Unsearchable Riches

Transcript

Alright, thank you very much. And hello again, radio friends. How in the world are you? Doing alright? It’s your good friend, Bob Cook, and we’re back together again, you and I, and looking at the Word of God. Hallelujah for the Word of God. I love the Bible, don’t you? I believe that not only does it contain the Word of God, but these 66 books written at different times by different people, all are part of the God breathed revelation that is for us in this day.

“All Scripture is by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect,” that means grown-up and mature, “thoroughly furnished to every good work.” Thank God for the Bible. I’m glad we have it. Many people by the millions are hungry for the Word of God and they can’t even get a page of it. And you and I have God’s Word, let’s thank Him for it as the days go by.

We’re looking at Ephesians 3, and I’ve come to verse 8 in chapter 3. We were in verse 7, talking about the ministry. Do you remember that? And this is particularly applicable to ministers, pastors, missionaries, evangelists, Sunday school teachers and the like, but for us all, if you believe the fourth chapter, that the job of the pastor is for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, then this verse applies to us all, doesn’t it? A minister according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me.

The opportunities God provides are part of His gracious provision. Your job situation, although you may not like it, is part of God’s provision; it’s your mission field at this point. It’s part of your ministry. Let me ask you something, have you ministered to anybody in your job situation? Is there anybody on the job situation that is just thanking God that you came along? Think about it. It’s part of the deal, isn’t it? It’s part of the given, the grace of God given unto me. Now, how is that implemented in your life? It says according to the effectual working of His power, the indwelling Holy Spirit of God makes you effective in a given situation. I often cringe a little at walking into a new situation where there are people that I don’t know or circumstances that are unfamiliar, of surroundings that are unfamiliar. If there were one chair in the middle of the room, my father used to tell me, I would find it and fall over it. [chuckle] That kind of a feeling.

And I cringe a little, wince a little at this idea of going into a new situation, but have you realized with me, perhaps you can realize today, that what really implements your usefulness is not what kind of a personality you are, but the working of the Holy Spirit of God who dwells within you if you’re a believer, so that when you walk into a situation, God is working through you in that set of circumstances, be they pleasant or unpleasant. The effects of working of the Spirit of God, see. His power, that is where it’s at. It’s the power of God that counts, not how I feel about something, or not how well-prepared I am for it, or whatever it may be. Okay. His power. And it’s that blessed word Dunamis, dynamite, dynamic. We get our English words from it. The power that never wears out, never gives up and never burns out, always there. God’s dynamite, the Holy Spirit of God makes you dynamic.

I suppose there’s nothing more ridiculous than somebody who’s trying to appear dynamic. Have you seen that from time to time? And people put on a front, but oh, when the Spirit of God is working in your life, you are dynamic. There is a something about you, better said, somebody, there is a person who shines through you and who speaks through you. You have a ministry, and you have the opportunity of being God’s dynamite in any given set of circumstances. And remember, who you are and what you are and where you are is what God has given to you for just now. Let Him use you in that setting. Well, in Verse 8 now, he says “Unto me, who I am less than the least of all saints.” It’s interesting the way Paul’s thinking about himself goes. He says “I’m the least of the apostles.” That’s one of the places where he talks about himself. And then in this place, he says “I’m less than the least of all saints.” And then you go over to Timothy and he says, “I’m the chief of sinners.” I tell you, the farther you go with God, the more you know you need him, and the better you know the Lord, the more you realize how much you have needed him and the less you take cognizance of other people. The closer you get to an object, the less peripheral vision you have about the scene.

I often illustrate it by holding a songbook up, cover page facing me before my eyes, and I hold it out at arm’s length and say now I’m looking at this songbook, but I can also see out of the corner of my eye, I can see Tom, Dick and Harry, and so on. I can see other things and other people, but now I bring the songbook up close to my face, holding it perhaps an inch or two away from the tip of my nose. What now do I see? I don’t see anything but the cover of that songbook. No way now to look out of the corner of my eye and see Tom, Dick and Harry and others with whom I might compare myself. You get the point? The closer you get to the cross, the better you know God. In other words, the closer you get to the cross, the less you’ll be comparing yourself with other people, the more you know you’ll need a great savior. He said, “I am less than the least of all the saints.” Now, he says “Unto me is this grace given that I should preach among the gentiles, the unsearchable riches of Christ.” Had the apostles been willing to wait on God’s choice for a replacement for Judas Iscariot, they might have realized that Paul was God’s choice to fill in that 12th missing place.

Well, they voted on a man who was a good man, understandably, and a godly man and spirit-filled man, but you never hear of him again. God had his replacement. Whenever I’ve been called upon to serve a church who… A church congregation, the members of which were looking for a new pastor, I would get them on their knees as soon as I could, get them praying, get people praying in small groups and in larger meetings as well. Why? Because if you’ll wait on God, you get His point of view, you get His commission, you get His personnel provided. Many years ago, I made a covenant with my Lord that I’ve followed through throughout the years. I said, “Now Lord, I’m gonna specialize in walking with you and giving out your Word. You bring to me the people and the funds to do whatever you want me to do.” And I started that when I was in the pastorate, and then it went on into Youth for Christ, where recruiting young leaders was part of the job, and raising funds, also a very important part of the job. And from there, I went on into publishing, Christian publishing with Scripture Press, and from there to the college as president for 23 years.

And again and again, I would say, “Now Lord, I’m your boy, and I’m gonna give out your Word. I wanna be faithful to you. You bring me the people and the funds to do the job.” Who was it that said, “God’s work done in God’s way will not lack for God’s support”? This is so true, and you and I can depend upon it, this grace given to you, a ministry that is especially yours provided by your Lord, and backed by His power. Well, he said to me this was given, this grace, “given that I should preach among the gentiles, the unsearchable riches of Christ.” What are the unsearchable riches? Well the riches of His grace. You never exhaust that, do you? Can’t get to the end of the grace of God. He giveth more grace. God is able to make all grace abound to you, that ye always, having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.

And then there’s the riches of his inheritance in the saints. God thinks you’re valuable enough to make you part of his future inheritance. He’s gonna cash in on you one of these days and you will be part of his rich inheritance. And then of course there’s His riches in glory by Christ Jesus, “my God shall supply all your need,” according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. And when we’ve said that, we’ve just begun to scratch the surface, because actually, the richness of the Lord Jesus Christ comes in your relationship with Him. “Unto you, therefore, which believe” said, Simon Peter in 1 Peter 2, “Unto you therefore which believe He is precious.” Actually, the Greek text there would render it “Unto you, which, believe is the preciousness”. The relationship with your blessed Lord when he’s Lord of your life, and the Holy Spirit of God fills your life and you are living day-by-day in obedience to your Lord, you know something about the richness of Christ, the unsearchable riches of Christ.

Everything about your dealing with God is in the superlative. Peter said “In whom though now you see him not yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” Here, you have the word “unsearchable”. How wonderful God is, Paul says His ways are past finding out. All of your dealings with God are in the superlative. They go beyond your ability to quantify them or to classify them. Don’t try, just open your heart and life and let him spill over out of your life all of his wonderful rich presence and blessings. I made a pastor call many years ago, came to the door, it was my custom all through those years, 18 years in the pastorate to make three calls a day. A 1,000 calls a year will result in people coming to your church, pastor, remember that. You cannot get people to come to you unless you go out to them.

So I was calling and I came to this one home and rang the doorbell and nothing happened. And I was about to turn away, and then the door opened and this dear housewife came, and had her little three-year-old girl in her hand. And they were both smiling and she said, “I’m sorry I was so slow in coming to the door, but we were talking with Jesus. You see, I’m teaching my little one how to practice the presence of God.” I thought that was sweet. The unsearchable riches of Christ, you begin to learn something about them when he becomes yours, and when you establish a working, living relationship, with this wonderful, wonderful Savior.

Dear Father, today may we know something of the richness of our relationship with Jesus, our blessed Lord. I pray in his name, Amen.

Till I meet you once again by way of radio, walk with the King today and be a blessing!