The
Unfathomable Riches Of Christ
Pastor
Darrin Wright – November 18, 2007
Introduction
In Ephesians chapter 3, Paul begins
a prayer for believers, but decides to reemphasize and expand on some of the
truths he has already mentioned in chapter 2.
The primary reemphasis is on the great mystery revealed by God, that
Gentiles and Jews are one in Christ, and that there is no longer any
distinction between them.
In verses 1-6, Paul talks about our
stewardship of this great mystery. In
verses 7-13, the apostle Paul expands on the stewardship of this mystery by
referring to and discussing the unfathomable riches of Christ contained in this
great mystery.
I.
The Proclamation Of Christ’s Riches. (vs.7-8)
A.
Paul Was Appointed. (vs.7a)
1.
“of which I
was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to
me”
2.
Paul did not
volunteer for the ministry, he was drafted by Almighty
God.
3.
according to
the gift of God’s grace - Paul’s
appointment was a gift of God’s grace.
4.
The first
gift of God’s grace was the mystery of the gospel (vs.1-6), his second gift was
the ministry entrusted to him.
5.
Paul
recognized that the revelations of truth he received were gifts of God’s
marvelous grace.
6.
Paul’s appointment
to this ministry was not tiresome, but a privilege.
7.
William Barclay – “To give of our time and our talent and our
substance for God, should not be counted a duty to be dragged or coaxed out of
us; it is a privilege which we should be glad to accept.”
B.
Paul Was Anointed. (vs.7b)
1.
“according to
the working of His power”
2.
Paul not only
had the message, he had the power to deliver it.
3.
working – energy
4.
power
– dynamite
5.
Paul received
his ministry by God’s grace and would exercise it by God’s power.
6.
Just like
Paul, God’s grace and power should be at work in our lives as well.
C.
Paul Was Amazed. (vs.8a)
1.
“To me, the
very least of all saints, this grace was given”
2.
Paul
minimized himself, and magnified his office.
3.
least of
all the saints - Paul guarded
against the tendency to take pride in the extraordinary gifts God had given
him.
4.
William Barclay – “If ever we are privileged to preach or teach
the message of the love of God or to do anything for Jesus Christ, we must
always remember that our greatness lies not in ourselves but in our task and in
our message.”
5.
Paul was
amazed at God’s grace at work in his life.
6.
1 Corinthians 15:9-10(NASB) – “For I am the least of the apostles, and not
fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the
7.
Before we can
do what the Lord wants us to do for Him, we must understand what He already has
done for us.
D.
Paul’s Admonishment (vs.8b)
1.
“to preach to
the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ”
2.
The preaching
of Christ enriches the lives of those who hear the gospel – not in some time to
come, but right here and now.
3.
Wherever Paul
preached, hearts were changed, hurts were healed, families were restored, the
bad habits of a lifetime were broken, and lives were filled with joy, hope, and
peace.
4.
Biblical
truth is given to us to be shared, we are not to
monopolize it.
5.
Gentiles – Paul had the privilege of discovering the secret that it was God’s
will that the whole world should be gathered into his love. And he had been given the privilege of making
this secret known to the church and of being the instrument by which God’s
grace went out to the Gentiles.
6.
unfathomable – untrackable; suggests
a labyrinth or maze; the wealth we have in Christ is hidden treasure; we cannot
track it down, but the story of it has been told; inexplorable;
denotes that which is to vast to be measured.
7.
riches of
Christ – refers to the
boundless resources in Christ; they are unsearchable, inexplorable,
untraceable, inexhaustible, illimitable, inscrutable, and incalculable; they
will never come to an end.
8.
Christ – we will never find this wealth apart from Christ.
9.
illustration – Count of Monte Cristo;
the treasure transformed the poor, victimized Edmond Dantes
into the avenging Count of Monte Cristo.
10.
We were in
sin and poverty, but in our hands we have the secret of a hidden treasure in
Christ. All spiritual wealth is in Him,
and all that limitless wealth is ours.
It transformed us from spiritual paupers into wealthy sons of God.
II. The Purpose Of Christ’s
Riches. (vs.9-11)
A.
To Declare Truth To Men. (vs.9)
1.
In this
verse, Paul shifts from the content of the message to the condition of those to
whom it is proclaimed.
2.
He depicts
himself as a teacher whose task it is to bring out the profound implications of
the gospel to those who are in darkness.
3.
This treasure
must be brought to light because it is hidden in God.
4.
The church is
to be a living testimony of the work of God in man, a place where mercy and
grace flow freely for all to see.
5.
David Jeremiah – “Instead of acting like we’ve got it all
together, we should acknowledge that we are nothing without the grace of God;
that we are just pilgrims on our way, stumbling occasionally as we go, and
invite those in the world to join us.
How will they believe God can work in their broken lives if they don’t
see Him working in ours?”
B.
To Display The Truth To Angels (vs.10)
1.
manifold – used to describe flowers, crowns, embroidered
cloth and woven carpets.
2.
wisdom – infinitely diversified; many colored; intricate beauty of an
embroidered pattern; from whichever way you view God’s wisdom, new flashes of
truth blaze forth; we are constantly finding new depths in verses that have
been familiar friends since we first came to Christ.
3.
God’s purpose
in the unfathomable riches of Christ is that the church would be built up to
become the manifestation of God’s wisdom to the rulers and authorities in the
heavenly realms.
4.
rulers and
authorities – refers to
various ranks and orders of angelic beings.
5.
Phillips – The purpose is that all the angelic powers should now see the
complex wisdom of God’s plan being worked out through the church.
6.
It is as if a
great drama is being enacted. History is
the theatre. The world is the
stage. Church members in every land are
the actors. God himself has written the
play – he directs and produces it. Act
by act, scene by scene, the story continues to unfold. The audience is the angels.
7.
Angels saw
the might and power of God in creation.
They saw the wrath of God at Sinai.
They saw the kindness and love of God at calvary. They see the manifold wisdom of God in the
church.
8.
1 Peter 1:12 – “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.”
9.
When Gentiles
and Jews join together in unity, overcoming barriers that used to divide, the
angels must marvel at how the grace of God has brought us together into one new
body of believers.
C.
To Deliver The Eternal Purpose Of God. (vs.11)
1.
Before Adam
and Eve, before the animals, before the plants, before there was light, God
planned to bring about salvation and unity through Christ.
2.
The use of
the church to make known the all-embracing wisdom of God was no afterthought
with Him. The church’s role in the
scheme of redemption was always a part of His plan.
3.
The Father
planned it, the son implemented it, the Spirit
empowered it.
III. The Privileges Of Christ’s
Riches. (vs.12-13)
A.
Secure Relationship (vs.12)
1.
boldness – free speech; absence or restraint of fear;
every believers right to come directly to God, having no other priest,
mediator, or advocate than the Lord Jesus Christ.
2.
Hebrews 4:16 (NASB)- “Therefore let us draw near with
confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace
to help in time of need.”
3.
confident
access – trust that knows no
fear of rejection because we belong to Him.
4.
These words
are bound together so as to form one complete idea, namely, that through faith
in Christ we have free, unrestricted, confident access to God.
5.
We have full
access to God’s presence. We can come
without pomp and ceremony, without formal and ritualistic preparations, without
mediators of any sort. We can come
directly to Him at anytime, day or night, with the confidence of a son or
daughter.
B.
Satisfying Relationship (vs.13)
1.
Paul had been
glorying in his limitless resources in Christ, while in reality he was a
prisoner of
2.
Paul was
trying to reassure his readers since they might face tribulation for their
faith as well.
3.
The outlook
may have appeared glim, but the uplook
was clear.
4.
God hadn’t
lost sight of Paul, and He doesn’t lose sight of us either.
5.
Paul focused on
the glories of heaven as he faced trying circumstances on earth.
6.
Paul’s
afflictions were not a cause to lose heart, but instead we must view them as an
occasion for glorifying God.
7.
lose
heart – behave badly; to give
into evil.
8.
Our
relationship with God can help guard us from discouragement.
Conclusion
“By
grace Paul made known God’s grace to the Gentiles, by grace, Christ made Jew
and Gentile one in His church; and by grace we, Christ’s church, proclaim the
riches of God’s grace to each new generation.”
Toscanni was one of the greatest orchestral conductors in the world. Once, when he was talking to an orchestra as
he was preparing to play one of Beethoven’s symphonies with them, he said: Gentlemen, I am nothing; you are nothing;
Beethoven is everything. He knew that
his duty was not to draw attention to himself or to his orchestra but to let
Beethoven flow through their playing.