives us a brief look into his commission in this verse.

He says that he was commissioned “to make all people see” . His work among the Gentiles was evidence of God's intent and purpose in redeeming man from sin and ruin.

He would introduce a concept of fellowship with the mystery (which we have already established as the Gospel of Christ), and that this fellowship was previously hidden in God. Fellowship is the joint participation towards a common goal. Note what Paul would tell the Christians in Rome concerning this Gospel:

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes , for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

 

Text #3:

Ephesians 3:10 “to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,”

That which was hidden before, has now been revealed. That which was hidden before is now revealed in the church itself ! Many say that the wisdom of God is made known by the teaching of the church (which in a way is true). However, what Paul is saying here is that the unsearchable riches in Christ, the fellowship of the mystery, are made known by the church itself (what the church is! who the church is!).

 

With this thought in mind, let's take a look at another passage of scripture where Paul would make reference to his commission. In Acts 26 , Paul is giving a defense of his work for the Lord, which has caused him to be arrested and held as prisoner for over two years and having to make many defenses before the Jews, their court, and various Roman governors. Finally in his last defense to the Roman governor Felix, he has appealed his case to Rome ( 25:11 ). Even though he was a Jew, he was also born a Roman citizen. This makes his appeal to Caesar a very serious and realistic appeal. Since Felix does not want to write his Caesar a letter that basically says that, “I am sending you this man, and I don't know why”, he enlists Herod, who is the king of the Jews and understands the religion of the Jews, to hear Paul, so that he may determine what to write. As Paul recounts his conversion to Herod, he would also tell him what Jesus would say to him, concerning his commission, note:

Acts 26:17-18 “I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18 to open their eyes , in order to turn them from darkness to light , and from the power of Satan to God , that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'

In this version of the commission, he not only says the same thing as our text concerning the very nature of his work; “to open their eyes”, “to make all people see”, but explains the very nature of being “called out”.

See Chart: http://www.plvcc.org/GodsEternalPurpose-Chart.htm

The very definition of the word church as it is given in scripture is, “a group called out”. Used on its own, describes a group of people who have been called out of some place or relationship into another.

Here in Paul's commission, his work was to turn people from one state to another (from darkness to light, from Satan to God), which would lead them into a new existence (forgiven and into an inheritance, some of those unsearchable blessings we mentioned earlier). This is the very idea of the church! The church is the called out! Those who have left darkness and Satan, and have been translated into light and God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, are the church, the called out! It is in the very existence of those called out by the mystery that epitomizes the manifold wisdom of God.

When Jesus said, “I will build my church”, he was not talking about a building or structure; He was talking about people ( Matthew 16:18 ).

When Paul wrote to the church at Corinth and opened the letter with, “To the Church of God which is at Corinth ” , he wasn't writing to the building they met in; he was writing to the people who made up that body of Christ ( I Corinthians 1:2 ).

Likewise in the letter of our study, when Paul would tell the Christians at Ephesus that God gave Jesus “to be head of all things to the church” ; he wasn't talking about a building, institution, or even an organization; he was talking about people who had been called out of the world and into His own body ( Ephesians 1:22-23 ).

When we drive through Texas , we don't say, “What a lovely institution of cows”. Here in Arizona , we don't say, “That was an amazing organization of quail”.

The church is made up of the called out and represents in itself the manifold wisdom of God!

 

Text #4:

Ephesians 3:11 “according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,”

There is no way you can read this statement and even begin to think that Jesus failed to do what He originally intended to do! Not only is the church the manifestation of the wisdom of God, it was His eternal purpose in His Son!

Remember that the church is not an institution, it is not an organization, and it is not a denomination. It is made up of those being saved. Salvation is in Christ's church! All those in the body of Christ are a demonstration of the wisdom of God and His eternal purpose in Christ Jesus!

Say that to yourself a few times and let it sink in!

Such is the purpose and plan of God from the very beginning. This purpose conveys Divine planning and pattern. It cannot be disregarded, reorganized, or remodeled. Since it represents God's eternal purpose, it simply must be reverenced and accepted.

 

The Christians at Ephesus had come to this great purpose in Christ Jesus and were partakers of the unsearchable riches of Christ ( Ephesians 1:3-14 ). These Christians were “in Christ”, part of “His body”, and were “the church”. Paul would often remind Christians what they had done that had brought them into God's eternal purpose, note:

1 Corinthians 12:13 “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.”

Galatians 3:26-28 “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 5:25-26 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,”

In addition to reminding them of what they did to enter the body of Christ, Paul would educate Christians that life as God's eternal purpose required that they walked according to His doctrine (individually and collectively – Ephesians 4-5 ).

 

In conclusion, consider among ourselves if we truly appreciate what we have come to? Do we live in respect and reverence of what we are a part of?

Hebrews 12:22-24 “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.”

CHRIST'S church ‘IS'

GOD'S ETERNAL PURPOSE!