Ephesians: Session 6 – Experiencing Christ

Notes:

Experiencing Christ – Ephesians 3:14-21

Eph. 3:14-21. The cause for which Paul gave His life, He also prays for, i.e. the Church. Paul prayed:

1) “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man” (Eph.3:16)

  • We have an inner man as well as an outer man. The inner man is the spiritual part of us, and the outer man the material part. The world concentrates on the outer man.
  • The outer man is breaking down. But the inner man is being renewed, (2 Cor.4:16).
  • Paul doesn’t pray for deliverance from problems, but the building up of the inner man.
  • The Holy Spirit does this in answer to prayer, (Jude 1:20; Lk. 18:1).
  • This is according to His riches, not out of His riches. A proportion, not a portion.

2) “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Eph.3:17a)

  • Christ dwells in the spirit of every believer, but not necessarily in the heart (see Jn.14:23).
  • Don’t be cheated out of a relationship with Jesus.
  • He will dwell in our hearts by faith – don’t let it become a work.

3) “That you, being rooted and grounded in love” (Eph.3:17b)

  • Is this our love, or God’s love? Whenever the Bible refers to the root of love it is a reference to God’s love for us. When it refers to the fruit of love it is our love flowing from the root.
  • “Grounded”. A wise master builder pays great attention to foundations. He will take time to lay deep foundations.
  • “Rooted”. This draws attention to the content of the soil; grounded refers to the depth of our foundation.
  • Show me a person who is lacking in love to God and others and I’ll show you a person who lacks a revelation of God’s love towards him. We love, because He first loved us.

 4) “May be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge” (Eph.3:18-19a)

  • When you know that you are rooted and grounded in His love you can receive more and more. Whoever has, to him more will be given.
  • “This is revelation knowledge,”  (Phil.1:9-10). This shows us the ocean of God’s love.
  • “With all the saints”. It’s going to take all the saints to understand God’s love. It passes knowledge. It can only be known in its fullness in the outworking of relationships.
  • Width – every tribe, nation…(Eph. 5:9,11; 7:9). Length – from eternity to eternity. Depth – the depth that Jesus came down to, (Phil.2:5-11). Height – united with Him and seated with Him in heavenly places. The final drama, (Jn.17:24).
  • But then there is the experiential…this is beyond knowledge. You can’t analyse and dissect a fragrance. Still less can you do that to God’s love.
  • If knowledge doesn’t bring us to this, it will just puff up.

5) “That you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph.3:19b)

  • Filled with the fullness of God, (Col.1:19; 2:9; John.1:14&16).
  • We are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ.
  • To be filled with the fullness of God might seem an impossible thing to ask for, thus Eph. 3:20-21. All things are possible to Him!


  # Answers to this quiz are found in the notes above. Click on quiz to commence. Only correct spelling is recognised. A minimum 70%  correct is required to advance to the next session.