03 The Power Ephesians 1:15-23

Adapted from a Jim Black sermon
http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendl
y.asp?ContributorID=&SermonID=54164

A DEA officer stops at a ranch in
Montana, and talks with the owner, an old
cowboy telling him, 'I need to inspect your
ranch for illegally grown drugs.'
The old rancher says, 'Okay, but do not go
in that field over there,' as he points out the
location.

The DEA officer verbally explodes saying,
'Mister, I have the authority & power of the
Federal Government with me.' Reaching
into his rear pants pocket, he removes his
badge and proudly displays it to the farmer.
'See this badge? This badge means I have
the power to go wherever I wish...on any
land. No questions asked or answers given.
Have I made myself clear? Do you
understand?'

The old rancher nods politely, apologizes,
and goes about his chores.
A short time later, the old rancher hears
loud screams and sees the DEA officer
running for his life chased close behind by
the rancher's prize bull. With every step the
bull is gaining ground on the officer, and it
seems likely that he'll get "horned" before
he reaches safety. The officer is clearly
terrified.

The old rancher throws down his tools, runs
to the fence and yells at the top of his
lungs.....'YOUR BADGE!
SHOW HIM THE
POWER OF YOUR BADGE!
Paul prays for the Ephesians to open their
eyes to the source of their power. Paul‟s
letter to the Ephesians can also open our
eyes to the incredible great power found in
Christ!

Ephesians 1:15 NET For this
reason, because I have heard of your faith
in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the
saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for
you when I remember you in my prayers. 17
I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory, may give you
spiritual wisdom and revelation in your
growing knowledge of him,

18 — since the eyes of your heart have
been enlightened — so that you may know
what is the hope of his calling, what is the
wealth of his glorious inheritance in the
saints, 19 and what is the incomparable
greatness of his power toward us who
believe, as displayed in the exercise of his
immense strength.

20 This power he exercised in Christ when
he raised him from the dead and seated
him at his right hand in the heavenly realms
21 far above every rule and authority and
power and dominion and every name that is
named, not only in this age but also in the
one to come. 22 And God put all things
under Christ's feet, and he gave him to the
church as head over all things. 23 Now the
church is his body, the fullness of him who
fills all in all.

Have you ever felt “empowered?” There
was a worker who had been a lower level
employee with little to no power over his
organization or decisions being made.
His boss had only recently taken over the
department. He called him into his office
and said, “I want to make this department
the best and in order to do that I need to
bring in the best people.

But I don‟t know the best people out there,
you do. Go out there and get them to join
our team.”
The worker all of a sudden felt empowered
to make things happen for his team, where
he never had before. And he did. He went
out and began bringing in some of the very
best in the field to join their team.

That power didn‟t come from his position,
he was a low level employee. That power
didn‟t come from his personality, he wasn‟t
particularly charismatic. That power didn‟t
come from him, he had nothing to offer
himself! That power came from above...well,
his boss.

This morning we‟re going to talk about
POWER.
We‟ve been looking at the book of
Ephesians and have seen that one of Paul‟s
key emphases in the book is the changed
life. Life “in Christ” looks different than life
“in the world.” But Paul also knows that the
transformation of lifestyle is sometimes a
difficult one.

We don‟t change overnight, and a lot of that
has to do with motivation. Many of us
became Christians out of guilt or out of fear.
I don‟t believe that those are motivations
that sustain a changed life for very long.
Paul doesn‟t motivate that way. Ephesians
1:3 NET Blessed is the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly
realms in Christ.

He then goes on to unpack this treasure
trove of blessings, he has chosen us, he
has planned for our adoption as His sons &
daughters, he has freely bestowed upon us
His glorious grace, he has redeemed us &
forgiven us, he has revealed his will to us,
he has planned us for a purpose, he has
marked us with the promised Holy Spirit
guaranteeing our inheritance!

I believe THAT is a motivation that will stick!
If I can constantly remember WHAT God
has done for me, I will want all the more to
LIVE for Him!
Paul also knows that motivation is simply
not enough. Even the best of intentions
sometimes fail, as many of you may be
experiencing with your New Year‟s
Resolutions now that we‟re in the fourth
week of January. You‟ve heard the saying,
“The road to hell is paved with good
intentions.”

“Yes, Lord, I know that I need to make
things right with my wife, but if she‟ll just
give me a few more days, I‟ll make it up to
her.” “Yes, Lord, I know that I need to mend
my relationship with that person, I‟ll get to it
tomorrow.” “Yes, Lord, I know that I need to
be more involved at church. I‟ll sign up for a
new ministry as soon as I finish this project
at work.”

“Yes, Lord, I know I need to be more
available to my kids. As soon as things
settle down at the office, I‟ll be able to.”
Sometimes simple motivation is not enough
to live the Christian life. We need to be
empowered from above! Paul knew that this
was true for the Christians to whom he was
writing and so that is why he offers the
prayer for them that he does. Remember,
we observed that while Ephesians doesn‟t
talk a lot about worship or prayer, there sure
is a lot of both in it!

Ephesians 1:15 NET For this reason,
because I have heard of your faith in the
Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
16 I do not cease to give thanks for you
when I remember you in my prayers.
Paul continues his opening to the letter by
saying, “There‟s two things I’ve heard about
you that make me proud!” 1. your faith 2.
your love for the saints.

What a neat observation! I would go so far
as to say that faith in Christ unavoidably
leads to love for your fellow brothers &
sisters in Christ.
How could you have faith and not love your
brother? Faith & Love are two fundamental,
foundational and critical elements in being
the church!

What are WE known for at The Lindley
Christian Church? If Paul were writing this
today to this congregation, what would he
have heard about us? We MUST be known
as a fellowship of believers who;
1. have immense trust in Christ and
2. practice love for each other

Paul says that he remembers them in his
prayers and then goes on to name
specifically what he prays for the Church.
What do you pray for The Lindley Christian
Church?
17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory, may give you
spiritual wisdom and revelation in your
growing knowledge of him,

Or "the Spirit of wisdom and revelation,” or
"a spirit of wisdom and revelation."
Ephesians 1:17 involves a complex
exegetical problem revolving around the
Greek term πνεῦμα (pneuma) pnyoo'-mah.
Some take it to mean "the Spirit," others "a
spirit," and still others "spiritual.“
(NETnotes)

“I want you to know God,” he says! “Better
than you do now!”
Paul prayed that the Father would grant the
Ephesians the spirit of wisdom and that He
would give them revelation. But these are
not so they may see into the lives of others,
have the ability to predict events, or do what
we commonly think of as “prophet stuff.”

He wanted them to have the spirit of
wisdom and revelation simply so that they
would have a better knowledge of Him
(God).
In the knowledge of Him: Our Christian life
must be centered around this purpose - to
know God as He is in truth, as revealed by
His Word; and to correct our false,
idolatrous ideas of who God is.

The knowledge of Him: It is important for
us to have an accurate knowledge and
understanding of who we are. Yet it is far
more important (and beneficial) for us to
know and understand who God is. (Guzik)
And so, Paul is saying, “I want you to
understand what God has given you so that
you may know him better.”

saints,
"The word 'heart' in Scripture signifies the
very core and centre of life, where the
intelligence has its post of observation,
where the stores of experience are laid up,
and the thoughts have their fountain."
(Alford)

Thus, it seems that the author is saying, "I
know that you are saved, that you have had
the blinders of the devil removed; because
of this, I can now pray that you will fully
understand and see the light of God's
glorious revelation." (NETnotes)

This understanding and enlightenment will
then bring about a three-part knowledge of
God
1. Paul says (vs. 18), the first thing we need
to know is the HOPE to which he has called
us. Hope is a tricky word for us in the 21st
century, but a very important one in the
Bible! Let‟s use the lottery as an example.

Some poor fellow might go into a
convenience store, lay down his money for
a ticket and walk out saying, “I hope I‟ve got
the winning number!” But what REAL hope
will he have? One in a million? Worse than
that! He probably stands a better chance of
being hit by lightning! And really, does he
really think he‟ll win? Probably not. But
that‟s what we typically think of when we
think of „hope‟. “I don‟t expect to win that
jackpot, but it sure would be nice if I did.”

Folks, that‟s NOT Bible Hope! God has
called us to a different Hope! I sure „hope‟
that when I say „the hope of Heaven‟ you
don‟t think, “Well, I don‟t expect to go to
Heaven, but it sure would be nice if I did.”
Bible „hope‟ is
“confident expectation.”
Paul says in Rom 5:5 that “Hope does not
disappoint.” God keeps his promise! If he
has called us to a Hope of
Heaven ... we can rest assured that‟s
exactly what we‟ll get!

When you were a kid, why did Momma call
you for supper? Because she wanted you to
be there! God has called us to Heaven,
because he wants us to be there with him!
We were created to live with him forever-
predestined to spend eternity with him!
Ephesians 1:11 NET In Christ we too have
been claimed as God's own possession,
since we were predestined according to the
one purpose of him who accomplishes all
things according to the counsel of his will

Doesn‟t this good news, then, give us the
drive as the church to go out into the world
and tell people that God has called them, if
they‟ll only come?!! Doesn‟t that empower
us? We can tell people for certain that when
they come to know Jesus, when they put
their life in Christ, then they can know for
certain where they‟re eternity will be spent!

2. The second thing we need to know is the
saints.
saints,

What is the future of The Lindley Christian
Church? Do you know what God has in
store for us? Now, none of us may know
what is going to happen to this
congregation next year, next month or
tomorrow, but we know what will ultimately
happen to the church, don‟t we? The church
is going to be with God! WE are a great and
glorious inheritance! Notice the language
closely.

The inheritance Paul is speaking of is
God‟s, not ours! “his glorious inheritance”
God is on the receiving end of this glorious
inheritance and WE are it! That‟s just what
he means when he says „inheritance in the
saints.‟ The inheritance that consists of the
saints! Paul is pointing to the tremendous
glory that is present when God inherits the
people he has set apart for himself!

Let‟s compare verse 18 with what he said 4
verses earlier.
14 who is the down payment of our
inheritance, until the redemption of God's
own possession, to the praise of his glory.
saints,

Saints, Christians, get their inheritance at
the redemption of God's own possession.
That‟s us! At that time God's own
possession becomes his glorious
inheritance.
That is, till the time when body and soul are
redeemed from all their miseries, and
glorified in the kingdom on heaven. (Clarke)

Did you ever think of yourself as an
inheritance? As something worth inheriting?
Doesn‟t that make you feel good, though?
Doesn‟t that „empower‟ us as a church to
know that God is expectantly awaiting the
final day when he will receive us to himself?
That should empower us to more boldly
face an increasingly un-Christian culture
with the good news of Jesus!

3. The third thing we need to know is his
incomparable greatness of his power
toward us who believe!
19 and what is the incomparable greatness
of his power toward us who believe, as
displayed in the exercise of his immense
strength.
Here Paul introduces a new and important
theme in the letter, „Power.‟

Ephesians emphasizes power more than
any other NT letter. Bible students more
learned than me say in verse 19 alone he
uses four different words for power. Here
the apostle emphasizes what God‟s power
has accomplished in the resurrection of
Christ and exaltation to God‟s right hand.
He wants believers to know that this great
power is available for them!

The church is Strong! Mighty! Powerful! Not
because of position or personality, but
because it has the power of God‟s salvation
behind it! That‟s the greatest power source
in the universe!
That power is like the working of his mighty
strength, 20 This power he exercised in
Christ when he raised him from the dead
and seated him at his right hand in the
heavenly realms

21 far above every rule and authority and
power and dominion and every name that is
named, not only in this age but also in the
one to come. 22 And God put all things
under Christ's feet, and he gave him to the
church as head over all things. 23 Now the
church is his body, the fullness of him who
fills all in all.

That‟s POWER!
The amazing thing is that this power which
raised Jesus from the dead, which seated
him at the right hand of God just as David
said hundreds of years prior, in the 110
Psalms and placed him as head over all
things– is available to you and me! Why
was Jesus placed at the right hand of God
and as head over all things? For “the
church” (vs. 22) God did it for the church!

Isn‟t it amazing what you can pick up by
simply overhearing someone‟s prayer? Of
course the Holy Spirit made sure that THIS
prayer of Paul‟s was written down and
passed along to us because it is a prayer
for the 21st century church as much as the
1st century church! Have we fully taken
hold of the power that is available to us?

Are we doing everything we can to take the
good news of Jesus to the world? Have our
lives been truly transformed into a culture of
Christ followers?
The story is told about President Franklin
Roosevelt coming to Chattanooga in 1940
to dedicate the newly constructed
Chickamauga Dam.

As a part of the newly created TVA, the dam
had been constructed to provide electricity,
power, to the Tennessee Valley. It‟s told that
this new source of power greatly changed
the economy of the valley. The ready
availability of power drew new industry,
which rapidly began to overtake farming as
a primary way of life.

But it was the image of President
Roosevelt, the most powerful man in the
world at that time one might argue, riding in
the back of an open car and giving his
dedication speech that left a lasting
impression on many people.

When we think of power, let‟s remember
this occasion back in 1940. The world was
in chaos and countries all over the globe
were locked in conflict over power. Pres.
Roosevelt may have been the most
powerful man in the world in 1940, but
having been crippled by polio he couldn‟t
even stand on his own power.

The immense power that he wielded came
because he had been empowered by the
people who voted for him. Some of us have
been crippled by the horrendous effects of
sin in our lives. We don‟t have the power
within us to stand. But God does! And He
wants to give us that power! This
morning, are you plugged in to God‟s power
source?

Do you have the salvation, the Hope of
Heaven? Are you a part of this glorious
inheritance that God is SO looking forward
to receiving some day? If you‟re not in
Christ, then your answer must honestly be
no. How can we encourage you to come to
Christ today? Commit your life to him in
baptism, turn away from your sins?

Think about the power that the new
Chickamauga dam provided the
Tennessee Valley wasn’t really new
power at all. If you’re just the least bit
familiar with how those dams work, you
know that all they do is convert the
energy of the river into a different kind of
energy- electricity. The power was there
all along. All the dam did was harness
that energy so that it could be used.

Our Physics Professor could give us a
better definition of Power, but here is a
simple one: the ability to act.
God has provided for us a tremendous
source of Power! For those of us who are
Christians, it has been there all along! It has
been there for us! Have we tapped into the
POWER? How will we take that power of
God‟s salvation and harness it in our lives
to DO something about it?

Maybe you’re like the Tennessee Valley
this morning. You’ve had the power
there all along, but you’ve never
harnessed it in your life, you’ve not
taken hold of the power to do mighty
things for God! Let me tell you, God has
given us this power for a reason! He
wants us to live changed lives and he
wants us to make a difference for Jesus
in the world around us!
Are you going to do it?

03 The Power Ephesians 1:15-23

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03 The Power Ephesians 1:15-23