Ephesians 3.1-7 (4)
Pray Psalm 119.49.
Remember the word to Your servant,
Upon which You have caused me to hope.
Sing Psalm 119.49.
(Wycliff: All for Jesus)
LORD, remember all the good Word You have spoken unto me!
For I ever hope in You, LORD as I serve You joyfully.
Read Ephesians 3.1-5; meditate on the word “revelation”.
What is revelation? To what does it refer? Why does it matter to us? How?
Preparation
1. What was not known in previous ages? Why was it not known?
2. What has been revealed concerning the Gentiles?
Meditation
Revelation is the opposite of mystery. Mystery conceals; revelation, well, reveals. Any Agatha Christie afficionado knows that.
In the case of the grace economy launched by Jesus, fueled by His Word, and driven by His Spirit, the people in the Old Testament were called to wait in faith for its coming. God gave them glimpses and clues that something good was coming, and He expected, based on His faithfulness and their experience of the reliability of His Word, that they would wait for that revelation and be obedient until it came.
Of course, they were not. People are impatient in the face of mystery. We want mysteries to be revealed and we want them now and with full clarity. But God reveals His mysteries in His way and time. In the case of the Good News of Christ and His Kingdom, God has “now” revealed it through “His holy apostles and prophets”.
And among that group, Paul is the foremost (v. 2). When we’re seeking to understand the Kingdom and the economy of grace God is currently administering and advancing, we start with Jesus and His works and teaching (both in the Old Testament and the New), then we turn to Paul and work our way, through the other apostles and prophets, back to Jesus, the King and Head and Cornerstone of the whole project. We gather revelation as we go, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things to get at the whole truth God is revealing to us. Jesus has the last word on all out thoughts and plans: Are they true to Him? Do they represent Him and His mission? Will they advance His rule? Will I grow to be more like Him?
This is how mysteries revealed to us become revelations by which we are saved and grow to know, love, enjoy, and serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Isaiah wrote of the rumblings of this mystery and how he longed to see it:
“Oh, that You would rend the heavens!
That You would come down!
That the mountains might shake at Your Presence—
as fire burns brushwood, and fire causes water to boil—
to make Your Name known to Your adversaries,
that nations may tremble at Your Presence!
When You did awesome things for which we did not look,
You came down,
the mountains shook at Your Presence.
For since the beginning of the world
men have not heard nor perceived by the ear,
nor has the eye seen any God besides You,
Who acts for the one who waits for Him.
…we need to be saved” (Is. 64.1-5).
Paul used these ideas and words of Isaiah:
“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery,
the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,
which none of the rulers of the age knew;
for had they known,
they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
But as it is written:
‘Eye has not seen,
nor ear heard,
nor have entered into the heart of man
the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.
For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2.7-10).
Jesus spoke these same ideas to His disciples, of mystery and revelation:
“Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see;
for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see,
and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it” (Lk. 10.23, 24).
And now these mysteries have been revealed to us, and we see the revelation of Jesus, in our humanity, through the power and the sight of the Holy Spirit. But only partially.
Is it possible we could not bear the full reveal? The full majesty of His glorious Presence?
“For now
we see in a mirror,
dimly,
but then
face to face.
Now
I know in part,
but then
I shall know
just as I also
am known” (1 Cor. 13.12).
“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth…
How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19.25, 27) For the full reveal at last.
Reflection
1. The Word of God holds the mysteries of the Lord, and the Holy Spirit reveals them to us. When have you experienced this?
2. How does the Holy Spirit use you to help make God’s mysteries known to others?
3. How does your life display the fact that God has revealed the mystery of His salvation to you?
The mystery, is that secret, hidden purpose of salvation through Christ. This was not so fully and clearly shown in the ages before Christ, as unto the prophets of the New Testament. This was the great truth made known to the apostle, that God would call the Gentiles to salvation by faith in Christ. Matthew Henry (1662-1714) Commentary on Ephesians 3.1-7
Pray Psalm 119.50-56.
God’s Word is revealed and opened to us by His Spirit. His Word reveals Jesus, and Jesus reveals God. Call on the Lord to bathe and clothe you in His revelation today, that you may shine with the Good News of Christ and His Kingdom.
Sing Psalm 119.50-56.
(Wycliff: All for Jesus)
This my comfort in affliction, this my comfort in all strife:
that Your Word is my redemption, giving me eternal life!
Though the proud deride and taunt me, I will trust Your faithful Word.
Let Your judgments from of old be all my comfort, holy LORD.
Indignation grips me, Savior, for those who forsake Your Word.
All Your statutes, all Your favor, I will sing with joy, O LORD!
In the night Your Name attends me, and I keep Your holy Word;
let Your precepts all befriend me, as I keep them, glorious LORD.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we continue looking at ways the Law of God applies to our lives. This week our Read Moore podcast wraps up our consideration of the question, What in Heaven Is Jesus Doing on Earth?; and our Crosfigell teaching letter continues our study of the life of Brigit, a contemporary of Brendan. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
