Ephesians 3 Part 4
Bible Study Time 8-28-05
Bible Study Time 8-28-05
Toward the end of Paul’s third missionary journey, while he was still at Corinth, he wrote to the Romans believers and said:
Romans 15:25,30-32 (NKJ)
25 But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints.
30 Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me,
31 that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,
32 that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may be refreshed together with you.
As it turned out, when Paul left Corinth for Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit made it clear that Paul would face great persecution upon his arrival in Jerusalem. Many people along the way pleaded with Paul not to go to Jerusalem, but he was determined to accomplish the task that God had given Him to do. In Acts 20 and verse 22, Paul spoke to the Ephesian elders on the shores of the Aegean Sea and said:
Acts 20:22-24 (NIV)
22 " . . . compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.
23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.
24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
When Paul arrived in Jerusalem, he was arrested on bogus charges and sent to Rome for a trial, but Paul could see the Lord’s hand in all of these things. From Rome, he wrote to the Philippians and said:
Philippians 1:12-14 (NKJ)
12 But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,
13 so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;
14 and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
In other words, even the people in Rome could see that Paul had been arrested simply because of his testimony for Jesus Christ, and it was in this same context that Paul wrote to the Ephesians and said:
Ephesians 3:13 (NKJ)
13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
Then, he went on to say:
Ephesians 3:14-15 (NKJ)
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
Paul was brought to his knees before the Father not only because of the great stewardship of truth which had been given to him concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ but also because he knew that all of his tribulations and afflictions which he had endured were being used by the Lord to further the gospel of Jesus Christ.
As usual, Paul wanted to give all of the glory to Jesus Christ, and he did so by acknowledging the fact that the whole family in heaven and earth is named after Jesus Christ for God has put all things under His feet and has given Him to be head over all things to the Church which is His Body. Christ is seated in the heavens at the right hand of the Father where:
Philippians 2:9-11 (NKJ)
9 . . . God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus Christ is, in fact, the one mediator between God and man for no one can come to the Father except through Him, and here in Ephesians 3, Paul says:
Ephesians 3:14,16,17 (NKJ)
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
Now, as Paul prays for these dear friends of his in Ephesus, this is a prayer that is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and it’s the kind of prayer that the Holy Spirit prays for us as He makes intercession for us. In Romans 8, Paul said:
Romans 8:26-27 (NKJ)
26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Well, here in Ephesians 3, we see the kind of groanings which the Holy Spirit makes on our behalf. It is wonderful to know that the Holy Spirit prays for us in this way. We all know how much it means to us when people pray for us, especially when we go through a difficult time. We can feel the effect of those prayers, but how much more effective are the prayers of the Holy Spirit.
Paul said that we should pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Well, that makes sense, doesn’t it? If the Spirit is the One who is making intercession for us, then we should pray in the power and authority of the Spirit. That simply means that we need to be in intimate fellowship with the Spirit.
It is a powerful blessing to know that the Holy Spirit of God is praying for us with prayers like this one in Ephesians. He prays that we would be strengthened with might in the inner man through the Spirit of God according to the riches of God’s glory.
We know that God will supply all of our needs according to his riches in glory, and certainly one of our greatest needs is to be strengthened with might in the inner man through the Spirit. We can trust God to supply that need because He has all of the resources to supply that need. God will supply our need, not according to our own ability to receive it, but according to the riches of His glory.
This strengthening that comes to us by the Spirit is literally infused into the inner man. The outer man is still the same as it was before we were saved. It’s still a body of flesh. But the inner man is being shaped and molded by the Holy Spirit as He infuses the character of Jesus Christ into our inner being.
We need to be strengthened with might because the outer man still carries the old sin nature. According to Galatians 5:
Galatians 5:17 (NKJ)
17 . . . the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another . . .
It was Paul’s prayer that our inner man would be completely dominated by the Holy Spirit, not by the body of flesh. Peter put it this way in 2 Peter 1:
2 Peter 1:4-8 (NKJ)
4 (You) have been given . . . great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Spirit of God is willing to infuse the character of Jesus Christ into our inner being, but we need to diligently strengthen and fortify our hearts to secure the work of the Holy Spirit. We do this by exercising self control, perseverance, kindness, and so forth.
So that we will know whether we are being led by the Spirit or overcome by the flesh, God has given us a list of the things that relate to each realm. Galatians 5 says:
Galatians 5:19-25
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
If we take a look inside and see sexual impurity, hatred, selfish ambition, drunkenness, and so forth, then our inner man is not being strengthened by the Holy Spirit. God wants us to be strong when it comes to overpowering the fleshly passions.
If we look inside and see genuine love, joy and peace, then we know that these things come only by the power of the Holy Spirit. Contrary to popular thought, no one is born with a sweet nature. Deep down inside the old nature is there. From the day that children of born, we need to pray for the day when they will put their faith in Jesus Christ and receive the Holy Spirit. Only then can they experience the divine nature.
Fortunately, children have a tremendous capacity to believe in Jesus. In fact, most adults today, who know the Lord, accepted Christ as their Savior when they were children. That tells me that God wants us to pray for our children and emphasize our ministry to children. Children are born into an earthly family, but they have to be born again to join the family of God. That family which is named after Jesus Christ in heaven.
After children accept Christ as their savior, then we can pray and the Holy Spirit will pray for them too, that they will be strengthened with might through the Spirit in the inner man.
When we allow the Holy Spirit complete control of our inner being, that is when we will experience true fellowship with Jesus Christ. Only then can we experience the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ. That is why Paul prayed that we would be strengthened with might in the inner man so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.
The Holy Spirit does not leave us if we walk in the flesh, but if we walk in the flesh, we will not experience the presence of Jesus Christ. John said:
I John 1:6-7 (NKJ)
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
When we are strengthened with might through the Spirit, we will sense the spiritual reality that we are seated in Christ in heaven with continuous access to the Father. But if we walk in darkness, we will sense the natural reality that we are literally billions of miles away from the throne of God.
When we walk in darkness, we quench the Holy Spirit. That means that we put out the fire of the Holy Spirit. We need the fire of the Holy Spirit burning within us so that Jesus Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.
As we close this morning, I would like to ask you this, “Is your heart the dwelling place of Jesus Christ? Do you sense a fellowship with Him that is real and meaningful?” If not, you can. Call upon Him, and He will answer thee. Believe that He died for your sins and that he was raised from the dead to give you the hope of eternal life.
When you believe, you will receive the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will burn like a fire within your heart, purging your heart from the passions of the flesh and making your heart a fit dwelling place for Jesus Christ.
If you know the Lord, but can not sense His presence, confess your sins to God, and He will renew your heart so that you can experience the presence of the Lord.
I see our time is gone for this morning. I want to thank you for listening, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Church links:
http://www.peacechurch_ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch_fw.com/
Romans 15:25,30-32 (NKJ)
25 But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints.
30 Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me,
31 that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,
32 that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may be refreshed together with you.
As it turned out, when Paul left Corinth for Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit made it clear that Paul would face great persecution upon his arrival in Jerusalem. Many people along the way pleaded with Paul not to go to Jerusalem, but he was determined to accomplish the task that God had given Him to do. In Acts 20 and verse 22, Paul spoke to the Ephesian elders on the shores of the Aegean Sea and said:
Acts 20:22-24 (NIV)
22 " . . . compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.
23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.
24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
When Paul arrived in Jerusalem, he was arrested on bogus charges and sent to Rome for a trial, but Paul could see the Lord’s hand in all of these things. From Rome, he wrote to the Philippians and said:
Philippians 1:12-14 (NKJ)
12 But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,
13 so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;
14 and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
In other words, even the people in Rome could see that Paul had been arrested simply because of his testimony for Jesus Christ, and it was in this same context that Paul wrote to the Ephesians and said:
Ephesians 3:13 (NKJ)
13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
Then, he went on to say:
Ephesians 3:14-15 (NKJ)
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
Paul was brought to his knees before the Father not only because of the great stewardship of truth which had been given to him concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ but also because he knew that all of his tribulations and afflictions which he had endured were being used by the Lord to further the gospel of Jesus Christ.
As usual, Paul wanted to give all of the glory to Jesus Christ, and he did so by acknowledging the fact that the whole family in heaven and earth is named after Jesus Christ for God has put all things under His feet and has given Him to be head over all things to the Church which is His Body. Christ is seated in the heavens at the right hand of the Father where:
Philippians 2:9-11 (NKJ)
9 . . . God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus Christ is, in fact, the one mediator between God and man for no one can come to the Father except through Him, and here in Ephesians 3, Paul says:
Ephesians 3:14,16,17 (NKJ)
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
Now, as Paul prays for these dear friends of his in Ephesus, this is a prayer that is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and it’s the kind of prayer that the Holy Spirit prays for us as He makes intercession for us. In Romans 8, Paul said:
Romans 8:26-27 (NKJ)
26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Well, here in Ephesians 3, we see the kind of groanings which the Holy Spirit makes on our behalf. It is wonderful to know that the Holy Spirit prays for us in this way. We all know how much it means to us when people pray for us, especially when we go through a difficult time. We can feel the effect of those prayers, but how much more effective are the prayers of the Holy Spirit.
Paul said that we should pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Well, that makes sense, doesn’t it? If the Spirit is the One who is making intercession for us, then we should pray in the power and authority of the Spirit. That simply means that we need to be in intimate fellowship with the Spirit.
It is a powerful blessing to know that the Holy Spirit of God is praying for us with prayers like this one in Ephesians. He prays that we would be strengthened with might in the inner man through the Spirit of God according to the riches of God’s glory.
We know that God will supply all of our needs according to his riches in glory, and certainly one of our greatest needs is to be strengthened with might in the inner man through the Spirit. We can trust God to supply that need because He has all of the resources to supply that need. God will supply our need, not according to our own ability to receive it, but according to the riches of His glory.
This strengthening that comes to us by the Spirit is literally infused into the inner man. The outer man is still the same as it was before we were saved. It’s still a body of flesh. But the inner man is being shaped and molded by the Holy Spirit as He infuses the character of Jesus Christ into our inner being.
We need to be strengthened with might because the outer man still carries the old sin nature. According to Galatians 5:
Galatians 5:17 (NKJ)
17 . . . the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another . . .
It was Paul’s prayer that our inner man would be completely dominated by the Holy Spirit, not by the body of flesh. Peter put it this way in 2 Peter 1:
2 Peter 1:4-8 (NKJ)
4 (You) have been given . . . great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Spirit of God is willing to infuse the character of Jesus Christ into our inner being, but we need to diligently strengthen and fortify our hearts to secure the work of the Holy Spirit. We do this by exercising self control, perseverance, kindness, and so forth.
So that we will know whether we are being led by the Spirit or overcome by the flesh, God has given us a list of the things that relate to each realm. Galatians 5 says:
Galatians 5:19-25
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
If we take a look inside and see sexual impurity, hatred, selfish ambition, drunkenness, and so forth, then our inner man is not being strengthened by the Holy Spirit. God wants us to be strong when it comes to overpowering the fleshly passions.
If we look inside and see genuine love, joy and peace, then we know that these things come only by the power of the Holy Spirit. Contrary to popular thought, no one is born with a sweet nature. Deep down inside the old nature is there. From the day that children of born, we need to pray for the day when they will put their faith in Jesus Christ and receive the Holy Spirit. Only then can they experience the divine nature.
Fortunately, children have a tremendous capacity to believe in Jesus. In fact, most adults today, who know the Lord, accepted Christ as their Savior when they were children. That tells me that God wants us to pray for our children and emphasize our ministry to children. Children are born into an earthly family, but they have to be born again to join the family of God. That family which is named after Jesus Christ in heaven.
After children accept Christ as their savior, then we can pray and the Holy Spirit will pray for them too, that they will be strengthened with might through the Spirit in the inner man.
When we allow the Holy Spirit complete control of our inner being, that is when we will experience true fellowship with Jesus Christ. Only then can we experience the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ. That is why Paul prayed that we would be strengthened with might in the inner man so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.
The Holy Spirit does not leave us if we walk in the flesh, but if we walk in the flesh, we will not experience the presence of Jesus Christ. John said:
I John 1:6-7 (NKJ)
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
When we are strengthened with might through the Spirit, we will sense the spiritual reality that we are seated in Christ in heaven with continuous access to the Father. But if we walk in darkness, we will sense the natural reality that we are literally billions of miles away from the throne of God.
When we walk in darkness, we quench the Holy Spirit. That means that we put out the fire of the Holy Spirit. We need the fire of the Holy Spirit burning within us so that Jesus Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.
As we close this morning, I would like to ask you this, “Is your heart the dwelling place of Jesus Christ? Do you sense a fellowship with Him that is real and meaningful?” If not, you can. Call upon Him, and He will answer thee. Believe that He died for your sins and that he was raised from the dead to give you the hope of eternal life.
When you believe, you will receive the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will burn like a fire within your heart, purging your heart from the passions of the flesh and making your heart a fit dwelling place for Jesus Christ.
If you know the Lord, but can not sense His presence, confess your sins to God, and He will renew your heart so that you can experience the presence of the Lord.
I see our time is gone for this morning. I want to thank you for listening, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Church links:
http://www.peacechurch_ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch_fw.com/
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