The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power (Ephesians 1:18-19, NKJV)
THE EYES OF OUR UNDERSTANDING NEED TO BE OPENED so that we can understand, vv18-19, the Hope of the Calling, the Riches of the Glory of the Inheritance IN US, and the exceeding Greatness of His Power TO US! We have to understand how GREAT HIS POWER IS TOWARD US! I’m trying to release the Power all the time, to let it come and to let it go. In my life, in my ministry. Men are sending rockets into space. If you watch them sending rockets to the space station, it’s released with such power, it’s going to get right up to that space station! We’ve got to understand that what God wants to do in your life and mine is release His Power! He wants the demonstration of His Power released in us, through us!
…When he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 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: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (Ephesians 1:20-23, KJV)
Paul is trying to explain that it’s not just the Power Jesus had here on earth, it’s His EXALTED POWER! We need to have that rocket booster, that Power, in order to live for Him! What has God done for Jesus? He raised Him from the dead and set Him on His Right Hand in Heavenly Places! And WE are seated in Heavenly Places IN CHRIST! NOW! Not when we die! I don’t have time to die, I’m too busy even at my age! Because that Power Christ has – is released IN US down here! All the Power that Christ has, all the Authority and Power that God has put in Him in the Heavenly Places – we in Christ live in that same Power! Down here! Because I’m not just living in this world, I’m already seated in Heavenly Places IN CHRIST! That’s why I can testify that the greatest spiritual experience in my life was when I was in that communist prison, locked in my cell 24 hours a day. We weren’t allowed out for the toilet, or for a shower, we weren’t allowed out for food. We were just in that filthy, stinking cell with no window, just opaque glass bricks to let some light in. And yet in that moment when the Glory of God came down, I sensed myself already in the Glory that Christ has in Heaven! Down here we are already seated in Heavenly Places IN CHRIST!
I GET SO EXCITED! Look in vv21-23, at the Power God has put in the Name of Jesus! FAR ABOVE ALL principality, power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but in that which is to come! God has put ALL things under His feet, and gave Him to be Head over ALL things to the Church. Christ is the Head of the Church! Not the pastor, not the bishop, not the Archbishop, not the Pope! Christ – is the Head of the Church! And the Church is His Body! We’re His Hands, His Feet, His Eyes, His Mouth – we are the outworking of the direction of the Head! ALL things are under His Feet! Jesus, the Christ, is the Head OVER ALL THINGS, to the Church, which is His Body, the FULNESS OF HIM THAT FILLS ALL IN ALL. In other words, the Church is the FULL DEMONSTRATION of the Body of Christ!
This is the challenge to the Church! The Church has to become the Body of Christ – on earth! Come on! The Church has to manifest all these things that God has put in Christ! In one sense, when Jesus was on earth, His Power was limited. But when He was exalted, set at the Right Hand of God the Father, God at that moment anointed Him with ALL POWER AND ALL MAJESTY AND ALL DOMINION! And we have, not what was in the limited earthly Body of Christ but, because we are now seated in the Heavenly Places in Christ, we have ALL THE POWER, ALL THE AUTHORITY that Jesus now has in Heaven! Our Inheritance is not just as when Jesus was on earth – the Power and the Glory that we have is what He has NOW – in Heaven!
Because we are in Christ, seated in the Heavenly Places in Christ, ALL THAT POWER AND GLORY – that Paul describes to us here in Ephesians Chapter 1 – is ours! It’s in the Church! But so often the Church doesn’t manifest this Power. Some do – and YOU are part of the Body of Christ! YOU! You are His Hands, His Feet, His Eyes, His Mouth – YOU are the only manifestation of Jesus that the people on earth can ever see! And they HAVE to see that Glory in YOU! The Inheritance, the Glory – is in Christ, in Heaven. But I am trying to tell you, Paul is trying to tell you – we ALREADY HAVE THAT INHERITANCE! Jesus has already died!
When that rich uncle dies and leaves you that wealth, you inherit it – it’s yours! Now! You possess it. You walk into that mansion. But this is what Paul is saying, Christ has died and WE ALREADY HAVE THE INHERITANCE – NOW! I live in it, I love it, I’m filled with Power and with Glory – because it’s IN CHRIST! It’s not me, it’s Christ living in me! That’s what Paul said.
Let Christ live IN YOU! Come on! Enter into the Power and the Glory! Father, let the Holy Spirit open our eyes, so that we can see the Glory in Jesus’ Name! Amen!