Ephesians 3:14-21

Strength from the Lord

Introduction

John Kavanaugh, a Jesuit priest, went to Calcutta to spend time Mother Teresa. He went for three months to work her “the house of the dying” to inquire out how best to spend the rest of his life. Her ‘House of the Dying is a hospice house for the sick, and destitute, and dying people.

When John met Mother Teresa, he asked her to pray for him. “What do you want me to pray for?” she replied. He then uttered the request he had carried thousands of miles: “Clarity. Pray that I have clarity. Pray that I know what to do with the rest of my life”

Mother Teresa’s answer was “No, I will not do that.” When he asked her why, she said, “Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of.” When Kavanaugh said that she always seemed to have clarity, the very kind of clarity he was looking for. Mother Teresa laughed and said: “I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So, I will pray that you trust God.” 1

Transition

All of us have anticipation with what is around the corner. We often desire that God give us clear answers for the various situations in our life. We want to know if we are making the best decisions we can. Are we purchasing the the right house, am I buying the best shoes, am I hiring the right person to do the job. We all want clarity so that we can be assured we are making the best decisions that we can. What is the right question to ask? Maybe the better question is ask God to increase your faith so that you can fully trust God in all situations you face in life.

Key Point

In the book of Ephesians, Paul describes that our best posture is to lean into God and draw from his strength to give us the ability live a life of peace, to be a man of woman of peace. We need to allow his strength to permeate all aspects of our life.

The Key Point of the passage is this

The infinite wealth in God is the source of our strength

The passage gives us three aspects of the strength

The Source of the Strength (vv.14-17a)

The Purpose of Strength (vv.17b -19)

The Results of Strength (vv. 20-21)

Scripture

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, 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.

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.

Context

The key to understanding this letter to the Ephesians is to realize that Paul wrote it in two parts.

The first part of the letter found in chapters 1–3 speaks to the glorious riches that believers have from God, in Christ Jesus, and by the Holy Spirit through whom they are sealed (1:3–14). He discusses what it meant to be saved “by grace…through faith” (2:8), no longer “dead in our trespasses” (v. 5) but rather “made…alive together with Christ” (v. 5).

After speaking about riches in Christ, Paul spends chapters 4–6 teaching how to live a life of godliness using the spiritual wealth that God has granted us. He urged us to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which [we] have been called” (4:1) through humility, gentleness, and peace with one another. We are also exhorted to stay away from ungodly living (vv. 17–32), to walk in love (5:2), to put away “immorality and all impurity” (v. 3), and to humbly submit to one another as family members (5:22–6:9).

Source of Strength

According to Kavanaugh, "The most indelible thing about Mother Teresa was her insistence that the greatest need in life is greater trust,

1. https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/faith-and-character/faith-and-character/jesuit-philosopher-recounts-time-with-mother-teresa.html