REVISITING EPHESIANS 3:20-21: A CONTEXTUAL REFRESHMENT FROM A PASSAGE GONE AWRY Ephesians 3:20-21 Sermon Notes for Sunday

June 26, 2011 Rosenort Fellowship Chapel [Slide 1] Introduction Few things excite me more than a good, deep, intellectually and philosophically rich Bible Study. We get together, or alone, it matters not which, and pour over a certain text. We compare and analyze the passage with other translations and versions. Still not finding satisfaction, we haul out the Greek NT, a Greek concordance, an Analytical Greek Lexicon and soon our desk-top resembles that of Johnny Eidses in Glenlea at the New Holland parts counter as he also has buried the table with volumes of parts, part numbers and so forth. I loved those oiled service and parts books. They were soiled from greasy, hard working hands as these hands thumbed through the pages to find the right part. I love the sound of turning pages, I love the smell of library books, I love to handle books, to turn its pages, to run my finger down the page to find the right word. It makes me feel like Johnny Eidse, except my books are not as soiled as his. But most of all I love the Lord and His Word. This book called the Holy Bible is one awesome book. Its truths will never all be mined in our lifetime; in fact, if the world should stand for eternity, yet His truths would not all be discovered. No, not every study always yields the hundredfold we desire. At times we yield only a ten-fold, but to have lingered in His presence with His Word is already a blessing beyond compare. At times in our study we have developed a rut-like theology. We cannot see alternative views. We are stuck on a track that needs a spur. We repeatedly survey the passage again, and again the results are the same. I read it over again, and again nothing new leaps off the pages. For me that passage was Ephesians 3:20-21. [Slide 2] It is a passage- actually consisting of only two verses- which probably has the bragging rights to at least 3 most frequently cited exegetical offenses, 4 hermeneutical fallacies. 1. The most oft quoting benediction taken out of context by the modern evangelical church. 2. The passage most oft taught by taking it out of its context. 3. The passage most oft memorized out of its context. 4. No text has been so proof-read as this one under our scrutiny this morning.

[Slide 3] A short review on the nature of context Situation #1 Consider the word Fire! Unless we are given more information, there is no possible way we can determine what the speaker is seeking to communicate. Are we to grab the water hose, or are we to press the trigger? Is there is a fire burning in the house? Or is there a deer close by, and are you yelling for me to take my Winchester 375 H n H mag The words for both actions share exactly the same form, and yet have profoundly different meanings. [Slide 4] Situation #2 The issue with 1 Corinthians 21:31(a) involves the first word of the first phrase: . Zeloute de ta charismata ta meizona Lets make this easier by pausing for a brief Greek grammar lesson on verbs- which is. [Slide 5] Generally speaking, with the few exceptions, the suffix gives away the verb, i.e. -all 2nd person plural Greek present indicative active verbs end with- . -all 2nd person plural Greek future indicative active verbs end with- . -all 2nd person plural Greek present optative active verbs end with- . -and so on, and this is what makes Greek so easy- the suffix gives away the verb [Slide 6] Now to the exceptions, and here is where Greek gets tougher than a Holstein steak. -the word, , could be: -a 2nd per.pl. Pres. Imperative Act. -a 2nd per.pl. Pres. Indicative Act. -do we construe this phrase to say, -Corinthians, you must earnestly desire the greater gifts. -You Corinthians, you are always earnestly seeking the greater gifts. [Slide 7] What is our greatest asset in seeking out the best translation? This is a rare

case in which the word itself will supply us with very little assistance. We find no help in the word itself, but it goes back to the context, and a careful study of the context will show the latter to be the better of the two. Its all about CONTEXT, my friends. Yep, that takes more work, in fact, it could triple your required time in Bible Study, but like my nephew Curtis has said, When you find something tough to do, do something tougher. What then is all the fuss about Ephesians 3:20-21? What needs to be brought to the theological laboratory and shifted out? Where has the church gone awry with this passage? Illustration Do you recall that commercial they ran on Hockey Night in Canada during this years Stanley Cup playoffs- the one where they were trying to get the players to express their feelings upon winning the Cup? Some stumbled for words, some chocked up, some cried, some turned away from the camera- there reactions were captured in such a manner that the feelings were to be one of a kind. Their feelings put them in a league of experience above and beyond what anyone else has felt. It cant be caught in words, so they do it in picture. Well, my friends and fellow citizens of Rosenort, Paul is caught up in a radically different realm of utter adoration, surreal celebration, extreme illumination and joyous jubilation as compared to winning a piece of metal best described as do Isaiah and Ezekiel. You all are so nicely dressed up that I think this next exercise is going to get some grit behind your finger nails. You are going to start to look a little like Johnny Eidse. But thats ok! Lets do some exegetical work on these two verses. Why dont we beginning with. [Slide 8] 1. The Meaning of Ephesians 3:20-21 The verse is profoundly simple whose complexity arises with a rather lengthy interjectional phrase that qualifies the One addressed as to Him. A good translation is, Now to Him, Who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all what we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen! Ephesians 3:20-21

This could easily have just said Nowto him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. But the reader would be left without a clear referent for to Him. But why choose Who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all we can ask or think, according to the power that works within us. There is no doubt left that this is a power passage. Consider 1:18-23. That whole act of salvation is one mighty act of One mighty powerful Savior. In 3:14-19 we find the rich encouragement to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man. Furthermore, Paul is fully aware that man is not capable of scaling the heights, descending the depths, and transversing the east and west to know what the love of God is about. The meaning of 3:20-21 is nothing short of a divinely inspired doxology that could have been placed in many points throughout Ephesians. [Slide 9] 2. The Function of Ephesians 3:20-21 Some have called this a doxology, which is a hymn of praise to God. And it would be very fitting to use it at far more citations than what we have in the Bible. A casual glance through 1:3-14 lists blessings Christians have in Him: [1] we have every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus, [2] we have been chosen, [3] we are adopted, [4] grace is bestowed upon us, [5] forgiveness of sin, [6] knowledge of His will, [7] an inheritance, [8] been predestined, and [9] been sealed. Does this not make you want to shout out in joyful praise, Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen!! What about 2:1-10? Ponder the depths of its truths; meditate on the blessings of the promises of eternal life, and glory in the work of Jesus and how He saved me from sin! And yes, stand up and shout it out loudly my friends! Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen!! [Slide 10] Illustration The suspicion has been there for months, but a diagnosis never made. It would help to go to the doc for that to happen. The appointment is made, and yes, its cancer with

metastasis to the lungs and lymph nodes. As is predictable in a small community of faith, the cards with their nice verses come out in full force. And its great! People care; people want to show love so very much; people need to say something to you; they want to speak with you! But not knowing what to say, let a card say it all for me to you, so they buy you a card with this sweet promise from Job 5:26; You will come to the grave in full vigor, Like the stacking of grain in its season. These are wise poets who manufacture such feelgoody cards whose theological depths are in vigorous concinnity with the depths of an environmental footprint left by a shadow. Unknown to the wizardry of our poet genius, Job 5 also contains such a word as verse 7: For man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward. Maybe every so often we need a card highlighting Job 5:7. We have forbidden our children to memorize passages like 1 Thessalonians 3:2-4. Maybe this week someone here could use a card with the key verse being 1 Thessalonians 3:2-4. We have lost touch with reality, folks. Have we not rooted ourselves in the truths of John 16:33? We need a reminder from Romans 8:18-39. Even creation groans for the day of the Lord. 3. The Context of Ephesians 3:20-21 The context of Ephesians is about Gods fascinating salvation that brought into one party the Gentiles and the Jews. This was virtually unheard of! It was beyond ones comprehension level to consider the uncircumcised Gentiles as ever having the right to enter the commonwealth of the Jews, or the Circumcision. It is a salvation issue, and it boils down to a power struggle which God Almighty ALWAYS is the victor. Ephesians reads very much like Isaiah. From 1-39 Isaiah is about judgment and the collapse of the nations. Then in chapters 40-66, Isaiah is all about the restoration of Israel. The interesting point is that both books have a very distinct point of diversity. What does that do to our little doxology which I have been trying to promote so energetically? Nothing! In fact, it does everything to make it even more powerful, and even more applicable and even more reassuring than ever before. [Slide 11] 4. The Attributes of Ephesians 3:20-21 When we come to the last section of Ephesians, chapters 4-6, we see a dramatic shift in focus. The theoretical parts of ones salvation are no longer belabored, but now comes the practical application of what has been taught. The actions of ones body are

now different and radically reoriented to fit with that which one now believes to be the truth. [Slide 12] For example, take the section of 4:25-32. Our God and Savior Jesus Christ expects us to live up to those standards. Listen while I read that section. Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another. BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN ; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. And what is our reaction to this? Are you kidding me Lord? You want me to forgive that klutz, that buffoon of an idiot, and actually act kindly towards that lunatic? Not a chance, Lord! There is not a chance I can do that, or that I will do it. And at about this point we should have this flashback: Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 And someone retorts with this defense: dont lay that verse on me now. No way. That verse speaks to the real tough matters of the heart, and it speaks about the dark night of the soul, the horrid demons of the night and not my inability to love my brother in the church. Folks, that is precisely the context of the passage, and that is precisely what Paul speaks of here in his letter to the Ephesians. Paul is speaking about the everyday spiritual warfare we experience in our daily walk. Now to Him Who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all we can ask or think includes exactly that kind of everyday stuff. Go through the list of moral qualities we are to clothe ourselves with, and wherever we say, I cant do it, interject with this promise: Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

[Slide 13] 5. The Conclusions of Ephesians 3:20-21 1) I am not here to argue that 3:20-21 does not imply that God is able to do anything. God can do everything and anything as long as He retains His moral integrity. 2) The error is taking a verse out of context and not applying the correct interpretation to the passage under study. There are two ways by which we end up with a different meaning a) By error of omission we devise a new translation that is not in keeping with the veracity of the passage. By not including the mighty acts of God in salvation as works that are exceeding abundantly beyond all we ask or think, we have lost the essence of the tremendous power it took to bring to conclusion this great salvation of uniting Greeks and Jews. b) By error of addition we implement a similar error as in point (a): We reserve the meaning of these verses (3:20-21) to be Gods ability to deliver us from some terminal illness, or His deliverance from some financial setback, or His rescue of us from a bad investment that has tanked in the bowels of pigs. This passage is not talking about financial rescue or about miraculous healing or the likes. It deals with ordinary life that requires extraordinary power to live in victory. 3) Keep the verse in its proper context, otherwise we will develop a new meaning never intended to be expressed by the author. Read it in its context, and we will get the meassage.