{"id":22560,"date":"2024-09-24T22:35:14","date_gmt":"2024-09-24T22:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/?p=22560"},"modified":"2024-09-24T22:37:33","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T22:37:33","slug":"the-unsearchable-riches-of-christ-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/2024\/09\/the-unsearchable-riches-of-christ-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Unsearchable Riches Of Christ"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Posted by permission. Chippenham Old Baptist Chapel<\/a>.]<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sermon preached at Old Baptist Chapel, Chippenham by Mr. G. D. Buss<\/b>
\n<\/b>on Lord\u2019s Day Morning, 22<\/b>nd <\/b>September, 2019<\/b><\/p>\n

Text: <\/b>\u201cUnto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.\u201d Ephesians 3, verse 8<\/i><\/p>\n

The Apostle Paul was writing from the city of Rome, where he had been taken a prisoner. It was a very strange but a clear connection that he was found to be a prisoner with an Ephesian. When Paul had come to Jerusalem (he knew in his heart that there was great trouble awaiting him), he took into the temple a man called Trophimus. You can read of this is the Acts of the Apostles. Trophimus was an Ephesian, and the Jews accused Paul of taking him into that part of Temple that only belonged to the Jews. The Gentiles were not allowed to pass through it. This was erroneous; Paul had not done that but was accused of it. In the tumult that followed, Paul was arrested and eventually brought to Rome where he is now writing from. There he had memories of both Ephesus, and the Ephesians.<\/p>\n

But, writing from Rome, we do not find Paul complaining about the events that brought him there, nor complaining that the Lord had been unjust in bringing him there. In fact, he said in another place that he prized the chain that held him to the Roman soldier who brought him to Rome. He saw it as a token of the Lord\u2019s goodness and mercy towards him. That chain that was bringing him to do the Lord\u2019s will. He looked on it not as man would look on it, naturally speaking, as something to be ashamed of. No. He bore that chain for Christ\u2019s sake. And, every child of God, dear friends, has the same chain in another way. They are bound to God by a chain, not only of sovereign grace, but of sovereign providence, to bring them into the will and the way which God has for them.<\/p>\n

Well, Paul was bound by this chain. As he sits in the cell in Rome and thinks of those believing Ephesians; those whom he loved for Christ\u2019s sake, he was moved by the Holy Spirit in the first two chapters to lay the foundation of sovereign grace. In the second chapter he shows the experience of it, beginning: \u201cAnd you hath He quickened.\u201d Then, in this chapter and in this verse in particular, he speaks of his own authority in proclaiming such a gospel which is spoken of here, \u201cthe unsearchable riches of Christ.\u201d Those \u201cunsearchable riches,\u201d friends, make amends for every pain, every humiliation and every trial that Paul was enduring. So they will for you, child of God, this Sabbath morning. Whatever trouble or trial may affect your poor heart or life, one shower, from this blessed cloud of the fulness of Christ will change your captivity in a moment, and you will bless God for it.<\/p>\n

I want to bring before you three things this morning out of our text which may guide us in our meditation. First of all: the preacher. Paul describes himself as: \u201cless than the least of all saints.\u201d Unless you should say: \u2018Well, I am not called to preach; I am called to sit in a pew,\u2019 remember, none of us know what the Lord\u2019s will may be as the future unfolds. But, if it is the case that you sit in a pew for the rest of your days, listening rather than preaching, the same is true of the hearer as well as the preacher. Friends, the gospel will mean nothing to you unless you become \u201cless than the least of all saints.\u201d In other words, humility makes the way for the gospel to be of benefit to us. Think of the Pharisee and the Publican. The Pharisee, you will remember, was full of his own works and goodness, so he thought. Not an ounce; not an atom of his so-called humility in his prayer! But look at the poor publican; hiding himself away from the sight of others, beating upon his breast and crying: \u201cGod be merciful to me a sinner.\u201d He was \u201cless than the least of all saints.\u201d He felt it. And he was the one the Lord heard. Paul felt himself to be \u201cless than the least of all saints.\u201d We will come back to that in a moment.<\/p>\n

The second thing we must consider is to whom Paul was to be sent. Here is another point of providence, not just for preachers, although it certainly was so for Paul, and is so for you and for me. Our providences are ordained by God. God was sending Paul to various places to preach His Word. Sometimes He shut a door, as He did in Bithynia and even Asia at one point; that Paul might go to Macedonia where the Lord had a great work for him to do. God is a God of providence, and it ill-behoves you or me to put any providence down to a second cause. In other words, to explain it away. \u2018If this had not happened, then it would not be as it is.\u2019 Friends, who is in control? Who is handling your providences? Who is handling your life, child of God? \u201cMy times are in thy hand,\u201d says David. And Paul felt those times that had brought him to a prison cell were in the Lord\u2019s hands. From that prison cell he had to proclaim this glorious Truth. Paul had to learn that God would send him where He would. And you and I, dear friends, are in the Lord\u2019s hand in that respect. We are clay in \u201cthe hands of the Potter.\u201d We should always be asking, as Paul did in his first prayer (and it was not the last time he prayed it, either): \u201cLord, what wilt Thou have me to do?\u201d \u2018Not what others want me to do or think I should or should not do; not what my poor, carnal mind and natural man would want me to do. May all that be laid on the altar; \u201cLord, what wilt Thou <\/i>have me to do?\u201d And, when the Lord reveals that He will give you grace to walk in it.\u201d He will say: \u201cThis is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.\u201d \u201cHe hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly.<\/i>\u201d There is that word again; \u201chumbly<\/i>\u201d with thy God?\u201d So, the second thing we have to consider is those to whom Paul was sent to preach. They are called the Gentiles.<\/p>\n

The third thing (and this third point could fill hundreds, thousands of sermons if God gave the grace so to do); what was Paul to preach? About himself? \u2018No,\u2019 he says, \u201cwe preach not ourselves.\u201d Was he to occupy the pulpit by telling people things just to entertain their minds? No. He was to preach the unsearchable, fathomless, riches of Christ. That is the third thing before us, this morning. The preacher, to whom he is sent and what he is to preach: all in God\u2019s hand. And, whoever stands in this pulpit, be it me, your unworthy pastor, or any other of God\u2019s servants, it is the same Truth that I am setting before you this morning.<\/p>\n

First of all then, the preacher. \u201cUnto me, who am less than the least of all saints.\u201d When Paul was speaking about sinners, he said something very different: \u201cSinners; of whom I am chief.\u201d When he was comparing himself to the fallen race of Adam, he did not look down on any one of them. He did not say: \u201cI am holier than thou.\u201d He said: \u2018I am the chief of them all.\u2019 That is what he felt. He felt that because he had come face to face with the holiness of God. And \u2018the more God\u2019s glory strikes our eye, the humbler we shall lie.\u2019 That is what is lacking in the Church of God today; we have lost a sense of God\u2019s holiness. We are too casual, and we are too familiar. We gloss over the fact that God is a holy God. \u201cOur God is a consuming fire.\u201d Our God hates sin, and our God will have sin dealt with, for the honour of His great name. He is our Judge. Our eternal destiny hangs in His hand. It is He who will say \u2018Come\u2019 or \u2018depart\u2019 in that solemn moment when our lives shall end. Do you believe it, sinner, or are you just drifting through this life as if there is no eternity? Do you say: \u2018If there is an eternity, I will leave it to think about at some stage, but not now. I am too intent on my career, on my business, on my family and this, that and the other. There are many things I want to do before I think about eternity.\u2019?<\/p>\n

Oh, sinner! Remember what the Lord said to that man who had been greatly blessed in providence. He wanted to pull down his barns and build greater, and then take his ease and eat, drink and be merry and have, as it were, a retirement of ease and comfort. \u201cThou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be?\u201d Just a side thought here, dear friends: with all the providential goodness that God had given him, he should have been using it to God\u2019s honour and glory while he was yet alive. But, when all was said and done, he had to leave it. If you take a newspaper like The Times or The Telegraph, there is a section which tells you of the money that has been left by this man and that man. Sometimes great sums of money have been left; over a million pounds, or more. But they left it. They could not take a penny of it beyond the grave. And nor can you and nor can I. \u201cThou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be?\u201d Lay it to heart, dear friends. Are you living for time or for eternity? Are you living as if you must stand before this great God of all \u2019ere long; perhaps \u2019ere another Sabbath dawns?<\/p>\n

\u201cHow stands the case, my soul, with thee?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For heaven are thy credentials clear?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Is Jesus\u2019 blood thy only plea?<\/p>\n

Is He thy great forerunner there?\u201d<\/p>\n

J. Kent<\/i><\/p>\n

Let us come back to Paul\u2019s character. \u201cLess than the least of all saints.\u201d What is a saint? I understand that the Roman Catholic Church at this moment is trying to canonize a man called Cardinal Newman. He was a man that went from the Church of England to the Church of Rome in his day; the same day as J.C. Philpot was going in the other direction, coming amongst our people. Now they are trying to make Cardinal Newman into a saint. Friends, no man can make a saint. No pastor can make a saint. He cannot make one of himself, either. A saint is one who has been called by God\u2019s grace; one who has been through that wicket-gate we read of in Ephesians 2: \u201cYou hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.\u201d He has been separated and is being separated from what he is by nature. He is called to be separate from this world, and he is called to go forth to Christ \u201cwithout the camp.\u201d That means outside the camp of this world and all that it means; \u201cbearing His reproach.\u201d Come back to the fool I have just spoken of, who did not know this truth: \u201cHere have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.\u201d A saint is a man who is passing through this time like a man in a tent. He puts his tent down for a few days, then on he goes. He does not put his roots down. He has been uprooted from this world. He has a better country to go to. \u201cYe have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.\u201d Thus, he holds the world with a loose hand. Yes, he must be in it. He does not need to go to a monastery or a convent to be a saint. No, dear friends, it is God alone who can make a saint; a sanctified one.<\/p>\n

But look at the word \u2018saint\u2019 in another sense. Look how it is spelt; even you, younger ones could spell it for me if I asked you. S-A-I-N-T. Take the letters S-I-N: sin. Then take the other two letters: A-T: atonement. Now, a saint is a sinner who has proved the value of the atonement. You say: \u2018What is the atonement? It\u2019s a long word, isn\u2019t it? AT-ONE-MENT. It is a sinner who has been brought nigh to God. How? We read of it in Ephesians 2: \u201cMade nigh by the blood of Christ.\u201d The dying of Christ has broken down that middle wall of partition between you, a wretched sinner and this holy God. Christ has paid it all.<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus paid it all,<\/p>\n

All to Him I owe;<\/p>\n

Sin had left a crimson stain,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He washed it white as snow.\u201d<\/p>\n

F. Crosby<\/i><\/p>\n

That<\/i>, dear friend, is what a saint is. He has proved the power of the atonement. He has felt the power of the blood of Christ in his heart. It softened him, melted him and cleansed him. You say: \u2018But we fall into sin again!\u2019 I know, I know it! I know it! But it does not undo what that precious moment did when you first felt the dropping in of the precious blood of Christ that cleansed your conscience. In that day there was nothing between you and your God. Your sins were gone! Yes, we need fresh application, I know. Hasten to that blood every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cDaily I\u2019d repent of sin,<\/p>\n

Daily wash in Calvary\u2019s blood.\u201d<\/p>\n

R. Burnham<\/i><\/p>\n

But, friends, do you? Do I? That is the point. A saint is one who has been to the foot of the cross. He has sheltered beneath the blood of Christ. He has pleaded all that is in it; the merit of it, the righteousness of it, the life in it, the power in it, the forgiveness in it and the mercy in it. He says:<\/p>\n

That is a saint.<\/p>\n

\u201cGive me Christ, or else I die.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, strangely enough, it may surprise you, that there is no one who feels themselves to be as great a sinner than a saint feels to be. That is the difference between a man-made saint and a God-made saint. A true saint knows so much of what he is by nature; so much of his vulnerability to the world, the flesh and the devil that he has to groan. And he does: \u201cWho shall deliver me from the body of this death?\u201d He has to hasten daily to the foot of the cross and plead the blood that atones for sin. That is a saint.<\/p>\n

How many saints are there here this morning in Old Baptist Chapel? You say: \u2018We have got a Church roll.\u2019 We do have a Church roll. But friends, either your name or my name on the Church roll does not mean you are a saint. We hope it is so, but it is not for me to say whether it is so, or not. All I am saying to you is that it is not to do with the Church roll. It is to do with this: have you proved the power of the atonement? That is the point. Application; a personal knowledge of the death of Christ. Paul knew that. He was a saint in that respect. He says, writing to the Galatians, that God had \u201cseparated me from my mother\u2019s womb.\u201d This was in two ways. One, literally: God gave him birth. But he had been separated from another womb. He had been brought up in the Old Testament dispensation and had been nurtured well in that womb. He thought he was on the way to heaven with his seven \u2018ships\u2019 that you read of in Philippians 3. But, when Christ met with him and he met with Christ, all those ships suffered shipwreck. He fled to the righteousness of Christ, and there sheltered beneath it. From that moment on, he knew what it was to be a sinner saved by grace. That is what a saint is. Looking round on the saints, he knows they have their faults (and they have), but, when all is said and done, he says: \u2018When I know my faults, you show me the least saint. I am less than that one.\u2019 And, while you and I are in that spirit, we are no harm to anybody. But, once we leave that lowest spot, oh, what harm pride can do! Pride is a terrible thing. It wrecks and has wrecked Churches, families, nations and businesses. Terrible thing, pride! Good Joseph Hart was quite right when he said there is one place where pride dare not intrude: Gethsemane. If it dared to intrude there, it would soon be drowned in blood.<\/p>\n

\u201cThy garden is the place\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where pride cannot intrude;<\/p>\n

For should it dare to enter there,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2019Twould soon be drowned in blood.<\/p>\n

If you really saw, if you are a saint, what your sins cost the Saviour, you would say: \u201cLord, I am surely the chief of sinners, and \u201cless than the least of all saints.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, here is the preacher; the one God had ordained in this respect to proclaim this truth. He speaks of a grace: \u201cthis grace given.\u201d That was not the grace that saved him and made him a saint. It was a special grace given to make him a preacher; an apostle of Jesus Christ. There is a distinction. There is the grace that saves that he speaks of in chapter 2, but then this grace that was given to him that he should be the Lord\u2019s messenger. \u201cAnd no man taketh this honour unto himself.\u201d We do not want man-made preachers. I say that tremblingly. What am I doing in this pulpit? We want God-sent preachers. Those are the ones God will use. But here is Paul. \u201cUnto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given.\u201d<\/p>\n

The second point is to whom Paul was to preach. God ordained the places and the people to whom he should preach. Because he was God\u2019s servant, Paul was like an ambassador. As a king or queen sends their ambassadors to where they will to do their business, so Paul, being an ambassador for Christ (he calls himself that), says: \u2018I am one whom the Lord has entrusted with this gospel to preach, and I go to whom and to where God\u2019s sent me.\u2019 It is not always to where you want to go. When I first received the call to this pastorate here, over 40 years ago, there were two, if not three other causes that had showed an interest. One in particular I very much wanted to go to. But the Lord said concerning this people here: \u201cThou must go with this people.\u201d \u2018Not the one you want to go to, but where I will send you.\u2019 Well, I say no more about that. Whether it was the Lord\u2019s will, we must leave that in the Lord\u2019s hand, except we could not have continued among you for so many years were it not the Lord\u2019s help. The point is, dear friends, as I was saying just now about your providences: there is a must <\/i>in them. And that means the Lord is in the matter. That means you must bow to him whatever it is: the family, the business, the Church or your personal life. What is the Lord\u2019s will? The Lord\u2019s will for Paul was that he should preach among the Gentiles.<\/p>\n

Who were the Gentiles? There are two answers to that. They were the non-Jewish nations. The Jewish nation has a wonderful history, beginning at Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It was raised up for a wonderful purpose; a twofold purpose. One was to bring forth our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ in due season. In the fulness of the Father\u2019s time He came forth, \u201cmade of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law.\u201d That was a wonderful privilege, and it still is a wonderful privilege. We should be thankful to God that He raised up that nation for this very purpose. But also, the way the Lord dealt with that nation; it was a type of His dealings with the people of God in all ages. \u2018But,\u2019 you say, \u2018what about the Gentiles?\u2019 Well, for the most part, in the Old Testament the truth of God was confined to the Jewish nation. There were exceptions, of course, and Rahab was one, and Ruth was another. No doubt there were many other hidden ones whom He loved with the same love that He had for the Jewish nation. But, for the most part, the gospel was confined in that ceremonial way to the Jewish people. But, when Christ came, as we read of in Ephesians 2, He broke down that middle wall of partition. If we went to the Temple, we would have a wall which prevented the Gentiles from going where the Jews were allowed. The Jews could have nearer access. The Gentiles had to stay in the outer court. If they went into the inner court where they were not supposed to go, there was punishment of death. That was the problem when Paul took Trophimus into the Temple; they thought he had done that very thing and had gone where the Gentiles should not have gone. It was a very marked thing. But our Lord Jesus Christ has broken down that middle wall of partition. It is out of every \u201cevery kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation\u201d that He calls His own.<\/p>\n

But, friends, there was an even more important barrier than the one I have just mentioned. Between the Holy God that dwelt between the cherubims in that Shekinah glory and all the worshippers, Gentile or Jew, there was a veil that no one dare pass through. No one, that is, except Aaron or the High Priest once a year, and that \u201cnot without blood.\u201d That veil reminds us of the difference; the wall of difference between a holy God and a poor sinner. And, just as Aaron dare not go within that veil without blood, so dear friends, you and I must not. I hope we dare not approach God without blood. Not our own, not the blood of a bull, or a beast or a bird as it was in Old Testament times. But rather, with the blood of Christ. \u201cThe blood of Christ, how sweet it sounds, To cleanse and heal the sinner\u2019s wounds! The streams thereof are rich and free; And why, my soul, why not for thee?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was shed for sinners, and that is what a saint is brought to believe. The blood of Christ has brought sinners near to God. It has paid the price of sin. It has dealt with its very root. It has undone what the devil did in that sinner when he fell in Adam and has brought him nigh. What a mercy it is! \u201cMade nigh by the blood of Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, Paul was to preach to the Gentiles; these people that had been scattered, as it were. He was to preach Christ to them. You can read in the Acts of the Apostles how great a success God gave to his ministry, in Ephesus, Thessalonica, Antioch, in Corinth especially, and other places. He was a man greatly blessed. But he could only go where the Lord sent him, unto whom the Lord sent him and when the Lord sent him. It was all in the Lord\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n

The other meaning of the word \u2018Gentile\u2019 is a very derogatory meaning. The Jews had such distaste for the Gentiles that they equated the word \u2018Gentile\u2019 with the word \u2018dog.\u2019 That is why the Lord Jesus Christ put that woman of Syrophenicia to the test when He said: \u201cIt is not meet to take the children\u2019s bread,\u201d \u2013 there He was speaking of the Jewish nation \u2013 \u201cand to cast it to dogs\u201d \u2013 to the Gentiles. But this woman penetrated right through our Lord\u2019s mind, as it were, to the heart of the matter. She knew what He meant: \u201cTruth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters\u2019 table.\u201d And it was to such that Paul was sent in a spiritual sense, leaving aside all nationalities. The dogs: those unworthy ones, those feelingly defiled ones, those who cannot call themselves a saint and certainly cannot make themselves a saint. Yet, they want a crumb! You sang of it in your hymn just now [743]. You are waiting for something from the very gospel table. You dare not, as it were, sit at the table and be noticed by others; you do not feel worthy of that. \u2018Oh, if I could just be under the table and just gather a crumb!\u2019 For, it is the same quality as the banquet on the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cA crumb of mercy, Lord, I crave,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unworthy to be fed<\/p>\n

With dainties such as angels have,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Or with the children\u2019s bread.\u201d<\/p>\n

C. Cole<\/i><\/p>\n

Friends, this is what Paul was sent to do: to declare such truths to the Gentiles. \u201cUnto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then we come to the fullest part of the text, the part we feel most inadequate in dealing with: \u201cThe unsearchable riches of Christ.\u201d First of all, \u2018unsearchable\u2019 means that no man by natural wisdom can find it out. This is the fault of modern science. God has given great wisdom to scientists, and we would be foolish not to acknowledge that. But the point is that God is not in all their thoughts. At least, of very few scientists can it be said that God is in their thoughts. Everything is explained according to their own natural mind and, as it were, God is banished from every part of what they are describing or studying. So, they come to their own conclusions. The Word of God speaks about the conclusions they come to: \u201cGod shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.\u201d Evolution is a strong delusion, and the strength of it is, if it were really true, that there is no Creator, there is no God, the Judge of all, there is no eternity, there is no hell and there is no heaven. We are just here by chance, and when our life is done, that is the end. That is evolution for you. What does the Word of God say about it? \u201cAnd as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.\u201d Evolution denies, not only the Godhead of our Lord Jesus Christ and even God Himself, but the necessity of His birth, His life and His death. \u2018The cross and the tomb mean nothing; there is no need for it,\u2019 they would say \u2018Why are you so concerned about such things?\u2019 Well, a saint is <\/i>very concerned about it. He or she knows they have a never-dying soul. They know there is an eternity. They know that \u201cGod is a consuming fire.\u201d They know they need preparation for eternity. This is the prayer of a saint:<\/p>\n

\u201cPrepare me, gracious God,<\/p>\n

To stand before Thy face;<\/p>\n

Thy Spirit must the work perform,<\/p>\n

For it is all of grace.\u201d<\/p>\n

J. Fawcett<\/i><\/p>\n

We come back to the word \u2018unsearchable.\u2019 It also means, dear friends, that even among those who know a little of what Christ is and the loveliness of Him, even their knowledge is like going down to the seaside, say at Lyme Regis, and taking a little egg cup and filling it with water from the sea. You compare the water in that eggcup with what is left in the sea. What is in the egg cup is what God may have revealed to you. What you do not yet know of Christ is in all that sea that you cannot begin to put dimensions to. \u201cThe unsearchable riches of Christ.\u201d And here is a mark: if you have ever known anything of it; if you have tasted a little of it, you will want to know more. You will. You will say: \u2018Lord, I want to know more of this precious Christ, more of His Godhead, more of His equality with the Father and the Spirit. I want to know more of His holy humanity; more about that precious life He lived and more about that temple of the Holy Ghost in which the Holy Ghost dwelt without measure. I want to know more of His precious blood that He shed, why He shed it and for whom He shed it. I want to know more of the true meaning of that word He spoke on the cross: \u201cIt is finished.\u201d I want to know why the veil of the Temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. I want to know that my unworthy name was taken by Him into the Holiest of all when He \u201cascended on high\u201d \u201cled captivity captive.\u201d\u2019 These are the things that those who know a little of Christ want to know more of. \u201cThe unsearchable riches of Christ.\u201d These riches are infinitely better than anything this world could ever give you.<\/p>\n

\u201cWere I possessor of the earth,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And called the stars my own,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Without Thy graces and Thyself,<\/p>\n

I were a wretch undone!\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh, friends, there is nothing to be compared with the knowledge of Christ! We are told it is \u201cmore precious than of gold that perisheth.\u201d And so it is. A little true, saving knowledge by the Spirit of a precious Christ is more than this world can ever give you or ever will give you. \u201cNot as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled,\u201d He said. \u2018This is what I give to my dear people: peace.\u2019 \u201cPeace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe unsearchable riches of Christ.\u201d Go to Philippians 4, and there you will find access to them. Philippians 4 verse 19 is a most wonderful word. \u201cBut my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.\u201d You dear parents here this morning, you do what you can for your children. You have to deal with them according to the means that you have. And, because of your love for them, you go to the extent of those means as well, because you love them. You do what you can for them. Well, look at this: God the Father; look at the resources He has stored up in His dear Son for all His dear people. \u201cMy God,\u201d says this very man in our text, \u201cshall supply all your need.\u201d On what grounds? \u201cAccording to His <\/i>riches in glory by Christ Jesus.\u201d That is the scale; shall we say it is the bank balance that a saint has; a sinner saved by grace. This resource never runs dry. It never empties. It is as full today as it was when the first sinner drew from it, and it will be the same to all eternity. A fulness that never, ever diminishes, even though millions of sinners have drawn from it since first it was opened for such.<\/p>\n

But, the point is, have you and I drawn anything from it? \u201cMy <\/i>God,\u201d says Paul. \u2018I know what He can do for a poor wretch; one who is \u201cless than the least of all saints,\u201d and the Chiefest among all sinners. I know what He can do.\u2019 \u201cRiches in glory.\u201d Stored up where the devil cannot get them, where unbelief cannot deny them, where the world cannot take and even your wretched heart cannot defile them. \u201cHid with Christ in God.\u201d \u201cRiches in glory.\u201d A perfect obedience, unsullied, unstained, unspotted, never wearing out and never corrupting. A full and complete atonement in the precious blood of Christ; justice completely satisfied with it. And a Person there, at the right hand of God. A real Man; a real Person. Yes, He is a Person in the Godhead, of course. But now that Person in the Godhead has taken into union with His divine Person this other nature. So, it is both God and Man that sits at the right hand of the Father this Sabbath morning. He is interceding for all who come to God by Him. And the vilest sinner out of hell who cannot call himself a saint but longs for salvation is welcome to the throne of grace.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe vilest sinner out of hell,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Who lives to feel his need,<\/p>\n

Is welcome to a Throne of Grace,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Saviour\u2019s blood to plead.\u201d<\/p>\n

The riches are in Christ Jesus. \u201cThe unsearchable riches of Christ.\u201d And the occupation of heaven is, I say this reverently, to delve into those unsearchable riches. In the whole of eternity they will never be exhausted. Never. \u201cUnto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

One further thought. That word \u2018preach,\u2019 is a good word. I like it because it means there is a proclamation. It is a declaration. There is nothing uncertain about it. It is what God is saying to a coming sinner through a precious Christ: there is mercy for him. That is what it is saying. It is a proclamation. It is a declaration from the very throne of God concerning His dear Son: \u201cThis is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,\u201d He said to those three favoured disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration, \u201chear ye Him.\u201d \u2018Hear what He has to say.\u2019 What has He to say to the coming sinner? \u201cCome now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.\u201d What has He to say to the poor, fearing, trembling sinner this Sabbath morning? \u201cFear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed;<\/p>\n

I, I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.<\/p>\n

K., 1787<\/i><\/p>\n

What has He to say to that one upon whom He has laid a burden, as it were for Christ\u2019s sake? Paul speaks twice in this chapter for this cause; for the cause of God and for truth. He was bearing this particular burden. And there are other burdens God\u2019s dear people bear. What does He say to such? \u201cCasting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.\u201d \u201cCast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.\u201d If only, friends, you could delve into these riches and see what comfort and encouragement there is for God\u2019s dear, coming people! \u201cUnsearchable riches.\u201d Things as yet not seen. Isaiah 42: \u201cAnd I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them,\u201d \u2013 that is sanctification \u2013 \u201cand not forsake them.\u201d In other words, you may be very anxious about your tomorrows, your next weeks and your next months as the Lord opens up His will for you in any way. It is unsearchable to you, but it is known to Him. \u201cBut He knoweth the way that I take:\u201d says dear Job in the depths of his trouble, \u201cwhen He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.\u201d And the Lord says to dear Joshua: \u201cHave not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.\u201d Joshua had an unsearchable path before him; he did not know how he was going to cope. He had Jordan and Jericho and unseen troubles before him. Oh, dear friends, what more can He say to His coming people?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat more can He say than to you he has said,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?\u201d<\/p>\n

K., 1787<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cUnto me,\u201d says Paul. \u2018I have proved what I am telling you. I have walked it out. I know it to be so. I would not be writing to you like this were it not so.\u2019 \u201cUnto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.\u201d What a privilege Paul felt it to be! A solemn responsibility, yes, but what a privilege He felt it to be! That this man who hated the name of Jesus, hated the very people who bore that name should now proclaim the sweetness and preciousness of that name! Oh, dear friends, what grace! What cannot grace do when once it is put forth? You know what is said at Thessalonica: \u201cThese that have turned the world upside down are come hither also.\u201d And when Paul went preaching, that is just what happened. He \u201cturned the world upside down.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the eighteenth century, there were several revolutions in Europe. They were very violent revolutions as well, particularly in France. And the godly wondered what would happen in Britain, as it was also a very depraved nation and deserved God\u2019s judgments. Well, God did send a revolution, but it was a different one. He sent the Evangelical Awakening. He sent men like George Whitfield, in particular. (He was actually the first trustee of the Chapel from which we seceded in 1804. His name is on the Trust Deed). But the point I am making is that George Whitfield came into this area and he preached law and gospel. He preached sin and salvation. Friends, it turned the world upside down around here. It was the means of many being called by grace. Society changed, not just here but throughout the nation. It was said that it was that which saved this nation from a violent revolution. Now, we live in very uncertain times at the moment. We tremble at what might happen: the unrest, the disorder and the bitterness on every side. I know what would change it: this gospel. If God were pleased to raise up godly men with the same power and turn the lives of sinners upside down as He did in the days of the Evangelical Awakening, we would see a remarkable change in this nation. Oh, may it yet be so! Let us not give up praying that it will be so.<\/p>\n

But has it turned your life upside down? That is the point. You can look at history. You can talk about Paul and you can debate the doctrines of grace. But that is not enough. Has it turned your <\/i>life upside down? Can it be said of you: \u201cYou hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.\u201d? Have you been \u201cmade nigh by the blood of Christ.\u201d? Has the middle wall of partition been broken down between you and a holy God? That is the point. Lay it to heart this Sabbath morning; how does it stand with you? If you had been listening to Paul preach this blessed gospel, would it have meant anything to you? There were those to whom it meant nothing. It was a \u201csavour of death unto death.\u201d But there were those to whom it was a \u201csavour of life unto life.\u201d And that is what I do so long to know in my poor way here; that it might be a \u201csavour of life unto life\u201d in those that believe. But also may it not leave without excuse those to whom it is a \u201csavour of death unto death.\u201d The Word of God does say \u201cthey are without excuse.\u201d There will be no excuses in the Day of Judgment, just remember that. No excuses whatsoever!<\/p>\n

\u201cHow stands the case, my soul, with thee?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For heaven are thy credentials clear?<\/p>\n

Is Jesus\u2019 blood thy only plea?<\/p>\n

Is He thy great Forerunner there?\u201d<\/p>\n

May God add His blessing.<\/p>\n

J. Kent Amen.<\/i><\/p>\n

<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Apostle Paul was writing from the city of Rome, where he had been taken a prisoner. It was a very strange but a clear connection that he was found to be a prisoner with an Ephesian. When Paul had come to Jerusalem (he knew in his heart that there was great trouble awaiting him), he took into the temple a man called Trophimus. You can read of this is the Acts of the Apostles. Trophimus was an Ephesian, and the Jews accused Paul of taking him into that part of Temple that only belonged to the Jews. The Gentiles were not allowed to pass through it. This was erroneous; Paul had not done that but was accused of it. In the tumult that followed, Paul was arrested and eventually brought to Rome where he is now writing from. There he had memories of both Ephesus, and the Ephesians.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":480,"featured_media":22558,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1728],"tags":[1227],"class_list":["post-22560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gerald-buss","tag-spiritual-assurance"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/480"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22560"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22561,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22560\/revisions\/22561"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}