And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power. Ephesians 1:19
The US Navy has what is believed to be the world’s most powerful gun, and it doesn’t use explosives! The electromagnetic railgun is able to accelerate a projectile to 8,000 kph in one-tenth of a second using a simple but enormous electomagnetic charge. The projectile can travel up to 160 kilometers, and in tests has been known to penetrate all the way through three reinforced concrete walls or three steel plates. Despite its power, this gun requires only one man to load and fire it. For those of us who like guns, this weapon is a fascinating marvel because of its incredible power. But like all of the powerful things of this world, this gun is pathetically puny when compared to the exceeding greatness of God’s power that He speaks of in our text today.
Can you hear the thrilling majesty in these words: ‘the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe’? It almost seems there should be a drum roll as they are spoken. Certainly the English language – the greatest language in the world by far – does not contain the words that describe this power. The first use of the word ‘power’ is translated from the Greek word that gives us ‘dynamite’. But it refers to a power far greater than all of the dynamite ever produced, even greater than all of the nuclear weapons ever designed and siloed. Consider what it has done for us. It has blasted us out of the quarry of sin, transformed us from helpless and pathetic losers into worshippers and servants of the most high God, established us as the inheriters of the kingdom, and prepared for us a mansion in Glory. And that is just the highlights of its accomplishment in us.
There is a reason why God can display and provide this exceeding greatness of His power, and it is to be found in the next verse: ‘Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places’ – Ephesians 1:20. That’s right, this great power is none other than the resurrection power. God raised Jesus from the dead, never to die again. The power that brought our Lord forth from the tomb has forever broken the power of death for all who are in Christ Jesus. The enemy, death, is defeated. For Paul, the death of Christ was the death of death. Yes, we as believers may die. But the sting of that death is forever removed. What was once a poisonous event has become a pathway to paradise. And even while we are still here, that victory over death is an enabling power that allows us to triumph over temptation, overcome any obstacles, love the unloveable, evolve into the image of Christ, and rejoice evermore.
The working of God’s mighty power is so amazing, it would take me the rest of your life to begin to describe it. – Jim MacIntosh