Ephesians 1:16-20. 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…
There’s a song lyric that says, “The same power that rose Jesus from the grave lives in us.” The incredible reality is that this is true. Christians have a unique power living inside of them – resurrection power.
Ephesians 1 starts with a glorious list of our spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ (v.3-14), the greatest of which is the Holy Spirit himself living in us. The chapter then shifts into a prayer by Paul for the saints (v.16-23). A prayer for knowledge – that you may know. He prays that each of us would know three things: the hope to which God has called us, the riches of glory that we will receive as God’s inheritance, and finally (the climax of the prayer) the immeasurable greatness of God’s power toward us who believe.
God’s power toward us.
Notice that we’re not talking about God’s power IN us (Paul will talk about that in Ephesians 3). Before we can talk about God’s power IN us we have to understand God’s power TOWARD us. God’s resurrection power is a force that acts upon us from outside of us. It’s an alien power. From God TO us. Simply put this power is in no way your own power, ability, or strength. Just as you could never resurrect yourself from death, never could your own strength or might save you from all the effects of your sin.
Of course God’s power TOWARD us becomes God’s power IN us as we are united to Christ by the Spirit. The realities of this power IN us are almost endless. What are these realities? Let’s consider a few of them together:
Our victory is assured. Yes, this life is full of defeat, failure, oppression, struggle, and sorrow. Mental illness, addiction, shame, broken relationships, and shattered dreams all plague us in this fallen world. But none of these has the final say. Just as the cross was a gateway to an empty tomb, so too is every hardship in this life a gateway to resurrection victory in this life or the life to come.
We have nothing to prove. Resurrection power is its own grace, but it is also the power to receive grace. The truth is we are prone to resist grace. We want to do things by our own strength rather than rely on anyone else, including God. When Jesus walked out of that tomb there was nothing left for him to accomplish and nothing left for him to prove. Not to God, not to himself, and not to us. Christian, you don’t have the power to prove yourself, you have the power to NOT prove yourself. To rest in the grace of Christ alone. That’s resurrection power.
We are empowered to overcome sin and self. Yes, resurrection power is grace and rest, it is unconditional favor and love, but it is also the power to fight sin by that same favor and love. Every day we are attacked by messages from the world, the flesh, and the devil that tell us we need to do more, be more, create our own identity and then never once fail at getting ourselves to where we “desire” to be. This pride is the root of all other sins. But resurrection power removes all pride – remember, it is a power TOWARD you, not in you. Resurrection power is the power of God’s love that takes away every need to sin, to self-promote and self-actualize. Beyond this it literally takes away all of sin’s condemning power and controlling power. It gives us a new freedom to choose. We do and can live from the newness of life. We can choose not to sin. And when we do choose to sin, that sin is never again credited to our account, for our ledger has been eternally balanced by Christ own righteousness.
This power toward us is HOW and WHY we have every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Ephesians 1:3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
Takes some time to read Ephesians 1:4-14 and meditate on all the spiritual blessings that resurrection power has poured out on us from Heaven: Holiness, love, adoption, grace, forgiveness, redemption, wisdom, knowledge of his will, and, of course, the guarantee of it all, the Holy Spirit.
To be united to Christ is to have the power of God acting upon you from outside of you bringing a new reality inside of you. It is all of God’s sufficient and immeasurable blessings guaranteeing our total sanctification. It is the presence of his everlasting love in us today. It is the strength for each battle. It is ultimate victory. It is our life. O what grace!
You: Where does your life need resurrection power today?
You in Christ: In what ways can you see God’s resurrection power toward you becoming his power in you?
Christ in you: You have a divine power in you that can overcome anything. How does this reality impact how you “perform” each day?
Prayer: Father, the same power that rose Jesus from the grave lives in me. What an incredible truth to base my life upon. Help me to face life from “alive” rather than from “dead.” Amen.
To Live is Christ 