The Greatness of God’s Power

Transcript

GR 141
06/29/1975
The Greatness of God’s Power
Ephesians 1:20-23
Gil Rugh

Ephesians and the first chapter and to conclude our study of first chapter this morning I would like to back up then pick up the verses that we considered last week in our scripture reading. Ephesians Chapter 1 I would like to begin reading with verse 15 as you follow along in your bibles. For this reason I too have incurred of the faith in the lord Jesus which exits among you and your love for all the saints do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers that the God of our lord Jesus Christ the father glory may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him.

I pray that the eyes of your heart maybe enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints and what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us we believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of him might which he brought about in Christ when he raised from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenlies far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and ever name that is name not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things in subjection 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.

The book of Ephesians in your bibles once again and the first chapter, Ephesians Chapter 1, father we are thankful for the sufficiency of the salvation that you provided in Christ in order to pray that we consider again this morning the work that you have done through him and in him that the spirit will open our eyes, lord give us insight and understanding where we might not simply consider facts or the facts that are presented that they might be applied our own lives by the spirit, others we consider something of your great power that will come to a more full realization of the power that is operating in us or for the great victory that has been accomplished for us in the person of Jesus Christ for that we might living our lives as those who have conquered through him so we pray in his name.

Last week we considered verses 15 to 19 where Paul goes into an area that he has made a subject of prayer something of the prayer that he had offering for the Ephesians believers and he said that the basis of his praying in verse 15 was hearing of their faith and their love and thus he went on in verse 16 to talk about praying for them whenever he prayed. And his desire would be that God the father would give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him and we noted that Paul is writing to believers and he is praying for believers and yet he notes that he prays that they might have a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him talking about God.

Noted that as believers they might come to know him more fully and grasp something of his person in work. This is developed what it means to have spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him verse 18 means the eyes of your heart are being enlightened which you as a person, the heart referring the person, not just your emotion as we use the word heart, but your emotions, you intellect and your will and only as your emotions, your intellect and your will your entire personality are involved in the word and open to the work of the spirit of God in your life will you come to know him more fully. And we observed the danger of simply intellectual study which becomes cold and dead.

You are not really coming to know him because you come to him as you are involved and open to him in your entire person. That does not mean that you become totally emotional in your study and if there is a balance and you cannot study the facts of the word under the teaching of the spirit without becoming emotionally involved, without being moved to make decisions in the area of your intellect. And that is what Paul desires for the Ephesians as we noted, the Ephesians did not follow through on this because we find when we come to revelation Chapter 2 when Christ addresses them some 30 years later they had left their first love and thus as Paul desired for them they did come to fruition over the years.

Three areas that he wanted to increase their knowledge in. In verse 18 he wanted them to know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints and what is the surpassing greatness of power toward us who believe. So, those three areas, knowing the hope of his calling, knowing the glory of his inheritance and knowing surpassing greatness of his power. Now we broke off really in the middle of a sentence in the New American Standard Bible we have a new sentence, these are in accordance but it literally continuous the same sentences and Paul strings together another long sentence here where towards who believe is accordance or according to the working of the strength of him might.

Now what happens is Paul’s prayer develops here as he wants them to know what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward the ones who are believing and Paul is going to demonstrate in the verse we are going to look at this morning that the power of God which is operative on behalf of the believer exceeds all other powers that are existence and his power is totally sufficient the guarantee that we shall realize the hope that he has set before us, that we shall enter into the inheritance that he has proved for the believer.

It depends on the adequacy of the power that is manifested toward us who believe and once you grasp something of the power of God that is operative and operating in your life as a believer then nothing can ever again disturb the hope that you have in him because I realize something of the security that I have and so this section would be related in some ways to verses 13 and 14 where we were sealed with the spirit talking about the security we have in Christ, well here we have security from a different angle that is the power of God that is operative on our behalf. We find out that we will have realized the full salvation by being in his presence for eternity because it is his power that is operative in our lives. But if you are see something of this power and its magnificence the great example and illustration is the power of God as operative in Jesus Christ, the power of God that accomplished his purposes in his son Jesus Christ and that is the example that Paul brings to our attention.

The last part of verse 19 we’ll pick up, according to the working of the strength of his might. The first area that Paul is going to cover is the reality of God’s power and you’ll note here he is almost at lost for words in verse 19, he talked about the surpassing greatness only Paul uses this word. One word in the Green we have it two words here, surpassing greatness; he uses it five times I believe. He modifies the power here, is not just his power but the overwhelming greatness of his power.

It’s just not enough just to talk about God’s power but you have to go beyond that, it’s a surpassing overwhelming magnificent power. But that’s not enough because at the end of the verse he talks about these are in accordance with the working of the strength of his might and he is building these words, surpassing greatness, the power, the strength, the might, and trying to communicate something of the power of God that is operative. As we’re already to operating in us as believers. So the surpassing greatness of his power working towards us how believe is according to the working of the strength of his might which he brought about in Christ and the great demonstration of the power of God is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The bible, the great demonstration of the love of the God is the death of Christ.

Romans Chapter 5 verse 8, here in is the love of God demonstrated and that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. So the great demonstration of God’s love is the death of his son. But the great demonstration of God’s power is the resurrection of his son. So you cannot understand the love of God apart from the death of his son. You cannot understand the power of God apart from the resurrection of his son and so it’s this historical occasion that is brought to our attention to show the reality of God’s power.

One thing I should say here as well we talk about the humiliation of Jesus Christ, we’re talking about humiliation as a man. Jesus Christ is the eternal son of God but he became man he humbled himself as Philippians 2 tells us and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross. But when we talk about God exalting him and erasing him we are also talking in relation to his humanity because as the son of God as deity he could be exulted no higher than he always was. But viewing him in his humanity he was exalted by the father. There is no conflict here that if he is God how could he be exulted because we’re talking about him as the God man and what God has done in his life as a man.

All right, in verse 20 it’s this power the same power now operating toward us as believers that is according to the strength of his might which he brought about in Christ, which was operating in Christ when, when he raised him from the dead. So when Paul talks about the power that is operating in you and I as believers this is the very same power that was sufficient to bring about the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, the greatest demonstration of power that man has ever seen.

And Romans Chapter 1 verse 4 tells us that Jesus Christ was declared to be the son of God with power but the resurrection from the dead. God demonstrated his power by raising his son from the dead. But it doesn’t stop there. He not only raised him from the dead but he seated him. This would connect to his ascension in X Chapter 1 when he ascended to the father. He ascended for the purpose of being seated at his right hand, talking about the father’s right hand in the heavenlies. Now right hand is a figure of speech. God does not have a body so God does not have a right hand as I have. But the right hand figuratively speaking is the position of greatest honor and greatest power and authority. So to be at the right hand of the father is to be in the position of honor of power and of authority idea that is carried over today, you talk about being the right hand man of some one. It doesn’t refer necessarily that you always stand on the right of that person but it refers to what position that you occupy. But when Jesus Christ ascended to the father he was seated at the right hand and that is the position and honor and authority and you note where this occurs in the heavenlies. So he was raised by the power of God and seated in the heavenlies.

Now this becomes crucial and person to you and I because you remember over in Chapter 1 verse 3 in Ephesians 1 and 3, blessed be the God and father of our lord Jesus Christ who us blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ. So in the heavenlies is the sphere in which I function and it this is sphere in which Christ himself is seated in the position and place of honor power and authority. So it becomes very important to me that as one who is blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies this is the also the sphere in which Jesus Christ is operating, in which has been established at the right hand of his father.

Several passages of scripture I thought we might just look at quickly, over to Luke Chapter 22 in connection with Jesus being established at the right hand of his father. Luke 22 verse 69, Matthew, Mark, Luke the third book in the New Testament and here we have the connection of being established at the right hand with the power of God. The idea of this in most of these passages comes from Psalm 110, if you read it today. But in Luke Chapter 22 verse 69 Jesus is the speaker but from now on the son of man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God. So being at the right hand of the father not only is honor but it also is connected with the power and authority because at the right hand of the father it means all the power of the father now is available and operative in and through the son and he was placed at the right hand as a demonstration of the power of God. Look over in Romans Chapter 8 in Luke, John, X Romans the Eighth Chapter page 243 in the New Testament, Romans Chapter 8 because we find out more of that Christ is doing at the right hand of the father. Again it involves you and I personally and his position at the right hand is the final guarantee of my security before God as his child forever.

In Romans Chapter 8 picking with verse 33, who will bring charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is he who died, yes, rather how was raised, who at the right hand of God, who intercedes for us. So here we see him again as the one who has provided our salvation, no one can condemn him and we see his resurrection his being at the right hand, we’ll see what he is doing at the right hand, he is my intercessor. He is one who represents me to the father. This ties for first John Chapter 2 the opening verses where if any man sin we have an advocate with the father Jesus Christ the righteous and this one is the one who is the satisfaction for my sins and thus I am one how is forgiven of all my sins whenever they are committed.

All right back Ephesians Chapter 1, what Paul has done then in verse 20 is shown that the power of God is real and operative. This is not just the figment of somebody’s imagination. We can talk the power of God but there is no way to know anything about that power. It maybe real, it may not because no one has experienced or seen it, that is not true because the power of God has been demonstrated and manifested to man in the resurrection and ascension of his son Jesus Christ. So our faith in God’s power is not repentant upon fantasy or our imagination. There is an historical concrete reality that ties God’s power to mankind. It is demonstrated in the person of his son. Now people say well, I don’t believe in the resurrection, that doesn’t change the reality of it. It is still the great demonstration of God’s power and authority. Whether man believes it or not is another issue. But it is real and God demonstrated his power in this way and thus it demonstrates that God’s power is real and is operative.

All right, developing it further then in verse 21 where Christ has been placed in the heavenlies verse 21, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one that is to come. Here we something of Christ exultation at the right hand of the father, he has been placed over all, over everything because the development of the idea being seated at the right hand this means that he is far above and note here all rule, authority, power, dominion, name. This would be all inclusive I take it, the rule the authority that we go with the rule, the power that we go with the authority, the dominion that we characterize one who ruled, the name which is a representation and a manifestation of the person, the name and the name and scripture referring the person. Every name that is named, everyone how could be representative, all the character that is portrayed in that person. Now this goes beyond just human authority here. The last one I am going to consider each one individually but I take it that it would include all ranks and all positions. Of course humanly speaking and among mankind of course obviously would be included but it goes beyond this. It is not limited just to human being but I take it this list include angelic beings as well.

We’ll go over in Ephesians Chapter 3 verse 10. Again we’re in the middle of a sentence, but we’ll pick up context when we get to Ephesians 3. But in the verse 10, in order that the manifold wisdom of God might be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenlies. Use of add expression in the heavenlies and here we have rulers and authorities in the heavenlies which were carried outside the realm of humanity to angelic being and they would be included under the rule and authority in verse 21 of Chapter 21 above which Christ has been elevated.

Now again we’re talking about Jesus Christ as man because as God the angels and so on always did acknowledge him. But he came to earth the demon said we know how you are the holy one of God, have you come to torment us before the time. But now as the man Christ Jesus as well as the son of God he has been exalted above all rule and authority so whether it is human authority and power in this list in verse 21 or that you apply this list to angelic beings all are included and Jesus Christ has been elevated above them all and he has name that is above every name and every name that is being named. Now is every authority that you can call, every power that you can think of, he has a name is that is superior and so when you lay hold of his name you have the highest authority that you can go to because he is above every other name.

This would tie to Philippians. Philippians is just after Ephesians so you could turn over there, Ephesians -- Philippians Chapter 2. Here talking in Philippians 2 about His humiliation as a man where He left the glory that was His in the presence of the Father voluntarily became a man and humbled Himself becoming obedient to the point of death even the death on the cross at the end of verse 8 and then verse 9. Therefore, also God highly exalted and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Now you see here something the Name and it’s above every Name, again the name denoting the person and character of the person. He is above every name and it is God the Father’s purpose and plan that every knee will bow down before Him and acknowledge that He is Lord and when mankind bows down and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord of all that will bring glory to God the Father and that’s the way God purposes are worked out. Not all men will bow down while they’re living in this life but all men at one time or another either in this life or the life to come will bow the knee before Jesus Christ an acknowledge him as lord even while being sentenced to eternal separation from heaven and hell or while they enjoy being his children and acknowledging him as lord and savior.

Okay, back to Ephesians Chapter 1. Here this is expressed from the other side Christ has been exalted overall and everything has been placed under him and that was touched on the passage we just read in Philippians as well. In verse 22 and he put all things in subjection under his feet. So, Christ was exalted above everyone and everyone is subjected under him so just both sides of the father’s work. It pleased him to have the son placed above everyone and in the same token everyone is placed under his feet. You note the picture here of the absolute sovereignty and power of God being under the feet of the son of God denoting his absolute power and sovereignty so you cannot resist the authority of the son without resisting the authority of the father because it’s the father’s plan that the son receive all glory and power.

Now go over in first Corinthians 15 if you would, looking at a few passages this morning. First Corinthians Chapter 15, back up a little from Ephesians it will be on page 271 or there about in the New American Standard bible. Page 271 first Corinthians 15, pickup with verse 23. Talking about resurrection here and Christ’s resurrection is the guarantee of my resurrection as a believer. Verse 23, but each in its own order, Christ the first roots after that those who are Christ that is coming that you and I then comes the end when he delivers up the kingdom to God and father, when he has abolished all rule and authority and power for he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet, the last enemy that will be abolished is death.

So Jesus Christ has been exalted to the right hand of the father. He has been placed above everything and everyone, everything and everyone has been placed under him. But the full realization of this position of the son awaits a future time. Just like we talked about with our position you and I are the sons of God but the full realization an unveiling of this position awaits according to Romans Chapter 8 until this body is glorified until we are presented at the coming of Christ to earth as his son sharing in his glory that I am his son, my position is established and it’s the same with Jesus Christ. The victory has been won, his position is established but the full realization of the subjecting of every enemy will not be made until a future time.

Obviously from verse 26 the last enemy that will be abolished is death, death is still occurring, believers still die but there is a coming a time when that enemy of believer will also be done away with and there will be no more death as the book of revelation tells us as well as no more tears and no more crying. Yes, no one will die again that enemy will be abolished by him as well. So it’s all in God’s timetable but the victory has been won. You know Christ position is established. Not all mankind bows down before him now. So the full realization of his position awaits a future time but his position is secure and established. But it is not simply and fully made known and unveiled to mankind.

Back to Ephesians Chapter 1, the last part of verse 22 and verse 23 are key to everything else because it’s one thing to say I see that the power of God is real and sufficient as it operated in the person of his son Jesus Christ. But how does that affect me. One thing to say that God’s son was the recipient of God’s power and the power of God was real. It was sufficient to exalt him. It operated in Christ obviously, I’ll agree to that. But what does that do for me. I can amen that he has been resurrected. I can say amen that he is seated at the right hand of the father but now how does that tie to my personal experience which is where Paul got into this section in the first place in Chapter 19 in verse 19 of Chapter 1.

All right, something of availability of God’s power for you and I as believers is what is the subject of the last part of verse 22 and verse 23. Last part of verse 22, and He gave Him as head over all things to the church. So this One whom God has established above everything and every one of us is now presented as a gift by God to the church. He gave Him, here is past tense, referring to an action of God at a point of time in the past. He gave His Son who is the head over all things to the church. And so now the Son is going to function in a unique relationship to the church, He is going to function as Head of the church in a special and unique way that He does not function over all the rest of mankind because the church occupies a unique relationship to Jesus Christ because he is the Head and I am His body.

Now the connection here is that the head is responsible for the body, the decisions that are made the motions of the body and so on come from the head and so this one who is overall in whom the power of God is operative, upon whom the power of God has bestowed is now operating as the head of the church. This means that the church occupies a unique relationship to him that all of God’s authority, that all of God’s power is now available and operative in and through the church which is his body. He gave him as head over all things to the church. So here we have a narrowing down. The head overall things is to the church. We have his general dominion in verses 20 and 21 but on a special he function as head of everything as regards to the church in this letter is his body as verse 23 makes it clear which is his body. So the analogy is that the church is the body Jesus Christ is the head and to care the directives, the authority over the body comes from the head. This analogy is developed by Paul in first Corinthians Chapter 12 and we’re told how you get into the body where by one spirit we all baptized into one body whether Jew or Greek and so one. One spirit places us into the body, it’s the baptism of the spirit so you become part of the body of Christ by faith in Jesus Christ.

Corinthians Chapter 3, now we are all the sons of God by faith in Jesus Christ. So not everyone is as clear in this context is part of his body but those who are part his body have him as their head. You are part of his body if you have come to the point in your life where you’ve recognized you are sinner, you recognize that Jesus Christ died for you on the basis of those facts you placed your faith in him and him alone for your salvation. If that has never happened to you, you have never done that then you not His child, you are not part of His body, you are not under His headship. But as we saw you will acknowledge Him as Lord someday. You just do not enjoy this unique and special relationship which makes available to you all the power of God as operative in your life.

All right developing it a little bit more fully here in verse 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. I take it what we’re talking about here Jesus Christ himself is the one who fill his body which is the fullness of him. Christ himself is the fullness. So you note here I come into a special relationship to him as the head and he fills the body, now what does that mean. That means that then all the power that is operative in and through and him is operative in and through his body and he is the fullness for the body which is the church.

So go over in Colossians if you would, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians so his books over. Colossians Chapter 1, section we’ve been to before which stresses that Christ has all the fullness of the God head in himself. In verse 19 of Colossians 1 the point was the father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in him. Look in Chapter 2 of Colossians verse 9, for in him all the fullness of deity dwells in body form. So the son has all the fullness, is the all the fullness of God and it dwells in him. Now note verse 10 of Colossians 2 and in him you have been made complete or literally you have been made complete or literally you have been made full. And developing the same ideas we have in Ephesians Chapter 1 verse 23, that Christ is the fullness of the God head and in him we are made full and he is head overall rule and authority and then the continuing development. So Christ is the fullness thus the power. You cannot talk about the fullness of God head and not talk about the power. And you have this fullness now operates in every believer as part of his body the church.

Thus we back up to Ephesians 1 again, look at Chapter 3 while we’re in Ephesians I have to pick up this one verse, the verse is here, Ephesians Chapter 3 and verse 19, again we’ll pick up the sentence when we get here and do the context we’ll break into in verse 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now think of that, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God in verse 20 now to Him who is able to do excitedly abundant beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works within us that Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. And where we come is the same power that is operative in Jesus Christ is that power which is operative in every believer.

So when Paul prays in verse 19 of Ephesians Chapter 1 that we might know something of the surpassing greatness of His power working in us who are believers this is the power that he is talking about, the very same power, with the very same sufficiency that raised Jesus Christ from the dead that established Him at the right hand of the Father is the very same power that is operative in my life as a Christian. That’s fantastic, that’s unreliable except that that God said it that God’s full power is operative in me as a believer and is at my disposal. So you know what does, that just about washes out every excuse that man could come up with. Why I can’t, why I couldn’t, it just comes down why I wouldn’t because there is nothing that I can’t do. As Paul wrote I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me as I a believer say that I cannot do that what I am in effect saying that God’s power is not sufficient in this area of my life and that’s a serious acquisitions to say that God’s power that power that was operative in Christ has all of a sudden gotten weak.

Now there is a power shortage and God can’t operate anymore. Well there in an area of my life I don’t have the victory over and it defeats me therefore God’s power mustn’t be sufficient. It’s simply a matter am I will to draw on the power that is available and operates in every believer. Now it is available I may not be using it. But that does not change its availability and its presence. It’s like we have the lights on here, if you turn off the lights the power would be available we would just not avail of ourselves of and we as Christians live as beggars struggling along in our Christian life and you know why, because we’re trying to do the best we can in the flesh and that’s never adequate. God never ask us for our best. He is only satisfied with his best and so he is going to do it in our lives through is power and that’s why he has made it available through his son Jesus Christ. And therefore you ask yourself what’s able to conquer me, what is able to frustrate the hope and keep me from the inheritance that God has prepared for me. God has already said that he has elevated his son above everything and everyone.

Now what power is going to intervene? Some Armenian we love them in the lord in spite of their theology and say well I will and that’s who we lose it. I cannot frustrate the power of God that is an encouragement to me that the power of God guarantees the realization of my hope, guarantees the realization of my inheritance, guarantees the victory. We had a lot written on demons recently and I fail to see what the fuss is about because I take it that the demons are included in those who have been subjected under the son and I could care less about the demons because I am in the son, and the son is over all power, all authority, all dominion, all rule. You know where that places me, over all rule, over all authority, over all power. So the demons don’t frustrate me. I am not aware of their power. I respect their position. In the flesh I am just good meal for them. But in Christ they are no match for me.

We’ll go in Romans Chapter 8, we were there earlier. Romans Chapter 8, pick up where left off our reading when we were here earlier. We read down through verse 34. Pick up with verse 35 of Romans Chapter 8. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ to tribulation to stress, prosecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword just as it is written for thy sake we are being put to death all day long, we are considered as sheep to slaughtered but I all these thinks we overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us where I am convinced that neither death nor live nor angles nor principalities nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height now depth nor any other created things shall be able to separate us from the love of God which in Christ Jesus our lord.

That fits exactly with what Paul has said in Ephesians Chapter 1. That the surpassing power that elevated Jesus Christ above everything has also elevated us in him to that position so there is nothing of sufficient and strength to defeat me. Now the realization of this victory is where the problem comes but the victory is not affected, and that’s why we go back to under legalism, people don’t realize the victory has already been accomplished. We’re no fighting to see if we get the victory. We are simply living out the victory that is already been won. The victory was won in Jesus Christ it’s not the one as I fight day by day. All I am doing is living in light of the victory he has accomplished, living in light of the power that he has made available and that means in every detail of my life where I do battle. You know what that means the power of God is available to me. So there is no area of my life that cannot be subjected to him and lived as he would have me live it in light of his words. His power is sufficient. There is no sin that has a hold on me that it cannot be shattered by his power.

Now there are sins that we get to love so well we wouldn’t want to use his power to get free from so that’s different now, that’s different. We can then say, you come in and talk to me and say well, I just can’t get the victory in this area. I know what you’re saying because I use the same excuse but that doesn’t make it right. The victory has already been won in that area. Every area of my life has a victory area because of what the son had done. The tragic thing I am not living this victory in every area of my life as yet, but by his power day-by-day I am realizing more and more of this victory in my life. But first I must realize something of the power that is mine so that I am not struggling along in my own energy but enjoying what he has done.

This is the tragedy of men apart from God to have many hopes, they have many ambitions but they have no power to accomplish and realize their hopes. Only as the power of God is operative in a live is there any real security and guarantee that your hopes are going to be realized. Whatever you ambitions are, whatever your desires are, whatever your goals are what is the guarantee you’re going to get there? What is the guarantee that when you get there it will be sufficient or adequate? The power of God is mine guarantee, and I am not believing in a fantasy because that power was demonstrated to me in what Jesus Christ had done to him by his father. He was raised from the dead, he was seated at the right hand for above all authority and God’s power, that same power is operative in my life as his child.

Let’s pray together. Father we thank you for your love for us. We thank you for our savior Jesus Christ and lord we thank you for the power that is available to us in him, lord that the victory has been accomplished that we are the victors and in all things we are conquerors through him he loved us. I would pray that you will help us in this day to be living in light of the victory that is ours not to be plotting and dragging, not to be living as though we were defeated and conquered or to realize who we are and what we are in Jesus Christ so what we might live every day and every moment of every day in light of our position in Christ that we might be enjoying the victory where that we might have the privilege of seeing your operating in our life to mold us and conform us again to our savior Jesus Christ in his name we pray amen.