Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Ephesians 3:14-21

Tonight we will return to our study of the book of Ephesians with what is a great portion of Paul’s letter. I think it's probably safe to say that Paul was a praying preacher. In most all his letters, we find at least a portion is designated to a prayer written out for the people to whom he is writing.

The one we are going to look at tonight is probably the SECOND most important prayer we find in the Bible, only behind the Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew, chapter 9. What gives this prayer such importance boils down to the facts concerning the Lord that are contained within it. So, not only is this Paul’s prayer for the church in Ephesus, but it should be our prayer for ourselves daily.

Ephesians 3:14-21 (NASB)

14 For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.

20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Let’s break this prayer down. Paul gives us the fact that he is praying, and why he is praying. He then offers us six requests to the Lord for the church in Ephesus. He then wraps up by concluding with an encouragement to the people to pray and trust God for whatever the answers are.

I. The Prayer (Ephesians 3:14-15)

Ephesians 3:14-15 (NASB)

14 For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,

Four notes concerning the prayer:

1. The prayer was for a SPECIFIC purpose.

The beginning of this prayer starts with

- “for this reason.” This points backward to the content we have previously covered in Chapter One and Two.

That content consists of the eternal purpose God has in the life of the believer; He is referring back to Salvation and the birth of the church. Ephesians 2:1-10 shows us how God brings about salvation, and verse 11, tells us that God has given birth to the church and it is His building. Because this is the work of God, it is important that it comes to completion.

2. The prayer was so important that it drove Paul to his knees.

Kneeling is a sign of desperate need and dependence.

Kneeling says I am utterly dependent upon God. Kneeling is earnest, serious reverence to the Heavenly Father. Kneeling before God shows our humbleness before the Father.

Our response is often going to our knees when all else has failed. Paul says that this prayer for the church is so critical, that he began in a position of kneeling.

3. The prayer addresses God as Father

Before Christ, man viewed God as distant and unconcerned with the affairs of the world. Christ revealed the truth to be the complete opposite.

- God is so interested in the affairs of man, that he sent His only Son into the world.

When Paul prays to his Heavenly Father, he is praying to a God who is interested and will listen. His prayers are not bouncing off the ceiling. They are not floating into the air. They are heard by Heavenly Father who desires to bless and care for His children.

4. The prayer was also addressed to the Father of the whole world.

Not only is God the Father of the individual, but He is also the Father of the whole family of God; the church.

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Paul makes

Six requests for the people of the church.

II. Request 1: Strength and power in the inner being (Ephesians 3:16)

Ephesians 3:16

16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self,

Paul prays for the presence of the spirit and power of God to be in the life of the believer.

1. The word “strengthen” means to be made strong and enduring.

Not only strength for the moment, but having the energy to persist and endure.

2. The word power (dunamei) means force or energy.

3. As believers we need to be strengthened with power in our inner being;

our souls, our hearts, and our spirit. This must come from the spirit of the Lord dwelling within us.

a. This is the only way we can overcome the flesh.

This is the only way we can overcome sin. This is the only way we can conquer all that keeps us from growing and maturing in the Lord.

b. Strength of the Heavenly Father is the only way the believer can lay full claim to the blessing of God

and fulfill the purpose He has laid out for our lives. This is only achievable through the power of God; not under our own power and strength.

4. The source of this power and strength is Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8, Isaiah 40:31)

The Holy Spirit dwells within the inner being of every believer. There is no other available power source that can conquer the strongholds of sin and corruption within us. No other power can conquer death. No other power can conquer the grave. No other power can conquer evil. Only by the power of the Holy Spirit can we do this. So Paul’s prayer for the church was that the Lord would “strengthen them with power through His Spirit in their inner being.”

Acts 1:8

8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.”

Isaiah 40:31

31 Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

III. Request 2: Christ to rule and reign in our hearts by faith (Ephesians 3:17, Galatians 2:20, Colossians 1:27 )

Ephesians 3:17

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

The key to this request is the word DWELL.

- The word “dwell” means a permanent dwelling, not temporary.

When a person believes on Christ for the very first time, the Spirit of the Lord takes up permanent residency in the heart of the believer. So, Paul’s prayer is not for the Holy Spirit to come into the life of the believer in that sense; as if it is some sort of second filling.

- Paul is praying that Christ would “be at home”within the believer.

ILL – Make yourself at home, go look for it.

-Paul’s prayer is that the believers would be conscious of Christ within their hearts

; always aware of the fact that He has taken up residence. And because of this consciousness, the believer would allow Christ control of and guidance over their life consistently.

The more the believer is aware of and conscious of Christ in his life, the more he will walk in the ways of Christ. Christ dwells within the believer by faith, but we must make a concerted effort to consistently allow Him to be at home within us.

Galatians 2:20

20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Colossians 1:27

27 to whom God willed to make known what the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

IV. Request 3: Love (Ephesians 3:17)

Ephesians 3:17

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

That you are rooted and grounded in the love of Christ. That the love of Christ is the source and security of your salvation and growth.

V. Request 4: A full understanding of Spiritual things (Ephesians 3:18, 1 Corinthians 2:9-12)

Ephesians 3:18

18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth,

Though the work of Christ in our salvation can be difficult for us to comprehend; Paul prays that we would be given the FULL understanding of God’s eternal plan. All the things we have covered in chapters one through three.

The great blessings of God, the knowledge and power of God, the mercy and grace of God, the reconciliation brought forth by Christ, and Who and what the church is that God is building up. All these things are rich in mystery and depth. Our prayer, and Paul’s prayer is that we, along will all the saints, would comprehend the width, length, height, and depth of these great aspects of God.

- Understanding what God has done for us, should cause us to want to share that great message with the world lost in evil.

1 Corinthians 2:9-12

9 but just as it is written:

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the human heart, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among people knows the thoughts of a person except the spirit of the person that is in him? So also the thoughts of God no one knows, except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God

VI. Request 5: To know the love of Christ which passes all understanding (Ephesians 3:19)

Ephesians 3:19

19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,

It is impossible for us to truly grasp and fully understand the love of God through Christ. We can understand a LOT, but we can’t grasp it in its entirety. But that should not keep us from praying this request and seeking for further knowledge.

F.M. Lehman wrote a song called “The Love of God.” The last verse goes like this:

Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made; Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade; To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry; Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure— The saints’ and angels’ song.

VII. Request 6: For the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19, John 14:16, 23)

Ephesians 3:19

19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.

As believers, we possess the indwelling presence of God. When Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to the believers, He promised the Trinity.

John 14:16, 23

16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever;

John 14:23

23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.

Each member of the Godhead plays a different role in the life of the believer. Paul has already prayed for the strengthening of the Holy Spirit, and to have Christ dwell within and control the life of the believer. Now he prays for “all the fullness of God [Himself].”

- He prays that the presence of God will fill and flood the believer.

F.F. Bruce makes the point that the preposition “to” suggests a progressive experience. We are to pray that God will constantly fill us.

VIII. Conclusion: Encouragement to pray and trust God for the answers (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Ephesians 3:20-21

20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

- Three things to note in this conclusion:

1. God is able to do all that we ask.

God can do things immeasurably. He can go beyond any request. More than we can imagine. Think of the greatest depth of what God can do, now God can do more than what you imagined.

2. The source of our answered prayers is the power that works within us. (Matthew 19:26)

The combined power of all that God has put within us, all for which Paul is praying, and all that we should be praying for:

a. The power of the Spirit strengthens us

b. The power of Christ indwelling us

c. The power of love working in us

d. The power of understanding all that God does

e. The power of the fullness of God Himself.

Matthew 19:26

26 And looking at them, Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

3. The purpose of God answering our prayer is that HE might be glorified in the church through Christ. (Ephesians 3:21)

Ephesians 3:21

21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.