Ephesians 3A. We re nearing the end of the first half of Paul s letter, so I think it s a good time to revisit the structure of this letter

Transcription

1 Ephesians 3A We re nearing the end f the first half f Paul s letter, s I think it s a gd time t revisit the structure f this letter Remember I said this letter is half dctrine, half practice The first three chapters f the letter teach fundamental principles f ur salvatin Other than Rmans, n ther letter f the New Testament dives mre deeply int the ramificatins f salvatin by faith in Christ It s a deep explratin f grace Then the final three chapters f the letter shift gears dramatically t explain ur we live ut ur faith in specific ways Paul explains using spiritual gifts Putting aside sin in ur actins and speech Fulfilling ur assigned rles in the church and in ur families Imitating Christ in resisting greed, shwing frgiveness, living called ut lives in the midst f an ungdly culture Tday we start chapter 3, but it s a shrt chapter which is why I say we re cming t the end f the first part f this letter Chapter 3 was t be a prayer by Paul n behalf f the church in Ephesus And he des give his prayer But Paul interrupts his prayer t give a parenthetical explanatin f an imprtant mystery Remember, I said mysteries are truths Gd hid frm earlier generatins but then revealed in the New Testament They are mysteries in the sense that they were previusly unknwn The mystery Paul discusses is the mystery f the Church, and we ll discuss that mystery in depth as Paul presents it in this chapter 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 Ephesians 3A 2 f 13 But because f the way Paul appraches this chapter, I d like t d smething a little different with ur study Despite ur name (VBVMI), I am ging t jump arund a little in chapter 3 First, we re ging t study the prayer, since it fllws directly frm Paul s teaching in chapters 1-2 And then after we ve studied the prayer, we ll g back and study the mystery, because the mystery serves as the fundatin fr Paul s teaching in chapter 4 The prayer begins in v.1, s let s start there... Eph. 3:1 Fr this reasn I, Paul, the prisner f Christ Jesus fr the sake f yu Gentiles Befre we study Paul s prayer, first take nte hw his prayer is interrupted at the end f that verse In my English translatin, the editrs placed a em dash at the end f the verse t indicate a break in Paul s thught Nw scan dwn the page in yur Bible and lk fr where Paul returns t his riginal thught At the start f v.14 yu see Paul picking up again with his prayer using the same intrductry phrase The verse begins again with fr this reasn S if we re t study his prayer, we need t jump frm v.1 t v.14 as if vs.2-13 didn t exist And that s what we re ging t d this mrning s we can study the Paul s prayer intact S I m ging t read the prayer as a ne passage Eph. 3:1 Fr this reasn I, Paul, the prisner f Christ Jesus fr the sake f yu Gentiles Eph. 3:14 Fr this reasn I bw my knees befre the Father, Eph. 3:15 frm whm every family in heaven and n earth derives its name, Eph. 3:16 that He wuld grant yu, accrding t the riches f His glry, t be strengthened with pwer thrugh His Spirit in the inner man, 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 Ephesians 3A 3 f 13 Eph. 3:17 s that Christ may dwell in yur hearts thrugh faith; and that yu, being rted and grunded in lve, Eph. 3:18 may be able t cmprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, Eph. 3:19 and t knw the lve f Christ which surpasses knwledge, that yu may be filled up t all the fullness f Gd. Since Paul repeated the phrase fr this reasn, let s start by asking the bvius questin, What reasn? The reasn is the argument Paul made in chapters 1 & 2 In thse chapters, Paul explained hw believers have received immeasurable blessings frm Gd Frm befre the fundatins f the Earth, we were selected t be Gd s wn pssessin in Christ Frm the Gdhead, we receive prmises f righteusness, peace, spiritual gifts and eternal blessings And fr that reasn, as a result f all that we ve received, Paul prays that the church wuld cme t appreciate all these things Specifically, circle sme key thughts in Paul s prayer In v.16, the phrase strengthened with pwer In v.17, the phrase rted and grunded in lve In v.18, the wrd cmprehend And in v.19 the wrds t knw and t be filled up These wrds r phrases frm the utline f Paul s prayer will guide ur understanding this mrning Back t the tp fr a mment, Paul begins by describing himself as a prisner f Christ Jesus The wrd prisner sunds negative f curse, but in cntext f v.1 its cnveys a distinctly psitive meaning While we may nt like the idea f being a prisner, the truth is that all humanity is a prisner f smene 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 Ephesians 3A 4 f 13 We learned earlier in chapter 2 that all humanity is brn slaves t the enemy and t sin We are all brn int bndage t the enemy because we cme int the wrld sharing the enemy s fallen nature Therefre, we als share his cndemnatin, and it s impssible t escape that sentence n ur wn, thus we are a prisner t ur cnditin But by the grace f Gd, we may be brn again in the nature f Christ, s that by faith in Christ we receive His spirit Our new spirit is incapable f sin, because we are placed in bndage r slavery t Christ As Paul says in Rmans Rm. 6:22 But nw having been freed frm sin and enslaved t Gd, yu derive yur benefit, resulting in sanctificatin, and the utcme, eternal life. Frequently, the epistle writers refer t themselves as bndslaves t Christ S if yu re ging t be a slave, far better t serve the Living Gd Wh lves us and grants us eternal life than t serve His enemy Paul then adds that his service t Christ was dedicated t the needs f the Gentiles Paul, an eminent Jew, was cmmanded by the Lrd t begin the recruitment f a Gentile church Paul says in 1Timthy he was cmmanded by Gd t serve D yu remember Paul s experience n the rad t Damascus, as the Lrd literally arrested him and enlisted him? Paul is simply emphasizing his life is dedicated t the needs f his readers, therefre his prayer is sincere and heartfelt And then we mve t v.14 where Paul begins t pray t the Father Ntice that Paul directs his prayer t the Father specifically We always pray t ur Heavenly Father 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 Ephesians 3A 5 f 13 We knw the Sn is interceding fr us in ur prayers at the right hand f the Father But the destinatin fr prayer is always the Father As Jesus Himself taught us when He tld us t pray Our Father in Heaven... Secndly, ntice Paul says his prayer is ffered as he bws his knees It s curius that Paul thinks t mentins his prayer psture Paul must have included the detail f bwing t his knees t cmmunicate smething t us abut prayer And what it cmmunicates that Paul appraches the Creatr with reverence and submissin t His svereign pwer Ntice in v.15 that Paul acknwledges the Father s authrity t determine everyne s place in Heaven and n earth It s like the histry f Creatin is a giant chess bard, and the Father has arranged every piece just as He pleases S Paul bws t his knees as he begins t ffer a prayer n behalf f the saints in Ephesus Yur psture is mre than a matter f cnvenience r preference It s nt simply ritual Yur physical psture is as imprtant as yur heart attitude when yu apprach the Lrd in prayer Because ne reflects the ther Our psture reflects hw seriusly we take the pprtunity t speak t the Father In scripture when we read f men praying whether prphet r king, shepherd r farmer - yu ften see them bwing, face dwn, prstrate They were driven t the grund in recgnitin f their wn unwrthiness They were acknwledging the Father s supreme hliness Their minds and hearts were fully engaged and submitted t Gd in prayer, and s their psture fllwed suit 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 Ephesians 3A 6 f 13 S here s Paul, fully engaged in heartfelt prayer, cmpelled t drp t his knees by his appreciatin fr all the Father is and all He has dne And this brings us t the first f ur key thughts in v.16 Paul prays the Father wuld grant His church in Ephesus t be strengthened spiritually by Gd s pwer Spiritual strength in the inner man is spiritual frtitude, spiritual maturity He s describing a Christian gaining pwer ver his r her flesh, becming less susceptible t the enemy s schemes It s pwer frm the Spirit f Gd t lead us int a clser walk, ne dependent n the Spirit f Gd and less dependent n ur wn desires Fr Ephesus, spiritual strength was the first rder f business, since this cmmunity was prne t leaving their first lve They were surrunded by a rich ungdly culture s their flesh was a strng adversary They needed strengthening frm the pwer f the Hly Spirit If a Christian is nt interested in seeking spiritual strength at the expense f the flesh, than nt much mre is pssible fr them Trying t teach, guide r encurage a believer wh isn t seeking spiritual strength is like trying t train a runner wh wn t tie his shes Gd is the One Wh grants spiritual strength, but He grants it t thse Wh seek fr it And we shuld be making appeals t the Lrd fr increasing spiritual strength t prepare us fr the rest f ur jurney with Him That brings us t the secnd mile marker in Paul s prayer in v.17: being rted and grunded in lve The verse begins with the phrase s that indicating that shuld the Father grant Paul s request in v.16, then it may lead t the next step The next step is that Christ wuld then dwell in their hearts 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 Ephesians 3A 7 f 13 Paul was writing t believers, s these Christians already had the Spirit f Christ dwelling in them by faith Therefre we knw Paul was speaking f smething else Yu culd translate v.17 t read that Christ be at hme in yur hearts By gaining spiritual strength in ur inner man, we becme a place where Christ may feel at hme Christ indwells every believer by His Spirit but He dwells in us when ur thughts and behavirs mirrr His It s the different between Christ being in the backseat f yur car r behind the wheel Paul prayed that the thughts f Christ wuld becme the thughts f the church, and as a result the church wuld be rted and grunded in lve T be rted in smething means t find ur supply in that thing The rts supply the rest f the plant with everything If yu place a clr dye in a huseplant s water, yu can change the clr f the entire plant S what are yu rted in? Where d yu g fr yur supply? When a Christian is rted in lve, we re saying the persn has tapped int the mind f Christ By study f His wrd, by a grwing spiritual strength made pssible by appeals t the riches f Gd s mercy, by crucifying ur flesh, we sink rts in Christ Then as we face life s decisins, we draw frm Christ s lve S say the lving wrds, we think the lving thughts, we d the lving things instead f what ur flesh desires And t be grunded refers t the fundatin f a building A building is grunded in the sense that it rests n smething unmvable, smething steady S Paul prays the church in Ephesus wuld be grunded in lve That they wuld nt be distracted, tempted, r therwise drawn away frm Christ and frm His lve 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 Ephesians 3A 8 f 13 The chain f Paul s prayer is starting t make sense...can yu see it? He prayed fr spiritual strength by the pwer f the Spirit, because the church relied t much n persnal strength Strength f finance, psitin, reputatin, pwer, influence, etc. And therefre, they were prne t leave their first lve, t verlk the spiritual blessings they have in Christ T verlk hw blessed they are already And by that spiritual strength they begin t make their hme a place Christ may dwell They will tap int the lve f Christ They will be grunded n Christ s lve And then as a church, they becme resistant t chasing after the wrld s pleasures and rewards ver thse fund in Christ s lve And frm this place f strength and steadiness, rted in Gd s lve, real spiritual understanding becmes pssible In particular, Paul prayed that frm a psitin f spiritual maturity, believers in Ephesus might cmprehend f the lve f Christ The term cmprehend als means t lay hld f r t seize smething S Paul desires the church wuld take hld f smething they already pssess, thugh they are verlking because f spiritual immaturity And the thing he wants them t cmprehend r seize is Gd s lve, which Paul describes by fur terms Breadth, length, height and depth The terms are intentinally vague because Paul is describing the limitless f Gd s lve Yet the fur terms each have unique meaning in describing ur experiencing Gd s lve First, the breadth f Gd s lve describes its all-encmpassing nature 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 Ephesians 3A 9 f 13 Gd s lve is nt reserved fr just sme kinds f peple, like Jews r the pius Gd s lve, His mercy, His frgiveness, His riches are available t Jew and Gentile, kings and paupers, priests and pagans Gd s lve is brad enugh fr everyne If the church is Ephesus culd take hld f the breadth f Gd s lve in Christ, they wuld see the wrld differently And they wuld cease wrrying abut individual status r persnal standing apart frm their standing in Christ Jewish believers wuld embrace Gentile believers and vice versa The church wuld have united as a single family, and frm their unity they culd shw the lve f Christ t the entire city Secndly, the length f Gd s lve refers t His limitless reach Is smene t far fr Gd t reach? Is smene t evil, t hardened, t unwrthy? N, because the length f Gd s lve reaches as far as the ends f the earth and int the hardest f hearts Remember the peple f Nineveh Remember Saul n the rad t Damascus Paul himself says in 1Timthy that he was called as an apstle specifically t demnstrate the length Gd was willing t g t extend frgiveness If gd culd reach them, He culd reach anyne And fr the Christian, the lve f Gd can reach us n matter hw far we stray N matter hw cmpletely ur sin may cnsume us Or hw discuraged we may becme in ur walk Gd s lve reaches further, His frgiveness never runs ut His grace is sufficient 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 Ephesians 3A 10 f 13 If the church in Ephesus culd cmprehend the length f Gd s lve, they wuld have seen the unsaved in Ephesus with mre cmpassin They might have taken their cmmissin as ambassadrs fr Christ mre seriusly They wuld cme t recgnize there are nly tw kinds f peple in the wrld: thse wh belng t Christ and thse wh dn t (yet) And even after they frgt their first lve and drifted away, they might have been drawn back by Gd s lve Thirdly, the height f Gd s lve refers t its inexhaustible and triumphant supply Gd s lve just keeps piling up, and it s always sufficient t address ur deepest emtinal needs, satisfying us in ways the wrld can t In its immaturity, the church in Ephesus had turned t lking fr lve in all the wrng places They valued gd teaching but they als seemed t value the wrld s attentin, rewards and pleasures But the things the wrld ffers just dn t satisfy in the end, and they certainly can t meet ur lnging fr cntentment If yu ve ever squandered a seasn f yur life chasing after the wrld s rewards, then yu already knw hw unsatisfying the pursuit can be The thrill f the shiny ty, the challenge f the new jb, the excitement f the new relatinship...nne f them satisfy Once we get past the bsessin and realize it was a waste f time, we lk back n that pursuit and wnder why we were s flish But unless we grund urselves in the lve f Christ, we ll likely t repeat that mistake ver again But after yu ve tapped int the lve f Christ s that yu are walking in spiritual strength, having becme an imitatr f Christ, then yur life begins t change Yu cme t knw the height f Gd s lve Yu can t exhaust Gd s lve 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 Ephesians 3A 11 f 13 Yu experience jy in serving Him that surpasses anything yu culd find in the wrld Yu find the reward f cntentment Certainly, life wn t becme perfect, and we still experience disappintments and tragedies But the height f Gd s lve leaves us satisfied in Christ all the mre when the wrld let s us dwn When yu have anchred yur satisfactin in life in the lve f Christ fr yu and His riches reserved in eternity, then yu aren ;t rcked by life s disappintments Yu see thse afflictins as mmentary and light, because the lve f Gd given t yu in Christ twers abve them all Finally, Paul prays we wuld knw the depth f Gd s lve, which refers t His unlimited mercy and supply Gd s pwer t bring us jy far surpasses the degree f srrw the wrld can inflict Believers walking in spiritual strength rted in Gd s lve still face difficulties in life But by Gd s lve we can face them with a resilience the wrld can t understand We still have feelings...we still feel pain, r anger r resentment, at least fr a mment But the depth s f Christ s lve brings a new, mature perspective t thse circumstances The church in Ephesus dearly needed t appreciate the depths f Gd s lve, because the things they were chasing were ging t lead t ruin Histrically, we knw this city entered int a decades-lng ecnmic decline The prt harbr they depended upn fr trade began t silt up and as it did, cmmercial trade disappeared This city f wealth became a city f ruin, but what f the Christians in the city wh chased fr the wealth the city ffered? 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

12 Ephesians 3A 12 f 13 Where wuld they be nce the city crumbled? If they culd set a fundatin f Christ s lve, then nthing culd shake them Their jy wuldn t depend n ecnmic trends r cmmercial success They might knw the fullness f Gd Ntice Paul ends v.19 praying fr that utcme He prays the church culd be filled with the fullness f Gd He asking that the church might find its cmplete satisfactin in the full mercy, grace and peace that cmes frm an abiding walk with the Lrd Des the thught s such cntentment seem ut f reach t yu? Des it sund like religius speak? Like fairytale? Perhaps yu re listening t the Bible s teaching this mrning, yet yu re dubting that such a life f cntentment is pssible fr yu If s, then yu haven t been listening Yu re thinking that Gd s lve has limits Yu ve frgtten that it has n limit in breadth, length, height and depth Yur assuming that yu have t wrk hard t btain what Gd freely gives t thse wh rest in Him And Paul seemed t knw yu and I might have such dubts, because he ends his letter with an strng encuragement fr us t pray this same prayer urselves Eph. 3:20 Nw t Him wh is able t d far mre abundantly beynd all that we ask r think, accrding t the pwer that wrks within us, Eph. 3:21 t Him be the glry in the church and in Christ Jesus t all generatins frever and ever. Amen. The Lrd is able t d things yu can t even imagine 2017 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

13 Ephesians 3A 13 f 13 And even mre impressive, Gd is ready t d things yu have already assumed He isn t willing t d Yu want t step away frm an addictin, but yu assume Gd isn t willing t help Yu re feeling led t change yur jb r yur career plans, but yu fear Gd wn t be there t prvide Yu re burdened with guilt fr sme terrible mistake r yu re afraid t reach ut t smene in need Whatever it is yu can t see past, yu ve been assuming the lve f Gd didn t reach that far But the wrd f Gd says the Lrd can d far mre in us and fr us and thrugh us than we culd ever knw And if yu pray t be strengthened in the Spirit And as yu direct yur life accrding t Christ s desires, the lve f Gd will manifest itself in yur life in ways big and small Yu will cme t see the riches f Gd s lve fr yu in Christ I m nt saying everything in yur life will becme perfect But in time, yu will because f the pwer f Gd wrking in yu And yu will knw cntentment and peace T Him be the glry in this church, and in Christ Jesus t all ur generatins frever and ever, Amen Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.