Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21

It befits the eternal God to have eternal glory.  As Paul brings his symphonic prayer to this resounding crescendo of a doxology, he looks out over the broad expanse of eternity and can see no end to the glory of God.  God will never cease getting the glory.  If we review what we have already discussed, we arrive at the conclusion that this eternal glory is ‘in the church by Christ Jesus.’  Therefore, the eternal habitation of the redeemed people with Christ makes perfect sense.  God will receive glory to all the ages, forever and ever because His redeemed people, led by Christ their Redeemer, are there to give Him that glory.  This gives purpose to eternity.  There is a relatively common conception that the eternal state consists of a list of very boring activities, such as sitting on clouds, strumming harps, and doing very little else.  By contrast, hell will be the party place because ‘all my friends are going to be there too.’  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  We have very little realization of all that God has prepared for the redeemed in eternity.  If He is the God of variety, as creation reveals to us, why would we conclude that He would prepare a boring eternity for His beloved people?  He will get the glory and it will be exciting and grand.  Before us lies the broad expanse of eternity, wherein, God gets all the glory and of which He has made us a part.

Our Glorious Living God,
we rejoice that eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
neither has entered into our hearts,
the things which you have prepared for those who love You.
We praise You that all these things are before us,
and we look forward to what You shall reveal.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21

How does God get glory ‘in the church,’ that is, in all His redeemed people of all ages?  According to our text, He does so, ‘by Christ Jesus.’  If that is so, then how does it occur?  If we follow the line of Paul’s argument thus far, he traces the origins of it all the way back to our being chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.  Every other purpose of God, contained within His overarching plan, has brought these redeemed people to where they are: saved by Free and Sovereign grace, and being conformed to the image of Christ.  According to Scripture, His transformation of us culminates in our being ‘like Him for we shall see Him as He is.’  The eternity which follows that sight of Christ, involves not only being like Him, but being with Him.  Therefore, God continues to receive glory ‘in the church by Christ Jesus’ for all eternity.  This makes the prospect of eternity exciting in ways we can only begin to understand.  We accept by faith what God has told us thus far about the eternal state but the realization of what it all entails is beyond what we can comprehend.  For the moment, we have the opportunity to teach and preach Jesus Christ until the faith becomes sight.

Our Good and Generous God,
we rejoice at the abundance of good things,
which You have bestowed upon us in Christ.
We praise You that our understanding of these things
will only expand over the course
of an endless eternity.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21

Where does God get the glory?  In the broadest sense, we can say that He gets the glory in everything, in that He overrules even the worse of circumstances for His Own glory.  We can look to creation, and even the darkest hours of history to see the Hand of the Almighty preserving the testimony of Christ and the advancement of His Kingdom.  God receives glory most specifically in the church.  The Church is neither organization nor denomination, but rather all of the redeemed people of all ages.  In the lives of these people, individually and collectively, God gets the glory.  He does so by what He makes of them in Christ.  Christ, said, ‘I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’  By this, He was declaring that He would build His people into the formidable force that would carry the battle for truth to the very fortress of evil.  This is intensely spiritual work.  It does go forward with carnal weapons and earthly warfare.  It is the teaching and preaching of Christ, and the living out of genuine Christlikeness that will bring God glory.  To that end we make much of Christ, for He deserves the glory in all things and most particularly in His Church. 

Our Glorious Living God,
we rejoice that You have determined
to get glory for Yourself
in the lives of Your redeemed people.
We praise You that although we do not always see,
how You are doing that,
yet You see it and are glorified by it.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21

If we are to give God glory, we should know why. Our adoration of God should be informed and intelligent.  Why do we give God glory?  The first reason is because of Who He is. ‘God is a spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable in His Being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.’  As such, He is worthy of glory simply for Who and What He is.  The second reason for giving God glory is His work.  Our text states this explicitly.  God is ‘able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.’  The work which God has done above all we ask or think relates to Christ.  God chose us in Christ.  His work to bring us to Himself has been by Christ.  He is working by His Spirit to make us like Christ.  Whereas God is working in much larger ways than we can comprehend, in a personal way for each of us, He is doing exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.  Therefore, because of His Person and His work we give Him glory.  This makes the most excellent sense for us.  It gives purpose and meaning to life far beyond mere survival.  It means that we can aim at giving Him glory whether we eat or drink or whatever we do.  When we give God glory, we do so for most excellent reasons, for He is worthy.

Our Gracious Master and Our God,
we rejoice that You have given us
the privilege of glorifying You.
We praise You that daily we find new opportunities
to magnify Your Name.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21

Paul finishes his prayer for the Ephesians on a high note.  He understood that our chief reason for being is to glorify God.  Therefore, as he concludes his intercession for his children in the faith, he utters the doxology before us.  At the very foundation of all we say and do, the question we want to ask is: Who gets the glory?  Over the course of history, there has been a host of activities calculated to bring glory to the people engaged in them.  This behavior has included the building of empires, religious organizations, and buildings of every stripe and variety.  Paul understood that whatever he said or did should be to the glory of God.  It was for this reason that Paul consistently made much of Christ.  He understood that God had ordained to bring Himself glory by the Person and work of Christ.  While in the broadest sense, we can say, ‘the heavens declare the glory of God,’ we arrive at the conclusion that God brings the greatest glory to Himself by Christ.  As Paul concludes his prayer, he is unequivocal about Who gets the glory.  We believe what Paul declares.  God is utterly deserving of the glory.  We want Him to receive the glory.  Therefore, whether we eat, or drink, or whatsoever we do, we want to do it all to the glory of God.

Our Holy, Wise and Sovereign God,
we rejoice that You are worthy to receive all the glory.
We praise You that You give us opportunity daily,
to give You glory, by making much of Christ.

Tomm Tice
Where The Bush Burning