Greatness of His Power

Introduction to Paul's Prayer and the Mount Everest of Truth

0:03 Follow in your own Bibles, please, as I read from Ephesians chapter 1, verses 15 through 23. Ephesians 1, 15 through 23. For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which ye show toward all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what the exceeding greatness of his power to us were to believe, according to the working of the strength, of his might, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit 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 world, but also in that which is to come.

1:31 And he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his, his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.

1:49 If you've never felt what it's like to stand before a Mount Everest of lofty concepts in your bare feet, and with no knowledge of how to climb mountains, just park yourself down in front of this passage and begin to study it and meditate upon it, and you realize that you've come into the presence of one of the most lofty concepts in all of the word of God, the exceeding greatness of the power of God manifested, not in its raw manner in creation, or in its mysterious elements of providence, but the power of God peculiarly and most vividly manifested in these mighty saving acts of Jesus Christ. And then remember that all the power thus manifested is to usward who believe. I say this is a veritable Mount Everest of truth. May God help us at least to climb the foothills in our days of study in it together.

The Threefold Burden of Paul's Prayer

2:55 The burden of the Apostle's prayer in this passage focuses upon the Spirit's ministry of illumination, particularly along three lines. The Apostle is concerned that the Spirit would be operative in their minds and hearts, that they might know, first of all, the hope of His calling. That is, the grounds they had derived from their calling to confidently expect the blessings of a completed salvation. Paul wants them to know what their hope is, particularly the hope being conceived of as that confident expectation within their own hearts, flanked on the one hand by fervent yearning for all the blessings of the Holy Spirit, and on the other hand by fervent yearning for all the blessings of the Holy Spirit. and by patient waiting for the same. Then he prays that they may know in the second place the riches of the glory of the inheritance. That is, the glorious nature of that upon which the hope focuses.

4:02 Not only is he concerned that they understand the hope as it resides within their own breasts, but he longs that they shall know something of the riches of the object of that hope, the inheritance, that awaits them as the people of God. An inheritance that is not only glorious, but so glorious that it's rich with glory. And then in the third place, he wants them to know the exceeding greatness of the power of God towards them as believers. And again, his concern is that they might know the nature and the certainty of the power which is operative in order to be able to know the power of God.

4:45 To bring them to the inheritance, which is the object of their hope. So you see, these things are not arbitrarily chosen. The apostle has a very closely reasoned perspective when he prays and when he records his prayer. He wants them to know the hope, the thing that exists within their breasts, the inheritance, the object of the hope, that which exists objectively in the provision of God.

5:12 And then he wants them to know the power that is operative to actually bring them into the possession of that inheritance so that hope will turn to fruition. There is a striking parallel in this threefold perspective in 1 Peter chapter 1, and I would just mention it in passing so that you realize we've not placed an arbitrary interpretation upon the relationship of these three things. Notice how Peter brings the same three great spiritual perspectives together. 1 Peter chapter 1, verses 3 to 5.

5:52 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy begat us again unto a living hope. Here we are, begotten again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Unto an inheritance, you see, the hope will lead to an inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who by the power of God are guarded through faith unto salvation. So you have the three things.

6:29 We're begotten unto hope, hope which focuses upon an inheritance, an inheritance which is made certain by the operation of the mighty power of God in the hearts of all true believers. Now Paul's concern is that they might know these things not merely in an intellectual or an academic way. For I remind you of the little phrase, he prays that the Spirit would be given within the framework of the knowledge of God. And that word knowledge is the epignosis, the experimental knowledge, the heart knowledge.

Sermon Outline: Attacking the Mountain of Truth

7:08 So he's concerned not that they have more defined and well-framed knowledge, furnished intellectual concepts of the hope, the inheritance, and the power of God, but he longs that they may have a living, growing, powerful awareness of these things as they reflect the grace of God that is stored up in Jesus Christ. Now having completed this brief review, we will attempt this morning to begin an exposition of the third of these ingredients or these, uh, principles that Paul has as the focus of his prayer. We've studied together the hope of his calling, the riches of the glory of his inheritance, now this morning, the exceeding greatness of his power. Now how will we approach this Mount Everest? Anyone who climbs a mountain has an attack approach, or they plan how they're going to try to arrive to the summit. And everything's carefully laid out and barring unusual weather, conditions, and other unforeseeable factors, they attempt to climb the mountain by distinct and definite design.

8:21 Well, this is what I propose to lay before you, our attack of the mountain of truth. How are we going to try to come to the pinnacle, to the summit of this Mount Everest of spiritual truth? Well, what I propose to do is, first of all, to give a broad overview of the whole passage. Before you ever climb a mountain, you walk around it, or you fly around it, to find all the possible ways to approach the thing.

8:48 You must have some idea of the mountain as a whole before you start attacking any part of it. So I propose to give a broad overview of the whole passage so that you see it in its interrelatedness, in the various parts as they relate one to another. Having done that, I will attempt then a detailed exposition of each of the parts. Each phrase according to the structure laid out in the broad overview.

9:17 And I don't know how far we'll get this morning, but it's one of those things that it's not too essential that we accomplish any particular part of the mountain. We can almost stop anywhere, pitch camp, and then pick up again, God willing, next week. All right, so much then for what I propose to do. Now consider with me a broad overview of the entire passage.

Broad Overview: Structure of God's Power in Ephesians 1

9:40 You will notice in the first, that the subject of this knowledge for which he prays is the power of God. What the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe. And we will attempt to open up that phrase. What is the power of God that Paul is concerned that they may know by the illumination of the Spirit of God?

10:09 Then in the second place, you have the characteristic, of this power. Notice the characteristics of this power in itself and then secondly in its working. This power is characterized in itself by these two words. It is an exceeding great power.

10:29 And then in the second place, it is characterized by its working or its efficacy. He uses the words according to the working of the strength of his power. Of his might. So you not only have the subject before us, the power of God, but the characteristics of that power.

10:51 In itself or its excellency, it is exceeding great. In its working or its efficacy, it is the working of the strength of his might. Then in the third place, Paul tells us who are the recipients of this power. And the recipients of this power are believers.

11:10 The exceeding greatness of his power. To us who believe. The exclusive recipients of this power are believers. The power of God is manifested in many ways in his world.

11:26 It terminates upon many objects. But this power, for which he pleads a special ministry of the spirit of illumination on behalf of the Ephesians, is exclusively related to the people of God. Having then looked at the subject of the knowledge, the power of God, the characteristics of that power in itself and in its working, having looked at the recipients of the power, we shall then consider together the measure of that power. What is the measure of that power?

12:01 Well, he tells us. It is according to the working of the strength of his might which he wrought in Christ. The measure of this power is to be found in the mighty saving acts of God in Jesus Christ. And they break down into two sets of two.

12:22 And this does not show itself very vividly in the English translation, but it's very, very graphic in the original. You have two participles and then two verbs. And they come in these words. Notice.

12:37 The measure of this power is the power wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him to sit at his right hand. The measure of this power is the resurrection and the heavenly session of Jesus Christ. That's the first couplet. What is the measure of the power to us when we believe?

13:01 The very power operative in bursting the bands of death, raising up Christ and sitting him in the heavenlies far above all principality and power. But then the second couplet which expresses the measure of the power is found in these two words. Verse 22. And he put all things in subjection under his feet and he gave him to behead.

13:28 The subjugation and presentation of Jesus Christ. So the measure of the power then in the apostles words is resurrection and session, subjugation and presentation. Now it's within that framework that I will attempt to work through the passage with you. And I've taken the time to give you this broad overview so that as you meditate upon the passage and I trust you'll do this, as you pray over it, you'll not just be dealing with a bunch of words that seem to bowl you over the way I frankly did for hours.

14:06 I just felt as though I prayed over this passage and even up until yesterday morning as I spread my Bible open in the place of prayer I said Lord how can one ever stand up and as it were look down upon a passage like this to expound it. It seems that the only proper place is to be prostrate before it. Letting it as it were dominate me rather than me trying to handle it in order to convey it to others. But it is essential that we understand the structure of the passage that we might enter in to the heart of the Apostle's concern.

14:44 So then you have the subject of the knowledge, the power of God. You have the characteristics of the power, exceeding great, the working of the strength of his might, the recipients of the power, believers, and then the measure of that power, the saving acts of Christ. Now let me underscore several principles before we leave this broad overview. The first one is this.

Key Principles for Understanding God's Power

15:10 All of these things and we're going to get involved in some very lofty concepts and sweeping words, principalities, powers, might, dominion. Never forget that all of these things relate to one dominant issue. It is the power that is operative in believers to secure the enjoyment of the inheritance and the realization of their hopes. The things in themselves are so stupendous that it would be easy to get lost in the wonder of the things themselves and forget that they are mentioned within the distinct sphere of reference of the power of God operative in believers. Our temptation would be the temptation of a person who's just inherited a tremendous inheritance it involves houses and lands and riches and this individual is taken first of all to the estate that he's inherited and he's amazed at the beautiful gardens. He's astounded at the imposing structures of the buildings. He's taken into the storehouses where there are kept many valuable things and you see he can be so astounded by this display of beauty that he forgets to say with everything he sees and this is mine

16:38 and this is mine and this is mine and this is for me. He can get so amazed saying look at the beauty of that building look at the magnificence of those riches that he forgets. The reason he's being shown these things is that he might become aware of his inheritance. Now the apostle's prayer is that the spirit of God would be given to the Ephesians.

17:04 That they might know the exceeding greatness of the power of God which was their portion. Power operative to secure their inheritance. Now when we get looking at the measure of that power the power exercised when Christ was raised Christ was seated far above principality power all things in subjection to him head over all things these are lofty concepts and we'll be tempted to back off and say isn't that magnificent isn't that wonderful but we've got to bring ourselves back again and again and say and yes the power manifested there is for me it's operative in me it is power exercised on my behalf. Second principle we must keep in mind as we work through the passage according to this general outline I've given is that all of these things are to be appreciated by all believers. Paul is not praying for some super spiritual hyper intellectual group at Ephesus the in crowd that the spirit might be given to them that they might be enabled to understand these things. The apostle Paul having labored in Ephesus for some three and a half years fully cognizant that most of God's elect are taken from the riffraff.

18:32 You see you're calling brethren not many mighty not many noble not many of the world's big shots are called. He writes these concepts to common ordinary people for the most part taken from the artisan class who were not trained in the skills of rhetoric and language and literature and he longs that the spirit would be given to all the saints that all the saints may grasp all of these concepts. I'm sickened by this idea that well most of the saints must piddle around on the shore of infantile concepts and then the few elite ones the few initiates will press on into the deep things of God. Away! Away with such concepts! No, no!

19:23 These are here for all the saints. He prays that the spirit will be given that all the saints might know the exceeding greatness of his power. And the third thing I want to underscore as we come to the passage all of them relate to one dominant theme all of them are for all the saints. Thirdly, none of them can truly be grasped without the present aid and illumination of the Holy Spirit.

19:56 Paul was conscious of this so when he writes he says for this cause I pray that God would grant you the spirit of wisdom and revelation that you may know the exceeding greatness of his power. And if Paul was conscious that he could not teach these things in such a way as to make them plain and simple without the Spirit's aid to illuminate the mind who in the world do I think I am or who do you think you are to approach a passage like this without a conscious dependence upon the Holy Spirit. For you see grasping spiritual truth is not primarily an intellectual discipline it is a spiritual discipline and spiritual things can only be spiritually discerned. And if you are grieving and quenching the Spirit in areas of your Christian life it will show up when you approach a passage like this. That's why Paul had to say to the Corinthians I cannot give you meat I must feed you with milk because the Spirit is grieved in the area of your spirit of divisiveness he is also quenched in his ministry of illumination. And whenever you find a congregation that finds it difficult to grasp the meat of the word the problem is not intellectual it is moral and spiritual.

21:21 I've seen people that couldn't put one sentence together with correct English at whose feet I would willingly sit by the hour to learn the things of God from them. Why? Because they were taught of the Spirit and being taught of the Spirit they knew the things of God. So as we come to the passage I shall labor God giving me strength to be as simple to be as clear to illustrate to amplify to cross reference I will not shirk from my task as a teacher to labor in the word and God knows I've labored this week in this passage but my friend listen all of that will come to naught I may as well come and talk double Dutch unless the Spirit of God is operative in your mind to open your understanding to this truth. Alright, so much for the broad overview and that brief exhortation now let us attack the passage let's begin to climb the mountain and the first thing we shall focus upon is the subject of this knowledge the power the power of God for this cause I pray that you might know the exceeding greatness of the power of God to us.

The Subject of Knowledge: The Power of God

22:50 Now you will remember I trust that in the previous paragraph our attention was drawn primarily to the magnitude of the grace of God that first paragraph beginning with the words Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ according as he hath chosen us in him it's a paragraph in which our attention is focused upon the magnitude of divine grace we were graciously blessed with all blessings in Christ we were graciously chosen in Christ we were graciously predestined to sonship in Christ we were graciously redeemed in Christ we were graciously endowed with the overflowing of wisdom in Christ we were graciously called to the gospel and sealed with the Holy Spirit that's a brief summary of the first paragraph and I say the focus is upon the magnitude of God's grace but now here at the close of this paragraph the focus is not upon the grace of God but upon the dunamis of God the power the might of God

24:18 the might and the omnipotence of God which is operative in us and on our behalf why? follow that so that everything that God has designed in his grace will certainly be accomplished by his power if grace is not joined to power it is frustrating if power is not directed by grace it will destroy us but when grace is linked to omnipotence you have the glory of New Testament salvation let me illustrate suppose you were to pass a man this week you find him lying in chains and iron obviously obviously undernourished sick you notice upon closer observation and entering the conversation with him that he seems to be illiterate very ignorant destitute of any earthly friends destitute of any earthly possessions and your heart is moved with pity and compassion and you want to help him but upon inquiry you find that he's a ward of some power that is higher than you perhaps a ward of a state or some foreign power and he has been legitimately charged with certain crimes

25:46 and hence he's in his irons you see what will happen no matter how much you may be moved in pity to do for the man unless you have the power to perform the designs of your pity and your mercy it will be nothing but frustration for you furthermore if you tell him about it if you tell him of your designs and then are unable to accomplish them the frustration spreads from you to him unless the movings of the bowels of your compassion are joined with power I say it's nothing but frustration for you and frustration for him now elevate that illustration upward as almighty God passes by humanity in the bondage of its sin under condemnation and wrath and slated for judgment destitute of righteousness in the rags of our own filthy ungodliness you see if God were merely the God who graciously designs to take out of that mass of humanity a great multitude whom no man can number and loose their bonds and clothe them with the riches of his righteousness and endow him with all the riches of his righteousness and endow him with all the grace that is in Christ

27:11 if he were God of grace alone but had no power to effect what his grace purposed it would be frustration to him then if he would make known to us his purposes of grace but was unable to accomplish them it could only add to the frustration of the sinner in his bondage but blessed be God our God is the God whose power buttresses his grace and is able to accomplish all that grace designs hence the Lord Jesus is called not only the wisdom of God but the power of God and in this passage we shall see that though the subject of Paul's prayer is the power of God it is not the raw power of God in creation to which he directs our attention nor the frightening power of God in his general reign and in the ultimate expression of his sovereignty when he summons the world to judgment at the last day but he focuses our attention upon the power of God manifested in the redemptive work of Christ why? because it is power operative to accomplish the designs of grace and all the designs of grace are bound up in Christ hence the power of God to us is a power manifested in the Lord Jesus

Characteristics of God's Power: Its Excellency and Efficacy

28:39 so it is power according to the working of his might which he wrought in Christ hence it is gracious power put forth and exerted to secure the salvation of a great multitude of sinners from the four corners of the earth a power focused in redemption this then is the subject of this part of the prayer the power of God the might the omnipotence of God exerted to accomplish and secure the designs of his grace now I think we'll have time to go to the next level up the mountain what are the characteristics of this power first of all in itself or in its excellency and then secondly in its working or in its efficacy now we make this distinction constantly in the human realm if you and I were taken out to look at a new airplane that's just been turned out we might stand back and admire the graceful lines and say it's majestic in its symmetry and in its beauty then if we got in the plane and we started to fly in the plane we might make remarks on how smoothly it took off how luxuriously it flies how safely it was landed now we're making comments

30:07 about its operation you're admiring what it is in itself when you're in the plane and it's cruising at 40,000 feet you're making comments about its working now that's what Paul does here he longs that the people of God know what it is as it were to stand back and behold the power of God which is directed to them and to their salvation and admire it for what it is in itself and then to admire it for what it is in its working in their hearts and in their lives now as he describes the characteristics of this power in itself or in its excellency he uses two words that ye may know what is the exceeding greatness of his power now this word exceeding is a word which means that something is above measure it exceeds all others of the same kind look at two parallel references where the word is used 2 Corinthians 3 and verse 10 speaking of the contrast between the old covenant which came through Moses with glory and the new covenant which has come through Jesus Christ with greater glory Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3 for verily that which hath

31:35 been made glorious hath been made glorious hath not been made glorious expect by reason of the glory that and here is the word surpasseth here is the old covenant coming through Moses with glory his face shines the mountain trembles is touched with fire the cloud in darkness comes there is the outshining of the perfections of God in the coming of the old covenant Paul says in the coming of Christ there is also glory but when you compare the two what does he say the glory of this surpasses, excels goes far beyond the glory of the former that's the word he uses to exceed is to outdo to outstrip to go beyond and above in measure hence he describes this power that is operative to believers the inheritance and the realization of the hope it's a power that outstrips all other manifestations of divine power it is the exceeding now the next word greatness and it's a word which refers to size or to immensity and this particular form

33:03 it's the only use in the New Testament so we don't have other passages to give as cross references but that's the basic meaning of the word now put the two together and what do you have he says I pray that ye may know what is the power of God a power characterized in itself by exceeding greatness an excess of greatness a power which in its own excellency is more than adequate to cope with any and all of the enemies of the people of God what would stand between the humblest saint and his being brought safely to that inheritance incorruptible undefiled and fadeth not away what would stand between him and the realization of his inheritance why there is the power of his own indwelling sin there is the subtle machinations of the devil there is the plottings of that wicked world there may be a thousand of hair that would clog his way but Paul says put them all together with all of their aggregate power and might and toward the most humble believer there is an exceeding greatness of power that can overpower and subdue all that would stand in the way

34:33 since it is the power of God what else could it be but surpassingly great exceedingly immense for everything concerning our God is like our God since he is the great God who fills heaven and earth the Lord God omnipotent as he is called in the book of the revelation what else can he be when he sets his heart upon securing the redemption of his people shall he become less than the God that he is he is in himself the Lord God omnipotent shall he be something less when as the Lord God omnipotent he now becomes redeemer of his people why of course not and the glory of the teaching of the word of God is simply this that everything that God is in and of himself and has been from eternity finds its fullest and most brilliant expression in the gospel and in the saving of his people was there exceeding great power manifested in creation why of course there was one time when you got a few minutes on your hands you try to speak worlds out of the womb of nothing you just say open your mouth and say come into being that's what God did he spake the psalmist says and it was done

36:00 he commanded and it stood fast but listen creation is kid stuff compared to the power manifested in the redemption of his people that's why it's exceeding greatness of his power everything about God is God like whether in creation in providence or in redemption so Paul says the characteristic of this power in its excellency in itself is this it is exceeding greatness of power and now briefly what is it in its working or its efficacy he says that this exceedingly great power accords with or answers to look at the wording in Ephesians 1 according to the working of the strength of his might there is a consonance an accordance between this exceeding great power in itself and its manifestation in operation now here Paul piles one word on top of another until the most able of the men who give their lives to defining Greek words after they have done their best they sit back and scratch their heads and they say Paul has well done us and often as

37:29 when you are trying to describe something that fills your mind you pull in every word that you can use to try to say well it is something like this you are not using the words technically as though each one had a specific shade of meaning you are just trying to somehow express with the poor stuff of verbs and nouns and adjectives that concept which is there I rather think that this is one of the places where Paul is doing that so that we are not to look for some ironclad distinction in each of these words the working of the strength of his might and yet having said that the words are so rich that I dare not just pass them over in one lump let me spend just a moment giving you a little understanding of each of the words the first word is this the working of the strength of his might it is the word from which we get our English word energy energia is the Greek word for you Greek students and we have got more of you now we have been taking a little layman's creak in the afternoon and it refers to the operating activity in a given task the actual operating activity is the energia it is the energy it is the working of the strength of his might and in the Bible this word always refers to a superhuman power either of God or of Satan it refers to the working of Satan in 2 Thessalonians 2 9 but it

38:57 always refers to a superhuman power so he says this power is characterized by its actual working then the next word the strength the katas refers to the strength exercised in the activity its power shown in action you might see some fellow with a 54 inch chest and 22 inch biceps and you look at that guy and say man he looks strong then you see him bend down and take 420 pounds and clean and jerk it you see the strength of the man that's it there it is its might in operation and then he uses the word might its kous its power as inherent power as possessed whether its active or not that's what you are saying you see the guy standing there and saying man he looks strong and he is not doing anything just looking at his muscles that's what we have here so all the words together you see are words which bring into sharp focus the concept that it is the efficacy or the efficiency of the active power which expresses God's inherent might and when you put it all together the emphasis is upon the fullness and the certainty of the power of God as it works under half of the people of God

Recipients of God's Power: Believers

40:26 to secure their salvation again let me say by way of application that this power exceedingly great in its excellency characterized by fullness and certainty in its working is a power operating not indiscriminately but specifically and definitively for the salvation of the people of God and in the face of this do you not see what a contradiction a hesitating doubting fearful vacillating Christian is the exceeding greatness of the power of God operative to secure him for his inheritance and yet he fears ace full of doubt he vacillates what a terrible contradiction of the realities of his privileges in Christ now very quickly who are the recipients of that power well Paul tells us look at it in the text this power the subject of his prayer this power characterized by exceeding greatness and the working of the strength of his might has as its recipients a distinct class of people described here the

41:54 greatness of his power to us word who believes and the recipients of this power are described as believers now why does Paul use the term believing ones would be a more accurate translation well for the simple reason that since faith in Jesus Christ reliance upon recumbence in trust in the Lord Jesus is the dominant grace of attachment to Christ Christians are called believing ones you remember earlier he has said in verse 13 in whom ye also having heard the word of the truth the gospel of your salvation in whom having also believed ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise and because faith is as it were the bond of our attachment to Christ and a Christian is one attached to Christ a Christian is called a believer now will you note two vital things about this that we can easily overlook but which we do overlook to our own peril first of all the significance of the term used the recipients of this power he said are the believing ones and he uses a present

43:21 participle which simply means he's not saying this power is directed to those who have believed as though faith were an act in the past he says it is directed to those who are the believing ones for you see saving faith is not an act performed in the past it is an acquisition of an attitude which exists to the present the only proof that you have ever truly believed in the past is that you are a believing man or woman in the present this is the pervasive emphasis of the New Testament take the most familiar gospel text in the world what is it ah what does it say for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever and what's the word used believe that then in the Greek it is a present tense verse whosoever is believing but whosoever has believed made a decision by ten twenty years ago that whosoever is believing should not perish but have everlasting

44:49 life the focus then is not upon the decision made but a disposition implanted not upon an act performed but upon the acquisition of an attitude I ask you this morning are you a believing one as you sit here this morning is the disposition of your heart one of delightful recumbency upon resting upon trust in confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ not Jesus not the man of Galilee but the Lord Jesus Christ so that your heart has been brought into loving subjection to his authority your mind into sweet subjection to his revealed will your confidence in his person such are the recipients of this power the believing ones the significance of the tense used and then last of all notice the significance of the phrase to us words it is both inclusive and exclusive but to edu it's the exceeding greatness of his power to us words now who said these words Paul the great apostle and you see there are many things he had as an apostle that we don't have because we're not apostles

46:18 he says the tines of an apostle were wrought in me tines and wonders etc in second Corinthians he was caught up in the third heaven heard things unlawful to others unlike the modern people who say they've been caught up in the heavens and write their books about their visions Paul says it's illegal for me to talk about what I can't do it wrong for me now will you notice what he does here he says whatever I have of the power of God operative to bring me to my inheritance every single saint has the same thing it's the power of God to us and I don't have one thing more to land me faith in the inheritance because I'm an apostle than the humblest saint in Ephesus has simply because he's a believer see how inclusive it is it takes in Mr. Fury, Mr. Weakface Mr. Ready to Halt Timorous brings them all in and he says the power of God is operative to us thank God for his grace that takes in all the people of God and secures for the weakest of them that glorious exceedingly glorious inheritance and let me say by way of application in the light of that truth beware

47:45 of any emphasis which says that only an advanced group have the power of God operative in them this idea you've got a whole bunch of people called Christians and then most of them the power of God is operative in them and then you've got a little group who've gone beyond and the power of God is operative in them that does not stand up to the teaching of this doctrine says I'm praying not that you may have the power operative but that you may know the power that's already operative to you if you're a believer that's all the difference in the world says I'm praying not that you may have the power operative but that you may know the power that's already operative to you if you're a believer that's all the difference in the world one thing for you to come up and say I've got wonderful roots for it I want to tell you I've deposited a thousand dollars in the bank for your account I want to tell you that's wonderful now you come up and say you ain't got a nickel in it now go put a thousand dollars in that's different in one you're appraising me of my possessions that I might live in the light of them in the other you're making impossible demands upon me which I cannot fulfill and the gospel is a gospel of grace from beginning to end and that gospel comes appraising us of what God for Christ's sake has already committed to us and says now enter

49:13 in to the privileges that are conferred upon you graciously the other comes and lashes the whip over the back and says need a thousand conditions and then maybe God will give you a picture beware of any thinking which makes the great distinction amongst men not between believers and unbelievers but between spiritual believers and non spiritual between sanctified believers and non sanctified no no the great cleavage in the bible is between unbelievers and believers stages of growth yes children young men old men strong saints weak saints yes yes thousand times yes but don't you make the big distinction between classes of believers make the big distinction where God puts it between unbelievers and believers and that's the only distinction that is really of eternal consequence here this morning God regards all of you as believers or under in the pride and stubbornness of your heart you refuse to repent and cast yourself upon Christ when you say this morning thanks I help this soul, I'm Jesus, I will cry, I will all I want. Bless God for the inclusiveness of the word, the power to us work,

Sober Warning to Unbelievers and Exhortation to All

50:41 but then it's only to us who believe. And my friend, listen, as I close with this sober warning, if you're not a believer, the power of God that is committed to the final salvation of all is truly me. It's the same power that is committed to sealing you up in the pit of eternal burning forever and forever. By sheer power, God will summon you from your grave.

51:14 By sheer power, he'll join your disembodied spirit to a body that will live forever and call it before his judgment. By sheer power, God will utter the sentence, Depart from me! And by sheer power, it's confining you to hell forever.

51:34 And that, to me, is the most frightening thing of the biblical doctrine of death, that it's devouring omnipotence that is consigning men to their eternal death. Won't you pray with us, God? He prays that you command him to the death. He courageously invites you to flee to the death.

51:56 He lovingly entreats you, why would he die? Turn you, turn you, why will he die? The door of mercy stands. The door of mercy stands open.

52:08 And you come to Christ. The scripture says he is the power of God. And clinging to Christ, you come into the orbit of the operation of God's greatest power. Then committed to your full and final salvation.

52:24 For I plead with you, if you're an unbeliever today, to repent. Flee to Christ. And child of God, pray that in these coming weeks, God, by the Spirit, will help us all to understand as never before the exceeding greatness of his power to us beings who do it. Now we've got a camp in the foothills until next week.

52:47 But may the Lord get our appetite as we look up to the summit. And may we ask him to take us there. Let us pray.