Message from October 3, 2021

Spiritual Power

Ephesians 1:15–23 (ESV)

¹⁵For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,

¹⁶I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,

¹⁷that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him,

¹⁸having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,

¹⁹and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might

²⁰that He worked in Christ when He raised him from the dead and seated Him at his right hand in the heavenly places,

²¹far 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.

²²And He put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church,

²³which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

We Imprint:  The Christian church has had an ongoing dilemma since its inception.  Although we are followers of Christ and called to be different, we have adopted (at times) a worldly confusion in our identity.  We have been born into and grown up in a fallen world, so we have learned the ways of the world. We have become like it.  Too often, we don’t see ourselves correctly. We act like the thing we think we are, rather than what we really are. We believe and try to do the right things; but for the life of us, we cannot get it exactly right.  This is why the text we are looking at is so important. 

Ephesians chapter 1:15-23 helps us see who we truly are as followers of the Way. As such, if we could see ourselves more clearly and consistently as who we really are in Christ, we would be able to live more consistently like Him daily.

We are Powerless: 

The flip-side of this is to feel powerless.  It is terrible to feel helpless in the face of something that could threaten your health and happiness. 

However, in the brokenness of our world, there is a power that is far greater than all other powers; a power that is real and true; a power that meets us at where we need him the most; a power that is trustworthy and constant.

It is the power that God has shown for us in the Lord Jesus Christ. Out of love, He gave himself for us on the cross.

The Power of Jesus

The power of Jesus isn’t like any power that we know on this earth. His power always redefines and changes our lives. It transforms us as his new people. His power is stronger than death – it gives eternal life. The power of Jesus forgives even our worst sins. His power gives us new directions. Also, His power gives us faith through the Word of God.

Christ is ready to use his power in our lives, our families, and our workplaces; he is ready to use his power when we are overcome with fear, worry, grief, and pain.

Our calling is to receive the power that Christ has given to us; but not only that, we are called to share his power to those in our community, to serve others with love in the name of Jesus. 

Rev. Sean Angel