Reflections Of His Grace”

“That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ”

The Gracious Equipping For Service: Ephesians 3:14-21

 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

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,  Unto him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. 

In this text, Paul is requesting through prayer, that the Lord would equip the Ephesian saints with the necessary tools to be faithful in their service to Him.

A very basic outline of this section of Scripture which is Paul’s prayer for the Lord’s equipping of the saints:
I.        Paul’s prayerful/submissive attitude in prayer – 14
II.        Paul’s recognition of The Father’s authority over His family – 15
III.        Paul’s request for spiritual strength in the inner man – 16
IV.        Paul’s request for Christ inhabiting their hearts – 17a
V.        Paul’s request for love to be their foundation – 17b
VI.        Paul’s request for their comprehension of the love of Christ – 18-19a
VII.        Paul’s request for spiritual filling – 19b
VIII. Paul’s acknowledgment of His great abilities – 20
IX.        Paul’s desire for the Lord to be glorified – 21
X.        The enabling of Paul to minister this mystery in the midst of persecutions – 12-13

EXPOSITION:

 Paul’s prayer continues …

(Eph 3:20)  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,
Following Paul’s many requests on behalf of the church at Ephesus, he now declares the Lord’s ability to fulfill all of His requests…. AND MORE!

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, 
 

Paul describes our Lord’s power by the phrase “able to do abundantly”.  In this phrase, Paul teaches us two basic truths about the ability of the Lord:

1. The Lord is “able” to perform any task
The Greek word for “able” (dunamis) is the word from which we get “dynamite”.  It always refers to the power that is needed to perform a given task.

2. The Lord’s is “able” to perform MORE than any task laid before Him.
“to do exceeding abundantly” comes from a Greek phrase that means “to perform far above the mark that is set”.  This helps us to understand that nothing the Lord does tests the limits of His power.  No matter what it may be, the Lord always has much more power than He needs.  His power is endless and therefore His abilities have no limits.

“Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, [and] there is nothing too hard for thee:  Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, [is] his name,  Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes [are] open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:”   (Jeremiah 32:17-19)

Paul describes the Lord’s ability in relationship to mankind’s requests to two different ways:

1.  “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask”
Paul is relating God’s ability to his prayerful requests.  He is reminding the church at Ephesus that His God can do all that he has just requested on behalf of the Ephesians.  They can trust in His abilities and not doubt that these gracious blessings can come upon them.

2.  “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we …think”
But Paul goes beyond this, he now explains that God’s ability transcends our human understanding.  He can perform “beyond our wildest dreams”.

 “And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”  (Luke 18:27)

according to the power that worketh in us,

The same power that God exercises to perform all His will is the same power that is at work in our lives as the indwelling Spirit enables us for service and keeps us eternally secure in Christ.

“Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:  Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.”

 (Colossians 1:28-29)

Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,  Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”   (1 Peter 1:3-5)

APPLICATION:

What a wondrously gracious Lord we serve!  This Lord, who is able to do more than we can imagine, graciously uses His great power to supply our needs, give us our desires (when they are beneficial for us),  and enable us to serve Him in great ways.  Remember, our Lord is not obligated to do any of this for us, but chooses to do so out of a heart of love and mercy on our behalf.

May we all get a clearer picture of our Lord and Savior, and the great grace He has shown to us. Let us be always watchful to keep His great acts of grace on our behalf in the center of our attention… In doing so, may we be motivated to LOVE Him more, APPRECIATE Him more and SERVE Him more!  

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