Series: Ephesians
Title: His Power to Resurrect and Glorify
Text: Ephesians 1: 19-23
Date: August 15, 2013
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
The
power of God is exceedingly great power. It is always effectual—“the working of
his mighty power”—means his power is effectual, invincible, irresistible power.
Let’s read Ephesians 1: 19-23.
Ephesians 1: 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of
his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him
from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and
might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but
also in that which is to come: 22 And hath put all things under his feet,
and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that
filleth all in all.
When we
came to this passage, I said that I had five things to show you. Instead of doing so in one message, we have
looked at each one individually.
1) We saw the power of Christ’s resurrection—the
power that raised Christ from the dead was not sheer omnipotent power alone,
but the power of satisfied justice and canceled sin accomplished by Christ for
his people, the power of God’s faithfulness to his Son and to his people and the
power of God’s grace and love for his Son and for his elect. That was power to
usward who believe because God raised all the elect representatively in Christ
when he raised Christ.
2) We saw the power of his exaltation. God the Father being satisfied with his Son
not only raised him, but exalted Christ. He had glory as God the Son but now is
exalted as the GodMan: God put all things under his feet, made him Head over
all things to the church. That is power to usward who believe because we are
the church, the fullness of him, who filleth all in all.
3) We saw his power to quicken and convert us
who believe. This is the main thing spoken of as we saw in chapter 2. We were dead in trespasses and in sins. Under
the POWER of the prince of the power of the air, same as now works in the
children of disobedience. But the POWER
of satisfied justice, of faithfulness, of grace and love that raised Christ,
also brought the gospel to us, regenerated us and brought us to faith in
Christ. It is a MUST that all for whom
Christ died be born again and given faith. Christ said that in
John 3: 5: Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, EXCEPT a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God….7: Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye MUST be born again.
John 6:45: It is written in the prophets, And they shall
be ALL taught of God. EVERY MAN THEREFORE that hath heard, and hath learned of
the Father, COMETH unto me.
Hebrews 11:6: But WITHOUT FAITH it is IMPOSSIBLE to
please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Romans 14: 3:…WHATSOEVER is not of faith is sin.
4) We saw his power to keep us unto that day. Same
power as mentioned before. Not one for
whom Christ died shall be lost. It would be unjust to pour wrath on them again.
Christ has satisfied justice for us. If
one is lost, God would lose most of all, because the glory of God and his
Christ is at stake. By his power, he shall lose nothing.
John 6:39: And this is the Father’s will which hath sent
me, that of ALL which HE HATH GIVEN ME I should LOSE NOTHING, but should raise
it up again at the last day.
5) So
tonight, our subject is the fifth point which is: His Power to Resurrect and Glorify.
Proposition: God will raise ‘usward who believe’ from the dead and
glorify us with Christ by the same power that he raised Christ and glorified
Christ.
2 Corinthians 4: 14: Knowing that he which raised up the
Lord Jesus shall raise up us also BY Jesus, and shall present us with you.
Philippians 3: 10: That I may know him, and the POWER of
HIS RESURRECTION,… 20: For our conversation is in heaven; from
whence also we look for the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST 21: WHO SHALL change
our vile body, that it may be fashioned like to his glorious body, according to
the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself.
In John
5, Christ was persecuted by the Jews, for curing an impotent man and giving him
power to carry away his bed on the Sabbath; so Christ professes not only is he
the Lord of the Sabbath, but Christ Jesus is also the Lord of life and death;
He tells them the resurrection of the dead shall be brought to pass by his
power.
John 5: 22: For the Father judgeth no man, but hath
committed all judgment unto the Son: 23: That all men should honour the
Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth
not the Father which hath sent him. 24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and
shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 25: Verily,
verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall
hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 26: For as the
Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in
himself; 27: And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he
is the Son of man.
He had
authority as the Son of God, now also he has authority as the Son of man.
John 5: 28: Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming,
in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29: And shall
come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they
that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. 30: I can of mine own
self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek
not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
I. FIRST, IT IS A CERTAIN FACT THAT GOD SHALL
RAISE THE DEAD.
We have
many examples in history of God raising men from the dead. In the Old testament: the son of the widow in
Sarepta (1 Kings 17:22), the Shunammite's son (2 Kings 4:35), the man
"cast into the sepulcher of Elisha," (2 Kings 13:21). Then in the New Testament: Jairus's daughter (Mark 5:41); Dorcas (Acts 9:40); The widow's
son (Luke 12:11-15) and Lazarus (John 11:39, 44)
Any man
who denies the resurrection of the dead is yet himself dead in trespasses and
in sins. The resurrection of the dead is what every believer hopes for—it is
fundamental, vital—the hope set before believers is to enter into the joy set
before us, which is eternal bliss with Christ our Beloved!
1 Corinthians 15: 12: Now if Christ be preached that he
rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the
dead? 13: But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not
risen: 14: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and
your faith is also vain. 15: Yea, and we are found false witnesses of
God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised
not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16: For if the dead rise not, then is
not Christ raised: 17: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye
are yet in your sins. 18: Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are
perished. 19: If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men
most miserable. 20: But now IS Christ risen from the dead, and become
the firstfruits of them that slept. 21: For since by man came death, by
man came also the resurrection of the dead.
It was
Christ pictured in the firstfruits offered to the Lord under the law. The sheaf
of the firstfruits was waved before the Lord, the morning after the Sabbath
after the Passover (Le 23:11) Christ suffered on the Passover, his body rested
in the grave on the seventh day sabbath, and on the morrow after that, Christ
rose from the dead, the very day that the first fruits were offered to the
Lord. (De 26:2, Le 23:10-11) So in verse 20 the Holy Spirit moved the apostle
Paul to write, “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the
firstfruits of them that slept.”
The
firstfruits were first: first to come out of the earth, first ripe, first
reaped and gathered in, and first offered unto the Lord. By the firstfruits the rest of the fruits,
the rest of the harvest—not the tares and the chaff—only the firstfruits were
sanctified.
Likewise,
Christ is the First: first to rise from the dead to an immortal life and first
to present himself to God and be accepted of God by his own merit. Just as the
firstfruits sanctified and gave right for all the rest of the fruits which
would be harvested so Christ is the Righteousness and Sanctification of his
people. He secures, guarantees the
resurrection of each of his people: from spiritual death in the first
resurrection in regeneration and resurrection of our bodies from the grave. Firstfruits were the best and Christ is the
best.
Colossians 1: 18: And he is the head of the body, the
church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things
he might have the preeminence. 19: For it pleased the Father that in him should
all fulness dwell;
Application: Some will say, “I don’t understand how a body returned
to dust can be raised again?” Never judge that it is impossible for God to do a
thing simply because you do not understand how God can do it. “Ye do err, not knowing the
scriptures, nor the POWER of God.” (Mt 22: 29) “The things that are impossible
with men are possible with God.” (Luke 18: 27)
1 Corinthians 15: 35:
But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they
come?
Paul
uses an everyday example of planting seed in a garden.
1 Corinthians 15: 36: Thou fool, that which thou sowest
is not quickened, except it die: 37: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest
not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some
other grain: 38: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every
seed his own body.
Why
would we doubt when we see resurrection in our gardens every day? Enough for this first point: we see, there
shall be a resurrection from the dead.
II. SECONDLY, WHO SHALL BE RESURRECTED? ALL
SHALL—John 5: 28: Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which ALL
that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29: And SHALL COME FORTH; they
that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done
evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
It is
certain ALL shall be raised. No matter where their graves may be: in land or in
sea, the earth shall spew them out. Whether
quickened to spiritual life or dead in trespasses and in sins, just and unjust
shall all be raised. Christ is the Judge
of quick and dead. (Acts 10: 42) “There
shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.” (Acts 24:
15) Even those elect who died in their mother’s wombs shall be resurrected in
that day.
1 Corinthians 15: 22: For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive.
There
is a great difference between believers and unbelievers, the godly and the
wicked, in this life right now. So there will be a great difference also in the
resurrection.
Verse 29
of our text says, “There is the resurrection of life.” “Those that have done
good” shall participated in this resurrection.
None of Adam’s natural seed does good. These are those born again by
God’s invincible grace by the Holy Spirit of God, given faith and repentance by
God, who have turned from self, from their unrighteous law-keeping, from this
world and cast all their care solely upon Christ. These are they who trust Christ is our
Scapegoat—who took all our sin to a land not inhabited and put away our sin
forever. (Lev 16: 21-22; Is 53: 8) Those
who have done good do so by trusting Christ is our Righteousness—he justified
us and made us the righteousness of God in him (1 Cor 1: 30; 2 Cor 5: 21) The resurrection of life shall be enjoyed by
those who trust Christ is our Sanctification—he alone makes us to differ, by
his Spirit we have been made holy, separated into Christ, from darkness and
death—by whose love we are obedient to trust him and look no where else. (1 Cor
1: 30; 4: 7; Col 1: 12-14) These—the
true believers in Christ Jesus—shall be raised incorruptible in the likeness of
Christ our Head—to the resurrection of life, to eternal joy with Christ
forevermore.
But
there is also the resurrection of damnation as we read in verse 29 of our text,
“they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” These have
sought acceptance some other way than Christ. Or they have added something to
Christ. These are they who turned to philosophy
or who went after their sin rather than seeking Christ will he may be found.
Jude 14: Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of
his saints, 15: To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are
ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly
committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken
against him.
The
WICKED, also, shall be raised by the power of Christ. They shall be dragged
before Christ in judgment with unspeakable horror. Christ shall bring forth
every sin—known and unknown—and the just Judge shall execute vengeance them.
Isaiah 2: 17: And the loftiness of man shall be bowed
down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be
exalted in that day. 18: And the idols he shall utterly abolish. 19: And they
shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear
of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake
terribly the earth. 20: In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and
his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to
the moles and to the bats; 21: To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the
tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his
majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. 22: Cease ye from man,
whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?
Application: Take heed to this word. Each and every one of us
shall be raised from the dead: even you who are screaming, in your hearts, “No
God.” Try to picture that mountain on fire in the day God gave the law on Mt.
Sinai. They exceedingly feared and quaked. “Knowing therefore the terror of the
Lord, we persuade men;” (Ex 19: 17-18; 2 Cor 5: 11) You shall meet the Lord
Jesus Christ face-to-face to be judged by that Righteous One. Do not meet God
in any righteousness of your own; do not meet God trusting in a profession you
made years ago; do not meet God being anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-Gospel. Let go of you, and the very best deeds you
have done, and kiss the Son, lest he be angry. (Ps 1: 10-12)
III. THIRDLY, THE POWER AND AUTHORITY OF THE
RESURRECTION WILL BE JESUS CHRIST: THE SON OF GOD, THE SON OF MAN—John 5: 25: Verily,
verily,…the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear
shall live. 26: For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the
Son to have life in himself…27: And hath given him authority to execute
judgment also because he is the Son of man….
The
same Voice of Jesus that walked this earth, same Power of God that speaks now
and regenerates his child to spiritual life, shall in the resurrection, speak
and irresistibly, powerfully bring forth the dead from their graves.
John 5: 28:…all that are in the graves shall hear his
voice, 29: And shall come forth; (Turn 1
Thess 4)
1 Thessalonnians 4: 15: For this we say unto you by the
word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of
the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
Sleep
means those believers who have died, whose bodies are asleep, opposite to us
believers who shall yet be alive when Christ returns.
1 Thessalonians 4: 16: For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a SHOUT, with the VOICE of the ARCHANGEL,…
Christ
is the Archangel so the Lord himself shall descend with the Voice of the
Archangel.
1 Thessalonians 4: 16:…and with the trump of God: and the
dead in Christ shall rise first: 17: Then we which are alive and remain shall
be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and
so shall we ever be with the Lord.
The
godly shall be raised out of their graves, by virtue of the Spirit of Christ,
which now dwells within us.
Romans 8: 10: And if Christ be in you, the body is
dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11:
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he
that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by
his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Application: Brethren, you and I who have the Spirit of Christ owe
nothing to our flesh: “The flesh profiteth nothing.” (Jn 6: 63) We owe all to the Lord Jesus Christ who loved
us and gave himself for us. Sinners
saved by grace have been made righteous by the Righteousness of Christ only,
received by faith alone, apart from works we have done. We have been sanctified
by the Spirit of Christ our Sanctification and we are kept by him. (Php 1: 6; 1
Pet 1: 5) The only way we shall be
raised is that we shall be resurrected by the Spirit of him that raised Christ
from the dead.
Romans 8: 12: Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to
the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13: For if ye live after the flesh, ye
shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye
shall live. 14: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God.
Scripture
tells us we—believers—shall awake in Christ’s likeness.
1 Corinthians 15: 39: All flesh is not the same flesh: but
there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes,
and another of birds…41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the
moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star
in glory. 42: So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in
corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
Saints,
these corrupt bodies will be raised INCORRUPTIBLE. Now, we live in “the body of
this death.” (Rom 7: 24) Our body of flesh is dying day-by-day.
Illustration: We start out a sweet smelling infant. Then we begin to
have body odor—we have to cover our bodies with perfume to cover our stink
because we are dying. Eventually, our bodies will become so offensive to our
friends that they will bury our bodies in the ground out of their sight. Even
then these bodies will continue to decay until they eventually rot into dust. But, at the resurrection, our bodies shall
rise incorruptible, incapable of sickness, no more to die. No more of these
bodily pains. We will be everlastingly young and healthy.
1 Corinthians 15: 43: It is sown in dishonour; it is
raised in glory:
Remember when Moses came down from speaking with
Christ face-to-face in Mt. Sinai and his face shined with glory--“when he shall
appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” (1 Jn 3: 2) Our
whole body shall be full of the brightness of Christ’s glory, “fashioned like
unto his glorious body”, (Php 3: 21) “conformed to his glorious image.” (Rom 8:
29) "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun." (Matt. 13:43)
1 Corinthians 15: 43:..it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
Raised
by this exceeding great power of God and we will be given great power in our
bodies. We will be able to give the highest service to God and the Lamb, no
weariness or weakness of any kind, no infirmity whatsoever! Here is why
1 Corinthians 15: 44: It is sown a natural body; it is
raised a spiritual body.
Right
now, our spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. But then our whole
body will be as our spirit is now. Our body will be as ready to serve and
worship and praise the Lord as our spirit—for it will be a spiritual body. None
of the carnal things that hinder us now will hinder us then. "They shall
hunger no more, neither thirst any more," (Rev. 7:16) "In the resurrection,
they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in
heaven." The angels need no sleep, they serve him night and day. (Rev.
7:15)
This is
a far different description from those who were too haughty and arrogant to
need Christ in this life—in hell it says of them…"The smoke of their
torment ascends up forever and ever. And they have no rest day nor night."
(Rev 14: 11)
Here is
why we shall have this conformity to Christ Jesus.
I Corinthians 15: 44:…There is a natural body, and there
is a spiritual body. 45: And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a
living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 46: Howbeit
that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and
afterward that which is spiritual. 47: The first man is of the earth,
earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. 48: As is the
earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the
heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 49: And as we have borne
the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50: Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
What if
we are yet alive when Christ returns?
The living believer shall not die then be raised. But our bodies shall
be changed like the saints raised from their graves.
1 Corinthians 15: 51: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We
shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52: In a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the
dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53: For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
Then the victory!
1
Corinthians 15: 54: So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption,
and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass
the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55: O death,
where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56: The sting of death is
sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57: But thanks be to God, which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, here is Paul’s
application to us who believe—
1
Corinthians 15: 58: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour
is not in vain in the Lord.
Someone
told Brother Henry Mahan years ago, “We have it backwards. We rejoice for that infant just born and weep
for that saint who dies. Our sorrow
ought to be for that poor infant just born into this world of sin, our
rejoicing for that saint who dies in the Lord.”
For you
without Christ, whether you have never professed Christ or you are trusting in
your profession, I will only say this to you.
No man knows the day or the hour when Christ shall return. It may be tonight. Therefore, “Redeem the
time.”
1Ch 22:19: Now set your heart and your soul to seek the
LORD your God;
Ecclesiastes 12: 1: Remember now thy Creator in the days
of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou
shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
Isaiah 55: 6: Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call
ye upon him while he is near: 7: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the
unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will
have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8: For my
thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
My
brethren, an eternal day with our Savior is just around the corner! Wait!
Hold to him. Continue doing what
you know is right in the Lord. He is
coming! Amen!