Immeasurable Power
Ephesians 1:20-23
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Sermon Summary Get ready for the most powerful sermon ever preached. Why is it so powerful? Because of the topic on which Paul focuses the end of his prayer for the Ephesians - God's great, incomparable power, displayed through Christ and working on behalf of His people. |
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Ephesians 1:20-23
that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
I’m happy to know that everyone today is going to say that this was a powerful sermon. It no doubt will be one of the most powerful sermons you have ever heard.
In verse 19, Paul mentioned the “immeasurable greatness of God’s power.” In the original language, the word “immeasurable” literally means “to throw beyond.” It’s the Greek word huperballo. Think “hyper ball.” It has to do with two kids playing pitch and catch. One of those kids takes the ball, winds up, and heaves it with all his might. But instead of going into the catcher’s mitt of the other boy, the ball goes into hyperspace, so to speak. It is flung way over his head and he has to now turn and run after the ball that is rolling down the street and is in danger of rolling into the sewer.
As Paul talks about God’s power, he uses that imagery. God’s power is, you might say, not something that fits into your brain’s normal operation. It flies well beyond what you can really imagine. It surpasses our ordinary, everyday understanding of power.
It is interesting how much of our lives revolve around this concept of power. Some of you are probably starting to think about your phones. You probably were charging it on the way here just so you could have enough power to make it through the service today. Maybe you can’t wait until the service is over so that you can take a power nap. You had a power bar for breakfast and last night you drank a Powerade. And you are now starting to think about the elections that are coming up and you are wondering if there will be a change of power. What will the “powers that be” do to the economy? What will happen to the power grid given the power they exert in their policies?
Just look around and you will see that everybody that is anybody is interested in power. As humans, much of our life revolves around this one concept of power, and that is especially so when it comes to religion. Some will even say that religion (i.e. Christianity) is a crutch. It is simply for people who feel that they don’t have any power and they need something stronger to really help them through life.
This is said by people who are atheistic in their perspective, people who supposedly believe that only the strongest and most powerful survive.
When we get down to it though, every religion and philosophy has this fundamental issue. It has something to do with power. What god or what belief system is the strongest? After all, if it wasn’t thought to have any real chutzpah or authority, then no one would gravitate toward it.
As Paul prays for these Ephesians, he knows that one of their greatest needs is to know God’s power, to know the immeasurable greatness of his power.
One of the greatest comforts in life is knowing the sheer omnipotence of our God. That’s what makes us trust in him. It is what makes us stand with him and for him.
That’s why Paul takes a few extra seconds to unpack this idea of God’s power. He wants to assure us that there is really no match when it comes to our God and his power. And in order to boost our hope and assure us that he alone is the one who we should trust, Paul puts before us its proof, its scope, and its focus.
Paul, is it true? How can I be sure? What proof do we have that God’s power really is all-surpassing?
I. Proof of God’s Power
The proof is in Jesus Christ himself.
Verse 20 tells us about the exaltation of our Lord, how he rose from the dead and is currently seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly places. What Paul does is highlight just how powerful Christ is. He says, “If you want to see power, just look right here. If you want to know how immeasurable God’s power is, then consider what has happened to our Lord and where he now resides.”
God’s power is witnessed in the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead. Now, you have to recognize that death is one of the supreme powers in this world. From all human perspectives, once death gets a hold of you, it really does have a death grip on you. It doesn’t give up easily. It doesn’t give up at all.
A couple of months ago, we were on a tour through the Ashland Cemetery. An interesting fact is that there used to be a Hopewell Cemetery here in town. The original Hopewell Church, which was founded 200 years ago, had a cemetery where they buried the members of that congregation. Of course, that church closed down and that side of town began to be developed. So, part of the development meant transferring the bodies of those who were in that cemetery to the current cemetery on Main Street.
And you know what, when they exhumed those caskets and brought them up out of their graves, not a single one of the dead bodies made a fuss about it. I tell you that they were Presbyterians, and Presbyterians don’t like change. You would expect that they would pitch a fit about being moved out of their pew, so to speak. But they were dead and they didn’t rouse one bit. They didn’t even let out the smallest little grumble.
Do you know why? Because once you are dead, you are gone. You don’t wake up. You don’t do anything.
Death is the greatest superpower on earth. And that’s what makes the resurrection of Christ so monumental. God raised him from the dead. Death could not hold onto him. No matter how tight its grip on Jesus was, death couldn’t keep him. It was overpowered by God and Jesus rose again.
But the proof of God’s power is not only witnessed in Christ’s being resurrected. It’s also found in his being seated in the heavenly places.
This is throne language. It is telling us that Christ is the king who presides over all the universe. To be seated at someone’s right hand means that you are the next in line when it comes to authority. The prince who would be the heir to the throne would sit at the king’s right hand.
When you are seated in that position in the heavenly places, that means you have complete authority over everything that happens down below. It is cosmic power, recognizing that Jesus isn’t just governing people and nations, but everything.
This is exactly what the next portion of our passage goes on to detail. And we can say that Paul doesn’t just give us the proof of God’s power, but also lays out the entire scope of his power.
II. Scope of God’s Power
Look at verses 21-22. Paul says that the authority of Jesus is “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”
Now you recognize that this list is pretty comprehensive. I don’t know that Paul excludes any kind of influence or jurisdiction that could be thought of. Any power of any significance is pretty much encapsulated here.
He is higher than the temporal powers. Those would be the authorities and powers and dominions of this age. Mom and Dad cannot compare here. The governors and the emperors have authority over this earth and this age, but it’s a limited power, and it doesn’t compare to the power of Christ.
The word “far above” is one word in Greek. It is a compound word: huperano. Again, you hear the word “hyper.” The prefix huper means “over, above, and beyond.” The word ano means “upward, over, or on the top.” So the word huperano means “far, far above.” It’s over the top. This is the highest you can go (and maybe even beyond that). Jesus’ power is way beyond anything else.
You not only have temporal powers, but you have demonic powers. Paul has lists like this in his other writings and they often refer to things like angelic or demonic powers. For instance, in chapter 6 he says that we “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” He’s obviously referring to a kind of hierarchy of the demonic world. Some are rulers, some are principalities. Just as there are angels and archangels, there are demons and arch-demons.
Now you remember that the Ephesians were dealing with several different powers and the spiritual powers were thought to be a serious threat. I don’t know if we Westerners truly grasp that idea. Most of the West has a materialistic view of life and we believe in a closed system, where there are no spirit beings or magical powers. That’s kind of changing. We see the magic in movies and all the sci-fi films coming out. There’s a greater interest in nature and the powers that are said to be found in nature. When you exalt the natural world, the natural world begins to be thought of in an exalted way. As a matter of fact, I heard that there is a new store moving in downtown. It’s going to be a store for witchcraft! Here are the dark forces being manipulated and called upon. So things are changing in the Western world. We are starting to go back to that paganism.
But for the most part, Westerners are materialists. If you talk to the Moulds who worked in West Africa, though, you’d hear a different story. If you go to places where there is heavy animism, you will see a lot of fear. They believe in magic and powers that can curse you or oppress you.
And so, when Paul mentions the powers and authorities and dominions of the spiritual world, and he says that the power of Christ supersedes those powers, imagine how that would hit home with the Ephesians.
You might also include even angelic powers in this list. The list says the authorities and dominions “in this age and the age to come.” First, you understand that there are two ages. There’s this age and the age to come. There is this age that we are currently living in and then Jesus will one day come back. When he does, that will start the last age (otherwise known as “the age to come” or heaven).
There are some people who believe in three ages. There is this age, then there is another age when Jesus comes back and rules in Jerusalem. At the end of that age, Jesus will judge the world. That will inaugurate another age (a third age), which is the final age.
I would like to suggest to you that that understanding is incorrect. There are two ages. Paul is probably indicating here the angels that live in that age to come. All the evil powers will be gone in the next age, right? God will dispose of them. So there will only be good powers left.
But let’s imagine this whole system of angelic powers. You have these mighty beings. Now ask yourself: Where does Christ sit in relation to them? He’s over the top.
Now the one I like is that he’s above “every name that can be named.” This one I think has a special application to our day. Celebrities. You think about people who have big names and how much influence they can exert. You got your Lebron James and all the Hollywood types out there advocating for the latest wokism. Everyone jumps on board with that because the person is so famous.
You understand then the scope of God’s power. Paul is attempting to say that there’s nothing on this earth that we should fear. There’s no human power, there’s no spiritual power, there’s nothing that can compare. Christ’s power truly is immeasurable.
But let’s be frank. There’s no question about how much power God has. There’s no doubt, after seeing all this, that the power of God is mind-bendingly great. But that doesn’t mean much until we know where that power is focused.
III. Focus of God’s Power
God’s power is focused upon you and me. Look at the last part of verse 22. It says, “and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
When it says “to the church,” it means with reference to the church or for the benefit of the church. God’s power has, as it were, one purpose: It is so that you and I might be taken care of. So that our salvation might be secured. So that our role in this world might be fulfilled.
This is reinforced through the imagery that he uses: We are the body of Christ and he is the head. The head is the governing component of our bodies, and our brains send messages to the rest of our bodies in order to help them function right and maintain their wellness. If there’s a fire, the head says, “Don’t go over there.” If there’s something poking us in the leg, the head tells us to get out of there or protect ourselves.
The head is there to see to it that the body is cared for and that every other part of the body is doing what it is supposed to be doing. All of its power as a head is focused on the rest of the body.
We can recognize, therefore, that the power that is in our God - the power that is in Christ - is generously and intentionally focused on us. And so, all God’s power is being expressed for the benefit of God’s people.
Now, think about how that plays out. We talk about this from time to time here, and it is always good to come back to it. We are coming into yet another election season. And, like usual, we are being told that this is one of the most crucial elections.
I don’t want to downplay elections and say that they are of no importance. But I do want us to realize that God’s power is far above all earthly elections. God’s power is far above all nations and all rulers of those nations. God’s power is exerted in these elections. He raises up whomever he deems fit. And whoever comes to rule - let this be understood - is at the mercy of the church. That ruler is there because God wants to do something for the church.
Our Lord is focusing all his power on the church’s role and development. And that means the current president and the next congress and all other officials are going to set the stage for the next work of God for his people.
Now, that doesn’t mean that everything is going to be hunky-dory. We should not think that God’s power is focused in such a way as to make our lives cushy. God may use his power to bring us through difficulty.
For instance, we can think of Ukraine. There is a lot of difficulty in Ukraine right now. There are even reports that wherever Russian troops have gained power, they have shut down Protestant churches. There is hardship upon hardship as people’s homes are destroyed and they hunker down in their basements during battles.
But this war that is being waged has God’s power behind it, and God’s power is being expressed for the church. There have been various reports of how the church has had to gather. They have had increased opportunities to minister. Christianity Today reported in the early stages of the war that there was a huge demand for Bibles. Stores had run out of Bibles because they were being purchased in mass droves. The Ukrainian Bible Society was calling for more Bibles to be sent to the region to fill the demand.
God’s power should not be doubted. Just take the Ephesian church for example. Here at this moment, it is struggling against all the powers that threaten it. But in just 200 years from the time this epistle is written, the worship of Artemis would be dead. In just 3-4 generations from the time this letter is written, the grandiose temple would burn to the ground and it would never be rebuilt. No one would care because the city would be Christianized by that time. Just 60 more years after that (in 341 AD), there would actually be held an Ecumenical Council in the city of Ephesus.
Do you not see God’s power at work? It is always working for the church. Christ is given as head over all things to the church.
We can rejoice in this great power. We can say that this power is not just immeasurable, it is power that is being exerted for me. It is power that is far above any other power that exists in this world or the next. And it is all focused in reference to, and for the welfare of you and me as God’s church. Praise be to Him.
that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
I’m happy to know that everyone today is going to say that this was a powerful sermon. It no doubt will be one of the most powerful sermons you have ever heard.
In verse 19, Paul mentioned the “immeasurable greatness of God’s power.” In the original language, the word “immeasurable” literally means “to throw beyond.” It’s the Greek word huperballo. Think “hyper ball.” It has to do with two kids playing pitch and catch. One of those kids takes the ball, winds up, and heaves it with all his might. But instead of going into the catcher’s mitt of the other boy, the ball goes into hyperspace, so to speak. It is flung way over his head and he has to now turn and run after the ball that is rolling down the street and is in danger of rolling into the sewer.
As Paul talks about God’s power, he uses that imagery. God’s power is, you might say, not something that fits into your brain’s normal operation. It flies well beyond what you can really imagine. It surpasses our ordinary, everyday understanding of power.
It is interesting how much of our lives revolve around this concept of power. Some of you are probably starting to think about your phones. You probably were charging it on the way here just so you could have enough power to make it through the service today. Maybe you can’t wait until the service is over so that you can take a power nap. You had a power bar for breakfast and last night you drank a Powerade. And you are now starting to think about the elections that are coming up and you are wondering if there will be a change of power. What will the “powers that be” do to the economy? What will happen to the power grid given the power they exert in their policies?
Just look around and you will see that everybody that is anybody is interested in power. As humans, much of our life revolves around this one concept of power, and that is especially so when it comes to religion. Some will even say that religion (i.e. Christianity) is a crutch. It is simply for people who feel that they don’t have any power and they need something stronger to really help them through life.
This is said by people who are atheistic in their perspective, people who supposedly believe that only the strongest and most powerful survive.
When we get down to it though, every religion and philosophy has this fundamental issue. It has something to do with power. What god or what belief system is the strongest? After all, if it wasn’t thought to have any real chutzpah or authority, then no one would gravitate toward it.
As Paul prays for these Ephesians, he knows that one of their greatest needs is to know God’s power, to know the immeasurable greatness of his power.
One of the greatest comforts in life is knowing the sheer omnipotence of our God. That’s what makes us trust in him. It is what makes us stand with him and for him.
That’s why Paul takes a few extra seconds to unpack this idea of God’s power. He wants to assure us that there is really no match when it comes to our God and his power. And in order to boost our hope and assure us that he alone is the one who we should trust, Paul puts before us its proof, its scope, and its focus.
Paul, is it true? How can I be sure? What proof do we have that God’s power really is all-surpassing?
I. Proof of God’s Power
The proof is in Jesus Christ himself.
Verse 20 tells us about the exaltation of our Lord, how he rose from the dead and is currently seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly places. What Paul does is highlight just how powerful Christ is. He says, “If you want to see power, just look right here. If you want to know how immeasurable God’s power is, then consider what has happened to our Lord and where he now resides.”
God’s power is witnessed in the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead. Now, you have to recognize that death is one of the supreme powers in this world. From all human perspectives, once death gets a hold of you, it really does have a death grip on you. It doesn’t give up easily. It doesn’t give up at all.
A couple of months ago, we were on a tour through the Ashland Cemetery. An interesting fact is that there used to be a Hopewell Cemetery here in town. The original Hopewell Church, which was founded 200 years ago, had a cemetery where they buried the members of that congregation. Of course, that church closed down and that side of town began to be developed. So, part of the development meant transferring the bodies of those who were in that cemetery to the current cemetery on Main Street.
And you know what, when they exhumed those caskets and brought them up out of their graves, not a single one of the dead bodies made a fuss about it. I tell you that they were Presbyterians, and Presbyterians don’t like change. You would expect that they would pitch a fit about being moved out of their pew, so to speak. But they were dead and they didn’t rouse one bit. They didn’t even let out the smallest little grumble.
Do you know why? Because once you are dead, you are gone. You don’t wake up. You don’t do anything.
Death is the greatest superpower on earth. And that’s what makes the resurrection of Christ so monumental. God raised him from the dead. Death could not hold onto him. No matter how tight its grip on Jesus was, death couldn’t keep him. It was overpowered by God and Jesus rose again.
But the proof of God’s power is not only witnessed in Christ’s being resurrected. It’s also found in his being seated in the heavenly places.
This is throne language. It is telling us that Christ is the king who presides over all the universe. To be seated at someone’s right hand means that you are the next in line when it comes to authority. The prince who would be the heir to the throne would sit at the king’s right hand.
When you are seated in that position in the heavenly places, that means you have complete authority over everything that happens down below. It is cosmic power, recognizing that Jesus isn’t just governing people and nations, but everything.
This is exactly what the next portion of our passage goes on to detail. And we can say that Paul doesn’t just give us the proof of God’s power, but also lays out the entire scope of his power.
II. Scope of God’s Power
Look at verses 21-22. Paul says that the authority of Jesus is “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”
Now you recognize that this list is pretty comprehensive. I don’t know that Paul excludes any kind of influence or jurisdiction that could be thought of. Any power of any significance is pretty much encapsulated here.
He is higher than the temporal powers. Those would be the authorities and powers and dominions of this age. Mom and Dad cannot compare here. The governors and the emperors have authority over this earth and this age, but it’s a limited power, and it doesn’t compare to the power of Christ.
The word “far above” is one word in Greek. It is a compound word: huperano. Again, you hear the word “hyper.” The prefix huper means “over, above, and beyond.” The word ano means “upward, over, or on the top.” So the word huperano means “far, far above.” It’s over the top. This is the highest you can go (and maybe even beyond that). Jesus’ power is way beyond anything else.
You not only have temporal powers, but you have demonic powers. Paul has lists like this in his other writings and they often refer to things like angelic or demonic powers. For instance, in chapter 6 he says that we “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” He’s obviously referring to a kind of hierarchy of the demonic world. Some are rulers, some are principalities. Just as there are angels and archangels, there are demons and arch-demons.
Now you remember that the Ephesians were dealing with several different powers and the spiritual powers were thought to be a serious threat. I don’t know if we Westerners truly grasp that idea. Most of the West has a materialistic view of life and we believe in a closed system, where there are no spirit beings or magical powers. That’s kind of changing. We see the magic in movies and all the sci-fi films coming out. There’s a greater interest in nature and the powers that are said to be found in nature. When you exalt the natural world, the natural world begins to be thought of in an exalted way. As a matter of fact, I heard that there is a new store moving in downtown. It’s going to be a store for witchcraft! Here are the dark forces being manipulated and called upon. So things are changing in the Western world. We are starting to go back to that paganism.
But for the most part, Westerners are materialists. If you talk to the Moulds who worked in West Africa, though, you’d hear a different story. If you go to places where there is heavy animism, you will see a lot of fear. They believe in magic and powers that can curse you or oppress you.
And so, when Paul mentions the powers and authorities and dominions of the spiritual world, and he says that the power of Christ supersedes those powers, imagine how that would hit home with the Ephesians.
You might also include even angelic powers in this list. The list says the authorities and dominions “in this age and the age to come.” First, you understand that there are two ages. There’s this age and the age to come. There is this age that we are currently living in and then Jesus will one day come back. When he does, that will start the last age (otherwise known as “the age to come” or heaven).
There are some people who believe in three ages. There is this age, then there is another age when Jesus comes back and rules in Jerusalem. At the end of that age, Jesus will judge the world. That will inaugurate another age (a third age), which is the final age.
I would like to suggest to you that that understanding is incorrect. There are two ages. Paul is probably indicating here the angels that live in that age to come. All the evil powers will be gone in the next age, right? God will dispose of them. So there will only be good powers left.
But let’s imagine this whole system of angelic powers. You have these mighty beings. Now ask yourself: Where does Christ sit in relation to them? He’s over the top.
Now the one I like is that he’s above “every name that can be named.” This one I think has a special application to our day. Celebrities. You think about people who have big names and how much influence they can exert. You got your Lebron James and all the Hollywood types out there advocating for the latest wokism. Everyone jumps on board with that because the person is so famous.
You understand then the scope of God’s power. Paul is attempting to say that there’s nothing on this earth that we should fear. There’s no human power, there’s no spiritual power, there’s nothing that can compare. Christ’s power truly is immeasurable.
But let’s be frank. There’s no question about how much power God has. There’s no doubt, after seeing all this, that the power of God is mind-bendingly great. But that doesn’t mean much until we know where that power is focused.
III. Focus of God’s Power
God’s power is focused upon you and me. Look at the last part of verse 22. It says, “and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
When it says “to the church,” it means with reference to the church or for the benefit of the church. God’s power has, as it were, one purpose: It is so that you and I might be taken care of. So that our salvation might be secured. So that our role in this world might be fulfilled.
This is reinforced through the imagery that he uses: We are the body of Christ and he is the head. The head is the governing component of our bodies, and our brains send messages to the rest of our bodies in order to help them function right and maintain their wellness. If there’s a fire, the head says, “Don’t go over there.” If there’s something poking us in the leg, the head tells us to get out of there or protect ourselves.
The head is there to see to it that the body is cared for and that every other part of the body is doing what it is supposed to be doing. All of its power as a head is focused on the rest of the body.
We can recognize, therefore, that the power that is in our God - the power that is in Christ - is generously and intentionally focused on us. And so, all God’s power is being expressed for the benefit of God’s people.
Now, think about how that plays out. We talk about this from time to time here, and it is always good to come back to it. We are coming into yet another election season. And, like usual, we are being told that this is one of the most crucial elections.
I don’t want to downplay elections and say that they are of no importance. But I do want us to realize that God’s power is far above all earthly elections. God’s power is far above all nations and all rulers of those nations. God’s power is exerted in these elections. He raises up whomever he deems fit. And whoever comes to rule - let this be understood - is at the mercy of the church. That ruler is there because God wants to do something for the church.
Our Lord is focusing all his power on the church’s role and development. And that means the current president and the next congress and all other officials are going to set the stage for the next work of God for his people.
Now, that doesn’t mean that everything is going to be hunky-dory. We should not think that God’s power is focused in such a way as to make our lives cushy. God may use his power to bring us through difficulty.
For instance, we can think of Ukraine. There is a lot of difficulty in Ukraine right now. There are even reports that wherever Russian troops have gained power, they have shut down Protestant churches. There is hardship upon hardship as people’s homes are destroyed and they hunker down in their basements during battles.
But this war that is being waged has God’s power behind it, and God’s power is being expressed for the church. There have been various reports of how the church has had to gather. They have had increased opportunities to minister. Christianity Today reported in the early stages of the war that there was a huge demand for Bibles. Stores had run out of Bibles because they were being purchased in mass droves. The Ukrainian Bible Society was calling for more Bibles to be sent to the region to fill the demand.
God’s power should not be doubted. Just take the Ephesian church for example. Here at this moment, it is struggling against all the powers that threaten it. But in just 200 years from the time this epistle is written, the worship of Artemis would be dead. In just 3-4 generations from the time this letter is written, the grandiose temple would burn to the ground and it would never be rebuilt. No one would care because the city would be Christianized by that time. Just 60 more years after that (in 341 AD), there would actually be held an Ecumenical Council in the city of Ephesus.
Do you not see God’s power at work? It is always working for the church. Christ is given as head over all things to the church.
We can rejoice in this great power. We can say that this power is not just immeasurable, it is power that is being exerted for me. It is power that is far above any other power that exists in this world or the next. And it is all focused in reference to, and for the welfare of you and me as God’s church. Praise be to Him.