Ephesians 3:8 To me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given… I. First, for THE SUBJECT OF THE MINISTRY. "The unsearchable riches of Christ." I might advert at once to His Divine nature and perfections. In Christ, then, I observe, first, there are "unsearchable riches" of wisdom and knowledge. "Unsearchable riches" of expiation and sacrifice. "Unsearchable riches" of grace. We read, it is the intention of God to magnify "the exceeding riches of His grace." "Riches," further, of power and energy. We value power; we think highly of energy; even if it be power of body — physical strength — as David did, when he said, "A bow of steel is broken by mine arms," and Samson, when he bore aloft the gates of Gaza upon his shoulders. But especially mental power — the bright, clear understanding — the radiant, sparkling intellect — the flashes of pure, strong genius. And what is physical power, or mental power, in comparison with moral strength — the strength of immaculacy, the strength to sustain innocence and virtue, in the face of all temptation, and as conquering all difficulties? What strength had the Lord Jesus! How He vanquished temptation, maintained His purity and perfection! So that He could say, when the conquest was complete, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth!" "Riches" of power! So He is said to be exalted to the throne of power, and to have made manifest His power in His Word. "The Word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword." And here I notice, again, His power for our use — energy for our succour — strength that will make us strong in the evil day, in the reception of which we may "mount up with wings as eagles." Once more, "riches" of glory. His own glory, His essential glory; as He is "the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of His person" — as He is the uncreated and the eternal light, to which it is said "no man can approach" — the unaccessible glory, as well as the glory which shines and is revealed. And if Christ be a participator of the Divine nature, if He be God, then, we say, here is original and essential glory unsearchable. Can you get to the bottom of it? Can you enter into its depths? Can you explore and fathom them? Rut the mediatorial glory. He is ascended into glory; He is invested with glory; when He comes again it will be in glory. There is the glory which He has to bestow — which He does bestow. He has glorified "the spirits of just men made perfect" already; they are with Him, and see His glory. He will glorify the redeemed and restored Church in body and in soul, and unto perfection. And finally, "unsearchable riches" of happiness. How happy He is! "God over all, blessed forever" — which means, happy forever. The gospel is "the glorious gospel of the blessed God" — the glorious gospel of the happy Christ. Now, we say, in relation to all human riches, and every form and variety of earthly wealth, that it can be searched into and explored — that a catalogue of it can be given, and the exact amount of it certified. You can tell how rich you are; you can know exactly what you possess, or most men can. If not, you can search into it, and it can be known. It can be known what money there is in the Bank of England; the wealth of England may be known. It is possible to make a computation and a calculation. So of other forms of wealth. Suppose it be a granary of food indispensable to sustenance of a nation; the sacks could be counted, and brought out and told. So in relation to human knowledge and wisdom. Give me the most learned man alive; in a very few minutes he can tell me all the subjects with which he is acquainted; but the innumerable subjects with which he is not acquainted he cannot tell me. He has light as far as it goes, and it is light; but it is encompassed by a boundary of darkness, into which he cannot see. On the other hand, it is said, "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." There is no boundary of darkness to intercept the view. Human virtue and goodness, how soon you are at the bottom of it! How searchable it is! How insignificant it is! How small it is! There seems to me to be nothing unsearchable about man except his sinfulness. There may be things not unsearchable in their own nature, but unsearchable by us; there may be beings who can get to the bottom of them, though you and I cannot. The ocean, for example, has not been searched by man; man does not know what there is at the bottom — what precious stones, what coral reefs, what beauty, what vastness, what monstrosity; he has not searched, he cannot search it. Man has net searched into the centre of the globe; he does not know whether it is a prodigious furnace of fire, or rolling, tossing, tempestuous water; he has not gone in his geology more than half a mile perpendicularly downwards. Will you tell me there is no eye that can see, and no being that can search? And going up aloft, can you tell me if there are inhabitants in the moon? Can you give me any account of the population of the planets? Can you tell me who are the creatures that inhabit and adorn the wide and beautiful universe? You cannot; it is unknown and unsearchable at present by you. Do you mean to say there is none that can search — no beings that do know? So even in respect to human science. You or I may be overpowered by numbers; are there not loftier intellects that can carry the process of numbers immeasurably beyond your mind and mine? So with the piles of reasoning upon reasoning, demonstration upon demonstration, in mathematics — you and I may be overcome presently; are there not minds stronger than ours that can soar into the illimitable fields? Yet I am prepared to say, with regard to these riches of Christ, searched into by the loftiest minds — let Gabriel, if you will, take his loftiest flight — that the unsearchableness is absolute and infinite. "The unsearchable riches of Christ." II. Now, then, briefly, FOR THE MINISTRY OF THESE, OR THE MINISTRY WHICH RESPECTS THESE "UNSEARCHABLE RICHES." It is simply, as it seems to me, for two purposes. The first is, to make known the existence of the riches — to testify to the facts and principles, because they might sleep in the world, or be unnoticed, or unrecognized, or unrealized, as they are near us and in existence and exercise in the universe. The ministry is to assert and affirm, to bring to knowledge and recollection, and to present to the understanding and the conscience the reality respecting Christ — what I have been endeavouring most inadequately and imperfectly to do. And the second point is, to make it manifest — to make all men see that, as I have said, the riches of Christ are available for our use. Take the wisdom and the knowledge, as you find them in the Scriptures, and make them your own. The atonement and expiation; what is it presented to your attention for? That by faith you may bring it home. There is the Priest; let Him do His work; He will take the sacrifice, and sprinkle your conscience, and purify your soul and mine, if believingly we come to Him for that purpose. He is able to do it, and will. With respect to the ministry I just observe, further, it is a ministry of ineffable grace on the part of God, in respect to those whom He calls into it. It was deemed a great privilege and favour, and so it was, to be a Levite, or a priest under the old law, to burn the incense and offer sacrifice; it was a great privilege and favour to be called as a prophet, though in evil times, as Jeremiah and Isaiah were. They were honoured by God as His ministers; and then Saul the persecutor was called and made an apostle, and he said, "To me is this grace given" — ineffable, unspeakable, unsearchable grace. He was conscious of it. Notwithstanding this, a ministry of holiness. "Less than the least of all saints." And then a happy ministry. The word "preach" implies this to do the office of a herald — to publish and proclaim glad tidings. "Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!" Blessed is the man who has to make "the joyful sound"! III. Finally, TO WHOM IS HIS MINISTRY EXERCISED? "The Gentiles." Christ's own ministry was to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel"; and He said to the apostles, "Into the way of the Gentiles and any city of the Samaritans enter ye not." But in Christ's ministry there were indications of peace to the Gentiles. The Syro-Phoenician woman was a Greek, and though repulsed with the inquiry, "Is it lawful to give the children's food unto dogs?" she yet eventually obtained mercy. The parable of the prodigal son is another indication of this; and our Lord Himself said, "Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold." Yet on the day of Pentecost there was not a single Gentile present — "devout men from every nation under heaven," out of all the provinces, but every one of them Jews. It was not till after Peter's vision and the incoming of the Holy Ghost in the house of Cornelius, as on the day of Pentecost, that the door was fully opened and the doctrine adequately revealed. And there seems to have been an impulse of new joy, arising from the entrance of new light, when the apostolic college resounded with the cry, "Then hath God also granted to the Gentiles repentance unto life!" We are Gentiles, and the Gentiles are now to be divided into two classes. The Gentiles who believe — the Gentiles who have received Christ the Gentiles who are confederated in Churches, and have ministered in the midst of them the ordinances of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And in respect to these Gentiles, let me say, that although we have not at present, as all ministers of all sections and communities do deplore, awakening signal manifestations of the power of God for the conversion of unbelievers, yet we have a perpetual edification, instruction, and improvement of those who do believe. The Spirit has not gone from the Churches; the arm of God in the other form may yet be mightily revealed. There is another class of Gentiles — the ignorant, the vicious, the stupid, the sleepy, the irreligious — those who pray not, read not, think not, keep no Sabbath, visit no sanctuary. Oh! we would desire that "the unsearchable riches of Christ" should be made known among them, that there should be a shaking among the "dry bones," and as it were a resurrection from the dead! (J. Stratten.) Parallel Verses KJV: Unto 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; |
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