Today we are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This resurrection that gives us hope for eternal life. Last Sunday we looked
how our Lord entered into Jerusalem with shouts of Joy. People were singing
Hossana in the highest, and these admirers made Jesus what they wanted Him to
be. They were looking for some one to take them out of the hands of the Roman
leaders, they were looking at the great miracle maker who will chase out demons
and multiply bread for them. The one who could heal their diseases. That was
the Jesus they were shouting Hossana to. But the Problem is that they say Jesus
the son of Joseph not the son of God. They saw a revolutionary leader not the
redeemer.
Jesus went through the streets of
Jerusalem as we saw through out the week. He was jeered and mocked at. This was
the high way to the cross which he walked, and the disciples followed him. He
embraced the cross on Friday but the disciples fled away. Jesus did not come to Jerusalem to hear the crowds shout “Hosanna.”
Jesus came to Jerusalem not for the first part of the week, not for Palm
Sunday. No, Jesus came to
Jerusalem for Good Friday. Jesus said, “I lay down my life, and no one takes it from me.” He was raised
from the death the third day.
Many Christians are defeated by different kinds of sin. Some are enslaved
to pornography or sexual immorality, or to alcohol or drugs. Some have ruined
their marriages and families because of anger and verbal abuse. They spend their
money just as the world does, with no thought of laying up treasures in heaven.
They spend their time living for themselves, with no thought of seeking first
God’s kingdom and righteousness. They feed their minds with godless TV shows
and movies, but don’t read and study God’s Word. What is worse, is that some pastors
and Christian leaders live like this! My question is, “Where is God’s mighty power in the lives of these people?”
Some will say that God’s mighty power should be
seen by frequent miracles of healing or by speaking in tongues or by words of
supernatural knowledge or prophecy. But, all too often, those making such claims are guilty of living just as the world
lives. The world mocks at the gospel when they see their lifestyles.
From verse 18 we
see that we will not be to know God’s mighty power unless He opens the eyes of
our hearts. So we must continually ask Him for understanding.
God wants us to understand
the magnitude of His mighty power that saved us and exalted Christ over all, so
that we will properly represent Him on earth.
1. God’s mighty
power that saved us is the same power that raised Christ from the dead
(1:19-20a).
The mightiest
power ever released on this earth
was not the power of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan. It was not the power of
an earthquake, volcano, tornado, hurricane, or flood. The mightiest power ever
unleashed on this earth was when God
raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Satan and all of his evil forces were
aligned in full battle force when Jesus lay in the tomb. If he could have kept
Jesus from rising from the dead, Satan would have been triumphant. And so Paul
piles up words to make the point that God’s power in raising Jesus from the
dead was the mightiest display of power ever known. Read again 19,20!
Here the
scripture is not just talking about the power of God who is omnipotent but it
adds “the surpassing greatness of His power.” The outstanding greatness of His power which
is “in accordance with the working of
the strength of His might.” The
words are short to explain what Paul had in mind. This power could only be in
accordance with the working of God’s might. You cannot explain it apart from
looking at God again.
Paul is not praying that God would give us
this mighty power, but rather that the eyes of our hearts would be enlightened
to know that this power has already
been displayed in
us if we believe in Jesus Christ.
When we were dead
in our sins, God raised us up and seated us with Christ in the heavenly places (Eph
2:1-6). The same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at God’s
right hand is the power that saved us. If you believe in Christ now, it is not
from human will power or reasoning. It comes from God’s mighty power; the same
that raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
You might have
made a decision during an evangelistic meeting. Are you born again? Are you
following what Jesus teaches? Do you truly believe in Jesus Christ and His shed
blood as your only hope for eternal life? But being born again requires an act
of God that raises a person from death to life. No one decides to be born. No
one decides, “I think I’ll be raised from the dead!” You can’t even help God
out in the process. It requires God’s sovereign, mighty power. If you believe,
know that God had to give you the faith to believe the gospel. If He had not
done so, you would have thought that it is foolishness (1 Cor.
1:18-31).
2. God’s mighty
power seated Christ at His right hand, far above all spiritual powers
(1:20b-21).
God not only raised Christ from the dead. Also,
He ascended bodily into heaven, where He now is (1:20b-21) “seated at His right hand in the heavenly
places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name
that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”
Paul adds, “not
only in this age but also in the one to come” to make it clear that Jesus
Christ is exalted to the place of
absolute, supreme power in the entire universe. His authority is not just for a period of time, but for all eternity.
Although we do not yet see everything subject to Him (1 Cor.
15:23-28), that day
is soon coming. As Psalm 110:1 states, “The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My
right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’” God never
gave that invitation to any of the angels or to any other created being. He
only gives it to His eternal Son, who is of the same nature as the Father.
Scripture promises that Jesus will come again to crush Satan and all that
follow his evil ways. So, even though Satan and his evil forces still have
frightening power, they are on God’s chain. They can only go as far as He
permits.
These people
understood what Paul was saying. When the Ephesian believers got saved, they
burned their magic books, which amounted to a small fortune (Acts
19:11-20). They knew
and had been fearfully enslaved by the power of Satan. But now they had a new
Master and Lord, who is seated far above not only all of the evil spirits, but
even above the most powerful angels. Paul
wants them to know that the power of the risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ
is available to them in their struggle against the forces of wickedness in the
heavenly places (see Eph. 6:10-17). That same power is available to us if we are
in Christ.
3. God’s mighty
power put all things in subjection to Christ and gave Him as head over all
things to the church (1:22).
His resurrection,
ascension, and present enthronement at God’s right hand guarantees the outcome.
All things, including the terrible forces of evil in the heavenly places, are
under Christ’s feet, even now. As I said, Satan is on chains.
4. God’s mighty
power is at work in us so that we will properly represent Christ on earth
(1:23).
Paul adds that the
church “is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” A saved Christian is an inseparable, organic
(living) union with Christ. It comes
from God’s resurrection power alone. You are the church. It also implies our
submission to the Head. If God has saved you through His mighty power, you must
make it your aim to obey Jesus Christ as Lord of every area of your life. A
disobedient Christian is like a spastic leg (involuntary movement through the
leg), jerking uncontrollably. He does not bring glory to the Savior!
But you are the church, which is the fullness of him who
fills all in all. If you accept Jesus Christ then you have Christ and so you
have His power in you. You are not aware of what you possess. Are you
experiencing God’s mighty power to overcome temptation and live a holy life? If
not, you should ask God to open the eyes of your heart so that you will know
the surpassing greatness of His power toward you.
If you have no desire to overcome sin and to represent
Christ on this earth, you may not have experienced the power of being raised
from spiritual death to spiritual life. Ask God to give you new life in Him.
Then live according to His mighty power. Jesus who died on the cross for you is
still calling on you. It is not too late! Let’s pray!
“I gave my life for thee…”
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