The Prayer of Paul for the Ephesians

and to read again from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians from verse 13. Wherefore 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, 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, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God Paul's petition before the Lord that we would be strengthened that we may know the dwelling of Christ in our souls by faith to have some comprehension of the greatness of God's love and to know that love in our souls that we might be filled with all the fullness of God the work of God's Holy Spirit in us that we might know the reality of faith in our souls Paul as the Lord's Apostle as the message of the Gospel to reveal to us first to the Ephesian Church but also secondly to the Church throughout all ages verses 3 and 4 of this chapter we see how the revelation how that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery as I wrote afore in few words whereby when you read you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit by the Spirit of God the Holy Spirit part of that revelation is that the Jews and the Gentiles are fellow heirs of the grace and mercy of God see that in verse 6 Gentiles should be fellow heirs with the Jews fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel not the law but by the gospel of sovereign grace that we might all see Jew and Gentile the glory of God in the salvation of sinners through Christ and through Christ alone to this end he was made a minister we see that in verse 7 he has the authority to teach under God and to reveal

under God this wonderful thing it was kept from men for however long it was from the beginning of creation and to the ministry, the open ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. Although we have to say that there were pictures of Christ, there was revelation down through the ages, but it was generally hidden.

We can see Christ prophesied to Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 3. We can see in Isaiah chapter 53 the sufferings of Christ we can see in Jeremiah chapter 31 I think it is of the new covenant a covenant that was to come that was ratified by the blood of Jesus Christ but it all pointed forward like a signpost pointing all forward unto Christ even the temple itself pointed to Christ the ceremonial all everything all the temple architecture and the furniture spoke of Jesus Christ the one who should come and all that is revealed to us in the letter of Paul to the Hebrews but all these things as it speaks of in verse 10 is to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God and it's not a strange word but i was thinking about manifold what is a manifold anybody who's conversant with cars that's how they anything I can speak of with any authority we think of the exhaust manifold many branches but they all come into one outlet okay you might have two manifolds but generally speaking a manifold brings together many things but it brings it into one place the exhaust gases go out through the exhaust pipe but here in the gospel there are many things many aspects in the doctrine of our salvation which show the manifold wisdom of god all comes down into one place and it's centered upon our lord and savior jesus christ as it says according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in christ jesus our lord what was the eternal purpose salvation in the gospel of our savior paul's desire though for the church, goes beyond, I use the word mere in inverted commas here, just beyond the mere display, we know there's more to it than a display, but we can look at doctrine and sometimes we can forget about ourselves.

Doctrine is wonderful, in the doctrine of Christ we see hope, we see salvation, we see sins forgiven, there is so much And God's mercy, great as it is, he still brings a petition before the Lord that they, that the Ephesian church, and we may know the love of Christ in ourselves. consider I was going to speak simply on verse 19 but I think I felt that I had to go back to verse 16 where we saw in verse 14 this is cause I bow my knees unto the father of our Lord Jesus Christ the beginning of his petition of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named that he would grant you the church to us according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man that's his desire and this desire is placed in his heart by the holy spirit but as a minister as an apostle a messenger of god to reveal these things to us and to encourage us in the faith but also we see his petition it is the delight of Paul to pray for the saints we must ask ourselves is that our delight is that our petition for one another especially those who we might disagree with I know I disagree with people on several things but it doesn't mean I hate them we consider them the leader the glory of his grace free grace to sinners always we must look and see or understand when we consider spiritual matters that we are considering an utterly holy God this must be the background to our contemplation to our meditation upon God's word in anything that we look at and how a holy God deals with sinful men, sinful people you know we're not not dealing with a pretty holy God we are dealing with a God who it says in Deuteronomy 4 our God is a consuming fire speak a little bit about that in a moment and neither are we dealing with somewhat sinful men you probably well know Jeremiah 17 verse 9 the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it goes on to say I the Lord search the heart try the reins are we aware of just how holy our God is remember in

Deuteronomy chapter 4 before we get to verse 21 where it speaks of how God is a consuming fire that we see how the Lord Moses says to the people furthermore the Lord was angry with me for your sakes and swear that I should not go over Jordan that I should not go into the good land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance but I must die in this land I must not go over Jordan, but ye shall go over and possess that good land. Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and made you a graven image, or the likeness of anything, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee. Why was Moses not allowed to go into the promised land? Because he struck the rock.

Read in Hebrews, I believe, that that rock that followed them in the wilderness was Christ. the people of Israel on the first occasion needed water instead of simply asking the Lord they argued with Moses about it and Moses was told strike the rock and the rock brought forth water it's a picture I believe of the Holy Spirit looking at all things in the scripture are teachers and things like that that those events I should say teachers that are our sustenance is from God and from God alone the second time I believe it was at Meribah Moses was told to speak to the rock but he didn't he struck it and for that simple you may say that's a very simple act isn't it he was not allowed to go into the promised land the Lord was angry with him we are dealing with a very holy god and the perfect example of our lord being a consuming fire is in the book of Leviticus chapter 10 you might think some ministers seem to be quite firm in their denunciation of error This was an eye-opener for me many, many years ago. Leviticus 10, verses 1 and 2. And Nadab and Abihu, they were priests of the tribe of Levi, and of, they were Aaron's sons. The sons of Aaron took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. and there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them and they died before the Lord." It made me sit up, certainly poked my ears up when I became aware of such a passage.

Our God is a consuming fire and though we may not see these things today, it doesn't mean He's a different God, He's the same God yesterday, today and forever. Is he a God of love and mercy? Yes. But he's not a God to be trifled with. We must keep in mind the holiness of God but also the mercy of God.

It keeps our mind centered on the truth. it's not a truth we can play with but we will have to answer to it one way or another so i come back to ephesians chapter 3 and verse 16 and it speaks of the riches of his glory that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might we might understand to be strengthened with his might What does it mean?

Well, let's consider what we were.

You, he hath, from chapter two, you hath he quickened with dead interests and sins, wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air. the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. It doesn't end there. but what lovely words but God verse 4 but God who is rich in mercy notice that word again 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 are ye saved the riches of Christ the riches of his glory what are the riches? valuable valuable in abundance the abundance of his mercy towards speaks in Ephesians 1 7 and also 2 7 he's not just merciful he's rich in his mercy and in the riches of his glory what is his glory the glory of God is the gospel of Christ to sinners to undeserving sinners you should never forget the glory of the gospel is the blood of Christ shared for sinners Acts 20 verse 28 speaks of the blood of God the blood of God not just the blood of Jesus Christ the blood of God yes it was Christ's blood Christ the man God but that's the riches of his glory this is the wonder of it unfathomable to us unfathomable it's without we can't sound the depth but Ephesians 1 certainly brings out something of the something of what we might contemplate verse seven in whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace that word keeps cropping up in the new testament doesn't it the riches of his grace you might think it nothing maybe you're just here and just listening and there's not much going on between your ears i don't know but i pray that we might consider just what we are and just whom god is and his mercy towards us. We who were by nature the children of wrath.

Redemption, forgiveness of sins and let us not forget redemption means there is a cost, a cost was that separation of Christ from God the Father upon the cross. We cannot understand what he went through. So, according to the riches of his glory, which is his grace and his mercy, Paul petitions the Lord that we be strengthened with might.

Not just strengthened, thinking upon this, it sort of seems like a double Is it double redundancy? I'm not sure. I'm not very good at English. But it's not. To strengthen something means to improve its strength. But it's strengthen with might. More than just strength. Strengthen. You might think of anything. Repairing a bridge. You might repair it by putting in another girder or whatever.

Or you might totally refurbish it and make it far stronger than it was that's the implication here strengthened by might in the inner man not just a little bit strengthened by the Holy Spirit of God the new man has created in righteousness this is what we talked about the new man is strengthened Ephesians next chapter chapter 4 verse 24 and that you put on the new man it's a continuous sense here puts on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and through holiness and when we consider Romans chapter 7 where Paul says the good that I would I do not and that which I would not that I do we see Paul as a saint as a believer acknowledging his weakness do you see it yourselves? do you see your own weakness? do I see it? it's all well and good me being up here and talking to you but going through these things makes me aware as I trust it does to you whether you be young or whether you be old aware of our own lack of strength our own lack of strength that's the old man but even in the new man we must of necessity have constant prayer for strength Colossians 1 verse 9 on for this cause we also since the day we heard it do not cease to pray for you and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God strengthened with all might notice that again according to his glorious power it's not something airy-fairy we're talking of the Holy Ghost here unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness giving thanks unto the Father and he carries on encouraging of the saints that he might work worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing outward witness before the world fruitful in every good work but also growing in understanding understanding how much are we going to understand of the things of god some of us will know more than others but are we going to be able to to plump to get right

down to the bottom of this mystery no great is the mystery of godliness god was manifest in the flesh who can understand that we can see it we can get a bit of comprehension of it but we will never understand it not truthfully because we're not God what is our witness before the world what is our desire you should not become lukewarm we are never dying souls there was a great warning wasn't there to one of the churches in revelation would that you were hot or cold but because you look warm i'll spew you out of my mouth it sounds revolting doesn't it but think upon what the lord is saying you're praying for one another praying for one another as paul prays for us Put on the whole armour of God, sorry, verse 10, sorry, of Ephesians 6.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness, in high places. Wherefore, take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." We need that strengthening of the Holy Spirit.

And we need to pray for one another. It's obvious why Israel in the Old Covenant failed spectacularly. They were warned. They had the Word of God. in exodus chapter 34 verse 12 i won't turn to it they were warned against taking husbands and wives from the nations round about they were warned specifically that they would lead them astray in numbers 25 verses 1 to 3 we see them marrying from the nations round about and descending into idolatry okay they didn't have the Holy Spirit was it a difficult rule to obey no it wasn't difficult they just didn't do it and that this we might think upon this the many times that God was merciful to them as a nation taking them out from Egypt through the Red Sea and then within days, weeks, months and make a golden calf it doesn't make sense to me unless I consider the human heart that is desperately wicked deceitful beyond all bound let's not lose sight of that especially when we consider the gospel how people and they do mutilate it change it it's so sad it makes me angry but it's also very very sad now we might say well we have an advantage we certainly do as the Lord's people but let us also consider King David and Bathsheba episode in 2 Samuel how David as the Lord's beloved one of the Lord's beloved I should say committed murder and adultery with another man's wife let us consider Solomon 1 Kings 11 verse 1 and 2 had many strange wives and they led him astray just like Israel of old idolatry the Lord hates idolatry I've mentioned this before I make no apologies for repeating 1 Corinthians 10 verse 12.

Wherefore, let him that thinketh he stand, and it may be in all good conscience thinks he stand, take heed, lest he fall. Openly? Or not openly? The fall of men might be in front of the whole world, the fall of Christians. can't fall from grace.

So let us be careful about our stand, lest we bring the name of the Lord into disrepute. So let us be strengthened. It's Paul's desire that we be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man, in the soul. And let us not lose sight of the access that we have when we are tempted. when we tempt it we have an advocate with the father we don't have to say it's too much well we can say it's too much but then where do we go do we sigh in despair or do we say with Paul that we have an advocate that when he sees his fleshly weakness he thanks God in Jesus Christ or in Christ Jesus as it says for the strength to walk uprightly in God's sight and he continues that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith not by works dwell in your hearts by faith Lord the Lord tells the Pharisees the kingdom of God is within you that's in an encounter in Luke chapter 17 he's warning them that the kingdom of God is not it's not what we can see round about us the kingdom of God is within you God rules everything he's master over his creation but his kingdom is not of this world it's not a worldly temporal kingdom the pharisee with the thinking what is it? the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord are these this is the temple of God what we've made here or whether it's got a cross at the front or whatever it's not I sometimes, I don't wish to contradict anybody, but I sometimes think about when we call chapels the house of God.

I know what people mean, but we are the temple of God. It's where we meet. I don't see a real problem, but it's just something I sometimes think about. It's a personal thing. We are within our souls. This is where the Lord resides, in our souls. This is where the Lord deals with men in our souls. Thank the Lord that we've got places where we can meet openly, where we can come together. We should thank the Lord for these things. They may be taken away from us one day. I can see it.

I remember the believers in Russia in the 70s and 80s where the baptisms were carried out in winter with snow on the ground freezing temperatures because they had to meet in the forest well away from the authorities it wasn't that they were afraid they wanted to worship worship together that was the house of God there where they met together in God's name and the Lord blessed them they were imprisoned they lost their lives soldiers who became believers lost their lives but they were dwelt in by Christ by faith the domain of Christ is in the souls of men, saints And they're indwelt by measure by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, by faith, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but by God, through faith alone, the gift of God, being rooted and grounded.

Rooted and grounded. When we build a house, I don't know if you've noticed, put a foundation down, then we put a damp course down, and then the bricks go on the top. There's nothing except a bit of plastic or something between the bricks and the foundation. The bricks by their weight hold everything down. It doesn't say that here does it? It's more if I might use the comparison of a very strong reinforced concrete building or structure rooted and grounded if you've ever seen as i have foundations built for blast cells and things where explosives are made the foundation is cast but there's rods going through into the foundation and then there's the superstructure which is on the top You can't move it, because it's rooted, if you might use that expression, analogy, into the foundation. The foundation of the church is Christ. And here, it says, we're not just grounded, built upon the foundation, we're rooted and grounded.

We think of the strength.

I think of the buildings that I have worked in, in the past, where explosives are made, and the strength of them. they're not destroyed if something goes bang when it shouldn't but this is the strength of the believer that we are rooted and grounded in love the love of God the love of God and it's Paul's desire the Holy Spirit's requirement that we be rooted and grounded in love in love love for God we love him because he first loved us we might ask ourselves just how much do we love God reminded in Simon answering the Lord's question who dealing with a creditor he gives an example of a creditor and he says to Simon about a creditor who had two debtors one who owed a lot more than the other i think it was a hundred pence or five hundred pence i'm not sure and another one that owes 50 pence and because they had nothing rich to pay the creditor frankly forgave them everything frankly it means everything that they owed they've forgotten has forgotten written off and the lord's question is who do you think loved that creditor the most and simon answering the lord's question said i suppose that he to whom he forgave most and the lord replied that was rightly judged are you aware just how much the lord has forgiven you for your sins how much do you love the lord not just for every sin that you've committed but for your natural state it's not just sins forgiven, sin is forgiven our natural state of enmity towards God, hatred is almost hatred with violence animosity we can't plumb the depths of it, we don't know the depths of our own evil heart But we're also rooted and grounded in God's love for us. I mean, we wouldn't love God unless God loved us to start with.

But that's the source of our love for him. This is the essence of the Gospel. Love. Love for sinners. Ephesians is... I'm really coming to appreciate the letter of paul to the ephesians because there's so much in all the word of god but i have a some people that i suppose have an affinity for different parts of the scriptures but i'm seeing so much in ephesians at the moment according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love in love for us in love for Christ God loved Israel of old under the Old Covenant and that covenant was dependent upon their fulfilment of covenant obligations the law of God which he gave them. Why did he choose Israel?

Because it was a good pleasure of his will and in the purposes of God it was to teach us to be examples to us in these days of how he dealt with men. The new covenant also depends upon covenant obligations but it's the love of God in Christ that those obligations are fulfilled by Christ and Christ alone. We cannot meet any of those covenant obligations that were given to Christ because we're not God, we're not perfect, we're sinners, we're incapable We have no strength. So in love God showed his great mercies, the riches of his mercies through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by dying in our place. That is love.

To the purpose that we may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, length and depth and height. it's interesting this verse because like in psalm 145 verse 3 it speaks of the unsearchable greatness of God and when we think of the vastness of the universe he created it how feeble man is he can look a long long way out into space with telescopes and that he can't get out of the solar system he can only just get out of orbit of the earth and i tried to work out what fifth i think the nearest star is 15 light years away from us and i went with my little calculator to try and figure out what sort of mileage that was when think of the speed of light being 186,000 miles a second how long would it take us to get or how far 15 light years computed to I just gave up so did my calculator it's just so vast and yet God made it how can we reduce the God who made the universe we acknowledge that some of these galaxies are so far away that they make 15 light years seem very very small and yet we try to reduce God how can you? you can't you'll never get two pints of milk into a one pint bottle and you're going to be just as unsuccessful as trying to comprehend the universe and trying to understand the law and that's why I try to understand a little bit more when he says may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth length and depth and height he doesn't say understand now it may be just me again with poor English but he says comprehend Comprehend means to get a grasp on.

The word actually means, if I can find it in my notes, perceive. Now to perceive something doesn't mean you understand it. It means you've got an idea. You've got cars running up and down. Do you understand how a car works? Well we might if we're mechanically oriented.

But do we understand all the chemicals, the way chemicals when you compress some of them ignite and some of them don't and you need a source of heat and whatever do we understand all of it well we might be able to but we will never be able to understand the workings of God we may be able to comprehend we can comprehend but we'll never get to the bottom of it that's what I'm trying to bring out is trying to search out that which is unsearchable is an impossible but we can get glimpses of it we can perceive the love of God and we can perceive the riches of his glory we can perceive something of the magnitude of God's love for us when we see Christ upon the cross are we touched by it though? are we touched by it? there's so much to say on the subject i'm going to have to miss quite a bit of it out but it's to know the love of christ this is the aim is to know the love of christ in ourselves which passes knowledge it far surpasses our limited understanding, our limited knowledge do we understand anything of the love of Christ? do we understand the holiness of God? there should be no dispute about the holiness of God but do we understand it? sadly there is a dispute if you look at some people's understanding of doctrine do we understand the sinfulness of man? that certainly is in dispute when we look at certain people's understanding of doctrine but do we consider what God knows about us and you think of what Paul says in Romans 4 verse 5 Christ died for the ungodly think about that for a moment Romans 5 verse 6 how Christ sorry justified the ungodly in Romans 4 and how he died for the ungodly he died for sinners how Christ reconciled us to God whilst we were yet his enemies good illustration is Paul in Acts chapter 8 Paul was consenting to the death of Stephen in Acts chapter 9 his first verses he's seeking authority from the Sanhedrin or the council to go and persecute Christians and he's met by the Lord Jesus Christ, Saul, Saul why persecutest thou me?

Christ died for him, do we think about that? Beforehand Christ knowing that we're sinners still died for us he died he was reckoned to have died in eternity we chosen in him before the foundation of the world he died in time but he died for sinners while we were yet enemies Christ died for us it's not arrogance and presumption then to say with Paul as he does say in Galatians 20. He gave himself for me. Christ died for sinners and Paul brings it to himself. Christ died for me.

It's not arrogance, it's not presumption. To be desiring to be baptised is not presumption. It's the result of a personal salvation.

And I realise as I wrote these notes down that some people think in terms of Christ dying for sort of everybody but you can make him your personal saviour it's not what I mean I mean Christ deals with sinners as individuals mentioned it last time mentioned several times God have mercy upon me a sinner that's that man that publican Romans 18 verse 16 the spirit itself beareth witness with us with our spirit that we are the children of God that's the reality of personal salvation Christ died for the church but not the church as a corporate body it is but the church is made of individuals that's what we need to understand and the Lord requires wants us to know these things Paul wants us to know these things that we can say with Paul that Christ loved me and gave himself for me Job from the Old Testament 2,000 years before Christ maybe more I know that my Redeemer liveth mine not the Redeemer liveth not Christ loved the church and gave himself for it which is true Paul can go further love me and gave himself for me I know that my Redeemer liveth it's that deep and profound sense and knowledge that go together that one's sin has been dealt with by Christ Jesus this is the ministry of the Spirit in our souls there are those who say well it's presumptuous to say that well what have I just read from the scriptures it's not presumption at all it's God's holy word it's being justified by faith we have peace with God these are the Lord's words through Paul in letters of Romans but nonetheless it's a truth it's the truth this is the great love of God this is the riches of his grace that we might comprehend to some extent to the praise of God that great salvation which we might know in our souls and that we for those of us who know sins forgiven and it is an experience not a charismatic experience it's something that natural man does not know he cannot know it that's why we have that's why the necessity of the new birth the Holy Spirit working in us making us alive to the

things of God even salvation and the reality of the blood of Christ being shed for my sin and for the sins of his people for your sin if you're one of the lord's people to do with the fullness of christ that fills all in all there's so much more to say on that the holy spirit dwelling in us i believe that's what we're talking about with the fullness of christ it's the holy spirit of god dwelling in us Making us perfect?

Well, it says in Timothy, I can't remember if it's first or second Timothy, I always get it mixed up. All scripture is given by inspiration of God. It goes on to say that the man of God may be perfect, throughly equipped unto all good works. The man of God, the new man.

The old man is still God until death of the body but the new man is perfect in Christ as I say there's so much more to say on it I've missed out a great deal but let us rest then in that great salvation which is the blessing of Christ to the church chosen in him, chosen as in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself. May we be able then to comprehend with all the saints down through the ages what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. May the Lord work in us for his glory and may we seek to learn more of these things that we might live to the glory of God and know the work of the Holy Spirit in our souls. strengthening us for his service. And to the Lord then be glory and all the praise. Amen.

The Prayer of Paul for the Ephesians

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The Prayer of Paul for the Ephesians

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