Series: Ephesians
Title: Four Great Needs
Text: Ephesians 3: 14-21
Date: March 9, 2014
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Ephesiasn 3: 14: For this cause I bow my
knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15: Of whom the whole family in
heaven and earth is named,…
As we come to the specific things Paul asked
God to give to the believers at Ephesus.
Notice, Paul does not ask for himself to be delivered from prison. Nor does
he ask for their physical, material or financial well-being. He does not ask
that they themselves would be spared from persecution. His petition was entirely
for what is truly needful.
Title: Four
Great Needs
Divisions:
1) V16: That he would grant you,
according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his
Spirit in the inner man; 2) 17: That Christ may dwell in your hearts by
faith; 3) 17: that ye, being rooted
and grounded in love, 18: May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the
breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19: And to know the love of Christ,
which passeth knowledge, 4) 19: that
ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
I. FIRST, BELIEVERS NEED TO BE STRENGTHENED BY
GOD’S SPIRIT IN THE INNER MAN—v16: That he would grant you, according to the
riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner
man;
He Would Grant You
If we
have any blessing from God it will be because God gave it to us—v16: That he would grant you. Believer,
“what hast thou that thou didst not receive?” (1 Cor 4: 7) Every spiritual blessing believers have is granted to us from God.
It is a gift of his free grace. We are only sinners! God’s very glory is, “I
will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.”
God gave all to his people before the world was made. God blessed us
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ according as he chose
us in Christ before the foundation of the world
This “inner
man” is given to us of God. It is not mental, fleshly man, it is the new man created
of God. We are not born the first time
with this inner man.
Ephesian 4:24: And that ye put on the new man, which
after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
1 Peter 3: 4:…[the inner man is] the hidden man of the
heart, in that which is not corruptible, [in which is that] ornament of a meek
and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
This “inner
man” is the “new creature”, the “new creation”, the “new heart”, created in us
by God the Holy Spirit in regeneration. In the inner man, we are given a
willing heart, given faith to believe on Christ, in the day of his power. God gives us an understanding of divine
things in this inner man. He gave us discernment of the things that are freely given
to us of God. In the inner man we are given
affections for Christ, for his Gospel, his ordinances, his ways, his people, for
things above. So we have nothing to
boast of—all things are granted to us of God. So, too, we must ask God to continue
to grant us strength in the inner man.
According to the Riches
And
Paul asks that this strength be given us
v16: according to the riches of his glory. According to God’s spiritual
wealth. God is all fullness and that which he gives is according to his riches.
For those God chose in Christ, redemption from the curse of the law, full
forgiveness of all our sins, is given us according to his riches? (Eph 1: 7)
Ephesians 1:7: In whom we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
The riches of his glory is the inheritance of
every believer: Paul’s prayed,
Ephesians 1:18: The eyes of your understanding being
enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the
riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
He tells us in Colossians 1:27, the riches of the
glory…is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
The very reason God calls each of his elect
is to show us the riches of his grace toward us:
Ephesians 2:7: That in the ages to come he might shew the
exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Paul calls them…
Ephesians 3:8…the unsearchable riches of Christ;
So, brethren, never imagine that our God is
in short supply of whatever we need:
Philippians 4:19: But my God shall supply all your need according
to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Strengthened With Might
Paul asks that according to the riches of his
glory, we be v16:…strengthened with
might by his Spirit in the inner man; The
word translated “might” is “dynamite.” It is the same word Paul used when he said,
Romans 1:16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth;
This “might”—this dynamite—which strengthens
the inner man is God’s Spirit in the inner man—v16:…strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. We
have no strength except by God’s Spirit in our inner man.
Psalm 28:8: The LORD is their strength, and he is the
saving strength of his anointed.
Psalm 138:3: In the day when I cried thou answeredst me,
and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
Isaiah 40:29: He giveth power to the faint; and to them
that have no might he increaseth strength. 30: Even the youths shall faint and
be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31: But they that wait upon the
LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they
shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Do we have reason to fear that God will fail to
strengthen his chosen, blood bought, Spirit-wrought child? He says,
Isaiah 41:10: Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not
dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea,
I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
2 Corinthians 12:9: And he said unto [Paul], My grace is
sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly
therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may
rest upon me.
But why does the Holy Spirit move Paul to ask
first, for this strengthening power? The
“inner man” begins as a babe. It has all the parts of a new man. Our
spiritual senses are in the inner man: It’s where we feel the weight of our sin—Paul
described it as the real me carrying around a body of death. But in this new
man, we also see the Son of God by faith: in the glories of his person and his
grace, our redemption accomplished by him. We hear the voice of Christ in his
word calling us to rest in him and we distinguish his voice from the voice of a
stranger. We smell a sweet savor in the person, blood, righteousness of Christ
and his sacrifice for us. We taste that the Lord is gracious, his word becomes
sweeter than honey or the honeycomb. We handle
the word of life, we lay hold on Christ. Our new will, and affections are inner
man.
Then in this inner man God grows us in grace
and in the knowledge of Christ. Our faith in Christ is strengthened more. We
are made to know more and more that the love of Christ for us is everlasting,
unchangeable, sovereign love. So that our love for him is made more fervent and
our love for our brethren grows in him. Our hope in Christ is strengthened. Our
joy in Christ is made more full. This
strengthening of the Spirit is performed through the hearing of the gospel, which
causes us to grow in all these spiritual senses in the inward man.
1 Peter 2: 2: As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk
of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
Ephesians 4:15: But speaking the truth in love, may grow
up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
2 Thessalonians 1:3: We are bound to thank God always for
you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and
the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;
2 Peter 3:18: But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
It is only by his Spirit strengthening our
inner man that we are able to put off the old man with his deeds and
Colossians 3: 12: Put on
therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness,
humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13: Forbearing one another, and
forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ
forgave you, so also do ye. 14: And above all these things put on charity,
which is the bond of perfectness. 15: And let the peace of God rule in your
hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
This
strengthening of our inner man by his Spirit is vital. We need his strength
continually all the time, every hour.
Application:
Vain religion and a mere form of godliness—works on the outside; its
superficial, shallow, a vain show.
Matthew 23:27: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear
beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all
uncleanness.
But this strengthening of the inner man is
more than: reading a few theological books, learning doctrine and key words, making
a public profession, joining a church, having a little fit of conviction now
and then. God works in the inner man so
there is real communion between the believer and Christ. So that what is done outwardly is true and not
phony:
Colossians 1: 10: That
ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every
good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11: Strengthened with all
might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering
with joyfulness;
And we need this strengthening in the inner
man for this second thing Paul asks:
II. SECONDLY, PAUL ASKS—V17: That Christ may
dwell in your hearts by faith;
Christ May Dwell
Paul is not praying that they would be saved;
they already were saved. When a sinner is regenerated, when God gives faith in
Christ, repentance from dead works, the Lord takes up residence in the inner
man through faith. But Paul is praying “that Christ may dwell.” Not that Christ may visit on Sunday
mornings or during the mid-week service. But that Christ may take up his abode in the inner man as
one that is at home as the king of his castle.
That
Christ may dwell in our hearts, not
our heads, but our hearts. We start out being taught the doctrine of Christ and
his grace. Doctrine is teaching, it is good, necessary. We must be sound in
true doctrine—in truth—T.U.L.I.P.
But to
have Christ dwelling in the heart is
the needful thing. Paul’s prayer is that Christ might dwell fully in our very hearts—continually—that
Christ ravish our hearts with his love, that
all our affections might be on him alone all the time.
Illustration: Sarah and Seth
Brethren,
do you remember when Christ’s first ravished your heart? When you first looked upon him whom you had
pierced? When you beheld Christ bearing
your sin, your wounds, in your room and stead? When he called you to his side
and whispered all your sins are washed away. He robed you in his perfect
righteousness; He stole our heart in love so completely. Your heart burned
within you as he communed with you in the way?
Paul’s
prayer is that we might have that intimate communion with Christ
continually—abiding, dwelling in our hearts.
Not just while we hear a sermon but Christ might dwell in our hearts
long after we leave here. That when we go home our desire be to pick up his
word today, tomorrow and the next, to keep out intruders—to keep his presence in
our hearts, to teach Christ to our children.
John 14: 23: Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man
love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come
unto him, and make our abode with him.
By Faith
Notice
he says, “by faith.” That Christ may dwell in our hearts so much
that we truly see by faith things that cannot be seen with the human eye. That while this world competes for our
affection our heart would be turned upon Christ to behold Christ seated at
God’s right hand and there his people seated in him—to see ourselves seated in
him. To behold that one day soon we shall
be perfectly conformed to him that all the things that seem so important in
this life may fade into the vanity they are, that we might enter into the truth
that “ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is
our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” (Col 3: 3-4)
Paul desired it for himself as well as his brethren. He said,
Philippians 3:10: That I may know him, and the power of
his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable
unto his death;
III. THEN PAUL PRAYS—V17:…that ye, being
rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be
able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth,
and height; 19: And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,
Rooted and Grounded
It is
not only that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith but also that we might be
rooted and grounded in Christ, rooted in love to Christ by his love for us.
Colossians 2: 6: As ye have therefore received Christ
Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7: Rooted and built up in him, and
stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with
thanksgiving.
Christ,
in his great love for all the elect of God, for each believer in particular, is
the Root that stablishes our hearts in faith and love to him.
Illustration: A
tree rooted can withstand mighty winds.
So it
is with a believer rooted in the love of Christ. We may have many inward storms
of unbelief, doubt, and fear, and many outward storms, of persecution, loss,
reproach, and shame for Christ's sake. But in the same way that storms make a
tree take deeper and stronger root in the soil, so the storms that blow upon us
make us take deeper root in the love of Christ.
Likewise,
Christ is our Foundation. "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, behold, I
lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a
sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste." (Isai. 28:16.)
A house
“settles” on its foundation after its build. That is the word here “grounded”.
A building grounded, settled, on a solid foundation shall stand come what may.
Luke 6: 47: Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my
sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and
digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the
stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was
founded upon a rock. 49: But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that
without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream
did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was
great.
On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand
All Other Ground is Shifting Sand
Apprehend the Dimensions and Love of Christ
That
which roots and grounds us in Christ, is a heart—apprehension of God’s love for
us in Christ—v18: May be able to
comprehend [the right word is “apprehend”] with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and
height; 19: And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,
Note: the same word translated “comprehend” is translated
“apprehend” in Philippians. "Not as though I had already attained, either
were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for
which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus." (Phil. 3:12.)
Apprehend means “lay hold of.” We can apprehend what we
can’t fully comprehend. We can apprehend—lay hold of—the infinite love of God
in Christ for all his elect though it “passeth knowledge”—though it is
incomprehensible by our finite minds.
The breadth of Christ’s love: his righteousness covers every sin of
every elect child of God for whom he gave himself. The length stretches from eternity to eternity over all time. The depth is to the uttermost pit of
our depravity to the least of the least. The
height is to heaven taking in the whole family in heaven and in earth.
These are the measurements of the whole temple of God
made up of his people and in whom he dwells. This is the love of Christ, in
which the apostle prays that we may be "rooted and grounded," so as
to embrace it with every part of our inner man.
IV. LASTLY, HERE IS WHY—V19: that ye
might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Illustration: Think of how massive the sun is. It is so large that it
illuminates the whole globe; there is not a space that its light does not
penetrate. Its rays travel thousands of miles in an instant at the speed of
light. The radius of that sun is vast. Then there is a tiny dewdrop hanging
suspended from a blade of grass. While we are looking at the tiny dewdrop, the
rays of the morning sun shines on it. It contains no light in itself, nor can
it contain the fullness of the rays streaming from the sun. But that little
dewdrop is filled with all the fullness of sun to the full extent of its
limited capacity—full! So that that little dewdrop shines as if it were itself
producing light. That is what Paul is
praying for!
This
prayer of Paul's is my prayer for each believer here, brethren. The more we know of the love of Christ by the
Holy Spirit, the more precious his love will be. The more his love will make us
love him and love one another, and walk with each other in unity and affection.
To paraphrase the apostle John it is impossible to be born of this Love and not
to love those born of this Love.
Ephesians 3: 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh
in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the
church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Amen!