Sermon Notes: Ephesians 3:14-21, Part 3 – Paul Prays… That We Might Know
These are the notes of a sermon preached by Andy Evans on the morning of the 23 January 2011 at Firwood Church. Click here to stream or download the sermon audio.
Ephesians 3:14–21
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.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
1. INTRODUCTION – PAUL PRAYS
a. All Generations
Over the past two weeks we have been considering the second of Paul’s great prayers for the saints in Ephesus (beginning at Ephesians 3:14 through to verse 21).
Last week we discovered that the object and outcome of Paul’s prayer is breathtakingly expansive.
Firstly, we found that Paul’s prayer encompasses believers in Ephesus (obviously) and believers everywhere else. Indeed, Paul prays that believers in Ephesus, together ‘with all the saints’ (verse 18), might receive supernatural comprehension. Consequently, this prayer extends beyond Ephesus to Corinth, Galatia, Colossi, Thessalonica, Rome and everywhere else believers gather to worship Christ Jesus.
Secondly, Paul’s prayer extends beyond the First Century AD and into the future; Paul prays that the glory of God would resound in both the Church and in Christ Jesus ‘throughout all generations’ (verse 21).
This is, of course, glorious news for both you and I.
The scope of Paul’s concern gives us incredible confidence that the same God who transformed lives in Paul’s day still works powerfully today. Paul prays for the church in Ephesus and, strangely and marvellously, Paul prays for Firwood Church meeting in Westwood, Oldham, today.
Paul prays for the saints then and the saints now.
The glorious news is that this prayer is our prayer.
b. Power and Comprehension
The Apostle Paul’s concern is twofold.
Firstly, as we considered last week, Paul prays that believers would receive power,
Ephesians 3:17
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…
Secondly, and we shall consider this further this morning, Paul prays that believers would,
Ephesians 3:19
…know the love of Christ…
2. THE NEED
a. The Connection
The Apostle’s prayer begins with a request for power,
Ephesians 3:14–21
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father […] 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
But Paul has a very specific outcome in mind, he prays,
Ephesians 3:17
…that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…
The first part of Paul’s prayer is, therefore, huge. Paul prays that believers, in Ephesus and elsewhere, would be strengthened by the Holy Spirit at the very core of our being and that Christ Jesus might take up permanent residence in our hearts in such a way that we might be transformed into his glorious likeness.
And the evidence of this transformation is found in the succeeding clause,
Ephesians 3:17
…that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love
The effect of this strengthening by the Spirit and this indwelling by Christ Jesus is that we might be rooted and grounded in love.
Note how Paul mixes his metaphors, the former a reference to horticulture and the latter a reference to architecture. The unifying theme, however, is growth: plants (well rooted and well tended) grow and buildings (with right foundations) are built strong and tall.[1]
Paul’s point is that spiritual maturity is not possible without a firm and solid grounding in a love which is defined in relation to Christ Jesus. This explains the importance of Paul’s prayer for the saints everywhere and at every time.
b. The Need
Paul continues and prays that we might comprehend and know the love of Christ,
Ephesians 3:18, 19
may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ…
This is an astonishing prayer given that Paul is praying for Christians. Paul assumes that these believers and, indeed, believers generally, are unable to adequately comprehend and know the love of Christ.
Paul provides us with two explanations as to why our knowledge is deficient in respect of the love of Christ and why an intervention of God is necessary.
i. The Limitations of Knowledge
Consider, firstly, the nature of this knowing,
Ephesians 3:18, 19
may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge…
Paul prays because you and I need to comprehend and know the love of Christ in increasing measure. Paul prays because the comprehension and knowledge of this love is only possible through divine revelation.
This love surpasses knowledge.
And this calls for careful thinking.
There is an unhelpful (but popular) dichotomy at work in the church today in which ‘revelation’ is held in opposition to ‘experience’. As a consequence, theology (the study of God in accordance with his self-disclosure in the Scriptures) is often caricatured (by those of the other persuasion) as cold and stuffy, whereas those who considered themselves to be more ‘spiritual’/’experiential’ are regarded (by those who consider themselves theological) as flaky and overly emotional.
In truth, such a dichotomy would have been utterly alien to Paul.
Paul is not holding experience, spirituality or abstract revelation over and above theology. This is why it is important to read texts in their wider context.
Lest we forget, Paul has just spent three chapters outlining God’s monumental plan for salvation. Paul has just led us from ‘before the foundation of the world’ (Ephesians 1:4) to the consummation of all things (Ephesians 1:10). In all of this, Paul presents some of the weightiest theological consideration found anywhere in the New Testament.
And yet all of this is infused with concern for the love and grace of God.
Consider,
Ephesians 1:4-6
…In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:7-8
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us…
Ephesians 2:4-5
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us together alive with Christ – by grace you have been saved
Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God
It is clear, as we read the writings of the Apostle Paul, that he wants us to know things about God. It is clear as we read more widely through the New Testament that the New Testament writers want us to know deep and profound truths about God.
This is why it is important that we study and meditate upon the Word of God. It is necessary that we know things about God. It is necessary that we know the truth of who God is and the truth of all he has done.
ii. Beyond Knowing
But theology and the knowledge of the Scriptures is not enough. It is not enough to know about God and it is not enough to simply know about the love of Christ.
Paul wants us to know the love of Christ.
This is why cold intellectualism is so deadly. This kind of thinking seeks to dissect and make a cold study of the things of God. This kind of thinking accumulates knowledge about him without ever coming to know him.
It is simply not enough to just know things about him. We remember that even the demons recognise truths about God and yet their hearts remain in enmity towards him (James 2:19).
It is not enough to profess a series of propositional truths: yes, Jesus is the Son of God; yes, Jesus died for sin; and, yes, Jesus rose from the dead. Paul wants us to move beyond this. Paul wants us to experience, to feel deeply about the truths of God.
And Scripture is the great example that to know God is to feel deeply about the things of God. Consider,
Psalm 73:25–26
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
1 Peter 1:8–9
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
And later in this very same letter,
Ephesians 5:18–20
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Elsewhere, Paul even commands us to feel and act in accordance with our feelings,
Romans 12:12
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
1 Thessalonians 5:16
Rejoice always
Paul wants us to experience, yes, to feel, Christ’s love for both you and I.
iii. The Necessity of Revelation
Paul’s prayer is necessary because we are unable to bridge the gap between what we know about God and actually experiencing and receiving the love of Christ as a present reality in our lives.
The unbeliever cannot know the love of Christ without divine intervention because he is spiritual dead and unable to see, think and feel as he/she ought (Ephesians 2:1-3). Moreover, the unbeliever is, in his/her natural state, in enmity towards God and, as such, a child of wrath (Ephesians 2:3). He/she cannot see God and, even if they were to see him, they would hate him.
This is why sharing the gospel with friends sometimes has the opposite effect, the more you tell them about the love of God, the angrier they become.
For the believer, supernatural revelation is necessary because of the sheer magnitude of the love of God exceeds the limitations of intellectual enquiry. Consider, therefore, Paul’s presentation of the magnificently bountiful love of Christ; indeed, Paul prays that we,
Ephesians 3:18, 19
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
In a very real sense, therefore, the love of Christ surpasses the limitations of human knowledge. This is why, as we ponder the deep truths of Ephesians chapter one, our minds spin with the dizzying complexity and grandeur of God’s great purposes in salvation.
Such is the depth and magnitude and expansiveness of Christ’s love for us.
Paul wants us to study the Scriptures and dwell deeply on all that Christ has done for us. Paul wants us to meditate upon the deep truths of God and his purposes for this universe. Paul wants us to return constantly to the glorious mysteries of the cross.
But we need more.
We need God himself to intervene and give us strength that we might comprehend and know the love of Christ in increasing measure.
And to know is to receive the love of Christ.
Theologian, John Stott, leads us in a meditation upon this great love,
…the love of Christ is ‘broad’ enough to encompass all mankind […], ‘long’ enough to last for eternity, ‘deep’ enough to reach the most degraded sinner, and ‘high’ enough to exalt him to heaven.[2]
Paul wants us to search, to study and to think deeply. And Paul wants us to know that none of this is enough. This is why he prays and this is why such prayers are necessary.
Paul prays, and we must pray, that God would take our knowledge about him and that he would bring it alive, stretch it out and cause it to penetrate deeply into our souls. That we might know the love of Christ.
Paul wants us to know truth, but, more than this, Paul wants us to feel the weight, the glory and the magnificence of this truth.
Paul wants us to comprehend, know, feel, experience and receive the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.
3. THE LOVE OF CHRIST
a. God Is Love[3]
It is necessary that we come to know the love of Christ because love is inseparable from the nature and character of God. Indeed, the God of the bible is a God who defines himself in relation to love,
1 John 4:8, 16
…God is love.
Consider the stunning nature of this truth. What other thing, creature or person in existence would make such a claim? God uniquely is able to define himself in relation to love. Moreover, and often we overlook this truth, love is itself defined in relation to God.
It is unsurprising, therefore, that when God chooses to act he does so in love,
1 John 4:10
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.
And so too, as believers, our identity is wrapped up in the notion of love,
1 John 4:11, 12
Beloved, if god so loved us, we ought to love one another […] if we love one another, God abides in us…
God is love and, as such, love is not a created ‘thing’; rather love is an attribute of the Creator. Crucially, therefore, love can only every be truly defined and understood in relation to the God of the Bible,
1 John 3:16
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us…
All of this makes sense of Paul’s prayer. To come to know the love of Christ is nothing less than coming to know Christ himself.
Paul is, in effect, praying that the God who defines himself in relation to love would reveal his love in increasing measure and, in doing so, we would come to know him more deeply. This is the glory of the gospel as revealed through this letter. God is at work displaying his glory in and through salvation, but, more specifically, he acts in order to display a specific aspect of his glory, namely, his glorious grace,
Ephesians 1:4–6
…In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace…
God is at work in revealing the glory of his grace (which is immeasurable). In coming to know this love, we come to know him.
Which leads us to our final point.
b. Fullness
In praying, Paul has a final outcome in view; Paul prays,
Ephesians 3:17-19
…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.
In praying that we might be filled with all the fullness of God, Paul is asking that we might experience the full effect of Christ’s indwelling, that we might become all Christ wants us to be and that we might attain full spiritual maturity.[4]
Paul wants the people of God to reflect the character of God.
Paul wants those who are saved by Christ to reflect the glory of Christ.
The question is, how does a realisation of the love of Christ accomplish this outcome?
The answer is that whatever commands our affections commands our obedience. In other words, we do what we want to do most. We act in accordance with whatever we are most passionate about. Our actions are shaped by what we cherish, value and love the most.
Paul understands this and he wants us to experience the love of Christ in increasing measure knowing full well that this is the solid ground into which we must sink deep roots and build firm foundations. He wants us to see and know all that Christ feels for us so that every other competing affection might be obliterated in the blazing light of his glorious grace.
Paul wants us to see and feel that we might grow. It is Paul’s prayer that believers everywhere would revel, and stand secure, in Christ’s great abounding love and, as we do so, we would grow up.
And Paul prays this for the church universal,
Ephesians 3:17-19
…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.
Imagine a church so overwhelmed with the love of Christ that we are willing to serve, to give generously and to even lay down our lives for one another. Imagine a church so astonished by the grace of God that fellowship becomes more intimate than that share by the closest relatives. Imagine a church so overwhelmed with the love of Christ that forgiveness becomes the first and most natural response when one is wronged.
Imagine a church filled with a people who, in turn, are filled with all the fullness of God…
This is what Paul prays for and envisages: a Church growing increasingly in maturity so that the glory of Christ and his glorious grace would shine most brightly in a dark and depraved world.
[1] Bryan Chapell, Ephesians, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P&R Publishing, 2009), p. 160.
[2] John Stott, The Message of Ephesians, The Bible Speaks Today (Nottingham: InterVarsity Press, 1979, [1989]), p. 137
[3] This section is informed by Alexander Strauch’s helpful essay, ‘The Trinity and the Doctrine of Love’ in Emmaus Journal Volume 12 (Dubuque, IA: Emmaus Bible College, 2003).
[4] O’Brien, Peter Thomas. The Letter to the Ephesians. The Pillar New Testament commentary (Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1999), p. 265-266.