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Through the Bible with Les Feldick
LESSON 1 * PART 3 * BOOK 37
Ephesians 3:1-7
Now picking up where we left off in the last lesson, we had gotten down to verse 3 where Paul again is taking credit for having the revelation of the mystery or the secret that has been held in the mind of God ever since the world began, which you pick up down in verse 9. In fact let’s just read verse 9 so that you’ll see why I’m spending so much time on this up here in the first 2 or 3 verses.
Ephesians 3:9a
"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, (secrets) which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God,..."
Now always remember when we speak of the apostle Paul as having the revelations there were other men that followed in his footsteps. Then of course Timothy and Titus, and then there were also probably others, but they were all working in Paul’s footsteps, and each were proclaiming Paul’s Gospel of Grace. Paul makes that so plain in his second letter to Timothy.
"I charge thee therefore before God,...2. II Timothy 4:5-6
So now back to verse 3, where Paul tells us about these secrets.
Ephesians 3:3-4
"How that by revelation (by revealing) he made known unto me the mystery; (these things that had been kept secret) (as I wrote afore in few words, (in chapters 1 and 2) 4. Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)"
All right let’s go back to Romans so we can put some other Scripture verses with this. Romans is the foundational Book of Paul’s letters so far as doctrine in concerned. Romans 16:25
See, Paul was the very first one to preach this Gospel that Jesus died for you, was buried and rose again. No one else in Scripture preaches this as a salvation doctrine. I’ve had people ridiculously try to tell me that Adam was saved by believing the Gospel. The Gospel hadn’t been revealed. No one had a concept, according to Paul, of the Gospel as we now know it. I Peter 1:10-11
"Of which salvation (as we now know in the age of Grace, and I’m sure he is now alluding to Paul’s Gospel at least somewhat.) the prophets (Old Testament writers) have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: (now look at the next verse) 11. what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow."
Genesis 35:18
Benoni was "the son of my suffering." Now read it again.
I Peter 1:11
Now after reading Romans 16:25 a moment ago where Paul says "it’s the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mysteries," let’s come on to I Corinthians chapter 4, and look at another one. I Corinthians 4:1
"Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God."
I Corinthians 4:2
So we’re to be faithful stewards of the mysteries. Notice the word mystery just jumps off the page at you.
I Corinthians 15:51-52
"Behold I shew you a mystery; (Paul is going to tell us something here something that has never even been hinted at anywhere else in the Bible. The Old Testament knew nothing of it. Now reading verse 52.) Since we’re in this chapter, let’s go back to those first four verses and look at another mystery that was only given to Paul. Here it is, this is the Gospel of the Grace of God, and according to Romans 16:25 it had been kept secret since the world began before being given to Paul. "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand: 2. By which (the Gospel) also ye are saved, (now that’s as plain as you can get it.) if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. (now here’s the Gospel we must believe) Because Paul was the one to whom it was first revealed, and oh that’s so hard for people to swallow. Also remember Jesus preached that which was still under the Law. Every word that Jesus taught and preached in His earthly ministry was to the Nation of Israel under the Law. On the other hand that was Paul’s message. Now reading on as we were about to finish the Gospel that God had given him for us in the Church Age.
Now folks that the Gospel! This simply is the message of the Gospel of the Grace of God, or as Paul says in another place "we preached Christ crucified, and risen again." I don’t want to belabor the point, but oh if we can just get folks to understand that these mysteries, these secrets that God never revealed until He revealed them to this chosen vessel to take it to the Gentile world. Ephesians 3:5
So no matter how loyal Paul was to his Lord, yet he suffered, and suffered and finally he died the martyr’s death. Remember Paul was just as human as you and I.

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