06 - God's Power in Everyday Life (Your Healer)

Text: “And last but not least, may you grasp the exceeding greatness of his power living in us who continually believe. What is this exceedingly great power? It is the working of his mighty strength––God's raw power that was at work in the Messiah when he raised him from the dead. This raw power raised him to rest in the heavens at God's right hand. He was seated far above all rule, authority, power and lordship––and high above every name that can be named––not only in this age but also in the future" (Ephesians 1:19-21, Inspiration Translation).

Theme: It’s by the resurrection power of Jesus that we victoriously live every day of our lives.

Intro: In Ephesians 1:19, Paul packs into this one verse many Greek words for power. Actually, six Greek words for power in all. Here Paul uses almost every word for power at his disposal since the power of Jesus’ resurrection surpasses every other power on earth and even in the heavens. There’s no power even remotely comparable to the resurrection power of Jesus. And the good news is that this raw power lives in us who believe. This is why Paul is praying that the eyes of our hearts receive the light of this knowledge. It’s not that this ultimate power is so far from us––only available to an elite few––rather, it’s the inheritance of all who believe. Jesus’ resurrection power saves us and lifts us out of this world of sin, sickness and death. Today, I want to talk about Jesus’ resurrection and how it relates to everyday life. I plan to share some personal stories on the way.

1) God’s exceedingly great power is revealed in Jesus’ resurrection (Eph. 1:19-21).

For us, believers, Jesus' resurrection is not merely a theory or doctrinal statement. Instead, it is the power we live by every day.

There’s no other way to live the Christian life than daily depending on Jesus’ resurrection life.

The Christian life without resurrection power is like a muscle car without an engine.

It may look good on the outside, but it won’t get you anywhere.

When Anna and I got married, Anna hired a classic Cadillac for our primary wedding car.

Here are some photos.

These classic cars are known for their powerful engines and soon were called muscle cars.

Hear the rubble of these thundering engines within your soul.

The real muscle behind our faith is the resurrection of Jesus.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve felt completely defeated and without the desire to go on.

And yet, by faith, I went to the secret place of prayer and received Jesus’ resurrection life.

Our church is totally reliant on Jesus’ resurrection life to run.

Without the power of Jesus’ resurrection, we are a car without an engine.

We need his resurrection power in this world of sin, sickness and death.

2) We see God’s power not just in the grand acts but in simple and small things (Luke 16:10; Matt. 25:23).

The resurrection power of Jesus is not just needed in crisis times but every day, even for the simplest of things.

Recently, I had two simple things that I did that opened up conversations with strangers.

One was yesterday.

I had a nice seat in the shade along the bay at Sandgate.

But there was a family with some older members that needed a seat and asked if they could sit beside me.

I got up and said, “No worries, please sit down. I’ve been here long enough; you can use it now.” I had some small talk with them, and they were very happy to use the seat.

I didn’t realise someone was watching me, and they came up to me and said, “I was watching you. It was great to see somebody do something good and kind. They really needed that seat because the older man was having trouble walking. You don’t see people do good things so much anymore.”

At the end, I said, “God bless you.” And he responded, “God has blessed me by seeing a young man do a good thing. It gives hope to the world.”

This small act that I didn’t even think about was a little testimony of the resurrection––the greatest hope ever given to humankind.

The second one happened about a week ago, and it allowed me to share my faith.

I took Anna on a date. It’s something we try to do weekly.

I started to talk to a young man at the shops, and I told him I’d come back and buy something from him right after I have coffee with my wife.

I thought taking Anna out for coffee wasn’t anything amazing, but it deeply affected him because he was married and had a young kid. And in the business of life hadn’t made time to take out his wife.

So I explained what I did and how I looked for opportunities to bless my wife. And this opened up a whole conversation about Jesus.

Jesus’ resurrection enables us to do simple things with excellence.

The third thing happening at the moment is I’ve been feeling a weight of grief. So much so that I almost didn’t even want to go to the Passover or be here today.

But it’s the resurrection life of Jesus that empowered me to overcome.

Much of the battle is fought in showing up––and being with people––when you want to stay away.

3) God’s power surpasses all other power (Eph. 1:19-21)

Let’s look under the hood of Ephesians 1:19.

For those of us who are not mechanical, we usually get lost when a mechanic lifts the hood of our car and begins pointing things out.

Yet, it’s under the hood that the car's power is generated.

Now, you may not understand everything when we lift the hood of Ephesians 1:19.

But I want you to see (and I believe it’s what God wants us to see) that this small verse is jam-packed with all kinds of words for power.

In other words, Paul is thinking, “How can I describe God’s unlimited power? I need every word that relates to power.”

Certain words he used in Greek have influenced our English words.

Words like super, hyper, mega, dynamic, dynamite, energy, energetic, democracy, autocratic and strength all come from Greek. Paul uses the roots of some of our English words for power.

καὶ τί τὸ ὑπερβάλλον μέγεθος τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ εἰς ἡμᾶς τοὺς πιστεύοντας κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ κράτους τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ (Eph. 1:19).

Huperballo

Megethos

Dunamis

Energeia

Kratos

Ischus (related to Chazaq)

I recently found a Hebrew Bible in Eumundi. It was the same kind that was damaged in the floods.

Through Paul, the Holy Spirit uses all these words to describe that God’s power is above every other power.

Let’s read the resurrection account in Matthew 28:1-10.

Matthew 28:1–10 NASB95

Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.” And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

Yes, weakness and sickness is powerful, but God’s power is greater.

God’s power heals.

4) God’s power heals (Eph. 1:19-21).

God’s power heals.

It was God’s power that caused Jesus to rise from the dead, overcoming sin, sickness, Satanic forces and death.

The resurrection overcomes everything.

Jesus died for us. He also rose from the dead for us.

He rose from the dead to share his resurrection power for us. Jesus’ resurrection power is the engine for all our good works.

Let’s name a few things that God’s power is greater than.

5) We access this power through faith and prayer (Matt 17:20-21).

How do we access this power?

It’s simply through faith and prayer.

There are many things we can say about this point. But I think it would be good to end here.

And my challenge to you is to exercise faith and prayer to access Jesus’ resurrection power this week.

Come back next week and tell me your testimonies.

Conclusion: We need Jesus’ resurrection power for everyday things, not just big problems. And this power is a gift to you who believe in Jesus.

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