The Power of God, Prayer, and the Christian’s Hope (Ephesians 1:19-23)

By: Bob Deffinbaugh , Th.M.

Introduction

The darkest moment in the life of the disciples was that three-day period when the body of the Lord Jesus lay lifeless in the tomb. For those three days, the disciples of our Lord were hopeless. They gathered together in a locked room, fearing the same fate as their Master, at the hands of the Jews (John 20:19). Even when reports began to reach them that the Lord was alive, they initially refused to believe them (Luke 24:11).

It was not until the risen Lord appeared to them personally that they were convinced of His resurrection. Once convinced, these men would never be the same. The resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus transformed the disciples from a frightened, discouraged, and defeated band of men to a dynamic, confident force which, in the words of their enemies, turned the world upside down.

The resurrection of our Lord was proof that He was the Messiah, as He claimed, and that death could not hold Him in its grip (see Acts 2:22-32). Beyond this, the ascension of the Lord Jesus to the right hand of the Father brought about the pouring forth of the Holy Spirit, empowering believers and convincing and converting those whom God had purposed to save (Acts 2:33-36)

In the first chapter of his epistle to the Ephesians, Paul has spoken of the blessings which God has purposed and provided for every believer, in Christ, to the praise of the glory of His grace (verses 3-14). He has also prayed for the Ephesian saints, that the Holy Spirit might grant them the enlightenment to grasp the unseen realities of which the Scriptures speak, which are the foundation of their faith. He has prayed for their growing comprehension of the “hope of His calling,” and of the “riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (verse 18).

In verses 19-23, Paul describes the third foundational truth which is fundamental to the faith and practice of the Ephesian believers: the knowledge of His infinite power:

And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about 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 every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:19-23).

The Easter season is nearly upon us. Most of us probably are content with our belief in the resurrection and ascension of our Lord as a historical event. In this belief, we differ from many. But this is not a sufficient grasp of these events as Paul understands and teaches them. There is much more to be gained from these events, as our text will indicate to us. The truths of this text are those which will transform our lives, if we but believe them. As Paul looked to the Spirit of God to make these truths and their implications known to his readers, let us likewise look to Him to enlighten our hearts, so that we might grow in our grasp of these realities, and thus find our thinking and lifestyles reshaped by them...Read the rest of the article


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