Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
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… prayer. Do you remember how Paul closes Ephesians chapter 3, that prayer he prayed for the Ephesian Christians. He said, now to him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. I want you to notice and write down just real briefly these three statements that come from that prayer. They may be an encouragement to you. First of all, God is able to do. Now to him who is able to do. Remember that chorus we used to sing, God is able, he is able. God is able. God himself said it this way, is there anything too hard for me. I am the Lord, your creator. God is able to do. Ladies and gentlemen, the only limit to what God can do in your life is according to the working of his power, Paul said. Now to him who is able to do according to the working of his power, the miracles God wants to do in your life, the only limit to them is the limit to the power of God. Is God's power limited in any way? No. …
… That can be against you So when when Ephesians tells me that it's now unto him Ephesians 320 who's able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. Do you know how much that is because I ask and imagine a lot. And the Bible is telling me that God's able. So it's not about his ability. He's able to do more than all of that. But look where the power is. It's according to the power His power That is at work Within Us What I'm trying to tell you Is if you Would agree with God this year And get out of your own way And check this one out Make your personality Submit to your purpose Well I'm just introverted And I'm shy Well God's called you to a big stage Tell your personality to shut up like do you understand what i'm saying like like well i just you know i just i don't know like if god's gonna use my intellect and yeah you're gonna have to practice some things you're gonna have to actually practice things that are natural for other people but when you get it god can use it do you understand what i'm saying tell your personality to sit down be humble and submit to what god wants to do in your purpose and some of you will get here next year and we'll be looking at you and it'll be another year that happened to you. …
… confess out of your mouth and what you believe in your heart will supersize your power. It will plug you in to the greatness of God. Ephesians 3 20 says, to him who is able to do more than I can think or imagine according to the power that works within me. It doesn't say according to God's power, according to if God is happy with me, it says according to what I release and increase on the inside of me. You're wired today. And you can flow in great power. You can overcome every obstacle. You can climb every mountain. You can get out of every valley. You don't have to be discouraged. You don't have to be defeated. You're not a victim. You're a victor because God lives on the inside of you. You know, we have such a privilege in prayer. You know, sometimes we take prayer for granted, but prayer is a privilege. It's talking to God, communicating with God. You see, the Bible says that when our spirit connects with God's spirit, something incredible happens. …
… now unto him who is able to exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us that prophetic promise of God's intention to go way beyond our imagination and way beyond our prayer life on our greatest day, that is what set us up for chapter four that says he's going to equip you and your use of that equipment is going to determine how well his plan functions. now unto him who is able to do abundantly above all we ask or think imagination, prayer but it's connected to something according to the power that works within you the measure in which God functions past your reasoning and past your faith is determined by how much you allow him to work deep in you the power that works in you is what releases him to work outside of you Through the years, I've noticed that people who know nothing about, you know, if you weren't raised in a revival culture, you may never know that, for example, in Atlantic City, many, many years ago, 100,000 people or so were there. …
… I can't do everything, but God can. Ephesians 3.20, God's power at work within us is able to accomplish infinitely more than we could ever dare to ask for or even imagine. Now, I don't know about you, I'm a pretty big dreamer. nobody's ever accused me of being a small thinker or a small dreamer and yet this verse says God says to me hey Rick think of the greatest thing I could do in your life just blow the top off what what are you afraid to even ask what are you afraid to even imagine what's the greatest thing you could imagine happening in your life and God says I can top that I can top that I'm better I'm bigger. My anointing can do more than you even think. What's the greatest thing you'd like to see done in your life? You go, man, I'm afraid to even imagine it. I'm afraid to even think of it. It might be too overwhelming. Think of the biggest thing God could do in your life. And God says, with my anointing, I can do bigger than that. He says, God's power at work within us is able to accomplish infinitely more than we could ever dare to ask or even imagine for our families for your business, for your career, for your education for your dream. God's anointing makes the impossible possible. …
… and here's the grand slam, verse 20. Now to him who is able, whatever you are asking for, whatever you're dreaming for, whatever you're hoping for, he wants to do immeasurably more than we all ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen. And we could close service right there. and I want to tell you maybe I'm getting older I don't know what it is I'm 42 I don't know if it's a lack of sleep eating bad low testosterone or I'm just getting an I'm beginning to be an old grumpy man I don't know I there's a lot of multiple factors okay I'm trying cold plunge and sauna but it's not really working but I'm getting grumpier with age and and to be honest this verse is how I want to end every single conversation that I'm in this is how I want to end every single prayer every single conversation, every single service, everything that I do. And in fact, I want to say it to every negative, critical, backbiting, pessimistic, dream-killing Christian in the room. …
… beyond all that we could ask or think Ephesians 3.20 that God longs to do abundantly above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works within us he's not talking about what he plans to do in heaven it's actually a right now promise it's a right now promise it's a promise where God would draw us into his purposes and plans that are beyond our wildest dream when he says beyond all you could ask that's the depth and the reach of your prayer life beyond all you could think that's the reach of your imagination God functions outside the reach of imagination outside the reach of my prayer life but he does so according to the power that works in me. I don't know if this is making sense to you, that he will work beyond the reach of your prayer life in the measure his power is at work in you. He will work beyond the reach of your imagination in the measure that his power is at work in you. …
… I need more of anything just to be able to do this monumental task. Ephesians 3.20 says, now to him who is able to do immeasurably more, say more, more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us. We do need more of a lot of of practical things. But more than anything, we need Jesus who can do more than we can ever think, ask, or imagine. Some of the phrases that I used as far as I need more, one of them was information. When our kids were born, I thought to myself, I should have done more babysitting jobs. I mean, surely if I'd have done more babysitting, I would know more, be prepared for this. I don't know. I just thought, well, maybe that's the answer. Thankfully, there were books like What to Expect When You're Expecting, and then they even had books like What to Expect When You Have a Toddler, and I'm like, well, these just keep going and going. Like, What to Expect When You Take Your Child to high school for the first time, to prom. I needed every book there possibly could be, but one of the great things about needing more is God in his sovereignty, whether it's It's whatever practical need you have, he interjects just what you need, just what people who you need to do life with so that when you get into these binds and you're like, I don't know enough, there's resources. …
always giving thanks to God the Father for everything. in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so Paul here contrasts two ways to deal with inner chaos, inebriation or celebration. Many face their struggles with inebriation. They numb themselves, if not with liquor, with work, with busyness, with play, with entertainment, with shopping. Those of us who have tried this approach know its falsehood. We have learned, have we not? Happy hours do not make us happy. They just don't. Indeed, they do the opposite. And we find that waiting on us when we come off the bar stool are those problems we tried to drink away. The better option, Paul says, celebration. celebration, worship. Fill the air, he says, with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Paul used a verb tense which caused one translation to state, ever be filled and stimulated with the Holy Spirit. Constant worship clears the debris from our hearts. Praise is the cleansing element that flushes the trash of worry and anxiety. …
… grace, grace, the apex of the glory of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen. That's Ephesians 3, 20 and 21. So, summarizing strand number one. Running through the Bible concerning the glory of the church, there is this insistence that her existence and her mission is to show that God is supremely glorious. Above all created glory, especially the glory of her grace. So your church will be glorious. to the degree that she does that, declares the excellencies of the one who is infinitely glorious. Now strand number two. she is being made glorious with the very glory of God. So the first strand is the church exists to glorify God, to make him look like he really is, namely supremely glorious above all created glory. That's her glory. And the second strand is as a way of doing that, as a way of glorifying God, she is being made glorious with the glory of God. …
… The dad later says, if you can, and Jesus emphasizes that in his response, and this word that's can right here is the same word we studied earlier this year in Ephesians chapter 3, verse 20. now to him who is able can do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think according to his power ability at work within us. And don't miss how good this news is. Let me show you one more thing. If you read the first part of Mark chapter 9, you'll see that right before Jesus heals this boy, he's up on a mountain with Peter, James, and John where those disciples get a rare glimpse of Jesus in all of his heavenly grandeur. And verses two and three say he was transfigured before them. His clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. So this passage is reminding us that Jesus is God in the flesh. He possesses infinite, transcendent glory and beauty and majesty and splendor. Yet, right after that picture, instead of dwelling in glory above this fallen world, Jesus chooses to come down that mountain straight to the depths of human suffering to heal a hurting boy. This is the good news. Jesus has come to us with divine authority to deliver and restore all who trust in him. …
… now unto him who is able to exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us that prophetic promise of God's intention to go way beyond our imagination and way beyond our prayer life on our greatest day, that is what set us up for chapter four that says he's going to equip you and your use of that equipment is going to determine how well his plan functions. One more comment. The flaps are down. The wheels are down, I should say. I'm just about to touch the runway, not the side of a mountain. Now unto him who is able to do abundantly above all we ask or think imagination, prayer but it's connected to something according to the power that works within you. The measure in which God functions past your reasoning and past your faith is determined by how much you allow him to work deep in you. The power that works in you is what releases him to work outside of you.
… And you're digging a whale. And you got Ephesians 3.20 on your tattoo. What is Ephesians 3.20? I think I know, but... I'll tell you what it says. It says, Now all glory to God, who is able through his mighty power at work within us to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Come on, somebody. I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Bless him, Lord. Hallelujah. You know, everything the devil tried to destroy you with, it didn't work. Hallelujah. That grace, that grace of God. You can sit down. There you go. What's your name? Alyssa. You're doing good. Now, who are those screamers? That is my family. It's your family? Have they been praying for you? Yes, sir. How long have you been in the church? I've been going to Free Chapel since I was like two. Great. And why are you doing this today? I just want to help show the younger people that you shouldn't be ashamed to show your love for God. …
… Amen. And we're going off the scripture, Ephesians 3.20. And how many of us know that we're believing God to work within our life in 2026? From the book of Judges, chapter 6, verse 11 through 14, the Bible says, Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree, which was in Aphra, which belonged to Joash, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor. Gideon said to him, O my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his miracles which our fathers told us about saying, did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. Then the Lord turned to him and said, go in this might of yours and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you? So just a quick breakdown, you see Israel here was facing oppression from the Midianites for seven years. You see the children of Israel were doing evil things in the sight of the Lord and God delivered them into the hands of their enemies. …
… that will make you bolder in prayer, all based on Ephesians chapter three, verse 20 and 21. So we're just gonna walk through these two verses word by word and let the simple power of God's word do the work. May God in his word just cause faith to rise in you as you hear his word. Faith to rise you in your individual life, for your family, for our church family, for our city, for the world. So follow along. Let's just go in. Word by word, soak it in. Now to him. All right, we'll pause there. Him is obviously talking here about God, the triune God. You look back at this whole prayer, you see the whole trinity here. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. So the one true God. And notice how verse 21 picks up this phrase, to him, and then verse 21 says the same thing, to him. So what you've got is each verse starting this way, which here's how I would summarize it. The way Paul is starting is he's telling us who God is, and then he's gonna pick up that same phrase in a minute to tell us what God deserves. …
… it is possible but here's the good news about that reality god's dreams are bigger than yours ephesians 3 20 you know now unto him who's able to do watch this exceedingly abundantly far above what you can ask for or even imagine which means that i don't care how big your dream is even if it's a god dream if you could see it it's just the beginning of what god can do are you tracking with me. I feel this for somebody, and I actually put this in my threads recently. Whatever you're thinking is too small. Think bigger. I'm not saying you shouldn't pursue it. I'm not saying you throw it away. I'm just saying it's bigger than what you think, right? Now unto him who's able to do. It's our capacity. We have a limited capacity. God says something in Psalms once. He says, open your mouth wide and I will feel it. It's almost like he's saying, open your mouth wide so I can fill it. To the degree that you can believe, expect, and open up and create capacity for me is the degree in which I will pour. So sometimes we're living on the level of not God's capacity, but our own capacity, right? Supersize it right now, wherever you are, I want you to supersize it. But anyway, we have to understand as it relates to clarity, this is bigger than your goals. This is bigger than your ambitions. This is bigger than your whiteboard. It's bigger than …
… knowing that all things are possible with God. And so I declare now to him, now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us, within you, within us, within you. Now to him be the glory where? In the church, in Christ Jesus, through all generations forever and ever. May he get the glory and the people of God said amen and amen because a church that pleases God will be a faith-filled church. So if your faith has shrunk, or if you've lost your faith, repent. Believe again. Trust again. Step out in faith. Believe that he hears the cries of your heart. Believe that when you draw near to him, he draws near to you. Believe him to heal. Believe him to save those that you love. Believe him to break you free from the addictions that hold you back. Believe that the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells within you, calling you to do good works which glorify him. …
… In fact, read our scripture that we're studying this year, Ephesians 3.20. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more all that we can ask or think or imagine according to his power that is at work within us. Did you notice how it just described God? God is exceedingly. God is abundantly. God is far above. God is over and above. Oh, let me read two more verses. Psalm 97 verse 9. For you, Lord, are the most high over all the earth. You are exalted far above all gods. Jeremiah 10 verse 6. No one is like you, Lord. You are great and your name is mighty in power. So God doesn't do over and above stuff. God himself is over and above. He's above all gods. He's above all rulers. He's above all authorities. He's got the whole world in his hands. Oh, come on, everybody clap if you believe it today. This is just who he is. It's not that God does over and above stuff. God is over and above. …
… Thank you for your generosity. If you'd like to give today, go to our website, and you can give there, whether you're giving a tithe or an offering. offering. Thank you for doing that. Let's jump in. We're teaching out of Ephesians 3.20, Vision Sunday 2025. The title of today's message and our vision is Watch God Work. Amen. All right, Ephesians 3.20. This is one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible. I like this verse so much that I tattooed it on my body. Your boy's only got three tattoos. One is G for George and my daughter. One is better at 70 because I want to be better at 70 than I am today. I'm 46 years old, got four kids, four chest hair, but I'm trying to be better at 70 than I am today. And the third one is this verse, Ephesians 3.20. Watch what it says. Now to him who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we ask or think or can imagine according to the power that works in us. …
… He's able to do more. We read in Ephesians chapter three, verses 20 through 21. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen. You see, God is able to do so much more than we can imagine. The second question that I oftentimes get is, were there any obstacles? Were there any barriers or any challenges? Because it just seems like this story is kind of up and to the right. And I just kind of laugh. I'm like, man, it has been nonstop challenges and barriers and obstacles. In fact, we had obstacles before we even got started. And the first obstacle was that we needed to get permission to be able to use the Bible text in the website. I don't know if you know this. I certainly didn't know this. I was pretty ignorant at the time, but I did not know that people own the Bible. …
… Ephesians 3, 20 to 21. Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. Amen? Amen. Matthew 5, verse 6, in the Amplified Version, which is a version that describes what the words are saying, and it just says it more flourishingly and fully, and I just love this version. But in the Amplified, Matthew 5, 6 says, Blessed, joyful, nourished by God's goodness, are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who actively seek right standing with God and for they will be completely satisfied. Psalm 8411, for the Lord God is a son and shield. The Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in you. Psalm 8110. This is God speaking. I am the Lord your God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. …
… your efforts. Partner with your business. Take your household to places you never dreamt or imagine. The Bible says in Ephesians 3.20, now unto him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, far above anything you can ask, think, or even imagine. So when I don't just manage, but I surrender to God, he multiplies it. He multiplies it. And I'm praying for you, multiplication. Amen. What's five times five? Ten. Come on. We're just having fun today. So, so manage what God has put in your possession. Multiply it. Don't just sit on it. Multiply it. Get God involved. Write down the third one. Might seem interesting to you, but just listen to me. Morals. You need good morals. And I think our culture needs good morals. Our world and our city needs morals. Morals, by the way, I want to give you a definition of what morals are. put up on the screen. Morals are God's standards of right and wrong, revealed through his word and rooted in his holiness. So it's not my opinion that matters. It's God's opinion. And so what is right is what God says is right. And what is wrong is what God says is wrong. What is good is what God says is good. And what is evil is what God says is evil. Can I get an amen in the church? …
… And then he comes with this big, beautiful benediction, and he says, Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more. This is above and beyond language. This is above and beyond thinking. This is an above and beyond benediction. This is above and beyond praise. Now to him who is able. Can we just pause right there for a minute today? And celebrate once again that God, our God, the God we're worshiping today is able. I might not be able, but God is still able. I might not have the ability to change this circumstance, but God is able. I might have run out of my strength, my energy, my resource, my ideas, but God is able. He's still able. He's able for your family. …
… in ways far beyond what you can ask or imagine Ephesians 3 20 and 21 and that's for Emmanuel and that's for every single person who knows the truth of Jesus in their hearts gird up your fasten yourself with truth amidst the lies that the adversary wants to sell you in the middle of your struggles and then when you think about the dangerous lies that people in this world are believing that are leading to all kinds of destruction and idolatry and injustice in the world let's fight spiritual battle with not just believing truth but proclaiming truth spreading truth let's fight to show to say and to show that every single person in this world is an image bearer of god innately worthy of honor. Let's fight to say and show that wealth is not for hoarding, but for giving generously to people in need. Let's fight to expose and counter lies that lead to injustice and evil. Whether it's taking babies' lives to turning blind eyes to the poor and the oppressed. …
The church exists for God's glory. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory. So we're going to see him do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. We are going to see it, people. But the reason he's going to do immeasurably more is for his glory. To him be glory. How and where? In the church is where the glory is. And in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations, forever and ever, amen. The church isn't going anywhere, people. Because in the church, God is bringing glory to himself. And in Christ, he's bringing glory to himself. This church, yes, we are enriched and better for it, but it exists. We are here today for God's glory. Man, let that get in on the Sunday that you're like, I'm just not feeling it today. I'm just not feeling it today. I don't know if I can make it today. …
… But I don't need to understand When the scripture says that God intends to do abundantly above, beyond all that we could ask or think, Ephesians 3.20. that God longs to do abundantly above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works within us. He's not talking about what he plans to do in heaven. It's actually a right now promise. It's a right now promise. It's a promise where God would draw us into his purposes and plans that are beyond our wildest dream. When he says beyond all you could ask, That's the depth and the reach of your prayer life. Beyond all you could think, that's the reach of your imagination. God functions outside the reach of imagination, outside the reach of my prayer life. But he does so according to the power that works in me. I don't know if this is making sense to you, that he will work beyond the reach of your prayer life in the measure his power is at work in you. …
… make a way of escape. Chapter 3 of Ephesians, verse 20 says, Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us." That's the Holy Spirit working in us. The power is the Lord. You're like a guard. If the enemy approaches, you don't fight the battle, you go to the commander. Tell the commander, and he'll come out and fight that battle for you. This isn't about flexing some spiritual muscles of your own. This is about turning to Christ for strength. That power that works in us is the very power that raised Christ from the dead. So our strength is found in Him. I was thinking of Colossians 1. Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all power according to His glorious might for the attaining of all steadfastness." If you want to be steadfast, stand firm and resist. …
… we know what he says later in Ephesians 3.20 now to him who's able to do abundantly more than we could ask or imagine according to his power at work in us it's not like it's not just God can do anything he wants to it says no God can do beyond what you can even think and he does it through you and here he's saying there's an immeasurable greatness of power like this is stuff where we go God you're going to have to reveal this to me because I can't talk you into believing this God you're going to have to enlighten their hearts. So they believe this. I was in Brazil a month or so ago and was having lunch with this pastor out there who had a great work, great ministry. And I was just telling him, man, this is really cool what God's doing in your church. And he made this comment. He goes, yeah, but it still feels like a zoo. I go, what do you, he goes, you know what I mean? I go, no, I don't know what you mean. …
… there's an immeasurable greatness of power toward me. And we all know what he says in Ephesians 3.20, where he can do abundantly more than all we ask or imagine according to the power at work within us. That's also why at the end he goes, let me say it again. Finally, be strong in his might. Take on this armor. And it's in the midst of all of that that he says, pray in the spirit. okay it's it's about this power in the middle of this battle cry comes and pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests in the spirit that word is is it's the idea of by means of by means of the spirit in connection to the spirit it's a it's the same phrase, it's the same word that's used in, John alluded to it last night in Romans 8 where it talks about crying out Abba Father, let me read specifically verses, verse 15. Where is it? …
… greatness of power and that's why he says in Ephesians 3.20 you guys know that verse now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all that you could ask or imagine according to his power that's at work within us we know he can do it but do you know he does it through the power in us? There's this immeasurable greatness. And if you don't believe that, he continues and he says, the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at the 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. …
… that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God, now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen. Now, what we were talking about last week when we looked at this was that Paul is holding out for us a prospect. We described it, and I'll just briefly describe it again. He is talking here not simply about believing God or even just obeying God. He's saying there is something for Christians that's available beyond just believing and obeying God, we can actually experience God. And in the letter, it's really saying we can experience his presence, we can experience his love, we can experience his glory, the sum total impact of his excellence. We can experience his glory, the accumulated perfections of his being. We can actually experience God. We saw that because, you see, in verse 17, it says he is praying that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, but he's praying to Christians. And we wrestled with that a little bit last week, and we said a thoughtful person studying this would immediately be confused because he's praying that Christians would have Christ dwell in their hearts by faith, and yet everywhere in the New Testament, it's assumed that a Christian, by definition, is somebody who already has Christ dwelling in their hearts …
… that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Amen. Amen. Well, I know that a first run through that thing does not look all that unusual. It looks like a typical Pauline prayer, kind of high and lofty and kind of vague in general. I tell you that Paul is asking for something from God for all of us. Don't forget, of course you've forgotten, As I said when we started the book of Ephesians back in the mid-50s or whenever it was, that the book of Ephesians was almost for sure a circulatory letter. It was not a letter that was written strictly for the Ephesians. It was probably a very general letter. You notice there's very few references to individuals like the other letters, very few references to specific problems. …
… that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now unto him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Now, we said if you look, and it wasn't that hard to see, wasn't it? The chapter consists of two parts, Paul's detour and Paul's prayer. You see, he starts off, for this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ, for the sake of you Gentiles, surely you have heard. Now, it's pretty clear that Paul starts to say something and he breaks off and he does what's called a digression, a detour. He takes a detour. It says, for this reason, for this reason, now, what is he referring to? I have to remind you, chapter 2 is what he's referring to. And he's referring to the fact that Christ and the gospel unites diverse kinds of people who otherwise could never get along in any other way. …
… Well, when you and I think about what authority means and what power means, look, if you will, in Ephesians chapter 3. Because he says here in verse 20, now to him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, and that is Christ. God the Father, Christ the Holy Spirit. Listen, what power is at work in the life of every single believer? It is the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. the resurrection power of Jesus Christ is not only available to, it already is within the body. God has indwelt within His body supernatural authority and power in order that the body may carry out the function God gave it to fulfill, which is to evangelize, to missionize this whole world. So that when He says He's Lord, the Bible says He has a right to be Lord. God the Father arranged that he would be Lord. His sacrificial death gives him the right to be Lord. That he will supply all that we need. …