TEXT:
"[14] For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, [15] from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, [16] that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, [17] so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, [18] may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, [19] and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What does Paul’s prayer here in these verses teach us about how we should pray?
How should we balance confidence and humility within the Christian faith?
Why do you think Paul prays that the Holy Spirit will give their inner being strength?
SERMON MANUSCRIPT:
The book of Ephesians has a lot to say about many different things. It addresses a variety of topics, one being the topic of prayer. But, the book Ephesians doesn't necessarily address the topic of prayer as Jesus did in Matthew 6, where he explicitly said, "Pray like this." Instead, Paul (in Ephesians) teaches us how to pray by showing us how he prays. In this week's passage, Paul (once again) allows us to peek behind the curtain of his prayer life, hopefully teaching us how to become better praying people.
Today will remind us that if we want to be a healthy church, we must be a praying church. A key element of the Christian faith is prayer. You show me a healthy church, and I will show you a church that prays for others and is prayed for by others. You show me a strong believer, and I will show you a believer who prays for others and is prayed for by others. Therefore, developing a healthy rhythm of bowing before the Father and lifting others in prayer would serve us well.
Let's dive in.
"[14] For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, [15] from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, [16] that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, [17] so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, [18] may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, [19] and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
A KEY ELEMENT TO PRAYER IS HUMILITY
Many commentaries I read this week highlighted how the standard posture of prayer amongst the Jews during this time was standing. Kneeling in prayer was not a common practice. Yet, here we find Paul going against the grain, bowing his knees before the Father. As Paul approaches the Father in prayer, he bends his knee in reverent humility, which teaches us that humility is a key element of prayer. When we approach the Father, we humbly bow our hearts before him.
Now, suppose you look back to verse 12. In that case, you will find Paul reminding the church that they have bold and confident access to the Father through Jesus. This means we don't have to hide from God in shame like Adam and Eve in the garden after they sinned; instead, we can go to him confidently, with no fear or shame, as if we've never sinned. So, through Jesus, we can confidently go to God in prayer. But, in the kingdom of God, confidence isn't the absence of humility. We go to the Father boldly yet humbly.
Let's think about this for a moment.
In the world, confidence and humility are opposites. In the world, confidence is often demonstrated through arrogance. And in the world, those who demonstrate humility are often those who have no confidence. But that must not be the case in God's kingdom. Gospel confidence is a humble confidence. Biblical humility is choosing to kneel when you have the right to stand.
As believers, we walk humbly because our confidence doesn't reside in anything we've done for God. Instead, our confidence as believers resides in what God has done for us in Christ. Therefore, as we confidently approach God in prayer, we do so in humble meekness. We humbly bow before God, knowing that it is only by his grace, mercy, and love that we can confidently come to him in prayer.
Paul says, "For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father." This tells us that humility is not a means to an end but an expression of gratitude. It is a response to something.
This is so important for us to understand because we're transactional people. We think, "If I do X for you, then you will do Y for me." And, if we're not careful, we will begin to think this way with God. If we're not careful, we will begin to think that outwardly demonstrating humility will manipulate God into doing what we want him to do on our own terms. As a kid, for example, I always thought that if I made myself look sad and said, "Pleaseeeee," maybe my parents would give me what I wanted.
But that's not how things work with God. A posture of humility is not a means to an end but an expression of gratitude. It is a response to something already freely given. We don't bow our knees in prayer to pull on God's heartstrings. No. We bend our knees as a humble response to what God has done for us in Christ Jesus. We bow our knees before God in prayer because He is God, and we are not. He is the Sovereign Lord over all things, the one by whom "every family and earth is named." In other words, nothing falls outside of God's sovereign control: not a fallen leaf, a word uttered, or a child named. God has been and always will be on the throne, and he invites us to come to him in prayer. So, we do so with humble and grateful hearts.
Now, when we pray, we can certainly pray for ourselves. We see Jesus, at times, praying for himself. We should cast all our cares and desires upon the God who loves and cares for us. But, Paul here demonstrates to us the importance of praying for other people, primarily those within the church. We should make a habit of praying for other Christians. Part of being a Christian is praying for other Christians. So, who in the church are you praying for regularly?
PRAY FOR SPIRITUAL STRENGTH
But what should we pray for when we pray for other Christians? Well, Paul begins to answer that for us in verse 16, Paul begins to pray for strength for the church. He says, "According to the riches of his glory, he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being." Paul doesn't pray for physical strength; he prays for inner strength.
The unfortunate reality of life is that our bodies are wasting away. So, devoting all our time, effort, and resources to acquiring physical strength would be unwise, like chasing after the wind. Instead, we should understand that spiritual strength is far more important and doesn't fade. As our bodies waste away, our inner being can strengthen through the power of the Holy Spirit, who resides within our hearts.
This is what Paul is praying: that the all-powerful God of the universe will grant the church inner strength. This is a lofty prayer that is worth repeating. One of the greatest things we can pray for one another is that our inner being might be strengthened.
The Bible makes it clear that the heart is the wellspring of life. Everything we do flows from it. It drives our every action and steers our every word. Therefore, to be faithful Christians, we need the Holy Spirit to do a mighty work within our hearts.
Think about what Paul is praying this way.
We have an old boat that we've been fixing up, trying to get it ready for the water. I've done a ton of work on it and still have much more to do. I've sealed holes, added seats, wired lights, and added rod holders. But I still want to paint it, add a live well and a fishing deck, and connect a trolling motor.
Here's the unfortunate state of our boat: the motor is old and isn't running well. So, it would be absolutely ridiculous to spend all of my time, energy, and money on cosmetic work while neglecting the technical work on the motor. A pretty boat with a dead motor is a useless boat. If I want to use the boat how it was designed to be used, I need the motor to function correctly.
Well, the same is true of the Christian life. Our motor is our heart, our inner man. And we need our motor, our heart, to function properly. For the Christian life to work, we must be strengthened in our inner being.
Addressing our actions without addressing our hearts is like adding a fresh coat of paint to the boat with the hope of the motor starting up. Who we are on the inside is more important than who we are on the outside. The person that only God can see is more important than the person our friends can see. As Christians, we don't simply concern ourselves with our actions; we care about our words, thoughts, and desires. So, Paul is praying that their inner being will be strengthened through the power of the Holy Spirit "so that Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith."
Now, Paul isn't praying that Christ will move into their hearts. As we see in Chapter 1, the Holy Spirit already resides within their hearts. Christ already lives in them. So, Paul isn't praying that Christ will move into their hearts for the first time; he is praying that Christ will take up residence and settle into their hearts to control and strengthen them.
Maybe another illustration might be helpful.
Perhaps you've purchased an old home before that needs a lot of work. The floors are old, and they creak. The walls are stained and dirty. The roof is decrepit and leaking, and the appliances needed to be replaced in 1946. Your new home is in need of a renovation. So, when you move in and take residence in your home, you begin to change your home, making it your own. You paint the walls, scrub the floors, repair the roof, and fix the appliances. Over time, the home begins to reflect the likes and desires of the one who resides within it.
If Christ moves into our hearts, the deed has been signed, and our hearts belong to him. Your heart is his home. Therefore, he has the exclusive rights and freedom to do with his home as he pleases.
It would be foolish for the previous owner of your home to come knock on your door and say, "I see you bought some paint. Please don't paint the walls blue."
When the deed has been signed, you can do with your home as you please. Well, the same is true with our hearts. Your heart no longer belongs to you; it belongs to Jesus. When you placed your faith in Jesus, you handed over the keys to your heart and life and said, "Lord, do as you please with my life. Transform my heart in any way you see fit. The only thing I ask is that you give me the strength to obey what you call me to do."
This is what Paul is praying will happen for the believers in Ephesus. He is praying that the Holy Spirit will strengthen their inner being so that Christ will reside in their hearts, making them more and more like Jesus. When we pray for one another, this is something we should pray for. We should pray that the Holy Spirit will strengthen others to become more like Jesus.
PRAY FOR LOVE
Paul then begins to pray that the church will be "rooted and grounded in love." Both of these phrases (rooted and grounded) imply security and stability. For a tree to withstand the strong winds of a storm, it needs to have strong roots that seep deep into the ground. For a house to withstand the strong winds of a storm, it must be built on a firm foundation. The same is true for you and me. Love is the foundation by which the church stands. Love is the root that keeps us from collapsing when the winds of life come rushing through. When Christ dwells in our hearts, love is where he directs us. When Christ moves into our hearts, he rips up the old floor of hate, envy, and jealousy and lays the new and better foundation of love.
Love is central to the Christian faith. It is an action inspired by an encounter. It's an action that flows out of an experience. We love because God first loved us.
Look at what the apostle John says in 1 John 4:7-12, "[7] Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. [8] Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. [9] In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. [10] In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. [11] Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. [12] No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us."
So, brotherly love is central to the Christian faith. If we know God, we know love. If Christ dwells in us, we will begin loving one another. We know we love God by our willingness to love one another in a way that reflects God's love for us. When we pray for one another, we should pray that we will love one another. We should pray that other Christians will be loving.
And here's the beauty of Christian love. Christian love is something we actively live out, and it's something we actively cling to. It's something we give, and it's something we receive. To love well, we must know love well. To extend the love of Christ, we must be able to comprehend the love of Christ. And this is what Paul is praying for the church. Paul is praying that they will be able to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. He's praying that the church will be able to comprehend the incomprehensible love of Christ. Look at this, "that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
Paul is praying that the church will be able to (together) comprehend all of the vast dimensions of God's love for his bride. God's love for his bride is unending. It stretches farther than you could ever see, deeper than you could ever go, and higher than you could ever climb. So, as we pray for one another, we should pray that we can know the love of Jesus.
It's when we know the love of Christ that we can truly begin to live out the love of Christ. Gospel doctrine shapes gospel culture. The healthiest churches are those who can comprehend the incomprehensible love of Christ. The incomprehensible love of Christ fills us with the fullness of God, transforming us into loving believers.
As we close, I once again want to direct our attention to the importance of the church and the necessity of walking through life with other believers. Paul prays that the church will be able to comprehend this love with all the saints. As John Stott puts it, "The isolated Christian can indeed know something of the love of Jesus. But his grasp of it is bound to be limited by his limited experience. It needs the whole people of God to understand the whole love of God, all the saints together, Jews and Gentiles, men and women, young and old, black and white, with their varied backgrounds and experiences." As the church, we have the privilege and honor of growing in our knowledge of Christ's love by extending the love of Christ to one another.