“Our Desire for Others” – A Sermon based on Ephesians 3:14-21

Introduction

Following the earlier challenges toward peace-making and witnessing, Paul commits himself to pray for members of the Ephesian church – that they might be able to cope with the challenges they have ahead of them. We can read this prayer in a number of ways. Firstly, as a prayer for us … Secondly, as a prayer that we would utter for each other … Thirdly, as a prayer for all those around us in our lives – that they might too experience God in this way.

To put this another way: we need to be prayed for; we need to pray for one another; and, we need to desire in our prayers a relationship with God for those around us. So we can read this passage purely for our own benefit … as Paul’s prayer for us, or we can join with Paul in praying for the fulfilment of others.

The Beginning & the End

This prayer actually commences with an acknowledgement of all the “riches” of God (v.16), meaning that whatever good thing we ask for can be supplied if it’s according to God’s will for us. There is nothing good that doesn’t have its origin in God! God is the ultimate source of all blessing, the ultimate source of everything that we need … to explore life to its fullest.

This prayer also closes (v.20-1) with praise for the God who is already answering our prayer before we have uttered Amen! We may not recognise straight away how God is working – but working God is! God’s answer to our prayers may not be what we are expecting, or even what we’re wanting, but we can know in faith that God’s answer will be the right answer. We can also wait expectantly because God’s answer may well be better than we could have ever imagined.

We should also remind ourselves to be patient, because God’s answer may come piece by piece, as we show ourselves to be ready for God’s activity in our life to progress. We may want to know about ‘big ticket’ items like our career, but this might only be revealed as we take up each opportunity that presents itself to learn new skills and put them into practice. We may want to know when we’ll have a church building, but we’ll only be given enough insight to take the next few necessary steps while retaining our faith in regards to the rest.

We might wonder how we can become a more helpful peace-maker or more effective witness for Jesus. The answer is in allowing God to work in us. It is actually God, the source of all good, who will do the peace-making and testifying through us. It’s God’s strength that counts, along with our willingness to let God have sway with us. We live out our life in God … in the company of the world.

What are the things being prayed about (v.16-19)?

· That we might be strengthened in our inner being with power through God’s Spirit
· That Christ Jesus might dwell in our hearts through faith (as we are being rooted and grounded in love)
· That we may have the power to comprehend the full extent of the love of Jesus
· That we might be filled with the fullness of God.


· The prayer points in verses 16-19 really hinge around our relationship with Jesus, and then allowing the power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen us inside – in order that we can live ‘inside out’. Some of us may have to cover up a lot in our interactions with other people … things that we don’t want anyone else to see. Some of these ‘cover-ups’ will involve good things that we’re just a little nervous about exposing to others – our deep and just concerns, our emotional connections, our talents and interests. Other ‘cover-ups’ will involve ‘darkness’ – behaviour and attitudes that need to be exposed to the light of Jesus and forgiven and transformed.

No wonder then we need that strengthening of our inner being through the Holy Spirit. This strengthening will allow us to trust others more with our thoughts and needs, but also enable us to deal with any negativity that is holding us back. This then comes back to our relationship with Jesus. It is Jesus who gives us the Holy Spirit so that our life works. Whichever of the great passages on the Holy Spirit we look at, whether it’s Luke in Acts, the Gospel of John, or Paul’s letters, we can see that it is Jesus who brings the gift of the Holy Spirit to us. Our whole line of access to the Trinitarian community is through Jesus, and our potential to live successfully within the human community is also tied to Jesus. So therefore, we must ask ourselves about the nature of our relationship with Jesus.

· I wonder if anyone has thought … hang-on … why is Paul praying for me to know Jesus in my heart through faith … because I already do! But perhaps Paul knows more about us than we think. If we are to comprehend or understand or experience the full breadth, length, height and depth of the “riches” (or Divine resources) of Christ Jesus, then we are going to have to open up our minds to the possibility that we could know Jesus better. As the “heart” here represents far more than just the emotions – also the will, intellect/mind and personality of someone, then for Jesus to dwell in the “heart” – means that Jesus will be the centre of our being. There is nothing to stand in the way of this, because no matter how bad we think we are, Jesus has already died to take away all the guilt and shame from us. So we can’t say we’re not fit to know Jesus more!

I don’t think we can say either, that we have higher priorities on our time than getting to know Jesus better. This would surely be counter-productive! If God really is the source of all rich blessings, then how could we see it better to live, work and make decisions outside of God. Sometimes you might shake your head wonder how so-and-so made such a lousy decision when they claim to be a ‘Christian’. Well, the answer might just be that Jesus was somewhere on the periphery of their life, but not really where he was needed to be! The third thing we might say is that we’ve tried to get to know Jesus better and haven’t got anywhere. This would be a reasonable concession I think, however no excuse to stop trying … given what’s at stake – ie. being filled with all the fullness of God.

· Given that Paul’s prayer hinges on a person’s relationship with Jesus, how can we get to know Jesus better?

Ø determinedly place Jesus in the centre of our consciousness, so that every thought, action, word (even breath) originates from this centre
Ø deal with any barriers that we regularly put in the way
Ø read the New Testament, especially the gospels (MMLJ) and try to relate to Jesus personally as if we were there in these incidents from his earthly life
Ø take the teaching of Jesus seriously – ask the question: have I really take to heart the attitude of Jesus to this life situation
Ø talk to him.

· If we can get to know Jesus well, if we can centre Jesus within us, we will absolutely know: who we are, and whose we are!

Our Desire for Others

Paul had Jesus Christ dwelling in his heart through faith, enabling him to be strengthened in his weakness, know the constant love of God, and be filled with all God’s fullness. This, despite all his suffering for the gospel! He didn’t then just feel self-satisfied and rest on his laurels. He had a deep concern for the lostness of the human beings of the world he knew, and sought to share this love and grace of Jesus with them. Paul travelled he rim of the Mediterranean world witnessing to the Gospel. As people found Jesus for themselves and formed into Jesus following communities, they would support and pray for one another, that each could know Jesus to their fullest capacity. Paul would visit them, respond to their issues by letter, send helpers to them, and of course pray for them. Paul’s hope was that these fledgling church groups would continue to share the good news around their local communities (for Paul could only get to the major centres – he couldn’t be everywhere).

So as these church members in Ephesus read this prayer concern of Paul, they would not only have thought of their own need, and the need of each other, but also the needs of the rest of their society. But of course these people themselves would be a very important part of God’s solution for the needs of the world, and they would have to well and truly focus themselves on Jesus if they were to be successful.

I think we see and understand the spiritual need out there! Everyone is trying to fill their spiritual void in a variety of ways – some of them with drugs, alcohol, gambling and sex; others through pursuing ‘religious’ paths that lack truth and lead nowhere!! I think we also realise that Jesus is the answer! However, people will not be able to connect with Jesus without us living Jesus inside out.

Let’s feel prayed for. Let’s know that God, in the breadth/length/height/depth of his love and riches, is on our side. Let’s get to know Jesus better, having him dwelling in our hearts … in the centre of our being (through faith), and then take Paul’s concern for us into our daily lives in the world, so that many who are empty will be filled with all the fullness of God.

Larry Richards writes: “These verses surely challenge us today. Sit down, and list the greatest work you can imagine that God might do in your life or the life of a loved one. Then ask Him, in complete confidence, to do it. You can have complete confidence, for our God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.”