Let us turn again to God's Word
in the portion we were considering earlier today in Ephesians chapter
3. Ephesians chapter 3. I'll read from verse 14 through
16. The Apostle writes then here
at verse 14, For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth
is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches
of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the
inner man." We were looking then at those two verses, 14 and 15. As I said, we would begin a consideration
of this prayer It's the second prayer that we find in this epistle.
We were just looking at that prayer that we have at the end
of chapter 1, remember, from verse 15 following. Paul says how he ceases not to
give thanks for the church of the Ephesians making mention
of them in his prayers. Well, we looked at that first
prayer and this morning I said we'd begin to consider this second
prayer that we have at the end of chapter three how we see the
Apostle as one who is often then moved to prayer he's moved to
prayer here because he's concerned for them as we see from the previous
thirteenth verse I desire that ye faint not my tribulation he
says I desire that ye faint not at
my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause
I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." It's
those troubles that have come upon him that he's concerned
about, not for anything to do with himself, but the effect
it might have on these believers at Ephesus. He's been speaking,
hasn't he, previous verses of the chapter and back into the
end of chapter two about his his apostleship he is called
to be the apostle to the Gentiles to preach to them the unsearchable
riches of Christ but how he was so hated of the Jews and we were
remarking this morning out there at the end of Acts we We see
the Jews manifesting their real hatred because of the message
that he'd taken to Gentile sinners. They were not to be subject to
the Old Testament laws that meant so much to the people of Israel. Paul would have nothing to do
with a desire to see Gentile believers being circumcised.
and so becoming debtors to the whole Lord of God and that was
a great offense to those Jews so they persecuted him and he
appeals to Caesar and he goes from Jerusalem to Rome
and this of course is one of those epistles that was written
from Rome one of his prison epistles he's concerned then that these
things might trouble these Gentile believers in the church there
He doesn't want them to faint in any way because of the troubles
that have come upon him. This is their glory. He's their
apostle. For this cause, he says, I bow my knees unto the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family, Jew and
Gentile, the whole family of God in heaven and earth is named. There is but one Savior, and
in Christ there's neither Jew nor Greek, there's neither Bon
nor free, there's neither male nor female. That is the true
family of God. Under the Old Testament we remarked
our very name as the Lord God says to Israel, His ancient covenant
people, you only have I known of all the families of the earth.
But now there's this family, the whole family. Those who are
Christ's and the Apostle praying to the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ on behalf of these people. Well, these are some of the things
we were trying to say something of earlier today, but turning
now to what we might consider to be the very first petition
of this prayer. What is it that he asks for these
Ephesians? That the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, he says, would grant you according to the riches of
his glory to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the
inner man. What a request is found in these
words that we come to consider for our text tonight. God's supply
of spiritual strength is the theme that stands before us in
the text. God's supply of spiritual strength
that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to
be strengthened with might by his spirit in the in a man and
i want simply to look at at two headings first of all to say
something with regard to the source of this supply and what
is the source it is god in the lord jesus christ And then in
the second place I want us to consider the strength of that
supply which is the inward work of the Holy Ghost. Those are
the two headings that I want us to take up and to address
for a little while as we consider the content of this verse this
evening. First of all the source. And the source of the supply
is God but it's God in the Lord Jesus Christ it's the riches
of his glory and where are those riches seated? well it's what
he has spoken of previously in verse 8 it's the unsuitable riches
of Christ this is the the subject matter of Paul's ministry, his
preaching unto Me, who am less than the least of all saints,
is His grace, given that I should preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ. And it's the same riches that
he's speaking of here in verse 16, that He would grant you according
to the riches of His glory. That's Christ. He pleased the
Father that in Him should all fullness dwell. For in him dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. These are the statements
that we find Paul addressing when he writes to the church
of Colossians. There in Colossians 1.19, then
again in chapter 2 and verse 9. In Christ dwelleth all the
riches, all the fullness, of the Godhead. And what does John say in the
opening chapter of his Gospel concerning this one? "...of His
fullness have all we received, and grace for grace." All that
fullness that is laid up in the Lord Jesus Christ is laid up
for sinners And it's laid up not only for sinners amongst
the Jews, but it's laid up for sinners amongst the Gentiles. The Gospel is to go to the ends
of the earth. It's to go to all manner, all
kinds of sinners. And every need is supplied in that
Gospel. The words of course of Philippians
Chapter 4 and verse 19, My God shall supply all your need according
to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. The Gospel is all together
in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. What a wonder it is that God
has made such provision in His only begotten Son, the Son of
the Father, in truth and in love And who is this Lord Jesus Christ?
Why is the image of the invisible gods? And when we think of the
source, you see, the source of this supply, why, it's what God
is. It's all that God is, when we
think of God's character and God's attributes. God is love. God is love we are
told that aren't we on two occasions there in that first general epistle
of John in chapter 4 verses 8 and 16 and back in chapter 2 and
verse 4 we have mention of his great love wherewith he loved
us What words are those there at
verse 4 in that second chapter? God who is rich in mercy for
his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in
sins hath quickened us together with Christ by grace ye are saved. Herein is love, not that we love
God. but that He loved us and sent
His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. What an expression,
a manifestation of the love of God is that gift of the Lord
Jesus Christ. He so loves the world that He
gives His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life. But what does He give the
Lord Jesus Christ to? In giving the Lord Jesus Christ
to sinners in this world, All He gives Him is that great sin-atoning
sacrifice. Here in His love, not that we
love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation. And all that that theological
word implies, because it speaks to us, doesn't it, of how that
God's strict justice must be satisfied. God is angry with the wicked
every day. He can by no means clear the
guilt. But what does He do? He makes His only begotten Son
the propitiation. He pours all that wrath upon
His beloved Son. That's the love of God to sinners.
His love. His love is seen in the gift
of the Lord Jesus Christ. His grace, His grace is there. And what is that grace? It's
undeserved favour, isn't it? Again, the language that we have
in the second chapter. He says there at verse 7 that
in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of
his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus for by
grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it
is the gift of God the exceeding riches of his grace seen in the
Lord Jesus Christ that great purpose of God that he spoken
of at the beginning of the first chapter where the Apostle, after
the normal greetings, begins, 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 then he goes on,
doesn't he, up to verse 6. There's that sentence that runs
from verse 3 right through to verse 6. and there in verse 6 he says
it's all to the praise of the glory of his grace the glory
of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved
all that grace of God that unmerited favour that undeserved kindness
that God shows to sinners only deserving his wrath the grace
of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men says
the apostle writing to Titus in him in Christ you see there
dwells a treasure all divine a matchless grace has made that
treasure mine says William Gadsby oh the source of this wondrous
supply it's all all that God is as God has revealed himself
in the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ is love is grace is mercy
do we not see the mercy of God again there in the second chapter
in verse 4 we read God who is rich in mercy all the riches
of the mercy of God and what what is that mercy well God is
a forgiving God He is a forgiving God we were thinking only on
thirsty of that second occasion when Moses goes into the mount. He goes in the first time of
course at the end of Exodus 20 because the children of Israel
having heard the thundering of God's voice as he speaks the
10 words, the 10 commandments they want Moses to mediate and
he goes in the mount, he's there 40 days, 40 nights receiving
all those commandments and instructions concerning how they are to be
governed, their civil laws are all based on the Ten Commandments
and they grow weary of waiting for Moses to reappear and Aaron
makes the golden calf and immediately they are transgressing the commandment
of God they shan't make no graven image and they think they can
worship God through the calf and God is angry, he sends Moses
down with the Ten Commandments in his hands and he breaks them
there at the foot of the mount. The covenant has been broken. God disinherits them. But Moses
stands in the bridge and prays for them and he goes back into
the mount. And we were thinking of how when he came down he was
there again forty days and forty nights and he comes down and
his face shone. And they couldn't bear to look
upon his face. His face so shone. What's the
difference? Well, the first time he comes
down from the mount, Moses is angry. He's a judge, really.
He's coming down there under God's judgment, but he prays
for them. And he asks God, doesn't he, to show him his glory. There,
at the end of Exodus 33, show me thy glory, and God causes
all his goodness and all his grace to pass before him. That's
the shining of his face. God is a forgiving God, He's
a merciful God He forgives us our sins, all
our unholy desires, all our lustful looks, all our wrong words, all
our false steps, all our wanton thoughts, all our backsliding
hearts, all and every manner of our sins God forgives, He's
a merciful God, He's rich in mercy He's rich in mercy. If we say that we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves. And the truth is not in us. But
if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If
we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar. And His Word
is not in us. Oh, if God's Word is in us, friends,
we must acknowledge what we are and confess our sins. but there's
forgiveness with God He's a forgiving God, He's a merciful God He's
all of these things and we see all of these things when we see
the supply of every need in the Lord Jesus Christ that He would
grant you according to the riches of His glory the riches of that glory, that's
the riches of Christ and God's revelation of Himself, His love,
His grace, His mercy, His wisdom. Oh, the manifold wisdom of God. The manifold wisdom of God. We
read of it here, don't we, in verse 10. And how it's revealed
in the Gospel that the Apostle is the preacher of. There was
a very Remarkable words, aren't they, in verse 10, to the intent
that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places
might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God. The angels, you see, though they're
in the presence of God, yet they come to this earth, and what
do they see? They see the wonders of the grace of God in the salvation
of sinful men and women. what wisdom in this and of course
we have the angels there don't we at the at the birth of the
Lord Jesus Christ the ministry of the angels who come and speak
to those who are so much involved in what's taking place read there
in the opening chapter of Luke's gospel the ministry of angels
Gabriel words that are spoken to Zacharias
words that are spoken to the Virgin Mary words that are spoken
to others also and then at the birth a whole host of angels
pronouncing the birth of the Messiah all the angels you see
they see God's manifold wisdom in salvation they don't see that
in heaven they see that salvation being worked out here upon the
earth in the salvation of a multitude of sinners or the wisdom of our
God and it's the Lord Jesus Christ
who is that wisdom of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God
is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. If a man lacks wisdom, let him
ask of God who giveth to all men liberally. But let him ask
in faith, not in wavering. Are we to ask for that wisdom?
That's Christ, the wisdom from above. First pure, then peaceable,
gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits.
Or do we want that wisdom? It's in a person. It's that Lord
Jesus Christ who is set before us in the book of Proverbs, the
wisdom, the wisdom of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. And then
here also what do we see of God's character and his attributes?
Why? His great power. His great power, the effectual
working of his power we read there at the end of verse 7. the effectual working of his
power. And of course we were looking,
weren't we, recently at those words at the end of chapter 1. Oh, it's to Oswald that he demonstrates
that power. To Oswald who believed. The exceeding
greatness of his power to Oswald who believed. according to the
working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he
raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand
in the heavenly places. Why, every believer is a miracle
of grace. Surely, we're all miracles of
grace if we're true believers. It's the faith that comes of
the operation of God This is the work of God, says the Lord
Jesus Christ, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. God
has to work it. Saving faith is a miracle in
our souls. We're walking miracles in that
sense. And what power it is. And our
Paul knew it. He uses that expression there
at the end of verse 7 He's speaking of himself as a
minister, his dependence upon the gift of the grace of God.
Given unto me, he says, by the effectual working of his power,
unto me who am less than the least of all saints is this grace
given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable
riches of Christ. And that expression that he uses
in reference to himself, he calls himself less than the least of
all saints. You see, it had to be great power
because this man was less than the least. It's really a bit
of tautology, we might say, because surely you cannot get below the
least. And yet he says he's less than
the least. In a sense, he's coining a new word. He's calling himself
the leaster of all the sales. you remember elsewhere to Timothy
he says he's the chief of sinners you make a list of sinners and
put my name at the top of the sinners you make a list of the
saints save sinners but put my name right at the bottom oh what
power must have come into that man's soul to save a man like
that a man the chief of sinners a man less than the least of
saints but this is the power you see that is in the Lord Jesus
Christ that one who is God manifest
in the flesh that he would grant you according
to the riches of his glory it's all of these things of which
we have spoken all that God is all that God is but not only
what God is but also surely it's who God is it's who God is he goes on to say doesn't he
in verse 19 that you might be filled with all the fullness
of God the riches of his glory the Lord
Jesus Christ in whom dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead
bodily and then here in verse 19 that ye might be filled with
all the fullness of God now God reveals himself ultimately
in the Lord Jesus in these last days he has spoken unto us by
his Son who is the image of the invisible God But when we think
of all that fullness of God, what is it that we really have
revealed to us in the New Testament? It's God manifest in the flesh,
it's the great mystery of godliness in the incarnation, but it's
also that full and final revelation of God as a trinity. The Trinity is there in the Old
Testament there are intimations but when we come to the New Testament
we see it in all its glorious fullness that God is one and
yet God is three God is Father, Son and Holy Ghost and we have
the three persons even in this prayer Paul is bowing his knees
to the Father he's bowing his knees to God
the Father and he speaks of the Lord Jesus
Christ and then he goes on again doesn't he to speak of Christ
in verse 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith and then
again in verse 19 that you might know the love of Christ which
passeth knowledge that she might be filled with all the fullness
of God. There's all the persons, there's Father, there's Son,
there's Holy Spirit in the prayer. And of course we've remarked
on how we see that in the opening section of the epistle, the first
part of chapter 1, where we see in that passage from verse 3
through 6 the election of God the Father. And then in verses
7 through 12 we see the redemption that was wrought by God the Son.
And then in verses 13 and 14 we have the blessed sealing of
the Spirit. But this epistle, it's full of this doctrine you
see. All the fullness of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Look at what he says here in
the fourth chapter. We see the Trinity in the unity
of the Church, surely. He says at verse 3, "...endeavouring
to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, there is
one Body and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope
of your calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and
Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all."
but unto every one of us he's given grace according to the
measure of the gift of Christ. You see, we have all the persons,
one body, one spirit, and then he speaks of one Lord, and one
God and Father, and he speaks of the measure of the gift of
Christ. All he writes is woven through
with the great doctrine of God and of course we very much see
that doctrine of God in terms of prayers there in verse 18
of chapter 2 is speaking of the Lord Jesus and he says through
him we both that is Jews and Gentiles we both have access
by one spirit unto the Father Christ is the mediator between
God and man But there must be that blessed ministry of the
Spirit, the one who helps in all our infirmities that we read
of at the end of our reading there in Romans chapter 8. But
there's access unto the Father. And there's furthermore reference
to the Trinity surely in terms of the worship that we come to
present before our God in chapter 5. And verse 18, he says, Be
not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the
Spirit. Speak unto yourselves in psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in
your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things
unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We're to be filled with the Spirit
in our praises. giving thanks to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our worship is to be
Trinitarian. It's all that God is as He has
revealed Himself to us, as He has supplied every need according
to the riches of His glory or the unsearchable riches of our
Lord Jesus Christ. But in the second place here,
surely also we have the strength of that supply. The source is
God in Christ. But what is the strength? It's
that inward work of the Holy Spirit that he goes on to mention
at the end of the text. To be strengthened with his might
or with might by his spirit in the inner man. that He would
grant you according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened
with might by His Spirit in the inner man. As I said, Paul was
aware of them and fearful that they might be discouraged by
the fact of his imprisonment. in the context I desire that
you faint not at my tribulations for you which is your glory for
this cause I bow my knees unto the father of our Lord Jesus
Christ he goes on in chapter 4 I therefore the prisoner of
the Lord beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith
you are called He's in prison. Well, he's not
in prison. He's confined in some way. He's under some sort of
house arrest. He's not a free man. He's not
a libertin. Because he's appealed to Caesar in order to escape
the wrath of the Jews. But he's aware of them. those
who he ministered to at Ephesus when that church was was established
by his preaching and he doesn't want them to be discouraged but
they need to be aware that there will be troubles of course in
the world all that live godly in Christ Jesus suffer persecution
he says to Timothy we must through much tribulation enter into the
kingdom how they need then to be strengthened and from when
can that strength come? to be strengthened with might
by by his spirit in the inner man the psalmist says trust in
the Lord forever for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength
all their strength must come from God himself but how can
they know that that strengthening well it must come by the Spirit
it's by His Spirit and there is that gift of the
Holy Spirit where we need that gracious ministry and the encouragement that the
Lord Jesus Christ Himself gives in the Gospel it's a great verse
isn't it those things that we read there in In Luke 11, 13,
if ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your
children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the
Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Those are great words, how
much more? For God is ever more ready to
give than we are to receive. We have but to ask. This is the dispensation of the
Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has come on the
day of Pentecost. All that's best of all the donations
of God. We live in His day. This day
is a perpetuity. The gift has come. It's still
with us. And so these people, they already had the gift of
the Holy Spirit. They had that. those words that we have in verses 13 and 14 of chapter 1,
in whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that ye believed
ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise which is the
earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession unto the praise of his glory. He speaks of Father,
He speaks of Son, and now He speaks of Holy Spirit. Ye were
sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,
He says. Now, we've looked at this verse
previously, and the construction of the original, the syntax there
in the Greek, In whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed."
Well, the construction is actually simpler than that in the original.
And the simplicity of that sort of grammatical construction is
really brought out in phrases that we find time and again in
the Gospel. How many times do we read such
words as those in Matthew 3, 5, Jesus answering said? and Jesus answering said now
when Jesus is answering and saying those two actions are concurrent in answering he speaks, in answering
he is saying and really the construction is exactly the same in that 13th
verse in chapter 1 literally it says in him also believing
he was sealed it's true of course that the sealing is on top of
the believing but they are really they go together the same as
answering and saying go together so the believing and the sealing
every person who has come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
is sealed by the Spirit of God I know the charismatics like
to think that sealing is something that comes later and they might
associate it with what they want to call the baptism of the spirit
but if any man have not the spirit of Christ is none of his these disciples they already
had that precious gift of the Holy Spirit he says doesn't he
here towards the end of chapter 4, grieve not the Holy Spirit
of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. They
are sealed, they are believers. We sometimes sing those words
of the hymn of Isaac, what dost thou not dwell in all thy saints
and seal them, heirs of heaven. Every believer has the Spirit and he comes as that one who
is ever the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because really
what we have at the end of this 16th verse is parallel with what
he goes on to say in verse 17. To be strengthened with might
by his Spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in your
hearts by faith. Where there is faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ there is that sealing of the Spirit. O know ye not your own selves,
that Jesus Christ is in you, except he be reprobate? If Jesus
Christ is dwelling in the heart by faith, we must know that blessed
ministry of the Spirit, strengthened by His Spirit in the inner man. oh we must know that, we must
know that all that fullness comes to us
from the Lord Jesus Christ and we must know more and more of
that fullness being communicated and it comes to us only by and
through the gracious ministry of the Holy Spirit those words
of John 1 and verse 6 or verse 16 rather, of His fullness of
all we receive, it says, and grace for grace. It's grace for
grace and grace for grace. It's growing in the knowledge
of our God and Savior Jesus Christ our Lord. There is that gift
of the Holy Spirit and He dwells in every believer. No man can say that Jesus Christ
is Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. But what is it? It's that inward
work. It's that inward work of the Spirit. It says it here in
the text, in the inner man. All the strength of the supply,
it's the inward working of the Spirit in the soul. Behold, says
the Lord Jesus, the kingdom of God is within you. His kingdom
is not of this world. His kingdom doesn't come with
observation. It doesn't come with any outward
show. It is a blessed inward kingdom. It's the sovereign operations
of the Spirit of God in the soul of the sinner. That faith of
the operation of God spoken of there in Colossians 2.12 and
what of that sovereign operation, what of that gracious working
of the Spirit in the inner man, why there's subduing of all our
sins, there's a deliverance and scattering from us all our unbelief,
there's that remarkable working of faith, for the Kingdom of
God is not in word, it's in power, it's in the Holy Ghost, It's
in much assurance. We read that passage there in
the opening part of Romans chapter
8. There the Apostle says so much of the Spirit. Remember
what we read there. We haven't time to read the whole
passage again, but look at what he's saying at verse 11 following.
If the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell
in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken
your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore,
brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh, to live after the
flesh. For if ye live after the flesh,
ye shall die. All the old nature, you see.
the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against
the flesh, and these contrary one to the other, as he says
to the Galatians. If ye live after the flesh ye
shall die, but if ye through the Spirit do mortify, put to
death, crucify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many
as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. for
ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but
ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba
Father the Spirit itself bearing witness with our spirit that
we are the children of God all that blessed work of the Spirit
then this is how the believer is strengthened
in his own soul this is how the believer comes to enjoy all the
riches of his glory all the riches of Christ Jesus and this is the
apostles prayer for these Ephesians but in a sense isn't this his
prayer for us really because this epistle though written to
the Ephesians it's written to all the churches of Jesus Christ
it's written to all the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ it's
the whole family that He would grant you according to the riches
of His glory to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the
inner man that Christ may dwell in your heart by faith Oh God,
grant that we might be spared to go on and to consider what
follows the words of our text tonight. But the Lord be pleased
to bless the verse to us and to write the truth of it in all
our hearts. Amen.