Dress For Action
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Ephesians 3:20–4:1 “20 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, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. 1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,”
Going from old world to new world
That’s how it can feel for us going from Ephesians 1-3 to 4-6
1-3 the land of indicatives
4-6 the land of imperatives
The reason why this voyage is necessary is because of Paul’s prayer at the end of this section: that we would be filled with God’s fullness now in light of the indicatives
Therefore: the voyage into the land of imperatives is necessary for us to enjoy God’s fullness now
Last week we stopped a couple verses shy of ending chapter 3, and I think it’s a good thing as we prepare to depart for the imperatives
These last two verses are a doxology
A poem, or song of praise in light of God’s blessings
God has blessed us with every spiritual blessings in Christ, and now calls on us to grab hold of that to live with his fullness today
And this doxology proves to be a last wonderful statement of truth that we need to have our feet firmly planted on if we are going to survive the land of imperatives, the fullness of God
Vertical and Horizontal jump
Because the imperatives of Paul here cannot becomes just a list of do, do, do.
Imperatives without the strength of the indicatives in your heart will cause you to either:
Give up
Not grab hold of each imperative as a blessed means to enjoy the fullness of God
So, these last two verses of will help us get our bearings for the blessed voyage that we have set before us
It will enable us to Dress for Action, or Gird up our loins
20: The power for the voyage
21: The direction for the voyage
Ephesians 3:20 “20 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,”
The testimony of creation all around us and within us, and the Scriptures before us is that the God who exists is able
God’s omnipotence is revealed
from the ant carrying 50 times its own weight
to the moon that will slide in front of the sun on April 8th and put on a show
If you have a heart to receive it, God displays his unmatched ability everywhere around you
And the Scriptures are filled with this testimony
Moses and Pharoah
22 Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.” 1 But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”
When the people cried for meat
23 And the Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s hand shortened? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.”
Jobs testimony at the end of the book
2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
Perhaps the greatest display of his power is how at the beginning of the week of creation we read
Genesis 1:2 “2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.
And by the end of it Adam is in a beautiful garden naming all the creatures that are enjoying the life just created
God is able
But Paul’s point is to go beyond human conception
Ephesians 3:20 “20 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,”
We can ask for a lot of thinks, but we can think or imagine even more
If I ask my child what he wants for Christmas: My child would do well to ask for things he thinks are possible.
But if I ask him what he would like that seems only possible in his thoughts or imagination: it’s going to get a lot more intense
William Hendriksen: God is able to do all we ask him to do; he is even able to do all that we dare not ask but merely imagine: he can do more than this; far more; very far more
God reveals himself to be the One who can do far more than we can even imagine
The angels roared at the completion of the creation week because the show he just put on was far more glorious anyone could imagine
6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
But notice, this is a particular display of his power that is not talking about his physical creation:
Ephesians 3:20 “20 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,”
Remember:
Ephesians 3:16–17 “16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith
Inner being strength: being and walking in righteousness: fullness of God: surviving the land of imperatives
The power at work in creation should remind you of the power at work in to overcome sin
Colossians 1:15–24.
When you see the total eclipse (probability) April 8th, remind yourself that the same powerful arm that is moving that moon in front of the sun is the same powerful Spirit at work with you for righteousness
Do you see why this doxology is vital for you to set your feet on before you enter the land of imperatives?
The echo of do this, don’t do this…needs to be for I am powerfully at work within you…for your fullness!
As you feel the weight of your weakness in the land of imperatives, perhaps weaker than you can even imagine, remember that our all-powerful God is stronger than you can imagine and does more in you than you can even ask or think
And for you Christian, who fail to truly challenge yourself in the land of imperatives: you need to remember that the power at work in you is not so you can sit back and be passive!
Paul talking about his ministry:
29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
Paul has just got done praying that you would be filled with the fullness of God, before the voyage into that fullness in the land of imperatives
And now before the ship leaves the harbor he praises God for the powerful work he does in his children
20: The power for the voyage
21: The direction of the voyage
Imagine getting on the ship to make the voyage to the new world, only to find out that half the people are expecting to go to the Mediterranean for a week long cruise
Or planting your feet firmly for a vertical jump, only to do a horizontal jump
The power used, needs to be directed in the proper direction
And Paul says what direction that is:
Ephesians 3:21 “21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
The whole purpose God has for revealing his power is to be glorified.
Or, the direction that his power takes is to glorify God
It is only natural for humans to glorify things that display great power
End of a football game
Winning coach/losing coach
Star player/bench warmer
Me versus Taylor swift putting on a concert
The purpose of God displaying his power is to be glorified
And there is a culmination to his power revealed
It’s not: total solar eclipse, an extra beautiful sun rise, watching a meteor shower, holding your new born baby in your hands
The greatest honor and glory he receives is:
Ephesians 3:21 “21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Another words, in the realm of his salvation activity
The church, in Christ Jesus, is the display of his recreation power
To go from corrupted in sin, to purified in righteousness
All of this, all of creation, is for the purpose that God reveals his glory in your life to go from poor in sin, to rich in the fullness of God in Christ
The direction of his power revealed is to glorify his name in salvation
How vital is this to remember as you wander through the land of imperatives: with each imperative remind yourself that God’s will is to glorify his name in each imperative you do by his power in Christ
Ephesians 3:21 “21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
God has promised to do this all the way into eternity
Even if the generation you are in is a generation of great wickedness, God has determined to reveal his glory in the church each generation forever
Ephesians 4:1 “1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,”
Conclusion:
The truth is, everyone is traversing the realm of imperatives
We all live with an understanding that there is a standard demanded of us
Without Christ, you will be enslaved to the law, with no ability to do it in a way that pleases the standard
Or you will deceive yourself in thinking you are good enough until the day of judgement when Jesus will say depart from me
But there is a blessed better way to traverse the land of imperatives
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
That rest is power working in you…to enjoy the fullness of God, revealed in the imperatives
God will be glorified, and he will be glorified in his church—his arm is not too short to reveal this salvation in you
The power of the imperatives is at work in you by faith in Jesus
and the direction of that power is found in glorifying God through a life transformed by grace
So each imperative, becomes an opportunity for greater reformation driven by a power outside yourself, so that you can more fully glorify the God who is able.
Is this how you travel in the land of the imperatives?