Ephesians Series #17
“Stairway to God’s Fullness”
Part 1
Ephesians 3:14-19
I. Our Wealth and Worth In Christ 1-4
A. Paul blessed God for blessing us with every spiritual blessing 1:3-14
B. Paul prayed for their enlightenment 1:15-23
C. Paul detailed our resurrected life in Christ 2:1-10
D. Paul declared our awesome acceptance and reconciliation 2:11-21
E. Paul shared His personal testimony regarding ministry 3:1-13
Paul intended to break out in prayer for the Ephesians in verse one but got sidetracked.
He eventually shares his prayer beginning in verse 14. Paul understood the value of intercessory prayer. He mentions his prayer in nearly all of his letters to churches and individuals. How effective was Paul’s ministry to the Ephesians? (Acts 20:17-38)
Served with all humility among many trials and tribulations
Taught boldly and thoroughly both publically and from house to house
Lived sacrificially
Admonished day and night for three years
Coveted no one’s money
Worked hard
36 When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And they began to weep aloud and embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, 38 grieving especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were accompanying him to the ship. Acts 20:17-38
We could spend time talking about the components of Paul’s prayer life. But I am more interested today in the content of his prayer. The content reveals the process involved in becoming filled with the fullness of God. I call this the “Stairway to God’s fullness.”
Being filled with the fullness of God is the “end game” of Paul’s prayer. God created us in His image. We bear His unimaginable image. Only Adam and Eve enjoyed the full expression of that image. The problem is something happened to that image at the very beginning. The only two members of God’s intended harmonious community broke fellowship with the Creator through intentional sin. We have been living with the disastrous results ever since.
Broken community with God and each other became the norm.
But God planned a restoration of that community from the moment it disintegrated. Through Jesus Christ, a new community has been created in the church that is destined to exist forever in harmony with their Creator and each other. Not only do people have a longing for community and harmony, bearers of the image of God have a longing for God’s fullness.
This includes not only a personal sense of God’s presence but also the sense that we are being continually transformed into the likeness of Jesus.
Why do I refer to this as a staircase? A staircase leads us to a higher plane one step at a time.
Each step leads us to the next step. Each step is dependent on the previous one.
Within this prayer are several “so thats”. “So that” is a trigger to a desired result or consequence.
For example, I want you to get some sleep so that you will be refreshed so that you will be able to get up early so that you will be able to finish your work so that we can go to the fair.
We find four “so that” phrases in this prayer unfolding a monumental journey.
F. Paul prayed for the Ephesian’s enablement 3:14-19
Paul shared the significant content of his prayer with the Ephesians.
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, Ephesians 3:14-15
Just a few observations before we climb the golden stairs to divine fullness.
• Paul’s effective prayer was motivated by Paul’s eternal perspective concerning the church.
• Paul knelt when he prayed.
A variety of prayer postures can be observed in the Bible. None of them are prescribed. Most of them express a state of mind; humility, joy, intensity, depression, intimacy, distress.
• Paul addressed the Father whom he identified as the Creator of all people and families.
He bowed “toward” the Father. This is an expression of closeness and face to face intimacy.
Because of Jesus, he enjoyed bold and confident access to the Father. The phrase “from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name” perhaps is a reference to the fact the God was the head of this new community that existed both in heaven and on earth. The term family can refer to a specific group. In this case the believing family.
Many commentators identify several prayer requests in this prayer. I see one request major request leading to an ultimate end. It is a prayer for an inner strengthening that will ultimately lead to a divine filling. Thus the view of a stairway or upward spiral.
1. Desire for Inner strengthening 16
Paul prays that these believers be strengthened in the inner man
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man 3:16
"strengthen" to make strong, to establish
Used four times in the New Testament.
Jesus grew and became strong in spirit(Luke 1:80; 2:40)
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong (1 Cor 16:13)
Jesus said, 'without me you can do nothing."
We are incapable of living the Christian life in our own limited strength. To live as effect members of God’s community is not just difficult, it is impossible. Left on our own, we could never become like God. No amount of self-effort will bring about God’s fullness.
The sooner we recognize our inability to live this life in our own strength and realize how desperately we need the strengthening of God, the sooner we will discover what fullness of life is all about.
One can observe 5 basic factors about this strengthening in this verse.
a. It is God who grants our strengthening
Paul didn't ask that God would help them strengthen each other. Paul didn't ask that they would become strong by personal exercise or discipline. Paul asked that God would grant that they be strengthened. (Passive) This strengthening is something done to us by God in answer to our prayers for one another.
b. It is a strengthening “according to” His riches in glory
God grants us strengthening “according to” the resources of His own glorious inexhaustible, all-powerful, infinite person. It comes out of His warehouse not ours.
And this strengthening is not “out of”, but “according to” His riches.
Consider
To give $10 out of your $10,000 paycheck is "out of" kind of giving.
To give $1000 out of that paycheck would be "according to" giving.
Paul asked God to grant strengthening to the church “according to” his infinite resources.
c. It is a strengthening with His power (dunamis)
Paul asked that God strengthen us with His power, strength, ability, mighty work, abundance, might, miraculous power. In chapter 1, Paul talked about the demonstration of God's power toward us. Here Paul is asking that God demonstrate His power in us. All the words derived from this stem have the meaning of being able, capable, stressing the faculty of the ability
The word was often used in connection to the miracles of Jesus.
Jesus felt power go out of Him when the woman touched his clothes and was healed.
Jesus did not demonstrate miraculous power in Nazareth because of their unbelief.
Jesus promised that this power would come upon His followers.
Stephen, one of the first deacons, was a man full of God's grace and power and did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.
His strength or power is perfected through our weakness. It is the ability to endure, overcome, conquer. It is a power that sets the genuine apart from the false.
"having a form of godliness but denying its power." 2 Tim 3:5
This is not natural ability or talent. This is the supernatural power of God himself. Paul didn't want these believers to be disheartened or weakened by the circumstances of his imprisonment. Here he prays for their hearts to be strengthened by the very power of God.
Where does this power come from?
d. It is a strengthening by or through the Holy Spirit
Paul used a preposition indicating the channel or means of an event. Jesus operated through the Spirit's power.
"And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led about by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days being tempted by the devil." Luke 4:1
The promise of power that Jesus made to His disciples was to come about through the permanent indwelling of the promised Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The New Testament is full of references to the power of the Holy Spirit for life and ministry. Paul acknowledged the source of his strength many times.
e. It is a strengthening of the inner man
This is not brute physical strength to crush rock. This is not some macho power trip.
This is a strengthening of the inner person. This strengthening takes place in the core of who we are.
2 Cor 4 "though the outer man is decaying, the inner man is being renewed day by day.
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will exchange their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isa 40:28-31
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Psa 20:7
Paul asks that the church be strengthened in their core with the very power of God available through the Holy Spirit Even though this is the same power available to produce signs and wonders it is not
11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously Colossians 1:11
Notice the strengthening is for the attaining of steadfastness and longsuffering. That we remain true to God in the midst of difficult circumstances (steadfast) and maintain a spirit of service in the midst of difficult people (long suffering). We won’t ascend the staircase to God’s fullness without first receiving God's strengthening. We must come to the place we recognize our own inability to live the Christian life without the power of the Holy Spirit.
2. Desire for dynamic indwelling 3:17
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love
Some general observations first.
• The concept of indwelling has to do with daily function.
The term “indwell” means to settle down, be at home, dwell in a fixed place. Not to inhabit as a stranger but settle down as a resident, a place where one is master of one's own house.
Paul did not praying that these believers invite Christ in their life. Paul prayed that Christ be given full reign to effectively dwell in their life. Christ in you the hope of glory
• This dynamic indwelling depends on daily faith.
This takes place when we put our trust in His work. When we decide to trust His direction rather than ours, there is a dynamic set up for daily life. The faith walk feels counterintuitive.
It is unnatural for the fallen man to trust an unseen God. Generally, we trust everything else except God. The Bible is clear that without faith it is impossible to please him. (Heb 11:6)
The immediate desired result of this inner strengthening by the Holy Spirit is to enable us to trust Christ with full reign in our life. This is the next step in the golden staircase toward divine fullness. We need strengthening so that we will actually allow Christ to be home in our inner life. The Holy Spirit strengthens us so that we give Christ access to more and more of the areas of our life. By faith we allow him to be in charge of everything.
Our thoughts, our emotions, our circumstances, our reputation, our dreams and aspiration, our money, our time, our family, our leisure, our work are all continually placed by faith into His control to accomplish whatever best results in His glory and our good.
This is a continual, daily act of faith in God to bring about His purposes in us.
Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Gal 3:1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing--if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?
It is one thing to realize that I can't do it on my own. It is another thing to entrust my life into the care of someone else. We have been burned so many times by people. The unconditional love for which we so desperately long has alluded us so many times, we resist trusting anyone, even God. We need to really believe that someone loves us in order to entrust our life to them. Paul prayed that these believers be strengthened so that they would invite Christ to effectively live in and control their lives. Only when Christ is allowed to rule in our hearts will we experience true love. Christ indwells us expressing and working His unconditional love.
That is why Paul declares here the result of Christ's dynamic indwelling; we become rooted and grounded in love; His love.
"Rooted" is an agricultural term.
"Grounded" is an architectural term.
Both illustrate a solid foundation able support continual growth and development. His indwelling brings a rooting and grounding in His love. Paul used a perfect tense both of these verbs. We were rooted and grounded in love and still are rooted and grounded in His love.
When by faith we allow Christ to be at home in the center of our life we are forced to daily trust His love for us.
LOVE is the foundation of our walk, it is the foundation of the growth of the church.
When God powerfully strengthens us by His Spirit in the inner man…
We, by faith, allow Christ to daily demonstrate his incomprehensible love for us and effectively live in us then we begin to gain a better understanding what genuine love is all about.
Here is the full staircase.
• Paul prays for the Spirit’s strengthening.
• The Spirit’s strengthening brings about the Son’s full control over our life.
• The Son’s loving control results in an ever increasing understanding of his love.
• This ever growing understanding of the full dimensions of His love brings about a new sense of the Father's fullness who is love.
It is as we abandon ourselves in the deep love of Jesus that we begin to comprehend the full dimensions of a love that goes beyond full understanding.
We will consider the last two steps in this stairway to God's fullness next week.
Today!
Where is the power today? I sometime feel like that we are not seeing His transforming power in the church today. God created the new community to live and move in power. It is a power for living and a power for fulfilling the ministry to which He calls us.
Simpson called it the deeper life. It is a Holy Spirit empowered life.
1. Pray for and receive the strengthening power of the Holy Spirit in our inner man.
2. By faith invite Jesus to set up His rule in our inner life.
Beyond understanding the principles contained within this prayer is the obvious implication to incorporate this very prayer into your own prayer practice.
3. Pray for this church this week! Everyday?
Let’s see what happens.
