To Know This Love
Ephesians 3:14-21
Key verse 19
“and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Introduction
In this passage Apostle Paul prays that God would strengthen the Ephesians with his power in their inner being and that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith. He also prays that they would know the power of God and how wide, long, high, and deep is the love of Christ so that they would be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. He wanted believers to praise God and glorify his name by possessing all of these.
Read verses 14-17a. Why does Apostle Paul kneel before God? (14, 7-13) From whom does every family in heaven and on earth derive its name and who does ‘every family’ refer to? (15) What did Paul ask God to do and for what purpose? (16, 17a)
1-1. Read verses 14-17a.
For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
1-2. Why does Apostle Paul kneel before God? (14, 7-13)
For this reason : because of all the graces given to believers which he mentions in the previous verses.
I kneel before the Father – humble and reverent prayer. When we draw near to God, we should revere Him in our hearts, and express our reverence with the most suitable behavior and gesture.
This position of utmost humility was in contrast to the more normal posture of prayer in that culture, to pray standing with hands raised up.
Humility comes when Paul considers God's great eternal plan(verse 11), his place in that plan, and how God's work is unstoppable even while he is imprisoned.
Before the Father - Paul directed his prayer to the Father. Prayer is usually directed to the Father, through the Son, by the direction and empowering of the Holy Spirit.
1-3. From whom does every family in heaven and on earth derive its name and who does ‘every family’ refer to? (15)
from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
‘every family’ : All believers who became God’s family through Jesus.
All believers either Jews or Gentiles are God’s family members. They derived their name from God, ‘God’s holy people, children of God, Christians’
Family in heaven refers to those who are in glory in the heavens. Family on earth refers to believers who are engaging in the same spiritual battle together here on earth.
Together they form one family and one household. This is the universal church.
1-4. What did Paul ask God to do and for what purpose? (16, 17a)
he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
Strengthening with a high degree of grace, and spiritual abilities for discharging one’s duties, resisting temptations, enduring persecutions
The inner being is the heart or soul of those who are born again with new life and a new nature.
There is an inner being just as real as our visible and physical body. We all understand the importance of strength in our physical body, but many are exceedingly weak in their inner being.
It is the Holy Spirit who strengthens our inner being. The Holy Spirit is the immediate worker of grace in the souls of God's people
Strength from the Spirit of God in one’s inner being is the best and most desirable strength, for we are strengthened to serve God, to do our duty cheerfully, and to persevere in our Christian life.
Even though we are saved and already received new life in Christ, we still have remaining weaknesses. We need to be strengthened, to grow, to overcome our weaknesses, and do God’s will.
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
Christ is an inhabitant in the soul of every Christian. Believers are already united with Christ. But believers need to express and experience it through faith and obedience.
John 14:23 reads,
Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them
John 15:4-5 reads,
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;apart from me you can do nothing.
Jesus dwells in us by His Spirit. By faith we should be aware that Jesus dwells in us by His Spirit and his truth. His righteousness remains in us.
Where the Holy Spirit dwells, there Jesus dwells and he dwells in the heart by faith. He does this by means of our continual exercise of faith in him.
Faith opens the door of the soul to receive Christ; faith admits him and submits to him. By faith we are united to Christ and have an interest in him.
2. Read verses 17b-19. What did Paul want the believers to have? (17b-18a) What did he want the believers to know? (18b-19a). What is the ultimate purpose of possessing both? (19b)
2-1. Read verses 17b-19.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
2-2. What did Paul want the believers to have? (17b-18a)
you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people
being rooted and established in love- the believers need to know God’s love deeply and stand on it firmly. If we don’t believe in the love of God, we are not able to establish a deep relationship with Jesus.
2-3. What did he want the believers to know? (18b-19a).
to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
Paul prayed that the believers would know the love of Christ. He wanted believers to know the great love of Christ to the maximum degree.
The more we know Jesus’ love, the more our love will be drawn to him and others.
‘how wide and long and high and deep’ - the exceeding greatness of the love of Christ, the unsearchable riches of his love, which is higher than heaven, deeper than hell, longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.
Paul asked that they might be able to understand together, in every dimension of the love of Jesus. Paul wanted them to know it by experience and not just in words.
The love of Jesus has width. You can see how wide a river is by noticing how much it covers over. God's river of love is so wide that it covers over the multitude of our sins, and it covers over every circumstance of everyone.
The love of Jesus has length. How long will it continue?" The truth is that God loves with His everlasting love.
The love of Jesus has depth. Philippians 2:7-8 tell us how deep the love of Jesus goes: but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. You can't go lower than death on the cross, and that is how deep the love of Jesus is for us.
The love of Jesus has height. God's love lifts me to heavenly places where I am seated with Christ. He has raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6).
So the question is “Can we really comprehend the width and length and depth and height of God's love?”
To come to any understanding of the dimensions of God's love, we must come to the cross. The cross pointed in four ways, essentially in every direction.
Job 11:7-9 reads,
“Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do?They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea”
19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.
We should desire to comprehend this love: for we all have a complacency and a confidence in the love of Christ
The love of Christ which surpasses knowledge. If it surpasses our knowledge, how can we know it? We must pray for it.
The love of God was expressed through Jesus Christ especially through his sacrifice on the cross. It is hard to understand with human knowledge. It surpasses our knowledge.
Believers need to endeavor to know more about the love of Christ. Even though we may know something about the love of Christ, yet it cannot be fully understood on this side of heaven.
2-4. What is the ultimate purpose of possessing both? (19b)
that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God
He prays that they may be filled with all the fullness of God.
It is like being perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect.
Colossians 2:9-10 reads,
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.”
3. Read verses 20-21. What can God do for us? (20) How does God reveal his glory? (21)
3-1. Read verses 20-21.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
3-2. What can God do for us? (20)
who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us
How can something so far above us ever become reality? It can only happen because God is able to do far beyond what we ask or think.
Only God can do this, for He can do far beyond our ability to think or ask.
He describes him as a God that is able to do exceedingly & abundantly above all that we ask or could imagine.
Whatever we may ask, or imagine to ask, still God is still able to do more, abundantly more, exceedingly & abundantly more.
God is able to do this in our life now, not beginning with heaven. This power … works in us now.
Open thy mouth ever so wide, still he fills it.
We should be encouraged in our faith by considering his all-sufficiency and Almighty power.
According to His power which works within us, we have already experienced proof of this power of God. We experienced it first hand in what he has already worked in us and done for us.
Wherever God gives of his fullness, he does so to help us experience his power.
3-3. How does God reveal his glory? (21)
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen
When we come to ask for grace from God, we should give glory to God.
God receives praise and glory from the church in this world that is built for the glory of God. All church members are supposed to praise God regardless of their differences.
God receives glory in Christ Jesus. All God's gifts come to us through Christ; and all our praises pass to him through Jesus and in Jesus.
Thus God should and will be praised throughout all ages, in the world without end; for he will ever have a church to praise him, and he will ever have his tribute of praise from his church.
Conclusion
We are members of family of God. God strengthens our inner being through the Holy Spirit. He does this so that we would be strong enough to overcome all the challenges of this life and to discharge all of our duties. When we believe, Jesus dwells in our hearts through the Holy Spirit and works for us. God wants us to know his power and the love of Christ all the more so that we would be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. God's love is wide enough to include every person. God's love is long enough to last through all eternity. God's love is deep enough to reach the worst sinner. God's love is high enough to take us to heaven. He can also do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine with his mighty power so that we can praise him in the church and in Christ all the more. He ought to be glorified throughout all the generations, forever and ever! Amen.
One word: “All the fullness of God”
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