Dress For Action

1 Chronicles 29:10-13 and the Praise of God’s Sovereign Power

Old Testament reading will be 1st Chronicles chapter 29 starting in verse 10. It's on page 357 in the pew Bibles. Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly and David said Blessed are you O Lord the God of Israel our father forever and ever.

Yours O Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory in the majesty. For all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom O Lord and you are exalted as head above all.

Both riches and honor come from you and You rule over all. In your hands are the power and the might and in your hand It is to make great and to give strength to all. And we thank you our God and praise your glorious name.

Colossians 1:9-23 and the Supremacy of Christ in Creation and Reconciliation

New Testament reading is Colossians chapter 1. And so from the day we heard we have not ceased to pray for you. Asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord fully pleasing to him bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power according to his glorious might.

For all endurance and patience with joy. Giving thanks to the father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the Saints in the light in light He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son in whom we have redemption for the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created in heaven and on earth. Visible and invisible whether thrones or dominions or wills or authorities all things were created through him and for him.

And He is before all things and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body the church. He is the beginning the first book the firstborn from the dead that in everything he might be preeminent.

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell and Through him to reconcile him to himself all things whether on earth or in heaven making peace by the blood of his cross. And You who once were alienated and hostile in mind doing evil deeds.

He has not reconciled in his body of flesh. By his death in order to present you as holy and blameless and above reproach before him if indeed you continue in the faith. Stable and steadfast not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven.

And of which I Paul became a minister.

The Doxology at the End of Ephesians 3

Good morning I'm going to read from verse chapter 3 verse 20, and I'll go to I'll read to verse 3 of chapter 4, but I'll be happy if we make it through verse 1 to be honest with you. So but we'll read through the whole thing.

So Ephesians 3 chapter 20 or Ephesians 3 verse 20. Now to him. You know it makes sense. Let's go back to verse 14. Verse 14 of chapter 3 for this reason I bow my knees before the Father from whom every family in heaven on earth is Named that according to the riches of his glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being.

So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. That you being rooted and grounded in love may have strength to comprehend with all the Saints. What is the breath? The length the height the depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.

So that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or even think according to the power at work within us. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever.

Amen. So I therefore a prisoner for the Lord I urge you to walk in a manner Worthy of the calling to which you have been called. With all humility and gentleness with patience bearing with one another in love.

Eager to maintain the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. Let us pray. Oh God in heaven. Here's your word opened up to us God and we know Lord just how much we need your word. We know Lord how much we need to Reject the lies of the world and reject the lies of Satan and our flesh Each day and rather go to the one who has spoken truth to us.

And not only that but he's made that word that truth effectual in our hearts and minds by his work on the cross and Resurrection to empower us to enjoy the fullness of who you are today God in heaven.

This is not a curse that you would tell us how to live rightly, but rather it's a gift driven by grace in Christ. And so let us be thankful. Let us look to your word now and see the instruction see the correction.

See the encouragement see the strength see everything laid up for us for those who have believed upon Jesus. Oh God in heaven may we believe upon Jesus now and how we hear and how we respond to your word.

Oh God, would you strengthen me as well to proclaim of something of value to your people before me? God in heaven I am in fear and all of who you are and I know Lord that you have promised to strengthen your servants for the task at Hand and so I rely upon you.

May the people before me rely upon you so that together we would truly enjoy The fullness you have to offer for us today in Christ. Jesus our risen Lord. We thank you Jesus name. Amen. Well here we are we're at that great border between Ephesians 3 and Ephesians 4 and it reminds us of that great border line of Romans 11 and Romans 12, right this this great demarcation this great separation of the imperatives or of the Indicatives of what has gone prior and the imperatives that lie before us the land of the imperatives and and before I even continue if you don't know those words and you have a pencil write them down because we're gonna say this a few times or write it down in your mind the tablet of your heart the indicative is something that God has done for you and Indicative is something that God has done for you and imperative is something that you now must do for God.

Okay. So so get that in your brain now and write it down if you have to so when you when you when you hear me. Say it you can quickly go to it and see Indicative is something that God has done for you.

Imperatives is something that you must do now for God. And so we are leaving the land The realm of the indicative and we are now approaching the land of the imperative and that is a scary Departure and that's a scary voyage.

It's a scary land to go forth to because we're leaving a land in which we are told everything God has done for us. It's not anything that we must do but simply have this trust that he has done this work for us.

You see how how comfortable it is to be there? That we just focus on what God has done and just say this is all God's work all God's action. I'm just gonna stay here and just relax. But the scriptures don't allow that for us.

The faith doesn't allow that Christ doesn't allow that for his people because as you remember the end of this chapter Paul prays that in light of everything God has done in light of the indicatives that you would enjoy the fullness of God today.

That you would enjoy God today in light of everything He's done for us and that requires that you depart from what's comfortable and say What have you to for me to do? What have you commanded me to do?

I shall do it. It's a scary thing to go from what has God done to what now what must I Do. The action then goes upon you in light of what God has done. And so here we are. We're in this kind of in-between area here at the end of Paul's prayer in which he says in light of everything He's done.

Oh May you be filled with the fullness of God today and that fullness of God. Enjoyment today is found in doing the imperatives of the following chapters. You get that the fullness of God that he wants for you today that we need today in our lives is found in doing the imperatives of the following chapters and It's very essential that we understand where the power comes forth from to do those imperatives that will give us the fullness of God because if we're not grounded and Founded on what God has done for us and then we go forward into this land of the imperatives.

We will just see a list of do this do this do this. Do do do do that's all we'll see and we'll we and if you're not grounded and and and and founded On what God has done for you as you go forth into this land.

You'll just see do this do this do this. It'll be dry commandments and we will not be able to actually do for the fullness of God. One way to think of it is I think about a someone who's doing the the vertical jump or the Horizontal jump right where you stand in place and you try to jump as high as you can right the vertical or the horizontal you Stand in place and you try to jump as far that as you can horizontally, right?

What do you what do they do? What do you see them do? They don't just kind of let you know kind of go on the side of their feet and then they jump they get grounded. They get centered they get they get ready.

They make sure that they're planted well so that they can do the action that comes forth and do it as well as they can or again going with how I kind of open up the sermon think of a voyage right of Leaving you think of the people the way that this country was founded of people coming over from England and starting a colony here.

They left a land that they were Familiar with comfortable with in some cases. Right in order to start a new life here a new colony here for a promise here. And so the scariness that you are leaving something behind and you are pursuing something better.

It is a scary endeavor to leave the familiar of the indicatives of what God has done but he calls on us to go to the the land of the Imperatives of what you must do and this is where we find ourselves now now we we we left off a couple verses shy of chapter 3 and if we see and we left off in verse 20 and 21 and really it makes for a very good departure verse in fact if you look at verses 20 and 21.

It's a doxology to God. It's it's a poem or a song of praise and worship and light of what he has done for us. That's what a doxology is. That's why we sing it at the end of our worship. We just heard of the Word of God.

We just heard of what he's done and now let us sing a worship song in light of it, right? That's what a doxology is and this is what he's doing here at the end of this letter. He just got done with this prayer all the polls of God.

He just got done with that and now he is in this doxology and in this doxology. We can plant our feet and then go forth into the imperatives in order to have that fullness of life we must plant our feet here in verses 20 and 21 in order to enjoy the Imperatives that set up before us for the fullness of God if we do not plant our feet here.

If we do not dress for action here, then the light that the imperatives will simply just be lifeless duty. But if we plant our feet here and we dress for action here the imperatives that come forth will be Life will be fullness.

Because one of the ways again that we can deal with the imperatives is simply most of you won't just leave the faith. Most of us now some people do they get tired of having to do and they're not driven and planted in these truths.

And so they just leave but one thing most of us won't do that. But one thing that all of us will be tempted to do is when we look at the different imperatives. We won't think this is my life that I've been strengthened to do this.

I can do this to the fullest in Christ. I love your husband, right? We we won't think how can I do this better? How can I do this greater? We'll just think well I'm not as bad as the other person so I can just keep on moving in the imperative or to speak truth in life.

To speak in love and not in bitterness. Let's say well, I'm all right at that. Let's just move on but beloved the life and the imperative is say Oh Lord. How can I do this better? And so if you're planted in this doxology if you're planted in this truth each day as you go forth and what Christ has Commanded you to do it will enable you to grab hold of these imperatives and truly enjoy the fullness of God so With that said what does this doxology say?

For us and how does this help us as we go on this voyage? Prepared to go on this voyage into the Imperatives. Well verse 20 is the power for the voyage and Verse 21 is the direction for the voyage. That's how we're gonna look at that today verse 20 is the power for the voyage and verse 21 is the direction for the voyage and to The imperatives or what God has commanded for you to do in light of Christ.

So look at verse 20 the power for the voyage. Paul says now to him. Who is able now to him who is able. Oh may that just simple phrase be sweet to your heart. Sweet to your spirit as you consider how you are not able.

As you consider the voyage that's set before you that the imperatives that you must do. The scariness of it may your heart be worn by the fact that in this doxology Paul starts with to him who is able and the testimony of all creation.

All around us and within us is the scripture even says before us that God who exists. Who is above us and around us? He is Omnipotent he is able his Ableness his power is revealed in everything we see.

From the ant. Carrying 50 times its own weight as you look upon your sidewalk. And you see his power revealed that is a power of God that he is able. Or to the moon that we're gonna see next month slide across the Sun for a total eclipse, right?

That is going to reveal the power of God in his creation that he is able. Do you know how remarkable it is that we're gonna be like right in the middle of that? That is going to be wonderful and so consider that as the moon slides in front of the Sun for a total eclipse.

This is a testimony of the God who is able his strong arm at work. If you have a heart to receive it God's displays his unmatched ability his power. Everywhere around you and the testimony of scripture is likewise there as well.

I Again reading through family worship. We've been reading and at the end Beginning of Exodus and God is always displaying his power or the one who is able in scripture Exodus 5 22 To 6 1 you remember what happens he says Moses go and get my people out.

So Moses goes and he says hey Pharaoh let the people out and Pharaoh says, okay, go ahead. No, he says, you know, actually I'm not going to and I'm gonna make it harder for you. So you can imagine Moses doesn't want to do this to begin with he goes to Pharaoh and he says, yeah I'm not gonna do that I'm gonna make it harder for you and what and we read about that was to display the ability and the power of God.

That's why God allowed that to happen in Exodus 5 22. Then Moses turned to the Lord and said Oh Lord. Why have you done evil to this people? Why you made it harder for them? Why did you ever send me to these people for since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name?

He has done evil to this people. It's gotten worse. And you have not delivered your people at all. But the Lord said to Moses now You shall see what I will do to Pharaoh for with a strong hand He will send them out and with a strong hand.

He will drive them out of the land. So it's like God is like I made it worse so that you could see my power more revealed that I am able. We think of numbers 11 23, right when when when Moses cried out that people want meat they want meat.

They're tired of the manna. And numbers 11 23 and the Lord said to Moses is the Lord's hand shortened. Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not. There's a testimony of scripture everywhere is that God is able that he is strong that he is powerful.

We see in Job 42 too I know that you can do all things Job says by the end of his time his trials his hardships. Job has a conviction you can do all things. In fact, no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

And perhaps the greatest display of God's ability and Scripture is the fact that day one and day one of his creation. We have in verse 2 of Genesis 1 the earth was without form and void and darkness was over the face of the deep Chaos, what can you do with that?

But yet at the end of the week? Adam is naming all these creatures in a beautiful garden that God has created. The scriptures the testimony of all creation is that our God is able. He is powerful. Perfectly powerful.

He's not just a a being that has power. That's that's powerful. He is power itself. He is able. God is able but Paul's point here in this doxology as he encourages us to To use this as a platform to go forth into the imperatives.

It's not just simply to say that God is able but Paul's point is to go beyond human conception of his ability. Look what he says again in verse 20 now to him who is able to do far more abundantly Than all that we ask and or think.

And we could ask for a lot of things but we can Think or imagine even more. If I were to tell my children ask my children, what do you want for Christmas? They would do well to ask of things that they think that I could potentially do.

They wouldn't get too carried away if they know. You know if they're if they're wise they would ask for things that they think that they could actually get right. But if I ask them no, no, no, what can you imagine just in your only in your imaginations in your in your thoughts.

What you would like me to get you? I you would see the ponies coming out the horses the all sorts of things, right? The rocket ships that could go to Mars and come back, right? In fact Here, you know Paul says and it's even beyond our imagination.

It's not simply just what we can ask for but God can do even what we only can imagine. In fact even more than that William Hendrickson says God is able to do all we ask him to do. He is even able to do all that.

We dare not ask but merely only imagine. He can do more than this. Oh far very far more. This is a ground that you must station yourself on as you go upon the imperatives your weakness. Oh Lord, how can I do what you've commanded me to do?

Remember in your brain God is able and he's able to do far more than you can even imagine or think. God reveals himself to be the one who can do far more. And I think this is part of the reasons why the angels screamed out glory at the end of creation.

That you have this creation that he has done and the angels praise him and worship. I can't imagine that they would they would even Imagine that God would be able to do the creation that he's done before us now.

We take it for granted. We were born in it every day. We see it but imagine it wasn't always around and the angels see the power of God on display and they just Worship him because he revealed that he can do far more than anyone can imagine.

But notice this is a particular display of his power. Right. This is a particular display of his power. That's not really talking about physical creation at all. In Ephesians 3 20 look at he says now to him who's able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.

But notice it's a particular display of his power. Revealed and that is according to the power at work within us. You see this is a particular manifestation of the power of God that is beyond our imagination that he works within You if you're a believer upon Christ.

Remember what that means that within you is the inner man working. Remember we talked about this a couple weeks ago. It is that Ephesians 3 look at 16 and 17. That according to the riches of his glory.

He may grant you to be strengthened with power. Through his spirit in your inner being within you. So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. So what is Paul talking about the particular manifestation of God's power to work righteousness in you?

Remember the imperatives you need to do this in our sin we can say I can't do it. And so the point is is to get ready to utilize the power base. We have below you that God is at work within you to do those imperatives.

He is the one the power at work within us. He is the one that strengthens you for this task at hand. Inner being strength is Being able to walk in righteousness and enjoy the fullness of God that's found in the imperatives and God is at work within you a power that you can't even imagine to do this work.

The power at work in creation Should remind you of the power at work in you to overcome sin. Now think about that as you marvel. Oh Christian as you should be each day marveling at the power of God at work around you in creation and I use an example of an ant carrying something 50 times its Weight it is revealed everywhere.

And that's one of the exercises and I say this often try to exercise your brain. Where is God displaying his power in? In creation right now and just marvel at it because it is everywhere and Then think that that same power right there that's being displayed in the sunrise or in the total eclipse or whatever it may be that's the same power at work in me to end my sin as You are marveling at the weakness of yourself to do the imperatives Christ has given you for good for your fullness.

Marvel at the power of God displayed in creation. That's at work in you. Let that strengthen you and we see this in Colossians 1. We've read it. Samuel read that for us, but let's look at that again because I think this is what Paul is doing for us in Colossians.

He has that beautiful sovereign Christ the powerful one on display and creation and then he nestles that very closely with the power he has for salvation and We are to bring those two together that if he's this powerful.

Oh, he's this powerful to work in me. Look at Colossians 1 verse 15. We'll read it again. He is the image of the invisible God that is Christ the firstborn of all creation for by him all things were created In heaven and on earth visible and invisible whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things Were created through him and for him that needs to make you marvel.

That the maker of heaven and earth is Jesus Christ. He has made it all to go from nothing to chaos to everything is Awesome. This should make you marvel. He is before all things and in him all things hold together and he is the head of the body the church.

So notice he goes from creation to sustaining because it's one thing to make something to be able to sustain that power that's what Christ does in his hand and Then notice he goes from that power revealed in creation that should make us marvel to the power at work in his church for salvation and He is the head verse 18 of the body the church.

He is the beginning the firstborn from the dead that in everything He might be preeminent for in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell and through him to reconcile to himself All things whether on earth or in heaven making peace by the blood of his cross.

So that that power displayed in creation then reveals itself and this power to redeem a people from their sins. And then it goes further and you were once alienated and hostile of mine doing evil deeds.

But he has now through his power reconciled in his body of flesh by his death in order to present you holy And blameless and above reproach before him if indeed you continue in faith in Jesus. Why would you need to continue in faith in Jesus because he's the power source.

He's the ability he's everything. I Think Paul as your mind should should work as you walk in this creation. You should marvel at the power of Christ at work to create and maintain all things around you within you physically but let that then end itself in the fact that this is the same power at work in you as You see the Eclipse as you see the beauties of God's power displayed sliding the moon in front of the Sun.

Let it remind you that that same work is at work in you to end the sin that is besetting you. That is plaguing you it is not your power. It is his power. This is what Christ does. So as you feel the weight of your weakness in the land of the imperatives because if you don't feel that you're looking at the imperatives wrong.

First chapters 4 through 6 if you don't feel the weakness there as Paul saying do this do this do this do this. Do this do this if you don't feel your weakness. Oh, I don't love my wife nearly as much As Christ loves the church.

I Let bitterness come out of my mouth far too often. Let that weakness that you feel then go into the strength that Christ provides. It's it's a reminder that I must get my feet settled on this Doxolity of truth as I go forth into the imperatives that where I am weak.

Far more weak weaker than I can imagine the strength found in Christ goes beyond it. And he is able. Do you see why this doxology is vital for you to set your feet on before you enter this land of imperatives?

The echo of do this don't do this do this don't do this needs to be. For I am powerfully at work within you for your fullness. As you feel the weight of your weakness in the land of the imperatives perhaps weaker than you can even imagine.

Remember that God can do far more than you can imagine by his strength working in you. It's important to see the other side of this too because God is at work in us. If you're a believer upon Jesus, that means Jesus is at work in you to work powerfully.

But that does not give us an excuse to be lazy. The land of imperatives is still there. We still must enter the you need to do this. We cannot just simply say well God's at work powerfully within me. I can sit back and relax know the call is as is to enter into that scary land of the imperatives and Again, this is what Paul talks about in Colossians.

Listen to me Colossians 1 29 for this I toil right I work I obey. Right for this I toil struggling with all whose energy my energy that's within me. With all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

So notice this this should make your brain hurt. Is it my power? Is it my toil or is it God's toil? Which one is it? And God says yes. It is both things happening in you that I get to enter into this land of imperatives.

Driven by the power at work within me there needs to be those two twin truths. That's hard for us completely Reconciled but do it just enough to encourage you to leap forward into it. Based off the power that Christ provides.

He says in 1st Corinthians 15 10. But by the grace of God Paul says I am what I am and his grace toward me was not in vain on the contrary I worked harder than any of them though. It was not I but the grace of God that is with me.

That needs to be the way you look at your life of living in the imperatives. This is God at work within me not I but his power, but I work hard for the sake of Christ. This is the power for the voyage into the land of the imperative it is the Power at work within you to do these things He has called us to do.

Paul has just got done praying that you would be filled with the fullness of God before the voyage into that fullness in the land of imperatives and Now before the ship leaves the harbor, he praises God for the powerful work.

He does in his children. That is the power of the voyage for the voyage. And now let's look at the direction for this voyage in verse 21. The direction for this voyage now, it's very important. Imagine getting on the ship to go and establish a colony for the fullness of God, right?

That's that that's the work to be done not easy work, but by the strength below you it can happen. But no, but but imagine half the people on the ship are thinking we're gonna go on a cruise to the Mediterranean.

And enjoy the beaches. Right the direction of the power below us right this this great big ship that's gonna bring us to the destination of the new world is. Half the people are thinking no, no, actually we're going to go on a cruise in the Mediterranean.

Despite all that power beneath them if the will is to go to a cruise in the Mediterranean. There's gonna be a problem or imagine getting ready to do the vertical jump or the horizontal jump ready. You're getting your power situated you're gonna settled in the truth, right?

But you're supposed to be doing the vertical jump and instead you do the horizontal jump. No one's gonna be impressed. You just went the wrong way. You need to have the power ready to go the right direction.

And this is exactly what verse 21 points us to. The power used needs to be directed in the proper direction and Paul says what the direction is here. He says in verse 21 to him be glory the power at work in 20.

Praise be to his name for that power work within you and then the direction of that power is directed at what to glorify God to him be glory. The whole purpose God has for revealing his power is to be glorified always.

If God is at work in you in the land of the imperatives is so that he that all the direction would be. Glorify his name. That's why we talk about that often. That's why if you're at a church that doesn't talk about that often.

There is a problem because all the power at work that God is doing in his church is for the direction. For the purpose that he would be glorified. The whole purpose God has for revealing his power is for that and it's only natural within Within humanity for us to want to glorify something.

You think about at the end of a football game? Where do they go to? Where they go to to interview where they go to to have the cameras on they don't go to the losers. Well, they will eventually but first they're gonna go to the winning team, right?

They don't go to the losing coach first. They go to the winning side. Because they all the honor all the glory all the pump is on them. Or they don't go to the Player that warmed the bench the whole time that even forgot how to play the game because he never plays.