ACCEPTING THE RICHES

It is not so much a matter of knowing as being- laying our hands on what God has for us and by faith, making it a vital part of our lives. Paul said, "I want you to get your hands on your wealth, realize how vast it is, and start to use it."

It is worth noting that both of these prayers, as well as the other prison prayers (Phil. 1:9-11; Col. 1:9-12), deal with the spiritual condition of the inner man, and not the material needs of the body. Certainly it is not wrong to pray for physical and material needs, but these petitions emphasize the spiritual. Paul knew that if the inner man is what he ought to be, the outer man will be taken care of in due time. Too many of our prayers focus only on physical and material needs and fail to lay hold of the deeper inner needs of the heart. It would be good for us to use these prison prayers as our own and ask God to help us in our inner lives. That is where the greatest needs are.

A RELATIONSHIP (3:14-15)

The first thing that strikes us is Paul's posture: "I bow my knees." (This must have been quite an experience for the Roman soldier chained to Paul!) The Bible nowhere commands any special posture for prayer. Abraham stood before the Lord when he prayed for Sodom (Gen. 18:22), and Solomon stood when he prayed to dedicate the temple (1 Kings 8:22).

David "sat before the Lord" (1 Chron. 17:16) when he prayed about the future of his kingdom, and Jesus “fell on his face” when He prayed in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:39).

You have noticed, no doubt, the emphasis on spiritual posture in Ephesians. As lost sinners, we were buried in the graveyard (Eph. 2: 1). Bur when we trusted Christ, He raised us from the dead and seated us with Christ in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:4-6). Because we are seated with Christ, we can walk to please Him (Eph. 4:1, 17; 5:2, 8, 15) and stand against the Devil (Eph. 6:10-13). But the posture that links "sitting" with "walking" and "standing" is "bowing the knee." Through prayer, we lay hold of God's riches, enabling us to behave and battle like Christians. Whether we bow our knees is not essential; we bow our hearts and wills to the Lord, and asking Him for what we need is vital.

Paul's prayer was addressed to "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." In the Bible, prayer is addressed to the Father, through the Son, and in the Spirit. This is the usual pattern, though you do find petitions addressed to the Son and possibly to the Spirit (1 Thess, 3:12-13). In Ephesians 1:3, Paul called the Father "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." He was the "God ... of our Lord Jesus Christ" when Jesus was here on earth, for as man, Jesus lived in total dependence on God. This tide reminds us of Christ's humanity. But God is the "Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" because Jesus Christ is eternal God; so this title reminds us of His deity.

There is a sense, however, in which all men in general, and Christians in particular, share in the fatherhood of God. Paul stated that "the whole family in heaven and earth is named" after the divine Father. The word family can be translated as "fatherhood." Every fatherhood in heaven and on earth gets its origin and name from the Father. He is the Original; every other fatherhood is but a copy. Adam is called "the son of God" (Luke 3:38), referring to his creation. Believers are the "sons of God" by rebirth John 1:11-13; 1 John 3:1-2). All men are not children of God by nature.

Instead, they are children of disobedience and children of wrath (Eph. 2:2-3). As Creator, God is the Father of each person, but as Savior, He is only the Father of those who believe. There is no such thing in Scripture as the universal fatherhood of God that saves all men. "Ye must be born again" John 3:7

The STABILITY (3:16-19)

There are four requests in Paul's prayer, but they must not be looked at as isolated, individual petitions. These four requests are more like four parts 10 a telescope. One request leads to the next one, and so on. He prays that the inner man might have spiritual strength, which will, in turn, lead to a more profound experience with Christ; this deeper experience will enable them to "apprehend" (get hold of) God's great love, which will result in their being "filled unto all the fullness of God." So, then, Paul was praying for strength, depth, apprehension, and fullness.

Strength (v. 16). The presence of the Holy Spirit in the life is evidence of salvation (Rom. 8:9); but the power of the Spirit is enablement for Christian living, and it is this power that Paul desired for his readers.

"Ye shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you" (Acts

1:8, literal translation). Jesus performed His ministry on earth in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:1, 14, Acts 10:38), and this is the only The power of the Spirit is given to us "according to the riches of his glory" (Eph. 3:16). Christ returned to glory and sent the Spirit from heaven to indwell and empower His people. It is not necessary for us to "work something up." The power has to be sent down. How marvelous that God does not give the Spirit's power to us "out of his riches" but "according to" —which is a far greater thing. If I am a billionaire and I give you ten dollars, I have given you out of my riches; but if I give you a million dollars, I have given to you according to my riches.

The first is a portion; the second is a proportion.

This power is available for "the inner man." This means the spiritual part of man where God dwells and works. The inner man of the lost sinner is dead (Eph. 2:1), but it becomes alive when Christ is invited in. The inner man can see (Ps. 119:18), hear (Matt. 13:9), taste (Ps. 34:8), and feel (Acts 17:27), and he must be "exercised" (1 Tim. 4:7-8). He also must be cleansed (Ps. 51:7) and fed (Matt. 4:4). The outer man is perishing, but the inner man can be renewed spiritually despite outward physical decay (2 Cor. 4:16-18). It is this inner power that makes him succeed.

What does it mean to have the Holy Spirit empower the inner man?

What does it mean to have the Holy Spirit empower the inner man?

It means that God controls our spiritual faculties, and we exercise them and grow in the Word (Heb. 5:12-14).

It is only when we yield to the Spirit and let Him control the inner man that we succeed in Sheens reading the inner man the Word of God, praying and worshipping, keeping Dean, and exercising the senses by loving obedience.

Depth (s. 17).

Paul rinsed three pictures here to convey this idea of spir-neural Bepth, and the three pictures are hidden in the three words: "dwell," hooted, "and grounded." The verb duel/means (and here I follow Dr. Kenneth Wisest) to serve down and feel at home.” Certainly Christ was already resident in the hearts of the Ephesians, or else Paul would not have addressed them las Sains" in Ephesians 1-1. Paul prayed for a deeper experience between Christ and His people. He yearned for Christians to sit and feel at home in their hearts- not a surface relationship, but an ever-deepening fellowship.

Abraham’s likeness illustrates this truth. God would bless Abraham with a son, so the Lord visited Abraham’s tent, bringing two angels. They came to the rent, mingled with Abraham, and even had a meal with him. They felt very much at home because Abraham was a man of faith and obedience.

But the three guesses had another task. They had to investigate the sins of Sadom because God planned to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomor-wah. Tor, a believer, was living in Sodom, and God wanted to warn him to get out before the judgment could fall. But the Lord Himself did not go to Sodom. He sent the two angels (Gen. 18-19). The Lord did not feel at home in Lot’s house the way He did in Abraham’s tent.

The verb moated moves us into the plant world. The tree must get roots deep into the sail if it is to have both nourishment and stability, and the Christian must have his spiritual roots deep into the love of God.

Balm 11-3 perfectly describes this word, and Jeremiah 17:5-8 is a good commentary on it. One of the most important questions a Christian can ask is, "From what do I draw my nourishment and stability?" If there is to be power in the Christian life, then there must be depth. The roots must go deeper and deeper into the love of Christ.

Grounded is an architectural term referring to the foundations on which we build. In the first two churches I pastored, we were privileged to construct new buildings, and in both projects, it seemed we would never get out of the ground. In my second building program, we had to spend several thousand dollars on soil tests because we were building over an old lake bed.

For weeks, the men laid out and poured the footings.

One day, I complained to the architect, who replied, "Pastor, the most important part of this building is the foundation. If you don't go deep, you can't go high." That sentence has been a sermon to me ever since.

The trials of life test the depth of our experience. If two roommates in college have a falling out, they may seek new roommates, for, after all, living with a roommate is a passing experience. But if a husband and wife, who love each other, disagree, the trial only deepens their love as they seek to solve the problems. The storm that blows reveals the strength of the roots. Jesus told the story about the two builders, one of whom did not go deep enough for his foundation (Matt. 7:24-29). Paul prayed that the believers might have a more profound experience with Christ because only a deep experience could sustain them during the severe trials of life.

An understanding

Apprehension (vv. 18-19a).

The English words comprehend and apprehend both stem from the Latin word prehendere, which means "to grasp." We say that a monkey has a "prehensile tail." That is, its tail can grasp a tree limb and hold on. Our word comprehend carries the idea of mentally grasping something, while apprehend suggests holding it for yourself.

In other words, understanding something is possible, but not making it your own. Paul's concern was that we lay hold of the vast expanses of the love of God. He wanted us to live in four dimensions. When God gave the land to Abraham, He told him to "walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it" (Gen. 13:17). Abraham had to step out by faith and claim his inheritance. But we today have an inheritance in four dimensions: breadth, length, depth, and height. God's fourth dimension is love!

But there is a paradox here. Paul wanted us to know personally the love of Christ, "which passeth knowledge." There are dimensions, but they cannot be measured. "The love of Christ which passeth knowledge" parallels “the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph. 3:8). We are so rich in Christ that our riches cannot be calculated even with the most sophisticated super computer.

You may have seen the cartoon depicting a man chatting with a boat salesman. In the beautiful showroom were yachts and cabin cruisers that glittered with elegance. In the caption, the salesman tells the customer, "Sir, if you have to ask how much they are, they are too expensive!"

No Christian ever has to worry about having inadequate spiritual resources to meet the demands of life. If he prays for spiritual strength and depth, he can apprehend get his hands on—all the resources of God's love and grace. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13). And what is the result?

Fullness (v. 19b).

It is said that nature abhors a vacuum. This explains why air or water will automatically flow into an empty place. The divine nature abhors a vacuum. God wants us to experience His fullness. "Filled unto all the fullness of God" is the more accurate translation. The means of our fullness is the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18), and the measure of our fullness is God Himself (Eph. 4:11-16). It is tragic when Christians use the wrong measurements in examining their own spiritual lives. We like to measure ourselves by the weakest Christians that we know, and then boast, "Well, I'm better than they are." Paul tells us that the measure is Christ and that we cannot boast about anything (nor should we). When we have reached His fullness, then we have reached the limit.

In one sense, the Christian is already "made full in Christ" (Col. 2:9-10, where "complete" means "filled full"). Positionally, we are complete in Him, but practically, we enjoy only the grace that we apprehend by faith. The resources are there. All we need to do is accept them and enjoy them. Paul will have more to say about this fullness (Eph. 5:18-21), so we will reserve further comment until we reach that section.

A POWER (3:20-21)

After contemplating such a marvelous spiritual experience, it is no wonder Paul burst forth in a doxology, a fitting benediction to such a prayer. Note again the trinitarian emphasis in this benediction: Paul prayed to God the Father concerning the indwelling power of God the Spirit, made available through God the Son.

Perhaps the best way for us to grasp some of the greatness of this dox-ology is to look at it in the outlined form:

Paul seemed to want to use every word possible to convey the vastness of God's power as found in Jesus Christ. He ended each of the two previous chapters praising God for His great victory in Christ. He told us that Christ's power is so great He arose from the dead and ascended far above all (Eph. 1:19-23). He taught us that His power is so great He has reconciled Jews and Gentiles to each other, and to God, and that He is now building a temple to the eternal glory of God (Eph. 2:19-22). But in the paragraph before us, Paul shared the exciting truth that this far above all power is available to us! It is even "above all that we ask or think.” In other words, the power of Christ, like the love of Christ, is beyond human understanding or measurement. And this is just the kind of power you and I need to walk and war in victory.

The word power is again dunamis, which we met back in Ephesians 3.7, and working is energeia (energy) found in Ephesians 1:11, 19, 2:2; 3.7; and

4:16.

Some power is dormant; it is available but not being used, such as the power stored in a battery. But God's energy is an effectual power at work in our lives. This power works in us, in the inner man (Eph. 3:16).

Philippians 2:12-13 are parallel verses, so be sure to read them. It is the Holy Spirit who releases the resurrection power of Christ in our lives.

Sadly, this is what has happened to many Christians. They have been cut off from their source of power. Unbelief, unconfessed sin, careless living, and worldliness in action or attitude can all rob us of power.

And a Christian robbed of power cannot be used of God. "Without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5).

Why does God share His power with us? So that we can build great churches for our glory? So that we can boast of our achievements? No! "To him be glory in the church!" The Spirit of God was given to glorify the Son of God John 16:14). The church on earth is here to glorify the Son of God. If our motive is to glorify God by building His church, God will share His power with us. The power of the Spirit is not a luxury; it is a necessity.

But the fantastic thing is that what we do in His power today will glorify Christ "throughout all ages, world without end" (Eph. 3:21). The church's greatest ministry is yet to come. What we do here and now is preparing us for the eternal ages, when we shall glorify Christ forever.

He can do all-above all—abundantly above all— exceeding abundantly above all!

Get your hands on your spiritual wealth by opening your heart to the Holy Spirit, and praying with Paul for strength for the inner man ... for a new depth of love ... for spiritual apprehension... and for spiritual fullness.

"Ye have not, because ye ask not" (James 4:2).