You are too Rich in Christ
You are too Rich in Christ
Last week we studied the mystery of Christ which God had revealed to Paul for the Gentiles. This mystery was hidden in the ages past but now revealed to the apostles and prophets. That mystery is that we Gentiles who had no place by promise have become a part of God through Christ and now have equal access to God by Christ just as the Jews. We have been made one in Christ into one body, the Church. The Church had never existed in the past. It is not that Israel was the Old Testament Church and neither is the Church now the New Testament Israel.
The Church is a new creation in Christ made up of individuals who have been created anew in Christ. Old things have passed away and all things are new in Christ. When comes to accuse you, please remind Satan that you are a new creation in Christ wearing Christ’s righteousness.
Now, Paul in our present study is explaining the purpose for the mystery, the one body of Christ – the Church. So let’s read some of it and next week we will continue to see the rest of the purpose:
8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship[a] of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;[b]
10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
Some key observations: Paul considers himself as “less than the least of all the saints”. Do you hear him? Paul is not referring to just the other apostles but to all the saints past, present and future. That means Paul considers himself less than you to deserve God’s mercy and grace. What a right view to have by Paul. Do you see why? Well if you have been a murderer and a persecutor of Jesus and His Church, then you will earn that honor of being the least. In another place, he calls himself the chief of sinners. Are you are a chief of sinners? I was before the grace of God. The moment you think you got so much good in you and without sin as others, the moment you are out of the reach of God’s grace. God gives his grace to the humble and resists the proud who says “I am alright” and “I got it all together”.
Do you really have it all together apart from the grace of God? We must acknowledge and accept our human fallen nature of original sin and also the sins we commit ourselves. It is the height of arrogance to think that there is goodness in me apart from the grace of God.
Such perspective changes the way we see God and relate to him; and the way we see other people and relate to them. I am no better than the worst criminal in the Maximum Security prison apart from the grace of God. As such, I must approach even the worst of sinners (who is just like me) with uttermost caution and care with the intent that I pray that God would equally extend His mercy and grace to this person. I must pray that God will remove the veil that Satan has put on people that blind them from seeing the grace of God which is rich in Christ Jesus. Our hardness of heart toward people outside of the Church is because we have often stopped seeing who we were without Christ. See Ephesians 2:1-2. We were in the camp of those ruled by the prince of the air, Satan and considered children of disobedience just like others. Let us not forget where we came from and who has brought us out- Jesus.
Paul goes on to say that grace was given to him to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches in Christ. There is grace to preach. The word rendered to preach means to announce the good news of what God has done for us in Christ. Paul thought it a privilege to preach. It is of the highest honor to be a messenger of God and to announce and declare God’s good news. Do you and I see it as an honor to be preachers declaring God’s good news? Some even think it is a punishment or they are doing God a favor to be preachers. You hear people recounting what a great career and good pay they had to give up in order to preach. Please give me a break. We have been called to announce the same good news which had set us free. It is like a beggar telling other beggars where to go get food otherwise those other beggars would die. Are you willing to share the good news of Christ? Let’s not keep it to ourselves.
The good news announces the unsearchable, unfathomable riches of God in Christ. What Christ accomplished through the Cross is too rich and too mind blowing for us to fully understand. It is a mighty miracle of all miracles in our lives that thru the Cross, darkness has been made light, a night turned into a day, a new life created in the spirit that never existed before in the human nature. It is too much to comprehend a sinner made a saint. If you can totally understand and explain it, you have not started because we have all of eternity to marvel at what God in Christ has done. Heaven will never be boring for a second because we will be basking in the riches of Christ and seeing our God who has called us to Himself. You cannot fathom it. Let God be sufficient for us regardless of the issues of life.
Paul’s goal is to help the Ephesians and us see the fellowship or better the administration of God’s plan just as He has intended from the foundation of the world. He had already written about it in Ephesians 1: 9- 10. 9 “Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both[a] which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him”. The Church is part of God’s gathering plan into one big family or Household of God. It is exciting to be part of the display of God’s plan and a display of His love and grace.
So what? Why is all these important to us? You and I are too rich in Christ. We were poor in Spirit and we have been made rich in Christ because the God of the whole universe lives inside of us. Oh, what a privilege to be called an heir of God and joint heir with Christ. “May (God) give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding[c] being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believed” Ephesians 1:17-19. Amen!
Have a grace-filled Day. Let’s receive and give God’s grace to others today. A sinner saved by grace.
Last week we studied the mystery of Christ which God had revealed to Paul for the Gentiles. This mystery was hidden in the ages past but now revealed to the apostles and prophets. That mystery is that we Gentiles who had no place by promise have become a part of God through Christ and now have equal access to God by Christ just as the Jews. We have been made one in Christ into one body, the Church. The Church had never existed in the past. It is not that Israel was the Old Testament Church and neither is the Church now the New Testament Israel.
The Church is a new creation in Christ made up of individuals who have been created anew in Christ. Old things have passed away and all things are new in Christ. When comes to accuse you, please remind Satan that you are a new creation in Christ wearing Christ’s righteousness.
Now, Paul in our present study is explaining the purpose for the mystery, the one body of Christ – the Church. So let’s read some of it and next week we will continue to see the rest of the purpose:
8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship[a] of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;[b]
10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
Some key observations: Paul considers himself as “less than the least of all the saints”. Do you hear him? Paul is not referring to just the other apostles but to all the saints past, present and future. That means Paul considers himself less than you to deserve God’s mercy and grace. What a right view to have by Paul. Do you see why? Well if you have been a murderer and a persecutor of Jesus and His Church, then you will earn that honor of being the least. In another place, he calls himself the chief of sinners. Are you are a chief of sinners? I was before the grace of God. The moment you think you got so much good in you and without sin as others, the moment you are out of the reach of God’s grace. God gives his grace to the humble and resists the proud who says “I am alright” and “I got it all together”.
Do you really have it all together apart from the grace of God? We must acknowledge and accept our human fallen nature of original sin and also the sins we commit ourselves. It is the height of arrogance to think that there is goodness in me apart from the grace of God.
Such perspective changes the way we see God and relate to him; and the way we see other people and relate to them. I am no better than the worst criminal in the Maximum Security prison apart from the grace of God. As such, I must approach even the worst of sinners (who is just like me) with uttermost caution and care with the intent that I pray that God would equally extend His mercy and grace to this person. I must pray that God will remove the veil that Satan has put on people that blind them from seeing the grace of God which is rich in Christ Jesus. Our hardness of heart toward people outside of the Church is because we have often stopped seeing who we were without Christ. See Ephesians 2:1-2. We were in the camp of those ruled by the prince of the air, Satan and considered children of disobedience just like others. Let us not forget where we came from and who has brought us out- Jesus.
Paul goes on to say that grace was given to him to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches in Christ. There is grace to preach. The word rendered to preach means to announce the good news of what God has done for us in Christ. Paul thought it a privilege to preach. It is of the highest honor to be a messenger of God and to announce and declare God’s good news. Do you and I see it as an honor to be preachers declaring God’s good news? Some even think it is a punishment or they are doing God a favor to be preachers. You hear people recounting what a great career and good pay they had to give up in order to preach. Please give me a break. We have been called to announce the same good news which had set us free. It is like a beggar telling other beggars where to go get food otherwise those other beggars would die. Are you willing to share the good news of Christ? Let’s not keep it to ourselves.
The good news announces the unsearchable, unfathomable riches of God in Christ. What Christ accomplished through the Cross is too rich and too mind blowing for us to fully understand. It is a mighty miracle of all miracles in our lives that thru the Cross, darkness has been made light, a night turned into a day, a new life created in the spirit that never existed before in the human nature. It is too much to comprehend a sinner made a saint. If you can totally understand and explain it, you have not started because we have all of eternity to marvel at what God in Christ has done. Heaven will never be boring for a second because we will be basking in the riches of Christ and seeing our God who has called us to Himself. You cannot fathom it. Let God be sufficient for us regardless of the issues of life.
Paul’s goal is to help the Ephesians and us see the fellowship or better the administration of God’s plan just as He has intended from the foundation of the world. He had already written about it in Ephesians 1: 9- 10. 9 “Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both[a] which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him”. The Church is part of God’s gathering plan into one big family or Household of God. It is exciting to be part of the display of God’s plan and a display of His love and grace.
So what? Why is all these important to us? You and I are too rich in Christ. We were poor in Spirit and we have been made rich in Christ because the God of the whole universe lives inside of us. Oh, what a privilege to be called an heir of God and joint heir with Christ. “May (God) give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding[c] being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believed” Ephesians 1:17-19. Amen!
Have a grace-filled Day. Let’s receive and give God’s grace to others today. A sinner saved by grace.
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