49-18 The Prayer for Divine Enablement

Ephesians 3:14-19

3 men discussing proper posture of prayer.

1st said that one should be on his knees with head bowed in reverence to the Almighty God.

2nd said argued that one should stand with his head raised looking into the heavens and speak into the face of God as a little child.

3rd spoke up and said “I know nothing about these positions, but I do know this: the finest praying I’ve ever done was upside down in a well.”

Prayer is one of those spiritual disciplines that causes us to wrestle with the question of its value. We know God is all-knowing, that He is all-powerful and always carries out His perfect will (& Rom 8:28). So the question becomes, “why pray?” or “what can we tell God who knows our needs before we ask?”

We tend to view prayer like going to the doctor. We don’t like to see the doctor but when we get sick and need to see one, we’re glad that he is there. When things get bad in life, we’re happy to know God is present. Its a perspective we too should develop for ourselves.

Paul had a different perspective about prayer. He recognized the absolute dependency of the Xn on God for all things pertaining to the physical & spiritual life.

Now, something every Xn ought to know: who you are in Christ and what resources are yours to live it. Paul has outlined basic truths of the Xn life in Eph 1-3: who you are in Christ, vast spiritual resources that belong to you, how you are united to other believers, and equal citizens in God’s kingdom.

Paul also realized that we are dependent on God to live what he has been explaining. So he prays for the saints. in Ch 1—prayer to know the spiritual power in them (power that raised Christ from the dead), ch 3—to use that power in the course of their lives. This is a prayer for divine enablement. Verses 14-19 there are 2 headings: Paul’s posture, Paul’s petitions.

1) Paul’s Posture

vs 14: “for this reason...” (what he has just been writing)

made alive (2:5)

God’s workmanship (2:10)

no longer aliens, but fellow citizens (2:19)

built on foundation of apostles and prophets (2:20)

built together into dwelling of God (2:22)

Now here is the prayer to use the power that their position in Christ provides them.

Notice who Paul is addressing: “Father” (Jesus taught disciples to pray in this manner—Mt 6:9). To do so is to acknowledge the intimacy and special relationship the believer has with God. Saints in the OT knew that God was the Father of Israel (14x in OT) but none of them personally referred to God as their Father (Moses, Isaac, Joshua, David, Daniel, Jeremiah). Yet there was always this understanding that God had beget Israel, He was near to them, He loved them, showed mercy and grace and guiding them unto obedience. Them same truths apply to NT saints: God is loving, compassionate, caring, tender, concerned and accepting all who have faith in LJC (vs 12).

Note his posture: “bow my knees” This is not prescriptive

In Bible you see people praying while standing, sitting, lifting heads, bowing heads, lying down, placing heads between knees, pounding their chest, lying prostrate—falling on face. There is no prescribed posture in Scripture.

Having said that—Paul lit fell on his knees while chained to a Roman prison guard (what do you suppose he was thinking?). His posture shows us 2 things about Paul:

A. The act of bowing reveals deep reverence for God the Father

Bowing is generally an act of submission shown by one who is inferior. Paul was in the presence of One of higher rank, dignity and authority.

1 Kings 19:18 NASB95

“Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Psalm 95:6 NASB95

Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

B. Bowing expresses deep emotion and earnestness

Solomon at dedication of temple (1 Ki 8:54)

Stephen at martyrdom (Acts 7:60)

Peter at death-bed of Dorcas (Acts 9:40)

Paul to Eph elders (Acts 20:36)

Luke 22:41 NASB95

And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray,

Paul is expressing a deep seated earnestness, humbly submitting to God, having a great reverence for Him… “from whom every family...”

Paul doesn’t mean everyone is part of the family of God in a saved sense (not universalism).

Hoehner “God the Father is the one who creates and thus names every family in heaven and on earth. He is a God who is alive and acting in the present time, rather than a god who has died and is no longer active in history. God’s ability to create and name every family in heaven and on earth stresses his sovereignty and his fatherhood.”

An example of true fatherhood for every family.

So Paul is bowing his knees before the Father and comes now to the actual petitions.

2) Paul’s Petitions

Most of Paul’s prayers have to do with the inner man---his spiritual being (Eph, Phil, Col). While in prison, Paul was concerned about the spiritual welfare of others even above his own needs. In the 1st prayer of Eph he prayed for enlightenment, to know surpassing greatness of God’s power. For the Phil he prayed their love would abound more and more in real knowledge and discernment so as to be blameless till the day of Christ. He prayed the Col would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will and in wisdom that they would live worthy of the Lord.

Most significantly, Paul was not overly concerned with material needs having confidence that God would supply all needs (Phil 4:19). I don’t think it is wrong to pray for physical and material needs but our greatest concern ought to be like Paul’s—on the spiritual needs of each others—our prayers (and requests) should reflect this.

Paul makes 3 petitions on behalf of believers:

A. Prayer for Strength (16-17a)

Once again we encounter the riches of God.

Ephesians 1:7 NASB95

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

Here the focus on “the riches of glory” simply means that what God possesses (in terms of His glory) being limitless and without bounds—according to that measure Paul is praying that God would give strength and empower the saints. What a joy it is to know that the resources that God gives His children are far more than adequate to meet their needs.

Now the way He meets our needs is to strengthen us with power… The inner man is set in contrast with the outer man in Scripture. The outer man is decaying, exposed to sin and corrupted by it. It is a temporary housing for the true person (the inner man) 2 Cor 5:1-4.

2 Corinthians 4:16 NASB95

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

The Bible speaks of this inner man in different ways: heart, soul, spirit, mind, strength, conscience. This is the immaterial aspect of man and set in contrast to the material (flesh and blood)

Calvin “By the inner man, Paul means the soul, and whatever relates to the spiritual life of the soul; as the outward man denotes the body, with everything that belongs to it, health, honors, riches, vigor, beauty, and everything of that nature.”

It is the inner man that Paul asks God to strengthen with power and it becomes the primary focus of the work of God. And since this is where God is most at work, every believer ought to be able to see spiritual strength increasing as God works in our hearts.

The word “strengthen” is used outside the Bible “to strengthen with exercise.” In the NT it is always in the passive voice emphasizing that it is God who strengthens the inner man and not self-endowed power.

Paul says this power comes from the HS which is exactly what Jesus told His disciples:

Acts 1:8 NASB95

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

Now, even though the power and strengthening come from God—we are responsible for spiritual exercise.

1 Timothy 4:7–8 NASB95

But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

This spiritual exercise includes feeding regularly on the Word of God which will result in transformation according to the will of God. As you read and meditate on Scripture you will become increasingly sensitive to sin and will see it decrease in your life.

It is for this reason that “Christ will dwell...” (17a). That word “dwell” means to settle down and feel at home. This is not the prayer for salvation but the prayer for sanctification.

Robert Munger preached a sermon early in his ministry that has become a little booklet “My Heart Christ’s Home.” He uses the illustration of a house to picture the Xn life. He says Jesus comes into that life and begins to walk thru the house and around to the various rooms. He walks into the study (library) which depicts the mind and Christ sees all the worthless things that fill the bookshelves and replaces them with things that promote what is true, good and pure (the Word). He then walks into the dining room (appetites and desires) and He sees many sinful desires which the Lord replaces with food that feeds the soul and satisfies true spiritual hunger. then he goes thru the living room (fellowship) and sees the worldly companions that replace fellowship with Christ. He walks into the workroom (talents) and Rec room (entertainment) and continues to cleanse them from every thing that hinders sanctification and Christ settling down and making the heart His home.

This is a great little book that reinforces the request that our inner man would be strengthened with power and to live our lives in the manner that is truly pleasing to Christ.

B. Prayer for Apprehension (17b-19)

Paul’s prayer is that believers would come to apprehend, understand, comprehend the greatness of Christ’s love for us.

But there is a prerequisite to understanding this love: we must first experience it. To experience the love Christ has for us will cause that experience to better our understanding of His love. Prerequisite: experience.

Now Paul does not question whether these saints have experienced love—they have—every child of God has this experience b/c they are “rooted…”

This is both the imagery of plant life and building (construction) to help Xns determine the extent to which they have experienced love.

Plants

Psalm 1:1–3 NASB95

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.

Interesting commentary Jer 17:5-8

Plants must firmly imbed its roots in the soil if it is to take up nourishment and have stability. Likewise Xn—you are already rooted in Christ’s love and your spiritual roots must grow deeper & deeper. Part of being strengthened (vs 16).

Architecture—“grounded” a building on a foundation, a firm foundation which has been laid.

Taken together we see that the believer has been immersed deeply into the love of God and that same love becomes a foundation upon which the character of Christ becomes the hallmark of the believer’s life.

You might be wondering—“How have I been rooted & grounded in love?”

In Salvation--Rom 5:5 “The Love of God has been poured out in our hearts”

Adopted as sons—Eph 1:4-6

Jesus’ love for us was culminated by His death on the cross—John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

We have been immersed in love. Paul’s prayer is that we would gain a greater understanding and appreciation for Christ’s love—b/c it is the motivation for us to live out our Xian lives for the sake of the Savior:

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 NASB95

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

Paul’s petition is that Xns to comprehend having been “rooted and grounded…”

Comprehend lit. “to lay hold of so as to make it one’s own” (latin root denotes grasping)—conveys meaning of an experiential/heart knowledge—“know with your heart—very core and center of your life”

Now, you will never come to a full comprehension of Christ’s love for 2 reasons:

1. Christ’s Love is Immeasurable (vs 18)

These words together describe the absolute completeness of the dimensions and aspects of love.

Disagreement over what it refers to: wisdom of God, temple, mystery of Christ, divine nature of God, divine plan of redemption, even—4 points of the cross of Christ.

I would caution you from tying to find some hidden meaning in the 4 measurements of love.

Commentator Barnes “It seems to rather be the language of a heart that was filled of the subject, and impressed with its greatness; and the words are employed to denote the ‘dimensions’ of that love, and are similar to what would be meant if he had said ‘that you may know how “large”, or how “great” is that love.’

Paul is trying to express the strongest sense of the greatness of the love of the Redeemer—and how he longed for those in Ephesus to understand it. He had experienced it over and over. He prayed that they too would understand what he understood.

Wherever you look (school, work, home, church, in trials and tribulation, in prosperity) you will see the love of God & Christ and it is immeasurable. You cannot measure the breadth, length, height, depth—it is a vast, enormous love.

2. Christ’s love is Incomprehensible (vs 19a)

This is a paradox—true statement that seemingly is self-contradictory. How is it possible to know that which is unknowable? That is what Paul prays for. The love of our Lord is so great that no matter how much we experience His love, we have in no way even come close to exhausting that love. The finite heart and mind of man could never fully grasp the infinite love of J.C. It won’t happen—but we should pray that we will better understand and appreciate that love.

The Vastness of Christ’s love is expressed in that wonderful hymn:

“Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made, were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade; to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry; nor could the scroll contain the whole, tho stretched from sky to sky. O Love of God how rich and pure, how measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure the saints’ and angels song.”

C. Prayer for Fulness

This request is also far beyond comprehension—that God in bringing us to Himself wants to make us like Himself by filling us with Himself (all that He is and all that He has).

If we were to come close to grasping the magnitude of this truth we would have to begin to understand every attribute of God—power, majesty, wisdom, love, mercy, patience, kindness, longsuffering, holiness, righteousness, faithfulness, sovereignty—everything else that He is.

So is Paul exaggerating or making a prayer request that is too lofty that is could never happen? No—Paul frequently talks about the fullness of God’s blessing (1:3), the church is the fullness of Christ who fills all in all (1:23).

The word to make full/fill carries the idea of total domination.

Person filled with rage is dominated by anger

Person filled with happiness is dominated by joy

Therefore it means to be totally dominated by God. Nothing is left to ourselves. Total self-emptying so as to be dominated by God. BTW: This is a life-long process.

Paul shows us what this would look like:

Ephesians 4:13 NASB95

until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

John 1:16 NASB95

For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.

This is the apex of Paul’s prayer and summarizes what he has already prayed for that the church would encounter the power and strengthening of God, grasp the immeasurable love God has poured out in our hearts and experience the fullness of God permeating us to extent that we become the people God intends us to be.

If you pray that way for one another…what do you suppose will be the fruit? Your prayer life would broaden, your fellowship would be enriched, and as your pray for the strengthening and maturing of fellow believers, you too will grow as the Lord builds us up as a holy temple for himself.

Its no wonder Paul breaks out into doxology—what we’ll study next time.