God's Power Comes by Grace - Ephesians 3:1-13

We are saved by God’s GRACE—we do not receive salvation by our own works but we are saved by the POWER OF GOD—by His grace—through our faith in the Trinity…God the Father, Jesus his Son and the Holly Spirit. We then prove that we are saved by our works, because God tells us that if we LOVE HIM we will keep his commandments. Do you continually try to keep his commandments daily?—If you do, then this is your proof that you are saved.

John and Marguerite Barber joined our church several years ago and John became a member of my Sunday school class. They were two of the most faithful members in the church and proved it through daily serving in so many ways. When Brother J.R was called as our pastor a few years later, John became his constant supporter and has remained positive in his work and prayers for our pastor and the church. John recently went to be with his Master and Marguerite moved to live closer to her children, and it is a great loss to our church. What motivates people? What motivated this Christian family to serve our church with great commitment and passion? It must have been the same as that of Paul as he served the early churches because of God’s grace that was demonstrated toward him. They both met God on the road one day—maybe not the same highway by number, but the same name—the road to Heaven.

As you stand in the back of our church and observe you will find it evident that the grey hair, or heads with no hair, outnumber the ones that appear younger. We must find those young ones that will step forward and assume the responsibilities of Christians to serve. God is still calling His people to ministry based on his grace given to the servants. This lesson is a picture of Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles being a gift of God’s grace through his power. The emphasis is on recognizing an opportunity to serve God as an offer of His grace. To all who are younger this is to encourage you to accept the opportunities to serve God with no hesitation or mental reservation.

Please take the time to read and study carefully the short thirteen verses of this challenge. 3: 1-13. The first verses will emphasize the need you have to recognize and accept God’s free gift of Grace. Then in 3 to 6 you must understand and receive God’s revelation of His Grace to you. Then there is no need to receive unless or until you are willing to respond; and finally you must realize that there is a time of rejoicing for those that are willing to participate. That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus [2: 7].

The first verse in our lesson clearly states the message of the second chapter. The message is that Paul, a Jew, came to witness to the Gentiles. These Gentile Ephesians, who had been ‘dead in trespasses and sins’ who were ‘strangers from the covenants of promise and aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, without hope and without God in the world,’ had been—‘made right.’ For some reason Paul digresses from this thought and tells us about his ministry until he reaches verse 14, and then he goes back to his original thought and tells them he has been praying for them and he tells them what he has been praying for them. I emphasize this because Paul had been charged by some critics for his digression in order to talk about himself. It was simply in Paul’s heart that the Gentiles must know that he had his problems to overcome and that they should not be dismayed at their own problems. Both had their problems.

It is now necessary that you consider verses 2-7 all together because it is one statement that has been divided into subdivisions or verses. He did this to help some of the Gentiles who were concerned that he had now become a prisoner. He lets them know that he glories in his prison sentence, his persecution, and that he wants them to be able to find glory, and praise in their persecutions.

Paul thinks that God made the mystery of salvation by God’s grace known to him in order for him to make the same revelation understandable to them and now it is being made known to the Lord’s holy apostles and prophets by His Spirit. No doubt that Paul could and did look intro the future as see the many other great leaders of the church [such as even Billy Graham] that have continued to evangelize the world. It is very difficult for me to realize what a wonderful revelation Paul has made. Most of his listeners were probably just common slaves and now they have become a part of God’s plan—and just by believing they are now a part of the eternal plan of salvation and are included in the scheme of God regarding sinful man. Paul told them that he was glorying in his suffering for God and he wanted them to do likewise.
We often find this word “mystery” used by different writers, so what did Paul and the others mean by the mysteries of God? False teachers would have you believe that the term “mystery’ means that salvation, the Christian message, or faith is something vague and indefinite and cannot be defined. Modern thought is one of God’s mysteries’ greatest enemies. They teach that the moment you try to define it and say what it is, that you have also said what it is not and this tends to destroy the mystery.

PAUL THE APOSTLE COMPLETELY DENIES SUCH AN INTERPRETATON. Paul says that the mystery has been revealed and that he is a preacher of the mystery because it has been revealed to him. It is not even vague and indefinite, but is a message that has been made known to those who know God’s word.

I have gathered from several sources some thoughts that seem to tell us without a doubt that all Christians can know many things but not all things about the mind of God. The word mystery as used most frequently in the New Testament pertains to the truth of God that is so great that the mere mind of man can never know all about it. Man is sinful and so by his own unaided mind he can not fully attain it.

The bible says that “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. BUT GOD HATH REVEALED THEM UNTO US BY HIS SPIRIT; FOR THE SPIRIT SEARCHETH ALL THINGS, YEA, THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD” [Eph. 2: 6 to 10]. It is not a hidden wisdom but the wisdom of God that he has revealed unto those of us who study to show ourselves approved. This is why it is so important for a preacher or a teacher to make sure that they are revealing only that which God has revealed to us as absolute truth.

The Apostles were twelve men selected by God—one failed God and killed himself—and then Paul became the last of the apostles [12 in all] when he was personally called by God while on the road to Damascus. The prophets were men who were given a special knowledge of the truth and were commissioned to teach others. Only the writings of these men became a part of God’s word to man and therefore or also to the church as we know it today. The greatest preachers and evangelist of all time must preach the Word of God which came to us through the biblical writers.

I have heard some of the BIG PREACHERS on TV teach that we Gentiles would never have heard of the gospel if it were not for the fact that the Jews denied Christ. I personally believe that we were a part of his plan. All men were a part of God’s original plan. I do not believe that I am one of God’s afterthoughts. His plan was for me to accept his Son, Jesus Christ, who sits with his Father in Heaven and has invited me to be a part of that Holy Family. So long as I am in Christ I have an open door into the throne of God.

Paul closes this study with a prayer that his Gentile friends may not become discouraged because their best friend and leader is in prison. He did not want them to think that he was in trouble because he had fought for their right to know the secrets of God.