immeasurably great power
section 1
Power is something we humans crave. We want the power to control our circumstances, control other people, even God Himself. We want power to reshape the world and make all as we would have it rather than the ability to be freely above it leviticus 26:13 . The irony is the power we want is to have peace, joy and love as the defining thrust of our lives, but we mistakenly think that those things are won by getting our own way rather than by simply walking in the Truth and Love of Jesus ii john 3 . We think that having the quantifiable, measurable…the seen power is much greater than the unseen power. It’s as if we think the light bulb is the true power instead of reckoning the electricity that empowers the bulb as the actual power.
The exceedingly great power of God offers to us is beyond quantifying ephesians 1:19 . This power that God has placed within believers is too vast and wondrous to measure by human standards john 3:8 , and is beyond our imagination, mind boggling and yet is at work in us ephesians 3:20 . In ways we cannot explain except that it is Jesus’ grace for us giving us an ability to endure in continual suffering while still having joy to give thanks to the Lord colossians 1:11-12 . This is the power of the resurrected life of Jesus within us ii corinthians 1:8-9 ephesians 1:19-23 galatians 2:20 which takes our mortal finiteness and lifts it up to experience the infinite power of Christ’s life within us romans 8:11 as we participate in His way of life philippians 3:10-11 .
I am the LORD your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright.
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.
...{know} what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.
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...
being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, Who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light.
For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.
my notes:
and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might that He worked 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 above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all.
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.
And if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit Who lives in you.
I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
my notes:
section 2
We tend to miss this as we expect mystical happenings rather than relational revelations ii kings 5:11, 15 isaiah 40:25-31 , which are experienced through our own weakness in trials being overcome by His obvious intervention in our hearts ii corinthians 4:6-18 ii corinthians 12:9-10 . Our weakness serves to prove His meekness which is the opposite of weakness. God in His power could simply make us follow Him proverbs 21:1 , but instead He meekly persuades us so that we have opportunity to willingly participate (have a relationship with Him) ii corinthians 9:5 philemon 8-9 in experiencing His perfect will for our souls philippians 2:12-13 . His meekness is not weakness but perfectly controlled power for our good.
But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.
Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant."
my notes:
To whom will you compare Me? Or who is My equal?" says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God"? Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
my notes:
For God, Who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that His life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the One Who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to Himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
my notes:
But He 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He will.
So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.
Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God Who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.
my notes:
what true power looks like in our lives
section 3
This immeasurably great power of God in our lives in so different than what we anticipate of power. We value quick solutions, comfort, situational control, bells, whistles, shock and awe. We really esteem things that, yes, for us would be something, but God offers us an even greater power that He knows is far more valuable than our petty cravings luke 16:15 john 6:26 . What we think is great power, He counts as a small thing ii kings 3:9, 17-18, 20 ; we think, "change the situation", while God gives us power to rise above the situation romans 12:21 . He created all things by just speaking it into existence; the awesome power that is light, He literally just spoke into existence genesis 1:3 . What is truly marvelous, beyond tracing out is the uncountable threads of orchestration God has woven together just to save even one of us, let alone all who believe i peter 4:18 .
He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, you want to be with Me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs.
my notes:
So the king of Israel set out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. After a roundabout march of seven days, the army had no more water for themselves or for the animals with them.
For this is what the LORD says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. This is an easy thing in the eyes of the LORD; He will also deliver Moab into your hands.
The next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was—water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.
And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"
my notes:
section 4
It is this magnificent miracle of Christ for a person to truly, fundamentally, willingly change from selfISH to selfLESS titus 2:11-14 , from being useless to useful philemon 11 , from being a hater of God to a lover of God colossians 1:21-22 , from being separated from God to being in an intimate relationship with Him ii samuel 7:22-24 . The genuine, relational, cooperative changing of the human heart takes far greater power than the creation of the universe john 1:1-5 or to make a brand new individual luke 3:8 , the healing from a disease luke 8:43-48 , signs in the stars themselves joshua 10:13-14 , or filling up a desert with water for an army isaiah 43:18-21 isaiah 44:1-5 . God can cause rocks to praise Him luke 19:40 , but it is a vast power that actually turns hearts willingly to Him i kings 8:37-40, 58-60 ii corinthians 5:14-17 . This is the power of God, the power of His good news, which we so easily despise i corinthians 1:18 , yet such power actually redeems our souls completely i corinthians 1:23-24 i corinthians 2:1-5 hebrews 7:25-26 , so that no matter the situation one can rejoice above the situation rather than be subject to it ii corinthians 12:9-10 .
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.
Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation—
How great You are, Sovereign LORD! There is no one like You, and there is no God but You, as we have heard with our own ears. And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for Himself, and to make a name for Himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before Your people, whom You redeemed from Egypt? You have established Your people Israel as Your very own forever, and You, LORD, have become their God.
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. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
my notes:
And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind Him and touched the edge of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. "Who touched Me?" Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against You."
But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from Me." Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at His feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched Him and how she had been instantly healed. Then He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."
And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD heeded the voice of a man, for the LORD fought for Israel.
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for Myself that they may proclaim My praise.
my notes:
"But now listen, Jacob, My servant, Israel, whom I have chosen. This is what the LORD says— He Who made you, Who formed you in the womb, and Who will help you: Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams. Some will say, ‘I belong to the LORD’; others will call themselves by the name of Jacob; still others will write on their hand, ‘The LORD’s,’ and will take the name Israel.
When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, and when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel—being aware of the afflictions of their own hearts, and spreading out their hands toward this temple—then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with everyone according to all they do, since You know their hearts (for you alone know every human heart), so that they will fear you all the time they live in the land you gave our ancestors.
May He turn our hearts to Him, to walk in obedience to Him and keep the commands, decrees and laws He gave our ancestors. And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that He may uphold the cause of His servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other.
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him Who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
my notes:
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest truly meets our need—One Who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.
But He 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
my notes:
everything we need in any & every situation
section 5
God’s power is beyond anything we can comprehend, but we have experienced the fringes of His power job 26:14 and can experience much more than that; we can participate in His divine nature by seeking to live in His magnificent and precious promises ii peter 1:3-4 . This is because He Himself has the supreme power to do just as He says jeremiah 32:17 , unlike our own powerless selves lamentations 3:37 psalm 89:48 . He can call into being that which simply is not romans 4:17 joshua 23:14 luke 12:25-26 , and we get to experience that kind of power when we believe Him that He fulfills His every promise romans 4:21 .
And these are but the outer fringe of His works; how faint the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand the thunder of His power?
His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory and goodness. By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.
my notes:
"Ah, Sovereign LORD, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You.
(as it is written, "a father of many nations I have made you") in the presence of Him Whom he believed, even God, Who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.
Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
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section 6
How does that work out practically? In what way should we expect to find His power in our lives? He is always with us and always providing us with what we need acts 14:17 acts 17:28 , but it is only those who are making the effort to live in His promises by walking in His Word who will recognize His power ii peter 1:3-9 . These are the ones who are thoroughly equipped by enacting His Word ii timothy 3:16-17 ; prepared for any opportunity to participate in His power because they are cleansed of blinding, inhibiting sins ii timothy 2:20-21 . These are the ones who can see God’s power to overcome evil human intent genesis 50:20 esther 9:22, 25 proverbs 16:4 and who confidently experience His orchestration of every single detail of life esther 4:13-14 luke 21:18 psalm 37:23 so that it all adds up to good romans 8:28, 31 .
Read through the book of Esther and try not to see the hand of God’s orchestration to bless His people and deal with their hearts. Read through the book of Jonah and see how God contends with His prophet by providing just what the prophet needed so that his heart would turn to God. Your situation is by the power of God just as He wills so that you can participate, experience, and enjoy Him ephesians 2:10 .His power gives each of us all that we need at any given time to work out with Him the good He is doing for us ii corinthians 9:8 . What exceedingly great power! He is beyond our fathoming.
Yet He has not left Himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; He provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy."
my notes:
‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also those of wood and clay; some for honorable use and some for dishonorable. So if anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
my notes:
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
But when the plot came to the king’s attention, he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back onto his own head, and that he and his sons should be impaled on poles.
The LORD works out everything to its proper end— even the wicked for a day of disaster.
he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?"
my notes:
The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.
my notes:
Scripture quotations taken from one or more of the following versions as noted:
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NASB = NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), Copyright (C) 1960,1962,1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
HCSB = Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Used by Permission HCSB ©1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 Holman Bible Publishers. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
NKJV = New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.