Read Ephesians 3:1; 14-21.

Introduction⤒🔗

One day a girlfriend dropped by the office where Sara worked. She related to Sara how her father had died the day before. In his dying moment, her father had smiled, opened his eyes, and said, “He is beautiful!” He had seen the Lord Jesus.

Those words, “He is beautiful,” stayed with Sara the rest of the day. As she thought of those words, she was gradually filled with a glorious and awesome feeling. It seemed that the Lord Jesus was saying to her, “I am beautiful.”¹

Sara’s girlfriend’s father had the divine experience of seeing Christ face to face as he departed this life and entered into glory. Sara herself had the divine experience of Christ’s presence as she continued to live and work in this present world.

Early one morning, Ruth climbed into the back seat of the limousine that would take her to the airport. As she rode through the streets of suburban Chicago, the Lord spoke to her through the music of a Christian radio station. The Lord used the words of the song to communicate to her the wonder of His love in a very special way. Ruth leaned her head back on the seat and closed her eyes in prayer, “Thank You, Lord, for the love that reaches down to me.”²

These are just two examples of the divine experience of which the Apostle Paul speaks in Ephesians 3:14-21. The message of this passage, as conveyed through the apostle’s prayer, is that we as Christians should have a divine experience of Christ in our lives: more than knowing doctrine, more than keeping commandments, that we should know Christ Himself in an ever-deeper way.

Because the Lord desires for us to dwell with Him and He to dwell with us, just as we are being made into a living temple for His presence (Eph. 2:19-21), let us pray that we may experience an ever-greater measure of His divine presence and being.

Pray that You May Experience Christ’s Presence Your Heart←⤒🔗

The Apostle Paul’s prayer is that “Christ may dwell in your heart” (vs. 17a). With Christians in mind, Paul’s prayer is that the Christian would have a communion and fellowship with Christ that is experienced in the very center of our being, our heart: a deep, personal, intimate communion with Christ our Savior. The apostles’ desire is for us to experience the same intimacy they themselves had with Christ; note how the Apostle John expresses this desire in his first epistle: “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” (1 Jn. 1:3). This, indeed, is God’s own desire for us.

Unto this end and for this purpose, Paul prays that God the Father would grant that “you be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being,” (literally, “in the inner man”). The apostle’s desire and prayer is that God would strengthen us by infusing His divine power into us by His Holy Spirit, so that we may be strengthened, in order to handle the presence of Christ. Note Revelation 1:10,12-13,17-18, a passage that describes the Apostle John’s reaction to the presence of Christ,

On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet... ¹²I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lamp stands, ¹³and in the midst of the lamp stands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest... ¹⁷When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said, Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore! I hold the keys of death and Hades. Rev. 1:10,12-13,17-18

The apostle’s prayer is that God would strengthen us by infusing His divine power into us by His Holy Spirit, so that we may be strengthened, in order to prepare us for Christ’s presence. Luke 1:80 informs us that John the Baptist grew and became “strong in spirit;” (i.e. his capacity for spiritual communion with God was deepened and enlarged). This is what the Apostle Paul desires for each Christian.

The apostle’s prayer is that God would strengthen us by infusing His divine power into us by His Holy Spirit, so that we may be strengthened, to purify ourselves as the LORD’s sanctuary, in order that we may entertain Christ’s holy presence in a worthy manner, note 2 Corinthians 6:16b, 7:1,

^16b...we are the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people...^7:1Since we have these promises, beloved, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness by the fear of God.

Finally, the apostle’s prayer is that God would strengthen us by infusing His divine power into us by His Holy Spirit, so that we may be strengthened, in order that we might desire Christ’s presence. Consider the Psalmist’s prayer: “Revive us, and we will call on your name. ¹⁹Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts” (Psl. 80:18b-19a). This is also the prayer expressed by the hymn writer, Thomas Benson Pollock,

We have not loved Thee as we ought,
Nor cared that we are loved by Thee;
Thy presence we have coldly sought,
And feebly longed Thy face to see.
Lord, give a pure and loving heart
To feel and own the love Thou are.

In his prayer, Paul is expressing God’s own desire, namely, that “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Simply receiving the Lord Jesus as He reveals Himself to us in the Scriptures, we experience this spiritual communion and fellowship with Him. Speaking of the Lord Jesus, Peter writes, “though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet. 1:8-9). As we experience communion with Christ, we experience something of the life of the kingdom of God.

God desires for us as Christians to experience Christ’s presence in our hearts. Following the example of the Apostle Paul, this ought to be our prayer for ourselves and for one another:

I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵from whom every 'family' in heaven and on earth derives its name, ¹⁶[and pray] that he would grant you, in accordance with the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ^17aso that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Eph. 3:14-17a

Pray that You May Experience Christ’s Love in Your Life←⤒🔗

The Apostle Paul continues his prayer by requesting of God the Father that we would be enabled to comprehend the dimensions of Christ’s great love: “[I pray that you]...may be fully able, [together] with all the saints, to comprehend what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹indeed, to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (vs. 17b-19a). Paul’s desire is that we may have a true estimation and appreciation of Christ’s love for us; that we might comprehend something of the wonder of the truth expressed in such passages as the following:

Him who knew no sin he [God the Father] made to be sin on our behalf; so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. 2 Cor. 5:21

...you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 2 Cor. 8:9

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, —for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.'Gal. 3:13

Rather than becoming “familiar” and indifferent to the love of Christ, we should become overwhelmed and overawed by His great love.

The apostle’s prayer, indeed, God’s desire, is not only that we should comprehend the love of Christ, but that we should know His love, that we should personally experience His love for us. By way of illustration, it is one thing to hear about the splendor of the Grand Canyon, but it is quite another thing to see it for yourself and to experience it. God’s desire is that we should personally experience the love of Christ in an increasingly deep and personal way. God’s desire that we should experience the love of Christ in a very deep and personal way, is well expressed by the hymn writer, Samuel Trevor Francis, when he writes,

O the deep, deep of love Jesus! Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free;
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me.
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love;
Leading onward, leading homeward, to Thy glorious rest above.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus! Spread his praise from shore to shore;
How he loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore;
How he watches o’er his loved ones, died to call them all his own;
How for them he intercedes, watches o’er them from the throne.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus! Love of every love the best;
’Tis an ocean vast of blessing, ’tis a haven sweet of rest.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus! ’tis a heaven of heavens to me;
And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee.

As we comprehend and appreciate and know and experience the love of Christ, we shall “be filled to all the fullness of God” (vs. 19b). One of God’s great attributes is His desire to share Himself with us and to receive us into His fellowship. The more we grow in our relationship with Christ, the more we will come to experience the life of God.

Notice that Paul prays that we may experience the love of Christ together with “all the saints.” In our communion with Christ, there should be times and there will be times when the veil between heaven and earth is drawn back and we experience a portion of what awaits us in eternity; note again 1 Peter 1:8-9, ”Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

God desires for us as Christians to experience Christ’s love in our lives. Again, following the example of the Apostle Paul, may this be our prayer for ourselves and for one another:

[I pray that you], being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸may be fully able, [together] with all the saints, to comprehend what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹[indeed], to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled to all the fullness of God. Eph. 3:17b-19

Conclusion←⤒🔗

The Apostle Paul concludes his prayer with a doxology of praise to God:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine, by means of the power that is at work in us, ²¹to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Eph. 3:20-21

The theme of the benediction contained in verses 20-21 is praise to God for His infinite ability to bestow spiritual blessing upon His people. God is more than able to answer the prayer the apostle has offered up in verses 14-19.

The Apostle James must write to the church in these terms: “You ask, but do not receive, because you ask amiss; you ask for the wrong things” (Jas. 4:3). But when we bring our prayers into accordance with God’s desires, we can expect Him “to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine.”

May our prayer, for ourselves and for one another, be the same as that of the Apostle Paul: Let us pray for a divine experience of Christ’s presence and His love! Let us pray that we may experience Christ’s presence in our hearts. Let us pray that we may experience Christ’s love in our lives, so that we “may be filled to all the fullness of God.”

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. What is the Apostle Paul’s prayerful desire for the Ephesian church? See Eph. 3:17-19. As a Christian, how deep and how personal is your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you have the desire to know Christ and the depths of His love? Should we ever be content with a static, superficial relationship with our Lord; what does the Apostle Peter exhort us to do? See 2 Pet. 3:18,

[And I pray that you], being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may be fully able, [together] with all the saints, to comprehend what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹indeed, to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled to all the fullness of God. Eph. 3:17-19

...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Pet. 3:18

2. If we are to entertain the awesome presence of Christ, what is required? See Eph. 3:16-17a. Can it be that at present, our Christian life is too feeble to experience a deeper measure of Christ’s divine fellowship? As Christians, are we too pre-occupied with the everyday affairs of life, are our minds too cluttered with the desires and ambitions of the surrounding culture, are we too committed to our favorite sins to even desire such fellowship with our Lord? If so, what must we ask of our Lord? See Psl. 80:18-19,

...[and I pray] that he would grant you, in accordance with the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Eph. 3:16-17

¹⁸...revive us, and we will call on your name.¹⁹Restore us, LORD God Almighty; make your face shine upon us... Psl. 80:18-19

3. How did the patriarch Jacob react to his encounter with the LORD? See Gen. 28:16. Departing alone to an unknown country, might he have been preoccupied with his present needs and future perspective? Do we tend to view the LORD as being confined to the heavens, distant from us and irrelevant when it comes to the “weighty matters” of everyday living? How can we develop a deeper awareness of the LORD’s constant presence? Note Psl. 16:8 Do you begin the day with prayer and reading a portion of Scripture? If not, why not?

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Certainly, the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it!' Gen. 28:16

This was Jacob’s reaction to the LORD’s revelation of Himself to Jacob as he traveled from Canaan to the Gentile region of Padan Aram.

I have set the LORD continually before me; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psl. 16:8

4. How is Moses’ relationship with the LORD described? See Heb. 11:27. How profoundly deep was that relationship (cf. vs. 27b)? Does the writer employ the expression “he survived [his life in the wilderness]” as an understatement so as to emphasize how overwhelmingly great was the sustaining presence of Christ? What did Moses renounce that enabled him to experience such a fellowship with Christ? See Heb. 11:24-26a. Are there things in this present pagan culture you need to renounce—certain practices, lifestyles, outlooks—for the sake of cultivating your relationship with Christ?

By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he survived, as seeing him who is unseen.Heb. 11:27

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin, ²⁶considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt... Heb. 11:24-26a

5. What promise does the Lord Jesus make to those who love Him? How is that love expressed? See Jn. 14:23. What is the greatest obstacle to fellowship with Christ our Lord? See Isa. 59:1-2; see, also, Psl. 66:18. As Christians, what should be our prayer? See Psl. 139:23-24. What is a most dangerous kind of sin that severely hinders divine fellowship? See Eph. 4:30-31,

Jesus responded to him by saying, If a man loves me, he will obey my teaching; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and dwell with him. Jn. 14:23

Listen, the LORD’s hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is his hearing so poor that he cannot hear. ²On the contrary, your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have caused him to hide his face from you, so that he refuses to hear [you]. Isa. 59:1-2

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear... Psl. 66:18

Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts; ²⁴and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psl. 139:23-24

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹Get rid of all bitterness and rage and anger and clamor and slander, along with all malice. Eph. 4:30-31