Bent Knees, Boundless Love (Ephesians 3:14-21)
I wonder if you are like me. I wonder if you have the same problem I do. My mind wanders when I pray. I will be praying for my kids — that they come to know the Lord. And then I will think about how they have been growing so much. And then I will think about how they’re eating so much. And then I will think about how I’m hungry and what I might want to eat for lunch. And then, all of a sudden, it will hit me — wait, I just stopped to pray, and now I’m thinking about biryani! “Forgive me, Lord!”
Does that sort of thing ever happen to you?
If your prayer life is so strong, that you need no help to pray. I am not sure I have much for you this morning.
But if you are like me and you need help to pray, I have good news for us in Christ today.
God helps us pray! All three Persons of the Trinity are wonderfully at work, even in our wandering prayers. Praise God that He is more gracious than we are attentive, amen?
God gives us parents and pastors to teach us His Word and to teach us to pray. God gives us unbelievers to pray for, and believers to pray with.
In His Word, He teaches us how to pray — by instruction. And He shows us how to pray — by example. God helps us pray.
And oh, beloved saints, God has so wonderfully helped us pray by the passage of Scripture He has inspired and laid before us today.
Other than the Lord’s Prayer, this is the biblical prayer that has most shaped my prayer life and has most helped me pray.
Years ago, I memorized this passage. And for years, it has been an anchor to my wandering mind.
If you are like me — and you need help to pray — I think you would be helped by committing these verses to memory too. If you have been born again, then there is nothing your heart longs for more than this.
For this sermon, I do not have two things for you to do — or three things for you to believe. I have one thing for us to pray. May we know the love of Christ, by the Spirit’s power, for the glory of God.
That is our big idea this morning.
May we know the love of Christ, by the Spirit’s power, for the glory of God.
It is my best attempt at a one-sentence summary of this tremendous prayer. May we know the love of Christ, by the Spirit’s power, for the glory of God.
First, there is the reason Paul prays (Eph 3:14-15).
Second, there is the requests of the prayer (Eph 3:16-19).
And third, the result (Eph 3:20-21).
The reason. The requests. The result.
The Reason (Eph 3:14-15)
Well if you are like me, and your mind wanders when you pray, we are in good company, because it happened to Paul too. As Eugene mentioned last week, Paul started this prayer (Eph 3:1) — “For this reason, I, Paul...” — and then, he went down a sanctified rabbit trail. Clearly Paul had better things on his mind than biryani! He wanted to encourage them even as he was imprisoned for their sake.
So to understand Paul’s reason (Eph 3:14) we have to go to Paul’s reason in Ephesians 3:1 which comes off the heels of Ephesians 2. He said that Christ Himself is our peace. And that now the Gentiles who were far off and the Jews who were near both have access (Eph 2:18) in one Spirit to the Father. So describing the access makes Him think to use it (Eph 3:12).
In Ephesians 3, this rabbit trail eventually leads him back talking about access (Eph 3:12). And so with much anticipation, he’s about to put that access to work.
Using our access to the Father, through the Son by the Spirit helps us not lose heart.
This is the reason Paul prays. It is because he has access — to the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit. And with this access, so much of what he us about to pray for them is shaped by his burden in Ephesians 3:13 — that they might “not lose heart.” So beloved, do not miss this. This is a good reason why we should pray. Using our access helps us not lose heart.
Next, notice how Paul prays, and who he prays to. “[He] bow[s] his knees before the Father.” Standing was the more common posture in Jewish and early Christian prayer. Sometimes people would kneel to pray, especially on an occasion of particular dependence and desperation — Ezra knelt after the exile, as he confessed the people’s sins before the Lord. Stephen fell to his knees when he interceded for his enemies — even as they stoned him.
Church, we can pray standing or sitting, in the car or on the bus, in the shower or in bed. The posture that matters most in prayer is the posture of our hearts. So do not start to pray until you are ready to bow — with your knees, maybe, but definitely with your heart.
One thing that helps me with this — Before I start to pray, I try to pause for a moment or two. I try not to open my mouth until my heart is on its knees. Perhaps a brief pause might be helpful for you too.
That is the how. But, even more importantly — notice the who. Ephesians 3:14, Paul bows: “before the Father...”. And continuing on, Ephesians 3:15 – He’s the Father “...from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.”
He is personal, as Father. And powerful, as the source of every name, He has all authority over the spiritual and physical realms.
We will see more of the Father and His glory later on in this text. But before we move on, I do have a couple of questions for you. Do you have a harder time believing that God is personal? Or powerful? Or to say it another way, are you more likely to doubt that God cares? Or that God can? Those would be good questions to talk about with another church member this week.
And whichever may be harder for you to believe, allow me to remind you that in Christ Jesus you have access to the personal and powerful God. Your loving Father is your mighty fortress. You are secure in Him.
So if we are going to press on to persevere, even through suffering...
May we use this access and not lose heart. May God help us pray.
That is the reason.
The Requests (Eph 3:16-19)
Our prayers reveal our desires. We pray about what we care about. So you can tell a lot about a person by what they ask for in prayer.
If I could climb a ladder to the heavens, get on a computer, and print out a transcript of your prayers from the last month, what might they say? Would they sound like this?
Or they just be about exams and deadlines and health? God cares about those things. They are not bad to pray for. But most of all, God cares about your soul. In fact, He will stop at nothing to make you more like Jesus. Even if it requires bad marks, unmet deadlines, and poor health. I pray Paul’s requests would help us aim higher with ours.
These requests are a bit hard to separate or isolate so you can think of them as converging streams leading to a boundless ocean. Paul prays that strength and love and understanding would would come together and roar ahead into the deep, deep love of Jesus — vast, unmeasured, boundless, free. And that in Him, we would be filled with all the fullness of God.
Let us look at the first stream in Ephesians 3:16. This is a prayer for power. But on what basis? And to what end? Well it is “according to” the riches of God’s glory and it is for inner strength, by the Spirit.
God is not short on resources here. He is not working from a tight budget.
God is not short on resources here. He is not working from a tight budget. Look down at Ephesians 3:16 again. This request is not “out of” the riches of God’s glory. But “according to” them. Do you know the difference?
Let us say you are raising money for a missions trip. And you get the chance to sit down with a Christian billionaire. He loves what you are doing. He’s delighted to help. And so, at the end, he says, “Here you go!” and he hands you a check for $20 bucks. That was generous of him. It was a gift he did not have to give. But this gift was “out of” his riches — not “according to” them. If he gave “according to” his riches, he’d hand you a blank check—signed with his name. He would say, “Because my purposes are your purposes... I will supply all your needs... according to my riches...” “So whatever you need... I gotchu... it’s on me.”
That is how God strengthens us by His Spirit. It is “according to” the riches of His glory. So if our strength is in deficit, strength for holiness or for unity, or for love, it is not because we are short on resources. We might say this is an operations problem. Not a funding problem.
Paul knows the funding is there when he prays for the Ephesians. And for the Colossians (Col 1:11), he prays they’d be strengthened “with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.”
Paul’s not concerned about resources. These are big, bold prayers. So when you pray, keep your knees low, but aim high. And ask big. He strengthens by the Spirit’s power “according to” the riches of His glory.
Notice where this takes place — at the end of Ephesians 3:16 — “...in your inner being...”. Human beings are embodied souls. That is how God made us. We are souls, with bodies. And the “inner being” refers to the soul.
It can also be described as the “heart” (Eph 3:17) or the “mind” (Eph 4:23). Scripture uses all these terms to describe our inner being. And over and over again, this is where the Bible puts priority. Not on the outside, but on the inside. Not on your mirror, or your instagram, or your weight loss, or your complexion, but on your heart, your soul, your mind, your strength.
It is better to have a strong soul and a weak body than a strong body and a weak soul. So when you pray, align your priorities with the Bible’s priorities. Pray for strength in your inner being just like Paul prays here.
Ephesians 3:17 continues: “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” This is what the strength in our inner being produces: Christ dwelling in our hearts. Christ dwells in the heart of every believer at the moment of conversion. And then, as we are sanctified by the Spirit, more and more, Christ makes our hearts His home.
This is what Jesus said He would do in John 14:23 — “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.”
This is a remodeling project. A home makeover. When we hear and believe we are sealed by the Spirit. Christ owns us as His own. And we are His property.
But when He gets the key and opens the door, let us just say we are not in great condition. Our paint is peeling. Our tiles are cracking. Our plumbing is leaking. We have trash in some closets — we hoped no one would open or see.
And over time, by the Spirit, He cleans us up and He fixes what is broken, filling us with a whole new aroma. He “dwells in our hearts” — taking up residence, making us a more fitting home for Him. This involves our effort. We do play a role in this, but it is not through our effort.
Look down at Ephesians 3:17 again — it is “through faith.” So we are His workmanship. And we do good works. But it is not our own doing — it is through faith! This makeover is the gift of God and does not happen in isolation. It happens in community — in the church.
He continues with another stream — “That you, being rooted and grounded in love...”. Like an oak... And then, mixing his metaphors, like a palace.
Paul prays that their love would have deep roots and a firm foundation. He prays that they would be “rooted and grounded in love.” At the bottom, this refers to God’s love for us in Christ. But growing out of that love — and building upon it — is our love for one another.
He continues in Ephesians 3:18-19 — “… that you... 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...”. Oh, brothers and sisters, we need “all the saints” to know all this love.
We need each other’s presence and prayers and spiritual gifts. We need each other’s encouragement and admonishment. We need each other’s meal trains, book studies and parenting advice.
We always need God’s Word.
But a lot of times, we need to hear God’s Word through the mouth of our brother.
In a Genesis 3 world, life is hard and painful. Thorns and thistles abound. We need God’s comfort. And often, God’s best comfort, is a shoulder for our tears.
It takes a whole church, and a whole Bible to make a whole Christian.
Previously, Paul prayed for strength in their inner being. And now, further along, he prays for “strength to comprehend.” In other words, we need the Spirit’s power to know the love of Christ. There is a reason our big idea is not a command: Love Christ. There is a reason why Paul is on his knees.
This does not bypass knowledge. Rather, it “surpasses knowledge” (Eph 3:19). God uses our minds, but this involves more than our minds.
For you might know the workings of a sun-dial. But you will know the time, unless the sun shines.
So how do you measure boundless love? How could you even begin to put a metric to that? Liters? KGs? KPIs?
Paul does not know either. So he just stretches every dimension — “ ...the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ (Eph 3:18)”. The love of Christ is broad enough to unite all kinds of diversity — even between Jews and Gentiles. It is long enough to last eternity. It is high enough to reach the heavens and deep enough to bring the worst sinner there.
If you are here today and you are not yet a Christian, there is nothing we want more for you than this — “to know the love of Christ.” Jesus’s death and resurrection is your only hope to have your sins forgiven, to be reconciled to God, and to be brought into this love. Turn from your sins and trust in Jesus. His love is greater than the best love you have ever known.
Notice what Paul does not pray. He does not pray that they would love Christ more. That is a fine thing to pray — but Paul recognizes that it is just a byproduct. We love, because He first loved us. So he prays that they would know His love.
For as we know more of Christ’s love by more of the Spirit’s power, we are more “filled” “with all the fullness of God. (Eph 3:19)” There is nothing to boast about here. We are just a bucket. And in Christ, God takes us to the ocean. And as He submerges us, we are filled and enlarged for a greater capacity of fullness in Him.
We have seen the reason. We have seen the requests. But Paul has not said amen. Not yet. He is about to pray for the result. May we know the love of Christ, by the Spirit’s power, for the glory of God.
The Result (Eph 3:20-21)
Remember that opening prayer of theology and doxology back in Chapter 1? Ephesians divides neatly into two halves: 1 to 3, and then 4 to 6. So this is the end of the first half of Ephesians. We are about to pivot from doctrine to duty.
And so to begin and end all the theology of Chapters 1-3, Paul cannot help but praise the Triune God.
In case you did not know, Paul’s got a big bucket. And right now, it is full.
Hear the declaration: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.”
God is able. I love how Psalm 115:3 puts it. It is one of my favourites. It is a memory verse for our family: “Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases.”
When it comes to omnipotence, there is no such thing as degrees of difficulty. We might think of something being a little hard, or pretty hard, or very hard. And God just looks at all of that and says, “What’s impossible with you is possible with me.” God can do all that He wills to do.
That is why he is able to do “far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.” His ways are higher than ours.
God works His power within us — an endless supply for our endless need.
But notice this — He works “according to the power at work within us” — remember that phrase from before? No supply shortage going on here. He will provide for He has purposed. God knows us — with perfect knowledge. Not just what we ask, but even what we think. And God works His power within us — an endless supply for our endless need.
So I know we have been on our knees for a while now. There is a chance our minds may have wandered. But let us not forget — God is personal and powerful. Remember both before you pray. And remind yourself of both as you pray. God can, and God cares.
But Paul’s just been winding up here. This is crescendo, not climax.
So where is all this going? What’s the purpose—the result? “To him be glory... (Eph 3:21)”
Paul ends the first half of Ephesians right where he began it. To the praise of God’s glorious grace!
If all the love and power come from Him, then all the glory must go to Him. He deserves the praise!
In other words, next time you pray, do not give God your laundry list of prayer requests and walk away. Praise God that He is able to do all that He is pleased to do. Do not say “Amen” too soon.
I have been reading and re-reading Ephesians for the last few months. My boys have listened to it dozens of times by now — as I put them in a stroller and go for runs around my neighborhood, with Ephesians being read out loud.
And over the last few months, as I have sought to saturate my soul with this book, there is one phrase that has grabbed hold of my heart more than any other. Here it is, in Ephesians 3:21 — “To him be glory... in the church... and in Christ Jesus...”
Ephesians is well-known for its focus on the church. Ephesians 3:10 gets a lot of love — which it should, it is a really good verse. But until the last few months, I do not think I had ever really noticed this one. Along with Ephesians 3:10 these might be the two best verses in the Bible about God’s plan for the church. Ephesians 3:21 says, “to him be glory... in the church... and in Christ Jesus.”
God’s glory in Christ cannot be separated from God’s glory in the church. The Head goes with His body. The Groom will have His bride. God has united Christ to the church—and what God has joined together, let not man separate.
So if you say you love Jesus, but you do not love the church, at best, you are confused. At worst, you do not love Jesus.
More specifically, if you attend church but are not yet a member — let this be the year that changes. Join a local church. Here or elsewhere — we are happy to help you find one. Go where the gospel is preached, commit yourself to membership there. If Jesus is committed to His bride, then you better be too.
Join a local church. That is where God’s glory shines forth — in the church, and in Christ Jesus. He is the radiance of the glory of God. And He will present her in splendour.
How long will that last? How long will we praise? “Throughout all generations, forever and ever... (Eph 3:21)”
And then, finally... Paul says “Amen.”
May we know the love of Christ, by the Spirit’s power, for the glory of God.
Make this prayer your anchor, and God will help you pray.
Let’s pray.