Praying for One Another

Introduction

Summarize:

Context

Main point

Exposition

Ephesians 3:14–19 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.

Author: Paul

Audience: All the Saints

Content: Paul prays for the saints

The New Testament pattern for salvation is most frequently observed in the household, not the individual.

Ephesians 3:14-15

Ephesians 3:14 ESV

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,

We’re speaking about prayer

The reason Paul is driven to prayer is because of the deliverance of salvation to the Gentiles.

Ephesians 3:15 ESV

15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

An interesting unit. “Not from whom every person is named.” Every FAMILY.

We know that we are not saved by any other person’s belief, and our salvation is only good for us, not for anyone else.

So why are families named?

First, the Greek is πατριά. Very closely related to πατήρ, which is the actual word used for “Father” in v14.

πατριά is only used three times in the GNT

Lk 2:4 “4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,”

Ac 3:25 “25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’”

And here in Eph 3:15.

The wordplay here signifies that the true head of every household is our Father God.

Second, Paul is praying for the families of the saints.

I’m not restating the verse, I’m saying that’s one of the reasons Paul is writing in the first place. Unity in the church body is not going to happen if there is not unity in the families.

Eph 5:22-6:9 refer to how we treat one another in the household. There were issues to address and we all ought to understand our unique, God-defined role within the Christian household.

Third, Paul understands where discipleship starts.

Consider some of the households we see in scripture. Recognize how parents disciple their children.

Abraham’s marital mistakes are repeated in Isaac. Isaac favors one son over the other and Jacob repeats that mistake.

Eli didn’t discipline his sons and their wickedness ended their household.

David didn’t control his lusts, and Solomon takes many wives.

Or in the NT: James and John are impulsive and hot headed. Where did they get that? Well their mother marched right up to Jesus and asked him to seat her sons at His left and right hands.

What of Timothy? Paul thanked God for Timothy’s grandmother and mother for raising him in godliness.

The Philippian Jailer.

Acts 16:30–31 ESV

30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Our households should recognize God as our Father and leader.

How?

We must worship, study, and pray together in the home.

We must attend church together.

We must sacrifice together.

We must do ministry together.

All the rest fail if we don’t get the first right.

The New Testament pattern for sanctification is to be filled with the Spirit and learn how God loves you.

Ephesians 3:16-19.

Eph 3:16

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,

Notice:

We are not strengthened in our own power, but in power through His Spirit.

The Spirit is given to our inner being.

There is an effect/evidence to the indwelling of the Spirit.

Eph 3:17 “17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,”

Christ dwells in our hearts.

In a more modern sense: We’re always thinking of Christ.

Eph 3:18 “18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,”

What does the Spirit empower us to do?

Prophecy and casting out demons and doing many mighty works? NO

The Spirit empowers us to understand God’s love for us.

The carnally minded cannot comprehend the love of God.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,

and were the skies of parchment made;

were ev’ry stalk on earth a quill,

and ev’ryone a scribe by trade;

to write the love of God above

would drain the ocean dry;

nor could the scroll contain the whole,

though stretched from sky to sky.

Lehman, Frederick M., 1917

Eph 3:19 “19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

The ESV and KJV miss the mark here, from the NASB:

Ephesians 3:19 NASB95

19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Or the NIV

Ephesians 3:19 NIV

19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Not that we have the fullness of God on earth, but we are in the process of being filled to that measure.

So what is the evidence of the Spirit?

Our minds are continually on Christ.

We begin to understand the love of God on not only a universal scale, but also a personal scale.

We remain the the process of being measured up to God.

What do you do if you don’t have this evidence in your life?

Repent of the sin you are entangled in and return to the scriptures and prayer. Ro 3:23 “23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and Ro 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Recognize that God is wrathful toward your sin, but Ro 5:8 “8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Repeat this process daily,

Ro 6:1-2 “1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” ;

Ro 10:13 “13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”” ;

Ro 5:1 “1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”