God's Power and Prayer

Ephesians 3:14-21 God's Power and Prayer Sunday, July 23, 2023 Pastoral Prayer Almighty God, we come before you this morning in prayer, acknowledging our ongoing need for your power at work in us and through us to conform us more to your beloved Son. Father, this morning, we pray that your power would strengthen us in our inner being as we look to who you are and are reminded of our hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Father, we pray that the gospel reminder would strengthen us to continue to fight the good fight of faith, to continue resting and trusting in you. Father, we pray this morning for our brother Auggie and our sister Carol as Auggie goes through radiation and chemo treatments in battling cancer once more. Father we pray for the treatments to work effectively. We pray, Father, that too in the midst of all of this, that you would strengthen our dear brother and sister as they labor to rest in you through this battle. Father, will you strengthen their inner self? And Father, will you strengthen them even this morning through your word, as we pray for all of us here today. Work mightily as you speak to us through the pages of the Scriptures. For your honor and glory we pray in Christ name. Amen! Introduction If we are honest with ourselves, when we go to pray to the LORD, it is sometimes a challenging task. We attempt to focus our minds, and yet they wander. Staying attentive is hard. Our fears, thoughts, to do list, checking off the prayer list distracts us from deep, meaningful communion with the Father when we pray. Even the Apostle Paul found himself distracted when he went to pray. His distraction was far more holy though. The Apostle Paul had began to pray and got distracted by the mystery of God's gospel, the mystery of Christ which had now become revealed to the world. For in Ephesians 3:1, which we looked at last week, the Apostle Paul had originally started to pray. It says there, For this reason I, Paul....his intent was to pray. And even as the prayer begins in 3:14, Paul returns to this language, for this reason. Paul was so distracted by the revelation of the mystery that he had to first contemplate it before continuing in his prayer. But, as he came back around to prayer, he prayed for the very ones he was a prisoner for, the Gentiles who had been joined into the new people of God alongside those who were Jews. What joined them together was their mutual faith in Christ Jesus. And so, Paul prays for them, and that prayer is what we see this morning in our text of Ephesians 3:14-21. The main idea of Ephesians 3:14-21 is, Praise be to our God who is able to do far more than we ask or think in prayer as he works his power in us. We are going to unfold this in 5 parts: (1) posture of prayer, (2) prayer for strength, (3) prayer for understanding, (4) prayer for filling, and (5) praise to God. I. Posture of Prayer Verses 14-15.... As Paul begins his prayer, notice first the clear aim of his prayer. Paul bows his knees to pray on behalf of those he is ministering to. To ensure they are encouraged and do not lose heart. Look back at Ephesians 3:1..... Now look to Ephesians 3:13... Paul is praying on behalf of the Gentiles in which he is a prisoner of the LORD for. And more importantly, he is praying for them to not lose heart over what he is suffering for them. He is suffering for their ultimate glory, for their salvation, for them to know the God of the Universe. And to combat the danger of them losing heart, Paul turns to prayer. He bows his knees. Most of us today might be surprised by this, but to pray on knees was not the primary posture of prayer for the Jews, which Paul was a Hebrew of Hebrews as he himself pointed out in Philippians 3:4-6. In saying he was a Hebrew of Hebrews is another way of saying he was a Jew of Jews. The two terms are synonyms. The primary posture for prayer was standing. Kent Hughes in his commentary points this out in saying, "Kneeling indicated an extraordinary event or an unusual passion."1 And so it is with deep, extraordinary passion that the Apostle Paul bends his knees to pray on behalf of the Ephesian Gentile Believers. For these brothers and sisters of his in Christ. But also note the description of the one in which Paul says he is praying to, the Father, from whom every family in heaven and earth is named. Remember, the Gentiles were previously separated from God with no hope and no promises. But Paul here, even as he is praying for them, is reminding that he is praying to not only his Father, but there's too. For God is the Father of every family in heaven and on earth. He is available for them to pray to and for them too to call Father, especially since they have been adopted by the Father as sons in their union with Christ by their faith in him. What an encouragement for us all to remember! Because of our belief in Jesus, we have access to not some distant god, but our Heavenly Father who is in heaven. Access to make our requests known to him. And not just any requests, but bold requests, which is where we now begin to turn in our next 3 points, starting with our second point. II. Prayer for strength Verse 16.... The first prayer request being made is a request that these believers in Christ would be strengthened with power in their inner being. It is this inner strength that the Church of Ephesus needs to not lose heart. To not lose heart over the suffering that comes due to gospel proclamation. To not lose heart as they press onward until their faith becomes sight. The means for granting this inner strength through power is that of the Holy Spirit. Inner strength and power cannot come from within ourselves to not lose heart. Our hearts and our strength are insufficient for the task, but the Spirit, that's a different story. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Triune God, has the strength and the power to strengthen our inner being, that is our hearts, our souls. Now, Paul's prayer here is not stating that those in the Church of Ephesus were lacking the Spirit. For from the time of Pentecost, the Spirit has gone out to those who have believed. The prayer here that Paul makes is that the Spirit that has already entered the believers would then work in the believers, starting with strengthening their inner self for the purpose of Christ dwelling in their hearts through faith. John Stott sums up this thought well. He writes, "Paul prays to the Father that Christ by his Spirit will be allowed to settle down in their hearts, and from his throne there both control and strengthen them."2 Even now in Christ, our hearts are tempted to be given over to sin and fear and doubt. In the case of the Ephesians, losing heart because of suffering. But the desire in this prayer is that they would be strengthened with power to not lose heart, but stand strong in their faith, in their hope. What a bold prayer that the Apostle Paul prays for the Church of Ephesus. But he can pray this with confidence, trusting that the LORD will answer this request because of who the Father is. Look back at how verse 16 starts, according to the riches of his glory. We turn to God in prayer, in knowing that he is a God full of rich treasures. Treasures that he does not keep for himself, but graciously pours out upon his children, upon all of those who have believed and trusted in his promises, namely those who have trusted in his promises in Christ Jesus, his beloved Son. For Paul has already commented back in Ephesians 1:7-8 that the riches of God's grace have been lavished upon us, that is those in Christ. What riches! Riches that aide to strengthen our inner man and to help Christ to swell in our hearts, so that he may rule more supreme within us! Christian, when was the last time you have prayed for yourself and for others to be strengthened in the inner man by the power of the Spirit? When is the last time you have prayed that the rule of Christ would increase in a brother or sister in Christ? The Apostle Paul prays this for the Church of Ephesus, and it should serve as a great example and model for all in the history of the Church. We as Christians should be committed to praying this way for other believers, especially those in whom we have joined ourselves together with in church membership. Because it is to those we are committed to carry out the one anothers of the Bible with. And part of that is to pray they are strengthened to the point of maturity. Now, we turn to another prayer we should be praying for one another with our third point this morning. I. Prayer for understanding Paul also prayed for the Ephesians to have strength to comprehend the vast love of Christ. Verses 17b-19a... Notice the descriptive language here of Paul's prayer, rooted and and grounded. Rooted is an agricultural term, grounded (established) is an architectural term. One refers to roots going deep to give a strong anchor, a firm support. The other refers to a solid foundation to build upon. But what are they to be rooted and grounded in? Love. What love? The love of Christ. Christ's love for the church, for his bride is foundational to Christian living. Therefore it is essential that we understand the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ. The love of Christ has been made known to us in the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Jesus himself taught his disciples about love. In John 14:13 we read these words from Jesus, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." And it is with this kind of love Christ went to the cross to lay down his life for us. He who knew no sin, became sin for us. The innocent went to the cross to die for the guilty. The obedient died for the disobedient. This is the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. Hear how Kent Hughes describes the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ's love. He writes: 1. A love that is wide enough to embrace the world. 2. A love that is long enough to last forever. 3. A love that is high enough to take sinners to Heaven. 4. A love that is deep enough to take Christ to the very depth to reach the lowest sinner.3 What kind of love is this? It's the deep deep love of Jesus that is more vast than the four oceans combined. It is deeper than the deepest part of the ocean. It is higher than the highest peak. It is longer than the longest mountain range. The love of Jesus is worthy of being understood and comprehended, but it can only be done through the strength of the Spirit. And so, Paul prayed for this strength to comprehend for the Ephesian Church. And it is a prayer worth imitating now, Christian. As we sit down in the mornings to read our Bibles devotionally, as we prepare and gather with the saints here at Central City Baptist Church, we need to be given to prayer, asking this very request as seen in Ephesians 3:17b-19a, namely that we would have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge. Praying for both ourselves, and one another that we would have the strength to comprehend and to grow in that comprehension of the love of Jesus for us. Now, in praying for this comprehension is not a call to slothfulness, for laziness in studying the Bible. The two go together. God's revelation comes through his word. But praying this prayer, making this request is seeking for the divine aide of the Holy Spirit to help us understand what it is we are reading and studying. Maybe part of the reason many struggle to comprehend what the Bible is saying is that we try to approach the reading of Scripture in our own strength. Brothers and sisters, we cannot comprehend the surpassing love of Jesus apart from the strength of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, let it be our norm to give ourselves to prayer before we open our Bibles to read, and then read slowly, allowing the Spirit to work as we try to read slowly and carefully and see more and more of the surpassing love of Christ, so that we may love him more and allow the love of Christ to be rooted and grounded in our own hearts for others. We are encouraged to pray for strength in our inner being and strength to comprehend the love of Christ, but there is one other prayer modeled here for us, and that is where we turn with our fourth point this morning. II. Prayer for filling The final prayer prayed here is that the Ephesian Church would be filled with all the fullness of God, as noted there at the end of verse 19. This final prayer sets the stage for the the remainder of Paul's letter to the Church of Ephesus. To the beloved and faithful saints there. For in chapters 4-6, Paul is going to turn to the moral excellence that the Christian life calls for. For the holy living that every Christian is called to walk in. The call to be a Christian is a high calling. It is not a life of ease or comfort. The call to follow Christ as one of his own is a call to die to self. For some, that call to die will be a literal and physical death. But for every Christian, the call to die is a call to die a little every day to self. A call to die to the passions of old. A call to die to selfishness in the pursuit of unity. A call to die to immaturity in pursuit of maturity. A call to die to minds full of futility, of uselessness, and to have minds of usefulness, of higher things. A call to die to falsehood and lies, and a call to truth. A call to die to hate and to put on love. A call to put off impurity and to put on purity. But this high calling is not attainable apart form God's help, his aide, his strength. Hence, the prayer that the Ephesians, and ultimately us to be filled with all the fullness of God. Friend, you who are here and attempting to first clean yourself up before coming to Jesus in faith, just stop. Stop trying to clean yourself up. You can't and won't. The only way to prepare to meet a holy God is to see his invitation of grace to us in Jesus. To see that it is by taking that step of humility in acknowledging our own weakness and desperate need of help that God desires. You want to draw near to the holy God? Pray, pray that the Spirit would come and fill you with the fullness of God. Pray that the love of Christ would be made clear and plain to you, so that you may believe. Pray that God's mercy would wash you clean this very day. Pray that you through the power and work of the Spirit would believe this day in Jesus as the only hope in life and death, that he is the savior of the world. Pray and believe, my friend. Pray with humility and acknowledge your desperate need of aide from the Spirit. And you, brothers and sisters, see that we too are not yet filled with the fullness of God. That we have not yet reached the great point of glorification, that is perfection. Nor will we until we meet our Savior face to face. But this desire to be filled with all the fullness of God must be our desire and our pursuit in the whole of the Christian life. A complacent Christian is an oxymoron. For some, when they hear we will not reach perfection until we are glorified in heaven, they become lazy in the pursuit of godliness, in the pursuit of holiness. They become complacent where they are. But that should not be the case. We, Christian, should always be pressing onward, pressing forward towards the goal of the upward prize, towards the goal of perfection and fullness of God. For it is this endless pursuit that marks us as true followers of Christ who are moved by what God has gifted us in Christ. The desire to grow in godliness, to increase continually in it, is a the mark of a life moved by love, by the deep deep love of Jesus! A life that is lived in contentment wallowing in sin is at the very least the sign of an immature Christian, if not the mark of one who has yet come to know the love of Christ. Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us be given to prayer, prayer that God would aide us and strengthen us and fill us with himself, that we may grow in godliness. That we may put to death the old in us as we put on the new in Christ Jesus! This is the third and final part of Paul's prayer for the Ephesian Church, that they be filled with all the fullness of God. But prayer should regularly, if not always lead us to doxology, to a praise of God. That is where we turn now with our fourth and final point this morning. III. Praise to God Our God is a mighty God! And as we bring our requests to him, the Father in whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, he hears our prayers. But not only does he hear our prayers, he works through our prayers. He works to the point of doing more than we could imagine. Verse 20.... As powerful as Paul's prayer for the Ephesian Church is, as the example is to us, God is able to not only do this, but even more according to the work of his power at work in us, his people. His people by our mutual faith in Christ. And it is through this power at work in us that we will continue to be transformed into the likeness of Christ. John Stott writes here, "...he turns from the love of God past knowing to the power of God past imagining, from limitless love to limitless power. For he is convinced, as we must be, that only divine power can generate divine love in the divine society."4 No wonder then Paul says to God be the glory to start verse 21! The very call to the high calling God gives to his people, he enables them to be transformed by his grace. The same power that saves is the same power that continues to work in God's people, the Church. And it is for this reason, that Paul states, to God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. God is glorified through the church and his beloved Son Jesus. For the Son was obedient to the point of death on a cross, bringing the Father glory. But God is glorified in the church, as the church defines those that are his one new people, made up of both Jews and Gentiles. For they are God's people through faith in Jesus. Therefore, as the church which will not be destroyed continues to press onward, the church brings glory to God as a people are brought together in unity and transformed together towards the fullness of God. The church and Jesus Christ are what bring glory to God! And may we as the church then continue to grow and seek to make God's glory known as we pursue him and make him known to the ends of the earth. Let's pray.... 1 Hughes, R. Kent. Ephesians: The Mystery of the Body of Christ. (Crossway. Wheaton, IL, 1990), 112. 2 Stott, John. The message of Ephesians. (IVP Academic: Downers Grove, IL, 1979), 102. 3 Hughes, R. Kent. Ephesians: The Mystery of the Body of Christ. (Crossway. Wheaton, IL, 1990), 115. 4 Stott, John. The message of Ephesians. (IVP Academic: Downers Grove, IL, 1979), 106. --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ Ephesians 3:14-21, Page #