D. Ryan, 2019
1. Introduction – Eph. 3:4, 1 Cor. 2:9-10
“Things which eye has not seen, and ear not heard, and which have not come into man’s heart, which God has prepared for them that love him, BUT God has revealed to us by [his] Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.”
Mystery = Something that eye has not seen, and ear not heard, nor having come into man’s heart, BUT now revealed to us by His Spirit
2. Romans 16:25-26
“Now to him that is able to establish you, according to my glad tidings and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, as to which silence has been kept in the times of the ages, but which has now been made manifest, and by prophetic scriptures, according to commandment of the eternal God, made known for obedience of faith to all the nations.”
- “but which has now” = meaning with the coming of the Holy Spirit
- “and by prophetic scriptures” = these are not from the times of the ages
Was silence kept about the crucifixion? Was that the mystery?
Was silence kept about the gospel? Was that the mystery?
3. Eph. 3:4-12 – “The Mystery of the Christ”
“Which in other generations has not been made known to the sons of men, as it has NOW been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in [the power of the] Spirit.”
Where was the mystery hidden? “The mystery hidden throughout the ages in God“ (vs. 9).
It has three parts (vs. 6):
- Joint heirs
- A joint body
- Joint partakers of [his] promise in Christ Jesus by the glad tidings
4. “A Joint Body”
Reference – 1 Corinthians 12:15-26
Obeying the will of the Head of the Body
5. “Joint Partakers of His Promise”
Acts 1:4: “…being assembled with them, commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to await the promise of the Father, which said He ye have heard of me”
The Mystery = the Center of all The New Testament = the Unsearchable Riches of the Christ (vs. 8).
Some Unsearchable Riches
- A Joint Inheritance
- A Joint Body
- A Joint Promise