Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I invite your prayer for attention to Paul's epistle to the Ephesians
chapter 3 and reading for our text verse 14. Ephesians chapter
3 and verse 14. For this cause I bow my knees
unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 3 verse 14
where we read of Paul's prayer for the Ephesians. In the beginning of this epistle
to them he says to them what he saw in them, the blessings,
and he joins himself and those with him as an apostle with the
Ephesians. And it's good for us to remember
that those blessings given to the Church of God are not just
to one individual, they're not just to one minister, but they
are jointly held and enjoyed by all of the family of God. And so you read in the first
chapter, so often this word us and we. In verse three, blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. And in verse four, according
as he hath chosen us in him verse 5, predestinated us unto the
adoption of children. And he goes right through in
that way, joining either us or we, and then he joins together
the Ephesians as well, as if it's not just him and the other
apostles, but it's also them. So in verse 11, in whom also
we have obtained an inheritance, that then, verse 13, in whom
ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth. And it's a good thing for us
to remember that those blessings that we have are also enjoyed
by all the living family of God, and the things that they need,
we need, the things that we are going through affect them, and
this is really what is dealt with by the Apostle Paul here,
knowing that those people of whom he read in Acts 20, they
loved him, they were very upset when they knew they wouldn't
see him face to face anymore. He told them he did not know
what was awaiting him at Jerusalem, and of course what eventually
happened was him to be taken to Rome, and from Rome then he
writes them this epistle while he is in Bonds and so I want
to think of how he has said in this chapter those things that
he has heard. In the first chapter he says
that he has heard of their faith, in verse 15, heard of their faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ and love unto all the saints. So
the prayer that we are to look at that he's making is not because
he does not view them as believers, or that they don't have faith,
they do have faith, and it's a real reminder to us that those
that have faith, those that are quickened in chapter 2, you hath
he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins, need not
to think they don't need our prayers, they don't need any
additional spiritual blessings or helps, It can be very often
we can have someone, we can view them as being exercised in seeking,
we pray much for them, and when they are brought to faith and
brought to baptism, then we stop praying. We think that they don't
need that anymore, and yet they need it just as much or more,
and the Apostle teaches us this in not only this epistle, but
many of the epistles that he writes, He not only says that
he prays for those to whom he writes, he tells them that. I wonder how often we tell people
that we are praying for them, and not only that we are praying
for them, but exactly what we are praying for. He comes to
very specific points, not just generalities. And if we are going
to give thanks for answers to prayer, we must be very specific
in what we pray as well, otherwise there won't be any thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving usually is joined to very specific things. Hannah, she says, for this child
I prayed and the Lord hath given me. my petition." It was a very
specific prayer that she prayed. And so the Apostle here is praying
for them, not just one petition, but many parts to his petition. And he tells them what he's praying
for, and no doubt it would have had the effect that they also
were instructed in what they should pray for themselves. If we had someone say to us that
they were praying for us in a specific thing, and we thought, really,
you're praying for that? I didn't realize I needed that. Maybe I should be praying for
this myself. So, in a way, he's leading by
example. I wonder how many times that
you hear your pastor pray, and as he prays for a specific people
or cause, he leads by example, and you go home, and in your
private prayers, you actually are praying those same things. Sometimes it has been said, like,
we've tried to pray this evening for the Lord's servant, coming
on the Lord's day, And it's a good thing for us, a minister perhaps
in the week, whether it is your pastor or visiting minister,
to lead in that example, because it's a great strength, a minister
coming on Lord's Day to know that the people know who it is
that's coming, and they are praying for him and anticipating his
visit. And so in that way, any public
prayer, though it is made, and those that are listening should
be able to say I'm into it, it also should give an example,
a lead to when we go home as to how we pray as well. Of course
I know in many things that we pray in secret, we never pray
in public, but here the Apostle is praying things as part of
the inspired Word of God, what he prays for these Ephesian Church,
a church that he really loves. So I want to look first at the
cause of his prayer, for his prayer, which our text is very
clear. It begins, For this cause I bow
my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a cause, a reason for
his prayer. May we also have It means that
we have a specific reason why we pray at a certain time. The second thing is the measure
requested to be granted them, which we read in verse 16, and
it is according to the riches of His glory. That is the measure
that He desires to be granted to them. and then we have that
which is requested which goes right through to verse 19 so
I want to look at that as well but firstly we have the cause
of his prayer for this cause in the previous verse he says
wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you
which is your glory." They are hearing of the apostles' tribulations
and he's not unique in writing to a church here or the Ephesian
church is not unique He is very concerned in many of those that
he ministered to that they will look at his afflictions and be
discouraged. They will think, how can one
that is serving the Lord, being used of the Lord, be so dealt
with and have such persecutions and have such tribulations. Of course the Lord when he sent
forth his disciples he said to them that one of the manner that
they will be spread through the world was when they persecute
you in one city then go to the next. It is something that was
to be expected and to be as effective as the confusion of the languages
at Babel in spreading throughout the world. Of course in the gospel
it worked the other way when the Spirit was given, then they
were speaking miraculously in other languages. We need those
that are blessed with gifts in languages for the word to be
spread throughout the world. But the Lord is not using that
to spread it. He's using persecution. And you
saw that happen again and again throughout the Acts of the Apostles. And Paul is able to even speak
of those in Caesar's palace that are being blessed through the
Word and the Lord's people even in that place. And so he says
that these tribulations, these persecutions, these things, The
Lord is sustaining him in them, especially when he writes to
Corinthians, he says that these things he is being supported
and strengthened through all of that which he is going through,
and it is working for good. He tells them here that it is
for their glory, which is your glory. Now you could interpret
that several ways, but for the people of God, it is their glory
that the Lord sends them a servant and that that servant is called
to walk in a specific path and the ministry that flows out from
that path is blessed to them eternally for their salvation. And we need to remember that
and I remind many like yourselves, you have a pastor, there'll be
those things your pastor goes through And the only reason that
he goes through them is so that he can preach from a specific
text and preach in a specific way for your good and for your
benefit and strength. And that may be persecution,
may be trial, may be sickness, may be afflictions, may be things
going wrong at home, or even the things that your pastor is
going through in moving home and things like that, that you
see it influences what he brings in the word and when you see
then a blessing for your own soul you realize that working
together for good and those things that like the apostle says here
that he was going through it was for their glory but he had
need to pray for them and the very concern that Things that
were happening to him might have had a detrimental effect, might
have discouraged their faith, gives him rise to offer up prayer. I wonder how many times we may
think with people looking on to us especially our loved ones
or churches to whom we minister or brethren that know of us that
may be looking upon us and seeing things that we're going through
that might actually undermine their faith and that brings us
to pray in a specific way for them that it does not discourage
them it is a help to them. May we take the line from the
Apostle here to the Ephesians in that way. Those tribulations
that ye faint not at my tribulations, wherefore I desire that ye faint
not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. How many
times we may feel guilty if something we've done or some action is
causing another tribulation or trial. And yet to be assured
as the apostle, you think of how it was with Joseph when he
made himself known to his brethren. He said, be not angry with yourselves. Was not you that sent me hither
but God? and he saw the need to really
reassure them and to strengthen them that they weren't discouraged
and weren't cross with themselves for what had happened. So there
is a cause of his prayer. I wonder how many prayers we
can look back on and we can say there was a cause of that prayer. There was a reason we had to
pray in that way or to pray for that specific person we We're
mindful. It's a person going along like
the apostles. He's not just thinking about
his own things. He's thinking about the Ephesians. He's thinking about others as
well. And that's a good thing for us,
to be mindful of others in that way. I want to look secondly
at the measure requested to be granted to them. that he would
grant you in verse 16 according to the riches of his glory according
to the riches of his glory if we had someone that was very
rich here below and we wanted to ask them to help one of our
friends out that was in need Would we just ask them, well,
just give them a little bit, just give them enough to get
them by another week? Or would we think, well, this
person is a millionaire, they've got great riches, and you'd say
to them, would you grant to my friend, according to your riches,
give them your bounty and all what you've got, Really this
is what the Apostle is desiring, is not just a small amount. If it was a poor person that
we were speaking to, And we might say to them, give to my friend
according as what you have means. And you knew that they could
only give a few pounds. They hadn't got much at all.
And they gave according to that. Our Lord spoke of the widow woman
who gave of her abundance, just a few pence into the treasury,
whereas the rich were casting much. But he said that was not
as big a percentage as what the widow was casting in. And the
picture is here, the Apostle views the riches and the glory
of our Lord, what he is able to do, exceeding far above all
that we can ask or think. They are all blood-bought blessings
that he has to give, those things that are to be granted, free
of any charge. It is all of the gospel of the
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. He writes to the Colossians and
he says, It hath pleased the Father that in him should all
fullness dwell, and that there is a treasure and a fullness
in Christ that is inexhaustible, it is sufficient for every need
of his people. And this is what the Apostle
desires to be granted to them. The Apostle has the power to
give it to them himself, He can only pray and ask the Lord to
grant it, but it's a bold prayer, isn't it? It's asking great things
for another, and things according to the greatness of the Lord,
and in one sense it magnifies the Lord. If the Apostle would
say to the Lord, Thou hast exceeding great riches in glory, Bestow
these riches on these Ephesians. Bestow these blessings on them. Again, when we pray and we pray
for others, what is in our thoughts as to how the Lord will answer
and bless them? Is it just in a small way, or
we are asking in a great way, in a full way, that they might
be really helped? have said of spiritual liberty
or all of their financial needs supplied or their afflictions
the Lord appear for them and heal them or sanctify and bless
to them their afflictions for their eternal good it is a mind
to what the Lord is able to give and we think of the king I think
it was Jeroboam that was asked, or Elisha asked him to strike
the arrows into the ground and he struck three times and then
ceased and Elisha was angry with him he said thou should have
strucken five times and now thou only smite the Assyrians three
times but if thou smitten the five then thou would have completely
destroyed them. And there is a holding back,
we can hold back in our petitions. One of the hem writers says,
large petitions with the brain, thou art coming to a king, none
can ever ask too much. And this is the thing, the way
that the Apostle is coming to the Ephesians and again he is
telling them he is telling them this is what he is praying for
them is not just keeping it silent there is a benefit and a blessing
for others to be told what we are praying for them and in what
measure we are asking for them so then I want to look in the
third place at the actual petitions that He requests for them. The first is that they might
be strengthened with might. He says that He would grant you,
in verse 16, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened
with might by His Spirit in the inner man. So it is very specific
here He wants them to be strengthened. How? What, in their bodies? In their outward man? Their physical
man? No, He's not praying for that. He's praying for in the inner
man. He's praying for their souls.
He's praying for their spirit. What a reminder. We have not
just bodies, but we have a soul as well. We have an inner man
and an outer man. We read elsewhere, though our
outward man perish, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. And this is what the Apostle
has a mind to the inner man. But he is praying how they might
be strengthened, as by his Spirit, by the Spirit of God. The Lord
said, Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
He is with his people by his grace and by his Spirit. And it is the Spirit that takes
the things of God and reveals them to the people. The Spirit
is the author of the Word of God. All Scripture is given by
inspiration of God. It was with the Spirit that the
earth was created. moving upon the waters of the
earth. It was through the Spirit that
the Ephesians and all of God's people are born again of the
Spirit, quickened into spiritual life. And it's the same Spirit
that strengthens the soul. They're not strengthening themselves,
they're strengthened from out of themselves by the Holy Spirit. And this is what he's asking
for. 1. Encouragement for any of us
who feel that we also need strengthening and strengthened in their faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ and how they first began, that he
which hath begun a good work in you will perform it unto the
day of Jesus Christ. The apostle knew the need of
strengthening. Remember when he had the visions,
and I believe that referred to what happened on the Damascus
Road, caught up into the third heavens. He was given then a
messenger of Satan, thorn in the flesh, to buffet him, and
thought that it might be taken away. God said, no, don't pray
for that. My grace is sufficient for thee. My strength is made perfect in
weakness. He said, much rather than, will
I glory in my infirmity, when I am weak, then am I strong.
He wasn't stronger physically, or in his eyes, the affliction
was still there, but in his soul he was strengthened. And he viewed
that as greater blessing even than that infirmity and weakness
being taken away. And it's in that way that the
apostle is desiring them also to be strengthened here, this
Ephesian church, strengthened with might by his spirit in the
inner man. I wonder how much we are mindful
of the condition of our souls. Are our souls weak, or are they
strong? Are they healthy, or are they
sickly? Do they need strengthening? Are
there aspects of our faith, of our walk where they're shaken?
There is doubts, there is uncertainty, or maybe through like hearing
of things that are happening in the church, then they're shaken,
there's a fearfulness of being shaken. You know, the apostle
we read in Acts 20, he warned them of those even in their midst
that would come and that would cause trouble, and so we need
to be mindful of this, how is our soul, because there are those
that are shaken, we have the parable of our Lord with the
sower, and those because of persecution, because of the word, then they
fell away, they brought no fruit, and The Apostle Paul here is
being persecuted. If his, shall his Ephesians fall
away, I'll pray that they'll be strengthened. I'll pray that
they'll be encouraged. So that's the first one, a petition
to be strengthened with mind. The second is in verse 17, that
Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. Christ in you, the
hope of glory, dwelling in your hearts by faith. By faith, faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of the Lord. Let the word of the Lord dwell
in you richly, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, making melody in your hearts unto the Lord. With Samuel,
we read that the Lord revealed himself again to him by the word
of the Lord. If Christ dwells in our hearts,
his word will abide in our heart. When he speaks of his word to
abide in believers, that is the reality of Christ dwelling there,
that our meditation, our thoughts of him, And he says, though heaven
and earth pass away, my words shall not pass away. And when
we think of the Spirit's work, he shall receive of mine and
show it unto you. He shall bring to your remembrance
all things whatsoever I have said unto you. So that's the second, that Christ
dwell in their hearts. The third is that they be rooted
and grounded in love. Now later on he comes to ask
that they might know the love of Christ. So I believe this
first part of the petition is more as towards one another and
when we think of Paul's epistle to the Corinthians and he speaks
of the excellency, a more excellent way and that of charity. Love covereth a multitude of
sins." And this is what then he desires for them, that there
be a foundation, a base. If it's a picture of a tree,
then it's the root. If it's a picture of something
being built, it is grounded, it has a base, that love is at
the bottom. of it. And this is what he desires. In other petitions there is that
desire that there be no root of bitterness springing up, whereby
many are troubled. And so this is what he desires
of them, that the foundation be love. When we think of what
the foundation is of Christ where in his people it is love. I have loved thee with an everlasting
love and therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. They
have been loved, they have been chosen in Christ from the foundation
of the world and that is the source and foundation of every
blessing that comes to the people of God having loved his own which
were in the world he loved them unto the end and the very token
of being a believer we know that we have passed from death unto
life because we love the brethren and so this then is the third
part of his petition for them The fourth one is that they may
be able to comprehend, in verse 18, with all saints what is the
breadth and length and depth and height. Several of Paul's petitions,
he desires such things and he speaks of those extents of the
love of God or the blessings of God We think of how he writes
to the Romans and being persuaded that nothing shall separate and
he goes to these extremes as it were, neither death nor life,
angels nor principalities, powers nor things present nor things
to come, nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall
be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord. But he is going to those extremes,
and so in here as well, to be able to comprehend the things
of God. In one sense, we see through,
says Paul, a glass darkly. We can hardly fully comprehend
the things of God. But this is what he desires of
them. When the Lord appeared to his
disciples in the upper room, he opened their understanding
that they might understand, understand the scriptures, and hear the
apostle in a different way, would picture the things of God as
having dimensions, having depths to them, perhaps depths of tribulation
and trouble and persecution, or heights like he had of caught
up into the third heavens, or the endurance of the length and
breadth of the things of God. That which is provided in the
gospel is sufficient to be complete in every dimension, in every
way. There's no need of the people
of God, but that God will supply that need. And it may be that
he's writing to them thinking these Ephesians, they cannot
comprehend what is going on with me. They cannot comprehend that
the one that has ministered to them is in prison in Rome. They cannot comprehend that They
are in this situation, or I'm in this situation, I preach to
them, and there may be things with us that we cannot comprehend. Our Lord said to the disciples
when he washed their feet, what I do thou knowest not now, but
thou shalt know hereafter. They couldn't comprehend it. We think beforehand with Mary
and Martha, with Lazarus, until the Lord raised Lazarus, they
couldn't comprehend. Why had the Lord, who they'd
called for, why'd he stay? Why hadn't he come? Why hadn't
he appeared for them? They couldn't comprehend that.
But the apostle desires this of these Ephesians. And then
the last thing that he desires for them was to know the love
of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with
all the fullness of God." To know that love of Christ, to
have the love of God shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost,
to comprehend that love that brought our Lord from glory,
from his Father's side, to take a body like our own, to endure
the contradiction of sinners, to be here for 33 years, and
then to suffer, bleed and die, to comprehend that love, to take
the sins of his people and to bear them in his own body on
the tree, that is very hard, to comprehend that love of God,
that he in the middle of his agonies could say, Father forgive
them, for they know not what they do, and to Know that this
is the basis for all that is granted to the Ephesians, to
all the people of God, is to know it all flows forth from
Calvary. Every blessing comes to us through
Jesus' precious blood. And we see love inscribed upon
all, inscribed upon tribulation. In the world you shall have tribulation,
be of good cheer, I've overcome the world in me, you shall have
peace. And so the Apostle prays this
for these Ephesians, and then he closes the the prayer of this
chapter with the doxology unto him that is able to do exceeding
abundantly above all that we can ask or think according to
the power that worketh in us. The apostle has very great views
of the Lord, of his power, of his ability, of his love for
sinners and made supplication for these things asking on the
behalf of those that he administered to and that he loved that these
things would be granted to them. So may this prayer be and the
things surrounding it be an encouragement and a strength to us as well
that that which so often we are backward in that we might be
encouraged in prayer. And the Lord who had said that
men ought always to pray and not to faint, and given us these
examples like the apostles, that we might be followers of them. And as the apostle was an example
to the Ephesians, may we be an example and encourager to one
another. And we think of Paul when he
wrote to the Philippians, he turned it around the other way
and he said, brethren, pray for us. And so may we also do that
when we know and you know your pastor prays for you, turn it
around and pray for him and carry him through the weeks that he's
away from you and in Australia. and the things that he is attending
to there, baptising service later on at Melbourne, and may the
Lord's blessing be upon him, and he be carried with your prayers
too. May the Lord add his blessing. Amen.