Ephesians 6
Last time we reached the end of Ephesians chapter 2. We were thinking of the pictures which Paul used to describe the church and its members. He said, that they were like members of one family, god’s family; like citizens of one country, God’s country. They were part of a living temple made up of all who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ.
Paul now tells them why he is writing of the church like this. He is going to offer prayer for them again and at the beginning of chapter 3 he explains one of the reasons why he is concerned for them. In verse 2 he says he has been given a stewardship of God’s grace. This means that God had given him a special commission for the Gentiles, a special message to bring to them, and a special work to do among them. He explains how that in Old Testament times God’s blessing came through the Jews, and the Jews were God’s special people. Now it is different. Jesus the Messiah has come and has given his life for everyone. Now God’s people are those who put their trust in Him as their Saviour and Lord. It makes no difference whether they are Jews or of some other nation or race, all must come to God through faith in Jesus alone. All who come this way make up the one glorious family and nation of which he has been writing. They all form the one living temple which is Christ’s church and of which He is the head.
This was the great revelation that had been given to the apostles and prophets and of which God had set apart Paul to be steward. He was a special ambassador to declare this to the Gentiles, that is to all who were not Jews. This was the mystery that had been revealed to him and the other apostles, which no one had known or realised before. It was this revelation that thrilled him and also the fact that he had been made an ambassador to declare it.
To some Jews this was very difficult to understand. It was difficult for Peter. You can read how God had to reveal it to him when he wanted to take the Gospel to Cornelius, a Gentile. You will find the account of this in Acts chapter 10. Peter began to glory in it then as Paul did. God’s plan is just the same today. The Gospel is for all of whatever family group or nation, of whatever social class, whether rich or poor, educated or uneducated. Christ died for all and all may know Him as their Saviour and be part of his church. All, too, have to come the same way. Salvation and eternal life is a gift from God and the only way to receive it is through faith in the Lord Jesus. After we have come we are all one in Christ. As far as our relationship to God through the Saviour is concerned, we are all the same, all on the same foundation.
The wonder to Paul is that God has entrusted him with this important and wonderful mission, to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ to all and for all. What a remarkable description of the Gospel that is - the unsearchable riches of Christ. It all centres in the Lord Jesus Christ.. As we read in chapter 2, it is all by grace through Christ. He died to bring us peace with God. He rose again that we might know by experience the life of God within us.
These blessings are what Paul calls “the riches of Christ.” They are rich with love, joy, peace, goodness and all the fullness of God. Then he adds another adjective. They are unsearchable riches. The word has the idea of not being able to trace their beginning or ending, or how they came to us. We cannot describe their length or depth. They are beyond all our thought and imagination. They are far, far too big for us to describe so they must be more than enough for all our needs. Paul is thrilled with being entrusted with such a message and thrilled more than ever that it is for everyone without exception.
But he has something more to say. You will find this in verse 10 of Ephesians chapter 3. He says that it is God’s plan that through the church the many aspects of God’s wisdom might be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. Do you see what Paul is saying here? The church is a kind of showpiece so that not only people here on earth, but the heavenly beings also may see how great has been God’s wisdom in his plan for the salvation of sinful mankind. In chapter 2 verse 7 Paul says that God is going to show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness towards in Jesus Christ. So he describes the riches believers have through Christ as both immeasurable and unsearchable!
Paul has one last things to say before he prays for them again. These people to whom he is writing know what this great task is costing Paul in terms of suffering and hardship. He is afraid of their losing heart and so he bids them not to. He gives them two reasons why they should not be discouraged. The first was God’s eternal purpose realised in the Lord Jesus. All that Paul is preaching, all that he is telling them of the riches in Christ is based on the eternal purpose of God. It cannot fail; it cannot go wrong. Everyone that comes to God through His Son will find this to be true.
The second reason is that because of God’s plan we can come Him with boldness, without fear that He will not receive us. More than that, we can have confidence that as we come to Him through faith in Christ, we will find free entry right in to the presence of God to talk with Him and He with us. How real and practical is the message of the Gospel. The Gospel, Paul says in his letter to the Romans, “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes." He found that it worked in his life and we may do the same.
So what have we discovered in this letter to the Ephesians so far? Let’s sum it up again. The Gospel is for all people. All may come to God through Jesus Christ. In Him all may find forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, eternal life and all the spiritual blessing, the unsearchable riches, that come through faith in Him.