The Unsearchable Riches of Christ

And it's good to have John back with us after his hip surgery. Good to see him up and about. If you were a member of an organization that was by invitation only, and only probably a couple thousand, one out of probably every couple thousand people in your area were invited into this organization, you would no doubt feel pretty privileged.

And yet, we look at empty pews and we get discouraged. And would I love to see them all packed and chairs down the aisle? Certainly. But we need to look at things, I think, a little differently sometimes than we do. The Lord's people have never been in the majority. They've always been few, always will be few. And yet the scriptures tell us, and in glory it'll be a number that no man can number. So let us rejoice in the fact that we are among those that are chosen in Christ because it seemed good to our eternal, blessed Savior.

It has nothing to do with the message. It's just been on my mind lately. So back to Ephesians 3. Now in verse 8 of our text, Paul says that because of the grace given unto him, that he has the privilege to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. That's what I've titled this message.

The unsearchable riches of Christ. I hope that the Lord will enable me to show you some of these riches that we can rejoice in. Now, when we think of this word riches, we think of lots of money, somebody with lots of money. Elon Musk, maybe. But when it comes to the riches of God toward chosen sinners, it means much, much more than having lots of money. It is speaking of God's abundant, exceeding, overflowing, unlimited wealth of His storehouse of grace, goodness, wisdom, long-suffering, mercy, forbearance, glory, and knowledge.

Now be turning with me to Exodus 34 while I read this verse from the Psalm. Exodus 34. While you're turning, David wrote in Psalm 104, 24, O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom, thou has made them all. The earth is full of thy riches. Now, in Exodus 34, when Moses was on the Mount the second time, making two more tablets of stone after he had broken the first two. The Lord spoke to him in Exodus 34 and starting in verse five, we read this and the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there. and proclaim the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.

And that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children and upon the children's children, unto the third and fourth generation. This is the second place that we find the Lord proclaiming his goodness and mercy towards sinners to this man, Moses. But he also includes a warning here that even though he promises to forgive iniquity, that there is a price also to be paid for disobedience to God's commandments. And that price is sometimes passed on to the father from the father to the son to the grandson, and even sometimes to the great-grandson.

But I want to look at some scriptures today that show us what Paul meant when he mentioned the unsearchable riches of Christ. This word unsearchable means it's something that cannot be understood by research, something hidden or mysterious. But God reveals these things to his people. certainly aren't monetary riches or the accumulation of worldly goods by no means.

The Lord Jesus warned us in Mark 4 19 of the deceitfulness of riches. But what did he mean by that? What is the deceitfulness of riches? This word deceitful, it means the action of keeping the truth hidden. And that is what riches do to the mind of natural man. They give them a false Sense of assurance.

Surely they think, if God wasn't just happy with me, I surely wouldn't have all these goods. I must be doing something right. Now turn over to Luke with me. This is illustrated in the parable of the rich man in Luke 12. A familiar text, but it makes the point that I'm trying to make. Luke chapter 12, starting in verse 16.

And he spake a parable unto them saying the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. And he thought within himself saying, what shall I do? Because I have no room where to bestow my fruits. And he said, this will I do. I will pull down my barns and build greater. And there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, so thou has much goods laid up for many years. Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then who, whose shall these things be which thou has provided?

So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. This man was swimming in wealth. I mean, he had more than he could possibly spend in a dozen lifetimes. But he found out when it was far too late that his wealth was not a blessing, but rather a curse. When God said to him, thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee. And then whose shall these things be men realize most of them much too late that they have traded their eternal soul for a handful of worldly goods that they're going to die and leave to others.

And our Lord also warned us of this when he said in Matthew 1923, verily, I say unto you that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. But Paul wrote here of a different kind of riches, riches, which shall never tarnish. or fade away. The riches that are found in the storehouse of God, our Lord Jesus Christ himself.

Now we read this in Romans two verses three and four. Paul wrote, and thinkest thou this, O man that judges them would do such things and do us the same, that thou shall escape the judgment of God or despises thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long suffering. not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance.

The first thing mentioned in this verse is the riches of his goodness. David rejoiced in God's goodness toward him when he wrote that familiar verse in Psalm 23. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Now, David wrote much of the goodness of God in the psalm. Let me read just a couple of verses. Psalm 31, 19, David wrote, Oh, how great is thy goodness, which thou has laid up for them that fear thee, which thou has wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men. I like what David said about this goodness of God.

First, he says that our Lord has laid up this goodness for us, for his people. Those were told in that verse that fear him like a farmer would lay up in a silo, perhaps great quantities of grain. So our Lord has stored up an inexhaustible supply of his goodness toward his chosen ones. But this also explains something else, how that the goodness was produced, how it was wrought for his people.

This word wrought means something that is shaped by being beaten as a blacksmith would wrought a piece of iron. And I thought about that, and I thought, what an apt description of how our Savior secured our redemption. He was beaten. He was pounded under the terrible hammer of God's unrelenting wrath. And because the Scriptures tell us that we were shapen in iniquity, our Savior also had to be shapen, had to be beaten to pay the price for our iniquity. David also wrote in Psalm 33, verse 5, He loveth righteousness and judgment.

The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. God's goodness doesn't just extend to his elect. His goodness is enjoyed by all men in the sense of him keeping the rain falling and the sun shining and of him providing the daily needs of men and women around the world. But those benefits are only supplied to lost men and women because of God's elect living among them. Christ told his disciples this in Matthew 545 that God maketh his son to rise on the evil and the good and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. And lastly, this verse tells us that this goodness of God leads us to repentance.

Never do we find judgment in Scripture ever, not a single instance of leading a man or woman to repentance. It simply hardens their heart and turns him away from God. Now, Romans 2, 4 then speaks of the riches of his forbearance. Now, this word forbearance is not a word that we use much or hear much.

It means tolerance, patience and restraint in the face of provocation. and men provoked the Lord with every breath of unbelief and sin. John Bunyan, that great Puritan preacher, wrote the best definition of sin that I have ever read. He wrote this. Sin is the dare of God's justice, the rape of his mercy, the jeer of his patience, the slight of his power, and the contempt of his love. God's Word says that He is angry with the wicked every day, and yet for the elect's sake, He tolerates this daily provocation of His patience.

But more than that, we have great reason to rejoice in God's forbearance in our own lives before we were given faith to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. We were at one time, the Scriptures tell us, the enemies of God, hating Him from the womb, Our carnal mind despised any mention of a true sovereign who does all things according to his purpose and answers to no man and cares not for the thoughts of men. Romans tells us that Christ died for us when we were yet enemies of God, but because he had chosen us in Christ before he ever formed this world, he was forbearing toward us, keeping us safe and alive until the time of love, that time that he would give us a new heart and spiritual life in Christ. And because he has been forbearing with us, this word instructs us to be forbearing to one another.

Ephesians four verses one and two. I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith year called with all loneliness and meekness with long suffering forbearing one another in love and Colossians 3 13. forbearing one another and forgiving one another. If any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Now, the last thing we find here in Romans two, four, it speaks of the riches of God's long suffering.

And this is also a word that we don't hear much long suffering. It has a similar meaning to the word forbearance. It means long, patient endurance of insult, abuse, and mistreatment, this putting up with, by God, of the constant sinning of lost men and women. But again, this is done for two reasons. One, for the glory of his name, and two, for the benefit of his elect.

We know this from a couple of scriptures in particular. In Matthew 24, our Lord is speaking of the last days, and in verse 22, he says this, and except those days be shortened, There shall no flesh be saved, but for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened. And Peter wrote of this in 2 Peter 3, starting in verse 4, verses that we're thoroughly familiar with. He writes of wicked men mocking and asking, where is the promise of his coming?

For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have from the beginning. People say, you Christians, you have been throwing this in our face for thousands of years, that this thing of hell and this thing of punishment, and God's not going to put up with this, but nothing changes. The world goes on. We don't see anything happening any different.

But Paul warned that God is not mocked. Peter explains in verse nine of this third chapter of second Peter, The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but his long suffering to us were not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

The long suffering spoken of here extends only to God's elect. Those chosen by him in Christ before He spoke this world into existence. This is the reason that our Lord has not returned to this earth, because the last elect had not been given faith to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

But you can be assured when that happens, God's longsuffering will come to a screeching halt. There will only be one thing remaining for lost men and women, That will be the unimaginably fierce wrath of an angry God. Now, the next thing we see spoken of concerning the riches of God is the riches of His glory.

In Romans 9, Paul is dealing with the sovereign right of God to choose whom He would to salvation and to leave others. Verse 18 says, Therefore hath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will, He hardeneth. God does not simply leave some men in unbelief. He hardens their heart to where it is impossible. They could sit under the Gospel 24-7, and God makes it impossible for them to hear. That's a sobering thought. Then He asks in verse 21, of Romans nine hath not the powder power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel under honor and another to dishonor.

What if God willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endureth with much long suffering, the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he have before. prepared unto glory.

The Scriptures have much to say about the glory of God. This word glory is found nearly 400 times in the King James Bible. But what is this glory of God that Paul speaks of here? We find the answer in Exodus 33. Turn over there with me, Exodus 33. Speaking here of the riches of the glory of God. In Exodus chapter 33 in verse 18, Moses asked of God, I beseech thee, show me thy glory.

And he, God, said to Moses, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee, and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy." Here our God declares to Moses that his glory is his sovereignty. To do as he will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and involved in this glorious sovereignty is his choice to show mercy to some of the race of men. This is what Paul meant when he wrote of the riches of the glory of God. The next thing that we find in God's Word is the riches of His grace.

I really, really like this one. Look in Ephesians 1. Again, familiar, familiar text, but let's look at it. Don used to say, I want you to see this. Ephesians chapter 1. I'm sorry, Ephesians chapter 2. No, I'm sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself. Ephesians chapter 1. I'll get it right in a minute. Ephesians chapter 1, starting in verse 3.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings, all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world for this reason, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated us into the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. The forgiveness of sins did not and does not come about as a result of anything that man can do. Nothing. But it is rather a result of the triune God bestowing on us the riches of His grace, His unmerited favor, one page over, Ephesians 2, starting in verse 4.

But God, who is rich in mercy for His great love wherewith He has loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ by grace are ye saved, and raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Now, Paul could have written that in the ages to come, he might show his grace. He could have written it in the ages to come, he might show the riches of his grace. But he wrote that in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourself. It is a gift of God. not of works, lest any man should boast."

Three things are listed in this verse which happen as a direct result of us being in Christ. First, we are quickened with Christ, given life. And you hath He quickened, we're told, who were dead in trespasses and sins. Verse 1 of this second chapter tells us that. The only way that we have spiritual life is by Christ, is in Christ and is with Christ. The second thing that happens is that we are raised together in Christ.

Because we have been in Christ from the far reaches of eternity. When He died, we died. When He arose, we arose in Him. And the third thing that happened as a result of God's amazing grace to us is that we, right now, being in Christ are seated together with Him, we're told, in the glory of heaven.

And this verse tells us that in the ages to come, He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Some think that this verse tells us that God will reveal to us how that every moment of our life was directed and brought to pass because of the riches of His grace, Circumstances were made to happen or prevented from happening in order to keep us alive both before and after He gave us faith in Christ. Maybe that's correct. Maybe it's not. I have no idea.

But one thing is for certain, we will forever sing the praises of Christ who showed us such astounding kindness in His grace toward us. Now, we just read in Ephesians 2 verse 4 that God is rich In mercy, this is where our hope lies. That the God whom we worship and adore, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, is abundantly rich in mercy. I've said it before, and I'll more than likely say it again. I don't know of a sweeter word in the English language than mercy.

Now throughout God's word, there is a warning after warning after warning of the strictness of God's holy law and justice. How that anyone who offends in a single point is guilty of the whole law, we're told in James. How that God will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon children's children unto the third and fourth generation. It tells us how that God, or the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

But because of the unimaginable sacrifice of Christ on our behalf, His chosen people, we also read in Psalm 103, verses 10 and 11, He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. In verse 17 of that same chapter, Psalm 103, but the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him and His righteousness unto children's children. Because of the riches of His mercy, we read this glorious promise in Hebrews chapter 10.

He says this, this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days saith the Lord, I will put my law into their hearts and in their minds while I write them and their sins and iniquities. Well, I remember no more. All of the sins that we have ever committed or ever shall commit. Have been purged away, they've been totally obliterated by the blood of Christ, so thoroughly gone. that an all-seeing God and an all-knowing God says that He can't even remember they ever existed.

Now the next thing that we read about in the riches of God is His wisdom. How that by wisdom He made the heavens. How that all that our God does, He does according to His infinite wisdom. He graciously imparts that wisdom to His people. Psalm 111. Verse 10 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding have all they that do keep his commandments.

Now, when the spirit begins a work of grace in the heart, in life of an elect sinner, the first thing that we are taught is that God is infinitely holy. The second thing we're taught is that we are infinitely not. That all our God does, He does in strict accordance to His holiness. We're taught that we fully deserve His wrath and judgment for the sins that we so willfully and eagerly have committed. And we are taught the fear, the reverence of the Lord.

This is the beginning of His imparting unto us His wisdom. And as we grow in grace, He imparts more of his wisdom to us so that we might have some understanding of that which pertains to the things of God. Solomon prayed this in the opening verses of Proverbs. He asked to know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding, to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity, to understand a proverb and the interpretation, the words of the wise and the dark sayings, And again, he repeats what David said. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge to be given wisdom to have understanding of the things of God. Then, lastly, the scriptures speak of the riches of his knowledge. First, John 320 tells us that our God knoweth. All things. He knows our heart, And He knows our thoughts. The Scriptures make it plain that our God knows the thoughts of men.

Now to the religious hypocrite, that is a terror. Because they like to present themselves as the Pharisees. Nice and clean on the outside. But they keep things hidden from folks around them. So that they might have the praise of men. But to the child of God, knowing that God knows our thoughts, it is a comfort to know that.

Because we know that all things are known to our God as described in Hebrews 4.13. It says, neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. We take comfort in the fact that when we don't even know how to pray and when we don't even know what to ask for, the spirit, we're told, makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered, including included in the riches of the knowledge of God that we serve is to know the end from the beginning to see all things and to direct all things after the counsel of his own will to control every event in the doings and goings of every creature on earth.

I sometimes try to contemplate that. That right now in the Amazon there may be a wasp landing on a leaf and our God determines which one of His feet hit that leaf first. I was out on my bike the other day and almost ran over a little caterpillar and I thought, God directed that caterpillar to cross the road in front of me, and you think, nah, don't get carried away. Because we know if our God doesn't control every single thing on this earth, that He doesn't control anything. He cannot make His will come to pass if He does not control the very smallest invisible virus that we cannot even see, and yet it could kill us if He allowed it to do such a thing.

And since we are one with him and joint heirs with him, we are given all the treasures of Christ, of all the unsearchable riches that our God has in Christ Jesus, the riches of his grace, the riches of his glory, the riches of his wisdom, the riches of his long suffering, the riches of his mercy, the riches of His forbearance, and the riches of His glory, and lastly, the riches of His knowledge. All things are ours in Christ.

The Unsearchable Riches of Christ

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The Unsearchable Riches of Christ

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