1-6-19 Grace-Tucson Sermon

Ephesians 3:2-12 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke

“The Mystery of God’s Grace Is Revealed”

Epiphany of Our Lord January 6, 2019

I’m guessing that you can probably think of a time when you kept a secret. There may be a variety of reasons, some much better than others, to keep a secret. But I think the best sorts of secrets are those that are meant to be shared at some point. Expectant parents might keep a secret the gender of their baby so that they can reveal it to friends and family in some special way. Christmas gift-givers keep the gift a secret so they can see the look on the face of the one receiving the gift and they can hear the joy in their voice when the surprise is unwrapped and revealed.

As we celebrate Epiphany today, we are celebrating the unwrapping and revealing of a secret. We are rejoicing along with all who benefit from this amazing gift. We are seeing how the unfolding of God’s plan brings amazing news of joy and peace.

In our Second Lesson today, the Apostle Paul does not speak about a secret, but you probably caught the word that he uses instead. It’s “mystery.” Several times in our sermon text Paul uses that word, which is an interesting and unique word in the Bible. A mystery in this sense is not something like the books or movies that we often associate with this word, something that we have to figure out. It’s not something where we gather the clues together to determine a meaning or outcome. Instead, a mystery is something that has to be revealed to us. A mystery is something that we would not know and could not know unless God revealed it to us. And the good news about this Epiphany mystery is that God has revealed it to us. He has revealed the mystery of his grace for us to know and for us to share.

Paul himself defines for us what the mystery is about which he is speaking. He calls it “the mystery of Christ” and goes on to explain, “This mystery is that in Christ Jesus the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and people who also share in the promise through the gospel.” This is a specific part of the bigger picture mystery that God has revealed to us: that he has made us his own through faith. We’ll get back to the point here of Gentiles, but the truth is that all of God’s people have these things in common. They started as enemies of God. They started this life on the road to hell. But God, only because of his love and for no other reason made them heirs, members of his body, and people of his promise.

Heirs are people who have an inheritance. Instead of the hell that we deserve, God has made us heirs of heaven. He has made us his children. He has given us the certainty that when our earthly lives come to an end, heaven is our home.

We are members of the body. Scripture describes the people of God as the body of Christ in several places. Many focus on the fact that all of us have unique talents and abilities like the various parts of the body, but here there is no lengthy discussion of it, simply the statement of the amazing news that we are so intimately connected to our Savior that we are members of his body, and that connects us closely to our fellow believers, too.

And we share in the promise. God promises the forgiveness of sins, life, and eternal salvation to all who believe his Word. He makes that promise to us. It’s not based on what family we come from or what nationality we are. It’s not based on becoming like the Old Testament Jews or following any sort of rules or laws or regulations. It’s not something we can earn or deserve. God, in Christ Jesus, gives us all of his richest promises.

Paul’s own life was a testament to this. He grew up as a faithful Jew, working hard in the belief that his good works could earn him salvation. When he saw the followers of Christ as rebels against Judaism, he tried to get rid of them. He had them arrested and put on trial. He travelled from place to place to round up Christians. But then, on his way to do that very work, Jesus appeared to him. Paul hadn’t earned

anything or deserved it, but Jesus Christ gave to him all the blessings he had earned by his life and death. Paul’s entire life was changed. He became a missionary, a sharer of the promise. He knew that he was “the least of all the saints” and yet shared in the promise, was a member of the body of Christ and an heir of heaven.

The same grace of God worked in the lives of the Magi. There is plenty that we do not know about these wise men from the East, but we do know how they traveled to worship the Savior. They brought their best gifts to present to him. They trusted the same promise, and were members of the same body. They were heirs of heaven. It was not that they had earned the right. It was not because they were the right sort of people. They couldn’t have bought salvation with even the most expensive of gifts. They were sinners saved by grace, and that led them to worship Jesus.

This mystery of God’s grace is the reason we celebrate today. The vast majority of us who gather here are not direct descendants of Abraham or of the Israelites. Without the revelation that Ephiphany celebrates and illustrates, we would be left to wonder whether we could even be a part of God’s family.

Would we assume that opportunity was limited to the Jews among whom Christ came, among whom he worked, who had carried God’s promise for so many years?

That was the impression that many had for a long time. No, it is certainly not accurate to say that throughout the Old Testament, there were no Gentile believers. But they were much more rare. Most who joined with God’s people lived like the Jews and according to their laws. The Jews were clearly identified as God’s people for centuries. The truth that God wants all people, all nations, to be saved was hidden in God. It remained a mystery to many.

But the mystery has been revealed. God has revealed it by bringing the Magi to worship Jesus. He has revealed it by calling Paul to be a missionary primarily to the Gentiles. He has revealed it by bringing into his church people from all nations and nationalities, all sorts of backgrounds and walks of life. He has made it abundantly clear that Jesus is the Savior of all. He came for everyone.

And that shows how amazing God’s grace really is. Paul speaks about the “unsearchable riches of Christ” and the “multifaceted wisdom of God.” He reminds us that even the angels witness the glory of God in this outpouring of his grace. After all, they rejoice over every believer that comes to faith (see Luke 15:10). That’s what Paul is speaking about when he talks about “the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”

And like Paul, we get to share that amazing grace! Now, Paul had a very special and unique call as God’s apostle to the Gentiles. He devoted his life to traveling as a missionary. You can hear in his words the joy that he has in being given this gracious gift of God to do that sort of work, to be such an important part in the revealing of the mystery of Christ.

So no, not everyone is called to do things in the same way that Paul did or to devote our lives to missionary work in the same way. But we are called not just to know the amazing message of God’s grace but also to share it. And it is God’s gift of grace to us that he gives us opportunities to do that, opportunities to share the good news with those who do not yet know it: that Jesus was born to be their Savior, that he lived and died for them, that through faith in him and his sacrifice they may be members of his body, sharers in the promise, heirs of heaven. We can tell the good news. We can support the work of the church with our prayers and with our offerings. Through our Synod we can reach out across the world. We can share the mystery of God’s grace.

That mystery has been revealed to us by God himself. It is a mystery for us to know, and it is a mystery for us to share. May we cherish it and share it with others, by God’s grace and to his glory.

The Text: Ephesians 3:2-12 (EHV) 2

Surely you have heard of the administration of God’s grace given to me for you, 3 namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation (as I have already written briefly). 4 When you read this, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ. 5 This mystery was not made known to people in past generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that in Christ Jesus the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and people who also share in the promise through the gospel.

7

I became a servant of this gospel, in keeping with the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power. 8 To me—even though I am the very least of all the saints—was given this grace: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ 9 and to enlighten everyone about the administration of this mystery. In past ages this mystery remained hidden in God, who created all things. 10 He did this so that, through the church, the multifaceted wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was done according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him we can freely approach God with confidence through faith in him.