Love First Love: Revealing the Mystery / Ephesians 3:1-13
Entrusted with the Keys
Have you ever been entrusted with something incredibly valuable or breakable, something really important that someone just handed over to you? It gives you this overwhelming sense of awe. Maybe a sense of humility, like, Really? You want me to take care of this? Or maybe even a heavy sense of responsibility: Oh my goodness, this is huge. You want me to be responsible for this? But alongside that, there’s also a profound sense of privilege and honor: Wow, you trust me to use this?
I’m not talking about someone giving you a gift to keep. I’m talking about them letting you use something that belongs to them, trusting you to do something meaningful with it.
For me, that takes me back to when I was a junior in high school. My brother Tom, who is ten years older than me, is the kind of guy who would literally give the shirt off his back to someone. I got my driver’s license during my sophomore year, so at the beginning of my junior year, Tom came to me. He owned a car and a beat-up little motorcycle. He looked at me and said, “You know what? I know what it’s like having to take the bus and scrambling to find rides to school. For the next two years, why don’t you take my car? I’ll just ride my motorcycle.” And he tossed me the keys.
It was a 1965 red Mustang convertible.
I made friends that year that I never had before! But I felt that deep sense of privilege: Oh my gosh, really? And at the same time, I felt enormous responsibility. Looking back, I’m not entirely sure he made the wisest decision, because that car didn’t survive to see my senior year. Let’s just say I had an unfortunate encounter with a city bus. But that’s a story for another day! The point is, when he handed me those keys, I thought, Are you kidding me? You are going to trust me with this?
If you have never felt that way in your life, my prayer tonight is that you walk out of here feeling exactly that sense of awe. I want you to look at God and say, “Oh my goodness, are You serious? Me? You’re giving this to me to handle for You?” Because that is precisely what God has done with every single one of us. And honestly, I think a lot of us have lost that feeling.
Good for Nothing to Good for Everything
In Ephesians chapter 3, Paul shows us that this is exactly how he felt about what God had trusted him with to share with others.
Before we dive in, let’s remember where we’ve been. In Ephesians 1, Paul reminds the church of everything God brings to the table. He talks about all the spiritual blessings, and he says God called us out. When God calls someone, it comes with a clear sense of purpose: I want to use you. He equips us with every spiritual blessing. Then, just in case we get arrogant, in chapter 2 Paul makes sure we know what we brought to the table. God brought everything, and we brought absolutely nothing.
Everything plus nothing still equals everything. That is what God has done for us. In our own strength, every single one of us was a “good-for-nothing” person. Literally! But God took good-for-nothing people and transformed us into “good-for-everything” people. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you have been equipped for every single good purpose God desires for your life.
Paul goes on in chapter 2 to explain how God takes Jewish and non-Jewish people—two groups separated by a massive wall of hostility who would never get along naturally—and miraculously unites us into one body under the headship of Jesus. There is a massive corporate purpose for us. Look at how chapter 2 ends:
Ephesians 2:20-22 (NASB)
having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner [stone], in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
Think about that: if Jesus Christ Himself is the cornerstone, this is a building of unmatched importance. God is not just throwing something together randomly; He has purpose, meaning, and value in what He is doing with us collectively as His dwelling place.
Paul’s Spirit-Led Rabbit Trail
At this point, Paul is clearly getting ready to pray for the Ephesians. He wants them to grasp God’s love, understand the Holy Spirit living within them, and see God’s collective purpose. But right as he starts his prayer, Paul goes on a complete rabbit trail.
I don’t know if Paul had ADHD, but if you read his letters, he sometimes goes all over the place before circling back! Have you ever done that in a conversation? You start saying something, and then you realize, Oh, I need to explain this detail first. And while explaining that, you remember something else and go, Oh, squirrel! You’re all over the map, and your friends are just praying, Please come back to the main point!
That is exactly what Paul does for thirteen verses. Look at verse 1:
Ephesians 3:1 (NASB)
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles–
He starts with, “For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus…” and then he completely stops his sentence! He doesn’t finish the thought until verse 14:
Ephesians 3:14 (NASB)
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
It’s like he suddenly remembers, Oh yeah! What was I talking about? Right, I wanted to pray for you!
Yet, this rabbit trail is completely Spirit-led. God uses these thirteen verses to allow Paul’s raw passion and perspective on ministry to spill out onto the page. God wants us to catch that exact same fire.
Notice how Paul introduces himself in verse 1: “the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles.” When Paul wrote this, he was sitting in a Roman prison. Technically, he was Caesar’s prisoner. Technically, he was locked up because unbelieving religious leaders framed him. But you will never find Paul calling himself a prisoner of Rome, a prisoner of Caesar, or a prisoner of his enemies. He says, I am a prisoner of Christ Jesus.
Paul understood that God was in ultimate control. He was in that cell because God placed him there for a divine purpose.
Maybe the same perspective applies to you. Maybe you aren’t actually an employee of the company you work for; maybe you are an ambassador of Jesus Christ who happens to be stationed at Starbucks right now because He put you there! Have you thought about that? What if God has placed you where you work, where you live, and what you are walking through right now for a specific purpose? If we spend all our energy complaining and wishing we could escape, we will completely miss the mission. Paul wasn’t sitting in prison hoping for a quick escape; he knew he was right where God wanted him to be.
The Stewardship of the Mystery
Paul then explains his role in verse 2:
Ephesians 3:2 (NASB)
if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you;
In the first-century Roman world, a master of a large estate would often choose a trusted servant and elevate them to be the steward. The master would say, “I am entrusting you with all my goods and provisions. Your job is to manage them and distribute them where I direct.” That steward would feel tremendous responsibility, but also immense honor and privilege: You trust me to distribute your treasures on your behalf?
Every single one of us has been called to be a steward like that. God has entrusted us with divine treasures to dispense to the people around us.
Look at how Paul describes the treasure in verses 3 and 4:
Ephesians 3:3-4 (NASB)
that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
Why does God work through “mysteries”? Think about human nature: God wired us to be captivated by mystery. Look at the top television dramas and movies right now—almost all of them revolve around mystery, suspense, and unexpected twists. A great series will build tension all season and then drop a bombshell in the finale. You sit there with your jaw on the floor, going, I thought he was the good guy! Then the dominoes fall backward, and you realize all the subtle clues you missed along the way.
Scripture is the greatest mystery story ever written in human history. God drops clues throughout the Old Testament, drawing humanity in, before revealing the full picture at the perfect moment.
Think about salvation itself. In Genesis 3, when humanity fell, you wonder: How can this ever be made right? God covers Adam and Eve with animal skins, introducing the concept of sacrifice and blood. Later, the sacrificial system is established. For centuries, people thought, Maybe salvation is about performing enough animal sacrifices and keeping this external law. Then Jesus arrives on the scene. He goes to the cross, is buried, and rises again. Suddenly the light turns on: He is the Lamb of God! All those animal sacrifices were merely pointers to Jesus!
The Wall Torn Down
In Ephesians 3, Paul is talking about another specific aspect of this mystery. Look at verse 6:
Ephesians 3:6 (NASB)
[to be specific], that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,
The mystery is that non-Jewish people are fully included! Look back at what Paul described earlier in chapter 2:
Ephesians 2:12 (NASB)
[remember] that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
For centuries, reading the Old Testament felt like looking through a window into a house you weren’t allowed to enter. God’s covenant was with Abraham and his descendants. God’s law was given to Israel. God’s Messiah was promised to the house of David. If you were a Gentile, you were on the outside looking in, thinking, God’s blessings belong exclusively to them.
Then Jesus came, and the mystery was unveiled. It was never meant to remain exclusive to one nation. When you look back through the Old Testament with Gospel eyes, the dominoes fall into place. You remember God’s original promise to Abraham: In you, all the families of the earth will be blessed.
God didn’t create a second-class citizenship for Gentiles. He didn’t make a Jewish Church and a separate Gentile Church. He tore down the dividing wall and built one brand-new body, making us fellow heirs, fellow members, and fellow partakers of the very same promise in Christ Jesus!
When we read verse 6 today, we might shrug and think, Well, I already knew that. That’s not much of a mystery. It’s like someone telling you that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s father—everyone knows the spoiler now!
It may not be a mystery to you, but it is still a massive mystery to millions of people living around us. When the culture looks at the church, they don’t see a living body; they see a religious organization. They assume church is a place where people try to behave well enough to earn God’s approval. People drive past this building and say, “Look, there’s a church.” Then they drive down the street and say, “There’s another church.” They don’t understand that the building is just bricks and mortar—the people are the Church, united across the globe by identity in Jesus Christ, not mere social affinity.
Who is going to reveal this mystery to them? Who is going to explain the reality of the Gospel to your coworkers, neighbors, and friends?
You are. We are.
Grace to the Least
Look at Paul’s attitude toward his assignment in verses 7 and 8:
Ephesians 3:7-8 (NASB)
of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,
Paul calls himself “the very least of all saints.” When we read that, our initial reaction is to think, Come on, Paul, stop with the false modesty. You wrote half the New Testament!
This wasn’t some fake religious humility. Paul genuinely saw himself that way. The closer you get to the holiness and greatness of God, the smaller you realize you are. Paul never forgot that he had once persecuted the church. When God entrusted him with this message, Paul was left speechless: Why me?
Some of us hold back from sharing Christ because we think, I’m not qualified. I don’t have a theology degree. I don’t know what to say. Leave that to the pastors and professional ministers. But if you feel completely unqualified, you are in the best position possible, because no one will ever mistake the results for your own doing. God loves using unqualified people so that all credit goes to His power.
The only difference between Paul and many believers today is that when God said, “I want you to be my steward and hand out this life-changing message,” Paul simply said, “Okay.” He didn’t let his weaknesses hold him back.
The Cosmic Stage
Paul shows us that our calling reaches far beyond our immediate earthly surroundings. Look at verses 9 through 12:
Ephesians 3:9-12 (NASB)
and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly [places]. [This was] in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.
Notice where our witness resonates: “to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” Paul previously laid the groundwork for this in chapter 1:
Ephesians 1:8-10 (NASB)
which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, [that is], the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him
God’s ultimate endgame in history is to bring every single created thing in heaven and on earth under the headship and submission of Jesus Christ. Right now, the world is broken and in rebellion, but the Church is the firstfruits of that cosmic restoration. We are living proof to creation of what submission to King Jesus looks like.
There is a real spiritual war taking place right now. Angels are not lounging on clouds playing harps; they are engaged in battle. And as this spiritual war rages, God points the heavenly host directly at us.
He points to a room filled with people from completely different backgrounds, ethnicities, personalities, and perspectives, gathered together in unity under King Jesus, and He displays His manifold wisdom. The angels see the supernatural unity of the Church and rejoice in God’s victory.
Meanwhile, the enemy and his forces look at the Church and tremble. Every time we walk in unity, love one another, and proclaim the Gospel, it serves notice to the demonic realm that their defeat is sealed. Scripture promises that one day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord:
Philippians 2:10-11 (NASB)
so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Every single person will eventually bow—either willingly in joyous salvation, or reluctantly in judgment. Our urgent message to the world is simple: Do not wait until it is too late. Surrender willingly to the King who loves you today.
Shifting from Obligation to Privilege
Paul closes this thought in verse 13:
Ephesians 3:13 (NASB)
Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.
Paul was sitting in prison facing tribulation, yet he told the Ephesians not to lose heart over his suffering. He didn’t care what happened to him personally because he was entirely consumed by the privilege of sharing the Gospel.
I don’t know about you, but I still battle the exact same excuses I had in seventh grade. We tell ourselves, When I get older, I won’t care what people think. But we still do! We hold our tongues because we worry: What if they think I’m weird? What if they think I’m judging them? What if they reject me?
Every single one of those excuses is rooted in self-focus.
We need to trade our fear for the love of Christ. We need to be able to say, I love you too much to keep this quiet. You are living in the dark about a mystery that can save your soul, and God put me in your life to share it with you.
Sharing Jesus isn’t merely a duty we perform out of guilt; it is an unspeakable privilege. God has handed us the keys to the most valuable treasure in existence. Let’s stop viewing our faith as a burdensome obligation and start seeing it as the highest honor of our lives.
Let’s pray together.
Father, thank You for the incredible mystery of the Gospel that You have revealed to us in Jesus Christ. Forgive us for the times we treat this message as a mere obligation or keep it to ourselves out of fear. Open our eyes to see the privilege of being Your stewards. Give us the bold, humble passion of Paul, so that we cannot keep silent about Your grace. Use our lives, our words, and our unity to demonstrate Your wisdom to the world around us and into the heavenly realms. We pray all this in the mighty name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.