If you turn in your Bibles this morning to the letter of Paul to the Ephesians, we'll continue our study through this book, this letter, this sermon. The Apostle Paul began this letter to the Ephesians by reminding them and us through them of the praise due to the glory of the triune God, Which has been revealed in the Father's election, the Son's redemption, and the Holy Spirit's certification of all who hear and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul had heard of their saving faith and the love which it manifests to all the saints, and he continually prayed for their needs, needs which all of us as Christians share. Though believers are regenerated once for all by the work of the Holy Spirit so that we can truly know God, we continue as finite creatures, therefore we cannot ever know God completely. Therefore, Paul prayed, and we ought to pray, for the work of the Spirit to enable us to continue to pursue and to be changed by the truth and wisdom of God in his word. You see, without revealed truth, we don't know what to believe. Without revealed wisdom, we don't know how to live. But as we increase our knowledge of the wisdom of God and the truth of God in his word, we are changed and we get to know God better, answering Paul's prayer for us. And as we do so, the Holy Spirit applies this word to us so that we have a change in our experience. We experience security in the hope to which we've been called. And rejoicing in the glory that awaits us in our heavenly inheritance. And confidence in his power toward us who believe. And it's this third point that Paul pauses to emphasize in our text today. To drive home this final point, Paul draws our attention to the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus Christ. That not only illustrates the power of God, but secures the power of God for all who believe. So by it, Paul calls to our minds the power of God exerted in exalting Christ for his church. Let's read together the word of God found in Ephesians chapter 1. Reading verses 15 to 23, our text begins in the middle of verse 19. Hear the word of God. For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, The fullness of him who fills everything in every way. In verses 19 to 23, Paul pauses in effect in what he's been saying to have us focus on the power of God exerted in exalting Christ. In order to illustrate the power of God at work toward us who believe. The power of God toward us who believe, Paul says in verse 19, is incomparably great. Or as others translated, immeasurably great, exceedingly great, surpassingly great. We might say it's over the top. It's beyond measure. In fact, it's beyond our comprehension. Therefore, Paul says in verse 19 that it is like the working of his mighty strength. Or put another way, the working of the strength of his might, as Paul said literally. He piles up the words here to convey that the power of God is comprehensive. It's full and is certain. It's what theologians call the omnipotence of God. And this power was exerted in exalting Christ, raising Him from the dead and seating Him at the right hand of His heavenly Father. So what does Paul mean here when he says that the power of His working toward us is like the power that was exerted in Christ? Is this simply a comparison? Is this simply to get us close? Is it like saying, well, this apple here is like this orange. They're both fruit. I hope that helps you. Or this green apple is like this red apple. They're both apples. I hope that helps you. How strong is this comparison that Paul wants us to see here? Other translations make this a little more clear when they say that the power of God for us who believe is according to the power exerted in Christ. And by that, that means that they're so close you cannot distinguish between them. In fact, they are one and the same. The power of God toward us who believe is the power of God exerted in Christ, in his exaltation. And to illustrate the magnitude of this power exerted in Christ, Paul summarizes Christ's exaltation in verse 20. He says this power was exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realm. what in our earthly experience of time and space took 40 days in the work of God it's a single act of exalting Christ from the grave to heaven and in this picture this picture he's painted we're to see the coronation of a king a king who'd gone out to battle and was slain dead thought to be overcome and yet he's risen he ascends his throne He assumes his power and his subjects are delighted and his enemies are distressed. Verse 21 tells us that he was seated far above all rule and authority, power and dominion and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but in the age to come. And again the picture continues of having us think in terms of place and time. He was placed over, and his dominion will last into the age to come. But we should not be thinking in these categories. Paul's painting the picture as it's painted throughout Scripture to tell us of the degree of Christ's exaltation. His power is above all powers, and his dominion exceeds all bounds. There is no limit. And in these words of verse 21 in particular, Paul is making special reference to angels. We don't see the word angel here, but this is who he's talking about. Angels, which compared to man in one sense, man was created in some sense lower than the angels. They're exalted beings. And the false teachers in the Church of Asia at the time this letter was written mistook these angels as intermediate powers. Powers that stood between men and God. Powers to be worshipped. Powers to be appeased. they were believed to emanate outward from God in layers and ranks, kind of like our military ranks, and each rank had its own power to use as it would. And we know from the letter to the Colossians that the Colossian believers were tempted to worship these angels. But here in this simple sentence, this single sentence, Paul reminds us that no matter what authority they bear, what title they may have, each and every one is subject to the exalted Christ. He rules, even the angels. It's very important to remember here that though man was created a little lower than these beings, than the angels, he was uniquely created to rule over everything that God had made. In Psalm 8, which we will sing after the message this morning, Psalm 8, King David reflected on the glory given man by his creator in the beginning. He says, how long? Excuse me, wrong psalm. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in their place, what is man that you are mindful of him? The son of man that you care for him. You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the work of your hands. You put everything under His feet. What a position man was given in the beginning. Lower than the angels. And given dominion over all the work of God's hands. In Hebrews chapter 2 verse 8, the writer there comments on this psalm saying, In putting everything under Him, that is under man, God left nothing that was not subject to Him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. Do we? Why not? Why do we see not everything under the subjection of man? Why do we see man living only to die and go back to the dust? Why do we see sickness? Why do we see so much of life outside of our control? Why do we see the forces of earth, wind and fire causing so much destruction? Why do men wage war, whether as nations or over the kitchen table? Why do we not see everything subject to man? That's how we were created to be. As the Catechism tells us, the first thing we need to know is our sin and misery. And we need to know that the first man, Adam, transgressed the command of God in the beginning. And instead of everything being subjected to him, by his sin he subjected everything to sin. In him we merited sin's wages, which is death. In him we merited sin's misery, which is opposition to God and opposition to one another. Our commission to rule at the right hand of God over all of his creation was forfeited and we became his enemies. And praise God He didn't leave us there. But God showed His love toward us even as His enemies. According to 1 John 4 and 9, He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love, John says, not that we love God, but that God loved us. And He sent His only Son to be a sacrifice for our sins. You see, the Son of God in His deity, in His divinity from eternity has always held all authority and all power. As Paul writes in Colossians 1.16, by Him all things were created, things in heaven, things on earth, things visible, things invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things were created by Him and for Him. He's before all things. And in Him all things hold together. The Son of God holds all dominion and authority. And yet, in Philippians chapter 2, we learn that He made Himself nothing. Taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness, and being formed in the appearance or found in the appearance of a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. You see, the eternal Son of God became a human Son of Man. God incarnate. God incarnate. We're going to celebrate Christmas soon. That's what it's about, people. God incarnate. And He did that so that He might fulfill on behalf of the elect all that Adam failed to do. All that we as His children failed to do. He lived a life of complete obedience to the will of His Heavenly Father. Even to bearing the wrath of God against our sin. he merited, he earned, he deserved in his humanity the dominion and authority which we let go. So the writer of Hebrews continues. He says, at present we do not see everything subject to him, that is man, that is true. But he goes on to say, We do see Jesus. We do see Jesus. Who was made a little lower than the angels, but now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death. So that by the grace of God, he might taste death for everyone. It's the God-man, Jesus of Nazareth, who was declared to Christ by his resurrection from the dead. true death. We need to remember this, people of God. Death becomes a distant shadow in our mind when we're not face to face with it. But all you who have experienced death, you know what death is like. That's what Christ experienced for you and for me. And He was raised in His humanity and exalted to the right hand of God. As verse 22 says, God placed all things under his feet and appointed him head over everything. And there he reigns in his humanity as Lord over all. You see, he was the second Adam. He did what Adam failed to do. But not only was he the second Adam, he was the promised son of David, the man after God's own heart. When God installed King David in Jerusalem, he declared to him in Psalm 2, he says, You are my son and today I become your father. Appointing David to rule all of his people. But even in doing that, he was pointing ahead to something greater. Something more magnificent. David's greater son who would come and he would place him in authority over not only his people, but all of creation. David knew this himself when he penned Psalm 110, which we just sang. When he begins, the Lord says to my Lord. Our hymnal translates that the Lord says to my Christ, the Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make all your enemies a footstool for your feet. We've seen how Paul illustrated the power of God for us who believe in how he raised Christ from the dead in his humanity, exalted him to his right hand. But we can't stop there, people of God. That's a great thing to know. We must know it, but that's not all. We must continue to see that this was not done for the sake of Christ. In His deity, He already has all dominion and authority and power. There was no lack in Him that He needed to come to earth and to live and to die and be resurrected and raised. There was no need. We must see that the power of God exerted in exalting Christ. was for his church. See, the exalted Christ is not only the head over every power and authority, as Paul says in Colossians, he's appointed the head over everything, as our text tells us, for the church. The power exerted in him is only for the church. It's only for those who believe. Now that's an exclusive claim that our world will hate. There's got to be another way to get into God's good graces. But the work of God in Christ is only for those who believe in Him. Only for His church. And we can say this because, as verse 23 says, the church is His body. It is the fullness of Him. Paul pictures the intimate and living connection between Christ and his church with the picture that we see every morning in the mirror. Now, granted, his is more beautiful than ours, but we see it every morning. We look in the mirror and we see our head and our body, and we know that everything down here belongs to this up here. It doesn't belong to another, and my head does not have dominion over another. In that picture, this picture that we see of our body every morning and we love so dearly, is not without its cause. We find in Ephesians chapter 5, 29 and 30 that no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does his church. For we are his body. In 1 Corinthians 12, where Paul spends considerable time expounding upon this image of the body of Christ and what it means to the life of the church, he concludes in verse 27, he says, Now you are the body of Christ. And each one of you is a member of it. And not only do we belong to Christ as members of His body, we belong to one another. He says in verse 5 of that chapter, In Christ we who are many form one body. One body. And each member belongs to all the others. The power of God exerted in exalting Christ is the power of God for his church. It's the power of God that regenerates his people, translating them from death into life, from darkness into light, from being his enemies to being his children. But more than that, more than that, as if more was needed, more than that, The power of God exerted in exalting Christ by which Christ in His humanity entered heaven. We as His body have entered heaven with Him. I know you all think you're sitting here this morning. You are, but you're also in Christ, in heaven, in His flesh. We see this in Ephesians chapter 2, verses 4 to 6, very clearly stated. Paul writes, but because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. And there he speaks of our regeneration. It is by grace that you've been saved. And, he says, God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. Past tense, done deal. Speaking of our resurrection. Yes, we must await the fullness of this to be played out at the consummation of all things. But it is true now. Paul says in Romans 6, Do you not know? Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead, through the glory of God the Father, we too might be raised to newness of life. If we've been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly be united like this in his resurrection. You see, the resurrection and the exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the exaltation of his church. Let that sink in. Let that sink in. That is a profound truth. It's an absolutely essential truth. For without the resurrection of Christ from the dead, there's no church, there's no body of Christ, there's no forgiveness of sins. If Jesus Christ was not raised from the dead by the power of God, he was just a man, a sinner like you and like me. A liar who claimed to be without sin or a lunatic who thought he was God. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15 if Christ has not been raised our preaching is useless and so is your faith more than that we're found to be false witnesses about God for we've testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead and that's a lie if he had not been raised and if Christ has not been raised your faith is futile and you're still in your sins let's see Christ was raised and we in him find our regeneration to life and our resurrection to glory and the power exerted by God Paul concludes in verse 23 by saying that the church which is his body is the fullness of him that is the fullness of Christ what does that mean? well we can say first of all what it doesn't mean it certainly cannot mean that Christ in any way is imperfect or incomplete in himself in his being we can say that theologically because he's God we can also say from the text where Paul says at the end it's he who fills everything in every way he's the source of all he cannot have any need of being filled. His divine presence fills the heavens and the earth, all of creation, for he is God. As Psalm 139 teaches, there's no place where he's not. There's no place to run and hide. In his being, in his person, he lacks nothing. And yet at the same time, the text says that we're the fullness of him. What does that mean? There are two opinions on this, scriptural both, both consistent with the text, so I'm going to give you both. I can't give you a preference. The first is that the church is called the fullness of him because it is filled by him. As the body is filled with the soul, so the church is filled by the spirit of Christ. As God dwelt the temple and filled it with his glory, so Christ fills the church and fills it with his spirit. The church is filled by him who fills all in all, everything in every way. And this is consistent, Colossians 2.9, Paul speaks and says that in Christ all the fullness of the deity dwells in bodily form. And you, church, have been given the fullness of Christ. What a marvelous truth that we find our sufficiency in him. The second opinion is that the church may be called the fullness of him because, in a sense, Christ is filled by his church. Now, I know this sounds contrary to what I just said, that there's nothing lacking in him. That's true. But out of his love for the church, his concern for the church, his grace to the church, he bestows this very high honor upon the church. That until the church in her completeness, in the absolute perfection of her, is brought in, Christ considers himself, in a sense, imperfect, incomplete, not filled. The key here is he considers himself, he counts to himself that he's not filled. Peter tells us that the Lord is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. He's patient, he's long-suffering. Therefore, there is time granted in this world for the call of Christ to continue to go out until the fullness of the church is brought in. At that day, the gospel call will stop. But until that day, the church is being filled up. And Christ continues to call, come to me, all you who are weary and hardened and burdened. I will give you rest. Come to me. And until the last of the elect confesses that Jesus is Lord and believes in his heart that God raised him from the dead, until that day, that last one comes in, Jesus Christ considers his purpose incomplete. And we can consider the analogies of scripture that kind of speak in this way. As the bridegroom, he's certainly not complete without a bride. As a vine, he's not complete without all his branches. As a shepherd, he's not complete until all his sheep are in the fold. And as a head, he's not complete without his body. That's the sentence. We've seen in our text today a marvelous truth. A truth that ought to just make us stop. The truth of the power of God that was exerted in exalting Christ from the dead is the power of God for us, His church. We're not members of the church because we feel like it, because we want to in our own strength. We're part of Christ's church because He was dead and was raised and He has regenerated us and resurrected us in Him. So the question now comes to mind, why did Paul write this to the church at Ephesus? And why is it preserved in scripture for us? Why do they need to know in this way the incomparably great power for us who believe? Is it just a good thing to know? Well, it is a good thing to know, but it's more than that. It's essential to know. It's important for our Christian life. It's practical in the extreme. Consider the situation of the saints in Ephesus, hearing this word of God. The Jews plotted against them and openly and publicly ridiculed them and humiliated them. The pagan worshippers and businessmen hated them because they didn't support their pagan religions. False teachers arose in their midst trying to lead them astray. Family and friends urged them to deny their faith and go back to the way of life they once knew. They experienced economic downturns. They didn't have the Wall Street Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange, but they had downturns. They had political unrest. They had sickness. They had death. They had loss every day. And they daily battled against the sin that still clung to them like dirty rags. And the things they wanted to quit, they couldn't seem to quit. And the things they wanted to start, they couldn't seem to start. And they felt so powerless at times. are we really any different saints of God today like them we often feel powerless against all that assails us whether from within ourselves or the circumstances in life that can seem to be overbearing we want to pack up our table and go home and we need to know that Paul who wrote this was not immune to this. Paul did not somehow stand above the fray and not have to experience these pressures in life. But because he knew what he wants us to know, he could write in 2 Corinthians chapter 4, he says, yes, we are hard-pressed on every side, but we're not crushed. We're certainly perplexed, but we're not in despair. We're persecuted, but we're not abandoned. We're struck down, but we're not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed through our body. Saints of God, you need to know and apply this, just as Paul knew and applied this in those words. The incomparably great power of God for us who believe for His church is the very power that was exerted in Christ to raise Him from death to the right hand of God in His humanity to reign over everything for His church. It's the very power of God exerted in regenerating your heart and mine for granting us life when we were dead, for making us children when we were enemies. It's the very power by which Christ, our elder brother, has gone ahead into the heavenly places. And there, in him, has established our resurrection. It's the very power that works within all of us to will and to do that which God wants us to do. So no matter what we face in this world, no matter what we face in this world, It tempts us to consider ourselves somehow powerless, somehow victims. We can and we must reorient ourselves by the word of God here today. Get reoriented to the truth of our situation that in Christ, and looking to his life and his death and his resurrection and his exaltation, we have that same power working in us. Our hope in Him is secure. Our inheritance in Him will come. No matter what. No matter what. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we come gather together this day as Your people. we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we who are part of His church. And we come here as a time of rest, being fed, of stepping away from the burdens of this world that, Lord, we have to confess are sometimes too much for us. And here we've heard your word this morning that the power of God, Your power, your omnipotence exerted in Christ that raised Him from death. Not only to life, but to reign at your right hand in His humanity where He stands in our place. And by that power, we as your people have been given new life. And we have in fact been resurrected in Christ. And we are seated with Him in your presence. Help us to walk out of here this day to know this, not just now, but each and every day, when we want to give up, when we want to roll over. Help us, Lord, by your Spirit, to reorient ourselves to the reality of things as they really are. Things invisible, to be sure, but real. Thank you for this word this day. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.