"All Glory Be to the Almighty God Alone"
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. [Amen.]
"All glory be to God on high
And thanks for all His favor;
No harm can touch or terrify
A child of God forever.
God shows His good and gracious will
And grants His peace, the world to fill-
All strife at last has ended."
(Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO.
947:1)
Epistle Reading...................................... Ephesians 3:14-21
(esp. 20-21)
20Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or
think, according to the power at work within us, 21to him be glory in the
church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.
Amen.
Prologue: The following Lutheran Hour Ministries Daily Devotion entitled
"Hidden Blessings" dates back to January 24, 2010. The author wrote, "In
the early years of the 1900s, a couple moved from North Carolina to
Oklahoma. There they farmed a small piece of land.
"Truth be told, they lived mighty poorly for a good number of years.
That all changed when a stranger drove up on their property and took a
sample of their water. I'm not sure what he found, but it wasn't too much
later that another stranger showed up and offered to buy their farm at an
unbelievable price.
"Before long, a high-producing oil well was located between the house
and the barn. Reminiscing, the old farmer said, 'To think that we slaved
here for all those years and all that time we had a fortune under our
doorstep and we didn't know about it.'
"Now, I'm not going to suggest we all ought to go out and dig in our
backyard for oil. Life doesn't work that way-at least not very often.
"But I do suggest that the Lord, who gave His Son to save us, may have
also given unrecognized fortunes to many of us.
"Perhaps your unrecognized fortune is a spouse who has given faithfully
without getting much in return. Perhaps your unrecognized fortune is an
unexpectedly kind place of employment. Maybe it is in the form of children
who respect you, or a church that appreciates you.
"Most of us have fortunes right outside our back doors or under our
roofs.
"This is why I would encourage you to offer a special 'thank you' for
those hidden fortunes; it seems the right thing to do." (LHM Daily Devotions
Ref: LHM0014039A-0018222#; 1997-2009 Lutheran Hour Ministries. All rights
reserved. Lutheran Hour Ministries, St. Louis, MO.)
Our society and culture worships power . and those who wield it.
Baseball players who are able to frequently hit homeruns are praised and
honored with both grand applause and large paychecks. Elected governmental
leaders on all levels have and exercise significant power and, when the
citizens agree with how they use it, are praised and honored with both high
approval ratings and reelection. Parents possess power given by God and,
when they properly use it to train up their children according to His will,
are praised and honored by others for their well-behaved, kind, and
courteous sons and daughters. People who are monetarily and materially
wealthy have power that they sometimes use to influence, manipulate, and
control other people, situations, and decisions. Pastors possess God-given
power to proclaim God's Word in its truth and purity and, when they do so,
are often (although not always) praised and honored for such.
But when it comes to ultimate power that surpasses all the
combined power of mankind, namely, the power to create, sustain creation,
heal created creatures, and raise the dead back to life, the triune God
alone possesses that power. It's only good, right, and salutary that, in
response to such, .
"All Glory Be to the Almighty God Alone."
Now before we delve into that seemingly simple message, let's gain
a better understanding about Saint Paul's Letter to the Ephesians.
Information in The Lutheran Study Bible reveals that, in short, it "shows
that Baptism united Jews and Gentiles, leaders and followers, and all
believers across all generations." In light of that, "The key problem Paul
addresses is division between the congregation's Jewish and Gentile
members." For that reason, "Paul returns to the themes of unity, Baptism,
and prayer repeatedly in the Letter."
The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther wrote, "In this epistle St. Paul
teaches, first, what the gospel is, how it was predestined by God alone in
eternity, and earned and sent forth through Christ, so that all who believe
on it become righteous, godly, living saved men, and free from the law, sin,
and death. Then he teaches that false teachings and the commandments of men
are to be avoided, so that we may remain true to one Head, and become sure
and genuine and complete in Christ alone. Then he goes on to teach that we
are to practice and prove our faith with good works, avoid sin, and fight
with spirit weapons against the devil, so that through the cross we may be
steadfast in hope." (The Lutheran Study Bible, English Standard Version.
Edward A. Engelbrecht, General Editor. Copyright © 2009 Concordia
Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Pages 2014f.)
With that information in mind, we return to today's text in which
Saint Paul reminds and encourages you to .
I. Honor Your Heavenly Father, Who Strengthens You with Spiritual
Power. (14-16)
14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family
in heaven and on earth is named, 16that according to the riches of his glory
he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your
inner being, .
Many people sinfully perceive power to be something that causes
others to serve the one who possesses the power. Divine power, however,
does not show itself in causing others to serve you but in you serving
others. Jesus Himself made that absolutely clear when He declared that "the
Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a
ransom for many." (Matt 20:28 & Mark 10:45 ESV) He also lived that message
when He fulfilled what He told His disciples that, "he must go to Jerusalem
and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be
killed, and on the third day be raised." (Matt 16:21 & Mark 8:31 ESV) Saint
Paul certainly grasped that concept as he indicated when, as he struggled
with his unidentified "thorn in the flesh," he wrote, "But [Jesus] said to
me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so
that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I
am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and
calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor 12:9-10 ESV)
So, how do you deal with your weaknesses, you know, your physical
diseases, injuries, or other infirmities that plague your body; your mental
or emotional struggles; your relational issues with a spouse, child, parent,
sibling, classmate, fellow employee, or congregational member; your
financial problems that were either imposed on you by circumstances beyond
your control or you brought on yourself by mismanagement of the resources
God placed into your care? Do you fall into a personal pity party, blame
other people or situations for your plight, or feel that you are entitled to
be bailed out of your state of affairs by others around you or governmental
programs?
Worse yet, do you turn against God and even abandon Him, about
whom the anonymous writer of the Letter to the Hebrews, said, "be content
with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake
you.' So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear;
what can man do to me?'" (Heb 13:5-6 ESV) "Abandon Him?" you may be
silently asking right now. "How do I do that? After all, I believe that
God is real and that He is with me." As true as that may be, do you live
that faith by frequently praying to Him; daily listening to Him by reading
His Holy Word; constantly reflecting upon your Baptism, in which He claimed
you as His own and connected you with Christ's death and resurrection;
seriously taking to heart the Holy Absolution that Pastor Marks and I speak
in each divine service; and properly partaking of Holy Communion not only
for the certain assurance of forgiveness of sins, salvation, and eternal
life but also for the strengthening of your faith?
You see, Saint John wrote, "And from his fullness we have all
received, grace upon grace." (John 1:16 ESV) That is, "God has a wealth, a
great amount, of excellence, majesty, and perfection . . Paul boldly asks
the measure of the gift of God's perfection which will bring into full play
this inexhaustible wealth. For only thus can the Christians grow mightily
in strength, in spiritual power, only thus, namely, through the working of
His Spirit, can the new inner man, the regenerated self of the Christians,
make progress in faith and in holiness. God's strengthening grace must be
poured into the inner man day after day, the gift of His power must be
directed toward this object without ceasing, otherwise the new spiritual
life will soon become extinguished." (Paul E. Kretzmann in Popular
Commentary of the Bible: The New Testament, Volume II. Copyright © Unknown
Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Page 274.)
Today's Gospel Reading gives you much-needed assurance about our
Savior's compassionate care and concern for you, "But immediately he spoke
to [his frightened disciples] and said, 'Take heart; it is I. Do not be
afraid.' And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately
recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick
people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he came,
in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces
and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And
as many as touched it were made well." (Mark 6:45-56 ESV)
Of course, that's far more than mere empty words and meaningless
blow-in-the-wind philosophy. It's the substance of the reality of God's
message to you that both flows from and motivates you to .
II. Be Certain That Christ's Presence in You Fills You with Divine
Fullness. (17-19)
. 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith-that you, being
rooted and grounded in love, 18may have strength to comprehend with all the
saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know
the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all
the fullness of God.
Again from the pen of the unidentified writer of the Letter to the
Hebrews we read this marvelous invitation and encouragement to pray to God,
"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may
receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:16 ESV) That's
what Saint Paul is doing in today's text . praying to God in behalf of the
Ephesian congregation then and all Christians (including you!) today.
Having asked God for Spirit-power strength, he now begs God for Christ's
presence (E-N-C-E) and the presents (E-N-T-S) of His limitless love.
In essence, "Paul asks the Ephesians to stop and think of Christ's
amazing love. When they were dead in transgressions and sins (2:1), God
sent his Son to suffer and die for them. In this way he made them alive and
by faith brought them into his church.
"The Ephesians experienced that marvelous love in their own lives,
but they had only begun to learn about it. Paul now prays that God would
enable them to grasp or understand the full extent of Christ's love. Paul
suggests that the Ephesians think of how Christ's love stretches out in all
directions . to embrace 'all the saints,' that is, every believer who ever
lived. For each believer of all time, in every place, Christ has done
exactly the same as he did for the Ephesians, so great is his love for so
many people who were so worthless and unworthy of being saved! God in
Christ reached out to them all and brought them into the great temple he is
building, the holy Christian church (2:21)." (Armin J. Panning in People's
Bible Commentary: Galatians, Ephesians. Copyright © 1997 Concordia
Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Pages171f.)
And that's equally true for all of you as well! God loves you so
much that He sent Jesus into this sin-infested world to defeat Satan, death,
and sin itself. He did so with His holy life, innocent suffering,
crucifixion death, and majestic resurrection from the dead. The spoils of
His victory-forgiveness of sins, spiritual healing, and everlasting life
with Him in heaven-are yours through Spirit-given faith in Him who gained
them for you. So it that today's Gradual gives an appropriate response for
you to echo, "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For from
him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever.
Amen." (Rom 11:33, 36 ESV)
In conclusion, therefore, "thank and praise, serve and obey" your
Father-God, who created you and provides all that you need for your body and
soul. Do so by taking to heart and patterning your lives after the words of
today's Introit, "I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name
forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever
and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness
is unsearchable." (Ps 145:1-3 ESV) That is, .
"All Glory Be to the Almighty God Alone."
After all, He is your merciful and gracious God, who made promises
and keeps them. Today's Old Testament Reading gives a great example of that
truth when, after the flood that destroyed all creatures except those people
and animals that were safe and secure in the ark God directed Noah to build,
"God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 'Behold, I establish my covenant
with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that
is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with
you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. I
establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off
by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to
destroy the earth.'" (Gen 9:8-11 ESV)
So it is that as your appropriate response you .
I. Honor Your Heavenly Father, Who Strengthens You with Spiritual
Power. (14-16)
At the same time, because of His strength and Spiritual power, you
can .
II. Be Certain of Christ's Presence in You That Fills You with Divine
Fullness. (17-19)
To that end, make today's Collect your daily prayer to Almighty
God, namely, "strengthen our faith and give us courage to believe that in
Your love You will rescue us from all adversities."
God grant it all for the sake of Jesus Christ, His humble Son, our
holy Savior. [Amen.]
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
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