Halleluja! Here Comes The Church!
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Things seem to control world events. Elections, wars, regulations, news. Seem to have a motivation that betrays it’s stated purpose. There’s an authority at play that seems hidden and powerful.
What’s the solution? How can we respond to an destructive influence we can’t see?
Paul gave the message. Jesus has the solution. Praise the Lord - the Church is the answer!
Pray
15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that 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 rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
//Paul wrote the book of Ephesians so that the Church of Christ might be encouraged to represent Him and stand strong against the powers of this world. I don’t think they had trouble thinking that God was superior in every way to the powers of rebellion in the world. I don’t think we do either. But where Paul knew they needed encouragement was when it came to these people engaging with those powers. That’s where they felt unable. I suspect that might be the case for us as well.
//Ephesians paints the picture of how God’s unrestrained glory and power are made evident in a world that seeks to silence and destroy the voice of Devine Goodness. And how is the glory and power made evident? The church!
Ephesians lays a foundation, builds a game plan, and sends US into the fray.
The Ephesians knew how overwhelming the task was. Worship of other gods and of the emperor was everywhere. The standard of right and wrong flew directly against God’s plan for the world. Persecution came from the gentiles and the Jews. How was a relatively small group of Christ followers going to make any impact in this environment?
I wish we could relate!
What was Paul’s answer to this challenge? Thank the Lord, here comes the church!
I want to say this morning - Thank the Lord, here comes Crosspoint!
You might be thinking, “Oh, great! I’M the cavalry?!?!” We’ll, all of us together - yes!
So then, how can we effectively engage a hidden enemy in a hostel world?
This passage has so much to say about that. And for everything that it says, we can follow Paul in being thankful for.
Thank you Lord...
Thank you Lord...
1. For the Church.
1. For the Church.
Paul was thankful for the church as THE means to glorify God in the face of an ungodly culture.
Thank God for Crosspoint
Thank God He has brought us here to this family
We have a purpose in Him!
Lord, thank you for your church. The universal body, and this family of believers with whom I am blessed to serve alongside.”
2. That we Glorify God.
2. That we Glorify God.
“For this reason” From previous passage, and v. 17, thank God we are here to Glorify Him!
Who are the stars of the faith that Glorify God? Paul puts all believers on the same awards stage.
Ephesians 1:13–14 “13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
It is in our very salvation that our lives praise God and shout His glory.
“Lord, thank you that you can glorify yourself in me!”
3. For the Power of Christ.
3. For the Power of Christ.
When we hear, and when we believe, when we put our faith in Jesus as our savior, we area new creation. From dead in our sin, to alive in Christ. From rebel to saint. Dry bones to an army of living worshipers. Christ displayed power in the words that spoke creation into being. And words from Him spoke our name into the book of life.
His power is off the scale - we can’t measure it.
Instant / Eternal
Immediate / Infinite.
Microscope / Telescope
He exceeds them all in His person and His power.
We are called in that power
This isn’t OUR inheritance (though ours is beyond measure too!). This is what GOD receives when He receives to Himself His bride - the church.
It’s only the power of Christ that imputes to us such worth in the eyes of the Father.
“Lord, thank you for your power, beyond ALL measure.”
4. That Jesus Was Raised In Power.
4. That Jesus Was Raised In Power.
God’s power was not just in creation that we would be His imagers, but was expressed in His resurrection that we might join Him.
God’s power brought fallen creation a means of reconciliation.
brought life from death.
brought near the far away.
Established Jesus’ name as the sole and supreme authority.
This section takes a break from the prayer language Paul has been using. This idea is the epicenter not only of this passage, not only of the Bible, but of all creation. We read about Jesus’ resurrection last week. Mark leads us to consider Jesus and His resurrection. Paul takes that mantel and pours out the wonder of His heart and mind to the Ephesians. Let me read this section again.
19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that 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 rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
“Lord, above all things else, thank you for expressing your power in the resurrection from the dead. It was far more than one dead body breathing life again, but the first trumpet blast of glory from a broken world. Thank you Lord for promising that your resurrection will impact every corner of creation. Thank you that the power of your resurrection can impact me.
5. That We Are Redeemed By That Power.
5. That We Are Redeemed By That Power.
And that’s the hope to which we are called. Which we walk in faith.
It’s His power toward us that transforms us.
If we are redeemed by the work of His immeasurable power, how can we remain as we were.
In one of those Marvel movies, Thor’s hammer is damaged and needs to be reforged. To do so, he has to stand taking the full force of a sun to get the power to remake his hammer. It’s an over-the-top scene. But it’s a billionth billionth of a fraction of the immeasurable greatness of God’s power toward us.
Don’t think in terms of physical elements, but of spiritual authority and dominion that transcends all of creation.
This is the power that draws us from the grave and propels us to His presence.
“Lord, thank you for your power and for you redemption you have worked in us.”
6. That We Are Sent In That Power.
6. That We Are Sent In That Power.
But that power is not ineffective. It is not without purpose. It is His power that has redeemed us that we are now sent in.
Paul helps believers realize the position we are in.
1) All things are under Jesus’ feet. 2) Christ is head, but the church is His body. 3) Who occupies the position of His feet?
Do we operate as the body of Christ? Do we see the power God sends us with and directs us in?
Christ is our head. We occupy that space with Him because He had brought us from the kingdom of darkness and set us in His kingdom of marvelous light.
“Lord, thank you that you have sent us in power, and brought us to your space. That you have chosen us to be your body, sent in your power, directed by your Spirit, to accomplish the task you have given us.”
7. We Are Equipped With That Power.
7. We Are Equipped With That Power.
What good is sending without support. The power that raised Jesus from the grave, is that power that saves us from our sins, is that power that sends us to our purpose.
What good is sending without equipping?
God’s power is not only sufficient, it is extensive. It covers every corner, every edge.
There is nowhere God sends us that His power is not sufficient… When we are IN Christ. When we are faithful.
Brothers and sisters, the good news of Jesus’ resurrection is power not only to save, but necessary to walk in the fullness of His Kingdom.
I am thankful for Crosspoint. I am thankful for the resurrection. We are a small church in a big world of rebellion. Our International Missions Board has a rallying cry: ‘The worlds biggest problem is lostness’. When we see all the other things going on in the world that seem to be driven by some invisible darkness, we can know that the real issue is that people are lost and dyeing without Christ.
So what is the solution to this broken world? Thank the Lord - it’s the church!
Pray
In Christ. As the Church. (1:1) What that means and how that happens is covered in v. 3-14
Through Understanding and Revelation. (1:17)
To the Hope of Presence with God. (1:18)
By The Self-Dependent, Primary Cosmic Power. (1:19-21)
Transferred From Him, to the Church. (1:22-23)
NOTES
NOTES
Ephesus was:
Ephesus was:
Demographics
Demographics
Large - .25mil people, third largest in Roman Empire
Economic powerhouse
Port city, lots of trade
Religious / Cultic
Religious / Cultic
Host of Temple of Artemis (GR) also called Diana (RM) which was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.
Also three temples to the emperors - Imperial Cult.
Also, magic spells and incantations were prominent. (See ‘Sons of Sceva and burning of the magic books in Acts 19.13-20)
The Passage
The Passage
Proceeded by the longest sentence ever discovered in the Greek language (1:3-14)
Literarily it’s a prayer passage “in which Paul sums up the things he wants his readers to know and prays for God’s blessing on the process of coming to understand.”
Grant R. Osborne, Ephesians: Verse by Verse, Osborne New Testament Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017), 6.
Thanksgiving and prayer for knowledge and power
Written to saints who are faithful in Christ Jesus
It’s preceeding passage...
In God and Christ (v.3)
spiritual / heavenly targeted (v.3)
To the chosen and predestined (v.4-5)
We are blessed as He is glorified and praised (v.6)
We are united to Him, because of Him, for His purpose, here and in Heaven (v.7-10)
In His house, under His will (predestined again), for His Glory (v.11-12)
The blessing is promised (v.13-14)
“For this reason...” Because they were elect, faithful, and redeemed… 15
“your faith… and your love...” that election was effective in how they carried and conducted themselves 15
As a result of their calling and faithfulness, Paul expresses gratitude and prays for the Sprit of wisdom and of revelation of knowledge.16
This is both spiritual “eyes of your heart” 17
That results in practical “that you may know” 17
That supports faith in the “glorious inheritance” (v. 18)
That inheritance is secured by God’s greatness and power 19
That same power that raised Jesus from death and placed Him in “heavenly places” 20
God’s power and position, and by extension that power present in the Church is superior to all worldly AND spiritual (rebellious) powers.
God placed them under Jesus’ feet (Gen 3.14-15, Ps. 8.6)
Jesus is both head of the church, and the church is His body.
The church is His fullness
The church “fills all in all” as the full representation of Christ in the world AND to the spiritual realm
Summarized:
Paul is thankful and prays that the Ephesians Church continues in being steadfast in the faith of the power of God to transform them and wield them with the same power that created everything, concurred every rebellious thing, and reigns in authority over all things.
Simplified:
Resting in Christ rattles the world!
“For this reason...” - That is Faithful lives of believers results in “the praise of His glory”
Because you have been faithful, keep moving toward Christ. May there be God inspired knowledge of the “immeasurable greatness of His power” to us.
Paul is grateful that faithful believers show the world God’s glory.
We can be grateful for God’s ‘Christ-raising power’ that is alive and available to us.
When we are faithful, and in the power of God, the some will have gratitude for delivering some from darkness to light.
Picture: 2 Kings 6:15-17. The power of the Lord might not be visible in the physical world, but it effective in the physical world. Paul is praying the same thing as Elisha - Lord, open their eyes to see what is already there.