7.Rooted

Introduction

Video: Root 55 seconds

Good morning Church. We are continuing in our series from the book of Ephesians called “God’s Plan. Our Place In it.”

Ephesians as we hopefully all now know, is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the region in and around the major city of Ephesus. (map?) Paul spent a good deal of time here in this city in the past but he writes this letter because he cannot come to them now. Because he is in stuck in Rome, more specifically he is chained to a Roman guard as a prisoner in Rome.

And if we were to look at his circumstances from the outside, we would say that Paul has been wrongfully detained by the Romans and like many of the justice systems around the world today he has become a victim of a slow and often corrupt legal system.

Because he was innocent. He had not violated any Roman or Jewish law, but the Jewish leaders thought their jealous accusations would be enough to have him detained so that it would slow and eventually stop Paul’s message. But the message of the the Gospel just kept spreading. So they made a back room plan to go beyond having him arrested. They used their influence to have him moved to another prison, so they could ambush and murder him on the way.

I know that sounds something like a modern day plot to a political thriller movie...but I’m not making this up. You can read it for yourself in Acts 24 & 25. I don’t know how people still claim that “The Bible doesn’t talk about politics”. I see it all over the place.

And this political plot was uncovered and the Roman guard made preparations for the attack - not because they thought so much of Paul but because loosing a prisoner who was also a Roman Citizen carried life altering consequences for a Roman solder. So Paul eventually made it to Rome, safe and secured to a Roman guard day and night.

The great Apostle, speaker, debater and evangelist could no longer travel to distant lands and have the kind of impact that he did before, or at least that is how it would seem looking in from the outside.

Tension

The Apostle Paul says that he sees it differently. The Holy Spirit gave him a perspective where he was not a victim of these forces, but he was instead a “prisoner of Jesus Christ”. And so Paul was following God into this space where he could sit down and, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, write a letter and so have impact in church that is almost a thousand miles away and way beyond that, this letter has reached us almost 2000 years away.

But the people that he was writing the letter too may not have had this perspective yet. So Paul stops, mid sentence to explain it to them. Remember we said last week that we would come back to this because Paul says, in Chapter 3 verse 1

Ephesians 3:1 (ESV)

1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—

And then he stops for the sake of his listeners to explain this statement - which was the thrust of the message last week. Today we are picking up in verse 14 where he is really finishing that statement - marked by repeating the same phrase:

Ephesians 3:14 (ESV)

14 For this reason [ I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—v.1] I bow my knees before the Father,

Paul follows Jesus into this position of being locked up in Rome so he couldn’t go visit churches as in the past, but that doesn’t mean that he could not have great impact there. An impact that came not just in the strength of the words of his letters but in the strength of what he prayed for them.

And this should not really surprise us because Paul has already told us this earlier in this letter. In fact, we find the same phrase in chapter 1 where he says that...

Ephesians 1:15–16 (ESV)

15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,

The principle that we see Paul modeling here is that when you cannot do anything else, you can still do the most impactful thing: You can pray.

Unfortunately, we don’t always see prayer as being “impactful” do we? Often if everything else fails then we pray, but we don’t hear Paul taking that view. He is not praying because his ministry has been rerouted, he prays because he knows that prayer is the most impactful thing he could do. Do we know that? Do we live that?

And while the first prayer that Paul describes in the letter is really for their “enlightenment” so they will see all they have been given in Christ, Paul bows his knees here for their “enablement”. That they would act on that which they have now clearly see. That they would see their place in God’s plan and move mightily in it.

So if you haven’t already, let me invite you to open your Bible up to Ephesians chapter 3 starting in verse 14. It’s on page 977 in the Bibles in the chairs. Let’s stop and pray, that God will teach us from Paul’s example and learn how to better engage in the impactful practice of prayer.

Truth

Paul ends his sidebar in verses 2-13 with this concluding thought:

Ephesians 3:13 (ESV)

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

Instead of “losing heart” over all this, he calls them to the glory of it. First of all, that they are to…

Be Strengthened together in God’s Family (Ephesians 3:14-17a)

Ephesians 3:14–15 (ESV)

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

When we divide up a letter like this to tackle things a little each week it is easy to forget where we have been, but we have see how the divisions in the early church were between Jew and Gentile. And of course, these categories were not ones that you got to choose. It was all based on your lineage…or more specifically who your father was. Because they traced their lineage primarily through the family line of the Father, or the “patriarchs” of their family.

The term “patriarch” is based on the Greek word for father is πατήρ (pat-air) and the word translated “family” here is very similar. It is πατριά (pa-tree-ah).

In many of your Bibles you might find a small number next to that word and if you follow that number to the middle or bottom of the page you will find an explanation that says something like: “or from whom all fatherhood” is named. Because just like today, families carry the name of the Father.

The big idea is that Paul is reminding this Church that no matter who their father was before, now “in Christ” they are a part of a new kind of family. One where God is “Our Father” as Jesus prayed, and our shared inheritance from this Father is of more importance and has greater impact that anything that we might receive from an earthly Father.

Ephesians 3:16–17 (ESV)

16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—

Notice how Paul shows us that our inheritance includes the benefit of the entire Trinity working together in us as we are now a part of their their family, adopted into it “In Christ”. So Paul is praying to the Father, that we would be strengthened through the Spirit because through faith, the Son dwells in our hearts.

Again, Paul prays this prayer not for increased awareness, but for increased action. “Awareness” was earlier in the letter and now he is talking about our being equipped to take action.

The first thing he prays for in this is to...

Be Strengthened together in God’s Family.

Secondly, He prays that the Church would...

Be rooted and grounded in God’s Love (Ephesians 3:17b-19)

Ephesians 3:17b–19 (ESV)

17 —that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Notice that Paul brings this call into the corporate life of the Church. We are to comprehend this incredible, indescribable vast love of Christ with all the saints.

Christ dwells in us individually, but his love is multiplied when we come together in the body of Christ, as the Church. It isn’t just adding one more agent of love, when we come together the effect is multiplied exponentially so that we are filled with love in a way that we previously couldn’t have comprehended.

And Paul describes our starting point using two vivid illustrations in the phrase “rooted and grounded”

ROOTED

The Greek word “rooted” is ῥιζόω (riz-oh) and means to be firmly rooted or planted in the ground. It carries the same agricultural meaning as we would think of today where living plants reach down into the rich soil to lay a hold of what they need to grow and be healthy and produce good fruit according to their design.

And what Paul is saying is that we have that same kind of dependency when it comes to the love of Christ who dwells in us. We were designed to dwell with God but we broke that relationship in our sin. Since then we have not had access to what we needed to be what God created us to be. But in Christ, we again have access to the love of God and we can drink deep of it like wilting plants drink up after a rain. So we go from being wilted from lack of connection to God to full and flourishing with the love of God growing us from deep inside. “Rooted”

But he also uses the word GROUNDED

The Greek word for “grounded” might sound like gardening, but it actually sends us in a different direction. This is the Greek word θεμελιόω (them-ali-oh) and it was used in the architectural world to mean to establish or lay the foundation, as in a building of some sort.

Used together, these two ideas give us a fuller picture of how God’s love as something solid, strong and sustaining. Like the video we opened up with at the beginning of the message. This is nothing like the soft and squishy view that so many people have of the idea of love. Paul uses these strong word pictures in other letters as well.

In the companion letter written to the Church in Colossae, that we believe was delivered on the same journey as Ephesians, we read:

Colossians 2:6–7 (ESV)

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

Paul describes God’s love in this way because Jesus was this way. He is our example of what true love looked like. In our Table talks today we will look at how Jesus used these same word pictures to teach about the Kingdom of God. I invite you to stick around and be a part of that experience with us.

But Paul used “rooted and grounded” as the jumping off point, but he fully expected things to move beyond that. In fact, he introduces an idea that seems paradoxical…at least to the human perspective.

Looking at the verse again, we can see that he prays that they would “comprehend” something and “know” something that he says “surpasses knowledge”. Did you see that? How can that work?

And as if that wasn’t enough, he takes it even further to say not only that he is praying that they would know something that is beyond knowing, but that he is praying this for them... that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Church! Stop and consider this for a moment. When we read this how does this not just blow our minds!! How can Paul pray this for the Church, any Church? What would that even look like? To be filled with all the fullness of God. Could you even hear yourself praying that over someone?

What would happen if we started praying this for each other? Or for our Church? What would happen if we prayed: “God fill them with all the fullness of you and your love”

I am not knocking on praying for help and healing in the many different ways that we do, but…that just seems like some next level praying right there.

And we have no reason to believe that this was something unique that Paul just prayed for one Church like they were special or something. He wrote similar things in his letter to the Colossians.

He says in verse 9 of Colossians 2

Colossians 2:9–10 (ESV)

9 For in him [that is Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

And we can get behind that, because it is Jesus, but the next words say...

10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

As Paul sits there in Rome chained to a Roman guard he prays that the Churches would be filled to the full with Jesus and His love.

Are we building our lives and our Church on that foundation, on that grounding?

Are we so rooted in His love that we are filling up from the depths of that love?

That is what Paul is praying for the Church and I dare say that we should praying that for each other. But how could this ever happen? Well Paul already told us, but he says it again in the benediction found in verse 20-21. We can do this only by…

[Be] Working together in God’s Power (Ephesians 3:20-21)

These things that Paul is praying for are beyond us, humanly speaking. We could never expect to see this kind of impact with our broken down version of human love. We need God to work through us…and the good news that He has promised to do so!

Paul ends his prayer with this benediction

Ephesians 3:20–21 (ESV)

20 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, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Power was a constant consideration in the Greco-Roman world of Paul’s day. The Greeks sought power through knowledge, philosophy and reason. The Romans through military might and strategy. And both cultures sought “power” from their pantheon of gods and goddesses.

But their relationship with their many “god” was full of confusion because you never really knew what they wanted or how to please them. And their “love” for you, or at least favor toward you had to be purchased at some price. But even then, you might not get what you paid for. Their deities were impersonal, unknowable and unreachable and their promise of power was inconsistent at best.

But our God is not a distant and impersonal God. More than just making his power available to us, He dwells within us. And His love for us is such that He works through us to bring us to great flourishing. He can do this because He created us and knows the plans that He has for us. So He works his power through His people to accomplish his good plan to show the whole world “what is the breadth and length and height and depth, of his love for us all.

As Paul told the Church in Philippi...

Philippians 2:13 (ESV)

13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Application

Paul’s prayer for the church is profound and it is a fitting way to end the first half of his letter. You might remember that when we started this series a few months ago we said that the name for the series also serves at an outline for the letter.

Chapters 1-3 are all about God’s Plan. Paul explains to the Church about how God has worked to make them one “in Christ”.

And then in the second half of the letter,

Chapters 4-6 we will be looking at some very practical applications for how the Church should operate now that they know who they are “In Christ” and how God has made them into a Church.

So as we transition from doctrine to duty Paul’s prayer draws us to these three things:

God’s Family

God’s Love

God’s Power

These are things that we are gong to need working through us to be the Church that God has called us to be.

Landing / Next Steps

You might notice that we did not open today with a reading of the text by one of you. If you would still like to be a part of the Church that way then we have several weeks open in future weeks that you can sign up for.

But this morning I wanted us to interact with this text in a little different way. As it is a prayer that Paul prayed for the local Church, I wanted to take this opportunity and pray these words over us.

The Bible never prescribes a posture for praying, but since Paul says that he bows his knees I am going to do so and you are welcome to join me in your chairs or take whatever other posture you would like to be in an attitude of prayer with me.

The important thing is that we are consider what is being said together. After this we will have the worship team come up and lead us in some last songs.

Ephesians 3:14–21 (ESV)

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—

that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 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, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.