Praying for Church Maturity (Eph 3:14-21)

Praying for the Mighty Working of God: Eph. 3:14-21 (Scripture Reading: Eph. 4:1,7,11-16) When was the last time you prayed like your life depended on it? (What I mean is) Like your connection and faithfulness to the heart of God and his plan for this world depended on the accuracy and sincerity of your prayer? (For comprehension of God’s power and plan for you, and your family, and your church, and God’s church globally?) [He’s talking about prayer today. I’m already bored.]  This is life-changing, idol-shattering, world-altering, powerful prayer. Paul prays for the mighty working of God to bring about spiritual maturity in the church. Based upon the truth revealed to them about Christ (by the working of God), and by faith the relationship they have with Christ (by the working of God), now unified in Christ (by the working of God), and b/c the expectation for the church to fulfill it’s calling to be His fullness, Paul prays for what? The mighty working of God to bring about spiritual maturity in the church. Read Passage & Pray: As I review, and as we look at Paul’s intro to his prayer, and the petition’s progression, and the doxology, listen for (and be blown away by) the MIGHTY WORKING OF GOD. (particularly verbs) Review – For this reason: 1:3-6; 1:18-20; 2:1,4-5,8-10; 2:13-14,19-21; 3:3,7-10 What does our blessing of being chosen and adopted depend on? The mighty working of God. What does our faith in Christ depend on? (MWofG thru the death & resurrection of Christ) What does our unity in the church depend on? (The MWofG thru the peace of Christ) What does the maturity of the church to be the fullness of Christ depend on?  1:22-23 and why we had the scripture reading today from Eph 4., see v. 13. What does the completion of God’s plan for the fullness of time that he set forth in Christ depend on (1:9-10)? (Right, himself!) Introduction – 14-15 • I kneel before the FATHER – v. 12 • Every family (people, lineage, clan, family – every nation, every ethnic group, every generation, every local church, every family) • Named by God – the power and sovereignty of God Petition’s Progression • (According to his glorious riches) – 1:7-8a  according to the abundance of God’s resources • Inwardly strengthened with His power – inner person is parallel to the concept of ‘heart’  to dwell Christ in your hearts through faith = Inward strengthening to be a vessel fit for the task – You don’t use a paper bag to store your treasured possessions or a thimble to store gallons of milk. • The dwelling of Christ: To be empowered by the Spirit in the inner person means that Christ himself dwells in [our] hearts.  The implication of the apostles prayer, then, is that the more the Spirit empowers their lives, the greater will be their transformation into the likeness of Christ, a point that will be developed throughout the second half of the letter. (O’Brien)  Such is the way God takes frail containers and makes them vessels of divine power. Christ makes his home in you and transforms you from the inside out by the power of his Holy Spirit as you continue to trust in him by faith. • IN love rooted and established – Grounded in the strong foundation of his love (mixing metaphors from both agriculture and architecture  “because God is self-existent, His love had no beginning, because he is eternal, his love can have no end, because he is infinite, it has no limit, because he is holy, it is the quintessence of all spotless purity, because he is immense, his love is an incomprehensibly vast, bottomless, shoreless sea…” (A.W. Tozer) •  To us that translates (from the roots) into following Christ’s example of love: serving, self-giving love for the good of His people to the glory of God  Rom. 5:8 & 5:5 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. […] and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. • From that love foundation, Paul prays for God’s strength to enable his people to truly grasp (really comprehend) with all the saints… how to fathom the unfathomable, measure the immeasurable, scale the unscalable, trace the untraceable (NIV – How wide and long and high and deep – four dimensions or magnitudes) – Grasp what? The love of God toward us in Christ is emphasized here. But also our riches in Christ Jesus, and the hope to which he has called us, and His power at work in us. – all the fullness of God (19b).  B/c by the Spirit, Christ dwells in you with POWER!  And it happens in community: together with all the saints. “This happens when we sit under the teaching of God’s word. It happens when we study it together and discuss it. It happens when we share our knowledge of God’s love with each other. It happens when we observe it in our brothers and sisters. It happens as our hearts go upward in worship of Him. We need each other in order to comprehend his Word.” (Hughes) • (so to grasp) and to know the love of Christ which is beyond knowledge (this is knowledge of perceiving by examination and experience)  rope swing – Aladdin to Jasmine, “Do you trust me?”  Why does God allow you to pass through dry deserts, and deep waters, and fiery trials – James 1:2-4 • Filled up with the fullness of God (maturity) – the joy and wonder of knowing God, to know that you are owned, chosen, secure, being built into the likeness of Christ with his people – that is a fullness that the world’s fading luxuries and powers and pleasures cannot offer – they are merely a brief shadow of him who is their author and fullness. (Ps. 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.) – One other thing: God has chosen to use us a vessels of his grace, but he is not limited by our limitations. Doxology: High theology always becomes high praise. When you think of real power, what do you think of? The gravity and inertia of the our planet and his brothers circling the sun, the ocean’s speeding thrust and crushing weight in a tsunami, the whirlwind power of a tornado or hurricane, the millisecond explosive energy of an atomic bomb… or perhaps other kinds of power—bringing life into the world, influence over thousands (no millions) of people, ridiculous wealth to buy yachts and personal jets and your own island… • To Him who is able … (doesn’t surprise us that it’s more than we can ask or imagine) • The power at work within us • To him be glory (Like you mean it and believe it,) Pray for the maturity of the church to be the fullness of Christ… by the power of God who is able… and to the glory of God who is worthy. How central is this prayer according to the mighty working of God to all that Paul is saying in this letter? 6:10,18-20,23-24 What will you do with the privilege (3:11-12) to kneel before the all-powerful Sovereign and pray for his mighty working in the hearts of his people to make the church an emblem of the fullness of Christ to the glory of God?