SPEAKER_00 0:00

The Lord be with you. Thanks so much. What a gift to be with you on the fifth Sunday in the season of Easter Tide. Just by show of hands, how many college students are here? Oh, it's so good to see you, and it breaks my heart all at the same time. Can we just, I mean, I don't know, you are a dynamic part of our life. You help us be us. And I think it'd be cool if we just said thank you to the college students. Two verses for the morning. Does that sound okay?

unknown 0:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

They're embedded in the middle of the book of Ephesians. We're going to be swimming in the waters of Ephesians for the remainder of Easter tide. These two verses, chapter 3, verse 20, this is the one time in your life I'm going to let you read along. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Sound familiar to anybody? Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all you dare to ask. Or even imagine. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. And all God's people said, Amen. If you get lost during the rest of the sermon, if you start daydreaming, which is incredibly likely, daydream towards that end. I got a text from a friend two Sundays ago. They'd come to the 8 o'clock service and were on their way on a little vacation south, driving through Ohio, when I got a text from him of a sign that they had come across, which read, Arrive as strangers, leave as friends. Didn't that sound nice? I was captured by that. I was like, wow, can I borrow that? And the response was something like, sure, with a beer stein emoji. I was like, wait, what? So I was fishing, so I was like, was that on the side of a church? And he's like, no, I was on the side of a bar. Arrive as strangers, leave as friends. He had heard the book of Ephesians earlier that morning, and something about that sign seemed to like umbilicate itself to the book of Ephesians. Arrive as strangers, leave as friends. And then he went on to text uh the church ought to be the most non-judgmental, welcoming community in a town. And before I could respond with my Amen emoji, uh, is there an Amen emoji? Uh he said, I wonder how many Dutchmen think of themselves as Gentiles. I mean, you could you could like take out Dutchmen and replace it with whatever other nationality you choose. Anyway, I just thought you'd like to know. Uh back to our verse. Now, to him who, by the power at work within us, is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or even imagine. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all generations, forever and ever. And then when I was a kid, my dad, uh, he was a pastor-preacher. Uh, to his last day in the pulpit, he wore a long robe. Uh at the benediction, he'd he'd raise his hands like this. Most Sundays, as I remember, most Sundays, he'd raise his hands like this, and you know, it's like flowing robes, it's an imposing image. And he'd say to us at the end of the service, now to him who, by the power at work within us, is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or even imagine. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all generations, forever and ever. And we'd all leave, or at least I would leave, and I'd be like, far more abundantly. You know, like even more than I could ask, because I'm only asking for like three bedrooms and a porch. He's thinking five bedrooms and ten acres, you know? Far more abundantly, or like I'm hoping just to graduate, but he's got magna cum laude in his mind far more abundantly than all we could ask or even imagine. Are you with me? And that is absolutely not what the apostle Paul has in mind. That was unfair. I shouldn't have done that. What's Paul talking about? Getting me more stuff if only I asked better. Now to him who by the power keeps circling around power throughout the book of Ephesians. I'm using, if you're wondering, I'm using Ephesians 3, 20, and 21 as a lens through which we look at the rest of the book. Now to him who by the power, he keeps talking about power throughout Ephesians. Now to him who by the power at work within it. We have a love-hate relationship with power. Does that sound fair? Does that sound we love it when we have it? Not so much when we don't. The thing is about power, it just is. It's like oxygen. You know, like you don't get to choose that your body needs it. It just is. Power is. Now, what you do with it, how you use it, who gets it, who's kept from it, all that, that's a different question. But power? Now to him who by the power at work within us, it seems as if the apostle Paul is talking about power as something that doesn't reside with us or belong to us, but to someone else, some other else, the other else, who works it in us. Are you with me? The power he's talking about belongs to God. God who spoke worlds into existence. That power is at work in you. Think about what you could do. The power of the one who sends fire from heaven to consume all the watered-down altars is at work in you. The power of the one who parts water so people can make it to freedom exists in you. The power of the one who raises the dead and forgives sin and heals disease, that power is at work in you. The power of the one who can scatter the proud and lift the lowly exists in you. Are you with me? Now to him who, by the power at work within us, is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations, forever and ever. Amen. The power he's talking about is not a little bit bigger house and a little bit better grades and a little bit more money, though I'm sure God is interested in those things for you, but that's just not what Paul's getting at here. He's talking about the power that is above all the other powers. He's talking about the power that's greater than all the pressures. He's talking about the power that enables us to push through all the differences. If I'm reading Ephesians well, anyway. Power above all the powers. Now to him who by the power, Paul uses the same word two chapters earlier when he says, God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that's named, whether in this age or in the age to come, and put all things under his feet and made him head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. That power is in you. The power above the powers. Any of them and all of them. You are not pawns in someone else's game, to be pushed around and moved about. Well, Paul is in prison. This is Ephesians. He's writing to the Christians in Ephesus, he's in prison because the gospel of Christ ran in conflict with the power realities of the world called Rome. Here's a picture of a statue, it's not a very good picture, but it is a picture that'll give you an idea. That's a statue to Emperor Nero, who was the Roman Emperor at the time that Paul was in prison writing this letter to the church in Ephesus. Who do you think he has in mind when he says, above every name that's named, whether in this age or in the age to come? Domitian, who would follow Nero later, would be referred to as Lord and God. And Paul's like, eh, no. Not to him who, by the power at work within us, the same power God put to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand above all power and authority and dominion and rule, above every name that's named. The Christian faith, it's always having to contend with this two kingdoms reality we talk about. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world. It's just nuanced, but that you're always dealing with it. And you can't concede to the kingdom of the world by labeling it with words of the kingdom of God. Ryan Burgess, he wrote a book titled The Vanishing Church. In it, he talks about like 50 years ago, it was basically understood that your Christian perspective was upstream of your political ideology. So, like your Christian perspective kind of influenced, shaped, and formed your political perspective. And to be honest, that led people into differing political perspectives. Now, he says, it's been reversed. Your political perspective is upstream of your Christian faith. So your faith then is influenced by your political perspective. You know what the Apostle Paul says? No. Above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, whether in this age or in the age to come. Someone after the 8 o'clock service was like, ooh, Pastor, you're walking a line. Walking a line? This is the soul of the gospel. Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of Lords. Like, I don't know what it just is. Now, what we do with that might be very interesting to talk about, but let's keep the order right, is all I'm trying to say. Above every power. Are you feeling me, or should I walk out the side door? The power, there's a power at work in you. That's above all the powers, and greater than all the pressures. Ephesians is fascinating. It's six chapters. You should go ahead and read it sometime. It's six chapters. The first three extol the glory of God and the person of Jesus Christ. And you're like, you know. And then the last three get super granular. Like take a microscope out and look at your life. You know, let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth. That's Ephesians. I'm like, yeah, but I like the stuff about it is by grace you've been saved through faith. Same book then says, don't get drunk on wine. Like, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, wait. I like the stuff about, you know, this is not your own doing. It's the gift of God that no one may boast. What do you the first three chapters, the glory of God and the person of Jesus Christ, and then the last three chapters, super granular, you know, like paying attention to the details of each of our lives, and at point you're kind of like, I don't know about that. A couple weeks ago, I don't know if you were here, uh a group of us recited the book of Ephesians, like the whole thing. And uh after the service, one of my kids uh she said, I'm not gonna tell you which one, she said, Dad, are you gonna preach like that again? And I was like, like, what? You know, she's like, you know, like the Sermon on the Mount. I was like, well, that was the book of Ephesians. She's like, yeah, that one. It was super overstimulating. I was like, oh, okay. Never thought of a pillar as being super overstimulating, but I get it. And then and then she then she said, and and then it kind of got mean. Like, you know, that's kind of that's kind of fair. It's kind of honest, like, I don't know, making me feel a little uncomfortable right now. The word power uh shows up a bunch in the first three chapters of Ephesians, the three chapters devoted to God. And the last three chapters never shows up. The last three chapters devoted to us, it never shows up. Power is never used when it's talking about us. The only time you could even make a case that it shows up is when it says, Finally, beloved, be strong in the Lord. In that case, the word is not dunamis, power, but endunamis, which is a passive version of the same word. Even when they use the word, they're not talking about your capacity, but rather the power at work in you. What I'm trying to get at is it's the power of God at work in us that allows us to live out this life of faith. This isn't an invitation to white knuckle it, to get tougher and be better, to grin and bear it, grit your teeth and just do it. It's an invitation to surrender. That's what that's what our friends call it. I am powerless on my own, so we surrender to the powerful one. This benediction at the end of chapter three is in the middle of the book. Doesn't that sound odd to have a benediction in the middle? That'd be like me or Jonathan standing up, you know, you're about to enter every sector of public life to claim it for Christ. Let's take an offer. I mean, it's like it doesn't fit there. Maybe it's not a benediction. Maybe it's an introduction to the remaining three chapters, the stuff about us, now to him who, by the power at work within you, is able to accomplish abundantly far more, like holiness, righteousness, truth. Maybe our task is to surrender to the pressures that push on us, the pressure outside of us, Paul would call them the principalities and powers, evil, and the and the pressure in us, we call it sin, that so often hold hands and move us to do things we wouldn't do if we had our head about us, say things we wouldn't say if we if we counted to ten. There's a power at work within you greater than all the pressures. So we surrender to live a gospel life. Paul's not saying stop swearing. I mean, yeah, he's saying speak joy, goodness, beauty into existence. He's not just critiquing your behavior on a Friday night. He's inviting you to live a good life all the time. It's not so much oppressing us from the things we might choose to do otherwise, but rather lifting us up to the place he wants us to be. Are you with me? Now, to him who by the power at work in us is able to accomplish abundantly far more. Whatever that nagging sin is in your life that you just kind of keep giving into because surrender. There's a power at work that's greater than all the pressures. Uh last thing, and then we'll head to the table. Uh it's the it the power at work in you is the power to push through all the differences. Paul's writing to a Jewish community. Christianity in the first century wasn't. It didn't exist. It was considered a sect of Judaism. Pharisees, Essene, zealots, Sadducees, Christians. They weren't called Christians, but they were considered a sect. They weren't even called Christians. Even the sect wasn't called Christianity. It was called the way. Paul's writing to a group of Jews who are having to contend with the reality of the people surrounding them who are called Gentiles. In other words, not Jews. Looked different, talked different, acted different, had different family customs, different social ways. And Paul's like, of the Gentiles, those who were once far off, they've been brought near. This is why he says things like, make every effort to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. You know why Paul says that? Because we don't do it naturally. It's not natural to us. Like when you walk into a room, we all do it. We all do it. The first, the it's not even an instinct, it's like it's like you're wired for it. The first thing you do is look for people like you. Your people. Or like, oh, I'm not gonna go, none of my friends are there. Like that, that lives inside of us. Which is fine, it's just the way it is, but it's not the way it will be. There's a power at work in us that empowers us to push through all the things that would otherwise separate us. And there's lots of things that would separate us. And Paul knows all about it. You think partisan politics in 21st century America is the first time the church has had to deal with difference? Try Jews and Gentiles. All this glorious talk of God in the first three chapters, it's by grace you've been saved. That you may know what is the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ. All of that stuff in the first three chapters, announcing what God has done for us in the person of Jesus Christ, moves to the last three chapters, which is the call on our lives to embrace too. To be an embracing people, too. By the power at work within us to push through the differences. I wonder how many Dutchmen think of themselves as Gentiles. You're the ones who were far off, who have been brought near by the blood of Christ. What else would you want to do but welcome others? You've been welcomed. Someone sent me yesterday. See if I can find it. A substack. An article, an essay, I don't know. By Fleming Rutledge. She's she's reflecting on preaching and our current social dynamic. She says, kindness can make a statement. That's stronger than any impassioned exhortation that speaks only to one side of the argument. Now to him who, by the power at work within us, is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all you dare to ask or even imagine. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. I read a book recently and then I'll I'll quit after a while. What's that joke about preachers? When they say in conclusion for the third time, then uh the book titled Ordinary Grace, anybody read it? I thought I was, I mean, it's a good book. Somebody mentioned it offhanded. I looked it up. It's a New York Times bestseller. So like, okay, it must be good. William Kent Krueger. It's this family, takes place in rural Minnesota. Two brothers, Frank and Jake. They're 13 and 10. Kind of, it's one summer experience. These two young boys, railroad tracks and rivers, you know, you get your imagination going. The book is kind of like, what's is it the movie? Is it the movie Lean on Me? You remember that movie? It's like old Stand By Me. Not the one in the school, but when the kids walk the railroad tracks. Stand by me, stand by me. It's like it's like Stand By Me Meets the Brothers Karamazov. It's ordinary grace. There's a bunch of characters who move in and out of the narrative. Gus, he's the town drunk. There's Doyle, he's the town cop, also a drunk. There's Warren Redstone, he's Native American. There's quite a history between Native Americans and rural Minnesota realities, the Sioux tribe. You can probably read about it on your own. Their dad, Frank Frank and Jake's dad, he's a pastor. I like that part. Ariel, that's the 18-year-old sister. So for these 13 and 10-year-old boys, Ariel, you know. She's gonna go to Juilliard. She's big time. There's a town bully, and you know, just all the it's just good, good storytelling. It's good. At one point in the story, the the oldest sister, Ariel, she disappears. She goes missing. And not like she snuck out of the house, which she did plenty of in the book, but she, but like missing. And after a day or two, the rumor mill in this small town, Minnesota, starts to whip. You know, you can imagine if you've been around small town. And guess, guess who they're all suspicious of. The Native American. He's not like the rest of them. So, you know, the days of trying to figure all this out, and uh, you know, the redstones are being treated poorly. I'll just read you this section. You'll you'll catch up. This is uh Nathan, their dad, um, his dad, and then a neighbor. It has nothing to do with Ariel, Nathan said. Ariel is simply the excuse some people are using to let loose their prejudice and their cruelty. So I'm going to the Redstones and I'm gonna tell them I'm sorry for their ordeal, my grandfather said bitterly. And if Mr. Redstone is responsible for Ariel being missing, there's a good explanation why Ariel's gone, my father replied. I truly believe that. And I believe she'll be coming back to us. There's no reason in the world why the Redstones should have to suffer. I heard him cross the room, and from the dark at the top of the stairway where I sat hidden, I caught a glimpse of him as he left through the front door. A fool, my grandfather said. Yes, but a great one, the neighbor replied. I like that. A fool! Yep, but a great one. Now to him who, by the power at work within us, is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all you can ask or imagine to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all generations, forever and ever. Amen. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.