The Prayer of Unity: God be Glorified in the Church & in Jesus Christ

Intro: Good morning Fellowship Espanol!

We have learned how God has placed a new identity on the person who places their faith, their trust in Christ. Last week we started to discover, not only do we have a new identity, we also become part of a new community, known as the church. I think it is important to give a summary of what Pastor Alfredo taught us last week;

God has brought the Gentile and Jew together, as one new man, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, by tearing down the dividing wall of hostility and the laws and ordinances that went with the sacrificial system, because they are fulfilled in Christ. God has brought Gentiles and Jews together and formed one new community known as the church, which is built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, with Christ being the cornerstone, through which the manifold wisdom of God is displayed, which was the eternal purpose of God, realized through the person and work Jesus Christ.

It is important we keep this in mind because we come to Ephesians 3:14-21, which is a prayer, it is the second prayer Paul prays over the Ephesian church and the other churches in Asia Minor. Paul opens his prayer with these words, “for this reason”, Paul is praying for a reason, what is that reason, what is driving Paul to his knees in prayer?

The reason Paul is praying is what we learned about last week that,

God has brought the Gentile and Jew together, as one new man, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, by tearing down the dividing wall of hostility and the laws and ordinances that went with the sacrificial system, because they are fulfilled in Christ. God has brought Gentiles and Jews together and formed one new community known as the church, which is built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, with Christ being the cornerstone, through which the manifold wisdom of God is displayed, which was the eternal purpose of God, realized through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Paul is praying because,

The work of God, drives the man of God to pray for the power of God to fill the people of God with the love God so that the wisdom of God is on display through the church and Jesus Christ so that God is glorified throughout all generations.

Which we all can learn something about prayer by reading the prayers of the Bible and reading the prayers of Paul. Prayer and God’s word go together. It is through the Word of God we discover the will of God and know how and what to pray. When we pray, we should pray for ourselves and our families, but church if all you pray for is for yourself and your family, you are missing out. When we study the prayers in the Bible, not only do we discover people prayed for their immediate needs but many times the people prayed for the purposes of God to be accomplished, not just in my life, but in my city, my country, in my nation, in the world. We find people praying for the will of God to be accomplished globally. Jesus himself taught us to pray in this way,

Matthew 6:9–10 (ESV)

Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

9 Vosotros, pues, orad de esta manera:

«Padre nuestro que estás en los cielos, santificado sea tu nombre. 10 Venga tu reino. Hágase tu voluntad, así en la tierra como en el cielo

There is no me, myself and I in the Lord’s Prayer, it is God exalting, God centered. Notice prayer first is directed in adoration of God the Father, we want him to be glorified, magnified, hallowed on earth as it is in heaven. We are praying for the kingdom of God to come through people committing their lives to serve Christ, the growth of the church spiritually and numerically, and for Christ to come back and establish his rule and reign permanently. We also pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Even when we are taught to pray for our needs, Jesus uses the plural not the singular, so we are praying for the Lord to supply our needs, not just my needs.

In Paul’s case, when he begins to pray, he knows the challenges of bringing Jews and Gentiles together as one, but he also knows that God can do exceeding abundantly more that we can ever ask or think. So the importance of the unity of God’s people in the church drives him to prayer and that is what we have hear in Ephesians 3:14-21

Ephesians 3:14–21 (ESV)

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom the whole family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

14 Por esta causa, pues, doblo mis rodillas ante el Padre de nuestro Señor Jesucristo[o], 15 de quien recibe nombre toda familia[p] en el cielo y en la tierra, 16 que os conceda, conforme a las riquezas de su gloria, ser fortalecidos con poder por su Espíritu en el hombre interior; 17 de manera que Cristo more por la fe en vuestros corazones; y que arraigados y cimentados en amor, 18 seáis capaces de comprender con todos los santoscuál es la anchura, la longitud, la altura y la profundidad, 19 y de conocer el amor de Cristo que sobrepasa el conocimiento, para que seáis llenos hasta la medida de toda la plenitud de Dios.

Doxología

20 Y a aquel que es poderoso para hacer todo mucho más abundantementede lo que pedimos o entendemos[q], según el poder que obra en nosotros,21 a Él sea la gloria en la iglesia y en Cristo Jesús por todas las generaciones, por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.

I. Who is Paul Praying to?

We know why Paul is praying but who is he praying to? The book of Ephesians is very trinitarian. We see the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at work in redemption in chapter 1. We also see the Trinity at work here in Paul’s prayer.

A. I bow my knees before the Father

We see that Paul addresses the Father, and the next verse has a description of who he is the father of,

Ephesians 3:15 (ESV)

from whom the whole family in heaven and on earth is named,

Now Paul could be saying, that the Father is the creator of all people, ever created and is the Father of all. Paul used this argument in Acts 17 when he was sharing the Gospel on Mars Hill.

Another option, Paul is praying to the Father of the “whole family” from which we get our name. Many versions translate the greek words (pasa patria) as every family, but I think it should be translated whole family. What’s the difference? The difference would be, in the first option Paul is referring to all the families of the world, but in the second option Paul is referring to the spiritual family who have been called, redeemed and sanctified by God the Father. Based on the context of Ephesians 3, I believe Paul is referring to the spiritual family of Jew and Gentile, together, who both are brought into the family by the Father through the work of Christ, as we learned last week.

Paul uses this word in Ephesians 2:21

Ephesians 2:21 (ESV)

in whom the whole structure (pasa oikodome), being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

and we don’t translate it as every structure, why? because the context determines the meaning. In the context of our passage, Paul is praying for everyone that makes up the church, Jew and Gentile, who have been transformed by the Gospel. He isn’t praying for every family, but the whole family, whom the Father in heaven has adopted into his family and he has named.

B. Through the Spirit

Paul, also asks the Father to strengthen us through the Spirit. We see Paul acknowledge the work of the Father and how he works are according to the riches of his glory. But we also see his work is accomplished in the life of the believer, through the Spirit, The Holy Spirit. So we see the Spirit at work in Paul’s prayer.

C. Know the love of Christ

We also see Paul pray that we may know the love of Christ, that we know and experience Christ dwelling in us.

Paul’s prayer and writing are very trinitarian, pointing us to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, all working in unison to accomplish His purpose on this earth.

II. What does Paul Pray for the Church?

Now that we know who Paul is praying to, let’s look at his prayer, what is Paul praying for the church?

In Paul’s prayer, imagine him climbing a mountain, each request is a step he takes to go higher and higher up the mountain, until he reaches the pinnacle of the mountain. Let’s dive into Paul’s prayer to discover this mountain of a prayer.

A. Strengthened with Power

The first step in Paul’s climb, his first prayer request is for strength. Paul knows the challenges of Jew and Gentile coming together as one new man. He knew the unity we have in Christ will be challenged from those outside the church, like Roman Persecution, the suffering of Jewish Christians in Jerusalem, and sometimes from those inside the church, like the circumcision party or even from Peter when he was favoring the Jews over the Gentiles or when the hellenistic widows were being neglected in Act 6.

Paul was praying for strength with power through the Spirit because he didn’t want them to give up, to lose heart as he says in Eph 3:13

Ephesians 3:13 ESV

So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

The strength he is asking for is not coming from within it is coming from the Holy Spirit. Unity is held together by the power of the Spirit working in the lives of people, this is what Paul was praying for because he knew there were many things which could fracture this unity, many things that would cause them to lose heart, but if unity is held together by the power of the Spirit, working in the lives of the people in the church, that is a unity which cannot be broken, but Paul didn’t just pray for strength with power through the Spirit. He continues by saying in your inner being or inner person, what does that mean?

Look at what he writes to the Corinthian church,

2 Corinthians 4:16 (ESV)

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

Por tanto no desfallecemos, antes bien, aunque nuestro hombre exterior va decayendo, sin embargo nuestro hombre interior se renueva de día en día.

Our outer self is wasting away, what does he mean, my physical body is wasting away, my knees ache, my back aches, I wear glasses because my eye sight is horrible, the moment we are born are bodies begin wasting away. Our inner self is our spiritual life, what does Paul say about the inner self, renewed day by day, another way of saying strengthened so we can endure and not lose heart. This is why Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12, I will boast all the more gladly in my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” because we are weak and frail people, but the Holy Spirit does strengthen us in our weakness.

B. For Christ to Dwell in your hearts through faith

The second step up the mountain, we see the dual purpose of Paul’s prayer, Paul prays fill them with strength and power through your Spirit and so that they well not lose heart and that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.

There are two words for dwell in the Greek language, one describes the idea of a temporary resident, Paul uses this word in 2:19 and it is used to describe the Gentiles, that they are no longer aliens but citizens, this is not the word Paul uses here. Paul uses the other word for dwell here, which means to reside or to live, and gives the idea of this is my home. This is the word Paul uses here, the Christ is at home in your heart.

Which is the purpose Paul is praying for you to be strengthened by power through the Spirit, so you do not lose heart, and that Christ may reside in your heart. You may think how is Christ dwelling in me, doesn’t he dwell in believers already, why is Paul praying this?

The Christian Life is a life of growth in Christ, when you give your life to Christ, you should see a progressive movement of becoming more like Jesus, as you grow in Christ. Does it mean that I have more of Christ now than when I first believed? Our minds think that way because that is how things appear, but it is better said Christ has more of you. Many times we don’t change or our growth in Christ is stunted or slowed because sometimes we like the sin we are committing more than we love Christ or we fear what others may say or think, but as we grow and become more aware of our sinfulness and we repent from sinful areas in our life, we are in essence giving Christ reign of more of our hearts and life. So Christ has more of us because we are being transformed by the Spirit and the word.

How does this apply to unity, think of Peter in Galatians, when he was showing favoritism to the Jews at the expense of the Gentiles, why did he do it? He wanted the approval form the Jewish people, he maybe responded in fear? Was Christ still dwelling in him? Yes! Which is why when he was confronted of his sin by Paul, he repented and Christ was ruling more space in Peter’s Heart.

Notice this is through faith, we think of the word faith and usually think of it in terms of believing in truth or facts, which faith involves believing in truths and facts, but biblical faith is much more than belief, it is taking the beliefs and laying a foundation which all your life decisions are based on. In other words, when Paul tells the Jewish Christian that Gentiles are now welcomed and part of the family, through faith the Jew says yes I believe and through actions he lives out that belief. When the word says sex outside of marriage is wrong, not forgiving someone who has offended you is wrong, or holding a grudge, or gossiping, or favoring someone over the other, is wrong. We are, in faith to believe God’s word and respond by actions to those truths.

C. Rooted and Grounded in Love

Let’s continue climbing this mountain with our third step with a a great phrase, rooted and grounded in love. Paul takes an example from the Botanical world and the Architectural world and uses them here. Paul says we must first be rooted in Love. The roots of our lives should be rooted in love.

Then to make sure everyone understands he uses an image from the architects world and says the foundations of your life must be founded in love. Listen to what John tells us,

1 John 3:14 ESV

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.

Love is the supreme virtue of the Christian life, to the point that it is a mark of someone who is a Christian and someone who is not.

D. Strength to Comprehend and Know the Love of Christ, Which Surpasses Knowledge.

We are continuing our climb, and here we see, that our love is not just any kind of love. The love Paul is talking about, the love Paul wants us to be rooted and grounded in is the Love of Christ.

Listen to his prayer, he wants us to be able to have the strength to comprehend and to know the Love of Christ. What is the love of Christ? You just need to flip the page in your Bible to see the love of Christ described;

Ephesians 5:2 ESV

And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

The love Paul wants us to comprehend and know is the love of Christ, which goes beyond the words “I love you” and demonstrates love through actions, love which is sacrificial, which gives something of yourself for the benefit of the person you are loving. Paul uses dimensions in his prayer to describe the love of Christ he wants us to understand, “the breadth and length and height and depth”, the love of Christ even surpasses knowledge, it immeasurable. I love the way John Stott says this,

This love to others is incomprehensible and unfortunately there are some who have never experienced this kind of love.

Paul is praying that we comprehend the love of Christ, that we come to know the love of Christ, so that we can show the love of Christ.

E. That You May Be Filled With All The Fullness of God

We continue our climb up the mountain and we are almost at the peak, his last request is our present aspiration and it points to our final heavenly perfection. So what is Paul praying for? In essence what Paul is saying is the fullness or perfection of God becomes the standard we should aspire to live. Paul in essence is saying, God that they may be like Christ, since Christ is the fullness of God. This is no different from the command be holy for I am holy or be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. In our lives now, we are to aspire to be like Christ, holy, full of love because that is what our lives will be when we are in heaven.

Why do I think this? Look at Paul’s transition in Ephesians 4:1, this is where he is taking us in the remaining chapters of Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:1 (ESV)

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

Yo, pues, prisionero del Señor, os ruego que viváis[b] de una manera digna de la vocación con que habéis sido llamados,

this is where Paul is taking us in the remaining chapters of Ephesians.

III. The Pinnacle of the Mountain, God is Glorified

We finally reach the pinnacle of our mountain, and before we get to the top Paul looks back at his prayer and thinks this is a huge ask, this is going to be impossible if we are left to ourselves, but we are not left to ourselves, we serve a God who is ruler over all and is Sovereign over all, and in a shout of praise, worship, joy Paul proclaims

Ephesians 3:20–21 (ESV)

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

20 Y a aquel que es poderoso para hacer todo mucho más abundantementede lo que pedimos o entendemos[q], según el poder que obra en nosotros,21 a Él sea la gloria en la iglesia y en Cristo Jesús por todas las generaciones, por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.

Paul in essence says with man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible. God take my prayer and go beyond what I was writing, beyond what I was asking , beyond what I was thinking and accomplish your purposes, because God is able.

we finally reach the pinnacle of the mountain, the purpose

Ephesians 3:21 ESV

to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

May God be glorified in the church, may God be glorified through Jesus, throughout all generations.

I feel like I am starting to sound like a broken record, but the purpose of Paul’s prayer, the reason he is asking what he is asking is to the praise of the glory of his grace. The purpose is for God to be glorified in the church and in Christ for forever.