Power Power at Work in Us

Power

Power at Work in Us

Don’t wait till trouble comes to call upon the Lord

“Be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Let the power of your faith overcome the questions

Of where is God or how could He let this happen

Let the power of love give you the freedom and confidence you need because

“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,...”

The saying is true

“It’s what’s inside that counts”

Ephesians 3:16-19 Paul’s pray for power for the saints

16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Power at Work in Us

When I was drowning in the Saginaw Bay…

I did not feel God, I felt sorrow

as I said good bye to my family.

When I got hit by a pickup truck and laid

in the street with my body all broken up…

I did not feel God, I felt pain.

When bad things happen to us we have

a lot of feelings, but the feeling of God

being with us is most of the time missing.

Many times we question how or why God

would allow such bad things to happen to us.

When bad things happen to us

it can make us feel powerless.

The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 3

prays for the saints to have power.

Before we go into the prayer for power we should

look at what Paul says at the beginning of the chapter…

“…I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ

Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles”

This is more than a symbolic statement

of being a prisoner of Christ.

Paul was in prison, his life and freedom

had been taken away from Him.

Paul amazingly saw his situation with purpose.

If you or I were put in prison we would

likely feel shame, fear, sorrow.

Prison does not give me warm fuzzies about Jesus.

Paul doesn’t talk about the food or treatment

in prison as some powerless victim.

Paul talks about the gift of God’s grace given

to him through the working of God’s power.

Paul’s mind is on the riches of Christ, the

purpose of God throughout history and beyond.

  

And how…

 

“…through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Then this man in prison says…

“and through faith in him we may approach

God with freedom and confidence.”

Freedom and confidence????

Paul, have you forgot you are in prison?

Paul gives us the reason he can speak this way…

“Through faith in him”

As the scripture says “we walk by

faith not by sight” or feelings.

Paul is not discouraged by his sufferings

and ask that the saints would not be

discouraged by his sufferings either.

So now let’s look at Paul’s prayer…

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you

with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

Notice where the power is to reside…

“in your inner being”

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

When trouble comes and we ask where is God?

He is to be in our hearts through faith.

Paul’s prayer for power has two parts…

The prayer for faith and the prayer for love.

“…may have power, together with all the saints,

to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge”

So how does the power work?

We all know the power of trouble.

It is an external pain that forces its way inside of

us to give us bad feeling of sorrow, regret, loss, etc.

Now the power Paul prays for us to have is internal.

Its faith that Christ dwells inside

us and will never leave us.

It is the understanding of His love that

goes beyond the knowledge of trouble.

Like the song…

There ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you

… If you're ever in trouble
I'll be there on the double

Don’t wait till trouble comes to call upon the Lord.

“Be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Let the power of your faith overcome the questions

of where is God or how could He let this happen.

Let the power of love give you the freedom

and confidence you need because…

“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,...”

The saying is true…

“It’s what’s inside that counts”

Scripture Reading

Ephesians 3 NIV

3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20 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, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.