The Power of the Church - Ephesians 3:14-21

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INTRO

Have you ever felt powerful?

STORY: Internship in Washingtonville, NY.

I was invited to play European Handball with middle schoolers

Have you ever felt powerless?

STORY: 17 year old seeing his grandmother unable to communicate and her crying.

We are in a new sermon series- The Dearest Place – taken from sermon by Spurgeon

“Still, imperfect as it is, [the church] is the dearest place on earth to us… It is not an institution for perfect people, but a sanctuary for sinners saved by grace, who, though they are saved, are still sinners and need all the help they can derive from the sympathy and guidance of their fellow believers. The Church is the nursery for God’s weak children where they are nourished and grow strong. It is the fold for Christ’s sheep—the home for Christ’s family.” _ Charles Spurgeon

Last week we looked at the purpose of the church & found that it is the glory of God

Church exists to display, imperfectly something of the greatness, beauty & perfection of God

The Weirder & crazier the world gets, the more important being the church in the world becomes

The World always has been crazy, always will be

What is so sad is when church stops being church

Today we’re going to look at the power of and the power for the church

I know Power can be a loaded word…

But we also know how awful it is to be w/o power…

Here is what we will discover

Big Idea: The Power of the Church is the love of Christ.

1. The Need for Power (v14-16)

Ephesians 3:14–16 (ESV)

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

Consider The Context of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians

Being a Christian in Ephesus was no easy feat.

All you have to do is revisit Acts 19 to understand the challenges believers faced. (the growth of the church brought a riot)

Ephesus was a city marked by spirituality, yet ironically, it held an intolerance towards Christianity.

It was a port city driven by materialism, saturated with cultural pride, and riddled with division.

You have a city that is a melting pot of desires, dreams, divisions, and... well, disdain for followers of Jesus.

In the midst of all of this Paul gives The Church a Counter-Cultural Calling

Despite the tumultuous atmosphere of Ephesus, Paul's vision for the Church remains unshaken.

He believed that the Church was not just another religious group, not just a group of spiritually aware people

No the church was distinct and counter-cultural, it’s the body of Christ.

Paul knows how tense thew situation in Ephesus is but instead of praying for a change in the external circumstances, Paul’s prayer was focused on an inward transformation.

He prayed fervently that God would work deep within the hearts of believers.

Paul’s prayers were grounded in deep theological truths:

Chapter 1 - recounts how believers were chosen even before the world began, marked out to lead lives of holiness.

Chapter 2 - reminds them that even though they were once dead in sin, they've been resurrected by the grace of Christ.

They have moved from From being aliens and strangers, they've been transformed into citizens, saints, now they are sons and daughters in the family of God.

Chapter 3 - emphasizes that the unity and welcome in the Church aren’t just a testimony to the world but also a display of God’s manifold wisdom to the spiritual realm.

Now he gets to the point of prayer, he is praying for power.

Paul's prayer makes it clear: real strength doesn’t come from human effort, but from God’s power through the Holy Spirit.

This wasn’t a new message.

Paul prays for this spiritual empowerment else where in Ephesians

We see this promise all the way back in Ezekiel 36

Ezekiel 36:26 (ESV)

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

The idea of God working power is all over scripture.

The question is why is Paul making this emphasis on God’s power?

Simple.

The monumental task of forging unity within the Church, of creating a "new humanity", is something only God can accomplish.

If Ephesus was going to last. With all of the cultural pressure, with all of the challenges of people being broken…they would need the mighty power of God at work.

They would need the knowledge of Christ’s unending love.

Coram Deo, it is the same for us.

if we are going to last, if we are going to handle the pressure of culture.

If we are going to get along, and be united for the kingdom, it will take the work of God in our midst

Consider our own human tendencies; often, we find it challenging to maintain harmony even with our loved ones, let alone with those whose background, beliefs, or behaviors differ from ours.

How often this week have you been frustrated with your spouse, your kids, your parents - people you’d die for right?!

Here is the underlying truth we must grasp: if the Church is indeed God's "Plan A" to display His grandeur and beauty to the world, then He must empower it with a supernatural, other-worldly power.

Only then will the Church's impact be undeniable and its message irresistible.

One day a father decided to take his son to play at the local park.

The boy quickly gravitated to the sandbox and found himself mesmerized by the colors and textures surrounding him.

After a short time, he began digging around to see what treasures might reveal themselves to him.

As his hands plunged under the sand he discovered something rather large, and having pushed enough of the sand away, realized it was a large rock.

Instantly he focused all his attention on getting this rock out of the way.

So the boy tried as hard as he could to move the rock.

He pushed and pushed and pushed, and finally he was able to get it to the edge of the sandbox.

But the next step would be the hardest. How could he get it over the edge?

Again the boy pushed and pushed until his energy was completely fried. The rock’s stuckness matched the boy’s feelings of the situation.

Eventually he started to sob.

The boy’s father watched all this, and just when the meltdown began, the father went over to his son and began to comfort his overtaxed, dejected son.

“Why didn’t you use all the strength available to you to move the rock?” the father asked.

The boy was confused, “I did daddy, it’s just too heavy.”

“No son,” you didn’t. You didn’t ask me to help.”

And at that, the father lifted the rock with a single hand and tossed it out of the sandbox.

The Church, in all its imperfection, stands as a beacon of God’s love.

We are dependent on the Lord for a working of His power

But to shine brightly amidst the darkness, we need the power that only God can provide.

Here is a challenge: Set a reminder or alarm for a specific time each day. When it goes off, pause for a moment to remind yourself of your dependency on God’s power. Use this time to pray specifically for His strength in your areas of weakness. Pray for this Church

So we see first our need for power let’s look second at The Purpose of Power

2. The Purpose of Power (v17-19)

Ephesians 3:17–19 (ESV)

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

That you may have strength.

When we think of God-given strength, our first instinct is often to imagine all the grand missions we could accomplish, the mountains we could move.

But Paul, in his typical fashion, shifts our focus from the external to the internal.

The first thing this power is for? Making our hearts a home for Christ.

When we bought our home - tore out the wallpaper.

My favorite picture - Hannah

Christ, the Resident of Our Hearts

Think of it as Christ moving in, redecorating, maybe even tearing down some old wallpaper.

After all, when Jesus comes into our lives, he’s not looking for a vacation rental; he’s bought a fixer-upper and is settling in for the long haul.

What parts of the "house" of your heart have you kept locked or hidden from Him? Spend time this week intentionally inviting Him into those spaces.

We are called to be rooted Deeply

The parable of the sower paints the picture: some seeds fall on rocky soil, quickly sprouting but just as quickly withering away because they lack roots.

Jesus doesn’t want us to be fragile flowers that wither in the sun; he dreams of us as mighty oaks.

In every church, in every age, you'll find both – the strong and the weak, the deeply rooted and the ones barely holding on.

Do you ever wonder Why Are We Sometimes So... Human?

Do you Ever wondered why we sometimes falter? Lose our temper, struggle with pride, or just feel weak?

The missing link might just be our understanding and experience of the internal power we house.

It's not just about knowing it's there; it's about tapping into it.

Have you considered The depth of Jesus' Love?

How wide? Think of Jesus’ arms outstretched on the cross, encompassing people from every corner of the earth.

How long? From before time itself until eternity’s end, his love remains unbreakable.

How high? It reaches the heavens, where Jesus longs for us to be with him.

How deep? Deep enough that he cried out in anguish, facing the depth of hell for us.

And the question we must wrestle with: Do we truly know this love?

Do you know it?

Information, Inspiration, Transformation

There's a distinction between knowledge that is purely informational and knowledge that transforms.

When my friend Kevin came to visit and preach for us, I told him about bbq. (riff a bit)

It's one thing to know that JD's bbq is good, it's another thing entirely to taste it for oneself and be transformed by its deliciousness.

Similarly, we're called to experience God's love firsthand, to "taste and see."

Speaking to a large audience, Pastor D.L. Moody held up a glass and asked, “How can I get the air out of this glass?”

One man shouted, “Suck it out with a pump!”

Moody replied, “That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass.”

After numerous other suggestions Moody smiled, picked up a pitcher of water, and filled the glass.

“There,” he said, “all the air is now removed.”

He then went on to explain that victory in the Christian life is not accomplished by “sucking out a sin here and there,” but by being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Imagine the Possibilities

If every believer, every church, truly grasped and lived in the reality of Christ's love—its width, length, height, and depth—what could we accomplish?

To be filled with the fullness of God means God is holding nothing back, pouring himself into us.

What would be The Result?

A church that radiates God's power and love, drawing attention not because it's flashy, but because it's real and authentic—a beacon of hope and a testament to God’s transformative power.

The purpose of this power, then, is not merely for external achievements or to solve external problems.

At its core, it's about an internal transformation that results in a deeper relationship with God.

A relationship you truly experience.

The transformation Paul is praying for is an overflowing of His love in and through us.

One commentator: We will not live as God’s holy ones until we know that we are first of all his beloved ones.

We will not treat our neighbors with mercy until we apprehend Christ’s mercy toward us.

We do not know anything about Christianity until we know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.

So we have seen the need and purpose let’s go back to the passage and see third the source

3. The Source of Power (v.20-21)

Ephesians 3:20–21 (ESV)

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

We've all had those moments.

Times when we think, This sounds beautiful in theory. God working in power.

This vision of a dynamic church, so alive with purpose, but how? How can it really happen for me? For us?

Many of us come with tired hearts, often feeling like we're barely limping along in our faith, grappling for joy, slipping into habits we know are destructive.

Some might even think, "Are we—this messy, imperfect bunch of goobers—really supposed to be the beacon of hope, God's living testament on earth?"

Here's the good news: it's not about our might, but His.

Paul exclaims that God can do exceedingly, abundantly above all we could ever hope for or imagine.

Think about that.

The word Paul uses is so expansive; it doesn't even fit neatly into our language. Grammatically weird / Superabundant /

Immeasurably NIV, Infinitely NLT

It’s almost as if he’s saying, “God's power is like… like… well, there's nothing to compare it to!”

This isn't just any force.

This is the power of the One who set the cosmos spinning, who handcrafted every galaxy, every mountain peak, every river bend.

The same God who halted the sun in the sky and brought down city walls with just a shout.

The same Savior who defeated death itself, offering us life.

Take a moment to reflect on your expectations of God. Are they limited by your own understanding or past experiences? Challenge yourself to pray and dream big, trusting that He can do "immeasurably more."

Do we dare to believe that this limitless power is at work within us?

Paul isn’t talking about a far-off, distant power, but one that is inside each believer, accessible and active.

It's like housing a roaring waterfall in a teacup or having the force of a hurricane in a fluttering leaf.

While last week, we looked at welcoming the weak, the power in this is understanding that none of us have truly "arrived."

We're all on a journey, and every single one of us has moments of profound weakness.

But, wonderfully, it’s in these very moments of fragility that God's strength is most evident.

His grace isn't just an abstract idea—it's a living, pulsating reality.

We can approach Him with open, empty hands, and find ourselves filled to the brim with His abundant goodness.

If power is the ability to get things done, to change circumstances and people, then this takes us to the heart of the Christian understanding of power:

it is the power of self-sacrificial love and service.

There is nothing more powerful than this.

Love can soften the hardest of hearts, the most rigid minds, the stoniest of souls.

Love can do what naked force cannot.

When we are loved we are able to change.

When we are unloved we dig in our heels and refuse to budge.

Love is the most powerful force in the world.

And it is on cross that we see the most dramatic, powerful and profound act of love: the love of God that voluntarily took all human shame and failure onto himself in the person of his Son.

When we lean into His might, we become conduits of His love, allowing the message of Jesus’ redemptive work to flow through us, echoing throughout the ages.

The legacy we leave won't be about our strength, but about the One whose power operates mightily within us.

Sometimes, in our quiet moments of introspection, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

We look at the fractured world around us, the divisions, the pain, the challenges the Church faces, and it's tempting to despair.

How do we bridge the gaps?

How do we mend the broken?

How do we shine light in the darkest corners?

But, if we truly grasp the magnitude of the power at work within us, we'd recognize an essential truth: it’s not about us being strong enough, wise enough, or good enough.

When you feel inadequate or overwhelmed, remind yourself that it's not about your capability but His. His grace is sufficient, and His power is made perfect in your weakness.

It’s about Him being all of those things for us and through us.

It's a realization that shifts our paradigm.

Have you ever stood at the edge of an ocean, feet sinking into the sand, waves crashing around you, and felt the vastness of it all?

That sense of awe, wonder, maybe even a touch of fear?

Now, imagine that boundless ocean force living inside of you.

That's the scale of God’s power we're discussing.

And with this power, impossibilities fade. Mountains move. Dead dreams resurrect.

It's not just about personal transformation, either.

As God's power works in us, it also works *through* us.

We become agents of change in our communities.

Instead of merely lamenting the state of the world, we actively participate in its redemption.

Not because we possess some unique capability, but because the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is at work in us.

This isn’t a call to complacency; it’s a call to bold, audacious faith.

A faith that steps out even when the path isn’t clear.

A faith that loves fiercely, hopes unceasingly, and believes unwaveringly in the promise of what's to come.

Remember, the early church—with all its faults, squabbles, and challenges—was a force to be reckoned with.

Not because they had it all together, but because they allowed God’s power to flow through them in transformative ways.

They understood their mission wasn’t just for their time but for generations to come.

As we stand here, in this moment, it’s our turn.

Our chapter in the ongoing story of Christ’s church.

With God’s immense power within us, we are called to dream big, love deeply, and serve selflessly.

A pastor was invited to a play by a friend who was performing in a play. He was so impressed and moved that later while having lunch with his friend he said:

“Tell me, how is it that you actors hold the attention of your audience so vividly that you cause them to think of things imaginary as if they were real,

while we Pastors speak of things that are real but our congregations take them as imaginary?”

“The reason is plain,” answered the actor.

“We actors speak of things imaginary as if they were real; while too many in the pulpit speak of things real as if they were imaginary.”

It was said of one famous old preacher, “He showed us the fires of hell, and then he swept our souls up to the gates of heaven.”

When you talk about Christ, you have to believe in the transforming power of the gospel if you expect to convince anyone of its power to save.

What might the world look like if we truly believed in the power within us?

What kind of legacy could we leave?

I have to my shame been reading LOTR for the first time.

There is a scene early in the story where Frodo offers the ring to Gandalf

“You are so wise and powerful. Will you not take the Ring?” “No!” cried Gandalf, springing to his feet. “With that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the Ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly.” His eyes flashed and his face was lit as by a fire within. “Do not tempt me! For I do not wish to become like the Dark Lord himself. Yet the way of the Ring to my heart is by pity, pity for weakness and the desire of strength to do good. Do not tempt me! I dare not take it, not even to keep it safe, unused.”

Gandalf is the embodiment of true wisdom, but his wisdom may appear foolish—as when he refuses to take the ring of power.

Gandalf is powerful, yet his is a power found in weakness.

Other characters reject Gandalf’s way, believing that the only way to truly defeat the enemy is by wielding the ring.

But in the end they are unmasked as fools.

Their eyes can see worldly power, but they are blind to the power of wisdom.

As with Middle Earth, so with our world. Two ways of power are presented to us. Only one is the true path of wisdom.

The only way we will have a lasting legacy is if we choose the way of dependency asking the Lord to fill us up with His power!

Jesus loves you.

He has taken residence in your heart.

(riff if spirit leads)

Application Questions:

Where do I most sense my need to be strengthened with God’s power?

When I hear that Christ wants to make His home in my heart, what reservations or hesitations come to mind, and why?

How might a greater experience of Jesus’ love help me live more for His honor?

If He is able to do more than I could ask or think, what do we need Him to do?