I'm going to go back to Ephesians
chapter 3 again. I'm going to read verses 8, 9, and 10. Ephesians 3, verse 8. Unto me, who am less than the
least of all saints, is this grace given? that I should preach
among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make
all men see what it is, the fellowship of the mystery, which from the
beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things
by Jesus Christ. to the intent that now, unto
the principalities and powers and heavenly places, might be
known by the church the manifold wisdom of God. That's gonna be
my subject today, the manifold wisdom of God, and in this place,
in Ephesians chapter three, part of that is the unsearchable riches
of Christ. Before I get started, I wanna
tell you something. As far as I can tell, now I know there's
more, but there's two major problems with preaching the gospel. One
is sometimes the preacher can be misunderstood. It happens. Through no fault of either party,
somebody heard it a little differently or heard it anyway, it doesn't
matter. But here's the other problem,
the one that most people don't talk about. They understand what you're saying.
Now, that can be good and that can be bad. Well, I think I was
thinking on the way up here of all the people who have left
this assembly. It finally came to understand
what we were saying. That's why most of them left.
Wasn't a misunderstanding. It was an understanding and I
intense dislike for what we were saying anyhow Today I just want
to continue on a bit in the manifold wisdom of God as Paul related
in Ephesians chapter 3 It's just a small little thing called the
unsearchable riches of Christ Huge because here's the thing
We only know a few of his riches and the only reason we know them
is because they were written down for us. They were written
down for us here. They are unsearchable. That means
no man can know them all except the man, Christ Jesus. But we
do have some of them told us in his gospel. That's expressly
what Paul tells us here. What's he say? Unto me, who am
the less than least of all the saints, is this great grace given
that I should preach? What? The unsearchable riches
of Christ. This is about the gospel, folks. The unsearchable riches of Christ,
as all we can know of them, are revealed in his gospel. The gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, Paul was formerly known
as Saul, was the apostle to the Gentiles. I may have said this
a couple weeks ago, I don't know. But, however, Paul was not the
first person to preach to the Gentiles. Peter was. Peter was sent by Jesus Christ
to a man named Cornelius. And it took a little bit of doing
to get Peter to go. We have that in Acts. I think,
what, Acts chapter 10. Cornelius was the Gentile whose
prayer was heard by God. And he sent Peter there to preach
to him the gospel. And lo and behold, by the power
of God, it was received. It was received. Now, in Acts 15, let me just turn
there just for a second. This is related by Peter to the brethren. Paul and Barnabas had showed
up, that's verse two, had a dissension with some people that came down
from Judea, right? Telling them that unless the
Gentiles were circumcised, they couldn't be saved. And Paul said,
No. You might have said God forbid,
I don't know. It doesn't say that here, but
it wouldn't surprise me. Wherefore, when therefore Paul
and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they
determined that they'd go up to Jerusalem, and that's what
they did. Now, There rose up certain of the
sect of the Pharisees, verse five, which believed, saying
it was needful to circumcise them and to command them to keep
the law of Moses. And the apostles and elders came
together to consider this. And when there had been much
disputing, Peter stood up. Peter rose up and said, unto
them men and brethren, you know how a good while ago, God made
choice among us that the Gentiles, by my mouth, should hear the
word of the gospel and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts,
bear them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did
unto us. Here's the folks. And put no
difference between us and them. Purifying their hearts by faith.
And now, therefore, why tempt ye God? Why tempt ye God? That's what you're doing if you're
gonna start preaching the law. Why tempt ye God to put a yoke
upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor
we were able to bear? But we believe through the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved even as they. And then all the multitude kept
silence and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul. saying what they had brought
and what God had brought, excuse me, among the Gentiles. I tell you, folks, Paul started preaching in Acts
13 to Jews and Gentiles, and the Jews rejected him in Acts
13. And he said, what, lo, we turn
unto the Gentiles. And we talked about that. I talked
about that last week. The knowledge in the mystery
of Christ. That's verse four of Ephesians
three. Verse six says that the Gentiles
should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of
his promise in Christ by the gospel. Now, let's be clear. Paul didn't preach a different
gospel to the Gentiles. He preached the same gospel he
preached to the Jews and the Gentiles. He preached, and what
he tells us here, the unsearchable riches of Christ. Oh, I like
that. Look in First Corinthians, chapter
one, in verse 17. I went too far. I forgot to set my bookmarks,
folks. First Corinthians chapter one and verse 17. For Christ sent me not to baptize,
but to preach the gospel. Not with wisdom of words, lest
the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the
preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. Unto us which are saved it is
the power of God Same gospel same gospel Misunderstood and
understood My for it is written. I will destroy the wisdom of
the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent
Where is the wise where is the scribe? Where's the disputer
of this world? Hath not God made foolish what
the wisdom of this world? Verse 21 for after that here
we go folks in the wisdom of God The world by wisdom, the
wisdom of this world, knew not God. It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. There's a verse in Acts, and
I forget exactly where it is, where it says, talk about Paul
preached, right? Some people believe what Paul
preached, and some people did not. That's what we have here. To those that perish, the preaching
of Christ is foolishness. But to those who believe, what?
What? It is the power of God. Oh, I like that. For the Jews
require a sign. and the Greeks seek after wisdom,
but we preach Christ crucified, and to the Jews, a stumbling
block, and unto the Greeks, foolishness. Now that's talking about the
two different types of misunderstanding. To the Jews who are religious,
preaching Christ is a stumbling block. And preaching the grace
of Jesus Christ is a stumbling block now to most Baptists. to most Methodist, to most Presbyterian. But to the Greek foolishness,
to those who are not religious, it's a fantasy. It's a fantasy. But unto them, here we go, which
are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the
wisdom of God. Understand eight times in this
passage Paul uses the word wisdom Wisdom Christ was sent Paul to preach
not to baptize and not with the wisdom of words just to preach
the plain truth. Oh my But Paul was sent to preach what
the wisdom of God in the gospel of Christ. Oh, I like that. To some, it's foolish, but not
to believers. To some, it's a stumbling stone,
but not to believers. Oh, I'm going to tell you something,
folks. The true gospel preach will affect
people. And like I said this morning,
It'll affect them with understanding. It'll affect them with misunderstanding. This is where we are right now. There's no difference. So what
are some of these things, unsearchable riches of Christ, that Paul preached? I'm going to tell you the first
one is this, redemption. Redemption. Because Paul preached
to the Gentiles, and to the Jews. Redemption is by the blood of
our Lord Jesus Christ. He shed his blood for his people,
and it was shed from his own body. He shed while on the tree. It was shed while he bore our
sins in his own body on the tree. And by this one offering, the
offering of his blood, Christ obtained plenteous, eternal redemption
for us, for his people. Oh, I like that. And by this
one offering, Christ Jesus, you can read in Hebrews, he sanctified
and perfected forever. Wow, I like that. His people,
his people. Because I'm gonna tell you something,
After his death, Jesus Christ went to the holy place made without
hands, that is to say, in heaven, and offered his blood to the
Father, and it was accepted. His blood was accepted. He is
accepted. Oh, I like that. He redeemed
us with his precious blood. That's part of the unsearchable
riches of Jesus Christ. I like that, I do. And that's
what we preach here. You understand that the redemption
is done. It was a one-time act. It was
pointed to all through the Old Testament scriptures, a bunch
of those offerings that were offered. Blood was shed, blood
was shed, blood was shed. That all pointed to this moment
right here when our Lord Jesus Christ took his blood before
the Father. Shed his blood for his people
and offered it to the Father. Didn't offer it to us. Wouldn't
do us any good that way. He offered it to the Father and
the Father accepted it. The Father accepted him, the
Father accepted his sacrifices, offering his person. And by his blood, we are redeemed. Redeemed. Oh, I like that. Because with his precious blood
being shed, there is redemption for his people. Second thing I want to point
out is substitution. This redemption was because of his substitution. He spoke of it himself. He said,
the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. And Jesus
Christ did. He did give his life for his
sheep, for his sheep. I'm going to tell you something,
folks. He took our place. He took our sins, and he took
our place. And because of this, because
he bore our sins on the tree, our sins are gone, are gone. He was our substitute. They were
perfectly punished, paid for by the Lord of glory. The wages
of sin is death. That's what the scripture says. He paid that price. He paid that
price. Our sins are gone because he
was punished for them in his body, on the tree. He took our
sins. And our sins were laid upon him. And it says it, folks. He became
sin. He was made sin. for us. That doesn't say he was made
a sinner. He says he was made sin. Might
think I'm splitting hairs, but this is what it says. And that's
all I got. I got what the book says. He was my substitute. And if
you believe him, he was your substitute. Oh, my. I'm going to tell you something.
Because believers had earned the wages of sin. Those were
ours. That's what we earned. That's
what all unbelievers earned. And believers, we've earned our
sins. We've earned the wages of sin,
which is death. But he, the Lord Jesus Christ,
knowingly, willingly, and lovingly tasted our death. took our death
because we couldn't do it and survive. He did it and we survived
because of him. Because of him. Oh. He took our death upon himself,
but he who is life deserved life. But he hung there on a tree.
He gave his life for his sheep. That's what he did. Jesus Christ
died that we would live in him. He took our place. He took our
stead in death. And now in him, we have eternal
life. That's the third thing. Life. And I also have on here life
and faith. Because I'm going to tell you
something, folks. Life comes first. But here's
the other thing. Faith comes next. Life is one of the unsearchable
riches of Christ because He is life and He gives life. Christ gives unto his people
eternal life. Why? That they should never perish. Oh, I like that. I like that.
You understand, I worry about perishing. In him, if I keep him in forefront,
in him, I don't have to worry about perishing. That's my problem. That's my doubts. That's my fears. But in him, all the promises
of God are yay and amen. And that promise of eternal life
is just as sure as any other promise of God. Oh, I like that. He has power. It said, pray unto
the Father, John 17. He has given him power over all
flesh that he might give eternal life to those Now it's given
him. Those that the father gave to
him, he gives eternal life. Those are the ones he was a substitute
for. Those are the ones he redeemed. It's all the same bunch of people.
Oh, I like that. Oh, he has power over all flesh
that he should give eternal life to as many as the father has
given to the son. He gives life By grace, we didn't
earn it. And we don't keep it. That's
in Ephesians 2. Verse 5, even when we were dead
in sins, hath quickened us together. What's that? Given us life. Quickened us together with Christ,
and here it is, folks, by grace, You are saved. I remember what
Earl always said about that. He couldn't hold it in any longer
until verse eight. He had to say it here. That in the ages to come he might
show the exceeding what? Riches of his grace and his kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are you saved through
faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. not of works, lest any man should
boast. For we are his workmanship created
in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained
that we should walk in them. Wherefore remember that ye being
in time past Gentiles in the flesh who are called the uncircumcision
by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hand. that
at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise,
having no hope, and without God in the world. That's where we
all were. And yet, ho, even when we were
dead in sin, he hath quickened us. Life. It's part of the unsearchable
riches of Christ that we preach. Jesus Christ gives life to his
people, eternal life, because that's his life. The Lord Jesus Christ gives life
and that life is eternal. And that means his life in you
never ends. That's what eternal means. I'm
sorry. If you think you can be saved,
and then you can be lost, and then you can be saved, and then
you can be lost, and you can get eternal life and lose it,
it wasn't eternal. It's not eternal. You understand? Because the life that we now
live, we live by the faith of Jesus Christ. He is our life. Just as he is our peace, he's
our hope, he's our life. He gives you eternal life. What
God does, it's forever. It's forever. If he gives eternal
life, and he does, it says it, it's forever. Nothing can be
put to it, nothing can be taken from it. I'm gonna tell you something,
folks, you can't make eternal life better. I mean, you know, anyway. Whoever believes in him will
not perish, but has eternal life. Life comes first. Christ is also the author and
finisher of faith. And he also gives faith. What? Just read it. For by grace are
you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, It's
the gift of God. We believe through the working
of his mighty power. Power. Oh, I like that. Oh, life
comes before faith. However, faith is given to those
that he gives eternal life. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
this is John six and verse 47, he that believeth on me, everlasting life. If you believe, you already have
eternal life. Life always comes first, but
then faith always comes. Oh, I like that. Jesus Christ
is the only way to God. Jesus Christ is the only truth
of God. And Jesus Christ is the life
and he is the light. He gives us more riches, more
blessings than we can know. They are unsearchable. We know
a little bit about redemption, but that's all we know. All we
know is what's written here. The Son came to do the will of
the Father. Now listen, that includes redemption,
substitution, life and faith. And the son did the will of the
father. The son is ever sitting on the
right hand of the majesty on high and ever live it to make
the intercession for his people, for his sheep. Oh, I like that. Jesus says unto him, I am the
way, the truth and the life. You didn't stop there though.
No man. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. By me. Oh, I like that. Paul told us in Ephesians 3 that
he preached the unsearchable riches of Christ to us Gentiles. and to the Jews. Read it last,
well, it was two weeks ago, but last time I was here. But he
has abolished the flesh, the enmity, even the law of commandments
contained in the ordinances for to make in himself of Twain one
new man, so making peace. He abolished the commandments
for his people. He kept them. He kept them. Oh, I like that. And Paul preaches
to us what determined to know nothing among you save Jesus
Christ and him crucified. And his crucifixion and resurrection
and ascension. We have redemption. Oh, my perfect,
plenteous, eternal redemption. We have substitution. Perfect
substitution he took upon himself all of our sins In his crucifixion and his resurrection
and his ascension he gives us life Eternal life. Oh Blessed be the God and father
of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, in Christ. Because
I'm gonna tell you something, folks, to preach Jesus Christ
and him crucified is to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. We've been given the good news
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul preached this gospel to
us by his letters, by his letters. Oh, and he preached it to other
people in person. He preached the gospel of God,
the gospel of the grace of God, the glorious gospel of the blessed
God, the gospel of his son, the gospel of Christ, the glorious
gospel of Christ, and here, the gospel of peace. The gospel of
peace. Oh, I like that. Oh. Verse 16 of Ephesians chapter
three. that he would grant you according
to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by
his spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your
hearts by faith, that ye being rooted and grounded in love,
in love. may be able to comprehend with
all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height,
and to know what the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,
that ye may be filled with all the fullness of God. The love
of Jesus Christ for his people is part of the unsearchable riches
of Christ. He loves his people. He loves us. I'm going to include
myself in that, because that feels good. It does. You understand? There's a question
people ask themselves, and I've asked it, and I'm sure some of
you have, if not all of you. Why would God save me? Understand? I got no idea. I think that's one thing, the
love of Jesus Christ. He loved his people. And he saves
those whom he loves. Now, if you want to go further
back and say, why does he love me? I've got no idea about that.
You understand, there's nothing in me, and I'm going to tell
you, there's nothing in you, nothing in any of you, that's
lovely or lovable. preached some while ago about
such were some of you. That's what we all were. Liars,
adulterers, fornicators, whatever. There's a whole litany there.
You don't have to hit all of them, but you'll hit some of
them. And yet, Christ loved us and bore our sins in his body
on the tree. He took our place. Why? because
he loved us. And his love is unsearchable. There's no way we can comprehend
the love of Christ for us. The only thing that maybe surpasses
the love of Christ for his people is the love of God, love of Christ
for the Father. The love of the Father for the
Son. Because we're all accepted by the Father in the Son, who
redeemed us, who was our substitute, who is our substitute, and who
gives us life and faith, and shows us just a little, what
we can comprehend just a little, of His love. Oh, I like that. He's the message. He's the message. that Christ may dwell in your
hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth
and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ
which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the
fullness of God. God is love. Jesus Christ is
God, and Jesus Christ loves, loves, present tense, us, his
people. Oh, I like that. This is the
Christ whom we preach. The Christ who saves those whom
a father has given to him. The Christ who gives life and
faith and repentance to his people. You understand, Christ is all
we preach because he is the message. That's what Paul just said. And
to know the love of Christ would pass as knowledge. Yes, he does. We see, what Paul said, through
a glass darkly. Whenever I think about that,
I used to think where I worked at a hydraulic shop, I used to
be in charge of the lenses for the welding helmet. You put one
of them things on in daylight, you can't see nothing. You go
outside, you can see the sun. We used them during an eclipse.
Here's the thing, though. Thank God we do see. Even through a glass darkly,
we can't know the unsearchable riches of Christ, but we can
know a little bit about him, and we can know him, because
he's revealed himself to us. Hmm. Christ is who we preach. Christ is all we preach. And
some people, part of that misunderstanding and part of that understanding
is Christ isn't enough. Jesus Christ is not enough for
you. You don't know Christ. That's all it is, folks, because
he is all and in all. Oh, I want to know Christ. I
do want to know some of the riches of Christ, because in all of
our blessing, everything we have is part of his unsearchable riches
toward us. Oh, my. He's given us so much,
and we really don't know how much. We don't. But here's the thing. You can
know that all of it is in Him. It is. He's the fullness of the
Godhead bodily. Paul told us that all things
were created by Jesus Christ. Oh, I like that. All of our blessings
and all of our riches are in Him. William Gadsby wrote this. For
such to hear and know, salvation is of God. That Jesus will bestow
the riches of his love on sinners who have not to bring, he will
make their very souls to sin. I like that. I like that. Our Lord has done so much for us, done so much to us, given so
much for us and to us. We try. to preach the unsearchable
riches of Christ. And I want to hear of the unsearchable
riches in Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father, we're thankful
again for this time in this place. Lord, that you have done. It is your salvation. And you have
given it to your people. You bought us, you paid for us,
you suffered for us, you died for us, you bled for us, and
you give us life and faith and hope and peace with God. Gordon, thank you. Thank you for all you have done
and all you are doing. Be with us as we go on from here.
In Christ's name we pray.