An American was showing his visiting English friend the Niagara Falls when he said to his friend, "Come, let me show you the greatest source of unused power in all the world." He took him down to where the falls thundered into the river below and said, "There it is. The greatest unused power in the world." The Englishman immediately replied, "Ah, no, my friend. The greatest unused power in the world is the power of God in the life of the average professing Christian."

Paul might have agreed with that as we notice how much time and emphasis he gives to this one element of the faith. Here in chapter one his prayer is "that you may know...what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe."
If ever there was a time in history where there was a need for the supernatural power of God to be demonstrated and to be drawn upon it is today. Notice at first that Paul describes this power to us as:

I. The Power Of God Demonstrated
.. and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, (1:19-20)
The Apostle knows that these Ephesian Christians, like Christians everywhere, some even here today, are often immobilized by the grip of fear. He knows their insecurity. He knows that they are afraid of their neighbors, afraid of failure, afraid of persecution and ridicule.
There is a deep sense of inadequacy and of impotence in their lives. They don't think they can do anything. They know how entrenched the forces of evil around them are and it seems hopeless to try to challenge any of the social situations of the day. They know what tremendous, relentless pressures the world can bring to bear upon those who seek to relieve some of these situations, and they are afraid to the point of ceasing any Christian activism that might bring repercussions.
One answer to fear is power. The minute you feel a sense of adequate power, you lose fear, because power overcomes fear.

I remember as a young boy in primary school, I used to have to walk home several blocks. The local school bully had it in for me, and would wait behind the bus shelter for me every day. I knew he was there, and that he was going to terrorize me, but I had no choice. I had to get home. Every day was a nightmare for me. Then one day, a new kid came to our school. He made the bully look like Thumberlina. He was the strongest kid I had ever met. Even better was the fact that he moved in a few doors away from us, and also had to walk home from school. All of a sudden, my fear of walking home subsided. I felt like superman walking past that bus shed with my new friend at my side(the side closest to the bus shed). Power takes care of our fear.
Paul makes no bones about the fact that there are mighty, powerful forces out there that have got it in for us, and would bully us into a sense of fear and failure. But he is also convinced out of experience that the one who is in us is greater than any of those forces that oppose us. So he prays that Christians would get their eyes open, in a practical way, to the power available to them---"that you may know what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us [not merely in the heavenlies---in us] who believe."
So often Christians seem to give up. They feel that their struggles are just too much, that they just can't make it. It is because they have lost sight of the One who is giving them power. Paul develops this at some length here because it is so important to us.

This power is not destructive power as in an earthquake or the eruption of a volcano. It is creative power. It is resurrection power. That means that it is different; it is not like any other power. It isn't the power of a strong personality
an educated mind.
a good family background
or of money or numbers or leadership ability.
It is the power that raised Christ from the dead, that is able to bring life out of death. It means that this power; takes no notice at all of obstacles, just as Jesus rose from the dead, paying no attention to:
the stone,
the decrees of Caesar,
the denials of the Jewish priests,
the doubts of His disciples
the defender in front of the tomb.
Resurrection power doesn't pay any attention to obstacles. It just surges on ahead, leaves the problems up to God, and goes on.
It means that resurrection power:
requires no outside support.
relies upon no one and nothing else,
has no need of a vote of confidence.
Requires no expressions of support from anybody.
It can operate completely alone if necessary. And it means that it makes no noise or display. It doesn't try to arrest attention by some publicity stunt. It just works quietly and, without any noise, effects its transformation, bringing life out of death.
The resurrection of Christ, which we celebrate every Easter, is the fundamental issue upon which Christianity either rises or falls. Our faith is based on it. Romans 1:4 says that Jesus; was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead.
The power of God demonstrated in Christ's resurrection is the key issue of Christianity.
1 Cor. 15:14-19 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. [15] More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. [17] And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
If Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, then He was a fake, and we might as well believe something else. The validity of Christianity rises or falls on the veracity of the resurrection. The truth of Christianity is verified by God's power.
To many, we Christians make an amazing claim. We claim that Christianity is the only true way to God. Some think we are quite arrogant to make such a claim. But we do not make that claim out of arrogance, we make it out of assurance. Our assurance comes from the evidence of Christ's resurrection from the dead. It is this resurrection that sets Him apart from all others. Many have come before Christ, and some have come after. But only Christ has died and come back to life by the power of God.
In fact, the entire life of Christ was a demonstration of the power of God.
We see the power of God in his birth. A virgin conceived by the supernatural power of God. By this supernatural power of God we see a sinless man brought into the world.
We also see the supernatural power of God as Jesus stretched forth His hands to heal. He opened blind eyes, cleansed lepers, cast out demons, and raised the dead by the supernatural power of God.
As he went to the Cross, we see the power of God manifested. His suffering and death was a dramatic demonstration of God's power working in Him. From the Cross He prayed, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.
And then on the third day, God reached down from heaven, and with His mighty arm rolled away the stone. By the power of God Christ rose from the dead. This is what sets Christianity apart from all other religions. This is why we say that Christianity is the only true way to God.
When we see what God did by His mighty power in the resurrection of Christ, something begins to stir in us. What would it be like to experience that power for ourselves? How would such a power touching our lives revolutionize our existence? What would it be like to know such a power on a personal and intimate level?
The apostle Paul was caught up in these same emotions when he said in Philippians 3:10, "that I may know Him, in the power of His resurrection." We, like Paul, not only want but need to experience that power. And the implication of Christ's resurrection is that we can.
This is the power for which prays that the eyes of our heart would be opened. The power of God demonstrated in a way which has tremendous significance for us as believers today. The power of Christ demonstrated.
In the second place we see:
II. The Position of Christ Described
... when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
We see firstly that He is ruler over all of creation.
The reason God raised Him from the dead was so that Christ could be seated at God's right hand in the heavenly places. Christ was raised in power so that He could be given a position of power and authority. This is what it means to be seated at God's right hand. The position of being at the right hand of God in the heavenly places is further described in verse 21. This position is far above all rule and authority and power and dominion. In other words, nothing is above Christ. No one who exercises rule, or authority, or power or dominion, can rival the authority and power of Christ in His position at God's right hand. Christ is also above every name that is named. There is no name or title that is above the name of Jesus Christ. His title now is Lord. Neither will any be above Him in this age, nor in the one to come. God, in His power, has exalted Christ above all. God has put all things in subjection under His feet.
Human authorities may command great power, but all pale in comparison to Christ.
When the funeral of Louis XIV was held, the cathedral was packed with mourners who were paying their final tribute to the king. They considered him to be a great king. The room was darkened, except for one solitary candle. That candle illuminated the great casket holding the mortal remains of the king. As the court preacher, Massilion, stood to address the assembled audience, he reached over the pulpit and snuffed out that lone candle which was there to symbolize the greatness of the king. The room was darkened, and from the darkness came four words "Christ alone is great."
Not only is Christ Lord over all creation, but:
Christ is also Lord over all the church. God not only put all things in subjection under His feet , but God gave Him as head over all things to the church. The Lordship of Jesus Christ means that He is in charge. And the church is not an institution of man but an institution of God. Christ is the Lord, or head of the church. Because of the power of God unleashed in His resurrection, Jesus Christ is alive and in charge of His church.
This means that the power of God was not only unleashed in the resurrection of Christ, but it is also unleashed in the church, which He founded. The church of Jesus Christ should be a living demonstration of the power of God. And indeed it is. The true church of God has been on a forward march since its founding.
In the classic book The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire , Edward Gibbon wrote about the power of the church: "While that great body [the Roman Empire] was invaded by open violence, or undermined by slow decay, a pure and humble religion gently insinuated itself into the minds of men, grew up in silence and obscurity, derived new vigor from opposition, and finally erected the triumphant banner of the Cross on the ruins of the Capital. Nor was the influence of Christianity confined to the period or to the limits of the Roman Empire. After a revolution of thirteen or fourteen centuries, that religion is still professed by the nations of Europe, the most distinguished portions of humankind in arts and learning as well as in arms. By the industry and zeal of the Europeans it has been widely diffused to the most distant shores of Asia and Africa; and by the means of their colonies has been firmly established from Canada to Chile, in a world unknown to the ancients. The church has been steadily marching forward against all odds because of the power of the resurrected Christ in her midst.
Jesus Christ is alive and in charge. Consider the implications of His resurrection for your life. How would you define those implications? What does it really mean to be tapped-in to the resurrected Christ? The apostle Paul's prayer was that we might know what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. The power which was operative in Christ when God raised Him from the dead can make an immediate difference in our lives as well.
One implication is that Christianity is true. Because of the resurrection of Christ from the dead, we know that Christ is who He said He was. And we know that the faith we follow is not a myth, but is the true way to God. We can be confident because of the resurrection of Christ from the dead, that all of the rest of promises of God are true. When we pick up this Bible we can know that God's Word is sure.
Another obvious implication of the resurrection of Christ is that Jesus is now alive. Because the power of God was demonstrated in Christ resurrection, we serve a living Christ. Christianity then is all about a relationship with a living Lord. We do not worship the memory of a dead prophet, we worship and serve a living God. And the power with which we come into contact is the power of the living Lord Jesus Christ. He's alive! He has risen from the dead, and He's alive! Not only in history, but now. Not only in heaven, but in our hearts.
A further implication is that He is in charge. Because Christ is now seated at the right hand of God, we know that He's in charge of this universe. He's in charge of the church. He's calling the shots.
Therefore, another implication is that we can trust Him in any situation. Because Christ is in charge, and because He is the living God, we can place our lives in His care knowing that He will take care of us. Because we know that He is in charge and that He will do what is right, we can trust Him even in the midst of difficult circumstances. When the hard times come, we can trust in His wisdom to handle the situation. And even when He allows us to go through the hard times, we can be confident that He is in control.
And finally, an implication of His resurrection is that His power is available to us. Paul prayed that he might know the power of His resurrection. The power of His resurrection is available to us today, if we will just tap-in to it.
Col. 2:9-15 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, [10] and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. [11] In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, [12] having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 13] When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, [14] having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. [15] And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Just before World War II in the town of Itasca, Texas, a school fire took the lives of 263 children. There was scarcely a family in town which was not touched by this horrifying tragedy. During the war Itasca remained without school facilities. But when the war ended, the town, like many others, began to expand and in fact built a new school which featured what was called `the finest sprinkler system in the world.' Civic pride ran high. Honor students were selected to guide citizens and visitors on tours of the new facilities to show them the finest, the most advanced sprinkler system technology could supply and money could buy. Never again would Itasca be visited by such a tragedy. With the postwar boom the town continued to grow, and seven years later it was necessary to enlarge the school --- and in adding the new wing it was discovered that the sprinkler system had never been connected.

What a tragedy it is when we fail to hook up to the power of God available to us. It is a double tragedy when we consider that all we need to do to hook up to the power of God is to surrender to Christ. May we surrender today and begin to enjoy the resurrection power of God.