Read -Study Notes – Ephesians Chapter 3:11-21

Eph. 3:11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Eph. 3:12 in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.

• Paul says this mystery was hidden for ages to be revealed by the apostles so that God’s manifold wisdom would be made known
  • The word manifold means diverse, multifaceted, made up of many kinds
  • Paul’s talking about the intricacies of God’s work
  • The incredible details and unexpected twists and turns of how God shuts up all people in disobedience yet brings salvation to many
  • The unfathomable depths of his wisdom that brings all events in human history together culminating in the work of His church
• For truly the Church is the pinnacle of that work
  • The Church is where every detail of the Old and New Testaments come together
  • The Church is where the Spirit of God dwells, where the Law of God is written, where perfect obedience will occur
  • And it’s the place where the Son of God is preached in His full revelation in fulfillment of past prophecies
• That’s why this mystery waited for so long to be revealed
  • The Lord was waiting for the appearing of His Son before He revealed the plans for His church
    • In prior generations, the Lord alluded to this day
    • Speaking through prophets, the Lord said He would make His people jealous by a people who were not God’s people
    • And He used pictures like Boaz and Ruth to leave clues to the coming union of Christ and Gentiles
  • But no one could understand those things until the mystery was fully revealed in the New Testament, as God intended
    • The Church would be God’s grand display, the pièce de résistance
    • And so it waited for His Son’s arrival before it could be known and appreciated
  • Paul says in v.11 that all these things were in accordance with the eternal purpose He carried out in Jesus Christ
    • From the beginning of Creation, the plan of God centered on Jesus dying to redeem humanity from sin
    • That plan existed before sin existed
    • And therefore, the plan of a Church uniting Jew and Gentile existed before either Jew or Gentile existed
  • That’s why both Jew and Gentile can have boldness and confident access to the Father through Jesus Christ
    • Because after all, if God planned all this for our sake from so long ago, why be timid? Why doubt?
    • Instead, we should celebrate our place in the family of God
    • We should live as children of the King, secure in our place in His family, determined to serve Him and enjoying access to His wisdom and power
    • And we should unite with others who share those same privileges
• But Paul says God was working this plan for another audience beyond you and me
  • Did you notice at the end of v.10 that Paul made mention of another group of observers?
    • He says that God wanted to make known his multifaceted wisdom to rulers and authorities in the heavenly places
    • Who are these rulers in heavenly places?
  • At first, we might think angels
    • But this doesn’t make a lot of sense
    • Because angels need not be taught of God’s wisdom or even his plan
    • They are spirits created to minister to the needs of the saints, including the Gentiles
    • Certainly God’s wisdom is self-evident to the angels
• So what other heavenly rulers need to be taught the wisdom of God?
  • Consider another verse from this same letter

Eph. 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

• In this verse Paul is clearly speaking about unholy forces
• He calls them wicked and darkness
• Yet notice he also refers to them as rulers, as authorities in heavenly places
  • All three of these words are the same ones Paul uses in here in v.10

• • These are the demonic forces that inhabit the spiritual world and war against God and God’s people
• Remember, the enemy fell into sin because in his beauty and pride he thought himself a rival for God’s throne
  • Somehow he imagined he could compete with God and even exceed Him in power and wisdom
  • In Revelation 12, we learn that Satan recruited a third of the angelic realm to follow him into rebellion against God
• These are the rulers, the authorities in heavenly places
  • They are not ultimate rulers, they do not have ultimate authority
  • But they possess authority for a time
  • And they are an audience for this amazing work of God
• Here’s the message I think God wanted to send to those rebellious angels through His mystery of the church
  • That God’s wisdom and power is far beyond anything they could comprehend
    • That God could work for so long, through so many people and nations to accomplish His plan
    • That every detail would come together in the end
    • That promises made so long ago would still come to pass in time
    • That people seemingly beyond reach were yet found
  • And that nothing the enemy might try would change even one detail
    • That even when he thought he was destroying the seed promise with Abel, with Isaac, with Judah, with David, with the Christ child
    • Still, the promise kept moving
    • And even when the Enemy was killing Jesus, he was actually hammering the nails into his own coffin
  • The mystery of the church is God’s triumphant statement to spiritual darkness: Game Over!
    • You lost, and your proof is that the Gospel is reaching to the ends of the earth
    • Not only are Jews being saved, but so are Gentiles
    • And not only did Christ live again, but so will all these
• But fallen angels have only one future
  • As the writer of Hebrews says

Heb. 2:16 For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.

• They are destined for destruction for there is no promise of salvation for them
• They know this, and the existence of the Church simply stands as testimony that God could have saved them…but chose not to
• So these fallen angels see the Church as proof they have been passed over in God’s mercy, and so they hate God all the more
  • Which is why Paul ends this passage in v.13

Eph. 3:13 Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.

• The demons take out their hatred for God on God’s people, including Paul
• And so Paul says his tribulations are simply proof of the glory God has brought to Gentiles like you and me

Rom. 11:33  Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

• We’re nearing the end of the first half of Paul’s letter, so I think it’s a good time to revisit the structure of this letter
  • Remember I said this letter is half doctrine, half practice
    • The first three chapters of the letter teach fundamental principles of our salvation
    • Other than Romans, no other letter of the New Testament dives more deeply into the ramifications of salvation by faith in Christ
    • It’s a deep exploration of grace
  • Then the final three chapters of the letter shift gears dramatically to explain how we live out our faith in specific ways
    • Paul explains using spiritual gifts
    • Putting aside sin in our actions and speech
    • Fulfilling our assigned roles in the church and in our families
    • Imitating Christ in resisting greed, showing forgiveness, living called out lives in the midst of an ungodly culture
• Today we start Chapter 3, but it’s a short chapter which is why I say we’re coming to the end of the first part of this letter
  • Chapter 3 was to be a prayer by Paul on behalf of the church in Ephesus
    • And he does give his prayer
    • But Paul interrupts his prayer to give a parenthetical explanation of an important mystery
    • Remember, I said mysteries are truths God hid from earlier generations but then revealed in the New Testament
    • They are mysteries in the sense that they were previously unknown
  • The mystery Paul discusses is the mystery of the Church, and we’ll discuss that mystery in depth as Paul presents it in this chapter
    • But because of the way Paul approaches this chapter, I’d like to do something a little different with our study
    • Despite our name (Verse By Verse Ministry), I am going to jump around a little in Chapter 3
    • First, we’re going to study the prayer, since it follows directly from Paul’s teaching in Chapters 1-2
    • And then after we’ve studied the prayer, we’ll go back and study the mystery, because the mystery serves as the foundation for Paul’s teaching in Chapter 4
• The prayer begins in v.1, so let’s start there…

Eph. 3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles —

• Before we study Paul’s prayer, first take note how his prayer is interrupted at the end of that verse
  • In my English translation, the editors placed a em dash at the end of the verse to indicate a break in Paul’s thought
  • Now scan down the page in your Bible and look for where Paul returns to his original thought
• At the start of v.14 you see Paul picking up again with his prayer using the same introductory phrase
  • The verse begins again with “for this reason”
  • So if we’re to study his prayer, we need to jump from v.1 to v.14 as if vs.2-13 didn’t exist
  • And that’s what we’re going to do this morning so we can study Paul’s prayer intact
• So I’m going to read the prayer as a one passage

Eph. 3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles —

Eph. 3:14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
Eph. 3:15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,
Eph. 3:16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
Eph. 3:17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
Eph. 3:18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
Eph. 3:19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

• Since Paul repeated the phrase “for this reason,” let’s start by asking the obvious question, “What reason?”
  • The reason is the argument Paul made in Chapters 1 & 2
    • In those chapters, Paul explained how believers have received immeasurable blessings from God
    • From before the foundations of the Earth, we were selected to be God’s own possession in Christ
    • From the Godhead, we receive promises of righteousness, peace,  spiritual gifts and eternal blessings
  • And for that reason, as a result of all that we’ve received, Paul prays that the church would come to appreciate all these things
    • Specifically, circle some key thoughts in Paul’s prayer
    • In v.16, the phrase strengthened with power
    • In v.17, the phrase rooted and grounded in love
    • In v.18, the word comprehend
    • And in v.19 the words to know and to be filled up
  • These words or phrases form the outline of Paul’s prayer and will guide our understanding this morning
• Back to the top for a moment, Paul begins by describing himself as a prisoner of Christ Jesus
  • The word prisoner sounds negative of course, but in the context of v.1 it conveys a distinctly positive meaning
    • While we may not like the idea of being a prisoner, the truth is that all humanity is a prisoner of someone
    • We learned earlier in Chapter 2 that all humanity is born slaves to the enemy and to sin
    • We are all born into bondage to the enemy because we come into the world sharing the enemy’s fallen nature
    • Therefore, we also share his condemnation, and it’s impossible to escape that sentence on our own, thus we are a prisoner to our condition
  • But by the grace of God, we may be born again in the nature of Christ, so that by faith in Christ we receive His spirit
    • Our new spirit is incapable of sin, because we are placed in bondage or slavery to Christ
    • As Paul says in Romans

Rom. 6:22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.

• Frequently, the epistle writers refer to themselves as bondslaves to Christ
• So if you’re going to be a slave, far better to serve the Living God Who loves us and grants us eternal life than to serve His enemy
• Paul then adds that his service to Christ was dedicated to the needs of the Gentiles
  • Paul, an eminent Jew, was commanded by the Lord to begin the  recruitment of a Gentile church
  • Paul says in 1 Timothy he was commanded by God to serve
  • Do you remember Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus, as the Lord literally arrested him and enlisted him?
  • Paul is simply emphasizing his life is dedicated to the needs of his readers, therefore his prayer is sincere and heartfelt
• And then we move to v.14 where Paul begins to pray to the Father
  • Notice that Paul directs his prayer to the Father specifically
    • We always pray to our Heavenly Father
    • We know the Son is interceding for us in our prayers at the right hand of the Father
    • But the destination for prayer is always the Father
    • As Jesus Himself taught us when He told us to pray “Our Father in Heaven…”
  • Secondly, notice Paul says his prayer is offered as he bows his knees
    • It’s curious that Paul thinks to mentions his prayer posture
    • Paul must have included the detail of bowing to his knees to communicate something to us about prayer
    • And what it communicates is that Paul approaches the Creator with reverence and submission to His sovereign power
    • Notice in v.15 that Paul acknowledges the Father’s authority to determine everyone’s place in Heaven and on earth
    • It’s like the history of Creation is a giant chess board, and the Father has arranged every piece just as He pleases
• So Paul bows to his knees as he begins to offer a prayer on behalf of the saints in Ephesus
  • Your posture is more than a matter of convenience or preference
    • It’s not simply ritual
    • Your physical posture is as important as your heart attitude when you approach the Lord in prayer
    • Because one reflects the other
    • Our posture reflects how seriously we take the opportunity to speak to the Father
  • In scripture when we read of men praying – whether prophet or king, shepherd or farmer – you often see them bowing, face down, prostrate
    • They were driven to the ground in recognition of their own  unworthiness
    • They were acknowledging the Father’s supreme holiness
    • Their minds and hearts were fully engaged and submitted to God in prayer, and so their posture followed suit
• So here’s Paul, fully engaged in heartfelt prayer, compelled to drop to his knees by his appreciation for all the Father is and all He has done
  • And this brings us to the first of our key thoughts in v.16
    • Paul prays the Father would grant His church in Ephesus to be strengthened spiritually by God’s power
    • Spiritual strength in the inner man is spiritual fortitude, spiritual maturity
    • He’s describing a Christian gaining power over his or her flesh, becoming less susceptible to the enemy’s schemes
    • It’s power from the Spirit of God to lead us into a closer walk, one dependent on the Spirit of God and less dependent on our own desires
  • For Ephesus, spiritual strength was the first order of business, since this community was prone to leaving their first love
    • They were surrounded by a rich ungodly culture so their flesh was a strong adversary
    • They needed strengthening from the power of the Holy Spirit
  • If a Christian is not interested in seeking spiritual strength at the expense of the flesh, then not much more is possible for them
    • Trying to teach, guide or encourage a believer who isn’t seeking spiritual strength is like trying to train a runner who won’t tie his shoes
    • God is the One Who grants spiritual strength, but He grants it to those Who seek for it
    • And we should be making appeals to the Lord for increasing spiritual strength to prepare us for the rest of our journey with Him
• That brings us to the second mile marker in Paul’s prayer in v.17: being rooted and grounded in love
  • The verse begins with the phrase “so that” indicating that should the Father grant Paul’s request in v.16, then it may lead to the next step
    • The next step is that Christ would then dwell in their hearts
    • Paul was writing to believers, so these Christians already had the Spirit of Christ dwelling in them by faith
    • Therefore we know Paul was speaking of something else
  • You could translate v.17 to read “that Christ be at home in your hearts”
    • By gaining spiritual strength in our inner man, we become a place where Christ may feel at home
    • Christ indwells every believer by His Spirit but He dwells in us when our thoughts and behaviors mirror His
    • It’s the difference between Christ being in the backseat of your car or behind the wheel
• Paul prayed that the thoughts of Christ would become the thoughts of the church, and as a result the church would be rooted and grounded in love
  • To be rooted in something means to find our supply in that thing
    • The roots supply the rest of the plant with everything
    • If you place a color dye in a houseplant’s water, you can change the color of the entire plant
  • So what are you rooted in? Where do you go for your supply?
    • When a Christian is rooted in love, we’re saying the person has tapped into the mind of Christ
    • By study of His word, by a growing spiritual strength made possible by appeals to the riches of God’s mercy, by crucifying our flesh, we sink roots in Christ
    • Then as we face life’s decisions, we draw from Christ’s love
    • So we say the loving words, we think the loving thoughts, we do the loving things instead of what our flesh desires
  • And to be grounded refers to the foundation of a building
    • A building is grounded in the sense that it rests on something unmovable, something steady
    • So Paul prays the church in Ephesus would be grounded in love
    • That they would not be distracted, tempted, or otherwise drawn away from Christ and from His love
• The chain of Paul’s prayer is starting to make sense…can you see it?
  • He prayed for spiritual strength by the power of the Spirit, because the church relied too much on personal strength
    • Strength of finance, position, reputation, power, influence, etc.
    • And therefore, they were prone to leave their first love, to overlook the spiritual blessings they have in Christ
    • To overlook how blessed they are already
  • And by that spiritual strength they begin to make their home a place Christ may dwell
    • They will tap into the love of Christ
    • They will be grounded on Christ’s love
    • And then as a church, they become resistant to chasing after the world’s pleasures and rewards over those found in Christ’s love
• And from this place of strength and steadiness, rooted in God’s love, real spiritual understanding becomes possible
  • In particular, Paul prayed that from a position of spiritual maturity, believers in Ephesus might comprehend of the love of Christ
    • The term comprehend also means to lay hold of or to seize something
    • So Paul desires the church would take hold of something they already possess, though they are overlooking because of spiritual immaturity
  • And the thing he wants them to comprehend or seize is God’s love, which Paul describes by four terms
    • Breadth, length, height and depth
    • The terms are intentionally vague because Paul is describing the  limitless of God’s love
    • Yet the four terms each have unique meaning in describing our experiencing God’s love
• First, the breadth of God’s love describes its all-encompassing nature
  • God’s love is not reserved for just some kinds of people, like Jews or the pious
    • God’s love, His mercy, His forgiveness, His riches are available to Jew and Gentile, kings and paupers, priests and pagans
    • God’s love is broad enough for everyone
  • If the church in Ephesus could take hold of the breadth of God’s love in Christ, they would see the world differently
    • And they would cease worrying about individual status or personal standing apart from their standing in Christ
    • Jewish believers would embrace Gentile believers and vice versa
    • The church would have united as a single family, and from their unity they could show the love of Christ to the entire city
• Secondly, the length of God’s love refers to His limitless reach
  • Is someone too far for God to reach? Is someone too evil, too hardened, too unworthy?
    • No, because the length of God’s love reaches as far as the ends of the earth and into the hardest of hearts
    • Remember the people of Nineveh
    • Remember Saul on the road to Damascus
    • Paul himself says in 1 Timothy that he was called as an apostle specifically to demonstrate the length God was willing to go to extend forgiveness
    • If god could reach them, He could reach anyone
  • And for the Christian, the love of God can reach us no matter how far we stray
    • No matter how completely our sin may consume us
    • Or how discouraged we may become in our walk
    • God’s love reaches further, His forgiveness never runs out
    • His grace is sufficient
  • If the church in Ephesus could comprehend the length of God’s love, they would have seen the unsaved in Ephesus with more compassion
    • They might have taken their commission as ambassadors for Christ more seriously
    • They would come to recognize there are only two kinds of people in the world: those who belong to Christ and those who don’t (yet)
    • And even after they forgot their first love and drifted away, they might have been drawn back by God’s love
• Thirdly, the height of God’s love refers to its inexhaustible and triumphant supply
  • God’s love just keeps piling up, and it’s always sufficient to address our deepest emotional needs, satisfying us in ways the world can’t
    • In its immaturity, the church in Ephesus had turned to looking for love in all the wrong places
    • They valued good teaching but they also seemed to value the world’s attention, rewards and pleasures
    • But the things the world offers just don’t satisfy in the end, and they certainly can‘t meet our longing for contentment
  • If you’ve ever squandered a season of your life chasing after the world’s rewards, then you already know how unsatisfying the pursuit can be
    • The thrill of the shiny toy, the challenge of the new job, the excitement of the new relationship…none of them satisfy
    • Once we get past the obsession and realize it was a waste of time, we look back on that pursuit and wonder why we were so foolish
    • But unless we ground ourselves in the love of Christ, we’re likely to repeat that mistake over again
  • But after you’ve tapped into the love of Christ so that you are walking in spiritual strength, having become an imitator of Christ, then your life begins to change
    • You come to know the height of God’s love
    • You can’t exhaust God’s love
    • You experience a joy in serving Him that surpasses anything you could find in the world
    • You find the reward of contentment
  • Certainly, life won’t become perfect, and we still experience disappointments and tragedies
    • But the height of God’s love leaves us satisfied in Christ all the more when the world lets us down
    • When you have anchored your satisfaction in life in the love of Christ for you and His riches reserved in eternity, then you aren’t rocked by life’s disappointments
    • You see those afflictions as momentary and light, because the love of God given to you in Christ towers above them all
• Finally, Paul prays we would know the depth of God’s love, which refers to His unlimited mercy and supply
  • God’s power to bring us joy far surpasses the degree of sorrow the world can inflict
    • Believers walking in spiritual strength rooted in God’s love still face difficulties in life
    • But by God’s love we can face them with a resilience the world can’t understand
    • We still have feelings…we still feel pain, or anger or resentment, at least for a moment
    • But the depths of Christ’s love brings a new, mature perspective to those circumstances
  • The church in Ephesus dearly needed to appreciate the depths of God’s love, because the things they were chasing were going to lead to ruin
    • Historically, we know this city entered into a decades-long economic decline
    • The port harbor they depended upon for trade began to silt up and as it did, commercial trade disappeared
    • This city of wealth became a city of ruin, but what of the Christians in the city who chased for the wealth the city offered?
    • Where would they be once the city crumbled?
  • If they could set a foundation of Christ’s love, then nothing could shake them
    • Their joy wouldn’t depend on economic trends or commercial success
    • They might know the fullness of God
• Notice Paul ends v.19 praying for that outcome
  • He prays the church could be filled with the fullness of God
    • He asks that the church might find its complete satisfaction in the full mercy, grace and peace that comes from an abiding walk with the Lord
    • Does the thought of such contentment seem out of reach to you?
    • Does it sound like religious speak? Like fairytale?
  • Perhaps you’re listening to the Bible’s teaching this morning, yet you’re doubting that such a life of contentment is possible for you
    • If so, then you haven’t been listening
    • You’re thinking that God’s love has limits
    • You’ve forgotten that it has no limit in breadth, length, height and depth
    • You’re assuming that you have to work hard to obtain what God freely gives to those who rest in Him
• And Paul seemed to know you and I might have such doubts, because he ends his letter with a strong encouragement for us to pray this same prayer ourselves

Eph. 3:20 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,
Eph. 3:21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

• The Lord is able to do things you can’t even imagine
  • And even more impressively, God is ready to do things you have already assumed He isn’t willing to do
  • You want to step away from an addiction, but you assume God isn’t willing to help
  • You’re feeling led to change your job or your career plans, but you fear God won’t be there to provide
  • You’re burdened with guilt for some terrible mistake or you’re afraid to reach out to someone in need
  • Whatever it is you can’t see past, you’ve been assuming the love of God didn’t reach that far
• But the word of God says the Lord can do far more in us and for us and through us than we could ever know
  • And if you pray to be strengthened in the Spirit
  • And as you direct your life according to Christ’s desires, the love of God will manifest itself in your life in ways big and small
  • You will come to see the riches of God’s love for you in Christ
• I’m not saying everything in your life will become perfect
  • But in time, you will because of the power of God working in you
  • And you will know contentment and peace
  • To Him be the glory in this church, and in Christ Jesus to all our generations forever and ever, Ame