Understanding the Transformative Power of God in Us

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In the middle of Paul’s prayer, remember he was praying that we would have the eyes of our heart enlightened so that we would know not only the truth but the value, the preciousness, the beauty, the greatness of three things: one was hope, one was inheritance, and now the third one is this, that you may know what is the immeasurable greatness of his power. [00:17:11]

He wants us to have the eyes of our hearts illumined so that this greatness has an impact on us and it has a very specific focus that we're going to see. It is toward us who believe. Well, toward us to do what? What to make us miracle workers or to help us be kind or what? [00:39:44]

Most interpreters say that the meaning of this, and this, and this are so similar that they can't really be given distinct meanings, and so probably what Paul's doing is simply piling up power words in order to make a greater impact. He wants to use language that makes us feel this. [01:19:68]

Every aspect of God's power is being exerted toward us, and this power accords with his working which he worked, the working, the energy which he expended in Christ when he did two things: raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenlies. [01:67:51]

To be at God's right hand is to be at the place of unique singular authority and honor. I say unique and singular because there's not more than one right hand. If it had said seated him in front of him, well then you can imagine five seats, but when he says at his right hand, there's only one, and Jesus has it. [03:13:51]

There are forces of evil in the heavenlies where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. I didn't think evil could get near God. Well, actually it can't. When he says that there are spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, watch what he does back here. [05:01:12]

Christ is seated at the right hand in the heavenlies, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, way, way, way, way above places where they could not tread. So here's my picture, and I have this because of chapter two, just a few verses later. [05:20:72]

This immeasurable greatness of power was exerted toward us, how it accords with the working of that power in raising Jesus from the dead and seating him. So the same power that raised Jesus and seated Jesus is being exerted toward us. [07:10:88]

How much power did it take to raise dead sinners? We were dead, we had no faith, we had no love, we had no admiration. God was boring, God was a myth, Jesus simply didn't matter. What mattered was everything else in our life, and then he raised us from the dead with Christ. [07:80:00]

By grace you've been saved, and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenlies. Oh my, so the heavenlies are parallel, the raising is parallel, the seating is parallel to this. He raised Christ in the dead, he seated Christ at the right hand of God in the heavenlies. [08:01:52]

When it was exercised toward us, like it was exercised towards Jesus, he's saying it took the same power to give us a believing heart that it took to raise Jesus and seat him at the Father's right hand. This is what Paul is praying for. [09:34:80]

He's praying that you may know what it took to make you a believer. [09:82:24]

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