Above all powers: Ephesians 1:19b-23
Notes
Transcript
Illustration of light saber
In conclusion, lightsabers as depicted in Star Wars will never be a reality. Although advances in technology could perhaps one day solve the power and size issues, the basic problem of blade length really puts a downer on things. Unless in the next 50 years physicists come up with something even better than lasers. Physics.org
Where do you draw your authority from?
Do you feel you have much authority?
The draw their authoirty from the law of the land. Once they are trained, they are allowed to enforce the law of the land under certain supervision and structures
A teacher is given authority in the classroom because of their role as a trained teacher, with knowledge to impart. They are also answerable both to their own line management, to their local authoirty
A Doctor has authoirty to diagnose conditions and prescribe medicine due to their knowledge and they answer to a higher authoirty, for instance, the Royal College of General Practioners
So every earthly authority, acts under the authority of someone else, who has granted them that authoirty.
We’ve seen how even the president of the united states, and our own prime minister have been subject to other authoirties, and that no human is infalible, or beyond the law
But is authority the same as power?
Dictonary definitions:
authority
NOUN
authorities (plural noun)
the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.
1.the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.
2.a person or organization having political or administrative power and control.
3.the power to influence others, especially because of one's commanding manner or one's recognized knowledge about something.
3.the power to influence others, especially because of one's commanding manner or one's recognized knowledge about something.
Power
NOUN
1.the ability or capacity to do something or act in a particular way.
2.the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behaviour of others or the course of events.
Pauls prays in verse 18
Pauls prays in verse 18
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,
The New International Version Chapter 1
and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
v
this is something Paul desires for us, that we would know the hope to which God has called us
The hope of life with him for ever,
the hope of living out of his grace
the hope of living out of his riches of the glorious inheritance of Jesus
Because of the death of Jesus, and our acceptance of Him, we are able to live under and open heaven
and the hope of living
I was exploring this with Peter last night. When we got to prayer time he asked why Jesus didn’t have much power. He was asking because the cross looked like the Devil had won.
It was a fascinating conversation with our nearly 5 year old. The death of God the son, looks like foolinsheness and weakness. It looks like Satan had won, and that all hope was lost.
But of course, we know that the barrier of sin was destroyed in the moment of the death of Jesus. All repented sin was on Jesus, and now is completely destroyed. No-longer a barrier, no-longer holding power over us.
I explored with Peter that Jesus actually destroyed Satan’s power in that moment, and that hw was winning a victory, even while on the cross.
This of course was a bit of his head, and something we’ll be gently exploring as he gets older.
But he started to understand, when I explained about the resurrection, that when Jesus rose again, he defeated death, which was the final barrier between us and God.
Because of the death of Jesus, and our acceptance of Him, we are able to live under and open heaven
We don’t have a tight fisted God who holds onto the tools and things we need to do what he’s called us too
But a gracious, generous God who opens the stores of heaven and lavishes upon us everything we need to be the people he has called us to be.
There’s another hope here
the hope of knowing his incomparably great power for us who believe.
So the hope comes from Jesus, and through him we have access to the riches of the Father
We need to be careful that we’re not thinking just materially.
does say
does say
10 for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.
So every resource is at God’s disposal, and if God is at work then he does provide everything we need, however this is also spiritual.
But, I don’t want us falling into the sins of the prosperity gospel, which promises wealth and material possessions.
So don’t go praying for a sports car or to win the lottery. I don’t believe God ever answers that second one, and not normally the first one
In fact it’s my belief in God’s generosity which leads me to think that every form of gambling, from a raffle, to lottery ticket to betting on the grand national, is all against God and a sin against his generous nature.
To seek after any amount of wealth through gambling, I believe, is an offense against God’s nature, and a lack of trust in his provision over our lives.
Because God provides what we need. We just need to realise that we are living daily under His wonderful grace, and provision
Whether we need immense patience, or grace, love, or we are not experiencing peace.
God promises to provide for our needs. Sometimes, He’s asking us to live on a tight budget, not to blow it all on something exciting, but He promises to provide what we need, and He does.
Spiritually, we may feel empty. But He is ready to lavish us with the spiritual gifts we need.
Whether we need immense patience, or grace, love, or we are not experiencing peace.
God wants to lavish us with what we need
The New International Version Chapter 1
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,
.20
The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is living inside you if you have accepted Jesus
Do you believe it?
And yet, we don’t live like we believe it
Illustrations around a house
Nice stuff in my house
Tools for cooking
A kitchen to prepare meals
A space to relax and unwind
Bookshelves and DVD shelves
A space to host people
But only helpful if I have access to these things
I could stand at my door with my keys in my pocket, but unless I get the key out and open the door, I don’t have access
Does that mean I can influence the world around me through the power of Jesus?
YES!
If you have recieved the gift of the Holy Spirit, the power that raised Jesus from the dead is living in you
So often in life we feel like we have no power. In fact we might say we are disempowered to do something about a situation.
Sometimes, it is a situation in someone elses life, and our heart breaks for them.
But we have the power of Jesus in us. Not for us to do just anything, but to step out in partnership with Jesus.
In we see Jesus say to the disciples, and particularly Philip
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.
12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
John 14.9-
Wow - we’ll do greater things
yesterday some of us were trained by Bishop Graham Dow in healing prayer ministry. And much of what we covered was stepping out in faith and praying as if the healing or situation was already transformed by Jesus
Not wishful thinking
But if we are friends of God, and we are walking with Jesus everyday, if we have given our lives to Him and are walking in step with Him, empowered by His Holy Spirit,
then why do we worry about whether seomone will be physically healed or not before or while we’re praying with them?
When we pray, instead of fearing whether it actually works, let’s trust God and imagine that person healed, or that part of their lives changed.
Too often our prayers are grovelly in nature. “Please heal my friend who has a bad back, if you want to God”
Rather than taking the authority Jesus has given us and speaking to the friends back “I speak to this back and say in Jesus name, be healed.”
What about when you walk into work, and there’s a negative atmosphere around the place. You’re colleagues don’t yet know Jesus and their sharing gossip about the boss.
Well Jesus says we have authority over the pricincipalities of this world. The spiritual forces at work against God flee in his name.
So we just pray quietly if we’re in the same room, or find an empty room and declare “I bind the negative spirit in this office in Jesus name, and say be gone in Jesus name. You have no place here. Satan, you have no foot hold here. Jesus, I loose your love and grace in this place.”
How do you have authoirty over that negativity? Because you are a child of God, and Satan hates your allegience to Jesus.
You are a citizen of the Kingdom, in you is an overlap of the heavenly reality earthly realty.
There is a spiritual realm, both the kingdom of God, which is seeping into this world through every believer, and the kingdom of Satan who is the current ruler of earth. The one who had taken us hostage, but through Jesus we are saved.
1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases,
2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Luke 9.1
Matthew 28.
1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases,
2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
3 He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.
4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town.
5 If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”
6 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
This spiritual reality is something which is often scoffed at by our ‘enlightened’ society, however, would agree that there is a darkness in this world?
Would you agree that we see some parts of this world look like they are hell on earth. Human trafficking, sexual exploitation, child soldiers, the list goes on. We can see it all, but we find the move from seeing darkness in the world, to seeing it as a spiritual darkness, to seeing that spiritual darkness as and the kingdom of Satan, quite the move in our minds.
And yet, in the Bible, and for the majority of the rest of the world, the idea that the deparivaity of human sin is being influenced by spiritual powers, is a daily reality. And something we need to start to understand.
In you is the power to overcome all forces against God. So binding negaitvity, or renouncing a lie which someone is believing, in Jesus name, is all part of being a believer. The way we do it in front of other people is a whole other thing, which we’ll look at in a future sermon.
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.
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.
“phesians 1.23
Nothing is impossible for God, and he has chosen to work through us.
He wants to partner with us, and empowers us with the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the grave.
Are you standing at the door of your house keeping your key in your pocket?
Is there a situation in your life where you are standing feeling powerless when God made you his son or daughter, and is waiting to give you to use the power and authority he has already given you?
He is above it all, so is there an area of your life where you are not believing he is more powerful?