God’s Might at Work in Us

Ephesians 1:19a

Sermon Transcript by Rev. Ernest O’Neill

Will you turn please to Ephesians 1:19, “And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us
who believe.” What is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe? There’s one clear
example of it in John 11:43, “When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come
out.’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his face wrapped with a
cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’” And that’s part of the immeasurable
greatness of his power, that’s what Jesus was able to do; destroy death, and that death is destroyed
now and he is in each one of us and is able to do the same thing. That’s the immeasurable greatness
of his power.

It might be good to notice that often we get preoccupied with proving that that power is in us. And
it’s probably good to see that that approach in a way destroys the whole possibility of that power
because it’s us trying to prove that that power is in us. And so years ago we got caught up with
all kinds of silly things; leg lengthening, and all kinds of antics that we went to, to prove that
that power was within us. And it’s still possible for us to get preoccupied with proving that that
power is in us, and in a way we’re showing our lack of belief that that power is there by our
attempts to prove it is in us.

It’s good to see that these instances where you read of that immeasurable greatness of power it
always comes in incidental ways. Jesus doesn’t set out to raise Lazarus from the dead and in fact,
the whole story indicates very clearly that it was the sisters who called him to the situation and
indeed you remember he did not come right at that moment. So it was the circumstance that gave rise
to the need for the power, and it seems to me that that’s something that we need to see ourselves.
It’s in the normal pattern of our life, and the normal obedience that we’re giving to Jesus that we
will see the immeasurable greatness of that power. And certainly I would testify whether you
explain my little experience medically [an unexpected triple heart bypass] or whatever way, to me it
seemed to be a miracle, and it certainly wasn’t something that you planned, it certainly wasn’t
something that you went into knowing, “Yes God’s power is going to be manifested in this situation.”

You simply went on in the normal course of events and you met certain circumstances, and you walked
on in them, and God made the immeasurable greatness of his power available to you at that time. And
it does seem to me that part of our relaxation is in that kind of attitude; that we don’t seek to
prove the immeasurable greatness of his power, and therefore to prove our Apostolic character, or
our Christian faith, but we go on in the normal pattern of obedience to him day-by-day. Now maybe
there’s a clue there, because most of these people were told to do certain things by God himself,
and they did them, and we probably need to make sure that we are obeying the little things that he’s
showing us to do if that power is going to be made manifest. But it seems to me it’s going to come
that way and if there’s going to be anything achieved with things like the web or the newsletter or
the radio, or anything that we do, or our business’s it’s going to come through God manifesting his
immeasurable greatness of power when he determines that is the right time, and we are going to be
required to simply walk obediently day-by-day.

Now there’s another example of it if you look at Luke 7:14 and it seems to show the same kind of
situation, “And he came and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, ‘Young man,

I say to you arise.’ And the dead man sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother.”
And again, it’s Jesus destroying death and raising a person from the dead. So there’s an
immeasurable greatness to the power, it doesn’t have limitations, it isn’t limited to this life, and
it is able to turn death around. And yet Jesus did it in a kind of incidental situation, because
you can see in Luke 7:11, “Soon afterward he went to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a
great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, a man who had died was
being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was the widow; and a large crowd from the
city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do not
weep.’ And he came and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, ‘Young man, I
say to you, arise.’”

So it was an incidental situation; Jesus was going with a great crowd of his own disciples and the
people who were interested in what he was doing, and as he was going this other crowd were coming
out, and he dealt with the situation there. So it seems it will be the same for us; whenever we set
out to prove that power to him, to demonstrate it we will in a sense be making it impossible for God
to manifest it. It is God’s doing, God is the one that has destroyed death in Jesus, that has made
death of no power, and it is him that will choose when to manifest that in this present world. And
when we try to control that, we are in a way trying to do what CS Lewis said, “You’re trying to
work mastery,” the old Middle Ages’ idea of mastery. Mastery of the occult powers or of the powers
of the spirit, and in a way we’re trying to do that and God will always withdraw himself from that
kind of attitude, so it’s probably good in our own heads to be clear.

Now when and how will this immeasurable greatness of God’s power be manifested? Well it will be
manifested incidentally by him when he chooses as we go about the business that he’s given us to do,
and as we obey him. There’s another example of it in Mark 4:39, equally evident that there is no
limitation to this power, that it is his immeasurable greatness of power, that there’s no limit.
It’s not limited by death, and it’s not limited even by what seemed to be the impersonal forces of
nature. Mark 4:39, “And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’
And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you no
faith?’ And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even wind
and sea obey him?’”

But it was all done in an incidental situation as you can see in Mark 4:35, “On that day, when
evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd,
they took him with them in the boat, just as he was.” And you know it doesn’t matter what way you
look at it, it doesn’t matter whether you think Jesus somehow could read the clouds and could read
that there would be a storm.” Then his response wasn’t along those lines you can see, “And leaving
the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And
a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already
filling.”

So it has all the evidence of something that the person didn’t plan, that it wasn’t a planned
demonstration of power. “But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said
to him, ‘Teacher do you not care if we perish?’” So it has all the marks of an incidental situation
in which God manifests the immeasurable greatness of his power. “And he awoke and rebuked the wind,
and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’” And it goes on. When it gets into those of us who
believe, those are the instances in Jesus himself, but the instances in those of us who believe is
in Acts 3:6 and it’s again the same kind of situation. Acts 3:6, “But Peter said, ‘I have no silver
and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’ And he took

them by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And
leaping up he stood and walked and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising
God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat for
alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had
happened to him.”

But the situation came about not through Peter and John going out determined to manifest this power,
but through them just obeying their commitment to devotion, “the ninth hour”. Acts 3:1 “Now Peter
and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from
birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at that gate of the temple which is called Beautiful
to ask alms of those who entered the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he
asked for alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, with John, and said, ‘Look at us.’ And he
fixed his attention upon them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, ‘I have no
silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’” But
it’s the immeasurable greatness of God’s power that is available.

Here is one other instance about the poor guy who fell asleep during an exciting sermon! Acts 20:9,
“And a young man named Eutychus was sitting in the window. He sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked
still longer; and being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead.
But Paul went down and bent over him, and embracing him said, ‘Do not be alarmed, for his life is in
him.’ And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long
while, until daybreak, and so departed. And they took the lad away alive, and were not a little
comforted.” And so it’s another situation where Paul did not plan to bore the guy to death, but the
fellow fell asleep and fell off the ledge. And so it does seem that the immeasurable greatness of
God’s power has no limitations either by death or by the powers of nature, and that’s the power that
is within us. But it seems to me, our faith is found not in trying to prove that it’s there but in
knowing that it is available, and God will make it available when he needs to do that. And of
course, the key to the whole thing is that it’s because of the one who is within us, Jesus himself,
and it is his power.

Let us pray.