To God be the Glory

The great theme of Ephesians is the one spiritual church which is the body of Christ. The last two verses of chapter three divide the book in half. The first half is about our standing or position in heavenly places and the last half is about our state or practice on the earth. In chapters 1-3 believers are edified as to our spiritual wealth as members of the body of Christ. In chapters 4-6 we are exhorted as to what our spiritual walk should be in light of that standing. As we read 1-3 we wonder how it is that God could give sinners like us such great blessings. Then as we read 4-6 we wonder how it is that we can live up to the standard of life that He has set for us. Here is the answer:

Ephesians 3:
20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

God’s Power – “Now unto him that is ABLE”
God is able to do whatever He desires to do. We serve an all-powerful God with whom all things are possible! In Gen. 18:14 God asks, “Is there anything too hard for the LORD?” In Jer. 32:17, the prophet prays and says, “Ah LORD GOD! Behold thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee”. In Lk. 1:37 the angel of God said to Mary about the virgin birth of the Son of God, “For with God nothing shall be impossible”. It is impossible for our finite minds to measure or comprehend the infinite power of our infinite God! It seems that in v.20 the Holy Spirit wanted to use every word possible to convey to us the vastness of God’s great power. Let’s break this verse down and consider what God is able to do. He is able to do:
1. All that we ask – It doesn’t say that He will always to do whatever we ask without qualification because sometimes we “ask amiss” and “we know not what we should pray for as we ought”. But when we pray in accordance with His will there is nothing we can ask that He can’t do.
2. All that we think – He not only hears what we ask but He knows our heart. We all have thoughts that we never verbalize. God is so big that He can do the things that are too big for us to even express! Those who know and love the Lord have a deep desire to experience the fullness of His peace, love, and joy (Ps. 37:4).
3. Above all that we ask or think – God’s ability surpasses what we can put into words or even imagine with our mind. He can take what we ask and enlarge it. He can take our thoughts and go beyond them. I am thankful that the power of God to answer prayer is not limited to what I can ask or think!
4. Abundantly above all that we ask or think – Abundantly means “fully and plentifully”. His ability is not just a little above us, it is abundantly above our capability to ask or think.
5. Exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think – Exceeding means “Going beyond; surpassing; excelling; outdoing.” The ability of God surpasses by far our highest aspirations, our most concentrated thinking, and our most earnest petitions. 

Do you believe what the Bible says about God’s great power? Do you believe that He created all things, parted the red sea, and raised up Christ from the dead? Do you believe that His power is working TODAY in the church?  

God’s People – “according to the power that worketh in us”
The “us” is referring to the church (v.21). In particular it is the church which is the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). God is doing a mighty work in every believer (Eph. 3:16; Phil. 1:6; Phil. 2:13). When most people talk about the power of God they do so in the context of what He can do FOR us. This passage is talking about what He is doing IN and THROUGH us. The doctrinal truth about the body of Christ in chapters 1-3 is “exceeding abundantly above all” that we could ever ask or think! We can’t know it without the spiritual understanding that comes from the Spirit of God. That is why Paul prays twice in this epistle that we would see and experience all that God has given us in Christ (Eph. 1:15-23; 3:14-21). 

In this present age God is exercising His great power like never before but most people completely miss it because His work is spiritual and they are carnal. He is not doing the visible signs and wonders of the kingdom as He did in the previous dispensation because Israel has been set aside and the kingdom postponed. Yet that is what so many professing Christians would rather see. He is not raising dead bodies to life again (as in the Gospel records and Acts). But He is doing something greater by taking dead sinners and making them living saints (Eph. 2:1-10)!

Our church has the power of God because we have:

1. The gospel of Christ (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:18) by which sinners are saved

2. The revelation of the mystery by which believers are stablished (Rom. 16:25)

3. The Spirit of God (2 Tim. 1:7)

4. The Bible which is the power of God (Heb. 4:12; 2 Tim. 3:16). If it is not profiting you it is because you are not receiving it in your heart by faith (Heb. 4:2; 1 Thess. 2:13).

5. The spiritual power of His resurrection (Rom. 6:3-4; Eph. 1:19-20; Phil. 3:10)

God’s Purpose – “Unto him be glory in the church…”
Throughout the unending ages to come the church will be a trophy of grace that glorifies God (Eph. 2:7). The principalities and powers in heavenly places see in us a great demonstration of the wisdom and power of God (Eph. 3:9-11; Rom. 11:33-36). We once were dead in sins but now we are alive in Christ and when He comes for us we will be glorified together with Him and rule and reign in the heavens (Eph. 1:9-12).

Our salvation is all to the praise of His glory (1:6, 12, 14). The key to all this is found in the words, “by Christ Jesus”. Without Him we are nothing and unable to glorify God.

1. We were reconciled to God by Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:18)
2. We can be filled fruits of righteousness by Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:11)
3. We will be raised from the dead and glorified by Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:14)

Everything we need is found in Him (1 Cor. 1:29-31). God will receive glory in the church throughout the ages to come but He should also be receiving glory through us now (1 Cor. 10:31). What do we glory in (Jer. 9:23-24; Phil. 3:18-19; 2 Cor. 10:17; Gal. 6:14)? Christ must have the preeminence in the church (Col. 1:13-29)!