High-Stepping in Heavenly Places

I’ve Got a Secret Lesson Six

Paul was privileged to receive divine revelation concerning

the mystery of godliness

. In theBible, a mystery is a “sacred secret” reserved for God’s people. By New Testament definition, amystery is a truth that has been hidden by God in times past and is now revealed to those withinHis family. Hebrews 1:1-2 says,

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets inmany portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom Heappointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

In the Old Testament Godrevealed Himself progressively. Now we have God’s full revelation through the Living Wordand the Written Word. The

mystery of godliness

has been revealed to all who belong to Him.

I. The Unbelievable Revelation of Christ-Ephesians 3:1-7

Although Paul was currently being held as a prisoner of the Roman government, he consideredhimself to be a

prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of (the) Gentiles

(Eph. 3:1).

God hadcommissioned Paul to reveal a mystery - Gentile believers were now united with the Jewish believers in one body, called the church. Paul was charged to take not only the good news of thegospel to the Gentiles but also this message - Jews and Gentiles were now one in Christ. Oncethe Gentiles had been outside the covenant with no claims upon the promises of God. Now inChrist, converted Gentiles had become partakers of God’s blessings along with believing Jews.In Christ, being a Jew or a Gentile is neither an asset nor a liability. The new birth places us inthe body of Christ and eradicates all other artificial distinctions. Together all believers share inthe riches of Christ. This was radical thinking to the Jews who had known special covenant privileges in the Old Testament program of God that did not extend to those outside of Abraham’s line!

II. The Unfathomable Riches of Christ-Ephesians 3:8-13

Paul, who considered himself to be

the very least of all saints

, was given the great privilege to preach to the Gentiles

the unfathomable riches of Christ.

In the early Church, Jewish believersthought that a Gentile had to become a Jew before he/she could become a Christian. God’s Spiritgradually revealed this mystery. God had brought about a new work, one in which He wascalling out a people for Himself from both Jews and Gentiles. Galatians 3:28 says,

There isneither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

EphesiansFall 2009

High-Stepping in Heavenly Places

The church is the theater of the universe to reveals

the manifold wisdom of God.

While theuniverse displays God’s creative genius and awesome power, the church reveals God’s wisdom,His mercy and His grace

to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places

. That is, angels

and

demons marvel at the mystery of God’s grace as revealed through the church, the Body of Christ.

III. The Unending Resources of Christ-Ephesians 3:14-21

In Paul’s second recorded prayer in the book of Ephesians, he prays for the spiritual condition of believers, not physical needs. While it is not wrong to pray for physical needs, our greater need isto grow in the grace and knowledge of God. Matthew 6:33 says,

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you

When the heart is rightly related tothe Lord, the external needs are generally taken care of in due time.

Paul prayed that we would be:a. Empowered by the Holy Spirit-

The Holy Spirit enables us and empowers us to live theChristian life.

b. Energized by the Holy Spirit-

Paul asked that Christ would “dwell” (literally

“to settle downand feel at home”

) in our hearts. Paul prayed that our Christian experience would become wellrooted like a tree and grounded like a building that is raised on a great foundation.

c. Enlightened by the Holy Spirit-

Paul desired that we would lay hold of the truth of God’sWord, causing our practice to measure us to our position in Christ. Paul wanted us to move intothe deeper things of the Lord and leave the elementary things behind.

d. Operate in the overflow

-Paul prayed that we would

be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Oh, that we would come into the fullness of the knowledge of God and operate in the power of His Holy Spirit!Weak are our prayers! Pitiful are our petitions! We focus on things that do not matter. We ask for things we do not need. We casually enter into the presence of Almighty God with our lists of demands as if God were some kind of celestial errand boy! No wonder we are so often powerlessin our Christian lives. No wonder our prayers are not answered. James 4:2-3 says,

You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Our prayer time is often nothing more than a routrecitation of childish and self-centered desires that are quickly uttered and soon forgotten. Paul prayed that we might grow in spiritual strength and a deeper experience with Christ.Paul seems to pause, catch his breath, ponder what has spilled forth from his pen under theguidance of the Holy Spirit of God, and then bursts forth in a doxology, a fitting benediction tosuch a marvelous prayer of petition.

Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in thechurch and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!