Immeasurably More

Introduction

Ephesians 3:14–21 ESV

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.

Over the last month and a half, I have gotten less sleep that I have ever gotten in my life.

As I hold and rock my son in the early hours of the morning, and I have learned that it is the best time to pray for him.

I have prayed for my son’s health, his future spouse, his joy, that he would come to know the Lord, that he would find good friends, and that he would feel loved by the local church alongside other things.

Sometimes, we don’t know what to pray.

Sometimes, we know what to pray, and we don’t know if God will answer.

Today, we see Paul’s prayers for God’s people - the church in Ephesus. They are primarily spiritual prayers.

CIT: God desires for us to pray for spiritual needs.

Explanation

Ephesians 3:14-16 “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,”

“For this reason I bow my knees”

I want to provide a quick reminder that Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus.

Criticism and instruction without prayer is complete arrogance.

Notice what Paul is praying for:

That they would have spiritual strength in your inner being

That Christ may dwell their hearts.

That they would be rooted and grounded in love.

That they may be able to comprehend the love of God.

That they would be filled with the fullness of God.

I want you to encourage you to pray these prayer for your family. Thomas Manton would say, “God is tender towards His word.” God listens when we pray his word to Him.

“Before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory.”

Intimacy and Immensity: God is big and powerful, yet God cares deeply for every family.

If God is so big, does He care? If God cares, is God big enough to handle the problem?

“Strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being”

God cares more for the inner person that the outer person.

More that your achievements and accolades, God cares for your character.

When God selected David as the next king of Israel, he wasn’t even invited to the meeting. Why? Because from the outside, no one would have dreamed that David could be king.

But Samuel rebuked this thought in Jesse’s heart.

“Man looks on the outside, but God looks at the heart.”

Ephesians 3:17-19 “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.”

“that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith”

D. A. Carson gives the example of Christ taking up residence in our hearts.

At first, we are a fixer-upper. Christ takes every room of the house and renovates it.

That old shag carpet - gone. New tile floor - check. That old ratty furniture - gone. New fresh furniture - check.

When you buy a new house, you make it a more suitable place to live.

As Christ enters your heart, he makes it a more suitable place to live. This means that he tears down the sin in your heart and puts up righteousness.

“that you would be rooted and grounded in love”

The deeper the roots, the more secure the tree.

We pray for a security in all things.

“may have the 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”

The more that you look at the big, wonderful, incredible, and never-ending love of God, the more your life will be changed.

The quality of God’s love is that it is:

Wide // God’s love covers a lot of space. You can look as far in one direction and the other direction and still see his love.

Long // God’s love isn’t short term. It goes the length. It endures. Even when we fail and falter, God’s love remains steady and consistent.

High // Mt. Everest is 29,032 feet in the air. If you stacked 30 Mt. Everests on top of each other, the love of God would still reach higher. The height of God’s love is magnificent.

Deep // A shallow love would give up on you when you became hard to deal with. But, God’s love stays steady even when you mess up. It covers the deepest, darkest sins that you feel ashamed to admit.

"filled with all the fullness of God”

Invitation

Gospel.

Comprehend the gospel.

Gospel ministry.