#39.

When God's Word is Preached, the Unfathomable Riches of Christ are Proclaimed
Ephesians 3:8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, So then, it is Christ Who speaks when the Word of God is preached, but what about the message? What are the contents of Gospel preaching that would make us want to pay attention to it, to be present for it? Paul gives us the answer in our text - Christ is the content, as He is also the speaker! And Paul denies us any opportunity to think about dry and dusty lectures concerning someone who lived and died almost 2000 years ago. Look at the terms in which he speaks of the message he had declared to the Gentiles - it was a Person, it was "the unfathomable riches of Christ". Let's ponder the riches of Christ for a moment - material, spiritual and personal. How shall we quantify the material riches of Christ? Christ, Who even now is seated on a throne in heaven at the right hand of Almighty God! Christ, Who rules over all things and Whom God has made heir of all things! In short, Christ Who, in terms of created things, is the Creator and Possessor of them all! The wealth of the richest people who have ever lived on earth is like a drop in the bucket compared to the riches of Jesus in earthly things. Then again, consider the spiritual riches of Jesus - He is the King of Glory, the God-man. His domain is not confined to this world alone but reaches into heaven itself. All the angels of God bow before Him and call Him "Lord". In addition, Christ is the only Savior from sin, the only One who kept the law of God and earned a righteousness that He can bestow on those who turn from sin and put their trust in Him! Can we begin to comprehend such riches? Lastly, think of the riches of His character - perhaps the most glorious and engaging of the facets of His wealth. Here is one Who is altogether lovely, sinless, spotless. Here is one whose character is so infinitely beautiful that one name could never convey it, and so He has many in Scripture. Here are just a few: Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins

Christ, because God made Him to be Prophet, Priest and King and anointed Him above His companions with the oil of joy The Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father from all eternity The Son of Man, born of a virgin, bearing the likeness of sinful flesh but without sin

Emmanuel, because as God He would pitch His tent, or tabernacle, among His people here on earth The Lamb of God, because He would be sacrificed to provide eternal cleansing from sin by His blood The Rose of Sharon, perfect in beauty and fragrant to the senses The Fairest among ten thousand - incomparable in every way!

The Morning Star - He brings day with him into the soul, the light of grace and of glory; and he will give his people that perfection of light and wisdom which is requisite to the state of dignity and dominion that they shall have in the morning of the resurrection (Matthew Henry on Revelation 2:28)

No wonder Paul called the riches of Christ unfathomable! They are bottomless. There is no measure in heaven or on earth by which they can be counted, valued or comprehended! It will be the most pleasurable occupation of the saints in heaven to plumb the depths of the riches of Christ. We must understand two things from Paul in our text this week. First, and astonishingly, when God's Word is preached, and particularly the Gospel, the subject matter is these unsearchable, unfathomable riches of Christ! If that doesn't make us want to hear the Gospel preached, one may well wonder what will! But second, and even more remarkable to Paul (and therefore it should also be so to us) God has actually entrusted the preaching of such a subject to saved sinners! Paul regards himself as the least likely candidate to receive such an honor. "I am the very least of all God's Children", he says, "and yet this is the message God gave me to preach!" We must make this point in case we are tempted to criticize our own preacher, or think it unlikely that God could use them to declare such an exalted message. "He can!", says Paul, emphatically. How can we be so sure? Because it is not a matter of the man and his abilities - not at all! This is a matter of God's grace. Paul did not deserve to be a Gospel preacher ("this grace was given me") and no-one else deserves it either. But God, Who is rich in grace, gives this calling to men so that His children might hear the unfathomable riches of His most precious Son! It is our prayer that these meditations may alter our understanding of preaching, and make us hunger and thirst for it, rejecting all the gimmicks and gizmos and entertainments of the current age and demanding of our preachers rather to fulfill their lofty calling by declaring to us the unfathomable riches of Christ!

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