Print

Ephesians 3:7

I. "Whereof I was made a minister."
        A. God had called Paul to be a minister to the Gentiles.
        B. Paul viewed this calling as the gift of the grace of God that
           was given unto him.
        C. No one appreciates grace more than the person that has received
           it.
        D. Having received grace, he was made a minister of grace.
                1. This is always the purpose of God.
                        a. Having received love, show love.
                        b. Having received mercy, show mercy.
                        c. Having received forgiveness, be forgiving.
                        d. Having received grace be gracious.
                2. Jesus told the story of the man that was forgiven a
                   debt of millions of dollars having a fellowservant put
                   in jail for a fifteen dollar debt.

II. Whereof I was made a minister of grace, that I should preach among
    the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.
        A. What are the unsearchable riches of Christ to which he is here
           referring?
                1. That we Gentiles who were at one time  without Christ,
                   and aliens from the commonwealth of Israel through
                   Christ have become fellowcitizens with the saints and
                   the household of God.
                2. The we Gentiles who were at one time strangers from the
                   covenants of promise have become partakers of the
                   promises in Christ by the gospel.
                3. That we Gentiles who had no hope in this world being
                   without God, have been made a part of the family of
                   God, through the work of Christ, and thus have become
                   fellow heirs.
        B. In chapter 1:7 he speaks of redemption through his blood, the
           forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
        C. In 2:7 He tells us that God in the ages to come is going to be
           showing to us the exceeding riches of His grace toward us
           through Christ Jesus.

III. Pauls view of himself as a minister of Christ. "Unto me who is less
     than the least of all saints, is this grace given."
        A. He saw himself as less than the least of all the saints.
                1. I contrast that attitude with that attitudes of many
                   who seem to be in the lime light of ministry today.
                2. I believe that it troubled Paul that he at one time so
                   blinded by tradition fought against Christ and sought
                   to destroy those who called upon the name of Jesus.
                3. He speaks of his consenting to the death of Stephen,
                   and participating in the stoning, by holding the coats
                   of those who were stoning Stephen.
                        a. That means that Paul heard the terrific sermon
                            of Stephen.
                        b. It means Paul heard the final prayer of
                           Stephen, for forgiveness for those who were
                           stoning him.
                        c. That must have weighed heavy on the mind of
                           Paul even before he accepted Christ.
                        d. When Jesus apprehended Paul on the road to
                           Damascus, He said to him, "It is hard for you
                            to kick against the goads."
                3. 1CO 15:9    For I am the least of the apostles, that am
                   not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted
                   the church of God.
                4.
1TI 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that
         he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
1TI 1:13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but
         I obtained mercy, because I did [it] ignorantly in unbelief.
1TI 1:14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and
         love which is in Christ Jesus.
1TI 1:15 This [is] a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that
         Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am
         chief.
        B. His being in the ministry he sees as a gift of the grace of
           God.
EPH  4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure
         of the gift of Christ.
                1. If God spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for
                   us all, how shall He not with Him freely give us all
                   things?
                2. 1CO 15:10   But by the grace of God I am what I am: and
                   his grace which [was bestowed] upon me was not in vain;
                   but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not
                   I, but the grace of God which was with me.
        C. Paul never ceased to be amazed that God in His grace would
           reach out to him and make him of all people a minister of the
           grace of God to of all people the Gentiles.
                1. He who had out phariseed the pharisees.
                2. As a strict orthodox pharisee, he would have never
                   touched a Gentile.
                3. Now God has chosen him to be the minister of grace to
                   the Gentiles.

IV. "And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery."
        A. Here we have that grand and mysterious Greek word koinonia
           again.
                1. Fellowship, communion, unity are all expressed in this
                   word.
                2. The unity that God has brought between Jew and Gentile.
                3. The breaking down of the walls of separation.
                4. I wonder how God feels when men today try so hard to
                   rebuild the walls He has broken down.
                5. Men emphasize doctrinal differences to the point of
                   division within the body.
                6. I cannot believe that God looks very kindly upon those
                   who would be guilty of such things.
        B. What a mystery it was to a Jew, that God would save a Gentile.
                1. Not just save them but give to them all the rights,
                   privileges, promises, and heritage of the Jews.
                2. This was all granted according to the gift of grace in
                   Christ Jesus.
        C. Up to this point this mystery had been hid in God but is now
           being revealed through Jesus Christ.
ROM 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my
          gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the
          revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world
          began,
ROM 16:26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets,
          according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known
          to all nations for the obedience of faith:
EPH  1:9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to
          his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
EPH 1:10  That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might
          gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in
          heaven, and which are on earth; [even] in him:
EPH  3:3  How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I
          wrote afore in few words,
EPH  3:4  Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the
          mystery of Christ)
EPH  3:5  Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as
          it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the
          Spirit;
COL 1:25  Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of
          God which is given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God;
COL 1:26  [Even] the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from
          generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
COL 1:27  To whom God would make known what [is] the riches of the
          glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in
          you, the hope of glory:
 
V. "God who created all things by Christ Jesus."
        A. John 1:1
JOH 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
         the Word was God.
JOH 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God.
JOH 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing
         made that was made.
JOH 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the
         world knew him not.
COL 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that
         are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones,
         or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were
         created by him, and for him:
COL 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
HEB 1:1  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past
         unto the fathers by the prophets,
HEB 1:2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath
         appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
        B. Jesus is not just the agent of creation, but the object of
           creation.
        C. You were created for Him, for His good pleasure.
        D. The question we need to be asking ourselves, "Am I bringing Him
           pleasure?"