Ephesians 3:14-21

A1 Scripture

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 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; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-21, NKJV)

A2 Outline

B1 He bows

C1 He acknowledges God’s superiority. God does not bow, which would mean humans are superior. He does not stand, which would mean they are equals. People bow because God is the superior.

C2 We bow because He is father. We profess His greatness.

C3 This does NOT mean we are to bow before our earthly fathers or any priest.

B2 He prays

C1 Paul bows his knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

C2 Of whom the whole family

D1 The believers, the church, are the family of God.

D2 Named

E1 This is a verb and means assigned a name.

E2 Some have interpreted family as

F1 The church

F2 Family in the sense of order

F3 Family in the sense of hierarchy

F4 The idea of what a family is

B3 His prayer

C1 To

D1 Grant you (give you)

D2 According to the riches of His glory (He is rich in ability, authority, and mercy)

E1 Riches that are not good

F1 Deceitful because they cannot meet the deepest needs of any human: Matthew 13:22 (WEB) What was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

F2 Earthly riches cannot and often prevent someone from truly believing in Jesus Christ for salvation: Mark 10:23 (WEB) Jesus looked around, and said to his disciples, “How difficult it is for those who have riches to enter into the Kingdom of God!

F3 Riches do not have a guarantee to help us: 1 Timothy 6:17 (WEB) Charge those who are rich in this present world that they not be haughty, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on the living God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

F4 Do not last forever: James 5:2 (WEB) Your riches are corrupted and your garments are moth-eaten.

F5 Some believe that earthly riches indicate God’s blessing; they are wrong: Revelation 3:17 (WEB) Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing;’ and don’t know that you are the wretched one, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

E2 Riches that are good

F1 God’s goodness: Romans 2:4 (WEB) Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

F2 Our source for wisdom and knowledge: Romans 11:33 (WEB) Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out!

F3 God’s grace for our salvation. Everything from initiation to completion is His grace. Ephesians 1:7 (WEB) in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.

F4 Christians are adopted daughters and sons to whom God gives inheritance: Ephesians 1:18 (WEB) having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.

F5 His kindness: Ephesians 2:7 (WEB) that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

F6 To give strength in discouragement, trial, and everyday life: Ephesians 3:16 (WEB) that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man.

F7 The blessing of knowing Messiah Jesus and His truth: Colossians 2:2 (WEB) that their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love, and gaining all riches of the full assurance of understanding, that they may know the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ.

F8 Moses suffered for believing in Messiah but judged that Messiah is better than all the riches of Egypt: Hebrews 11:26 (WEB) accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he looked to the reward.

C2 For (Paul prays)

D1 The people of God to be strengthened

E1 With might (strength of ability and will)

E2 Through His Spirit (the source)

E3 In the inner man (the place of motivation)

E4 Note that this is grace. It is not something earned or deserved. It is a gift from our father.

D2 That Christ may live in your hearts through faith

E1 We are already Christians, believers.

E2 Live in the sense of being obviously a Christian to us and all others.

D3 Since we are rooted and grounded in love, we may be able to understand—along with all the people of God—His love

E1 The width, length, depth, and height

E2 Christ's love

E3 Which is greater than anything we can understand

D4 That we may be filled (to the brim) with all the fullness of God (everything that He stands for, not to be what He is. We are not God, nor do we become gods. We are to be in His image, so that all we do in thoughts, desires, words, and deeds are His way—like Him).

C3 His blessing/prayer for them

D1 To God

E1 Who can do more than anything we can think of (ability, authority, and mercy).

E2 According to the power in us (not some presence or ability in our own, but instead this refers to the Holy Spirit, who lives in us).

D2 For us

E1 To praise God (We, the church—the people of God—in all generations praise Him for His goodness to us).

E2 To remember that it is Christ Jesus who is our Savior for all these things that we do not deserve.

A2 Applications

B1 God is always supreme.

C1 The Bible teaches us that it is His will, not ours. We must yield to His will always.

C2 It is His timing, not ours.

C3 It is His results, not ours.

C4 We must recognize this and be content.

C5 It is for our peace and safety.

B2 His order and organization is always best.

B3 He wants us to be strengthened in our inner selves, our heart. We must read and study the Scriptures.

C1 James 1:2-4 NKJV My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

C2 Romans 5:3-4 NKJV And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.

C3 2 Peter 1:5-8 NKJV But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, [you will be] neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

B4 He wants us to live an obvious Christian life as taught in the New Testament. This is an active faith, not a passive faith. Passive faith is the emergent church, progressive Christianity, and any other group, belief, or teaching that uses mysticism, silence, contemplative, bypassing the brain, etc.

C1 Matthew 7:15 NKJV “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

C2 Colossians 2:8 NKJV Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

C3 1 Peter 5:8 HCSB Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.

C4 Even IN prayer: Colossians 4:2 HCSB Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving.

B5 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 HCSB May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good work and word.