Sunday Sermons
Ephesians 3b
Ephesians
3:14-17
Paul now resumes the prayer that was started in 3:1. Consider how far these Gentiles had come. They went from being absolutely hopeless and godless (2:12), to being fellow members, fellow heirs, and fellow partakers of God's promise (3:6). Paul now prays that these Christians would make full use of all the privileges and blessings that are found in a relationship with Jesus Christ (1:3).
Ephesians 3:14 “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father”: “With this in mind” (Knox) (1:15; 3:1). What is it that moves him to pray? Surely it is both the reconciling work of Christ and his own understanding of it by special revelation. These are the convictions that under gird his prayer. “This being so, an important principle of prayer emerges. The basis of Paul's prayer was his knowledge of God's purpose, the indispensable prelude to all petition is the revelation of God's will. We have no authority to pray for anything that God has not revealed to be His will. That is why Bible reading and prayer should always go together” (Stott p. 132) (John 15:7; 1 John 5:14). “The people of Christ, he has said already, have access through him ‘in one Spirit to the Father’ (Eph. 2:18); and Paul avails himself of this access to make intercession for his friends” (Bruce p. 324). God not only wants people to become Christians, he wants Christians to thrive in this new relationship. Without a doubt God really wants us saved. He is saying here, “Take advantage of every blessing available, make the most of it, I want you to fully use, enjoy, and experience all these wonderful things” (2 Peter 1:5-11). “I bow my knees”: Most commentators note that the usual posture for praying throughout the O.T. was to stand with one's hands lifted toward heaven. And yet even in the O.T. we find various individuals kneeling in prayer (1 Kings 8:54; Daniel 6:10). In the Bible we really do not find one consistent posture for praying. We find people standing (Mark 11:25), bowing the head (Genesis 24:26), and even falling on the face (Luke 17:16).“An empathic way of denoting prayer; but not incidental, occasional prayer, inspired by some passing feeling; the attitude ‘bow my knees’ denotes deliberate prayer, making a business of it, approaching God with reverence and holy fear, with all the solemnities suitable to the occasion of making a specific and important request.” (P.P. Comm. p. 107). “Unto the Father”:Christians have confidence to approach God as their Father (2:18; 3:12). Jesus taught the same thing (Matthew 6:9; 7:11; Luke 11:18; Mark 14:36). “The Lord taught his apostles to petition the Father (Matthew 6:9) in the name of Christ (John 14:13-14; 15:16; 15:23,26). They, in turn, taught us to pray and render our acts of worship and sacrifice to the Father through Christ (Col. 3:17; Heb. 13:15; 1 Tim. 2:5; 1 Cor. 8:6; 1 Peter 2:5). In keeping with God's eternal plan, Christ voluntarily subordinated himself to the Father for the purpose of human redemption (Phil. 2:5-8). Therefore, it is fitting that prayers are offered to God the Father through God the Son. That is the gospel plan and is in keeping with Christ's own purpose of glorifying the Father (cf. John 17:1-6)” (p. 131).
Ephesians 3:15 “from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named”: This letter has already informed us that God has only one family, composed of both Jewish and Gentile believers (2:19). “Since the dominant theme of these chapters is that through Christ the ‘one God and Father of us all’ (4:6) has only one family or household to which Jewish and Gentile believers equally belong. It seems better, therefore, to translate…’His whole family’ or ‘the whole family of believers’ (NIV)” (Stott p. 133).“In heaven and on earth”: Those "in heaven" would be Christians who have passed from this life (Hebrews 12:22-24), as well as the Old Testament faithful who also have been reconciled through the blood of Christ (Colossians 1:20; Hebrews 9:15). Hence all the faithful of both testaments, and all the faithful dead and alive presently compose one great family. It is into "this family" that Christians, even from a Gentile past, have been added. Definitely one grand reason to be thankful (Colossians 3:15). “Derives its name”: Stott makes an interesting comment when he says, 'It may be, then, that Paul is saying not only that the whole Christian family is named from the Father, but that the very notion of fatherhood is derived from the Fatherhood of God” (Stott p. 134).
Ephesians 3:16 “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inward man”: God wants us to have wisdom, confidence, boldness, spiritual maturity, spiritual strength, and hope, but we must cooperate (Hebrews 5:12-14; James 1:5-6). “Riches of His glory”:
“According to His glorious wealth, the infinite resources of God's wisdom, power, and love may be spoken of as His ‘wealth’ or His ‘glory’” (Bruce p. 325). “Paul is not asking God to do something beyond His resources. God's treasure story of rich blessings is inexhaustible (1:7,18; 2:4)” (Boles p. 255). “To be strengthened”: The Bible often talks about Christians being "strengthened" (Acts 14:22; 15:41; 16:5). Caldwell says, “Surely all of us have felt weak spiritually and sensed that we could not survive on our own strength” (p. 134). “With power through His Spirit”: This reveals the "medium, channel, or source" of this strength. “The mighty inner strengthening of His Holy Spirit” (Tay). “In the inner man”: Is the soul as opposed to the outward physical body (2 Corinthians 4:16). More is needed to live to Christian life than "sheer" unaided human determination. The medium or tool that the Holy Spirit uses to strengthen Christians is the revelation He delivered to mankind: (a) The gospel is called the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16). (b) It is praised for its ability to penetrate the human heart (Hebrews 4:12)and to get people back on the right track (2 Tim. 4:2; 3:16-17). (c) This is the means that the apostles used to strengthen new converts (Acts 14:22; 15:41; 16:4-5). The Holy Spirit can offer the Christian tremendous spiritual reinforcement for the inner man, but all such reinforcement is found in the Word of God (Psalm 119:105). Such makes perfect sense, for every bit of encouragement, incentive, and exhortation which God could give us, must already be revealed so that all Christians of all ages have equal access to such motivational truths. A good parallel to this passage would be the psalms. David said that God "restores my soul" (Psalm 23:3), and yet he points out that such was accomplished through the "law of the Lord" (Psalm 19:7). When I respond to God's encouragement found in the Scriptures, I am allowing the Spirit to do His work, that is, I am not limiting Him.
Ephesians 3:17 “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love; “That Christ may take up residence in your hearts” (Bruce p. 327). “To make one's home, to be at home” (Robertson p. 533).
Stott points out that of the various Greek words used to mean "dwell", God had Paul write a word which meant to "settle down somewhere”. It refers to a permanent as opposed to a temporary, abode. “In your hearts”: “The center of feeling, thinking, willing” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 314). “Through faith”: “The means or channel through which it takes possession of the heart is faith,indicating the receptivity which is the condition on our side” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 314). “Not only does God dwell in some men, but the same passages teach that we abide in the Father. That should make it obvious that literal, personal possession of our persons is not being considered...We do not literally inhabit the person of the Father. Neither does He abide in us by physically possessing our bodies.' (pp. 136-137) Consider 1 John 4:13 'By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us'...(4:15,16; 1 John 3:24; John 15:4 'Abide in Me and I in you' (5-6); John 17:21. Caldwell further says, 'Strikingly, the passages which deal with Christ's indwelling in us also repeatedly affirm that we dwell in Christ. The question to be asked again is this: "Is the indwelling literally personal referring to direct possession of another's personhood?" Reading the passages impresses the reader with the representative character of divine indwelling. The Lord is speaking of the intimate relationship or communion between the Divine Being and obedient, loving Christians...The relationship is so strong and close that each is said to dwell in the other! Christ "dwelling in us" is, therefore, metaphorical suggesting oneness, harmony, and unity of purpose, communion, and close association. Christ dwells in us through His word's abiding in us (compare John 15:4 and 15:7; Ephesians 5:18 and Colossians 3:16)” (Caldwell pp. 138-139). “Being rooted and grounded in love”: We cannot escape the connection in this passage. The necessary inference is, if you are failing to properly "love" God, others, and especially your own brethren, then you are refusing to let Christ control your life. “Rooted”: “So that having your roots deep and your foundations strong in love” (Wey). At this point Paul uses two figurative expressions, one from agriculture and the other from architecture. This “means simply to establish something firmly. So here the two words probably express the one simple idea of being securely settled and deeply founded. Thoroughly established in love, having it not as an uncertain feeling changing with every change of experience, but as the constant principle of their life” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 314). “In love”: “Love is the soil in which believers arerooted and on which foundation is established or grounded. The two-fold metaphor of a tree and a building emphasize that love is the necessary base to support the superstructure” (Boles p. 257).
Ephesians 3:18 “may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth”:Paul now passes from our love in which we are rooted and grounded, to Christ’s love for us, which he prays we may know. “Strong to apprehend”: May be fully able, to have the full capacity, fully or eminently
This "full" comprehension is conditional. If you refuse to allow Christ to direct your life, if you spurn the opportunities to be strengthened by the Spirit's revelation and if you are apathetic about loving God more or other Christians, then you will never really realize how great God's love is. “With all the saints”: That is, with all other Christians. “When Paul spoke of Christians comprehending the riches of God, he did not have in mind that only a few select saints could understand truth. Comprehension is available to all who obey Christ...Every Christian may know the greatest mysteries of Christ and obtain the fullest prize awarded to the faithful (1 Cor. 9:24)” (Caldwell p. 145). Please note that this understanding God’s love for us is not discovered in isolation. “What is the breadth and length and height and depth”: “It seems to me legitimate to say that the love of Christ is broad enough to encompass all mankind (especially Jews and Gentiles, the theme of these chapters), long enough to last for eternity, deep enough to reach the most degraded sinner (1 Tim. 1:13-15), and high enough to exalt him to heaven” (Stott p. 137).
Ephesians 3:19 “and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God” : “Paul wished for brethren to realize what it means to love Him, and what it means for Christ to love us, and what it means to love others because of Him” (Caldwell p. 146). “Which passeth knowledge”: First, this is love that the world is completely unfamiliar with (1 John 3:1). It passes knowledge in the sense that for the Christian there is always more to appreciate concerning this love and it is a subject that can never fully be exhausted. “Simpson has compared Paul's seeming contradiction to an Alpine peak, inaccessible to the mountain climber, but conquered by means of a secret track whereby it can be scaled. Paul has opened that secret passageway to us by serving as the Spirit's instrument to make known that which human knowledge cannot discover through its own reason and philosophy. Man can know something of the otherwise unknowable when he participates in that which has been revealed of the mind of God (1 Corinthians 2:6-16)” (Caldwell p. 147). “Filled unto all the fullness of God”: “With all the completion God has to give” (Knox). “The Greek preposition is eis, which indicates that we are to be filled not with so much as unto the fulness of God. God's fullness or perfection becomes thestandard or level up to which we pray to be filled. The aspiration is the same in principle as that implied by the commands to be holy as God is holy, and to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect (1 Peter 1:15-16; Matthew 5:48)” (Stott p. 138).
Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net/mdunagan@easystreet.com
