Ephesians 3:14-19 says...
Today's verses are Ephesians 3:14-19, which read,
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
A broken record I am with saying "Here is another long sentence from Paul." He is the master of these. Let's take apart the sentence this morning.
"For this reason..." - The reason is the realization of Paul to the fact of God in the process of the gospel and of us hearing the gospel and the faith from God to receive the gospel for our salvation and the scope of His family from every tribe and every nation.
"...I bow my knees before the Father,..." - Paul is in total awe of this process of love that God has put into place and he also puts himself in a position of submission to God's plan for the whole world and his very life.
"...from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,..." - The key word is "every." This is God's process for all who are called "in Christ." There is salvation by no other way.
"...that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,..." - Paul goes into another prayer for the people in the church in Ephesus. Paul is asking for God to grant them something that will come from God's glory. This something is salvation and its process and effects.
"...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;..." - Salvation comes from God's glory to us through His Spirit to be within us by the giving of and receiving of faith.
"...and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,..." - The fruit of that salvation that comes from God's glory is a life of love and all of its manifestations. Your life is planted in God's love and taking all of its nutrients from His love. You are in different soil than your were before.
"...may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,..." - This comprehension of God is only possible for those who are saved and their life is rooted and grounded in love. This comprehension is for you along with the saints who you might revere and raise up above you in status. You are not less than them in knowing the vastness of God and the love of Christ. This is given to you beyond just physical study of the Scriptures. You can memorize a verse but God will allow you to live it in real life and real time.
"..that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." - You used to be filled up with you. Now there is no space left for you. You are filled up with God.
Paul here asked for those in Ephesus to be fill up to all the fullness of God. In chapter 4, verse 13, he will ask for those in Ephesus to experience the fullness of Christ. In chapter 5, verse 18, he will ask for those in Ephesus to be filled with the Spirit. The Trinity given again by Paul to teach us that there is no room for us anymore with God in every aspect of His being taking up residence within us.
Are you full of God? Is this a prayer that you need to pray for yourself? Is what you are putting into yourself coming from God? If not, than it would be hard to fathom what would be coming out of you would be of God. "Garbage in, garbage out" is the old saying but lets change it to "God in, God out" in the life of the believer. It has to be in that order.
"Lord, what grand prayers that Paul gives for those receiving his letters. It is not just a little request to ask for God's glory to be given to others to know who You are and experience the fullness of Your love through Jesus Christ. What we have received from you, may it be rooted and grounded in love so that what comes from us is not of us but You. May we ooze You because that is what has been going into us on a regular basis. Amen."
Pastor Adam
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
A broken record I am with saying "Here is another long sentence from Paul." He is the master of these. Let's take apart the sentence this morning.
"For this reason..." - The reason is the realization of Paul to the fact of God in the process of the gospel and of us hearing the gospel and the faith from God to receive the gospel for our salvation and the scope of His family from every tribe and every nation.
"...I bow my knees before the Father,..." - Paul is in total awe of this process of love that God has put into place and he also puts himself in a position of submission to God's plan for the whole world and his very life.
"...from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,..." - The key word is "every." This is God's process for all who are called "in Christ." There is salvation by no other way.
"...that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,..." - Paul goes into another prayer for the people in the church in Ephesus. Paul is asking for God to grant them something that will come from God's glory. This something is salvation and its process and effects.
"...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;..." - Salvation comes from God's glory to us through His Spirit to be within us by the giving of and receiving of faith.
"...and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,..." - The fruit of that salvation that comes from God's glory is a life of love and all of its manifestations. Your life is planted in God's love and taking all of its nutrients from His love. You are in different soil than your were before.
"...may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,..." - This comprehension of God is only possible for those who are saved and their life is rooted and grounded in love. This comprehension is for you along with the saints who you might revere and raise up above you in status. You are not less than them in knowing the vastness of God and the love of Christ. This is given to you beyond just physical study of the Scriptures. You can memorize a verse but God will allow you to live it in real life and real time.
"..that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." - You used to be filled up with you. Now there is no space left for you. You are filled up with God.
Paul here asked for those in Ephesus to be fill up to all the fullness of God. In chapter 4, verse 13, he will ask for those in Ephesus to experience the fullness of Christ. In chapter 5, verse 18, he will ask for those in Ephesus to be filled with the Spirit. The Trinity given again by Paul to teach us that there is no room for us anymore with God in every aspect of His being taking up residence within us.
Are you full of God? Is this a prayer that you need to pray for yourself? Is what you are putting into yourself coming from God? If not, than it would be hard to fathom what would be coming out of you would be of God. "Garbage in, garbage out" is the old saying but lets change it to "God in, God out" in the life of the believer. It has to be in that order.
"Lord, what grand prayers that Paul gives for those receiving his letters. It is not just a little request to ask for God's glory to be given to others to know who You are and experience the fullness of Your love through Jesus Christ. What we have received from you, may it be rooted and grounded in love so that what comes from us is not of us but You. May we ooze You because that is what has been going into us on a regular basis. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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