Grow With Pastor Joe

The second section that we must see in this passage is the priority of the unsearchable riches. We have seen the preaching of the riches but now we see the priority of not only the riches of Christ but the preaching of those riches. Eph. 3:10-11 says, “¹⁰ To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,¹¹ According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:” The goal of all things from the creation to the consummation of all things is the glory of God. God’s glory is the aim of redemption and the unification of the Church in one body in Christ. It is the “eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” to completely reveal the glory of God and for God to receive the glory through His Son. God’s glory is used in two different ways. There is His intrinsic glory which is the makeup of all that He is. His intrinsic glory is His infinite and mighty attributes. Then, there is God’s ascribed glory. This is the glory that His creation gives to Him by the Spirit through Christ. The walk of every believer and the Church is to ascribe God’s glory throughout eternity in Christ. God has displayed and declared His glory in Christ so that we may declare and display His glory in our lives. First notice the phrase “manifold wisdom of God.” This is a summation of all that God is, has done, is doing, and will do. The word “manifold” was used to describe multicolored flowers, crowns, embroidered cloth, and woven carpets. God’s masterpiece is His “manifold wisdom” on display in Christ through the Church. Who could have planned this? Who would have planned it? The Jew would never think of being united to Gentiles and the Gentiles would never think of the same. What God has done, is doing, and will do in His Church in Christ is display His wisdom throughout all of creation and throughout eternity. The Church is God’s eternal work of eternal wisdom.

Looking at the priority of the unsearchable riches of Christ, we see that not only it is to show the manifold wisdom of God through the Church, but it is to display that very wisdom to the spiritual world. The priority of preaching the unsearchable riches is so that as we walk accordingly to our wealth in Christ, the audience of the innumerable angelic host would be in awe of God’s wisdom. Paul uses the words “principalities and powers in heavenly places” to show that these principalities and powers are no mere human organization. These words will be later used in Eph. 6 to describe the rank and file of the demonic world that is against Christ’s Church. Angels (and demons alike) are not all knowing, all powerful, or all present creatures. They were the first created beings and are distinct from human beings. Since creation, God has been praised by His angelic host and now has allowed them to carefully watch His doings on earth for, in, and through mankind. Both the angelic and demonic world are intrigued, interested, and instructed by us. As we walk in the wealth of riches that we now have in Chris they are witnessing the wisdom of God on display in the lives of saved sinners who are now united with and in Christ. The angelic world learns from our lives. We are on display for them to see God’s wisdom and riches in us. Paul alluded to this already in Eph. 2:7 when he says, “that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” The eternal purpose of God is to fully display the unsearchable riches of Christ through a unified body of believers. It is in the Church in Christ that God’s grace and glory are most seen on display. Revelation 5 gives us a picture of the heavenly angels praising God for His wise work of salvation in Christ from all walks of life. All of creation one day will give the glory that is due to God for His unsearchable riches and manifold wisdom that He displayed in Christ through His Church.

Lastly, we need to see the privileges of the unsearchable riches of Christ. Ephesians has already given us many aspects of our wealth in Christ which include the rights and responsibilities of being in union with Him. These verses will call each one of us to walk by faith in the privileges that we have been given in our wealth of riches in Christ. Eph. 3:12-13 says, “¹² In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.¹³ Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.” First, the privileges that every believer share in are in Christ. Paul begins declaring the privileges that the riches of Christ have given to the Church by saying “in whom.” All that we are, have, and do is found in Christ. He is our life. He is our breath. He is our purpose. He is our unity. He is our all in all. Christ is our wealth and walk. All of life is wrapped up in Him. All the privileges that each believer in the Church get to enjoy are in Christ, by Christ, through Christ, and for Christ. The riches of Christ have already been established as being unsearchable. We can’t calculate them or reach an end of them. However, Paul shows us three specific privileges that we can now enjoy. He has alluded to them already in Eph. 1-2 and now will remind us of them. First, we have an allowance. In Christ, we now have “boldness.” We are not bold about our own selves (Paul has already shown that). The privilege is that we enjoy boldness in our relationship with and in Christ. The word is not like we would think of in today’s use. Boldness here is the idea of freedom of speech. Christ has given us the allowance of approaching the throne of grace with the ability to speak freely. This means so much for us in our personal daily walk. When it comes to my communion with Christ in prayer, I now have the allowance to say it all. I don’t have to hold back my distresses, pain, sorrow, confusion, questions, joy, gratitude, requests, or even my failures. God wants it all and can handle it all. Now, in Christ, I can freely speak to the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit. I don’t have to hide anything from Him. Besides, it is not like we can truly hide anything from Him. Because of this, I should be even more grateful and eager to go to Him in all things. Do you walk in the boldness that is now available to you? Do you tell it all to God or are you keeping secrets. The whole passage reminds us that God hasn’t kept these truths secret to us and therefore we shouldn’t be secretive with Him. Secondly, we now have access. This is certainly already assumed by the having the freedom of speech. However, this reminds us that this access is for both Jew and Gentile believer. There is no citizen who doesn’t have the same rights as others in God’s kingdom. There are no children born again into God’s family that have less privileges or access to the Father. The only one that hinders our access to God is us. He is always willing, ready, and available to commune with us. Because of our position in Christ, we may now have unhindered access to His presence. All that we need is found in communing with Him in His presence. All of our spiritual blessings flow from His presence. Now, in Christ, we have unhindered and unlimited access to Him. According to Eph. 2:13 and 18, we now have access to the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit because we have been bought by the blood of Christ and brought near by the blood of Christ. Thirdly, we now have assurance in our relationship with and in Him. The unsearchable riches of Christ have given us the allowance of boldness and access to Him. Now we see that it has also given us the privilege of assurance. Paul says that we “have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.” We can be assured that we always have access and are allowed to speak freely to our heavenly Father. The complete assurance that we have in coming to Him is not based upon our faithfulness but His. The moment that we put our faith in Christ we have all of these privileges of His riches. This also means that He is forever faithful to us even when we aren’t faithful to Him. I am assured in my access to God not because of my goodness, but because of His. Not because of my faith, but His faithfulness. Read Heb. 4:14-16 for more details on the privileges of these unsearchable riches of Christ. Paul tells them all of this so that they would be fortified in their faith and not faint. We grow weary in our walk when we forget our wealth in Christ. By reminding the Ephesians and us, Paul shows us all that we can freely walk in faith in the wealth that we have in Christ. We can walk with Christ and together in Christ. This is God’s eternal purpose, plan, and power for His people in Christ.

As we look back at Eph. 3:1-13, we can see the enormous wealth that the Church of Christ has and that each believer now has in Him. God has not only bestowed this wealth in Christ to us but has made it available in Christ daily so that we may walk by faith in Him to the praise of His glory. God is glorified when we walk in the wealth of the unsearchable riches of Christ. I wonder today, have you discovered the riches of Christ that are given to you? Have the riches of Christ gone untapped in your life? If you are in Christ, God has redeemed you, reconciled you, and made you rich. He has done this for us so that in our daily walk that is filled with peril, sin, and struggles we could walk in victory. Like ol’ Jed, do you know that you have an untapped life changing wealth under your feet? When we see the wealth that we have in the unsearchable riches of Christ it can’t help but change our life. Don’t let your walk continue to suffer. Don’t stay defeated and unsettled or unassured. Walk in the wealth of the unsearchable riches of Christ so that God would be glorified in and through you. Do it for your own sake. Do it for your family’s sake. Do it for your church’s sake. Do it for the angelic host’s sake. Do it for Christ’s sake. May our hearts praise Him for the riches of His grace and glory in Christ!

Grow with me as we study the believer’s wealth and walk in Christ.

Grow deeper.

Grow higher.

Grow wider.