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Sermon #4035

The Final Consummation

A Sermon on Ephesians 1:19-23

Originally preached July 17, 1955

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Scripture

Ephesians 1:19-23 ESV KJV
and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority …

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Sermon Description

Can a Christian ever err by focusing on the future glory too much? Is it possible to spend so much energy looking to the future that they underestimate the present power of Christ? In this sermon on Ephesians 1:19–23 titled “The Final Consummation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones focuses on these questions. Some evangelical Christians are capable of forgetting the current rule of Christ. Forgetting that the Son of God is at the right hand of God, in honor and authority, can cause hearts to become anxious about their present conditions. The Christian can forget that God the Father has already handed over all authority over the entire cosmos and He is unfolding history. One must balance their anticipation of Christ’s visible rule with His current invisible reign. There also is great assurance for the church when one contemplates Christ’s current rule over the cosmos. They are reminded that the Father gave over all things to Christ for the church. Therefore, what is true of Christ now is true of His church now. There is no need to vie for a position of honor; the church has that through its union with Christ. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones brings together many important themes of Christian doctrine in order to encourage the saints.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The apostle Paul prays that the Ephesians would understand the power of God that is working in them.
  2. This power is illustrated by God raising Jesus from the dead and seating him at His right hand.
  3. Jesus has been seated far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion. Everything has been placed under His feet.
  4. God has made Jesus the head over everything for the church.
  5. These truths are already true of Jesus. We must not focus so much on His coming kingdom that we forget His present position.
  6. Jesus is already reigning and in control of history. All authority in heaven and earth has already been given to Him.
  7. Jesus has been given this position of authority because He humbled Himself by becoming a man and dying on the cross.
  8. Jesus has been given this position as the God-man, the mediator between God and man.
  9. God has given all things into Jesus' hands for the sake of the church.
  10. Because we are in Christ as members of His body, what is true of Him is true of us positionally. We share in His position and authority.
  11. One day, we will actually share in Jesus' position over all of creation. We will reign with Him.
  12. Even now, all things are ours because we belong to Christ.
  13. We can take courage in our position of safety in Christ. Even though we face difficulties, Jesus is directing all things for our good.
  14. The certainty of our final position is guaranteed because we are in Christ, and He has defeated all enemies. Nothing can separate us from His love.
  15. We must know these truths by the enlightening of the Holy Spirit. We must know the hope of our calling and grasp the power working in us.

The Book of Ephesians

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.