207. Great Power
Ephesians 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.
A further promise resulting from enlightened understanding by the Spirit is that we know the exceeding greatness of his power toward us believers. We could never see this great power with our own senses or natural ability; we must have spiritual enlightenment to know how great the power of God really is, what it is, and how it works. Naturally, we can recognize the great power of God just by experiencing a thunderstorm close up or by understanding the explosive force of an atom bomb or even knowing the relentless force of gravity.
However, the spiritual power that saves, loves, forgives, changes lives, and gives new life is not seen or felt except by the eyes of faith, revealed by the Word and the Spirit. God must reveal to us the exceeding greatness of His power toward us. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. The Cross looks like weakness and failure, but it is the greatest power ever unfolded in the history of the universe. What kind of power does it take to turn recalcitrant, rebellious,, proud, stubborn, and selfish sinners into dearly loved, forgiven, saved, and changed children of God? Love does not look like power, but it is the greatest power ever unleashed. To be enlightened enough to understand the exceeding greatness of that power the Word and the Spirit must show us two things: 1) how desperately weak, evil, ugly, and awful we really are as sinners, deserving nothing but eternal death, excruciating torture, and everlasting suffering, and 2) how total, unconditional, complete, and perfect is the love of God that forgivessin, destroys death, and gives a beautiful and wonderful life. This is the exceeding great power of Law and Gospel.
Real power has the effect of changing things drastically and permanently. We can imagine the destructive power of a tornado or a bomb destroying Sin, Death, and the Devil once and forever. That kind of power of God’s Love has utterly changed us from what we were into what we have become. Ask the Lord to give that revelation and understanding of His mighty power. It changes things; it changes us. No other power on earth could do that. God came to earth to do just that.