Well friends, would you turn with me please to the words that we read in Ephesians chapter 3. Ephesians 3 and we're focusing on verses 7 through to 13. where Paul writes, of this gospel, I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace that was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan for the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. so that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. there are some Christians, and when they speak about their service for Christ, we quickly become aware that it's more about them than it is about Christ. There are others, and when they speak about their service for Christ, we can find ourselves feeling so inadequate compared with them. There are others, and when they speak about their service for Christ, we simply feel sorry for them. And there are others, and when they speak about their service for Christ, we feel inspired to serve Him like them. And that is what we see in Paul as he speaks here about his Christian service. He wants to inspire his readers to serve Christ. Today we're continuing our studies in his letter to the Ephesians, and we're looking at the awe, then the announcement, and finally the assurance. First we have the awe. Look at verse 7. Here Paul expresses his amazement at the grace that God had shown to him. Before proceeding, let's remember the context. Paul has been speaking about how Jewish and non-Jewish Christians have been reconciled or brought together as one new man in Christ. And in Ephesians 3 verses 1 to 13, he's speaking about his own role in this. And in verse 7, he speaks about his calling to be a minister of the gospel. Paul begins by claiming that he was made a minister of the gospel. We read, of this gospel I was made a minister. Paul speaks about this gospel. The word gospel means good news, and the good news that Paul has in mind is the message about Jesus and the message of his salvation. In verse six, Paul spoke about the Ephesians being heirs of God's future inheritance and members of Christ's body and partakers of God's promise on account of their being in Christ through hearing the gospel. And here Paul is speaking still about this gospel, verse 7. And Paul says that he was made a minister of this gospel. Paul sees himself as a minister of the gospel. The word minister means a servant. And he says that in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and Philippians chapter 1. And he says here that he was made a minister of this gospel. It was something that had happened to him, not something that was done by him. Paul goes on to speak about how he was made a minister of this gospel in the next part of verse 7. We read of this gospel, I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. Paul says that he was made a minister of the gospel according to the gift of God's grace. This wasn't something that Paul had sought for himself. This was something that God had done for him. Paul, you remember, had been fiercely antagonistic toward the Gospel. He had tried to arrest anyone and everyone who loved the Gospel, and then on the Damascus Road, the Lord had arrested him and called him to be an ambassador of that Gospel. The ministry was something that God had given to Paul. It was all of grace. And Paul also says that he was made a minister of the gospel according to the working of God's power. Look again at verse 7. The call on the Damascus road had been a manifestation of the power of God and the way that Paul had been kept and sustained ever since that moment throughout his whole ministry was again all of the grace of God. It was all a manifestation of the power of God. Every conversion that Paul ever saw was a manifestation of God's power. So as far as Paul is concerned, he owes his gospel ministry to the grace of God and the power of God, nothing else. Now friends, as we consider this verse, we can see the importance of not losing our awe. at the grace of God, not losing our amazement at the grace of God. That is what we see in Paul. He speaks about being a minister or servant of the gospel. And he says that he was made a minister or servant of the gospel according to the gift of God's grace and the power of God's work. It wasn't anything that Paul had done. It was all of God. It was all of grace. And Paul celebrates that grace. He revels in that grace that God had shown toward him. Paul is a man who, as Brian Chappell writes, is enraptured with the grace of God. And friends, the same ought to be true for ourselves. Every Christian has been delivered from sin, judgment, death by the grace of God. and every Christian has been called into some form of gospel ministry, some form of gospel service by the grace of God. Think of the fact that you are here today, an heir of God's future inheritance, a member of Christ's body, a partaker of God's promise, as we saw last week. That's all of grace. Think of the fact that you are here today as citizen of God's kingdom, a member of God's family, a stone in God's temple as we saw two weeks ago. Again, that's all of grace. Think of all the service that you have rendered to Christ over the years. Every gospel work that you have ever engaged in, whether it was work among the youth, work among the older folk, work in the community, work further afield, maybe even on the mission field, that was all of grace. Everything that you are as a Christian and everything that you have done as a Christian is all down to the grace of God. Let me ask you today, are you enraptured with this grace? Are you amazed that you have been saved and that you have been called into gospel ministry, into gospel service? Or is it possible that you have lost something of your awe, something of your amazement at this amazing grace? Can I just ask you a question? Do you see serving Christ as something that you have got to do or something that you get to do? There's a difference. Do you see serving Christ as something that you have to do because I'll be on your case, or the elders will be on your case, or your family will be on your case, or do you see it as a privilege that the Lord has given you? But we move from the awe to the announcement. Look at verses eight to 12. And here Paul draws attention to the privilege and the purpose of his Christ-centered proclamation. Paul starts by speaking about the privilege of preaching. Look at verses eight and nine. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things. Paul tells the Ephesians here that he is the least of all the saints. Back in First Timothy chapter one, Paul said that he was the least of all the apostles, but now he takes it one step further and he says that he is the least of all the saints, the least of all God's people. Now, that is not a false humility. Paul's not like one of these people who says, oh, well, I'm not really up to much, and they're just waiting for someone to say, oh, of course you are. You are wonderful. Paul's not saying, I am the least of all the apostles. and he's just waiting for the Ephesians to say, of course not Paul, you are the apostle of apostles. God's grace has touched Paul and humbled Paul so that he sees himself really as nothing compared with all Christ's people. And he says that he was given grace. to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. Look at verse 8 again. Paul has been given a gospel ministry that he didn't deserve. And that gospel ministry consisted of preaching to the Gentiles, to the non-Jews, and his preaching involved declaring the unsearchable riches of Christ. He didn't go about saying what he had done. He didn't go about speaking about his experiences. He went about speaking about the unsearchable riches of Christ, the infinite riches of Christ, the inexhaustible riches of Christ. Paul went about speaking about the boundless wealth of Christ. That's all he spoke about. And furthermore, Paul says he was given grace to enlighten people to the mystery of God. Look at verse 9. Paul speaks here about the mystery. This refers to God's plan to bring Jewish and non-Jewish Christians together as one people, as we saw last week in verses 1 to 6. And Paul says that this mystery was hidden for ages. For many years, no one knew about this mystery. And Paul says that this mystery was hidden for ages in God, who created all things. Only the all-knowing Creator knew about this plan. Only the all-powerful Creator knew about this plan. But God has now graciously given Paul the task of enlightening or shedding a light on this mystery as he preaches the unsearchable riches of Christ. Paul continues and he speaks about the purpose of his preaching. Look at verses 10 to 12. so that through the church, the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. Paul now speaks about the manifold wisdom of God, verse 10. Paul's spoken about the mystery of God, the hidden plan of God, this plan to bring Jewish and non-Jewish Christians together as one new person in Christ, one new people in Christ. And Paul claims that the wisdom of God in accomplishing this plan is manifold, literally multicolored or multifaceted. And he carries on and he says that this manifold wisdom of God is made known through the church. Now, according to Paul, the church isn't a building, but neither is the church a group of people. According to Paul, the church is a people who are united together in Christ through hearing the gospel. That is what the church is, a group of people united together in Christ through hearing the gospel. And this united group of people, Paul says, portrays the manifold wisdom of God. This united group of people reveals the unfolding of God's long-hidden plan. But Paul still isn't finished. as he says that this manifold wisdom of God is made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. Verse 10 again. Now the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places is a reference to both angelic and demonic beings. And the church This united group of people who are in Christ declares the manifold wisdom of God to these heavenly powers, these heavenly beings. The church reveals the unfolding of God's hidden plan to the angels and demons. Tony Merida writes, there is more going on with the church than meets the eye. If you are part of the church, then you are part of a cosmic sermon that is being preached to spiritual rulers and authorities. Just think of that. Here you are, sitting in San Nicol on a blustery, loose morning, and you think this isn't very much. This doesn't seem like very much. Paul is saying, you sitting in this building, with Christ's people declaring Christ's praises is a sermon being preached to the cosmic powers. What a thought. And Paul closes by saying that the manifold wisdom of God is made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places according to God's eternal purpose that he realized in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Verses 11 and 12. None of this is an afterthought in the mind of God. None of this is an afterthought in the plan of God. This is part of God's eternal plan from before the dawn of creation. And it's an eternal plan that is only realized in Christ Jesus, the Lord. He is the Christ, the anointed one, the Messiah. He is the Lord, the sovereign one, the King. And without this messianic king, without this Jesus, none of God's plans, none of his purposes for the cosmos will be realized. And in his excitement, when he speaks about Christ, you know, I love this about Paul, and I wish it was more true of myself, and maybe you wish it was true of yourselves. Whenever Paul speaks about Christ, he digresses. And as he speaks about Christ here, he digresses and says that this Jesus is the one through whom every person can enjoy confident and bold access to God even now. Now, I know these verses might seem to be complex today. I know they contain many ideas, but the bottom line of what Paul is doing is he is outlining the purpose of his preaching. He is proclaiming the unsearchable riches of Christ and shining a light on the hidden plan, the mystery of God, and he is doing so so that the church, those who are united to Christ and united to each other through hearing this gospel, might display the manifold wisdom of God to the heavenly powers, the heavenly beings. That's why he preaches. And you know, friends, as we consider these verses, we can see the importance for ourselves when it comes to proclaiming the gospel. Here's Paul. He sees himself as one who has been graciously called by God to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ, to shine a light on the hidden plan of God, and he saw himself as being charged with this task so that the manifold wisdom of God, the multicolored wisdom of God, the multifaceted wisdom of God might be made known to the heavenly powers through the church. Now, you might be sitting here today and you're switched off. You might be sitting here today and you're saying to yourself, what is he on about? All this talk about mysteries and hidden plans and manifold wisdom. You might be sitting here today and you're thinking to yourself, what does any of this have to do with me? And I'm saying to you that if you are a Christian, then this has everything to do with you. Because like Paul, you have been graciously called to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ and to shine a light on the previously hidden plan of God. As a Christian, you have been given a message to proclaim. You have been given a gospel, good news to proclaim. And one of the reasons for proclaiming this message is so that the manifold wisdom of God might be seen by the heavenly powers. As we proclaim the gospel, friends, and as people respond to that gospel and find themselves united to Christ and united to his people, brought into the church, the angels and demons look on and they marvel at the wisdom of God. As you and I proclaim the gospel and as people respond to that gospel and find themselves united to Christ, united to his people, brought into his church, the angels and demons look on and they marvel at the unfolding of God's hidden plan. Friends, we don't simply preach the gospel so that men and women will be safe from a lost eternity. We don't simply preach the gospel so that men and women will be saved from hell, and that is important. We preach the gospel so that the angels and demons would marvel at God's work in building His church through the gospel. Isn't that a thought? We don't preach the gospel so that this building will be filled with people and the mission board will say, what a successful church, the High Free Church are. We don't preach the gospel so that we will be able to say with confidence at a person's funeral that that person died and they are now in heaven. And that is important. But we preach the gospel so that more and more people will be added to the people of Christ, and the angels and demons looking on will marvel at God's plan, God's wisdom, and just say, wow. Let me ask you today, are you preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ? so that the heavenly beings would marvel at the manifold wisdom of God. Are you? If I was to sit down with every single one of you individually today and say, when was the last time you shared the gospel with someone, would you be able to say, well, it was this week, this month, this year, this decade, Friends, are we proclaiming the gospel so that the angels and demons would marvel at the manifold wisdom of God, or are we living in the hope that someone else is going to do it? But we move third to the assurance. We've seen the awe, then the announcement, and finally we have the assurance. Look at verse 13. Paul now encourages the Ephesians not to be disheartened over his suffering. So far we've heard Paul speaking to the Ephesians about his gospel ministry. and he's focused on his awe at God's grace in calling him to this gospel ministry, this gospel service. Verse 7, he has gone on to focus on how his ministry involved proclaiming the unsearchable riches of Christ and shining a light on the hidden plan of God so that the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the heavenly beings. Verses 8 to 12, and now Paul closes with a word of encouragement for the Ephesian Christians. We read, so I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. Paul asks the Ephesians not to lose heart, beginning in verse 13. Paul has been speaking about himself, and now he turns the attention to the Ephesians. And he says, I ask you, brothers and sisters, not to lose heart. He's saying, don't become downcast, don't become despondent, don't become discouraged, don't become disillusioned. And Paul asks them not to lose heart over his Look again at verse 13, Paul is suffering, he's a prisoner in Rome, he's a man in chains, he's a man facing an uncertain future, a man facing the very real prospect of death and the Ephesians are becoming disheartened over this. because of what has happened to their beloved pastor. Many of you can think of beloved pastors that you have had in the past and when you heard that they had become ill or that some hard providence had come into their lives, you were disheartened, you were hurt, you were discouraged. And that's the Ephesians. They're also disheartened because there seems to be this ever-increasing opposition to the gospel and its servants. And they're disheartened because of what they themselves may have to face as servants of the gospel. And Paul is urging them here not to lose heart. And he tells them that his suffering is for them, it is for their glory. Look again at verse 13. Paul doesn't see his suffering as something to be upset over or something to be angry about. Instead, he sees it as a God appointed means of blessing for the Ephesians. He sees his suffering as fulfilling the purposes of God for the Ephesians. He sees his suffering as the means by which the Ephesians will enter into the fullness of God's salvation. the glory. He sees his suffering as the platform on which the all-surpassing worth of Christ might be better displayed to the Ephesians, better seen by the Ephesians. As the Ephesians look on at Paul's suffering in Rome for Christ, they will see that Christ is worthy, that Christ is glorious, that Christ is worth everything to Paul. And so Paul asks him, don't lose heart over my suffering. Now friends, as we consider this verse, we can see that the suffering of Christ's people can often be the God-appointed means of blessing for others. That's what we see in Paul. There he is suffering, and it's been talked about throughout the Christian community. The news has travelled all the way from Rome to Asia, and this church in the city of Ephesus, and Paul is telling the Ephesians that his suffering is for them. His suffering is for their glory. His suffering is part of God's divine design by which they will see more of Christ and receive more of the grace of Christ. And as such, they don't need to lose heart over what they hear that Paul is going through, or even what they may have to go through in the future. And you know, friends, the same is true for us today. Perhaps you're losing heart over something that's happened to you. or perhaps you're losing heart over something that you're going through. And Paul is gently reminding us here that the bruising that we can experience can sometimes be God's appointed means for bringing blessing to others. In a sermon on these verses, Ligon Duncan said the following, A dear friend of mine was making a hospital visit to a lady who is a relative of a number of people in our congregation. By all rights, she should not be alive. The fact that she's alive today is the sheer grace of God. But when my friend went to visit her, she began to recount to him what she was thinking about as she lay on her back alone, thinking that she was going to die alone. She began to tell him, you know, I started thinking and as I was lying there, I said, Thank you, Lord, that all my children are Christians. They're baptised believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and members of local churches. They love you. Thank you that I'm going to see them in heaven. And she began to recount some of the other things that she was thinking about. Now, my friend went by to encourage her because she was in a very, very difficult spot from the standpoint of her health. The doctors had indicated that she would not last long. Let me tell you, my friend is not one to cry, but it was all that he could do to get out of that room and not be in a puddle. She left him that day with an encouragement that he will take to his grave, how a Christian woman faces death, thinking about God's blessings to her, thinking about the salvation of her children. Maybe you'll be that kind of blessing in your sufferings in the year to come to people in this congregation. And the Apostle Paul says to the Ephesians, oh, my friends, if I can suffer tribulation for your sake so that you can hear the truth, so that you can know Christ, so that you can respond in faith, that is not something to lose heart about. That is something to praise God for. And you know, friends, as I read that, I began to think about people within our own congregation. people who have suffered over the years, people the anniversary of whose deaths we are coming up to as a congregation, people who are suffering even today, people who are not with us today because they are suffering. And as I thought about them, I thought about the different ways the Lord had used them to bless and minister to others in the congregation, myself included, even as they faced the eye of the storm. I wonder if you can think of them today or maybe some other person, some other Christ follower there in the eye of the storm and yet blessing you, showing the beauty of Christ to you. This morning I want to close by encouraging you not to lose heart. Instead, I want to encourage you to pray that in our times of bruising, in our times of buffeting, we, we might be a blessing, that our faithfulness to Christ, but even more Christ faithfulness to us might shine through our troubles, our trials, our traumas, that our suffering friends might be a ministry that would result in salvation, glory, for others. I'm saying, friends, that we ought to be praying about this now so that we will be prepared for it when it comes. Because one day, probably without many exceptions, every one of us will be on a bed of suffering. Will the Lord use that bed of suffering to further his kingdom? extend his gospel and be a blessing to others, even in our bruising. Let's pray that that might be so.