Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:19. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:19

“… and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Paul’s prayer continues in this verse.

After exhorting us to grasp the dimensions of the love of Christ, he now prays that we will know this love that surpasses knowledge.

Paul is piling up illustrations of the magnitude of Christ’s love for us. He is encouraging us to test the greatness of this love.

Paul wants to know this love that surpasses knowledge. As indicated in the previous verse, we only know love through experience and in relationship. We cannot truly know love as a theory.

So Paul is praying that we will know this limitless love of God; that we will know it in our spirit, deeply within.

We know this surpassing love by walking with Jesus everyday. When we worship, play, love other people, serve Jesus, and do the everyday stuff of life, we see the love of God in new facets each day. Today it might be seen in the forgiveness of my sin. Tomorrow I might receive a needed help from a christian brother or sister. Another day I might be in a position to speak a word kindness.

It is in these daily experiences of the transformative power of the gospel that we get a grasp of this love beyond knowledge.

Even if we cannot find words to explain it, we know that we love God and that he loves us.

Again Paul uses overflowing language to try to get a handle on our relationship with God. We are filled to all the fullness – not just some of the fullness of God.

God does not want us to miss out on any part of himself. He wants us to have all of him.

Sometimes we gain an unbalanced or lopsided picture of God. We might focus on His power, but overlook His vulnerability, on His holiness but overlook His grace, on His might but overlook His gentleness.

God wants us to have the full revelation, the complete package of who He is. He wants us to relate to him as He is, not a distorted or incomplete image.

This phrase, “filled to the measure” occurs several times in Ephesians. It speaks of spiritual maturity. This maturity is such that our fleshly nature has been overcome as we surrender ourselves to Christ.

As we grow in the fullness of God, we become so aware of who God is and of his desires, that we can pray with authority and conviction, and know that our prayers will be answered.

It is false humility to pray, “Let your will be done, Lord,” when we should be praying from confidence in God’s will. The goal of being filled to the measure of God’s fullness is that we have become one in spirit with Him, and we can trust Him to show us how to pray.

We can speak declaratively in decrees and proclamations because we know what God has said in His Word. Rather than praying for God’s purpose is to unfold, we declare victory in the spiritual realms because we are a son or daughter of the Most High and we have been given His authority.

To be filled with all the fullness of God means that we are like Christ. We can show God’s love to people. We can call them into the kingdom to follow Jesus. We can lay hands on the sick and have them healed. We can pray for, and experience, miracles.

As we grow in the gifts and the fruit of the Holy Spirit, we become filled with both the power and the character of Christ.

So the result of knowing the love that surpasses knowledge and being filled with all the fullness of God is that we become like Jesus.

Key points in this verse:

• We can know God’s love which surpasses knowledge
• The love of God is experienced in our day to day life
• As we grow in our experience of God’s love, we are filled with all the fullness of God
• The fullness is about spiritual maturity in which we become like Christ

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:18. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:18

“… may have power together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”

Paul continues his prayer for the Ephesians (and us) that, having been grounded in love, they may have power to grasp how big is Christ’s love.

Paul’s desire is that “ all the saints” should grasp the magnitude of Christ’s love. This is not a journey of discovery just for the church in Ephesus, but a necessary understanding for the church everywhere and throughout history.

When Christians fail to grasp the love of Christ, we can be fearful about our future. We worry that we may have committed the unforgivable sin. We fret to make sure that all of our sins, no matter how trivial, we confess, keeping short accounts with God, as the saying goes.

For christian leaders, uncertainty about Christ’s love can lead us to legalism. It is so easy to define rules of outward behaviour, dress codes, and language usage in order to keep the flock under control. We don’t want our people to sin so we define the boundaries of acceptable behaviour to keep everybody safe. This was the sin of the Pharisees.

Sin and righteousness are not really about behaviour derived from morality codes. The real issue is abut our love for God, and His love for us. All sin is relational.

When we grasp the magnitude of Christ’s love, it changes everything. We no longer act from fear but from faith. Anxiety is replaced by joy.

To know that I am not just accepted by Christ, but loved by Him, means that I do not have to fear ever being rejected by Him. I can rest, knowing that I don’t have to prove that I am good enough.

Knowing that I am loved by Christ means I can be relaxed about my sins. That is not to say that I should be complacent about sin – Paul has something to say about that in the next verse. It does mean that when I do trip up in some way, I don’t have to expect a punishment. I don’t have to fear missing out on heaven. He does not reject His children.

To grasp the magnitude of Christ’s love is not about mental or cognitive knowledge. Love is experiential; it is revealed in its activity and understood in relationship.

I could read in the Bible that Christ loves me. it has to go far deeper than that. The knowledge has to go past the theoretical and be received in my heart. While ever the love of God is just a chapter in the Bible I have not taken hold of it.

When I think of the word grasp, it makes me think of a rock climber holding firmly to the face of the rock, or a person in the water clinging to a floating object. In both cases, the person holds on confidently and desperately. To cling means safety, but to let go means death.

Our experiential knowledge of Christ’s love is a life and death matter. In faith, we hold on to him because letting go results in death.

How big Is this love? Paul describes a four-dimensional measurement. Can we come to the end of Christ’s love in any direction? Of course not! it extends as far as we can imagine in any direction we can consider .

We cannot go around the love of God. We cannot go under it or over it. It surrounds us, as God Himself surrounds us, in every direction. If we want to escape His love we have to construct a bubble around ourselves that cuts us off from it. That bubble is called unbelief.

Key points in this verse

• We are on a journey of discovery of the love of Christ
• If we fail to grasp God’s love for us we will be led by fear or legalism
• Understanding God’s love brings joy and freedom
• This is heart knowledge not head knowledge – relational not theoretical
• Understanding of Christ’s love is a life and death issue
• We cannot get around God’s love

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:17. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:17

“… So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in faith…”

Paul is continuing his prayer for the Ephesians (and for us).

The previous verse was a prayer that they receive power through the Spirit of God. He finishes that sentence now.

The prayer to receive this power is directed to the result that ”Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”

Some theologians disapprove of “asking Jesus into your heart.” Jesus is in heaven so it does not make sense, they claim. Buy here Paul is explicitly stating that Christ does live in our hearts.

To state the obvious, this is not a reference to our physical hearts. There is not a Christ – shaped hole in our heart that Jesus slots into when we pray the sinner’s prayer.

The heart is often used as a synonym for the soul, which is the seat of our character, will, and emotions. Paul is praying that Christ will come and fill our souls.

That raises the question of what it means to have Christ in our hearts or souls. To me, it means that we give over that part of our being, our internal life to him. In other words, we are no longer self-directed, but Christ – directed. We are no longer living a marred, sinful life, but one which is clean and sinless. We don’t do what we want to do, but what Christ wants us to do.

The prayer is that Christ dwells in our hearts. He makes the place his habitation, his home, and is not just a visitor .

This means that we allow the Holy Spirit to direct us. We daily invite the Lord to be present in our hearts in everything, and seek to hand over our desires and plans to him.

This is a lifelong process that should not end this side of Heaven.

Some people seem contend to have Christ steer their lives at home and church, but work is a different matter where the customs and rules of the business world dominate.

Other people allow Him in sporadically. They might have a spiritual experience at a camp or conference, and they know that Christ is with them for a few weeks. But then it is back to the old ways until the next “high.”

Christ wants to dwell in our hearts – to stay there every day.

When Christ is dwelling in our hearts, then we can be rooted and grounded in love.

The word for love here is agape, the totally selfless and unfailing love that God has for us. With Christ dwelling in our hearts, the very embodiment of agape love, then we can know that we are loved unconditionally.

God’s agape love, transforms a person’s life. Many of us suffer feelings of shame, rejection, unworthiness, and so on. We have been hurt, bullied, or abandoned. But God’s love heals the traumas of living in a sin-filled world.

We need to be rooted and established in God’s love. Love, to be effective, needs to be constant. God’s love is constant, but our ability to believe and receive it is not.

To be rooted in God’s love means that we grow deep emotional and spiritual roots in him. Paul describes this as “by faith.” In other words, we taste the love of God and by faith we learn to live in it.

Trees that only grow shallow roots are vulnerable to being blown over in storms or dying of dehydration in droughts. Only trees that push their roots deep into the soil will live a full and long life.

We must push our roots deep into the love of God so that, even when God seems to be absent, we trust in his provision, persistence, and protection.

Key points in this verse

• Christ wants to dwell in our hearts, that is to make His home there
• We need to learn to be Christ- directed rather than self-directed
• We need to put deep spiritual and emotional roots into God’s love
• God’s love heals us of the hurts that come from living in a sin-filled world

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:16. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:16

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”

God’s glorious riches are unlimited. We think of wealthy people as being beyond the financial limits that constrain most of us. To people in developing countries, those of us who live average lives seem to them to be wealthy beyond imagination.

But God’s glorious riches are in every way unlimited. The God who created the universe with a word is not limited by physical resources. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, the Psalmist tells us.

The glorious riches of God, though, are not merely physical. He commands a billion human servants and an untold number of angels. He can redirect the courses of nations with just a thought.

A million words cannot come close to describing these glorious riches, out of which He strengthens us.

God is not a hoarder. He does not store up these rich is for his own glory, although He could if He chose to. Instead, He shares them with us, His beloved people.

It is a quality of love that we want to share what we have and who we are with those whom we love. I may not be inclined to give $1,000 to my neighbour down the street, but I will share all I have with my children .

So God shares His riches with us because He loves us and He wants to strengthen our trust in Him.

One way that God strengthens us is through provision of our needs. I have seen on many occasions that the laws of economics fail when God is involved. He equips us to do more with less. He provides things that we could not have dreamed of. All of this is His good pleasure.

Another way that God strengthens us is through the fruit of the Spirit as recorded in Galatians 5:22. We may think that it is impossible for us to fulfil the calling that God has on our lives, but He will give an abundance of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These qualities will not only enable us to do a task, but to become more like Jesus in the process.

Paul prays that God will strengthen us with power through the Spirit.

The power of God is demonstrated through the gifts of the Holy Spirit described in 1 Corinthians 12, and in the book of Acts. The power of God flows through a heart that is totally surrendered to God’s purposes.

When we speak out what God is saying, we may speak words of knowledge and wisdom or prophecy. When we minister the power of God, we see healings, miracles, and deliverance from evil spirits.

We may be strengthened in power through prayers that are answered. There is nothing that encourages faith so much as prayers being answered both through natural and miraculous methods. Many have poured out their hearts to the Lord seeking a blessing that seems impossible and have been awestruck when God came through.

In all of these ways, and many more, God strengthens us. These are manifestations of the power of God.

All of this is brought about by God’s spirit, the Holy Spirit, in our inner being. This Is a miracle.

C.S. Lewis talks about christians being a new species. We are outwardly the same as every other person, but there is something fundamentally different. We know that changes in a molecule called DNA can change an organism, including humans. Inserting a fragment of DNA can bring big changes. In the same way, God insert His Spirit into our spirit being.

All of the signs of God’s power flow from the Holy Spirit through us to the world. In the past, God’s Spirit might have been ”with” a person, but now He is “in” a person.

We no longer should think of God as somewhere else, because he is in us wherever we go. We have no need of temples or special places to meet with God. We are the temple.

The Holy Spirit is alive in each of us. Therefore He can strengthen us with His power that is already in us.

We are often held back by the lies we believe. We might feel that we are not good enough, or holy enough, to be used by God. We might think that we could never be as Godly as that other person.

The truth is that we all have access to the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.

Key points in this verse:

• God has unlimited glorious riches that are physical and spiritual
• God shares his riches with us because he loves us
• The power of the Holy Spirit is in us and can strengthen us.
• God is not limited by our weakness

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:14-15. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:14-15

“For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.”

Paul now returns to his prayer. In verse 12 he said : “ In him (that is, Christ) and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” This is the reason that he can kneel before the Father to pray. This prayer starts in verse 16.

God is our Father. He has revealed Himself as a Trinity- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The term Father is not just a theological term. Father is a relational term.

Jesus knew God as Father, as “Abba” a term of intimacy. For Jesus the name Father was not a theoretical term but an expression of deep love.

We call God Father for many reasons.

Firstly, it is an expression of love. God is love, and He loves the whole of his creation including human beings who have rebelled against His authority. God continues to love us despite our actions towards Him.

Secondly, God our Father seeks to draw us up to spiritual and relational maturity. In biblical times, a father was expected to shape his children to be like himself. God desires that we become like Him in our character and our desires.

Thirdly, God our Father disciplines us when we go astray. In Hebrews 12:7 we are told, “Endure hardship as a discipline; God is treating you as sons.” The Father disciplines His sons and daughters to perfect their character.

Fourthly God delights to pour out blessings on us. This is not contrary to the previous point, but balances it. Our Father does not dole the bare minimum to keep us alive. No, He provides what we need and more. He pours out all kinds of blessings because it pleases Him to make us happy .

In many cultures, the family takes the name of the father not of the mother. Paul is saying here that God gives His name to His family.

A name often says something about a person’s lineage. The name Smith in the past was associated with blacksmiths. Certain names might be associated with the aristocracy or with lesser classes.

To be named for our heavenly Father means that we are part of His family, related to him through the blood of Christ.

To be saved is to be a part of a family that has members right around the world and in heaven as well. This is a family that literally will never die out.

We are named with the name of Christ- Christian. We share the family name and should grow into the family likeness.

To be in the family of God means that we are members of a royal family. We are heirs of God’s Kingdom, princes and princesses, dukes and duchesses in God’s realm.

Key points in this verse

• Paul kneels in prayer to the Father, confident of his access to the throne
• God is our Father. This is a relational term
• God loves us with unfailing love
• God wants to mature us and He uses both discipline and blessing
• We are part of God’s family

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:13. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:13

“I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.”

Paul’s imprisonment is part of God’s plan to make known the mystery, the wisdom of God, the plan of salvation. God is in control of all things, and so even Paul’s imprisonment is in God’s plan.

For this reason, Paul says the Ephesians should not be discouraged.

We can imagine that some christians might be asking why God would allow Paul to suffer like this. Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles, so why would God have him locked away?

We know now, with the benefit of hindsight, that Paul wrote several of his letters during his imprisonment. We could argue the New Testament would be somewhat smaller without Paul’s suffering.

We also know from Acts 28:30-31 that for two years of house arrest Paul welcomed many visitors and boldly proclaimed the gospel to them.

Despite his suffering, Paul was not sidelined. He was not prevented from continuing the ministry that God had prepared for him.

So Paul tells us not to be discouraged when things don’t go the way we expected.

God will prevail, and nothing can stop the gospel. What is important is that we seek to be faithful in whatever task the Lord sets before us.

We need to be mature also in our understanding of suffering. Many people do become disheartened because of their own suffering or that of others. They fail to understand that God always turns every situation to our own spiritual growth .

Our culture tells us that we deserve to be happy, that we should expect a fulfilled life, and that nothing bad should ever happen to us. While this is an appealing myth, it is complete rubbish. People get sick and die. There are acts of violence and abuse everyday. Disasters befall whole communities and nations .

Suffering is not an interruption to the good life. It is part of the process of growing to spiritual maturity .

Children don’t like it when their parents say “No” to their requests. They cannot understand why the parent puts them through painful medical or dental procedures. It hurts when they are smacked for running onto a road .

The suffering and pain that we go through in life serve to shape and strengthen our spirits. We are forced to hold on to the fact that God loves us and that this painful experience is, in some way that we cannot comprehend, for our own ultimate good.

We must not lose heart then, when we, or the people we love, go through painful times.

Paul describes his sufferings as being “for you” and “for your glory.”

Paul is aware that God uses suffering for God’s purposes, and that all things work together for the good of those who are called according to his purposes (Romans 8:28). This suffering that he is going through will make him stronger in his own faith and trust in the Lord.

Paul’s sufferings, therefore, are for the Gentiles because he will be a better apostle for the Gentiles through his suffering. This then is for them and for their glory.

As a pastor, I know that the relatively light sufferings that I have experienced have taken me deeper into the Lord. They have also given me greater empathy for those who go through severe or extended periods of suffering. In that sense, my own suffering is for them as well as for me.

Key points in this verse

• We must not be discouraged by suffering- our own or others whom we love.
• Suffering should draw us closer to the Lord and deepen our faith in him
• God will prevail, even if we cannot see it
• Suffering is not an interruption to the good life, but a part of God’s plan to bring us to maturity
• Our suffering can help other people and bring glory to God

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:11. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:11

“This is according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God’s intent was to make known through the church His wisdom to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. This was His eternal plan.

People are changeable, and at times, fickle. For many people, a long-term plan means as far as next weekend.

But God is not like us. When God makes a plan it is not provisional or conditional on what happens. When God makes a plan it is perfect from the beginning, and is not subject to change or improvement.

God’s plan commenced in “eternity past,” that before time began. Before the creation of the world, God made plans for a physical universe that was distinct from the heavenly realms. In that plan, God would create a race of people who could choose to reject God’s love. He would give people an option to obey God, to worship God, and to surrender to him. Or not.

This choice had been made available to the angels , but some, led by Satan, rebelled against God. While angels who have stood in the glory of the presence of God and still rejected him, are beyond repentance, human beings who only see God dimly, like a distorted reflection, they could have the ability to be redeemed and rescued.

So while God did not create sin, he did allow for it. He foreknew that Adam and Eve would fall as would every single person since. But he made a plan long before this happened that would provide a way out.

In the book of Revelation, Christ is described as “ the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world” ( Revelation 13:8). Thus it was always God’s intention from before creation that Jesus would pay for our sins.

God’s eternal purpose stretches into the future also. What was proposed before the beginning of time is eternal and unchanging, and so will continue past the end of time. There is no expiry date on salvation. The offer will always be there because God’s purpose is eternal and does not change.

It might be possible for God to change His mind about how people are brought into His Kingdom. It is possible that God could say that only people born again before the year 2020 could be saved. But he will not do that because his plan and purpose are eternal and will last for eternity.

God’s purpose is eternal also in the sense that it will carry us through to eternity. He has said that we will live with him forever. There will be no time limit in heaven. We will not be transient visitors as we are on Earth. We will be there forever.

His eternal purpose, that is to save people from sin and equip them for eternity, was accomplished through Jesus. His death on the cross was the moment in time when the eternal plan was activated.

The mystery, the plan, the purpose was this: God gave himself to rescue a fallen race. The revelation to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms was that sin will not steal away God’s glory. His love and righteousness come together to defeat all sinfulness and wilfulness.

All of this is through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Christ literally means “ anointed one” and refers to the Messiah. Jesus was the one sent by God to rescue His people. He was anointed by the Holy Spirit for this task.

Jesus is the Greek form of the name Yeshua which means “ the Lord is our saviour” or “ the Lord saves.” It is God’s nature to save his beloved people .

Lord is the name for Yahweh, the one true God. Jesus is not just a man. He is divine. He is the Lord.

Key points in this verse:

• God’s purpose was commenced before time began
• Jesus is the Lamb who was slain at the beginning of time
• God’s plan will not change and Salvation will not stop
• Jesus is the Messiah and he is the Lord God

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:10. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:10

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.

God’s intention in revealing this mystery now, after it was hidden through the ages, is to make known his wisdom to the spiritual powers.

While we often focus in on the human dimensions of God’s salvation plan, there is a more profound agenda, the spiritual or supernatural dimension.

It is the church that embodies the wisdom of God. Paul had a very high vision of the church. Even though he had to provide correction and discipline, he had very high ideals of what the church is.

When we are tempted to cynicism about the church, we need to recall that it is through the church that the wisdom of God is being revealed. Every time the church gathers for worship, encouragement, or edification, it is displaying God’s wisdom. When the church proclaims the gospel, it is displaying God’s victory over Satan. Whenever the church stands up for jjustice or for the poor, it is proclaiming God’s Kingdom. Whenever the church ministers healing or miracles it is revealing the power of God.

What we, the church, do together in the name of Christ is not insignificant or weak or boring. The world may portray it as boring, weak or irrelevant, but the powers of hell tremble..

The manifold wisdom of God is manifested through the church.

God’s wisdom operates at many levels simultaneously. People can usually act in wisdom according to their experience or expertise. It is folly to do otherwise, unless we are advised by the Holy Spirit .

Wise leaders seek out the wisdom of other people to augment their own wisdom .

God has no need for advisers and experts. He has infinite wisdom and is able to plan goals and strategies at every level right across time and space. He is not limited by a lack of knowledge because he has all knowledge about all things. He is not limited in strength because he is all powerful. He simultaneously sees the big picture and the individual hearts of billions of people. He sees the beginning and the end, and all points in between .

The wisdom of God is based in his love. He loves his creation, and so His wisdom is rooted in lifting up people, and seeing us achieve our potential as sons and daughters.

God’s love requires also an abhorrence of sin because of the way it destroys people. Therefore, all who refuse to receive his forgiveness will be condemned. There can be no tolerance of sin and evil in God’s wisdom .

God’s wisdom is to be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms .

The church is engaged in a spiritual war that started before recorded history. The rebellion of satan and his followers resulted in their expulsion from heaven and the institution of a separate kingdom, a false kingdom. Satan’s kingdom is less than God’s Kingdom in every way. It is less in numbers and it is less powerful. But it is real nonetheless .

The spiritual war revolves around the worthiness of people to participate in God’s realm. We are both physical and spiritual beings and we fall short in so many ways. While God loves people as the pinnacle of creation, higher even than the angels, satan wants only to destroy us.

The plan of salvation, the mystery, is now being revealed. God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us. In this act he demonstrated his love. He showed that humility is not weakness and that love is powerful. He uses the cross to draw sinful men and women to Himself.

So God reconciles the world to Himself. This is the wisdom being shown through the church to the rulers and powers in the heavenly realms .

In the end, God will be vindicated by the existence of the church, a huge number that is impossible to count, drawn from every tribe and nation on the earth.

Key points in this verse:

• God’s plan of salvation is not just about people, but a demonstration of God’s wisdom
• The church is greater than we often give it credit for
• The church shares God’s wisdom to the spiritual powers
• God’s wisdom operates at many levels and from infinite knowledge
• God’s wisdom is based on his love
• We are involved in a spiritual war