Paul’s Prayer
Introduction:
One of the best ways to learn about acceptable prayer is to
study the prayers we have recorded in the Scripture. Such is
our lesson today. Paul offers a prayer to God on behalf of
the Christians in Ephesus. He desires that the Father bless
them in a number of ways. It would be difficult to find more
beautiful words in all of the Bible.
Text:
Ephesians 3:14-21
Body:
I.
Paul Addresses the Father
(Verses
14-15)
Verse 14 “For this reason” goes back to verse 1.
Because God, through the death of His Son, has made it
possible for all people, both Jew and Gentile, to be
reconciled to God and each other in the body of Christ, the
church, where all spiritual blessings are! He addresses God
as “the Father”. He is father of Christ in the sense that He
has greater authority than Christ and brought Him into this
physical world by virgin birth. Verse 15 All the
redeemed are here designated “the whole family.” This
reminds us of
Hebrews 12:22-23.
Those in heaven [paradise] as well as those here on earth.
The family takes its name from the Father. God supplied the
name Christian for His people in the gospel age. This was
prophesied in
Isaiah 56:5
[everlasting name] and
Isaiah 62:2
[new name]. It was fulfilled in
Acts 11:26.
“And the disciples were first called Christians in
Antioch.”
II.
Paul Petitions the Father
(Verses
16-19)
Verse 16 Paul prays that God would strengthen them.
The source would be from God who has infinite power
[“according to the riches”]. The “inner man” is the soul and
spirit of man. This is the spiritual counterpart of outward
physical man. (II
Corinthians 4:16)
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man
is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by
day.”
NKJV
We are strengthened by feeding upon the Word of God. (I
Peter 2:2)
“as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that
you may grow thereby.”
We exercise when we worship and serve. (Hebrews
5:14)
“But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that
is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised
to discern both good and evil.” The Holy Spirit is the agent
or instrument through which strength is given. It builds us
up through the Word. Recall Paul’s words to the Ephesian
elders in
Acts 20:32.
Verse 17a Paul prays that Christ may continue to
dwell in these saints by faith – by the faith. By
learning more of God’s Word and putting it into practice,
they would be developing more and more a Christ-like
character. (Galatians
2:20)
“I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who
live, Christ lives is me.” Verses 17b-18 By Christ
dwelling in their hearts by faith, they also would be
“rooted and grounded” in love. These two characteristics
together would strengthen them greatly. The deeper a plant’s
roots are; the better able it is to survive harsh times. So
the deeper one’s love is; the stronger he is. This reminds
us of
Psalm 1:1-3.
These two would also enable them to comprehend the love of
Christ, to understand or perceive. Note this is able to be
done by “all the saints” not just a few so-called
enlightened scholars. Paul wants them to comprehend the
fullness of Christ’s love. a. Width or breadth His
love is wide enough to include all men. He desires all
to be saved. b. Length Jesus went to the greatest
length to save man. c. Depth Christ’s love is deep
enough to reach the lowest sinner. d. Height His love
is high enough to lift us out of sin and raise us eventually
to the heights of heaven. Verse 19 The love of Christ
is infinite and we cannot fully know it, at least in this
lifetime. The more we comprehend Christ’s love for us, the
stronger we will become. Just as a husband and wife’s love
for each other increases, the bond between them grows ever
stronger. So it is with a Christian and his Savior. As a
Christian’s love for Jesus grows, the communion or
fellowship between that Christian and Christ grows stronger
also. Paul then prays that they would be filled with all the
fullness of God. He desires they be filled with all the
strength and blessings and benefits available to them in
Christ.
III.
Paul Praises the Father
(Verses
20-21)
Verse 20 God is unlimited in power. Inherent in His
nature, He is able to accomplish things beyond human
understanding and power. (Matthew
19:26)
He is able to do those things Paul had just prayed for! Look
at God’s providential power in taking Joseph from a prisoner
to second-in-command of the nation of Egypt, or His
miraculous power in raising the dead or giving men power to
speak in foreign languages, or His power in washing away our
sins! Verse 21 This verse reemphasizes an important
truth. It is impossible to have Christ without His church.
The acceptable place to glorify the Father is in His Son’s
church. As members of that church, we are to glorify God in
all we do. (I
Corinthians 10:31)
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do
all to the glory of God.”
Conclusion:
Paul loved these Christians in Ephesus. He and they were all
part of the family of God. Part of that family was already
in paradise, in the heavenly realm. Paul would one day, not
too long in the future, go and join them. “We in fact are
one heartbeat away from transcending the space between
ourselves and our loved ones already home ‘over there’! The
difference between them and us is not that we are really
two, but rather one Body in Christ in two places. They are
in the safety of the harbor and we are still in this role of
preparation through self-discipline.” Are you making
preparations to join them?
Bobby Stafford
May 25, 2014