Ephesians 3:14 - 4:3 Receiving Love and Giving it Away

Introduction

We have discussed the unity between Jews and Gentiles that is created by being in Messiah Yeshua, and have looked into the mystery of how and why Gentiles were included into the promises of Adonai.

Now we will look to see how the Love of Adonai is the foundation for our love for one another. Let’s read Ephesians 3:14 - 4:3

Ephesians 3:14–4:3 TLV

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father— from Him every family in heaven and on earth receives its name. I pray that from His glorious riches He would grant you to be strengthened in your inner being with power through His Ruach, so that Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to grasp with all the kedoshim what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Messiah which surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled up with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far beyond all that we ask or imagine, by means of His power that works in us, to Him be the glory in the community of believers and in Messiah Yeshua throughout all generations forever and ever! Amen. Therefore I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you were called— with complete humility and gentleness, with patience, putting up with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Ruach in the bond of shalom.

Family of God

This section begins with Paul on his knees in prayer and praise of Adonai, the Father of all creation. Some of us may not know our lineage, we may not have a strong family identity, but Paul is pointing out that ultimately we have all been created by Adonai.

Luke, when recounting the geneology of Yeshua shows us the same thing in Lk. 3:34-38

Luke 3:34–38 TLV

the son of Jacob, the son of Yitzhak, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Kenan, the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

What was that last line? Son of God. Paul also includes all of the heavenly beings, since all things in heaven and earth were created by Him, and through Him.

Paul has spent the last several chapters talking about how our relationship with Adonai has been restored by being “In Messiah Yeshua”. Jews and Gentiles are now adopted into the family of Adonai because of what Yeshua did on the Cross, 2000 years ago.

Strengthened by the Ruach

When Yeshua spoke to his Talmidim on the night that he was betrayed, we see that Yeshua spoke of the person of the Ruach HaKodesh. John 16:5-15

John 16:5–15 TLV

“But now I am going to the One who sent Me, and not one of you is asking Me, ‘Where are you going?’ Because I have spoken these things to you, grief has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away! For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. “When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. “I still have much more to tell you, but you cannot handle it just now. But when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; but whatever He hears, He will tell you. And He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, because He will take from what is Mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is Mine. For this reason I said the Ruach will take from what is Mine and declare it to you.”

Yeshua is speaking of a person, a “Him” not simply a power, and “it.” And we see here that one of the things that the Ruach does is to remind us of the Words of Yeshua, and guide us into all the truth.

Paul in verse 16 is pointing out that the Ruach also strengthens us with power as he had said at the end of his life to Timothy in 2 Tim. 1:7

2 Timothy 1:7 TLV

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity but of power and love and self-discipline.

Filled with Love

In fact, what is Paul saying that the Ruach will empower us to do? Well there are two specific things mentioned in verse 17 to 18.

That Messiah may dwell in your hearts

Be rooted and grounded in love

So we see that the restoration of relationship, shown both by Messiah dwelling in our hearts and by us being restored as part of of the family of Adonai, now produces in us a understanding of the love of God! But how do we understand the complete love that Adonai has for us? As we are empowered by the Ruach HaKodesh, we see the love that Yeshua has already displayed by humbling himself and willingly going to the cross. We see this same theme addressed in the letter to the believers in Philippi, Phil 2:5-11

Philippians 2:5–11 TLV

Have this attitude in yourselves, which also was in Messiah Yeshua, Who, though existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal to God a thing to be grasped. But He emptied Himself— taking on the form of a slave, becoming the likeness of men and being found in appearance as a man. He humbled Himself— becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Yeshua every knee should bow, in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and every tongue profess that Yeshua the Messiah is Lord— to the glory of God the Father.

And just like his letter to the Philippians, Paul bursts into praise of Adonai! Do you know how much God loves you?

Paul wrote to the believers in Rom. 5:6-8

Romans 5:6–8 TLV

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Messiah died for the ungodly. For rarely will anyone die for a righteous man—though perhaps for a good man someone might even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Messiah died for us.

Empowered by Love

So then, how should we act? What do we do? This flows directly into the next sentence, Ephesians 4:1–3“Therefore I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you were called— with complete humility and gentleness, with patience, putting up with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Ruach in the bond of shalom.”

This is the action plan, this is the point.

I remember Jack Frost of Shiloh Ministries saying that, “We were created to receive God’s love and to give it away.” But someone who does not know the love of God, and how much they are loved, will have a hard time giving it away.

I would even say, that to the extent that you know that you are loved by God, is the extent that you will be able to love others.

When we look at the Fruit of the Spirit in Gal. 5:22-23 we need to remember that the word fruit here is singular.

Galatians 5:22–23 TLV

But the fruit of the Ruach is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—against such things there is no law.

Not only that, fruit is the evidence of what is growing in our lives. The evidence that the Spirit of God is growing in our lives is that we are growing in the fruit of love.

This is exactly where Paul is leading the discussion. In 4:1-3 we see that the thing to which we are called, what we are supposed to do, is to love one another in humility, patience and gentleness. This is exactly what Yeshua was saying in the Upper Room, John 15:17 ““These things I command you, so that you may love one another.”” Or as he said earlier in the discussion, John 13:34

John 13:34 TLV

“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, so also you must love one another.

If we are struggling with loving others, with being patient, gentle and kind to people, maybe we need to ask God to remind us of just how much He loves us. Maybe we are attempting to love others through our own strength, and we are not relying on the empowerment of the Ruach HaKodesh.

Conclusion

I want you all to know, just how much Adonai loves you. I want you all to recognize how much of a sacrifice it was for God to come as the Son of Man and lay His life down for our sake. I want you all to know that the Ruach HaKodesh is here today to empower you to be filled with the love of God.

But I can’t do if for you. I can only lead you to the One who can. I can encourage you, just as Paul did in 2 Cor 13:11

2 Corinthians 13:11 TLV

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Aim for restoration, encourage one another, be of the same mind, live in shalom—and the God of love and shalom will be with you.

Let’s pray.