Well, this morning we finish up the first half of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, the half of the letter that focuses on who we are in Christ, what the theologians call the indicative. We've actually learned our lesson in that regard from Paul, because as he comes to the end of what we count as chapter three, he's done teaching, and he turns to praise. So as we come before God's word this morning, would you please stand in honor of the reading of that word? We will be looking at Ephesians chapter three, verses 20 and 21, the very word of our living God. Paul bursts into praise. 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, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. You may be seated. Let me pray for us as we come before the word of God. Lord, indeed it is our desire to bring glory to your name. We've been taught by men wiser than us that this is our chief end, to glorify you and to enjoy you forever. May this time this morning, may this time before your word be a small foretaste, a small sample of what that means. We ask it in Christ's precious and holy name. Amen. Bumper stickers aren't as popular on cars as they used to be. I remember back in the 1980s or so, seeing around town, I think it even lasted into the 90s, a bumper sticker on many cars around the Seattle area. Very simple message, expect a miracle. In fact, outside our house, where we lived up near Woodland Park, there was a car always parked on the street, and the bumper sticker said, Expect a Miracle. And I'd be thinking as I got into my car to drive to school or work, what does that mean? What does it mean to expect a miracle? Seems audacious. What a request. What an attitude. I'm expecting God to perform a miracle. Unrealistic. Is that something we really should be expecting? for God to perform miracles that we would see and experience. And more than that, what is a miracle? How do I know if I've seen a miracle? One of my business school professors began a whole course by asking that question, what is a miracle? I thought his definition was pretty good. It's an event, God acting to break through the ordinary laws of nature. He gave examples. This is business school, by the way, again. When the people of Israel walk through the Red Sea on dry land with walls of water on both sides, that's a miracle. When the people of Israel march around Jericho seven times and blow trumpets and the walls fall down, that's a miracle. When Gideon prays and the sun stands still, that's a miracle. And then he said, but low production costs in Japan. There's a reason for that. We might think of other miracles performed by Jesus and others in scripture, Elijah, Elisha, the prophets, the apostles, healing the sick, those who are lame and blind, even raising people from death to life. Is that what we should expect? Should we expect a miracle? And if not, what should we expect? And then compare it to what Paul says in this amazing doxology, this word of praise at the end of chapter 3. What does Paul mean by describing God as one who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think? Some translations say exceedingly, abundantly more than we ask or think. One commentator says it just simplified infinitely more, infinitely more than we could ask or even imagine or think. Now maybe that bumper sticker was excessive, but Paul's doxology of praise is a reminder to us that we ought to give glory to a God who can and does exceed our expectations in ways that are wonderful and fantastic even if they're not technically miraculous. Three things I want to emphasize this morning from this doxology. What kind of God it is that we praise, what kind of glory is due to that God, and then third, the eternal continuing nature of this praise. So who is this God of glory? Well, let's review where we've been so far. What does this God do? What kind of a God is he? Paul has been describing the great salvation that we have from God through the Spirit in Jesus Christ. This is a long list, and so I'm going to go through it quickly. Forgive me, but I'll try to reference each one. Go back to chapter 1, verse 3. We're blessed with every spiritual blessing. Not some, every spiritual blessing. Verse 4. He chose us before the foundation of the world. Again, verse 4. We're holy and blameless before God. That's not a small thing. He looks at you and sees someone who is holy and blameless. 5. We were predestined to be adopted as God's sons and daughters. 7. We were redeemed from sin. 7. We have forgiveness of our trespasses and sins. 7. We have the riches of God's grace lavished upon us. 9. We have God's will revealed to us. Verse 11, we have an inheritance predestined to be ours according to the counsel of God's will. Verse 13, we have heard and believed in Christ. Again, verse 13, we've been sealed with the Holy Spirit. We have a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that the eyes of our hearts are enlightened. and that we might know the hope to which we've been called, the riches of Christ's glorious inheritance, the immeasurable greatness of God's power to us. Chapter one, verses 17 to 19. Chapter two, verses one, four, and five, we were dead in our trespasses and sins, but because of the great love with which God loved us, we were made alive together with Christ. Chapter 2, verse 6, we've been raised up and seated with Christ in the heavenly places. Verse 7, we have the immeasurable riches of God's grace in kindness towards us. Verses 8 and 9, we've been saved by grace through faith and not our own works, and we have this as a gift from God. Verse 10, we are God's workmanship. We've been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand for us to walk in. Verses 12 and 13, once we were separated from Christ, aliens and strangers and without hope, but now have been brought near to God by the blood of Christ. 2. 14. We have Christ as our peace, the wall of hostility broken down. 2. 15. We have the law of commandment abolished. 15. We have been recreated into one new man, one new race, or humanity. 16. We have been reconciled to God. 18. We have access through Christ in the Spirit to the Father. Verse 19, we're fellow citizens with all the saints. Again, verse 19, we're members of the household of God. Verses 20 to 22 of chapter 2, we're now a building, a new building in Christ, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ as the chief cornerstone. Chapter 3, verse 6, we Gentiles are now fellow heirs with the Jews, members of the same body, partakers of the promises of God and Jesus Christ through the gospel. Chapter 3, verse 8, we have the unsearchable riches of Christ. Verse 10, we are the instrument through which God makes known His manifold wisdom to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places. Verse 12, we have boldness and access with confidence in Christ to God Himself. Verse 16, we're strengthened by the power of the Spirit. Verse 17, we have Christ dwelling in our hearts through faith. Verses 17 to 19, we have been rooted and grounded in love so that we might begin to comprehend the breadth and width and height and depth of Christ's love that surpasses knowledge. And finally, in chapter 3, verse 19, we are filled with the fullness of God. 34 items in that list. And I probably could have come up with more or divided them up differently. 34 items God has done for you and me in Christ Jesus. Do you think we should praise God? Amen. You can say amen. This is an incredible list, seemingly exhaustive in what it tells us. And this list prompts Paul, now in verses 20 and 21, to burst out in a doxology of praise to God. Look at what God has done. What else can anyone do but stop and give praise? This is not the only place that Paul does this. Romans is full of teaching about what God has done for us in Christ, and by the time Paul gets to Romans 11, verses 33 to 36, he writes this, very similar. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid. For from him, and through him, and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. But there's something different about this doxology in Ephesians 3. Paul brings this forth because of what he's been telling us about what God has done. But there's more. He adds this amazing phrase, "...to him who is able to do far more abundantly." infinitely more than all that we ask or think according to the power at work within us. In other words, God's done these 34 things, but you haven't even seen the beginning of what God can do. You can't even ask for all the things He can do. You can't even think of or conceive of all the things that God can do. And this power is at work in us, this power of God. Paul's been showing us in this letter how generous, how gracious, how magnificent God is in his gift of salvation, that he's worked for us in Christ through the Spirit. He's shown us how infinitely limitless, how expansive his love is for us in Jesus Christ. And now Paul says, that's not all. There's more. There's infinitely more. God is able to do more. God has the power to do more, and you have seen that work within you. The same power. Think about how God has worked that power in your own life. Think about your own salvation, your own testimony of salvation, the things that God has done for you throughout your life. Think about the things that you know God has done for others. Think about what He's done even in this church, throughout its whole history and all its different manifestations, from the 1890s, First United Presbyterian Church in Seattle, to Laurelhurst, to Bellwood, and now to Hope, but also incorporating people from Westminster in Monroe, and exile in Woodinville. Think about what God has done in this church. Think about what he's done in other churches that you've been a part of, or other churches and other people maybe that you've read about or heard about. God's power is at work. Our God is not a God who's asleep or busy doing other things as Elijah taunts the priests of Baal. He's at work. And that same power is able to do more, exceedingly, abundantly, far more than you or I could ask or think, infinitely more than we can imagine or conceive of. So the question is, what are you going to ask for? What will you ask for? What do you ask for? Would you ask for a miracle? If not, why not? He is able. He is exceedingly, abundantly able. But what would a Christian ask for? Well, not riches, or success, or wealth. What do we ask for? The best way to get what you're asking for is to ask God to give you the things He's already told you He wants to give you. the things that are in conformity with His revealed will. Help me, O Lord, to overcome this sin. Help me, O Lord, to put this sin to death. Help me, O Lord, to know Your Word better. Help me, O Lord, to pray in a more disciplined manner, more fervently. Help me to worship You, O Lord. Help me to follow You in all that I do. Help me to know and believe the things that You have taught me to know and believe. God will give, he will give what he wants to give. Commentator Peter O'Brien points out that Paul's prayer that we looked at last week in chapter 3 verses 14 to 19 is an example of a bold, confident request to God, extravagant even. So is Paul going overboard in this doxology? Has he gone overboard in what he asks for in verses 14 to 19? And here's what Peter O'Brien says, quote, It's impossible to ask for too much, since the Father's giving exceeds their capacity for asking or even imagining. It's impossible to ask for too much from God. Impossible. He is able. He is powerful. This is the God to whom Paul gives glory. We might ask, as the psalmist does in Psalm 24 verses 8 and 10, who is this king of glory? And the answer resounds. He is the Lord, strong and mighty. The Lord, mighty in battle. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts. He is this King of glory. This is the God who can do far more abundantly than we could ask or even think. And so glory is due to Him, obviously, clearly. But what kind of glory is due to God? Paul puts it very simply, glory in the church and glory in Christ Jesus. Reminds us again of that first catechism question from the Westminster Shorter Catechism. What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Now God doesn't need our glory. God's not lacking in glory. He doesn't need more glory. So what's going on when we glorify the Lord God? We're simply acknowledging what already is His, what is due to Him, what is owed to Him. We come to a true recognition of who He is and what He has done. And that's what Paul's been driving us toward in these first three chapters of Ephesians. Realize that he himself and his acts, what he does, are glorious, and proclaim them as such. Lord, what you have done is glorious, amazing, wonderful, unimaginable. Why should that long list that I went through earlier elicit praise to God, to give him glory? Well, how could we not, knowing those things are true? God's work in the church deserves our praise. God accomplishes that work in Christ. Remember that little insert we had about union with Christ? How God does these things for us in Christ, with Christ. It's not an accident that Paul reminds us of that here as he closes out this section of the letter. Glory in the church and in Christ Jesus. There is no glory to God unless it is glory in Christ. God's glory is taught, learned, displayed, and made known in His work for the Church, for His people. That work happens in and through Jesus. So if our chief end is to glorify God, then we must keep front and center the powerful work that He's done for us, and the one in whom He's done it for us. There's a quote that's reputed to be from the theologian John Stott. He says, the power comes from God, so the glory must go to him. The glory of God in the gospel and the Savior at the heart of that gospel must be front and center. If we're going to glorify God, we must keep our attention, our focus fixed on Jesus Christ. And if we do, we can't help. but praise and glorify God. And then these things will be on display for the whole world to see. You know, just a couple, three years ago, we'd meet here and we'd leave. Now we have a live stream going out to a technological capability that goes around the world. We have sermons that are posted on this internet. Maybe I should print out one of these for you guys in the next week or two. There are people around the world that listen to the sermons from this little church, from simple pastors who serve simply. If we praise God, these things will be on display to the whole wide world. So if the world is going to see God's glory, it must see it in all its fullness and power in the Church of Christ. And so that's a test for us. If other people are looking at us, do they see God's glory praised in us, in you and in me? And if not, why not? It should be our desire, I think, that our lives would be a testimony, our very lives and the way that we live them would be a testimony to the exceedingly abundant power of God and glory of God because of Jesus Christ. As we're told in Scripture, we can't hide it under a bushel. It needs to be on display for the world to see. And of course that praise isn't just temporary or localized or comes and goes. Paul says, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Usually when he talks about these things, he just says maybe forever and ever. Here Paul adds an interesting little phrase, throughout all generations. Now both expressions portray eternity, God's glory on display and praised throughout all of eternity, but why add that little phrase throughout all generations? I think Paul is telling us something very personal and profound, that generation after generation after generation, on and on and on and on throughout all of history, from 2,000 years ago, when Christ was here on this earth, until when Christ returns, and then on into eternity, in the new heavens and in the new earth, God's glory will be praised. throughout all generations, forever and ever. Another way to think about it, there will never be a time, there will never be a generation on this earth when God's glory is not only on display, but praised. We should take heart from that. We should be comforted by that. Because since the church of Jesus Christ is the main arena wherein that glory is displayed and praised, that means that the church will never disappear from the face of the earth. I know it can be easy to get caught up in doom and gloom and despair. The church of Christ will never disappear from the face of the earth. But not only that, God's Word promises us that even the gates of hell itself cannot prevail against the force of the Church moving forward. Even in the midst of trials and persecution, which are promised to come, this should give us hope and confidence and comfort. It's another facet of the exceedingly abundant power of God in the way that he preserves and protects the church to the praise of his own glory. And so we here today are among those generations, those endless generations that Paul is talking about. Our hope and our desire should be that the praise of God's glory would never cease among us. Not just here in this church, in this congregation, but throughout the whole world. That His work would be prominently on display in us to those around us. And Paul concludes his doxology with a simple word of Amen. So be it. Let it be. May this be true. May it be true that God's work, His glorious work, is prominently on display in us as individuals, in our families, and here in this church. Never forgetting, never forgetting, that the God that we praise and give honor to, the God that we praise and give glory to, is a God who is able to do far more abundantly than we can ask, than we can even imagine. That's the God that we serve. That's the God that we glorify. For God's glory, again, let me ask, what will you ask for? For God's glory, what can you imagine? And may I conclude as Paul does, whatever it is, whatever it is, amen, let it be so. Let me pray for us. O Lord our God, again we are thankful for your work in us, that we have this privilege as mere human beings, sinful as we are, to give you praise and honor and glory. For we know that your grace and your mercy, your love, far surpasses the sin that plagues us. That you have forgiven us, that you declare us to be righteous, that you will never leave us or forsake us, and that there is a day coming When we will be with you in the new heavens and the new earth and your glory will be declared through all eternity. What a day, what a time that will be, what a thing to look forward to. O Lord, hasten the day, but we trust the timing according to your wisdom and according to your purposes. May those purposes be accomplished in Jesus Christ. We ask it in his name. Amen.