The Power of God Takes Root From the Inside Out.

Rooted in Christ: Spiritual Strength for His Glory

Greetings To those here and the tailgaters in the community center, round of applause for our first time guests.

If you are new or new we are going through Eph and you can catch up on the sermons on our Youtube Chanel or our app.

Notes:

Opening Theme.

Years ago I baptized a little boy who was so excited to be baptized. He told everyone about it leading up to the Sunday service. After you’d have thought he could walk on clouds he was so proud of his decision. I saw him a little while later on a Wednesday night and I asked hey how are you doing? It was a much different boy he was very defeated. Not good He said. No? I said. He said no, I got real mad and I yelled at my mom. Oh that’s not good I said. He said, yeah. then He said “Pastor Aaron I think I need to get baptized again because that one didn’t work. Ever hear someone say I tried church but it didn’t take?” they are ultimatly saying they couldn’t get it to work.

Need.

Our ability to overcome the battle inside is not from us, not is it in our ability to fight from our strength, Its in our ability to surrender in our weakness.

Paul 3x … In my weakness I am made strong

Question.

Whose strength are you relying in?

Main Principal.

This passage encourages Christians to seek deeper spiritual strength by recognizing Christ's Lordship in their lives. It empowers believers to face struggles, reminding them that their experiences of weakness can be met with divine strength, ultimately leading to lives that bring glory to God.

This passage points to Christ as the source of spiritual power and strength. It reveals how His Lordship not only transforms individual believers but also has a communal effect in glorifying God. The prayer for the people reflects a deep Christology that keeps Christ at the center of spiritual life.

Big Idea: Spiritual strength, rooted in prayer and Christ’s Lordship, results in believers glorify God in all aspects of life.

Give an overview of the doctrine and identity that Paul has covered so far

Outline.

God Strengthens His Church Through His Spirit

God Sanctifies the Church through His Son

God Showcases His Glory Through His Power

1. God Strengthens His Church Through His Spirit

Ephesians 3:14–16 ESV

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

Explanation.

Paul talks about the bended knee or to bow down. This is highlighting a heart position to the Lord not a posture. It sets the tone of the passage. He is entering into a prayer on behalf of those he loves, to understand something he has to learned over time, but has finally figured out. So important was it that he felt he needed to lay himself down in a dark and dirty prison floor to plead a purpose.

He petitions the Lord’s sovereignty who has supreme power and understanding of all those who are in the “family of Heaven”- both the saints fallen and those of us here today. We call that family the universal church. He petitions God to grant them, and you and me, a few things as we will see in the text.

First. He will Strengthen you in the inner man/being. What is that?

The place of our will, emotions, our mental fortitude

There is a real confusion around sanctification today. People read that God works in their lives and empowers them to change, grow, put off the old ways,

but often they pray a prayer for salvation and immediately go back to trying harder in their own abilities.

Illustration.

I don’t know a thing about boats other than which side is supposed to be above the water and which part is to be below the water.

I could have asked some of you what makes for a fast baot, but for the sake of comic relief I left it to an internet search.

I watched videos of these “High-performance closed deck, v bottom boats known as cigarette boats. these Whipple supercharged custom big block boats with tubular stele headers had 1500+ Hp and can go upward to 120 mph.

Where is the ignition?

It promises a lot of power but only if it can be engaged.

Paul has been telling us the powerful statistics of our salvation and what God has given to us in Chapters 1 & 2 and those whom he has called

Blessed with every spiritual blessing

Chosen before the foundation of the world by the creator of the world

Called blameless

Predestined

Adopted

Redeemed; forgiven for our sins

Were given an inheritance

Sealed with the Holy Spirit as a promise

Given special revelation of him

Given salvation at not work of your own doing

Fused together into a body build for community

All of heaven and hell are watching as we declare His glory of salvation

This sounds amazing, but where is the power source? What turns on that power?

The Spirit of God is the power source to engage the fulness of God.

And the power is not “from the riches” it is “according to the riches.”

Whats the difference?

Illustration: If you fill water guns for the kids from a gallon jug, that is “from the riches,” its limited and while supplies last.

But, if you fill them up from the ocean it is “according to the riches” because you’ll never drain the ocean filling water guns.

Paul is saying that this power- which produces a glory to God- is available for all who would seek it according to His riches

Ready to learn how to turn on the spiritual speed boat within you?

Yeild your spirit to His.

Your thoughts, emotions, will all need brought into submission to God’s Spirit in your inner being.

Some of you have all the power of heaven according to His riches at your disposal but you are still relying on our own inner being for strength

Its like owning the cigarette boat, but only relying on your strength to paddle with an oar.

Then your try an tell our neighbor how great God is and what a blessing He is as you paddle by their doc and their like okay, pumpkin looking good! Wed come aboard but we wouldn’t want to slow you down.

Argumentation.

We do not just pray a prayer and then suddenly we have the power.

Paul says the power is His to be granted to you, but to have to yield your spirit to His.

Paul wrestled with this concept as well

Romans 7:15–20 ESV

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

Paul was failing because He kept working in His own strength. There was no power in Him to overcome the flesh, The power is in God’s Spirit.

Our spirit is our thoughts, our emotions, our the place of our beliefs and attitudes.

Those are being greatly attacked in our inner being.

It happens by temptation, our own sinful desires, pressures of the world and demonic forces at work still in the world.

Many are losing the battle over our inner being because we have no conditioning.

This week I felt under a lot of attack in my inner man. Busy workload, car repairs, Holly out of town, Miley having a play just invited the opportunity to stress, worry be fearful.

I kept saying to Lord, I yield my spirit to you. I need your strength and power to trust, and not worry. Instantly, He gave me resolve and peace to keep going in obedience.

Application.

This Passage encourages Christians to see deeper spiritual strength, and our inner being to overcome our human nature.

Paul’s encouraging you to seek deeper spiritual strength by prayer and reliance on the Holy Spirit to work on the inner being.

Transition:

The first step to spiritual strength is submitting to the inner man, The second is allowing Christ to dwell in your hear.

2. God Sanctifies the Church through His Son

Ephesians 3:17–19 ESV

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Explanation.

Paul says step two is that Christ must dwell in your heart. Paul is not saying that somebody’s first saved by the Holy Spirit and then Christ comes.

We know that because Paul already said that “once you heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ep 1:12-14)

Faith in Christ comes first, but here Paul is saying “Christ may dwell in your hearts”

Meaning can rest in fellowship with you.

Illustration.

John 13 teaches this wonderful picture of Jesus

It is looking at the other two elements of Three fold communion.

Jesus gets up from the meal, washes the feet of the disciples.

His point was of salvation, some of you are clean but not all of you.

What is He teaching? That while we are forgiven and sealed, we still live in a fallen world and sin can still stick to us.

He will always kneel before you in your need and extend forgiveness to you. And you are to do the same

If Jesus is always washing your feet you do not get to enjoy the fellowship of Him. He is not resting, He’s working.

Paul wanted them and us to know that when Christ has a place in the home of your heart his ways become our ways.

Illustration:

I have been to the shooting range twice since I have been here. I hope to do it again soon. Before coming I’ve gone maybe a dozen times in my life.

Why the increase recently?

Headlines Florida man…

Because a lot of you enjoy it. The more I am around you, your interests naturally become my interests.

Paul is saying the more time you spend in the word learning about Jesus,

the more he will take residence within you and you will look like Him,

His passions will become your passions his ways your ways.

Paul says that fellowship with Jesus does something to us. It roots us with Him and grounds us in love.

A love that in your own natural strength cannot understanding.

Walking in stride with Jesus having yielded your spirit to His changes you.

The greatest way it changes you is that you love greater than you ever could comprehend.

Argumentation.

Have you ever tried to explain love to someone who hasn’t been in love?

Or had someone Try to explain it to you?

It can be a difficult conversation to have because.

Until you feel that you can’t really explain it.

Christ love is not of this earth.

It’s measurements are not like ours, but it is knowable.

Paul says he would be able to understand the height, the length the depth and breath of his love.

Application.

Where might Christ be calling you to depend more deeply on His strenght rather than your own effort?

We must decrease so that he can increase. Where in your life does pride or self-reliance still keep Christ from being Lord over all?

Transition: For that to happen you must yield your spirit to His, allow Christ to dwell with you, in order to be rooted and grounded in love so that…

3. God Showcases His Glory Through His Power

Ephesians 3:20–21 ESV

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

Explanation.

Paul uses a doxology unlike others in the Bible. He says that God’s glory has a powerful unifying affect in both the Church and in Christ who are all praising the Father forever and ever.

For the Churches in Ephesus and the region around her, Paul was encouraging them to rely soley on God’s power. That area in those days were full of all kinds of mystical teaching and praying to false gods.

We can easily rely on our own strength and unintentionally make ourselves gods when we do not rely on God’s power to grow us, support us, and preserve us.

This power is more than just based on what we could ask, although that could be a lot.

It is based on what we could ask or even think (I dare not ask)

But it doesn’t stop there. The power is not “from his power” it is “according to His power” unlimited supply.

Not just abundant far more abundant.

Illustration.

Just as the dermis and epidermis, the layers of your skin work to heal and seal a wound from the top and bottom layers or from the inside and the outside, God is doing a sanctifying and unifying work from within us and those around us. One so powerful the world would look and see His glory within us.

Argumentation.

The more Christian depends on God rather than themselves, the more their life becomes a reflection of his greatness.

Application.

If God is able to do a measurably more than all we ask, or imagine, what might he do through your life if you fully trusted his strength, rested in his love, and submitted to his Lordship?

If worship is a natural overflow, of knowing Christ’s power and love, what’s keeping your life from becoming a continual act of praise to him?

Appeal. Worship team come up.

“My hear Christ’s Home” by Robert Munger

When Jesus walks the rooms of your heart.

Garage What do you use your skill and talents on? Building things that will perish?

Library of the mind-what would the volumes of thought contain? Theology and how to love better or self help and do it your self book?

Kitchen what are your appetites for what do you crave things of this world or the Word?

Family room represents fellowship. Do the things you do while entertaining other honor him? do you talk about God with guests or godless things?

But Munger then talks about the closet that the individual was trying to get Jesus to not notice.

That is where all the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life are.

Where all the anxiety, panic attacks, worry and doubts are.

Where all of my insecurities, weaknesses are hidden.

Jesus wants to make his dwelling in all the rooms of your heart and He has the power to heal and sanctify you but you must.

Response.

bended knee

Yield your inner being to His Spirit

Let Christ at home in your heart

Allow Him to root and ground you in His Love

If you do,

Your life will be be fulfilled beyond all measure.

God will glorify Himself through you and you will find the strength and rest your spirit is longing for.

If you need to yield your spirit to Christ this morning I invite you come down and pray

“Lord for give me for resting in my own strength, please strengthen me by your Spirit.”

If you would like to make Jesus to Lord of your life and you would like to invite him to dwell in your heart Then would you pray this prayer with me?

Pray

(Sinners and Saints)

Study Questions

What does Paul emphasize regarding the source of strength in our inner being?

How does the concept of Christ dwelling in our hearts relate to our understanding of faith?

What does it mean to be 'rooted and grounded in love' according to Paul's prayer?

How can prayer deepen our relationship with God and enhance our spiritual strength?

In Ephesians 3:16, what type of power is Paul referring to in relation to our inner being?

How does recognizing God's boundless power influence our daily decision-making and faith journey?