STRENGTHENED WITH POWER

Ephesians 3:14–21 ESV

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 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, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

I. BOW BEFORE THE FATHER

A. Ephesians 3:14-15 (ESV) — 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named…

B. Paul’s request is made in light of all that God has done in uniting his people in Christ Jesus and giving us access through Jesus into his very presence.

C. Paul expresses humility before the Father by speaking of bowing his knees before him.

D. He recognizes God as great and glorious and worthy of all praise.

E. Our God reigns over all the earth and over all the heavens.

F. All people receive life through him.

G. He is sovereign.

II. STRENGTHENED THROUGH HIS SPIRIT

A. Ephesians 3:16 (ESV) —16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being…

B. Paul is asking that the Father would answer the prayer he is praying according to the riches of his glory.

C. John MacArthur speaks of someone giving according to his riches versus out of his riches.

D. “For a millionaire to give fifty or a hundred dollars would be simply to give out of his wealth, but to give twenty-five thousand dollars would be to give according to his wealth. The greater a person’s wealth, the greater his gift must be to qualify for giving according to his wealth. For God to give according to the riches of His glory is absolutely staggering, because His riches are limitless, completely without bounds! Yet that is exactly the measure by which Paul implores God to empower the Ephesians.”[1]

E. It is the Holy Spirit who strengthens us with power in the inner man.

F. Paul cares for the body. He prays for the healing of others. He knows the needs of poor saints in Jerusalem and seeks to send aid to them. But in all this he knows the outer man is decaying.

G. 2 Corinthians 4:16 (ESV) — 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

H. The power of God given through the indwelling Spirit of God is how we are renewed and grow up in Christ Jesus.

I. Paul mentions this power earlier in chapter 3.

J. Ephesians 3:7 (ESV) — 7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power.

K. God’s grace gifts are given to us by the working of his power.

III. CHRIST AT HOME IN THE HEART

A. Ephesians 3:17-19 (ESV) —17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

B. The power of God given to strengthen us is to the end of Christ being at home in our hearts.

C. Since all believers have Christ living in their hearts as a result of regeneration, this request is for the ongoing sanctification of the believer.

D. This is the cleaning up of our lives in light of our new life in Christ.

E. It is the power given to live in the reality of the spiritual blessings we have been blessed with in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3).

F. It is Christ being at ‘home’ in us.

G. I hear the words of Jesus recorded by John when I think about Jesus’ dwelling in my heart through faith.

H. John 14:23 (ESV) — 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

I. Our lives are rooted and grounded in Jesus’ love.

J. We love only because he has loved us.

K. This strengthening with power through the Spirit allows us to comprehend or grasp hold of the greatness of our God (breadth, length, height, depth).

L. It is the ability to catch glimpses of his greatness.

M. This strengthen with power through the Spirit is what allows us to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.

N. It is to know a love that surpasses our reasoning abilities.

O. Paul is not speaking here of our knowing the love we are to have for Christ but the love of Christ, His very own love that He must place in our hearts before we can love Him or anyone else. [2]

P. The strengthening of lives with the power of God (Ephesians 1:19-20) through the Spirit leads to Christ being at home in us, our beginning to glimpse the greatness of our God, and our knowing the love of Christ in way that we can’t arrive at by our reasoning.

Q. The purpose of this is our being filled with the fullness of God (19).

R. This is our heritage. This is what we are called to in Christ.

S. The application is for us to ask this of the Father just as Paul did for the Ephesian church.

Ephesians 3:20–21 (ESV) —20 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, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

[1]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1986). Ephesians(p. 102). Chicago: Moody Press. [2]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1986). Ephesians(p. 110). Chicago: Moody Press.