Rock Springs Reboot: The Unsearchable Riches of Jesus

Whenever I encounter someone who asks about Rock Springs Church, this is how I usually describe our Church:  We are a Church about Jesus, who preaches the Bible and Makes Disciples.  It’s that simple.  And the reason I say this, is that I want people to be clear on what we are all about.  We are a Church about Jesus.  The Bible teaches us about Jesus.  And Jesus’ mission is all about having us make disciples of Jesus.   So I want people to know that Jesus is everything to us.  He’s not only our Savior.  He’s our Leader and He is central to everything we are and everything we do.

So if we are really a Church about Jesus, then we need to spend some time looking at the One who is everything to us.  So that’s what we’re going to do today.  In fact, earlier this week I read a verse of Scripture that blew me away when it comes to looking into all we have in Jesus.  And that verse comes from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.  And I just want to read this to you. Paul writes, “To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.”  Ephesians 3:8

Paul’s great privilege in life was to preach about the unsearchable riches of Jesus.  Now, if that sounds a bit like a contradiction it is.  This word “unsearchable” means just that.  If we were to mine the depths of the riches we have in Christ, we could never reach the bottom.  His riches are glorious, and they are endless in the extreme.  We shall spend eternity discovering fresh aspects and insights into the unsearchable riches of Christ.  But this also means the riches we have in Christ are inexhaustible.  They will never run out, they will never fail, and they will never be less than they are today.  And yet this also means they can never be fully described by man.  But the good news is that because God’s Word already reveals so much about the riches we have in Christ, we can learn from what God has revealed to us about the riches we have in Christ.  So that’s what we’re going to do today:  we’re going to dive into a few of the riches we have in Christ, and then focus specifically on one of those riches that makes all our riches in Christ possible.  We’re going to look at four of the inexhaustible, unfailing, glorious treasures we have in Jesus, and why they are essential for who we are and what we do.  And the first of these treasures found in Jesus is this:

In Jesus is Life  In the gospel of John, Jesus is revealing Himself to His disciples as the Good Shepherd.  As the One who cares for His sheep, leads His sheep, feeds His sheep and protects His sheep.  In the midst of this teaching, he reveals to us one of the greatest riches found in a relationship with Jesus: Jesus gives life to the full to those who trust in Him.  He says it this way: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” John 10:10

What Jesus is saying here is that He has come so we might know the life He created us to enjoy.   After all God’s Word tells us that “In Him was life and that life is the light of all mankind.” John 1:4  And the clue He gives us as to what sort of life we are meant to enjoy is found in this word “full”.  Life to the full, pictures sheep enjoying life with the good shepherd.  They are fat, contented sheep, who have no fear of bandits terrorizing them, and who are totally secure and flourishing under the care of the Shepherd.

This is what we have in Jesus.  What Jesus is describing is the abundant life found in Him.  It is the life of Shalom, of peace, prosperity and well-being. It’s a life without fear.  It’s a life of total acceptance and love.  It’s a life with a guaranteed future.  It’s a life filled with security, meaning, purpose and joy. It is life as good as it can be, it’s a life beyond what we can ever imagine, and it’s a life that will never end.  And because this life is found in Christ, it’s a life that is always available to anyone who trusts in Christ.

You see we live in a world that’s longs for this life, the good life, the best life imaginable.  But the best our world can offer is a counterfeit life: A life of temporal pleasures, of fleeting experiences, of empty possessions.  But Jesus has come to give us life to the full – a rich, satisfying and meaningful life that’s found in him.  And that life is inexhaustible because it is eternal.  It is a life beyond your wildest dreams.  And it’s available to anyone who trusts in Him.

In Jesus is Rest   In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells us of the rest available to anyone who comes to Him.  He says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus has come to give you rest.  Rest from having to prove yourself to God.  Rest from having to measure up to some religious standards you cannot keep.  Rest from your weariness and rest from your burdens.  Rest for your soul.  And the reason Jesus is rest is found in the description he gives of Himself.  He says, Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jesus is gentle.  Dane Ortlund describes the gentle heart of Jesus like this: “Jesus is not trigger happy. Not harsh, reactionary or easily exasperated.  He is the most understanding person in the universe.  The posture most natural to him is not a pointed finger but open arms.”  He deals gently with us.

Consider what this means.  Whenever we sin, He would have us bring our mess to him, because He knows how to receive us.  He will not handle you roughly.  He will not scold or scowl.  He is gentle.  No matter how deep your sinfulness runs, Jesus’ gentleness runs deeper.  His gentleness flows from the core of who He is.  His gentleness flows from His heart.  So then, rather than dispensing grace to you from on high; Jesus gets down with us, puts His arms around us and deals with us in the way we need it most.  Jesus deals gently with us.  And one reason He is so gentle with us is that He is also lowly of heart.

To understand this word, we must think of the command Paul gives us in Roman 12:16, “Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.”  In this context, the lowly are the socially unimpressive, the overlooked and ignored of the world.  So then to say that Jesus is lowly is to say that he is accessible to anyone.  Jesus, the Son of God, who would seem to be unapproachable in his majesty and glory – has made himself the most approachable person in human history.  There are no hoops to jump through to come to Jesus.  There is no standard of behavior you have to attain to find welcome with Him.  No, the only thing that qualifies you to find rest in Jesus, is to bring your burden to Him.  Nothing else is required. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  His rest is a gift.  We live in a world that increasingly places burdens on us.  You must live a certain way to be accepted.  You must think like us if you want to be included by us.  But Jesus doesn’t do this.  He is lowly so you can approach him at your worst.  He is gentle so you can off load you’re your worst sins and burdens on Him.  And He will give you rest.

So who needs rest today?  Come to Jesus and He will give you rest.  For His rest is inexhaustible for the exhausted.  His rest is for those who are weary of the rat race, weary of trying to measure up, weary of always failing, weary of the uncertainty and chaos of this world. He wants to give you His rest for His heart is turned to you when all else fails.  He is there for you when you’re at your worst.  And he won’t turn you away, but opens His arms to hold you and give you rest.  That’s Jesus, and that’s why He is everything to us.  For He gives rest to the wicked, the wounded, the wanderer, the broken and the lost.  There is no one gentler and more approachable than Jesus.  In Jesus is Rest.

In Jesus is Peace:  Again, listen to what Jesus offers us: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  John 14:27  Jesus has come to give you peace.  Jesus does not give peace like the world gives.  His peace is so much more than the absence of conflict.  The peace Jesus gives is the peace that makes us right with God.  His peace brings a harmony to broken relationships.  His peace brings belonging to the outcast.  His peace drives away all our worries and fears.  His peace is the warm blanket of security that covers you no matter what uncertainty unfolds in the world.  His peace reminds you that Jesus will always be with you and will always be for you.  That’ just a small glimpse into the unsearchable depth of the peace found in Jesus.  For His is a peace that surpasses human understanding, a peace that fills you with a sense of well-being no matter how crazy our world gets.   That’s why Jesus is everything to us.  For His peace is found in His enduring and gracious presence with us.  In Jesus is peace.

In Jesus is life. In Jesus is rest. In Jesus is peace. These are three of the unsearchable, inexhaustible riches found in Jesus. But now I want to conclude with one final treasure, a treasure that makes all His gifts possible for us to experience.  A treasure that magnifies the generosity and grace of Jesus to us.  Just what is this treasure?

In Jesus is Redemption:  Tucked into two short verses in Ephesians chapter one, the apostle Paul announces the good news of the riches of God’s grace to us in Jesus.  He writes: In Him we have redemption through His blood, forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us. Ephesians 1:7-8

Jesus is our redeemer.  Without Jesus we would be left in our sin, objects of God’s wrath, with no way of removing our guilt or shame.  Without Jesus we would remain alienated from God, never knowing our true purpose in life, never knowing His love or total acceptance.  Without Jesus we would never get to experience the beauty of life with God, we would never enter the rest He gives, and never experience His peace that surpasses understanding.

And yet, when Jesus shed His blood for you as God’s perfect offering for sin, His blood not only paid the penalty for your sin – but His blood was also the purchase price that delivered you once and for all from your slavery to sin.  The blood Jesus shed for you on the cross set you free!

Freedom is the main idea imbedded in our “redemption.” This concept of redemption comes from the language of the ancient marketplace:  where it carries the idea of purchasing or buying back some item or person that would otherwise be lost, taken prisoner, or destroyed.

The most common understanding of this word for the Ephesians was in connection with the purchase of a slave’s freedom.  Many of them were slaves.  Many of them had been purchased at the marketplace and a few of them had been set free after a price was paid for them.  So in hearing that God’s Word says that “In Christ, we have redemption through His blood,” these new Christians understood the force of Christ’s redeeming power. This meant that now, in Christ, they had been set free not just from the penalty of sin, but also from their slavery to sin.

And that’s the same reality Jesus made possible for you.  Redemption is found in Jesus. For the moment you put your trust in Jesus, the blood of Jesus purchased you out of the marketplace of sin.  He set you free from the penalty and power of sin!  You have an amazing freedom in Christ.

So what does the freedom of Christ’s redemption mean for you this morning?  One, you no longer have to live in guilt. Your heart is clean. Christ has taken away every sin, every stain, every hurtful and shameful thing you have ever said or done.  Your forgiveness has set you free from guilt and shame.  God will never accuse you or condemn you, ever.  His voice is not a condemning voice.  His voice is an accepting voice that’s full of grace and truth.  And the truth of your redemption in Christ is this: You are completely and totally forgiven in Christ, now and forever! As God’s Word promises: For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:11-12 You are forgiven.  You no longer have to live in guilt.

Two, you no longer have to live in fear. You no longer have to fear judgment.   Christ’s redemption has removed your condemnation.  Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2   You are free from condemnation.  You are free from the fear of death. You are no longer under law, but under grace.  And a life under grace is a life of freedom, not fear!

Three, you no longer have to be defined by your past.  Your sin no longer defines you.  Your past is a thing of the past.  There is no longer anything standing between you and God. God no longer holds anything against you. Your record of sin has been removed and released.   Every sin, even your worst sin has been paid for by the shed blood of Jesus. God no longer sees you as alienated from Him. When God sees you now, He sees you perfect, clean and as His very own. For when Christ redeemed you, He made it possible for God to adopt you as His child.  And now you are His beloved!

Finally, you are no longer held captive by sin.  When Jesus shed His blood for you, He purchased you out of the marketplace of sin. You’ve been set free from the power of the flesh.  You have a new heart, a new nature, Christ’s nature which means you get a fresh start.  You are free to live for God – for now you are no longer spiritually dead, but spiritually alive to God.  You are now free to run in God’s future for you.

This is God’s extravagant grace He lavished on you in Christ! As one man said: “If our greatest need had  been information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money; God would have sent us an economist. But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior.” God gave us a redeemer! And His name is Jesus.  And that is why Jesus is everything to us and why He must be central to everything we do as His people!  In Him we have redemption through His blood, forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us

One of my favorite movies is the movie, Hidalgo.  It’s a story about a long distance rider named Frank Hopkins and his beloved mustang Hidalgo.   As the story develops, Frank takes his horse Hidalgo to Saudi Arabia to compete in the famed 3,000 mile endurance race against the beautiful and powerful Arabian Horses.   The movie then takes you through all the trials and treachery of this race to the very end where he outlasts his competition and wins the race.  He then is awarded a huge sum of money and returns to the west to the land of his beloved mustangs.

He arrives at a time where the US government with the help of the military have been rounding up thousands of mustangs with the purpose of exterminating them.  So here’s the scene.  Hopkins rides Hidalgo up to the man who’s in charge of corralling these horses, who then asks him what he is doing there, “Did you bring a dispatch?”

“Yes” and Hopkins hands it to him.  The man looks at it and then looks at Hopkins and says, “Paid in Full.”  And as we are watching we realize Hopkins has purchased every horse in captivity that is destined to die.  But that’s not the end of it, after a brief conversation with a native friend, Hopkins rides to the hill overlooking the corral and signals the soldiers to open the gate… and at that moment the condemned mustangs burst forthand the camera pulls back to the view of thousands of mustangs now running free…

This is what Jesus has done for you.  When he hung on that cross, before he breathed his last.  He uttered these words: “Paid in Full.”  And today, we get to run free for we have a redeemer who has set us free.  Oh the riches of God’s grace He has poured out so lavishly on us.  That’s why we are a Church about Jesus.  That’s why Jesus is everything to us.  So let me ask you this morning: “Is Jesus everything to you?