Willing and Able :: Ephesians 3:13-21
Now to him, who is able above all to do (extraordinary abundance beyond) what we ask or know, according to the power that works in us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen (v. 21).
Some things are beyond our comprehension. If you’ve ever seen the Milky Way illuminating a dark night sky and marveled at the beauty and expanse of it all, you know what I mean. Did you know it would take 200 thousand light years to travel across the Milky Way? How big is that? Incomprehensible! Now imagine that astronomers estimate there are another two trillion Milky Ways in the universe? Can you even begin to imagine the skill it must have taken for God to set all of that in motion. Now let’s talk about human life. Let’s talk about God With Us. Let’s talk about heaven on earth!
We are certainly willing! But are we able?
The Love God has for us and the power that He brings to bear on our behalf each day is, likewise, incomprehensible. We all certainly have the willingness to try to learn and understand it, but we don’t always have the ability. So thank God ...
HE IS WILLING AND ABLE TO USE EXTRAORDINARY MEANS TO BRING US INTO INCOMPREHENSIBLE GLORY
In our epistle reading today, Saint Paul recognizes this truth. He recognizes that our incomprehensible God is both willing and able to do things that not only exceed our expectations, but abound beyond our comprehension. He is not only willing and able to do good for us, he is willing and able to help us see and hear his good news ... willing and able to strengthen his church for our good and his glory ... willing and able to use means of grace that we just don’t comprehend ... the who, what, when, where, and why of the sacraments.
1. God is willing and able to use these extraordinary means to deliver a faith that saves.
Before we get to the epistle, it’s noteworthy to say we can see this clearly in our Old Testament and Gospel readings. In First Kings chapter 17, the Word of the Lord sent Elijah to the widow of Zarephath not only to breathe new life into her son, but to feed her the word of life that never expired. It’s amazing what his means of grace do. The result was her confession that the word of the Lord is truth (1 Kgs 17:24).
In the same way, reverent fear came upon all the people following the Incarnate Word of truth in the town of Nain. As Jesus saw the people struggling with death, he took pity upon them. Our God with Us touched the coffin they were carrying, and with only the Word of our Lord, he raised the young man to new life. The result was all the people suddenly realizing that God was with his people (Lk 7:16).
These accounts from Kings and Luke are extraordinary, are they not? They reveal how God truly desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4). For nothing will be impossible with God (Lk 1:37) who speaks and creates ... who touches and raises (1 Kgs 17:23, Lk 7:14) ... who breathes new life where there is none ... who makes right what is wrong.
God uses ordinary means to do things we find incomprehensible. That is the underlying theme in Ephesians chapter 3. Paul says God’s divine love surpasses knowledge (v 19) ... and on account of it he is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think (v 20).
2. We desperately need God’s willingness and ability to do this for us.
Before we can even begin to start comprehending the magnitude of the love of God ... to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ beyond surpassing knowledge (v.18) ... you first have to at least begin to comprehend sin, its nature, its magnitude, and its consequences ... not only in the world, which I think is easier to do, but especially in your life.
The problem is ... sin is a corruption of attitude, ability, and desire. Because of sin, we are unable of erasing it, unable to avoid it. Sin is so deeply rooted in us that we cannot ... with all of our reason and senses ... even begin to comprehend the length or width or height or depth of what it is doing in our life. The very fact that we don’t perceive this sin tells us that sin is pure darkness. In other words, you might be willing to root it out but you aren’t able.
Sin tells us to take pride in ourselves, our works, our abilities, our knowledge, our understanding. Sin makes us lovers of ourselves and mammon ... proud, arrogant, abusive, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, slanderous, selfish, immoral, indecent, envious people. In sin, we think ourselves self-sufficient. We are all addicted to sin. We are all so comfortable with our sin that we start liking it. We start paying lip service to it. We act like our sin is A-Okay.
How many sins did you actually ignore in your confession?
Brothers and sisters in Christ, God always hates sin. God has no part with sin. God hates all sin done and left undone, all sin said and left unsaid, all sin thought and left unthought. I could stand here in this pulpit and curse you in the most vulgar language and while throwing sewage at you ... and that would not be as offensive to you ... as sin is to God. That’s how he hates sin.
So, men and women of God, what are we to do?
Repent every one of you in the name of Jesus. Believe the promises of God that if you will just confess your sin, God is truly faithful and just and will forgive your sins through absolution (1 Jn 1:9). That is one of the reasons you called me to be your pastor. Won’t you now seek his sacraments?
3. God has the means and the ability to enable this ... and to do something about all you are unwilling and unable to do.
First, you need to know: God demonstrates His own extraordinary love toward us in this way ... while we were still sinners, our Lord Jesus died for us. Our Living God with Us loved us in this way ... he was willing and able to become a man with us so that he could feel what you feel, see what you see, hear what you hear. He was willing and able to confront sin and death.
Unlike all of us, he was continually willing and able to go to our father in prayer. He knew no sin was willing and able to endure betrayal, abandonment, beatings and mocking, torture and injustice ... all the things our world is unwilling and unable to bear. He had the power to stop his crucifixion, but he was unwilling to do that, sweating blood in prayer for you as he prepared to lay down His life for you, bearing all so that we might be set free from sin and death. He was willing and able to pour out the wrath of God upon your sin on his cross.
That is but a snapshot of the love of God in Christ for you. Through the cross of Christ, God was willing and able to cover your sin with his own blood. He has washed away your sin. He has declared you innocent of sin through his spoken word. He has prepared a feast of unimaginable forgiveness for you today, prepared by Christ himself ... a feast that exceeds our understanding and expectations. And he is calling all the company of heaven to join us today to celebrate this feast of forgiveness ... Are we now willing and able to thank the Lord and sing his praise?
In accordance with the riches of his glory in power, he is willing and able through baptism, absolution and the Lord’s Supper to strengthen the faith in Christ he has given to you, so that you, being rooted and founded in (his) love, you may obtain with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ beyond surpassing knowledge (vv. 17-18).
4. We see the result of God’s willingness and ability to renew and strengthen you in his Divine Service to you.
That is the purpose of his Divine Service today. The Spirit leads us back to the divine service so that you will be able to return to your baptism, hear his absolution, and receive the Lord’s Supper. He empowers you to receive these means of grace for forgiveness, life, and salvation. They are not simply presented for our consideration. They are God’s Word willingly doing what it says and absolutely able to deliver to us what it promises.
God delights to use ordinary things ... water, bread, wine, and his spoken word ... to exceed our every expectation. Shouldn’t we always delight in receiving them? Baptism, absolution, and the Lord’s Supper ... which comprise the complete Divine Service ... refresh, restore, and nurture us. God willingly gives eternal salvation to all who believe his words and promises in them.
Sin has no power over those receiving these means of grace and believing his promises, which are the riches of his glory ... an inheritance that is incorruptible, unchangeable, imperishable. They will strengthen the inner man as the fullness of God ... who is our love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faith, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23) ... takes up residence in our lives, making us holy just as he is holy (Lv 19:2).
Brothers and sisters in Christ, the only reason we should deny ourselves the divine gifts our Lord has prepared for us is when we are unwilling to believe his promises. Instead, as Luther says, we should long for them all, receive them all with joy, return to them often, and marvel at what he is doing for you in them. May our great God give us all the ability to comprehend his means of grace. He is willing and able to deliver them to us ... to his glory and our good for all generations, forever and ever. Amen.