Ephesians 3 vs 14-21

Ephesians Chapter 3 Verses 14 – 16

·    What’s evident here is that Paul is praying. Asking God that God would grant to me and to you strength in our inner person. And I want to point out that his position of prayer is kneeling. I’m certainly not pointing that out to communicate in any way that kneeling is the correct position of prayer. There is not one correct position of prayer. In fact, in those days, in that culture, the most prevalent position of prayer was standing with arms raised (what we associate as a position of worship in our culture).

·    I personally like to walk and pray, drive and pray, sometimes sit and pray, truly any position is perfect if you’re praying. But we see throughout scripture…, Solomon prayed on his knees (1 Kings 8:54). Ezra, Daniel, Stephen, Peter, Paul, even Jesus in Luke 22:41, prayed on His knees. I love what Guzik says, “The Bible has enough prayer not on the knees to show us that it isn’t required, but it also has enough prayer on the knees to show us that it is good.”

·    Perhaps the point I’m really pondering is do you, as Paul does here, do you bow your knee to Jesus Christ? Physically in prayer, sure…but that’s not really what I’m asking. What good is it if you don’t bow the knee of your heart and yet you bow the knee in prayer or lift your hands in worship…? Maybe let me ask it another way. Would your life look different if you were submitted to God? If my answer to that is “yes,” my I have some work to do…

·    We so easily bow to so much. Fear. Pleasure. Lust. Anxiety. Anger. Shame. Blame… And those things just run our minds. Maybe for a few moments, perhaps a day; for some… it’s your entire life. Stand up to those monsters. Take a stand. And truly the way to do that is to bow the knee to the One True God.

·    And Paul prays here for you and for me in the most important way possible. That you and I would be strengthened with might…the phrase in the Greek means literally that you and I would be empowered and encouraged at a miraculous level within my soul of souls, heart of hearts… The closest to the core of who I am, the hidden, private, power supply and personal identity of how I experience the world.

·    This is the prayer of prayers and this is the most important focal point of life…, who you are and how you are on the inside. Within the heart, soul, mind and strength. God says in other scriptures that this is where He wants ultimate access because from this place flows every minute detail of your life. The whole world could be in turmoil. Disaster and dismay and delusion and yet if you are strong, mighty, knowing God’s great glory in your inner person, you’re calm, sustained, strong…

·    Paul would know. He’s in a Roman prison situation writing this letter. Rejected by his own people. Family-less, jobless, penniless, and yet here he is…fearless, sorrowless, regretless. Why? His outer man is perishing but his inner man is being renewed day by day.

·    2 Corinthians 4:7-18, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So, then death is working in us, but life in you. And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

·    How are you doing in your inner man? Emotional experiences and feelings are good but they are fleeting and not very effective at sustaining faith. Are you allowing fellowship with God in your inner person? That’s really all that matters. And how do you do it? Well, step one…submit to God. Bow the knee.

·     Here’s the big step two….

Ephesians Chapter 3 Verse 17a

·    That word “dwell” there means literally that Jesus is at home, comfortable, He fits in your heart of hearts and that is accomplished not by me being super human or as perfect and pure as Jesus but Paul gives us this HUGE help here and tells us that Jesus dwells, settles into our hearts, THROUGH FAITH.

·    Faith is a gift from God. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of it Himself, but my job is to activate what has been given to me through the agreement of my will and that is the activity or activation of faith. As I trust the Lord, chose His way over my own, then naturally my life will begin to look more like His and that makes Him quite comfortable, quite dwellable, in my heart of hearts. My inner person. And then that guy (my inner man) begins to strengthen with might!

·    Forget about the next statements…, “Being rooted and grounded in love…able to comprehend…” don’t even move onto to those yet because for the person that will not activate their faith, these things are out of reach.

·    It’s like getting in shape physically. The struggle today does not reward today. The time in the gym today leads to a desired result tomorrow…and the progress is very slow. It’s difficult like that. How is it that I can eat a Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup and feel bloated immediately but I do a pushup and I don’t instantly feel strong? HA. Faith is like that…

·    What you do today, the decision you make today to agree with Jesus in accordance with His Word, will bear fruit in the future. Future fruit. But we don’t like that. I did a push up, why haven’t I lost weight? It doesn’t work like that. So, you want to get in shape? How much do you want it? Because you’re going to have to want it more than the passing pleasure of the moment to achieve it. I’m not talking physically…

·    Do you want to be strengthened with might in the inner person? Filled with the Holy Spirit? It’s going to take you fighting your flesh today and look, there will be no reward immediately…, it’s future fruit. But here it comes…here’s what’s promised, here’s what I want, here's what I hope you want enough to activate the precious faith you have been given through the life of Jesus…

Ephesians Chapter 3 Verses 17 – 19

·    Rooted and grounded in love. Do you know what that means? That’s your root system, that’s the soil in which you are planted. And so come what may, no matter what the plants around you are doing, you’re bearing good fruit and you’re not even having to pay attention even because it’s just inevitable. You have healthy roots and your soul soil is rich!

·    Faith is activated! Jesus is the choice! You’ve chosen Him. To trust Him, to honor Him, to worship Him in your inner person because of what He has done for you, and then BOOM, fruit just comes forth. “I wish I wasn’t so angry. I wish I wasn’t so envious. I wish I could deal better with this person or situation.” Stop wishing and start hustling! Be faith-filled in the inner person and give it some time!

·    That rooting and grounding causes, Paul says here, comprehension. That word means to take it, to obtain it. Faith even unlocks your mind to know things unknowable to the natural man. And this is God’s desire for “all the saints,” to know the width, length, depth, height…of what? Of Christ’s love? SURE but you’ll never measure that. I believe Paul is simply talking about knowledge of knowledge. You’ll begin to figure things out…all things that pertain to life and godliness….

·    And you will know, experientially understand, take it for yourself, the love that Jesus has specifically for you that passes any knowledge…and at that point man you are just a created being filled with the fullness of the Creator… We have a technical word for that in the church of Jesus Christ and that is BLAD-DOW! Welcome to the person God is growing you into becoming. The person renewed day by day in the inner man, in the inner woman. Walking with God and living life and having life abundant according to God’s perfect plan for you personally… And Paul knows what he’s saying, he knows this life and so he PRAISES…

Ephesians Chapter 3 Verses 20 – 21

·    Walking by faith? What do you ask for…? God will deliver exceedingly abundantly above what you’ve asked for…. Walking by faith? What are you thinking about? God will delivery exceedingly abundantly above what you’re thinking about…check this out… According to the work of the Holy Spirit where? IN US. That’s where and what matters.

·    Have you surrendered your heart to Jesus Christ? Don’t miss out. You are saved by grace through faith and not of works lest anyone would have a reason to take credit other than Jesus Christ. But that faith is activated through your own will. Laying down this world as it were to inherit the fullness of heaven. Is Jesus settled in yet to your heart of hearts?