Formerly Known as the Walking Dead (Ephesians 2:1-3)

"(1) And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, (2) in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. (3) Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.” (Ephesians 2:1–3, NASB95)

This is the time of year when many parents and other adults go out to purchase costumes for Halloween. Many of the costumes for little kids are quite cute while others for adults often reflect a much darker side. This includes a fascination for death, which has shown itself in zombies or the living dead growing in popularity. In fact today in Medford, Oregon (a short distance from our Grants Pass) the Southern Oregon Good Will is sponsoring its second “The Running Dead 5K.”

Believing in the living dead may be one thing, but many who don’t really believe it do party in the concept. Here in Ephesians chapter 2 the apostle Paul writes that though we might all seem alive to all who see us, there is/was something about us that carries the stench of death. While we may not see it or be able to recognize it, God certainly does. Writing to those who were made alive in Christ, Paul reminds them that they weren’t always that way. At some time in the past they “were dead in your [their, our] trespasses and sins.” He was reminding them and us that the life they had and we have in Christ is not something we are born with, but something that required that we be re-born in or born again to.

The roots of this death go back to the Garden of Eden where man and woman (Adam and Eve) were placed by God to have a relationship with God unbroken by anything between them. They were sinless and enjoyed a union with God which man has not known since. When God placed Adam in the garden He gave him a very simple instruction which was not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, “Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”” (Genesis 2:15–17, NASB95) Man was created to know the perfect goodness of God and God gave him one prohibition which as not to eat of the tree that would introduce him to evil. But this did not last. At some time after this event and after Eve was given to man, Eve was deceived by the serpent Satan and she ate and she gave the fruit of the tree to Adam who was with her and he ate also (Genesis 3). Immediately upon eating they knew something changed. When God came to them to walk in the garden they were ashamed of their nakedness, which they had not observed in that way before, and they covered and hid themselves. God called out to then and the blame game started.

After speaking with them God responded by passing judgment on all involved. Speaking to Adam last, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”” (Genesis 3:17–19, NASB95) Man who was created without sin or the knowledge of death was to know harshness in life and the judgment of death.

“Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:22–24, NASB95) Adam and Eve did not die that day, but they were removed from their place of enjoying God’s presence and made spiritually dead. And reading through Scripture we find that this was not just the condition of Adam and Eve with their children being restored to create their own separation, but it became the enduring condition of all of their children for all generations. It became the nature of man.

We read in 1 Corinthians 15:22, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22, NASB95) Expanding on this on Romans chapter 5 we read, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.” (Romans 5:12–15, NASB95)

And looking forward to verses 2 and 3 which we will explore next we might ask and answer the question as to whether or not this was fair to be judged for what someone before us did. Paul goes on to say that this sin that Adam and Eve experienced is something that we all experience and for which we all stand guilty. Tony Evans in his book, “Theology You Can Count On” wrote (p. 711), “We never have to teach our children how to sin. No child ever needed a class on how to be selfish or disobedient. No, we have to teach children how to love, to share, to be kind to one another, to stop fighting. The bad stuff is automatic. The capacity for sin is present when a child is developing in the womb.”

This is what came with having our eyes opened to the knowledge of good and evil. Knowing evil is a part of who we are, and the consequence of evil is spiritual death leading to physical death and continued separation from God. But the incredible truth that we don’t want to miss in this first verse of chapter 2 is that Paul used the word “were.” This is a past tense word. It is a condition from which we have been removed and one which is not to surface again. It is gone. We are no longer dead in our trespasses and sins. We have been made spiritually alive in Christ and brought into a forever relationship with God. This is the glorious truth leading to praising God and giving Him all of the glory. This is the second half of 1 Corinthians 15:22, “so also in Christ all will be made alive.”

Christ our Source and Supply (Ephesians 1:22b-23)

“and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:22b–23, NASB95)

We also read in this passage that the fullness of Christ “fills all in all.” As I read this I thought of the song, “You Are My All In All.”

You are my strength when I am weak

You are the treasure that I seek

You are my all in all

Seeking You as a precious jewel

Lord, to give up I'd be a fool

You are my all in all

Jesus, Lamb of God

Worthy is Your name

Jesus, Lamb of God

Worthy is Your name

Taking my sin, my cross, my shame

Rising again I bless Your name

You are my all in all

When I fall down You pick me up

When I am dry You fill my cup

You are my all in all

Jesus, Lamb of God

Worthy is Your name

Jesus, Lamb of God

Worthy is Your name

Oh my

Jesus, Lamb of God

Worthy is Your name

Jesus, Lamb of God

Worthy is Your name

I knew the song. I knew the names of some who had recorded the song, but I knew nothing about the one who wrote the song. I didn’t even know his name (Dennis Jernigan) until I looked it up. But when I went to his webpage I gained some insight into the life of the man moved to pen these words. On Dennis’ webpage I read, “Having been walking in freedom from his former homosexual identity since November 7, 1981, Jernigan takes great joy in sharing the grace and love of God with any who desire freedom in their own lives. Known for his worship songs, his gift for singing God’s heart over hurting people…. The life message of Dennis Jernigan can be summed up in one word. Freedom. That freedom has come with a price. Jernigan was born again through his faith in Jesus Christ…but the reality is that the battle for freedom from the lies of the enemy regarding his past identity has been ongoing. His greatest joy has come in seeking intimacy with Jesus Christ – and in the process, discovering greater depths of freedom than he ever realized. And he wants everyone else to know about the possibility of freedom in their own lives.” (For more on Dennis and how his life has been transformed in Christ and what God is doing in the process of that change go to https://www.dennisjernigan.com/)

In speaking of freedom we can’t adequately do this apart from talking about what we have been set free from. The apostle Paul wrote, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1, NASB95) Then a few verses later he added, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” (Galatians 5:16–17, NASB95)

We’ve been set free from the bondage of sin and the way to walk in the freedom is to walk by the Spirit. Every believer is indwelt by the Spirit at the time of his or her salvation. The Spirit is in us, and was are expected to walk according to the power of the Spirit in us and not to ignore the Spirit and do things our own way. John MacArthur commenting on Ephesians 5:18, wrote of this kind of influence of the Spirit or being filled with the  Spirit, “He [Paul] is rather giving a command for believers to live continually under the influence of the Spirit by letting the Word control them, pursuing pure lives, confessing all known sin, dying to self, surrendering to God’s will, and depending on His power in all things. Being filled with the Spirit is living in the conscious presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, letting His mind, through the Word, dominate everything that is thought and done. Being filled with the Spirit is the same as walking in the Spirit.” (MacArthur Study Bible)

Paul desired that we would know Jesus in us and the continued filling of the Spirit. It is a recurring theme in his letters to the churches, and it is essential for us to know. In the introduction to his letter to the Philippians he wrote, “For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:8–11, NASB95)

Think of this, He gave Himself fully and without reservation for us and He continues to give Himself fully so that we might be abundantly filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes from Him, again to the glory and praise of God. He is indeed our all in all who fills us all.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10, NASB95) 

Christ our True Head (Ephesians 1:22b-23)

“and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:22b–23, NASB95)

The “body” is used in the New Testament to refer to the church which is made up of all who are redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ. There are lots of institutions out there defined in a variety of ways as “churches” and many of them hold to some special claim on the Jesus. But just calling a group of people a church, does not mean that they satisfy God’s standard. There is only one true church and it is the body of believers who have been called by God the Father and are forgiven and set apart by the blood of His Son. Now this body of believers may meet in many different places in different communities and even with different names, but what marks them and makes them unique is that they look to Jesus Christ the Son of God sent by the Father as their head and trust Him alone for their salvation

The apostle Paul, who was given a unique ministry to the church, was very concerned about the bodies of believers gathered as the church in various areas would be on guard as they kept their eyes on Christ and held tight to the truths they had been taught.

To the Corinthians he wrote, “I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me. For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.” (2 Corinthians 11:1–4, NASB95)

Paul asked them to bear with him a moment while he made an argument in favor of sound teaching and maybe consider just how vulnerable they might be. He spoke of people coming in who start to teach strange things about Jesus, who would teach things that do not match up with the truth of who He really is. Despite how others might have attacked him, Paul challenged them to consider how he had been in their presence, the example he set, and the words he said. None of them were for his own glory, but rather pointed them to Christ and the rich salvation they had in Him. In the verses that came next in 2 Corinthians Paul encouraged them to consider both his example and compare it to those who have presented themselves as their new teachers. He urged them not to be deceived.

Again in verse 16 of 1 Corinthians 11 he asked them not to consider him foolish as the threats before them are real. There are people who would teach them another Christ and try to deceive them into other doctrines for their own glory. He moved forward telling them that if they were looking at the boasting of these men, then consider even his own boasting as a fool. Paul then laid out all of his credentials, everything about him that man might look at in considering him qualified to speak, and Paul had very impressive credentials. And he didn’t just leave it to his background credentials, he went on to tell them of what he had suffered for the gospel of Christ. Were all that he had said and suffered for a false cause then he surely would have been the greatest of fools. Then in verse 30 he said, “If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.” (2 Corinthians 11:30–31, NASB95) Paul had every confidence that Christ was the true head and he contended with believers to stand with that same conviction.

The apostle Peter also gave similar warnings. “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”— and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” (2 Peter 1:16–2:3, NASB95)

John added, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” (1 John 4:1–6, NASB95)

Jesus Christ is the head of the church according to the will of the Father. This is the truth and anyone who would deny it or twist it is speaking a lie. As such we are to look to Him in all things and to trust that He indeed will tend to us as His body. He is the head of the church and we are the body. The body does not direct the head, but the head the body. Later in Ephesians chapter 4 Paul will expand on this, but for now jumping back to 2 Corinthians and looking to chapter 12 we read, “to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,” (Ephesians 1:12–13, NASB95) This is how we have been united in Him, and in being united with Him we are also united with each other. Continuing with verse 26 we read, “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:26–27, NASB95)

The church is an amazing design of God. He has brought us together in the Son as one and called us to live together as one under the headship of the One through who we have been redeemed. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.” (Colossians 1:15–18, NASB95) 

Christ our Direction (Ephesians 1:22b-23)

“and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:22b–23, NASB95)

I said I worked through a lot of things pertaining to this passage over the past several days, and today I am coming back to it again. As I was driving with the radio off I thought of what seems to be some dysfunction in the church today. This is not a general statement of negativity, but one made in a general sense knowing that there are many, many solid, healthy churches whose people are growing in Christ, building each other up, and reaching out in love to the world around. I know that there are many, many godly leaders who take the task of shepherding and overseeing the local congregations under their charge quite soberly as they seek God and together with others follow Him with their whole hearts. But having said this we also see and hear stories of “churches” doing some pretty strange things. We hear of or maybe even have experienced hurts which have not been easily healed, and we read of understandings of Scripture that baffle our imagination.

We could walk into any of these churches and ask, “Who’s in charge?” According to the word of God the answer is that the church of God is headed by the Son of God who is Jesus Christ. He is the head, and there is no other. And in establishing His church He has chosen to place oversight into the hands of men. As stated above, some of these men have kept their eyes on Him, hiding His word in their hearts, and trusting His Spirit to guide and direct them. But along with that there have also been those who have turned away in varying degrees. Even this week as churches gathered to mourn the loss of life in Roseburg there is reported to be another “church” that in their hate might protest the memorial services declaring that these deaths were God’s judgment on them because of the sins of the state. Clearly both can’t be right. So the question then becomes, “What is our measure?”

Paul tells us that Jesus Christ has been made head over the church. The church is His body. It is His physical representation of Him here, and the church is filled and empowered by Him. He dwells fully in His church. Looking to this the answer becomes clearer. When we speak of the church as the body of Christ we refer to a body which looks to Him as its head, who reflects Him in their actions, and who walks according the power that He supplies. Jesus set an example for us in how to walk even in the face of trials, hate, and persecution. He set the example that even when He was being reviled that He chose not to revile those who reviled Him. He lived as He is—perfect, holy, and righteous, and He calls us to walk according to who He has made us. Sure we stumble. We sin. We rub people the wrong way. But is this our general course of action, or do we listen to His leading, repent of those things, and turn fully toward Him to walk as He called us to walk.

We read that He is truth. He is the perfect embodiment of truth. He came to do the will of the Father and the Father was perfectly displayed in Him. As His church, what do we do with the truth? There are many out there who would change it and say, “Well, God didn’t really mean that.” Or, “The Bible isn’t the infallible, inerrant word of God, but really more of a general direction from Him given through men.” For these people they pick and choose what they will believe base upon their personal or shared preferences.

We also read that in Him we know grace. “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17, NASB95) Looking to this one “church” who is so set on ugly protests and harsh judgments, I have to ask, “Where’s the grace of Christ.” The Bible tells us that while we were yet sinners that Christ died for us. We read that we are to be patient, enduring, and forgiving toward one another. This is how we show grace to each other. We recognize that in Christ we are fully forgiven and set free from slavery to sin, but we still sin and do things that simply bug people. Grace works with that. Grace also looks outside and sees a world that does not know God and needs to see Him in them.

We also see that the church corrects itself with both truth and grace in view. In Philippians we read of two women who were not getting along. This was proving itself disruptive to even a church filled with people who were seeking after God such that Paul spoke well of what he had heard of them. But in the church there was a problem that could grow and fester if left unattended. He wrote, “I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:2–7, NASB95)

The answer for the disruption was a change in direction. The ladies were to be helped in taking their eyes off of their problem with each other, and look to Christ who was near to them and Who Paul assured them would even bring peace, guarding even their hearts and minds. I find this interesting that Paul mentioned both, because it is our Lord who came to reveal grace and truth who is there to guard our hearts from where we normally think our emotions spring and our minds where justice and right reside. The answer for this church and these women was to look to their Lord, praying to Him about all things even lifting their specific struggles to Him rejoicing knowing that He is near, will answer, and will work.

Being election season people are looking at the prospective candidates for who might make the best leader of our country, our states, and our communities. John’s gospel begins with the incredible credentials of the One the Father chose to head His church—His Son. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” … “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me [John the Baptist] has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ ” For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:1-4, 14–17, NASB95)

Christ in Control (Ephesians 1:22-23)

“and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:22b–23, NASB95)

In the first part of verse 22 we read that the Father gave all things to the Son to be subject to Him, and here in the later part of the verse and verse 23 Paul makes this even more specific as he pointed to the fact that Jesus Christ has been made the head of the church. I started this post a couple of times, and have worked through a number of things as it pertains to Christ and what it means for Him to be the head over the church. I’ve thought about the events of last week when Christians were killed as they professed their faith. I thought about some churches I am aware of who are working through the process of trying to find that next person who God has as their senior pastor or who might be struggling over some issue. And I thought about my own search for a position and the struggles that come in the waiting. Every single one of these issues has unanswered questions surrounding them that might cause the questions to come up in our hearts, “Where is God? What is He doing?”

Then this morning I went to an elder meeting where the elder bringing the devotional led us to the first five verses of Psalm 22. Following the meeting I spent some time by myself reflecting on the discussion and looking at those verses in relation to the questions above and some others with which I am wrestling. Then I thought again about this passage ending Ephesians chapter 1 which I had not dealt with yet, asking, “What does Psalm 22 and Christ being the head of the church have to do with all of these issues, and how should that change how I walk before Him in the waiting?”

First, looking to Psalm 22:1-5 we read, "(1) My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning. (2) O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; and by night, but I have no rest. (3) Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. (4) In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You delivered them. (5) To You they cried out and were delivered; in You they trusted and were not disappointed.” (Psalm 22:1–5, NASB95)

You might recognize the first words of this psalm, and probably not as much from knowing the psalm but knowing that these were the words used by our Lord, Jesus Christ on the cross. In Mark we read, “When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”” … “And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last.” (Mark 15:37, NASB95) It was these words of King David written so many hundreds of years in advance that Jesus cied out as the Son of God to His Father as He breathed His last on the cross. While we can only try to imagine the intensity of what He was feeling and the depth of the truth that He knew as He took on Himself the sins of man, we do know from Scripture that Jesus felt incredible anguish at that time, and in that anguish we hear the cry of what we might see as abandonment or being truly alone. Our Lord felt these things for us. He understands our incredible desire at times to be rescued. He understands our questions that arise when things seem out of control and don’t make sense.

Being God, we read, that He willingly humbled Himself to take on the form of man to become sin for us. He took the full punishment of a Holy God in order to impart to us His own holiness and to make us righteous with His perfect righteousness. If there ever was an unjust murder, this is it. Christ, who knew no sin became sin for us. He was beaten and despised by men so that we might become fully accepted by the Father. And in this He knew the great pain of being separated and alone for that excruciating moment on the cross when He refused to deny His identity and died for us.

This would have been horribly tragic if it ended there, but we know from Scripture that after Jesus was buried that He also rose again on the third day. He took His life back up again and returned to the right hand of the Father. It is here that we read in Ephesians that He was given by the Father to be, “head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:22b-23)

Returning to my reflections on Psalm 22 from the discussion earlier in the morning, I remembered that David went on in verse 2, after expressing these incredible words of feeling abandoned, to speak of how he had cried out throughout the day (and I would imagine many days) without getting an answer from God, and how even at night he was so stirred up that he found no rest. He cried out again and again and he didn’t get the relief he had been seeking. In the New King James we read, “O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear….” David brought his plight before God and plead for His help, yet he (at that time) did not hear anything from Him or see any reasonable resolution. The situation seemed to have been severe and his need seemed to be great, but he didn’t get an answer. It must have been so easy to wonder if God even heard him, yet in his mind we know from his writings that David knew that God surely did. With Jesus and with David these words represent a time when things were at their most intent, and David tells us that over this he groaned (verse 1) and was forced to wait.

This would seem quite hopeless but for what follows in verses 3-5 where we read, “Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You delivered them. To You they cried out and were delivered; in You they trusted and were not disappointed.” David knew that God had not gone anywhere, that He was still on His throne, and that He was good and right and holy. He thought about how his fathers had trusted Him, and how God had delivered them. They had cried out to God and He delivered them, and in that they were not let down. David’s heart began to turn from his feelings of distress to his knowledge and trust in his faithful and loving God. He looked to what God had said He would do and then how He had done so, and David found comfort.

But even in his comfort he began to look turn inward to himself, and in verse 6 we read that he called himself a “worm and not a man.” Then as he worked through this he turned his eyes back toward God leading to the words found in verse 9, “Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb; You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts. Upon You I was cast from birth; You have been my God from my mother’s womb.” David was reminded of the training of his mother and how God had brought him forward through her to know Him. David had never known anyone else. Though he was indeed weary and worn from the trouble surrounding him and he had little strength left in him, he also continued to cry out with hope to God for his strength and deliverance.

Later in verses 25-28 we read, “From You comes my praise in the great assembly; I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him. The afflicted will eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord’s and He rules over the nations.” (Psalm 22:25–28, NASB95)

David knew great hope because even in the darkest times He knew He could trust His great God and Lord who rules over all the nations. I love the words of verse 26, “Those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever!” Jesus is our Lord. He has been given charge of His church, and we read that He is fully vested in us as His people and His church as He fills us with His Spirit. In Him we trust and our hearts are strengthened.

Power of Life Proven in Christ (Ephesians 1:20-21)

“which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet,” (Ephesians 1:20–22a, NASB95)

There are many things that man can point to as accomplishments and over which others might gawk in amazement. There are heroic actions which speak of great sacrifice as people have stepped in to save the lives of others. There are incredible medical advances where new surgical procedures are developed that years before were not even imagined or new vaccines are invented that heal millions who previously would have died. Before computers were anything close to what we have today we sent men to the moon. All of these and many others have given man cause to step back and say, “Wow!”

In some of these cases the person responsible has gloried in the credit, while in others those individuals have humbly acknowledged that they did what others would have or that what they did was indeed a gift from God. But every single one of these is within the realm of what we might consider the power given to man. But there is a power not given to man, and that is the power over life—eternal life. Sure, a judge may sentence a person to death and a duly appointed individual may carry out the sentence, but in the end all that they really had power over was the ability to affect one’s physical life. In Scripture we know life to be more than merely flesh and blood. We know that short of Christ coming first that every single one of us is going to die. This is the way of man since the Fall, and there is no other way. It is an inevitable reality. And once that happens we also read in Scripture, “then comes judgment” as we read in verses like Hebrews 9:27. “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27, NASB95)

There is one notable exception to this and that is Jesus Christ. He is the only one in history ever to lay His life down and to take it back up again. Death had no hold on Him, and the reason for this is that Jesus is not mere man. Jesus Christ is God from eternity past being one as the Son with the Father and the Spirit. It is through Him that all things were created and it is His who holds all things together according to the will of the Father. Were He merely a man He would have gone the way of all others when He died, but this is not the case. He came as man with the express purpose of laying down His life as a sacrifice for the payment of the sins of man and then to take that same life back up again and in so doing give life to all who believe.

Paul, writing about the humility of Jesus said, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5–11, NASB95) This is what God the Father accomplished in His Son who being God submitted in humility to the will of the Father to do what needed to be done in order to bring about the salvation of man, and when it was all accomplished the Father exalted Him and put Him above all things—the very things which through Him according to the will of the Father were created.

Jesus being God makes all of the difference. Only God could fix the mess we are in, and continuing from the previous verse we read together, “and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.” (Ephesians 1:19–21, NASB95) God did this for us!!

In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul summarized the gospel message with these words, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared ….” (1 Corinthians 15:3–5, NASB95)

Paul went on to write that the resurrection of Christ is the central important truth in which we have hope. “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:13–17, NASB95)

He then added, “But now Christ has been raised from the dead….” (1 Corinthians 15:20, NASB95) And he concluded this incredible chapter on the resurrection with these words, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:56–58, NASB95)

In Ephesians and with us it is important to know that Jesus Christ did what the Father sent Him to do, that He lives, and that He reigns. Everything about our being called and held onto by Him rests in Him truly being who the Scriptures declare Him to be. Paul encouraged the believers with this knowing that God is powerful to do all that He intends, that He loves us, and that He will do it. Rest Assured.

Knowing His Great and Marvelous Power (Ephesians 1:19)

“and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might” (Ephesians 1:19, NASB95)

When we seem powerless it is so easy to get overwhelmed by the things that press in. Here Paul tells the Ephesians believers that it is his prayer for them that they would know not only God’s greatness, strength and power, but that in His surpassing greatness they would know His power working in them. Our God is infinite in every way. His attributes are immeasurable. He is worthy of all glory and there is none like Him. He created all life and all that life needs to live. We read in Colossians that He did this through His Son and that He has entrusted all of this to His Son who holds all things together.

“He [Jesus Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” (Colossians 1:15–20, NASB95)

Our God is GREAT!!! He is beyond GREAT!! There are no words that can describe his GREATNESS! His greatness surpasses all that we can think or imagine. It definitely surpasses all that we could ever describe. Yet, God has revealed Himself to us in such a way that we can know Him and continue to grow in our amazement of Him as we continue to grow in what we know. We can know a little and still know Him and we can know vast volumes and still have more to know. And in knowing Him it is not just the knowledge of His greatness that Paul desired they would grow in, but that they would grow in their understanding of how He has directed His power to those who believe.

There is a verse that I’ve heard and seen often quoted over the years. I’ve heard it roll off tongues in difficult settings, and I’ve seen it written with Sharpie’s on athletes shoulders and written on post it notes stuck in strategic places. It is these simple but very powerful words found in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13, NASB95) Paul had just written about how God had taken care of him in all kinds of situations, and how he (Paul) had grown in contentment as he had seen God provide. Paul knew that the strength and the provision for the ministry he had been given came from God, and he had learned to rely on God to make provision for those things God that called him to do. Out of that, Paul said that he could do all things through Him [Christ] who strengthened him [Paul]. Paul knew that God put His power into these things and that it was according to His glorious power that it all happened. Paul knew that God had directed His glorious power toward him [Paul], and in that he rejoiced and gave God the praise.

This is the prayer that he had for the Ephesian believers, that they would know God’s surpassing greatness shown to them through His unlimited power directed toward them. Paul also reminded them in this that God’s power was not directed willy-nilly, but that it was in accordance with His purpose as He directed His mighty strength toward these ends. God’s will may not be that we become the strongest or the fastest. His will may not be that we rise to the top executive positions or be problem free, living without cancers or other diseases. In fact, we know that it is often in the converse of these that God demonstrates His great power. We read in 2 Corinthians of a thorn in the flesh that had been given to Paul that he prayed three times for God to remove, only to have God say, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” And rather than continuing to persist with the issue, and mumble and groan and complain about the particular obstacles he had in his life, Paul responded, “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9–10, NASB95) Clearly Paul knew the source of his strength, and in writing to us he encourages us to look to God in the same way, praying that we might truly see God demonstrate His surpassing greatness through His power directed in His strength toward us. He is the Almighty One.

“Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be blameless. “I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”” (Genesis 17:1–2, NASB95)

“Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him. God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; you shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” Thus He called him Israel. God also said to him, “I am God Almighty; be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you.” (Genesis 35:9–11, NASB95)

“God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord; and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, Lord, I did not make Myself known to them. “I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned. “Furthermore I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. “Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. ‘Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. ‘I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession; I am the Lord.’ ”” (Exodus 6:2–8, NASB95)

As I read these verses and others concerning God’s promises to the His people these words stood out, “I am God Almighty … I will….” And flipping to the other end of Scripture we read,

“And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before You, For Your righteous acts have been revealed.”” (Revelation 15:3–4, NASB95)

“Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him….”” (Revelation 19:6–7a, NASB95)