A sermon on Eph. 3:20-21, preached on a Communion Sabbath evening, April 7, 1844 at Milton Church, Glasgow, Scotland.

"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."

. . . Two things make us stinted in prayer — either little feeling of need, or little hope of supply. Two things make us very enlarged in prayer — deep feeling of need, and enlarged and strong hope of supply. Under the pressure of felt need, many are still much straitened. They feel indeed that they want much, but they have no expectation, or no settled and high expectation of getting much. They are shut up. They do pray; they cannot help it; a feeling of need makes them that they do ask. And they ask of God earnestly, but not amply: earnestly, because they feel need; but not amply, for they think He is a niggard. They have not correspondent faith to their feeling of want. They do not rightly believe in God as "giving to all liberally, and upbraiding not." They are indeed humbled, and are content to be glad to pick up the crumbs that fall from the Master's table, but they are doubtful if they shall even get a dog's right to them. How much more is any measure of desire they might have for the children's bread repressed by the thought, 'Why, that we dare not ask.'

Now, dear friends, either we are to approach God on our own merits, or we are not. If we are to approach God on our own merits, I don't know how little we should ask. I don't know what we could pray for at all, unless to be cut off and sent to hell very speedily. Either we are to ask on our own merits, and then we can ask nothing unless we are to set about it, and pray down damnation on our own heads: or we are not to ask on our own merits, but on God's rich mercy and Christ's glorious merits; and if so — if I am not to ask anything for that — why., let me not disgrace that by asking little things upon it. I know not whether it be more dishonouring to God to disbelieve that He hears prayer at all, or to think that a little good may be extorted out of an unwilling God. Did you ever thus pray? Do you never prayer to God in the thought that He is very niggardly? You know that He has what you need, but it is very good; and you being very unworthy, you don't think He will give it. If He give it, it will be a very small portion, and that forced out by your importunity. Well, no doubt it is better to deal with God as if He were the widow's unjust judge, than not to pray at all; far better: He will forgive and He will grant — but I think it's a burning shame for all that to think of Him as being the widow's unjust judge.

How Paul prayed we have an example in the context. He was concerned about a certain matter, about the stability of the Ephesians as it might be affected by the tribulation to which he, the apostle of Christ, was subjected. He says, "Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you." This was his desire; a generous desire, you see. The tribulation did not trouble him much so far as he had to bear them, but it gave him some concern as regarded the Ephesians. The tribulation was nothing to Paul, but the effect that the tribulation might have upon their minds was a great deal. His anxiety then was that they might not faint. Now the apostle Paul did not think that it was an easy thing to keep up the Ephesians under his tribulation. Many, in foolhardiness, are ready to make great martyr boastings, and they'll go through fire and water for Christ, and though all men forsake Him they never will — they're ready to die for Him. But Paul knew by the grace of Christ what human nature is a little better, and what human nature even in the saints of God is: and he knew that men are very ready to faint, not only when they feel the cross, but at the bare sight of it upon another man's shoulders. When they saw an apostle who had come with the unsearchable riches of Christ, poor, oppressed, persecuted, forsaken, they would be tempted to say, " Is this the blessedness whereof he spake?" Now the apostle thought there was much here to make the Ephesians faint, and yet he did not think that it was a necessary thing that the Ephesians should faint for all that. There was something which could support them, could keep them from fainting, but it was no little thing; it was a great thing, a divine thing, and therefore obtainable. For here is the difference between faith and unbelief. Whenever faith sees a thing in God's hand, then faith says, 'I have it;' but when unbelief sees it, it says, 'Ah! then I need never expect it.' So soon as a thing is seen to be in God's hand, such is the different estimate of faith and unbelief.

Paul had a good hope that the Ephesians would be supported, because he saw that their support lay with God; and this led him to have a good hope towards God, and to be very prayerful. "Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees." That was all that Paul could do to hold up their hands, namely, "to bow the knees." To keep them strong, all he could do was to go into a position of the greatest lowliness, poverty, and weakness. And he bowed that they might get strength — but how much strength? "I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man." That they might not faint at his tribulations he bowed his knees that God would strengthen them with might, strengthen them mightily with might, according to His glory, according to the riches of His glory. The Ephesians needed all this to keep them from fainting, not at their own cross, but even at Paul's. And he asks this. He did not think they needed little, and he did not expect God to give little. He felt need widely and deeply: he believed in grace as widely and as deeply, and somewhat more. He had not learned to look upon sin as a little thing, small and in petty quality, but as abounding: but then he had learned to look upon grace as super-abounding. He had not conceived the Ephesians to be very strong people, but very weak people indeed, but then he bowed his knees in expectation of obtaining for them no less strength than "according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man." What this would work is described in the following verses, on which we cannot enter; but through this strength they would be "able to comprehend, with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge," and so, would not faint at his tribulation.

Now, you say, 'This man knows how to pray.' I daresay he does, a little better than either you or I: but he does not please himself. I daresay we wonder at what he thinks and asks, but is his thinking and his asking the bound of his desire? No! he grapples with something too great for even his thinking — with the almighty power of God to give blessings; and absorbed in this thought, he concludes his prayer with this doxology, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask of think." And he has both thought and asked a great deal for them, but it is of "him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask of think," and "unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus, world without end. Amen."

Let us attend, in the first place, to Him who is the object of this doxology; and then, if time permits, briefly to the doxology itself.

"Unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly." You know who this is, we need not tell you — it is the God of all grace and consolation, the God who says, I know the thoughts that I think concerning you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an end and an expectation, and an end beyond the expectation. Now we, in relation unto Him, we "ask and think." We "ask" of Him, and we "think" what we shall ask of Him: we put our ingenuity to task , even the ingenuity of the renewed, and spiritual, and divinely-instructed mind. We have got a carte-blanche, a blank put into our hands by Christ — "Ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you," Now we should think it a sad pity to get nothing, or to get little when we have thus a draft upon God for all. "Ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." "Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you." We ask, and we not barely "ask," we "think." Guided by the Word and Spirit of God, we think upon all things that could be good — good for us, good for others, good for our family, good for our congregation, good for our city and country, good for the church, good for the world, good for time, and good for eternity. We are always thinking — at least that's what we should be doing when He says, :Ask what ye will" — thinking, What good thing shall we ask? and then we ask up to the point of out thinking. Whatever we think, we ask. No limit to our asking but our thinking. The moment we discover anything to be bad, we ask God to put that thing away: as soon as we find anything to be good, we ask God to grant that good thing. Yea, we study His very character and attributes that we may learn how far we shall "think," that we may be able to "ask." But then, God pity us if that was all the good we were to get! If we were to get no more than we should get be that, poor should we be after all. Ah! yes, all that's to be got, but above all that, He is able to do: above, abundantly above, exceeding abundantly above, all that we ask or think — to do above it. When you go with all that you ask and all that you think, God says, 'Poor soul, is that all you want? Is it only these bits of trifles? would that please you? Would you go away with that only?' As Christ says, "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name." That might please you to get; it won't please God to give. You think He's not willing to give so much: I tell you He's not willing to give so little. Above it all, some little addition? Ah no! "abundantly above." He not only hears and answers the prayer whatsoever ye ask, and gives a little more, good measure, pressed, and running over: no! an abundance over and above the asking: "abundantly above;" an immense quantity more: not that only, not merely an abundance, but an exceeding abundance; an abundance that passes, that surpasses, all ordinary idea of abundance. It's not the usual abundance, but it is an exceeding, a surpassing abundance.

Yet remember that we do ask and do think. We come with our poor, scrimp, narrow-hearted petitions; we should give so little ourselves that we think of others (and we carry it on to the great God Himself), we think of others to be poor, miserly, wretched creatures. Perhaps if our hearts were opened by grace, we should give a little. If a man come and said, 'Do this,' we should say 'We cannot do all that, but we will do something for you.' We should do not as we were asked or thought of, but somewhat a great deal below it: and still we think we have some generosity: we should feel, and should do something. And so we think of God. He is gracious and merciful, and something may be got at His hands. The world will not believe that good is to be got at His hands at all. Believers with their little faith have rather better thoughts of God: He has some goodness, mercy, and grace; by importunity we shall get something out of Him; He will not disappoint the expectation of the poor entirely and for ever; and if we shall not get all we think and ask, still we shall get something. So it is we expect, but when we come, what does he give? All that's asked? Of course, He's wise, and good, and kind, and He reserves in the answering whether it be for His glory and their good, which are indissolubly united together; but it it be really a good thing, they will get up to the asking and thinking, but God would be ashamed to stop there. They might say, 'Oh! how happy we are, and how much we have got! Everything we could ask or think!' But whilst they would be filled with joy, God would be covered with shame. (I use the language "He is not ashamed to be called their God.") God would be ashamed to let you away with that. 'I'm not a little God, poor, niggardly; I have great plenty, and a great heart. I love a bountiful giver. I "give liberally, and I upbraid not." Here, take all this — what is it! Ah, poor thing! that transcends thine asking and even thy thinking, but take it. "Try me now, if I will not open the windows of heaven, and shower down a blessing till there be not room to receive it."'

But you will say, 'What shall I do with the thing that I cannot ask of think of, if God will give it?' Why, so far as that may go, if He give me an additional power of mind to receive, I receive it. But if it transcend all communicated power of mind, I say, 'Thank Thee, my God, for it. I know it is exceeding good, but I cannot understand it. Keep it amongst Thy treasures. My blessedness rests not in my intellect, but in Thy favour. And if Thou hast mysterious good in store, which I cannot understand, keep it, but keep it for me. Remember Thou hast given it to me. It may come, I shall be able to understand it better and appreciate it more. Meanwhile as Thou dost not make my asking or thinking the bounds of Thy gifts, neither shall I make my understanding the bounds of my receiving.'

Now Paul says only that He is "able" to do so — "Unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly;" but in respect of His ability, he glorifies Him with this doxology, "Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." And do you not think that it's just as good when it is said that God is able, as if it had been said that God will? If that is doubted — whether we should take the declaration that God is able as just as good, and in fact importing that God will — let us turn and read together Rom. 11: 23. Speaking of the cut-off, unbelieving Israelites under the present dispensation, the apostle says, "And they also, if they abide not in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again." Mark the argument: he says they shall be, because God is able to do it. And this implies that the good that God is able to do, that good God will do. "They shall be graffed in: for God in able to graff them in again." The force of the argument lies in the unenunciated thought, that what God is able to do, that He will do. Now God "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." And now, though you and I cannot reach it, we know what we are to aim at; we know where we are to point our desires, and prayers, and thoughts, and whither, since we cannot reach, we are ever more and more to approximate, and that is God's ability. I shall never have asked too much, I shall never have thought too much, till I have asked beyond God's ability, till I have thought beyond God's ability. I shall never have asked up to the point form which I expect my good to come, till I have asked up to — and even that I never shall do — till I have asked and thought, thought and asked, up to God's ability. Whatever God can do, that, in the name of Christ, may I ask Him to do, and depend that He will do. And as I cannot reach that in my asking or thinking, what have I to do then? Why, when in explicit prayer I have prayed up to the asking and thinking, I must take to the implicit prayer, saying, 'Lord, I cannot ask further; but this is not the point I would be at. Thy power — here is the point. Here is my asking my thinking; but answer me, Lord, not according to that which I ask or think, but according to that which transcends it — according to thy power, thine ability. O Lord Jehovah, do me all the good thou canst; whatever blessings thou canst bestow, empty thy goodness on me, on mine, on thy Church, on the world.'

This ability is "according to the power that worketh in us." He "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us." It is not a bare abstraction of the omnipotence of God, but it is the omnipotence of God as working in the Church and in the people of God. It is not barely and simply intrinsic omnipotence. Mark what the apostle had said, "That ye be strengthened according to the riches of his glory — strengthened with all might." The apostle speaks elsewhere of "the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places." Now we may be sure that the whole omnipotence of God was in that. Greater act never was done; greater act (we speak reverentially) never could be done. It was, on the footing of God's omnipotence, the highest proof that He was able to subdue all things to Himself.

Go to the next installment:
Prayer: Part II