Daily Bread – October 13, 2023 (The Sixth Day – Genesis 1:24-31) Ephesians 1:20 – …which he worked in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the Heavens, God brought to pass all of this divine ability which He has given to the saints through the power in the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. When Jesus ascended up on High, He poured out the Holy Spirit, Who brought to us the ability of God. This verse establishes how the power available to us and working on our behalf is not something that may happen, or we hope for in the future, but has already been poured out on us through Christ Jesus. The function and manifestation of this power can only be observed through the operation of the Holy Spirit, Who was given to us as our guarantee from the Father that all of these blessings and promises are surely ours. The Greek word ‘energeo’ used in this verse shares a common stem with ‘energeia,’ which is used in verse 19. The stem both of these words are derived from is ‘energes,’ which means “powerful”, or “effectual.” The same Greek word ‘energeo’ used in this verse is also used in James 5:16: “The effectual (energeo) fervent prayer of a righteous man…” The exaltation of Christ Jesus once again underscores the power that God poured out on the believer when He sent the Holy Ghost. The rivers of the Holy Ghost, which are an expression of this unlimited ability of God’s power and presence, could not be realized until Jesus was glorified (John 7:38-39). It was only then, when Jesus was “exalted by the right hand of God having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit,” which Peter declared on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:33), that the exceeding greatness of God’s power began to be realized in all those who would believe. Blessings, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
Daily Bread 10/13/2023
