Ephesians 3:14-21 | ...to Experience Christ's Transforming Power, Together

50 Years of God's Faithfulness • Sermon • Submitted 7 months ago • Presented 7 months ago

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Next week we start a new sermon series titled, “The cost of following Jesus” based out of selected passages in the gospel of Matthew.

Bu today we finish our sermon series, “50 years of God’s faithfulness”

Our mission: Investing in people to experience Christ’s transforming power, together.

When I think of experiencing Christ’s transforming power together I think of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians.

Read Ephesians 3:14-21

Imagine that tomorrow you woke up to the news that your bank account now has $100 million dollars (inheritance)

Your life has potential to changed, to be transformed to the degree you use that money. It’s one thing to have $100M in your bank account; it’s another thing to draw on it. There’s a big difference.

Main Idea: The Father’s riches are endless and available to his church

Let’s look closely at Paul’s prayer.

v.14, For this reason...

Paul repeats the same phrase, “for this reason” found in v.1 where he intended to begin his prayer. Vv. 2-13 are a side note (“by the way...”)

“For this reason...” is a reference to this wonderful reality called the church where Jews and Gentiles are now one covenant people brought together through the blood of Jesus.

I bow my knees before the Father.

Paul’s posture of prayer shows humility and total dependency on the Father.

We have a good Father. Luke 11:13 “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!””

V.15 states that we share the same family name because we share the same Father. We now possess “boldness and access with confidence.” (Eph 3:12)

V.16, That according to the riches of his glory...

Main idea. The Father’s riches are endless and available to his church

Ephesians 1:3 “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,”

God lavished the richness of his grace leading to our redemption and the forgiveness of our sins. (Eph 1:7-8)

“My cup overflows” (Ps 23)

Our Father is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think (Eph 3:20)

Can you hear Paul’s prayer and invitation? MEFC, The Father’s riches are endless and available to his church

The content of Paul’s prayer is divided in three requests, each introduced with the word “that” (Gk, hina)

First request,

That we may be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit

“that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” (Ephesians 3:16–17a)

Our Father wants to increase our strength by pouring out his power into us through the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:19 “and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might”

God’s strength is unlimited.

Source: The Holy Spirit is the one who carries out the strengthening.

Where are we strengthened? In our inner person (where transformation takes place)

2 Corinthians 4:7–9 “7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;”

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 “16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

2 Corinthians 12:7–10 “7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Life is war! We fight against our flesh, the world and Satan (Eph 6:10)

Back to our passage

The result of being strengthen by God is that Christ may dwell in our hearts trough faith. That is a continual presence of Christ.

The verb “dwell” indicates a permanent residency = ongoing transformation (Jesus will clean every room in your house: cleanse, replace, add)

Jesus will use fellow believers to point out those dirty rooms in your house (heart).

Our mission: Investing in people to experience Christ’s transforming power, together.

The Father’s riches are endless and available to his church

Second request

That we may experience the love of Christ

“that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.” (Eph 3:17b–19a)

Paul’s second request is for God’s church, this includes MEFC, to understand and to experience the love of Christ.

Two keywords in the text: to comprehend & to know. These words speak of a personal experience, but also of a community experience.

Personal: Not based on other’s experiences

With all the saints. This is a community experience. This why we add the word, “together” to our mission statement. You and I need each other.

To comprehend. Paul’s prayer is for the church to the have the ability, the capacity to comprehend, that is , to grasp the multi-dimentional love of Christ (breadth, length, height, depth).

The opposite of grasping is spiritual blindness

To know. The love of Christ surpasses all knowledge. The love of Christ is limitless. It is also transformative to the degree that you experience that love.

The point is that you can grow in your understanding and experience of Christ’s love. This reality is open to every follower of Jesus.

Let’s talk about experiencing Christ

It’s’ one thing to know about _____, but it’s another thing to experience that.

It’s one thing to know you have 100M in the bank, but it’s another thing to live out that reality.

It’s one thing to understand doctrine, but it’s another thing to experience it.

It’s one thing to know that humans are sinners in need of a Savior, but it’s another thing to experience that. (The gospel grid)

Romans 5:5 “5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

We are way too satisfied playing in our little man-made puddles of love when we could swim in God’s endless love ocean.

We are satisfied with so little, nibbling at PBJs when we could go into the banquet room.

What’s the difference between religion and Christianity? An authentic relationship with the living God and his love for us.

That we may be filled with the fullness of God

Ephesians 3:19b “that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

We now approach a phrase, a statement, which has been well and rightly described by someone as ‘the climax of all prayer’. It is quite certain that nothing higher than this is conceivable, either in the realm of prayer and petition or in the realm of experience. (Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

What does it mean to be filled with all the fulness of God? It is clearly impossible for any human being to contain the whole fulness of God. Nor does this mean that humans become God.

God’s desire is to see his children to grow deeper in their transformation to resemble Jesus.

Ephesians 4:11–13 “11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,”

Conversion is just the beginning. God’s desire is to see his children to grow deeper in their transformation to resemble Jesus.

Ephesians 4:22–24 “22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

This transformation is ongoing.

This also tells me that our capacity to be filled with the fulness of God can increase.

Take a ballon for example, you blow a certain amount of air and you can say that it is full of air. Then you blow more air into and you can say that is full of air. Why, its capacity has increased.

Take the ocean for example. You can bring an empty bottle of water and fill it with ocean water. The bottle is is now full.

Bucket - fill it with ocean water - the bucket is now full

A water truck - fill it with ocean water - the water truck is now full

The bottle, the bucket and the water truck are full, but they do not have the same capacity.

Christian people, do we know this enjoyment? This is Christianity! It was in order to make this possible that the Son of God left heaven, came on earth, and went to the Cross on Calvary’s hill. He died not merely that we might be forgiven and saved from hell. He died that we might be ‘filled with all the fulness of God’—here in this life! Not when you are dead and have passed into heaven and into glory, but here and now! We shall have it in greater fulness there, but we are to be filled to the brim here and now. That is what Paul was praying for these Ephesians. It is not a vague ideal which he is setting before them; he is praying that they may truly know this, even as he himself knew it. This is Christianity! (Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

The fullnes of God is the life of God in us.

John 14:23 “23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

Galatians 5:22–23 “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Conclusion: Don’t limit God in that transformation that he can accomplish in us and through us.

Ephesians 3:20–21 “20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

How to experience more of God in our lives:

Share your testimony (others’ faith is also strengthen)

Pray to be strengthen with power. Luke 18:1 “1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.”

Total surrender.