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Ephesians 1

He-Man, Darth Vader and my grandfather walk into a bar: The power of the resurrection

for us

The master of five excellences

I think a lot about the definition of power. What does it mean to have true power? Most of you

know about my less than secret hope to be a super hero someday. For a while I hoped for

political power. Certainly the power of influence is still something I am aspiring to.

My grandfather used to tell me what real power looked like. And he was a

connoisseur of real power. He was born in Iowa into economic distress. In

high school he learned boxing and wrestling, entered the Marines, went to

college, then the Red Cross then the CIA. In the CIA he lived in Taiwan and

for six months continued to knock on the door of the master of Five

excellences (calligraphy, poetry, painting, Chinese medicine and taijiquan;

doesn’t this so sound like Kung Fu Panda?) until he finally agreed to take him

as his first non-Chinese student. Under Cheng Man-ching, he learned

taijiquan, bagiquan, and tuishou (push hands) as well as perfected judo,

boxing,T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Pa-kua Ch'uan and Hsing-i Ch'uan, and wrote 14

books on the martial arts including one on Shaolin Temple Boxing.

He used to tell stories of the great masters who would root their legs into

the concrete and not be able to be moved. Or they would solidify and throw

people back a dozen feet effortlessly

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6e01Gb-2h4 1.32 to 1.45) or punch

with all of his might and they would just stand there unmoving.

That’s a kind of power.

The power quiz

Here are some other ideas of power

This morning I want to give you a quiz. A power Quiz.

I am going to put something on the board and you figure out how the word power fits in with the

picture.

When you are sure you know the right answer stand up and I will call on you to pronounce it

with authority.

An easy one first

Power lines

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power tie

Power nap

Power plant

Power tools

By the power of Castle

Greyskull…I have the power

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The ring(s) of power

Absolute Power, Clint Eastwood, 1997

Power rangers

Soul power

Power puff girls

(I know you love this Dennis and Josh)

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Power Man

P90X power 90 minutes, extreme

Fight the power

With great power comes great responsibility

If you only knew the power of the

dark side

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Power of Love

The power of the resurrection

Don’t you ever talk about anything else?

Okay the power of the resurrection. How very cliché. Every Easter it’s the same thing. Jesus got

up from the dead. Don’t you guys ever talk about anything else?

Now, if you are here just because it’s Easter, it’s true, you probably do only hear about the

resurrection. But if you are here the other 51 Sundays, you might be amazed to find out, well…

we talk about the resurrection every stinking week. We pound the same nail over and over again.

Life, death, resurrection, ascension . . . in every sermon. Because it is this topic that drives

everything.

If I call this congregation to love people that are different than them, I do it based on the

power of the resurrection.

If I call this congregation to be generous and to work at the soup kitchen, I do it based on

the power of the resurrection.

If I call people to stand up for the oppressed, it’s based on the power of the resurrection

If I call them to invite someone to church, walk for a cancer cure, bring food to their sick

neighbor, work hard at their job, do landscaping or painting at the elementary

school, shovel their neighbors walks, lead their kids in family

devotions, visit people in prison and give their kids presents,

fight sex-trafficking, paint an awesome picture or play an

awesome song, whatever we do (So whether you eat or drink or

whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God) we do it all

because of the power of the resurrection.

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But this morning I want you to see the power that exists inside of you, the resurrection power

that is manifest in Jesus’ church. Not the building, but the people that belong to him. Those, we

saw last week, who are adopted, delivered and marked as an inheritance.

A couple of weeks ago, we started a new series in the book of Ephesians. We haven’t gotten very

far yet, but already we have been encouraged by how much he loves us. Enough to call us out, to

deliver us and to make us his own child. That’s already awesome, but hear the power of this

section.

15 Because of all this, and because I’d heard that you are loyal and faithful to Jesus the

master, and that you show love to all God’s holy people, 16 I never stop giving thanks for

you as I remember you in my prayers.

17 I pray that the God of King Jesus our Lord, the father of glory, would give you,

What are we to pray for?

Can I just stop for a second, I don’t want to camp here, but next week I want to revisit this

because I think the fact that this is a prayer is an area that we can learn much from.

What is it that he is praying for these people?

Healing for broken ankles?

Safe travels

Relief in stress

Financial success

“yubba dub dub, thanks for the grub”

17 I pray that the God of King Jesus our Lord, the father of glory, would give you, . . . in

your spirit, the gift of being wise, of seeing things people can’t normally see, because you

are coming to know him 18 and to have the eyes of your inmost self opened to God’s

light.

Not that there is anything wrong with praying that God will heal my ankle or your back or your

emotional struggles—I pray for those things for you guys nearly every day. But at least look at

the emphasis here: He is praying that they would have insight, wisdom, that they would

understand things that others don’t. He is praying that they would know three things (which is

the second half of 18 and 19)

Then you will know

1) exactly what the hope is that goes with God’s call;

2) you will know the wealth of the glory of His inheritance in His holy people;

3) and you will know the outstanding greatness of His power towards us who are loyal to

Him in faith, according to the working of His strength and power.

The first two I will come back to next week

Knowledge of the hope of God’s Call

Knowledge of the glory of his inheritance

But I want to camp on the third one today:

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The outstanding greatness of His power towards us

It’s one thing to speak robustly about God’s power, but what kind of power are we talking about?

Mighty Morphin power rangers kind of power?

Hulk Smash kind of power?

What is this power?

And it’s one thing to speak in lofty and transcendent terms regarding the power, but it’s quite a

different thing to remember that it is his power towards us.

So let’s answer these two questions:

1) What kind of power are we talking about?

2) How is the “towards us” relevant?

What kind of power are we talking about?

The first answer begins in verse 20. What kind of power are we talking about?

20 This was the power at work in the king when God raised Him from the dead and sat Him at

His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 above all rule and authority and power and lordship,

and above every name that gets itself talked about, both in the present age and also in the age to

come. 22 Yes: God has ‘put all things under His feet’,

The resurrection

It’s the power that raised the king from the dead.

Perhaps you have bought into the idea that this understanding of Jesus needs to be

demythologized.

“Let’s not go too far with this. Everyone knows people don’t rise from the dead. This is

just a primitive belief. It should be understood that he raised in our hearts.”

What kind of power is that?

That is not what Paul is getting at. He doesn’t want a kerygma Jesus, he adamantly rejects that

kind of Jesus. The Jesus he worships actually got up after three days of being dead. Even in their

primitive world, people didn’t do that. That’s what made this so mind-numbing. No one would

care about a king who rose metaphorically.

“Of course he rose. I am glad he is in a high place in your heart and you look back to who

he was and it gives you good feelings and now you can also rise.”

No! People don’t care about this kind of resurrection.

They are happy for you to “follow” these kinds of principles.

People don’t hunt down the disciples and kill them for a metaphorical resurrection. One of his

followers was exiled and 11 were executed and it wasn’t for a grand and lofty metaphorical inner

power.

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This is the same Paul who said that if Jesus didn’t really get up from the dead, then we are,

among men, the most miserable.

I know you have heard this a lot, but just allow your mind to consider what this would do today.

Not just someone’s heart stopped from beating for a few minutes and defibrillators jumping him

back to this life.

I know this is a bit gruesome, but I am talking about watching your best friend gunned down

right in front of you. Then the killers jump out of the car, come over and stick him through with

knives before driving off. The coroner comes and pronounces him dead. They take him back to

the coroners office and then to the mortician to do their magic of preservation. A couple days

later you are crying on the open coffin. You watch them lower it into the ground and dump dirt

on it. A few days later you come back to put flowers on the grave and there is a mound of dirt

and the coffin looks like it has jumped out of the hole in the ground and is spilled out on the dirt.

No body!

And then you turn around and he is standing there.

And then you and your other buddies talk to him, touch him, and have dinner with him.

And then more than 500 people all do the same.

It wasn’t a metaphor, it’s this kind of power that makes the dead live.

The ascension

But, notice it’s not just the resurrection that shows his power. Listen again.

20 This was the power at work in the king when God raised Him from the dead and sat

Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 above all rule and authority and power

and lordship, and above every name that gets itself talked about, both in the present age

and also in the age to come. 22 Yes: God has ‘put all things under His feet’,

He also sat him at his right hand in the heavenly places. This idea of seating someone at your

right hand is stock language screaming out the idea of “power.”

The right hand is the power hand. Sorry south paws.

He is seated in power, over all rule, authority, power, and lordship, oh and if you have any other

names for things that are super awesome and powerful, he is over them too (above every name

that gets itself talked about). Yes, everything is under his feet.

It’s the fulfilment of Psalm 110 that every Jewish person knew by heart.

The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool

for your feet." (Psa 110:1 NIV)

Enemies subjected.

There is some question as to what these powers and authorities are. I don’t think we are talking

about ranks of demons, but I do think we are talking about cosmic powers. I think this because

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the book of Ephesians is very insistent that the church is more than a local group to hang out

with. It’s a blood-bought group of people who are not just part of the plan of God, but are the key

to the plan of God in showing the world (and by that I mean the cosmos, every power in

existence) that God is wise and intentional and will succeed in his plans. It’s a cosmic church.

For this reason I am convinced that these things are both spiritual and physical.

And I doubt any of you have too many problems with powers being both physical and spiritual.

Anyone watch House of Cards?

This is a truly messed up couple. Kevin Spacey is a congressional leader turned vice president

who considers it his goal in life to destroy others around him and lift himself up. He sets up a

Senator to run for governor the whole time planning his failure so he could do something else—

then he kills him. He uses a reporter to get information out to the world, and then shoves her in

front of a subway train.

Everything this “authority” does is for himself and designed to hurt others. In the show, they just

call it politics, but I think we can admit that it is evil.

I go back and forth regarding what I believe about powers in the United States. Whether our

President (of any term) has people killed for his own advancement. Whether they would silence

someone either permanently or by publicly destroying their reputation.

But I do know that people in power are probably tempted by the same things I am. More power,

more riches, more acceptance, more respect. I know that they are probably sometimes out for the

good of the public and sometimes out only for themselves. I know that there is evil in this world

and I know it uses authority and power to get what it wants.

Have you met Loki? He is the personification of deception and evil for his own gain. Yes, there

are deep truths in marvel myths.

Crucifixion

But this power is not a myth. And this King does not struggle with having too much power and

wealth and respect and acceptance. He isn’t tempted to become a tyrant. His power is real and

absolute and yet it shows itself in him laying his life down. The power of sacrifice and the power

of exaltation.

So, Paul is praying that the Ephesians will know the power of God made evident in two things:

1. The resurrection

2. The ascension

But it’s more than simple knowledge he prays for.

He is praying that they will know it.

It’s like if I call you to believe in Jesus. I don’t mean that I want you to intellectually assent that

he existed. This is considered a given in nearly all historical scholarship. I also don’t mean I

want you to intellectually assent that he died and got up again. This is far from universally

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recognized, but still I am calling you to that and so much more. When I say believe in Jesus, I am

calling you to follow. I am calling you to give up everything for the joy that is set before us. I am

calling you to sell everything you own for the treasure that is Christ.

So, when Paul says he wants them to know the power of resurrection and ascension, he is saying

that he wants them to experience it.

What is this power for?

Let’s float back to verse 19 again

and you will know the outstanding greatness of His power towards us who are loyal to

Him in faith, according to the working of His strength and power.

This isn’t just power for power sake, this is power for the church’s sake.

...you will know the outstanding greatness of His power … towards us.

Who is the “us?”

Those who are loyal to Him in Faith.

Again, not faith as in intellectual assent to a few cool facts, but loyalty. He is the king. Kings

require loyalty, following, . . . that’s what Paul means by “faith.”

But go a step further, back to verse 22 near the end.

and has given Him to the church as the head over all. 23 The church is His body; it is the

fullness of the one who fills all in all.

All of your translations are a bit different here and I have to admit, I can’t make heads or tails of

the Greek. It is just as confusing in Greek as it is in English.

Is God the one who fills Jesus? And Jesus the fullness of God?

Is the church the fullness of Jesus and if so does that mean that the church is (actively) the

content of that which fills Jesus or (passively) is the church the container.

Its Easter and I can’t possibly go into the depth needed to explain all this (come next week and

you never know), and the truth is, the Greek can mean all of these different ideas. So basically I

am going to conclude based on what I think Paul is trying to do with the entire book.

Surely, there is truth if I were to say that we fill up what is lacking in Christ. Not that anything is

really lacking, but in the sense that no one can now see the cross of Jesus, but they can see how

we sacrifice all to follow him. So, we fill up what is missing for others. But I think the big

picture of what Paul is trying to say is that the church is the fullness of Christ, because Christ

fills the church.

That is, we are empowered by Christ. So Christ goes into all the world, fills all the world, as his

believers carry him there.

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Forget all the exegesis and the Greek difficulties and the passive vs active senses and let’s bring

this down to the practical nitty gritty. Paul is convinced that the church has the power of God.

Let me dumb this down even further. Paul is convinced that you carry the power of God.

Power? What kind of power?

Look at verse 19 again

and you will know the outstanding greatness of His power towards us who are loyal to

Him in faith, according to the working of His strength and power.

Four words of power

Power = dunamis, we get the word dynamite from this

Working = energeia, we get the word energy from this

Mighty = ischus, I can’t think of any cool words we get from this

Strength/power = kratos, we get the word autocrat, one who conquers.

Four different ways to say how awesome the power is that comes to us.

Soul power

What kind of power?

The power that raised Jesus from the dead and raised Jesus to the right hand of God.

This isn’t some Red Bull or Monster or Amp or full Throttle energy drink kind of power. It’s not

8 hour energy or zoom pills. We are talking about Holy Spirit Power. We are talking about real

soul power.

Do you remember “Remember the Titans”

Let me ask you something, Mr. Campbell.

Uh-huh.

What kind of power you got?

Oh, man, you know I got some soul power

What kind of power you got?

What kind of question is that? I got soul power

Yes you do,

Right on, let me ask you something now Mr. Bertier

Yes

How strong are you

I am too strong

What? How strong?

Too strong

How Strong

Too strong, I want a victory

No I want a victory …

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What kind of power? Soul power.

But not a pretend metaphorical power—the kind of power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead

and raised him to the seat of power. Don’t underestimate that power.

Examples of power

It’s this power that enabled people to stand strong when lions ripped them apart.

It’s this kind of power that allows people success even with nothing seemingly on their side.

It’s this power that enabled people to go overseas into the worst of circumstances and bring

medicine and the gospel.

It’s this power that enables people to try to work on their marriage when it seems it is over.

It’s this kind of power that enables a child to forgive his alcoholic abusive father.

Do you know the story of Corrie Ten Boom? I have been to her house in the Netherlands and

seen the secret hollow wall that she had built for those running from the Nazis. Why? Because

she was a Christian and she had the power of the Spirit in her. That power was enough to carry

her through being forced into a cattle car and carted to Ravensbrueck. It was this power that

enabled her to read her Dutch Bible and translate into German and to hear the life giving words

passed through the prison in French, Polish, Russian, Czech etc.

It is also this power that, years later, at one of her speaking engagements brought her face to face

with the Raevenbruck guard who had her sister killed. He asked for forgiveness and she gave it.

The power to forgive.

It’s this power that empowered a missionary over and over again to be a man of grace.

He was sent a package that his 16 year old son opened. The

package was a bomb meant for his dad. To this day, this

missionary keeps a picture of the man who sent the bomb in

his Bible so he can pray for him constantly. He later found

out that this man had four kids of his own and he asked his

pastor if there was anything the church might be able to do

for this man’s family while the man was in prison.

That’s only the power of the spirit.

We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us

Letting the power go to waste

And Christians, so many of us just let this power go to waste.

Just before World War 2 in the town of Itasca, TX, a school fire took the lives of 263 children.

There was scarcely a family in town which was not touched by this horrifying tragedy. During

the war Itasca remained without school facilities.

But when the war ended, the town, like many others, began to expand and in fact built a new

school which featured what was called “the finest sprinkler system in the world.” Civic pride ran

high. Honor students were selected to guide citizens and visitors on tours of the new facility to

show them the finest, most advanced sprinkler system technology could supply and money could

buy. Never again would Itasca be visited by such a tragedy. With the post war boom the town

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continued to grow, and seven years later it was necessary to enlarge the school. When they began

adding the new wing it was discovered that the sprinkler system had never been connected.1

This sounds a lot like us. We have this incredible power and we spend our lives doing things that

require no real power.

We sing songs like “I will rise” and they grab our emotions a bit, but they seldom last after the

worship is over. They don’t empower us.

I feel like if I just preach boldly enough, if I just speak with enough passion and put just the right

amount of illustrations and rhetorical flourish and humor and excitement and Greek and

persuasion that you won’t be a once a year church person. That you will finally see Jesus. I want

to scream it out, that our God is great. I want to compel you to follow this God, and I can do that,

but it comes down to a choice for you.

Now I know I don’t have the power of chi that my grandfather spoke often of. I know Power

man, He man, power rangers and even the power puff girls could pretty easily take me out.

But I do have a power. A power beyond any of their imaginings. The power of the resurrection,

the power of the ascension. The power of the church is real and we can truly do anything.

Perhaps you don’t know about this power

Power Gospel message.

1 Story told by Dr. Howard Hendricks on March, 4, 1982 at the International Congress on Biblical Inerrancy in San

Diego CA. Found in Kent Hughes, Ephesians: The Mystery of the Body of Christ (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1990), 57.

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Stand up and sit down a lot in our power quiz, so we can do it again as I ask you if you want this

power.

If you want this power for the first time …

An increase in the power…

Benediction

May almighty God make you faithful to his calling, cheerful in his service and fruitful for his

kingdom, and the blessing of God almighty, the father the son and the Holy Spirit be upon you

and through you with all those he sends you now and always, Amen.