Title: Prayer for Maturity (Ephesians 3:14-21)
Ephesians Commentary (8)
Prayer for Maturity (Ephesians 3:14-21)
The text begins with "This is why", and we receive the contents of the first half of Chapter 3. In other words, God made him realize the mystery of Christ and made the least of Paul a servant of God to convey the unfathomable riches of Christ. 'For this reason' I begin to pray with my knees before the Father, who has given names to every tribe in heaven and on earth.
The expression “the Father who gave the name” refers to the sovereignty of God. That is, I got down on my knees and prayed to the Father who rules over all peoples. Kneeling prayer is an expression that emphasizes not only the posture but also the heart of the praying prayer. We must offer sincere prayers that come from the heart of our hearts. Paul offers such a prayer in the text. The reason that Paul was able to preach the gospel and continue to carry out his ministry even while he was imprisoned in Rome was because he had a knee on which he could kneel before God whenever he felt discouraged.
First, the subject of prayer
'I am' (verse 14). Paul always taught the saints to pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Colossians 4:2). And I asked for prayer (Ephesians 6:19). But he was never lazy to pray. It is good for the pastor, chieftain, and teacher to pray for you, but you must pray for yourself. You can learn about prayer and read books, but you must pray for yourself.
1. Airway is breathing.
It is the dying person who takes the place of breathing. A healthy person breathes naturally. The natural way to pray is to always pray. “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
2. Prayer is conversation.
Not having a direct conversation is because you have lost your mind. Personal relationships come closer through conversation. Marital quarrels without words are the scariest. Likewise, not talking to God is an act of turning your back on God.
Second, the object of prayer
“Before the Father” (verse 15). People of other religions also pray. Even the shaman prays. Their prayers are completely different. But we are praying before our Creator, Jehovah, our Heavenly Father, the Lord of all things. If you ask the Father as a son, he will hear you. (Matthew 7:9-10) “Who among you whose son asks for bread will give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a snake? Will not the Lord give good things to those who ask?" Yes.
Prayer in front of the father is the image of a son who loves his father. Those who pray before the Father are the ones who taste the right of the Son. A son's right is to be protected by his father. Those who pray have the blessing of experiencing God who helps in trouble.
Third, the method of prayer
There are several ways to pray. holding hands. (Psalm 28:2) "Hear my supplication when I lift up my hands toward Your sanctuary and cry out to You." (Matthew 26:39) “Going a little farther, and with his face to the ground, he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; but not as I will, but as you will.” Binoni" (verse 15). We need to kneel in prayer. Always kneel in prayer with humility.
Fourth, the content of prayer
Verse 16 and below are the contents of the prayer. First, he is praying according to 'the riches of his glory'. Paul is praying now, according to the fulness of the glory of God, the abundance of the Lord's grace that overflows, the riches of Christ beyond measure. God made them preach the gospel and pray for the Gentiles through the apostle Paul. The prayer God wants is a person who prays beyond his or her own scope. It is intercession. Pray for your neighbors, pray for your family. Pray for your servants and for the leaders of your country. Pray for the saints.
The three graces for maturity are: first, the filling of the Holy Spirit, second, faith, and third, the fullness of love. A mature person will evangelize. The fruit of all these is evangelism. Paul's prayer is focused on evangelism.
1. Filled with the Holy Spirit
In verse 16, he earnestly prays, “that the man within you may be strengthened with power through his Holy Spirit.” If you are filled with the Holy Spirit, your inner man will be strengthened with power. Christian history is the result of the work of those who are filled with the Holy Spirit. As Simon the magician in (Acts 8) demanded, the Holy Spirit cannot be bought with money. It is a gift from God. That is why you must pray. When the Holy Spirit came on, ignorant Peter could preach and his sermons could cause a wonderful work of salvation. This Paul's prayer should be our prayer.
2. Full of faith
Verse 17 says, “May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith.” The word [Christian] refers to those who belong to Christ, who are in Christ, and who have Christ in their hearts. The fact that I am in Christ is a great blessing. (John 15:8) says, "If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." The question is, how do we abide in Christ? The text says that by faith. Only by faith can we know all of the truth.
3. Full of love
In verse 17, we pray, “to be rooted and grounded in love.” Roots are the most important foundation of a plant. A tree without deep roots cannot stand firm. What are the roots and solid foundations of believers? The text says it is love. That's right. Without love we are nothing. Even if we say, "If we speak in the tongues of men and the words of angels, if we do not have love, we are nothing" (2 1 Corinthians 13:1). Paul is rooted and solidified on this foundation of love, urging us to know “the overflowing love of Christ” in verse 18. Verse 19 says, “I pray that you may understand what is the breadth and length and height and depth, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
The purpose of prayer is to glorify God. God fills us more abundantly than we ask (verse 20). God still wants us to pray. He is preparing to give you abundantly if you just pray. In the last verse 21, we end our prayer with “Glory to you in the church and in Christ Jesus from generation to generation forever and ever, Amen.” May the fullness of the Lord's grace abound in the church and in Christ. We have to pay close attention to the word "in the church" for the last time today. The church is one family, one family, one body in Christ, sharing and cherishing the fullness of the grace of Christ, rejoicing together, thrilling together, and celebrating together. May the fullness of the Lord's grace be with you in our church and in Christ forever and ever.