Ephesians 3:20 - Now To Him Who Is Able!
Ephesians 3:20 - Now To Him Who Is Able!
Ephesians 3:20 (NKJV) Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly
abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that
works in us,
Ephesians 3:20 (ESV) Now to him who is able to do far more
abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work
within us,
Ephesians 3:20 (TLB) Now glory be to God, who by his mighty
power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare
to ask or even dream of--infinitely beyond our highest prayers,
desires, thoughts, or hopes.
INTRODUCTION & OVERVIEW
This 'doxology'--prayer of praise to God--ends Part One of
Ephesians. In the first section, Paul described the timeless role of the
church. In Part Two (chapters 4-6), he will explain how church members
should live in order to bring about the unity God wants. [Life
Application SB]
These two verses (Eph. 3:20, 21) form a doxology, or praise, to
God in which Paul points out that God can do exceedingly abundantly
above anything we may ask. Neither God's love nor His power is limited
by human imagination. [Nelson SB]
WORD STUDY with COMMENTARY
Exceeding abundantly. "entirely above all bounds." Paul is fond
of compound words. Here he points to a superabundance, above and
beyond fullness, and overflowing. [SDA Bible Commentary]
Exceeding abundantly. A doubly compounded word meaning
super-superabundantly (used here and in 1 Thess. 3:10 and 5:13 only). The power that
works within us. i.e., the Holy Spirit. [Ryrie SB]
From all we discover about God from the Scriptures, we should
certainly understand that He is able to do anything and everything. We
call this attribute of God, omnipotence. But what we know
intellectually doesn't always make its way to our hearts so that we can believe
it. To get results from our prayers, we need to believe that He is
able to do what we ask of Him and even more! Look at your prayer
list. Do you really believe that God can and will answer your prayers?
How would you pray if you really believed God was going to
answer? [In His Time; Walk With Wisdom]
God's power is clearly demonstrated in what He does in saving
and transforming sinners. The same mighty power which created the
universe and brought Jesus back from the dead, also operates in us who
are believers, making us witnesses to His gospel. [Disciple SB]
COMMENTARY
I am able to do far beyond all that you ask or imagine. Come
to Me with positive expectations, knowing that there is no limit to
what I can accomplish. Ask My Spirit to control your mind, so that
you can think great thoughts of Me. Do not be discouraged by the
fact that many of your prayers are yet unanswered. Time is a trainer,
teaching you to wait upon Me, to trust Me in the dark. The more extreme
your circumstances, the more likely you are to see My Power and Glory
at work in the situation. Instead of letting difficulties draw you
into worrying, try to view them as setting the scene for My glorious
intervention. Keep your eyes and your mind wide open to all that I am doing in
your life.
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, to
him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all
generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Rom. 8:6; Isa. 40:30-31; Rev. 5:13)
[Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
We wait for God to open doors, to move mountains, to part
waters. We pray tor deliverance and healing and provision. We look
upward and outward for His intervention. He hears our prayers and often
moves on our behalf. Yet more often, as alarming as it seems, God
points us back to the power that works "within us."
It's true that God works for His people, but His preferred
modus operandi is to work through us. That's why He didn't tell His
disciples just to pray for people to be healed, raised, cured, and
delivered. He told them to "heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with
leprosy, and cast out demons" (Matthew 10:8) - to do these things
themselves. Sure, they would need faith and supernatural power to do that,
but He still put the action on them. Why? Because God was setting a
pattern and a mind-set for the new creation. We are more than poor
creatures of dust appealing to an awesome deity to intervene. We are
inhabited by that deity Himself. We have become one with Him.
That seems too remarkable to be true, as well as a little
arrogant. But it's thoroughly biblical. In our natural selves, we have no
power to do anything lasting or ultimately worthwhile. But inhabited
by the Spirit of Jesus, we have the power of the Resurrection
within us - the same power that healed the sick, raised the dead,
cleansed lepers, and cast out demons. Any mind-set that convinces us
otherwise will keep us living within natural limits, but when we become
deeply, thoroughly convinced of the Presence and power at work within
us, we begin to experience more of that Presence and power. He does
immeasurably more than asked or imagined - in and through us.
Holy Spirit, this truth is beyond my experience. Please bring
my experience up to the level of Your truth. Teach me to operate in
the power of the Resurrection that works within me. [The One Year
Experiencing God's Presence Devotional by Chris Tiegreen]
ILLUSTRATIONS
He did not waver ... regarding the promise .... being fully
persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. (Romans 4:20-21)
Scripture tells us that Abraham, "without weakening in his
faith.... faced the fact that his body was as good as dead" (v.19). He was
not discouraged, because he was not looking at himself but at
almighty God. "He did not waver ... regarding the promise" but stood
straight, not bending beneath the staggering load of God's blessing.
Instead of growing weak, his faith grew stronger, exhibiting more power,
even as more difficulties became apparent. Abraham glorified God for
His complete sufficiency and was "fully persuaded that God had power
to do what he had promised."
The literal translation of this passage from the Greek
expresses the thought in this way: God is not merely able but abundantly
able, bountifully and generously able, with an infinite surplus of
resources, and eternally able "to do what he had promised."
He is the God of limitless resources-the only limit comes
from us. Our requests, our thoughts, and our prayers are too small,
and our expectations are too low. God is trying to raise our vision
to a higher level, call us to have greater expectations, and
thereby bring us to greater appropriation. Shall we continue living in a
way that mocks His will and denies His Word?
There is no limit to what we may ask and expect of our
glorious El Shaddai - our almighty God. And there is no way for us to
measure His blessing, for He is "able to do immeasurably more than all
we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within
us" (Eph. 3:20). A. B. Simpson
The way to find God's treasure-house of blessing is to climb
the ladder of His divine promises. Those promises are the key that
opens the door to the riches of God's grace and favor. [Streams In The
Desert By Cowman]
"Take the arrows. . . . Strike the ground. " He struck it
three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said,
"You should have struck the ground five or six times. " (2 Kings
13:18-19)
How striking and powerful is the message of these words!
Jehoash, king o Israel, thought he had done quite well when he struck
the ground "three times and stopped." To him, it seemed to be an
extraordinary act of his faith, but the Lord and the prophet Elisha were
deeply disappointed, because he had stopped halfway.
Yes, he did receive something; in fact, he received a great
deal-exactly what he had believed God for, in the final analysis. Yet Jehoash
did not receive everything that Elisha meant for him to have or that
the Lord wanted to bestow on him. He missed much of the meaning of
the promise, and the fullness of the blessing. He did receive more
than any human could have offered, but he did not receive God's
best.
Dear believer, how sobering is the truth of this story! How
important it is for us to learn to pray through our circumstances and to
fully examine our hearts with God's message to us! Otherwise, we will
never claim all the fullness of His promise or all the possibilities
that believing prayer offers. A. B. Simpson
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, to him be
glory. Ephesians 3:20-21
In no other place does the apostle Paul use these seemingly
redundant words: "immeasurably more than all." Each word is packed with
God's infinite love and power "to do" for His praying believers. Yet
there is the following limitation: "according to his power that is at
work within us." He will only do as much for us as we will allow Him
to do in us. The same power that saved us, washed us with His
blood, filled us with the power of His Holy Spirit, and protected us
through numerous temptations will work for us to meet every emergency,
every crisis, every circumstance, and every adversary. The Alliance
[Streams In The Desert By Cowman]
CLOSING THOUGHT
At times we feel as if we could impress God with all we are
trying to do for Him and His church. Yet God has yet to be impressed
with even the most grandiose human aspirations (Ps 8:3-4). You will
never set a goal so big or attempt a task so significant that God does
not have something far greater that He could do in and through your
life. Saul of Tarsus worked harder than anyone else to impress God
with his efforts, only to discover that his greatest achievements
were but rubbish compared to God's will for his life (Php 3:7-8).
Our problem is that we become too easily enamored with our
own plans. If we are attempting to do noble or difficult things, we
assume that we must be experiencing the maximum potential for our lives
and that God must, therefore, be pleased with us. Until we have
heard from God, we cannot even imagine all that our lives could become
or all that God could accomplish through us.
We need to remind ourselves that the Father sees the "big
picture," that His power far exceeds our limited imagination. We must set
aside our own agenda, however lofty. We must never become satisfied
with our own dreams, for they are finite at best. When we follow
God's direction we will witness things happening in our lives that can
only be explained by His powerful presence. How could we be satisfied
with anything less? [Experiencing God Day by Day by Henry and Richard
Blackaby]
GREAT HYMN OF PRAISE:
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross [Live]:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkrhAgOFzsE
EXCELLENT VIDEO SERIES ON EXPERIENCING GOD:
http://sda.biggytv.com/watch/Revive!_-_Dwight_Nelson:_Experiencing_Gods_Grace/revive/
RECENT BIBLE PROPHECY SERIES ON REVELATION:
http://revelationtodaylive.com/live
LINK FOR PERSONAL BIBLE STUDIES:
Send request to: fggibbs@aBible.com
