The Greatness of His Power
A Sermon on Ephesians 1:19-20
Originally preached June 19, 1955
Scripture
19And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Sermon Description
Are Christians guilty of underestimating the need for God’s power? At first it may sound like a silly question. After all, any Christian will rightly affirm their daily need of God’s power. But while Christians may correctly affirm the continual need of God’s power in their lives, many times they will assume initial belief in the gospel is easy. Conversations among some Christians often assume anybody who wants to believe the gospel can do so. In this sermon on the greatness of God’s power from Ephesians 1:19–20 titled “The Greatness of His Power,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says this is a grave mistake. To do so tragically misunderstands the need for God’s power to believe. It misunderstands the consequences of sin and the power of the new birth. With its darkened mind, proud heart, and deadly prejudices against the gospel, humanity must experience regeneration if there is any chance of coming to faith in Christ. Do unregenerate people need God’s power? Given these theological truths, it is foolish to think otherwise. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones expands on this topic and explains the desperate need of God’s grace.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul prays that the Ephesians may know the exceeding greatness of God's power in believers.
- This power refers not just to the resurrection but to the whole Christian life from beginning to end. Our very believing is the result of God's power.
- To know this power, we must understand what the apostle is saying and what exactly he is referring to. He wants us to know God's power in us, but in what respect?
- The key phrase is "according to the working of his mighty power." "According to" here means "in consequence of," "by virtue of," or "through."
- So the verse means God's power in us who believe in consequence of the working of his mighty power. Our believing is the result of God's power.
- Other examples show "according to" means the same thing, referring to the cause or means by which something happens.
- The passage itself shows Paul means God's power in our whole Christian life, not just the resurrection. God "quickened" us, raising us from spiritual death.
- Do we realize our believing is by God's power? If so, we'll express surprise we're Christians at all and give God glory for every part of our salvation.
- We tend to talk as if believing is easy and within human ability. But this fails to realize the effects of sin and what regeneration requires. Believing the gospel requires God's power.
- To believe, a person must overcome a darkened mind, worldly prejudices, a proud and hardened heart, a deceitful and wicked heart, and enmity against God. Only God's power can overcome these.
- Our failure to realize what sin did and what regeneration means leads to a superficial view of faith as something within human ability. But the truth is, faith requires the exceeding greatness of God's power.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the Power of God in Believers: Questions and Answers
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean by "the exceeding greatness of God's power" in Ephesians 1:19-20?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that the phrase refers to the tremendous power of God that works in believers from the beginning to the end of their Christian lives. He states: "The apostle here is rarely dealing with the christian life from beginning to end, and what he really says here is this, that we may know the exceeding greatness of his power in us, who believe by virtue of the working of his mighty power." He clarifies that Paul is not just referring to the future resurrection but to the entire Christian experience, including the very act of believing itself.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones argue that believing the gospel is a miracle that requires God's power?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that believing the gospel is a miracle because the natural human condition presents numerous obstacles that only God's power can overcome, including: - "His understanding is darkened" - our minds are naturally blind to spiritual truth - "Pride of intellect" - we resist appearing foolish by believing the gospel - "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked" - we rationalize our sins - "The natural mind is enmity against God" - we have an active hatred of God - Our wills are paralyzed by sin
He concludes that "to bring one soul to believe in God and in Christ demands the exceeding greatness of the energy of the strength of God's eternal might."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones interpret the phrase "according to" in Ephesians 1:19?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides a detailed analysis of the phrase "according to" (kata in Greek), arguing that it should be understood as "in consequence of," "by virtue of," "through," or "owing to." He supports this interpretation with multiple examples from Ephesians and other epistles where the same word is used in the same way. This interpretation is crucial to his argument because it shows that our believing is not something we do on our own but is the result of God's power working in us.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the main problem with modern views of believing?
He identifies two main problems with modern approaches to faith: "The first is that it is due to an appalling failure on our part to realize the consequences of sin and of the fall of men." The second is "our failure to realize what is involved in what we describe as the new birth or regeneration." He critiques the modern tendency to speak about believing as something easy that anyone can do if they choose to, when in reality, no one can believe without God's power enabling them to do so.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones connect Ephesians 1 with Ephesians 2 in his sermon?
Lloyd-Jones shows that Paul transitions from describing Christ's resurrection in Ephesians 1 to describing believers' spiritual resurrection in Ephesians 2. He says: "The apostle is not talking about the resurrection that is to come. He's talking about a resurrection, a spiritual resurrection that has already taken place." This connection demonstrates that the same divine power that raised Christ from the dead is what brings spiritually dead sinners to life, making them believers. As Paul writes in Ephesians 2:1, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins."
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe we should be amazed that we are Christians at all?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that if we truly understand the power of God needed to make us believers, we should be constantly amazed and thankful. He states: "We shall always give the impression that we are very surprised at the fact that we are Christians at all. It'll come out in our praise, in our thanksgiving." He concludes the sermon by saying that the only answer to why he believes the gospel is: "By the grace of God, who worketh in me mightily, I believe I am what I am. He began it. He'll continue it. He'll finish it."
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.