(Ephesians 3: 8- 21, the real strenght of our hearts)
Eph 3:16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;
Eph 3:11 according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Eph 3:12 in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him.
Firstly, the Bible helps us to understand that God has given all spiritual blessings through Christ Jesus. The first chapter tells us that:
Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ:
All that God has done is done through His beloved Son. His Son Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth and the life. Through Christ we have access into Gods grace, Christ is our high-priest, Christ is the author and finisher of our faith.
Through Christ we come to the Father. He is our mediator.
Secondly these things are through our faith in Him. The faith that we have in Him through His Son Jesus Christ is our victory. Faith and obedience are crucial when it comes to life in Christ.
Thirdly we see that we have confidence in Him. This is grand, we have boldness through Christ.
In Christ we are fully convinced that we are His child and our relationship with Him has brought us a new identity. In Him we are free (Joh. 8: 32) in Him we have been restored.
In Him we have find our new life, through Him we have found love and truth.
Eph 3:13 Wherefore I ask that ye may not faint at my tribulations for you, which are your glory.
Paul is telling the Ephesians here that He is happy for going through tribulations. For these tribulations that he was going through were for their glory.
This is a glorious thought, where are the preachers that have the same feeling??
Paul wrote in another place:
Phi 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Phi 1:22 But if to live in the flesh, ifthis shall bring fruit from my work, then what I shall choose I know not.
Paul was always happy to be used in the gospel-work.
He rather suffered with God's people, he was rather spend for the work of God then anything else. (2 Cor. 24- 28)
The only thing better was to be with Christ Himself.
It is like Moses, he rather suffered affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. (Hebr. 11: 25)
Eph 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father,
Eph 3:15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
Eph 3:16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;
Here we see that the Holy Spirit is the strenght of our hearts. He is there to work with power in our hearts.
The word "strengthened" is a beautiful word. You will be excited when you know!!
G2901 krataioō
to empower, that is, (passively) increase in vigor: - be strenghtened, be (wax) strong
We will find vigor that we do not have, we will be empowered with power that is not our own.
We will be strong in Him.
As Christians we might not always fully know how all of these things work, but we know that He is doing it for us. What a glorious thought to know this.
When we read about these things in the context we see that Paul is talking about his tribulations in verse 13. Well, Paul knew that he was strenghtened in the inner man with power from the Spirit while going through these tribulations.
He could do all things through God who gave him the strenght.
And so can we. We will also encounter many tribulations in our lives.
But the Spirit will empower us. We will encounter hard times, we will encounter times when our faith is going through trying times. We will encounter tribulations.
However, we need not to loose heart, He is there to strenghten us.
I love it!!!! Do you??
Whatever is being done in our lives, it is God who does it. The Father is always the instigator.
He does it through the Holy Spirit. God, our beloved Father works all these things to the glory of His grace and purposes.
In the beginning:
John 15: 1- 5
Who gives the rain?
Who gives the seasons?
The strenght that we receive is given to us in our inward man. In our hearts.
He lifts our hearts, he lifts the brokenhearted. He lifts them that trust in Him.
God is the supplier of all good riches.
We are strengthened with power in the inward man. Strenght is given to us.
The Bible helps us to understand that the Christian life is a life of battle. When we look at Christ and the battles that He was in, we come to understand that we will go through similair battles. We will go through tribulations off all sorts.
We go back to John 15: 1- 5
All the strenght that is given us is all according to His riches. All that God does is done according to His blessed will.
We sing a song that says: God is good. Well indeed God is good. He shares with us all things out of His great glory.
He shares with us in abundance.
All that God does, is according to His glory.
Eph 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
When we look at the word that connects verse 16 and 17, the word "that", we see that the strenght that He gives is so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.
The Spirit works in our inner man giving us strenght and these things are that Christ may fully dwell in our hearts.
Rom. 8: 29
Eph 3:18 may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
When we let Christ dwell in our hearts through faith, we will understand the deep and precious love of God.
When the Holy Spirit works in our inner man, it will lead to Christ being fully in our hearts, this through faith. When these things find there perfect end we will stand deep in the love of Christ. We will then understand the full breadth, length, height and depth.
Well, this is exciting!!!
Being complete in love, is that not what we are called to be. Perfect in love to our Father and perfect in love to one another.
Rom: 8: 28 tells us that we are to be conformed to the image of His Son.
We can only be fully comformed when we are perfect in love.
Eph 3:19 and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God.
This is Gods intent, the intent is that we may be full and know the deep love of Christ.
When that love fills our heart we will be able to love our enemies, if this love fills our heart we will be able to forgive and forget even the greatest sin against us.
Full with those things that are spiritual. Full with Him who is our life and joy.
God wants us to be filled with His fullness.
Ephesians 4: 11- 15
Hebr. 5: 12- 14
Eph 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Wow, and this is real excitement!!!!
God can do in us that which is beyond our comprehension.
How does He do it. By letting His Spirit work in us and to see that God can do the impossible in our lives.
Eph 3:21 unto him bethe glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen.
When we consider all these things we are flooded with precious thoughts of God. God who works great things in our lives. Then we can only sing, then we can only say and testify that God is good and just and He can be glorified through us.
2Ti 2:22 after righteousness, faith, love, pace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
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