Chapter 3 begins with Paul letting us know that what Jesus has done is new—it was only hinted at before, but now it is a mystery revealed. Part of that mystery is that God intended for non-Jews to enter into His grace as coheirs. The reason this has happened is for a witness to the entire heavenly host. Paul also tells us that we don’t have to sneak by the angels and demons to get to God but can boldly access God through trusting in God’s Son.
3:14 – 21 All this leads to Paul’s purpose for writing the letter—his prayer that the saints will comprehend God’s love, be filled with God’s fullness, and with praise to the One who did it all for us!
This should fire up your prayer life! Imagine the God of Heaven did everything for us so that we could be completely and totally blessed, have our prayers answered, and have victory over the flesh and the devil!
There are at least three things that hold us back in the area of prayer.
First, we fear that we don’t pray often enough.
Second, we worry that we won’t use the right words or we fear we’ll say the wrong thing.
Third, we think we don’t have enough faith. Or more accurately, we’re sure we don’t have enough faith to be heard by God.
3:14 – 21 All this leads to Paul’s purpose for writing the letter—his prayer that the saints will comprehend God’s love, be filled with God’s fullness, and with praise to the One who did it all for us!
This should fire up your prayer life! Imagine the God of Heaven did everything for us so that we could be completely and totally blessed, have our prayers answered, and have victory over the flesh and the devil!
There are at least three things that hold us back in the area of prayer.
First, we fear that we don’t pray often enough.
Second, we worry that we won’t use the right words or we fear we’ll say the wrong thing.
Third, we think we don’t have enough faith. Or more accurately, we’re sure we don’t have enough faith to be heard by God.
That’s why here and there the Bible records the prayers of great saints of God. We listen as Moses beseeches the Lord; we listen as Nehemiah and Daniel intercede with the Almighty. In John 17 we observe the Lord Jesus talking intimately with his Heavenly Father. And scattered throughout the epistles, we have numerous short prayers by the Apostle Paul. These biblical prayers are given to us as models and examples. They are not forms to be slavishly followed, but guides to help us frame our thoughts as we come before the Lord in prayer. If we need help in prayer (and we do!), then we will be richly repaid as we study the prayers of the Bible.
I am especially grateful that Paul wrote one of his prayers in Ephesians 3:14-21. Beyond question, this is one of the greatest prayers in the entire Bible. One writer called it “the Holy of Holies in the Christian life.” Another writer called it “a prayer for the impossible.” That is a very apt description. This is the second prayer in Ephesians. We looked at the prayer in Ephesians 1 in the last sermon. That’s a prayer that the eyes of the heart might be opened so that we might know God better. If the first prayer is for enlightenment, the second prayer is for enablement. If the first prayer is for knowledge, the second is for power.
As we look at this prayer, once again it’s easy to get lost in the details. At first reading, it appears to be a complex arrangement of phrases piled one on top of the other, all leading to a very powerful doxology in verses 20-21. If we look at it that way, we’ll miss the main point. A better way to study this prayer is to focus on the main request in verse 16 where Paul prays that God might “strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” This is a prayer for spiritual strength in the inner being (literally in Greek, the “inner man"). Paul prays for one thing and one thing only in this prayer. He asks God to strengthen the Ephesians by the Holy Spirit on the inside so that they can fulfill God’s will for them. Though this prayer has many parts and builds to a big climax, there is only one basic request. Keep that in mind as we look at this text together.
How can I be so sure that there is only one basic request? The key is found in verse 13, just before the prayer begins: “I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.” The phrase “not to be discouraged” can be translated “not to lose heart” or “not to give up.” This is extremely relevant because so many things sap our strength: discouraging circumstances, monotonous routine, physical weakness, personal failure, unwanted interruptions, unfinished responsibilities, and unresolved conflicts. Any one of those things could knock us out of commission, but often two or three of them hit us at the same time. And then we are knocked to the floor and find it hard to get up and get back in the fight.
Seen in that light, this is a prayer for something most of us desperately need every day—spiritual strength. When we feel weak, prayer can be difficult or almost impossible. In those moments, here is a prayer that is always appropriate. It is a prayer to pray before you faint. If you are on the verge of giving up, take this prayer to heart before you throw in the towel.
When you are weak, you need strength. And strength is the exact opposite of “losing heart” in verse 13. To be “strengthened with power” means to be made powerfully strong so that you can overcome the obstacles set before you. The word for power is Dunamis, from which we get the English words dynamic and dynamite. When you are made strong in the inner man by the Holy Spirit, there will be power to blast out the unbelief, and power to overcome despair, and power to rise above anger, and power to keep going when you would rather quit. Note that this power is put to work in the “inner self” or the “inner man.” That “inner man” is the control room of life where every great decision is made. This is the place where we need the most help.
I am especially grateful that Paul wrote one of his prayers in Ephesians 3:14-21. Beyond question, this is one of the greatest prayers in the entire Bible. One writer called it “the Holy of Holies in the Christian life.” Another writer called it “a prayer for the impossible.” That is a very apt description. This is the second prayer in Ephesians. We looked at the prayer in Ephesians 1 in the last sermon. That’s a prayer that the eyes of the heart might be opened so that we might know God better. If the first prayer is for enlightenment, the second prayer is for enablement. If the first prayer is for knowledge, the second is for power.
As we look at this prayer, once again it’s easy to get lost in the details. At first reading, it appears to be a complex arrangement of phrases piled one on top of the other, all leading to a very powerful doxology in verses 20-21. If we look at it that way, we’ll miss the main point. A better way to study this prayer is to focus on the main request in verse 16 where Paul prays that God might “strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” This is a prayer for spiritual strength in the inner being (literally in Greek, the “inner man"). Paul prays for one thing and one thing only in this prayer. He asks God to strengthen the Ephesians by the Holy Spirit on the inside so that they can fulfill God’s will for them. Though this prayer has many parts and builds to a big climax, there is only one basic request. Keep that in mind as we look at this text together.
How can I be so sure that there is only one basic request? The key is found in verse 13, just before the prayer begins: “I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.” The phrase “not to be discouraged” can be translated “not to lose heart” or “not to give up.” This is extremely relevant because so many things sap our strength: discouraging circumstances, monotonous routine, physical weakness, personal failure, unwanted interruptions, unfinished responsibilities, and unresolved conflicts. Any one of those things could knock us out of commission, but often two or three of them hit us at the same time. And then we are knocked to the floor and find it hard to get up and get back in the fight.
Seen in that light, this is a prayer for something most of us desperately need every day—spiritual strength. When we feel weak, prayer can be difficult or almost impossible. In those moments, here is a prayer that is always appropriate. It is a prayer to pray before you faint. If you are on the verge of giving up, take this prayer to heart before you throw in the towel.
When you are weak, you need strength. And strength is the exact opposite of “losing heart” in verse 13. To be “strengthened with power” means to be made powerfully strong so that you can overcome the obstacles set before you. The word for power is Dunamis, from which we get the English words dynamic and dynamite. When you are made strong in the inner man by the Holy Spirit, there will be power to blast out the unbelief, and power to overcome despair, and power to rise above anger, and power to keep going when you would rather quit. Note that this power is put to work in the “inner self” or the “inner man.” That “inner man” is the control room of life where every great decision is made. This is the place where we need the most help.
ACTION STEP: Continue to read Ephesians 4:1 – 16
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