The Unsearchable Reaches of Christ

So, as John mentioned in his prayer, I just got back last night from our Denomination's yearly gathering in St. Louis,

and I know many of you are curious and interested in what happened.

I'll just give you a brief summary, which is that lots of good things happened.

I'm encouraged about the future of our denomination, and I'm happy to talk about it more with you one-on-one if you'd like.

Many of you know, of course, we're celebrating Independence Day, our independence from Britain,

but now, of course, we also have a special relationship with Britain.

Our church, in a similar way, has a special relationship with Westside PCA, our sister church here in town,

and it's our pleasure to welcome Davis Morgan, who's their pastor, to bring God's Word to us today.

So, Davis, welcome.

Greetings, Cheyenne Mountain.

It is so great to be with you on this Lord's Day, on this Independence Day,

to come together and to bring God's Word from Ephesians chapter 3.

Ephesians 3 · chapter mention

And so I want to invite you, if you have your bulletin there, I see the text is there for you,

or if you would like to open your Bible to Ephesians 3.

We, as a church, have been going through the book of Ephesians.

We just wrapped up chapter 3 about a month ago or so,

and we were studying the book of Ephesians to learn, as a church,

just what we are called to be as a church.

As Christians, our identity in Christ,

our identity as being part of the body of Christ in the troubling days in which we find ourselves,

the book of Ephesians was a timely word from Scripture for us,

and so I pray and hope that it will be timely for you as well.

So draw your attention to the reading and to the preaching of God's holy,

His inspired Word that He has preserved for us as people.

Ephesians 3, 1 through 13.

For this reason, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,

assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you,

how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.

When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ,

which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations,

as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.

This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body,

and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Of this gospel, I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace,

which was given to 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 the ages in God,

who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God

might be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

This was according to the eternal purpose that He 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.

This is the Word of God.

Thanks be to Him.

Let us pray for our time in His Word.

Lord God, we do thank You for this time.

We thank You for this Word from Ephesians 3.

We thank You that we have the privilege as Your people to hear this Word.

And I pray that for every one of us in this room,

we would not overlook that fact,

that it is a privilege to hear Your Word proclaimed.

And so we ask that You would give us humble hearts, Lord.

We ask that You would give us ears to hear and to understand,

eyes to see and to savor the glory of Jesus,

Lord, and a spirit, a spirit to respond with faith,

with repentance, with joy, with comfort,

Lord, with adoration and worship of You,

the King of kings, the Lord of lords.

And Heavenly Father, we also pray for our little theologians

that are in here, Lord,

our covenant children,

those little ears that will be listening as well.

We pray that You would give them the gift of understanding Your Word,

illumination by Your spirits.

You say in John 3 that,

Lord, we cannot understand a single thing from heaven

unless You give it to us, You grant it to us.

And so we ask that You would do that by Your grace.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Fifty-six men signed it.

Their conviction resulted in untold sufferings

for themselves and for their families.

Of the fifty-six men,

five were captured by the British

and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army.

Another had two sons captured.

Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or the hardships of war.

And yet if you were to ask them,

was it worth it?

Was the Declaration of Independence made on July 4, 1776,

245 years ago,

and the years of war and hardship that followed,

was it all worth it in the end?

Their answer would have been, unequivocally, to quote Patrick Henry,

give me liberty or give me death.

Without question, it was the fortitude,

the resolve of those patriots

that eventually led to the founding of this great nation.

Indeed, that is because all things,

all things in life of lasting value

require great endurance.

They require fortitude and resilience

that comes before seeing the desired outcome.

You know what that is called?

The Bible calls that faith.

Faith.

But it is not a blind faith,

as the common misconception goes.

Biblical faith, friends,

is not a leap into the darkness.

But it is a step into the light of God's revealed will

and his acts in history.

And it is being swept up by that astounding story.

One man who knew this perhaps better than anyone else

who has ever lived on the planet

was the Apostle Paul.

Paul, who at one time had been Saul of Tarsus,

a Pharisee, a vehement opponent,

persecutor of the church,

as he says in Philippians 3.

It was his mission to wipe the church out from existence.

And sometimes we forget that not only had Paul arrested Christians,

but Paul was complicit in the murder of Christians.

We know about the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7,

but he says later on when he's recounting his testimony

that those that were brought into Jerusalem

on the charges of being traitors to the nation of Israel,

Paul signed off on their execution as well.

It was to this man,

this man that the exalted Christ

had gloriously appeared to,

and he appeared to Paul

to become,

Paul to become Christ's chosen instrument

of bringing the gospel

to all of the non-Jews in the world.

No matter the ethnicity,

no matter the region of the known world,

the Old Testament promises

to the faithful descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

were now being fulfilled.

The nations of the earth

were indeed coming under the blessing of God

through the seed of Abraham,

the Lord Jesus Christ.

Those who were once considered unfit

and outside of the kingdom of God,

God has now brought near

by the blood of his son,

Ephesians chapter 2.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

In this sense,

Christianity is the most inclusive religion

in the world.

What I mean by that

is that there is no one who is forbidden.

Outwardly, there is no one who is forbidden

from embracing Jesus Christ.

The good news of what God has done for sinners

goes out to all who were here.

There is no longer Jew nor Greek, Paul says.

There is no longer slave nor free,

male, female, Greek, barbarian, Scythian, Roman.

All are one in Christ Jesus, Galatians chapter 3.

Galatians 3 · chapter mention

Christianity is unique in this regard

in that from beginning to end,

the emphasis in Christianity is on God's work.

It is on his invitation to all without discrimination.

God has done this.

It is his work.

And he graciously calls

and he applies it to whomever he freely will apply it to.

This is what the Apostle Paul had given his life to.

And you know what it cost him?

It cost him essentially everything.

In the face of intense hardship and affliction,

persecution,

you know the list from 2 Corinthians chapter 10

2 Corinthians 10 · chapter mention

where he goes through.

The Corinthians have the gall,

they have the audacity to question

the ministry of this man.

They have the gall,

the audacity to question his authority as an apostle.

And Paul says there in 2 Corinthians 10,

do you not know what I have been through?

Do you not know about the beatings?

Do you not know about the lashings?

Do you not know about the stoning?

Do you not know that I have been in danger from robbers,

danger from my own countrymen,

danger from the Gentiles,

danger from robbers?

I have spent a sleepless night at sea,

he says there.

And more than that, Paul says,

you really want to know what keeps me up at night?

It is not knowing where the other blow is coming from.

You know what kept Paul up at night?

It was his anxiety for the church.

It was his anxiety for the churches that he had planted

that they were going to go astray,

that they were going to essentially deny the faith

that had saved them.

Paul gave his life for this.

Finally, Roman imprisonment even,

that will eventually lead to his martyrdom

for the faith under the Roman Emperor Nero

in the year 65 AD.

Why do I share all that with you?

The reason I share all that with you

is because I have a question for you today.

It is important to be reminded of these things

by the Apostle Paul,

and of course we could go on and on

down through the ages

of the voice of the martyrs of the faith,

the suffering, the affliction

that the church has undergone.

It's important, brothers and sisters,

to remember that,

especially on this 4th of July independence in our country

where we still enjoy the freedom to worship,

freedom to gather in the name of Jesus Christ to worship.

It's important for us to be reminded of this

because eventually, eventually,

the question will come for you.

The question, is it worth it?

Is it worth it?

Christianity, the Bible, church,

living as a Christian

in an increasingly hostile and strange world

that we live in now,

strange and hostile to the teachings,

to the beliefs of our faith.

Is it worth it in the end?

In the age of social media,

it's become quite the public spectacle

when a well-known professing Christian

in the realm of pop Christianity

renounces the faith

and makes it known that they are

on a process of deconstruction.

That's how it's phrased in our day.

That they are renouncing the faith.

Perhaps we personally know someone

who has walked away from the faith,

and we are confronted with questions

and doubts at the time,

and we're wondering,

is being a Christian really worth it?

The tension is especially strong

when social issues are brought up

and the church's position

seems completely out of step

with the modern world.

And the pressure to conform,

the pressure to give in

can leave us wondering,

is it really worth it?

Is it really worth being openly ridiculed

in a college classroom?

Is it worth being maligned

and misrepresented at work?

Is it worth being demonized

and slandered about?

Is it worth being rejected

and feeling as though

you are completely alone,

you are isolated in your conviction?

Is it worth it?

The good news is that Scripture

does not leave this most pressing question

for us unanswered.

As we'll see,

we will all face adversary

and trials in our lives as Christians.

The question about the worthiness

of the Christian faith

is one that the New Testament

wants us to be sure about.

And that is why we have

the testimony here

of the Apostle Paul

and the reason he says

that he's willing to suffer.

Paul's reason that he is willing to suffer,

that is his answer

to the question of,

is it worth it

when facing difficulties

as a Christian?

Now, little theologians,

I see a few kids with us.

Kids, if you want to follow along,

I have an assignment for you kids,

if it's okay with your parents.

One assignment, kids,

is to draw a picture

of something you really love

or value in your life.

It could be your family,

it could be your church family,

it could be a favorite hobby

or stuffed animal,

something like that.

And then here's the question,

kids,

that I want you to listen for.

What does Paul say

that we as Christians have

that is beyond valuable?

What are the riches

that he says

that we have, kids?

Now, as I said earlier

for the rest of us,

the big question

that we are attempting

to answer today

is the worthiness

of our faith

in the face of suffering

and adversity.

Is it worth it?

I want you to keep

that question in mind

as we go

and see if you can answer it

the way that Paul does.

First, I want you to look with me

at verse 7 of Ephesians 3

and the grace

that was given to Paul.

Of this gospel,

he says,

I was made a minister

according to the gift

of God's grace,

which was given to me

by the working of his power.

To me,

though I am the very least

of all the saints,

this grace was given.

If you read the book

of Ephesians,

you'll notice

that one thing

that stands out

about the apostle Paul

is how deeply rooted

his theology is

in the grace of God.

Understanding the gracious nature,

the gift of God's favor

towards him,

the very least

of all the saints.

This was the foundation

of Paul's theology.

He knew that he did not deserve

what he had gotten.

If anything,

he had gotten

the exact opposite

of what he deserved.

And that's what grace is.

Grace,

we commonly hear it referred

to as unmerited favor.

But technically,

what grace is

is demerited favor.

Meaning that all we have earned

from God

are demerits

or penalties

for our sinful condition.

And yet,

God still moves

toward us

and he acts

on our behalf

so that we can be forgiven,

so that we can be loved,

we can be redeemed,

we can be reconciled

to him.

And while he's at it,

God's grace

begins to change us

from within.

It begins to change

or transform

our nature

so that we become

what we are in Christ,

which is holy

and blameless.

Grace,

church,

brothers and sisters,

grace is the only hope

for you and I.

As a matter of fact,

grace is the only hope

for our world.

Did you know that?

We see that

in what Paul goes on

to say

about the wisdom

of God

being revealed

in the eternal purpose

or plan

in Christ Jesus,

our Lord.

The reason that God

has revealed that

is what Paul says there

to bring light

to everyone,

to bring this truth

about God's grace

to everyone,

the plan of the mystery

hidden for ages

in God

who created all things.

So here's what we have

to understand

about grace.

Grace not only

saves us from sin,

but it also saves us

from futility.

It saves us

from deception.

It saves us

from nihilism

and despair

in terms of

our outlook on life,

our worldview.

It is through

the mystery of Christ

that we come to know

the true God

and what His purpose

and His plan

is for the ages

and that He has

included us

in that plan.

You know,

it's quite telling.

It's quite telling

about our society.

Whereas,

as a society,

we've never been

more affluent.

We've never had

more technology

and capabilities

at our fingertips.

We've never had

more freedom

and pleasure.

And yet,

the percentage

of adults

identifying as lonely

has never been higher

in the history

of our country.

Did you know that?

Over 50%

of adults

between ages

18 and 49

identify as being lonely.

The number

of prescriptions

for anxiety-related

stresses

has also never been higher.

They estimate

one out of

every three Americans

are on medication

for anxiety.

Even in the age

of social media,

where it would seem,

at least on the surface,

that connecting

and socializing

are part of the purpose

of being plugged in,

studies have actually

shown the opposite.

That the more time

you spend

on social media,

the more unhappy

you are, actually.

In her book,

The Happiness Effect,

how social media

is driving a generation

to appear perfect

at any cost,

author Donna Freitas,

she writes,

she writes this,

that while sexting,

cyberbullying,

and narcissism

are very real

and present threats online,

she says that

the overall

greatest danger

for young people

is that they always

have to appear happy.

Here's what she writes,

quote,

young people face

enormous pressure

to appear

to look perfect online,

not just happy,

but blissful,

ecstatic,

and fabulously successful.

Unable to achieve

this impossible standard,

they are anxious

about letting

the less-than-perfect

parts of themselves

become public knowledge.

Far from wanting

to share everything,

they are brutally selective

when it comes to curating

their personal profiles

and worry obsessively

that they might unwittingly

post something

that could come back

to haunt them

the rest of their lives.

That is the current state

of our culture.

And over against this,

friends,

stands the mystery

of Jesus Christ.

The mystery of Christ

as the watershed moment

of human history

and the universe.

This mystery,

this mystery,

mystery there meaning

that unless God

revealing it to us,

unless God revealing

the meaning of the incarnation,

the purpose of the incarnation,

it would remain hidden to us.

This mystery has been revealed

to you, church.

It has been revealed,

the purpose,

the plan in Jesus Christ.

It is so that you would be filled

with the grace and truth

that are found

in Jesus Christ.

And what we must see,

brothers and sisters,

is that this grace,

this truth,

you know what they are?

They are the sure footing

in a world of uncertainty

and speculation,

in a world of suffering

and turmoil,

of death and despair,

of injustice and oppression,

of war and tyranny,

the grace,

the knowledge revealed

in Jesus Christ

that penetrates

the hopelessness

of nihilism

that our culture

cannot escape from.

It radiates the purpose

and the end

for which everything exists,

the glory of the triune God.

This mystery stands beneath

as the foundation

of our society,

of America itself.

It stands as the foundation

of the modern world.

Because it gave

the modern world

the preconditions

that are necessary

for you and I

making sense of anything.

It stands above

as the transcendent authority

that post-modernism

and moral relativism,

again,

these are the philosophies

of our culture,

of our day and age.

They cannot escape

from the inconsistency

and the contradictions

that they are.

But Christianity

stands above

and gives transcendent meaning

to everything, friends.

These are the most common

secular worldviews

that are raised up

against the knowledge

of Christ and His gospel.

And they are everywhere

in our day and age,

from pop culture references

and TV, film, music,

to our current state

of politics

and the university classrooms,

to the forementioned

social media platforms.

The point that I'm making

is that we are confronted

with these destructive

belief systems

and they have direct consequences

for how people think

and live.

And that leaves us

as a society

ultimately without God

and without hope.

The Christian worldview,

however,

as here described by Paul,

leaves us with boldness

and access

to God directly.

And we see how it provides

a certain confidence

in the midst of suffering

that he mentions

at the end of verse 12

and verse 13.

He says there,

so I ask you

not to lose heart

over what I am suffering

for you,

which is your glory.

Why, Paul?

Why should the Ephesian church

not lose heart?

How can you say that?

As he says in verse 1,

you're in prison.

He is a prisoner.

And he is unjustly in prison,

we might add.

Why shouldn't they lose heart?

And why shouldn't we here

in 2021

not lose heart?

What is the basis

for so bold a claim?

How do we know

that everything

you have been through,

Paul,

for the sake of the gospel

is worth it?

His answer is in verse 8

and following.

His answer is in verse 8

and following.

In spite of his unworthiness,

Paul was declared worthy

by grace.

And it's the same

for you and I today.

Even though we may feel unworthy,

we are declared worthy.

Even though we may be plagued

with guilt and shame,

his mercy is more

and his grace covers us.

His spirit makes us alive

and unites us to Jesus.

And you know how it comes

to you and I.

It all comes to us

through the unsearchable riches

of Jesus.

It comes to us

through union

with Christ.

Our identity,

our identity

is not found

out there.

Our identity

is found

in Jesus Christ.

We are holy

and blameless

in him.

Our comfort,

our comfort,

what did we confess

earlier?

That we belong

body and soul

in life

and in death

to our faithful savior,

Jesus Christ,

who has paid

for our salvation

with his precious blood.

God,

our hope,

our destiny,

all of these

are the questions

that the world

is searching

for answers to.

Christ,

Christ in us,

he is the hope

of glory,

the promise

of future glory.

Our destiny,

it's the unsearchable riches

of Jesus Christ,

friends,

so that in the coming ages,

as Paul says

in chapter 2,

God might show

you and I

the immeasurable riches

of his kindness

toward us

in Jesus Christ.

There is no one

like Jesus.

There is no one

like this God,

friends.

Paul says in verse 8,

to me,

this grace was given

to the Gentiles

to preach

the unsearchable riches

of Christ.

The word translated

unsearchable

means unfathomable,

incomprehensible,

meaning that it is

something so inscrutable

and infinite

that you cannot

possibly fully understand

or exhaust its meaning.

The image is of one

trying to track something

back to its source

but cannot be found.

Another commentator said

that the picture

is that of a reservoir

that is so deep

that you cannot reach

the bottom of it.

Therefore,

there's no limit

that can be placed upon it.

Brothers and sisters,

church,

we have these riches.

You and I

have these riches,

these unfathomable,

unsearchable riches

in Jesus.

And it's so that

in the coming ages

he might show

the immeasurable riches

of his grace toward us

and kindness

in Jesus Christ.

Paul is saying

that not only

is our future

defined by these

unsearchable riches,

but our present

is also defined

by them.

Because Christianity,

friends,

it's not about escapism.

It's not about

retreating

and living in a cave

until that day arrives.

No,

Paul's whole

preaching ministry,

indeed,

every minister

who is faithful

to that tradition,

to the apostolic tradition

in the New Testament,

our preaching ministry

for you

is that you would know

these unsearchable riches.

You would know them.

They are yours.

They are yours

here and now

to face,

to face

the certain suffering

that you will undergo

in this life.

The pain

and the sorrow

that will all come upon us

at some point.

The loneliness

and the despair,

the anxiety

that fills our hearts

and lives.

Consider these

unsearchable riches

that are yours.

That your heavenly Father

has graciously provided

for you.

That your blessed,

one of a kind,

faithful,

and merciful

high priest,

his ministry

through the word

every Lord's day,

he proclaims

these riches to you.

That your patient

and preserving Holy Spirit

reminds you of

and lifts your hearts

to heaven

even if it is just

for a moment

because of the spiritual struggle

that you are facing

and that I face.

Consider these

unfathomable riches

now.

Because of the Father,

you are in Christ Jesus

who became for us

wisdom from God,

righteousness,

sanctification,

and redemption

so that it is written,

let him who boasts

boast in the Lord.

Christ is our wisdom.

He is our wisdom

as opposed

to the world's

futile speculation

and their leap of faith

into the unknown.

Christ is our righteousness

as opposed

to the unrighteousness

and the ungodliness

that lies

not only out there

but also lies in here.

He is our sanctification.

In comparison

with our perversion

and our uncleanness,

Jesus makes us clean

rather than us

making him unclean.

He is our redemption.

He is the remedy

to slavery,

to sin,

to bondage,

to sin and unbelief.

Christ is our knowledge,

the answer

to our ignorance

about the nature

of who God is

and what he is like.

He is our peace.

He is our sufficiency.

He is the answer

to the old song,

I can't get no satisfaction.

Jesus is our peace.

Jesus is our sufficiency.

He is our reconciliation

that stands in contrast

to our propensity

for conflict and division.

For sin,

he is our high priest

that alone stands

between us and God.

He is able to save us

to the uttermost

because he alone

atones for sin.

For authority,

Jesus is our prophet

who is the final revelation

from God,

Hebrews chapter 1.

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

For politics

and social issues,

he is our king

that stands above

our corruption

and our hypocrisy.

In every conceivable way,

friends,

Jesus answers the dilemma

of human suffering,

of human corruption,

of human injustice,

of human weakness.

We live in a dog-eat-dog world,

a world that is defined

by strength,

not weakness,

pride,

not humility,

power,

and privilege,

not service,

and self-sacrifice.

Only the strong survive,

they tell us.

Look out only for you

because you're the only one

who will.

You must perform

and you must perform well.

Don't let them see you struggling.

Otherwise,

they will take advantage of you

and they will exploit you

while doing so.

If you don't perform,

you're out,

fired,

let go,

unfriended,

canceled.

The gospel that the world

has to offer,

friends,

really isn't gospel.

It's law.

Perform or else.

Agree with us or else.

Be on the right side or else.

Vote this way or else.

Believe the right way or else.

On and on it goes.

The never-ending cycle

of law-keeping

and gracelessness,

it's a world without God

and without hope,

friends.

But this gospel,

this gospel,

little theologians,

this book,

this God,

this Father,

Paul says,

he has brought

the ministry

of the apostles

for the purpose

to preach to you and I

these unsearchable riches.

So as a testimony

to the rulers

and authorities

and the heavenly places,

it has cosmic,

cosmic ramifications.

What we're doing right now,

cosmic ramifications.

That's ultimately

the purpose,

the reason

undergirding Paul's ministry

and the church's ministry,

friends.

What you are doing here

week in and week out,

it is to preach

the unsearchable riches

of Jesus Christ.

It is to bring to light

to everyone

what God has done.

The plan for the ages,

the God who created all things,

he is redeeming

and he is reconciling

all things to himself.

And this is what the church

is to testify to.

We are to testify to it.

The church's faithful ministry

in proclaiming these riches

in Jesus,

which God has now revealed

for the world.

It testifies to the wisdom

of God's plan.

And incredibly,

the ministry of Paul then

and the continued ministry

of the church

in preaching this gospel,

these unsearchable riches

that are part of the eternal purpose

and plan of God,

it all comes down to,

back to that question,

is it worth it?

Is it worth it?

Is the value

of the Christian faith worth it?

Paul's answer,

you better believe it.

Don't lose heart

over what I am suffering for you,

which is your glory.

I am suffering on behalf of you.

I am the prisoner for the Lord.

And I do it

to bring to you

the unsearchable,

the unfathomable riches

of the gospel of grace

in Jesus Christ.

In the end, friends,

it really does boil down to this.

Christ

or chaos?

Which one are you going to choose?

So that when dearest friends depart

and all is darkened

in a veil of tears,

then you shall better know

his love,

his heart,

who come to soothe

your sorrow and your fears.

Be still, my soul.

Your Jesus can repay

from his fullness

all that he takes away.

Be still, my soul.

The hour is hastening on

when we shall forever

be with the Lord,

when disappointment,

grief, and fear are gone.

Sorrow for God

loves purest joys restored.

Be still, my soul,

when change and tears are past.

All is safe

and blessed

we shall meet at last.

This Jesus,

he is offered to you

today.

These riches

are offered to you

today.

Let's pray.

Lord,

we thank you.

We thank you for the

unsearchable riches

of your son

that every question

that we might have,

every dilemma

that we have caused,

he is the answer.

Lord,

we love you

and we love your son

and we thank you

for all that you have

done for us in him.

And we pray

that you would,

Lord,

you would calm

our fears,

you would calm

our anxiety,

our worry

as we look around us.

Lord,

maybe there are

perhaps marriages

in this room

that are struggling.

There are kids

in this room

who are struggling.

Lord,

you know us

better than we know

ourselves

and you still

call us,

you call us by faith

to embrace

what you have done

for us.

I pray that that would be

a source of comfort,

a source of encouragement

for all of us

in this room.

Lord,

that we would go

forth from here

ever more

convinced

and confident

of the riches

we have in you.

And it's in your son

we pray.

Amen.

Amen.