Saturday, January 26, 2019

PT-3 "The Preaching of the Mystery" (Eph. 3:7-9)


SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/26/2019 7:59 AM



My Worship Time                                                   Focus:  PT-3 “The Preaching of the Ministry”



Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Ephesians 3:7-9



            Message of the verses:  7 of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. 8  To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, 9  and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things;”



            As Paul talks about the ministry that God had given to him by “the gift of God’s grace.  To me, the very least of all the saints” and he goes on to say, “this grace was given.”  John MacArthur comments on the term “very least” as he writes “The term ‘very least’ is a comparative, indicating less than the least.  That was not mock humility but his honest assessment of himself.  Because he had such an unusually clear comprehension of God’s righteousness, he also had an unusually clear understand of how far short he himself fell on that righteousness.  Paul claimed no second work of grace by which he was perfected in holiness, love, or anything else.  To the end of his life he considered himself the foremost of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15) and was overwhelmed by his sense of unworthiness.  That attitude does not limit a man’s service but rather is the key to his usefulness (cf. Gideon in Judges 6:15-16 and Isaiah in Isa. 6:1-9).”



            Paul was given this grace from God in order “to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ.”  This includes all His truths and all His blessings, and all that He is and has.  It is the job of Pastors to teach believers all that they have in Christ so they can understand the riches that they have in Christ.  We may not be rich in earthly things but all believers are rich in Christ and that is what matters.  John MacArthur writes “We have riches beyond measure in the One of whom it was said ‘in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ (Col. 2:3) and in the One in whom we have ‘everything pertaining to life and godliness’ (2 Peter. 1:3).”



            Here is a partial list of these riches:  1) “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?  2) Rom. 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”  3) Eph. 2:4 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us.”  4)  “Eph. 3:16 “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.”  5) 1 Tim. 6:17 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.”  6) Col. 2:2 “that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself.”  7) Col. 3:16 “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”  8) Hebrews 11:26 “considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.”  9) Col. 2:10 “and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.”



            In this final paragraph of this SD I will quote from John MacArthur as he gives his readers a warning:



“Simply knowing about the ‘riches of Christ’ is not enough, however.  When we fall into sin and disobedience we forfeit the present blessing of those riches, just as did the fleshly, disobedient Corinthian believers.  ‘You are already filled, ‘ Paul told them sarcastically.  ‘You have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and I would indeed that you have become kings so that we also might reign with you’ (1 Cor. 4:8).  Like the Laodiceans, they thought they were rich and in need of nothing, not realizing that they were really ‘wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked’ (Rev. 3:17).”



            Our next SD will be very short as I usually do not write much on Sunday’s as I have many things to do to get ready to teach my Sunday school class, so I caution you it will be very short.



            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Having a perspective on the riches that I have in Christ, at times, is overwhelming to me as it is hard to believe that I am that rich in Christ.



My Steps of Faith for Today:  I trust that the Lord will give me greater insight into the riches that I have in Christ.



Today’s quote from Thomas Carlyle:  “Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves.” 



I will give the Scripture associated to this quote in our next SD.



1/26/2019 8:40 AM

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