“The Power of God and the Preeminence of Christ”
(Ephesians 1:15-23)
Series: Christ and the Church[on screen]
Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD
First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida
January 17, 2021
The Passage
Ephesians 1:15-23
15 This is why, since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.
20 He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens— 21 far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he subjected everything under his feet and appointed him as head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
Introductory Comments:
Well, here we are continuing our series in the book of Ephesians. Last week’s passage was rich with mysterious knowledge and deep grace.
In chapter 1 of Ephesians, Paul is building a foundation for us to understand who Jesus is so that we can understand how He relates to the Church. Last week was about discovering the riches of God in Christ. Today, Paul moves beyond that introductory systematic theology course to get a little more specific about Jesus’ place in the world and the Church.
Last week had to do with our salvation in Christ. This week has to do with Christ’s relationship to the world and the Church.
Before we continue, let’s pray and ask God to speak to us.
(prayer)
Introduction (vv. 15-16)
As with last week, there are a few introductory verses to this passage.
Let’s take a sneak peek. Look at verse 15. Paul says, “This is why, . . ..” I’m preaching out of the Christian Standard Bible. Some other translations say, “For this reason . . . ,” or “Wherefore . . .” in the King James Version.
“This is why,” implies that Paul is starting a new discussion based on the previous discussion. So, pay attention to see what Paul is saying and why He is saying it.
Look at verses 15 and 16:
15 This is why, since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.
Remember, the previous discussion was about being in Christ, receiving adoption as God’s children, and being sealed with the Holy Spirit. Paul says for that reason, because the Ephesians are in Christ and have experienced God’s riches also, he has heard of their faith in Jesus and love for the saints, and he never stops giving thanks for them in his prayers.
Well, what does Paul pray for the Ephesians? That leads right into our first point:
I. God’s provision for the Church (vv. 17-19) [on screen]
Paul is continually praying for the Ephesians. He is praying that they will experience and realize God’s provision for them. In short, Paul is praying that they will experience that which He described in last week’s passage, verses 1-14.
Let’s look at our passage for today. Look at verses 17-19:
17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.
Paul is praying for the Ephesians, that God the Father would give them more of His Holy Spirit. Notice, by the way, that all three members of the Trinity are mentioned in verse 17.
Paul refers to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, that is in the knowledge of Him. In other words, God gives us access to His knowledge so that we may gain wisdom and revelation about Him. God gives us more of Himself so that we can have more of Him. How incredible!
Paul says in verse 18 that he is praying that the eyes of the hearts of the believers in Ephesus would be opened so that they might be enlightened. There is this idea that God wants to show us more of Himself and help us understand His ways more. He wants us to be wise and He wants to reveal His truth and beauty to us. Through His Holy Spirit, He will do so.
Illumination: A pastor friend of mine says this is like using a dimmer switch with electricity. The dimmer turns the power down and up. The power is there but we have to turn the switch up more and more to get the full use of the power. Actually dim lights
God has much to teach us and reveal to us about Himself, and He can and will do so through His Spirit! We must seek to learn more, love more, and lean more into Him and His ways. We must desire the eyes of our hearts to be open to know God and His ways. We must pursue knowledge of Him and His ways.
Here are some actual ways that we can pursue this. We are to ask God’s Spirit to enlighten us. Further, we can read God’s Word more and more. Write down the tough questions that you don’t understand. Study more. Read trusted Christian authors who write about God. Get a book about theology and use it as a tool when you study God’s Word. Talk to other believers about spiritual things. Dig deeper into truths that you don’t understand. Turn up that dimmer switch by the power of God in order to learn more about God.
Paul mentions three specific pieces of knowledge that he prays that the Ephesians would know, and these are certainly truths that we should aim to know as well.
Paul says in verses 18-19, “. . . that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe . . .”
We see here hope found in the calling of God, wealth found in the inheritance of God, and greatness in the power of God.
These are traits that we need in order to live our lives as followers of Jesus, and God is gracious to give them.
God provides everything we need by (look at the end of verse 19), “ . . . the mighty working of his strength.”
Follow me here, church. Some of you said that last week’s sermon was a little over your head! Listen, Paul explained in last week’s passage about the greatness of God’s grace in Christ and that we are in Christ. This week, Paul is telling the Ephesians that he wants them to understand the greatness of God and how that greatness affects them.
He wants them to understand God’s provision for the church. Listen, church: we find all that we need for the church in Christ. That’s what we have to understand in this first point. God will give us everything that we need. As Paul prayed for the Ephesians, so also, we must understand that.
Second, let’s look at . . .
II. Christ’s power over all (vv. 20-21) [on screen]
Remember, Paul just spoke about the power of God. Now, Paul says in verse 20 that God, “. . . exercised this power in Christ . . .”
So, now we will see the power of God in Christ and we will discover that Christ has power over every other force in all the world.
Let’s look at the passage. Look at verses 20-21:
20 He [that is, God the Father] exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens— 21 far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
First, we see the power of God exercised in Christ by raising Jesus from the dead. That’s pretty powerful right there! Can any of you raise someone from the dead by your own power? Forget about it! However, God’s power was magnificently displayed in the raising of Jesus from the dead.
That’s not the end! Paul says that God sat Jesus at His right hand in the heavens. Jesus is not only resurrected, He is glorified and lifted up, by the power of God, as He takes His seat next to God the Father.
Then, Paul further explains the power of God in Jesus as we see Jesus’ power over other forces. Verse 21 says that Jesus is, “ . . . far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given . . .”
Listen, church: no one nor nothing has the power that is in Christ. Sometimes I believe that we give evil forces, worldly powers, or Satan himself too much credit. No ruler, no authority, no power, no dominion, nor any other title that you can name has the power of Jesus! There is power in Jesus! He’s not afraid of the taxman, the repo man, or the boogeyman! If the devil himself stood in the way of Jesus, Jesus would simply say, “Get thee behind me, Satan!” Take confidence in the power of Jesus! Have faith in the power of Jesus! Be moved by the power of Jesus! Live fearlessly in the power of Jesus! Live confidently in the power of Jesus! Live faithfully in the power of Jesus! Live free in the power of Jesus!
At the end of verse 21, we see the scope of time that Jesus has power over other forces. It is, “ . . . not only in this age but also in the one to come.” The power of Jesus is forever! There’s no expiration date and there’s no blackout dates. It was here in 2020, it’s here in 2021, and it will be here when time no longer is counted on a calendar! There is power in Jesus!
Church, let the power of God in Jesus change the way you think, feel, and live. Don’t be discouraged by the things of this world. Don’t feel helpless because of life’s circumstances. Don’t fear or be consumed by the work of evil forces. Take hope in the power of Jesus!
We see in verses 20 and 21 Christ’s power over all.
Finally, we see . . .
III. Christ’s place over the Church (vv. 22-23) [on screen]
One of those powers over which Christ has authority is the Church. Listen to what Paul says in verses 22 and 23:
22 And he subjected everything under his feet and appointed him as head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
God the Father subjected everything under the feet of Jesus. Jesus is more powerful and greater than everything!
Also, in demonstrating the power of Jesus, we see specifically that the Church is purposefully and strategically placed under the authority of Jesus.
Paul says that Jesus was appointed, “ . . . as head over everything for the church.”
Listen, church: Jesus is in charge of everything when it comes to our church! Everything!
When it comes to whether or not you attend, give to, and serve the church, remind yourself that Jesus is in charge. When it comes to you wishing the sermon was more like you like, or the music was more like your preference, or people dressed the way you want them to, remind yourself that Jesus is in charge. When it comes to you complaining or gossiping, remind yourself that Jesus is in charge. The church is not about you and the church is not about me, it’s about Jesus and it’s for Jesus!
Paul further says that the church is the body of Christ.
Well, what does a body do for us? A body is the mechanism or vehicle through which we live, right? Well, Jesus lives through the church and the church should operate as He desires and wills.
The church belongs to Jesus, is used by Jesus to accomplish His purposes, and is under His authority! The position that He sits in is among other things, head of the church.
A church without Jesus as its head is like a classroom without a teacher, a car without an engine, a football team without a coach, a pancake without syrup, an Italian restaurant without spaghetti, and a belt without a buckle. Jesus is the most essential ingredient in the existence and vitality of the church.
Paul says further in verse 23, that the church is “ . . . the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.”
The church is the fullness of Jesus, who is the One who fills all things in every way.
Let me tell you something, we should want Jesus to be the head of the church; we should want Him to fill us! We’ve had enough poor decisions by church people when we try to be the head of the church.
If we want to be a healthy church, if we want to be a full church, if we want to be a vibrant church, if we want to be a church that blesses our community, if we want to be a church that is used to change lives, if we want to be a church that reaches the world, we must be filled with Jesus!
We must understand our place as a church, at the feet of Jesus, and we must see Jesus’ place as head over the church.
Concluding Thoughts:
Let us understand God’s provision for the Church, Christ’s power over all, and Christ’s place over the Church.
Let this bottom line help us summarize this passage:
Bottom Line: The power of God is displayed in the product and position of Christ. [on screen]
(repeat)
The power of God is on full display for us to see in what Christ does (His product) and where He stands (His position). Jesus fills the church, blesses the church, and has authority over the church (His product). Additionally, Jesus is powerful and authoritative over all authorities in heaven and earth (His position).
The power of God is seen beautifully in Jesus our Lord! Let us be moved by that reality.
Challenge yourself this week in the following ways:
Weekly Challenge: [on screen]
1. Pray for enlightenment. [on screen]
Paul prayed that the eyes of the hearts of the Ephesian Christians would be enlightened to understand the wisdom and revelation of God.
What a good prayer for us to pray for ourselves.
Take some time this week to pray for enlightenment for yourself.
2. Consider Christ’s power over all things. [on screen]
Do you really believe that Jesus has power and authority over everything?
Do you waste time, energy, and emotions worrying about Satan or evil forces?
Do you take hope and faith in the promises, product, and position of Jesus?
3. Consider Christ’s place in the Church. [on screen]
Do you believe that Jesus is the head of our church and every other local church?
What are your motivations when it comes to church matters? Are you seeking to satisfy your preferences? Are you seeking to remember certain traditions? Are you seeking merely to connect with friends? Or, do you consider Jesus king and head of First Baptist Church Bartow?
Take some time this week and consider Christ’s place in the Church.
Closing:
The title of this sermon is, “The Power of God and the Preeminence of Christ.” Preeminence means the act of surpassing all others. Church, Jesus is better than all others. He is preeminent in this world, let us make sure He is preeminent in our church, and in our lives.
The blessings of God and the power of God are beautifully secured and manifested in Christ and His work. Be grounded in the work of Christ, be changed by the work of Christ.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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