6 Spiritual Power
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
Do you ever struggle with wondering if you are enough, or you’ve done enough good, or if you’re capable?
Do you ever wonder how you could ever overcome that nagging sin or serve God with joy?
Do you feel inadequate in yourself to accomplish anything of importance?
Big Idea: Christ in you is the power of God.
Big Idea: Christ in you is the power of God.
For all of the first three chapters, Paul has been teaching the Good News
Emphasized being In Christ – the blessings of being in Christ, the new Spiritual life of those in Christ, the unity of those in Christ,
Here, emphasizing power, glory, love, and Christ in you!
Paul started the prayer in 3:1 then got sidetracked on serving God to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles.
Now he picks up the prayer, bending his knees (prayerful/submissive posture) before the Father – Creator and source of everyone who exists.
This prayer parallels the prayer in Chapter 1, beginning with blessing God, then praying for Spiritual insight, talking about the mystery of Christ and our inheritance, and then praising God’s glory.
Praying for Spiritual Power leading into Chapter 4 Enabled to live worthy of the calling
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For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
v.14 – For this reason – goes back to first half of chapter 3, but probably also all that Paul has said so far.
bow = posture of submission and petition
v.15 every family named = Source, Creator, Father of all
Points
Points
Spiritual Power
Spiritual Power
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
Glorious riches = wealth of His glory – unending resources
Glorious riches = wealth of His glory – unending resources
Strengthened with power– through Spirit in you as Christ lives in you
Power upgrade!
Inner being = core of who you are
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
As Christ lives in you by faith – you follow Him being in Christ and Christ in you. vine
As Christ lives in you by faith – you follow Him being in Christ and Christ in you. vine
Grasp Love
Grasp Love
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
Rooted and grounded in His Love
v.17b Rooted and grounded in His Love
may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
able to grasp the immensity of Christ’s love
able to grasp the immensity of Christ’s love
wide, long, high, deep = immeasurable dimensions of His love
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
v.19a To know what is unknowable = experience the immeasurable and unknowable love of Christ.
To know what is unknowable = experience the immeasurable and unknowable love of Christ.
Overwhelmed as in a flood. Drowning in the ocean.
Picture being on the ocean and seeing no borders, no edges as far as you see, as far as you go.
Overflowing With God
Overflowing With God
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
v.19b Be filled with measure of all the fullness of God.
Be filled with measure of all the fullness of God.
It looks like the whole focus is power of God’s Spirit living in believers – with three outcomes:
Christ lives in you, experience His love by the strong connection to Him, the fullness of God in you.
These are not just knowing about but the full experience of God in Christ by His Spirit in our inner being.
Main points – Pray, Father, Creator, Source of all life. Named = created, sustained
Three hina/that/purpose statements – strengthened with Spiritual power, grasp immensity of Christ’s love, filled with fullness of God. Means those in Christ have Christ in them, lost in the ocean of His love and empowered by the vastness of Him in us.
Glory to the Giver
Glory to the Giver
Just as in the first prayer in Chapter 1 starts with blessing God, here Paul ends with blessing God.
Doxology – to Him – God. Able = powerful ability or beyond powerful enough to do unimaginable through His power in us,
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
Doxology – to Him – God. Able = powerful ability or beyond powerful enough to do unimaginable through His power in us,
Doxology – to Him – God. Able = powerful ability or beyond powerful enough to do unimaginable through His power in us,
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
glorify Him in the church and in Christ.
glorify Him in the church and in Christ.
Conclusion
Conclusion
In previous sections (Chapter 2&3) Paul talks of confidence to approach God.
Not only do we gain confidence to approach the Father, but we learn that God and all His fullness is in us.
What could you and I accomplish if we had the confidence that all the fullness of God lives in us in Jesus Christ, by His Spirit – giving us the power to live, to experience Him, to love, to make a difference?
Short summary note: out of God’s endless wealth of glory and the indwelling Christ by His Spirit, as we believe, dig deep roots and develop a strong foundation (2 metaphors) in Love powerfully enabled to begin to grasp the overwhelming immensity of the love of Christ and be overflowing with God.
Big Idea: Christ in you is the power of God.
Big Idea: Christ in you is the power of God.
What About You?
What About You?
Pray this prayer for all of us!
Help us have faith to believe and follow Jesus
Strengthen by your Spirit as Christ lives in us
Rooted in His love, built on foundation of His love
Grasp immensity of unknowable love
And filled to overflowing with God’s presence and love and power
As we seek to live holy lives