The Profound Mystery of Christ and Our Unity

 

Summary

In today's reflection, we delve into the profound mystery of Christ, a concept that transcends human understanding and challenges our finite minds. This mystery, as revealed through the Holy Spirit, is the cornerstone of God's plan for salvation. It is not a grand display of power but rather the humble incarnation of Christ, who came into the world as a helpless infant. This divine strategy, encompassing Christ's life, death, resurrection, and ascension, is God's way of reconciling humanity to Himself and bringing order out of chaos.

The Apostle Paul, in his writings, emphasizes the centrality of Christ in our lives. The mystery of Christ should be the most thrilling and absorbing interest in our lives, the core of our meditation. This mystery was revealed to Paul and is now shared with us, highlighting the unity of Jews and Gentiles in the Christian church. This unity is not a mere addition of Gentiles to the Jewish faith but a complete integration into one body, the church, where all distinctions are abolished.

Dispensationalism, a theological perspective that separates the promises made to the Jews from those made to the church, is addressed critically. The Apostle Paul clarifies that the promises of God are now open to all, Jew and Gentile alike, through the church. This unity is not just a theoretical concept but a lived reality, where all believers are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise.

The promise includes the hope of resurrection and the coming of the glorious kingdom of God. This hope, once exclusive to the Jews, is now shared with all believers, offering a future of eternal glory and righteousness. As we reflect on these truths, we are reminded of the grace of God that makes this unity and hope possible, urging us to live in the light of this mystery and to share in its blessings.

Key Takeaways:

- The mystery of Christ is a divine revelation that transcends human understanding, emphasizing the humility and incarnation of Christ as God's method of salvation. This mystery should be the central focus of our lives, drawing us into deeper contemplation and worship. [17:37]

- The unity of Jews and Gentiles in the church is a profound aspect of this mystery, where all distinctions are abolished, and believers are integrated into one body. This unity reflects the fulfillment of God's promises and the establishment of the church as the kingdom of God. [23:26]

- Dispensationalism, which separates the promises to the Jews from those to the church, is challenged by the Apostle Paul's teaching that all believers are fellow heirs, members, and partakers of God's promises. This unity is a testament to the inclusivity of the gospel. [26:44]

- The promise of resurrection and the coming of God's glorious kingdom is a shared hope for all believers, offering a future of eternal glory and righteousness. This hope, once exclusive to the Jews, is now available to all through Christ. [45:29]

- The grace of God is the foundation of this mystery, enabling the unity of believers and the fulfillment of His promises. As we reflect on this grace, we are called to live in its light and to share in the blessings of this divine mystery. [47:21]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [16:50] - The Mystery of Godliness
- [17:37] - God's Way of Salvation
- [18:30] - The Incarnation of Christ
- [19:24] - God's Plan for Reconciliation
- [20:20] - The Centrality of Christ
- [21:25] - The Gospel to All Nations
- [22:39] - The Particular Mystery
- [23:26] - Unity of Jew and Gentile
- [24:14] - The Role of Doctrine
- [25:01] - Dispensationalism Critique
- [26:44] - The Church and the Kingdom
- [28:31] - Old Testament Promises
- [30:58] - The Church in Christ's Teaching
- [33:29] - The Danger of Theories
- [35:58] - Fellow Heirs and Members
- [39:28] - The New Covenant
- [45:29] - The Promise of Resurrection
- [47:21] - The Grace of God

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Ephesians 3:1-6
2. Galatians 3:14
3. Matthew 21:43

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Observation Questions:

1. What does the Apostle Paul mean by the "mystery of Christ" as discussed in the sermon? How is this mystery described as God's way of salvation? [17:37]

2. How does the sermon describe the unity of Jews and Gentiles in the church? What is the significance of this unity according to the Apostle Paul? [23:26]

3. What critique does the sermon offer regarding dispensationalism, and how does it relate to the promises made to the Jews and the church? [26:44]

4. According to the sermon, what are the promises that are now shared by all believers, and how do they relate to the hope of resurrection and the coming of God's kingdom? [45:29]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the concept of the "mystery of Christ" challenge our understanding of God's plan for salvation? In what ways does this mystery invite deeper contemplation and worship? [17:37]

2. What implications does the unity of Jews and Gentiles in the church have for modern believers? How does this unity reflect the fulfillment of God's promises? [23:26]

3. How does the sermon address the theological perspective of dispensationalism, and what does it suggest about the inclusivity of the gospel? [26:44]

4. In what ways does the promise of resurrection and the coming of God's kingdom offer hope to believers today? How does this hope influence our daily lives? [45:29]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on the mystery of Christ as the central focus of your life. How can you incorporate this mystery into your daily meditation and worship? [17:37]

2. Consider the unity of Jews and Gentiles in the church. How can you actively promote unity and inclusivity within your own church community? [23:26]

3. How does understanding the critique of dispensationalism affect your view of God's promises? In what ways can you embrace the inclusivity of the gospel in your interactions with others? [26:44]

4. The promise of resurrection offers a future of eternal glory and righteousness. How does this promise shape your perspective on life's challenges and your hope for the future? [45:29]

5. Reflect on the grace of God as the foundation of the mystery of Christ. How can you live in the light of this grace and share its blessings with others? [47:21]

6. Identify a specific area in your life where you can demonstrate the unity and hope discussed in the sermon. What steps can you take this week to act on this commitment?

7. How can you use the understanding of the mystery of Christ to engage in meaningful conversations with those who may not share your faith? What approach will you take to share this mystery with them?

Devotional

Day 1: The Mystery of Christ's Humility
The mystery of Christ is a divine revelation that transcends human understanding, emphasizing the humility and incarnation of Christ as God's method of salvation. This mystery should be the central focus of our lives, drawing us into deeper contemplation and worship. The incarnation of Christ, coming into the world as a helpless infant, is a profound demonstration of God's love and humility. It challenges us to reflect on the nature of true power and greatness, which is not found in grand displays but in humble service and sacrifice. As we meditate on this mystery, we are invited to align our lives with the example of Christ, embracing humility and seeking to serve others in love. [17:37]

Colossians 1:26-27 (ESV): "The mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

Reflection: In what ways can you embody the humility of Christ in your daily interactions with others today?


Day 2: Unity in Diversity
The unity of Jews and Gentiles in the church is a profound aspect of this mystery, where all distinctions are abolished, and believers are integrated into one body. This unity reflects the fulfillment of God's promises and the establishment of the church as the kingdom of God. The Apostle Paul emphasizes that this unity is not merely an addition of Gentiles to the Jewish faith but a complete integration into one body, the church. This unity is a testament to the inclusivity of the gospel, where all believers, regardless of their background, are fellow heirs and members of the body of Christ. It challenges us to embrace diversity within the church and to work towards unity in our communities. [23:26]

Ephesians 2:14-16 (ESV): "For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility."

Reflection: How can you actively promote unity and inclusivity within your church community today?


Day 3: The Inclusivity of God's Promises
Dispensationalism, which separates the promises to the Jews from those to the church, is challenged by the Apostle Paul's teaching that all believers are fellow heirs, members, and partakers of God's promises. This unity is a testament to the inclusivity of the gospel. The promises of God, once exclusive to the Jews, are now open to all through the church. This inclusivity is not just a theoretical concept but a lived reality, where all believers share in the hope of resurrection and the coming of God's glorious kingdom. It calls us to recognize the breadth of God's grace and to extend that grace to others in our lives. [26:44]

Galatians 3:28-29 (ESV): "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise."

Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear about the inclusivity of God's promises? How can you share this message with them today?


Day 4: The Shared Hope of Resurrection
The promise of resurrection and the coming of God's glorious kingdom is a shared hope for all believers, offering a future of eternal glory and righteousness. This hope, once exclusive to the Jews, is now available to all through Christ. It is a powerful reminder of the eternal perspective we are called to have as followers of Christ. This hope encourages us to live with purpose and to persevere through trials, knowing that our future is secure in Christ. It also challenges us to share this hope with others, inviting them to experience the joy and peace that comes from knowing Christ. [45:29]

1 Peter 1:3-4 (ESV): "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you."

Reflection: How does the hope of resurrection influence your daily decisions and interactions with others?


Day 5: Living in the Light of Grace
The grace of God is the foundation of this mystery, enabling the unity of believers and the fulfillment of His promises. As we reflect on this grace, we are called to live in its light and to share in the blessings of this divine mystery. God's grace is the unmerited favor that allows us to be part of His family and to experience the fullness of life in Christ. It is a gift that transforms our lives and empowers us to extend grace to others. Living in the light of grace means embracing forgiveness, showing compassion, and seeking to be a reflection of Christ's love in the world. [47:21]

Titus 2:11-12 (ESV): "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age."

Reflection: In what ways can you demonstrate the grace of God to someone in need today?

Quotes

"The mystery of Christ this is God's way of Salvation that Almighty and eternal and everlasting God to whom the nations are but as the small dust of the balance and vanity and less than that and lighter than vanity The God Who made everything out of nothing who simply said let there be light and there was light well you would have thought that when he desired to save men and to save the world again he would utter some great word and the whole universe would shake and Quake and there'd be some dramatic exhibition of power and so God would save he destroy evil and save men but he didn't do it like that." [00:17:41]

"How has he done it well he's done it in this mystery of Christ in a helpless bab nothing weaker nothing more helpless nothing smaller nothing more defenseless there it is and then everything that happened in him the whole process of the Incarnation do you spend your time thinking about it divesting himself of the Insignia of his eternal glory and coming there through that the mystery and all his humiliation and all that he endured and suffered we won't go through it this morning there it is the Apostle has been referring to it and then the death the burial the Resurrection the Ascension and that's God's way of salvation." [00:18:30]

"That's God's way of dealing with the human predicament the human problem that's God's way of reconciling men unto himself and of ultimately producing glorious order and Glory out of the chaos of things as they are now that's it that's the thing he's talking about if you read again what I've said says the Apostle in a few words when you read you may understand extend my knowledge my insight into my grasp of the mystery of Christ let me leave this with just the question is the mystery of Christ the most absorbing interest in your life is the mystery of Christ to you the most thrilling thing in the world this morning." [00:19:24]

"This Not That the Gentiles are now to be allowed to become Jewish pelites that is what the Jews believe and indeed they practice that you remember there had been many a gentile who had come to see the truth of God in the Old Testament scriptures and he said I'd like to become one of you so they took him they instructed him they circumcised him and he became a Jewish proelite yes you see he was allowed to come in but only as a proelite he was still not a full Jew he's allowed in but as a prelate now that's the very thing that the Apostle is contending in this particular section." [00:36:31]

"The Jew has come in not as an addition not as a prelate he has come into this new thing the church in exactly the same way as the Jew comes in what he's saying is this that the church is now the kingdom that what the Jewish nation was in the Old Testament the church is now and that there is no longer that old distinction in other words he is saying that our Lord's prophecy recorded in Matthew 21:43 has been fulfilled this is it therefore I say unto you said our Lord to the Jews the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." [00:37:20]

"The Apostle Peter confirms it in his way by using about the church consisting of Jew and Gentile the very words that God used through Moses about the nation of Israel in Exodus 19 ye are a holy nation a royal priesthood and holy nation A peculiar people the church is the kingdom now then let's watch how the Apostle does this his point is that the ear distinction between the Jew and the Gentile is abolished once and forever he's already shown us that in the second chapter the middle wall of partition is gone Christ has demolished it he's made one new man so making peace the old distinction has gone I say once and forever." [00:37:56]

"The Gentiles he says are to be fellow heirs with the Jews which means this that all the promises that God had made to the Jewish people and to the old Testament are now open to the Gentiles fellows somebody draws up a will and in his will I leave so and so to so and so what you find in the will well here's the answer the Jew is anal sharer with the Gentile and the Gentile with the Jew no difference they're both fellow AES they've got the same place in the will they're going to receive the same benefits now that of course refers to the New Covenant that God had promised." [00:39:11]

"Your sins and iniquities will I remember no more I shall be to you a god you shall be to me a people no longer only for the Jew but for you my friend for me we are in the will we are a together with the Jews the Old Nation the old people in this amazing promise of the benefits of the New Covenant fellow HS we'll go into this more deeply next Sunday God willing but come let me come to the second term fellow members of the body why do you think he added that surely you argue fellow a tells us everything you can't go beyond saying fellow a oh yes you can and I'll tell you why." [00:40:08]

"There is nothing to prevent a men when he writes his will to do something like this he's got an only son and he's got a family servant who's been with him for 40 years and whom he has come to regard almost as a son so when he makes his will he says that all my properties is to be divided between my son and my faithful servant so and so a servant can be made a fellow Heir with a son but he's still a servant that doesn't make him a member of the family that doesn't mean he's got the same blood in him that doesn't mean that he's changed the relationship he can be a beneficiary equally with a son but he's still a servant he's not one." [00:40:48]

"The Apostle takes no risks he adds to fellow heirs fellow members of the body now then you see this is the thing that demolishes that attempt to perpetuate a distinction between the Jew and the Gentile any longer no no says Paul it isn't that the Gentiles are simply added on somehow Loosely they are compacted together as joints in the same body and no one joint is more in the body than any other joint we are jointed together impacted as joints together in this one body There's no distinction any longer there's no superiority and inferiority the system of dispensationalism says there is that there is a Heavenly people and an Earthly people and that the Jews are going to come back and have a very special place again in some future time." [00:41:52]

"It seems to me to be a blank denial of this where we are told that all that is finished forever and here there is one body and they're equally joints and impacted together in the one body and then he goes even a step further and puts it like this that we are fellow partakers together of the promise what does he mean by this well it seems to me that we are driven by other scriptures to say that he means two things by this I read to you in Galatians 3:14 this statement that The Blessing of Abraham might might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith what is called the promise of the father this thing that runs as a golden thread through the Old Testament this wonderful promise the thing that happened on the day of Pentecost and Peter said this is that which was spoken by the prophet joob the promise of the Father the shedding forth of the spirit and all the results of that amazing thing here says Paul you're fellow partakers of the promise you've received the fullness of the spirit exactly as the Jew has done." [00:42:56]

"But it also I think means this in addition another great promise of course was the promise of the Resurrection and the promise of the Glorious Kingdom of the Son of God listen to Paul again putting this very clearly in Acts 26: 6 to8 when he's making his defense before King agria and now he says I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God un to our fathers and to which promise our 12 tribes instantly serving God day and night hope to come for which hope say King agria I am accused of the Jews why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise the dead now you see what the promise is it is this promise that a messiah would come who would even conquer death in the grave and bring life immortality to light it is the promise of Resurrection the final resurrection and the coming of the Glorious Kingdom the new heavens and the new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness that was something that the Jew prized above everything else he had to suffer a lot in his life in this world but he looked beyond it all as we are told in Hebrews 11 he looked to that great promise this Resurrection the life of Glory he had it nobody else had it the Gentile was without hope without God in the world as Paul has already said but now he says your a as fellow partakers of the promise and so to you and to me it means this that we this morning can look forward to the resurrection of the body we can look forward to a glory ifed body we can look forward to dwelling on a new Earth under a new Heavens wherein dwelleth righteousness fellow partakers of the promise Christ in you the hope of glory very well my friends there it is you see the two Mysteries which the Apostle tells us he has been given to preach the mystery of Christ the whole thing the particular mystery that this purpose of God is now in the church and that the church is the final form until all things are wound up and Jew and Gentile in Christ and only in Christ together shall share the benefits of this ever lasting and eternal glory and shall wander to all eternity at the grace of God that ever made it possible that ever brought us in and that made us and the Jews together fellow hes fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of such a blessed hope." [00:45:29]

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Transcript
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