Chariots of Fire, Part Three

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Ephesians 1:18-23

Review

In this study we want to conclude our series on the eternal, abiding realities of the kingdom of God. I am using a metaphor “chariots of fire,” which refers to the story found in 1 Kings 6, in which Elisha’s servant could see the Syrian army surrounding Dothan but did not see the heavenly army surrounding him and his master. He panicked because his spiritual eyes were not opened to see the invisible spiritual realities of horses and chariots of fire there to protect him and his master.

Chariots of fire, then, is a metaphor for the realities of the kingdom of God. It stands for the blessings in the heavenly realms we have in Jesus Christ. When we see these spiritual realities, we have no need to worry, no matter what happens to us. Remember Jesus Christ told us, “Do not be anxious,” “Fear not,” “Do not worry because your heavenly Father knows your need and provides for it.” Once we see that our God is Jehovah Jireh who will provide for our every need, we will not fear.

Unbelievers are blind to the spiritual realms of the kingdom of God. Their philosophy is naturalism, which says that only nature, not God, exists and has always existed. Naturalism says that belief in God results from superstition. Naturalism also declares that nature is characterized by total uniformity, so miracles are impossible. Naturalism says nature is a deterministic system, wherein there is no freedom of man, no free agency of man, and no free will of man. Naturalism says nature is a materialistic, self-explanatory system.

But this is not what Christianity teaches. Christianity teaches that God exists outside the box of nature and that God himself created nature. Christianity teaches that this supernatural God acts causally within nature, whether through natural or supernatural means.

Unbelievers, who believe in naturalism, are without God and so without hope in the world. Thus, they are always anxious, afraid, and panicking when confronted with trouble. But the people of God are born of God, children of the heavenly Father, a new creation. The eyes of their hearts have been enlightened so that they can see and enter the kingdom of God, which is ultimate reality. That is why they do not fear, panic, or become anxious.

When our eyes are opened to heavenly realities and we know God, we are able to face troubles without fear. The apostle Paul desired that the Ephesians know the glorious God the Father in this way, so he prayed in Ephesians 1:17, “I keep asking the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” Paul was not praying that these believers would know the Bible better or become more orthodox in their confession. I knew a man who always knew the correct answer to theological questions, but he did not know Jesus Christ. Paul was praying that these Ephesians, and all believers, would come to have a personal relationship with God as their heavenly Father through Jesus Christ.

His Incomparably Great Power

There are three specific things Paul wanted every believer to know: First, the hope of his calling; second, the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints; and third, his incomparably great power for those who believe. In Ephesians 1:18-19 we read, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” We already spoke about the first two items. In this study we want to examine God’s immeasurable and infinite power, which is beyond human comprehension yet directed toward his people for their total salvation.

The first point I want to emphasize is the power of God. Oh, when we realize the infinite, immeasurable, divine potency that is directed toward us, shouldn’t we stop worrying, panicking, and being anxious? Shouldn’t we sing and praise our God in total confidence in him? Friends, I pray that we will realize that there is adequate power with God to bring about our total and complete salvation. He has saved us, he is saving us, and he will save us on the last day. So Paul piles up several words to describe this immeasurable divine power to usward who believe. For instance, he uses the word dunamis, from which we have the dynamite; he uses the word energeia, from which we get the word energy; he uses the word kratos, from which we have the word theocratic; and he uses the word ischus.

The first word, dunamis, speaks about the power of God-the infinite, divine potency for our salvation. Dunamis means God’s potential power.

However, this potential power is not an abstract, theoretical idea; it accomplishes his will and purpose. In other words, this power is effectual, it operates, it works. So the second word Paul uses is energeia, which means operating, accomplishing power, the power that works. For example, God spoke, and the whole universe came into existence. That is a demonstration of God’s energeia, his effectual power. The same power is used in providence, in God’s ruling of his universe. The same power is used in our redemption. So Paul speaks of dunamis, God’s potential, theoretical power, but also of energeia, God’s operative power-the power that works.

Thirdly, Paul uses the word kratos, which is God’s mighty power directed against all evil powers. It is irresistible, all-conquering power. So God’s power is not only potential and effectual, but it is also irresistible, the kratos of God. In Revelation 1:8 we find God described as Pantokrator, the Almighty.

Beyond that, the fourth word Paul uses is ischus, which stands for God’s inherent power. Without it God cannot be God. It is God’s personal power, the power of God in himself. So God’s power is infinite, effectual, irresistible, all-conquering and inherent in him. And this power is directed toward one specific goal: our salvation. That is why we need not worry, panic or be anxious. Our powerful God is able-able to help us, able to save us, and able to keep us from falling.

The Operation of This Power

Second, we want to examine the operation of God’s power. Paul writes in verses 19-20, “and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms. . . .” God exercised his power specifically in one activity: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In other words, this mighty power sent from heaven defeated the power of death by raising Christ from the dead. Remember, Jesus himself prophesied, “They will kill me and on the third day I will be raised”?

The resurrection of Jesus Christ, accomplished by the mighty power of God, demonstrated a few things. First, when Jesus Christ was resurrected, God the Father was acknowledging him as his Son and giving his approval of his Son. Additionally, God the Father was declaring to the whole world that his Son, Jesus Christ, is the Lord of all.

But more than that, in God’s using his divine power to raise his Son from the dead, he was telling us that Christ’s resurrection is the forerunner of the resurrection of all God’s people. In other words, Christ’s resurrection is the proof-the pledge and guarantee-of our own spiritual and physical resurrection. That is why we glory in this demonstration of God’s mighty strength in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our salvation, our life is tied up with it. Because he lives, we shall live also.

The apostle Paul understood this idea, and in 2 Corinthians 4:14 he wrote, “We know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.” The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the pledge, the guarantee, the proof, that we will be raised up, so Paul says, “We know.” It is an absolute certainty.

Paul repeats this idea in 1 Thessalonians 4:14, saying, “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” Our salvation, our eternal life, is all tied up with the resurrection and life of Jesus Christ our Lord.

We have, in fact, already have experienced this mighty, divine, infinite, potency if we have been born again. In Ezekiel 37 we see the prophet Ezekiel brought by the Spirit to a valley full of very dry bones. Then God asked Ezekiel an amazing question, as we read in verse 3: “Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel replied, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Ezekiel may not have been sure of the answer, for he had never read in the Bible of any such miracle happening before. Of course, he had probably heard that both Elisha and Elijah resuscitated certain people a few hours after they died, but Ezekiel had never heard of bones coming to life.

What happened next? As Ezekiel obeyed, this infinite, divine potency of God made the bones alive. In verse 10 we read, “So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet-a vast army.” This is what God’s power accomplishes.

The dry bones in the valley are symbolic of all people who are sinners-those under the curse of death, totally depraved. We find another description of such people in Ephesians 2:1, where Paul writes, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.” We are dead, cursed, cut off from God because of our sin. But in verse 4 Paul continues, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”

In other words, if we are Christians, if we have been resurrected spiritually, this power of God is already effectual in our lives. We were dead, but all of a sudden the power of God came and made us alive toward God, so that now we love God, read his word, pray to God, worship God, and speak about God. It is already working.

I hope you will study and understand this verse. Paul wants us to have a grasp of this exceedingly great power of God. Brothers and sisters, he is very competent.

Seated with Christ

Not only did God raise Christ from the dead by his mighty power, but God did something else as well. In Ephesians 1:19-20 we read, “That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ Jesus when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms. . . .” Seated him! This One who was crucified, blasphemed, mocked, killed, and buried, was raised up by God’s power and made to sit at God’s right hand. In other words, Christ’s session is also a demonstration of God’s great power.

Note where Jesus Christ is seated: Paul says it is “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion.” In other words, he is Lord of all. All powers, dominions, and principalities are under him, and there is nothing outside of his control which can sneak up on us and destroy our salvation. Thus, we do not need to worry about anything. Jesus Christ is above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. I pray that God will help us to appreciate this lordship of Jesus Christ. It is the power of God that accomplished this: seating Jesus Christ in the place of greatest honor, at the right hand of the Father.

It is also the place of great power. Right before his crucifixion, Jesus Christ himself spoke of this, as we read in Matthew 26:64: “‘Yes, it is as you say,’ Jesus replied. ‘But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.'” He is seated in the place of power, the place of rule.

It is also the place of greatest happiness. In Psalm 16:11 David says, “You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

God’s great power seated Jesus Christ at his right hand, far above all rule and authority, in the place of honor, the place of power and rule. He is seated as King of kings and Lord of lords, and he is ruling and reigning over all. What a mighty demonstration of God’s power!

Subjecting Everything Under His Feet

In Ephesians 1:22 we find something else this power accomplished. Not only did it seat Christ at God’s right hand “in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in this present age, but also in the one to come,” but then Paul says, “And God placed all things under his feet.” He subjected ta panta– everything-under the feet of Jesus Christ.

This is the same idea that Paul already brought forth, that Christ is above all. Now he says that God subjected everything-angelic forces, world rulers, and human powers-under his feet. (PGM) All things means nothing is excluded, in this age and in the age to come. Jesus Christ has no equal and no superior.

What does this mean for us? First, there is no sacred or secular distinction. Yes, we hear about the idea of separation of church and state, but according to this verse, all are brought under Jesus Christ. From world leaders to the most powerless infant, all are under him; no one is excluded.

But not only is the whole universe is subject to Jesus Christ as theoanthrôpos, God/man, it is also subject to the rule of us who are in him. Do you understand that? Let me tell you what a great professor has said about this verse: “There is given to the church, and for the church’s benefit, a head, who is also head over all things. The church has authority and power to overcome all opposition because her leader and head is Lord of all” (Francis Foulkes, Ephesians, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989], 74).

I hope we will think about these things and raise up our heads a little, rather than panicking like the servant of Elisha did when he saw the armies of Syria. We are seated with Jesus Christ, we are ruling with him, and every power in the whole universe is subject to us who are in Jesus Christ. This is the heavenly reality we must understand and trust in.

The Manifestation of Christ’s Headship

Look again at Ephesians 1:22. There we read, “God placed all things under his feet.” It means that the power of God made Jesus Christ head over all things.

We know that, as the eternal Son, Jesus Christ has always been Lord of the universe. As theoanthrôpos, as God/man, as our mediator, as our elder brother, as our covenant Lord, Jesus Christ is over all creation, all angels, all forces, all humans, including all world rulers, and all his material universe. No one can do a thing without his permission and outside of his rule. What, then, is Paul speaking about here?

Jesus Christ is already Lord of all, but one day his sovereign lordship is going to be made manifest to all. This is God’s eternal purpose, which he purposed within himself. As we read in verse 10, it will “be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment-to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, Jesus Christ.” Today the sovereign lordship of Christ is not very clear to everybody. It is not even very clear to those who are in the church of Jesus Christ. But there is coming a day when it will be made manifest and clear to everybody. There will be a clear, public display certifying that Jesus Christ alone, and no one else, is Lord of all.

In Ephesians 1:22 we read, “And God placed all things under his feet,” meaning Jesus Christ is supreme Lord of all, “and appointed [or gave] him to be head over everything for the church.” In the Greek the verb is edôken, “he gave.” The idea is that this Jesus Christ, whom God raised from the dead, whom he caused to ascend, whom he seated on his right hand, under whose feet he subjected all things-this supreme head of the universe is given to us as our head for the benefit of our total salvation. That is why we ought to praise God.

This glorious truth can only be understood by means of divine work of the Holy Spirit deep within us. Only when the eyes of our heart are enlightened will we begin to grasp that our Savior, our Lord, our Redeemer, is the Lord of the universe, given to the church by God to save it. He is the head, which means he is the source of all-the source of our life-and ruler of all. He is given for our benefit.

If he is the head, what are we? His body, and the life of the body comes from the head. Yet how many Christians are anxious and confused because they do not recognize this truth! He is the head, and so he tells us, “I am the vine; you are the branches,” and “apart from me you can do nothing.” Therefore, we can say with the psalmist, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing.”

Not only that, take a look at the last verse. “[The church,] which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” The church is the fullness of Jesus Christ. This means the church, consisting of many members, including you and me, is continually filled and nourished by Jesus Christ.

We are his body, a receptacle; thus, his nourishment, his vitality, his strength, his grace comes to us continually. In John 1:16 we read, “Of his fullness we have received grace upon grace upon grace,” or “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another” (NIV). As we mentioned before, in John 15:5 Jesus said to his disciples, “I am the vine; you are the branches.”

To emphasize this point that Jesus Christ fills us with his fullness, in Colossians 2:9-10 we read, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” In the Greek verse 10 reads, kai este en autô perplêrômenoi, “and you are in him filled,” which means being always in the condition of being filled. If we are Christians, there is no other way to live. If he is the head and we are the body, we are always in the condition of being filled with him.

Jesus Christ is the head of all rule and authority, and in him, by him, and through him we are always in a filled state. In other words, if we have Christ, we have everything and lack nothing. However, if we do not have Christ, we are hopeless and lack everything.

God’s Power Working in Us Now

The third point we want to examine is that this same, mighty, divine potency that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the heavenlies is also operating in us now. Paul is writing not about not some theoretical, abstract idea that has no bearing upon our existence in this world, but about God’s power working in our lives right now.

We already pointed out from Ephesians 2 the truth that we were dead but God made us alive together with him. Notice the phrase “together with him.” By his mighty power God raised us up together with him and seated us together with him. That is why I say you should not worry, do not be anxious, and fear not. Lift up your eyes-the eyes of your heart opened by the Spirit of God-into the heavenlies and see the head of the church, even Jesus Christ, seated on the right hand of Divine Majesty. He is Lord of all, and we are seated together with him. He has conquered all our enemies and through him we are more than conquerors. His incomparably great power is working in us. No wonder Paul could say, “Neither life nor death, neither angels nor demons. . . nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.” Nothing in all creation can defeat us, for in Christ we have overcome all.

By God’s mighty power, therefore, we who were dry bones have been made spiritually alive and have been raised up to be God’s powerful army. Isn’t that wonderful? One moment, dry bones; the next moment, a powerful, spiritual army, rising up in the animating power of God. It is this same great power that is working in us even now. Paul speaks of this in Colossians 1:29, saying, “To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.” Whose energy is working in Paul? God’s. I pray that all of us would believe that. This is not some philosophical speculation which has no effect on our present life. God understands our life here in this world-our problems, our troubles, our difficulties. He knows the devil is here to tempt us like a roaring lion. He knows we have problems-all sorts of problems-problems of the flesh, of the world, and of the devil, yet God has already raised us up and has given us his potency, his mighty energy, and it is working now in us.

So in Ephesians 1 Paul prays that our eyes may be opened that we may see this power. In Philippians 3:10 Paul asks God to help him know this power even better. He writes, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection.”

But you may say, “Well, Paul may be speaking only for himself, you know. He is the apostle, so he needed to have peculiar endowments from God. I am just a poor nothing; how can I say that this power is working even in me?” That is not true. This power is for every believer in Christ. In fact, in Ephesians 3 we find another prayer of Paul’s, which applies to us as well. In verse 16 he said, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,” and in verse 20 he prays, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us . . . .”

Therefore, if you find yourself falling into self-pity when you encounter troubles and difficulties, I pray that you will ask God to open the eyes of your heart so that you can understand this divine potency God has given you. It already worked in you by raising you from the dead, and it is still working in you effectually, powerfully, to bring your salvation to completion. So don’t be negative; be positive. Tell yourself, “We were dry bones but we are a mighty army of God. His Spirit is working in us, making us able to do all things God wants us to do.” This is what Paul is speaking about.

In Ephesians 6:10 Paul writes, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Is Paul speaking about mere will power or positive thinking? No. He is speaking about the mighty power of the Lord, which is coming to us even now. Yes, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and authorities and spiritual forces of evil. These adversaries are powerful, but Jesus Christ is Lord over all. And if we have Christ’s power, we will be able to resist the devil and all those with him.

Let me tell you something: If you look into yourself for help, you shall be afraid. If you look to this world, you shall be afraid as well. Psychology is not going to help you. Philosophy is not going to help you. Science is not going to help you. You must look to God-look into the heavenlies and see the chariots of fire and the seated Christ, who is the head of the universe. He is given to us, the church, as our head for our benefit, for our salvation, and he alone is able to save us. No wonder the writer to the Hebrews said, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” His power is our power and his victory is our victory. So in the book of Revelation Jesus Christ exhorted his people seven times, “Be overcomers.” This tells me that as a Christian, I have this irresistible, devil-conquering, divine power within me which will overcome the world and all the world can do to me.

In 1 John 5:4 we read, “This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith,” meaning faith in this Lord Jesus Christ. In James 4:7 we are exhorted, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. . . .” That is the first thing we must do if we want to experience this mighty power of God. We cannot have this power by opposing God. So James writes, “Submit yourselves, then, to God,” and then he instructs us, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” We can do so because the devil is already defeated. We find the same idea in 1 Peter 5:8-9, where we read, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith. . . .” How do we stand firm? By virtue of the divine potency, the incomparably great power of God working in us-this dunamis, this energeia, this kratos, this ischus-this profound power given to those who are followers of Jesus Christ.

In Revelation 12:11, speaking of Christians, we read, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” In Colossians 2:15 we read, “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” And in 2 Corinthians 2:14 Paul exclaims, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.”

Have You Seen God?

As we face the difficulties and challenges of life, what should we pray? O Lord, open our eyes, that we may know God our Father and his mighty power that is directed toward us for our salvation. Our eyes must be opened to heavenly realities.

There is a story told of William Randolph Hearst. One day he read about an extremely valuable piece of artwork and desired to acquire it. He called his agent and ordered him to search the world for this work and purchase it for him, no matter what the cost. The agent did spend a lot of time searching all over the world, but finally he located the artwork. He called Mr. Hearst and said, “Mr. Hearst, I located it.” He paused. “Sir, you already own it. It is stored in one of your warehouses.”

This is our problem-we do not know what we already have in Christ. It is time that we appreciated God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost and the salvation that we already have. It is time that we understood who we really are, that we are seated with him in the heavenlies and able to rule the entire universe in and through Jesus Christ. It is time that we appreciated our Lord Jesus Christ, who is able to help us, to save us, and to solve all our problems.

May God help us to fix our eyes on Jesus and appreciate him and our place in him. May we get into the Bible and work hard, studying it so that we understand the gospel. May we pray to God to open our eyes. May we worship him, meditate upon him, and live lives of holiness in accordance with his word. Then we will discover God’s mighty power operating in our lives leading us from victory to victory until we reach our heavenly home. Amen.