Reading: Ephesians chapter 3 verses 14-21
• This morning I want us to centre our thoughts on just two verses;
• That we read in Ephesians chapter 3 – they are verses 20&21.
• These two verses are about like gun powder;
• They might be small but boy are they filled with explosive insights.
Ill:
• I like the story of the arrogant, prideful lion,
• Who wanted to remind other animals how great he was.
• He went to the gazelle and roared, "Who is the king of the jungle?"
• Trembling, the gazelle answered, "Why, you are, mighty lion."
• He went next to the giraffe and roared, "Who is the king of the jungle?"
• Fearful, the giraffe answered, "Why, you are, mighty lion."
• Next, he went to the monkey and roared, "Who is the king of the jungle?"
• Startled, the monkey answered, "Why, you are mighty lion."
• Finally, he went to the elephant and roared,
• "Who is the king of the jungle?"
• The elephant reached out and grabbed the lion with his trunk,
• Slammed the lion to the ground several times, and flung him at last into a large boulder.
• As the lion lay there he said to the elephant,
• "Just because you didn’t know the answer, you didn’t have to take it personally."
This morning we are looking at another attribute of God.
• The fifth in our series called; ‘Behold Your God!’
• My topic this morning is ‘The Power of God’.
• These attributes are difficult of us to grasp;
• Because we have nothing to compare them with in our minds.
• e.g. you and I are limited in space but God is omnipresent.
• e.g. you and I are limited in knowledge but God is omniscient.
• e.g. you and I are limited in power -
• Yet God is omnipotent, or all-powerful.
Ill:
• That word theologians use to describe the fact that God is ‘Omnipotent’;
• Meaning: ‘All-powerful, invincible, unstoppable, supreme’.
• It refers to the fact that God’s power is infinite and unlimited.
• e.g. He never grows tired (doesn’t need an afternoon nap);
• He never deteriorates with age (i.e. no hearing aid, no specs, no zimmer frame etc).
• e.g. His batteries never run down – He never needs recharging.
• e.g. He never runs out of fuel – He is always runs on a full tank.
• God’s power is infinite and unlimited.
• He is Omnipotent’;
No matter how hard you look - you will not find that word ‘Omnipotent’ in the Bible:
• The Bible defines God by another word - “Almighty,”
• Which occurs 345 times in the Bible,
• It is a word that is never used of anyone but God.
• God alone is the only one described as ‘Almighty’ e.g. as Psalm 89:8 says,
“O Lord God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O Lord,
and your faithfulness surrounds you.”
Quote: I love how pastor, preacher and author A.W. Tozer puts it:
“God possesses what no creature can: an incomprehensible plenitude of power,
a potency that is absolute.”
• If you want an easier definition to remember try this:
• “Nothing is too difficult for God.”
• He is almighty, omnipotent;
• And he is able to do everything he needs to do or wants to do.
• And these two verses in Ephesians chapter 3;
• Remind us of this great truth!
(1). God is able:
Ill:
• When I was a kid – I used to read Comic Books.
• Comic Book heroes - Spiderman; Thor, Fantastic Four, Superman; Batman etc.
• One of the best parts of a Comic Book was the Advertisements in the Back of the Book.
• They had the coolest stuff e.g. full of practical jokes & gadgets.
• e.g. You could buy Chewing Gum that would turn your victims teeth black;
• e.g. Sugar cubes that also contained fart powder.
• e.g. Ice-cubes that contained a trick fly frozen inside.
• They had all sorts of practical jokes - everything that a kid needed.
Ill:
• They also sold gadgets and gizmos:
• One I remember was X-ray Vision Glasses.
• In the advertisement, there was a cartoon of a guy looking at his hand;
• And not only could you could see the outline of his hand,
• But you could also see all of the bones of his hand.
• His hand as a skeleton!
• Well muggings here - like so may other kids saved and saved and saved;
• Filled out the Postal Order (do you remember them?),
• Sent it off in the mail, and then waited.
• In those days it would take between 2 and 1,000 weeks for delivery.
• By the time they arrived, you had been waiting so long;
• That you actually forgot that several months before you had ordered the jolly things.
• Finally there was the package on the table in front of you;
• You carefully opened up the package and there it was.
• Your own pair of The X-ray Vision Glasses.
• It didn’t matter that the frame was made of flimsy plastic;
• Or that the lenses were thin, coloured plastic – these were gonna be so cool.
• You knew that in seconds you were going to have X-ray Vision;
• Just like it said in the advertisement – after all Comic Books don’t lie.
• Then you put the glasses on – they just about fitted;
• Then you looked through this magical device;
• You stared at your hand…blinked…and nothing.
• Your hand looked red and green and all fuzzy. Maybe it was the lighting –
• You went outside in the sunshine, no good.
• You went into your bedroom and turned off the lights,
• Held your hands under a lamp – nothing…
• You expected the power to have X-ray Vision;
• All you got was a Red, Green Fuzziness.
• And that was the first of many experiences;
• Of learning the Disappointment of getting Less than what you expect.
• It happens all the time now…We get Less than what we Expect
• It tends to be a rare moment when you exceed the expectation.
Note:
• With God “He is able”
• He does exactly what he says in the advert (or in the Bible!)
Ill:
Tesco’s or Asda’s etc
• Phrase you often see on everything from washing powder to cornflakes is;
• ‘New improved…’ or ‘Now better than ever’.
• With God – He can’t be improved “He is able”
• He does exactly what he says in the advert (or the Bible!)
• Quote: The word "power" is defined in the dictionary as;
• "The ability or capacity to perform or act effectively."
Ill:
• If the Greek word for ‘Power’ was transliterated (carried over into English) into our Bibles;
• It would read; “He is ‘dunamai’ or ‘dynamite”
• God has the explosive power "to perform or act effectively."
• And he is able to do everything he needs to do or wants to do.
Question: Do you believe that?
Ill:
DVD Clip – How big is you God!
• ill: Can’t believe a whale swallowed Jonah;
• Listen GISB that if it said; ‘Jonah swallowed a whale’ I would believe it!
(2). He is able to do.
• All that I have said so far maybe good theory.
• But what about practice – does that information affect my life?
• These two little words ‘To do’ remind us that it does!
• “He is able TO DO something”.
Ill:
• Dr Judson was one of the first missionaries sent abroad by nonconformist churches;
• He arrived in India in 1813 and settled in Rangoon, Burma.
• Later when war broke out between Burma and the English Government of India;
• He was arrested, and put in prison and accused of being a spy.
• As he was lying in a foul jail with 32 lbs. of chains on his ankles,
• And with his feet bound to a bamboo pole.
• A fellow prisoner with a sneer on his face, said,
• “Dr. Judson, what about the prospect of the conversion of the heathen?”
• In other words; he mocking Judson, he was taunting him;
• “How is your great big God gonna save these people while you are in prison?”
• Judson’s reply was instant;
• “The prospects are just as bright as the promises of God.”
• No matter how dark and stormy our situation may be,
• God does not change and neither does his word!
Ill:
• After a period of time Dr Judson was let out of prison;
• He went on to achieve an incredible amount in his life;
• He translated the Bible in Burmese, produced the very first Burmese dictionary;
• And left a Christian community of about… half a million people.
• “Dr. Judson, what about the prospect of the conversion of the heather?”
• “The prospects are just as bright as the promises of God.”
Paul writes this letter to these Ephesian Christians:
• And like Judson Paul is writing from a prison cell;
• And he reminds them God is bigger than our circumstances and our problems.
• He wants then to discover that even in what might appear to be a dead situation;
• God has the resources to bring forth new life.
Ill:
A few years ago,
• When archaeologists began excavating in the courtyard of a medieval monastery,
• They found seeds that had been dormant for more than 400 years that had begun to grow.
• King Henry VIII had closed the monastery in 1539,
• And the herbs tended by the monks all died.
• But those herbs sprouted to life again;
• After the archaeologists disturbed the earth.
• This verse reminds us that ‘He is able to do’
• God can and is able to work & bring life in every situation – so keep trusting!
(3). He is able to do immeasurably more:
Ill:
• Tesco’s or Asda’s etc
• Phrase I like to see if ‘50% extra free!’
• With God you always get more than you expect.
• Just listen to this verse again:
• Quote: The N.I.V.:
• “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more”
• Quote: The King James Version:
• “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask!”
• Quote: The Amplified Version says:
• "God is able to do superabundantly, far over and above, all that we dare ask or think."
Notice:
• Paul uses a double compound word to make his point;
• In fact he seems to be making up his own word phrase.
• He is so caught up in the BIGNESS and AWESOMENESS of God,
• That it seems he creates a new word phrase to make his point;
• Just look how he stacks these words upon each other in an attempt to make his point…
• e.g. Paul is saying that God is –
• Incredibly incredible.
• Extravagantly extravagant.
• Awesomely awesome
• Outrageously outrageous.
• Fantastically fantastical.
• Amazingly amazing.
• Infinitely infinite
• And he is like that all the time!
Ill:
• Not enough words to describe a beautiful sunset or a mountain range;
• So there is not enough words to describe our great God!
• He is ‘indescribably indescribable’.
(4).He is able to do immeasurably more than
all we ask:
• Our God is .Able to do MORE:
• To me that speaks of his generosity.
• ill: Coffee on Holiday – ill: Big cup still a small measure.
• ill: David said; “my cup overflows” (Psalm 23 verse 5)
ill:
• The story is told that one day a beggar by the roadside;
• Asked Alexander the Great for money from as he passed by.
• The man was poor and wretched and had no claim upon the ruler,
• No right even to lift a solicitous hand.
• Yet the Emperor threw him several gold coins.
• A courtier was astonished at his generosity and commented,
• “Sir, copper coins would adequately meet a beggar’s need. Why give him gold?”
• Alexander responded in royal fashion,
• “Copper coins would suit the beggar’s need, but gold coins suit Alexander’s giving.”
• Our God is .Able to do MORE than we ask:
• To me that speaks of his generosity.
Ill:
He exceeds our expectation;
• God didn’t make just a single drop of water He made oceans of water
• God didn’t create just 1 star – God made Galaxies
• God didn’t just make a single kind of bird – God created 1,000s kinds of birds
• God didn’t just make a single kind of fish – God created 1,000s kinds of fish
• God didn’t just make a single plant – God created 1,000s kinds of plants.
• God didn’t just make a single kind of fruit – God created 1,000s kinds of fruits
Ill:
• Did you know that there are 6,000 verities of beetle?
• What incredible imagination God has.
• Ill: We humans can produce 7 million Volkswagen Beetles all the same.
• God is the ultimate creator, with fantastic imagination and variety!
Ill:
• No two blades of grass the same, no two snow flakes the same,
• What imagination, how creative.
(4). He is able to do immeasurably more than
all we ask or imagine:
Isn’t the inclusion of that word imagine” brilliant;
• Imagination is boundless.
• You can imagine whatever you want.
• Ill: I can imagine that I preach as good as Billy Graham;
• Ill: Or I can imagine you are really interested in what I am saying!
Ill:
• Kids have the best imagination:
• Arlo by putting a black hat on and picking up a sword suddenly becomes Zoro!
• Kathy picks up a doll and suddenly she is a mother.
• Ill: When I was a kid I played football for Manchester United;
• You might not know this but I scored the winner for them in the Cup final!
• The point is this:
• Everything is possible in our own imagination!
Ill:
• Great advantage that books and audio/radio has over TV and films;
• “The best pictures are always in you mind!”
Ill:
The health experts & lifestyle gurus tell us:
• That if you want a successful life,
• The first thing you must do is to change the way you think.
• The bible says in Proverbs chapter 4 verse 23 something similar:
• “Be careful how you think, your life is shaped by your thoughts”.
• We have a big God;
• So think big!
Ill:
• For the past forty years Eunice Pike;
• Has worked with the Mazatec Indians in South-western Mexico.
• During this time she has discovered some interesting things about this people group
• For instance, the people seldom wish someone well.
• Not only that, they are hesitant to teach one another;
• Or to share the gospel with each other.
• If asked, “Who taught you to bake bread?”
• The village baker answers, “I just know,”
• Meaning he has acquired the knowledge without anyone’s help.
• Eunice says this odd behaviour stems from the Indian’s concept of “limited good.”
• They believe there is only so much good,
• So much knowledge, so much love to go around.
• They believe to teach another means you might drain yourself of knowledge.
• They believe to love a second child means you have to love the first child less.
• They believe to wish someone well, i.e. “Have a good day” –
• Means you have just given away some of your own happiness,
• Which cannot be reacquired – how tragic!
This verses tells us every Christian should have the very opposite of that attitude:
• There is no limit when God is involved!
• Quote: 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 9:
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"
Quote:
“By the way – I am Glad that God is not limited to what I ask or think;
because there are times when my askin’ is lackin’ and my thinkin’ is stinkin’.
(5).He is able to do this according to His
power that is at work within us:
• I mentioned earlier that if the Greek word translated as power,
• If it were transliterated into English – it would be our word for dynamite.
• Look where the apostle Paul says that this Power is.
• It can be experienced in each and every Christian!
• “The power that works within us,”
Ill:
Do you remember those put downs you used to use:
• My favourite put down is still:
• “If he had a brain cell it would die of loneliness!”
• But I guess we all know the saying:
• “If his brains were dynamite he would not have enough to blow his hat off!”
• Sadly that is a description of too many Christians;
• Not enough power “to blow their hats off!”
Ill:
Herbert Jackson told how, as a new missionary,
• He was assigned a car that would not start without a push.
• After pondering his problem, he devised a plan.
• He went to the school near his home,
• And got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car off.
• As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running.
• He used this ingenious procedure for over two years.
• Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave heir post and make plans to return home;
• An new missionary came to that station.
• When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started,
• The new man began looking under the bonnet.
• Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted,
• “Dr. Jackson, the only trouble here is this loose cable.”
• He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, turned on the ignition;
• And to Jackson’s astonishment, the engine roared to life.
• For two years needless trouble had become routine.
• The power was there all the time.
• Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting that power to work.
Question: How can I consistently experience this power?
Answer: Verse 16-17:
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
(1). Filling (vs 16):
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,”
• At conversion the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our lives.
• Ill: Not a lodger – he becomes the owner of the house.
• The idea in this expression; “Through his Spirit in your inner being,”
• Is that he does just dwell in the house but has free access to every part of the house.
• Ill: Visit my house and you have limited access.
• Ill: Penny my wife has complete access – the relationship makes all the difference!
(2). Living (vs 17-19):
• Our relationship to Christ:
• “So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”
• This speaks of the Christian’s continuing trust in Christ;
• Allowing him day by day to be Lord of our lives.
• Our relationship with other believers:
• “Together with all the saints”
• Paul carries this idea on in chapter 4 – unity in the body of Christ.
Punch line:
• Remember ‘Our God is Able!’
• Maybe you need to take time out to once again get reconnected.
• To Ask God to fill you!
• Your part is to ‘by faith’ let Christ once again be Lord!
• Is there something you need to confess or surrender.
• And God’s power is evidenced in his Church among his people;
• No such thing a lone-ranger Christian – not a powerful one anyway!
• The normal Christian life is to be lived out in fellowship with the people of God!
Quote: J.B. Phillips paraphrases Ephesians l:19-20,
"How tremendous is the power available to us who believe in God." When we make firm our connection with God, his life and power flow through us.
