EPHESIANS OUTLINE #20 of 34

PAUL'S SECOND PRAYER (Eph. 3:14-19)

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Before we look at Paul's second prayer,

let's briefly compare it with the first one in Chapter 1.

I. It will aid us in grasping of His teaching.

2. In Chapter 1

1. Prays for knowledge

2. God is Light

3. He asks for light

4. He desires God's Power

5. He wants God's Power for us,

6. It is the new man in heaven

7. lt is the man in glory.

Chapter 3

1. He prays for experience,

2. God is love,

3. He asks for love,

4. He seeks God's presence

5. He desires God's fullness in us

6. It is the new man on earth.

7. It is the glory in man.

B. This prayer contains Five Petitions- all begin with the word that.

1. In verse 16 we have the first that - that God would strengthen us with power

in the inner man.

2. That's exactly where we need strength.

3. To the Greeks the inner man included our reason, conscience, and will.

4. Paul is praying that God will give them His enabling power to be true to

Him in mind, character, and will.

5. Every believer has this need to be strengthened in the inner man.

6. The word strengthen means to empower, increase in vigor, to make possible.

7. May our God empower us, and increase our vigor.

II. THIS LEADS TO OUR SECOND THAT- CHRIST MAY DWELL (17)

A. It could be better translated this way that Christ may take up His abode in your

hearts.

1. A striking parallel to this is found in John 14:23- If any man love me he will keep my word and my Father will love him and we will come to Him and make our abode with Him.

2. Paul wants God to empower us in order that we be prepared for Christ to live in us.

3. It is a permanent as opposed to a temporary dwelling.

4. God wants to increase our vigor in order that we experience the permanent

consciousness of Christ's indwelling.

5. Most Christians have been ignorant of this aspect of Christian experience.

B. The third that fortifies the idea of permanence

1. That you be rooted and grounded.

2. Rooted like a plant. When a plant is finally rooted. It is a healthy and thriving plant. It needs less care than before.

3. Grounded like a building. Footer of the building fixed firmly in the earth.

C. In the Greek text the words in love are emphatic which means that the rooting and the grounding is in the sphere of His love.

1. There lives must be planted in the soil of God's love.

2. Lets join together our previous thoughts

3. God wants to empower us in our mind and will to prepare us for Christ's indwelling presence which produces a rooting and grounding in the sphere of His love.

III. THESE THREE THINGS LEAD TO A COMPREHENSION OF THE GREATNESS OF HIS LOVE (18)

A. To comprehend indicates that we are now given the ability to grasp inwardly the

greatness of God's love.

1. It is one thing to read that God loves us- it is quite another thing to mentally realize that love

2. Paul prays that we might experience the full dimension of God's love (18)

3. Paul is saying look to the limitless horizons on every side, to the depth of the sea beneath us, to the heights of heaven above us, the love of Christ is as vast as that.

4. The great dimensions of God's love is found in John 3:16

It's breadth- God so loved the world.

It's length- He gave His only begotten son.

It's depth- ~Whosoever believeth on Him shall not perish.

It's Height- They shall have everlasting life.

IV. PAUL BRINGS US BACK TO THE DOMINANT THOUGHT OF THIS CHAPTER. (21)

A. Where is that love to be experienced?

1. We experience it in our inner man (15 - 20)

2. It is also to be experienced in the church. (3:8-10), (3:21).

3. We find God's love in the fellowship of the Church.

4. John Wesley used to say- God knows nothing of a solitary religion.

B. Paul ends with a Doxology of Praise (21).

1. Unto Him be glory by the church

2. God's design is that all men become one in Christ.

3. To achieve this end Christ formed the Church and sends it forth to tell people of His love and mercy.

4. The church cannot and will not do this until its members joined together in fellowship experience the limitless love of Christ.

5. I used to criticize people for just inviting people to the church services but I have a new appreciation for the church.