To Know the Love of Christ

This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.  Ephesians 3:6

Ephesians 3:1-21 – Learning to Live Under the Reign of Christ
Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Life in the Spirit  – July 28, 2024 (am)    

I’ve mentioned before that I ask and answer four questions at the head of each set of sermon notes. I rarely mention them in the sermon; they’re intended only for me to make sure I know where I’m heading and stay on course. Today I want to spotlight question three.

Question one is: What is God’s message in this book? I have a theme statement for Ephesians: Paul proclaims the clear, pure gospel and calls all believers to live under the universal reign of Christ.

Second is: How does this passage contribute to that? This is a theme statement for today’s text that’s composed with reference to the theme of the book: Paul prays that his readers will be strengthened in faith to know Christ’s love and experience God’s fullness.

Question three is: What do I pray [God] will move His people to do? This states the intended outcome of the sermon, application-wise, how I pray you’ll respond to what you hear. I pray that God will move you through His Word today to: Pray for this body to experience what Paul prayed for the Ephesians to experience.

I’m spotlighting question three so that we can all know together where we’re heading this morning as we move through this amazing text of Scripture. Let’s get started. We’ll explore it under two headings.

Understanding the Implications of the Mystery – 2-13

It’s not difficult to see that vv.2-14 are a parenthesis, not at all unimportant—in fact, they’re essential to the argument in this letter—but they’re an insert, nevertheless. Paul was turning his attention toward prayer once again here in 3:1. But then he paused to give more instruction on this mystery he’d mentioned back in 1:9 before returning to prayer using the same introduction again here in v.15: For this reason….

Paul refers to himself here as a [steward] of God’s grace (2), as one who manages the [wealth] (8) of another. And his particular assignment in stewarding the infinite [wealth] of the mystery of Christ (4) first revealed to [God’s] apostles and prophets by the Spirit (5) was to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things (8-9). That was the job uniquely entrusted to Paul as a steward (Act.26:16-18), and the one thing required of stewards is that they be found faithful (1Co.4:2).

It’s in v.6, our key verse today, that we hear explicitly what this mystery is, how Paul wants these Ephesians, and us, to understand the unsearchable riches of Christ as the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God (8-9). 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Believing Gentiles are going to inherit the blessings of God through the gospel (1:3-10) right alongside believing Jews! They’re going to be members of the same body, one new man in [Christ] together in peace (2:15). They’ll no longer be alienated from the commonwealth of Israel or strangers to the covenants of promise. Never again will they be without hope and without God in the world (cf, 2:12). Mat.20:16 So the last really will be first, and the first last. All will finish together! The laborer who arrives at the eleventh hour will receive the same pay as those who [bore] the burden of the the day and the scorching heat (Mat.20:12). But when the pay is every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places for everyone, no one will mind, really!

But there’s even more here regarding the specialness of this mystery that has now been revealed [through the] apostles and prophets (5). Even though Paul identified himself as the very least of all the saints (8) because [he] persecuted the church (1Co.15:9), this grace was given to him, 8 … to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, now here it is, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities (1:21; 6:12) in the heavenly places. So, not even the hosts of heaven understood the full implications of the cross, the sacrifice of Christ, the eternal plan and purpose of God in the gospel to unite all things in [Christ], things in heaven and things on earth (1:9-10). But, make no mistake: 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. Praise God.

Praying toward All the Fullness of God – 1, 14-21

Now Paul is ready to pray! Again (cf. 1:15-23. For the second time in these three brief chapters his description of the greatness of God and the plan He’s purposed has risen to the place that he needs to pause and pray that the Ephesians, and we, would be able to understand it, to comprehend and process it, to have any chance of embracing it and living it!

14 For this reason, this grand mystery now revealed, I bow my knees, I position myself for earnest prayer, before the Father, 15 from whom every family, or, perhaps better, the whole family, the one great family of God (Stott 133) in heaven and on earth is named, now, here’s what he prayed: 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—this sounds like a result, like we’re first strengthened with power through [God’s] Spirit in [our] inner being, and then as a result of that Christ dwells in [our] hearts through faith, but both surely refer to the same experience (Stott 135). As the indwelling Spirit strengthens us in our inner being, the indwelling presence of Christ in [our] hearts is surely welcomed more and more through faith. Essentially, Paul is praying that believers will be strengthened in their heart-relationship and walk with Christ through the empowering of the Spirit Who dwells in them—that they will receive the full benefit of the third Person of the Trinity Who indwells them and experience it in their growing relationship with the second Person of the Trinity Who’s saved them.

But there’s still more. Paul also prays 17 … that you, being rooted and grounded in love, as we are because of the great love with which he loved us (2:4-5; cf. 1Jo.4:19) in Christ, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ, that we might grasp the immeasurable and unfathomable dimensions of it, 19 and [that you might] know the love of Christ, get this, that surpasses knowledge. How can we know something that surpasses knowledge, that’s beyond being known? I’ve given a lot of thought to this question over the years and, to save us a bit of time, I’m just going to suggest an answer. The only way to know something that surpasses knowledge is to experience it to such a deep and profound degree that you recognize it just can’t be put into words.

I think that’s where Paul is taking us in this prayer. That’s what he’s asking God to do in these Ephesians, and in us. He’s asking that we will experience the vast dimensions of the love of Christ so completely that we recognize it’s utterly impossible to describe what we’re experiencing! And he finishes by saying that, when this happens, that is what it means to be filled with all the fullness of God (19).

Our response, if we’re realistic, will be something along the lines of: That’s impossible! At best we might ask: Is that possible? And that, my friends, is the right question for appreciating more fully the grand and glorious benediction with which Paul finishes this prayer. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. I like v.20 even better in the niv. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, more than we could even dream up to ask for, more than we could fantasize about requesting!

This is the power of God. And, in summary, the things Paul is asking for are faith in Christ that measures up to the riches of [God’s] glory (16-17) and an experience of Christ’s love that qualifies as all the fullness of God (18-19).

Conclusion

So, what do you think, are we up to praying for this body the same things Paul prayed for these Ephesians? Why would we not? What else could we possibly desire more than what he’s requesting here? Is there anything, at all, on your list that would come in ahead of this? What are you facing right now that wouldn’t be greatly aided by praying this? So, can we pray this together for our body?

Let’s take a few moments in silence to do just that before we come to the Communion Table and give thanks for the work of 11 … Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

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Resources

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                  , gen. ed. 2002. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary. Vol. 3, Romans-Philemon. Ephesians, by Clinton E. Arnold, 300-340. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

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Bruce, F. F., Gordon D. Fee, & Ned B. Stonehouse., gen. eds. 1984. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians, by F. F. Bruce. Ephesians, 227-442. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Calvin, John. 1854. Commentary on the Epistle of Paul to the Galatians and Ephesians, trans, by William Pringle. Ephesians, 189-344. Logos.

Carson, D. A., ed. 1999. Pillar New Testament Commentary. The Letter to the Ephesians, by Peter T. O’Brien. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

                  , R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham, eds. 1994. New Bible Commentary 21st Century Edition. Ephesians, by Max Turner, 1222-1244. Leicester, Eng.: InterVarsity.

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Hughes, R. Kent. 1990. Preaching the Word. Ephesians: The Mystery of the Body of Christ, by R. Kent Hughes. Wheaton: Crossway.

Lloyd-Jones, D. Martyn. 2003, third printing. Ephesians, eight volumes. Grand Rapids: Baker.

Longman III, Tremper, & David E. Garland, eds. 2006. Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 12, Ephesians-Philemon. Ephesians, by William W. Klein, 19-173. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

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Keskin, Nancy. 2004. Ephesus, trans. by Anita Gillett. Istanbul: Keskin Color Kartpostalcilik.

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Osborne, Grant R. 2017. Osborne New Testament Commentaries. Ephesians: Verse by Verse. Bellingham, WA: Lexham.

Sproul. R. C. 1994. The Purpose of God: An Exposition of Ephesians. Fearn, Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus.

Stott, John, NT ed. 1979. The Bible Speaks Today. The Message of Ephesians, by John Stott. Downers Grove: InterVarsity.

NEXT SUNDAY: Walk in a Manner Worthy, Ephesians 4:1–16