The Mysteries of Christ (Sermon for 1.6.13)

I hope that all of you enjoyed reading last week's sermon! And I hope that you continue to look for ways to grow in your faith and if reading these sermons are helping you then they are serving their purpose.  My motivation for putting these online for all of you to read is not because I want Fairview's membership to grow.  While I would like to see growth in our church, my goal is to help you, the individual grow in your faith.  Where you choose to worship is up to you and you should go wherever you are most comfortable.  If you are looking for a church I would recommend Fairview but I understand that it does not suit everyone's needs and I would help you find a place that fits what you are looking for.

Today's scripture comes from Paul's letter to the Ephesians, he is writing to them while being imprisoned by the Romans.  It is also important to note that there is a lot of talk of Christ's birth because today is the Sunday in which the church celebrates the visiting of the wise men even though Christmas is past.  Have a great week and feel free to share this with anyone who you think needs to hear the message.

Ephesians 3:1-12

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

² Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, ³ that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. ⁴ In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵ which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. ⁶ This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

⁷ I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. ⁸ Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, ⁹ and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. ¹⁰ His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, ¹¹ according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹² In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.¹³ I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

In the liturgy, today is called Epiphany Sunday which means that we are still called to think about what happened on the night Christ was born.  Even though most shopping centers have put their Christmas stuff away or on clearance, we are called to still remember what it meant for God to send His son to earth.  Even though the birth of Christ is not mentioned by Paul in today’s scripture, it is still vitally important in helping us to understand what it meant for Christ to walk among us.  It helps us to answer the questions we have about the mysteries and revelations of Christ, but at the same time, it can leave us with further questions.

First, let us look at the mystery of Christ that Paul is referring to.  The great mystery that Paul is referencing is the fact that Jesus came to earth for all people.  Not just the chosen people of Israel or the rich and ruling class but for all.  Paul is very humble in his understanding of this revolutionary new idea for he was the first to voice such feelings to the world.  God had revealed to him that Jesus’ birth was not just for the Israelites but it was for the Gentiles as well.  Paul was a champion of this ideal for he felt that everyone on earth had the same opportunity to receive the grace of God and the eternal life that comes with it.  Paul calls this a revelation that God has kept secret until the time was right.  And although this secret was truly revealed in Christ, Paul took it upon himself to share it with the world.  At the time Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians, he was under Roman rule and imprisonment.  But Paul did not consider himself incarcerated by man; rather, he saw it as privilege to imprisoned by Christ.  Here is a quote that explains what Paul meant, "When we are undergoing hardship, unpopularity, or material loss for the sake of Christian principles we may either regard ourselves as the victims of men or as the champions of Christ."  I have mentioned often that our faith does not get easier when we ask for God’s grace and this is the point that Paul is making.  But we do have a choice as to what kind of person we will become because of these hardships.  We can either regard ourselves as people who have bad luck, people whom God has turned their back on, or people whom the world has forgotten about.  On the other hand, we can stand tall and be thankful for those hardships because God has shown us that we can be the light in darkness, that Christians can an example of what it means to stand on the principles revealed to us by God.  The mystery of the age old question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” now has an answer.  God has taught Christians how to deal with tough situations and if we listen to those teachings then we can get through those hardships, we do not have to become imprisoned by them.  

Second, today’s scripture is an important message on Epiphany Sunday because the revelation of Paul was exactly that, it was an epiphany.  As we sit here today, somewhat burned out from the holidays, we must realize that God cared so deeply for each one us that He sent His son to walk among us.  So on this Epiphany Sunday, I ask you to do the same, we must realize just how deeply God cares for each of us... I encourage you to look at your life and see the people who are hurting, who are in need of Christ and realize that God’s grace is for them.  Jesus’ birth was for them, as much as it was for any one of us.  It was important for Paul to voice this revelation because without it, it is safe to say that we too would most likely not be Christian because we would not have heard the message that Paul was sharing with the Gentiles.  So let’s take that same revelation and plug it into our lives today and be champions of Christ, even if it means hardship or unpopularity.  Let’s be a beacon of light in times of darkness.  Some may feel that what Christ did 2000 years ago is no longer relevant, that churches have lost the power or prestige, that people no longer need church to be happy.  So what if churches have lost their power and prestige, these are just titles and glories given by man anyway.  We are called to much more than that.  We are called to share the love of Christ with the world but we are not called to power and prestige.  The teachings of Christ are just as relevant now as they ever have been.  The love, mercy and grace taught to us by Christ is missing in society.  We no longer care about each other as we used to and our sense of community has diminished because of this.  Instead, we feel isolated even though we have access to countless pictures and status updates courtesy of Facebook.  We cannot find anything on tv, even though most of us have upwards of 500 channels.  We seem to be so alone and unfulfilled even though we have access to so much.  Have you ever wondered why?  It is because we have lost the sense of community we have in Christ.  

Third, Paul’s revelation and Christ’s birth shows us the community that we have in Christ.  Jesus’ birth does not separate us from those who do not believe as we do, instead it should bring us together.  When we can finally understand that Christ was sent for all then we can see the community that is all around us.  It has been revealed to us by Jesus, by Paul, by pastors and other great thinkers but we still choose not to listen.  I am guilty as anyone, I have struggled to realize that Jesus was sent for all because it is hard for us to show grace to those who have hurt us.  Paul prayed as hard for the Ephesians, Colossians, and Thessalonians as he did for the Roman rulers that incarcerated him.  He was the epitome of showing grace to those who hurt him.  I often wonder why he showed such grace... And he was so willing to forgive and love those who hurt him.  He was only able to show that kind of grace and love because someone showed him that same grace and love.  We must remember that before he was Paul, his name was Saul who was a persecutor of Christians. Even though he had hurt those that God was saving, God still forgave Paul.  This is a man who killed Christians and God turned his life around.  If God had reason to not show his grace and mercy to anyone it would have been Paul but yet God showered him in love.  So who are we to think that God’s love is not for everyone? Do you know how vain that way of thinking is?  When, and only when we can see others as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ then we will regain that sense of community.

In closing, Paul has shown us the answer to one mystery but as we go forward there are many other mysteries that we still struggle to find answers to.  But do not let those mysteries imprison you.  Instead, embrace them and allow them to help you become a champion for Christ.  Voice your questions, seek answers to them and maybe, just maybe God will reveal Himself to you in a way that was previously unknown to you.  That is the key to faith, each and every single one of us has a different idea of what our faith means and what it entails.  We each have different questions and our faith plays out differently according to the individual.  Paul says it best in verse 12 of today’s scripture, “In [Christ] and through faith in [Christ] we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”  Maybe today is the day you are willing to approach God with your freedoms, your confidence, and your questions.  If you want God to be revealed to you, you need to have a relationship with Him.  He has to be in your heart before He can change your heart.  If you are wanting to make Fairview your home, you are more than welcome to do so and we will welcome you into our family.  Amen.

God Bless,

Clinton Wallace

Fairview Christian Church