Short Summaries of

Sermons on Ephesians

by Rev. Ralph Allan Smith

Paul's Intercessory Prayer

(Eph. 3:15-19)

Intercessory prayer is prayer for other Christians. It is an aspect of our responsibility as priests serving God under the Great High Priest, Jesus Christ. Intercessory prayer requires thought, thought about God and about His plan of salvation, thought about our present situation in history, and thought about those for whom we pray. It is more difficult than praying for our own needs in the sense that it requires that we have deep sympathy for, and understanding of, others, something that does not come naturally. We find all too often that our sinful selfishness makes it hard for us to weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice.

In addition, we live in an age of action, in which thought, meditation, and prayer do not engage serious attention. Knowledge is respected in so far as it is "practical," but there is no place for meditating on God, praising Him for His grace and praying for the manifestation of His glory. Being more than a little influenced by the spirit of our own age and not influenced enough by the Spirit of God, we are struck, whenever we read Paul's prayers, by how much deeper and more pure they are than those we daily offer.

The Whole Family's Name

Paul says first that he bows the knee to "the Father." The textus receptus tradition includes the following words "of our Lord Jesus Christ." Translating verse 15 as the King James "Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named" and interpreting it as referring to the Church, we read that the entire family of the people of God, the whole Church, both in heaven and on earth, is named after Jesus Christ. This verse shows clearly that Paul thinks in terms of a "universal" or "invisible" Church as well as the local Church. All of the people of God, wherever they are, are one family in Christ. When Paul prays, he thinks of the whole family and teaches us that we should also.

Strengthened by the Spirit, Indwelt by Christ

The first petition in Paul's prayer for the Ephesians (and for us) is expressed twice, first directly, then indirectly. The petition is that the Ephesians be strengthened. This Greek word is used only four times in the New Testament. In Luke 1:80 it is used of John the Baptist: "And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel." Later, Luke uses the same word of Christ: "And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him" (2:40). Paul uses this word on one other occasion: "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong" (1 Cor. 16:13). The connotations of the word are clear. Christians are to be like John the Baptist and Christ, strong in Spirit, not easily influenced by sin and evil, not making excuses for their failures, not feeling sorry for themselves. We are God's army in a war for the world. We must be strong "in the inner man."

Paul prays that God would grant us that strength "according to the riches of His glory." God's glory is the sum of His attributes manifested in brightness outshining the sun. It is from the infinite riches of that glory, as from a fountain that will never run dry, that Paul prays we may be strengthened. When such riches are available, there can be no excuse for being poor.

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith" expresses the same truth in figurative terms. God dwelt in the temple in Jerusalem, manifesting His presence, power, and glory in the midst of His people. When Christ dwells in us, He manifests Himself through us. He strengthens us and makes us channels for the revelation of His goodness to the world.

To Know the Love of Christ

The second petition is a prayer that the Ephesians, together with all the saints, may be able to know the love of Christ. This petition is logically grounded in the first petition. We are strengthened in spirit with the result that we are "rooted and grounded in love," that is, that we live our daily lives according to the law of God which commands us to love God with all our being and love our neighbor as ourselves. The Holy Spirit strengthens us so that we can live a life of love. Love is strong because it follows the law of God and regards the will and honor of God above all things.

It is only when we have been strengthened by the Spirit of God to walk in love that we will be able to comprehend the greatness of God's love, to be able to know that which is beyond all knowledge. Paul is here following the epistemology outlined by Jesus: "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (Jn. 8:31b-32). Obedience to the word of God is the proof of discipleship and the prerequisite for knowledge of the truth. Loving submission to Christ leads to understanding of His love.

Paul's prayer is poetry: "May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge . . ." We are led to stretch our minds to consider how wide, how long, how deep and tall infinity must be -- all of it filled to overflowing with God's love. This is the love that God has granted us in Christ.

Paul prays as the Holy Spirit has moved him. It is God who wants us to know that love so that we can know Him. God is drawing us unto Himself so that He may enjoy blessing us with comfort and encouragement. He embraces us for our blessing and joy, and also for His own pleasure, for we are His people.

The Fullness of God

The final aim of the prayer is that the Ephesians "might be filled with all the fullness of God." Every expression in this prayer defies exposition, but this is the most difficult. How can we explain it without watering it down? What can Paul mean when he prays that mere sinful men may be "filled with all the fullness of God"? We know that Paul is not speaking ontologically, perorating in the language of mystical pantheism -- for that would require that we all literally become God, something that may be envisioned by Satan, but not the apostles.

The idea of "filling" is probably best related to the temple and tabernacle. God manifested Himself in Israel by filling the temple with His glory, on some occasions more obviously than others: "And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD" (1 Ki. 8:10-11). The temple was filled with the fullness of God's glory.

What that meant for Israel was fullness of blessing. It also meant that the nations would see clearly that Israel's God is the LORD, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. This was fulfilled, for example, when the queen of Sheba converted to faith in God, confessing that the glory of Solomon's kingdom was a mere reflection of the glory of Solomon's God.

When we walk in love by the strength of the Holy Spirit, we are better able to comprehend the love of God. The more we know His love and rejoice in it, the more we are able to walk in love and manifest His glory. This brings in fullness of blessing for the people of God and leads to the conversion of the world. Walking in godly love is our greatest apologetic. It is also the greatest challenge. It is far easier to answer intellectual objections to the Gospel than it is to be "rooted and grounded in love." Our blessing and our duty, however, is to glorify God as His holy temples.

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