Ephesians 1:19
Resurrection Power
Today
we are continuing to look at the In Christ Statements found in the first 3
Chapters of the Book of Ephesians .
A) We are going to focus on v.19-21 but
let me set up the context
B) In V.1-14 Paul has been talking to the People about God The great source of
Blessings that belong to them from the Lord
C) But when we get to v.15 Paul begins to pray:
After talking to the People about God he talks to God about the People
1)
His prayer for them is really a prayer of Knowledge That they would really
come to know some things
D)
The knowledge
of the hope of their calling.
1)
Knowledge of the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.
E) This final request v.19 is that they might know
the exceeding
greatness of His power toward them or in them .
Eph 1:19-21 19
and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe,
according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ
when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the
heavenly places,21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion,
and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to
come.
Today I want us to note 3 things about this power &
then talk about how it ENABLES US in
our walk w/ the Lord
A)1st DYNAMIC POWER: The word power is
Dunamis English word Dynamite from it
/ explosive power
Power that makes an impact
B) Power that Saves
Power that transforms a life !!!
2nd Exceedingly Great POWER : what is the exceeding greatness
of His power toward us who believe,
A) The word Exceeding = LIMITLESS
- It exceeds a fixed amount it is greater than we could ever imagine
B) The word Greatness =
really big / the word in the grk is megathos from which we get our English word : MEGATON-
Talking huge power
Lloyd Jones - "God's power
not only surpasses our power of expression, it surpasses our power of
comprehension! Take all the dictionaries of the world, exhaust all the
vocabularies and when you have added them all together you have still not begun
to describe the greatness of God's power"
3rd
It is working POWER according to the working of His
mighty power / The word working is
energia English ENERGY describes an active power /
A) Power that is at work
in our lives not Dormant - not stagnant
B) I picture a river
that is flowing Jesus said that those who came to Him out of their lives
would flow torrents of living water spoke of spirit
C) The phrase mighty
speaks of a power that is FORCEFUL & strong
1) A strength that
overcomes & Prevails ! It is a strength that conquers !!
D)
You could translate this verse in this way: That you might know what is the limitless megaton aspect of
His dynamic power toward us who believe according to the energizing of His
forceful and prevailing strength !
E) Paul put it this way
in Ch 3 Eph 3:20-21
20 Now to Him who is able to
do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the
power that works in us,21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to
all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Note that Paul is not praying that power would be
given to them
A) But that they would know the exceeding greatness of
the power that is already theirs
B) Power like
electricity that only needs to be tapped into
Plug into
C) I can have a power tool capable of
cutting thru the strongest metal or stone But if it is not plugged in it is
of no use
D) Two men on vacation w/ their families
standing at Niagara falls One man made the comment greatest source of un
used power in the world
1) Other man corrected
Him Power of God in the life of the believer
E) Because we are in Christ & Christ is in us
there is this incredible power that is available to us That enables us in
the things of the Lord
1) So For the rest of our time today I want us to
consider how this Power enables us -
focus on 3 specific ways
#1 It is a
Power that enables us to serve God
A) Jesus said
in Matt 28:18
"All authority ( or
Power) has been given to Me in heaven
and on earth.
B) How much power do you suppose that is? Look out at our vast Universe, God spoke it
into existence Creator & Sustainer
1) Earth circulating at just the right distance from
the sun Galaxies orbiting around at just the right speed Incredible Power
C) Power seen through out History: The Flood / Destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah / Plagues in
Egypt / Red Sea / Jordan River / Jesus healings
1) Jesus made the blind see
/ lame walk / raised the dead
D) Then finally scene Resurrection of Jesus / He was
raised to die no more
1) He ascended into Heaven Sits in glory at the
right hand of the father
What do you suppose you would do if you had that much power?
What would you use
it for?
A) Well Jesus
tells his disciples what he wants them to use it for !!!
19 Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 teaching them to observe all things that I
have commanded you;
B) Jesus wants them
& us to go into the world and make disciples share the gospel
1) Jesus is sending his
disciples into a hostile world will they be able to handle it ?
C) The Key is
found however in the end of v. 20 and lo, I am with
you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Jesus was sending his disciples into the world w/
the Promise that He was going to be with them. How Thru His Spirit
A) Jesus in Jn
14 Said I am leaving not leave you orphans My Spirit in your hearts
With you shall be in You. Jn 20 Salvation:
B) But after all of that they were still not ready to
WIN THE WORLD
C) So He told
them before they went out into the world they were to go to Jerusalem and
wait for the HS to come upon them Acts
1:4-5
And being assembled together
with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the
Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from
Me;5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the
Holy Spirit not many days from now.
D) Baptized
with the HS Filled to overflowing
Acts 1:8
8 But you shall receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
This is how the power of God that Brought Jesus
Christ from the dead is made available to us Thru the Baptism of the Spirit
A) The Spirit
of Christ is in us His Power is available to us { to be his witnesses Serve
Him
The steam in a locomotive does not exist to toot the
whistle. Its purpose is to power the engine and move the train. So too, the
empowering of the Spirit is not given for people to feel Holy Ghost Goose
Bumps, emotional highs, or warm fuzzy feelings. The Spirit comes upon people
in order that the message of the Gospel might be moved throughout the
world. COURSON
B) It was the
power of the HS working in the life of the Disciples that enabled them to turn
the world upside down { or right side up
C) Power that transformed Peter from a coward who denied the Lord in front of
some servant girls to a fiery Preacher of the Lord
1) 3,000 Jews You
crucified the Messiah
D) It was the Power of
the HS working in the life of the Disciples who transformed these men who all
forsook Christ
1) To men who were
willing to die for Christ
E) Transformed them from
Common uneducated men who had the religious leaders marveling at their boldness
& wisdom
So it is a Power #1 that enables us to serve the Lord
A) What will
make you affective for the Lord it is more than schooling / more than
training /
B) It is the degree to
which you allow the spirit of God to Empower your life
1) You know none of us
has any excuse for not serving the Lord and making our lives available to Him -
#2 It is a power that enables us to Stand firm in
the face of Spiritual warfare
Eph 6:10 Finally, my
brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
A)
Many times we cringe before the enemy when we should be standing firm
1) Jesus has given us
the Power to be Victorious in the Battle /
B) The enemy of souls is
described as a roaring lion on the Prowl but in the context of the believer
he has been de-clawed / teeth knocked out
A 5yr old boy and his father were on a trip
to the zoo one day, / saw a huge lion.
The lion was prowling around his enclosure and letting out chilling
roars. The boy became very frightened
and screamed in terror, but his father remained calm and unafraid. Why?
The boy was frightened because he saw
only the lion, while the father was unafraid because he saw the cage enclosing
the lion.
C) The Christian's view
of Satan should be like that of the father rather than that of the boy, for our
fierce enemy is like a caged lion.
1)
Teeth .....out /All He can do is make
noise!
D) Jesus beat Satan when He rose from the
dead He is now in us
1) 1 Jn 4:4 Greater is He
that is in you than He that is in the world
D)Jesus is in us!
Because He was victorious means I can be victorious!
Rom.8:37
More than conquerors thru Him who loves us
Lloyd
Jones - "There
is no power that can withstand Him; there is no might or influence that can
match Him; there is no possible
antagonist who can equal Him. The
mightiest foes, the devil death and hell have already vanquished, and the
resurrection ascension and dominion of Christ is proof of it"
1 Jn 5:4 4
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that
has overcome the world -- our faith.
A) So we Fight not
for victory but from Victory because of the Power of God that is in our lives
B) Have you been living
a victorious Christian life or a defeated life
1) Overcome by
temptation or overcoming temptation ?
Bound by depression or
Conquering depression
C) Listen there is
abundant power available for you to live a Victorious life if you will just tap
into it Talk about how in a minute
#3 It is the power that enables us to keep going
even in the face of our weaknesses { Times when we feel over our heads or too weak for the task
A) We can take
courage in what Jesus said to Paul - 2 Cor 12:9
"My grace is sufficient
for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
B) Zerubbabel
learned that lesson. He was the governor of Israel who was rebuilding the temple
that had been destroyed.
1)
The temple was in a mountain of ruble and he was trying to get it rebuilt.
C)
Every time he made an effort, enemies would come in and thwart the work, making
it an impossible task. It was just a mess.
1)
And then the Lord sent Zechariah the prophet with this message for Zeru.
This is the word of the
Lord to Zerubbable: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord
of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a
plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone of the temple with shouts of
Grace, grace to it! Zech 4:6-7
D)
Its not by might, that is its not by human strength. Its not by power. Its
not by human ability.
1)
But its by My Spirit says the Lord.
Thats
not a put down. I dont think Zerubbabel is thinking, Oh, sure, thanks! You
think I cant do it.
A)
No, its an encouragement. Its a comfort. You
dont have to do it on your own. You were created to depend on God. You were created to look to God.
B)
God wants to help. He wants to do it. He wants to show you Himself.
1)
As Zerubbabel looked at that huge mountain and that impossible task, he took
heart. He thought, God is with me; God is for me;
God wants to work.
C)
And God did work. They rebuilt the temple and when Zerubbabel put the capstone
on, he proclaimed, Its Gods grace.
D) Have you been feeling weak lately in your
responsibilities / Weak in ministry / weak Physically or emotionally
1) Listen God wants to meet our weakness with His megaton strength We
come to discover that it is more than enough to carry out the task
With that type of Power available to us to help us
and strengthen us you would think we would constantly be depending on it
A) But in fact
we do not why is that?
B) We have the tendency to be so self sufficient there are so many things in life that we
feel like we can do ourselves
C) So we try & try
until finally we come to our senses & cry out to the Lord
How do we tap into that Power source that God has
made available to us IN CHRIST The same way the Disciples did
A) Thru the
Baptism of the HS / The Baptism of the HS is something that every Christian
should ask for Lk 24 the Promise of the Father
B) That Power
of God to come upon their lives
1) Allowing the
Spirit of God to have all there is of them
C) Fill their
lives to overflowing Total dependency
But once we have received the Baptism of the
Spirit we are to continue to ask to be filled Eph 5:18 Be
continually being filled
A) DL MOODY Why He emphasized this filling so Much I leak
B) That is how
we plug into the Power of God We acknowledge our need and ask Him to fill us
afresh
"I read the story about Alexander the Great in
which this poor and needy man did Alexander a service, and Alexander told him
to ask for any type of reward he wished. The man made went up to the treasurer
and asked for 100,000 gold pieces.
Well the treasurer told him no way He said that
was far too extravagant of a request. But Alexander replied give him all that
he asks for immediately.
The Largeness of his request honors me,
for it shows that he has a very high opinion of my wealth, my word and my
benevolence.
Do we so honor
the Lord by believing His what the His word says about His power that is available
to us that we daily call out to Him for it
Or do we go about our daily routines only crying out
to Him when we are in desperate straits