25
The Ascription of Praise
Eph. 3:20‑21
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.
Let us quickly review the main points of the attitudes, approach, and appeal of prayer:
First, we examined the three Attitudes of prayer (vs. 12-13): Boldness, Access, and Confidence.
Second, we considered the three fold Approach to prayer (vs. 14-15): the reason for prayer, the posture of prayer, and to Whom we are to pray.
Third, we observed the appeal of prayer, Paul’s four progressive requests (vs. 16-19):
· He prayed that they would be strengthened by the Spirit, so that
· Christ might indwell by faith, so that
· They might comprehend Christ’s love, so that
· They might be filled with the fullness of God.
In light of all that glorious truth, there is nothing left to do but praise God in the way Paul does here in verse 20-21. As we recall, in each petition Paul went a little higher until he reached the climax with the words, “We might be dominated with all the dominance of God.” There is nothing more he could do then except praise God for all He has done.
As we close the doctrinal half of Ephesians,[1] let us note two principles in verses 20 and 21: The measure of power to us and the measure of praise to God.
I. The Measure of Power To Us (v. 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,
In turn, let us note a contrast here: a human fallacy verses the divine reality.
A Human Fallacy.
A common fallacy, even in many Christian circles, is: “We become what we ought to be by doing what we ought to do.” In short, we become by doing. But does that make sense? Does practicing medicine, for example, make one a physician? Or does teaching a Sunday School class make one a preacher or teacher? Of course not. Likewise, many Christians try to live spiritually so that they will eventually be spiritual. “If I do enough of the things I should,” it is thought, “that will make me spiritual.”
That is exactly the problem with legalistic Christianity that says that by obeying some list of “dos and don’ts” we will become spiritual. But the problem with such lists is that they don’t coincide. One man’s list will differ from another man’s list. Christian conduct is, therefore, reduced to man’s opinion. Legalistic Christianity, which is prevalent in many churches and Bible Colleges, is a dangerous thing and actually hinders Christian maturity. It does not build maturity or foster true discernment. Yes, there are certain things a Christian does and certain things he does not do, but God gives His own “lists” of conduct in His Word. In fact, one such list is right here in Ephesians (4:25‑32), which we’ll examine in great depth when we get to it.
In contrast to this fallacy, the Truth is that we do something because we become something. A person practices medicine because he was trained to become a physician. A man preaches and teaches the Word because God called him to do so and he was then trained and ordained to become a preacher. Likewise, each Christian must first be spiritual, which will then be manifested in the right conduct. Spirituality is an inward attitude that in turn prompts an outward This prepares us for another thought.
The Divine Reality
A truth we all know in our heads is that all that is done is accomplished only by God’s will and power. Whether it be some mighty act in the universe, or whether it be some minute work in our lives, it is all done by His power. But even though we know this in our head, do we really know it in the heart? Do we understand that God is doing all things for His glory?
This leads us to examine one of the most incomprehensible truths of God’s Word, namely, Paul’s description of God’s power. Verse 20 is one of the most vivid examples of the inadequacy of human language. Paul cannot find adequate words to describe God’s power, so he heaps superlative upon superlative: 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.
The first truth we should notice here is that God is able. Scripture several times declares what God is able to do. With the threat of being cast into the furnace for not bowing to worship the Nebuchadnezzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego humbly responded, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king” (Dan. 3:15-17). “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul,” our Lord declared, “but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28). Additionally, “God is able to make all grace abound” (II Cor. 9:8), “is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Phil. 3:10), “is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by [Christ]” (Heb. 7:25), “is able to keep that which [we] have committed unto him” (II Tim. 1:12), and “is able to keep [us] from falling” (Jude 24). The root of Paul’s thinking is that God is able.
Therefore, because He is able, God can do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. The expression exceeding abundantly is an incredible one. It is a very rare double compound, huperekperissou. The prefix hyper means “over, beyond, or above,” the primary preposition ek means “out of or from,” and the root perissos means “over and above, more than enough.” It wasn’t enough for Paul to say that God can do more than enough, but that He can do above and beyond more than enough. What a paradox! How can one do more than more than enough?
But even that is not all, for Paul adds above again—exceeding abundantly above all things. Above is again huper. The full thought then is: not only can God do more than enough, and above and beyond more than enough, but even more than above and beyond more than enough. In short, God can do infinitely more than what any of us can ask or even think about asking.
Let us put the progression of verse 20 in as much of a Divine perspective as the limitations of human language will allow:
·
God
is.
·
God
is able.
·
God
is able to do.
·
God
is able to do all.
·
God
is able to do above all.
·
God
is able to do exceedingly above all.
·
God
is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all.
·
God
is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask.
·
God
is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think.
But even all this is still inadequate to describe the power of God. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said it well:
Our greatest superlatives do not describe the power of God. Add one to another, multiply them, and add them together, and multiply again, and go on doing so “beyond all things,” “exceedingly abundantly above all things,” and still you have not succeeded in describing it.[2]
How tragic it is that there are Christian teachers today who challenge the doctrine of the sovereignty of God, what God alone is able to accomplish. I’ve heard other teachers say that we can demand certain things from God. I recall one preacher, who is now with the Lord, saying that since God has given us His promises, we can therefore demand those promises. While we understand his point, we must loathe the attitude. Who are we to think for one moment that we can demand anything from God? We might figure and calculate what we need in a given situation, but God knows what we really need before we ask or even think it! In fact, God knew all this in eternity past, before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). How arrogant we are!
Having said that, however, may we also realize that if we ask according to God’s will (I Jn. 5:14), and if we ask with the right motive, that is, not for our own lust (Jas. 4:3), we can ask for anything. And no matter what it is, God can do it. “With God nothing shall be impossible,” Luke declared (Lk. 1:37). Our Lord put it in the positive, “With God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26), and again, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Lk. 18:27).
The story is told of a
man who once did Alexander the Great a service. In return Alexander told him to
ask for any reward he wished. The man made such an enormous demand on the
treasury that the imperial treasurer refused to pay it. But the man appealed to
Alexander, who declared, “This man knows the greatness of Alexander and has
asked accordingly. We are greatly honored. Grant his request.”[3] We too can ask according to the greatness
of God.
But again, Paul goes even further by telling us that God not only can do above what we can ask, but even above what we can think. What a Truth! As God gave Solomon far more than what he asked for, God does the same for each of us. Again, we might think we know what is best, but He gives what we really need and what we can’t even conceive of needing.
This again shows the breakdown of modern ministry, which is geared to “felt-needs” and “seeker-sensitivity.” Such people, and the so-called “ministers” we cater to them, have no idea what God really wants to give them. They want things that appeal to the flesh, never realizing what God really wants to give them because they do not like doctrine.
Now consider that this unfathomable power of God is the same power that is [working] in us. And may we say, thank God it is, for what miserable wretches we still be if it were not!
First, this power saved us. It turned a cowardly fisherman named Peter into courageous servant of Christ. It turned a persecutor of the Church named Saul into the greatest preacher of the Gospel. It turned our Lord’s own unbelieving brother James into an uncompromising pillar of the Church. Most Christians can name at least one person they know who was dramatically saved by this power. One man I know was once the distributor of pornography on board a naval vessel, but God gloriously converted him and called him to preach.
Second, this power continues to [work] in us. This takes us back to our study of Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship.” Oh, that we would realize that God is continually working in us: He uses every message we hear preached; He uses every trial and sorrow we encounter; He uses every joy and triumph we experience; He uses every opportunity to witness we face; in short, He uses everything to work in us. The sooner we realize that truth, the more we are going to mature, the deeper we will grow spiritually.
Why is God working in us in this way? Well, one reason, of course, is to make us all we can be for our own benefit and blessing. But there is a greater reason, and it is this that leads us to our second principle.
II. The Measure of Praise to God (v. 21)
Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
As we noted in the Introduction, some view the theme of Ephesians as being the Church. While we agree that it is a secondary theme, it is not the primary theme, which is, God's eternal purpose and the place of Christ and His people in that purpose.[4] An example of this is here in our text. Yes, the church is in view, but before that is God’s glory. So, since God’s ultimate purpose is to bring glory to Himself, Paul closes the doctrinal portion of this letter by presenting two intimately related ways through which God will be praised.
In The Church
What is the purpose of the Church? Is its purpose to be “seeker-sensitive,” to appeal to people’s “felt needs,” to reach the “unchurched,” to entertain, and so forth? Regardless of the redefining of the Church today, its true purpose is the glorify God. God is actually using the Church to glorify Himself. As Psalm 148 declares, everything gives praise to God: angels, the sun, moon, and stars, all the animals, fire, hail, snow, vapours, stormy wind, mountains, hills, trees, kings, princes, judges, and all people, “both young men, and maidens, old men, and children.” Everything praises God, whether or not people intend to do so.
The Church, however, is something special, a grand miracle. We have studied how Jews and Gentiles were alienated and how man in general was alienated from God. Only God could bring about reconciliation, the changing back to the time of no variance, no enmity.
Therefore, what marvelous glory this brings to Him! But, to go deeper, the Church is the living entity that God is using to bring about His purposes on earth. Neither the Church, that is, the universal Body of Christ, nor churches, that is, local assemblies, are to ever bring glory to themselves. Tragically, there are many today who brag about how large their church, what their church has accomplished, how many programs and “ministries” they have, but this an abomination. But how many of these are bringing glory to God alone? We must be careful that all we do brings glory to Him.
By Christ Jesus
Not only is God glorified in (or through) the
Church, but this is accomplished by Christ Jesus.
The Greek behind both in
and by is the same word (en),
“a primary preposition denoting (fixed) position (in place, time or state), and
(by implication) instrumentality,”[5] and
is translated in several ways: in, by, with, among, at, on, and through. In
light of the context, then, the idea here is that God is glorified through
the Church by the instrumentality of Christ.[6]
While modern ministry tries to glorify God through the instrumentality of human
reason and worldly methods, God wants it done by the instrumentality of Christ. As our Lord Himself declared, “I will
build my Church” (Matt. 16:18).
Finally, Paul adds throughout all ages, world without end. Here is another one of his “self-invented phrases.” Literally, he says, “unto all generations of the age of ages,” or “unto all the generations of the eternity of eternities, or the eternity of ages.”[7] The language is obviously designed to picture eternity. Christ is eternal, the Church will last forever, and both shall forever give glory to God. One poet puts it well:
To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
The God whom heaven’s triumph’s host
And saints on earth adore,
Be glory as in ages past,
As now it is, and so shall last
When time shall be no more.[8]
Conclusion (“Amen”)
Let us close our study of the doctrinal portion of Ephesians by examining the word Amen, a word we say often but one which few know the meaning. This word is usually overlooked in Bible study when it is actually quite significant.
Amen is merely a transliteration of the Hebrew āmēn. One purpose of the word is to confirm a statement and could be translated in various ways: “so, be it,” “so it is,” “there you have it,“ and so forth. But another use of the word was originally one of response by the listeners or readers who were present when truth was given. One Greek authority tells us that a certain custom, which passed from the synagogue to the Christian assemblies, was that when someone closed a solemn prayer, others present responded with Amen and thus made all that was said their own.[9]
How thrilling this is! Can you say Amen to these marvelous truths of prayer? What’s more, can you say Amen to the many marvelous truths of Ephesians?
As this first half of Ephesians closes, and as we say Amen to it, we are not only confirming it, but we are responding to it by realizing that it is our very own possession. In short, by saying “Amen,” we are saying, “All this is mine.”
All the doctrinal truth of Ephesians 1‑3 sets the stage for the practical truth of Ephesians 4‑6. It is in chapters 4‑6 that we will see the great responsibilities we have as Christians, and if we can’t say Amen now in chapters 1‑3, we will certainly not be able to say it in chapters 4‑6. If we can say Amen to our riches in Christ, we certainly won’t be able to say it to our responsibilities in Christ. Oh, may we say with the Apostle Paul, AMEN!