Efesios 3:1-13

THE REVEALED MYSTERY

July 3, 2022
Pastor Isaac Santamaría
Missionary Baptist Church of Santa Ana

“1For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles;
2if you have heard of the administration of the grace of God that was given to me

dad for with you;3that by revelation was made known to me the mystery,
as I have written briefly before,4reading which you can understand which
be my knowledge in the mystery of Christ,5mystery that in others
generations were not made known to the sons of men, as it is now
revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:6that the Gentiles are
co-heirs and members of the same body, and co-participants of the promise in
Christ Jesus through the gospel,7of which I was made a minister by the gift
by the grace of God that has been given to me according to the operation of His power.
8To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, was given
this grace of proclaiming among the Gentiles the gospel of the inscrutable
riches of Christ,9and to clarify to everyone what the dispensation of the mystery is
hidden for centuries in God, who created all things;10for the
multifaceted wisdom of God may now be made known through the
church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,11according to the
eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,12in whom do we have
safety and access with confidence through faith in him;13therefore I ask
that you do not lose heart because of my tribulations for you, which are
your glory.1”

1Reina Valera Revised (1960) (Miami: Societies BUnited Nations, 1998), Eph 3:1–13.
INTRODUCTION
A. Review:

Blessed be the name of God because He has blessed us with

every spiritual blessing.
2. Paul's prayer for believers that God enlightens their
understanding to comprehend the basic truths of life
Christian to be able to grow spiritually.
3. Then we fully enter into the grace of God.
The last text we saw was focused on the new
community that God was forming: His church.
Today we are going to see the revelation of this mystery.

B. Emphasis: The mystery of the gospel revealed to the apostles and

entrusted to the church.

I. REVELATION OF THE MYSTERY TO PAUL.

1For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for you

gentiles2if you have heard of the administration of the grace of God
that was given to me to share with you;3that it was revealed to me
the mystery declared, as I have briefly written before,4reading it
which you can understand what my knowledge is in the mystery of Christ,
5mystery that was not revealed to the children in other generations

the men, as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets

by the Spirit:6that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and members of the same body
body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the
gospel7of which I was made a minister by the grace of God
that has been given to me according to the operation of his power.” Ephesians 3:1-7.

A. The beginning of the prayer. (before the digression): Ephesians 3:1

 In Greek, this text is divided into three sentences. Two long ones and one short.
short. (From 1 to 7, from 8 to 12 and 13).
2. He begins, but pauses to explain: 'prisoner of Christ'
for you the Gentiles.
3. Indeed, the reason for this is taken up again in verse 14.
4. Here Pablo is going to explain three things:
The mystery announced by the prophets has been revealed.
b. Pablo and now the church are responsible for the
management of this mystery.
c. The cost of being faithful stewards.

B. Pablo administrator of the mystery.

If you have heard it refers to the believers who knew us.

to the founder of the church.
This clarification is important because Pablo was facing
slander and doubts about why he was in jail:
a. Can we judge what bad things are happening
to our brothers for their sin?
b. It is important to be careful about this allowing
It is God who deals with the brothers.
c. Our duty is to provide love, advice, and exhortation
according to the word.
3. Pablo mentions his calling. Set apart by the Spirit
Saint, confirmed by the church, sent by the church.
a. The preaching of the gospel to the gentiles is his calling.
b. This is Paul's motivation to suffer: He was in the
center of the will of God, doing what God asks you to do
asked me to do. He is experiencing fullness, although
he is in jail.
c. You and I can be in about 5 stars, without
fullness.
d. We can also be doing what God wants us to do.
we are doing, but unfocused:
 e. Personal example: After a day of attending to several
unplanned situations in the ministry I have found myself in
I regret to say: I wasted the whole day today and did nothing.
nothing. (I mean my list of responsibilities)
Are you doing what God called you to do?
4. Pablo motivates them to read. It is likely that there were other writings.
of Paul and of the apostles, but definitely in the church
primitive people used to read writing.
5. Make it clear that he has the authority to speak of Christ. He receives
the revelation from the Lord of the mystery of Christ.

C. Assurance that readers will be able to give through what they read,
understand the mystery.

The mystery not revealed is now disclosed.

Everything pointed to Christ.

Now everything is revealed in Christ.
All spiritual mystery, the key for us is Christ.

E. The content of the revealed mystery: The gospel of Christ preached

for salvation through the church, which is his people, which is the place
of worship to God. The church is now the temple of God.

1.:6that the Gentiles are co-heirs and members of the same body, and
participants in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,
2. Clinton Arnold said: 'In a powerfully rhetorical manner, Paul reveals
that the heart of the mystery that God has revealed is the fact that the
 Gentiles now equally share with the Jews the blessings of
life with God of the new covenant.2
3. John Stott is correct in saying that this passage speaks of 'the centrality'
biblical of the church.3
a. We are part of this mystery because we were
included for the glory of God.
b. Elements: 1) Gentiles are now members. 2) Of the same
body: The church. 3) Co-participants in the promises. 4) Everything for
middle of the gospel.
4. The mystery is no longer a mystery to us in terms of revelation for salvation: The
gospel is the good news.

F. Reiteration of Paul's role as administrator: “7of which I was

made minister by the gift of the grace of God that has been given to me
according to the operation of his power.

II. ADMINISTRATORS OF THE REVEALED MYSTERY.

8To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, was given
given this grace of announcing among the Gentiles the gospel of the
unsearchable riches of Christ,9and to clarify to everyone what it is
the dispensation of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created
all things;10so that the multifaceted wisdom of God may now be
made known through the church to the principalities and powers
in the heavenly places,11according to the eternal purpose that he made in
Christ Jesus our Lord,12in whom we have security and access with
trust through faith in him;
A. To me the smallest: the superlative adjective is used.
what is translated:8To me, who am less than the smallest of...

2ClintonE. Arnold and Jonathan Haley, eds.Ephesians, Beatriz Fernández Fernández, 1aedition.
Exeghetic-practical commentary on the New Testament (Barcelona, Spain: Andamio, 2016), 194.
3ClintonE. Arnold and Jonathan Haley, eds.Ephesians, Beatriz Fernández Fernández, 1aedition.
Exegetical-Practical Commentary on the New Testament (Barcelona, Spain: Andamio, 2016), 204.
 Pablo compares his life with that of all the saints and in a way
Honest is considered the smallest:
It is agreed that he pursued the church.
b. If we go to the teachings of Christ: The greatest is the most
small. The one who serves others the most.
c. How do we consider ourselves so great as not to
to personify the offenses of our brothers?
d. How do we consider ourselves so great that we do not take a
broom? To not be directed, exhorted, corrected?
2. The culture of pride, although natural for human beings, is
antinatural for the spiritual man.

B. The mystery involves helping the converts understand the mystery.

1. 9and to clarify to everyone what the dispensation of the hidden mystery is

since the ages in God, who created all things.

C. The existence of the church as the revelation of God's wisdom:

10
1. so that the multifaceted wisdom of God may now be given to
to know through the church the principalities and powers in the
heavenly places,11according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ
Jesus our Lord,12in whom we have security and access with
confidence through faith in him;
2. The role of the church: It is God's center of operations in the
earth.
a. Should the church be important in the life of the believer?
b. No, it must be extremely important.
c. Through the church, God reveals his mystery to the world, to
that everyone may know that we are his disciples, his
town.
 3. It is an eternal purpose that God. We have security in Christ and
access to God. The church regulates, attends to, supports the believer to follow
walking in faith.
4. I want to give you a piece of advice: love the church, the church is the bride.
Never harm the church or the united. For the love of God
I beg you:16Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of
Does God dwell in you?17If anyone destroys the temple of God,
God will destroy him; for the temple of God, which you are
you all, holy is.4Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

III. THE COST OF BEING FAITHFUL STEWARDS.

13therefore I ask that you do not lose heart because of my tribulations for
you, which are your glory.

A. Connects with verse 1. Paul's concern is for the Gentiles.

I wanted them to have a clear understanding of why he was in

prison.
I wished that they would not lose heart, but rather regain courage.
Make it clear that you are suffering for being responsible with your calling.
preaching the gospel to the gentiles.

Conclusions:
A. The mystery of the gospel has been revealed to us.
B. We do not deserve it, but God is rich in mercy and when
we were dead in sins, God gave us life.
C. How are we administering the revealed mystery?

4Reina Valera Revised (1960)(Miami: Societies BUnited Nations, 1998), 1 Cor 3:16–17.