[Watch this experiment on conformity: Smoke fills a room, and nobody else reacts, and the question is whether the test subject will conform to the group or "break with the herd" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjP22DpYYh8] - They do not break w the group. Their response: I/we were waiting..." (i.e. for somebody else to do something)]
"For this reason...", Paul begins this section. We’ll come back to this. Paul is continuing a thought he had back at the beginning of this chapter/end of ch 2. Which was, you are being built into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
"I bow my knees…" What is he talking about here? He's talking about prayer. And Paul, for one, is NOT sitting around waiting for something to happen. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - prayer is THE most important work we can do as followers of Christ. Prayer touches eternity, accesses the very throne and heart of God Himself. It unlocks the mighty storehouses of heaven and unleashes God’s blessings in and through our lives. It touches hearts and brings down miracles. And we do well to note Paul’s posture here - not of his body per se, but of his heart. I bow my knees - what does that say about him? Could be he’s overwhelmed. Could be a sign of reverence. I think here he is … surrendered. He is dependent. Desperate. There’s no little engine that could in play here. No little dab’ll do ya, no dash of prayer for favor, cuz that’s just “what we’re supposed to do". Paul had learned well that apart from Christ, we can do nothing. That we do not have because we do not ask. That prayer is the slender nerve which moves the mighty muscle of God’s omnipotence. I’m fully convinced that the best thing we can do for our church and for our neighbors and for the nations who are far from Christ and for our own souls and families - is pray. What are we waiting for? Wednesday nights - come join us. Sunday mornings. We have a room set aside where you can pray. Think about it - Jesus prayed during desperate times, but He prayed at all times:
Luke 5:16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.
If He prayed often, how much more should we? Think about it - after Jesus ascended back to heaven, leading up to the day when God poured out His Spirit - what was the church doing? And after Pentecost, during the revival where God was adding to the church every day, what were they doing? Luke tells us they were devoting themselves to prayer. And when the work of managing the daily business of the church got to be more than the leaders could handle, what did they say they needed to focus on? PRAYER and the ministry of the Word. Prayer is not preparation for ministry - it IS ministry. And ANYBODY can do it! Sadly it is the most neglected ministry in the church. I know - prayer can feel kind of boring, right? It can feel like a waste of time. “I have more pressing things to do, more necessary things, more interesting things to do”. I don’t think we realize Who we are talking about. Who we’re talking to. To Whom. The truth is, we pray when we’re desperate. When we seriously want something. And I would say that most of us, most of the time, we’re clearly not desperate. I’m thinking about the church in the US in general. What are we waiting for? I bow my knees, Paul says.
Notice too what Paul says next… "Every family in heaven and earth..." Paul is talking about family. Family. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em, right? As Paul is praying for this assembly in Ephesus, he is thinking about family.
Family can be messy. We can even come to the place where we don’t want to be close to them, where we believe we don't need them, but this could not be further from the truth. Family is the most elemental societal unit - the building block of healthy functioning civilization. Individuals do not build society, families do, providing lifelong support and nurture and companionship as well as the basic framework by which we carry out the first command: be fruitful and multiply. Much of the growth of the early church we see taking place as families and entire households come to Christ.
So we read, God is the One Who named my family. AND He also knows my name. Because He made me. He knows who I am, every hair on my head, He knows every intimate detail, every hidden thought before I even think it, all the things about me that nobody knows and some which I don't even know myself. He engineered the totality of my being, forming and shaping me in my mother's womb, body mind and soul, awe-inspiring and full of wonder, so full of potential to show off His breathtaking goodness. He knew the course and number of my days before there was as yet even one of them. And part of this included my family. For better or worse, they are God's gift to me, and I to them. He wants to redeem my entire family here on earth because He so longs for us to be together with Him in Heaven. Forever.
But there is another. Another family. A bonafide forever family. A household of faith. A new family - Paul’s been talking about this. Jews and Gentiles together, all the nations - brought together into God’s forever family in Christ. Paul is now beginning to ratchet up his focus on this family of God. The people of God who are trusting in and following Christ, who God has adopted into His family and who are now all brothers and sisters in the faith family of Jesus Christ. We are family. A household of faith. We need each other.
I think we as Americans tend to read these passages with eyes of red-white-and-blue, steeped as we are in the blessings of liberty and rugged individualism - we default to the singular in our minds. God blessed me with every spiritual blessing. He chose me. He so loved me. He saved me by grace through faith. I was far and now I’m near. Paul is bowing his knees for me. It’s all about me. But Paul is praying in the plural. He has in mind what God is trying to do in the church. Yes, there are wondrous implications for each of us on a personal level, but here Paul has in mind the end of chapter 2. You all there in Ephesus are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. For this reason. This is what has Paul on his knees, dependent and desperate. Because the ramifications of what God is trying to do in and through the church are monumental. This is mission-critical - God has set it all up such that the entire rescue operation hinges on this.
[2.22] being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit —> [3.17] rooted and grounded in love (this is the foundation)
[1:23] (Christ’s) body is the fullness of Him Who fills all in all —> [3.19] filled up to all the fullness of God (this is the end result)
Paul is talking about a building. I think he is thinking about previous versions of God’s dwelling place, where God had caused His Name to dwell. Places He filled with His glory…
Ex. 40:34-38 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out; but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up. For throughout all their journeys, the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.
1Kings 8:10-13
It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. Then Solomon said, “The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud. I have surely built You a lofty house, a place for Your dwelling forever.”
Let's not miss Solomon’s posture here - 1Kings 8:54 When Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and supplication to the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread toward heaven. He was on his knees!
This was to be a place of worship...
Deuteronomy 12:11
Then it shall come about that the place in which the LORD your God will choose for His name to dwell, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution of your hand, and all your choice votive offerings which you will vow to the LORD.
The place where the Lord will cause His name to dwell. And what did Paul just say? Every family in heaven and on earth, your name comes from His name. THE Father. Most cultures of the world do just this - families get their family name from the father. And this family of God, the body of Christ, the church - we bear the name of our heavenly Father (AND His Son!). We bear His name. And so let’s not miss this - what we do as God’s children, His people, His family - reflects on Him.
v 21 - To Him be the glory in the church… Rooted and grounded in love, knowing how great God’s love is, glory. --> Love is gonna unleash glory. If we ever get the love figured out, if we ever get the love part cranked up, glory is gonna follow. Glory akin to that which filled those temples of old.
So Paul is praying for this young church, these young believers. He’s praying for us. He’s on his knees, with this vision of glory, asking for glory… Let’s look at what he is asking… Three unfathomable things that’ll make you say, whoa…
But first, let’s not miss the measure and motive of our praying. The measure of our praying. In fantasy football, we talk about a player’s ceiling. How high might they go? Are they capable of going off and scoring a whole lot of points? What kind of potential are we talking about? According to the riches of God’s glory [16]. According to the riches of His glory. This is our spiritual ceiling - admittedly, it's pretty high... This is our heavenly bank account, if you will. It’s our spiritual trust fund. The riches of His glory. How much is that? What kind of resources are we talking about? Limitless. Inexhaustible. Unfathomable. The resources and power of almighty God are never in short supply. This is not too difficult for Him. Whatever “this” is in your life. He’s got “this”. "Here, let Me help with this…"
And the motive of our praying. To God be the glory [21]. To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus. All that we do, all that takes place, it is for the increase of knowledge and the celebration of God’s glory. His breathtaking goodness.
But so the first unfathomable thing Paul is asking - strengthened with power in the inner man [16] - why? Many reasons, no doubt, but remember Paul’s focus. Remember where he is going - family. Love. Strengthened with power in the inner man --> so that we can love one another. Again, family is messy. Love takes a power which is beyond our natural ability.
Note too that Christ dwelling, settling down in our hearts is not subsequent to this power - it is not consequent. It is coincident. “So that” is not used in the Greek… Rooted and grounded in love - it is also coincident. The love of Christ through the power of His Spirit is the foundation of this temple, this dwelling place of God where He is causing His name to dwell, where Christ indeed dwells.
Remember, Paul is thinking about this massive building project, Temple 3.0. [2.22] All peoples, all nations, being fitted and joined together and built up into this holy temple, a dwelling place of God’s Spirit, the body of Christ, a repository of His matchless glory and a conduit of His unfathomable blessings. The church universal as well as the local assemblies, such as this one in Ephesus. And Paul is gripped by a vision of God’s great glory and many-multicolored wisdom being shown off through the church, through these people who have surrendered all to Jesus and are one body, loving one another. His grace. His power. His purpose. Because the outcome of it all was going to be glory. Glory.
We’ve talked about glory. This is God’s breathtaking goodness. It is things which make you say, whoa. We get glimpses of God’s breathtaking goodness in so many ways. But Paul told us last week that things were for OUR glory. All the things he was doing and suffering and going through, the whole reason he was a prisoner for Christ was so that the nations could enter in to glory. So that the peoples of the world could come to know the breathtaking goodness of God. Glory awaited these Gentile believers. Glory awaits you and me. God’s breathtaking goodness in us - and through us. Glory awaits - what are we waiting for?
It probably doesn’t hurt to remind ourselves here, how good is God, exactly? Just how good is He? What do you do to remind yourself of how good He really is?
Psalm 27:13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
So much brokenness in the world. Things break down. Things take work. Relationships, family… Life tilts sideways and God’s goodness can become obscured. It can be hard to see it sometimes. Sometimes we just need to slow down and be still and remind ourselves that God is so good, His plan is so good. Power in the inner man. Christ settling down in our hearts. But here’s a question - what would it look like for Christ to settle down and make a home in your heart? He’s not in the foyer. He’s not consigned to a guest room. He is making Himself at home - what would that look like? The decor, the ambience. The conversation around the table of your heart? What would it look like if God’s power really were unleashed in our lives, in our hearts? Love. Strengthened w power on the inside, Christ at home in our hearts, rooted and grounded in love. What would your life and mine look like if God’s power was strengthening our hearts to love? Full throttle, opened up.
Second unfathomable: Paul’s praying that we will comprehend and know this love of Christ. He says this love surpasses knowledge - in other words, it’s unfathomable. And knowing something unfathomable is itself unfathomable - how do you know something that surpasses knowledge? But Paul desperately wants us to know it. To be able to grasp it, how big it is - how wide and long and high and deep God’s love is. And it’s infinite, so we’re talking about being able to wrap our feeble finite minds around something which is infinitely beyond our capacity to grasp OR know, much less reproduce. In the words of Mad Max, it’ll take a miracle [fun clip of that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjUmULa0R-8]. Which of course is precisely why he’s praying!
Third unfathomable: Paul is praying that we will be filled up to all the fullness of God. Also infinite. Also unfathomable. Being filled up - what does that mean? Filled up? Isn’t that a problem, the common lot of man, that we are in fact broken cisterns, broken wells which have trouble holding water? Our hearts are sieves. Constantly trending towards empty. Nothing satisfies - not even Snickers. And yet somehow we are wired with the capacity to experience fullness by finding that in God. And again, I think Paul is picturing this dwelling of God, God’s people, a local assembly where the glorious fullness of God is so manifest that you can feel it. You can feel it when you walk in. There is something different about this house, about these people. There is love. All men will know you are My disciples if you have love for one another. It’s a promise.
Finally: "To God be the glory IN THE CHURCH unto all the generations of the age of the ages." Forever and ever. Glory so glorious it’ll floor you. Bring you to your knees. This is what Paul is picturing. This is what has him on the floor. On his knees. God’s massive building project. A family of peoples bought by the blood of Christ and brought together to love one another and spread the knowledge of the breathtaking goodness of God to this and succeeding generations forever and ever. So be it. Amen. This is Paul’s prayer for these people in Ephesus he has never met. But he knows they are believers in Jesus. And he desperately wants them to grasp and channel God’s love to one another. So he prays for them. Let’s pray.
Ephesians 3:14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
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