In his sermon 'Implication of the Mystery of Christ on the Household of God,' Carl Provost explores Ephesians chapter 3, focusing on the apostle Paul's perspective as a prisoner for the Gentiles. Provost emphasizes the significance of unity and diversity within the church, recounting his experiences at a Presbyterian meeting where different congregations came together in faith. He addresses the issue of pride within the church, confessing his own struggles with theological pride and critiquing the tendency to judge other churches and believers based on external criteria. Provost highlights the 'mystery of Christ' as the unifying gospel that transcends divisions within the church, advocating for humility and recognizing the grace of God as the foundation of the Christian community. The sermon calls for a deeper understanding of what constitutes a true church, stressing the importance of inward conformity to Christ rather than outward appearances, and encourages believers to foster a spirit of love and unity across denominational lines.

Please take your copy of God's Word and turn to Ephesians chapter 3. For this cause I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which is given me to youward, how that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery, as I write afore in a few words, whereby when ye read ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto the holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel, whereof I was made a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of His power. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, we come before You. Father, we thank You for the word that You've given us.

We pray, Father, for the illumination of Your word in our hearts. Help us, Father, to understand and to apply your word and that you would sanctify us in your spirit. We pray in your son Christ Jesus name. Amen. The title of the sermon today is the implications of the mystery of Christ on the household of God.

Coming to the text today and looking at it and trying to determine exactly how I was going to deal with the text and preach, God laid upon my heart a conviction that he's probably been laying on my heart for months now and even possibly this whole year. And convictions that I think were more amplified over this past couple of days. I want to tell you when I went to Presbyterie this past couple days I was greatly blessed by the worship that we had. I know a couple weeks ago I talked about the beautiful diversity of the church and the church unified. And I couldn't help but feel when I was at Presbyterie that that diversity was clearly displayed.

As we worshiped with people from many different walks of life all gathered together and when we gather together as presbyterian we gather together as one church And we sit under the authority of other men who are ordained ministers of the CPC, and we hear the word preached. And we sit in meetings with men, and we don't always agree, but we work out things with the spirit of peace and love and unity. And we make decisions that we all agree to follow. And we understand that when two or three are gathered together in the name of Christ, he is in our midst. And we understand that when the church gathers together and when Presbyteria gathers together to make decisions, that the decisions that we make are the will of Christ for our denomination and for our churches.

I also want to tell you that I was greatly convicted during our time at Presbyterian. There was a message by Steve Walker that talked about prideful churches and humble churches, And he was addressing the corporate sin that many churches have and that he felt that needed to be addressed even in the CPC. For we all struggle with the sin of pride. And I have a confession to make. I have oftentimes been guilty of the sinful pride of being too critical of others, too critical of other churches.

And I had to ask God to forgive me for that. But I also have a conviction that we as a church also have those sins in this congregation. And so when I come to the text today, I want us to look at what it means to be a humble church. A few months back, I had an elder ask me, what exactly do your congregants mean? And I don't even know who he was speaking to.

When he said, when they say you have a pure worship. I said, you know, I really don't know. But I can't help but think that it's pride saying that our worship is pure and that everybody else's is tainted in some way. And I don't know, I don't know if that's what they meant, but I sometimes question if that's what was meant by that. Now I'm going to tell you, I'm going to give some examples today that might make some of you feel that I'm singling somebody out, but I'm not.

So don't take it that way. I'm actually dealing with corporate sin in this message of which I also have been guilty. The corporate sin of pride. We come to the text today, the first Point of the text is the prisoner of Christ. It says, for this cause I paw the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles.

Interesting there. He starts off it says for this cause and actually he's really referring back to the previous two chapters. He's already laid out how they were called and set apart and how the Gentiles are a part of the household of God. In fact, the sermon a few weeks ago was about the household of God and what the household of God should look like and how it embodies people from all nations. And he says, For this cause, I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles.

So why was Paul a prisoner of Christ for the Gentiles? Was it because he had broken some law and was put in prison. See, at this time, Paul had been in prison for five years. Two years in Caesarea and three in Rome. See, he was arrested for the false charges made by the Jews from the province of Asia who were visiting Jerusalem.

And when they were visiting Jerusalem and they saw Paul, he did not have a very good reputation among the Jews in Asia at this time because he preached the gospel to the Gentiles. And they accused him of taking the Gentile, Trothimus, into the forbidden area of the temple. He was tried before the Sanhedrin, and the Jews were set to kill him, to have him stoned. But the Roman governor Felix also tried him, Vestus, even the king of Grippa. In fact, we're told that if he hadn't made an appeal to Caesar, the king of Grippa would have set him free.

He was transported to Rome and he was in a private house in Rome for three years with a Roman soldier to guard him. And from that point is where he wrote many of his letters that are considered oftentimes referred to as the prison epistles. And he was able to minister to the churches and he was able to minister to many that would visit him. He was allowed open visitors to come in and sit with him and he was able to share the gospel. He was able to share the gospel with many people in high places in Rome, as well as that soldier who was bound to spend time with him watching over him.

So what does it mean to be a prisoner of Christ? Actually, Paul at first was brought in by the Jews and the Sanhedrin. Once he made an appeal to Caesar he became a prisoner of Nero. But he says he's a prisoner of Christ. See, what we are seeing here is that it's the perspective of how you view things and react to circumstances, changes.

And react to circumstances, changes. If your circumstances are more important to you, then your perspective is different. If you see your immediate situation and circumstances as the problem, they will control you. They will overcome you. You will not be able to be free from those circumstances.

But when you can look beyond your circumstances to the bigger picture of the sovereignty of God and the plan that God has for each of you. You can recognize that even in the midst of difficulties, that you also are a prisoner of Christ. You might not be in prison, but we are told that we were once slaves to sin, but we are now slaves to Christ. Now Paul was in a prison that was used in a great way for the advancement of the Gospel. And Paul recognized that.

And so he looked at the circumstances from a different perspective, from a divine perspective. That his sovereign Lord had him there for a reason. And we see this when you read about the martyrs throughout the history, those who hold true to the faith in the midst of persecution, in the midst of imprisonment, and we see how God uses them where they're at. We see this in the Old Testament with Joseph. It's about perspective.

It's about an understanding of a divine perspective. James 1, 2 to 4 says, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience, but let patience have perfect work that you may be perfect and entire wanting nothing Count it all joy One of the things we also experienced at Presbyteria was a story of how Nang Tang's ministry began in Myanmar. And many of us were sitting there and heard the story, so they don't need all the details. But basically, we got to hear how he went from a small village that at one time was in the grasp of paganism, with animal worship and sacrifices. And how that village became Christian and how Nang Tang continued to minister.

And how he felt that God was calling him to the big city. Where many didn't think he could survive and he went there and God provided for him abundantly. And how he would make trips back to these villages. And to the point of having 16 churches throughout these villages of men that he had trained in churches that were planted there. With no resources, how he took children in, up to 30 orphans and cared for them in his home, not knowing how he would feed them, but knowing that God would provide.

A great faith that was demonstrated. A man who still makes the difficult trip that oftentimes can take days out to these villages to encourage them. He also said that it's a great encouragement to take those that go to Myanmar back to these villages, which is actually against the law in Myanmar, to take what they would consider an expat, somebody not from that country, out to these villages. But he stood and he said that it was worth it because it was such an encouragement to his people and they begged for the people to come back, that if the government was to put him in jail, it would be worth it. For the advancement of the kingdom, he said, I'm willing to go to prison, even at gunpoint.

Because he understands divine perspective. See, we must also have a divine perspective, because we are in the kingdom of God. But we're in what's referred to here in the second verse. It says, if you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you word. The Dispensation of the grace of God.

So what is that? The word dispensation actually in the King James here is probably in its older use, which is not used much anymore. Your newer translations will use steward. And what it can actually mean is an administrator of a household. In fact you could probably interpret this too.

Paul was made an administrator of the household of the grace of God. Now the word there for the steward or administrator is actually the word, Greek word for house and the word for law put together. And I can't help but make a connection with verse 22 where the church is called the household of God. And they are now in the administration of the grace of God. It's no longer under the old administration.

It's no longer under the old covenant with the sacrificial systems and the ceremonial laws in which the only way that these Ephesians could become a part of the Church of God was to be circumcised and submit to ceremonial cleansings to become a proselyte Jew and still would only be allowed in the outer court of the temple. But these words say that there is a dispensation of grace, an administration of grace of God. And that is what marks out the Church of Christ Jesus. It is the Church that has been bought and paid for. The sins have been atoned for.

There is no more need for sacrifice. And all have become equal under the headship of Christ. There is no more need for a physical temple because the church is the temple of God. We've all been built up into one body. See, the Pharisees were those who held to, for lack of, or for just maybe a better understanding in a term that we would understand, they were sort of the regulative, they were those who held to the regulative principle of old covenant worship.

They were the ones who made sure that the worship was done according to God's command in all of the ceremonies and laws. Jesus spoke to them and he called them things like Brutal Vipers. But it wasn't because of their external adherence to the laws, because internally they were dead. He said they were whitewashed tombs. But actually they were the most religious, they were the ones who the most closely adhered to God's law.

But yet they were not truly the Church of God. See, oftentimes we also develop systems, of all that term from Steve Walker. We develop systems where we mark out and define what a true church is and what a true believer is and I'm not saying they're all wrong But we have to be careful that we don't become modern-day Pharisees. Do we sometimes make the probable mistake of thinking that Christians must conform to our outward systems of theology to be a Christian? Or that a church must conform to our confession to be a true church.

In this congregation, I have heard people openly laugh at the absurdity of the name of a Baptist preacher being presented in the same conversation that included Greg Bonson. I'm saying that's theological pride. For gospel preachers, we might not agree on all things, but men that are truly regenerate preachers of the gospel are our brothers in Christ. I have seen us become critical of contemporary authors where we, where a believer is sharing some book that is edifying and that oftentimes we offer a book that meets maybe our criteria better in place of it. I have seen us pick apart the book that we've used for the afternoon session to the point that it doesn't even seem to be edifying anymore.

I believe these things are theological pride, corporate pride of our church. I believe that many of us, including myself, have oftentimes engaged in a theological pride that looks down our noses at other views. We have become quick to correct others, but slow to listen. We must Remember that it's not outward conformity that saves us, but inward conformity. Trusting in Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior, trusting in the gospel of Christ.

So what is the true church? What defines it? We see something spoken of here about the mystery of Christ. In the remaining verses here, verses three, it says, how that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery, as I write afore in a few words. And what he's saying there is, as I've already revealed to you in the first two chapters, he's not speaking of another book that he sent to the Ephesians.

He's speaking of these first two chapters. He says, whereby when you read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ. He wants them to understand how he came to this understanding of the mystery of Christ. He says, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. Now we know that the Old Testament clearly spoke that God would save the Gentiles also.

We see references to that in the Old Testament. But what was not clearly seen was the gospel of grace. How would it be accomplished? The Jews were expecting Christ to come. They were expecting the Gentiles to become part of the Jewish nation to be saved.

But that was not God's intent. That was just a foreshadowing. God's intent was to save people through the gospel of grace. And that all would become the same, equal heirs to the throne of grace. That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.

Equal with the Jews. There is no divisions. See, we make many divisions where none are necessary. And I'm not saying all divisions are unnecessary. I believe there's a reason we have denominations.

But even in our own denomination, I think at times we divide in areas that are not necessary. So what does this church look like? This church is unified by the gospel of Christ, by the mystery of Christ. Verse seven says, or the end of verse 6 says, promise in Christ by the gospel. And it says, wherefore I was made a minister according to the gifts of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

He was administer, over the administration of the household of God, he was to administer the gospel to all people, all nations. That is the mystery of Christ. The application of the gospel to all nations. The fact that he is the head and we are the body. The fact that the church is the temple of God and replaces the physical temple.

So how would we respond if a known prostitute came in to our church and sat down? First century church dealt with this. In fact, in Corinth, They were known to have over a thousand temple prostitutes. And one of the things that a temple prostitute would do would shave her head. So you can imagine if one of these prostitutes comes to Christ, it's going to be a while before She's not going to have that mark on her that labeled her as a prostitute.

What about if a Rosalie Butterfield came in and sat among us? As you've heard Peter often mention, one who looks... In the way she dresses and carries herself like a lesbian. And one who sat in a church for many weeks and even months I believe before she came to Christ Because there was something that compelled her about the love that was shown to her by this minister. How would we respond?

The first century church had to deal with this. There was rampant homosexuality in many of these Greek cities. They would have had converts that were formerly homosexuals. This is not just a modern problem. See, the mystery of Christ, the gospel, is the unifying factor of the church.

So the question is, what is the church? We oftentimes, in fact, one of the questions that can be asked, what are the marks of the church? And I'm sure many of you can repeat them. The faithful, sometimes the word pure is used in place of that preaching of the word of God. The right, also sometimes pure is used in place of that administration of the sacraments and the exercise of church discipline.

I wonder if we went to Myanmar today if those 16 churches would meet our criteria of what a true church is. God oftentimes works in contexts where things are a little different. And oftentimes the church is in its infancy, and it's growing, and there's sanctification taking place. Does that mean they're no longer the true church? See, I don't believe that the Westminster divines were as narrow as we sometimes make them out to be.

In fact, in chapter 25 of the Westminster Confession, it says, The Catholic or universal church which is invisible consists of the whole number of the elect that have been or shall be gathered into one under Christ the head thereof, And then the house, the body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. The visible church, which is also Catholic or universal, under the gospel, not confined to one nation, as before under the law, consist of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion and of their children, and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation." They're again referring to the familial term that we looked at a couple weeks ago that means the family or household of God. Until this Catholic visible church Christ hath given the ministry, oracles, and ordinances of God for the gathering and perfecting of the saints in this life to the end of the world and doth by His own presence and spirit according to His promise make them effectual therein too. This Catholic Church have been sometimes more and sometimes less visible.

In particular churches which are members thereof are more or less pure. See the divines there are allowing for sanctification in these churches. Some are more and some are less pure, but they allow them to be churches. According to the doctrine the gospel is taught and embraced, ordinances administered in public worship performed more or less purely in them. They're allowing for some differences in public worship.

The purest churches under heaven are subject both to mixture and error. And some have so degenerated as to become no churches of Christ. We recognize that happens. And they become but synagogues of Satan. Nevertheless, there shall always be a church on earth to worship God according to His will." And it says, There is no other head of the Church but the Lord Jesus Christ, nor can the Pope of Rome in any sense be the head thereof.

I'm not saying that our distinctives are unimportant. I hold to the Westminster Confession of Faith. In fact, I had to state any exceptions where I took none. I believe what the Westminster confession teaches about the identification of a church. But I think we need to recognize that there is a bit of liberty to allow other churches that maybe aren't as mature to come along.

And to have the humility to recognize that maybe at times we don't have it all right. Maybe there's something that we need to be sanctified in. I'm not saying that we shouldn't hold these things dear to our hearts, because these things are important to us. We do things out of conviction. But I am saying that the true church is where the Spirit of Christ is.

And that I believe it's possible that you could have a church that by many indications looks like a true church, but there is no spirit there. Unregenerate men in the pulpit, unregenerate people in the pews. But yet, they meet some kind of criteria that from the outside externals just like the Pharisees they look like a church. My prayer is that the mystery of Christ would unite us, not only locally here in this congregation, but with our brothers and sisters around us in this community, in our denomination, and in other denominations as well. Let us love those who are in Christ from other churches Let us be long-suffering with one another and I pray that we know as A church that we are known as a church where the spirit of Christ is and that people come here because they see the spirit of Christ.

Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father we come before you. We thank you Father for your word. We pray that you would apply your word to our hearts, Father. Help us to be unified under your head, the headship of Christ Jesus.

To be those who clearly love one another, encourage one another, lift up one another. And that we would be a compassionate church where the Spirit of Christ is clearly displayed by the love that we have for one another. I pray in your Son, Christ Jesus' name, Amen.