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Christ and CreationUnit 3: The Fruits of New Life

(Lessons 10-14)NEW MESSAGE FROM GODLESSON 12

INTRODUCTION DEVOTIONAL READING:ISAIAH 40: 1-11A. WHAT'S THE SECRET PASSWORD?When you hear the word mystery, what comes to mind? Sherlock Holmes? BACKGROUND SCRIPTUREEPHESIANS 3: 1-13Masterpiece Theater? When biblical writers speak of mystery, they do not referto a fictional story. Rather, they use the word mystery much the same way we PRINTED TEXT:EPHESIANS 3:1-13would use the word secret. Thus when they speak of revealing a mystery, theyintend to reveal a secret to you.In New Testament times, the Greeks were known for their mystCly reli-gions. These were pagan cults that claimed to have secret knowledge of the

spirit world. The initiation rites were bizarre. Like kids in a tree house say LESSON AIMSing, "You can't come in unless you tell us the secret password," members of After participating in thithe cult were those who had the secret knowledge that (supposedly) gained lesson, each student will bea person the best kind of afterlife. In our passage today, Paul uses the termi: able to:nology of those cults to highlight God's mystery-the revealed secret-that 1. Summwize the contePaul was called to preach. But unlike those mystery religions, God's revealed ofwhat Paul calls the mystesecret is available to all, not just to a select few. Also unlike those mystery made known to him by rev-religions, mere possession of certain knowledge isn't enough; it has to be put elation.into practice. 2. Identify how Paul useI the term mystery.

B. LESSON BACKGROUND 3. Plan a class activity thWe take for granted the fact that a person can become a Christian without will demonstrate "one bodyconverting to Judaism. But that fact wasn't always so clear In the very earliest unity.days of the church, most Christians were Jews first. The common thought inthose earliest days was that Christianity was a variation ofjudaism or was aJewish sect (Acts 24:5, 14).After all, didn'tJesus Christ come to be the Jewish Messiah, to saveGod's people from their sins? Jesus made it clear that his message was togo "to the ends of the earth," but many assumed that those wanting tobecome Christians would have to become Jews first, toeing the line withregard to the Law of Moses. To think of becoming a Christian without be- KEY VERSEScoming aJew was like wanting to become a Kentuckian without becoming Although I am less than

an American citizen. . the least ofall God's peo-In a vision to Peter in Acts 10, God revealed that Gentiles were not to pie, this grace was givenbe considered "unclean." The gospel was open to the Gentiles without me: to preach to thetheir having to convert to Judaism. But many in the early church objected Gentiles the unsearch-to this radical idea. The issue was so hotly debated that the Jerusalem able riches of Christ, andchurch held a special council just to resolve this issue (Acts 15; compare . to make plain to everyone tGalatians 2). , administration of this mys-After a long discussion, the apostles confirmed that a Gentile did not tay, which for ages past wahave to become aJew in order to become a Christian. The intervention of kept hidda1 in God, who crthe Holy Spirit and the courage of the apostles to be obedient to God's call ated all things.ensured that Christianity would not be a mere sect ofjudaism. -Ephesians 3:8

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MAY 17, 2009 _ 348 NEW MESSAGE FROM GoLESSON 12 NOTES

WHAT Do You THINK?How can Paul's under-standing ofbeing a prisonerofChrist Jesus be lived outtoday?

WHAT Do You THINK?What irifonnation in theBible do you believe you areespecially responsible forsharing with others?

By the time that Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians (about AD 63), thefamous Jerusalem Council was more than a decade in the past. The thinkingof the church had matured on the issue discussed there. Even so, there was. more yet to be said!I. GOOD NEWS (EPHESIANS 3:1-6)A. PAUL'S CHAINS (v. 1)1. For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner ofChristJesus for the sake ofyou Gentiles

Paul is in prison because of his commitment to take Christ to the Gen-tiles. The details of this imprisonment can be found beginning in Acts 21:27through the end of that book. Acts 22:21,22 especially reveals the ire ofPaul's opponents regarding his mission to the Gentiles. Yet Paul calls himsela prisoner ofChl1stJesus. Does Paul believe that his prison warden is Jesus? Iessence, yes! (See also Ephesians 4: 1.)We might be more likely to see Paul's prison warden as the devil, notJesus. But Paul consistently submits to the situations in his life as if God hasput him there. Paul sees that even this "evil" of imprisonment can be used(and is being used) by God for good.Perhaps Paul meditates on Joseph's imprisonment (Genesis 39,40) andhow that turned out. "God never wastes a hurt," someone has said. Paul'simprisonment means he must write letters to his churches since he cannot, visit in person. Since we have those letters to study, Paul's jail time certainlyhas resulted in good things for us!B. GOD'S GRACE (w. 2, 3)2. . . . Surely you have heard about the administration ofGod's grace that wagiven to me for you,When we hear the word administration, we may think of something beingdispensed or managed. Paul is saying, "You know about this particular assigment that God, by his grace, gave me to manage." This thought can cause uto reflect on the things God has entrusted to our own stewardship. The worthings may bring to mind material objects such as food, clothing, and moneyBut have you ever thought that you have irifonnation that God wants you tomanage?Mature Christians understand God's grace, God's truth, and God's promises in ways that others don't understand. God has given you that informa-tion not just for your own benefit but for the benefit of others: perhaps yourchildren, your coworker, or your neighbor. We have information that has beerevealed to us through God's Word, and God eX"pects us to be good steward

, of what we knOw.For Paul, the administration ofGod's grace is clear and dramatic. There is nquestion regarding what he is a steward of: it is that God's salvation is avail-able to Gentile as well asJew.3. . . . that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have alreadywritten briefly.Paul is about to tell more specifically what he has been given to administeHe refers to this as the mysteJy. He got this mystery by revelation.God reveals himself to humanity in two ways: by general revelation and byspecial revelation. General revelation is knowledge about God that is availablei merely by looking around at creation (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:20). Special rev-

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LESSON 12 342 _elation includes God's messages to the prophets, apostles, etc., that end up aswritten Scripture. What Paul is talking about is special revelation. Such messagescome directly from God (see Acts 9:5-7; 22:21), Paul notes that he has writtenbliej/y about this already This may refer to Ephesians 1:9, 10 or 2: 11-22.C. EPHESIANS' UNDERSTANDING (w. 4, 5)4, 5. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into themystery ofChrist, which was not made known to men in other generations asit has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets.For the Ephesians to understand this mystery ofChrist is Paul's goal. Partof this understanding includes the realization that the mystery has not beenrevealed only to Paul, but it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holyapostles and prophets. We may review Acts 10:9-20, where God first revealsthe secret of the inclusion of the Gentiles to Peter. Paul repeats his argumentin Colossians 1:25-27.D. GENTILES' STATUS (v. 6)6. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together withIsrael, members together ofone body, and sharers together in the promise inChrist Jesus.The revealed mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles can be equalwith Jews. The two can be united together to make up the church. Gentilesare fellow heirs with Israel, lnembers of the same body, and beneficiaries of thesame promise-without having to become Jews first! Everything available toJews in Christ is available to Gentiles too. The Gentiles are not second-classcitizens of the church. Jews and Gentiles should be treating one another asbrothers and sisters in Christ (see Galatians 3:26-29).To recognize that we are all one in Christ is vital. This does not mean thatwe promote tolerance to the point of accepting sinful behavior Being onein Christ means, rather, that distinctions with regard to race, culture, andeconomic status are irrelevant. The church should be leading the charge ingenuine racial reconciliation in the way she models the interactions of hermembers. Christians are all one in Christ.Are you seeking to love members of the body of Christ no matter what theirracial background? Consider the language that you use in describing thoseof another race: Do you stereotype or demean others by your labels? Look ata list of your friends: Does it include people from other races and socioeconomic backgrounds?

A DIVIDED HOUSE?Chana and Simon Taub shared the same $1 million house for 18 years. Thensomething went wrong in their 21-year marriage. The result was called "one ofNew York's strangest divorce batdes." Each accused the other of exaggerated liesto bolster his or her case.Feelings were so intense that neither would give up the house, so the judgeordered interior walls to be built, dividing the house. Chana got possession ofthe garage, front door, three bathrooms, four bedrooms, the second-floor kitchen, the third-floor nursery, and a spiral staircase to reach them. Simon got a sideentrance, the living room and bathroom on the first floor, and the dining room onthe second floor

MAY 17,20

DAILY BIBLE READINGSMonday, May 11-GodDominion over All Gob 12:13-25)Tuesday, May 12 -

Mysteries of the Kingdom(Matthew 13: 10-17)Wednesday, May 13 -God Reveals Mysteries(Daniel 2:25-30)Thursday, May 14 -God's Secret Revealed (Amo3: 1-8)Friday, May 15-The SReveals the Father (Matthew11:25-30)Saturday, May 16 -Stewards ofGod's Mysterie(I Corinthians 4: 1-5)Sunday, May 17 -Sharing the Promise in Chr(Ephesians 3: I-B)

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MAY 17->.-2009_____________________ 350 NEW MESSAGE FROMSome in the first-century church were in danger of dividing "the house of Goin a way equally ridiculous. But Paul reminded his readers that both]ewish aGentile Christians were equally entitled to inherit the blessings of the gospelChrist. When we see how the twenty-first century church has divided and seggated herself, Paul's words should come to mind. -co R.

II. ETERNAL PURPOSE (EPHESIANS 3:7-13) A. PAUL'S TASK (w. 7-9)7. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me thro the working of his power.Paul says that he is a servant of the now-revealed gospel secret: both]eand Gentiles have equal parts in the body of Christ and are one in him. Pfeels privileged that this is what he's been commanded by God to do. Paua servant, but he is glad to be one.Notice how Paul became a servant of the gospel: it was by God's grace.knows he doesn't deserve it, especially given his track record of persecuting the church (l Corinthians 15:9). The very fact that he is the primarypreacher to the Gentiles is an illustration of God's grace.Paul notes that he has received the gift through the working of God's po

WHAT Do You THINK? Have you ever been asked to do something and thought, "Why in the woIn what ways do you did they ask me, of all people? I'm the least likely person to be able to doconsideryourself to be an this!" It is the realization of our inadequacies that forces us to trust that Gunlikely servant of the gospel? will empower us to do what he has called us to do. Think about all that PHow does this speak of God's endured! (See 2 Corinthians 11:23-28.) Yet he trusts in God's power to cgrace toward yOU? him through. He considers himself blessed to be called by God to do this8. Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was giveme: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,In 1 Corinthians 15:9, just noted above, Paul calls himself "the least o

the apostles." In 1 Timothy 1: 15, he refers to himself as the worst of sinnHere he creates a superlative, saying he's less than the least ofall God's peoYou can't get much lower than that!Again, Paul is emphasizing how unlikely he is to be the one chosen tocarry this message to the Gentiles. Consider some of the reasons he may think this way First of all, he is a]ew-a "Hebrew of Hebrews" (PhilippiaHow TO SAY IT 3:5)-not a Gentile. Second, he had persecuted Christians, even to theirCorinthians. Ko-RIN-thee- deaths. Third, he had been legalistic, not one naturally to understand graunz (th as in thin). But Paul now has the assignment to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchabEphesians. Ee-FEE-zhunz. riches ofChrist. What a startling phrase! Unsearchable conveys the idea of Gentiles. JEN-tiles. traceable" or "unmeasurable." In other words, you can't measure how abHebrews. HEE-brews. dant the riches of God are.Isaiah. Eye-ZAY-uh. An economics professor may tell you that the idea of an abundant comJudaism. JOO-duh-izz-um or modity to be valuable beyond measure is a contradiction in terms, becausJOO-day-izz-um. what usually makes something valuable is its rarity. For example, a flawlesManoah. Muh-NO-uh. diamond is difficult to find and thus is very valuable. If the world had as mMessiah. Meh-SIGH-uh. flawless diamonds as grains of sand on the seashore, then diamonds woulomniscient. ahm-NISH-unt. not be valuable. But God's gifts have great value not because they are rarePhilippians. Fih-LIP-ee-unz. because of the way they meet our deepest needs. God's riches are etemallThessalonians. joy, grace, inner peace, and so on. And he never runs out of these. He canTHESS-uh-LO-nee-unz you more and more of these blessings, and in Heaven they will be in abun(th as in thin). dance even though they will be the most treasured of all possessions.

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LESSON 12 3519. . . . and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, whichfor ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.Not only is Paul to preach these things to the Gentiles, Paul also has beensent to explain to Jew and Gentile alike that we are all one in Christ. That'sthe idea of everyone. Even though Paul is the preeminent messenger to theGentiles, he also speaks to Jews as often as he can. Even while writing to theGentile believers back in Ephesus, Paul speaks to Jews about Christ duringhis imprisonment in Rome (Acts 28:17-31).B. GOD'S INTENT (w. 10, 11)10. His intent was that nmv, through the church, the manifold wisdom of Godshould be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,The phrase rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms refers to the angelichierarchy. Evidence for the existence of a hierarchy among angels is seen inthe term archangel in 1 Thessalonians 4: 16 and Jude 9. The fact that angelsnow have information that they did not have before indicates that angels arenot all-knowing (omniscient).

This mystery-that the Gentiles are to have equal access to the eternalGod-has been kept hidden even from the angels. When the secret was revealed, the angels learned something about God's manifold wisdom. The angels already knew of God's power and beauty: they had seen God create theuniverse Gob 38:4-7). They knew of God's intelligence and character: theyhave watched him create people and deal with those stiffnecked humans forthousands of years. But they had not understood this part of the extent of hiswisdom until his plan of grace and redemption unfolded (see Romans 11:33).11 . . . . according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesusour Lord.God has had this plan from the beginning of time-it has been an eter-nal purpose. Some have claimed that the church is a sort of "parentheses" inGod's salvation-history timeline. Under this idea, the church became God'sPlan B, since Jesus was rejected during his first coming. The truth is that Godhas had this plan from the beginning. It is the way that God chooses to makehis glory known and understood. This story of God's grace gives us the greatest possible glimpse into the character of God.

PLANS AND PURPOSESA few years ago, Sunroad Enterprises built a ISO-foot tall office tower nearMontgomery Field in San Diego. It was so near, in fact, that it violated Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules that limit buildings within a certain distance ofairports to 160 feet in height. Even though warned of the violation by the FAA, thedeveloper finished the superstructure, claiming the right to build according to thearchitect's plans because the city had approved those plans.City officials got into a name-calling political batde over the matter. The city filedsuit against Sunroad; the developer filed a countersuit for $40 million. Finally, onJune 26,2007, an "unrepentant" Sunroad (as the San Diego newspaper called thefinn) agreed to lower the building to legal height, even while proceeding at full speedwith the lawsuit. "The city approved the plans" was the company's reasoning as towhy it resisted for months the calls to conform its plans to FAA regulations.Human plans can be illegal, selfish, foolish, changeable, and contradictoryto other human plans. However, God's plans are never self-contradictory. The

MAY 1L 200

Visual for Lesson 12.Point to this visual as youask, "What hinders yourmessage's signal strength?"

PRAYERFather, we confess that attimes we have been proud.Sometimes we have consid-ered our fellow human beingswho are created in your imagas less valuable because ofvarious reasons. Please forgivus and ranind us to love oth-ers as you have loved us. We

pray for the opportunity andcourage to express your loveto others and to tell than ofthe free gift ofyour grace thais available to all people whowill put their faith in your SoJesus Christ. In his name wepray. Amen.

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MAY 17, 2009

WHAT Do You THINK?What benefits do we enjoyin being able to boldly drawnear to God? What responsi-bilities are there?

WHAT Do You THINK?In what WlryS have youpersonally benifited from suf-fering?

352 ____ ~ N ~ E \ _ ' _ ' 7 . MESSAGE FROM Gquestion is, do our plans match his plans? If there's a mismatch, guess whosplans need to be changed! -CO R. B

C. READERS' REACTION (w. 12, 13)12. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom aconfidence.The revealed mystery means that God's plan is to make peace with all hmanity,]ew and Gentile alike. We no longer need fear his judgment. Becauof our faith in Christ, we can approach God boldly, with confidence (Roma5:2; Hebrews 4:16; 10:19).This confidence to approach God should not result in undue familiarityhowever People have been heard to say, "I can't wait to get to Heaven andgive]esus a big hug!" But according to the Bible, what reallywiU happenwhen we get to Heaven is that "every knee [will] bow" (Philippians 2:10).Think about how people in the Bible react when they realize they are in thpresence of God. Manoah says, "We are doomed to die! . . . We have seenGod!" Qudges 13:22); Isaiah says, "Woe to me! . . . I am ruined!" (Isaiah

6:5); Peter says, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" (Luke 5:8).Nevertheless, Paul says that those who have faith in]esus Christ can ap, proach God with freedom and confidence. How different would our prayer. lives be if we really believed this?i 13. 1ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because ofmy sufferings for y. which are your glory.If the Ephesian Christians are discouraged about Paul's situation, theyi should not be. His trials and sufferings are for their glory. What a great per-, spective on suffering! Paul is not bitter or angry about all the pain he isenduring. The fact that he is willing to undergo his persecutions shows theEphesians how much he believes what he preaches.We humans will try to avoid even brief periods of minor irritation. Suffeing often surprises us. We take pills to try to wipe out pain as quickly as psible. When we can't see any point to our pain, we get angry.Yet Paul embraces his suffering as glorious because he trusts God to magood out of it-not necessarily for Paul, but for others. If we adopt the valof a self-absorbed culture, we may ignore the benefits to others or glory toGod that our suffering can bring. When you understand what God is callinyou to do and are submissive to it, you can withstand great suffering. Yousee the glory in it even when it doesn't seem to benefit you personally.God called Paul to suffer greatly (Acts 9: 16). God may not call us to suffer in just the same way Paul did, but we do have our crosses to bear (Mar8:34). Suffering for Christ will come to each of us in some way. Paul's suf-fering is for the glory of his beloved Ephesians. When that happens, Godultimately is the one glorified. When we understand our calling, we can wstand great suffering and see the glory in it-not for ourselves, but for thoswe try to reach and ultimately for God himself.CONCLUSIONPaul was willing to go to great lengths---even endure great suffering-sothat as many people as possible could be told the secret: God's grace is avable to everyone. It doesn't matter what country you were born in, what ra

I you are, how poor you are, whether you are tall or short, fat or skinny, mal

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LESSON 12 __ ~ ~ 3 _ MAY 17, 200or female. The God of the universe sent his Son,jesus Christ, to die for your THOUGHT TO REMEMBERsins, and he wants to have a relationship with you. Are you willing to do Make sure God's revealedwhat may be awkward or uncomfortable, to suffer a little or a lot, in order to secret remains revealed.communicate to those who may be different from you thatjesus loves them?

Discovery LearningThe following is an alternative lesson plan emphasizing learning activities.Classes desiring such student involvement will find these suggestions helpful. At theback of this book are reproducible student pages to further enhance activity learning.

INTO THE LESSON use of the word myste1y. Then divide the class intoPlace in chairs copies of the reproducible activity seven study teams of two or three students each. A"A Mystery in the Puzzle" on page 382 for students smaller class may either double up on the assignto work on as they arrive. If you wish, hand this out ments or make assignments to individuals ratherat the end of the lesson as take-home work instead. than teams. The task of the teams is to examine,Option # 1: Playa word-association game. Ask interpret, and apply words and phrases that comestudents to jot down the very first thing that comes from today's printed text. Give each team a photo their minds as you recite the following three tocopy of the lesson commentary for their assignwords: secret, password, mystery. Allow a few mo ments as needed.ments of silence for students to write, then have Display the following prepared instructions onthem share some of their responses. Make the tran the board or (better) on handouts: "Your taskssition to Bible study by saying, "The word mystery are to (1) give the background or interpretationis often used to imply a surprise ending to a great of your assigned word or phrase, (2) draw out thestory. Buried in the story is a secret that will be re implications for the Ephesians, and (3) set forth thvealed at the end. Paul uses the word mystery to re implications for us today. The seven assignmentsveal]esus in a wonderful way. Let's investigate this are 1. "the prisoner of Christjesus" (v. 1); 2. "themystery in our study today. " administration of God's grace" (v. 2); 3. "mystery"Option #2: Have one student write down five (w. 3-6); 4. "servant" and "less than the least" (Vv.activities he or she enjoys or would enjoy dOing. 7,8); 5. "unsearchable riches" (v. 8); 6. "rulers andAt the same time, have all the other class members authorities in the heavenlv realms" (v. 10); 7. "eterwrite down five activities that they think this stu nal purpose" (v. 11). /dent enjoys or would enjoy. Then have the first stu Allow each team to report its findings.dent read his or her list aloud so that everyone elsecan see what they did and didn't get right. INTO LIFEMake the transition to Bible study by saying, Activity # 1: Central Theme. Ask the study teams"For most of you, this was a guessing game based to define the central theme they think arises fromon partial knowledge of [person's name]. Only today's text, writing it into one sentence or phrase.one of you knew the whole truth about [person's Allow each team to report its conclusions. Makename] 's preferences for activities. This is a bit of the transition to the next activity by saying, "Thea snapshot of today's study about a great mystery commentary writer says an important lesson fromhidden for centuries, hinted at, but finally revealed this text is that 'we are all one in Christ.' Our chalto all." lenge is applying that principle to everyday life in

i our community. How will we do that?"INTO THE WORD Activity #2: Brainstorming! Prepare two postStart with a brief lecture consisting of a sum ers. One poster's heading should read Peoplemary of the Lesson Background. This will give Groups in Our Community. The other poster'syour students a perspective on the first-century heading is Strategies and Ideas. Display the first

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MAY 17, 2009poster. Ask students to identify different peoplegroups in the community. People groups mayrefer to ethnic backgrounds, educational or so-cial status, youth subcultures, etc. List these onthe poster board.Then say, "Let's evaluate our effectiveness inreaching these groups with the gospel." Afterdiscussion, check mark each group that is beingtouched by your church. Put a circle around thegroups that are not being reached satisfactorilyby your church.

354 NEW MESSAGE mOMSay, "Churches are usually not effective inreaching every people group in the communiHowever, most churches can improve their oreach." Ask the class to discuss ideas and stregies to reach different groups on the list. Jotthe ideas on the second poster. Discuss whic

people group may be your church's greatest portunity to reach. Finally, appoint a team tocontinue to explore this outreach and developlan. The team will make a recommendationaction at an appropriate time in the future.