The Greatness and Power of God
A Sermon on Ephesians 3:20-21
Originally preached April 14, 1957
Scripture
20Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Sermon Description
God’s power is both one of the clearest doctrines taught in the Bible, as well as one of the most comforting for the believer. In this sermon on Ephesians 3:20–21 titled “The Greatness and Power of God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones proclaims not only that God is good, but that He is able to work in and through lives to bring about His purposes. One sees His power very clearly in the act of salvation and in His sovereign grace that He exercises in Christian lives. The Bible consistently emphasizes the truth that it is God who has acted in His Son Christ Jesus to bring about redemption and new life in Christ. Dr. Lloyd-Jones cautions Christians against thinking about God as a man with limitations and faults. The God of the Bible is able to do all He wills and desires. When the church loses sight of the power of God, it loses sight of its mission. God’s power is not an abstract doctrine, but it is at the heart of the life of the church and the individual Christian. This doctrine assures that Christ will bring the work of salvation to completion that He has begun in His people.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul offers a prayer for the Ephesians in Ephesians 3:14-21.
- Paul ends the prayer with a doxology praising God in Ephesians 3:20-21.
- Paul praises God for His power which is beyond human comprehension.
- Paul describes God's power with superlatives like "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think".
- Paul says God's power is working in believers. Believers have experienced God's power through salvation and sanctification.
- God's power is displayed through the church, as Jews and Gentiles have been reconciled into one body.
- God's power will be displayed through the church for all eternity.
- Believers should join Paul in praising God for His great power. If believers know God's power, they should not doubt what God can do through them.
- Believers often limit God by doubting what He can do, but God's power is unlimited. With God, nothing is impossible.
- Believers need to know the greatness of God's power to avoid staggering in unbelief. They need to look at God's power objectively, subjectively in their lives, and through the church.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Ephesians 3:20-21 Doxology: Questions and Answers
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the main focus of the doxology in Ephesians 3:20-21?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the doxology focuses on the greatness of God's power. He explains that Paul ends his amazing prayer with this grand doxology because he realizes that what makes all his petitions possible is "the grace of God." The apostle is praising God for His power that makes possible all the spiritual blessings he has been praying for, including being "filled with all the fullness of God."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the language Paul uses to describe God's power in Ephesians 3:20?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that Paul strains language to its limits when describing God's power. He explains: "If ever language was strained, it's strained in this doxology... he strains language because language is inadequate." Paul piles superlatives on superlatives, writing literally "unto him who is able, above all things to do, exceeding abundantly beyond..." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that this demonstrates the "total inadequacy of language" to describe God's boundless power.
What are the three ways Dr. Lloyd-Jones suggests we should look at God's power in this passage?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones outlines three ways to consider God's power: 1. Objectively - looking at God's power in and of itself, beyond all we can ask or think 2. Subjectively - considering the power "that worketh in us" as believers through personal experience 3. In terms of the church - seeing God's power manifested in the creation and existence of the church as Christ's body
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the greatest sin of Christians in relation to this passage?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones states: "The greatest sin of every Christian, and of the Christian church is to limit the eternal, absolute God, according to the measures of our own minds and our concepts and understandings." He says "God's people have always been guilty of this" and cites examples from scripture of people "limiting the Holy One of Israel" through unbelief or doubt about what God can do.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the phrase "according to the power that worketh in us"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that this phrase brings God's power down to our subjective experience. He states: "I'm not speaking in a purely academic and theoretical manner, says the apostle. I'm appealing to your own experience. The power that I'm talking about is the power that is already working in us." This power is what converted Paul from a persecutor to an apostle, and what transformed the Ephesians from being "dead in trespasses and sins" to being alive in Christ.
What is the significance of the church in glorifying God according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that "there is nothing that so proclaims the glory of God as the Christian Church." He explains that while God's power is seen in creation, His power is even more magnificently displayed in the church - taking people who were "steeped and lost and dead in sin" and making them members of Christ's body. He states: "Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus" means that believers becoming part of Christ's body brings the greatest glory to God.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones interpret the phrase "throughout all ages, world without end"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that a more literal translation would be "to all the generations of the age of the ages." He describes this as "age upon age upon age, forever and forever, infinite number of ages, everlasting eternity." This emphasizes that the church will be glorifying God throughout all eternity, and believers will be part of this eternal display of God's power and glory.
What practical application does Dr. Lloyd-Jones make from this passage?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones challenges his listeners to examine whether they personally believe in and experience God's power in their lives. He asks: "Have you known this power? Does this particular argument here between the commas help you according to the power that worketh in us? Have you felt it? Do you know it?" He urges Christians not to limit God through unbelief but to trust in His power to work in their lives beyond what they can ask or think.
What illustration does Dr. Lloyd-Jones use from John Newton to emphasize God's power?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones quotes from John Newton's hymn which says: "Thou art coming to a King, large petitions with thee bring, for his grace and power are such, you can never ask too much." He uses this to illustrate that believers should never hesitate to pray boldly because God's power is so great that we can never exceed His capacity to answer.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the test of the doxology for Christians today?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that "this doxology tests us" by revealing whether we truly believe in the greatness of God's power. He asks: "Are you in this? Are you thrilling with the doxology?" The test is whether Christians feel the same "inevitability" of praise that Paul felt after considering what God is able to do, or whether they doubt and feel these spiritual blessings are "beyond the reach of the ordinary Christian."
The Book of Ephesians
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.