Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
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Disgust
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Fear
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Joy
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Sadness
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Language Tone
Analytical
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Confident
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Tentative
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Social Tone
Openness
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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Agreeableness
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Emotional Range
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Tone of specific sentences
Tones
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Anger
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"THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS"
Paul's Second Prayer For The Ephesians (3:14-21)
INTRODUCTION
1.
In the previous lesson we saw where Paul was about to start his
second prayer for the Ephesians in ...
a.
However, he interrupts himself when describing himself as "the
prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles"
b.
Lest they be troubled at whatever tribulations he endured as a
prisoner (), Paul stresses the fact that:
1) His apostleship to the Gentiles (even with its tribulations)
was a gift to him through the wonderful grace of God - Ep
3:2-7
2) His purpose was to "preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable
riches of Christ" -
3) That in Christ he had "boldness and access with confidence
through faith" in Christ -
2. Having completed his brief interruption, in Paul now
continues with his second prayer for the Ephesians (the first having
been in )
3. The phrase "For this reason..." (; also 3:1) indicates
that Paul expresses his prayer in response to those things mentioned
earlier, such as:
a.
The wonderful salvation by grace through faith -
b.
The work by Christ on the cross whereby Gentiles can now become
"fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise"
- ;
[With gratitude in his heart for God's grace toward the Gentiles, Paul
now prays in their behalf, starting with...]
I. THE "INVOCATION" (14-15)
A. POSTURE IN PRAYER...
1.
In this prayer, Paul "bows the knee", a posture in prayer
commonly found throughout the Scriptures - cf. ; Ac
9:40; 20:36; 21:5
2. However, there does not appear to be an "official posture" when
it comes to prayer...
a. Solomon "stood" when he prayed to dedicate the temple - 1
Kin 8:22
b.
David "sat" before the Lord when he prayed about the future
of his kingdom -
c. Jesus "fell on His face" when He prayed in Gethsemane - Mt
26:39
B. THE ADDRESSEE IN PRAYER...
1.
The pattern and example of prayer in the New Testament church
was:
a. "To" the Father - ;
b. "In the name of" or "through" the Lord Jesus Christ - Ep
5:20;
c.
And "in" the Spirit - ; ; cf.
2. There is little evidence of anyone praying "to" Jesus, and even
less of praying "to" the Holy Spirit; clearly it is the Father
to whom we are to address our prayers - cf.
[To the Father, then, Paul addresses his prayer.
The prayer itself is
divided into three parts (indicated in the Greek by the word "hina"),
and is like a staircase with three steps, each step leading to the
next...]
II.
THE "PETITION" (16-19)
A. TO BE STRENGTHENED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD... (16-17)
1. Paul had mentioned earlier about God's power "toward us who
believe" -
2. Now he prays that the Ephesians might be "strengthened with
might"
3.
Such strength is "according to the riches of His glory"
4. God's strength is administered "through His Spirit in (lit.,
into) the inner man"
a.
A Christian's body is "the temple of the Holy Spirit who is
in you" - cf.
b.
One design of the indwelling Spirit is to help one "put to
death the deeds of the body" - cf.
5.
But the purpose of such "strengthening" by the Spirit in our
text is for a different purpose, first hinted at in verse
17...
a. First, that "Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith"
1) To the degree God strengthens (by the Spirit) the
believer's "inner man", so it is said that Christ Himself
indwells the heart of the believer
2) Thus the Spirit is the instrumental agent by which Christ
indwells the believer, just as suggests the
Spirit is instrumental agent by which God inhabits His
church
b.
Second, that they may be "rooted and grounded in love"
1) One work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer
is to instill the love of God in the heart - cf. ;
2) When strengthened by God through the Spirit in the inner
man, one becomes "rooted and grounded in love"
[Strengthened by God through His Spirit, so that Christ is dwelling
in our hearts and we are well-established "in love", the next step
is ...
B. TO COMPREHEND THE LOVE OF CHRIST... (18-19a)
1. "may be ABLE..."
a.
The word "able" means "to be eminently able; to have full
strength"
b.
Thus the prayer for strength in the first part of the prayer
-
2. "...to comprehend"
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