The Unsearchable Riches of Christ

Q: What does the Bible say about humility?

The Bible emphasizes humility as essential for believers, showing that true self-awareness leads to a humble heart before God. Scripture teaches that humility is a vital characteristic of a believer. In Ephesians 3:8, Paul refers to himself as 'less than the least of all the saints,' expressing a deep sense of unworthiness and awareness of his own defects. This humility before God is not unique to Paul but is a common theme among all who truly encounter the holiness of God. When one sees the perfection of God and recognizes their own imperfections, pride dissipates, leading to a lowly estimate of oneself which is crucial for spiritual growth and grace.

Q: How do we know God's grace is sufficient?

God's grace is described as sufficient in helping believers endure trials and difficulties, enabling them to glorify Him. The concept of grace being sufficient stems from the assurance provided in Scriptures about God's willingness to sustain His people through every trial. In the message, it is stated that 'his grace is sufficient', referencing that regardless of the trials one may face, God's grace empowers and carries believers through difficult times. This sufficiency is a promise characterized in various passages throughout scripture, where God reassures His followers of His unwavering support and presence in their lives, instilling hope and perseverance.

Q: Why is preaching the gospel important?

Preaching the gospel is central to the mission of the church, as it communicates the unsearchable riches of Christ to the world. Preaching the gospel forms the foundation of the Christian ministry and is essential for the edification and salvation of both believers and non-believers. In Ephesians 3:8, Paul describes his mission as taking the 'unsearchable riches of Christ' to the Gentiles, illustrating that the core purpose of preaching is to reveal the depth of God's grace and the mystery of salvation. The gospel not only transforms lives but also serves as the means through which God's glory is magnified. It is through the act of preaching that Christians fulfill Christ's command to share the good news, encouraging a response of faith and trust in the Lord.

Q: What are the unsearchable riches of Christ?

The unsearchable riches of Christ refer to the inexhaustible blessings and grace found in Him, including salvation, righteousness, and intercession. The phrase 'unsearchable riches of Christ' signifies the infinite wealth of spiritual blessings available to believers. This includes the remarkable grace encountered in salvation, the righteousness imparted to believers through Christ's sacrifice, and His ongoing intercession for us. The richness of Christ encompasses everything from the mystery of His dual nature as God and man to the depths of His sacrificial love. In understanding these unsearchable riches, Christians are encouraged to marvel at the grace received and share this gift with others, reinforcing the hope and joy found in Jesus Christ.

Q: Why is compassion important in ministry?

Compassion in ministry fosters genuine connection, enables effective communication of the gospel, and reflects the heart of Christ. Compassion is vital in ministry as it mirrors the love and grace of Jesus towards others. The preacher mentions that tenderness and affection in sharing the gospel are essential, drawing from Christ's own example of patience and love toward His followers. Without compassion, there is a risk of becoming critical and harsh, which can hinder the effectiveness of ministry. Biblical exhortations encourage believers to bear one another’s burdens and practice love, creating an environment where grace flourishes and individuals feel valued and encouraged. Therefore, cultivating compassion is integral to authentic ministry that glorifies God.

Now, before you turn back to
the Scripture, I have some things that I want
to say that I feel fit right in with this
text that I've chosen today. Right at this moment A friend
of mine of many years, I've known this preacher for 35 or more
years, is dying. He had a severe heart attack
this past Thursday, cardiac arrest, and they took him to the hospital. pronounced him brain-dead already,
but his heart was still beating. And they revived him. His heart started beating again,
but he was too late. He was brain-dead. So they put
him on a life support system where he is at this moment, as
of this morning. but already dead as far as that's
concerned. And the family wants him off
the support system, but there's some kind of law. I don't understand
all that I hear about it, but they haven't removed him from
that position at this time. Now this man, his name is James
Faust. He's preached here many times
years ago. He was an outstanding preacher
of the gospel of God's grace, an outstanding pulpiteer. Many people who heard him said
he sounded like Brother Ralph Barnard. He was a studious man,
a man who read and studied much. He had a great library, one of
the finest libraries of the old Puritans and the classics and
all of the books. He pastored several churches.
Pastor of the church in White Plains, Kentucky, Marion, Kentucky,
Hampton, Virginia, and Owensburg, Kentucky. Preached in conferences. Had many friends years ago. This
church helped support his ministry at various times. In fact, I
recommended him to the past two churches that he pastored, the
one in Hampton, Virginia, and the one in Owensburg, Kentucky.
He hasn't been pastor of a church now for approximately ten years
or a little more. And he spent the last ten years
of his life in his home, more or less isolated from everything
and everybody, preaching to a small group of people who came there
to hear him occasionally on Sunday morning. And you ask why, what happened?
What happened to this man? Now, we can learn, we can learn
from men during their lives and in their deaths. And it was said of Samson that
he destroyed more Philistines in his death than he did in his
life. More impact was made upon people
in his death than ever in his life. And I feel impressed of
God to say these things in the hope that I learned something,
you learned something. that the preachers in this congregation
learn something, and the preachers who hear me this morning may
learn something. This is one of the blessings
of having been in the ministry a long time. Some of you who've
served in your various vocations and professions and work realize
that the longer that you serve, the more you're able to serve.
The longer that you do whatever you're doing, that you get some
experience, and you're able to do it better. You're able to
help people if they'll let you. That's our greatest problem,
is finding somebody that'll let us help them. That'll let us. Let experience speak, and let
wisdom speak, and let understanding be applied. I appeal to the preachers
here, I appeal to you who are here, I appeal to those who will
hear me. But these tapes go all over the
country. Every preacher will hear me.
What happened to this man? An outstanding speaker, an outstanding
student. A man with much knowledge and
learning. You who knew him know what I'm
talking about. able man, studious man, great
library, pastored churches. Ended up for 10 or 12 years doing
nothing. I'll tell you what happened. He became hard and harsh in his
preaching. He questioned the salvation of
everyone. One preacher talked to me on the telephone last night
and summed up his attitude in this fashion. He didn't really think anybody
was saved but himself. And often he doubted that. Now when you become hard and
harsh and critical in your ministry, God won't bless it. God won't
use it. And let that be a warning. Let
us learn from these examples. That's what it says in the Old
Testament. God revealed what happened to these Old Testament
men vividly. He revealed what happened to
these Old Testament preachers and prophets and various other
people, holding back nothing, embarrassing or whatever. Why? For our learning, that we might
not make the same mistake. And this dear man, I tell you,
many of you know him, who are here and love him. as I do. But his ministry became totally
ineffective, totally isolated, totally alone. Nobody knows he's
down there sick today but about two or three of us. Secondly, first he became harsh
and hard. I tell you, tenderness and compassion
and affection in the declaration and presentation of the gospel
is essential. Richard Baxter said, I preach
as one who may never preach again. I preach as a dying man to dying
men. Who am I? David said. What is
my house that I should be blessed? Secondly, he couldn't find anyone
who agreed with him on every point of doctrine perfectly.
He just couldn't find it. And every time that he found
that disagreement, he parted from that person. And one by
one, he found fault with God's preachers. One by one, he found
fault with God's people. And one by one, he put them aside. And after a while, I'm telling
you this, and Brother E.W. Johnson said this years ago,
and it's a word of wisdom. The longer your list of requirements, the shorter your list of friends. You keep getting that list longer,
you know, you've got to agree with me on this, and this, and
this, and this, and this, and this. The more that list grows,
the shorter this list of friends becomes. Isn't that true? And that's what happened. He was scheduled to preach here.
The last time I heard him preach was many years ago in a conference,
a Bible conference in Vermont, West Virginia. He was scheduled
to preach here the next Sunday. I was to be away. And he brought
the message, and it was so hard and so harsh and so critical
that I said to him, let's postpone your visit to Iceland. Our people
don't need to be preached to that way. They don't need to
be talked to in that fashion, and I'd just rather you not come
and preach if you're going to beat up on God's people. And
thirdly, he gradually cut himself off from the fellowship of the
people of God and the people of grace. There are a lot of
people over this country who believe the grace of God. I don't
think anybody knows that any better than I do. No one travels
any more than I do, crosses the path of people all over this
country, like this man that's put our program on his television,
never heard of him, don't know his name, never met him. He believes
something. as a group of people in California,
in Arizona, in Colorado, in Washington, in Oregon, in Texas, and all
over this country who believe the gospel. We may not feel that
they're as smart as we are. We may not feel that they're
as advanced as we are. We may not feel that they're
as mature as we are. We may not feel that they're
as effective as we are. But who are we to say? Keep the
door open. Don't get that critical spirit,
that isolated spirit. Have a universal spirit. I'm
not talking about compromise. Anybody here who knows this preacher
knows, knows that I wouldn't compromise the gospel of the
grace of God for ten million worlds. You know that. I believe
what I preach, therefore have I spoken. I know who God is and
who his Son is. I know the gospel of God's grace,
I've been preaching it a long, long time. But I also know that
men are men, and our people are people, and human beings are
human beings, like this one here. And I know we've got to have
that open hand, and open heart, and open arms. and encourage
other preachers, encourage the young, encourage the babes in
Christ, encourage the young men in Christ, encourage the old
folks in Christ. Boy, I tell you, we are up and
we're down, aren't we? We're changing, but he's the
same. And God give us a tender heart
and a compassionate heart and an open door and an open arm,
not to compromise anything that we believe, but at least to be
gracious enough and loving enough and tender enough like our Lord
Jesus Christ to forgive and to give people a space to be people
and a space to repent and a space to grow up. Look how our Lord
treated the disciples. These disciples were just ruffians. He found Peter, James, and John
down mending nets, fishing. Can't you imagine how calloused
were their hands, and how dirty their fingernails, and how gnarled
their hair, and how unkempt their beard, and working with fishing
nets. And he said, you follow me, I'll
make you fishers of me. And they followed him. But oh,
oh, what a following it was. Oh, how they doubted and they
They quit, and they came back, and they stumbled, and they fell,
and they doubted again, and he just kept loving them, and kept
holding to them, and kept encouraging them, and after a while they
glorified him. Yeah. Peter was always wanting
to send somebody to hell, wasn't he? You know, he was always wanting
to call down fire on somebody. James and John, sons of thunder.
But our Lord was tender and compassionate. Well, let's look at Ephesians
3, verse 8. If there's anyone who hears this
message here on tape and is offended by the things I've said regarding
my friend, I hope you'll understand why
I've said them. And I praised him and I bragged
on him. He's a good preacher. He's a
man who knew God and knew God's grace. And he's a man of wisdom
and understanding and learning in the things of God. But he's
a man who made some critical mistakes regarding his attitude
and fellowship with others as a preacher. And I'm saying these
things for my sake and for your sake. Don't do the same thing.
Isn't that right, Tom? Don't do the same thing. Charlotte,
don't cut yourself off. It's like one of the prophets
said to someone, said, you think wisdom will die with you? Well,
it won't. Believe me, it won't. That's
Elijah when he was down there moaning and groaning over the
Lord's providence. He said, I'm the only one left. And the Lord said, Elijah, you're
not the only one left. I've got 7,000 men that have
not bowed their knee to Baal. I wonder how Elijah responded
to that. I wonder if he was glad or sad.
I wonder if he rejoiced. And I say to every preacher,
this one and that one and that one and all the rest, I've once
listened to this tape. Fellas, you're not the only one. Wisdom won't die with you. God's
kingdom will progress and God's kingdom will flourish and God's
kingdom will glorify Christ when you're long gone, whether you
take your life with a bullet or whether he takes it with a
heart attack. It'll move on. It'll move on. And the loss is yours. If you take yourself away and
isolate yourself, And get to thinking you're the only one,
and your message is the only message. The loser is you. And your dear friends, we lose
too, because we lose you. Oh, I hear in Ephesians 3 verse
8, look at what Paul said about himself, and what he said about his ministry,
and what he said about his message. He says in verse 8, unto me who
am less than the least of all the saints is this grace given.
Now this language is strong, isn't it? Unto me who am what? Less than the least of all the
saints. Now here's an apostle, here's
a founder of churches, here's a writer of fourteen inspired
epistles. Here's a man who was not one
whip behind the chief apostle. Here was a man who was caught
up to the third heaven, saying, I'm less than the least of all
the saints. What a poor creature is the least
of the saints. Think, who might that be, the
least of the saints? Who might be the least of the
believers? What a poor creature he must
be, the very bottom Yet Paul says, I'm less than that man. Now, not a lot of folks can understand
that language, but Paul, what he wrote here, he meant. What
he wrote with his pen, he meant in his heart. He said it several
other times. He wrote to the Philippians and
he said, I've not arrived, I'm not perfect. I want to know Christ,
win Christ and be found in him. He said to Timothy, I'm the chief
of sinners. Christ came to save sinners,
I'm the chief. To the Romans, he wrote, O wretched man that
I am. He said, I love the law of God,
and when I would do good, I find another law present within me. The plain truth is this. Here
is what Paul is saying. I am less to me who am less than
the least of all the saints. Here is what he is saying. He
is saying, in my own heart of hearts, I see more defects. and more defects, and I see more
infirmities and weaknesses than I see in anyone else." Isn't
that what he's saying? Because he knows himself better
than he knows anyone else. I am less than the least of all
the saints, because in my heart of hearts I see more defects
and more infirmities and more weaknesses than I see in anyone
else. You see, he knew the holiness of God. Paul knew the righteousness
of God, the perfection of the law. And like Isaiah, he said,
one is me. As the searchlight of God's holiness
and righteousness shines upon me, I see more problems with
me than I see with anyone else. And this humility of Paul, listen
to me, this humility of Paul before God is not a characteristic
particular to Paul. But I believe that this is the
attitude and spirit of every person who has really seen the
Lord. I do believe that. I believe a proud spirit is contrary
to divine revelation. I believe a proud heart is contrary
to a vision of Christ. I believe a proud heart is contrary
to true repentance. I do not believe that a man can
ever see God without seeing himself, and once he sees God and sees
himself, he'll never be arrogant and proud again. And I believe no single grace
suits a believer like humility. Job said this, we are but of
yesterday. We are but of yesterday, we know
nothing. Our days upon the earth are but
a shadow. Isaiah said we are all as an
unclean thing. We all do fade as the leaf, even
our righteousness is a filthy rag in God's sight. A person who desires to know
God and be among the blessed, let him know this, the first
steps toward God are a deep sense of sin and guilt
and a lowly estimate of ourselves. Is that not true? The first steps
toward God is not the belief that I belong, but that I really
don't. It's not the belief that I'm
worthy, but I'm really not worthy. It's not the belief that God
ought to show mercy to me, but being amazed that he would show
mercy to me. Someone asked a preacher one
time, they said, Do you have trouble with that verse, Jacob
have I loved, Esau have I hated? The preacher said, I do indeed. The person said, well, I'm glad
to meet an honest preacher. He said, I do indeed have trouble
with that, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. But my
problem is not the same problem you have. You wonder how God
could hate Esau. That's not my problem. I wonder
how God could love Jacob. That's my problem. I don't wonder
how God could be angry with a wicked. I wonder how God could love sinners.
Happy is the man in the pulpit of the pew who has learned to
draw near to God with the prayer of the publican at all times.
God be merciful to me, the sinner." And I don't mean when he first
comes, I mean right now when he comes. God be merciful to
me. Definite article, the sinner,
the sinner. But that's Paul's opinion of
himself. All right, let's see about his
ministry. He said, I'm less than the least of all the saints.
Is this grace given that I should preach? Grace is given to me
that I should preach. These are very simple words,
and yet they carry a powerful message. Paul's chief business
was to preach the gospel. That's his chief business. That's
my business. God sent me not to baptize or
organize or socialize. He sent me to preach the gospel.
I say, happy is the man in the ministry, or in any other work
for that matter, who can find his task and do it well. I knew a preacher one time. He
was good at everything. That was his greatest fault. That was his greatest fault. He was a jack of all trades and
a master of none. And happy as the preacher, especially,
Paul, God gave me grace to preach the gospel. That's my business.
That's my task. I give myself to that wholeheartedly,
preaching the gospel. Don't be sidetracked. Woe is
unto me if I preach not the gospel. Then, secondly, he had nothing
to glory of. It was the grace of God. Listen.
Unto me, who am less than the least of all the saints, is this
grace given. Given. What? God Almighty chose
me, and called me, and taught me, and whatever gifts I have,
he gave me, and he opens doors for us to preach. And Paul said
this, though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of. He warned the Corinthians about
glorying in their ministers. One of them said, I'm of Paul.
One said, I'm of Apollos. One said, I'm of Cephas. Another
said, I don't like any of them. I'm of Christ. He says, who is Paul? Who is
Peter? Who is Apollos? Just ministers
by whom you believe the gospel. He that saith is nothing. He that plows is nothing. God
gives the increase. So this grace is given. But I
tell you this, listen to me. All of God's people are in the
ministry. All have certain gifts and dispensations of service.
A dispensation is an appointment. It's an assignment. And all have
their dispensations and their appointments and their assignments
and they're all witnesses of the grace of God. But God has
called some men to preach the gospel. It says when he ascended he gave
some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists, missionaries,
some pastors and teachers. In the book of Hebrews chapter
13, two verses, in this one verse tells the church to listen to
the men whom God has made overseers over them. Listen to them and
follow their leadership and follow their teaching, those that God
has given the rule over you. Isn't that right? Twice in the
book of Hebrews. Paul, in addressing the elders
for the last time of Ephesus, said this. Feed the church of
God, which he purchased with his own blood, over which God
has made you what? Overseers. So Paul is saying
here, I am a preacher. Woe is unto me if I preach not
the gospel. I have nothing to glory in, because
he gave me this grace. I won't brag on myself. But now watch the last thing,
what he says about his message. I will brag about my Lord. Now
watch verse 8. Unto me I am less than the least
of all the saints. Is this grace given? given that
I should preach. Preach what? Preach among the
Gentiles. What? The unsearchable riches
of Christ. Oh, the unsearchable riches of
Christ. You know, I expect power to preach
Christ. Because it was Christ who saved
him, it was Christ who found him, it was Christ who called
him, it was Christ who enabled him. He found no peace in the
law. He was a religious man, but he found no peace in the
law, no peace in religion. He found no rest in the so-called
morality of religion. Christ revealed himself to him.
I expect Paul to preach Christ among the Gentiles, because Christ
called him to preach among the Gentiles. And I expect Paul to
preach Christ. What else would he preach? I'm
not surprised when a man preaches a gospel, I'm surprised when
he doesn't. But here's where he explains his message, the
unsearchable riches of Christ. Unsearchable. What is unsearchable? Well, I looked this word up.
It means this, inexhaustible. It means this, incomprehensible. Riches that no mind can conceive
and no tongue can tell. The riches of Christ. And let
me give you this in closing. About five or six things. Number
one, the unsearchable riches of this person. All the miraculous mystery of
perfect God and perfect man in one person. The hymn writer put
it this way. Listen to this. Bright and joyful is the morn,
for unto us a child is born. From the highest realm of heaven,
unto us a son is given. On his shoulders he shall bear
power and majesty, and wear on his vesture and his thigh names
most glorious, names most high. Wonderful Counselor He, the Incarnate
Deity, Rock of Ages, never-to-cease, King of Kings, Prince of Peace.
Come and worship at His feet, yield to Him the glory meat.
From the manger to the throne, glory to God and God alone. Unsearchable mysteries, riches
of His person, of His righteousness. Christ, by his perfect obedience
in the flesh, has worked out for and imputed to us a righteousness
so perfect that Almighty God is satisfied with us in Christ. Now, you think about that. I'm
not satisfied with anything I do, think, or say. Are you satisfied? I've never stepped out of this
pulpit in 40 years satisfied with any message I've ever put.
I've always wanted to do better for his glory. But he's satisfied with me. Isn't
that something? In Christ. And all the unceasable
riches of his blood, his blood cleanses us from all sins. from
which the law cannot cleanse and the works of religion cannot
cleanse, he made peace through the blood of his cross. Dear
dying lamb, thy precious blood will never lose its power till
all the ransomed church of God of all generations and nations
and tribes and tongues and kindreds and people on this earth are
redeemed to sin no more. Think about it. The blood of
Christ cleanses them all. Oh, the unsearchable riches of
his grace, his grace is sufficient. Whatever the trial, whatever
the trial, whatever the difficulty that I must bear, he'll enable
me to bear it for his glory. His grace is sufficient. Oh,
the unsearchable riches of his intercession, he prays for us. The unsearchable riches of his
kingdom. He's going to take us to be with
him. Jim will be leaving this morning
to go and be with the Lord. And I close this message with
this comment. Regardless of his humanity, weaknesses,
failings or whatever, of which we are aware and in our own selves, Regardless
of our fumblings and stumblings and failings, there's an inheritance
eternal, reserved for us, undefiled, that fadeth not away, through
Christ our Lord. And God help us to be the best
that we can for His glory, but I'm telling you this, the best
that there is, is the least of all. And he that would be first,
let him be last. That's right, because the first
will be last and the last will be first. Well, glorious prospects
we have because of the unsearchable riches of Christ. Let's sing
that song in closing.

The Unsearchable Riches of Christ

What does the Bible say about humility?

How do we know God's grace is sufficient?

Why is preaching the gospel important?

What are the unsearchable riches of Christ?

Why is compassion important in ministry?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

Joshua

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

The Unsearchable Riches of Christ

What does the Bible say about humility?

How do we know God's grace is sufficient?

Why is preaching the gospel important?

What are the unsearchable riches of Christ?

Why is compassion important in ministry?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

More from Henry Mahan

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Henry Mahan

Books by Henry Mahan

Joshua

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book