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Ephesians 3.14-end
October 13th 2019
Milk
Last week we read where Paul wrote that he was called to preach the Gospel and (verse 9). . .
9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
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,
11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
And this leads us to the rest of the chapter which is our text for today, were Paul writes:
Ephesians 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,
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; 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, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
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.
Now, before we cover these passages I want to re-read this chunk to you so you can hear something Paul makes clear relative to what I am going to call THE END and the MEANS to the END?
Here we go:
Ephesians 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who is the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. God the Father. Paul is bowing His knees to Him. Why? He is the End. He is the goal and the focus is why? God called the Father. The One God whom scripture calls, The Father. Paul says:
For this cause (which we studied last week) I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . . .
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 That he (God the Father of Jesus) would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit (the1st Means) in the inner man;
Paul hopes that God the Father would grant the believers there, according to the RICHES of His glory, to BE strengthened with might BY HIS SPIRIT in the inner man.
God is the END, who Paul bows before and then hopes that the first means God would grant them is strength with might by His Spirit.
His spirit is NOT the end. His Spirit is one of the means – the first means, by which God the Father blesses us and increases our strength and might.
His spirit is a wonderful gift by which our inner woman or man is elevated and brought to places of strength that we could not otherwise discover without it.
God, the END, gives us this means to the END – His Spirit. And then we are brought to the second means mentioned here by Paul
17 That CHRIST (the second means mentioned here – Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God) may dwell in your hearts by faith;
His prayer and hope is God the father would bless these believers with HIS SPIRIT which would “strengthen them with might in the inner man.” Would sustain them in their inner person or spirit. To what end? That they will be super successful business people? That they will be without trials in the world?
No – verse 17
“That CHRIST” (the second means mentioned here given by the Living God to us) “may dwell in your hearts by faith;”
And Paul adds
“that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
And as a result (verse 18)
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, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God (there is the END – the fullness of GOD).
20 Now unto him (God, the end and now the means too) that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us (According to the Spirit working on the inner man and Christ that dwells in us – the two means that lead to justifying the End which is God),
21 Unto him (Again, God, the Father of our Lord) be glory in the church by Christ Jesus (the means) throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
I wanted to do that little exercise before doing the verse by verse because it really summarizes the whole deal really well for us, making the means and the End clear.
Alright, let’s go back to verse 14 and walk through this verse by verse as Paul, says
14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
To me Paul seems to be “Wherefore, in light of this great calling that I have received, to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles, “I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Many scholars believe that Paul is speaking of prayer here rather than worship. In either case, it is too the Father, which is an pretty clear indication of where our prayers ought to be directed.
I have heard people pray to Jesus and I have heard people pray to the Holy Spirit. But to me this is more praying to the means the Living God has given rather than to the End.
I understand that Jesus is appealed to in prayers in scripture but even He taught to pray to the Father, saying: “our Father who art in heaven.”
So, in terms of standard fare, I go with praying to the Father in Jesus name by the Spirit. However, this is just to try and keep the focus on the end verses the means straight as the Spirit and the Lord Jesus are given to us by God that come from God, so we are really talking about God with all of it – which adds to the confusion, doesn’t it?
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
Commentators have been divided over whether the expression, “of whom,” refers to “the Father” or to the Lord Jesus.
Because Paul has said that He bows to the Father the of whom seems to be referring to Him, the Father. Erasmus agreed with this interpretation but others like Calvin claim that this family is speaking of Christ.
So, what is the whole family of which Paul speaks named? Because scripture refers to the whole family as the Children and or the Sons and Daughters of GOD, I tend to side with Erasmus on this one. But Calvin’s point is not lost – the whole family of God are His by Christ and are unitedly therefore His as Christians. And so it’s a toss up.
What is interesting is that the whole family “in heaven and earth” share this name.
The family of the Redeemed. Isn’t that wild? That if you have received Christ here by Faith you are adopted into the Family of God that exists both here and in heaven!?
This is why when people become Christian by spiritual means they have a family that exists outside their own and are often closer to the brothers and sisters they have in that family than in the earthly.
And this family exist in a heavenly Kingdom which when we are hear on earth are part of spiritually and from within as Jesus said the Kingdom of God is within you.
So, Paul has bowed (either he worships or prays) to the father of our Lord Jesus Christ (of whom the whole family in heaven and earth are named – verse 16)
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
Paul’s hope and prayer is that the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ would grant the believers he addresses – bestow upon, give to them:
“according to the abundance – the riches – of His glory.
Paul writes in Philippians 4:19
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
The idea is that God has an unlimited supply of goodness, glory, mercy and love to bestow upon his children and Paul’s hope is that God will forever tap into this unlimited source and “grant or give to the recipients of this letter”
“to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.”
Did you catch the first wish or hope of Paul that God would give the Saints
“to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.”
Why?
This is the starting point in the raging war between our flesh and spirit. The inner man verses the outer man.
The Spiritual woman verses the carnal person – and Paul’s prayer is that God would strengthen these Saints with might – with power and strong control BY HIS SPIRIT in the INNER man, and not the man or woman of flesh.
We note that the order of regeneration is first the Spirit gives us regeneration of heart and mind making us new creatures in Christ – that this does not come by the flesh.
And this model continues to be in place for us in everyday life thereafter – is our strength and might according to the inward man or woman by the Spirit or does it lie in our flesh?
Paul is praying that God would sustain and strengthen the believers then by the Spirit according to the inward man – which again – is the real warrior in the fight.
Two dogs in a fight the one who will prevail will be the dog that is fed. So it is with our two dogs in the fight for our soul – the carnal dog and the Spiritual dog – which is fed? That will be the victor. So the Spirit fortifying the inner man is the first means he looks to hoping God will mercifully bestow this spirit to them to strengthen the inner man – which is not gender specific and speaks to those internal qualities that make up a human being, the heart, the mind and the emotions.
Remember what Paul said in Romans 7:22-25:
We sing these passages!
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
Is this renewal and strengthening a one time event? Never. Its daily and processional as Paul says in
2nd Corinthians 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
So what do you feed day by day – the Spirit God bestows upon us or the flesh – whichever it is, that is what will be strong and abiding.
So that is the first thing Paul hopes for believers:
“to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.”
If this occurs, and we do experience strengthening with might by His Spirit in the inner man Paul now takes us to what this is purposed to do or why we would want to be so strengthened in our Spirit and Soul (verse 17)
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith;
The Spirit strengthens us to overcome the carnality of our flesh. It strengthens us to choose to live by the Spirit which is synonymous with Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith!
When the carnal person reigns and is strong Christ is not dwelling in our hearts in a way that He can operate. The inner man has not been strengthened.
But when the Spirit has strengthen us Christ – all that He was and established in and through His flesh in overcoming the carnal mind and man, dwells in us (by faith!) – because we have looked to Him and His life in faith! And then this – Christ in us by faith – has a purpose
“that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,”
See with Christ in us, we are able to be rooted and grounded – established and planted – in love! Because that is what Christ was and did and lived and commanded – love!
So again we have a procession being described here by Paul.
It begins with the Spirit providing us strength and might (so that)
Christ may dwell in us (so that)
We will be rooted and grounded in Love (selfless agape love which is contrary to the external man and the self) Verse 18
We understand the importance of a plant and its root system. Here Paul alludes to us being ROOTED in AGAPE love – implying that these deep roots will establish us firmly in love. But he doesn’t stop there. He adds GROUNDED – which in the Greek is THEM-EL-EE-OO-O, and best refers to architecture and a buildings foundation.
Be as firm in the love of Christ toward God and others as a building is firm on the foundation upon which it stands.
Spirit
Strength
Inner man
Indwelling Christ by FAITH
Rooted and Grounded in Agape LOVE
So now we are a walking living Christian as God would want us to be. And what will this produce or mean? (Verse 18 and 19 – I am going to add a “that you” here), “That you . . . “
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, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Paul’s desire is that the reader along with all the Saints, may be able to comprehend – understand – appreciate what is
the breadth,
AND the length,
AND the depth,
AND the height
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Now, what is Paul talking about here?
Some scholars, because of the context, think that Paul is still referring to “the mystery of calling the Gentiles as well as the Jews – and that there is a breadth and length and depth and height to it.
Others think that there is an allusion in all this to the temple at Ephesus. It was one of the wonders of the world–exciting admiration by its length, and height, and dimensions in every way, as well as by its extraordinary riches and splendor and that therefore Paul was making a play on words so to speak and was saying that as much as some Ephesians would spend their lives learning all they could about this pagan temple that Christians would learn to do the same.
We read last week in verse 8 that Paul said:
8 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 so some suggest that this breadth length width height bit is a reference to that, giving at least dimension to what he earlier stated was unsearchable.
But Paul adds at verse 19
19 AND to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, (and here comes what I believe is a key line in the two passages) that you might be filled with all the fulness of God.
So, let’s add to our running chronology here. He began with praying that they would have
Strength and Might
By the Spirit
According to the Inward man
And then the indwelling of Christ by FAITH
That they would be rooted and Grounded in Agape LOVE
That they “May be able to comprehend with all saints what is
the breadth,
and length,
and depth,
and height
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge (and we come to the end or the goal),
that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
The four terms (breadth – plat/os, length – mê/kos, height – hoops/os, and depth – bath/os)
Appear to be referring to the love of Christ which is the first line of the phrase.
But the rest of verse 18 seems to provide us a paradox for how can Paul say:
“AND to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge”
That sounds like a really big paradox – Pauls desire that someone knows the love of Christ which is past the realm of knowledge.
Therefore it appears to sound like this knowledge of which he speaks, which is aimed at the love of Christ, and its varied and expansive nature is known though some other means or way that how we know other things.
For me, after much thought, this appears to be Paul’s way of saying:
And to know the love of Christ by being the love of Christ – because being certainly transcends the realm of knowing – it IS the thing in question.
Someone outside of me can say:
They know Shawn McCraney. But I and I alone (besides God) can say:
My knowing of Shawn McCraney transcends an outsiders because I AM – I BE – Shawn McCraney.
This is the way I see it because of what Paul says next in verse 19
“that you might be filled with all the fulness
of God.”
This line is really amazing and paradoxical.
How can an individual be filled with “all the fulness of God?”
Only if they are two completely different, but two completely compatible substances or products.
It’s like all of the fullness of an arisol can being found in the innards of a sparklets bottle. Two different but compatible products.
So from all of this we are presented with a goal, aren’t we? And there are some milemarks posted along the way but they all lead, according to this, to the possibility of our
“being filled with all of the fullness of God.”
Now, I have a heuristic tattooed on my arm that represents this process if you will and we also have a welded icon of art hanging on the back box that reflects the same. (It’s the one that looks either Asian or like a Robot.)
Let me walk us through this sort of extemporaneously using what Paul says here. I call this heuristic or learning tool the Fourth Dimension Christian.
Made in God’s image (BSS) (Three Boxes)
Spiritual death (black line)
Operate by Body and Soul
Realm of happiness (conditional/Subjective)
All still spiritually dead
Regenerated/Born again
Join the whole family in heaven and earth is named.
(Why? Because . . . Christ dwells in us by faith (verse 17)
Now we learn and grow to “be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;”
Being rooted and grounded in love (What does that love look like
Sermon on the Mount
May be able to comprehend with all 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 fulness of God.
THE NEGATIVES
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
THE POSITIVES
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
DIMENSIONS
Zero Dimension is DOT
First dimension is Line (length)
Second dimension is Width or breadth (gives us a plain flat figure)
Third dimension is Height
And the fourth Dimension is Time (growth) Growth to what? To be able to receive the fullness of God.
So, Paul wraps the chapter up with verses 20 and 21, which frankly say a whole lot as he concludes
“Now unto him (I assume God the Father) 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.
We remember from last week that it was the Church – then and now – the Body, that Paul cites as giving the glorious multicolored proof of God and His wisdom throughout the ages.
He seems to reiterate this point when he says:
“Now unto him (I assume God the Father) 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 (everything and all things are always by Christ Jesus – and he adds)
“throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
However, there are better words that could and should have been used here in the King James translation as the word translated “throughout all ages is Genea, and best means Generations and the term translated world without end, is aion and better means, ages without end.
All generations and all ages without end is the better way to understand this. And because of this passage I am inclined to believe that the eternities future are age based and will continue to expand out forever and will consist of what God determines is requisite for His family – here on earth and in heaven.
Let’s wrap it up here and get into chapter four next week.
Questions comments
Prayer
