Peering into The Mystery of God

1
Peering into The Mystery of God

• Ephesians 17-10 and the
• Unveiling of Gods Salvation Plan
• Ryan Habbena May 28, 2006

2
Included by the Cross

• In Him we have redemption through His blood, the
  forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the
  riches of His grace which He lavished on us.
• Ephesians 17-8a

3
Revealing the Mystery

• In all wisdom and insight, He made known to us
  the mystery of His will, according to His kind
  intention which He purposed in Him
• Ephesians 8b-9

4
Jesus Christ The Center of our View

• . . . with a view to an administration suitable
  to the fullness of the times, that is, the
  summing up of all things in Christ, things in the
  heavens and things on the earth.
• Ephesians 110

5
Why Declare This?

• The Seeds of Gnosticism were Being
• Sown in Asia Minor

6
Defining the Mystery

• The Revelation of Salvation History through the
  Testimony of Jesus Christ and His Apostles

7
Peering into the Mystery

• John 1515
• No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave
  does not know what his master is doing but I
  have called you friends, for all things that I
  have heard from My Father I have made known to
  you.

8
The Proclamation of the O.T.

• The Old Testament Scriptures
• Saving of Israel the Judgment of Gentiles
• The Judgment of Israel the Saving of Gentiles
• The Suffering Savior
• The Conquering Savior
• The Kingdom of God
• How These All Would Transpire and Fit Together
  was a Mystery, Hidden from Humanity

9
Paul Defines the Mystery

• By referring to this, when you read you can
  understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
  which in other generations was not made known to
  the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to
  His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit to
  be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs
  and fellow members of the body, and fellow
  partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through
  the gospel
• (Ephesians 34-6)

10
The Mystery Further Explained

• For I do not want you, brethren, to be
  uninformed of this mystery -- so that you will
  not be wise in your own estimation -- that a
  partial hardening has happened to Israel until
  the fullness of the Gentiles has come in
• (Romans 1125)

11
The Mystery is Finished

• . . . but in the days of the voice of the seventh
  angel, when he is about to sound, then the
  mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His
  servants the prophets.
• Revelation 107

12
Christ is the Center of the Mystery

• As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied
  of the grace that would come to you made careful
  searches and inquiries, seeking to know what
  person or time the Spirit of Christ within them
  was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of
  Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed
  to them that they were not serving themselves,
  but you, in these things which now have been
  announced to you through those who preached the
  gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven
  -- things into which angels long to look.
• (1 Peter 110-12)

13
Pay Attention to What Has Been Revealed!

• God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in
  the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
  in these last days has spoken to us in His Son,
  whom He appointed heir of all things, through
  whom also He made the world. (Hebrews 11-2)
• For this reason we must pay much closer
  attention to what we have heard, so that we do
  not drift away from it. For if the word spoken
  through angels proved unalterable, and every
  transgression and disobedience received a just
  penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so
  great a salvation? (Hebrews 21-3a)

14
Stay Fixed on Christ and His Cross!

• Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of
  witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside
  every encumbrance and the sin which so easily
  entangles us, and let us run with endurance the
  race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on
  Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for
  the joy set before Him endured the cross,
  despising the shame, and has sat down at the
  right hand of the throne of God.
• (Hebrews 121-2)