In all honesty I have no idea what this means. Beginning in verse 14, Paul turned his heart toward the Lord to pray for the believers in Ephesus. May his Holy Spirit give you his power deep down inside you. Glory through all millennia! To paraphrase Mike Bickle, we love God only as much as we are aware that God loves us. Might () Rev., power. In our last study, we looked at verses 14-15and talked about Paul's Pattern In Prayer. When I pray for my children, I often pray the words of these verses. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spiritnot a brute strength but a glorious inner strengththat Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. . Share 1993. Rise to the heights! Published by permission. But just as we will never fathom the depth of the riches of His grace towards us, so we can never have ALL His fullness, but we can be filled to our level of completeness. Paul wants us to really know this truth in our own lives and to grasp hold of it with our whole being so that we may be filled to all the fullness of God, which is ours by grace through faith in Christ Jesus our Saviour. We can saturate ourselves in His presence and impregnate ourselves with the water of the Word of life until weare filled with all the fullness of God. Plumb the depths! That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. blessings and benedictions nursery art series. 1 Bickle, Mike. 17I pray that Christ will live in your hearts by faith and that your life will be strong in love and be built on love. Today, we way to consider verses Ephesians 3:16-19 The Message 14-19 My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spiritnot a brute strength but a glorious inner strengththat Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. Jesus tells a parable about a tree that did not bear fruit (Luke 13:6-8). In my own faith walk, even though I did not know this Scripture when I put my faith in Jesus, I did so because I believed that He was really God, and that God loved me very much. Learn how your comment data is processed. Reach out and experience the breadth! Sorry, an error was encountered while loading part of the book. Who Is Lillith and Why Don't We Find Her in Our Bible? Rise to the heights! 16I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Test its length! so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faiththat you, being rooted and grounded in love. Should not this satisfy man? Sorry, an error was encountered while loading comparison. God's great love for us as demonstrated in sending His own Son to be the sacrifice for our sins undergirds everything. Reach out and experience the breadth! And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, 18 you'll be able to take in with all Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. NASB. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, youll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christs love. 18And may you have the power to understand, as all Gods people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. Rise to the heights! Ephesians 3 The Secret Plan of God 1-3 This is why I, Paul, am in jail for Christ, having taken up the cause of you outsiders, so-called. Required fields are marked *. Any activity that does not originate from the foundation that God is incredibly in love with us, and that He has a plan for how He can partner with us, will not bear the kind of fruit that God desires. I believe that the foundation that is either missing or not built very well in the lives of most Christians is the truth found in verses 18 and 19: we are deeply loved by God. THEME: Sinful lust. I pray that it will have a strong foundation. Lord, out of your glorious riches strengthen their hearts and give them faith. 17Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Some translations and commentaries suggest that the strengthening of our inner beings is so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith; while others suggest that "Christ dwelling in our hearts" is actually the second prayer that Paul makes for the Ephesians. 4 . Christs love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spiritnot a brute strength but a glorious inner strengththat Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. 13 touchdowns and four . 19You will know Christs love, which goes far beyond any knowledge. If that foundation is not laid, or if we move the "house" of our faith off this foundation, we find that the house will eventually crumble. All rights reserved. Bible Study with Scott What it means to be on Fire for Jesus Christ Ephesians 3:19-20 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Jesus already promised He would make His home with us (John 14:16,20,23), so why would Paul pray this if it automatically happens? Your roots will grow down into Gods love and keep you strong. But the truth is, apart from God, we are weak. to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. But Christ's love for the Church was a mystery that was hidden frompast generations, and yet it was revealed to Paul on our account so that we might know for certain the incomprehensible love of Christ. A trees roots soak up the water and nutrients it needs. Rise to the heights! SCRIPTURAL FOUNDATION: Genesis 3:16; Leviticus 19:2; Galatians 5:16-17; Ephesians 2:3, 4:22; Colossians 3:5; 2 Timothy 2:22; Titus 2:12. and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Proud member Instead, in referring to "fruit" in the preceding paragraph, I am thinking more of the fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (according to the NIV). Accordingly, if we want our prayers to be true we must endeavor to let them flow from our heartso that our heart (our true self) is revealed. 21 Glory to God in the church! The breadth shows its extent to all nations and ranks; the length, that it continues from everlasting to everlasting; the depth, its saving those who are sunk into the depths of sin and misery; the height, its raising them up to heavenly happiness and glory. Rise to the heights! I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. I also pray that love may be the ground into which you sink your roots and on which you have your foundation. In this chapter the apostle hints at his state and condition as a prisoner, and at the afflictions he endured for the sake of the Gospel; and whereas he knew these would be objected to his ministry, and be discouraging to the saints, he chiefly insists on these two things; namely, to assert his office of apostleship, and observe the knowledge of divine mysteries, and gifts of grace bestowed on him, which he does with all modesty and humility; and also to exhort the saints to constancy and perseverance, notwithstanding his tribulations; for which purpose he puts up several petitions for them; and the whole is concluded with a doxology, or an ascription of glory to God. 3:13-19 The apostle seems to be more anxious lest the believers should be discouraged and faint upon his tribulations, than for what he himself had to bear. He makes it very plain that he is praying for each believer. Anyway, I added Ephesians 3:16-19 to our blessings and benedictions nursery art series. And as he desired their perseverance, so he prays for it, and for several things in order to it; the posture in which he prayed was by bowing the knee; the person to whom he prayed is described by his relation to Christ, as his Father, of whom, or of Christ, the whole family of God in heaven and earth are named, Eph 3:14,15. Some days I am inspired by my childrens childlike faith. 14-19My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. Ephesians 3:16-19 The New International Version (NIV) 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Ephesians 3:16-19 Paul's prayer can be outlined using two grammatical features. But this is a mystery that staggers the understanding and surpasses human knowledge, and in which we stand in awe and wonderment. By registering for an account, you agree to Faithlifes, I ask him to strengthen you by his Spiritnot a brute strength but a glorious inner strength. It is through this indwelling and our rich relationships with God that we realize our true identities. https://www.bible.com/bible/97/EPH.3.16-19.MSG, Moms in Prayer - God is Loving, Awesome & Wise, Jesus, the Friend in Sorrow: A 3-Day Study for Grievers, Spirit At Work: Devotions From Time of Grace, Global Pan(dem)ic & a Sound Faith (Part 2): A 4-Day Maturity Check, Royals: Living in the Realm of God's Favor, All About Love - Relating with Women of the Bible Part 2. 16that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height19to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. First, we can join Paul in praying this for ourselves and others. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lords holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledgethat you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. All rights reserved. This last phrase, in the inner man, is joined to the beginning of the next verse in the Arabic, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions, "in the inner man Christ may dwell". I ask him to strengthen you by his Spiritnot a brute strength but a glorious inner strengththat Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. Even so, Paul prays that at least we begin to grasp and expand the boundaries of what we understand as God's love for us. Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. Believers in Christ need fresh supplies of strength to enable them to exercise grace, to perform duties, to resist Satan and his temptations, to oppose their corruptions, and to bear the cross, and undergo afflictions cheerfully, and to hold on and out to the end: this is a blessing that comes from God, and is a gift of his free grace; a "grant" from him who is the strength of the lives of his people, of their salvation, of their hearts, and of the work of grace in their hearts: the means whereby the saints are strengthened by God, is "his Spirit"; who strengthens them by leading them to the fulness of grace and strength in Christ, by shedding abroad the love of God in their hearts, by applying the promises of the Gospel to them, and by making the Gospel itself, and the ordinances of it, useful to them, causing them to go from strength to strength in them: the subject of this blessing is the "inner man", or the Spirit, or soul of man, which is the seat of grace; and this shows that this was spiritual strength which is here desired, which may be where there is much bodily weakness, and for which there should be the greatest concern; and that this strength is not naturally there, it must be given, or put into it. the breadth and length and depth and height; and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge; that ye may be filled. The inner man is the spiritual aspect, while the outer man is the physical aspect. Ephesians 3:16-19 The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language I ask him to strengthen you by his Spiritnot a brute strength but a glorious inner strengththat Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. Free Reading Plans and Devotionals related to Ephesians 3:16-19. In Ephesians 3:16-19 we learn about the Incredible Riches of God's Glory. Read more of I immediately thought of this scripture passage. Ephesians 3:16-19 PAUL'S PETITIONS IN PRAYER Intro: The verses before us today reveal a man in prayer. The gardener pled with the owner to let him put fertilizer around it, and give it one more year. He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Matthew Henry Bible Commentary (complete), California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 17Then Christ will live in you through faith. Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. YouVersion uses cookies to personalize your experience. that God sees and will meet all of my needs, even when on the surface the situation looks anything but good. and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Im asking God to give you a gift from the wealth of his glory. 3 Reasons Proverbs 23:7 Says 'As a Man Thinks, So He Is'. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, youll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christs love. 18I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Then Christ will live in you through faith.
