Ephesians 1:15-23

Order of Service

• Sunday School Lesson
• Closing Prayer

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Sermon Title: The Resurrection Power of Christ and His Rule Over All Things

Scripture: Ephesians 1:15-23

I. Review of Paul's Threefold Prayer for the Saints

A. To know the hope of God's call — Ephesians 1:18 B. To know the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints — Ephesians 1:18 C. To know the immeasurable greatness of his power toward believers — Ephesians 1:19

1. Paul's prayer is not for philosophical contemplation but for active, empowered living
2. Knowledge is coupled with power so that believers may be doers, not merely thinkers

II. The Threefold Authentication of God's Power in Christ — Ephesians 1:20-23

A. First: Christ's Resurrection from the Dead — Ephesians 1:20

1. Christ called his death and resurrection in advance — Mark 10:33-34 (also foretold in chapters 8 and 9)
2. God halted natural bodily decay, fulfilling David's prophecy — Psalm 16:10
3. Christ's resurrection surpassed that of Lazarus — he was raised never to die again
4. This resurrection power is the forerunner of our own resurrection and our calling out of spiritual death
5. This same power enables believers to overcome the three faces of evil:
   • Worldliness: transformation by renewing of the mind — Romans 12:2
   • The flesh: sinful nature not controlled by the Holy Spirit; only resurrection power enables victory
   • The devil: a roaring lion seeking to devour — 1 Peter 5:8; believers are to put on the full armor of God — Ephesians 6

B. Second: Christ's Ascension and Enthronement Over All Evil — Ephesians 1:20-21

1. Christ seated at God's right hand in the heavenly places — a realm of spiritual beings and powers
2. The principalities and powers operate in the heavenly places — Ephesians 3:10; Ephesians 6:12
3. Fulfillment of the Davidic promise — Psalm 110:1
4. Christ exalted far above all rule, authority, power, dominion, and every name — fourfold emphasis on his supremacy
5. Evil powers have not yet conceded but their defeat is certain — this is part of our assured hope

C. Third: Christ's Headship Over the Church, His Body — Ephesians 1:22-23

1. All things placed under Christ's feet; he is head over all things for the church
2. First mention of the church in Ephesians, though Paul had it in mind from the letter's opening
3. Christ is head over all material things and all intelligent beings — angelic, demonic, and human

III. Interpreting the Phrase — The Fullness of Him Who Fills All in All — Ephesians 1:23

A. Three possible interpretations of pleroma (fullness)

1. First interpretation: Christ is the fullness of God who fills all in all
   • Supported partially by Jeremiah 23:24 and Colossians 1:19; Colossians 2:9
   • Rejected: Scripture nowhere says Christ is God's fullness
2. Second interpretation: The church fills or completes Christ (active use of pleroma)
   • Calvin's view: God considers himself incomplete apart from his people, like a father without a child or a husband without a wife
   • Objection: Christ as God needs nothing to complete him
3. Third interpretation (preferred by John Stott and James Montgomery Boyce): The church is filled by Christ (passive use of pleroma) — the church is the container, Christ fills it
   • Supported by Ephesians 2:20-22: Christ as cornerstone in whom the whole structure grows into a holy temple
   • Fits the context of Christ's supreme headship and sovereignty over all things
   • Consistent with the ancient medical understanding (Galen, Hippocrates) that the head directs and controls the body

IV. Application — Why Paul Prayed This Prayer

A. The disciples after the ascension faced a world no different in hostility from our own today B. Cultural indicators of decline: declining church attendance and religious importance (Wall Street Journal poll, 2023) C. Christians are increasingly portrayed negatively; pressure mounts around cultural and moral conflicts D. Believers are likened to sheep — called to humility, obedience, and suffering if necessary, not to self-reliance E. God's control is not diminished by a growing world population or expanding evil — he is as powerful today as ever F. The church's calling: to glorify and honor God, remain obedient to his Word, and live as active, empowered doers