Rsbc

Rsbc

July 28, 2002

Sunday Morning

Series: The Unsearchable Riches of Christ

Sermon # 1

Introduce this series by sharing some things out of this scripture that I have read that I feel will enhance our series. It will lay the ground work that I wish to speak on. I would like to begin by defining some words in this text:

Prisoner vs 1 has to do with the captiveness of Paul To the LORD JESUS CHRIST. It all began when he was on the road leading to Damascus and was to imprison more Christians for their faith in Christ.

1^st. He was a prisoner because he was arrested by Christ himself....

You recall the conversation that he had with Jesus, note it if you don’t remember in the book of Acts..Acts 9:4-6 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: [it is] hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord [said] unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

Dispensation vs 2: believe it or not this word has nothing to do with "time" as some would have you believe. It is a word for stewardship ...the definition according to Strongs is... the management of a household or of household affairs specifically, the management, oversight, administration, of other's property.

So you can see that it was the grace of GOD that Paul had been intrusted with to preach to the Gentiles.

Revelation vs 3 : This word has to do with opening up and revealing clearly to Paul what GOD wanted revealed to the Gentiles...

Mystery vs 4 -5 This word mystery means the hidden secret things, something that is not obvious. Certainly Christ is not very obvious to many people it takes a diving revealing of Christ to see him...Note to whom it was revealed " Apostles and Prophets" this wonderful truth was hid to many now Paul is saying GOD has sent him to preach these wonderful truths of Christ to the Gentiles.

Unsearchable : vs 7 Strongs says the word means that which cannot be searched out, that which cannot be comprehended. That is strange then that Paul is saying that which cannot be found out, he was commissioned by the power of the LORD to preach him among the Gentiles...

I believe them to be unsearchable to the natural man: 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.

WHAT IS NECESSARY TO The UNDERSTANDING THESE WONDERFUL AND UNSEARCHABLE THINGS ABOUT THE RICHES OF CHRIST?

HUMILITY .........Look at Paul’s words that is his

VS 8 "UNTO ME WHO AM LESS THE LEAST OF ALL SAINTS"

This speaks of his humility...

I..... "IT TAKES GOD TO HUMBLE SOULS OF SINNERS.."

Deuteronomy 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, [and] to prove thee, to know what [was] in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

Paul as great as he was had the principles of the Kingdom of Christ in his heart listen to what Jesus said:

Matthew 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
II.... "Humble souls reflect what they used to be and where the Lord brought them from..."

1 Timothy 1:12-14 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did [it] ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

III... " THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN MADE HUMBLE GLORY IN THE GREAT RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST RATHER THAN THEIR OWN"...

Philippians 3:8-10 Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them [but] dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

You can always tell a person that is not humble they spend there time bragging on themselves... like the Pharisee did in the event that Jesus gave:

Luke 18: 11-14

Thomas Brooks said:

The Elders in Revelation 4:10-11 throw down their crowns at the feet of Christ..by crowns we understand their gifts, their excellencies, their righteousness... When we see Christ in all is beauty we too will throw down everything to have him. Isaiah when he saw the irrevocable holiness of the LORD cried in Isaiah 6 " Woe is me for I am undone a man of unclean lips and dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips..

IV... " HUMILITY IN THE SOUL WILL CAUSE A MAN TO RENOUNCE ERROR AND TO SUBMIT WHOLLY TO THE TRUTHS REVEAL IN THE WORD OF GOD:

There is no doubt in my heart that pride keeps men from humbling to the truths of GOD’S word. The sin that GOD hates and declared that he hated it. Eli the Priest wanted to know what the LORD had told Samuel concerning himself and his family and note what was said...

1 Samuel 3:17-18 And he said, What [is] the thing that [the LORD] hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide [it] not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide [any] thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.
18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It [is] the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.
V... " WHEN A SINNER HAS BEEN HUMBLED BY THE LORD HE LIVES UPON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND NOT UPON HIMSELF....

1^ST. We live upon the great care of the LORD JESUS CHRIST...1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

2^nd. We live upon the wonderful love of Christ...John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

3^rd. We live upon the faithfulness of the LORD JESUS CHRIST...Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified

In closing this morning I leave you with a quote from Thomas Brooks... An humble soul can never be good enough, he can never pray enough, never hear enough, never believe enough, never love enough, never fear enough, never have enough joy, never repent enough, never, loath sin enough, never be humble enough...

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