Incomparably Great Power: Do you want to grow in your faith, no matter what your circumstances are? You need to understand what you’ve been given in Christ. Paul prays the Ephesians would know the hope of their calling, the riches of their inheritance, and the incomparably great power they have been given in Christ. Recorded on May 5, 2024, on Ephesians 1:15-23 by Pastor David Parks.
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Our series, Ephesians: The Gospel in Life, serves as an epilogue to Finding Life in Jesus’ Name from John’s gospel. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reveals much about how the life found by faith in Jesus actually works. This series will touch on themes of grace, identity, purpose, family, the church, spiritual warfare, and more. If you’re considering the life of Jesus or if you’re ready to follow him today, this series is for you.
Sermon Transcript
So, last week, we started a new sermon series called The Gospel in Life from the book of Ephesians in the Bible. And we started with the truth that the Christian life is, first and foremost, a life of worship. Today, we’ll consider the first of two prayers of Paul in his letter. In this first prayer, we see not only the fruit of what God is doing in their church but also how Paul prays for them to continue to grow in their faith. Do you want to know how to grow in your faith? Do you ever read the Bible and wonder, why doesn’t my life look more like this?? Do you want more hope and more spiritual power, no matter what your circumstances are? This message is for you. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to Ephesians 1:15.
Ephesians 1:15–16 (NIV), “15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” So, the Apostle Paul is writing a letter here to his friends, who are mostly Gentile believers in the city of Ephesus. Paul had planted this church about ten years earlier and is now writing back to them when he was under house arrest in Rome. Last week, we saw that after the initial greeting, he started the body of the letter with a doxology or an invitation to worship. And we saw that the reason he was inviting the Ephesians to worship the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ because of the gospel — which is the good news of who God is, what he’s done in the past, what he’s doing today, and what he’s promised for our future in Christ. We saw that this gospel reveals the truly cosmic nature of God’s plan, the only rational response being to live lives of worship to the praise of his glory. Here, in v. 15, Paul moves from doxology to prayer. “For this reason,” meaning, in light of the grand scope of the gospel, from eternity to eternity, Paul has not stopped giving thanks to God for the Ephesians, “remembering you in my prayers.” But why? Why is Paul so thankful? He says that he heard some good things about them. He heard about their “faith in the Lord Jesus.” Paul spent almost three years in Ephesus. He probably knew many of the people who were in the church there, except for those who came to faith after he left. And as a good shepherd, Paul would’ve cared deeply for them. Like a good mom or dad would want the best for their kids, so Paul would’ve wanted the best for them. At some point, someone brought him a report of their faith, and he was overjoyed. They do believe, Paul! They believe in the gospel, they trust in Jesus, and they follow his way — even in the mostly pagan city of Ephesus. How do you know? Because of their love for all God’s people. Now, the phrase “God’s people” here literally means “holy ones,” which is where, in church history, we got the term “the saints.” But saints in the Bible aren’t exceptional, superhero-like Christians. Saints are just regular old Christians who have faith in the Lord Jesus and who love one another. If you’re a Christian today, you, too, are a saint. But Paul says that he’s heard of their faith and their love for one another, so he has much to be thankful for. But he doesn’t stop there. He could’ve just said that he was praying for them and that he was thankful to God for them. But he goes on to share his prayers for them, and this is where we see a whole different kind of prayer.
Ephesians 1:17 (NIV), “17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” This prayer is clearly Trinitarian — we see the glorious Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Spirit all together. And Paul was asking this three-in-one God, on behalf of his friends, that he would give them wisdom and revelation so they would grow in their knowledge of God. I love what Constantine Campbell writes in his commentary on this verse. “Wisdom begins with the fear of the LORD (Prov 1:7) and involves living in light of God’s created order and avoiding foolishness. Revelation is less humanly cultivated, as it involves God’s revealing of some previously hidden knowledge or truth. And knowledge of God speaks of personal knowledge of the Lord in the context of relationship. It is not knowledge about God, but is the kind of knowledge that can only come through intimate understanding and experience of another. Thus, Paul prays that his readers would cultivate godly wisdom, would have God’s truth revealed to them, and would have a personal knowledge of the Lord—all by the power of the Spirit.” (PNTC, p. 71). This is such a great prayer! Don’t we all need this? Wouldn’t it be helpful to grow in our own wisdom and understanding of the truth? Wouldn’t it be helpful to our life to have a better knowledge of God in our relationship with him? But how does this work? Is there a class we can sign up for or a program we can join? The truth is there are lots of things that help people grow in their faith, including active participation in worship, community, ministry, and mission — but I think we need to start where Paul starts: in prayer. Just as coming to faith in Jesus is both a gracious work of God (last week) and a response of faith from us (next week), so growing in our faith in Jesus is both a work of God and a response from us. This is what having a relationship with God looks like. He does his part, and we do our part. And if we need God to do something, we need to pray and ask him to do it and be persistent in our prayers. Jesus taught this. And Paul demonstrates this (“I have not stopped…I keep asking…”). But if God answers Paul’s prayers, what would that look like?
Ephesians 1:18-19a (NIV), “18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” If you take notes in your Bibles, this is another one of those verses to underline, circle, or highlight because this is so important! Because here, Paul reveals the way God helps us grow in our faith, and he describes this work as a divine change in perspective, a change in our hearts. Today, when we think of our hearts, we tend to only think in emotional terms. But in their day, the heart represented the whole inner person, including the mind, will, and emotion. Paul speaks of the eyes of your heart metaphorically. Our actual eyes let in light from the world. To grow in our faith, the eyes of our hearts, our whole inner being, our mind, will, and emotions need to be enlightened. In other words, at the source of our thoughts and feelings, we need to see/perceive the truth. Why? Because not everything we think and feel is true! But the truth about what, exactly? Paul gives us three things. First, “that you may know the hope to which he has called you.” What hope? We have to go back to Paul’s doxology! That because of the work of the Father, you are loved, blessed, chosen, and adopted. Because of the work of the Son, you are redeemed and forgiven, and you have a relationship with God that will never end. Because of the work of the Spirit, you are sealed and made holy until the return of Christ Jesus to the praise of his glorious grace. In Christ, the Father has called us by name. So, in Christ, we are never finally hopeless. We have hope in our sins/struggles/day/night/mountain/valley/life/death. Do you know this hope? Does it shape how you think and feel? Does it change your motivations and desires? Second, Paul prays they would know “the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people [saints].” Do you know what you have been called into? Do you know what it means to be adopted as a son or daughter of God? Do you know this “adoption to sonship” comes with a heavenly inheritance? As the children of God, we get the riches of the kingdom of our Father. He has prepared a place for us. However, it’s not a place for me individually. It’s a place for us, his church, his people, his family. Now, there are many benefits to being part of a church. There’s a rich sense of community here, which is found in fewer and fewer places in society today. There’s a sense of transcendence, of being part of something bigger than ourselves, which is inspiring. We have opportunities to serve and love others, which is deeply meaningful. (Hopefully, the music and the coffee are decent, too!) But if these are the only things you have in your heart when you think of being part of a church, you’re missing out on so much of the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people! Though it might seem humble, this is the church that Christ is building, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. Election cycles will come and go, kingdoms will come and go, but the church will last forever. Do you know these riches? Do they shape how you think and feel? Do they change your motivations and desires? Third, and finally, Paul prays they would know “his incomparably great power for us who believe.” But what kind of power? And power to do what, exactly? To be honest, I don’t always feel very powerful. In fact, there are a lot of times when I feel like my life is more defined by weakness than by strength. And isn’t Paul writing this letter from prison? Don’t we know from history that he would, within only a few years of writing this letter, be put to death for his faith in Jesus? Just what kind of power is he talking about?
Ephesians 1:19b-21 (NIV), “That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” So, the power Paul is talking about is God’s power that defeated death, hell, and grave. Paul is praying that his friends would know, in their inner being, the incomparably great power, that is, the very power and presence of the Spirit of the living God. Believers have been sealed with the Spirit. They have the Holy Spirit. But Paul prays that they would see and perceive the power of the Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, even more than they already do. That God’s power and presence would be real to them and a daily experience for them. And don’t forget, this is the same power, the same mighty strength that God exerted when he raised Christ from the dead. This is the same power that raised him and seated him and the right hand of God the Father in the heavenly realms — the seat of glory, honor, power, and authority as the King of the kingdom of God. As Paul ascends the heights of who Jesus is in this prayer, it’s like he can’t stop. Not only did God raise Christ from the dead and raise him up to heaven, but he is now exalted to the highest place! “Above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” Jesus is greater than any political power, any earthly/president/governor/authority. But Jesus is also greater than any spiritual power, any angel/demon/god/goddess. Remember that Ephesus was full of temples. They were very religious people before they ever heard the gospel. So, when Paul said Jesus is above every name that is invoked, he was referring to the magical scrolls that were used in Ephesus. Acts 19 says that when people became Christians in Ephesus, one result was that people who practiced divination and sorcery burned their magic scrolls containing various incantations and the true names of gods/goddesses. These names, it was believed, allowed them to manipulate the powers of the gods. Paul is reminding them that not only is the name of Jesus above any other name but that his power, the same power that accomplished his saving work, has been given to God’s people as a gift. They don’t need to do anything to manipulate God into working in their lives. They need to remember what they’ve already been given. Do you know the power you have in Christ and by his Spirit? Does it shape how you think and feel? Does it change your motivations and desires? But now that Paul is talking about Jesus, he just can’t seem to stop.
Ephesians 1:22–23 (NIV), “22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” This is God’s word. So, after thanking God for the faith and the love he heard about among the Ephesians (signs that God was bearing fruit among them), and after praying that they would grow in their knowledge of the hope and the riches and the power that they have in Christ, he reminds them, yet again, of the cosmic scope of the gospel. It’s not just that God is working to make us a little better or make our lives a little easier. It’s way bigger than that. The Father has placed all things, things in heaven and things on earth, under the feet of Jesus. This is a quote from Psalm 8. This is what God had always planned for humanity, but it is now fulfilled in Jesus. Continuing the body analogy, Paul says that Jesus is the “head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” This speaks not only to the supremacy of Christ but also to the elevated status of the church, the Ekklesia, or the congregation, the gathered assembly of God. We’re not only servants of God; we’re children in his family. We’re not only redeemed sinners; we’re members of his body, of which he is the head. Again, we see the theme of our union with Christ. Every good and perfect thing is found in him. But notice that everything Paul is praying for is all his. It’s his calling, his inheritance, his people, and his power. It’s his heaven. It’s his earth. He reigns. He rules. All things are under his feet. I feel like we should go back to the doxology and start praising the Lord once again!
So, how might we apply this prayer, this teaching to our lives today? I’m going to leave you with two thoughts. First, a bit of self-reflection: Have the eyes of your hearts been enlightened? Do you know the hope you have been called into? Do you know the riches of your inheritance? Do you know the incomparably great power you have in your life by the Spirit of God? Have you experienced this divine change in perspective? Are these truths real to your mind, will, and emotions? If so, it’ll change your life. It’ll shape your thoughts and emotions. It’ll transform how you respond to the ups and downs of life. It’ll be true no matter what your circumstances are. Again, Paul was in prison. He suffered greatly in his life. He would be put to death for preaching Christ because of the schemes of worldly powers. But what was that to him? He knew the hope/riches/power he had! He knew his future was secure. As a result, he was content; he had joy and peace in the midst of pain and hardship. Is this your perspective? If not, let’s pray together that God would open the eyes of your heart so that you might have the vision to see what you have been given. Second, and finally, would you pray like this for one another? Would you pray these things for your friends/spouse/kids/grandkids? Would not seeing all this be the best possible thing for the people you love? Let us boldly approach the throne of grace on behalf of the people in our lives. Let us pray as Paul prayed. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll be able to see and celebrate the fruit of faith and love in their lives as well. Oh, that we might forever lose our blindness to the beautifully expansive riches of all we have been given in Christ! To him be all the glory, honor, and praise! Let us pray.