Transcript

The God Beyond Imagination

One thing I have repeatedly said from this pulpit is that the Christian life is based on faith in the promises that God has given us in the Scriptures. And when we fall away from this fundamental and essential Christian concept, we usually find ourselves in one of two pitfalls.

One is that we expect God to do the things He has never promised to do. For instance, God has never promised to always heal you infirmities, provide a spouse and/or children, exempt you from suffering or make you wealthy. God gives us His promises according to His will. We are in no position to force our will upon Him and expect Him to comply. And then express our disappointment that He let us down when He, according to our own estimation, fails to come through. It's not "name it and claim it." It is "read it and believe it."

The other pitfall is when we know God's promises, but then do not expect God to keep His promises. For instance, God has promised to work all things together for your good, remove guilt and the penalty of your sin, help you overcome sin, provide peace and joy that transcends circumstances and usher you immediately into His presence upon death. To wonder or doubt or disbelieve that God will do these things is not humility, but rather blasphemy. It's not about our worthiness to receive these promises; it's about the integrity to God to always keep His word. If God would fail to keep His promises, He would have more to lose than you.

Therefore, we must read the Bible to know the promises of God. And we must by faith hold tight to those promises, knowing that God will never let us down. And if that is the key theological principle to understand, today's passage in Ephesians is the rocket fuel to strengthen our faith in it. This passage is the Scriptural evidence that we must believe and expect great things from God!

Let's keep these two verses in context. We have already been taught about the greatness of God in chapter 1. Then in chapter 2 we learned about the greatness of God's love for His people. Because Christ broke down the wall that divided us from Him, we may now approach Him as a welcoming Father. Paul demonstrated that in chapter 3 by offering up a beautiful prayer for the church. In chapter 4 we will start to learn how God expects us to act as Christians.

Yet chapter 3, verses 20-21, is a doxology of praise from Paul. But think of it also as a bridge. Because of what these two short verses teach us about the might of our God, we can not only have confidence our prayers (chapter 3), but also confidence in our ability to obey His commands (chapters 4-6). I submit to you that a primary reason our prayer life is a joke and our ability to successfully do as God commands is at times missing is because we fail to believe what is taught us in these two short, but very powerful verses.

Or if I can put it this way staying in the context, this is what it means, verse 19, to be "filled up to all the fullness of God."

Permit me to read the verses again. "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen" (Eph. 3:20-21).

Before we break these verses down, let's make sure we see the big picture. God is able. Not only is He able, but He is able to do. Moreover, He is able to do far more abundantly. He can even do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask. Better, He can even do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.

Limitless provision! Maybe this illustration will help. A story is told of a town where all the residents are ducks. Every Sunday the ducks waddle out of their houses and waddle down Main Street to their church. They waddle into the sanctuary and squat in their proper pews. The duck choir waddles in and takes its place, and then the duck minister comes forward and opens the duck Bible. He reads to them: "Ducks! God has given you wings! With wings you can fly! With wings you can mount up and soar like eagles. No walls can confine you! No fences can hold you! You have wings. God has given you wings, and you can fly like birds!" All the ducks shout, "Amen!" And then they all waddle home.

Now let's break these verses down.

Verse 20 starts off addressing God as the One who is able to do "huperekperissou." Literally, "superabundantly" Translations: NAS- "far more abundantly." NIV- "immensely more." King James- "exceedingly abundantly." "Far more abundantly," what? God can do "far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think."

So again, within the promises of God, the promise of God here states that God is not only able to do amazing things for us with all the resources at His disposal, but is also able to do amazing things for us in a way that oftentimes goes beyond all that we ask or can even imagine. Let me say that again. God's capacity to do far exceeds our capacity of asking or our capacity of even imagining. Paul is simply trying to put this into words by stretching the human language to its limits - seeking to explain that which is unable to be expressed.

Last week we learned to seek to better understand the love that Christ has for us, but in reality we will never be able to comprehend it. Now this week we are to seek the greatness of God in faith and prayer, but in reality we will never be able to even imagine how great His greatness is.

Testimony #1

This past week I paid a visit to the Guyers. The Guyers are an elderly couple that attended our church until they moved to Red Bank a few years ago. As some of you know, Ed has Lou Gehrig's Disease. Sadly it has progressed whereby his home-going is now imminent. While barely able to move and confined to a bed, Kathy up until the end has stood by his side as his primary caregiver. A tear came down Ed's face as he considered the burden he has been to his wife over the past several years. What gives Kathy the ability to stay faithful to her marriage covenant "in sickness and in health" and selflessly put his needs above her own? What strengthens her love for him and moreover empowers her to thank God for Him and praise God in the midst of such a significant hardship?

This power that Paul talks about in Ephesians 3 is clearly the power of God. But how does it translate to help us individually. I mean, many would believe that God has the power, and I'm sure we can imagine some great things we'd like to see Him do with His power, but how can we be so certain that that power is available to us?

Look at verse 20. "[God] is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works within us."

Listen, here is proof that God's power is available to you if you are in Christ Jesus. And it's not just that His power comes from without like a bolt of lightning that might Zap us from time to time, but rather His power comes from "within us" (here and chapter 2, verses 21-22) because He is that ever-present nuclear reactor in our hearts (chapter 3, verse 17), constantly pulsating resurrection power (chapter 1, verses 19-20).

If we wish to demonstrate divine love to those around us in our church and in our home this is the power we must tap into. If we wish to overcome sin, our source of power must be from God and not the futility of our own strength. If we wish to really love the lost and grieve over the eternal future of their souls, this is the power that must change our hearts. And if we wish to serve the Lord whereby we leave comfort zones, overcome laziness, bear spiritual fruit, persevere through hardship and show contentment with God getting all the glory only this kind of power will make us successful.

Paul taught this and he also applied it in his own life. 1 Corinthians 2:4, "And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." 1 Corinthians 4:20, "For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power."

Do you believe this about God's power and His ability to do beyond anything you could ask or think? How do we get it? Are you daily surrendering yourself to Him, dying to self, desiring His will to be done? Are you walking in obedience to all you read in Scripture? Are you depending on Him in prayer? Are you repenting of your sin so Christ is at home in your heart and you can be a clean vessel prepared for His use? Are you desiring a growth in holiness? Are you allowing Christ to manifest His lordship, His presence, His will and subsequently His power in your life? Are you experiencing God's power?

Testimony #2

A small church in Lake Como expanded beyond their seating capacity. The decision was made to find a new location. They prayed, studied relevant passages, stayed unified and begin seeking the Lord's will. By God's grace that small church six years ago raised 1.1 million dollars as God moved their hearts. They had their minds set on a certain location until God closed that door and provided a different location, twice the size at half the cost and fully furnished so they could move in immediately. God promised to build His church. And though He never promised a building, He gave us a building that exceeded our expectations of imagination. Within a couple years, the attendance in that new facility doubled.

So why does God "do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or thing?" The answer is found in verse 21. "To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever."

Earlier I told you that God always keeps His promises because it would be a blight upon His perfect character if He failed to do so. I can also put it this way. God operates in His entirety ultimately so that He might receive the glory. And that is only logical to assume because not only is only He worthy of the glory, but He is also the One who deserves the glory because the unimaginable strength supplied is from Him. After all, to give a human the glory would be to imply that such a person is equal to or above the living God of the universe.

And where is this glory given to God primarily seen? Is it in Hollywood? Perhaps Washington? Everybody owes God's glory and we can't add anything to His glory, but according to verse 21, the two places where God should expect His glory to be manifested is in the church and in Christ Jesus. The church and Jesus affirm God's glory and make it known through their actions. The church and Jesus are the two places that are intent to do His will and praise His name.

The church and Jesus. The body and the Head. The building and the Foundation. The sheep and the Shephard. The community of peace and the Peacemaker. Or if we stay with Ephesians 5, the bride and the Bridegroom. The two are inseparable.

According to Ephesians the church is the masterpiece of God's grace (2:7), the realm of His authority (1:22-23), the instrument where His wisdom is made known (3:10).

And according to Ephesians, Jesus is the One through whom we are blessed with every spiritual blessing (1:3), with predestination and adoption (1:5), with new creation (2:10), with unity in the church (2:13) and with forgiveness (4:32). Jesus is the cornerstone (2:20), the Lord (3:1), the One who dwells in our hearts (3:17), the Head of the church (4:15) and the sacrifice for our sins (5:2).

Testimony #3

The world has tried to find a way to approach God. It has resulted in futility. There is nothing sinful people can do to be made right with a perfectly holy God. People can't change and God will not comprise His character. Justice for sin must be displayed. Eternal damnation must be the result. No amount of deeds, religion, faith or good intentions can change that. The motto of religion is work your way to God. God's answer: impossible.

But God thrives for His glory in working through the impossible. In His love and mercy, He chose a way for people to be reconciled to Him. God would not accept people's works as a gift to Him, but rather accomplish the works He requires of people and then then give people salvation as a gift.

Consider this morning's passage. No one asked - we are too prideful. Who could have imagined? A virgin girl conceiving through the Holy Spirit. God taking on flesh to be Immanuel. Living a sinless life thus qualifying to be our substitute. Taking our sins upon Himself. Satisfying His own wrath and justice. Bestowing salvation as a gift on all who receive Jesus Christ by faith. And then indwelling those people through the Holy Spirit, crafting them into a masterpiece and empowering them to live for His glory through Christ and the church.

You see, Jesus always comes through to glorify the Father, but we in the church at times short-circuit the entire process of God receiving glory when we fail to act as He expects. And unless we tap into His power that mightily works within us and trust the promises that He has given us, we are destined for failure.

May God's glory be our ultimate goal as His church. May God through us do things that only God can accomplish, things that exceed our imagination. May we spiritually soar like eagles - not just for our good, but at a much deeper level so that He receives glory though our lives, verse 21, "To all generations forever and ever. Amen."