Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Sermon preached on Ephesians 3: 20-21 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 03/01/2026 in Petaluma, CA.
Sermon Manuscript
Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
Ephesians has given us some big, amazing doctrines! Last week, Ephesians prayed a big, amazing prayer. Now, Ephesians gives us a big, amazing doxology. This exalts, our big, amazing God! As we study today’s doxology, it can do several things. It can teach us about God. It can stir us to worship. And it can minister to our hearts, to grow us in things like faith, hope, love, and joy. So then, we’ll approach this passage in three points, roughly going in the order of the passage. First, we’ll consider the phrase, “Now to him”. Second, we’ll consider the phrase, “Who is able”. Third, we’ll consider the phrase “In the church and in Christ Jesus”.
Let’s begin with the phrase, “Now to him”. That appears in verse 20 but really the thought is finished in verse 21 which begins “To him be glory.” In other words, the full thought is “Now to him be glory”. The Greek word for glory here is doxa which is where we get the word “doxology”. A doxology is literally “a word of glory”. That’s what these verses are.
To belabor this point, let me remind you the difference between a benediction and a doxology. (This is a pastoral pet-peeve of mind when people confuse the two.) A benediction is a blessing, and as we conventionally use the term, we mean a blessing that God bestows upon his people. So the direction of a benediction is from God to man. In contrast, a doxology is the other direction. It is man to God as we praise and glorify God with the words of the doxology. One thing that is common to both, is that they both are more than words. When God speaks a blessing upon us, it is not just words, but an actual blessing given to us. Likewise, when we speak the words of praise from our hearts, it is not just words, but worship given to God.
Indeed, such praise or adoration of God in a doxology is rightly spoken, sung, or prayed to God. While we can distinguish it from a prayer request, doxology is a proper part of prayer. The Psalms are a good example of this, where intertwined with various petitions are praises to God. Just as we can speak, sing, and pray the Psalms as an act of worship, so too with doxologies like this. The Bible shows that we ought to be worshippers of God who glorify him in our worship. May our worship not just be about what we are asking of God, but may it be rich in doxology.
Now as we are considering in this first point how this is a doxology, I think this would be a good time to recognize how this serves as a glorious conclusion. First, we could see it as a glorious conclusion to the prayer that Paul just prayed in verses 14-19. Arguably, we could have treated it as just one big prayer with these verses as the concluding doxology. I do think it functions as such here. However, secondly, we should especially see this doxology function as the conclusion to the first three chapters of Ephesians. Next chapter begins the second half of the book and it is notably different than the first half.
You see, Paul commonly structures his letters in what is known as the indicative-imperative approach. The idea is that he first gives a bunch of gospel-indicatives, describing who we are in Christ Jesus, as those saved by grace through faith. Then, Paul gives a section where he gives a bunch of imperatives, commands, on how to live as a Christian. The connection is so important to understand. To begin with the indicatives about our salvation is to say that the imperatives to the Christian are motivated by our salvation and a fruit of it. This helps to keep it clear that salvation is by grace not by works, that our works flow from our salvation. As we’ll see starting next chapter, Paul makes the shift to the imperative section calling us to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” The imperatives of the Christian life flow from the gospel-indicatives. So then, as Paul spent three chapters giving us these glorious gospel truths, he couldn’t help but break out in the praise of this doxology.
That is some glorious application. Doctrine should result in worship! Too often doctrine is maligned as if it just something academic, some head-knowledge. Sometimes it can be maligned as it if is at odds with things like joy and love. Now yes, some people foolishly make it into that, we call that dead orthodoxy. May we ever be on guard against falling into dead orthodoxy. But Paul wasn’t about dead orthodoxy. Paul was about glorious orthodoxy that stirs the heart to the highest worship and the most joyful praise. If we have fallen into the trap of just thinking about doctrine with our brains, let us remember to also consider doctrine from our hearts. Doctrine should result in the hearty worship and praise of such a glorious God!
Let us now turn to our next point and consider the phrase “who is able”. Now the overarching statement in this doxology is to God be the glory. Yet Paul wondrously describes our God in giving that glory. That description is given with these words “who is able” and what he goes on to further say about our God. Now, to speak of God’s great ability is ultimately an affirmation of his omnipotence. God is all-powerful. Though we can acknowledge there are things that God is not able to do. God is not able to sin, for example. Yet, his omnipotence means that God is able to do all his holy will. This omnipotence is highlighted here, to glorify God. It is also highlighted in such a way as to connect God’s great power to us and our salvation. For it goes on to speak of how God “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.”
Let us appreciate the emphasis here with the words “far more abundantly”. The Greek here is a bit wordy and almost repetitive. Surely, this is because Paul is seeking to be emphatic. When you are trying to explain something like the omnipotence of God, you start to run into the limits of human language and comprehension. What words can truly convey to us finite creatures the way in which God’s power is all-powerful? Yet, sometimes stacking superlatives can help explain something of the greatest, most awesome power of God. That is the Greek here.
Paul then explains what he especially has in mind in terms of God’s abounding power. Paul gives these two ways that God is able to do far more abundantly. He can do far more abundantly than what we ask for. He can also do far more abundantly than what we can think or imagine. Think about our “asking”. That’s getting into prayer. God is able to do more abundantly that what we ask from him in our prayers. We should never think our prayer request will be too big or too hard for God. God is more than able to answer our prayer requests. Now, while this is true in general, let me remind you of the context. Paul had just been praying. Paul had just been asking God. We studied that prayer last week, and said that it was really just one prayer request, albeit a complex and nuanced request. The summary of that prayer request is at the end of verse 19, that we “may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Oh, is that all you are asking for, Paul? That we might be fully filled with all the fullness of the glorious Triune God? If you think that Paul is asking for too much, he says here that he’s actually not asking for enough. God is not only able to fill us with his fullness, God is able to do far more abundantly that fill us with his fullness. I confess, I cannot comprehend that.
Yet, that’s the other thing Paul says here. He says that God can do far more abundantly than what we think. The idea is along the lines of what we can imagine. Whatever we consider, think, or imagine that God might do for us, Paul says God can do more! Far more! Think of all that we’ve studied in chapters 1-3. How it describes all that he’s already done for us and will do for us. These have been glorious chapters, already describing more than I would have imagined God would have done for a sinner like myself. Yet, Paul says God can do even more yet. Again, can you imagine, can you fathom, can you comprehend how God will fill you with the fulness of himself? Whatever we think we know about that, it will be far more abundantly better.
This power that he is talking about is not merely theoretical to the Christian. This great abundant power is not something strange or foreign to us. I say this because verse 21 ends by saying we’ve already known this power. Paul says that this prodigious power is “according to the power at work within us.” Paul is saying we’ve already experienced this amazingly awesome power. Again, I direct you back to these first three chapters. These chapters have been describing God’s powerful working in us. Paul most explicitly talks about this in terms of power in 1:19. That is where he explains that the power that rose Jesus from the dead and then ascended him up to highest position in the heavenly places is the same power that is working in us Christians. By that power, we have been born again. Our spirits have been regenerated. That power gave us eyes to see our need for salvation and to turn and believe in Jesus. As we were united to Christ I faith, God justified us, adopted us, and bestowed upon us an inheritance of eternal life. By this power, he continues to work new life in us, creating in us good works, that we would no longer walk like the world but as children of God. That power is washing our souls, to make us a fitting dwelling place of God by the Spirit. That power is growing our hearts that we could comprehend the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. And so, this power that Paul praises God for is not hypothetical. This is power we have already experienced and will continue to experience. Indeed, we will enjoy this divine power in way far more abundantly that we can ask or imagine!
So then, God’s power is not constrained by our faithfulness to ask or our capacity to think or imagine! I think back to the time in Mark 9 when that father came to Jesus with his son who had been afflicted by an evil spirit from childhood. The father came to Jesus and asked him if he can do anything to help the boy. Jesus responded to the father by saying, “’If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” May our faith today be strengthened in what God can do! While this passage is especially a doxology to praise God for such omnipotence, let us also not miss that it teaches us here. May this passage teach us to have a greater faith in the ability of God. See how much he’s already done for you. He literally resurrected your dead soul. He will yet do far more for you. As this passage teaches us to expand our thinking and our asking, may that also elevate our worship. Our God is even bigger and greater than we realize.
Let us now turn in our third point to consider the last part of this doxology which begins with the word “in the church and in Christ Jesus”. Recognize what this is explaining. Paul is describing how God’s glory will be seen in the church of Jesus Christ. Paul has in mind that this powerful working of God’s omnipotence will happen in Christ and his people, and so that Christ’s church will manifest God’s glory.
Now, let me comment on a minor but interesting text variant. In verse 21, the first occurrence of the word “and” is not there in some of the ancient manuscripts. As a side note, this is another good example that unbelieving critics exaggerate the textual variants in our ancient Bible manuscripts, when the reality the few variants are generally things like this, a very small variation with one very small word. The meaning is not drastically changed whether or not that word “and” was in the original. Yet, there is some interesting nuance to think about. If the word “and” was there in the original, then you have what our pew Bible translates, that God’s glory will be manifested both in the church and also in Jesus. This would be to emphasize how God’s glory can be seen in both, in both the salvation of the church and separately in Jesus’s saving work. But if the word “and” was not there in the original, you would translate this as “in the church in Christ Jesus.” In other words, it would be saying that God’s glory is seen in the church, that church which itself is in Christ Jesus. While it may seem like a mouthful in English, that fits wonderfully with the context. Remember back in chapter 1, all the “in him” and “in Christ” references. The church has every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. Likewise, the church manifests God’s glory in Christ Jesus. Now whether or not the word “and” was there in the original, the context does get you to the same place. Though, my judgment after reviewing the evidence is that “and” was probably not in the original. That would mean this is most specifically speaking of God’s glory being revealed in the church, the church which is in Christ Jesus. God’s glory is seen so clearly by the church that is in union with Christ.
Again, chapters 1-3 so marvelously shows this to be the case. Remember chapter 1 said that all the benefits the church has in Christ are reasons to say, “Blessed be God”. Think of how chapter 1, verses 9-10 speak of God’s saving work of the church through Christ have revealed the wisdom and insight of God, showing his eternal purpose. Likewise, this was highlighted further here in chapter 3, verse 9 which spoke of how God’s mystery hidden for the ages is now revealed in Christ, showing God’s manifold wisdom for all of heaven and earth to witness. God made a way to wonderfully redeem his fallen creation in Jesus, that is to his glory and praise!
The doxology ends in verse 21 with more emphatic language. Paul says that God’s glory shown in Christ’s church will be “throughout all generations, forever, and ever, amen.” If he just said “throughout all generations”, Paul would have made his point. If he just said, “forever and ever”, literally “age after age”, he would have made his point. But he says both and that makes it emphatic. It’s similar to how wordy he was when he said that God is able to do far more abundantly. Here, Paul ends with a similar sense. God’s glory in Christ’s church will be displayed for all eternity, in an everlasting, forever way.
We’ve already seen and spoken of God’s glory in Christ’s church. Think of how it will continue to be seen. There are surely yet more elect to be gathered unto Christ’s church. Each one is a demonstration of God’s power changing a heart. The church is growing not only numerically, but God is growing the hearts of his people. As God sanctifies us, his power is being displayed. God’s gifting of each Christian in different ways, is a chance to further see God’s power at work. Even when the church looks small in the eyes of a rebellious world, it only confirms the power where God saved us out us such a strong delusion that has its hold on the rest of the world. And then we think ahead to the end of this present age. God will send Jesus back into this world for the day of judgment. All the wicked lost will be conquered, righteously judged, and punished eternally. But we, the Lord’s redeemed, will be ushered into the age to come where we will dwell in peace and blessing with him forever. Our final state of glory will be an enduring manifestation of God’s grace that redeemed us in Christ. It will thus be an enduring manifestation of the glory of God with his amazing plan of redemption. It will be doxology forever, and ever, and ever, and evermore, amen!
Trinity Presbyterian Church, I said at the start, that this doxology can teach us something about God. I hope you have learned more of God’s abundant power toward us who are in Christ Jesus. I said this doxology can also stir us to worship. As you’ve heard God’s power toward us who believe, that it exceeds our requests and even our thoughts, may you indeed be brought to greater praise of our God. I said this doxology can minister to our hearts, to grow us in things like faith, hope, love, and joy. May this doxology grow our faith and hope in how awesome our omnipotent God is. May it stir us to more love and greater joy in gratitude for all that he does for us.
So then, surely there is an application here for bigger and bolder prayers. May we be grander in our requests, enlarging our faith. May we ask bigger, think bigger, and trust more. And may we be bolder in our praise. If he can do more than we even think, then surely he is worthy to praised even more than we’ve been thinking.
I will end our message today by reciting again this passage as a closing doxology to our sermon. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.
Amen.
Copyright © 2025 Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
All Rights Reserved.
