For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians 1:15-23 NIV)
Preaching in an empty church reminds me of the time I attended one of the biggest churches in America. It meets in a basketball stadium in Houston, TX. We went on a Saturday evening, so it was mostly empty too. There were only 4,000 or 5,000 people there for the service. It was ten years ago now, but I can still remember the message: “God has put everything under your feet.”
It was a powerful sermon: “Under your feet!” No matter what you face in your life, it’s under your feet! Isn’t that good to hear? People nodded. People applauded. Amen! If you’re struggling at work, walk into your boss’s office and say, “You’re under my feet.” Soon you’ll have his office. Struggling financially? Look at those bills and say, “You’re under my feet,” and soon you’ll have more money than you know what to do with. He even applied it to cancer. Look cancer in the eye and say, “You’re under my feet.” It can’t harm you, because this is God’s promise to you right now: “God has put everything under your feet.” Amen! People loved it!
Unless you’ve actually had cancer. If you have, I bet you’ve learned something. Cancer doesn’t listen to what you say. Bosses and bills don’t either, do they? If you’ve been struggling at work, you know it’s not so simple. “Under your feet?” No way. In fact, it sure seems like the exact opposite is true in our lives, doesn’t it? It seems like nothing is under my feet. Like nothing is under my control. The coronavirus has proved that, hasn’t it? How much control have you had over how the past two months have gone? It’s out of our control. Doesn’t that make you frustrated? Why doesn’t God keep his promise? Why hasn’t God put everything under your feet?
Here’s why: Because that’s not what the Bible says—at all! It sure sounds good to hear that everything is under my feet. But that’s not what the Bible says. That pastor twisted God’s Word to make it say what he wanted it to say. What we wanted to hear. The Bible does not say that God placed everything under your feet. Do you know what it says? “God placed all things under his feet.” Who’s he? Jesus! God has put everything under Jesus’ feet. This is the great truth of Ascension Day. Jesus our Savior is ruling heaven and earth for our good. It’s all under his feet!
We’re not the only ones who need to be reminded of that. As pastor Paul wrote to Christians in Ephesus, he thanked God for their faith in Jesus and their love for God’s people. But then he prayed. He prayed, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened…” On the last day of school, it’s good to remember that learning about Jesus never ends. Paul prayed that those Christians would know God better.
That the eyes of their hearts would be opened even more, “in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you.” You want hope? Know this: Our lives have never been in our own hands. Our lives rest in the nail-marked hands of Jesus who died and rose for us. But this hope goes back so much farther than Jesus’ death on the cross. Just before our lesson, Paul wrote that God “chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight” (Ephesians 1:4). God chose you as his own even before he made the world. Wow! Our hope is not in ourselves. Our hope is in the God who wondrously created us and called us and saved us.
That means that you are rich. Did you know that? Paul kept praying, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know… the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.” If God has called us to be his sons and daughters, how rich are you? Maybe this will help: Michael Jordan’s mansion in Chicago is up for sale. 9 bedrooms, 19 bathrooms, a full-size basketball court, swimming pool… You know what? That’s nothing. Nothing compared with your inheritance. The streets of heaven are paved with gold. Michael’s driveway isn’t. Plus no death or mourning or crying or pain… Forever with the Lord! You’re rich. Can you see that?
But there’s something even bigger. So Paul kept praying, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know… his incomparably great power for us who believe.” We have a God with incomparably great power. How big is it? “That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” Power over death. Power over every authority. Power over presidents and pandemics. Now and forever. That’s power!
And do you know what God the Father has done with his power? He’s used it to place everything under Jesus’ feet. “God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” Everything is under his feet. The power that created the universe. The power that flooded the whole earth. The power that sent plagues and split seas and made the sun stop in the sky. The power that raised Jesus from the dead. That’s the power Jesus our Savior has right now on his throne. It doesn’t matter what struggle you face, Jesus is above it. It is under Jesus’ feet!
Here’s the best part: “God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church…” Don’t miss those three little words: “for the church.” Jesus is using his power right now for the good of his church—for you and for me. You know that verse from Romans, don’t you? “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Is God really going to keep his promise? When you see the King die for you, you know he keeps his word. It’s under his feet.
Aren’t these great verses for going through hardships? We need the message of Ascension Day! When death stares you in the face, may God open your eyes to know the hope to which he has called you. When it seems like you’ve lost so much, may God open your eyes to see the riches of his glorious inheritance. When it seems like it’s all out of control, may God open your eyes to trust in his incomparably great power. Hope and riches and power. Isn’t that what every person on earth is looking for? They’re found in Jesus. God, let us see! Open the eyes of our hearts and let us see. There is a King. He’s a good King. It’s Jesus. For us. All things are under his feet.
So why do we still have so little peace? There’s one little detail we’ve left out. If all things are under Jesus’ feet, do you know what’s included in all things? You are. This is the part we hate. At least, this is the part that a part of us hates. It’s great when bad things are under Jesus’ feet. It’s great when the people who bother us are under Jesus’ feet. But the last thing my sinful nature wants is to be under anyone else’s authority. I already have a king in my heart—it’s me! Do you?
“Jesus is King.” To be honest, it’s hard to think of a more un-American message. This country was founded on the idea that there is no king. “Don’t let anybody tell me what to do! I can do it on my own! I am free to make my own decisions!” We hear that all around us, don’t we? We hear it coming from inside us too. “I’ve got this. I don’t need anybody else. I’m strong enough on my own!” Maybe that works for a country, but it’s a disaster for our souls. How much of the heartache in your life comes from you insisting to be king? From thinking you’re in control?
How come Jesus doesn’t… you fill in the blank. Why doesn’t God… you fill in the blank. How often do those questions come into our minds? You know what we’re trying to do? We’re constantly trying to pull Jesus off his throne and sit up there ourselves. Why doesn’t God just do things my way? Then we wouldn’t have all these problems… Can you see why that mega-church preacher’s message is so popular? It’s under your feet. My feet. That’s what I want to believe! Then I don’t have to wait for God! The biggest problem in my life isn’t a virus, it’s me. I refuse to submit myself under Jesus’ feet. Do you? I’m not king, and I won’t get Jesus until I admit that.
Can you see how God is at work right now in this pandemic to knock us off our thrones? The “I-can-be-my-own-king” experiment doesn’t work. Before Christ can work any good in us, he needs to empty ourselves of ourselves. He needs to bring us low so we will look up to him. And when we look up to Christ, know what will we find there? Hope. Riches. Power! I hope you see there’s one thing better than having everything under your feet. It’s having everything under Jesus’ feet! You have a better King than you! There is someone in control better than you. Jesus!
I need to hear that over and over again. It reminds me of a movie. There’s a movie in which a young lady experiences memory loss. Her mind is stuck on the same day. No new memories stick. She wakes up each day with no memory of yesterday. A man falls in love with her. But she doesn’t remember any of their experiences together. So everyday he has to convince her again of his love for her. Everyday he has to explain their whole relationship. Isn’t that God with us? Everyday our sinful natures push out our memories of God’s grace. And so everyday, through his Word, God tells us his love and power, over and over again. The King called you. The King died for you. The King rose for you. The King reigns for you. Everything is under his feet!
Our forefathers here at our church knew we would a constant reminder of that. Can you picture the stained-glass window at the front of our church? When our forefathers here planned our church building, what picture did they want to constantly be on the minds of the people who come to our church? Jesus ascending into heaven, with everything under his feet. Why? This is the Gospel! If you tell a poor person, “Love your neighbor,” it does them no good. If you tell a sick person, “Be kind,” that’s not what they need. What we need is a Savior. A King! It’s Jesus.
All things are under his feet. I know it doesn’t look that way right now with your eyes. But all things are under his feet. When you hear about your cancer, it’s under his feet. When you face that court date, it’s under his feet. When you worry about your pregnancy, it’s under his feet. When you see that sick loved one, it’s under his feet. When you’re anxious about your future, it’s under his feet. Isn’t this our prayer? “God, open our hearts to see the hope, the riches, the incomparably great power that flows from Jesus.” There is no better King. There is no better King! Whatever it is you’re facing, you can look up and know that it’s all under his feet.
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