In Answer to "Why?"
Notes
Transcript
As we begin this morning, we’re continuing on in our journey through the book of Ephesians, a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the church at Ephesus AND to the surrounding area churches. This was a letter that would be passed around.
Our passage this morning comes from chapter 3, and we’re going to begin at verse 14 and finish out the chapter at verse 21.
So let’s dive in.
Ephesians 3:14 (ESV)
For this reason...
Wait, hold on.
It is clear that we’re beginning in the middle of Paul’s argument. This is always a challenge when we pick up our Bibles and just start reading at whatever point our finger lands.
For WHAT reason?
It’s like coming upon “Therefore” in scripture. Whenever you see a “therefore” you need to see what it is “there for”, since it is concluding an argument. In this case we see something very similar in, “For this reason...”
So what do we do?
Well, we look back in the chapter, and what you’ll see is that Paul used these same words only a couple paragraphs back, in verse 3:1. So, what he’s doing is picking up his argument where he left off.
So we back up to 3:1, and we read, “For this reason...” okay, now what do we do?
It’s the same thing, we go back to see what he has said before to figure out what is the reason, and so now we’re backed into chapter 2, and the very verses that I preached on last week. So if you missed last week, that’s okay, you can go back and check it out online on our webpage, simply go to MissionWoodsChurch.org and all of our sermons are listed there.
I’m not going to give you a full review here, but among the key thoughts there is the idea that though we as Gentiles were once considered outside the family of the chosen people of God, we are no longer. That through Christ we are being built together into one household. We are no longer strangers and aliens, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.
It doesn’t matter whether we’ve been a Christian for 5 minutes or we’ve been walking with Jesus our whole lives, it doesn’t matter what our job is, who we associate with, what country we came from, what our political views are, or what our skin color is we have been brought together reconciling us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing hostility.
But we can actually go all the way back to chapter 1, verse 15 where Paul says his first “For this reason...” in this book. And there it was because of the blessings we have received in Christ to the praise of God’s glorious grace.
And so Paul says, “For this reason...” in verse 3:1, and then goes on and gives a bit more details letting us know that he as a Jew is doing what he does on behalf of the Gentiles (that would be you and I). And he fills us in on some of his history of doing this. Then we get to where we were going to start at verse 14, let’s read it through now:
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.
A reading from God’s Holy Word.
Thanks be to God.
So let’s take this thought by thought:
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
We don’t think about this so much today, because we have often seen the position of prayer as kneeling, yet that was not the typical position for prayer. The position for prayer was most often standing giving honor to our Creator God.
Yet now we see Paul “bowing his knees,” or kneeling before the father. The posture of kneeling in prayers shows reverence, and submission. It demonstrates a willingness to obey.
Before the Father...
Again, we’ve discussed this before. Some people, especially in our current culture, are averse to the patriarchal language often used in Scripture. Paul refers to God as Father 42 times in his letters, eight of those times occur in Ephesians. No other description is used so frequently in the New Testament.
No doubt it takes us back to Jesus teaching us to pray and address God as Abba, the Aramaic word for “father”. God is the Father of all believers, but also in a much more narrow sense the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ marking their unique relationship.
In verse 15:
from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
the broader sense of Father is brought out. It’s difficult to show the relationship in English, but in the Greek, you see the relationship between Father and Family much more clearly:
πατέρ - πατριὰ
Pater - Patria
Father - Family
This reminds us again that we can go all the way back to the very beginning and thus point us back again to the cosmic scope of God’s reign and purpose. Those divisions that we see between humans are all under one God, the implication being that Paul is obviously seeking unity through his letter.
Ephesians 3:16 (ESV)
that according to the riches of his glory
There’s that emphasis of Paul’s again in this letter upon the glory of God. the riches of his glory - the abundance of all the blessings that God has lavished upon us for God’s glory - it’s not about our being glorified, it is all about God being glorified.
Ephesians 3:16–17 (ESV)
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—
"strengthened” - notice it is not us pulling ourselves up by our own boot straps, it is God who is strengthening us.
“with power through his Spirit in your inner being” - Power and Spirit are virtually synonymous, the Spirit is the power of God at work in people. Paul is praying for his readers that the spirit will be so strong an influence at the controlling center of their being that their lives will show it.
“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith —” When we see that faith, remember it’s not about us lifting ourselves up, our faith in itself is a gift from God given to us out of an abundance of grace.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
And finishing the thought, Paul writes:
Ephesians 3:17 (ESV)
—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
We’re about to see the specifics of his prayer for us, as we are rooted and grounded not only in our love for God, but our love for one another.
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.
Think about this, we need strength or “power” to comprehend with all the saints, the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. It’s beyond us. And yet we can be so arrogant.
Think about this. Someone walks up to you and begins to tell you how great you did something or whatever. And what is your first reaction? For so many it is not to simply accept the compliment but to discount it.
"Oh thank you, but…”
I should’ve done this or that.
It could’ve been better...
Do you think you’re perfect? No! Do you think anyone on this planet thinks you’re perfect? Probably not. So that we’re clear, lets help bring down some egos that might be out there. Turn to the person next to you and say,
“You’re not perfect.”
Now I don’t want anyone going away from here without the bigger truth, the powerful truth, the broad, long, high and deep truth. Turn back to that same person and say:
“God loves you, anyway!”
When I talk to people who are seriously trying to consider their faith and what it means to follow God in the best way they know how, so often I hear things like:
“I’ve just gone too far off course.” Whatever they think that course God had for their life was, they feel like they’ve just blown it. They’re too far astray.
“I’m too far away.” Perhaps through their religious pursuit or because of things in their life they feel like the distance they are away from God is just too far, they are a long way from God.
“For too long I’ve thought myself above that.” Often in academic pursuits people have lifted themselves up, and though that faith in God was for the unthinking.
“I feel like I’m in such a deep dark place God could never find me.” Sometimes people are in such despair they feel like they’re surrounded by nothing but darkness. Sometimes they feel like they’ve been so wounded by religious people they think God must not love them.
It’s for all of these people that Paul prays and says,
God loves you anyway!
For those who feel they’ve gone too far off course Paul prays:
[that you] may have have strength to comprehend…the breadth of God’s love.
For those who feel they’re just too far away, Paul prays:
[that you] may have strength to comprehend…the length of God’s love.
For those who feel like they’re above God’s love. Paul prays:
[That you] may have strength to comprehend… the height of God’s love.
And for those who feel like they’re in such a deep dark place where God could never find them. Paul prays:
[That you] may have strength to comprehend…the depth of God’s love.
The truth is here.
It is not based on anything that you have or have not done. God loves you.
Now clearly Paul is writing to believers here. We are recipients of this letter through our Bibles.
We too are believers. What does Paul say about us in his prayer? Look at the verbs!
Ephesians 3:16–19 (ESV)
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.
Strengthened
Rooted
Grounded
Know
Filled
What an amazing thought, to be “filled with the fullness of God.”
And finally we come to the benediction given by Paul that summarizes this entire thought that began way back in chapter 1:
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.
To God
who is able - God is powerful, there is no inability in God.
to do far more abundantly that all that we pray for, or even imagine. In other words what God is capable of will blow your minds!
according to the power - which is God’s Spirit
at work in us - think about that. God is working in us.
To him be glory - ah, there it is again, it’s all to the praise of God’s glory. This is the answer to WHY does Paul pray for us in this way.
in the church - that would be here and among all believers
and in Christ Jesus - the work we saw in Christ is the same working in us.
throughout all generations - from the beginning of time until it’s end
forever and ever. AMEN
So be it!
Amen.
Wow! Praise God! Be encouraged. God loves you.
Did I hear a discounting of that? Okay, God loves you, anyway! Ha!
Be blessed.
AMEN.