Okay, you've got Ephesians chapter
3 there in front of you, I trust. And we pray that the Lord would
be pleased to bless us together around the gospel of Christ,
gospel of the glory of God in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's read verses 5 and 6. And
we'll use this as our introduction. Which in other ages was not made
known. That is this mystery of Christ
as Paul had revealed there in Ephesians 1 and Ephesians 2. This mystery of Christ which
in other ages was not made known. Was not made known to the sons
of men. As it's now revealed. As it now
is revealed. unto His holy apostles and God's
prophets, holy prophets, and that by the Spirit of God, that
by the Spirit of God, for indeed it takes God to reveal God. With special, special insight
here, verse 6, that the Gentiles, sinners, just like you and me,
just like you and I, sinners, that Gentiles should be fellow
heirs of the same body, partakers of his promise in Christ, in
Christ, the promise of his grace and mercy to sinners in Christ
the Lord by the gospel, by the gospel. Now God in his sovereign
and eternal purpose has determined in that everlasting covenant
of grace to have a chosen people, an elect people, an elect people
from all nations, from among all nations, tongue and kindred,
among Jew and Gentile, sinners chosen in grace, elected by grace,
saved by God's grace, called by grace, preserved by grace,
and glorified by grace. God has determined to have a
people who by nature without God, without Christ, without
hope, but who were made nigh to God through the blood, atonement
of the Lord Jesus Christ by His blood. Revelation 5 declares
this blessed truth. And they sung a new song saying,
Thou art worthy to take the book to open the seals thereof for
thou wast slain." Talking about the Lamb, the Redeemer. "...and
hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, tongue,
people, and nation." God has a people. He has His chosen.
He has His elect. "...and has made us unto our
God." He has made us unto our God, kings and priests. "...and we shall reign with Him."
we shall reign on this earth." He's going to make a new heaven
and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness, righteousness. Now, he mentions several things
about these sinners chosen, redeemed by grace, elected by grace. He
said, I'm going to make them fellow heirs, fellow heirs, heirs
of God and joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ. Believers
in Christ Jesus, chosen by grace, redeemed by His grace and blood,
they are fellow heirs and they participate in this glorious
inheritance that is an inheritance of grace. In Ephesians chapter
1, you remember verse 11, And whom also we have obtained an
inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will,
that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted
Christ." Fellow heirs, being made so by the sovereign choice
of God, by his adopting love, by his regenerating grace. Not by works of righteousness,
which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us by
the washing and regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
that we, think about it, think about it, we, sinners, sinners,
deserving of nothing but judgment, deserving of nothing but wrath,
yet God in His mercy, in His eternal purpose, He's chosen
us. And He's made us heirs of God. That inheritance that Peter said
is incorruptible, undefiled, that does not fade away, that
is reserved for you in heaven. Fellow heirs. Oh, I tell you,
that's mercy. That's the blessed gospel of
the glory of God that He would take us who are nobody's and
fix his love, fix his affection, his love, and call us by his
grace, that we should be fellow heirs. And then he says also
in that verse that these sinners, saved by God's grace, that we
should be not only fellow heirs but partakers of this body, in
the same body, being part of the same body. What is that body? Well, right across the page there
in chapter 2, verse 16, that he might reconcile both unto
God in one body, one body by the cross, having claimed that
enmity thereby. That body is his body. It's his
church. Over in chapter 1, verse 22,
hath put all things under his feet, gave Him to be head over
all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of
Him that filleth all in all, that we should be part of that
body of Christ. He is the head. We are the body. We are His church, believers,
put in there by God's purpose and grace, of which the Lord
said there's one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one body, one hope,
there's just one, being part of that same body, all under
one head, the Lord Jesus Christ, all participate of the same grace,
we believe through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall
be saved, all made to drink of that same spiritual drink, the
water of life, the Lord Jesus Christ, and all enjoy the same
blessed covenant privileges. In Christ was all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, and in Christ, in Christ, believers
stand complete. Complete in Christ. Everything
I need to stand before God, now and eternally, fully, freely,
eternally provided in the Lord Jesus Christ. And then he mentions
thirdly, partakers of His promise. of His promise in Christ by the
gospel. This is a faithful saying, worthy
of all acceptation, that the Lord Jesus Christ came to save
sinners, partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel. All the promises of God in Him
are yes, and in Him, amen. All the promises of mercy, forgiveness,
pardon, justification, redemption, righteousness, all those blessed
covenant promises are in Christ Jesus and by the gospel that
is purchased with His blood. He bought us with His own blood. The gospel is a declaration of
what God has promised in the covenant of grace to His people. All grace now and all glory forever
and ever. If you're a reader of John Gill,
he uses that phrase over and over and over again. All grace
now and all glory hereafter. Wherefore, verse 7, in our text,
wherefore, wherefore I was made, I was made a minister. Now this
is Paul's testimony. I was made a minister according
to. We run into that word all through
this epistle, according to, according to God's purpose, in harmony
with God's purpose. According to the gift of the
grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of His
power. The effectual working. To this
glorious end, to this glorious purpose, God has ordained the
means to call out His people. That's what he's saying, or wherefore
I was made a minister. God is determined to have a people
among all nations, and to that end and that purpose, He not
only predestinated the end, but He also predestinated the means
to call them people out through the ministry of the gospel, through
the preaching of the word. God has ordained the use, God
has ordained to use the preaching of the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ to call out His people, to call them out. Of his own
will begat he us with the word of truth, to call them out, and
through the preaching of the gospel, to grant unto them faith
to lay hold on Christ." Faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the word of God. That's why the scriptures are
so insistent upon saying, go into all the world and preach
the gospel to every creature. It pleased God, 1 Corinthians
1.21, it pleased God through preaching. call out his people,
call out his sheep. Wherefore God determined to make
this one time rebel Saul of Tarsus the trophy of his grace and to
send him to declare the good news of salvation to sinners.
And he did that, did he not? He sent old Saul of Tarsus, made
him a new creature, sent him to Galatia and all these different
places, Thessalonica, and one day he went to Ephesus. And one
day he went in there declaring the gospel of God's saving, glorious
grace. And God sent that word out in
the power of God, the Holy Spirit, and he called out his people
with that message of Christ. Christ in him crucified. Substitution,
satisfaction, setting forth the person and work of Christ. God
uses means, the means that he has ordained. Find the book of
Acts, chapter 9, verse 1. Notice, I want you to notice
something here. Acts chapter 9 verse 1, And Saul,
yet breathing out threatening and slaughter against the disciples
of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters
to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any of this
way, whether they be men or women, he might bring them bound unto
Jerusalem. Here's a man, steeped in religion,
steeped in self-righteousness, steeped in tradition, breathing
out slaughter and threatening. His own testimony there, we read
earlier, he said, before, I was a blasphemer. I was a blasphemer. And certainly, reading that,
we can see that, breathing out slaughter and threatening against
the disciples, and in essence, against God. Now, in Acts chapter
9, I want you to find verse 20. Now there's, you can fill in
the blank spots there, if you can go back and read that, how
he met the Savior and how he was unhorsed and how God made
him a new creature, put him in the dust and sent him to preach
unto the Gentiles. It says in Acts 9 verse 20 in
straight way, he preached Christ. He preached Christ. What a difference! breathing out slaughter and threatening,
and now here just a few days later, he's preaching Christ.
"...in the synagogue, that he is the Son of God. And all that
heard him were amazed and said, Is not this he that destroyed
them, which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither
for that intent, that he might bring them bound as the chief
priests? But Saul increased," this is
the same one, Paul the apostle, Saul of Tarsus, he increased
more in strength, confounded the Jews what dwelt at Damascus,
proving that this is very Christ." How did he do that? By taking
the word of God and preaching the gospel from, thus saith the
Lord. God will bless his word. to the
hearts of his people." Mark it down. He said, my word will not
return to me void, but I'll send it, and wherever I send that
word, he said, I'll prosper it, I'll bless it to the hearts of
God's people. Now notice this back in the text. He said, I was made a minister. God made me a trophy of his grace,
an object of his love, gave me this message, and sent me to
preach the gospel. Wherefore I was made a minister,
according to the gift of the grace of God, given unto me by
the effectual, irresistible working of His power." Now, several things
we know. It's all according to the will
of God, the will of God that Paul was put into ministry, by
the will and purpose of God. In Ephesians chapter 1, verse
1, it says this, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, By the will
of God. It has to be that determinate
will of God. Paul, an apostle of Jesus, trieth
by the will of God to the saints, which are at Ephesus, and to
the faithful in Christ Jesus. According to the will of God.
Not of men, neither by man, he says in Galatians chapter 1,
but Jesus Christ. God put me in the gospel. God put me in Christ and gave
me this gospel message. If you find Romans chapter 1,
Romans chapter 1 verse 1, Romans 1 verse 1, he said, Paul, a servant
of Jesus Christ, a willing, loving, bond slave of Jesus Christ, called
to be, called, those two words are added there, to be, called
an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. What's the gospel
of God all about? Which he had promised afore by
his prophets in the Holy Scripture concerning his son Jesus Christ. The gospel of God separated unto
that gospel of God. Paul went preaching and determined
in his heart to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified.
That's what the gospel of God is all about. Concerning his
son Jesus Christ our Lord. made of the seed of David, according
to flesh, and declared to be the Son of God, determined to
be the Son of God, decreed the Son of God with power, according
to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead."
The resurrection declares all he did, all he said, accepted
of God, effectual and powerful. All according to the will of
God. He said, I was made a minister. And then secondly, he mentions
in our text, according to the gift of His grace. According
to the gift of His grace. Now I want you to find 1 Corinthians
15. All according to the gift of
His grace. Notice this, 1 Corinthians 15. He says in verse 9, for I am
the least of the apostles, that I'm not meet, I'm not fit to
be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am
what I am, and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not
in vain, it was not vain, it was not in vain, but I labored
more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God
which was with me. I labored abundantly. I am what
I am by the gift of His grace." Can't all of us say that? If
you're a believer sitting here this evening, resting in the
Lord Jesus Christ, that's our testimony. It is grace that has
made us to differ. Who made you to differ from another?
What do you have that you didn't receive as a free gift of God?
According to the gift of the grace of God given, not earned,
given. given by His purpose, by His
grace. And then thirdly, he mentions
this, according to the effectual working of His mighty power. The effectual working of His
mighty power. In Ephesians 1, verse 19, it
declares, what is exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe. We believe according to the working
of His mighty power. According to the energy, the
energy of God. You think about the energy of
God, the power of God, the raw, unbridled, eternal, sovereign
power of Almighty God, according to the effectual working of His
power. That's how any sinner believes God. And that's exactly
the same way any sinner is made to preach the gospel of God's
grace. In this exact same way, sinners
are put in the ministry today, not according to their gifts,
not according to their abilities, but by the grace of God, not
according to our working, not according to our decision, but
according to His mighty power and purpose. Paul said, God put
me in the ministry. God put me in Christ Jesus. And therefore, he says over here,
if you'll turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 4, 2 Corinthians chapter
4, because of everything that God had determined, everything
that God has done, and the message that God had given to him, he
declares in 2 Corinthians 4 verse 5, we preach not ourselves. Our
message is not ourselves. We preach not ourselves, but
Christ Jesus the Lord. His person, His work, His office,
His mediation, His atonement. We preach not ourselves, but
Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves, your servant for His sake. Now
read on. For God who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, He shined in our hearts to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ, in the person of Jesus Christ. And we have
this treasure. We have this treasure. Look what
it's in. It's in an earthen vessel. I tell you, this vessel's weak.
It's an earthen vessel. And you know what it actually
means there? It means a dirt pot. A clay pot. That the excellency
of the power may be of God, and not of us. Not of us. Exactly
the same way, God Almighty put sinners in the ministry today.
Not according to our gifts, our abilities, but His grace, His
purpose, His power. I tell you, my friend, frankly
and truthfully, I can say this. I had no desire. I didn't think it. I didn't seek
it. I didn't know anything about
it. God put me in the ministry. He didn't put myself. I didn't
think it. I didn't seek it. God put me
in the ministry. I had no clue, had no idea, until
God one day did it by His purpose and grace. Paul declared this
in 2 Corinthians 3, not that we are sufficient of ourselves
to think anything of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God,
who hath made us able ministers of the New Testament. God's made
us able ministers of the New Covenant, not of the law. The
law killeth. But He's made us able ministers
of the new covenant. Now, look at verse 8. Back in
our text. Unto me, unto me, who was before
ignorant, who was before a blasphemer, who was before one who caused
injury and even death, unto me, who am less, who am less than
the least. of all saints is this grace given
that I should preach, oh, that I should preach among the Gentiles,
that I should preach among sinners this one single message, Jesus
Christ, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable
riches of Christ. Oh, I tell you, sometimes I wish
that I wish that the Lord had just removed the hindrances of
this flesh and just let me preach the unsearchable riches of Christ.
I feel so tied up and handcuffed most of the time and feel like
I have very little liberty in declaring the gospel of God,
great that we try as God enables us. Believers, believers, God's
servants, Verse 8, believers, God's servants like Paul, God's
servants like Paul are humbled by His grace. Their opinion of
themselves is very low and humiliating. Look what he says there in verse
8. Who am less than the least of all believers. Less than the
least. Now, I believe this is true of
all of God's saints. they're whittled down by His
grace, and spiritually, in the kingdom of God, they certainly
know that they are on the bottom of the shelf. They are less than
the least of all saints. Notice, and he says, I was. No, he says, who am less than
the least. Who was who am less than the
least." I'm the last one. I'm the last, the least. Get
the English right. Who am less than the least of
all saints. He says in Romans 7, he declares
this. Oh, wretched man that I am. Who shall, that I used to be. Oh, that I am. Oh, wretched man
that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? But
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. In 1 Timothy 1.15,
the apostle declares again that Christ Jesus came to save sinners
and he said, I'm the chief offender. I'm the chief among sinners.
Do you feel that way about yourself? I mean, honestly. As the old country boy said,
let's shuck right down to the cob. Is that the way you feel
about yourself, less than the least of all the saints? This
generally is a good indication of growing in grace and in the
knowledge of him. You see, a growth in grace is
not up. A growth in grace is down, down
in the dust. This generally is a good indication
of growing in grace and in the knowledge of Him. Thinking high
and holy thoughts of God brings us to think low thoughts of self. Wretched man that I am. Now listen
to these testimonies. Luke 5 verse 8, Simon Peter,
he said this, He fell down before the Lord Jesus and said, Depart
from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." Jacob declared in Genesis
32.10, I'm not worthy of the least of thy mercies and of all
thy truth. I'm not worthy of the least of
your mercies. David declared in 2 Samuel 7,
David said before the Lord, Who am I, O Lord? And what is my
how that thou hath brought me hitherto?" Isaiah declared in Isaiah 60,
or rather Isaiah 6 verse 5, woe is me. I'm undone. I'm a man of unclean lips. I
dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips, for my eyes
have seen the king. Now you see him high lifted up
and you'll say with Isaiah, woe is me. Job declared this, "...I have
heard of thee by the hearing of the air, but now I see thee,
wherefore I abhor myself. I repent in dust and in ashes
before thee." If God ever brings us to that
place in our life, we may be able to, by His grace, preach
among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ If He ever whittles
us down in the dust and makes us to know that we're nobodies
and nothings, God may use us. As long as we think we're somebody,
as long as we think, well, God's going to use me, you know, I
have a lot of talent. Ain't no way. Ain't going to happen. I
tell you why, because you'll get the glory, not God. That's
why He says, I put this treasure in an earthen vessel that He
might get all the glory. that I should preach among the
Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." Someone said this,
God uses nobodies to tell everybody about Him who is everything in
salvation. He uses nobodies. John, who are
you? Remember what he said? I'm a voice of one crying in
the wilderness. Behold the Lamb of God." You
know, John could have said some flowery things about himself.
Well, you know, my dad's a priest. No, he said, I'm a nobody. I'm
a nobody. God uses nobodies to tell everybody
about Christ, who is everything in salvation. Think about this,
that we should have the privilege of hearing the gospel and given
grace in our heart and the gift of faith through the preaching
of that message, through the preaching of Christ. Believing
the gospel and the unique honor, the privilege to declare the
good news of mercy to the ungodly is a wonder that never ceases
to astonish me. That God would ordain the preaching
of the gospel, it pleased God. to send forth sinners saved by
His grace to declare the message of salvation to sinners in Christ
Jesus. Oh, what a wonder! What a wonder!
It never ceases to amaze me to declare and to astonish me to
declare the unsearchable riches of Christ. What an impossible
mission! But what a pleasant assignment
to preach Christ and Him crucified. Our Lord told those departing,
those parting words to the disciples that day before he ascended.
Remember what he said? Go into all the world and preach
the gospel to every creature. He that believeth that gospel,
he that believeth that gospel and is baptized shall be saved. Oh, to preach the gospel of Christ. that I should preach among the
Gentiles the unsearchable, unsearchable riches of Christ." Now let me
just work on that statement for a minute. The unsearchable riches
of Christ. Two things. First of all, the
unsearchable riches of Christ as God. As God. That's who He is. That's who
He is. The Lord Jesus Christ is not
this weak, pitiful man that as portrayed in Hollywood
and in most churches. This very day, I don't know how
many churches I drove by where they said they're having this
drama thing, this Easter thing. It's an abomination. It's an
abomination before God. To preach the unsearchable riches
of Christ as God, who is God. Psalm 145 declares, "...great
is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is
unsearchable." Unsearchable. You'll never be in danger of
preaching Christ as God too high. Too high. I like to be guilty
of it. To give Him too much honor and glory and salvation? Can't
do it. Can't do it. Great is the Lord,
and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.
Oh, to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ! His power beyond
measure. Psalm 135 declares, whatsoever
the Lord is pleased to do, that's what He did in heaven, earth,
sea, and all deep places. Whatever the Lord is pleased
to do, that's what He does! He is God! He is the Sovereign! over all things, sovereign in
creation, providence, and salvation. His wisdom beyond comprehension,
the unsearchable riches of Christ as God. His power, unlimited
power and glory. His wisdom beyond comprehension. Romans 11, excuse me, Romans
11.33 declares, O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom
and knowledge of God, How unsearchable are His judgments in His ways
past, finding out the unsearchable judgments of God. Oh, the mysteries
of God's providence of Him and through Him and to Him are all
things to whom be glory both now and forever. The unsearchable
riches of His power, the unsearchable riches of His wisdom. In Christ
dwells all the fullness of a Godhead bodily. In Him, in Christ are hid all
the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In Christ Jesus. How about His
holiness? Beyond description. Beyond description. Listen to this psalm, Psalm 99.
The Lord is great in Zion. He is high above all the people.
Let them praise thy great and terrible name, for it is holy. Exalt the Lord our God and worship
at His footstool, for He is holy." To preach the unsearchable riches
of Christ as God, our Savior. There's no possible way that
we can fully declare all the unsearchable riches of His glory,
of our great God and Savior. The gospel is like an old, deep
mine full of diamonds, as a mine inexhaustible whose treasures
can never be fully explored. Oh, the deep, deep riches in
Christ Jesus as God, as God. The unsearchable riches of Christ.
The second thing is this, and I'll let you go. The unsearchable
riches of the Lord Jesus Christ as mediator. as Savior, as the
surety of the covenant of grace, the everlasting riches of Christ
as our Savior. Now let me turn to some Scripture
and we'll read about it in Ephesians chapter 1. You remember this,
verse 7? To the praise of the glory of
His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved, in
whom we have obtained in whom we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his
grace, the riches of his grace, the unsearchable riches of Christ,
the richness of his grace, the richness of his grace. Look at
chapter 2 verse 7 of Ephesians 2 verse 7, that in the ages to
come, It says in verse 6, He's raised us up together, made us
sit together in the heavenlies in Christ, that in the ages to
come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness
to us, toward us through Christ Jesus. Now let's turn and read
this one as well, 2 Corinthians 8-9. 2 Corinthians 8-9. This is one of the first texts
I ever used when I first preached the gospel some years back, 2
Corinthians 8, 9. For you know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, and we do. We know something of the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ. We've experienced it. We've tasted
of the Lord that He is gracious. You know the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ that though He was rich, rich beyond description
and glory, eternality and power, yet for your sake He impoverished
Himself, He became poor, became a servant, the God-man mediator. became a servant, yet for your
sake he became poor. He impoverished himself with
our humanity, but he went further. He impoverished himself with
our sin. God made him sin for us who knew
no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
He became poor for your sake, that through his poverty You
might be rich. Oh, the richness of His grace.
We know something about it. We love to preach it. We love
to tell about the grace of God in Christ Jesus. The riches of
His grace. And then look back at Ephesians
chapter 2. How about the riches of His mercy? The richness of
His mercy. In Ephesians 2 verse 4, But God,
who is rich in mercy, For His great love wherewith He loved
us, how about the richness of His love? Wherewith He loved
us, even when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us together
with Christ Jesus, by grace you are saved. Oh, the richness of
His mercy, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to His mercy He saved us. How about the riches of His glory? Look at Ephesians chapter 3.
Verse 16, "...the richness of His glory, that He would grant
you," Ephesians 3, verse 16, "...that He would grant you according
to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with His might, with might by
His Spirit in the inward man, according to the riches of His
glory." How richly, oh how richly and
eternally does the Lord Jesus Christ fully provide for us.
I want you to turn to this one now. Find Philippians 4.19. Philippians 4.19. And Him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. And in Christ we are complete. You find Philippians 4.19 and
while you're looking at that, Hold your place there, and let
me just read this to you. This is in Colossians chapter
1. He says, "...even the mystery
which hath been hid from ages and generations, but now is made
manifest to his saints, to whom God would make known what is
the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which
is Christ in you, the hope of glory." The riches of His glory. And then look at Philippians
4.19. You've got that one? "...but my God, My God, God who
is God, the eternal God, the God of Scripture, the sovereign
eternal God, my God, the covenant God, shall supply all your need
according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. There's a storehouse
of mercy that we cannot exhaust. Oh, to preach the unsearchable
riches of Christ. I'm going to end with that and
we'll pick up there next week. Verse 9, to make all men see
what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning
the world had been hid in God who created all things by Jesus
Christ.