He is Able
Bible Reading: Ephesians 3:20-21
Ephesians 3:20-21, “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.”
Say a prayer. Think a thought. God is able to do more. Far more. Far more abundantly more. He has worked that way in the past. He works that way in the present. And He will continue to do so. These two verses of praise speak to the truth that God is always exceeding our imagination and expectations in the way He works!
Arthur T. Pierson once said that there is a sevenfold measure of the power of God is Paul’s benediction:
First, God’s able to do first what we ask.
Second, He is able to do all that we ask.
Third, He is able to do what we think.
Fourth, He is able to do all that we think.
Fifth, He is able to do above all that we ask or think.
Sixth, He is able to do abundantly above all that we ask or think.
And seventh, He is able to do exceeding, abundant above all that we could ask or think.
Kenneth Wuest has explained the meaning of this great phrase (far more abundantly) this way: “it is a superlative of superlatives in force. It speaks of the ability of God to do something, that ability having more than enough potential power, this power exhaustless, and then some on top of that. Thus, Paul says that God is able to do super-abundantly above and beyond what we ask or think, and then some on top of that.”
These two verses serve as a fitting conclusion to all that precedes in this epistle. The main point of verses 20-21—that God is able to do far more abundantly—is interwoven through all that we read in the first three chapters of this epistle. Salvation is by grace. Inasmuch as it is by grace, and according to the working of God, all the glory goes to Him.
We should note how the life and ministry of the God-inspired-writer of this epistle embodies and testifies to the truth that is spoken of here. The Apostle Paul had formerly been a persecutor, blasphemer, and violent aggressor–hell bent on destroying the church. He was engaged in that evil work when Jesus met him on the road to Damascus. Neither he nor his companions could have imagined what God had already purposed to do in his life. But Jesus saved him! Recall how hard it was for Ananias and the church in Damascus to accept the reality of the truth that God had indeed saved such a man as Paul. Not only did God save Paul, but He also called him to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. He was sent out on three missionary journeys and he traveled thousands of miles, witnessing to countless numbers of people and planting dozens of churches. Undeterred by constant threats and severe trials, he finished his course and kept the faith. God revealed His truth to Paul, and Paul wrote all those epistles—words that have worked to instruct and encourage millions of souls, including you. That murderous hater of the church was transformed to be the best friend and missionary the church has had, save the Lord Himself. That work of God in his life was according to the far-more-abundantly ability of God to save and transform!
God’s work in your life is according to this dynamic. God has purposed to fill you up to the “fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). What does that entail? Have you heard that song “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe? We can only imagine what it will be like in glory! God is at work to radically transform you from who you were—a child of wrath, dead in your trespasses and sins—to who He is making you to be; conformed to the very image of His Son. There will come a day when Jesus will “transform (your) lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Philippians 3:21). It is a far-more-abundantly work that He is well able to do! That’s the way that God works, always exceeding our expectations and in a way beyond what we could even imagine! It is as The Message puts it: “far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams” (Ephesians 3:20)! Think a thought. Say a prayer. God is able to do more. Far more abundantly more!
ALL THAT THRILLS MY SOUL
All that thrills my soul is Jesus,
Ev’ry day and ev’ry hour;
Jesus and His free salvation,
Jesus and His mighty pow’r.
Refrain: All that thrills my soul is Jesus;
He is more than life to me;
And the fairest of ten-thousand,
In my blessed Lord I see.
His is love beyond all knowledge,
His is grace beyond degree,
Mercy higher than the heaven,
Deeper than the deepest sea. [Refrain]
Ev’ry need His hand supplieth,
Ev’ry good in Him I see;
And the strength He gives His weak ones
Is sufficient unto me. [Refrain]
What a wonderful redemption!
Never can a mortal know,
How my sin, tho’ red like crimson,
Can be whiter than the snow. [Refrain]
In yon everlasting city
With the ransomed I will sing,
And forever and forever,
Praise and glorify the King. [Refrain]
LookingtoJesus 