Scripture Ephesians3:14-21 (The Message)
A) The introduction to the prayer
14 My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, 15 this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth.
B) The description of the prayer
16 I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit — not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength — 17 that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, 18 you'll be able to take in with all Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! 19 Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
C) The doxology
20 God can do anything, you know — far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. 21 Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!
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A) The introduction to the prayer
14 My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, 15 this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth.
As Paul begins - he is describing in print how he really prays for them – he begins by kneeling – a posture of submitting to the one you are praying too – And it sounds like as he prays God must be recalling in his mind: Isa 45:22-24 "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, 'In the Lord alone are righteousness and strength.'"
The kneeling posture is a sign for Christians of what all will one day be forced to do by the power of God: Phil 2:9-11 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
B) The description of the prayer
16 I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit — not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength — 17 that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, 18 you'll be able to take in with all Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! 19 Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
In our English translation, Paul prayed for three things:
1) Strengthen you by His Spirit
2) Christ live in you
3) Walk in Christ’s incomparable love.
In the Greek it is a long run on sentence so that Paul only prayed one thing and describes what that looks like: “Strengthen you by His Spirit as Christ lives in you and you walk in Christ’s incomparable love.”
The prayer and the doxology are connected by the words “power” and “glory” – the Power comes from God’s Glory. Power and Spirit are synonymous.
Paul often speaks of the individual being “in Christ” and only 5 times – including here – mentions Christ being “in us.”
C) The doxology
20 God can do anything, you know — far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. 21 Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!
This doxology of Paul is reminiscent of Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
No matter what we think God can do, He can and will do so much more. Our concept of God’s Love and Power are always too small. I have used Eph 3:20-21 as my benediction for as long as I can remember because it is true 100% of the time. It is not only true, it is always correct – the right fit for every message from God’s word. These verses are not my favorite nor are they my life verse. However, they are every sermon’s exclamation point! No matter how we respond to the message – God always has more for us!
THE PRAYER AS A WHOLE
Notice that this prayer is about seeing things from God’s perspective. Most of our prayers are about telling God what our perspective is. Telling God our issues and wanting Him to intervene. What about praying in such a way that we are simply trying to see life – our life from God’s point of view. Prayer becomes a means of spending time with the Father and knowing better what His desire and plan is. How can that revolutionize our prayer lives? Prayer is no longer primarily about what I need (even the most noble things) rather it is about recognizing who God is and desiring to know Him more. Then, for our struggles we will be “Strengthened by His Spirit as Christ lives in us and we walk in Christ’s incomparable love.”
Prayer as a means of communion with God is in line with scripture – At Jesus’ birth He is Immanuel = ‘God with us’ to His ascension where he promises to be ‘with us’ to the end of the age.
Our prayer should be more focused on Jesus Christ -how can we do that? Focus on His name – all the names he is given – here are 50 names for Jesus to start with:…
50 Names and Titles of Jesus:
1. Almighty One – “…who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Rev. 1:8
2. Alpha and Omega – “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Rev. 22:13
3. Advocate – “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” 1 John 2:1
4. Author and Perfecter of Our Faith – “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb. 12:2
5. Authority – “Jesus said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Matt. 28:18
6. Bread of Life – “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” John 6:35
7. Beloved Son of God – “And behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matt. 3:17
8. Bridegroom – “And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Matt. 9:15
9. Chief Cornerstone – “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone.” Ps. 118:22
10. Deliverer – “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” 1 Thess.1:10
11. Faithful and True – “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.” Rev.19:11
12. Good Shepherd - “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11
13. Great High Priest – “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” Heb. 4:14
14. Head of the Church – “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.” Eph. 1:22
15. Holy Servant – “…and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus." Acts 4:29-30
16. I Am – “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:58
17. Immanuel – “…She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel, which means 'God with us.’” Is. 7:14
18. Indescribable Gift – “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.” 2 Cor. 9:15
19. Judge – “…he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.” Acts 10:42
20. King of Kings – “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.” Rev. 17:14
21. Lamb of God – “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
22. Light of the World – "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12
23. Lion of the Tribe of Judah – “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Rev. 5:5
24. Lord of All – “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil. 2:9-11
25. Mediator – “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Tim. 2:5
26. Messiah – “We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ).” John 1:41
27. Mighty One – “Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” Is. 60:16
28. One Who Sets Free – “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36
29. Our Hope – “…Christ Jesus our hope.” 1 Tim. 1:1
30. Peace – “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,” Eph. 2:14
31. Prophet – “And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” Mark 6:4
32. Redeemer – “And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth.” Job 19:25
33. Risen Lord – “…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” 1 Cor. 15:3-4
34. Rock – “For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.” 1 Cor. 10:4
35. Sacrifice for Our Sins – “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10
36. Savior – “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11
37. Son of Man – “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." Luke 19:10
38. Son of the Most High – “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.” Luke 1:32
39. Supreme Creator Over All – “By Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.…” 1 Cor. 1:16-17
40. Resurrection and the Life – “Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” John 11:25
41. The Door – “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” John 10:9
42. The Way – “Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
43. The Word – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1
44. True Vine - "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” John 15:1
45. Truth – “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32
46. Victorious One – “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Rev. 3:21
47. – 50. Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace – “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Is. 9:6
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