"Eureka" January 6, 2019

Overview

The Epiphany: A Mystery Revealed

In common usage, an "epiphany" is a personal moment of clarity—an "aha" when the pieces finally fit. In the Church, however, Epiphany is not a discovery we make but a revelation God gives. It marks the moment God chose to make Himself known, especially to the Gentiles, when the magi came to the Christ child. The deeper mystery being celebrated is that God took on human flesh in order to reveal His salvation not to the Jew alone, but to all people.

Paul addresses this directly in Ephesians 3:1-10. To grasp what Paul means by "for this reason," we must look back to Ephesians 2:11-19, where he reminds Gentile believers that they were once "without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." But now, through the blood of Jesus, those who were far off have been brought near. They are not merely tolerated as resident aliens—they are made full members of the household of God, co-heirs with their Jewish brethren, given the same access to the Father.

This is what Paul calls the "mystery of Christ." It is not a secret to be deciphered; it is God's plan of salvation, now fully disclosed. The detective work is over—Jesus is the answer, and what He did was offer redemption for all people. Paul, commissioned on the Damascus road Acts 26:13-18, understood himself as a steward of this grace, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, sent to dispense the gospel to the Gentiles. Like Paul, who declared in 1 Corinthians 2:2 that he resolved "to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified," every believer is shaped by relationship to the One who saves.

Notice Paul's striking claim: God's manifold wisdom is now made known "through the church" Ephesians 3:10. The Greek ekklesia means "the called out"—not a building, but the people themselves. Read that way, the verse becomes a direct commission: through the called-out believers, the wisdom of God is to be revealed to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Christianity holds no hidden tier of secret knowledge; the truth is laid out plainly from the beginning. We are sinners who cannot save ourselves; the eternal Son came to die for us; in His blood we have forgiveness, and through Him we approach the Father with boldness and confidence. That truth is meant to come from our lips, openly and honestly, to our neighbors. Each week, in the Word, in baptism, and at the Lord's Supper, Christ continues to be made known in tangible ways—and the epiphany of our Lord becomes our own.

Transcript

I've never had one of those, ah ha, ah ha moments when everything becomes clear and everything 0s

just makes sense. My kids and I have been watching an old detective show and recently 8s

in toward the end of every single episode there's this moment where the lead character 17s

gets a certain look on his face and we know that he knows. We know that he's solved the mystery. 23s

He knows it. Now most of us aren't detectives and we aren't working out great mysteries but when 35s

something puzzles us and we finally have some clarity we finally have an understanding of sorts. 43s

We get to that ah ha moment and a lot of times we'll say, I had an epiphany. I had an epiphany. 52s

I finally get it when we think of any epiphany. We have a sense of clarity, of finding clarity, 62s

a moment of brilliance on our part. But in the church epiphany is a little bit different than that 72s

certainly it's no moment of our own doing, our own clarity found for ourselves. But really it's when we 83s

celebrate when God chose to make himself known and coming to his people. The day of epiphany marks 91s

the first revelation of Christ to the Gentiles when the magi visited the Christ child. 101s

The mystery of the epiphany is that God would take on human flesh for himself in order to reveal 111s

his salvation not to the Jew alone. But to all people including the Gentiles. Our reading for 120s

today comes from a letter that Paul wrote to the Gentiles who'd come to faith in the Savior 130s

Jesus Christ. If you would like to follow along with this text it's in Ephesians chapter 3 it can 135s

be found on page 170 of the New Testament in the Pueh edition of the Bible. In verse 1 Paul writes, 142s

this is the reason that I Paul and a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentile. 152s

Now anytime that we begin a reading with this this is the reason we have to back up a little bit 160s

to know what the this is. So if you back up a little bit to verse 11 in chapter 2 you'll see the 169s

list when Paul addresses the issue of Gentiles being brought into the fold of the promise. 179s

In chapter 2 it says remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth called the unsurcomcision 186s

by those who were called the circumcision. Now that's in reference to circumcision being a sign 194s

of the covenant between God and Israel. And remember the Gentiles were not invited to be a part 201s

of that covenant. Remember verse 12 remember that you were at that time without Christ 208s

being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise 214s

having no hope and without God in the world. Paul is reminding the Gentiles that at one point 219s

they were completely separate not only from God but from the covenant of promise separated 227s

even from hope in this world they were completely out of the fold but he continues in verse 13 of 235s

chapter 2. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of 243s

Christ for he is our peace in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the 252s

wedding wall that is the hostility between us. He came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off 260s

and peace to those who were near for through him both of us have access in one spirit to the father. 267s

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens but you are citizens with the saints and also 275s

members of the household of God. Paul was writing to Gentiles formerly outside of the promise 282s

of God and now they were brought into the promise alongside the Israelites but it's more than that. 291s

It's more than that. It's more than saying that these Gentiles are no longer strangers or aliens 298s

in the land amongst the Hebrew people. They weren't getting a mere resident alien status. 304s

Were they? They were made members of the household. They were brought into the same family 312s

as the Jewish people. The Gentiles whom the Jewish people had been warned to steer clear from. 321s

They were now considered co-ears. They were now considered brethren of the Jewish people. 329s

The Gentiles through the blood of Jesus Christ have been given the same access to the father 337s

and that is the this that Paul is referring to in verse 1 of chapter 3. It's for this very message 344s

that Paul is a prisoner for Jesus Christ. He will go anywhere. He will suffer any hardship to bring 356s

this message to the Gentiles, the message of forgiveness and of salvation. It's not Paul saying, 366s

oh, I'm a prisoner of Jesus. No, he's saying I'm a prisoner for Christ Jesus. I can do nothing 375s

but share this message with the Gentiles. Everything that Paul does or says is in relation to 384s

Jesus Christ. Remember in 1 Corinthians where he says, for I decided to know nothing among you 394s

except Jesus Christ and him crucified. Paul belonged to Jesus and he lived every single part of his 401s

day out of that relationship, out of the relationship of truth in Jesus Christ. He continues in 411s

verse 2, surely you have already heard of the commission of God's grace that was given me for you. 421s

So Paul was called to a very specific office or role within the kingdom wasn't he, but it wasn't just 427s

a job. It wasn't just any ordinary job with this appointment. Paul was given stewardship 434s

of God's grace for the Gentile people. He was to oversee the dispensation of God's grace. 441s

Who would give him such authority of this role? The people to whom Paul is writing, 451s

they would have already known. He says, surely you've already heard of this. Surely you know 456s

this role that I have. We get to hear of his appointment in Acts 26. He writes, I was traveling, 462s

I was traveling to Damascus when it midday along the road. I saw a light from heaven, brighter than 471s

sun shining around me in my companions. When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice 477s

saying to me in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul because that was his name before he was converted 482s

to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Why are you persecuting me? I asked, who are you Lord? The Lord 489s

answered, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. Get up and stand on your feet for I have appeared to you 497s

for this purpose to appoint you to serve and testify to the things in which you have seen me 504s

and to those in which I will appear to you. I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles 512s

to whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light 518s

and from the power of Satan to God so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those 524s

who are sanctified by faith in me. Paul was appointed to deliver God's grace by testifying of him. 531s

He was appointed by Jesus Christ himself to tell of the good news. He was ordered to dispense the 541s

grace of God through the deliverance of the Word of forgiveness of sins to the Gentile people. 549s

Surely you have already heard of the commission of God's grace that was given me for you, 558s

verse 3, and how the mystery was made known to me by the revelation as I wrote above in a few words, 564s

a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. 571s

In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind as it has now been revealed to 577s

his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. That is, the Gentiles have become fellow 583s

heirs, members of the same body and shares in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 588s

And there's that word, a mystery. We hear mystery and we automatically think of that detective show 597s

or we automatically think of something that's secret to him, something that needs to be investigated. 604s

But the mystery here, it's not a secret. There's no secret in the mystery. There was a mystery 611s

a mystery of how God would redeem Israel. There was a mystery of how God would bring light to the 619s

Gentiles as was prophesied. But those questions didn't remain a mystery once Jesus came. 627s

The mystery of Christ isn't a hidden secret to be found out as one searches and digs up clues. 635s

The mystery of Christ is God's plan of salvation. And the mystery of Christ is that part of God's 643s

plan was to bring the Gentiles into this redemption, not as Jewish converts. But under the blood of 651s

Jesus as heirs of the promise alongside their Jewish brethren. When Jesus Christ entered into this 659s

world dying on a cross, rising again, defeating the grave, the mystery of how God would redeem 667s

Israel and bring a light to the Gentiles. The mystery was solved. It was solved. It didn't take 677s

a detective to investigate, arriving at this point of an epiphany to announce who did it. 686s

We're all told who did it. Jesus did it. He's the guy. And what he did was to offer redemption 697s

for all people. Verse 7, Paul writes of this gospel, I have become a servant, 709s

according to the gift of God's grace that was given me by the working of his power. Although I am 716s

the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring the Gentiles, the news 722s

of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden 728s

for ages in God who created all things. Again, Paul is touching on this call as a servant of the 734s

word. He was called by Jesus Christ himself to bring the news of salvation to the Gentiles. 742s

Paul's first duty was to witness to the Gentiles, but he was not confined to the Gentiles only. 750s

If you recall in his journeys, when he would go out to preach, he actually went to the synagogues first. 757s

He would go in and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ within the temple at the synagogue until they 765s

kicked him out. And then those who had heard the word and received it and believed in Jesus Christ 771s

will they would gather with Paul and they would gather together with the Gentiles and share with them 779s

the good news of salvation. Paul shared the gospel with everyone. He wanted everyone 787s

to know what the plan of God was. He wanted everyone to have that mystery revealed. 795s

He writes in verse 10, so that through the church, the wisdom of God in its rich variety 803s

might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance 809s

with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord. In whom we have 816s

access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in Him. It's the intent. It's part of the plan 823s

that the wisdom of God, the plan of creation, the plan of salvation. All of this plan is to be made 833s

through the church. The Greek word for this church is Ecclesia and Ecclesia does not mean 843s

for walls. Ecclesia does not mean building or structure. Ecclesia means the called out. Ecclesia 853s

or church is the people. It's the believers. So let's reread that verse with that in mind. 866s

So that through the called out, through the believers in Christ Jesus, the wisdom of God in its 876s

rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 884s

Does it change how you hear it? No longer is it this distant idea of a church? 891s

Some people in a building that are making God known, but it's the believers that are called. It's the 899s

called out that are to make the wisdom of God, the riches of Jesus Christ known. It's through the 908s

myth, Jesus. There's a call upon the church of the highest order, a call to teach, 920s

and to preach the wisdom and truth of God. There's a call upon the believers, the believers of the 927s

highest order, a call to teach, and to preach the wisdom and truth of God. I haven't been 939s

at living word for very long. I've been here not quite a year, but it's so interesting to me. 949s

I can see this shift, this shift at living word week after week. We seem to be getting a very 956s

real call into service, a very direct call into service. We're being called not only to acts of 968s

service, we're being called to be servants of the word in service to the word. As the church, 977s

as the ecclesia, the called out, we're being drawn out by the spirit to make known the truth. 988s

We're being called out by the spirit to reveal the mystery, which really is not so mysterious. 995s

In Christianity, we are given everything right up front. There is no secrecy at all. 1004s

Some religions, pagan religions are very secretive, and the higher you get in those religions, 1014s

the more you get to find out, the more you get to know. In Christianity, it's laid out. 1021s

All at once, all at the beginning, and the mystery, the mystery is not investigated. The mystery 1028s

is that the more we learn, the more we grow about the very truth that we have up front, 1035s

the deeper and deeper our faith gets. And the more and more excited we are to share and reveal the 1043s

mystery of Jesus Christ to those around us. And we're called to share, very openly, 1051s

there's nothing that we're supposed to keep hidden about Christ Jesus. In fact, the whole purpose 1058s

of evangelism is to be absolutely honest. The truth is that for each and every one of us and for our 1064s

neighbor, the truth is that we are sinners. The truth is that we cannot save ourselves. The truth is that 1073s

Jesus, the eternal son of the Father came in order to die for us. The truth is that when Jesus 1081s

was crucified, he took all our sin upon himself. He was raised from the dead, and the truth is that 1088s

we have forgiveness in His blood. And not only do we have forgiveness, we have access. We have 1097s

access to the Father. We can approach the once very unapproachable throne of the Father, and we can 1105s

approach it with boldness and with confidence, because we're approaching it through that blood of 1112s

Jesus Christ. There is no further mystery there. There's more to learn. There's more ways to grow 1119s

in faith. But that's the truth that's to be revealed from our lips. That's the truth that was 1127s

revealed from Paul's lips to the Gentiles. And we hear that. And we hear that every single week. 1136s

And still, when we hear that, we still go, aha, aha, we have an aha moment. We are given 1144s

any piphany, a moment of clarity that we are forgiven, that Jesus did die for you. And it's that epiphany 1155s

moment. The epiphany, Jesus was made known to the Gentiles, and Jesus is made known to you and I. 1169s

Today, in the second service, we're going to celebrate the baptism of Harrison Tucker, and he is 1178s

going to experience Jesus in a very, very real way. And today, we are going to celebrate the Lord's 1184s

supper, and we will experience Jesus made known to us in a very real and tangible way. 1193s

The mystery has been revealed. The revelation is for you and you too can receive this clarity 1204s

through the epiphany of our Lord. 1216s