The Riches of Christ; Ephesians 3:7-13

Main Point: Jesus is more than enough.

God’s word for us today comes from Ephesians 3:7-13. I will begin reading in Ephesians 3:1 and go through 3:13 [read it].

Rejoice over this good news

I. God’s grace forgives, changes, and empowers us (7-8)

I have good news for us in our guilt and shame

• All of us and any of us can be forgiven

We know this is the case because of the infinite worth of Christ and because Paul was the least of all the saints. Paul put it this way in 1 Timothy 1:15, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” Paul understands that he is the chief of sinners, the worst of the worst, and yet wonderfully, fully, and perfectly forgiven. The point that invites us to run to Jesus with our sin is that if the worst of sinners is forgiven than I can be forgiven and so can you.

Paul was the most unlikely of Jews to become a Christian and the most unlikely of saints to become an apostle. When we look at Paul’s conversion from a hater of Christ to a lover of Christ it should stir up our hearts knowing there is grace enough for me and for you. God gave Paul his forgiving, transforming, and empowering grace so that Paul could go and preach Christ to the Gentiles. It was the grace of God that changed Paul from the least of the saints (Eph 3:8) to the hardest working of the apostles (1 Cor 15:10). God’s grace can do that in you too. Think about verses seven and eight like this,

• God’s grace is there to empower you

Verses seven and eight put the forgiving, changing, and empowering grace of God on display. Like in chapter 2, Paul is crystal clear that forgiveness, redemption, and power for ministry come from God and not from our individual merit or effort. None of us are saved by our good works. None of us are given God’s grace because we earn it or deserve it. Like Paul, we are made ministers of the gospel because of the gift of God’s grace. And no, we are not apostles like Paul, but God gives each of us a gift and a ministry that builds up the church. Are you using that gift and doing that ministry?

Look at verse 7, how did the gift of God’s grace come into and transform Paul’s life? God’s grace was given to him by the working of God’s power. God’s power is what we need, God’s power is what we depend on. The God who is creator of all and sovereign over all is working his plan of redemption in and through us. We are always and only dependent on God’s grace. We need more Jesus because it is through him that we are forgiven, changed, and empowered. Celebrate with me

II. Christ is our treasure (8)

The apostle Paul preached the incomprehensible wealth of Christ because he tasted and treasured the incomprehensible wealth of Christ. This is the way of every disciple: treasure Christ and preach Christ.

• Treasure Christ

What word describes the wealth or riches of Christ in verse 8? Our translations use the words unsearchable, unfathomable, boundless, and incalculable. The word means that you can’t understand it even after careful consideration (Louw-Nida 32.23). Getting your mind around the sufficiency and glory of Jesus is outside of your paygrade and capabilities. The collective brainpower of all humanity over the millennia cannot master all that Jesus is, the finite cannot contain the infinite. When we see Jesus, we see one who is incomprehensibly abundant. Jesus is infinitely more than enough in ways that are beyond our abilities to understand. Do you believe this? Do you long for the God who is so much more than you and so much more than us? Salvation is described like this Colossians 1:27, “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Salvation is the call to move out of the shallows of humanity and swim in the depths of deity. Christ in me is a wonder such that when I think clearly about what it means to be united to the infinite sovereign creator God, I don’t have the words.

 The best we can say are things like, “whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him” (Phil 3:7-8). The ruling desire of those who have tasted the glory of Christ is to know him more AND to make him known. Paul preached Christ because Paul treasured Christ. Worship is the only proper fuel of missions and evangelism.

So, what do you love about Jesus? Why do you sing about Jesus? Why is he precious to you? The common denominator of all Christians is dependence on and delight in Jesus. For me, I rejoice because of the abundant wealth of Jesus’ grace. That Jesus keeps forgiving me is a mystery, a gift beyond comprehension. One day I am proud and self-reliant and the next day I am discouraged and struggling with unbelief. Like Morgan Wallen, I think Jesus should just move on to someone else because that’s how I treat people. Jesus should kick me to the curb and move on, yet Jesus is there with incomprehensible abundant forgiving grace. Jesus is wonderfully kind to me. What about you? What do you love about Jesus? I’m going to give you an opportunity during the Lord’s Supper to share how you see the glory of God in Jesus so be thinking. Why do you sing about Jesus? Why is he precious to you? Get ready to share; get ready to preach Christ. That’s what we do

• Preach Christ

Look back at Ephesians 3:8, “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.”

Though Paul was the chief of sinners, a blasphemer of Christ, and a murderer of God’s sons and daughters, he was given grace so he could go and preach Christ. There was no redeeming quality in Paul, nothing to commend him to God. All of Paul’s goodness came from knowing Christ. Knowing Christ, Paul was propelled out to preach Christ. Paul’s mission, the mission of every Christian, is to go and build up the church; making disciples is the same thing as building up the church. So, if we are making disconnected disciples or if we are producing Christians who care little for the church then there is something terribly wrong with our ministries. The goal of all our work in the home and in the world must be to build up the church. We do this ministry by preaching Christ.

This collective work of worship and witness is what a loving church does. So, plan to be here for evangelism training starting June 2 during the Sunday School hour. We are going to equip you to treasure Christ and make him known. This is what the church does

III. The church displays the wisdom of God (9-10)

God’s eternal plan realized through Jesus is for his people, from every nation, to be a dwelling place for God. Rest in this

• The creator God is working his plan

Looking at Ephesians 3:9, the reference to God’s work of creation seems out of place. God gave Paul grace to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. When talking about redemption and restoration, why mention creation? Verse 11 helps us. There in verse 11 we have a reference to the eternal purpose of God realized in Christ Jesus. That springboards us back to Ephesians 1:10 and God’s plan to unite all things in Jesus. Sum it all up and put it all together, God’s plan to unite all things in Jesus through judgment and redemption was the eternal plan, the plan built into creation. The plan built into creation is to unite all of creation under the rule of king Jesus.

We think our sin derails God’s plan. We think Satan’s sin derails God’s plan. We think Adam and Eve’s sins derail God’s plan. But listen, the creator God is working his plan sovereignly steering even our sin according to his purposes. God is in fact, Ephesians 1:11, working all things according to the counsel of his will. Now, that reality does not answer the why question especially as we consider the painful suffering caused by sin in the world. God, why did you allow this sin to happen in my life? We don’t get that answer. What we get is the promise that God is moving our sin and our suffering in line with his purposes. The creator God is working his plan so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God is now made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Grab onto this

• The way we do life together displays the wisdom of God to the demons

No beings want to derail the plans of God like the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. We’re thinking about the demons or fallen angels whom we are warring against according to Ephesians 6:12. The demonic spirits want to keep the gospel contained just in you, just in your family, or just in the nation of Israel but God’s plan is the redemption of the nations. The united church, made up of the nations, displays the wisdom of God to the demons. The way we do life together, loving one another in spite of our differences, displays the wisdom of God. The church is God’s big ta-da surprise. The demons thought they wrecked everything when Satan tempted Adam and Eve and they were kicked out of the garden. The demons thought they wrecked everything when they tempted the Jews and they were kicked out of the promised land. The demons thought they wrecked everything when Satan tempted Judas to betray Jesus and the Jewish leaders worked with the Roman authorities to have Jesus killed. The unity of the church, our love for one another, proves that God is wise and winning. Individualism, factions, and divisions are demonic blights on the church.  

Do you understand the mystery of God, the manifold wisdom of God, and the eternal purpose of God? Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ sinners are made saints and outsiders are made sons and daughters of God.  Because of our personal union with Christ, the church is united and displays the manifold wisdom of God. Our deep unity with one another because of Jesus displays the wisdom of God. Our love for Jesus and one another should blow the demons’ minds. Just as Satan and the demons were about derailing creation, so they are just as cruel in derailing the church. So we are told in Ephesians 4:27 to give the devil no opportunities and we are told in Ephesians 6:11 to put on the whole armor of God and wrestle against these rulers and authorities.

Do you want to know how to wrestle against the demonic and proclaim the wisdom of God? Look at Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” Reconciled to God through Jesus, God has given you the ministry of reconciliation. Because of the surpassing worth of God go proclaiming the surpassing worth of God.

If you find anger in your heart that is giving the devil an opportunity to divide you from God or you from God’s people, what should you do? Look at the resurrection of Jesus! Remember, the creator God is working his plan and the gift of God’s grace is ready to work in and through you. This is the way for each one of us.

IV. Depend on Jesus (11-12)

Believe in Jesus, that’s the point! God will win. The formation of God’s united church which declares God’s wisdom to the demons is, verse 11, “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.” The glory of God through the redemption of the church and the defeat of all evil is sure because of the resurrection of Jesus. Let’s be bold knowing

• Boldness comes from Jesus

Where does the least of all the saints and the foremost of all the sinners get off thinking God loves him, wants to hear from him, or will help him? Boldness comes from Jesus. Paul has no rights or merit in himself; his sin has ruined all of that. You and I have no rights or merit in ourselves; our sin has ruined all of that. But we have boldness, the audacity to go into the presence of the very glorious infinite abundant God because we have the righteousness of Christ. God the Son gives us his access to God the Father. The unsearchable riches of Christ are put on display when you and I pray to God and love one another. It is our faith in Jesus that gives us the boldness to pray to God and love one another. Reconciliation with God and one another through Jesus Christ puts the wisdom of God on display. So, where is your boldness? Our boldness in prayer and our boldness as witnesses are directly tied to our perception of the incomprehensible wealth of Christ. Do you have a big view of Christ driving your bold prayers? Do you have a big view of Christ driving your bold love for the brothers and sisters here? Do you hunger and thirst for more of Jesus? Loving him are you beginning to love like him? Let’s get bold with our prayers and with our love knowing

• Access with confidence comes from Jesus

According to verse 12, we have more than boldness, we also have access with confidence through our faith in him. Listen to Hebrews 4:14-16. We read it this week in our daily Bible reading and it is good to rehearse it here, “Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Jesus will help us.

We are all struggling. Some of us are struggling with our ministry and feel unfruitful. Some of us are struggling with the church and feel disconnected, unwanted, or like outsiders. Some of us are struggling with marriage or parenting. Some of us are struggling with greed, some with sexual sin, and some with pride. Some of us are struggling with guilt, regret, and unbelief. Wonderful grace that forgives, transforms, and empowers is available to us in Jesus; believe in him. Jesus loves to give cast out people his access to the Father; believe in him. How did the least of the saints and the greatest of sinners find boldness and access with confidence? He found it through the resurrected Jesus. How will you find boldness and access to God with confidence? You can find it through the resurrected Jesus. My invitation is for you to depend on Jesus who will give you his access to the Father such that God’s powerful grace strengthens you in your suffering. Don’t overlook verse 13,

• God is doing his thing (13)

Sinners are being forgiven, outsiders are being welcomed in, the manifold wisdom of God is being made known to the demons through the church, and Paul is in prison. In light of the powerful working of God’s grace, Paul writes, verse 13, “So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.”

Paul is telling them, “I am in these chains because I have the unsearchable riches of Christ.” Paul’s imprisonment is a wrestling against the demonic by continuing to preach the boundless riches of Christ. So you also, do not be dismayed by suffering because you also have the incomprehensible wealth of Christ. Listen you suffering and defeated saint, God is doing his thing. Do no lost heart over what you are suffering for Jesus’ name. You have access to God in Christ Jesus. Go to Jesus; fly to Jesus. God has made you a minister of his gospel according to the gift of God’s grace. God is working powerfully in you and through you; hold fast to Jesus and hold fast to the church.

You better eat the Lord’s Supper! God wants you to enjoy fellowship with the Father, Son, and Spirit through the body and blood of Jesus Christ. God wants to display his wisdom through our fellowship with one another around Jesus Christ. Here is grace, strength, and love for you because of Jesus. The Lord’s Supper is for the saints, for forgiven sinners. If you are depending on Jesus for your access to the Father, then you are invited to come remember and celebrate all that Jesus has done. God established baptism as the marker of all those who have started this life of dependence on Jesus. So, if you have been baptized you are invited to come. As we prepare to enjoy our union with Christ and with one another, I invite you to take stock of your life. God commands us to examine ourselves before we eat and drink (1 Corinthians 11:27). Hebrews 10:19-25 will be our prompt today.