A Walk through Ephesians - Pt 9

 

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. (Ephesians 3:7–13 ESV).

 

I honestly do not know how many sermons, homilies, devotionals, or Bible studies I have written and/or spoken. Over the last five-plus decades it numbers in the thousands. Of all of those my wife, Mary, has heard/read them all. Of that number only one has managed to garner the title of her “favorite.” It is taken directly from our reading today and titles “The Unsearchable Riches of Christ.” And dare I say that I have preached this sermon on multiple occasions in many different places literally all over the world. The reason it is her favorite is not in my delivery; rather, it is in the impact of the Scripture itself.

 

The Apostle Paul says that he has now become privy to a far greater treasure than any man may have discovered. It is the treasure of grace that is unsearchable in its depth or height, breadth or length. It is the content of Paul’s message to the Gentiles then and to us today. This phrase, the unsearchable riches of Christ, uses a very vivid Greek word. It literally means “untrackable,” or “inexplorable.” It is simply too vast to be measured! I remember vividly how my Greek professor, Curtis Vaughn, described it:

 

It suggests the figure of a man standing, with uplifted arms, in a posture of great amazement, before continuous revelations of immeasurable and unspeakable glory. It is as if a man were tracking out the confines of a lake, walking its boundaries, and when the circuit were almost complete should find that it was no lake at all, but an arm of the ocean, and that he was confronted by the immeasurable sea!

 

That is his message! That is the treasure! And when we begin to hear it ourselves we must be struck by it as well. That God would love us so much that He would send His only son to die on our behalf, giving us access to fellowship with Him again is the most incredible treasure any man could possess! The Apostle Paul details three specific parts of this treasure we now have found in Christ. We will look at one of these in each of the next three devotionals. For now let me simply list them so you may begin to ponder each of them today:

 

§  First, we have found the riches in the FELLOWSHIP OF THE MYSTERY (verse 9).

 

§  Second, we have found the riches in the WONDER OF THE CHURCH (verses 10-13).

 

§  Third, we have found the riches in the FAMILY OF GOD (verses 14-21).

 

I pray you will recognize these are your treasures as well! Take heart in whatever circumstance your journey has presented. Your treasure is secured by the Holy Spirit of God living within you!