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“Preaching the Unfathomable Riches of Christ”
Ephesians 3:7-8
Sunday Morning Service / 7 August 2016 / FBCF
Preaching Through the Book of Ephesians
“(The gospel) of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace
which was given to me according to the working of His power. To me, the very least
of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches
of Christ.” Ephesians 3:7-8 NASB
Introduction: In spite of the fact that Paul was in prison when he writes this great
portion of the epistle, Paul is reveling and enjoying the gospel of Jesus Christ. He
does so because of the greatness of the gospel and his own enjoyment of it. In this
passage we clearly see Paul’s motivation to preach the gospel fueled by the
wonder, the riches, and the joy of the gospel for sinners. We will see in this
passage the incomprehensibility of the gospel’s greatness and the unimaginable
wonder and beauty of its impact for the sinner.
Paul never felt pride after he was saved. He was humbled by the fact that he had
greatly misinterpreted the truth, was a great persecutor of the church, and was a
great sinner in his own life. Even though he felt fully and freely forgiven of his sin by
God, he always felt the sting of reminder that without God’s saving grace, he was a
horrible person. He said that he was the least of all the saints. In 1 Timothy 1:15
he would say that he was the greatest of sinners. In 1 Corinthians 15:9 he would
say that he was not fit to be an apostle, because he persecuted the church. All
glory goes to God for the salvation of a sinner, and Paul knew this well in his own
life.
Note how Paul is humble in this text. He is a minister by God’s grace. God gave
this grace to him, and the grace of God worked powerfully in his life to transform
and change him. And Paul was indeed a changed man by the grace of God. God
had called Paul to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and Paul preached the glories
of Christ to sinners.
He uses an expression in verse 8 that is striking and suggestive. Paul calls the
gospel of Jesus Christ the “unfathomable riches of Christ.” All that is in the gospel
is unfathomable, incomprehensible, and unimaginable! The gospel and its blessing
are beyond belief. The word translated “unfathomable” means to be beyond tracing
or tracking. This does not mean that the gospel is incapable of understanding, but it
means that people in their finite intellect and comprehension are unable to fully
comprehend all that that is in the gospel.
The Unfathomable Riches of Christ
Go down the line of the gospel in its meaning and promise, and you will be stunned
to see that it goes on and on and on. You will be unable to trace it out altogether.
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Unfathomable forgiveness of sins
Unfathomable transformation of sinners
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Unfathomable
Unfathomable
Unfathomable
Unfathomable
Unfathomable
Unfathomable
righteousness before God through faith in Christ
power, peace, and life in Jesus
comfort in the providential care, presence, and promise of God
honor to be called Christ’s disciple and God’s children
love from God, to experience in life, and to share
destiny in heaven with God in glory
O Christian friend, I beg of you to study the gospel all of your life. And you will find
that your mind is incapable of taking in all the richness and fullness of God’s truth
and grace. You will see Jesus as a treasure trove of wisdom and knowledge. You
will find valued nuggets of truth in the cross of Jesus Christ. You will never tire of
pealing back layer after layer after layer of wonder and beauty in the cross of Christ.
And as you learn more and more about Jesus and the gospel, your heart will swell
more fully with the comfort and the joy of the truth of the gospel in Christ.
Paul spoke of the “riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the
surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe” (Ephesians 1:18-19).
Again, Paul would say that he prayed that the eyes of the Christians would be
“enlightened, so that” they would “know the hope of His calling” (Ephesians 1:18).
Still again, Paul would write in Ephesians 3:18-19 that he prayed that they would
“be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height
and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that
(they)…would be filled up to the fullness of God.”
Superlatives fail me. I cannot find, even in hyperbolic language, sufficient terms
and expressions to mirror the greatness of the gospel and the wonder and joy of
Christ in the believer. It will take all eternity to comprehend the gospel and to fully
enjoy its riches.
Application: I want to spend the remainder of my time seeking to apply these
grand truths to our lives.
1. Do we treat the gospel as trite, superficial, and simplistic? Or, do we seek to
show with our minds, affections, and lives the richness, the fullness, the
depth, and the greatness of the gospel?
Humans are made for
transcendence, and if we don’t understand and manifest the greatness of the
gospel, then we will substitute silliness and man-made fancies that will
disappoint the soul.
2. Do we value the gospel? Do we show with our lives, our time, our affections,
and our resources that we value the gospel as the greatest thing in our lives,
as the greatest thing in the world?
3. Do we show with our love and enjoyment of the gospel that the blessings and
favor of God in Christ in the gospel satisfies us more and more? Do we
anticipate with joy eternity to know about the gospel of Jesus Christ?